By: William Bale
HILLSBORO, Ore. – The Northwest Conference office announced its Student-Athletes of the Week for the week of March 10 through March 16, with
Shanah Denham,
Lana Davis,
Andrew Dewar,
Makaylah Johnson,
Candice Mugo-Wainaina, and
Lucas Plenert being awarded the weekly honor.
Denham played a pivotal role in the Bruins women's tennis team's 5–2 victory versus Lewis & Clark on Saturday. The junior partnered with
Riley Bobkiewicz to defeat the River Otters' No. 1 doubles duo 6–1, contributing to the Bruins' doubles point. Denham also held down singles by taking down her opponent in two sets, 6–0, 6–0, becoming the only player of the day to sweep her opponent.
Within two games over the previous week, Davis put up 10 goals on 15 shots and six assists, combining for 16 points to help lead the Bruins' lacrosse team to a 14–5 win versus Occidental College and a 20–9 victory versus Willamette. Between both games, the senior also accounted for five caused turnovers, four ground balls, and 15 draw controls, while also going 3–3 on free-possession shots. This is Davis's third Offensive Player of the Week award for the Northwest Conference.
Dewar put together a blazing time in the men's 1500m at the Rich Allen Classic, winning the event with a 3:57.81. The freshman's time was nearly three seconds faster than the closest NWC competitor and eight seconds quicker than his closest non-GFU conference competition. Dewar's time sits atop the conference lists two weeks into the season and is the third-fastest time in the nation (and fastest in the country over the past weekend).
Johnson had a solid outing at the Rich Allen Classic, putting together several top performances. The freshman won the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.81, a mark that was 0.8 seconds faster than her nearest NWC competition and was the fastest in the NWC over the weekend (and third-fastest in the nation). In addition, Johnson ran a personal-best 200m with a time of 26.35, a mark that ranks 16th-fastest in the country.
Mugo-Wainaina won both events she competed in at the Rich Allen Classic, setting personal-best marks in both the hammer throw and shot put. Mugo-Wainaina recorded a 41–02.50 in the shot put, a mark that is tops in the conference and fifth in the nation. The sophomore then threw 154–09 in the hammer, seven feet better than her closest competition and a mark that ranks third in the NWC and fifth in the country.
Plenert had a career game in a 7–3 win over Pacific Lutheran and sat on no-hitter watch through the first seven innings. After walking two batters in the first inning, Plenert retired 13 straight batters and did not allow a hit until the first batter of the eighth inning. For the game, the pitcher threw seven innings, allowing one hit, no earned runs, and striking out nine.
Denham and the women's tennis team will travel to Orlando, Fla., to begin their spring break tournament by facing Southwestern on March 19 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Davis and the lacrosse team will head to Sewanee, Tenn., to compete against Rhodes College on March 22. The game is set to begin at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Dewar, Johnson, Mugo-Wainaina, and the track & field program will head to the Redlands Multis in Redlands, California, on March 19. Plenert and the baseball team will be home on March 18 to face one of the best teams in the country, Denison. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.