Pioneers name athletes of the week; Johnson earns WIAC honors

January 20, 2016

	Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week – Cory Vaassen, Jr. (Dickeyville, Wis./Cuba City). Forward. Vaassen scored 18 points, shooting seven-of-eight from the field, and grabbed eight rebounds in a close road loss at UW-Stevens Point. He grabbed another eight rebounds at UW-Stout, helping lead the Pioneers to an overtime road conference win.
	Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week – Elisa Bilderback, Jr. (Platteville, Wis./Platteville). Forward. Bilderback led the Pioneers in a pair of WIAC matchups. In the Pioneers’ 67-48 loss to 19th-ranked UW-Stevens Point, the junior scored 14 points, including 10 in the first half on seven-for-13 shooting and added four rebounds in the game. In the Pioneers’ 77-47 setback to UW-Stout, Bilderback netted 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds, including three offensive.
	Men’s Track Athlete of the Week – Dan Arnold, Jr. (West Fargo, ND/Fargo Shanley). 60m Hurdles. Arnold won the 60m hurdles at the UW-Platteville Open. Dan ran a time of 8.35 in the trials and eventually took first in the finals in a time of 8.45. That 8.35 mark currently ranks eighth on the NCAA Division III national list.
	Women’s Field Athlete of the Week – Amber Williams, Jr. (Milwaukee, WI/Hamilton). Long jump. Williams won the long jump with a mark of 5.56 (18 ft. 3 in.) at the UW-Platteville Open. This mark currently ranks second on the NCAA Division III national list.
	Wrestling Athlete of the Week – D'Andre Johnson, Fr. (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East). Heavyweight. Johnson earned a pin at 5:57 of his bout with Clay Broze of UW-LaCrosse, who is nationally ranked inside the top eight by both the NWCA and d3wrestle.com. The victory improves Johnson's record to 20-3 this season.