Pioneers name athletes of the week, Williams earns WIAC honors

Pioneers name athletes of the week, Williams earns WIAC honors
February 6, 2017
Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week – Cory Vaassen, Sr. (Cuba City, Wis.) Forward – Vaassen missed back-to-back double-doubles by one rebound in Wednesday’s 68-64 loss to UW-Whitewater.  The senior tallied 22 points, nine rebounds, and two steals.  In Saturday’s WIAC road game at UW-La Crosse, he totaled 11 points, seven rebounds, and two steals in the loss to the Eagles.
Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week – Allison Prestegaard, So. (Amboy, Ill./Ashton-Franklin Center) Center – In Wednesday’s 76-59 road loss at UW-Whitewater, Prestegaard’s defense was key in the Pioneers’ comeback effort to get within two points of the Warhawks at 43-41 with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.  The sophomore had 12 points, eight rebounds, and seven blocks in the loss.  In the Pioneers’ 74-70 loss to UW-La Crosse on Feb. 4, Prestegaard scored 11 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and had six blocked shots. 

Indoor Track Men’s Field Athlete of the Week – Charlie Gifford, Fr. (Menasha, Wis.) 60-meter Hurdles –  Gifford won the 60-meter hurdles at the Wartburg Select with a times of 8.44 seconds.    The freshman’s time ranks him tied for sixth in the WIAC and 36th in Division III.
Indoor Track Men’s Track Athlete of the Week – Jake Hirshbrunner, So. (Monroe, Wis,) Heptathlon  – In his first-ever heptathlon, Hirshbrunner won the Wartburg Select with a point total of 4,691.  The sophomore won the long jump (6.35 m) and the 1,000 m (2:45.95) on his way to victory.  The point total ranks second in the WIAC and 10th on the Division III national list. 
Indoor Track Women’s Field Athlete of the Week – Amber Williams, Sr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Hamilton) Triple Jump – Williams won the triple jump at the Wartburg Select with a distance of 12.32 m (40’, 5”).  The senior’s mark currently ranks her first in the nation in the Division III national list by 11 inches.

Wrestling Athlete of the Week – D’Andre Johnson, So. (Lombard, Ill.) Heavyweight – Johnson registered an 8-4 victory over Justin Karkula of UW-Eau Claire.  Karkula came into the bout as a contender in the most recent national rankings by d3wrestle.com and is a past NCAA tournament qualifier.