By snoadmin
I admit, it is impossible to compare, say, a cross country runner to a men’s water polo player, but putting together a top 10 list is fun (so that’s my excuse for doing it).
So here we go…
No. 10 – Meredith Kramon, Sr. (women’s cross country)
No LBSU women’s cross country runner has ever run as fast as Kramon. She shattered her own school record this year, running the 6K in 20:52, which was 22 seconds faster than her old record.
No. 9 – Jessica Beaver, Jr. (softball)
When looking at Beaver’s statistics one word comes to mind – sick. Beaver is hitting a ridiculous .379, with nine homeruns (the rest of the team has only seven) and 39 RBIs.
No. 8 – Danny Espinosa, So. (baseball)
USC might be “running back university,” but LBSU is quickly becoming “shortstop university.” Following in the footsteps of Bobby Crosby and Troy Tulowitzki, Espinosa is keeping the Dirtbags tradition of having dominant shortstops. Espinosa leads the team in homeruns this season and is second in batting average.
No. 7 – Kim Silos, So. (women’s soccer)
There wasn’t a more dangerous forward in the Big West Conference last season than Silos. She led the conference in goals and assists, with nine in each category. Not only did she score a lot, but she also scored when it mattered the most, scoring five game-winning goals.
No. 6 – Hannah Grady, So. (women’s tennis)
Grady is the No. 1 player on a team that has won four consecutive conference titles, a streak no other LBSU sport comes close to. She has also proven to be the best player in the conference, after winning her second consecutive Big West Conference Player of the Year award last week. It is very possible that the Britain-native will make it three in a row next year (and maybe four in a row the year after that).
No. 5 – Karina Figueroa, So. (women’s basketball)
Basketball is a team sport, but there were times this season Figueroa looked like she was the LBSU women’s basketball team. With little help from a team that was even younger than her, the 5-foot-8 point guard was third in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game.
No. 4 – Hayley Bolt, So. (women’s soccer)
The engine of LBSU’s first ever Big West regular season championship women’s soccer team was Bolt. As a center midfielder, Bolt was masterful in cutting up opposing teams’ defenses. She scored eight goals and compiled four assists, and was named Big West Midfielder of the Year.
No. 3 – Kay Hoey, Jr. (women’s golf)
Maybe the most underrated athlete on the campus is Hoey. She is ranked as the No. 15 women’s college golfer by Golfstat and is ranked No. 22 by Golfweek Magazine. Hoey won the individual title in the Big West Conference Championships, and will represent LBSU in the NCAA Western Regional later this week.
No. 2 – Alexis Crimes, Jr. (women’s volleyball)
When it comes to pure athleticism, Crimes is in a league of her own at LBSU. With her almost freakish jumping ability, the 6-foot-3 middle blocker is a nightmare for opposing teams, as she can shut them down defensively with her blocking skills, plus, pound down kill after kill offensively. She led the team in both categories last year, with 411 kills and 151 blocks. Crimes might very well be the best middle blocker in the country when next year comes around.
No. 1 – Aaron Nixon, Sr. (men’s basketball)
This may have been a difficult list to put together, but the top spot was a no-brainer. Nixon, who was Big West Conference Player of the Year, led the 49ers to its first NCAA Tournament since 1995, but it was the way that he did it that made it so outstanding. He carried over his habit of hitting big shots from the 2005-06 season, hitting two game-winners in the final seconds this season. But most memorable was his performance in the Big West Championship game, when he scored 29 points en route to being named tournament MVP.
