Submitted. Basketball standouts Tommy Nixon (UBC Thunderbirds) and Sarah Wierks (UFV Cascades) were named the Canada West First Stars of the Week after outstanding performances in leading their respective squads to crucial undefeated weekends.
Nixon had the touch last Friday night, scoring a career-high 36 points to steer the Thunderbirds to a 92-77 win over Lethbridge. He delivered an encore performance on the following night with 21 points and nine rebounds to complete the weekend sweep.
Wierks was a dominant inside presence in the Cascades’ two wins over Mount Royal, recording consecutive double-doubles and averaging 22 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks.
Both the Thunderbirds and Cascades are in the middle of battles for playoff positioning. With the wins over the weekend, UBC currently holds on to the seventh and final playoff spot in the men’s Pioneer Division, and UFV enjoys a three-game lead over Mount Royal for the third and last playoff berth in the women’s Explorer Division.
Also honoured this week are UBC Okanagan’s Jim Bell (men’s volleyball), Regina’s Mike Malecha (men’s basketball), Manitoba’s Caleigh Dobie (women’s volleyball) and Calgary’s Iya Gavrilova (women’s hockey).
Image courtesy of UFV Cascades