Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Crusader junior Nic Kooyers (Holland, Mich./Holland) has been named Mid-Continent Conference Athlete of the Week for the second straight week after a perfect weekend at the Valparaiso University Tennis Complex.

Kooyers paced the Brown and Gold to three wins in conference play, going 3-0 at number one singles and 3-0 at first doubles alongside partner Joe Venegas (Saint Charles, Ill./North). Kooyers finished regular season play undefeated in conference, 6-0, helping Valpo to the second seed in this weekend's Mid-Con Championship in Tulsa, Okla.

The junior has won nine consecutive singles matches, and has a team-best 20-11 record this year. This is the fourth time this season Kooyers has earned the Mid-Con's Athlete of the Week award and the ninth such honor in his career.

The Crusaders (11-9, 5-1 Mid-Con) will meet third-seeded Western Illinois in the first round of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament, Friday at 10:00 a.m. The winner will move on to face either #1 Oral Roberts or #4 UMKC in Saturday's championship match, set for 11:00 a.m., with the winner earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.