June 16, 2010

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - North Dakota's Jake Magner has been selected the Great West Conference men's Student-Athlete of the Month for April, while South Dakota's Emma Erickson and HBU's Cindee Wright share the women's award.

Magner, a junior from Grand Rapids, Minn., finished the month of April with a .364 batting average, 10 home runs and 29 RBI in 18 games. He had seven multiple-hit games and six multiple-RBI games, including three games with four-plus RBI. The first baseman earned four National Player of the Week honors and the Great West Player of the Week honor following the NYIT series in late April. He set school single-game records with four home runs and nine RBI in a 21-19 victory over the Bears in game two of a doubleheader on April 24. In game one of the doubleheader, Magner hit two home runs and had four RBI. He was the only player in Division I this season to hit six home runs in a doubleheader and one of three DI players to hit four home runs in a game.

Erickson and Wright share the women's honor after each won two GWC Athlete of the Week awards in April. The two track standouts shared the conference honor on April 14 after each finished first in two individual events and helped their respective teams to relay victories.

A sprinter from Shreveport, La., Wright won the 100 meters at the Ty Terrell Relays in a time of 11.59 and the 200 meters in 24.09. The senior also anchored the HBU 4x100 relay to victory, notching GWC-leading marks in all three races. Erickson, a sophomore from Gayville, S.D., posted three wins at the Nebraska Invite, including the 1,500 in 4:33, the 800 meters in 2:11 and ran a leg on USD's winning 4x400-meter relay in 3:52.

Later in the month, Erickson ran a 2:08 for third in the Olympic development division of the 800 meters at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays, before setting two school records the next weekend at the Drake Relays. She broke her own school record in the outdoor 800 meters with a 2:07 to finish third and also ran the 800 meters in the record-setting sprint medley relay that finished sixth in 3:54, earning another GWC Athlete of the Week accolade.

Wright anchored HBU's 4x100 meter relay team that won the event at the Mt. SAC Relays with a GWC-leading time of 46.46 in the university/collegiate division, leading to the GWC's weekly honor. Individually, Wright posted a season-best time of 23.99 in the 200 meters for a third place finish at Mt. SAC.

Others nominated for student-athlete of the month were Houston Baptist's Paul Prestera (Baseball), NJIT's Matt Tomczyk (Baseball), North Dakota's Lindy Sippola (Softball), Northern Colorado's Jarod Berggren (Baseball), South Dakota's Rob Gregoire (Track & Field), Texas-Pan American's Melinda Uriegas (Golf) and Utah Valley's Goose Kallunki (Baseball) and Amanda Perez (Softball).