Indiana University Athletics
Soria Named IU Athlete of the Week
3/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | General
March 28, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - On a weekly basis, IUHOOSIERS.com will recognize the top performances in Hoosier Athletics by selecting an IU Athlete of the Week. For the week ending March 26, junior water polo player Melissa Soria garnered the distinction.
Soria led the No. 17 Indiana water polo team to a trio of victories at the Fluid Five Challenge in Bloomington, Ind., March 25-26. Soria notched 11 goals in victories over No. 16 Michigan (6-5), Wagner (13-9) and Marist (12-6). The wins ran the Hoosiers winning streak to four matches as IU has won 13 of its last 14 matches.
"Melissa had an exceptional weekend at the Fluid Five," Indiana head coach Barry King said. "She has really been coming into her own as of late. She is gaining confidence with each game, and it was good to see her finishing as well as she did. We expect big things from her, and she is delivering."
In the opener against No. 16 Michigan, Soria finished with two goals and a steal. Additionally, she notched the first goal of the second half to tie the match at three as the Hoosiers went on for a 6-5 victory. The win marked the second straight weekend IU had knocked off its rival Michigan.
On Sunday, March 26, Soria recorded nine goals on 10 shots in victories over Wagner and Marist. In the first game of the day against Wagner, Soria equaled a career high with four goals, only to better it by one in the win over Marist. She became the 17th Hoosier to notch five goals in a game. The Villa Park, Calif., native scored IU's first three goals for a first period hat trick against Marist. Soria had two kickouts drawn against Wanger and one steal against Marist.
For the year, Soria ranks third on the team with 32 goals. She has started 23 matches and leads IU with 30 kickouts drawn.
Soria earned the IU Athlete of the Week honor from a list of deserving nominees. The list of nominees included senior Sarah Batty (women's tennis), freshman pitcher Joe Vicini (baseball), junior center fielder Kim Richards (softball), senior guard Cyndi Valentin (women's basketball), the second novice 8 shell (rowing), senior Kevin Swander (men's swimming), sophomore Dara McLoughlin (men's tennis) and freshman Drew Allenspach (men's golf).
Hoosier Honor Roll
Senior Sarah Batty (women's tennis) - led the No. 35 Hoosiers to Big Ten victories over No. 33 Purdue (5-2) and No. 59 Illinois (6-1) by going 1-1 at the No. 1 singles position and 2-0 at the No. 1 doubles slot, including her and junior Laura McGaffigan's first win over a ranked opponent.
Freshman pitcher Joe Vicini (baseball) - pitched in the final two games of the Hartford series, collecting his second save of the season with 3 2/3 scoreless innings in game two and his second win of the year in game three.
Junior center fielder Kim Richards (softball) - posted a .300 batting average with two home runs, scoring three runs and tallying three RBI to help lead the Hoosiers to a 2-1 record at the IU Classic
Senior guard Cyndi Valentin (women's basketball) - finished her Hoosier career with two 20-plus scoring performances in the WNIT against Indiana State (20 points) and Marquette (21 points).
Senior Ryan Fagan (men's swimming and diving) - concluded his career on a high note with All-America honors on the one-meter (15th) and platform (eighth) at the 2006 NCAA Championships.
The second novice 8 shell (rowing) - freshman Carlie Boese (cox), freshman Stephanie Hamilton (stroke), freshman Ariana Breckner, freshman Stephanie Horvath, sophomore Marla Alexander, freshman Rachel Bernhardt, sophomore Nadia Haven, freshman Christina Vernon and senior Liz Marshall (bow) claimed over defending Big Ten champion No. 13 Michigan State.
Senior Kevin Swander (men's swimming) - nearly scored Indiana's initial individual NCAA title since Jim Montgomery won both the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle events in 1976 with a school-record time for second place in the 100-yard breaststroke at the 2006 NCAA Championships.
Sophomore Dara McLoughlin (men's tennis) - helped IU to a 7-0 victory over Vincennes with his eighth straight win at the No. 2 singles position and a win at No. 1 doubles.
Freshman Drew Allenspach (men's golf) - led the Hoosier contingent at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate with an 11th-place performance.
