Female Athlete of the Week – Courtney McPherson, Women’s Basketball
Kaitlyn McPherson of the Niagara College women’s basketball program (6-5, 5th OCAA West) has been named this week’s female athlete of the week. On January 16th, McPherson had a dominating performance against the visiting Sheridan Bruins.
McPherson, a Welland native and École Secondaire Confédération graduate, recorded her eighth double-double of the season as the Knights defeated the Bruins 73-26. She recorded an impressive season-high 21 rebounds, as well as 18 points and three steals.
McPherson, a second-year Educational Assistant Special Needs Support student, has been a force all year for the Knights. She now leads the OCAA in rebounds with 135 through 11 games. In addition, she is also the Knights leader in points with 178 and field goals with 66.
The Knights will hit the court next in Hamilton on January 20th as they take on the Mohawk Mountaineers (7-3, 4th OCAA West) looking for their third straight victory. Opening tip is scheduled for 6:00 pm. They will return home for a pair of matches on January 30th and 31st against the visiting Sault Cougars (1-8, 9th OCAA West).
Male Athlete of the Week – Sameh Khodr, Men’s Volleyball
Sameh Khodr (Kalamoun, Lebanon) of the Niagara College men’s volleyball program (9-2, 2nd OCAA West) has been named this week’s male athlete of the week. A first-year ESL student, Khodr and his Knights teammates went 2-0 this past week defeating the Sheridan Bruins 3-1 and the St. Clair Saints 3-0.
On January 14th against the Bruins, Khodr was dynamite for Niagara. He notched 23 points in the contest with a team-high 20 kills and three service aces in the victory. On top of his offensive output, Khodr was solid defensively, picking up eight kills in the match. The Knights travelled to St. Clair on January 17th, where he came off the bench to provide an offensive spark in the Knights 3-0 victory of the Saints adding four kills and a service ace.
The Knights currently find themselves in 2nd spot in the OCAA west division, sporting a 9-2 record. Niagara will welcome the Humber Hawks (7-3, 5th OCAA West) on Wednesday night for their third match in six days. First serve is scheduled for 3:00 pm at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre.