Vernon, Sow named IG Wealth Management Athletes of the Week, powered by Planters
Burlington, Ont. – Theanna Vernon and Ali Sow have been named IG Wealth Management Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Athletes of the Week, powered by Planters, for the period ending January 20, 2019.
Female Athlete of the Week – Theanna Vernon (Scarborough, Ont.) – 5th Year – Ryerson Rams
It's not very often a student-athlete can claim to have made zero errors in a weekend, but Ryerson's Theanna Vernon can do just that after a phenomenal weekend on the court.
On Saturday, Vernon tallied 13 kills and zero attack errors on 17 attempts for a 0.765 hitting percentage. She kept her perfect weekend going on Sunday when she posted 16 kills and zero errors to lead the Rams to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over No. 8 Toronto.
Vernon finished with 40 total points, 29 kills, a hitting percentage of 0.604, 11 blocks (8 solo, 6 assisted), and ten digs as the No. 4 Rams swept their weekend matches to continue to top the OUA East division.
Vernon's remarkable hitting percentage only increased her lead atop the OUA leaderboard as her season percentage now sits at 0.422 - over 100 points better than the next closest player (0.317). Her blocking game is also tops in the conference, sitting at 1.64 blocks per set, high and above the next closest player at 0.98.
Male Athlete of the Week – Ali Sow (Ottawa, Ont.) – 2nd Year – Laurier Golden Hawks
Ali Sow has been a force in the OUA this season, and this past weekend, he continued his incredible run that has seen him score 36 or more points in three straight games thanks to a pair of all-star performances.
In a pair of games against the Algoma Thunderbirds, Sow couldn’t be stopped, and in lighting up the scoreboard, helped his Laurier Golden Hawks to a pair of important wins. In the opener, the second-year players racked up 37 points on 55.6% shooting from the field, including nearly 40% from beyond the arc. He also tacked on four rebounds and a pair of steals in his team’s 21-point victory.
As an encore, Sow somehow outdid himself, posting 41 points on 65.2% from the floor and 61.5% from deep. The reigning OUA Rookie of the Year had seven of his 41 points in overtime, as Laurier rallied to pick up the sweep on Saturday, with the 40+ point effort making him just the second Golden Hawk to record 40 or more points in a game twice in a season since 1978.
Sow is now up to an average of 26.8 points on the season, with his season point total ranking third all-time in Laurier’s program history. With eight games still to play, the Ottawa, Ont. native needs only 38 points to break the team’s current record of 466.