EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - Four UW-Eau Claire student-athletes have been recognized by being named an Athlete of the Week for the 17th week of the 2013-14 season.
Men’s Basketball
Adam Hjelter, Guard, 6-0, 172, Sophomore, Hutchinson, Minn.
Starting three games this week, Hjelter led the Blugolds in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.3 points and six rebounds per game. Monday in a 65-41 victory over Northland College, Hjelter recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds while also tying for a game-high with three assists. Tuesday in a 70-65 win over the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (Minn.), he led the Blugolds with 16 points while pulling down three rebounds. Saturday in a 56-45 loss at UW-Stout, Hjelter tied for a game-high with 12 points while tying for a team-high with five rebounds. For the week he went 15-for-37 (40.5 percent) from the field, including 8-for-21 from beyond the arc, while recording five assists and three steals.
Women’s Basketball
Courtney Lewis, Forward, 5-10, Junior, Prairie du Chien, Wis.
Starting three games this week, Lewis averaged 14 points and led the team with a 6.7 rebounding average. Playing in the Land of Magic Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla., the Blugolds came up short against Delaware Valley College (Pa.) on Dec. 28, 72-62, while narrowly falling 64-59 to Connecticut College on Dec. 30. But the Blugolds bounced back Saturday with a 73-57 conference win over UW-Stout. Against Delaware Valley, Lewis scored eight points while leading the game with nine rebounds. Facing Connecticut College, she led the Blugolds in scoring with 15 points while tying for a team-high with six rebounds. Against UW-Stout, she led the game with 19 points while pulling down five rebounds. For the week she went 14-for-31 (45.2 percent) from the field and 13-for-17 (76.5 percent) from the free throw line. She also had 10 assists to lead the team, and four steals.
Women’s Hockey
Nikki Kothenbeutel, Forward, 5-7, Senior, Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice
Helping the Blugolds to two wins over St. Olaf College (Minn.) to start 2014, Kothenbeutel finished the weekend with two goals. Friday in a 5-2 win over the Oles, Kothenbeutel scored an empty-net goal at 18:11 to give the Blugolds a three-goal lead. Saturday in a 5-1 victory at St. Olaf, she scored the Blugolds’ fourth goal at 16:03 in the third period. She completed the weekend with five shots and now has a total of four goals, tied for the most on the team.
Wrestling
Ryan Seidler, 149 Pounds, Senior, Adams, Wis./Adams-Friendship
Competing in three matches at the Lakeland Duals on Saturday, Seidler went 3-0 at 149 pounds. He started the day with a 10-6 win against Lakeland College, then won 16-0 over MSOE before ending the day with a 14-5 win against Wheaton College (Ill.). Seidler is now 11-2 on the season and has won six straight matches.