A pair of Westmont College standouts were selected as Athletes of the Week by the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table.
Cassidy Rea, who helped the Warriors reach the NAIA volleyball championship match, and Justin Bessard of the unbeaten men’s basketball team were the female and male winners during Monday’s luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Café.
Rea, a 6-3 senior opposite from Buena High, had 17 kills in a 3-2 upset of No. 1 Park, Mo. in the NAIA quarterfinals; eight kills and a .348 hitting percentage in 348 in a semifinal win over Viterbo, Wis., and 12 kills in the championship match loss to Marian, Indiana. She was the second-leading hitter in the NAIA Tourney at Sioux City, Iowa with 107 kills and a .299 percentage in seven matches.
Bessard, a 6-6 senior forward who transferred from Bellevue University in Nebraska, led the Warriors with 19 points and eight rebounds in a 70-69 win over 10th-ranked Arizona Christian. He had a team-high 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a win at Ottawa, Ariz., in the GSAC opener.
“JB listens to me, most of the time,” said coach John Moore. “He’s listening to me more than he ever has and he’s done phenomenal things for our team in the short time he’s been here. This is the third college he’s played for and we’re really lucky to have him.”
The Warriors, ranked No. 22 in the NAIA, are off to a 10-0 start. It’s their best start since the 1983-84 team opened with an 18-0 record.
Male honorable mentions were Amadou Sow (UCSB basketball), Bryce Warrecker (SBHS basketball) and Sean Yamasaki (Dos Pueblos wrestling).
The female honorable mention list included Lindsey Ruddins (UCSB volleyball), Athena Saragoza (SBHS basketball) and Elliott Redkey (Bishop Diego basketball).
Hop Studios
You must be logged in to post a comment.