NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Senior Nicole Pruchnik (Rochester, Mass.) of the gymnastics team and senior Desmond Williams (Torrington, Conn.) of the men's basketball team have been named as the Connecticut Army National Guard/Southern Connecticut State University Athletes of the Week.
Pruchnik captured first place marks on the vault (9.675) and floor exercise (9.7) as the Owls finished second in a quad-meet against Brown, Springfield and Ithaca on Saturday. She also finished fourth on the beam with a 9.55.
Williams powered the Owls to a pair of victories last week that moved the Owls to 14-3 overall and 9-1 in Northeast-10 play. He averaged 23.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 4.0 steals per contest. He started the week with his eighth double-double of the year in a win at Merrimack, totaling 16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and five steals. On Saturday, Williams scored a career-high 31 points and added six assists and three steals in a win at No. 12 nationally ranked St. Anselm.
The Connecticut Army National Guard is serving as the title sponsor of Southern Connecticut State University's 'Athlete of the Week' recognition program. Initiated in September, 2007, the 'Athlete of the Week' program recognizes one female and one male student-athlete each week for demonstrated excellence on the playing field.