March 8, 2006
Cullowhee, N.C. - Three Western Carolina student-athletes were today honored as the Catamount Student-Athletes of the Month for February. Sophomore track athlete Zeb Johnson was tabbed the WCU Male Student-Athlete of the Month, with sophomore track athlete Raquel Ramseur and freshman softball pitcher Mendy McKenzie earning co-Female Athlete of the Month honors.
Johnson joins men's golfer Matt Cook (September), football's Mitchell Dukes (October) and Rico Reese (November) and basketball's Corey Muirhead (December) and David Berghoefer (January) as male athletes honored this season. Ramseur and McKenzie join previous monthly female winners in women's soccer selections Emily Pierce (September) and Alesha Row (November), women's golfer Ashley Hovda (October), and women's basketball's Lauren Powell (December) and Monique Dawson (January).
Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.), who was the SoCon's Outdoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year a season ago, recorded seven podium finishes during the month of February, including three first finishes in the 60-, 200-, and 400-meter distances. At the first meet in the month, Johnson ran second in the 200-meter dash and third in the 60-meter dash to record podium finishes with his times ranking atop the SoCon top times chart at the time. He also rank the anchor leg for WCU's second-place 4x400-meter relay team at the Akron Open, helping him earn Southern Conference Male Track Athlete of the Week honors, the second of his career and first during the indoor season.
A week later at the Clemson Invitational, Johnson won the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.32 to rank atop the speed charts entering the SoCon Indoor Championships. At the season-ending championship meet, Johnson won SoCon individual championships in the 60-meter dash (6.85) and 200-meter dash (21.83), while also earning All-SoCon honors in the 400-meter dash by finishing second. For his efforts, Johnson was tabbed the SoCon Indoor Track & Field Most Outstanding Performer award at the Indoor Championships.
Also receiving consideration for the WCU male athlete of the month award were men's basketball senior, Corey Muirhead who averaged 20.1 points and 6.1 rebounds during February, including scoring a career-best 28 at home versus Appalachian State. Muirhead surpassed the 1,000 career point plateau in the regular season finale at Chattanooga, the second WCU men's basketball player this season - and 35th all-time - to eclipse 1,000 points in a career; Also, Catamount baseball sophomore Steven Strausbaugh was considered after he hit .318 during the month, blasting a team-high four home runs and earning the SoCon's TIAA-CREF Student-Athlete of the Week award on February 22.
Ramseur (Charlotte, N.C.) and McKenzie (Clemmons, N.C.) shared the women's award for February, each with equally impressive months. Ramseur tallied six podium appearances during February, including an impressive five, first-place finishes. At the month-opening Akron Open, she won the 400-meter dash with a then-SoCon best time of 55.10 and also joined three teammates to win the 4x400-meter relay. A week later at the Clemson Invitational, Ramseur won the 200-meter dash. She concluded the month by claiming two individual championships at the SoCon Indoor Championships. Ramseur won the 200-meter dash with a WCU school record time of 24.51, and the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.24. She additionally claimed All-SoCon honors with a second-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay team for a total of three all-conference selections. She also ran fifth in the women's 60-meter dash at the SoCon Championships.
McKenzie earned a 3-0 record with a 1.02 earned run average during the month, pitching a total of 27.1 innings while only allowing 12 runs on 25 hits while striking out 36 and only walking four. The freshman right-hander secured Western Carolina's first-ever softball victory, throwing 7.0 innings and only allowing one run on five hits while fanning 10 against the defending Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) champion Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in the first-ever game. She garnered back-to-back SoCon Pitcher of the Week honors, with the first being the first-ever pitcher honor from the league in school history, with the back-to-back selections also a first in WCU history. In limited action at the plate during the month, McKenzie went 1-for-3 with 2 RBI.
Also receiving consideration for the women's monthly award was women's basketball sophomore - and December's Catamount Female Athlete of the Month - Monique Dawson. During February, Dawson led the Lady Catamounts with an 11.3 points per game average, including tallying 18 in the 33-point home win over the College of Charleston in the home finale. She recorded double-digit scoring in five of the seven games during the month, thrice leading WCU in scoring. Dawson averaged 3.1 rebounds per game during the month.
The Catamount track & field teams return to action to kick off the outdoor season at the Charlotte 49er Classic in Charlotte, N.C., on March 17-18. Western will host the Western Carolina Track & Field Invitational in Cullowhee on March 31 through April 1st at the Catamount Athletic Complex. The softball team returns to action at the 2006 adidas/Winthrop Invitational on Friday, March 10 with a Noon match-up with the host Eagles and a 6:00 pm date with Gardner-Webb. WCU will host its first-ever tournament, Friday-Sunday, March 17-19 at the Catamount Softball Complex on-campus in Cullowhee.
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