Oct. 6, 2005
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina announced today that senior Emily Pierce of the Catamount women's soccer team and sophomore Matt Cook of the men's golf team were named the Catamount Student-Athletes of the Month for their respective performances during the month of September, and including competitions at the end of August.
Pierce (Chattanooga, Tenn.) finished the first month of the season as the second-leading scorer in terms of total points, tallying three goals and dishing out an assist for seven points from her defender position. She also helped lead a Catamount defensive attack that recorded a single-season, school-record seven shutouts in the first 11 matches of the 2005 season, all seven of which came in the nine matches in September. Also, Pierce was named to the Furman Select Kickoff Classic All-tournament team as she scored the game-winning goal in the 1-0 victory over Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 17.
Through the first 12 matches of her senior campaign, Pierce has doubled her career scoring as she entered her final year with two goals and four points. She is currently one of six Cats to have started every match this season, and ranks third in total points behind classmate Casey Davis (10 pts) and sophomore Lauren Atkinson (9 pts).
Cook (Murphy, N.C.) picked up where he left off from the spring season of a year ago. In the first two tournaments of the 2005-06 season, the second-year golfer tallied two individual titles and tied his own Western Carolina three-round low score. At the season-opening Raines Development Group Intercollegiate, Cook fired a WCU 54-hole record 209 en route to finishing as the low scorer, helping the Catamounts card the third-best, 54-hole tally in school history, an 884. Cook equaled that low round a week later, again shooting a seven-under par, 209, to win the medalist honors at the Elon/Sea Trail Intercollegiate at Sunset Beach, N.C. Behind Cook's performance, the Cats shot shattered the previous school-record for a three-round tournament by eight strokes, shooting 862 to finish second overall.
Cook has recorded seven top 10 finishes with three titles and one loss in a playoff in eight career events played.
Other outstanding female student-athlete monthly performances nominated included Western Carolina junior goalkeeper, Alesha Row, who was in net for all seven of the Catamounts' shutout victories; senior Ashley Hovda, who tied for ninth at ASU/Draper Valley Invitational and won individual medalist honors at the Sea Trail Intercollegiate, carding a then-school record 138; and senior utility volleyball player, Ellie Talbot who matched her previous career-high of 15 kills four times during the month before surpassing the milestone with 17 kills in the five-game, home win over Chattanooga. Also receiving consideration for the men's award were senior defensive end, Rico Reese, who intercepted an Ingle Martin pass and returned it for a touchdown in Western's upset win over #2 Furman back on Sept. 10. Reese added seven tackles and a sack at Cincinnati and four tackles including one for loss in the season-opening victory over Mars Hill; junior Dan Fassinger won the individual crown at the South Carolina Invitational at the beginning of September with a course record time of 15:33.85 to lead the Catamount men to the team title. His performance earned SoCon Runner of the Week accolades on Sept. 8.
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