Great athletes win Player of the Week

Scoring 11 goals and winning four matches—those feats pushed two Bishops to the front of their teams, and the Ohio Wesleyan athletic Web site. Both Bishops were North Coast Athletic Conference Players of the Week.
Junior Annie Swanson led women’s lacrosse with 11 goals across three matches with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New England, and Albion. Senior Emily Kiourtsis headed tennis, earning wins in eight games.
Head lacrosse coach Margaret Grossman said Swanson has solid traits.
“She has strong stick skills and always works hard. This makes her very versatile on the field. She has a lot of composure on the field as well. She plays with a level head and this characteristic helps her to control our tempo on the attacking side.”
Senior defender Katarina Enders said Swanson is a great lacrosse player who sees and seizes opportunities all over the field.
“(I)t is important to note that not only does Annie lead our team in goals, but also in assists,” Grossman said. “She is a true playmaker on the field who often sets up her teammates for success.”
Swanson said she looks up to her coach. “[Meg Grossman] is a great attacker … and she always has wise words of encouragement.”
Bishop tennis star Kiourtsis won four singles games and four doubles matches, and she, like Swanson, said it was no easy feat.
“Our team won all five of the matches over spring break, which was a great end to our break,” she said. “We had never played any of these teams before, so it’s hard going into the matches having a game plan. “I found it most helpful to go into each match staying consistent and mentally tough.”
Freshman Whitney Lonnemann said she looks up to Kiourtsis. “… she always has a smile on her face and has really embraced all of us freshman and has made us feel included in everything,” she said.
Swanson said her favorite plays are the ones in which the team transitions the lacrosse ball flawlessly from the defensive end to the attacking end (of the field), which results in a score.
“These plays occur when everyone on the team works to get open and instead of running the ball down the field by one player, we make complete passes to each other down the field,” she said.
Kiourtsis said the future of the lacrosse team looks bright. “We have so many talented freshmen on the team this year, that I look forward to seeing the team’s success in the upcoming years,” she said.
Women’s lacrosse is playing Allegheny in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Women’s tennis is playing Wittenberg Monday at 4 p.m. at the Luttinger Family Tennis Center.