Athlete of the Week Runners-Up: Week of 2/2

Over the past week, senior wing Wesley Saunders helped the Harvard men’s basketball team earn a share of first place in the Ivy League standings, following two conference victories on the road against Brown and Yale. Saunders netted a career-high 33 points in the overtime triumph in Providence and added another 16 versus the Bulldogs, securing his spot as Athlete of the Week.

While the senior dominated on the court, several other Crimson athletes contributed particularly noteworthy performances this week:

Nikki Okwelogu, Women’s Track and Field

At the team’s annual Crimson Elite Meet this past weekend, Harvard sophomore Nikki Okwelogu was the best shot putter in the building. Period. Not only did Okwelogu shatter the Ivy League women’s shot put record with a distance of 16.39 meters on her longest throw, but she also out-tossed any of the male competitors at this weekend’s meet. The Fresno, Calif. native just edged out the men’s champion, senior Ethan Knight of Boston University, whose best throw of the day measured 16.37 meters.

Okwelogu, who also competes for the Nigerian world track and field team, won the event by almost three meters, defeating second-place finisher Samantha Turner of Jacksonville University. The sophomore’s historic throw came on her third attempt of six, after a toss of 15.69m on her first attempt and a foul on the second.

The reigning Ivy League indoor champion will look to continue her winning ways next weekend at the H-Y-P indoor meet as well as the Ivy League Championships on Feb. 28.

Steve Michalek, Men’s Hockey

Despite dropping six of its last seven games, most recently a road loss to Brown on Saturday, the Harvard men’s hockey maintained at least one bright spot in senior goaltender Steve Michalek. The netminder’s heroic efforts for the Crimson last week included a school-record 63 saves in Tuesday’s double-overtime heartbreaker, a 4-3 loss in the Beanpot semifinal to Boston University.

Despite a previous overtime win over then No. 1/1 BU on Nov. 25, the Crimson blew a 3-1 lead late in the second period, giving up two goals in the last five minutes of play. Nevertheless, Michalek fought back to fend off the 34 shots he faced in the third period and first overtime. Just over two minutes into the second overtime period, Michalek’s career night ended with a BU goal from junior Danny O’Regan. The goaltender’s 63 saves on the evening were more than enough to break the previous Beanpot record of 52 saves, which stood for 45 years. Michalek has now posted three consecutive games with a save percentage north of 90.

Erin McDonnell, Women’s Basketball

Co-captain forward Erin McDonnell lit up visiting Yale by going six-for-ten from behind the three-point line and posting 18 points and eight rebounds in a winning effort on Saturday night. She also added two blocks and a pair of assists to cap off a 65-55 Harvard victory. The senior’s six makes from behind the arc were a career-high

McDonnell helped ice the game for the Crimson in the second half by ending a 7-0 Bulldog run which cut the Harvard lead to two by knocking home a three-pointer with six-and-a-half minutes left to play. Two minutes later, the forward hit her final shot of the game, another three-pointer, to stretch the Crimson lead to 12.

McDonnell’s efforts helped her team snap Yale’s five game conference win streak, dealing the Bulldogs their first conference loss of the year. The win moved the Crimson to 9-11 on the season and 2-4 in Ivy League play.