Briefs – March 29

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Perez named GWC Player of the Week

Utah Valley’s Amanda Perez and South Dakota’s Mel Johnson have been named the first Great West Conference Softball Players of the Week of the 2010 season as announced by the league office Thursday.

Perez, a sophomore designated player from La Mirada, Calif., hit .625, belted her first two homers of the season, recorded three doubles and drove in seven runs, while striking out just two times in 16 at-bats in the Colorado State Invitational earlier this year.

She is currently second on the team in batting average at .405 and leads the Wolverines in RBIs (11), slugging percentage (.703), doubles (5), homers (2) and is tied for first in hits (15).

Johnson was named pitcher of the week after posting a 2-1 record with a 1.83 ERA in 23 innings pitched. The junior from Sioux Falls, S.D., struck out 17 batters and allowed just six earned runs while holding the opposition to a .174 batting average. For the season, she leads the Coyotes in wins (3), innings pitched (49.1) and strikeouts (46)

Track athletes Clarke and Nelson named Feb. Perry Homes Scholar Athletes

The Perry Homes Utah Valley University Scholar Athletes for the month of February have been announced as track & field athletes Drew Clarke and Zandrea Nelson.

Drew Clarke, a redshirt freshman from Riverton, Utah, maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.87 and completed the Fall 2009 semester with a 3.93 GPA while studying International Business at UVU.

Zandrea Nelson, a sophomore from Hazelton, Idaho, has a cumulative 3.93 GPA and finished the Fall ‘09 semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Nelson, who graduated with an unblemished 4.0 GPA from Valley High School in 2008, is now continuing her excellence in the classroom while studying Public Relations at Utah Valley.

Both athletes also enjoyed success on the track this season in indoor action. At the Great West Conference Indoor Championships Clarke finished sixth in the 60-meter hurdles as he finished with a time of 8.82 and he also competed in the 400-meter dash for UVU as well.

Nelson also finished strong for the Wolverines at the conference indoor championships as she placed fifth in the 400-meter dash (58.26), and also helped lead her relay team to a third place finish in the 4×400-meter relay as they finished with a time of 3:58.74. Nelson also competed in the 200-meter dash and just missed qualifying for the finals as she placed ninth in the prelims.

The two will be back on the track in outdoor action at the BYU Cougar Invitational in Provo on April 2.