MONROE, La. – Each leading their respective programs with big performances over the weekend,
Dusan Makevic from cross country earned Warhawk Male of the Week, and
Sophie Rufyikiri from tennis was named Warhawk Female of the Week.
Makevic crossed the line first for ULM on Saturday at the Cross Country Chile Pepper Festival. The soggy conditions didn't affect the freshman as he clocked in at 25:56.8 in the 8K course.
The Sabac, Serbia native led the Warhawks to a ninth-place team finish with 39 colleges and universities present. His performance helped ULM finish ahead of LSU, Louisiana Tech, TCU, Oral Roberts and several others.
Makevic becomes the fourth cross country student-athlete to win a weekly award this season.
Hillary Kirwa and
Pauline Muiruri earned Warhawk of the Week honors on Sept. 3, while
Vinnie Van Puyvelde was named Sun Belt Conference Runner of the Week on Sept. 11.
Cross Country will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 18 at the Crimson Classic. It is the final tune-up before the Sun Belt Conference Championships in Troy, Ala. on Saturday, Nov. 2. The ULM men's squad is ranked No. 12 nationally in the South Central Region.
Rufyikiri has put together an undefeated start to the fall season, going 7-0 in singles and reaching the final of three straight tournaments. The Bujumbura, Burundi native, captured the Flight 2 singles championship at the Ragin' Cajuns Tennis Classic at UL-Lafayette this past weekend, defeating Julia Kral of McNeese State 6-0, 6-3 in the title match.
In her previous two tournaments, the junior reached the Flight 2 singles final at the Big Easy Tennis Classic in New Orleans as well as the Draw B final at the Schlief Tennis Invitational at Stephen F. Austin. Both finals were cancelled due to inclement weather before being played.
Rufyikiri also has a perfect 4-0 mark in doubles matches. Pairing with sophomore
Petra Horakova, the duo earned three wins at the Big Easy Tennis Classic and one more at UL-Lafayette last weekend as they defeated the team of Julie Gauguery and Victoria Pisani from Arkansas State by an 8-3 margin.
The ULM tennis program will continue its fall schedule on Friday, Oct. 11 when it travels to Atlanta, Ga. for the Georgia State Southern Shootout.
Warhawk of the Week ArchiveSept. 3:
Male: Hillary Kirwa (Cross Country); Female: Pauline Muiruri (Cross Country)Sept. 10:
Male: Cortney Davis (Football); Female: Jenna Pillon (Soccer)Sept. 17:
Male: Kolton Browning (Football); Female: Hadley Swartz (Volleyball)Sept. 24:
Male: Justin Manton (Football); Female: Mariah Mitchell (Soccer)Oct. 1:
Male: Charlie MacNeal (Golf); Female: Alison Knowles (Golf)Oct. 8:
Male: Dusan Makevic (Cross Country); Female: Sophie Rufyikiri (Tennis)
