Sept. 17, 2007

LOGAN, Utah - Senior forward Dana Peart was named to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week as announced by Robert Ziegler, editor of Top Drawer Soccer. Peart was also acknowledged with WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors as well as being named the America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week. Peart has been honored three times this week for her performance in leading the Utah State soccer team to a 2-1 record with wins against Weber State (4-3) and Idaho State (1-0 OT), along with a 2-1 loss to Oregon.

"I think it's so fitting that Dana was recognized, because she made such a conscious effort to be a very dangerous player last week," said Utah State head coach Heather Cairns. "She was dribbling at people, she was getting crosses off and she was getting shots off. She really had that extra something in the attack in all three matches.

"And as a senior, you look for that leadership and I was so proud of her to see that come out, just taking responsibility for getting our team to get the ball in the back of the net. I'm really proud of the way that she played and getting the awards is like icing on the cake. She really took it to the next level and wanted to be the go-to player for us."

Peart, a senior forward from Brigham City, Utah, (Box Elder), scored two goals and added an assist during the three-matches last week. She scored her first goal of the week against Weber State, giving the Aggies a 1-0 lead against the Wildcats. She scored her second goal of the week on Sunday against Idaho State to give USU the overtime win. Sunday's goal was her fourth on the season and her second game-winning goal of the year.

Peart now has a team-leading nine points on the season with four goals and one assist. She has 14 career goals which ties for fourth on the Utah State career list with Charity Weston (2003-06), to go along with 11 career assists. Peart scored her second game-winning goal of the season in the match against Idaho State. Currently, Peart leads the WAC with 24 shots, is tied for first in game-winning goals with two and is fifth in the conference with nine points.

This is the second time this season that Peart has earned both the WAC Offensive Player of the Week and the Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week honors, and has now earned five weekly honors overall.

Peart was named a 2007 preseason all-Western Athletic Conference selection after earning second-team all-WAC honors during the 2006 campaign. Peart is also a two-time academic all-WAC honoree, receiving the award as both a sophomore and junior.

Utah State soccer continues action on the road this weekend as it faces Gonzaga (4-2) on Friday Sept. 21 at 4 p.m. and Eastern Washington (2-3) on Sunday, Sept. 23 at Noon.