Jan. 6, 2006

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina basketball freshman guard Lauren Powell and senior forward Corey Muirhead were today named the Catamount Female and Male Student-Athletes of the Month for their respective performances during the month of December. Powell joins previous monthly female winners Emily Pierce (September), Ashley Hovda (October), and Alesha Row (November), with Muirhead joining Matt Cook (September), Mitchell Dukes (October), and Rico Reese (November).

Powell (Asheville, N.C.) averaged 10 points per game during the six contests in the month of December, reaching double-digits in four outings. In Western's SoCon-opening win over Wofford, Powell drained 6-of-7 shots from the floor, including a 4-for-5 showing from 3-point range, to finish with 19 points despite only playing a few minutes in the second half blowout. She tallied 10 points in road contests at High Point and South Carolina, while also reaching double-figures with 10 at home versus Radford.

Currently, Powell is the only WCU player averaging double-figures, leading the Lady Catamounts with a 12.7 points per game average. Her scoring average jumps to 18.5 per game when only considering Southern Conference match-ups. She is shooting 48-percent from the floor on the year, which includes a 49-percent showing from beyond the 3-point arc, which leads the SoCon and ranks her 11th nationally in NCAA statistics.

Also receiving consideration for the women's student-athlete of the month honor were Powell's sophomore teammate, Chevon Keith (Ivanhoe, N.C.), who averaged 10.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, including a double-double versus Radford with career-highs of 16 points and 14 rebounds ... track & field sophomore Raquel Ramseur, who recorded a first-place finish in the women's 400-meter dash at the Appalachian Opener back at the beginning of December and was also a part of the WCU 4x400-meter relay team that took first at the event ... track & field junior Asia Davis, who recorded two, third-place finishes at the Appalachian Opener in the 55-meter hurdles and 400-meter dash, while also running a leg on the WCU 4x400-meter relay team which won first in the event.

Muirhead (York, Ontario) averaged 14.2 points, second-best on the team, and a team-best 6.5 rebounds during the month of December. He led WCU with 17 assists, with the next closest being nine, and also tied for the team lead with eight steals. Muirhead shot 54.5 percent from the field, including 55.6 (10-of-18) from 3-point range. In a home win over regional rival, UNC Asheville, he scored 18, boarded six shots and dished out a career-high six assists, while also making 3-of-4 from 3- point range. The senior had double-doubles versus Gardner-Webb and Georgia, tallying 15 points and 10 rebounds with four assists versus GWU, and at Georgia, led all players with 20 points and 12 rebounds. The 20 points against the SEC Bulldogs marked his third-best career effort, while his 12 boards was his second-best career total.

Also receiving consideration for the men's student-athlete of the month honor were two from the WCU Track & Field team; freshman Manteo Mitchell, in his first collegiate meet, claimed his first individual event championship by winning the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.58, edging out two runners from Appalachian, while also running a leg of the WCU men's 4x400-meter relay team which won first and finishing third in the 55-meter dash ... sophomore Zeb Johnson, the defending outdoor track Freshman of the Year, took second in both the men's 55-meter and 200-meter dash events, while also running a leg of Western's first-place 4x400-meter relay team.