University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Ndee, van der Laan, Vera Named Office Depot/Supra Student-Athletes of the Week
3/29/2021 1:40:00 PM | General, Swimming & Diving, Volleyball
Volleyball, Swimming & Diving Student-Athletes Honored
PITTSBURGH – Chinaza Ndee of volleyball and swimmers Cooper Van der Laan and Blaise Vera were named the Office Depot/Supra Student-Athletes of the Week following impressive performances in their respective sports.
Ndee, a senior, helped the No. 19 Panthers (14-4, 12-4 ACC) extend their league-leading win streak to 10 matches, including a 3-1 win over No. 25 Florida State (March 26) and sweeps of rival West Virginia (March 24) and North Carolina (March 28). She led ed the Panthers with 3.50 kills per set, totaling 35 kills over 10 sets played in three matches. The Houston, Texas, native hit .394 for the week while adding 0.80 blocks per frame. She was recently named the ACC's only finalist for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award, one of 10 student-athletes nationwide.
Vera and van der Laan made history for the Panthers' men's swimming and diving program last weekend at the 2021 NCAA Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Vera earned All-America honors in two different events, becoming an NCAA First Team All-American in the 50-yard freestyle after qualifying for the championship final and finishing seventh in the event. The senior from Clinton, Miss., was also an Honorable Mention All-American in the 100-yard freestyle thanks to a 12th-place swim. Vera was just the second Pitt men's swimmer to earn multiple All-America awards in the same season and the first since William Wright also did so in the 50 Free and 100 Free in 1928.
van der Laan also achieved First Team All-America status at NCAAs by placing eighth in the 100-yard breaststroke. The junior from Australia became the first Pitt men's swimmer to be an All-American in any breaststroke event.
Vera and van der Laan became the first Pitt men's swimming duo to become NCAA All-Americans in the same season. They also combined to score 28 points for the Panthers, which was Pitt's second-highest NCAA points tally at the men's swimming and diving championship meet and resulted in a 26th-place finish for the program.
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Ndee, a senior, helped the No. 19 Panthers (14-4, 12-4 ACC) extend their league-leading win streak to 10 matches, including a 3-1 win over No. 25 Florida State (March 26) and sweeps of rival West Virginia (March 24) and North Carolina (March 28). She led ed the Panthers with 3.50 kills per set, totaling 35 kills over 10 sets played in three matches. The Houston, Texas, native hit .394 for the week while adding 0.80 blocks per frame. She was recently named the ACC's only finalist for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award, one of 10 student-athletes nationwide.
Vera and van der Laan made history for the Panthers' men's swimming and diving program last weekend at the 2021 NCAA Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Vera earned All-America honors in two different events, becoming an NCAA First Team All-American in the 50-yard freestyle after qualifying for the championship final and finishing seventh in the event. The senior from Clinton, Miss., was also an Honorable Mention All-American in the 100-yard freestyle thanks to a 12th-place swim. Vera was just the second Pitt men's swimmer to earn multiple All-America awards in the same season and the first since William Wright also did so in the 50 Free and 100 Free in 1928.
van der Laan also achieved First Team All-America status at NCAAs by placing eighth in the 100-yard breaststroke. The junior from Australia became the first Pitt men's swimmer to be an All-American in any breaststroke event.
Vera and van der Laan became the first Pitt men's swimming duo to become NCAA All-Americans in the same season. They also combined to score 28 points for the Panthers, which was Pitt's second-highest NCAA points tally at the men's swimming and diving championship meet and resulted in a 26th-place finish for the program.
#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Players Mentioned
RS/MB
/ Volleyball
BR/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
FLY/FREE
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