Three Stars: Presingular, Croft, Burnell earn honours
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Men's basketball student-athlete Diego Presingular is the MacEwan Athletics' first star of the week after his performance in leading the Griffins to a big win over the Regina Cougars last Saturday.
The rookie guard broke the program's rookie scoring record with 27 points – including 13 in the fourth quarter – to pace the Griffins to an 84-69 win over the Cougars.
Men's volleyball outside hitter Mitchell Croft and women's basketball forward Sarah Burnell are the second and third stars of the week, respectively.
Both Presingular and Burnell are appearing on the Three Stars list for the first time this season, while Croft makes the list for the fourth time in 2024-25, having previously been named first star (Nov. 12) and second star (Oct. 29 and Dec. 3).
Diego Presingular broke the program's rookie record with 27 points against Regina last Saturday (Sydney Wszolek photo).
1st STAR: Diego Presingular, PG, men's basketball
Winnipeg, MB, first-year, Correctional Services
With their defence playing well, holding the Regina Cougars to just 28 second-half points, the Griffins needed a player to step on offence and put the game away on Saturday.
Presingular did just that, scoring 13 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter as he led the Griffins to a huge 84-69 win, their second victory in the past three games.
That busted the program's rookie record of 24 points, set by Isaiah Merk during a 2022-23 game against Winnipeg. Presingular also hit five threes, which matched Merk's mark, set in the same game, for the program's rookie record.
The first-year point guard also added six rebounds, four assists and three steals in Saturday's performance.
In Friday's 81-74 loss at Regina, Presingular had eight points and four assists.
For the season, he is now fourth on the Griffins in scoring, averaging 10.5 points/game.
The Griffins will be at home this weekend, hosting Lethbridge on Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
Mitch Croft elevates for a spin serve against UFV on Friday. He finished with 30 kills in seven sets against the Cascades to improve upon the leading rookie kills/set mark in the conference (James Maclennan photo).
2nd STAR: Mitchell Croft, OH, men's volleyball
Melbourne, AUS, first-year, Open Studies
Continuing a marvellous rookie season, Croft recorded 30 kills in seven sets against the UFV Cascades last weekend – an average of 4.29/set.
The first-year Australian outside hitter led the Griffins with a match-high 19 kills in a 3-1 loss to UFV on Friday, adding two blocks and two digs, while accounting for a team-high 20.0 points.
In Saturday's 3-0 loss, he had a co-match high 11 kills, an assist and three digs, leading the way for MacEwan with 11.0 points.
For the season, Croft is third in Canada West in kills/set (3.88) and tied for second in points/set (4.2).
The Griffins hit the road this weekend for matches at the Saskatchewan Huskies on Friday (5 p.m. MT) and Saturday (2 p.m. MT, both Canada West TV).
Sarah Burnell had 12 points and nine rebounds in leading the Griffins against Prairie Division-leading Regina last Friday (Sydney Woszolek photo).
3rd STAR: Sarah Burnell, F, women's basketball
Calgary, AB, fourth-year, Science
Healthy and leading the way again for the Griffins as the second semester gets underway, the most veteran player on the team produced her finest game of the season last Friday at Regina.
Burnell narrowly missed a double double, going 5-for-11 from the field for a team-leading 12 points, while adding nine rebounds and two blocks in a 77-43 loss to the Prairie Division-leading Cougars.
In Saturday's 70-34 defeat, she had three points and a team-leading five rebounds.
For the season, Burnell is fifth on the Griffins, averaging 4.6 points/game and is fourth in rebounds/game (4.1).
The Griffins host Lethbridge on Friday (5 p.m.) and Saturday (3 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
