Three Stars: Costa, Leggatt, Monfort-Palomino earn honours
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Brittany Costa is MacEwan Athletics' first star of the week after leading the Griffins women's soccer team in a pair of playoff victories over the weekend.
The freshman midfielder played hero in Friday's post-season win over Mount Royal University, scoring the penalty kick that decided the game in favour of MacEwan.
Other athletes recognized during the past week include second star Hannah Leggatt of the women's cross-country team and third star Adonis Monfort-Palomino of the men's basketball team.
All three are making their first appearance of the season on the MacEwan Athletics' Three Stars list.
1ST STAR: Brittany Costa, M, women's soccer (Delta, BC, first-year, Science)
After scoring three game-winning goals during the regular season to pace the Griffins – including a dramatic strike to stun cross-town rival Alberta back in September – the rookie was back donning her cape in the opening weekend of the post-season. On Friday, the midfielder set up for the decisive penalty kick and delivered a strike to the bottom right corner that sent MacEwan past Mount Royal and into the Canada West quarter-finals. Against Alberta on Sunday, she made several key tackles and plays in midfield that disrupted the Pandas offence and helped the Griffins win 2-1 to advance to the conference Final Four. If Costa and the Griffins can beat Victoria this Friday (3:30 p.m. MT, Canada West TV) they will earn the program's first-ever berth in a USPORTS national championship.
2ND STAR: Hannah Leggatt, cross country (Edmonton, AB, third-year, Nursing)
In her best race of the season to date, the reigning Canada West first team all-star finished third amongst all university runners in the women's 8K at Saturday's Stewart Cup Memorial race in Edmonton. Her time of 32:28.16 was just back of winner Melissa Jones of Calgary (30:36.24) and Saskatchewan's Courtney Hufsmith (31:48.00). On a very challenging, hilly Gold Bar Park course, Leggatt was ninth overall out of 73 competitors in the field. She pushed herself to beat former Griffins team Vanessa Trofimenkoff (Running Room) to the finish line by just over seven seconds. The MacEwan women's team finished third out of five participating Canada West squads at the event. Leggatt will lead the Griffins into the USPORTS cross country national championship at Victoria on Nov. 12.
Hannah Leggatt finished third amongst university competitors in the women's 8K at the Stewart Cup Memorial race in Edmonton on Saturday (Linda Miller photo).
3RD STAR: Adonis Monfort-Palomino, men's basketball (Calgary, AB, third-year, Arts)
The third-year point guard set up a varied MacEwan attack on Saturday, which was key in the Griffins' 86-73 win over the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack as five players hit double digits in scoring. Monfort-Palomino was one of them as he narrowly missed a double-double with 15 points and nine assists. He added five rebounds and two steals in a truly multi-dimensional effort on the first weekend of the season for the Griffins men's basketball team. Monfort-Palomino also had nine points in Friday's loss at TRU – second-best on the Griffins – adding two assists, a steal and a rebound. He will lead MacEwan into its home-opening weekend as they host Lethbridge on Friday (8 p.m.) and Saturday (3 p.m., both games Atkinson Gym).
Adonis Monfort-Palomino, seen competing against Memorial in a preseason match, nearly had a double-double in the Griffins' win over Thompson Rivers on Saturday (Chris Piggott photo).
