Senior track athlete
Jessica Jones and freshman women's tennis player
Joanna Stralka were named IUP Athletes of the Week, announced by the sports information office Monday morning.
This is the seventh and final edition of the IUP weekly awards announced following the cancellation of spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic March 13.
Despite the cancellation of spring sports, IUP Athlete of the Week honors continued through the rest of the semester, highlighting student-athletes and how they've transitioned in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scroll below for a full list of honorees.
Jessica Jones has a 3.97 cumulative grade point average as an applied mathematics and studio art double major from South Park High School and South Park, Pennsylvania.
"I think the biggest challenge for me and my teammates will be staying focused on training and motivated to keep working," said Jones. "Track can be a very demanding sport, and I think getting through this period of time without breaking it up with competition and without being together will be very difficult. Continuing to practice individually and coming back ready for next year will be challenging, but I think we will be able to make the most of it and be even more determined to make next season count."
Jones took a redshirt during the indoor track season after coming off a successful outdoor campaign in 2019. In her last action on the track she finished third with a pair of personal bests in both the 800 and 1500 meters at the 2019 PSAC Outdoor Championships.
The 2018 PSAC Champion Scholar for Indoor Track & Field, Jones has also competed in cross country each of the last three fall seasons.
Stralka is from Stockholm, Sweden and owns a 4.0 grade point average as a biology pre-med major.
"What I'll miss most about our current team is the competitiveness and team-spirit we built up throughout the fall and beginning of the spring season," said Stralka. "It was amazing to see everyone compete so well during matches, but even better off the court where we really worked together and got along as a close team. We always had a lot of fun no matter what day it was, and that really helped us through tougher times where everyone had to fight a little bit harder and give that extra during competition.
"Even though tennis is an individual sport, we both win and lose together, which really unified us and made us an incredibly strong team."
Stralka had an ultra-successful freshman campaign, highlighted by winning the singles title at the 2019 PSAC Championships in the fall. She finished the year with a 19-2 singles record, including a 13-1 mark in tournament play and 6-1 at the No. 1 spot in dual matches.
