Louisville's Top Performers of 2020-21
(Photo of Nicolas Albiero, Dana Evans, Mercedes Pastor: University of Louisville Athletics)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While a lot of the top sports on the campus of the University of Louisville didn't quite have the success they would have liked, there were quite a few Cardinals who experienced a high level of individual success.
Many were named All-ACC, a few garnered All-American recognition, and there was even a national champion.
While this list is incomplete due to ongoing track and field NCAA Championships, here are the top individual performers from Louisville's 2020-21 athletic season:
Nicolas Albiero - Men's Swimming
Remember the national champion we referenced? Here he is. Albiero captured the 200 Butterfly title with a time of 1:38.64, setting the school record and swimming the fifth-fastest time in history. He became the third men's swimmer to win an individual title (Almeida, De Lucca), and was named the ACC Swimmer of the Year.
Kei'Trel Clark - Football
In just his first season at Louisville after transferring from Liberty, Clark made his presence known. The cornerback finished eighth nationally and tied for the ACC lead with 10 pass break-ups, and also logged 36 tackles and an interception. He was named Second Team All-ACC as a result.
Henry Davis - Baseball
Not only was Davis consistent from start to finish, he was one of the best offensive and defensive players in the ACC. He led the Cardinals with a .370 batting average with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs, led the ACC in on-base percentage, and was ranked in the top 10 in the league in batting average, hits, home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage. He was named a Second Team All-American, and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes
Emina Ekic - Women's Soccer
Ekic was, quite literally, the offense for Louisville. Starting in all nine games, she scored or assisted in all but one of Louisville's 11 goals in the fall, scoring seven goals and assisting on three. She was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Louisville player to be named conference offensive player of the year since 2013.
Dana Evans - Women's Basketball
Evans made a name for herself as one of the top scorers and clutch shooters in all of college basketball. She averaged 20.1 points, which led the ACC, as well as 3.9 assists with a 43.0% field goal percentage and 35.3% mark on three-point attempts. She was named the ACC Player of the Year, as well as a First Team All-American.
Lauren Hartlage - Women's Golf
Hartlage is going down in history as one of the program's all-time greats. She finished the season with a 72.05 stroke average in 22 rounds, which ranked seventh in the ACC this season, and finished in the top 10 in three of the seven tournaments this spring. She ended her career with a 12th place finish at the NCAA Championship, and earned a Second-Team All-American honor.
Carlik Jones - Men's Basketball
Coming over from Radford, Jones proved he belonged in the ACC. He was only player in the conference to rank among the top six in scoring (16.8 ppg, 6th in the ACC), assists (4.5 apg, 4th), assists/turnovers ratio (2.18, 4th) and free throw percentage (.815, 3rd). He was named a First Team All-ACC selection, and tied for second in ACC Player of the Year voting.
Mercedes Pastor - Field Hockey
Pastor was the cornerstone of a team that set numerous program milestones, including their highest ranking (No. 2) and first Final Four berth. She led the Cardinals with 13 goals, five of which were game-winners, while also dishing out six assists. She was named First Team All-ACC, the NFHCA West Regional Player of the Year, and has a chance to win National Player of the Year.
Taylor Roby - Softball
Roby established herself as one of the best two-way players in the ACC. At the plate, she launched a team-high 14 home runs, 43 RBIs, 26 walks .480 on-base percentage and .697 slugging percentage. Over in the circle, she had a team-best ERA of 2.96, WHIP of 1.38 and 83 strikeouts. She was named a First Team All-ACC selection and Second Team NFCA All-Southeast Region.
Matthias Schmid - Men's Golf
Like Hartlage, Schmid is also going down in history as one of the program's all-time greats. She finished the season with a 72.03 stroke average in 31 rounds, had a pair of top-five finishes, and helped Louisville reach a program-best ninth place finish at the NCAA Championship. He ends his Louisville career with a stroke average of 71.06, the lowest in program history.
Anna Stevenson - Volleyball
Stevenson was one of the best weapons for Louisville on both offense and defense. She played in every set and had 145 kills, hits .406, with 10 aces, 26 digs and 79 blocks. She was named a First Team All-ACC selection, as well as an AVCA Second Team All-American.
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