Louisville's Top Performers of 2022-23
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2022-23 athletics season saw quite a few University of Louisville student-athletes experience a high level of individual success in their respective sport.
Many Cardinals were named First-Team All-ACC, a few garnered All-American recognition, while some had high finishes at the NCAA Championships.
With the current athletics season now completely in the books, here are the top individual performers from Louisville's 2022-23 athletic season:
Yasir Abdullah - Football
Louisville had one of the most aggressive and dominant front sevens in all of college football this past season, and Abdullah was the driving force behind it. He led Louisville with 9.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss, which was good for first and sixth in the ACC, respectively, while tallying 63 total tackles (34 solo) as well. He also had two interceptions, four pass breakups, four forced fumbles and seven quarterback hurries, being voted as a First-Team All-ACC selection and the runner-up in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Gabi Albiero - Women's Swimming and Diving
On a Louisville swimming and diving team that was chock full of elite athletes, Albiero was arguably the top performer on the women's side. At the NCAA Championships, she placed third in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.30, fifth in the 100-yard butterfly at 50.15 and fourth in the 100-yard freestyle at 46.80. Albiero also helped the 200-yard freestyle relay team and 400-yard freestyle relay team finish third, the 200-yard medley relay team finish fifth and the 400-yard medley relay team finish eighth. Louisville posted a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Trey Allen - Men's Track and Field
For the second year in a row, Allen was arguably the best men's track and field athlete for Louisville. He won the high jump at both the ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships, with jumps of 2.21 and 2.25 meters, respectively. Then he placed top-five finishes in the high jump for both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, logging an indoor jump of 2.21 meters to tie for third, then a 2.16 meter outdoor jump for fourth. Both finishes netted him First-Team All-American honors.
Aboubacar Camara - Men's Soccer
Camara might not have turned in as prolific of a goal-scoring season as he did last year, but he was still one of the most valuable players on the team. Earning Second-Team All-ACC honors, he led the Cardinals in both goals and points with six and 13, respectively. Three of his goals were game-winners, which was good for fifth in the ACC.
Claire Chaussee - Volleyball
On a star-studded volleyball roster, Chaussee was arguably the star that shone the brightest. She was named the ACC Player of the Year, as well as a First-Team All-American and the East Region Player of the Year by the AVCA. She led the Cardinals in both kills and total attacks this season with 452 and 1,074, respectively, helping them go 31-3 for the season and reach the national championship game.
Etienne Donnet - Men's Tennis
Donnet was unquestionably Louisville's top singles player this season. He went 26-9 in singles matches, earning an at-large bid for the NCAA Singles Championship before falling in the first round, while also earning Second-Team All-ACC singles honors. He finished at No. 51 in the ITA's final singles rankings.
Max Kennedy - Men's Golf
In his third season at Louisville, Kennedy flourished. He led the Cardinals with a 71.30 stroke average this season, which marked the sixth-best in school history for a single season, and helped them record seven top-five finishes. He was named to the 15-man All-ACC Team, and was also named a PING All-American honorable mention.
Julie Kouijzer - Field Hockey
Kouijzer was a fantastic two-way player for the Cardinals this season. Not only did the defender help produce five shutouts, but also scored a career-high six goals in the process. She was named both a First-Team All-ACC selection, as well as a Second-Team All-American by the NFHCA.
Raquel Lazaro - Volleyball
Lazaro was an underrated component to the success that Louisville saw this past season. Not only was she a First-Team All-ACC selection, she was tabbed as the ACC Setter of the Year, a member of the AVCA All-East Region Team, and earned an All-American honorable mention. Her 1,152 assists ranked second in the conference.
Hailey Van Lith - Women's Basketball
While he departure for LSU after the season undoubtedly left a bad taste in fans' mouths, she was still a key part in Louisville reaches their fifth-straight Elite Eight. Her final year as a Card was by far her best, leading the team in scoring at 19.7 points per game - which was good for 24th nationally - while also pouring in 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists. For her efforts, she received a First-Team All-ACC selection, as well as an AP All-American honorable mention.
Cameron Miller - Men's Track and Field
While Allen was arguably the top men's track and field athlete for Louisville this season, Miller had just as impressive of a showing. He won the 200-meter dash at the ACC Indoor Championship by setting the school record with a 20.27 mark, then ran a 20.29 in the event at the NCAA Indoor Championship to claim fourth place. At the NCAA Outdoor Championship, his 20.30 run in the 200-meter final handed him an eighth place finish, while his 20.17 in the semifinal set a school record. Like Allen, Miller also earned a pair of First-Team All-American honors.
Jack Payton - Baseball
Louisville might have missed the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years, but it certainly wasn't due to Payton's efforts. He led the team in batting average and OPS at .374 and 1.114, tied for the team lead in home runs with 12 and was third in RBI with 41. Despite not being an All-ACC selection, he was named a finalist for the Buster Posey Award.
Denis Petrashov - Men's Swimming and Diving
On the men's side of Louisville's swimming and diving team, Petrashov was arguably their overall top performer. He placed third in the 100-yard breaststroke at the NCAA Championships with a time of 50.78, and won the consolation final of the 200-yard breaststroke at 1:51.23. Petrashov also helped the 200-yard medley relay finish seventh and the 800-yard medley relay place ninth, as Louisville took home a 13th place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Aimee Plumb - Field Hockey
Any time Louisville needed some offense, Plumb was your answer. She was the team leader in both goals and assists with eight and seven, respectively, finishing with 23 points on the season - nine more than Kouijzer at No. 2 had. She took home both First-Team All-ACC and Third-Team NFHCA All-American honors.
Taylor Roby - Softball
One of the best players in the history of Louisville softball, Roby did not disappoint in her final year. Not only did she help the Cardinals get back to the NCAA Tournament, she was voted as an NFCA Second-Team All-American as well. Her .360 batting average and 57 RBI led the ACC, while her 23 home runs set the school single-season record and finished second in the NCAA. On top of that, her 2.47 ERA and 122.0 innings pitched from the circle also led the team.
Natan Rodrigues - Men's Tennis
The doubles tandem of Rodrigues and Fabien Salle could go down as one of the best in program history. The duo went 26-8 this past season, including reaching the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship. Not only did they become the first All-American doubles team at Louisville since 2011, they finished No. 9 in the ITA's doubles team rankings.
Sander Roed - Men's Soccer
Camara was the primary goal-scorer for Louisville this season, but Roed was arguably the team's MVP. He finished the season with eight assists on the year, which was not only first on the team, but was second in the ACC and 41st nationally (20th through the regular season). He earned First-Team All-ACC honors for his efforts.
Fabien Salle - Men's Tennis
Salle did great things with his teammate Rodrigues on the doubles circuit, but he was also a good singles player as well. He went 28-10 in singles matches, earning Third-Team All-ACC singles honors and finishing No. 72 in the ITA's final singles rankings.
Synclair Savage - Women's Track and Field
Whether it was indoors or outdoors, Savage dominated the long jump, and was Louisville's most decorated women's track and field athlete this season. She earned a seventh place finish in the event at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a 6.41 meter jump, then came in ninth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships after logging a 6.30 meter leap. She earned First-Team All-American honors at both events, and recorded six the the ten best long jumps in school history this season alone.
Elena Scott - Volleyball
Scott was a fantastic defensive presence for Louisville during their national runner-up season. Her 467 digs led the Cardinals and was fourth in the ACC, and was aced only 16 times in 401 attempts for a receipt percentage of 96.0 percent (second on the team). She took home First-Team All-ACC, AVCA All-East Region Team and Second-Team AVCA All-American honors.
Amaya Tillman - Volleyball
As good as Scott was on defense, it was Tillman who was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. She was specialist when it came to sending the ball the other way, with her 166 total blocks ranking 14th nationally and her 1.46 blocks per set coming in at 12th nationally. Unsurprisingly, she was also named to the AVCA All-East Region Team, and also received Third-Team AVCA All-American honors.
Aliyah Welter - Women's Track and Field
While Savage was the most successful Louisville women's track and field athlete this season, Welter was not far behind. She placed tenth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pole vault after posting a 4.30 meter clearance, then came in 12th in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships by posting a 4.15 meter clearance. Both performances handed her Second-Team All-American selections.
Jiri Zuska - Men's Golf
Kennedy wasn't the only Louisville golfer to be named to the 15-man All-ACC team, as Zuska shared that honor as well. Playing his best golf in his final year, his stroke average of 71.58 was good for ninth-best in school history for a single season. He had the best individual finish at the Morgan Hill Regional by a Louisville player, tying for 11th.
(Photo of Gabi Albiero: Justin Casterline via University of Louisville Athletics)
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