Faces in the Crowd: December 21, 2015
. Thayer Hall
Spartanburg, S.C. > Volleyball
Thayer, a 6' 3" sophomore outside hitter at Dorman High, had her 1,000th career kill in a 3–0 victory over T.L. Hanna High in the 4A Region II upper state final. She ended the season with 570 kills, a .539 kill percentage, 36 blocks, 310 digs and 58 aces. Thayer was named South Carolina's Gatorade athlete of the year.
. Farai Sewera
Roselle, Ill. > Wrestling
Sewera, a senior at Division III Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, defeated four opponents on his way to a 15–4 major decision over Upper Iowa's Douglas Perrin in the 165-pound final of the Luther Open. The defending D-III champion, Sewera is top ranked in his weight class and at week's end had won 33 of his last 35 matches.
. Jonquel Jones
Freeport, Bahamas > Basketball
Jones, a 6' 4" senior forward at George Washington, had five straight double doubles, including 23 points and a school-record 26 rebounds in an 81–77 double-overtime over Iowa, breaking a mark that had stood for 39 years. Last season's Atlantic 10 player of the year, she was the nation's leading rebounder through Sunday (15.9 per game).
. Connor O'Hearn
Renton, Wash. > Basketball
Connor, a 6' 1" senior point guard at Hazen High, scored 47 points in an 87–78 victory over Liberty High, including two clutch three-pointers, one to send the game into overtime and another with two seconds left in OT to force a second overtime. In the Highlanders' 5–0 start he was averaging 24.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists.
. Karen Guo
Phoenix > Badminton
Karen, a senior at Desert Vista High, beat Xavier College Prep senior Kirelle 11–8, 13–10 to defend her state signles titles. Four days later Kirelle beat Karen 13–11, 8–11, 13–11 in the team semifinals, lifting the Gators to a third straight title
. Kirelle Singarajah
Chandler, Ariz. > Badminton
Kirelle, a senior at Xavier College Prep, beat Karen, a senior at Desert Vista High, 13–11, 8–11, 13–11 in the team semifinals to lift the Gators to a third state title. Four days earlier, Karen defeated Kirelle 11–8, 13–10 to defend her state singles title.
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