ASU Athletes to Watch
With the year just underway, the 2012 season of sports at Arizona State University has the potential of being a memorable one.
The Pacific-12 conference is full of great universities, tradition and most importantly, dedicated student athletes. Below are some of the top athletes to keep an eye out for this season.
All of these athletes are breaking ground in their sports and investing a great deal of time and energy to be great. As a reward Wwe would like to give some recognition to these student athletes, but also commend all of the athletes at Arizona State.
Macey Gardner
Beginning our list there is Macey Gardner, Freshman volleyball player that who was recently named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, the second freshman all-time that's represented ASU in this weekly selection.
Garner has a long trail of rewards and accolades; however, they are just a testament of the amount of time she invests in her craft. Not big on individual awards, though she sees them as blessings, her priorities are geared towards the team and getting better each day.
Due to the high level of competitiveness within the conference, this attitude will soon be rewarded and Washington State will be the next to face a young woman, and team on a mission. "It's pretty special to be able to see all of the players that come from out of state and even out of the country to come to Arizona State," says Garner says.
Trevor Williams
Next up, is Junior pitcher Trevor Williams. Set to step into a key role for Arizona State, there are greater expectations after an incredible 12 wins that ranked first among the Pac-12. Thomas Lenneberg, Assistant Media Relation Director for the baseball team says, "He [Trevor] has to step into the Friday night role, which in college carries a lot of weight and responsibility; however, I think Trevor is ready for it."
In order to prepare for the upcoming season, Williams added to his resume of experience by competing for the Team USA Collegiate National Team where he and his teammates won the bronze metal. In terms of sports, competing against the best always forces you to raise your own level of play to new horizons. It should be an exciting year to see what effects it has on his game in the future.
Along with his international play, he also participated on the Cape Cod League, where he honored former Sun Devil and roommate, Cory Hahn, who planned on playing in the same league before he suffered a spinal cord injury two seasons ago that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Through a magnanimous gesture, Williams sported Hahn's no. 34 to show support and represent his teammate. In the same Cape Cod League, he was also able to pitch to the next notable athlete, catcher Max Rossiter.
Max Rossiter
Rossiter, drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2012 MLB draft decided to remain at Arizona State to provide the team with senior leadership. Already he and Williams have been calling team meetings and developing a strong bond with fellow teammates.
Unlike other athletes that begin and end their careers at the same university, Rossiter worked his way up from Central Arizona College in order to get to Arizona State. Two seasons later and a number of awards both individual and team such as the 2011 Central Arizona Student-Athlete of the Year and two conference titles.
In addition to maintaining a huge role on the baseball team, Max Rossiter’a last season was included on the Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention list. His biggest strength is that he has found a balance that has proven to be highly effective in terms of the classroom and off the field. "I think he also has a good understanding that even if he does have a good professional baseball career, that isn't all there is to life. He wants to have a future outside of baseball and is willing to work for it," says Lenneberg.
Each of these three individuals are athletes that we should keep an eye out or because they are going to be doing great things on the field this season, but also creating positive change in Tempe.
