Alison Hughes of Janesville Named UMC Teambackers Student-Athlete of the Month

2016 Dec 1

Alison Hughes of Janesville was one of two student-athletes the University of Minnesota Crookston athletic department named as UMC Teambackers Athletes of the Month. They were chosen for the month of November for their outstanding performances for their teams.

Cleary had one of the best debuts of any freshman in program history as he averaged 21.6 points in his first month as a collegiate athlete. Cleary earned NSIC North Division Player of the Week honors Nov. 15 owing much of it to his debut collegiate game in which he scored 34 points against Southwest Baptist University. He would shoot 54.9 percent (39-of-71) from the field in November. Cleary had a lot of success from beyond the arc going 13-of-27 for 48.1 percent. In addition to his 34-point performance, Cleary tallied 23 points against University of Jamestown and 21 versus Lincoln University. He has helped lead the UMC men's basketball team to a 3-2 mark so far on the season.

Hughes tallied 19.3 points per game in the first four games of the season for the UMC women's basketball team, building off a strong freshman season in 2015-16. She was 23-of-46 for 50 percent from the field and 13-of-26 for 50 percent from behind the three-point line. In addition, she was a near-perfect 18-of-19 from the charity stripe. Hughes' best performance came in the season opener with 24 points on 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc against Michigan Tech University. She also had 19 points against nationally ranked Angelo State University.

The UMC Teambackers Student-Athlete Award has now been made a monthly award after being awarded on a weekly basis for the past three years. Cross and Frame are the second two student-athletes to earn the award, which recognizes UMC athletes for their accomplishments both on and off the field of play.