ST. PETER, MINN. – Junior basketball player Sergio Najera (New Prague, Minn.) and senior hockey player Courtney Boucher (Hastings, Minn.) have been chosen as the Gustavus Adolphus College December Male and Female Student-Athletes-of-the-Month, as selected by the Gustavus Sports Information Department.
SERGIO NAJERA
Basketball
Position: Center
Hometown: New Prague, Minn.
High School: New Prague
Parents: Ruben and Melissa Najera of New Prague, Minn.
Major: Computer Science
Junior big man Sergio Najera proved to be a scoring threat in each of the Gustavus men’s basketball team’s four games during the month of December. Najera helped his team to a 4-0 finish during the last month of 2014, including a key 68-65 victory over No. 5 ranked University of St. Thomas on Dec. 3 in which Najera was the team’s second leading scorer with 13, leading rebounder with seven and leader in blocked shots with three. In a 63-57 victory over Carleton on Dec. 10, Najera tallied a team-leading 17 points, including going 5-for-5 from the charity stripe which proved crucial in the six point victory. Overall in December, Najera led the team in scoring in 2-of-4 games for an average of 15.7 points per game, including going 26-of-49 from the floor for a .530 field goal percentage. He also pulled down 14 rebounds, including four offensive boards and dished out four assists. The New Prague native was also a difference-maker on the defensive side of the floor with a total of 10 blocks for an average of 2.5 per game.
COURTNEY BOUCHER
Hockey
Position: Defense
Hometown: Hastings, Minn.
High School: Hastings
Parents: Ron and JoAnn Boucher of Hastings, Minn.
Major: Chemistry
In four December games, senior defender Courtney Boucher tallied four points on two goals and two assists for the Gustavus women’s hockey team. In a 7-2 victory over St. Olaf on Dec. 5, Boucher scored a goal and registered an assist. The following day against the Oles, Boucher scored the Gusties’ lone goal of the day, which proved pivotal in a 1-1 tie. The Hastings product followed up the St. Olaf series with an assist against No. 6 UW-River Falls on Dec. 10, which marked the fifth straight game that she registered a point. Overall, Boucher tallied a +7 rating during her time on the ice in December. Gustavus went 3-0-1 during the month, including victories over two ranked teams in UW-River Falls and No. 7 UW-Stevens Point.