JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman wide receiver TraShaun Ward (Miami, Fla.) and women's basketball's Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.) have been named the Chick-Fil-A Male and Female Athletes of the Week.
Ward did something no other wide receiver in Carson-Newman football history has done under Ken Sparks. He caught 200 yards worth of passes in the Eagles playoff loss to Valdosta State. Ward tallied eight catches (tying a Sparks-era record) and hauled in 214 yards and two touchdowns.
It had been 13,914 days since Carson-Newman last had a 200-yard receiver. Ward's 214 yards receiving are the second best in C-N history behind Tom Jones' 319-yard performance against Lenoir-Rhyne in 1968.
Burstrom averaged 17.5 points in victories at King (Tenn.) and sixth-ranked Columbus State. The senior guard began the week with 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting while leading the team with three steals against King. In 32 minutes versus the Cougars, Burstrom poured in a team-high 19 points going 5-for-8 from three-point range and dishing out three assists. She ups her career total to 50 double-digit scoring contests and enters Tuesday's game at Lincoln Memorial 13 points shy of 1,000 for her career.