Renee Armstrong (Women’s Basketball) & Jacob Schweyer (Men’s Volleyball) Named Gryph’s Locker Athletes of the Week presented by Core Power

GUELPH, Ont. – Throughout the 2023-24 season, the University of Guelph Department of Athletics will be highlighting various members from our Gryphon varsity programs as part of our ‘Gryph’s Locker Athletes of the Week, presented by Core Power’ series. This week’s ‘Gryph’s Locker Athletes of the Week presented by Core Power’ recipients are Renee Armstrong (women’s basketball) and Jacob Schweyer (men’s volleyball) for the period ending November 5, 2023. 
 

Renee Armstrong (Women’s Basketball)

Standout Gryphon guard Renee Armstrong earns ‘Athlete of the Week’ honours after a pair of impressive performances this past weekend in the women’s basketball team’s first two games of the 2023-24 season. On Friday night (Nov. 3) Armstrong produced a game-high 17 points going 7-for-15 in the Gryphons season-opening win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. The child studies major from London, Ontario stuffed the stat sheet in a fantastic all-round performance with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. In a close game, Armstrong was instrumental for the Gryphons in the final few minutes of the game. With under 2 minutes to play, the third-year guard drew a a foul and converted both free-throw attempts to gve the Gryphons a 51-49 lead. Just a few possessions later she would the make a crucial layup to put the Gryphons up by 6 with :28 seconds remaining, sealing the season-opening win. 

On Saturday night (Nov. 4) it was another strong performance from the 2022-23 OUA All-Star, scoring 15 points against the defending U SPORTS champion Carleton Ravens. She would also add 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, and a steal while shooting 5-for-11 from the field and going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. After the first weekend of the 2023-24 OUA women’s basketball regular season, Armstrong finds herself 9th in the conference in points-per-game (16.0) and leading the OUA in blocks (5) through two games. The Gryphons, 1-1, will return to the court at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre Wednesday (Nov. 8) when they host their division rivals and 2022-23 OUA West Division champion Waterloo Warriors. 
 

Jacob Schweyer (Men’s Volleyball)

Third-year right side hitter, Jacob Schweyer earns the first ‘Athlete of the Week’ nod of the Gryphons men’s volleyball season after a pair of outstanding performances at the University of Waterloo this past weekend to kick off the 2023-24 OUA regular season. The 20-year-old Sudbury native led the U of G men’s volleyball attack in a pair of season-opening wins over the Waterloo Warriors. On Friday night (Nov. 3), Schweyer set a new career-high in kills, producing a game-high 16, and points, scoring 20 of the Gryphons 69 total points in the match. The human kinetics major also had 4 assisted blocks and 2 service aces while posting a .577 hitting percentage. The following night (Nov. 4) Schweyer once again produced a game-high in points with 18.5 thanks to 15 kills, a service ace, one solo and 3 assisted blocks. He also had a team-best hitting percentage of .565. in another 3-sets-to-1 win for the Gryphons. 

Schweyer ranks among the OUA’s best hitters to start the season in several key statistical categories through the first weekend of regular season action. He is 4th in kills per set (3.88), 3rd in total kills (31), 1st in hitting percentage (.571), and 4th in blocks per set (1.0). Schweyer and the rest of the Gryphons will look to continue their impressive start to the season next weekend (Nov. 10-11) when they host the Nipissing Lakers in back-to-back matches on their home court. 
 

2023-24 Gryphon Athletes of the Week

*Indicates U SPORTS Athlete of the Week
*Indicates OUA Athlete of the Week