The Top Performers of the Week feature highlights the top athletes of each sport currently in play. Check back each week to see which athletes are standing out in Cougar sports.
Kayla Walker – Volleyball – Junior – Camarillo, Calif.
Junior outside hitter Kayla Walker was named to the Texas A&M Invitational after leading the Cougars in kills (3.25) and hitting percentage (.322) on the weekend. She also posted 2.08 digs and 0.83 blocks per set. Against American she tallied a career-high 18 kills while leading BYU in hitting percentage at .438 and blocks with six. On the year, she is second on the team in kills per set at 2.83 kps.
Max Hall – Football – Junior – Mesa, Ariz.
All-America and Heisman Trophy candidate Max Hall has been named the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week after leading No. 15 BYU to a 28-27 victory at Washington, extending the Cougars' nation's best win streak to 12 straight games.
The 6-foot-1, 201-pound native of Mesa, Ariz., completed 30-of-41 attempts for 338 yards and three touchdowns, marking the second straight week he has thrown for over 300 yards. His performance helped mark BYU's first-ever victory over Washington at Husky Stadium and gives the Cougars' their fourth win in the last five outings against Pac-10 opponents, including wins over Arizona, Oregon and UCLA.
During the Cougars' opening drive of the game, Hall completed 6-of-6 attempts for 80 yards, including a 38-yard pass to Austin Collie to give BYU an early 7-0 lead. In the first quarter alone, Hall completed 10-of-12 passes for 110 yards. And in the final quarter of the game, Hall completed another 10 passes for 140 yards, including the game-winning touchdown pass -- a 15-yard bullet to Dennis Pitta in the endzone. One of the most impressive elements to Hall's performance on Saturday was his efficiency during third-down situations. Hall led the Cougars to 12-of-14 third-down conversions by completing 10-of-12 attempts for 149 yards.
On the season, Hall ranks second in the nation with 824 yards passing. Averaging 412 yards per game, Hall is on pace to pass for over 4,900 yards this season. He has completed over 78 percent of his passes and has posted five touchdown completions.
Kassidy Christensen – Soccer – Sophomore – Bountiful, Utah
Christensen scored the game-winning goal against Arizona with 13 minutes left in the game to give the Cougars the win in an emotionally tough game. Each team fought back and forth and dealt with multiple penalties before Christensen gave BYU the advantage.
The goal was her second of the season, giving her nine for her career.
McKinzie Olson – Soccer – Freshman – Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Olson made the second start of her young career against Marquette and did not allow a goal in regulation. She made five saves, and was able to give BYU a chance to be in the game. She leads the team with 11 saves.
Stephan Shay – Cross Country – Senior – East Jordan, Mich.
BYU’s Stephan Shay finished first overall in the men’s 4-mile with a time of 21:00.2, barely beating out Jimmy Grabow (21:00.3) from San Bernardino Valley College, who ran unattached, leading the Cougars to their first perfect score since 2004.
Anna Sperry – Cross Country – Sophomore – Simi Valley, Calif.
It was an incredible opener for BYU sophomore Anna Sperry who came out as the top finisher for the Cougars with a time of 19:42.7. Teammate Angela Wagner was ahead most of the race but fell back in the last lap and Sperry came from behind to win the first race and prove herself to be one of BYU’s top runners this year, a huge improvement from last season.