Tucker, Parada named All In Sports Den Keyano Huskies Athletes of the Week
Keyano College Huskies Athletics announced today that Women's Basketball student-athlete Kaylynn Tucker (Omaha, Nebraska) and Men's Volleyball student-athlete Rafael Parada (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) have been recognized as the All In Sports Den Keyano Huskies Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, October 27, 2024.
Tucker led the Women's Basketball Huskies to a weekend sweep on the road in Edmonton against the NAIT Ooks while Parada powered the Men's Volleyball Huskies to a 2-0 start with a pair of home wins against the Ooks.
In Friday's 64-50 victory, Tucker recorded 24 points on eight-of-15 shooting from the field. She also added five rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Her biggest performance came in the third quarter where she scored eight of her team's 14 points in the frame to uphold their nine-point lead heading to the final quarter.
"Just starting the year off really well," Head Coach Dwayne Vigilance said. "She's starting off where she left off last year. If that's where she's starting, it's going to be scary to see where she ends. It's a great start for her."
Saturday, she once again played a strong role in a 80-64 Huskies victory, scoring 25 points on seven-of-18 shooting from the field. Tucker also made good on 11 of 14 free throw attempts, adding six rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Sixteen of those 25 points came in the first half as the Huskies built a 10-point lead at the half.
The combo guard is in her fifth year of eligibility with the Huskies. She's averaged 16.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.4 steals on a per game basis. Tucker was named to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women's Basketball North Division First All-Conference team in the 2023-24 season.
Parada was on fire for the Huskies across a pair of four-set wins against the Ooks, collecting 27 kills, 14 digs, and nine aces against the Ooks. He started the weekend Friday with 16 kills, seven digs, and five aces. Saturday, he added 11 kills, four aces, and seven more digs while also collecting his first block of the season.
"He's an absolutely talented player," Head Coach Keegan Kuhr said. "A really good serve, fantastic offence, he blocked well today. Such a solid player and a joy to watch play."
A product of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Parada has already collected 229 kills across 77 sets in 21 ACAC Regular Season games. He's also added 117 digs, 49 aces and 23 blocks as part of his career statline. At the end of the 2023-24 ACAC Regular Season, Parada was recognized as the ACAC North Division Rookie of the Year.
Tucker and the Women's Basketball Huskies will open the home side of their schedule on Thursday, October 31 and November 1 at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre, hosting the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens Thursday and Olds College Broncos Friday. Tip-off on both nights is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
Parada and the Men's Volleyball Huskies will hit the road for their first away action of the regular season, taking on the Olds College Broncos and Red Deer Polytechnic Kings this coming weekend.
All In Sports Den Keyano Huskies Athletes of the Week
October 27, 2024: Kaylynn Tucker (Women's Basketball) & Rafael Parada (Men's Volleyball)
October 20, 2024: Harleen Singh (Women’s Soccer) & Dylan Stewart (Men’s Soccer)
October 13, 2024: Anke Wijnbergen (Women's Soccer) & Michael Lungu (Men's Soccer)
October 6, 2024: Harleen Singh (Women's Soccer) & Josh Fitzpatrick (Men's Soccer)
September 29, 2024: Ayla Taller (Women’s Soccer) & Hafid Arellano (Men’s Soccer)
September 22, 2024: Norah Horsley (Women’s Soccer) & Kofi Boateng (Men’s Soccer)
September 15, 2024: Ayla Taller (Women’s Soccer) & Jacob Marshall (Men’s Soccer)
September 8, 2024: Natalie Orellana (Women's Soccer) & Aaron Ernst (Men's Soccer)