Sasha Dosenko and Adam Estoclet Named Athletes of the Week

Athlete of the Week Archive

Each week, DartmouthSports.com will spotlight two outstanding student-athletes - one male, one female - as Dartmouth's Athletes of the Week. Student-athletes may be chosen based upon their efforts both on and off the field of competition.

A pair of above and beyond performances led the Big Green to victories this weekend, as basketball's Sasha Dosenko (Kiev, Ukraine) and hockey's Adam Estoclet (Orono, Minn.) both helped Dartmouth defeat Cornell, earning Athlete of the Week honors. Dosenko, a sophomore, was well above her season average for Dartmouth's Ivy weekend, averaging 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Estoclet, a junior skater, picked up four points including the game-winner over Cornell.

Dartmouth Female Athlete of the Week:
Sasha Dosenko (Kiev, Ukraine) Women's Basketball, Sophomore, Forward

Sophomore Sasha Dosenko (Kiev, Ukraine) continued playing at a torrid pace, averaging 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in a tough split Ivy weekend. She was also named the Ivy League Co-Player of the Week. Dartmouth topped Cornell with help from a Dosenko double-double but her career-high 19 points were not enough in an overtime loss at Columbia. She would not be denied at Columbia, hitting one clutch shot after another, including a big second-half three pointer en route to 19 points and nine boards. She held Cornell in check defensively, stifling the Big Red's inside game, while collecting her elusive first career double-double on 12 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-3 sophomore shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and added three blocks at Columbia, two at Cornell and two assists per game. In the last four games, Dosenko is averaging a double-double (13.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg) and has come into her own this winter after averaging just 4.7 minutes in 20 games as a rookie.

You put together one of your best individual weekends of your career. Can you talk about the performances?
I was very excited for this weekend, because Columbia is a great team with some of the best post players in the Ivy League, so I really wanted to come out strong and see if I can compete against them. Plus, my mom and my friends were watching the game, so I really wanted to show them the best I've got. As for Cornell, I just tried to do what the coaches told us in practices and avoid the mistakes on defense that I usually make.

Talk about your development this season after not playing much as a freshman? And how it often takes players a year to learn our system?
It was a little stressful at the beginning, because the pressure and the expectations are great, and therefore it is very easy to mess up. I am just glad that the coaches gave me a chance to make mistakes and learn from them and were patient enough to keep working with me every day in practice. I think I am becoming more confident on the court with each game, and confidence definitely helps me to play better.
It takes time to learn Coach Wielgus' system, and I can't even say that I completely understand it yet. So all I can do is pay attention in practices and keep working hard.

What is the mindset of the team now with five games to finish strong, though likely out of Ivy title contention?
It is definitely upsetting that the chances to make it to the tournament are low, but we are still ready to compete and to make the best out of the remaining season

Dartmouth Male Athlete of the Week:
Adam Estoclet (Orono, Minn.), Men's Hockey, Junior, Forward

With his fourth shot of the game, junior Adam Estoclet (Orono, Minn.) helped to lift the Dartmouth men's hockey team to a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over 10th-ranked Cornell on Saturday. He potted his second game winner of the season with under 2:00 to play in the contest, redirecting a shot by his linemate. Estoclet recorded two points on the night with an assist on the game's first goal. The previous night against Colgate he also had two points, assisting on two of the Big Green's six goals. He leads his squad in scoring with 30 points, 26 of those coming in league play.

Talk about your goal that won the game against Cornell? How motivating was it to win that game?
It was extremely exciting. To be able to come back on a top-10 team in the country was amazing for our team and having it on senior night was really special for our guys. We were all really happy to give the seniors on our team an amazing last home game. Watching their reaction to that game motivates me to do whatever it takes to go far in our upcoming playoffs.

What's ahead for the Big Green with the last regular season weekend coming up and then playoffs starting?
Coming off last weekend everyone is in high spirits and ready to go. We only have one weekend left before playoffs and usually this time of year many teams are run down and are kind of getting sick of hockey, but we are just starting to play how we know we can and seeing the results is huge for our team moral and team confidence.

You've turned into one of Dartmouth's most consistent scorers. Has that put pressure on you or is it something that motivates you to do better?
It's definitely a motivating factor. Many guys on this team could be where I am (scoring wise) if they were in my position - I have the opportunity to play in every situation, get a lot of ice time and play with great linemates which allows me to be successful. This comes with some pressure knowing that people are sacrificing their playing time for our line to get a few more chances and this really pushes me to give everything I got, because anything less is unfair and disappointing to my teammates.

The team has either won or tied three out of the last five games. Is that a good sign of things to come?
Yes, I think so. Everyone's attitude is unbelievable at the rink and has been all year, so to get the three points last weekend going into our final weekend has provided our team with a much needed positive juice. Instead of having a attitude of "having" to go to the rink which most people do in Februrary, our team really feels like they "get to" as if we were just starting at the end of November. This attitude is what's going to hopefully bring us far down the road where we want to be.

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