Playing in front of a home crowd on her native Long Island, Shannon Smith scored four goals in the semis and title game en route to winning tournament MVP honors.Playing in front of a home crowd on her native Long Island, Shannon Smith scored four goals in the semis and title game en route to winning tournament MVP honors.

NU Announces Hilton Garden Inn Athletes of the Week

May 31, 2011

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Wildcat senior Josh Dupont (Poway, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) of the men's golf team and junior Shannon Smith (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) of the women's lacrosse team have been named NU's Hilton Garden Inn Athletes of the Week.

Smith was named MVP of the NCAA Championship as the Wildcats captured their sixth national title in seven years, scoring a total of 18 goals during the 'Cats four-game run to the championship. That included the game-winner in both of NU's one-goal victories in the semifinals and title game, giving Smith the Northwestern record for goals in a single season with 86. Smith, a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award and Honda Sports Award in Lacrosse, finished with the seventh-most points in a season in Division I women's lacrosse history (128).

Dupont led a furious Northwestern charge in the final round of the NCAA Regional Championship, shooting a career-best-tying 67 at Colorado National Golf Club. The score contributed to NU's ability to leap from eighth to third in the team standings and earn a spot in this week's national championship tournament. Dupont's pair of birdies over his final four holes sparked the NU comeback as the 'Cats matched the lowest team score for a round during the entire tournament.

This week's Community Service Athlete of the Week is freshman Meghan McKeown (Glencoe, Ill./Loyola Academy) of the women's basketball team. McKeown attended the Walk Now for Autism Speaks event on May 14 with other members of the women's basketball team to help raise awareness for the illness. Later in the week, McKeown hosted a tour of Northwestern's athletic facilities for local middle school students.

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