Sikma Honored As Conference Rookie of the Week

After pouring in 14.5 points per outing to lead the Hawks to a pair of victories over UMBC and Binghamton last week, University of Hartford freshman Nate Sikma was tabbed America East co-Rookie of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. Sikma shared his first league honor with Vermont’s Four McGlynn.

Sikma got the week off with a solid all-around effort at UMBC that helped Hartford snap a five-game skid with a 76-70 triumph on at UMBC. The freshman tallied a team-high 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including three three-pointers and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. In addition, the Bellevue, Wash., native dished out five assists, a career high, while pulling down seven boards, a game best.

In the Hawks’ next outing, a 62-60 defeat of Binghamton at Chase Arena, Sikma narrowly missed his first collegiate double-double as he racked up nine points and nine boards to go along with two assists and one steal. With the win, Hartford improved to 6-7 in the America East and shifted into fifth place in the league standings.

Sikma, Hartford’s leading rebounder with 4.3 boards per game, currently ranks third on the team in scoring with 8.2 points per outing.