Senior catcher Christa Dalakis has been selecte as the Connection Newspapers/George Mason University Athlete of the Week.
Dalakis, a native of North Potomac, MD, and a graduate of Quince Orchard High School, had an outstanding week as she led the George Mason softball team to a 3-1 record, batting .333 (5-15) with five RBI, two runs scored, a double and a triple.
Batting in the No. 3 spot in the order for most of the year, Dalakis leads the Patriots in hits (26), doubles (five), triples (two), RBI (14), and is second in batting average (.333) and slugging percentage (.449).
Extremely competitive and a natural leader behind the plate, Dalakis has been relied on heavily by a youth-laden George Mason softball team in which 11 of 15 players have had no prior collegiate experience.
Last season, the 5-4 Dalakis was the only player to start in all 39 games. She led the team with 39 hits, was third in on-base percentage (.326) and posted a team-leading .966 fielding percentage.
As a sophomore, she was the team's second leading hitter, batting .283 with a .384 slugging percentage and a .380 on-base percentage. She was second on the team with 28 RBI and her 34 runs were third on the squad.
Dalakis has spent the last two seasons as a defensive specialist on the Colonial Athletic Association champions women's volleyball team.
A communication major, Dalakis has interned at WUSA, the local CBS affiliate (Channel 9) as well as NewsChannel 8. She is pursuing a career in broadcasting.