Idaho’s Villines, Bendeck earn WAC honors

Idaho sprinter Jesse Villines and men’s tennis player Jose Bendeck earned Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors on Tuesday.

Villines, a junior, earned the track honor after an impressive performance at the Vandal Collegiate meet last weekend. He ran in seven races over the two-day meet and hit career-best marks in each event.

Villines’ 200-meter time of 21.78 seconds is the third best in the WAC this season.

Bendeck, a senior, earned the men’s tennis honor after going 4-0 during the past week. He earned a pair of No. 1 doubles wins and a three-set win at the top singles spot over Eastern Washington’s Robert Dula.

In his No. 2 singles match, Bendeck won in straight sets over Seattle University’s Will Topp.

Bendeck was honored twice as WAC Player of the Month during the fall, and reached the National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in doubles after teaming up with Cristobal Ramos Salazar to win the ITA Mountain Region Doubles draw.