LACEY, Wash. – After going nearly 300 days without sports, Saint Martin's welcomed back in both men's and women's basketball in January. Despite the long absence, Claire Dingus of women's basketball, and Tyke Thompson of men's basketball quickly established themselves, earning Saint of the Month in their respected sports.
 
Dingus, fresh off her GNAC Player of the Week award, started the season off with a six point, 15 rebound, and six assist performance against Division-I opponent Seattle U. The 15 rebounds tied a career-high for her at the time. In her doubleheader against Seattle Pacific, Dingus went for 12 points then only two points, but grabbed nine and 12 rebounds, along with three steals in each game.
 
However, everything came together for Dingus on the road against Northwest Nazarene. Dingus rallied the Saints with her 25 points, career-high 16 rebounds, and five assists as Saint Martin's knocked off NNU on the road for the first time since 2005. In the following game, Dingus topped her career-high in points with 28, along with six rebounds.
 
For the month, Dingus averaged a team-leading 14.6 points per game, and 11.6 rebounds per game. Her 3.2 assists per game were second most, and her 1.4 steals were tied for the most.
 
On the men's side, Thompson wasted no time showcasing his skills for Saints fans. The transfer began the year with a 20 point, 13 rebound affair against Division-I Seattle U. He followed up his performance with 18 points and four rebounds, four assists against Seattle Pacific. After an eight point outing against Seattle Pacific the second go-around, Thompson went for 18 points, and eight rebounds versus Northwest Nazarene. He concluded the month with nine points and five rebounds against Northwest Nazarene.
 
In five games, Thompson averaged a second best 14.2 points per game, and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game. His 2.6 assists per contest also top the team list, and his shooting line consists of 43.3 percent from the field, and 40.7 percent beyond the arc.
 
For Dingus, the award marks the second of her career, and for Thompson, his first.