Colorado University Athletics
Bjorklund Earns Athlete of the Week
March 30, 2003 | General, Women's Basketball
Boulder - Junior women's basketball player Tera Bjorklund earns Athlete of the Week honors after leading the Buffaloes to the sweet 16 of 2003 the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament. Bjorklund dominated the paint, averaging 24.7 points/game in the three games, including a career-high 34 points in the second round against No. 3 seed North Carolina.
After averaging 29.0 points in the Big 12 Tournament, Bjorklund continued her dominance as she started the NCAA Tournament off with an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double in the first round against BYU at the Coors Events Center as the Buffs cruised to an 84-45 victory.
However, Bjorklund was just beginning her post-season tear. In the second round, she drained a career-high 34 points in front of a Coors Event Center crowd on 11-14 shooting from the field and added eight rebounds, four blocked shots, and two steals. The Buffaloes hit nine three-pointers and shot 49% from the field as they capped off an 86-67 against the favored Tar Heels, earning a spot in the regional semifinal.
Bjorklund led the way in the regional semifinal as the Buffaloes faced No. 2 seed Villanova. She hit a game-high 29 points as the Buffs led by as many as 11 in the second half. But Villanova rallied back and got their first lead with 4:18 left in the game. Bjorklund's final two points got the Buffs within one with 7.5 seconds left but it wasn't enough as the Wildcats hit one of two free-throws to put the game away. The Buffaloes finished 24-8 in the 2002-03 season.
Others nominated for this week's award were Edward McGlasson (men's golf), Erin Kerr (women's golf) and Billy Nelson (track/cross country).
MEN'S GOLF: Edward McGlasson, Freshman, Orange County, Calif. Freshman Edward McGlasson tied for 14th place at the fifth annual CU-Stevinson Ranch Invitational last week in California. Playing in his home state, McGlasson finished with a 72-74-72-218 performance. Entering the final round of competition, he was sitting at 20th place and his final 72-stroke performance moved him up 6 spots to finish at 14th on the 7,199-yard, par-72 Stevinson Ranch Golf Club. McGlasson helped the Buffaloes finish seventh place in the tournament. The team has a break until their next competition on April 11-12 Arizona State Sun Devil Thunderbird Invitational.
WOMEN'S GOLF: Erin Kerr, Senior,Phoenix,Ariz.
Kerr turned in her fifth top-10 finish of the season with a ninth place effort at CU's Mountain View Collegiate while averaging a team-low 75 in the six rounds. She was in position to win the annual as she had a share of third, just one stroke off the lead after the opening two rounds, and was 3-under early in the final loop, but then triple bogeyed the 10th hole and a comeback attempt with birdies on the ensuing greens fell short.
TRACK/CROSS COUNTRY: Billy Nelson, Freshman, Bakersfield, Calif.
Colorado freshman Billy Nelson, the 2002 Big 12 Conference Cross Country Newcomer of the Year, was the top American finisher, 26th overall, in the junior men's 8k race of the 2003 International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Cross Country Championships in Lusianne, Switzerland Sunday. Nelson covered the 8k challenge in 24 minutes, 52 seconds to lead the six-man American contingent.
