Crosby, Griffin and Nu'u Named CU Athletes of the Week

BOULDER-- Senior standout's Mason Crosby (kicker, football), Katie Griffin (forward, soccer) and Ashley Nu'u (setter, volleyball) were named University of Colorado Athletes of the Week for the week of November 5-11. This is Crosby and Nu'u's second recognition of the year and Griffin's first, while they have five, two and three, respectively, for their careers.

Crosby, a Georgetown, Texas, (Georgetown) native, scored 15 points, converting all 3 PAT kicks and 4-of-5 field goals (47, 38, 41, 42, an average of 42.0 per kick). Four of his eight kickoffs went for touchbacks, and three others were not brought back beyond the 20. He ended the day as CU's first 300-point scorer (305). A 65-yard field goal attempt that was about a yard short was a school record for an attempt (and the longest in the NCAA this season); he is 19-of-27 on field goal tries this season. His average make is 40.6 yards and average miss is 51.8.

Crosby set a school record for the most points scored against a single opponent with 46 against Iowa State. In his career against the Cyclones, he was 12-of-13 on field goals and 10-of-11 on PAT kicks; he scored eight points as a freshman (5-6 PAT, 1-1 FG); 13 as a sophomore (1-1 PAT, 4-4 FG); 10 as a junior (1-1 PAT, 3-3 FG) and 15 on Saturday (3-3 PAT, 4-5 FG). Crosby now has five CU Athlete of the Week honors, the most by a football player since the award's inception in 1985; his five also ties him for ninth overall. Crosby also earned Big 12 Special Teams Athlete of the Week as well as the National Football Foundation-College Hall of Fame-Colorado Chapter State Athlete of the Week.

Griffin, a Scottsdale, Ariz., (Desert Mountain) native, scored both goals in CU's 2-1 win over Colorado College in the first round of the NCAA Soccer Tournament on Friday. She then earned a penalty kick, which she made, in the Buffs 2-1 win over Denver to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. She became CU's all-time leading goal scorer in the process, passing Fran Munnelly and currently sits on top with 32 career goals.

Nu'u, an Aurora, Colo., (Smoky Hill) native, helped the Buffs to a pair of victories last week, including a five-game win over top-ranked and then-undefeated Nebraska in front of a record crowd of 4,111 at the Coors Events Center. Nu'u handed out 107 assists last week to average 13.38 per game. She recorded 45 against Kansas and 62 against Nebraska. During the week, Nu'u moved into fourth on CU's career assists chart and currently owns 4,031, just 165 away from third on the list. The win against Nebraska was the first for CU since 1997 and the first time the Buffs have ever knocked off a No. 1 in the history of CU volleyball. The previous highest ranked opponent CU had beaten was No. 4/5 Nebraska in 1997 (CU beat them twice). Nu'u also hit .400 on the week and added 15 digs and two blocks for 11 points. Nu'u also earned the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week and Big 12 Conference Player of the Week honors.

Others nominated for this week's Jermyl Jackson-Wilson (men's basketball), Billy Nelson (cross country), Jackie McFarland (women's basketball) and Jenny Barringer (cross country).

Men's Basketball: Jermyl Jackson-Wilson, Sophomore, Milwaukee, Wis.

Jackson-Wilson recorded his first-ever double-double scoring 14 points and grabbing a career-best 17 rebounds helping Colorado successfully open the 2006-07 season defeating Denver, 78-64. Jackson-Wilson tied a school-record grabbing 11 offensive rebounds and his 17 boards also set a school mark for most rebounds in a Buff debut. The 6-6 forward, who sat out the entire season last year after transferring from Ohio State, shot 62.5 percent from the field (5-for-8). He also chipped-in two blocks, two steals and one assist in only 28 minutes of play.

Cross Country: Billy Nelson, Senior, Bakersfield, Calif.

Nelson, who won the regional crown last season, led the CU men for the second straight year. Nelson took eighth overall and finished the 10k loop in 30:25.3 behind regional winner Josh Rohatinsky of BYU (29:51.6).

Women's Basketball: Jackie McFarland, Junior, Derby, Kan.

McFarland averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds and two steals while shooting 71 percent from the field (17-of-24) in games against San Francisco and No.16/15 ranked Vanderbilt over the weekend. McFarland had 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 12 rebounds in the season-opening 62-56 win over San Francisco. She scored a game-high 27 points and pulled down 12 rebounds along with two assists and three steals against Vanderbilt. McFarland recorded double-doubles in both games for the 20th and 21st of her career. She had nine points, a 3-pointer and two conventional 3-point plays, in the final minute against Vanderbilt as Colorado nearly erased a 17-point second half deficit. McFarland was also selected as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Player of the Week.

Cross Country: Jenny Barringer, Sophomore, Oviedo, Fla.

Barringer was the highest finisher on both sides for CU and recorded her second consecutive runner-up finish to Texas Tech's Sally Kipyego (19:45.9) in two races this season. Kipeygo won the Big 12 Championship two weeks ago. Barringer finished the 6k loop in 20:30.5, over 11 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher, Kassi Anderson, of BYU.