Colorado University Athletics
Several Honored At Sixth Annual CUSPY Awards
May 02, 2006 | General
BOULDER - Three members of the University of Colorado's national championship ski team and two members of the men's golf team garnered five of the seven athletic recognition awards Tuesday night as CU honored its best at the sixth annual CUSPY Awards (CU Sports Performers of the Year).
Over 400 student-athletes, coaches and staff attended the year-end banquet at the Coors Events Center, organized by CU's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to honor athletic accomplishments for the 2005-06 athletic year.
CU's 17th national champion ski team had a finalist for all six major athletic awards, the male and female athlete of the year, career athletic achievement and the freshman of the year honors. Three women's skiers were recipients, as the women's team dominated its counterparts all winter and paved the way for the school's overall 22nd national championship in all sports.
Leading the way was senior Jana Rehemaa, who was named co-recipient of the Female Career Athletic Achievement Award. The five-time first-team All-American was the national champion in both the freestyle and classical races this past winter in the NCAA Championships at Steamboat Springs, helping CU compile a record 414 Nordic points in the meet. She had 23 top five finishes in 28 career races, including ending her career with six straight victories.
Sharing the honor with Rehemaa was soccer player Fran Munnelly, who finished her career as CU's all-time leading scorer (30 goals, 24 assists for 84 points). Munnelly was a two-time All-American, a three-time All-Region selection and one of just a handful of players to ever be named first-team All-Big 12 four times. She was the 2002 Big 12 rookie of the year and was named the conference's player of the year the following season.
The other finalist for the award was volleyball's Allie Griffin, who was twice named an honorable mention All-American among her many accomplishments.
The Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to Lucie Zikova, who enjoyed one of the finest single seasons in school history. The NCAA slalom champion, she won a school record seven alpine races this past winter along with three other runner-up finishes in being the top ranked women's alpine skier in the west. She was a two-time first-team All-American, earning the honor in the slalom with her NCAA win as well as the giant slalom, in which she placed fourth at nationals.
Zikova topped Katie Griffin (soccer) and Christine Bolf (cross country and track) for the honor. Griffin was CU's leading scorer last fall (with school records of 12 goals and 25 points), while Bolf won three races in cross country, including being crowned the Big 12 Conference champion.
The third skier to walk up to the podium to gather in an award was Lisa Perricone, selected as the Female Freshman of the Year. An integral part of CU's national championship run, Perricone took advantage of Steamboat Springs being her home mountain. The native of the resort town earned first-team All-America honors in both the giant slalom and slalom, finishing fifth and fourth, respectively, at the NCAA Championships. She had nine top five finishes, with one win, in 12 races this past winter as she put together one of the top freshman seasons in school history.
The other two finalists for the award were Monica Milewski (tennis) and Liza Pasciuto (outdoor track). Milewski, playing both No. 1 and 2 singles over the course of the year, posted 18 wins in dual match play to go with eight wins in tournament action last fall, while Pasciuto has already recorded two NCAA championship qualifying times in the 1,500- and 5,000-meter runs.
The Male Athlete of the Year was one of the toughest for the selection committee to decide, and in the end, Edward McGlasson (men's golf) won the award. In overcoming the death of his coach and mentor, Mark Simpson, he dedicated his season to his coach and honored him with a school record six consecutive top 10 finishes. He became just the second CU golfer to earn All-Big 12 and All-Tournament Team honors in the same season, as he finished fourth last week at the conference championships. He dedicated his first collegiate win last November at the Tunica National Intercollegiate to Simpson, who passed away a month later, and is currently ninth in the conference with a team-best 72.47 stroke average.
McGlasson edged out Eric Molnar (tennis) and Kit Richmond (skiing). Molnar played both No. 1 and 2 singles and posted 25 victories, leading the men's tennis team to a school-best ever No. 23 national ranking, a semifinal appearance in the Big 12 Conference Tournament and a likely NCAA tournament berth, which will be announced Wednesday. He did so all in the face of adversity, as the sport is in its final year unless an 11th hour fundraising campaign can save the program. Richmond, the NCAA champion in the freestyle, finished in the top 10 in all but one race this past winter, and his one effort outside the top 10, a 19th place effort in the classical race at the NCAA's, came when he had no business being out of bed as he was fighting the stomach flu.
The Male Career Athletic Achievement Award went to Joel Klatt, as CU's starting quarterback the last three seasons set 44 school records, the second most set by any individual in any sport at the school (only the late Byron White set more, with 51 in his career back between 1935-37). Klatt exited with almost every possible passing record at Colorado, as the footballer made 34 career starts and was also the go-to guy when it came to finding someone to represent the program when it went through turmoil in 2004 and 2005. He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors as both a junior and senior.
Klatt topped Erling Christiansen (skiing) and Bret Schoolmeester (cross country and track) for the honor. Christiansen posted 40 top 10 finishes in 44 career races and was a seven-time All-American as he competed in four NCAA Championships, while Schoolmeester was a five-time All-American between cross country and track disciplines, and played a vital role in CU's 2004 NCAA title in cross country while earning Academic All-Big 12 four times.
The Male Freshman of the Year Award was presented to Derek Tolan (golf), as he quietly put together one of the top frosh seasons in school annals. He has posted a school record five top 10 finishes to date, topping the old best of three held by three different players, and owns a 74.86 stroke average, which stands to be the seventh best ever posted by a CU freshman.
The other two finalists for the award were Maurice Lucas (football) and Patrick Duran (skiing). Duran was CU's top male alpine skier, despite having his season cut short due a broken leg suffered when he was training for the NCAA Championships, and Lucas worked his way into the starting lineup for the last six games of the year after giving up his redshirt season midway through the 2005 football campaign, posting 20 tackles (11 solo, four for losses) for the season.
SAAC members selected several award winners, as former Director of Life Skills, Justina Boyd, was recognized as the staff member of the year; she worked closely with SAAC for several years and also personally taught the Life Skills course for all incoming student-athletes the last three years. The Student Athlete Support Award was given to the Marc Roth's Dal Ward Dining Services staff, as they were citied for their dedicated work at both training table and the Dal Ward Grill in helping to feed CU's 300-plus student-athletes.
The SAAC Distinguished Service Award, presented to senior members who contributed significantly to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was given to eight seniors: Kenny Coakley and Edward McGlasson (golf), Erin Heinonen and Carly Newlands (cross country and track), Antoine McGee (basketball), Ashlie Mihalcin (soccer), Nick Sterling (skiing) and Chad Tsuda (tennis).
Newlands also was presented with the Buffalo Award of Distinction, given to a student-athlete for outstanding contributions to his or her team, their peers and the athletic department overall.
The Athlete's Choice Award, for the student who demonstrated outstanding spirit, enthusiasm and leadership while overcoming adversity, was awarded to Scott Senger (basketball) and Lindsay Senger (women's golf), as the siblings were recognized for overcoming the death of their mother to cancer and the exemplary ways they dealt with the tragedy while assuming leadership roles on their respective teams.
The Speed, Strength & Conditioning Awards for the "buffest Buffs" were awarded to four athletes: Whitney Law (women's basketball), Carly Newlands (track and field), Jason Obazuaye (basketball) and Abraham Wright (football).
ATHLETIC AWARD WINNER MINI-BIOS
Edward McGlasson, Golf (Male Athlete of the Year)
Lucie Zikova, Skiing (Female Athlete of the Year)
Lucie enjoyed one of the finest single seasons in school history, topped off by earning All-America honors in both the giant slalom and the slalom at the NCAA Championships. CU's top skier all season, she set a school alpine record (male or female) with seven victories. Indications from the get-go that she was going to have a special year, as she won three FIS races ahead of the first collegiate competition, which she also claimed at Park City. She won that slalom event, and would be crowned champion in five of the six slaloms on the year, including the NCAA Championships. She also had three runner-up finishes to go with her seven wins, thus only finished outside of the top two twice in 12 races on the year. She played an integral role in the Buffaloes claiming their first NCAA title in seven years, and led the women's alpine team to victories in five of the six races this past winter.
Joel Klatt, Football (Male Career Athletic Achievement Award)
Joel, CU's starting quarterback for his sophomore through senior seasons, set 44 school records in his tenure, the second most records ever set by one student-athlete at the school in any sport (Byron White set 51 between 1934 and 1937). He earned honorable mention all-Big 12 honors as a senior, quietly having one of the best years by a quarterback in the conference. He had 34 career starts at the position, the second most CU by a signal-caller; that led to him to take over almost every major career passing record at the school: yards (7,375), touchdowns (44), completion percentage (60.8), attempts (1,095), completions (666) and interceptions (33); the only ones to escape him were total offense (second with 7,255) and passer rating, where he finished seventh (124.6). He also set a school record with nine career fourth quarter comebacks to win or tie games, and had a host of single-game and single-season records along with all his career marks.
Jana Rehemaa, Skiing (Co-Female Career Athletic Achievement Award)
Jana, a five-time, first-team All-American, could always be found near the top of any results sheet during her CU skiing career. In 28 career races for the Buffs, she had 23 top five finishes (and just one outside the top 10, and that was an 11th at the NCAA Championships as a sophomore). She entered her senior year in search of her first career win after six runner-up finishes; she joined the team after she narrowly missed making her native country Estonia's Olympic team, and went on to end her collegiate career in grand style. After opening with two more runner-up finishes, she finished with six straight wins, including regional titles and NCAA champion honors in both the classical and freestyle races. Named to the prestigious All-Academic Ski Team (the equivalent of Academic All-America honors), as CU's team captain, she was selected to present President Bush with a team jacket when the national champion Buffaloes visited the White House in April.
Fran Munnelly, Soccer (Co-Female Career Athletic Achievement Award)
Fran led CU to its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, where the Buffs fell in the second round to eventual national runner-up UCLA. She finished her career as CU's all time leading scorer with 30 goals, and also handed out 24 assists in her four years for 84 career points, both CU records. She is two-time All-American, a three-time All-Region player, four time First Team All-Big 12 selection, the 2003 Big 12 Player of the Year, 2002 Big 12 Rookie of the Year and was named to the Big 12 10th Anniversary Team.
Derek Tolan, Golf (Male Freshman Athlete of the Year)
Derek, who made national news as a 16-year old in 2002 when he qualified and played in the U.S. Open, has enjoyed one of the finest seasons by a freshman golfer in CU history. In 29 rounds this season, he has a 74.86 stroke average, which would stand to be the seventh best by a frosh in school annals, and that's playing some of the tougher courses collegiate golfers will see. He has had five top 10 finishes to date, also an all-time school best by a freshman, as the old mark was held by three players with three. In his much-anticipated collegiate debut, he did not disappoint, as his 2-under par 71-71-72?214 scorecard at the New Mexico Tucker Invitational (featuring 13 birdies and 31 pars) was the first under-par effort by a freshman in his first tournament in school history as well.
Lisa Perricone, Skiing (Female Freshman Athlete of the Year)
Lisa, a Steamboat Springs native, was a key performer in CU's run to its first national championship since 1999. With this past winter's NCAA Championships set for her home town, she had a little extra pressure on her to perform, as she grew up knowing the mountain and would be skiing in front of her hometown fans. She responded in grand fashion, as she earned first-team All-America honors in both the giant slalom with a fifth place finish and the slalom with a fourth place effort. She had nine top five finishes in 12 races on the winter, including one win (in the slalom at Steamboat in CU's home invitational), with her only finish outside the top 10 an 11th place as she put together one of top freshman seasons in CU alpine history. She was also only the second freshman in the last decade to ski in all 12 races and finish in each.