Colorado University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Pifer and Esposito Named CU Athletes of the Week
April 25, 2007 | General, Tennis, Track and Field
BOULDER-Track distance runner Stephen Pifer (senior) and tennis player Melisa Esposito (freshman), were named University of Colorado Athletes of the Week for the week of April 16-22. This is the first CU athlete of the week award of the year and career for Esposito while Pifer now has two on the year and three for his career.
Pifer, an Edwardsville, Ill., (Edwardsville) native, won the 1,500-meter run on Friday night, at the Oregon Invitational at Hayward Field in the top section. Pifer won the race in a regional qualifying mark of 3:41.77 in just his first competition of the outdoor season, ending the race with a 58.7 split. The time was the fourth fastest in school history, trailing only Alan Culpepper (3:39.77) and two of Pifer's own marks of 3:40.51 and 3:40.70. Pifer defeated Oregon's Andrew Acosta (3:42.40) and Wisconsin's Craig Miller (3:42.67) for his first place finish.
Esposito, a Palm Beach Garden, Fla., (William T. Dwyer) native, won a pair of singles and doubles matches helping the No. 35 ranked Colorado tennis team win two matches over the weekend and a No. 4 seed at this week's Big 12 Tennis Championships in Kansas City.
Esposito defeated Oklahoma's Elena Antakova, 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 6 position and a day later defeated Nebraska's Marianne Cicmanec 6-0, 6-3 at the No. 5 slot. In doubles, she teamed with Martina Sedivec to finish the conference season unbeaten (9-0) with victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. Esposito was the only CU woman to win four matches over the weekend. She is 15-4 in both singles and doubles in her initial season with the Buffs.
Others nominated for this week's award were Hannah Warfield-Ruffatto (track and field).
Track and Field: Hannah Warfield-Ruffatto, Senior, Sidney, Mont.
Warfield-Ruffatto took home a first-place finish in the javelin throw this past Saturday at the Jack Christiansen Invitational in Fort Collins. Her throw of 157-03 was 15-feet further then the second place throw and good for an NCAA regional qualifying mark.