Colorado University Athletics
Sportswomen of Colorado Honors Four Buffs
February 12, 2008 | Cross Country, General, Soccer, Skiing
BOULDER -- The University of Colorado was well represented on the 2008 Sportswomen of Colorado awards winners list, announced on Feb. 12. CU earned four honors in total. Jenny Barringer, Nikki Marshall, Lucie Zikova, and Maria Grevsgord.
Jenny Barringer, a junior on the CU cross country and track & field teams, had one of the best seasons in the history of CU cross country and track in 2007. Barringer scored all 14 of CU's points at the Big 12 Indoor Championships by taking second in the mile and third in the 3,000-meter run. During the outdoor conference championship, Barringer won her first conference title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and was third in the 5k. The Oviedo, Fla., native continued to roll in the outdoor season. She won the NCAA Midwest Region Championship in a meet and stadium record of 9:44.31 for the steeplechase. Barringer earned her second straight All-American track and field honor by playing seventh at the NCAA meet. In June, Barringer won the USA Track and Field Championship in the steeplechase, defeating those who had defeated her at nationals and professional athletes. She went on to compete at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Barringer set the school record at 9:33.95 at the DecaNation Championships in Paris, capturing the gold medal, to cap off her track season.
During the cross country season, Barringer stayed in top form, finishing all four of her races in under 20 minutes. She won pre-nationals, setting a course record of 19:48.8. Barringer was the runner-up at the Big 12, NCAA Mountain Region and NCAA Championships. It was the third consecutive conference runner-up performance and the second straight year for the regional and national runner-up honors.
Lucie Zikova and Maria Grevsgord were honored as members of CU's ski team. After a stellar sophomore campaign, Zikova started the 2007 season off right where she left off, taking first in the women's slalom at the Montana State Invitational with a women's best time of 44.28 on her first run. She secured her second and third win of the year at Denver when she claimed the slalom and giant slalom titles, becoming just the sixth CU skier since the sport went coed in 1983 to reach at least 10 wins. This marked the third time that she has won both the GS and slalom at the same meet. After a surprisingly low finish at the RMISA Championships, Zikova rebounded in the NCAA's, taking second in the slalom and fourth in the GS, earning first-team All-America honors in both disciplines. She was named first-team All-RMISA and was the RMISA Skier of the Week after her performance at the Denver Invitational. Zikova concluded the 2007 season ranked 54th and 123rd in the world in the slalom and GS, respectively, which is the top ranking by a CU skier, male or female, since the FIS point system began.
Grevsgord proved to be the most dominant female Nordic skier in the west for the 2007 season. She kicked off her season on the right foot, winning her first Nordic race of the year in the 5K classical event at Utah. fter falling to sixth in the freestyle event at Utah, she rallied back to nab three-straight victories, the most impressive being the 10K classical at MSU where she claimed the title 54 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Grevsgord won her seventh race at the RMISA Championships, sweeping five classical races on the season, for nine first or second place finishes in 10 races. Her fourth place finish in the 15K classical at the NCAA Championships landed her first-team All-America honors and she received the second-team All-America nod when she finished sixth in the freestyle event. Grevsgord completed a fantastic season with 10 top-five finishes, as she led the west with seven victories. She earned first-team All-RMISA honors and was named RMISA Skier of the Week after her performance in Utah. Grevsgord topped off the accolades at the end of the season when she was crowned MVP RMISA Women's Nordic Skier.
Nikki Marshall, a sophomore on the soccer team, earned first team NSCAA All-Region honors following a solid 2007 campaign. The forward turned defender was named First Team All-Big 12 following another team-leading season, producing nine goals, two assists and 20 points. Marshall is only the second Buffalo to earn First Team honors on two occasions, as former teammate Fran Munnelly earned the distinction four times in her career. Marshall, the 2006 Rookie of the Year, was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the week once during the 2007 season for her performances against Nebraska and Iowa State.
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