Colorado University Athletics
Grady and Esposito Earn CU Athlete of the Week Honors
April 14, 2009 | General, Men's Golf, Tennis
BOULDER-- University of Colorado athletes Patrick Grady (senior) and Melisa Esposito (junior) were named the Athletes of the Week for the week of April 6-12. This marks Grady's fourth award of the season adding to his now five career honors, putting him in a four way tie for the men's golf team record. This is Esposito's second honor of the year and the fourth of her career.
Grady, a Broomfield, Colo. (Broomfield) native, won his second career collegiate tournament, both this season, as he won CU's Stevinson Ranch Invitational. He posted a 1-under 71 in the final round after rounds of 69 and 68 to open the tournament, finishing with an 8-under par 208 on the 7,142-yard, par-72 Stevinson Ranch Golf Club course layout. That was a good for a one stroke victory. Grady entered the day with a three-stroke lead over Nevada's Ryan Hallisey, and appeared to be on cruise control the first 14 holes. He turned at 33 after three birdies and six pars on the front nine, and after bogeying No. 10, came back with birdies on Nos. 11, 14 and 15 to stand 5-under. However, he made it interesting by bogeying each of his last four holes. Hallisey never really closed on Grady until the end, as he had four birdies and a bogey is shooting a 69, the only score in the 60s in the final round. Grady is the 11th player in school history to win at least two career tournaments. He added the Stevinson Ranch meet to his title last September in the DU-Ron Moore Invitational. Grady is now eighth in all-time top five finishes (8), tied for eighth in top 10 efforts (11) and tied for ninth in top 20 finishes (16), and he also set the school record for the most rounds in the 60s in a single season at Colorado. His two in the CU-Stevinson meet gave him 10, matching and then breaking Kane Webber's record that he set in 2003-04.
Esposito, a Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (William T. Dwyer HS) native, won a pair of matches over the weekend helping the Colorado tennis team to a 4-3 victory over Missouri in Big 12 Conference action. The team win improves the Buffaloes to a 6-2 mark in conference play. Esposito helped the Buffs secure the doubles point with teammate Camila Belassi for an 8-3 win at No.1 doubles, then later in the day remained unbeaten in conference singles play at the No. 2 slot (4-0) taking a straight-set winner over Jessica Giuggioli, 6-3, 6-2. Esposito has now won six of eight matches, won a personal best 21st singles victories for the year, and tallied her 60th career singles victory.
Others nominated for this week's award were: Brandin Williams (men's track) and Emily Hanenburg (women's track).
Men's Track: Brandin Williams, Junior, Moreno Valley, Calif.
Williams started off the day for the Buffs at the CU Invitational with a regional mark in the javelin throw. He recorded the throw of 202 feet, 3 inches with his first toss of the day. It was his top throw of the day and is the eighth best throw in CU history. Williams was just over eight feet off his personal record of 2'10''-04.
Women's Track: Emily Hanenburg, Sophomore, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Hanenburg recorded a regional qualifying time in her 3,000-meter steeplechase debut on Saturday at the CU Invite. Hanenburg finished fourth overall with a time of 11 minutes, 6.28 seconds. This is the first time in her career that Hanenburg has earned a regional mark in any event.
