Colorado University Athletics
Kjoelhamar, Morris and Tremblay Earn Athlete Of The Week Honors
January 26, 2011 | Cross Country, General, Track and Field, Skiing
Kjoelhamar, a senior skier from Jar, Akershus, Norway, led the Buffs' to a team victory at the 2011 Utah Invitational. Dominating the race, he beat his closest competition by 1:31.0 and finished his 20K race in 1:03:11.5. His margin of victory was the most in an RMISA Men's Nordic race since the 2009 Colorado Invitational in Aspen, Colo., when Matt Gelso blew by his competition finishing 1:32.6 ahead of the next closest racer. Kjoelhamar contributed again in the competition, placing second in the 15K freestyle. His stellar performance in Utah earned him RMISA Skier of the Week honors, and he has now finished first and second place two times each this year. These finishes have put him on top of the leader boards in the Western Region for NCAA Qualification points and RMISA MVP points.
Morris, the sophomore from Golden, Colo., arguably had the best first meet by a CU runner this past week at the Potts Indoor Invitational. In the 60-meter dash, Morris flew to the finish tape in a mere 6.63 seconds, setting a CU record that has stood since 1999 when Jonathan Prather finished in 6.67 seconds. Having transferred from Tennessee last year, Morris has proven already he is a force to be reckoned with. His time of 6.63 is tied for the fastest 60-meter dash in the Big 12 and is tied for fourth best in the NCAA.
Tremblay continued her success from the cross-country paths onto the indoor track. She led all racers to a first place finish in the 600-yard run at the Potts Indoor Invite this past weekend, winning in just 1:24:07. Her speedy finish was the second fastest time in school history and sixth fastest in the Big 12 this year. She edged out teammate Brooke Regan to claim the victory.
Also nominated this week were men's basketball star, Alec Burks, Nordic skier Eliska Hajkova, tennis player Michala Hedelund, and women's basketball leader, Brittany Spears.
Coming off difficult losses, Burks still led the men's basketball team in true-Buffalo fashion. He averaged 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game when Colorado faced Nebraska and Oklahoma on the road. His 22 points and eight rebounds against the Cornhuskers were the most from any Buff. He also added a team-best four assists that game.
Hajkova made podium appearances twice this weekend at the 2011 Utah Invitational. Her second place finishes in the 5K and 15K races helped the Buffs capture the team victory and has now earned Hajkova a second place finish in all four of her races this season. Like Kjoelhamar, she earned RMISA Skier of the Week honors for her outstanding performances. She has now made 11 podium appearances in the course of her skiing career at CU.
Hedelund had a victorious weekend in women's tennis. She won both of her No. 3 singles matches (to give her 43 career singles matches) and contributed to a doubles victory. Hedelund defeated Air Force's Hannah Dake 7-5, 6-2 which gave CU the 4-3 win over the Academy. She teamed up with Abbie Probert to win the doubles point, 8-4. She scored CU's only point in the team loss to No. 38 Boise State in a three-set victory.
The CU women's basketball team went 1-1 on the week behind leader Spears. Spears averaged 22.0 points and 11.0 rebounds on the week. She scored a season-high 26 points in the Buffs' 58-48 victory over Mizzou. Her 18 of the 26 points coming in the second half brought the Buffs back from a halftime deficit. In CU's loss against Oklahoma State, Spears was just one rebound shy of having her eighth double-double this season. She finished the game with 18 points and nine rebounds.
