Colorado University Athletics
Trio Awarded CU Athlete of the Week
November 19, 2013 | Cross Country, Football, General, Soccer
BOULDER - Football's Nelson Spruce (sophomore), soccer's Anne Stuller (senior) and cross country's Shalaya Kipp (senior) were honored on Tuesday with CU Athlete of the Week for their athletic performances for the week of Nov. 11-17.
Spruce, a wide receiver from Westlake Village, Calif. (Westlake), caught eight passes for a career-best 140 yards in Colorado's 41-24 win over California on Saturday. On special teams, Spruce returned an on-side kickoff 46 yards for a touchdown, the first on-side return for a score in CU history.
Stuller, a senior from Boulder, Colo. (Fairview), netted the Buffs' game-winner on Saturday to help CU defeat No. 15 Denver in the first round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship. In the 84th minute, Brie Hooks was fouled just outside the left corner of the box, setting up the free kick by Stuller that would give the Buffs the game. The 5-foot-7 forward now holds single season records with 89 shots and 52 shots on goal. The win over DU was the Buffs' first over Denver since 2009 and their first NCAA first round win since 2007.
Kipp, a senior from Salt Lake City, Utah (Skyline), recorded her second straight runner-up finish at the NCAA Mountain Region Cross Country Championships on Friday. Finishing the 6-kilometer course in 20:31.0, Kipp led the No. 10 CU women's team to a first-place finish and an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. Recording 29 points, the mark is the best CU has recorded at a regional meet since 1994.
Also nominated for this week's Athlete of the Week honors: Jasmine Sborov (women's basketball), Taylor Simpson (volleyball), Askia Booker (men's basketball) and Pierce Murphy (cross country).
Sborov, a junior guard, scored a career-high 13 points in the season-opening win over Colorado State. She scored 10 of those points in the second half which included the first six of the period and then two clutch free throws that gave Colorado a 62-59 lead with 27 seconds left. Sborov's six early second-half points came in a span of 1:58. Sborov tied a personal-best three steals in the win over CSU. Sborov was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line on the week, tying personal bests with four free-throws made in each game.
Simpson, a junior outside hitter, led the Buffs with 3.83 kills per set, while adding 2.67 digs per set as the Buffs suffered a pair of losses in Arizona last weekend. Against Arizona State, Simpson recorded 13 kills and picked up 11 digs. She had 10 kills and five digs in the loss to Arizona.
Booker, a junior guard, averaged 15.5 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game leading the CU men's basketball team to a 2-0 week with home wins over Wyoming (63-58) and Jackson State (94-70). Shooting 47.6 percent from the field (10-of-21) and 41.7 percent from the 3-point arc (5-of-12), Booker was perfect from the free throw line (4-of-4). Against the Cowboys, Booker scored 14 points with a pair of treys and steals, and chipped-in three rebounds in the five-point home win. Four days later, Booker had a career-high six assists and led the Buffaloes with 15 points and five rebounds against the Tigers. Three of six field goals were three-pointers, helping CU shoot a season-best 62.2 percent from the field.
Murphy, a sophomore, helped the CU men's cross country team earn their fourth runner-up finish in five years at the NCAA Mountain Regionals with a score of 69 points. Murphy led the Buffs with a fifth-place performance, his first time ever leading the team. He crossed the finish in 29:46.0.
