Colorado University Athletics
Freshman Duo Pick Up Athlete of the Week Honors
February 18, 2014 | General, Track and Field, Lacrosse
BOULDER - Lacrosse's Johnna Fusco and track and field's Ben Saarel were named CU Athletes of the Week on Tuesday for the week of Feb. 10-16.
Fusco, a midfielder from Marietta, Ga. (Lassiter), led the Buffaloes with nine points off five goals and four assists in the opening weekend of the lacrosse team's inaugural season. Taking a team-high 11 shots in the Buffs' first two games, Fusco helped CU to a split over the weekend, defeating Stetson 12-4 while falling to Jacksonville, 20-13. Against Stetson, Fusco netted three goals and contributed three assists. In the final four minutes of regulation, she became the third Buff to join CU's young hat trick club. Against Jacksonville, Fusco had two goals and one assist.
Saarel, a native of Park City, Utah (Park City), clocked a time of 7:52.61 in the invitational section of the 3,000-meter run at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. on Saturday. He was less than half a second behind Adams State's Kevin Batt (7:52.15). The first 3k race of his career, Saarel's time placed him second all-time at CU behind Olympian Adam Goucher (7:46.03). It's the best finish by a CU freshman ever and is currently tied for sixth in the NCAA Division I standings.
Also nominated for this week's Athlete of the Week honors: Alexandra Aiello (tennis), Kristin Coleman (women's golf), Shalaya Kipp (track and field), Jamee Swan (women's basketball) and Josh Scott (men's basketball).
Aiello, a sophomore, won her seventh straight singles match by rallying from a set down to help Colorado to a 5-2 win over Wyoming in its lone match of the week. The Buffaloes improved to 4-3 on the season. Aiello rallied at No. 2 to take a 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) win against Dorottya Jonas. It was Aiello's fourth match of the season rallying from a set down to achieve victory. Aiello leads the Buffs with a 17-3 record.
Coleman, a senior, led the Buffs by matching a team-best 3-over par 74 in the final round of the Peg Bernard Invitational. Though she shot one stroke more than she did in the first round, Coleman moved up a spot as an individual to finish tied for 12th with a scorecard of 5-over par 147. The performance was Coleman's eighth career finish in the top 20.
Kipp, a senior, recorded a fifth-place finish in the invitational 5k with a time of 16:00.15 at the Husky Classic. The 14th fastest time in the NCAA this year, her finish put her fifth on CU's all-time performers list and was the best time recorded by a Buff since Jenny Barringer (Simpson) set the CU and NCAA record at 15:01.70 exactly five years ago on the same track.
Swan, a sophomore, scored nearly a point a minute this week averaging 17.3 points while hitting 66.7 percent from the field over three games. She scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds while matching a season-high in blocked shots with three in a win over Oregon. She scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-12 from the field and 7-of-10 from the line in just 18 minutes off the bench against Washington. She followed up that performance by scoring 19 points on 7-of-12 from the field with six rebounds and a steal in 21 minutes against Washington State.
Scott, a sophomore, averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and two blocks a game in Colorado's 1-1 week in Los Angeles. The Buffaloes opened play with a 92-74 loss at UCLA as Scott led the Buffaloes with 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He also had five rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot. Against USC in CU's 83-74 victory, Scott was one of five players in double figures with 17 points and a team-tying eight rebounds and a team best three blocks. For the two games, Scott shot 60 percent from the field (15-of-25) and 77.8 percent from the free throw line (7-of-9).
