Colorado University Athletics
Skiers Sweep CU Athlete Of The Week Honors
March 18, 2015 | General, Skiing
BOULDER - After their NCAA championship win, the Colorado Buffaloes ski team swept the CU Athlete of the Week awards for March 9-15 with the honors going to sophomores Maja Solbakken and Mads Stroem and senior Rune Oedegaard.
Solbakken led the Buffs in both the 5K freestyle and 15K classic nordic races and earned two All-America honors in the process, including first-team status in the 15K. She finished sixth in the 5K race on the first day of the championships.
On the third day when the Buffs took the team lead for good, her finish in the 15K was indicative of the entire championship, as she beat a Utah skier in a sprint to take fourth place and set the tone for the Buffs beating the Utes.
The nordic duo of Oedegaard and Stroem both put the finishing touches on one of the best seasons by a duo in NCAA history.
Stroem finished fourth in the 10K freestyle race and second in the 20K classic. He finished his sophomore season in style and now has finished fourth or better in 21 of 22 career races. He earned first-team All-America honors both performances at the Championship.
Oedegaard took third in both races, providing invaluable points for the Buffs run to the 2015 NCAA championship.
Oedegaard finished out one of the best careers in CU ski team history that includes two team NCAA championships, two individual NCAA championships, five individual RMISA championships and seven All-America honors, including five first-team nods. Oedegaard set CU's record for career podiums (top three finishes) after the 10K freestyle, finishing his career with 36 such performances in 44 races.
Other athletes honored this week include Esther Lee (women's golf), Morgan Pearson (track & field) and Josh Scott (men's basketball).
Lee, a sophomore, won her first career tournament when she posted a record setting 206, 7-under par at the Bay Area Intercollegiate. Lee's 67-67-72:206 is a new CU 54-hole school record, two strokes better than the previous mark of 208 set in 2012 by Jenny Coleman.
Lee drained 11 birdies and made 39 pars in the tournament, both in the top five of the field. Lee now has five top 10 finishes in her first season as a Buffalo. The Los Alamitos, Calif. native helped the Buffs to a fourth place team finish.
Pearson recorded a pair of All-America honors at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend in Fayetteville, Ark. He started off by placing 14th in the 5,000-meter run, finishing in 14:16.63 for second team All-America status. The senior returned to the track to run in the 3,000, finishing fifth in 8:01.89 to earn first team All-America distinction..
Scott averaged a double-double in Colorado's 1-1 week at the Pac-12 Conference Tournament. The junior averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds helping the Buffaloes advance to the tournament quarterfinals. Scott had 16 points and 14 rebounds in the 78-71 win over Oregon State. Against Oregon, Scott added another 16 points with a team-high six rebounds and two steals.
