Colorado University Athletics
Julia Lisella, McKinley Wright IV Earn UCHealth CU Athlete of the Week Honors
March 07, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Lacrosse
Julia Lisella (lacrosse) and McKinley Wright IV (men's basketball) have been named the UCHealth CU Athletes of the Week after their outstanding performances last weekend.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Julia Lisella starred in the Buffs' 18-3 victory over No. 19 Virginia Tech. In just her second career start, Lisella made a career-high 11 saves and held Virginia Tech to just three goals, 10 below their season average. Her 78.6 save percentage is not only a career-high, but is the highest save percentage in school history among games that one CU goalkeeper played all 60 minutes. She was a key piece in the Buffs' hot start, helping the defense hold Virginia Tech scoreless for nearly 20 minutes while the Buffs took a commanding 9-0 lead. With the win, Lisella moves to 2-0 as a starter.
Freshman point guard McKinley Wright IV had an impressive showing in a 64-54 loss to Utah on Saturday night. He recorded team-highs in scoring (16) and assists (3), while collecting six rebounds. Wright was instrumental in CU's run early in the second half, scoring or assisting on eight CU points as the Buffs cut Utah's 17-point halftime lead to just four with 9:28 remaining in the game. Wright was also named to the Pac-12's All-Freshman team and was an honorable mention all-conference selection this Monday.
Also nominated for this week's honors: Kirsty Hodgkins (women's golf), Kennedy Leonard (women's basketball), Ilana Oleynik (tennis).
Sophomore Kirsty Hodgkins played to her seventh top-20 finish, tying for 11th overall at the Bruin Wave Invitational last Tuesday. She was 12-over par (73-82-73–228) over three rounds, guiding the Buffs' to a sixth place team finish. Hodgkins led CU with 35 pars on the tournament.
Junior Kennedy Leonard led the Buffs to 1-1 record at last week's Pac-12 tournament, averaging 14 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists over two games in Seattle. She stuffed the stat sheet in CU's 66-56 first-round win over Utah, recording eight rebounds, five steals and four assists, in addition to scoring 15 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting. Then, Leonard tallied 13 points in a loss to top-seeded Oregon on Friday. Leonard was also named first-team all-conference last week.
Junior Ilana Oleynik went undefeated over the weekend, helping the Buffs sweep the state of New Mexico. Against New Mexico State on Saturday, Oleynik beat the Aggies' Quinty Janssen 6-2, 6-1 in singles play, while she and Jeannez Daniel breezed a 6-0 doubles win. Oleynik and Janssen followed up a dominant performance with a 6-2 doubles win over New Mexico on Sunday. Then, she defeated the Lobos' Lauren Rich 6-4, 6-2 to clinch the CU's 5-2 win.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Julia Lisella starred in the Buffs' 18-3 victory over No. 19 Virginia Tech. In just her second career start, Lisella made a career-high 11 saves and held Virginia Tech to just three goals, 10 below their season average. Her 78.6 save percentage is not only a career-high, but is the highest save percentage in school history among games that one CU goalkeeper played all 60 minutes. She was a key piece in the Buffs' hot start, helping the defense hold Virginia Tech scoreless for nearly 20 minutes while the Buffs took a commanding 9-0 lead. With the win, Lisella moves to 2-0 as a starter.
Freshman point guard McKinley Wright IV had an impressive showing in a 64-54 loss to Utah on Saturday night. He recorded team-highs in scoring (16) and assists (3), while collecting six rebounds. Wright was instrumental in CU's run early in the second half, scoring or assisting on eight CU points as the Buffs cut Utah's 17-point halftime lead to just four with 9:28 remaining in the game. Wright was also named to the Pac-12's All-Freshman team and was an honorable mention all-conference selection this Monday.
Also nominated for this week's honors: Kirsty Hodgkins (women's golf), Kennedy Leonard (women's basketball), Ilana Oleynik (tennis).
Sophomore Kirsty Hodgkins played to her seventh top-20 finish, tying for 11th overall at the Bruin Wave Invitational last Tuesday. She was 12-over par (73-82-73–228) over three rounds, guiding the Buffs' to a sixth place team finish. Hodgkins led CU with 35 pars on the tournament.
Junior Kennedy Leonard led the Buffs to 1-1 record at last week's Pac-12 tournament, averaging 14 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists over two games in Seattle. She stuffed the stat sheet in CU's 66-56 first-round win over Utah, recording eight rebounds, five steals and four assists, in addition to scoring 15 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting. Then, Leonard tallied 13 points in a loss to top-seeded Oregon on Friday. Leonard was also named first-team all-conference last week.
Junior Ilana Oleynik went undefeated over the weekend, helping the Buffs sweep the state of New Mexico. Against New Mexico State on Saturday, Oleynik beat the Aggies' Quinty Janssen 6-2, 6-1 in singles play, while she and Jeannez Daniel breezed a 6-0 doubles win. Oleynik and Janssen followed up a dominant performance with a 6-2 doubles win over New Mexico on Sunday. Then, she defeated the Lobos' Lauren Rich 6-4, 6-2 to clinch the CU's 5-2 win.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballMonday, May 04
Monday, May 04
Sunday, April 26
Saturday, April 18