Pair Shares Athlete Of Week
BOULDER - For the first time this fall, a pair of Buffaloes will share Colorado's Athlete of the Week honors. Men's golfer Jeff Hanson and women's soccer midfielder Fran Munnelly split the award.
Hanson was selected for his individual performance at the Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championships. Hanson rounded out the week with a 3-0 individual record beating golfers from the nation's No. 8, 12 and 25th ranked teams including a win over an Augusta golfer who's team went on to win the title.
Hanson is a junior communication major hailing from nearby Longmont. On a team level, Colorado won one match in the consolation round before being eliminated. The tournament marked the last of the fall season as the men will return to the links in February.
Munnelly scored Colorado's only goal as the four-seed Buffs upset No. 5 seed Missouri in the Big 12 tournament last weekend. Munnelly scored the only goal in the game giving the Buffs their first-ever postseason win.
In the semifinal round, Munnelly added an assist on Tess Piete's first career goal, although the Buffs came up short of a win losing to Texas A&M 3-1. Munnelly's nine shots in two games were the third most by and individual in the tournament and her three points ranked eighth.
Only a freshman, Munnelly was named Big 12 Rookie of the Year along with being named first team All-Big 12 and being placed on the All-Newcomer team for the conference. Munnelly hails from Arvada and is a pre-journalism major.
The other two nominees for this week's award were Chris Brown (football) and Monique Gerlach (volleyball).
FOOTBALL: Chris Brown, Junior, Naperville, Ill.
Junior Chris Brown rushed for 211 yards on 35 carries as the football team pulled out a 42-35 win in Missouri last Saturday. Brown also had a trio of touchdowns including the gamewinner in overtime. Brown has led the nation in rushing for each of the past five weeks.
VOLLEYBALL: Monique Gerlach, Junior, Monarch Beach, Calif.
Junior middle blocker Monique Gerlach had 22 kills, three blocks and seven digs as she hit .447 to lead the Buffs to a 3-1 victory at Texas. She claimed 12 kills with eight digs and a .212 hitting percentage against Iowa State. Gerlach is now eight kills away from the 1,000-kill mark. She has led Colorado in 15 matches in 2002 and tallied double-figures in kills in 20 of 25 contests.