Sportswomen of Colorado Honor Several Buffs

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BOULDER - The University of Colorado was well represented on the 2007 Sportswomen of Colorado awards winners list, announced on Jan. 29. CU earned nine honors in total. Ashley Nu'u, Jenny Barringer, Nikki Marshall, Lucie Zikova, Jana Rehemaa, Richard Rokos and former Buff Sara Slattery all received recognition for their performances in 2006.

Leading the way for the Buffs was Ashley Nu'u, a setter for the CU volleyball team. Nu'u was the first-ever AVCA All-American for the Buffs and was also an ASICS/Volleyball Magazine All-American honorable mention selection. She is currently training with the USA National Team in Colorado Springs. Nu'u was named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week (11/13), the Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Week (11/13) and the CU Athlete of the Week (11/14) after leading the Buffs to an upset of top-ranked Nebraska. Nu'u ranks third all-time on CU's career assists chart with 4,315.

Nu'u, an Aurora, Colo., native, was also named to the Sportswomen of Colorado Hall of Fame as this is her third time being recognized for her accomplishments in volleyball. She joins Air Force track & field athlete Dana Pounds and the Adams State cross country team.

Jenny Barringer, a sophomore on the CU cross country and track & field teams, earned an award for her performances in 2006 which include a national championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:53.04) and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championship. She shattered the school record of 10:07.51 and became the first true freshman at CU to win an NCAA Championship. Barringer, a native of Oviedo, Fla., also won the NCAA Midwest Regional Crown.

Barringer also helped the CU women's cross country team to a second-place finish at the NCAA Championship and to a Sportswomen of Colorado team award. The team took second at nationals for the second-straight year, but were not considered a favorite as they were ranked sixth heading into the race. Liza Pasciuto was the second Buff to cross the finish at 16th. Freshmen Aislinn Ryan and Claire Maduza were 46th and 48th, respectively. Rounding out the score for CU was senior Erin Marston who took 165th. Emily Hanenburg and Hilary McClendon were the non-scoring members of the team and Rachel Gioscia served as the alternate.

Nikki Marshall, a freshman on the soccer team, was named the 2006 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. She was called up to attend training camp for the U.S. Under-21 Women's National Team. Marshall was the Big 12's leading scorer with 17 goals and three assists. She was named a First Team Freshman All-America selection and a Fourth Team All-America selection by Soccer Buzz online magazine. Marshall set nine school records at CU in her first season in Boulder. She was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and was the first Colorado player to earn one of the two top player awards for the Soccer Buzz central region.

Lucie Zikova and Jana Rehemaa were honored as members of CU's ski team. Zikova won a school record six races in the regular season, including CU's first individual alpine title since 1999.  She took a grand total of seven races on the year, tying the record set by Toni Standteiner in 1991. Zikova finished out of the top two only two times, both in the GS. She was named the RMISA MVP. Zikova was the top seed in both the GS and the slalom at the NCAA meet, and took home the CU Female Athlete of the Year honors at the CUSPY's.

Rehemaa recorded the "double-double" at the 2006 NCAA Championship as she won the women's 15K race in 46:27.4, a full 10 seconds ahead of Alaska-Fairbanks Johanna Turunen.  Rehemaa, who entered her senior season with several second place showings, broke through and concluded her career with six consecutive wins, which included Thursday's title in the 5K classic. 

Head Skiing Coach Richard Rokos, was honored in his part of leading the CU ski team to a national championship in March. He has five titles in his 16 years at the helm of the CU Program. He has also coached 22 individual national champions and 130 All-Americans.

Former Buff track and cross country star Sara Slattery, was also recognized. Slattery won the Bolder Boulder this past May.