Eberhart, Marshall and Pytlewski Named CU Athletes of the Week

BOULDER-Football kicker Kevin Eberhart (senior), soccer forward Nikki Marshall (sophomore) and women's golfer Dominique Pytlewski (sophomore), were named University of Colorado Athletes of the Week for the week of October 1-7.  This is the first CU athlete of the week award of the year for all three of this weeks winners.  This is Marshall's third career honor and Eberhart and Pytlewski's first; Pytlewski's honor marks only the ninth time in 693 opportunities that a women's golfer has earned this honor.

            Eberhart, a Broomfield, Colo. (Broomfield) native, tied the school record for field goals made in a game with five, tying Jeremy Aldrich, who made five against Kansas on Sept. 18, 1999, in a 51-17 win; and also tied the mark for attempts with six.  He also made good on all four PAT kicks to score 19 points, tying CU's record for the most points in a game by a kicker.  His 54-yard field goal at the end of the first half was a career best, topping the 45-yard effort against Oklahoma last Saturday which was the game winner as time expired.  It was the 32nd field goal of 50 yards or longer in CU history, and tied for the 11th longest overall.  It was the longest by a Buff other than Mason Crosby (13 50+) since Mitch Berger hit a 54-yard kick against Miami-Florida in Boulder on Sept. 25, 1993. It tied for the fourth longest on the road by a Buff, and tied CU's longest in the state of Texas (Crosby had a 54-yard kick in the 2004 Houston Bowl).  He is just the second Buff to make four field goals in a game from 40 yards or longer, joining Aldrich, who made all five of his kicks against Kansas in Boulder from between 40 and 49 yards.  Eberhart also earned Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance this past Saturday.

            Marshall, a Mead, Colo., (Skyline) native, scored two goals against Nebraska on Friday and netted the game-winner against Iowa State on Sunday.  Friday marked the second time this season that Marshall has had a two-goal game.  Her six points on the weekend moved her up three spots to fourth on Colorado's career points list with 44, tied with former Buff Jen Thais.  With her ninth career game-winning goal, she moved up to third on the all-time game-winning goal list and is only four away from the No. 1 spot.  Her six goals and 13 points on the year are team-highs.  Marshall also earned Big 12 Conference Player of the Week honors for her play last week.

            Pytlewski, a Vancouver, B.C., (Saint Thomas Aquinas) native, led the way for the Buffaloes in their first ever first place finish at their own Heather Farr Memorial/CU Invitational.  Pytlewski shot an even-par 216 for the tournament.  She started strong out of the gate in the first two rounds, posting back-to-back sub-par rounds before shooting a final round three-over par 75.  After two rounds, Pytlewski led the individual standings, sitting at No. 1 out of 100 golfers for the first time in her career.  She ended up taking second place in the tournament, just two strokes behind the leader, for her highest finish ever in a tournament.

Others nominated for this week's award were Greg Castro (cross country), Shanna Sparks (cross country) and Callie Webster (volleyball).

Cross Country: Greg Castro, Senior, Boulder, Colo.

Castro led the men to a third-place finish by taking second in the men's race.  The Colorado ?B' team competed against 14 other schools including Northern Colorado and the Air Force ?B' team.  Castro finished the 8k loop in 25 minutes and 47.91 seconds to earn his highest collegiate finish and a personal record on an 8k course.  Castro was a redshirt last season and has now seen action in the first two races for the Buffs.  He placed higher than 145 other competitors in the race.  Castro also earned Big 12 Conference Runner of the Week honors for his performance.

Cross Country: Shanna Sparks, Senior, Carson City, Nev.

Sparks led the CU women by also placing second at the Tiger Invite.  She finished the 5k course in 18:52.73 and earned her highest finish as a Buff.  Sparks also set a personal record on the course, besting the previous mark of 19:35.33.  She raced against 103 other harriers from 12 other schools.  Sparks also earned Big 12 Conference Runner of the Week honors for her performance.

Volleyball: Callie Webster, Junior, Mercer Island, Wash.

Webster recorded 51 digs to lead the Buffs last week; she averaged 6.38 digs per game.  Webster picked up a career-high 33 digs in a five-game match against Missouri.  It was the first time since 1995 that a Buffalo has recorded more than 30 digs in a match and it has only happened seven other times in school history.  The CU record for digs in a five-game match is 34, which was set by Rachel Wacholder against Georgia Tech on Sept. 3, 1995.  It ties the fifth highest total in CU history, which also belongs to Wacholder (at Iowa State, Oct. 14, 1995).  Webster also recorded 18 in a three game-match against No. 1 Nebraska.  Webster earned Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for her performance last week.