Pifer and McFarland Named CU Athletes of the Week

BOULDER-Senior standout athletes Stephen Pifer (track) and Jackie McFarland (women's basketball) were named University of Colorado Athletes of the Week for the week of March 24-30. 

This is Pifer's second athlete of the week honor for the year and the fifth of his career.  McFarland now has three honors on the year and nine for her career, which moves her into a tie with Shelly Sheetz for the most career honors for a women's basketball player.

            Pifer, an Edwardsville, Ill. (Edwardsville) native, broke a 22-year-old Potts Field record in the 1,500-meter run at the Potts Invitational.  Pifer led the pack the whole way, coming in at 3 minutes and 47.75 seconds.  He finished a full 10 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Patrick Sullivan (3:57.83).  The former 1,500-meter record was 3:48.25; set by Paul Larkins of Oklahoma State at the Big Eight Outdoor Track & Field Championship in 1986.  This was Pifer's first race of the 2008 track season, as he hadn't competed since the 2007 NCAA Cross Country Championships in November.

McFarland, a Derby, Kansas (Derby) native, averaged 27.66 points, 9.66 rebounds and 3.33 assists a game in Colorado's three WNIT tournament wins.  In CU's 82-68 win over Gonzaga McFarland recorded 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in 36 minutes of action.  She followed that performance up with an even more impressive 32 points (8-of-15 from the floor including 1-of-1 from three and 15-0f-16 from the free throw line), 12 rebounds including four offensive, two assists and two blocks as she played in all 40 minutes of their 64-58 comeback win over Villanova.  In their 96-90 overtime win over TCU in the WNIT quarterfinals, McFarland recorded 30 points (8-of-12 from the floor, 1-of-1 from three and 13-of-14 from the free throw line), eight rebounds and four assists as she again played in all 45 minutes of the game.  The three double-doubles on the week move her up to 101 in her career.  McFarland now has 620 points on the season and 1940 in her career, both are the second most in Colorado history.

Others nominated for this week's award were Gleisy Torres Torres (tennis) and Dominique Pytlewski (women's golf).

Tennis: Gleisy Torres Torres, Senior, Barquisimeto, Venezuela

Torres Torres clinched Colorado's team victory over Texas Tech at the No. 3 slot helping the Buffaloes tennis team to a 6-1 triumph over the Red Raiders back on March 30.  The tennis team completed 1-2 week having lost at No. 2 Baylor, 7-0 and at No. 27, LSU, 4-3.  Torres Torres not only secured CU's seventh team victory of the spring, she also won her 69th career singles match moving into a tie for 14th place on the school's all-time victories list.  Torres Torres broke a two-match skid and has now won six of her last eight matches. CU is 4-1 in Big 12 play.

Women's Golf: Dominique Pytlewski, Sophomore, Vancouver, B.C.

Pytlewski paced the way for the Buffaloes in their last two tournaments, recording an eighth place finish in Oregon and at 25th place finish in Arizona.  She recorded a four over 76 in the third round on the very difficult 6,052-yard, par-72 Eugene Country Club course, the site of the 2008 U.S. Women's amateur tournament.  Pytlewski struggled early on in the third round and was four-over on the front nine, she managed to turn things around, with help from a pair of birdies, playing the back nine to an even-par.  At the MountainView Collegiate, hosted by CU in Arizona, Pytlewski rallied back in the third and final round on Sunday, improving five strokes from the second round to lead the Buffaloes with a one-over 73 on the day, good for a three-round total of 225.