Jones, Jank And Wright Share UCHealth CU Athlete Of The Week Honors
November 22, 2017 | Cross Country, General, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
BOULDER - This week's UCHealth CU Athlete of the week goes to McKinley Wright IV for the men, and a tie between Annika Jank and Dani Jones.
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Wright had a busy week, averaging 16.3 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds in four Colorado wins. Â He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2017 Paradise Jam, the first freshman in that tournament's 18-year history to win that honor. Wright averaged 17.7 points and 6.0 assists during the Paradise Jam while shooting 61 percent from the field (20 of 33). He had the game-winning 3-pointer in the first round vs. Quinnipiac, scoring a career-high 21 points. He matched that scoring effort in the semifinals against Drake while dishing out a team season-best nine assists against only one turnover. In the championship game, Wright scored 11 points and dished out seven assists as Colorado defeated Mercer, 79-70, for its seventh all-time preseason tournament title.
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Freshman standout Annika Jank averaged 12.5 points and 9.0 rebounds to lead CU to two wins last week. She had 11 points and six rebounds in a win over Florida Atlantic on Wednesday. She then led the Buffs to a win over No. 24 Miami on Saturday with 14 points and 12 rebounds. She became the first CU freshman since 2013 to have a double-double with points and rebounds and her 12 rebounds were also the most for a CU freshman since 2013.
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In cross country, junior Dani Jones led the Buffs to a third-place team finish at the NCAA Championships, finishing 10th overall (out of 255 runners) last Saturday in 19:47.0 (6k race). With the finish, Jones earned her second straight cross country All-America honor. Jones ran very well in the fast paced race and was just 28 seconds off the leader's winning time (19:19.42). She also edged out the 2016 NCAA Champion, Missouri's Karissa Schweizer, who was 11th in 19:47.47.
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Also Nominated This Week
Junior outside hitter Alexa Smith had an outstanding weekend, helping the Buffs to a 2-0 record while completing the season series sweep of Arizona and Arizona State. In the first match against UA, she recorded 12 kills, seven digs and two blocks while hitting .400. The following night, Smith led CU with 22 kills and hit .392. She also had 11 digs, three blocks and three service aces. Her 4.25 kills per set last weekend led the team and her 2.25 digs per set was second. She also had the best hitting percentage at .394. CU is now 21-8 (11-7 Pac-12). This is the first time since 2003 the Buffs have recorded 21 or more wins and is just the 12th time in school history CU has reached the 20 wins mark. The 11 wins in Pac-12 play also ties a school record for wins in the Pac-12. CU also recorded 11 wins in 2014 and 15.
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Freshman Eduardo Herrera recorded his first All-America honor at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last Saturday with a 33rd place performance in the 10k race (out of 254 runners). He clocked in at 29:55.4 to help the CU men record and eighth-place team finish. He is the first freshman since Ben Saarel (2013) to lead the Buffs at NCAAs. Overall, he was the fourth highest finishing freshman in the race.
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Wright had a busy week, averaging 16.3 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds in four Colorado wins. Â He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2017 Paradise Jam, the first freshman in that tournament's 18-year history to win that honor. Wright averaged 17.7 points and 6.0 assists during the Paradise Jam while shooting 61 percent from the field (20 of 33). He had the game-winning 3-pointer in the first round vs. Quinnipiac, scoring a career-high 21 points. He matched that scoring effort in the semifinals against Drake while dishing out a team season-best nine assists against only one turnover. In the championship game, Wright scored 11 points and dished out seven assists as Colorado defeated Mercer, 79-70, for its seventh all-time preseason tournament title.
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Freshman standout Annika Jank averaged 12.5 points and 9.0 rebounds to lead CU to two wins last week. She had 11 points and six rebounds in a win over Florida Atlantic on Wednesday. She then led the Buffs to a win over No. 24 Miami on Saturday with 14 points and 12 rebounds. She became the first CU freshman since 2013 to have a double-double with points and rebounds and her 12 rebounds were also the most for a CU freshman since 2013.
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In cross country, junior Dani Jones led the Buffs to a third-place team finish at the NCAA Championships, finishing 10th overall (out of 255 runners) last Saturday in 19:47.0 (6k race). With the finish, Jones earned her second straight cross country All-America honor. Jones ran very well in the fast paced race and was just 28 seconds off the leader's winning time (19:19.42). She also edged out the 2016 NCAA Champion, Missouri's Karissa Schweizer, who was 11th in 19:47.47.
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Also Nominated This Week
Junior outside hitter Alexa Smith had an outstanding weekend, helping the Buffs to a 2-0 record while completing the season series sweep of Arizona and Arizona State. In the first match against UA, she recorded 12 kills, seven digs and two blocks while hitting .400. The following night, Smith led CU with 22 kills and hit .392. She also had 11 digs, three blocks and three service aces. Her 4.25 kills per set last weekend led the team and her 2.25 digs per set was second. She also had the best hitting percentage at .394. CU is now 21-8 (11-7 Pac-12). This is the first time since 2003 the Buffs have recorded 21 or more wins and is just the 12th time in school history CU has reached the 20 wins mark. The 11 wins in Pac-12 play also ties a school record for wins in the Pac-12. CU also recorded 11 wins in 2014 and 15.
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Freshman Eduardo Herrera recorded his first All-America honor at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last Saturday with a 33rd place performance in the 10k race (out of 254 runners). He clocked in at 29:55.4 to help the CU men record and eighth-place team finish. He is the first freshman since Ben Saarel (2013) to lead the Buffs at NCAAs. Overall, he was the fourth highest finishing freshman in the race.
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Players Mentioned
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