Roberson gains more honors for his defense
Apr 2nd
Colorado junior forward Andre Roberson was named to the 2013 Lefty Driesell Defensive All-America team, in addition named a finalist as the top defensive player award announced Monday.
The Lefty Driesell award is named in honor of coaching legend Lefty Driesell, who is the only person to ever win 100 games at four different Division I schools. The award will be presented to the nation’s top defensive player on April 5 at the CollegeInsider.com awards banquet in Atlanta, site of the men’s NCAA Basketball Championship.
Roberson, the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a first team conference selection, is the only Pac-12 player named on the 21-player list. He finished second nationally in rebounding (11.2 rpg.) and was also No. 30th in steals (2.16) and No. t-158 in blocks (1.32).
Roberson helped the Buffaloes to the Pac-12’s top scoring defense (conference games-only) of 62.2 points per game. Colorado finished the season with a 21-12 record and NCAA Tournament second round appearance. Roberson also set the school record for a junior in a single season with 347 rebounds, in addition establishing a career-best 66 steals. The 11.2 rebounding average is also a career-high.
Joining Roberson on the team are Khem Birch (UNLV), Tommy Brenton (Stony Brook), Will Cherry (Montana), Ian Clark (Belmont), Aaron Craft (Ohio State), Gorgui Dieng (Louisville), Jontel Evans (Virginia), Shane Larkin (Miami), Zeke Marshall (Akron), Nerlens Noel (Kentucky), Chris Obekpa (St. John’s), Victor Oladipo (Indiana), Trevor Releford (Alabama), Durand Scott (Miami), Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), Michael Snaer (Florida State), D.J. Stephens (Memphis), Darius Theus (VCU), Julian Washburn (UTEP) and Jeff Withey (Kansas).
Driesell is best known for his time at Maryland leading the program to the National Invitational Tournament title in 1972 and to the ACC Tournament Championship in 1984. He finished his career at Maryland with a 348-159 record and concluded his career with an impressive 786-394 mark.
CU SPORTS MEDIA RELEASE
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CU women’s tennis gets an historical win
Mar 29th
“I’m really proud of the players,” CU head coach Nicole Kenneally said. “We came out and competed. It’s been a tough couple of weeks of competition that we’ve had, playing the top four schools in our conference, who were really, really tough. I think we all learned from that, and it really helped us today. I think they really bounced back well. We’ve got three more teams coming into town over the next couple of weeks and we look forward to having those teams here.”
The Buffaloes pick up their first win over a ranked opponent since taking down No. 62 Stephen F. Austin 6-1 on February 2. This marks the highest ranked opponent the Buffs have defeated since beating then-ranked No. 46 New Mexico on February 7, 2009. All nine of CU’s most recent opponents have either been ranked, had at least one ranked player or both (as is the case for six of the teams, including Oregon). The Buffs are now 2-6 against ranked opponents this season, and an impressive 5-2 at home, opening home outdoor play against the Ducks.
“It means something when players don’t necessarily play their best and still win and find a way,” Kenneally said. “I think we did that in several positions today in singles and doubles. That’s what I’m most proud of because it just shows that mentally they’ve taken a step forward, which is great.”
Colorado improves to 7-11 overall, 2-5 Pac-12, matching last year’s overall win total, and marking the first time since the 2009-10 season that the Buffs won at least two conference matches. Oregon, having been ranked in the ITA top-75 in all but two matches this spring, falls to 11-5, 1-4 Pac-12. CU leads the overall series 10-6.
The Buffs sprang into action early, taking the doubles point. The freshman duo of Dhany Quevedo and Mazy Watrous got its first ever win as a pair, besting Hughes/Hager 8-1. Juniors Winde Janssens and Carla Manzi Tenorio continue to be a power for the Buffs, earning their 10th win together this season with an 8-5 win over Metzger/Neubert.
After facing seven straight ranked opponents, Julyette Steur claimed a win over the eighth, defeating No. 102 Nicole Long, who has lost only twice this spring, 6-1, 6-1 for her 14th win of the season. All but one of her wins this spring have been in straight sets. The victory was Steur’s first over a ranked opponent since she beat then-ranked No. 104 McCall Jones of UCLA on March 23, 2012.
Janssens and Manzi Tenorio each earned their 40th career singles win with victories in straight sets. Janssens bested Patricia Skowronski 6-1, 6-3. Janssens leads the Buffs with 16 wins this season, including four in-conference. Manzi Tenorio got her 14th win of the season and her second over a conference opponent with a solid 6-4, 7-6 win over Lana Buttner.
Senior Erin Sanders once again clinched the match for the Buffs, defeating Pascale Neubert 6-3, 6-3. Sanders now has seven wins this season, including two major conference victories.
The Buffs return to action next weekend as the season draws to a close. CU takes on Washington State at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 5 and Washington at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 7.
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