EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - A total of 13 UW-Eau Claire student-athletes have been recognized by being named an Athlete of the Week for the third week of the 2013-14 season.
Football
Offense: Joel Sweeney, Running Back, 6-1, 249, Senior, Tomah, Wis.
At Saint John’s University (Minn.) on Saturday, Sweeney scored both of the Blugolds’ touchdowns in a 17-14 loss to the Johnnies. Sweeney had 266 yards on the ground on 43 carries, the second highest total he has reached in his career and the sixth largest total in school history. He now has 3,175 career yards, moving past Blugold hall of famer Roger Vann and into fifth place on the Blugolds' all-time career rushing yards list.
Defense: Jake Safstrom, Defensive Line, 6-4, 244, Junior, Grafton, Wis.
Safstrom tied for a team-high eight tackles this week as the Blugolds competed at Saint John’s University (Minn.). Two of his tackles were for losses, including one which was a sack, while he also forced one fumble in the fourth quarter which eventually led to the Blugolds’ final touchdown to help get them within three points (17-14).
Competing on special teams this week at Saint John’s University (Minn.), Hulman made some key blocks throughout the game.
Women’s Tennis
Singles: Maddie Johnson, Junior, Lakeville, Minn./South
Competing at No. 2 singles in three matches this weekend, Johnson played consistent and finished with a 1-2 record. Saturday morning she won her match against UW-River Falls 6-2, 6-0 to help the Blugolds to a 9-0 victory. Also on Saturday, she played a close match against Saint Benedict (Minn.) but fell short 6-4, 7-5 while also falling 6-3, 6-2 against UW-Whitewater on Friday.
Doubles: Paige Kuepers, Sophomore, Green Bay, Wis./Southwest & Renee Nelson, Junior, Madison, Wis./La Follette
Kuepers and Nelson were undefeated this weekend, winning three matches to improve their No. 3 doubles record to 6-0 on the season. Against UW-Whitewater on Friday, the pair picked up the Blugolds’ only win with a 9-7 victory. Saturday, they defeated their UW-River Falls opponents 8-1 and followed with an 8-4 victory against Saint Benedict (Minn.) to end the day.
Soccer
Offense: Jackie Nailor, Forward, 5-8, Freshman, Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Competing twice this week, Nailor scored the Blugolds’ only goal as the team finished with one tie and one loss. Her goal came Saturday against Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.), 27 seconds into the game to give Eau Claire a 1-0 lead. Against St. Olaf College (Minn.) on Wednesday, she recorded one shot to give her a total of two for the week.
Defense: Ashley O’Connell, Defender, 5-6, Sophomore, Appleton, Wis./East
O’Connell and the Blugolds completed the week with one tie and one loss. Her and the rest of the defense allowed just two goals in 200 minutes. Against St. Olaf College (Minn.) on Wednesday, the Blugolds stopped nine shots, four of which were on-goal and defended against 12 corner kicks to tie the Oles 0-0 in double overtime. Saturday, the Blugolds stopped 13 out of 15 shots while defending against seven corner kicks.
Volleyball
Kelly Schuh, Outside Hitter, 5-10, Senior, Appleton, Wis./Hortonville
This weekend at the Carthage College Tournament, Schuh helped the Blugolds to a 3-1 record, with one win coming against a ranked opponent while the one loss also came against a ranked opponent. Schuh led the Blugolds in kills in all four matches and had her highest total come against Dominican University (Ill.), recording 17 to help the Blugolds to a 3-1 victory. She also had 16 against Illinois Wesleyan as the Blugolds won 3-1 while she had 11 against 20th-ranked Carthage in a 3-0 victory. Facing 13th-ranked University of Chicago (Ill.), she had nine kills but the Blugolds fell short 3-0. For the week, she finished with 53 kills and a hitting percentage of .254, along with seven service aces, 48 digs and two block assists.
Women’s Golf
Emily Stone, Junior, Eden Prairie, Minn.
Stone helped the Blugolds to a seventh place this weekend at the Division III Midwest Classic. She finished the two-day tournament with 163 strokes, tying for eighth place out of 92 golfers.
Men’s Golf
Jake Erickson, Junior, Chaska, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels
Erickson led the Blugolds this weekend at the Saint John’s Fall Invitational, where the Blugolds tied for third place. He completed the two-day event with 148 strokes, tied for sixth place overall in the 120-golfer field.
Women’s Cross Country
Alana Jenkins, Senior, Eau Claire, Wis./Memorial
Jenkins led the Blugolds to a third place finish at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invitational on Saturday. She completed the 6,000-meter course in 12th place out of 148 runners with a personal record time of 23:08.7.
Men’s Cross Country
Ryan Mugan, Sophomore, Howards Grove, Wis.
Mugan led the Blugolds to a second place finish at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invitational on Saturday. He finished the race in second place overall out of 95 runners with a personal-best 8,000-meter time of 25:15.2.