EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - A total of six UW-Eau Claire student-athletes have been recognized by being named an Athlete of the Week for the 12th week of the 2013-14 season.
Football
Offense – Joel Sweeney, Running Back, 6-1, 249, Senior, Tomah, Wis.
Scoring two rushing touchdowns with 172 yards on 29 carries, Sweeney helped lead the Blugolds to a 24-21 victory in the season finale at UW-La Crosse on Saturday. He ended his career with 4,021 rushing yards, third on the Blugolds' all-time list, and 861 carries, fourth most in school history. Sweeney also finished with 45 touchdowns in his career, tied for fourth in school archives. This season Sweeney had 1,168 yards playing nine games (129.8 yards per game), tied for seventh best in a single season with Blugold Hall of Famer Roger Vann, and leading the WIAC this year.
Defense – Erik Hulman, Outside Linebacker, 6-0, 206, Sophomore, Milwaukee, Wis./Lutheran
Hulman led the Blugold defense Saturday as UW-Eau Claire defeated UW-La Crosse 24-21 in the season finale. He completed the game with 12 tackles (eight solo and four assists) while also breaking up two passes and recovering a fumble in the third quarter.
Special Teams – Billy Emanuel, Kicker, 5-8, 183, Senior, Owatonna, Minn.
Emanuel hit three extra points and had a career-long 35-yard field goal Saturday as the Blugolds defeated UW-La Crosse 24-21 to end the season. His field goal came at the end of the first half and gave the Blugolds a 17-14 lead at halftime.
Women’s Basketball
Teenie Lichtfuss, Guard, 5-10, Sophomore, Oshkosh, Wis./Lourdes
Playing in two games to open the 2013-14 season, Lichtfuss averaged 15 points, six rebounds and six assists per game. In the season-opener against Carroll University on Friday, she scored a game-high 18 points and had a game-high six assists while pulling down five rebounds. Saturday against Luther College (Iowa), Lichtfuss scored 12 points and also had a game-high seven rebounds while finishing with six assists. Playing 74 minutes, she was 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) from the field and 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) from the free throw line. She also had four steals and one blocked shot.
Men’s Hockey
David Donnellan, Defenseman, 5-11, 186, Senior, Eau Claire, Wis./Memorial
Playing in two games on the road this weekend, Donnellan scored two goals while picking up one assist to help the Blugolds remain undefeated on the season. Friday at Hamline University (Minn.), a game the Blugolds won 6-1, Donnellan scored one goal in the second period and followed with another in the third. He also assisted on the Blugolds’ fourth goal, which came in the second period. The Blugolds outshot the Pipers 29-21 on Friday and stopped five power-play opportunities. Saturday in a 2-1 win over Bethel University (Minn.), Donnellan and the Blugolds gave up just one goal in the third period as the Royals led the shot total 29-26. The Royals also went 0-for-5 on power-plays. Eau Claire has now won eight straight games going back to last season to tie a school record.
Women’s Hockey
Andi Husted, Defenseman, 5-3, Junior, Scottsdale, Ariz./Shattuck St. Mary’s
In two games this weekend against fifth-ranked UW-Superior, the Blugolds came away with a tie Friday night while falling Saturday. Husted was part of a Blugold defense that faced 81 Yellowjacket shots and stopped all but five of them. Superior was also just 1-for-8 on power-plays for the weekend. Husted also had two shots this weekend, one in each game.
