(CU Independent illustration/Kelly Kaoudis)
What a week for Buff athletics.
Track and field’s Emma Coburn outran all competitors in the 3,000-meter run to win the event Saturday at the 2011 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
With a time of 9:17 minutes, the junior ran her way to the sixth fastest performance in CU history. Her first conference title was in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in the 2010 Big 12 Championship outdoor meet.
However, the rest of the Buffs didn’t fare as well.
Colorado placed in 11th overall in the women’s field with 29 points while the men’s team finished last, in 12th place with only 17 points.
Other strong CU finishes included sophomore Liz Tremblay, whose time of 2:10.23 in the women’s 800-Meters was enough for a second place finish in the event.
Tennis loses to Rice
Women’s tennis fell to No. 48 Rice 6-1 in matches played at the University of Arkansas on Saturday.
With the loss, the Buffs drop to 3-5 on the season.
In only her first spring match of her career, freshman Kristina Schleich was the only player who picked up a win with her singles victory.
“This was a great weekend of competition for us and showed us where we need to be in order to be competing with the best teams in the country,” said CU Head Coach Nicole Kenneally.
The Buffs will be in Denver to take on the Pioneers at 4 p.m.
“We play DU next Friday night and it will be a real battle,” Kenneally said.
Basketball topples Texas, sights set on the Big Dance
After trailing at the half against No. 5 Texas, the Buffs proved to the Big 12 and the nation at large that they could get a comeback in style, beating the Longhorns 91-89.
Now that the Buffs are back in the NCAA Tournament talk, the Buffs will need to secure a strong finish in Big 12 play and score some wins in the Big 12 Tournament.
But even winning the final two Big 12 games may not be enough, although it will help polish Colorado’s resume.
When selection Sunday rolls around, the big losses will prove as important as the big victories.
Three ugly losses are on the Colorado schedule, according to several media reports: a loss at Harvard, a loss at San Francisco and a loss against a struggling Oklahoma squad in Norman.
Beating a top five team is a strong indicator of an NCAA-quality team, and the Buffs will look for a similar performance against non-ranked and last-place Iowa State on Wednesday in Ames.
Look for the Buffs to attempt to keep their momentum charging headed into Iowa.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Esteban L. Hernandez at Esteban.hernandez@colorado.edu.
