Horizon League Athletes of the Week

For the week of February 20, 2012

Christina Colarossi Milwaukee Tennis

Hometown: Dearborn Heights, Mich. Colarossi helped Milwaukee (7-3, 2-0 Horizon) match its best start to the season with two wins as the Panthers improved to 2-0 with a 7-0 victory over Valparaiso before a 4-3 triumph over Ball State. The freshman opened the weekend with a straight set win at love at No. 3 singles versus the Crusaders. The following day against Ball State, Colarossi dropped the first set of her match, 4-6, before rallying for a 6-3, 6-4 win to clinch the match for the Panthers.

Jordan Rutkowski Valparaiso Softball

Hometown: Alden, N.Y. Rutkowski led Valparaiso (7-2) to a 4-1 week, hitting .533 while compiling a 1.800 OPS after slugging 1.267. The senior was 8-for-15 with three home runs and 11 runs batted in. Rutkowski stated Saturday with a 2-for-3 effort, hitting her first home run and tallying three RBI as the Crusaders won, 8-4, over UT-Martin. In the afternoon game, Rutkowski lifted Valpo to a 9-1 win over Niagara, going 2-for-3 with two homers and six RBI.

Lauri Makikalli Wright State Tennis

Hometown: Hyvinkaa, Finland Makikalli went 2-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles, helping Wright State (7-2) collect wins over IPFW and Chicago State. Against the Mastodons, Makikalli slotted at No. 3 singles, collecting a 6-0, 6-1 victory. The next day, Makikalli moved up to No. 2 singles, breezing to a 6-2, 6-0 win.

Krystian DeWitt Wright State Softball

Hometown: Pacifica, Calif. DeWitt appeared in all three games of the Charleston Southern Tournament, compiling a 2-1 record for Wright State (6-6). The right-hander gave up just two runs across 12.0 innings pitched. The sophomore opened the tournament with five innings of work in an 8-0 win over UMBC, striking out eight. DeWitt entered in the third inning of the Raiders’ game against Charleston Southern, retiring all 15 batters she faced and striking out five as Wright State rallied for a 6-4 victory.

Keifer Sykes Green Bay Men's Basketball

Hometown: Chicago Sykes lifted Green Bay (15-14, 10-8 Horizon) to a 3-0 week, helping the Phoenix win its last four conference games. The freshman averaged 17.7 points and 6.3 assists per game. Since turning 18 on Dec. 30, Sykes is averaging 15.1 ppg and 4.8 apg and has reached double figures in 10 straight games and 15-of-16.

Tony Meier Milwaukee Men's Basketball

Hometown: Wildwood, Mo. Meier eclipsed the 1,000-point mark as Milwaukee (19-12, 11-7 Horizon) claimed the No. 4 seed in the Horizon League Tournament, becoming the sixth player in the Horizon League to reach the mark this year. The senior went 14-for-20 from the floor in wins at UIC and Loyola, knocking down 11 of his 16 attempts from three-point range.

Sami Tucker Milwaukee Women's Basketball

Hometown: East Lansing, Mich. Tucker averaged 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in Milwaukee’s two victories last weekend. On Thursday in UWM’s 54-52 win over Butler, Tucker tied her career-high with 23 points and set a career-high with 14 rebounds against the Bulldogs. On Sunday, Tucker led the Panthers with 13 points as UWM set a new school record by holding Valparaiso to only 31 points in Milwaukee’s 50-31 victory.

Tanner Vavra Valparaiso Baseball

Hometown: Menomonie, Wis. Vavra batted .583 at the plate in Valpo’s three-game series at fourth-ranked Arkansas. In the series finale on Sunday, Vavra opened the 10th inning with a double down the right field line and then scored the game-winning run as the Crusaders won, 10-9. In Valpo’s win, Vavra went 3-for-5 and scored three runs. Vavra had a hit in every game of the series, including going 3-for-4 in Saturday’s game where the Razorbacks nipped the Crusaders, 4-3.

Julie Wojta Green Bay Women's Basketball

Hometown: Francis Creek, Wis. Wojta posted double-doubles in both of Green Bay’s victories last week as the Phoenix clinched the regular season Horizon League title outright. On Thursday in Green Bay’s 72-36 win over Valparaiso, Wojta had 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, grabbed 10 rebounds and passed out five assists against zero turnovers. On Saturday against Butler, Wojta led the Phoenix in points (27), rebounds (13), steals (6), assists (5) and blocks (2) as Green Bay defeated the Bulldogs, 78-53.

Cale Tassi Milwaukee Baseball

Hometown: Presque Isle, Wis. Tassi notched Pitcher of the Week honors after allowing only one run in 7.1 innings at Minnesota. He struck out seven, had allowed no earned runs and had given up just one free pass when he left the game in the eighth inning with the score tied at 1. In Tassi’s two starts this season he has allowed only one earned run in 13.1 innings pitched for an ERA of 0.68.

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