It can be hard to keep up with everything going on in the University of Kentucky’s 22 varsity sports. With that in mind, we will highlight the best from around Kentucky sports each week. We’ll recognize the best performances from Wildcat teams and players, we’ll show you the coolest videos and photos that you may have missed and we’ll mix in some new stuff along the way. Here are your award winners for this week:
Team of the week: Baseball posts best SEC Tournament finish in modern era
Following a historic regular season for the University of Kentucky baseball team, Gary Henderson and company came two wins short of an SEC Tournament Championship last weekend.
Kentucky posted two wins in the SEC Tournament as the No. 4 seed, defeating Ole Miss and a red-hot Mississippi State squad. They received lights-out starting pitching from A.J. Reed and Jerad Grundy as well as outstanding relief efforts from Taylor Rogers and Trevor Gott. The pitching staff allowed just two runs in the first two games.
Offensively, senior third baseman Thomas McCarthy led the way for the Cats, eventually receiving SEC All-Tournament Team honors. McCarthy batted .462 (6-for-13) for the tournament, including three doubles in Kentucky’s 5-1 win over Mississippi State.
The UK tournament run came to an end Saturday at the hands of those same Mississippi State Bulldogs, coming from the loser’s bracket, and falling 2-1 in the elimination game. The Wildcats will continue the postseason beginning on Friday against Kent State in the NCAA Tournament.
Player of the week: Quigley ends decorated career with runner-up finish
The best player in Kentucky men’s tennis history finished his illustrious career with a runner-up finish in the NCAA Singles Tournament Monday. Eric Quigley saw his collegiate career come to an end to defending champion Steve Johnson of Southern California, 6-4, 6-4.
Quigley became just the third player in program history to compete in the Finals of the event, putting up a competitive effort over the top player in the nation. Johnson ends his career on a 72-match win streak. Quigley defeated five ranked players on his way to the Finals, his first time breaking through the round of eight in his career.
The five-time All-American will finish 27 wins ahead of the next-best mark in UK men’s tennis history with career record of 172-47. His senior season is one for the record books as well with a 54-8 mark, which is a single-season record.
Video of the week – Highlights from Quigley’s semifinal win
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Alumnus of the week: Rondo’s triple-double propels Celtics to Eastern Conference Finals
In an exhilarating Game 7 85-75 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Rajon Rondo provided a legendary performance to send the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Rondo did it all Saturday posting a stat line of 18 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds on his way to his ninth career playoff triple double as his Celtics defeated Jodie Meeks’ 76ers. The point guard was coming off of a rough Game 6 performance in which he scored just nine points and handed out only six assists, a playoff low.
Rondo and Boston now face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, already facing an 0-1 deficit to the defending Eastern Conference Champions.
