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 – Men’s tennis dominates at Ohio Valley RegionalsFollowing a trip to the Elite Eight in the spring, the men’s tennis team has backed up its post-season run with an exceptional fall. The four returners from last season’s rotation have shown improvement and some new players have emerged, culminating in an incredible performance over the past week at the Ohio Valley Regional Indoor Championships in Knoxville, Tenn.In singles play, five Wildcats (Eric Quigley, Alex Musialek, Tom Jomby, Anthony Rossi and Panav Jha) reached the quarterfinals, while Quigley and Musialek faced off in the finals. Musialek won the all-UK final 6-3, 6-3. UK’s top six players at the event went 27-5 total and only one of those losses came to a non-teammate. Quigley and Musialek, just minutes after playing in the singles final, teamed up in the doubles final, losing to a team from host Tennessee.Co-player of the week – CoShik Williams has career dayIn a much-needed 38-14 victory over Jacksonville State, junior running back CoShik Williams ran for 148 yards on just 22 carries. He anchored a UK rushing attack that rolled up 340 yards on the day and played a central role in ending the Cats’ four-game losing streak.With Raymond Sanders’ status for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State, Williams is in line to get even more opportunities in a big SEC matchup.Co-player of the week – Christine Hartmann earns SEC honorsJunior setter Christine Hartmann was in the middle of a UK attack that brought the No. 24 volleyball team to consecutive road victories over Georgia and Auburn. She had a double-double with 39 assists and 10 digs against the Bulldogs, also contributing six blocks to a UK defensive effort that set a new school record. Two days later, Hartmann set a career high with 53 assists, orchestrating a balanced attack that featured four players with 13 or more kills. For her efforts, Hartmann earned SEC Player of the Week honors.Hartmann and the Cats return home for a pair of matches in Memorial Coliseum this weekend, including a Sunday tilt with No. 13 Florida at 1:30 p.m. that will have major implications on the race for the SEC Championship.Game of the week – Rifle bests No. 9 Ole Miss in season openerHarry Mullins and the defending national champion UK rifle team are welcoming all comers in their title defense and it began with a season opener against ninth-ranked Ole Miss. The Rebels tied a school record with a score of 4654, but the No. 1 Cats bested them with a tally of 4680. Stacy Wheatley led the way with a career-best air rifle score of 592. On Sunday, rifle overcame another record performance from an opponent to defeat Nebraska.Play of the week – Martavius Neloms gets UK going with defensive touchdown
Tied 0-0 late in the first quarter against Jacksonville State, UK was struggling a bit and looking for something good to happen. Junior Martavius Neloms obliged when he came on a blitz from the secondary. He sacked Coty Blanchard, forced a fumble, recovered it himself and raced 40 yards for the first touchdown of his career. The Cats didn’t look back from there, racing to a 24-7 halftime lead and a 38-14 win.In his first season at safety after moving from cornerback, Neloms has excelled. He has 49 tackles on the season and has five pass breakups.The play is the first in the video above.Photo of the week – Women’s soccer Senior Day
Women’s soccer seniors Kelsey Hunyadi, Kiondra McGee, Jenna Goblirsch and Emily Rogers were honored before Sunday’s game against Ole Miss. Hunyadi scored the Cats’ lone goal. (Chet White, UK Athletics)
Alumnus/alumna of the week – Molly Johnson wins gold with team USAIn general, we try to switch up the winners of these awards from week to week, but let it be known that winning a gold medal in international competition is going to take this category almost every time.That’s exactly what former star shortstop and current UK assistant coach Molly Johnson did this weekend as Team USA upended Canada in the gold medal game on Sunday. Johnson was 2-for-2 in the final, capping an unbelievable tournament at the plate. She led the team with a batting average of .706 while making seven starts at shortstop. She also knocked in eight runs in leading an American offense that outscored opponents 78-8 in nine games.Johnson will next compete for a spot on the 2012 World Championship team beginning in January.