Senior athletes’ career overviews, wrap-up of seasons

May 02, 2017

Gabbie Matl

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      For athletes at UCCS, maintaining a high GPA throughout their college careers isn’t the only aspect of their time that will matter once they graduate.

     An athlete’s performance in their sport is something to be proud of, and these senior athletes will walk away with both their diploma and possibly a national ranking in an athletic championship.

     By their senior year, athletes have compiled a list of records for their personal goals, UCCS and sometimes in the state or in the nation.

     Each senior is highlighted with their accomplishments here:

Blake Young

     Blake Young has played for the men’s golf team for four years, racking up 4,252 total strokes with a 77.31 stroke average. He has had one top five finish and one top 10 finish during his time playing at UCCS.

Dylan Mitchell

     Senior Dylan Mitchell is a four-year member of the men’s golf team. He has a career stroke average of 77.44 with 4,182 total strokes, one top five finishes and two top 10 finishes.

Zach Berhost

     Senior Zach Bernhost transferred from a school in Nevada for his sophomore year. Since then, he has hit a total of 5,859 strokes with a career stroke average of 77.09.

     He has had one top five finish and four top 10 finishes at tournaments during his time at UCCS.

Forre Zook

     Forre Zook has represented UCCS for four years, hitting a total of 5,325 strokes with an 85.89 stroke average. She has had two, top five finishes and three top 10 finishes at tournaments.

Raquell Castillo

     Senior Raquell Castillo has played for the women’s golf team for all four years of her education, hitting a total of 5,728 strokes in her career at UCCS.

     With an 84.24 stroke average, she has had one top five finish and three top 10 finishes.

Amanda Crites

     Amanda Crites has an 86.80 stroke average on the women’s golf team. She has hit 4,427 total strokes and has had two top 10 finishes over her four-year career

Claire Nibbe

     Catcher and third baseman Claire Nibbe is a leader on the field, with a .339 batting average and .505 slugging percentage.

     She is fourth on the team with runs scored at 17 and third in hits with 37.

     Nibbe has a .920 career fielding percentage and is second on the team this season in assists at 56.

Megan Duffy

     Senior utility player Megan Duffy has competed for four years. With a career batting average of .375, .500 slugging average and a .431 on base percentage, Duffy has been a leader in the offensive side of the game.

Stephanie Chitkowski

     Senior pitcher Stephanie Chitkowski, another four-year athlete, currently holds a career fielding average of .971 and a 5.58 ERA. Chitkowski also has the most innings pitched for this season at 116.1.

Nikki Hoffman

     Niakki Hoffman has been a four-year infielder for the softball team.

     With a career-batting average of .361, a career slugging percentage of .493, and a career on base percentage of .440 with 23 runs for the season, she has been a leader on the offensive side of the game.

     She has also had a strong defensive presence, and is third on the team this season in assists at 43 with a career fielding percentage of .945.

Chelsea Martus

     Middle distance runner Chelsea Martus is a four-year women’s cross country and track and field teams.

     Martus competed in the Mt. Sac Relays in California, where she was only .03 seconds away from earning a provisional qualifying mark in the nationals.

     Later in the season, Martus came in first in the 800 meter at the Colorado Mines Nature’s Bakery Invite, earning a provisional qualifying time of 2:13.18.

Corey Brown

     Senior Corey Brown is a Colorado Springs local, and is a four-year distance runner for the men’s cross country and track and field teams.

     Brown has had multiple top 10 finishes at meets this year, and some of his best times include a 31:09.40 in the 10,000 meter, a 4:33.53 in the mile and a 14:54.14 in the 5000 meter

Mitch Klomp

     Distance runner Mitch Klomp is four-year athlete who has been competing for the track and field program as well as the men’s cross country team.

     Klomp’s best times include a 33:36.18 in the 10,000 meter and a 15:19.53 in the 5,000 meter.

Seth Polich

     Distance runner Seth Polich has represented UCCS for the last four years. Polich’s best times include 15:15.91 in the 5000 meter and 9:17.20 in the 3000 meter.