Gymnast Nicole Kilpatrick Named Utah State Athlete of the Week

Utah State gymnast Nicole Kilpatrick was named Utah State's Athlete of the Week, it was announced on Monday. Kilpatrick was unanimously selected for the honor by a local media panel.

Kilpatrick, a senior from Ringwood, N.J., recorded a career high all-around score en route to leading Utah State to its second best all-time score Friday against Utah, as the Aggies posted a 196.150. Kilpatrick finished second in the all-around with a 39.475, the fourth-best all-around score in USU history. She also posted a career score on bars with a 9.875, scored a 9.900 on floor, 9.875 on vault and 8.825 on beam. She was USU's only competitor to finish among the top three in events against the No. 4-ranked Utes, tying for second on vault and taking third on floor.

This year, Kilpatrick is leading the Aggies on bars and floor with averages of 9.800 and 9.863, respectively. She is second on vault with an average of 9.756 and third on beam with an average of 9.719.

Kilpatrick also stacks up well against other gymnasts in the nation. She is currently ranked 36th in the country with an all-around average of 39.138. Her floor average of 9.863 is currently ranked 35th nationally.

This week, the Aggies travel to NC State for a four-team invitational with NC State, Rhode Island and William and Mary. The meet at NC State will begin at 5 p.m. (MST).

Nominees from other sports...

Men's Track -- Justin Wickard... Wickard set the all-time Utah State record in the 60m hurdles at the Boise State Invitational with a time of 7.90, edging his old record of 7.92, set two weeks ago at Air Force. Wickard's victory in the meet marked the second week in a row he has taken first place.

Women's Track -- Melanie (McClellan) Marek... Marek placed third in the 3000-meter at the Boise State Invitational with a time of 10:21.98. Her time moved her into 10th place on the USU all-time indoor records.

Basketball -- Spencer Nelson... Nelson led Utah State to a road split this past weekend as he scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds against UC Santa Barbara and then had 15 points and five rebounds against Cal Poly. Against the Mustangs, Nelson scored the Aggies' first six points of the game and the final four for USU as the rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final six minutes to notch the win. For the week, Nelson shot 60 percent from the field and averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Women's Tennis -- Richelle Ferguson... Ferguson posted a victory for the Aggies at No. 4 singles, as the Aggies fell to Idaho State on Wednesday. Ferguson is now 2-1 on the spring season, which is tied for the best record on the team.

Men's Tennis -- Brandon Butler... Butler posted a victory for the Aggies in their 5-2 loss at Idaho State on Thursday. With the win, Butler became the first Aggie to record three wins on the spring season.

Previous Winners-

Sept. 2 - Erin Cartwright, Volleyball
Sept. 9 - Lacey (Miles) Poulton, Soccer
Sept. 16 - Jose Fuentes, Football
Sept. 23 - Mitch Zundel, Cross Country
Sept. 30 - Amber Tracy, Soccer
Oct. 7 - Mike Nielson, Cross Country
Oct. 14 - Erin Cartwright, Volleyball
Oct. 21 - Jose Fuentes, Football
Oct. 28 - Erin Cartwright, Volleyball
Nov. 4 - Mitch Zundel, Cross Country
Nov. 11 - Jose Fuentes, Football
Nov. 18 - James Samuel, Football
Nov. 25 - Mark Brown, Basketball
Dec. 2 - Mark Brown, Basketball
Dec. - Desmond Penigar, Basketball
Jan. 13 - Spencer Nelson, Basketball
Jan. 20 - Meagan Nelson, Gymnastics
Jan. 27 - Meagan Nelson, Gymnastics
Feb. 3 - Desmond Penigar, Basketball