Sports briefs

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Toolson, Fairbanks win their fifth Player of the Week Award

Utah Valley’s Ryan Toolson has been named the men’s NCAA Division I Independent Player of the Week for his performance in last week’s games. The award is Toolson’s fifth weekly honor.

In Utah Valley’s lone game last week, Toolson scored a career-high 38 points in the Wolverines’ 99-89 overtime win over Chicago State. The 38 points ties former UV standout (and current NBA guard) Ronnie Price’s single-game school scoring record.

Toolson hit 11-of-17 shots from the field, 3-of-5 from three-point range and all 13 foul shots attempted.

With less than two minutes remaining in the game and UV trailing by four, Toolson hit back-to-back contested threes; the second tied the game at 82 and was shot from a step beyond the NBA three-point line.

After scoring 30 in regulation, Toolson added eight in the overtime period. He added three rebounds, four assists and four steals while playing all 45 minutes.

Robyn Fairbanks

For the fifth time this season, Utah Valley’s Robyn Fairbanks has been named the Division I Independent Player of the Week. It’s the 13th time that the reigning independent player of the year has won the weekly award.

Fairbanks averaged 21.5 points and 11.0 rebounds while shooting an incredible 73.1 percent (19-for-26) from the field while leading the Wolverines (15-7) to two wins last week.

Fairbanks finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-12 from the field in a 78-69 win over NJIT. She followed that with another double-double of 23 points and 12 boards in a 70-52 win over Texas-Pan American.

She has now recorded 10 double-doubles on the season and 30 for her career and has also scored at least 20 points in 10 consecutive games.

Her season average of 24.0 points per game ranks her 5th in the nation among Division I players, while she is 15th in field goal percentage (.573) and 19th in rebounds per game (9.9).

The weekly independent awards are nominated and voted on by sports information directors at nine NCAA Division I independent schools.

Track

Utah Valley finished its 2007 indoor track season in record fashion as the Wolverines broke two school distance records while a number of athletes set personal record marks.

"We are very happy with this meet," UV associate head coach Kirke Adamson said. "It was a great way to finish our indoor season and carry momentum over to our outdoor season."

Utah Valley will send a partial team to the Weber State invitational next weekend to officially close out the indoor season.

The women’s medley team highlighted all UV performances when it broke the school’s record by nearly 20 seconds in cruising to a first-place finish.

Chelsea Baker ran the 400 meters, Alise Lindsey the 800, Chelsea Loss ran the 1200 and Karinne Bentley ran the 1600 meters in the Wolverines’ record-setting race. The team posted a time of 12:03.09, nearly 20 seconds better than the previous record of 12:22.30.

On the men’s side, school and personal records fell as well. Although feeling under the weather, Chase Englestead broke the school mile record. Englestead beat former UV standout Joe Bendoski’s record in the mile. Englestead ran the race in 4:10.62.

Not far behind him was Danny Moody who set a personal record in the mile with a time of 4:16.34. Moody also set a personal record in the 3000 meters, running a 15:13.

After sending a partial team to Weber State next weekend, the Wolverines will have a month off before starting their outdoor track season.