University of Connecticut Athletics
BIG EAST honors for Gjertsen and Graczyk
9/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
STORRS, CT (September 24)-University of Connecticut women’s soccer team members Jessica Gjertsen (Stony Plain, Alberta) and Kristen Graczyk (Albuquerque, NM) were named BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, by the conference on Monday afternoon.
Gjertsen, a sophomore transfer from Memphis, scored three goals this week as the Huskies went 2-0 in BIG EAST play. She notched two goals against St. John’s in the Huskies’ 5-0 rout on Sept. 19 and followed it up with a score against Virginia Tech on Sept. 23, a game UConn won 2-0. She also recorded the game-winning goals in each contest and has a team-best three game winners on the season. She shared the award with West Virginia's Chrissie Abbott.
Graczyk, a freshman forward from La Cueva High School, also scored three goals this week. Like Gjertsen, she netted a pair of goals against St. John’s and another against Virginia Tech. Graczyk also recorded an assist on Gjertsen’s game-winning goal against the Hokies. She now leads both the team and the conference in scoring with six goals and two assists for 14 points.
This week’s awards mark the second time this season each has earned conference honors. Gjertsen was named Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending Sept. 2, while Graczyk has earned back-to-back Rookie of the Week nods. The BIG EAST did not give out conference awards last week, so Graczyk received her first recognition for the week ending Sept. 9.
The Connecticut women’s soccer team will be back in action on Friday, September 28 at 7 p.m. The Huskies, who stand 5-2-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the conference, will travel to Miami to face the nationally-ranked Hurricanes at Cobb Stadium.
