Sun Athletes of the Week: Chris Gifford and Ashli Kimenker

Thursday, Feb. 15, 2001 | 10:04 a.m.

Named on Feb. 15, 2001

Male Athlete of the Week: CHRIS GIFFORD

School: Las Vegas

Class: Freshman

Sport: Wrestling

Last week: Gifford, the Wildcats' 160-pounder, captured an individual title at last weekend's 4A Sunrise Region Tournament, helping his squad edge out rival Rancho for the team championship. In the finals, Gifford posted his first victory over Basic's Aaron Martinez in four tries this season, pinning his opponent -- a fourth-place finisher at last year's 4A State meet -- in 2:35. "Martinez is so tough, I didn't know if Chris would beat him, especially like that," Wildcats coach Joe LaRocco said. "Chris is just a real talented athlete, his reflexes are so quick and he's got a great wrestling background."

Female Athlete of the Week: ASHLI KIMENKER

School: Centennial

Class: Junior

Sport: Soccer

Last week: Kimenker, a starting forward, scored four goals to lead the Bulldogs to a pair of victories and the 4A Sunset Region championship. In Wednesday's semifinal round, Kimenker found the net three times to lift the Bulldogs to a 4-1 win over Durango, earning them a spot in this week's Clark County Tournament. Then with Centennial trailing Bishop Gorman 1-0 in Saturday's Sunset finale, Kimenker tallied her 23rd goal of the year with 10 minutes left to tie things up and set the table for Nickie Olson's game-winner. "Ashli is real good on our set plays, especially the long throw-in we have," Bulldogs coach Jay Howard said. "She's a real aggressive, physical player and she puts a lot of pressure on the defense and forces a lot of mistakes."