Eight Buffs Named To MPSF All-Academic Team

BOULDER – Colorado's lacrosse team had eight student-athletes named to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation all-academic team on Thursday. Perri Baker, Sarah Brown, Carly Cox, Maddie DeWinter, Kelsie Garrison, Darby Kiernan, Marie Moore and Paige Soenksen were all selected for their combination of academic excellence and performance on the field.

To qualify, student-athletes must have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average or better, be at least a sophomore academically, have completed at least one full year at their current institution prior to the start of the season, and have competed in at least 50 percent of their team's games.

Baker, a junior from Bay Shore, N.Y., has a 3.17 GPA and is majoring in business administration with an emphasis in finance. She appeared in 10 games this season as a midfielder and had two ground balls, two draw controls and two caused turnovers.

Brown, a sophomore from Boulder, Colo., has a 3.56 GPA and is majoring in advertising with a minor in environmental design. She earned first-team all-MPSF this season and was named second-team all-region by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association as a defender. She started all 18 games and broke the school record with 29 caused turnovers and also had 46 draw controls, 24 ground balls and six assists. She currently ranks 35th nationally in caused turnovers per game and led CU to the ninth-best scoring defense in the country this season.

Cox, a sophomore from Bay Shore, N.Y., has a 3.54 GPA and is majoring in advertising with a minor in communication. She started all 18 games at attacker and was third on the team with 39 points and 26 goals, while finishing second with 13 assists. She attempted 40 shots, including 36 on goal.

DeWinter, a junior from Parker, Colo., has a 3.91 GPA and is majoring in chemical and biological engineering. She played in nine games as a reserve midfielder, recording two goals and one assist for three points. She also had six ground balls and caused three turnovers.

Garrison, a sophomore from Westlake Village, Calif., has a 3.24 GPA and is majoring in broadcast journalism with a minor in communication. She started all 18 games as a defender and finished second on the team with 39 ground balls and also had 22 caused turnovers and 13 draw controls. She scored her first goal of the season in the quarterfinals of the MPSF Tournament in a win over Oregon.

Kiernan, a sophomore from Ridgewood, N.J., has a 3.30 GPA and is majoring in international affairs. She was named first-team all-MPSF and started all 18 games as an attacker. She led the Buffaloes with 36 goals and 47 points and was third with 11 assists. She also attempted 79 shots, including 64 on goal, and had 49 draw controls and 21 ground balls. Kiernan finished the year fifth in the conference in goals and seventh in points.

Moore, a junior from Brick, N.J., has a 3.43 GPA and is majoring in psychology with a minor in leadership. She was named first-team all-MPSF and second-team all-region by the coaches' association. She started all 18 games as a midfielder and led the team with 51 draw controls and added 30 ground balls, 24 caused turnovers, 13 goals and nine assists.

Soenksen, a junior from Encinitas, Calif., has a 3.94 GPA and is a double-major in international affairs and Chinese. She was a second-team all-MPSF selection and started all 18 games at goalkeeper. She posted a 7.23 goals-against average and made 109 saves for a .464 save percentage. She helped CU to the ninth-best scoring defense in the country this season. Soenksen was second in the conference with a school-record 49 ground balls, and was also second in GAA and third in save percentage.

Colorado finished its third season of lacrosse with a 13-5 record, including 7-2 in the MPSF to finish third.