Colorado University Athletics
Top Moments From 2019
December 12, 2019 | Cross Country, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Tennis, Track and Field, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Volleyball, Skiing
Jones Wins 5K National Championship
December 31, 2019Dani Jones won the 5,000-meter title at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in May. She became the first CU female athlete to win a national championship in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, and joined Jenny Simpson as the second female to win four total national championships.
Schwartz's 3-Pointer Buries No. 13 Dayton
December 30, 2019D'Shawn Schwartz nailed a 3-pointer as time expired as CU upset No. 13 Dayton 78-76 on Dec. 21 in Chicago. It was the highest-ranked team CU has beaten away from the CU Events Center since 1990. McKinley Wright IV scored 29 points in the win.
The game also overshadowed another top moment for men's basketball from 2019--it's strong run to end the 2018-19 season, which included 12 wins in 15 games and reaching the third round of the NIT.
Klecker Leads Buffs To Pac-12 Title
December 29, 2019Joe Klecker won CU's first men's individual Pac-12 men's cross country championship and led the team to its seventh title. It was the first individual conference championships for a CU men's runner since 2007 in the Big 12, and the first team title since 2016. He also went on to finished second at the NCAA Championships and led the team to a third-place finish there.
Dengerud Wins NCAA Skiing Championship
December 28, 2019Freshman Erik Dengerud won the NCAA freestyle skiing championship in March, becoming just the third freshman in school history to win the event, and the seventh ever to win an NCAA freestyle title. He helped the Buffs to a third-place finish at the NCAA Skiing Championships and earned first-team All-America in freestyle and second-team in classical events.
Football Upsets No. 25 Nebraska in Overtime
December 27, 2019CU rallied back from a 17-0 halftime deficit to shock No. 25 Nebraska 34-31 in overtime at Folsom Field on Sept. 7. The win was the second in a row for the Buffs between the former Big 12 rivals. Jaren Mangham (twice), K.D. Nixon and Tony Brown each scored touchdowns n the second half and James Stefanou added a pair of field goals to clinch the win. It was the second straight over a rival for first-year head coach Mel Tucker after beating Colorado State in the season opener.
CU Tops No. 15 Stanford in 100th Game in Program History
December 26, 2019CU lacrosse earned a 20-13 win over No. 15 Stanford on March 8, the 100th game in program history. The program's all-time win/loss record after the game was 67-33, and the win was sparked by seven goals by senior Samantha Nemirov. In six season of lacrosse at CU, the Buffs have now reached the NCAA Tournament three straight times.
CU Reaches Second Round of NCAA Tournament
December 25, 2019CU's soccer team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 6-0 win over Northern Colorado in the first round. The six goals scored were the most ever for the Buffs in a postseason game. The team finished the year 12-8-2 after a 2-0 second-round loss to No. 1 seed North Carolina.
Buffs Earn 25 All-America Awards In Track & XC
December 24, 2019CU's cross country and track teams earned a combined 25 All-America awards between indoor and outdoor track & field, and cross country in 2019. Highlights included Joe Klecker earning two first-team honors and a combined 14 points at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, the most ever for a CU track athlete at a championship event. Dani Jones also captured the women's outdoor 5K title at nationals, while Klecker finished runner-up at cross country nationals. Also at cross country nationals, Sage Hurta became the second CU female athlete to earn All-America honors four times in cross country.
Tennis Team Upsets No. 28 Washington State
December 23, 2019CU's tennis team pulled off its biggest win in more than a decade, upsetting 28th-ranked Washington State 4-3 on March 10. It was also a signature win for first-year head coach Danielle Steinberg. After earning the doubles point, the Buffs pulled off the upset with singles wins from senior Annabelle Andrinopoulos and freshmen Sara Nayar and Tallulah Farrow.
Roy Edwards Becomes CU's Winningest Men's Golf Coach
December 22, 2019CU men's golf coach Roy Edwards became the winningest coach in school history as the Buffs won their 17th major tournament under his leadership. He passed the late Mark Simpson, who won 16 major tournaments between 1977 and 2005. Edwards is in his 13th season as head coach for the Buffs.
Women's Basketball Starts Season 11-0
December 21, 2019Perfect start had key wins over CSU, Wyoming and Wisconsin CU's women's basketball team is off to a perfect start to the 2019-20 season, 11-0 to be exact. The team has pulled off wins over rivals CSU, Wyoming and Denver, along with a Power Five victory against Wisconsin.
This all comes despite being a young and inexperienced squad, one of only eight teams in the country with just three or fewer returning upperclassmen on the roster.
Hodgkins Qualifies for Third NCAA Regional
December 20, 2019Kirsty Hodgkins qualified for the NCAA regional in women's golf for the third time in her third season with the Buffs. She finished 15th at the tournament, one stroke away from qualifying for nationals. The 2018-19 season was Hodgkins's first as the team's No. 1 golfer and her stroke average of 73.94 was ninth-best in CU history.
All-Time Greats Kornieck And Tompkins Graduate
December 19, 2019Taylor Kornieck and Jalen Tompkins have been two of best soccer players ever at CU for the past four years. The two wrapped up their careers this fall with three NCAA Tournaments and a 52-24-10 record. Kornieck is now CU's career points record holder, while Tompkins owns nearly every goalkeeping record.
Volleyball Upsets No. 5 Illinois
December 18, 2019CU volleyball enjoyed a pair of big road victories in 2019, sweeping No. 5 Illinois and No. 23 UCLA. The win over Illinois was just the second sweep of a top-five opponent in school history, and was highlighted by 16 kills from senior Justine Spann. As a team, CU hit .462, its highest hitting percentage in a match since 2014.
Lacrosse Graduates Three All-Time Greats
December 17, 2019CU's 2019 senior class for lacrosse produced 54 wins, three NCAA Tournament appearances, and a Pac-12 title. But three players stood out as Miranda Stinson, Samantha Nemirov and Olivia Aschman's names decorate CU's record books. All three players earned all-region honors as seniors and played important roles in the team's success over their four years.
Men's Basketball Wins Pac-12 China Game
December 16, 2019CU's men's basketball team opened the season with an 81-71 win over Arizona in the Pac-12 China Game in Shanghai. It was CU's first-ever appearance in the Pac-12 China Game and the team was led by strong performances by McKinley Wright IV (17 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Tyler Bey (15 points, 12 rebounds) as four Buffs were in double figures in scoring.
The win sparked a 7-0 start to the season and the team is currently 8-2.
Women's Golf's Solid Fall Season
December 15, 2019CU's women's golf team got the 2019-20 season off to a strong start in the fall, finishing in the top half of three of the team's five tournaments. Additionally, three different golfers had top-10 finishes in those five tournaments, including two runner-ups from senior Kirsty Hodgkins.
Mikaela Tommy's Epic Freshman Skiing Season
December 14, 2019CU skier Mikaela Tommy put together an incredible freshman season in 2019, earning two first-team All-America honors in the slalom and giant slalom, and being named Colorado Collegiate Skier of the Year. But that wasn't her most impressive achievement. Tommy became the first CU skier in the program's storied history to win the first three races of their career in one discipline as she took home first place in her first three career giant slalom races.
Sara Nayar's Spring and Fall Tennis Seasons
December 13, 2019CU tennis player Sara Nayar had an incredible freshman season for the Buffs in the spring of 2019 and carried that success into the fall, where she reached the finals of the ITA Mountain Region Championships in singles and paired with Monica Malinen to get to the quarterfinals of the ITA All-American Championships in doubles. The duo upset the No. 5-ranked team in the country before bowing out to the seventh-ranked pair.
After joining the team in January, she led the Buffs to their best record ever in the Pac-12 and had a 13-9 record during the spring, including an 8-7 mark at No. 1 singles with four Pac-12 victories.
