Colorado University Athletics
Colorado Lacrosse Earns IWLCA Academic Honor Squad Award
July 24, 2024 | Lacrosse
BOULDER – The Colorado lacrosse team earned Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Academic Honor Squad laurels on Wednesday, July 24. As one of 325 teams chosen across all three NCAA Divisions and the NAIA, this becomes the seventh time that the Buffs have earned Academic Honor Squad status.
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Five Buffs were also among 1,163 student-athletes from 113 different institutions honored on the 2024 IWLCA Division I Academic Honor Roll. Among those Buffs are graduate student attacker Eve Hritzuk (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Vimy Ridge Academy), junior attacker Samantha Lipka (Derwood, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross), senior attacker Morgan Pence (Great Falls, Va./Georgetown Visitation Preparatory), senior attacker Madeline Pisani (Clarendon, Ill./Hinsdale Central HS) and senior midfielder Sydney Zimmerman (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS).
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The individual award requires student-athletes to be at least a junior, senior or graduate student and have earned a cumulative academic GPA of 3.50 or greater. A women's lacrosse team must have posted a 3.2 or higher team GPA for the 2023-24 academic year to qualify as an Academic Honor Squad.
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Colorado was previously chosen as an IWLCA Academic Honor Squad in 2014, '16, '17, '18, '19, '22 and '23. Hritzuk is on the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll for the third time (2022, 2023), while Pence, Pisani and Zimmerman appeared on the honor roll for the second time (2023) in their careers. Lipka makes her debut with this year's academic honor roll selection.
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In 2024, the Buffs (13-6, 5-2 Pac-12) came in second in the Pac-12 conference after falling to Stanford, 11-8, in the Pac-12 Championship match. Colorado ended the season ranked 20th in the USA Lacrosse poll and 22nd in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll. Senior attacked Madeline Pisani and sophomore defender Jess Peluso were both earned USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America Honorable Mentions at the end of the 2024 season, and four Buffs were chosen for the All-Pac-12 Team. The Buffs are coached by 11th-year head coach Ann Elliott Whidden 122-67 (.646), who was named IWLCA West/Midwest Region Coach of the Year (2017 and '18), was the 2018 Pac-12 Coach of the Year and 2017 MPSF Coach of the Year.
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For more information on the Colorado women's lacrosse team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team on Instagram and on Twitter @CUBuffsWLax.
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Five Buffs were also among 1,163 student-athletes from 113 different institutions honored on the 2024 IWLCA Division I Academic Honor Roll. Among those Buffs are graduate student attacker Eve Hritzuk (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Vimy Ridge Academy), junior attacker Samantha Lipka (Derwood, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross), senior attacker Morgan Pence (Great Falls, Va./Georgetown Visitation Preparatory), senior attacker Madeline Pisani (Clarendon, Ill./Hinsdale Central HS) and senior midfielder Sydney Zimmerman (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS).
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The individual award requires student-athletes to be at least a junior, senior or graduate student and have earned a cumulative academic GPA of 3.50 or greater. A women's lacrosse team must have posted a 3.2 or higher team GPA for the 2023-24 academic year to qualify as an Academic Honor Squad.
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Colorado was previously chosen as an IWLCA Academic Honor Squad in 2014, '16, '17, '18, '19, '22 and '23. Hritzuk is on the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll for the third time (2022, 2023), while Pence, Pisani and Zimmerman appeared on the honor roll for the second time (2023) in their careers. Lipka makes her debut with this year's academic honor roll selection.
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In 2024, the Buffs (13-6, 5-2 Pac-12) came in second in the Pac-12 conference after falling to Stanford, 11-8, in the Pac-12 Championship match. Colorado ended the season ranked 20th in the USA Lacrosse poll and 22nd in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll. Senior attacked Madeline Pisani and sophomore defender Jess Peluso were both earned USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America Honorable Mentions at the end of the 2024 season, and four Buffs were chosen for the All-Pac-12 Team. The Buffs are coached by 11th-year head coach Ann Elliott Whidden 122-67 (.646), who was named IWLCA West/Midwest Region Coach of the Year (2017 and '18), was the 2018 Pac-12 Coach of the Year and 2017 MPSF Coach of the Year.
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For more information on the Colorado women's lacrosse team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team on Instagram and on Twitter @CUBuffsWLax.
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