Buffaloes Honor Student-Athlete Academic Success

Lacrosse Impressive Academic Performance Award

The lacrosse team won the Impressive Academic Performance Award for their actions in the classroom and Herbst Academic Center

April 07, 2026 | Cross Country, Football, General, Tennis, Track and Field, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Volleyball, Skiing, Herbst Academic Center

By: Troy Andre, Associate Director/Athletic Communications

BOULDER – University of Colorado Athletics celebrated another banner year in the classroom Tuesday at the 34th Annual Student-Athlete Recognition Ceremony at the Touchdown Club in the Dal Ward Athletic Center.

Colorado student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom. Through the Fall 2025 term, all varsity sport programs have a cumulative GPA above 3.0. The Buffaloes earned the highest Fall semester GPA in team history with a 3.296 and the overall student-athlete cumulative GPA sits at a resounding 3.274 through the last term.

The GPA of Colorado student-athletes as a whole has exceeded the campus student body mark for eight consecutive semesters. On Tuesday, the Buffaloes recognized special award recipients and honored 53 student-athletes with a perfect 4.0 GPA for the Spring 2025 and/or Fall 2025 semesters.

Phoebe Rogala, a sophomore midfielder on the lacrosse team was honored with the Charging Buffalo Award, given to a student-athlete who has faced significant hardships during their academic journey, demonstrates growth through persistence and displays exceptional resilience to succeed academically.

Last year, Phoebe experienced a devastating and unexpected loss. In the days and weeks that followed, she showed a level of strength and fortitude as she navigated through her grief. Her resilience, strength, and ability to move forward during an unimaginably difficult time perfectly embodies the spirit of the Charging Buffalo Award.

Yahya Attia (Football), Alaina Fantaski (Women's Track & Field) and Cathinka Lunder (Women's Skiing) earned the Kris Livingston Motivated to Succeed Award. Named in honor of Colorado's long-time Executive Senior Associate AD and Director of the Herbst Center who retired following the 2024-25 academic year, the Kris Livingston Motivated to Succeed Award is presented to a student-athlete who is self-reflective, coachable and makes good decisions that allow them to improve and maintain their academic performance every day.

Lunder, a native of Norway, has successfully navigated the transition to American culture and language, as well as the expectations of academics and athletic competition, through her work ethic and dedication. She advocated for herself, utilizing all the resources available to her, including tutoring, office hours and meetings with the Herbst Academic Center Staff.

Willow Gretsch (Tennis) and Quency Wiggins (Football) earned the Most Improved Student-Athlete Award. Given to at least one underclass and one senior student-athlete, the honor is for those who demonstrate exceptional growth over their previous terms.

Gretsch, a junior from Los Angeles, overcame a challenging freshman year academically in 2023-24, by building better habits such as organization, staying ahead of her work, and reducing missing assignments. Even more importantly, she found her voice. She started communicating with her professors, advocating for herself, and taking ownership of her academic experience.

"This award is not just about grades, it's about transformation," said assistant director of academics Haley Major in presenting this award. "It's about the courage to confront challenges and the commitment to grow through those challenges. Willow's journey at CU began with obstacles that tested her both academically and personally. Like many students adjusting to new demands in college, she experienced moments of overwhelm that made it difficult to fully engage outside of structured support."

Since her sophomore year, Gretsch has maintained a GPA above 3.0, demonstrating not just consistency, but true academic independence and maturity. Her relationship with academic support evolved as well, which, once may have felt like a requirement, became a resource she embraced with purpose and trust.

Three student-athletes were presented with the Morgan Family Buff Club Scholar-Athlete Awards, given to the sophomore, junior and seniors with the highest cumulative GPA. The winners, awarded by academic year, are:
Jenna Morley, Sophomore, Lacrosse (Communication)
Danny Tragarz, Junior, Track & Field (Environmental Engineering)
Luka Riley, Senior, Skiing, (Mechanical Engineering)

Three student-athletes were honored with the RAPID Core Values Award, which is awarded to at least one underclass student-athlete and at least one senior student-athlete who embody the Athletic Department's core values of Respect, Accountability, Passion, Integrity, and Dedication while succeeding academically during their participation in athletics.

Luke Dry (Track & Field) and Ben Finneseth (Football) were the senior RAPID Core Values Award winners, while Sydney Jordan, a junior pin attacker on the volleyball team, was the underclass recipient.

Jordan was honored for consistently demonstrating the utmost respect to all she crosses paths with—coaches and staff, teammates, opponents, and the game itself.

"Sydney truly understands that character is revealed not just in victory, but in how you carry yourself every single day through both the ups and downs, both on the court and in the classroom," said Curtis Williams, academic coordinator for volleyball, in presenting the award. "She shows accountability by putting in the work, staying disciplined, and taking ownership of both her achievements and her challenges. She does not make excuses—she makes progress."

William Bentley (Men's Skiing), Logyn Greer (Women's Basketball) and Yukiko Ikedo (Tennis) received the Academic Promise Award, presented to a freshman student-athlete who demonstrates the dedication and commitment needed to succeed academically while participating in athletics.

Ikedo, a native of Gifu, Japan, was honored for embracing the challenge of a new language and culture, actively seeking support through the Herbst Academic Center's Learning Services Program. Her efforts paid off, earning an outstanding 3.636 GPA in her first semester, reflecting both her ability and her commitment to excellence.

The soccer team received the Most Improved Team GPA Award for improving from a 3.073 cumulative GPA in the Fall of 2024 to a 3.378 GPA in the Fall 2025 term. The program recorded its best fall-term GPA during its NCAA Sweet 16 run this past season, at 3.553.

The lacrosse team won the Impressive Academic Performance Award for their actions in the classroom and Herbst Academic Center. Lacrosse posted its highest GPA ever during its Spring 2025 season, at 3.733. The program had its 23^rd consecutive semester over a 3.0 in the Fall 2025 term (3.563) and 17^th straight over a 3.2.

The 53 student-athletes who achieved a 4.0 GPA in the spring 2024 and/or fall 2025 semesters represent 13 different sports at CU are:

Louison Accambray, Skiing, Political Science
Lera Alexin, Tennis, Biochemistry
Kati Baeuerle, XC/Track, Biochemistry
William Bentley, Skiing, Integrative Physiology
Avery Bolles, Volleyball, Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences/Linguistics
TJ Branch, Football, Exploratory Studies
Amelia Byerly, Lacrosse, Creative Technology and Design
Camden Dempsey, Football, Finance/Marketing
Jake Derouin, XC/Track, Creative Technology and Design
Elena Exenberger, Skiing, Psychology/Media Studies
Gage Goldberg, Football, Sociology
Elena Grissom, Skiing, Integrative Physiology
Kendall Havill, Lacrosse, Organizational Leadership
Danielle Heintz, Lacrosse, Mechanical Engineering
Will Houser, Track & Field, Applied Mathematics
Wil Ihmels, XC/Track, Environmental Studies
Joshua Johnson, Track & Field, Mechanical Engineering
Reagan Kotschau, Soccer, Communication
Aubrey Leneweaver, Track & Field, Information Science
Samantha Lipka , Lacrosse, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Astri Lunde, Skiing, Finance
Greer Maguire, Soccer, Organizational Leadership
Alexander Maurer, Skiing, Civil Engineering
Lexi Meyer, Soccer, Finance
Morgan Miller, Women's Golf, Strategic Communication
Selma Nevin, Skiing, Economics
Jordan Nytes, Soccer, Sociology
Charlie Offerdahl, Football, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology
Amanda Opp, Track & Field, Master of the Environment
Cristiano Palazzo, Football, Integrative Physiology
Teemapat Pateetin, Women's Golf, Integrative Physiology
Madeline Pisani, Lacrosse, Organizational Leadership
Hannah Prosser, XC/Track, Psychology
Pia Rebec, Tennis, Biochemistry
Molly Reed, Lacrosse, Media Studies
Jack Reich, Skiing, Finance
Luka Riley, Skiing, Mechanical Engineering
Charles Robertson, XC/Track, Integrative Physiology
Rachel Rosen, Soccer, Organizational Leadership
Allie Routledge, Track & Field, Organizational Leadership
Hannah Saethereng, Skiing, Finance
Tyler Scholl, XC/Track, Strategic Communication
Taylor Simpson, Volleyball, Finance
Hannah Soria, Skiing, Creative Technology and Design
Lola Stanley, Soccer, Communication
Mila Stanojevic, Tennis, Biochemistry
Emilea Stepaniuk, Volleyball, Integrative Physiology
Danny Tragarz, Track & Field, Environmental Engineering
Ananthi Vivek, Women's Golf, Economics
Briley Volpp, Lacrosse, Finance
Charlie Welch, XC/Track, Integrative Physiology
Kindyll Wetta, Women's Basketball, Integrative Physiology
Lilian Zamorano, Soccer, Sociology