Colorado University Athletics
BUFFS EIGHTH IN CUP STANDINGS / MIDSEASON REPORT
BOULDER ? The University of Colorado is in eighth place in the final fall NACDA/United States Sports Academy Directors’ Cup Standings, as the Buffaloes rode a pair of national championships in cross country into their second best position in the final fall rankings.
Notre Dame leads a tight race with 337 points, followed by Michigan (333), Stanford (332) and Duke (327) as just 10 points separate the top four schools. The fifth through eighth schools are bunched together by just 22 points: UCLA (5th, 297), Maryland (6th, 280), Ohio State (7th, 286) and Colorado (8th, 275).
The Buffs earned 100 points each for national championships in men's and women's cross country, only the fourth sweep of those crowns by the same school in one year. CU also earned 50 points when the women's soccer team reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, and 25 more when volleyball earned an invitation to the NCAA postseason. Football, despite an 8-5 record, the Big 12 North Division title and a EV1.Net Houston Bowl win over UTEP, did not earn any points as only those schools that were the final Top 25 received points; CU was 31st in the coaches and 32nd in the Associated Press.
CU is atop the Big 12 standings, just ahead of Texas (9th, 262) but well up on Nebraska (31st, 137), Missouri (48th, 107) and Kansas and Texas A&M (tied for 49th, 100).
CU’s only better fall finish came in 2001, when the Buffs ranked fourth on the strength of a men's NCAA title in cross country, with an eighth place finish by the women, a No. 9 national ranking by the football team and the volleyball team reaching the final 32.
Here is a midseason update (as of January 19) on the athletic department and each individual sport program, along with a community relations summary for 2004:
Academics
Grade Point Averages
The cumulative grade point average of CU's 328 student-athletes in 2004-05 following the fall semester was 2.78, up .08 from the spring ’04 tabulation. Five of the 15 programs (indoor and outdoor track count as one) boasted 3.00 overall grade point averages or better, with three others at 2.99 and two more at 2.97 and 2.98; when rounding off, that’s 10 programs with 3.0 grade point averages. The men’s cross country team edged the women’s ski team by one-hundredths of a point (3.17 to 3.16) for best team GPA. The men’s tennis team had the greatest GPA jump (0.20), followed by volleyball (0.16). A look at where all programs stand through the spring semester:
3.17 Men’s Cross Country
3.16 Women’s Skiing
3.09 Men’s Skiing
3.04 Men’s Tennis
3.00 Women’s Cross Country
2.99 Women’s Golf
2.99 Men’s Track
2.99 Women’s Volleyball
2.98 Women’s Basketball
2.97 Women’s Track
2.89 Women’s Soccer
2.84 Women’s Tennis
2.77 Men’s Golf
2.38 Football
2.37 Men’s Basketball
The men’s and women’s ski teams had the best GPA for the fall semester only at 3.15. The combined GPA for all 15 programs for the fall 2004 term came in at 2.73 for the third straight semester, while the average number of hours passed was a healthy 13.1 per student-athlete, the second highest ever recorded for a single semester (the record of 13.3 was set last spring).
Fifty-seven percent of CU’s student athletes (188 of 328) owned cumulative grade point averages of 2.50 or better, with 34 percent (113) at or better than a 3.00 and 15 percent (49) in at or above 3.50.
Academic All-Americans & All-Big 12 Conference
The five fall sport teams (men’s and women’s cross country, football, soccer and volleyball) combined to have 33 student-athletes named to the Academic All-Big 12 Conference teams; the numbers included 26 first-team selections (3.20 or better grade point averages) and seven second-team (3.0-3.19 GPA). Cross country led the way with 16, as 11 men (nine on the first-team) and five women (all first-team) made the grade. Both junior Erik Heinonen and freshman Amber Smith (who ran in the NCAA Championship meet) turned in perfect 4.0 in-season semesters. Nine additional runners were in the 3.50-3.99 range while five additional cross country runners had a 3.25 or better. Soccer was next with eight (7/1), followed by football with seven (3/4) and volleyball (2/0).
CU had no Academic All-Americans, but nominations were submitted for Allison Barnes and Nicole Carr (volleyball), Ellen Falender (soccer), and Brian Daniels, Tom Hubbard and Dusty Sprague (football). However, Falender did earn Academic All-District honors.
Graduation Rate Info
Last fall, the NCAA released its annual graduate rate information, and the raw numbers showed Colorado to have a 48 percent rate for incoming scholarship freshman for the 1997-98 academic year (rates are computed on six-year cycles). However, the numbers must be scrutinized: the raw ones show 27 of 56 graduated in the allotted time frame; however, the number rises to 77 percent (27 of 35) for those who exhausted their eligibility while a CU student. What happened to the other 21? They transferred to other institutions, where it is unknown what progress they made for a degree; however, 17 of the 21 left in good academic standing. It is also important to note that schools do not receive credit for graduating transfers they pick up, either; so, the system is set up to look worse than it is, since transfers only can count against and never for a school in these surveys.
? CU’s graduation rate of student-athletes who exhaust their eligibility for the 10-year period between 1988-89 and 1997-98 is 83 percent.
On The Field & Courts
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball team stood at 8-6 midway into January, as the youthful Buffaloes are sewing their oats so-to-speak under head coach Ricardo Patton. The youngest CU team in a decade, CU at times has played very well, as evidenced in wins over the College of Charleston, California and Colorado State, but has also struggled at times in one-sided losses at Utah and Oklahoma. The team might have come of age in a 76-61 loss to No. 2 Kansas on January 15, as it was a four-point game with less than seven minutes remaining. Freshman sensation Richard Roby, the half-brother of Denver Nugget superstar Kenyon Martin, is leading the team in scoring with a 14.9 average, which if it holds would be one of the top five scoring averages by a freshman in CU history. Junior Chris Copeland is one of the nation’s top three-point shooters and is scoring at a 14.2 per game clip to backup Roby. Sophomore Marcus Hall is next at 12.0 points per game, with a career high 29 at Oregon State, which included tying the school record for the most consecutive points scored by the same player (20). The Buffs have been hard-pressed to replace three talented seniors, including center David Harrison, a first round draft pick by the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. One player who was making a difference was Julius Ashby, but he suffered a foot injury in early December and had missed seven games (CU has gone 3-4 without him). He is expected back the first part of February, if not sooner.
Women’s Basketball
Head coach Ceal Barry is enduring one of he most challenging seasons in her 22nd year at Colorado. The team was 8-7 through mid-January, including a 1-3 start in Big 12 Conference play. CU has three players averaging in double-figures: sophomore forward Anna Nedovic (11.1), freshman center Kara Richards (10.3) and senior guard Veronica Johns-Richardson (10.1). (Johns-Richardson, one of just two seniors on the team, earned her bachelor’s of science degree in business with a marketing emphasis last May and is currently pursuing a second degree in sociology.) Considering six of the 11 players on the roster are underclassmen, CU managed to rebound from three tough losses in the first part of the season to win five in a row, including over rival Colorado State and road games at Pacific and Washington. Barry has coached more games, meets or matches than any other coach in CU history (656 contests), and her teams have made 12 appearances in the NCAA Championships, including four straight trips.
Cross Country
For the first time in the program’s storied history, both men’s and women’s cross country teams went through the varsity schedule undefeated, winning their respective races in the Rocky Mountain Shootout, NCAA Pre-National Invitational, Big 12 (the men’s ninth and women’s eighth with 10 All-Big 12 performers), NCAA Mountain Region before upsetting both No. 1 ranked teams in the nation in both races to claim their second team titles, respectively, at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. The sweep marked just the fourth time in the history of the championships that one program swept both team crowns. The team’s national titles are the second won by both programs, as the CU women last won in 2000 and the men a year later.
Fifth year seniors Sara (Gorton) Slattery and Jon Severy became the only runners in their respective program’s history to be members of two national title teams, as both were true freshman when the Buffs claimed their first titles in 2000 and ’01, respectively. From that race a program best single season nine student-athletes earned All-American honors including NCAA runner-up Renee Metivier, Liza Pasciuto, Christine Bolf, Slattery (who became just the second women’s runner in the history of the program to have three cross country All-American titles) and Natalie Florence from the women’s team and Brent Vaughn, Bret Schoolmeester, Severy and Stephen Pifer from the men’s. When the dust had settled, Mark Wetmore was named the Big 12 Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year; NCAA Mountain Region Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year; NCAA Women’s National Coach of the Year. A 15-time Big 12 Coach of the Year in men’s and women’s cross country, his Buffaloes have won 17 of a possible 18 Big 12 Conference titles in the sport (9 men’s, 8 women’s).
Football
The Buffaloes surprised many a college football follower with an 8-5 finish in 2004, topped off by a 33-28 win over UTEP in the EV1.Net Houston Bowl. Colorado had several “fantastic finishes” on the season, with two right out of the gate: a heart-stopping 27-24 win over rival Colorado State in the opener and a 20-12 verdict at Washington State the following week, as both wins were preserved by goal-line stands in the final seconds. CU defeated North Texas, 52-21, the next week to mark the first-ever 3-0 start in Gary Barnett’s history as a head coach. However, October wasn’t nearly as friendly for CU, as the Buffs went 1-4 for the month, including a tough 29-26 overtime loss at Texas A&M. The Buffs, with a 1-4 mark in Big 12 play entering November, needed to win out and have four other things fall in place to win the North Division, and guess what? CU went 3-0, with road wins at Kansas and Nebraska, sandwiched around a 38-31 win over Kansas State in Boulder when quarterback Joel Klatt hit Ron Monteilh with a 64-yard touchdown pass with five seconds to play. The other four things happened, and the Buffs were rewarded with their third North title in four years and Barnett was named the Associated Press’ coach of the year.
CU was just outmanned in a 42-3 loss to Oklahoma in Kansas City for the Big 12 title, but rebounded to win the bowl game, it’s eighth bowl victory since 1990, the fourth most in the nation during this span. CU also owns the nation’s eighth best overall record since 1989 and the eighth best road record dating back to 1988. Standout performers for the season included senior tailback Bobby Purify, who finished his career as CU’s third all-time leading rusher; Jordon Dizon, the first inside linebacker and just the sixth player overall to start the season opener as a true freshman who went on to be named the Big 12’s freshman defensive player of the year; punter John Torp, who finished second individually in punting and led CU to its fifth NCAA punting title, the most by any school; placekicker Mason Crosby, CU’s lone all-Big 12 first-team performer, who set a school record with a 60-yard field goal against Iowa State and led the NCAA with six field goals of 50-plus yards; linebacker Brian Iwuh, the team leader in tackles; and linemen Brian Daniels and Sam Wilder on offense and Matt McChesney and Vaka Manupuna on defense.
The 2005 Colorado Schedule:
S 3 COLORADO STATE
S 10 NEW MEXICO STATE
S 24 at Miami, Fla.
O 1 at Oklahoma State
O 8 TEXAS A&M (Homecoming)
O 15 at Texas
O 22 KANSAS (Family Weekend)
O 29 at Kansas State
N 5 MISSOURI
N 12 at Iowa State
N 25 NEBRASKA
? The 2005 pring game is set for Saturday, April 23 (spring practice starts April 1).
Men’s Golf
For the first time in Mark Simpson’s 28 seasons as head coach, he doesn’t have a single senior on his team, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He’s got a “Fab Four” of juniors so-to-speak, and that group was largely responsible for the Buffs opening the fall at No. 23 in the GolfStat national rankings. The quartet of Kenny Coakley, Edward McGlasson, Blake Moore and Derek O’Neill are among the top players in the country and will be the core that could enable the Buffaloes to make a run at their first Big 12 Conference title this spring. CU opened the fall with strong with a fourth place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational/NCAA Central Regional Preview, and followed that up with one of its better showings in New Mexico’s Tucker Invitational where they tied for seventh. The Buffs struggled a bit in their other two fall tournaments, but Simpson’s not alarmed and is looking forward to the spring. McGlasson paced the Buffs in the fall, with a team best 73.17 stroke average and three top 25 finishes, including a fifth-place effort in The Prestige At PGA West.
? The Buffaloes were ranked No. 53 (Golfweek) and No. 55 (GolfStat) at the end of the fall season.
? Simpson has revealed publicly that he is fighting lung cancer. The belief is that it is the early stages, and he has started chemotherapy. He will have a second round of chemo on Jan. 25 and then meet with his doctors to determine the next course of action, which will include surgery.
Women’s Golf
With a pair of runner-up finishes, combined with a fourth and sixth-place effort, the women’s golf teams is off to one of its strongest starts under head coach Anne Kelly. A 304 tournament average is the second best start in school history and sophomore Hannah Hoch became just the second ever Buff to earn medalist honors, doing so at the Ron Moore Collegiate, besting her second place finish the week before at the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic. It is the first time in the 11 years of the program that the Buffs have opened the fall with all top five individual finishes as senior Allison Rella matched a career best fifth place finish in CU’s own Heather Farr Memorial while Maria Persson-Gulda did the same at the Bronco Fall Invitational. Academically, Maria Persson-Gulda’s owns a 3.87 grade point in engineering physics and her sister, Charlotte Persson-Gulda is next with a 3.81 in aerospace engineering.
? The Buffaloes were ranked No. 59 (GolfStat) and No. 67 (Golfweek) at the end of the fall season.
Indoor Track
The Buffaloes opened the 2005 indoor season at home in their own Open, winning 11 events overall, three by senior jumper Andy Miller who won the men’s high jump and long jump and 60-m hurdles. Miller reached 6-8 on his first high jump attempt, good for a convincing six-inch win, and he came back with a leap of 21-8 ? in the long jump (a personal best), and won the 60-m hurdles in 8.66, almost a full second ahead of the second place finisher. Other winners included Kristin Hoogheem (mile), Mikaela Raddatz (600-yard), Kate Hamera (800-m), Amber Casey (women’s triple jump), Matt McCue (mile), Sam Napp (200-m), Pete Janson (3,000-m) and the men’s and women’s 4x400-m relay teams. CU throwers established new personal records in also getting off to a great start for the season. Andy Passen threw a pr 53-9 ? in the weight throw and two events later tossed a 53-7 ? to finish second in the shot put. James Begley tied his pr (46-2 ?) in the weight and Zach Hazen (59-4 ?) bettered his. In the women’s weight throw, Cortney Hutmacher’s pr of 55-11 earned her a runner-up finish in the event while Carly Newlands established a pr of 49-5 ?. Coach Mark Wetmore feels his team has a long way to go before becoming Big 12 contenders, but liked his team’s progress over the holiday break and felt many could be before too long.
Skiing
The 2005 season is in full swing, with two of the five western meets completed. Richard Rokos is in his 15th season as head coach of the Buffaloes, and his teams almost always contend for the national championship as CU has won four in his tenure. The Buffs opened up with a second place finish in the Utah Invitational and followed that up with a third place effort in Alaska’s meet (which was held at Jackson Hole). CU’s strengths appear to be in men’s cross country and women’s alpine, if the first two meets are any indicator. Senior Tor Erik Schjellerud and junior Erling Christiansen have posted wins in nordic action to date, while alpiners Rachel Roosevelt, Lucie Zikova, Erika Hogan and Kristin Taylor have combined for five top five and nine top 10 finishes. Senior Muriele Huberli figures to be the top women’s nordic skier, along with Western State transfer Jessica Gray, but the women’s team received a blow when its star performer, Jana Rehemaa, was declared ineligible due to an obscure graduation rule in relation to foreign athletes. Freshman newcomers Joel Adams and Miles Cooke are joined by seniors Tahir Bisic and Fritz Ernemann to form the nucleus of a solid men’s alpine unit, which Rokos hopes will meld come the NCAA West Regional in late February in Bozeman.
? The Buffaloes opened the year ranked No. 4 in the nation by Ski Racing Magazine.
? Rokos, Roosevelt, Hogan, Zikova and Taylor traveled to Innsbruck, Austria, to participate in the annual World University Games; Rokos is a member of the coaching staff while the others will compete for medals in the giant slalom, slalom and Super-G.
Soccer
At the midway mark of the season, defending Big 12 champion Colorado was eighth in the league standings. The Buffs regrouped and came together to play then No. 7 Texas A&M within seven minutes of an overtime session and came from behind to tie Texas, 1-1. The one point on the weekend didn’t help the Buffs much as they slipped to ninth in the standings. According to head coach Bill Hempen, the Buffs would then “turn the corner” going a league-leading 5-0 to close out the regular season, give Hempen his career 200th win in his career 350th match in a 7-0 win over Texas Tech, and won for the first time at Nebraska. CU picked up 15 much-needed points to finish third in the final league standings. In the postseason, the Buffs avenged 2003’s first round Big 12 Tournament loss to Missouri, shocking the Tigers when Tricia Regan’s first career goal with eight seconds remaining in regulation sent the game into overtime where Fran Munnelly converted a penalty kick in the 98th minute for the win. CU’s 7- game unbeaten streak ended two nights later to A&M in the tournament’s semifinal round.
Colorado advanced to their second NCAA Tournament, picking up their first-ever win in the dance, a 3-0 blanking over Utah, before falling by the same score two nights later to then-sixth ranked Portland in the second round. Five Buffs were named to All-Big 12 teams, including Fran Munnelly who later would become the program’s first All-American, being named to the coaches’ association’s third team. She just recently accepted an invitation to the U.S. U-21 National Team Camp, Jan. 23-30. When Munnelly’s younger sister, sophomore defender Laura, was also named to the conference’s first team list, it marked the first time in the history of the league that siblings had been named simultaneously. The tandem were also both named all-region...another first for the Central region.
Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis team had an impressive fall season, playing four tournaments throughout the mountain region. Freshman Jan Zelezny defeated a pair of regional opponents at the New Mexico Invitational, in addition to sophomore Marcos Digliodo winning his consolation bracket with three consecutive victories at the same tournament. With not one senior on third-year head coach Sam Winterbotham’s team, the young Buffaloes are making successful strides toward a competitive spring slate featuring nationally ranked schools from beginning to end. Team MVP Marek Dvorak won a team-best 19 matches last season, and fellow sophomore Peter Bjork was the ITA’s Region VII Rookie of the Year. The team had a youthful presence in 2003-04, comprised of five freshmen, three sophomores and one junior, and had their collegiate indoctrination on the way to a 7-16 record. But CU played 14 nationally ranked schools, so Winterbotham gave his cherubs some baptism under fire and that should hopefully pay off this season. Digliodo and Chad Tsuda were recently selected as the No. 33 nationally ranked doubles team in the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) spring rankings released Jan. 11. It is believed to be the first doubles ranking for any CU tandem in over a decade.
? The Buffaloes open the spring ranked No. 74 in the ITA National Team Rankings.
Women’s Tennis
CU hosted its own four-time invitational in September and has played in two other tournaments this fall. The Buffaloes dominated the Air Force Invitational winning 19 of 27 singles matches, while displaying a perfect 9-0 record in doubles play. CU claimed singles flight winners with Lynzee Kever (Flight 1), Kendra Strandemo (Flight 2), Gleisy Torres (Flight 5), and Marina Sedivec (Flight 7). In doubles, CU claimed a pair of flight titles with Strandemo and Jessica Vanderdys winning Flight 1; Kever and Jenny Hanson taking Flight 2. With her successful weekend, Strandemo won three consecutive singles matches without dropping a set en route to CU Athlete of the Week honors. Fall tennis was all individual or doubles, play, sans the regional team championships where BYU bested the Buffs; official dual match play for coach Nicole Kenneally’s team doesn’t begins this month. Sophomore Lynzee Kever returns to a familiar sight as the No. 76 ranked woman (out of 125 ranked overall). Kever finished her freshman season among the elite college women ranked No. 96 nationally. Senior Kendra Strandemo and junior Jessica Vanderdys are the No. 52 nationally ranked doubles team, the first time in their careers that the ITA has ranked both.
? The Buffaloes open the spring ranked No. 70 in the ITA National Team Rankings.
Volleyball
Led by head coach Pi'i Aiu, the Colorado volleyball team concluded the 2004 season at 14-14, earning its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in the past 14 seasons, which puts them in some elite company. Colorado is one of only 14 teams to qualify for at least 13 NCAA Tournaments since 1991. Junior right side hitter Allie Griffin raked in postseason awards as she earned honorable mention to the 2004 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America team. A 2004 All-Central Region and All-Big 12 Conference selection, Griffin led Colorado in kills with 420, ranking 12th on the Buffs' single-season list. She also showed her versatility by ranking second on the team in digs and third in blocks during the regular season. Sophomore setter Ashley Nu'u, who ranked fourth in the Big 12 in assists, was an honorable mention to the All-Big 12 Team. Colorado will celebrate a significant milestone in 2005, as it will be the 20th season of varsity volleyball.
General
John Hessler Update
Hessler family friend Jennifer Baker reports that she was able to spend a lot of time with John over the holidays and was amazed with how well he is doing. Hessler, the former CU quarterback (’97) was injured in a hit-and-run car accident on Oct. 19, 2003, was in a 33-day coma, and has been on the road to recovery ever since.
“We have all been there supporting him along this journey and I can honestly say that John is moving at record pace!” Jen said. “It brought tears to my eyes watching him walk all over the house with his walker, I had some very long and serious conversations with him and he was a very equal participant and his laughter and joy having Devin around was awesome.”
Anthony Weatherspoon Update
Another former Buffalo footballer, Anthony Weatherspoon, has temporarily relocated to Houston as he is seeing specialists in his fight against a rare blood disease that could evolve into Leukemia. Two former Buffs and Houston residents, Kanavis McGhee and Greg Thomas, are volunteering their time in transporting Anthony to and from the hospital, freeing his wife to take care of their three young daughters.
NCAA’s Returning To Colorado
The NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships are returning to Colorado, as CU will host first and second round games at Denver’s Pepsi Center the third weekend of March 2006; it will mark the 11th time the University has hosted NCAA women’s tournament play, the second time in Denver and the other nine in Boulder. One week earlier that same month, the NCAA Skiing Championships return to Colorado for the first time since 1993, with CU to host the event in Steamboat Springs, the site of the last NCAA meet to take place within the state’s borders.
People
The department will begin to aggressively market its people through an Athletics Speaker’s Bureau. CU will work with the Boulder campus public relations office as well as contact metro area service clubs with the information, which will include the usual topics that coaches can speak about in relation to their sport, but unique specialties that a coach or staffer might also specialize in. It will serve a two-fold purpose; one, to generally help in the community relations area but also to get coaches and staff members more into the public eye on a coordinated basis.
Men’s golf coach Mark Simpson was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame on January 12 in New Orleans. Under Simpson’s tutelage, Colorado has produced six different All-Americans who combined for 12 accolades (Tom Woodard, Steve Jones, Terry Kahl, Rick Cramer, John Lindberg, and Bobby Kalinowski), in addition to 10 all-Big Eight and three all-Big 12 golfers and 15 All-America Scholars. The most impressive fact about Simpson’s era as coach at Colorado is on the academic side. During his 27 years as coach, 94 of the 104 players he brought into the program (90.4%) have graduated with a degree from CU. While he has had a flair for recruiting unique parts of the nation, as well as internationally, Simpson’s done it mostly with homegrown players from right here in Colorado. Of the 111 players on his rosters through the years, 76 have been Colorado products with 35 from outside the state (which have included Jonathan Kaye, a former Coloradoan, and Steve Irwin, Hale’s son). Simpson selected longtime CU Assistant AD David Plati to present him for induction; in his comments, Plati cited a Simpson quote in how the coach summed up golf: ”The greatest thing is that it teaches maturity in the sense that you can’t blame anybody or anything for your failures, you can only point the finger at yourself.”
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), now overseen by Justina Boyd, Life Skills Director, does several community relations projects throughout the school year. A complete list of SAAC activities for 2004 is attached to this document; the group used to be supervised by Brian Winkelbauer, CU Assistant AD/Student Services, but he resigned to enter private business in December.
Siblings. When Charlotte Persson Gulda committed to be a member of this year’s women’s golf team, little did she know that she’d be making history: by joining older sister, Maria (a junior), the two are the first set of siblings to ever play on a CU women’s golf team. They are currently the only siblings on a women’s golf roster in the Big 12 Conference and are one of four sets of sisters currently competing at CU. The Halmstad, Sweden natives join Fran and Laura Munnelly (soccer), Amber and Ashley Nu’u (volleyball), and Jackie and Laura Zeigle (cross country/track),
Olympics. Former CU All-American Alan Culpepper (12th in the marathon), Shayne Wille Culpepper (5,000-meters) and Dathan Ritzenhein (10,000-meters) were former varsity athletes who competed last August in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Assistant track coach Casey Malone (sixth in the discus) also competed, and was the only American to advance to the final 12 in his event. CU assistant athletic trainer Wendy Veatch also represented CU and the United States as a trainer for U.S. Swimming, while CU professor emeritus John Lymberopoulos served as the Athens liaison for the USOC.
COLORADO COACHES: Most Appearances in National Championships
(when team qualified only, through the January 1, 2005; *?denotes national champions; bold denotes currently coaching)
20 Mark Wetmore, Cross Country (Men’s: 1995-1996-1997-1998-1999-2000-2001*-2002-2003-*2004; Women’s: 1995-1996-1997-
1998-1999-2000*-2001-2002-2003-*2004)
15 Mark Simpson, Men’s Golf (1980-1981-1984-1989-1990-1991-1992-1993-1994-1995-1999-2000-2001-2002-2004)
13 Richard Rokos, Skiing (1991*-1992-1993-1994-1995*-1996-1997-1998*-1999*-2000-2001-2002-2003-2004)
12 Jerry Quiller, Cross Country (Men’s: 1985-1986-1987-1989-1992-1993-1994; Women’s: 1986-1987-1992-1993-1994)
12 Ceal Barry, Women’s Basketball (1988-1989-1992-1993-1994-1995-1996-1997-2001-2002-2003-2004)
11 Bill Marolt, Skiing (1968-1969-1970-1971-1972*-1973*-1974*-1975*-1976*-1977*-1978*)
2004 Community Service Log
SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) PROJECTS
? “Buffalo Hugs” Project. Student-athletes visit patients at Denver Children’s Hospital, handing out small stuffed buffaloes. This fall, 46 student-athletes and five athletic department staff members participated in this annual community service event (32 did so in 2003). Every sport except men’s and women’s basketball and skiing (due to practice and/or competition) were represented that day (November 21, 2004).
? Second Annual Homecoming Food Drive (campus & community). Partnered with Conscious Alliance, a local non-profit organization, to collect food and cash donations prior to the 2004 homecoming football game on October 9. More than 35 student-athletes from various sports and athletic department staff members collected and sorted over one (1) ton of food, and $2,500 for the food drive. Donations benefited the Emergency Family Assistance Association of Boulder, and the Conscious Alliance Holiday Food Run Project that delivered food on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Staffers Kathy Sulentic and Beth Wellik (academics) and Andrea Dubay (sports medicine) were also heavily involved in the project.
? Holiday Angel Project. This Big 12 SAAC community service project was dedicated to collecting and delivering toys and clothes to youth in the community during the holiday. The GENESIS Program, which works with teen parent families, was the community assistance agency chosen for this project. The CU Athletic Department collected items for numerous families (approx. 175) during both the 2003 and 2004 holiday seasons.
? Cell Phone Drive. A community service project with CU’s Building Community Campaign. Donated cell phones are refurbished to serve as a lifeline for domestic violence victims when faced with an emergency situation, and/or in other supporting capacities for the various victim assistance programs - on a local and national basis. This took place between November 2003 and February 2004.
? Read with the Buffs. Student-athletes from different sports visited elementary schools in the community, encouraging the students and promoting the importance of reading. Seven schools were visited, reaching over 1000 elementary students. This is the longest established community relations program with CU’s student-athletes, dating back to 1991.
? Read Across America Day. Recruited volunteers for this campus Community Relations Office project to read to youth in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday (March 2).
? EXPAND Program. The Boulder Parks and Recreation Department’s EXPAND {Exciting, Programs, Adventures, and New Dimensions} programs “offers athletes with disabilities the opportunity to train, compete and enjoy the festivities that occur in competition.” A few student-athletes attended and assisted with the Awards Banquet in April. Student-athletes from various teams volunteered individually as “honorary coaches” with the Fall Sports Programs (September through December: swim training/lessons, gymnastics team training, bowling, floor hockey, unified volleyball), and helped with the Social Programs (dances, “Youth Friday Night Fun,” and “Silly Saturdays”).
? Healthy Kids Day. In conjunction with the Colorado Experience prior to CU’s spring football game (April 24), a fun outreach to the kids of the Boulder/Denver metro-area with the purpose of promoting/educating on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and how sports can contribute to this goal. More than 35 student-athletes from all sports joined the football team to “coach” the children (approx. 300) as they rotated between different “fun stations,” learning (by doing) basic sports skills or conditioning/fitness exercises. Concurrently there were health-related information tables/booths, where parents and children could obtain information on the importance of exercise/fitness, nutrition, good health habits, sports injuries, etc.
? Habitat For Humanity: On September 25, two CU student-athletes worked in conjunction with the Boulder Rotary Club to build a home in Broomfield, Colo.
? Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). This Student-Athlete leadership group primarily focuses on a variety of student-athlete welfare issues and community service projects, while many members serve as student representatives on various athletic department and/or campus committees. The SAAC meets semimonthly in the fall, and weekly in the spring semester. The SAAC plans, organizes and conducts the end of (academic) year department-wide awards event, popularly known as The CUSPY’S (CU Sports Persons of the Year), and works closely with several departments (BuffVision, Sports Video, Media Relations and Marketing) in making the event possible.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
? Senior (graduate, actually) Veronica Johns-Richardson is a member of the Boulder campus committee for diversity.
? Johns-Richardson, junior Whitney Law and freshmen Jackie McFarland and Kara Richards all participated in a Boulder Jaycees Race that benefited Kids With Cancer.
? Sara Lini mentored a child.
FOOTBALL
? Academic counselor Troy Kema took eight freshman football players to the Boulder Homeless Shelter on October 31, where they cooked and helped to feed the homeless. The participating players included Maurice Cantrell, Brad Jones, Greg Newman, Corey Reid, Daniel Sanders, David Veikune, Patrick Williams and Terry Wilson.
? Kema also took three players, Jordon Dizon, McKenzie Tilmon and Daniel Sanders to speak to former Buff James Hill’s elementary class in Broomfield in October. Kema has also coordinated player efforts with the “I Have A Dream” Foundation.
? Junior defensive tackle Nick Clement helped arrange for tickets, sideline passes for pregame and a postgame trip to the lockerroom for the Iowa State game for Michael Downing, who is an area youngster battling cancer.
? Quarterback Joel Klatt, a junior on the football team and one of four Buff captains, served as the grand marshal for the “Light The Night Walk” on September 25. The walk and parade, held in Longmont, supported the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Klatt was also nominated by the Big 12 Conference to serve as a member of the NCAA Division I Elite Student-Athlete Advisory Group. Elements for this prestigious honor that were considered for his selection included good character and intelligence, wide-recruitment and/or considered to be a serious candidate for a professional league, and a willingness to participate.
? On November 24 in Greeley (Northern Colorado Buff Club luncheon), director of operations David Hansburg presented autographed items to Col. Russ Turner, who has been attending CU football games since he was a teenager in 1924. Turner fought in World War II and is a war hero as he was in the battle for Guadalcanal.
? Hansburg was also an active speaker as he was the featured guest at service clubs four times last season (Boulder Optimists in August; Boulder Kiwanis in October; Foothills Kiwanis in November; and Northern Colorado Sertoma in December).
? Assistant coach Shawn Simms brings 2-3 players and/or coaches to Boulder Community Hospital every Friday before home football games to visit patients of all ages, including the terminally ill. He has done this before every home game the past two seasons.
? Head coach Gary Barnett remains actively involved with both the ALS and Lupus foundations.
Feedback from Houston Bowl hospital visit by football team
“Just wanted to drop you a line to tell you that I saw on our nightly news cast some of your football players spending some time with some unfortunate children in local hospitals in the Houston Area. I think that this is such a great act of kindness and I wish that Universities could do more of this. Colorado football players did not have to do this and I saw the look in some of those youngsters’ eyes and how much it apparently meant to them and just wanted to say from the people of Houston.” ? Jason Davenport, Houston, Texas.
“My 3-year old daughter has been in Herman Children’s Hospital since 12-19-04. Today (Dec. 27) she received a visit from some of your football players. When I called her to see how she was all she could talk about was the football players. She cannot speak very well at her age but she was clearly excited. I wanted to thank the entire CU staff and faculty for bringing her a little holiday cheer since she had to spend Christmas in the hospital. People really do make a difference. I wish you all the best in your bowl game here at Reliant stadium, it really is a nice facility. I for one hope your team is well received by the fans. Thank you once again.” ? Sean Ellis, Houston, Texas
MEN’S GOLF
? Coach Mark Simpson was the featured speaker at the Boulder Rotary Club in September and the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in November.
WOMEN’S GOLF
? Many women’s golf athletes participated in all of the SAAC organized events during the fall, particularly the visit to Children’s Hospital and the canned food drive (Homecoming game).
MEN’S TENNIS
? Chad Tsuda, a junior on the team, participates in “Locks For Love.” He grows his hair long, and then donates it to cancer patients so they can have hair while undergoing chemotherapy.
? In conjunction with the Boulder EXPAND program, the team conducted two 90-minute learning sessions to local kids in Balch Fieldhouse (Nov. 10 & 17), with both sides having a lot of fun. The team itself, minus the coaching staff, went to Children’s Hospital in Denver for a visit on Nov. 21.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
? Many women’s tennis athletes participated in all of the SAAC organized events during the fall. Women’s tennis also donated several hundreds of dollars worth of equipment to a local fundraiser for the MS Society.
DEPARTMENT
The department facilitated the new synthetic surface at the Children’s Learning Center (in Boulder). The project was initiated by former Assistant AD Brian Winkelbauer and strength coach Greg Finnegan and coordinated through completion by Senior Associate AD Jon Burianek... CU donated 2,000-plus tickets to Boulder area non-profit groups for the Sept. 18 North Texas football game (and the postgame fireworks show), one of many instances where either the department in general or the football office donated tickets for charity causes... Football and Media Relations worked together to help raise $3,000 in November for Children's Hospital by donating some memorabilia and special game access for the Kansas State game... Several staff members bought Houston Bowl tickets to donate to area military personnel... CU is one of 70 schools nationwide participating in a joint effort with their licensing departments to help raise money for local March of Dimes charities. Through the sales of plush buffalo stuffed animals, percentages of sales are donated back to the MOD... CU cheerleaders and mascot Chip also made appearances at several area charity events.
OTHER
John Templeton (audio technician) volunteers at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, where he does darkroom work for the museum’s library in addition to helping to restore old train cars and locomotives... Kristin Colon (CAF) is a member of the Boulder Luncheon Optimist Club; her duties include heading up the Adopt-A-Family program as well as the FirstDesecents, a kayak camp for kids inflicted with cancer... Ski coach Richard Rokos puts on races annually for CU’s Civil Engineering Department (April) and the Boulder Police Department; the team also donates CU items to the Eldora Ski Club fundraiser and shares the proceeds from the ski ball raffle with them for their help with it... Assistant AD/Facilities John Krueger is the chapter advisor for CU’s Evans Scholar House, where he was a member when he attended the Boulder campus as a student between 1982 and 1986... Associate SID Colleen Reilly Krueger volunteers at both the St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish (various behind the scenes work: bread baking, linen care, altar guild) for the Boulder Public Library's BoulderReads! Program (a tutor in the adult literacy program)... Assistant SID Troy Andre and his wife, Danielle, walked in the Relay For Life in Greeley, benefiting the American Cancer Society, and have plans to put together a CU team and participate this spring in one in the Boulder area... Tanya Patzer, the department’s purchasing agent, is co-chair of the Boulder Staff Council, interacting with staff from across all of campus. Away from CU, she was a founding member of the Lafayette Old Town Association (LOTA), a group of business owners to improve Old Town Lafayette as well and putting on community events and working with all of the town’s non-profits, including the Sister Carmen Community Center, Project YES and The Mining Museum. She is a board member for Project YES, a non-profit group that works with kids ages 7-18 to identify issues facing them, do projects on specific topics and then work to pair them up with individuals in the community that can help them. They also work with teens to see what area might be interesting to them and then bring in individuals currently working in the field (e.g., photography)... Athletic accountant Rosalie Lynn is also involved on the Boulder Staff Council, as she is serving as treasurer for ’04-05... SID David Plati spoke to several members from a Denver church group, including several underprivileged, and provided media guides to the entire group (16-20). Four returned for the Iowa State game that had an interest in the media for a career, and sat them in the press box and explained to them some of the game day “rituals” and requirements. Plati is also the only SID in the nation who is also an official scorer for Major League Baseball; he was appointed by MLB as one of two scorers for the Colorado Rockies, and scored 17 games for the National League team.