Lacrosse

Sports News Briefs: Summer 2023

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Sports News Briefs: Summer 2023 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/10/2023 - 00:00

Andrew Daigle

Dramé Apparel

Jaida Drame (IntPhys, Soc’22), a track-and-field walk-on who didn’t run in high school, is departing CU as a world-recognized sprinter — and entrepreneur.

Drame tried out for track her sophomore year. She practiced 200- and 400-meters, trained solo and set personal records. She made the team in fall 2019, but then the pandemic struck. Eager to challenge herself and also bored during quarantine, she began altering and then designing clothes.

“My mom had bought me a sewing machine. I alter my clothes — I have long legs,” said Drame.

Drame modified athleisure styles before shifting to performance wear. She named her operation Dramé Apparel. Then, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) changes in 2021 allowed her to become a profiting business owner.

“Before NIL, it was Dramé Apparel or track. No crossover,” said Drame. “Now, I can push my own company.”

Drame will be in Boulder next year training with her running coach.

“I’m running for Senegal professionally,” said Drame. “And I hope to be wearing my uniforms.”

Buffs Bits

Jana Weinberger (IntlAf’06) was named CU’s director of skiing and Ian Lochhead as head alpine coach. … After women’s basketball’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance, Quay Miller (Soc’23) and Jaylyn Sherrod (Soc’22, MSOL’23) announced they will return for their fifth and final seasons of eligibility. Head coach JR Payne signed a contract extension through 2028. … Lacrosse (11-8, 7-3 Pac-12) concluded 2023 with a run in the Pac-12 Tournament, ultimately falling 12-6 to USC in the championship on May 6. Charlie Rudy (StComm’22, MBus’23) and Sam McGee (MSOL’23) were named First Team All-Conference. … Buffs tennis (12-12, 3-9 Pac-12) advanced to the second round of the Pac-12 Tournament and earned a trip to the inaugural National Invitational Championship (NIT). … In April CU began a $12.3 million Athletics improvement project. The upgrades include lighting for soccer night games, a new training center for the ski team and track-and-field updates before CU hosts the 2024 Pac-12 Track & Field Championships.

Coach Talk

"We’ve got an extremely resilient group who genuinely love one another. It’s really gratifying to see them enjoy the fruits of their labor. This group does the work.”

— Tennis head coach Anthony Pham after CU defeated Oregon on April 26 to win its first Pac-12 Tournament Match in program history.

Digits

Filip Forejtek (CompSci’22, MDataSci’23) won the men’s giant slalom Individual National Championship on March 8 at the NCAA Ski Championships in Lake Placid, New York.

Buffs from the 2022 football team signed free agent contracts after the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft in April.

Washington tennis’ national ranking when the Buffs came back from down 3-0 to win 4-3 on April 9.

CU student-athletes received their degrees following the spring 2023 semester.

47,277

Sold-out attendance at CU football’s Black & Gold Day Spring Game on April 22.

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Photo courtesy CU Athletics

Jaida Drame's clothing company and other sports news.

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Summer 2023

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CU Spring Sports Recap

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 06:00:00 +0000

CU Spring Sports Recap Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/11/2022 - 00:00

Andrew Daigle

Fifteen Lacrosse Seniors Graduate

Eleven seniors and four super-seniors played their last game for Colorado lacrosse on May 4. While the Buffs (11-6, 5-5 Pac-12) were upset 14-10 by Oregon in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament in Tempe, Arizona, the 2022 season was a historic one. The Buffs entered the national rankings twice, reaching No. 19 in the USA Lacrosse Magazine poll. They beat three Top-25 teams, including a 12-10 victory at No. 10 Denver on April 27.

“This group is really important to me and our program,” said head coach Ann Elliot Whidden. “Our fifth-year players came in and dealt with the death of Julia Sarcona (StComm’18). Then they went through Aine Williams (PolSci’22) getting really sick. Then COVID-19 and the challenges of the last couple of years. … This team is a close team that cares about each other and plays for each other.”

The Buffs earned three 2022 Pac-12 All-Conference selections. Kate Burnside (StComm’22) was First Team, and Sadie Grozier (Mktg’21) and Charlie Rudy (StComm’22) made Second Team. Rudy was named USA Lacrosse Magazine Division I Women’s Player of the Week in early March.

Buffs Bits

Micaela DeGenero (MTechCyb’22) won the mile run at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships in March. DeGenero moved from last to first in the final quarter-mile of the race to win the women’s national title. … Magdalena Luczak (Bus’26) won the women’s individual national championship in giant slalom at the 2022 NCAA Ski Championships on March 10 in Utah. Filip Forejtek (CompSci’22) followed to win the men’s individual giant slalom national championship. Forejtek was subsequently named National Men’s Alpine Skier of the Year by the U.S. Collegiate Ski Coaches Association in April. … Golf’s Justin Biwer (Bus’25) was named to both the Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team and All-Freshman Team. … Ben Bettin (Phys’23) won two national titles at the 2022 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships April 1–2 in Lake Lanier, Georgia: the Draft-Legal sprint-distance race and the Olympic-distance Collegiate Championship. … “Buffalo” Bill Harris (A&S’64) died April 5 at the age of 79. Harris, a star running back at Colorado in the early 60s, became director of CU’s Alumni C Club in 2001 and went on to serve nine years as its leader.

Coach Talk

“It’s about as much fun as I’ve had coaching football in quite some time.”

— Mike Sanford, CU football’s new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach told BuffZone in April. He was hired in December.

Stats

Buffs named women’s tennis All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention: Megan Forster (Psych’22), Antoni Balzert (Psych, RealEst’23) and Caroline Pozo (MStComm’22)

15:15.95

Eighth-best time in NCAA history in the women’s 5,000 meters by Abby Nichols (MSOL’22) at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California, on April 15

5/6

Date men’s basketball head coach Tad Boyle was named Head Coach of USA Basketball’s Men’s U18 National Team

Jaylyn Sherrod’s (Soc’22) career-high points in women’s basketball’s season-ending loss to Creighton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament

ESPN’s national ranking of CU football’s 2023 recruiting class, as of May 9

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Photos courtesy CU Athletics

CU Lacrosse updates and other CU sports news

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Summer 2022

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They Call Me Grandma

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 06:00:00 +0000

They Call Me Grandma Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/01/2020 - 00:00

Andrew Daigle

Captain Julia Lisella (SLHSci’20) of Littleton, Colorado, played with every class in CU Women’s Lacrosse history. The All-America, Goalkeeper-of-theYear anchored multiple Top-25 seasons. And some of her best saves have come with her eyes closed.

Are there other 5^th year players on the squad?

No. They call me grandma. It’s crazy to think how fast five years goes by. I slowly stepped into that leader role. The girls ahead leave, but there’s always new girls coming in, and we try to keep the culture the same.

Were you one of Coach Ann Elliott Whidden’s earliest recruits?

The program hadn’t started when I committed; they were training for their first year. I was going into my junior year of high school. It was incredible to be part of a team that had the inaugural class. They were juniors when I came in as a freshman. I’ve been here with every class since the program started.

When did you start playing lacrosse?

I started playing lacrosse in fifth or sixth grade. Growing up, I played all different sports. I even played tackle football. But I will never forget when my dad got my brother [John Lisella II (Mktg’18)] and I our first lacrosse sticks. I didn’t play goal until eighth grade. But when I started, I knew I wanted to play in college.

When did you know you wanted to play in Boulder?

To be honest, I flipped a coin. CU was heads and DU [University of Denver] was tails. I saw heads, and I knew from my immediate reaction: I was excited to see the CU side.

Who are ��񱦵�’s rivals?

We have two incredibly competitive Division-I women’s programs in Colorado — here and DU. Within the Pac-12, it’s USC and Stanford. They’re very well-coached, very competitive.

This is your third year as the starting goalie. Do you call out defenses?

We go into every game with a plan. We practice and know what type of defense we’re running. As a goalie you’re the quarterback of the team and see the whole field. You grow and become more aware. Your lacrosse IQ gets better.

What’s the most challenging aspect of playing goalie?

It’s 100% the mental part. Just have a short memory. Get the next shot, make the next play, anything you can do to remain confident.

How do you see the ball when it’s coming through a crowd?

I try to eliminate distractions, the people, the movement. I keep track of the ball at all times and then react. But we joke because there are pictures of me, action shots with my eyes closed. It’s a natural reaction to dodge or step out of the way of something flying at you. I have to switch that mentality and step into it. Goalies are different, maybe a screw loose or something.

What do you wear during play?

I wear some of the most padding in NCAA lacrosse. The chest pad, helmet and gloves are always worn, but I wear thigh pads and shin guards too. Junior year, I started wearing knee pads because I’ve been so beat up. That’s also why I’m always in sweatpants. The ball is like a magnet. I could wear as much padding as I want, but the ball always gets in. I get bruises and welts.

What is the reason for the team’s consistency?

All credit goes to Coach Ann. She has been an incredible mentor, coach and leader. We have high expectations for ourselves and move together as one. Ann’s just amazing and is surrounded by an incredible staff.

What defines success for you?

If a senior class can leave the program better than we came in, knowing we’ve made an impact and our legacy will continue, then that’s ultimately success.

What do you see in your future?

I would like to continue to coach younger girls. I’m a signed model in Denver, so I want to pursue that too. I’ve also taken a few flying lessons. As far as professional lacrosse goes, if that’s an opportunity, it would be amazing.

Condensed and edited.

NOTE: WHEN THE NCAA CANCELED ALL SPRING SPORTS IN MARCH, THE CU LACROSSE TEAM ENDED ITS SEASON 3-2 AND RANKED NO. 25. LISELLA PLANS TO RETURN TO THE TEAM NEXT YEAR WITH HER EXTRA YEAR OF ELIGIBILITY.

Photo by Tim Benko

Captain Julia Lisella of Littleton, Colorado, played with every class in CU Women’s Lacrosse history. The All-America, Goalkeeper-of-theYear anchored multiple Top-25 seasons. And some of her best saves have come with her eyes closed.

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Lacrosse Lays Claim to a Title

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 19:18:00 +0000

Lacrosse Lays Claim to a Title Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 06/01/2018 - 13:18

Jennifer Osieczanek

It’s fun to be first.

In 2011, the CU men’s and women’s cross-country teams both won at the inaugural Pac-12 championship meet.

In 2012, Tad Boyle’s basketball squad won four games in four nights to claim the first Pac-12 men’s conference title.

In 2018, CU women’s lacrosse became the first-ever regular season Pac-12 champs after finishing 9-1 in the conference and 12-4 overall. CU’s lone conference loss was in overtime at USC.

Unfortunately, Buffs lacrosse fell short of yet another first: Seeded No. 1 in the conference tournament, held in late April in Boulder, the team ran into a No. 2-seed Stanford squad bent on redemption. The Cardinal, which had lost two regular-season games to the Buffs, steamrolled CU 15-6.

“We got frustrated, we did dumb things and we weren’t tough enough to battle back against a team that’s very tough,” CU coach Ann Elliott said after the loss.

The tournament started in promising fashion. CU had earned a first-round bye, then cruised past Oregon 16-6 in the second round.

But Stanford came out hot in the title match at Prentup Field, on April 29. Leading 7-2 at halftime, the Cardinal padded its lead with three goals in 34 seconds and four total in the first 2:35 of the second half.

The loss meant the Buffs, then ranked 14 in the nation, had to rely on an at-large bid to reach the NCAA Tournament. They got it, and advanced to the round of 16 — the only Pac-12 team to do so —before falling to Florida 13-9.

Photo courtesy CU Athletics

Wins Pac-12 regular season title, falls to Stanford in conference championship game — but still makes NCAA tournament.

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Lacrosse: Emerging Powerhouse

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 20:57:00 +0000

Lacrosse: Emerging Powerhouse Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/01/2017 - 14:57

Jennifer Osieczanek

Three years ago, a group of 21 freshmen and two sophomores embarked on the first season of NCAA women’s lacrosse at Colorado. The young Buffs finished 11-8 in 2014.

Fast-forward to 2017, when the group of women that comprised coach Ann Elliott’s first CU recruiting class emerged as a force.

The Buffs finished the 2017 regular season with 15 wins, 2 losses and went undefeated (8-0) in Boulder. The season included CU's first appearance in the MPSF Tournament title game (a 16-11 loss to USC) and the Buffs' first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

CU started the season with an 11-10 overtime victory over No. 9 Northwestern, Elliott’s alma mater. By early March,the Buffs surged into the top five nationally (No. 4) for the first time after an upset, on-the-road win over Penn State, then No. 6 and unbeaten. On April 7, the team wrapped up its home slate without a loss by beating Stanford for the first time — on Senior Day. The Buffs capped the regular season with three consecutive road wins at San Diego State, Saint Mary’s and Cal, scoring a school record 24 goals against Saint Mary’s.

There were 10 regular-season games in which the Buffs held the lead from the first goal onward. CU scored 18 or more goals eight times.

Junior Darby Kiernan (IntlAf’18) led the way during the regular season with 48 goals and 20 assists. Senior Johnna Fusco (Comm’17) was next on the team with 43 goals and nine assists, while senior goalie Paige Soenksen (Chin, IntlAf’17) was 14-2 in 16 games played and made 127 season saves.

The Buffs’ two regular-season losses came at Stony Brook (ranked No. 5/6 at the time) and at Southern Cal (then No. 9).

Photo courtesy CU Athletics

In third varsity season, CU women go 15-2, undefeated at home

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Sports News - Spring 2017

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Sports News - Spring 2017 Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/01/2017 - 00:00

Stats

Times the ski team has won the national championship after starting the season 2-0. The team started 2-0 in January.

Eleven

Coach of the Year awards for football's Mike MacIntyre in 2016.

Twenty

Times cross country coach Mark Wetmore has been named Mountain Region Coach of the Year.

Points scored by Kennedy Leonard (A&S'19) of women's basketball in the fourth quarter against Wyoming, a school record.

4/28-4/30

CU hosts the Pac-12 Men's Golf Championship at Boulder Country Club.

$3,000

Graduate scholarship earned by Clare Wise (ChemBioEngr'16), a recipient of one of two 2016 Pac-12 Leadership Awards.

Buffs Bits

The lacrosse team earned its first-ever national ranking in February after upsetting No. 9 Northwestern, 11-10 in overtime. CU entered the Top 20 poll at No. 11. … Soccer midfielder Taylor Kornieck (IntPhys’20) was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after scoring 11 goals in the fall. … Freshman skier David Ketterer (Phys’20) represented his native Germany in a FIS World Cup slalom race in Kitzbühel, Austria, in January. … Golfer Sebastian Heisele (Arch’11) earned a PGA European Tour card. … Jenny Coleman (Mktg’14) earned conditional LPGA status for the 2017 season. She’s the first Buff to do it. … The Buffs hired D.J. Eliot as defensive coordinator following Jim Leavitt’s departure for Oregon. Eliot, who will make $700,000 a year as part of a three-year contract, is now the highest paid assistant coach in CU history. … Men’s basketball will play in St. Thomas Nov. 17-25 as part of the 2017 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.

Buff Boss for the Broncos

The Denver Broncos hired Buff Vance Joseph (Mktg’94) to succeed Gary Kubiak as head coach.

Joseph was a quarterback for the Buffs from 1991 to 1994, competing against the likes of Darian Hagan (Soc ex’92; BA’01) in his first year and Kordell Stewart (Comm ex’95; BA’16) and Koy Detmer (Comm’97) after that, limiting his playing time.

Joseph went undrafted out of college, but the New York Jets signed him in 1995 to play defensive back and he played for the Colts in 1996.

Joseph began coaching as a graduate assistant at CU from 1999 to 2001. He climbed the coaching ladder and served as the Miami Dolphins’ defensive coordinator in 2016. He is the Broncos’ first black head coach.

In his introductory press conference in Denver, Joseph referenced his love for CU and Colorado.

“I’m a Buff,” he said. “Everyone knows that. So I spent most of my young life in Colorado. I welcome the chance to come back to this great community. It raised me, it’s a great place to live, it’s a great place to raise a family.”

Photo courtesy CU Athletics

Sports news from the spring 2017 issue.

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Spring 2017

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Q & A with Ann Elliott

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Q & A with Ann Elliott Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 06/01/2012 - 00:00

Gary Baines

New lacrosse coach Ann Elliott says she ‘kind of grew up’ during her nine years at Northwestern University, but she’s incredibly excited to (build a lacrosse foundation) at such a special place as CU.

Ann Elliott made history March 26 when she became head coach for the new CU women’s lacrosse program, which begins play in spring semester 2014. She comes to CU after being a player and assistant coach at perennial lacrosse powerhouse Northwestern University, winner of six NCAA titles between 2005-2011.

How special is it to start a program from scratch?

I think it’s incredibly special. I got to be a part of building a program at Northwestern as a player. I know how special it is to be part of such a foundation, something you know is going to be built upon year after year. So as a coach it is something I’ve always dreamed of.

Are there ways you can keep the inevitable growing pains to a minimum?

I’ve learned a lot from my experience at Northwestern as a player building the program and as a coach trying to sustain the success. The most important thing is to focus on each day, trying to get better each day. If you can do that, it makes things easier and the process fun and enjoyable. You encounter every challenge as something exciting, not as kind of a bump in the road. I look forward to seeing [CU’s team] grow into something hopefully great.

Is it difficult to leave a Northwestern program that’s at the top of the national rankings?

It’s definitely very difficult. I’ve kind of grown up there. I was at Northwestern for the last nine years as a player and coach. I was very attached to the program and to the university. I have a great mentor in Kelly [Amonte Hiller, the head coach] who’s done so much for me. I learned something new every day, and it was such a special group to be part of. But as far as the next step for me, I want to see what I can do as a head coach. Hopefully it’s creating something in Boulder as special as what’s at Northwestern.

What kind of reception have you received recruitingwise in starting a new program?

There’s a lot of interest. There’s definitely the attraction of starting a new program, as well as everything the school has to offer academically, in athletics and being in the tremendous location that Boulder is.

Was it a strange situation having several players already committed to the program when you were hired?

It might be a little unusual, but for me it was a great situation. I want to have a focus on the Colorado kids that already have that strong passion for CU, for the state of Colorado and for lacrosse. The more we can keep those kids in state and at CU, the better for us as we build our program. Colorado has some great athletes and some very talented lacrosse players.

How do you think a college lacrosse program will be received here as far as fan interest?

I think it’s going to be great. It seems like there’s a strong interest in women’s lacrosse, and that everyone is pretty supportive. We’re looking forward to getting as involved as we can across the community and generating even more interest in the sport and hopefully support for our program as well.

Why did you apply for the job?

Building a program has always been a dream of mine after my experiences at Northwestern, and I couldn’t think of a better place than Colorado and Boulder. The whole thing seemed perfect for me. I feel fortunate to have this opportunity.

Will you pick the brain of the Northwestern coach as you build the program at CU?

Definitely. Kelly obviously has a wealth of information, and she built the program herself, so I will use her as a resource and stay in contact. The other person is Lindsey Munday, one of my good friends who’s out at USC. I played with her at Northwestern and worked alongside her as an assistant coach. She became head coach at USC [in January 2011], so she’s about a year ahead in terms of the process of building a program. So between Kelly and Lindsey I do have a lot of good resources to help me to build a great program.

Ann Elliott made history March 26 when she became head coach for the new CU women’s lacrosse program, which begins play in spring semester 2014.

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Cradling a New Sport

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Cradling a New Sport Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/01/2012 - 00:00

Gary Baines

In January athletic director Mike Bohn announced the addition of women’s lacrosse that will begin varsity play in the 2013-14 academic year. In the December 2011 edition of the Coloradan, Bohn said he thought “women’s lacrosse seems to be gaining a lot of momentum.” The last sport to join the CU athletic department’s lineup was the women’s soccer team, which began varsity play in 1996.

In January athletic director Mike Bohn announced the addition of women’s lacrosse that will begin varsity play in the 2013-14 academic year.

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Lacrosse

Sports News Briefs: Summer 2023

Dramé Apparel

Buffs Bits

Coach Talk

Digits

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CU Spring Sports Recap

Fifteen Lacrosse Seniors Graduate

Buffs Bits

Coach Talk

Stats

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They Call Me Grandma

Are there other 5th year players on the squad?

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When did you start playing lacrosse?

When did you know you wanted to play in Boulder?

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What’s the most challenging aspect of playing goalie?

How do you see the ball when it’s coming through a crowd?

What do you wear during play?

What is the reason for the team’s consistency?

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Q & A with Ann Elliott

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Is it difficult to leave a Northwestern program that’s at the top of the national rankings?

What kind of reception have you received recruitingwise in starting a new program?

Was it a strange situation having several players already committed to the program when you were hired?

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Why did you apply for the job?

Will you pick the brain of the Northwestern coach as you build the program at CU?

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Are there other 5^th year players on the squad?

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