Soccer

Soccer Returns to NCAA Tournament

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Soccer Returns to NCAA Tournament Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/04/2024 - 00:00

Andrew Daigle

For the first time since 2020, ��ͯ��Ů soccer earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Buffs concluded their final Pac-12 season in fourth place — the team’s best mark since 2016 — before losing 1-0 to Texas A&M in the first round of NCAAs on Nov. 10, 2023.

The Buffs (13-5-3, 5-3-3 Pac-12) started off with an 8-1-0 non-conference record that included the first games under lights at the newly updated Prentup Field, a seven-game winning streak and a 2-0 victory over No. 14 Michigan State.

Pac-12 play brought challenging matchups and a five-game winless streak. After a 1-1 draw at Washington on Oct. 22, the Buffs had three matches left. One more loss or draw would sink their postseason hopes.

“We all understood the assignment. We pumped each other up. Even if we played different positions, teammates were helping teammates,” said striker Shyra James (MediaSt’24).

��ͯ��Ů responded with consecutive wins over Arizona, No. 18 Arizona State and Utah to earn a trip to NCAAs.

James led the Buffs with 15 goals and 32 points, both career highs. The four-year starter was Third Team All-America and finished second in goals (40) and third in points (86) all-time at ��ͯ��Ů.

While James was one of eight graduating seniors, the Buffs are well-stocked for the future. The team began 2023 with 14 newcomers, including eight first-years and six transfers.

“The standard in our program is to be a great teammate … no matter your role,” said head coach Danny Sanchez. “Their ability to quickly build relationships and push each other on and off the field was a huge part of our success.”

Oklahoma State transfer Jordan Nytes (Soc’26) started in goal, posting eight shutouts and twice winning Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week.

First-years Faith Leyba (ExplorSt’27) and Ava Priest (EnvSt’27) earned additional honors. Leyba, who led all Buffs field players in minutes, was named Third Team All-Pacific Region. Priest was named the Pac-12’s All-Freshman and second on the Buffs with 10 points.

“This team is close and willing to fight for each other,” said Leyba.

Submit feedback to the editor

Photos courtesy ��ͯ��Ů Athletics

Buffs won multiple do-or-die matches to make it to the postseason.

Off

Traditional

Spring 2024

White

Sports Briefs: Fall 2023

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Sports Briefs: Fall 2023 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/06/2023 - 00:00

Prime Era Debuts

��ͯ��Ů football opened the 2023 season — the “Coach Prime” era — with unprecedented national attention and an undefeated nonconference schedule. Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders was named head football coach on Dec. 3, 2022.

��ͯ��Ů opened on the road Sept. 2 at No. 17-ranked T��ͯ��Ů. The Buffaloes defeated the Horned Frogs, last year’s national runner-up and a 21-point favorite, 45-42. ��ͯ��Ů went on to beat Nebraska 36-14 Sept. 9 in Boulder before a double-overtime 43-35 victory over ��ͯ��Ů State Sept. 16 at Folsom Field.

“We did some things that showed we were resilient. We showed that we would fight, we showed that we had no surrender or give up in us,” Coach Prime said after the thriller over CSU.

��ͯ��Ů finished its non conference schedule ranked No. 19 in the nation. All three nonconference games were televised nationally, with Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show on campus Sept. 9 and ESPN’s College GameDay on campus Sept. 16.

Buffs Bits

On July 27, the ��ͯ��Ů Board of Regents unanimously approved ��ͯ��Ů Boulder’s move to the Big 12 Conference effective for the 2024-25 school year. … Four women’s track standouts earned All-American honors at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships; Abbey Glynn (LeadCommEngmt, Psych’24) raced a school record 55.94 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles semifinals on her way to a First Team All American finish. Avery McMullen (IntPhys, Psych’24) earned Second Team in the heptathlon, and Ella Baran (MEnv’24) and India Johnson (MTechMedSoc’24) earned honorable mention in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters respectively. … Women’s soccer closed out its non conference schedule at 8-1 and ranked No. 22 in the nation. Shyra James (MediaSt’24) led the Buffs with seven goals in nine games, and goalkeeper Jordan Nytes (Soc’26) was named National Player of the Week by Top Drawer Soccer on Aug. 29.

Coach Talk

“We have a lot of competitors here. There are a lot of people still fighting for spots, fighting for minutes and fighting for roles.”

— Women’s soccer head coach Danny Sanchez after the start of the season. The Buffs’ overhauled roster has 14 newcomers joining 14 returning players.

Digits

Match play hole difference that eliminated men’s golf’s Dylan McDermott (Mktg’25) at the 123rd U.S. Amateur

Volleyball consecutive wins without dropping a set, Aug. 26–Sept. 2, a streak the Buffs hadn’t accomplished since 1993

1st–4th

Women’s cross-country individual places at Sept. 1 kick-off races in Boulder

100th

Season at Folsom Field began when ��ͯ��Ů kicked off against Nebraska Sept. 9

3.154

Spring 2023 GPA of ��ͯ��Ů’s 369 student-athletes, the highest term GPA ever recorded

510

School record passing yards for football’s Shedeur Sanders (Soc’25) in debut win at No. 17 T��ͯ��Ů

Submit feedback to the editor

Photos courtesy ��ͯ��Ů Athletics

Debut of the Prime Era

Off

Traditional

Fall 2023

White

Sports Briefs Spring 2023

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Sports Briefs Spring 2023 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/06/2023 - 00:00

Andrew Daigle

Sanders Named Football Coach

Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders was announced as ��ͯ��Ů’s 28th full-time head football coach on Dec. 3.

“Not only will Coach Prime energize our fanbase, I’m confident that he will lead our program back to national prominence while leading a team of high quality and high character,” said athletic director Rick George.

Sanders comes to ��ͯ��Ů after three seasons as head coach at Jackson State University, where his teams went a combined 27-6 and earned consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference championships (2021 and 2022).

Before coaching, Sanders was a two-sport athlete. Twice named a first-team All-American defensive back at Florida State, he went on to play in the NFL (14 years) and MLB (9 years). In the NFL, he was the 1994 Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time Super Bowl champion and 2011 Hall of Fame inductee.

Sanders takes over a 1-11 football program that saw head coach Karl Dorrell dismissed in October. Sanders pledged: “This is my job and my occupation and my business and my dream to bring you back to where you know you should belong.”

Buffs Bits

Women’s cross-country won its second consecutive Pac-12 Championship on Oct. 28. Bailey Hertenstein (MIntPhys’24) won the individual championship. The women went on to place 11th at the NCAA Championships on Nov. 19, with Hertenstein and Ella Baran (MEnvEng’24) racing to All-American finishes. … Men’s cross-country placed second overall at the Pac-12 Championship and then finished eighth overall at NCAAs. … For the first time since 2018, women’s volleyball reached the NCAA tournament. The Buffaloes (20-11, 12-8 Pac-12) were eliminated by No. 20 Rice in a first-round match on Dec. 1. Middle blocker Meegan Hart (Soc’21; MSOL’23) was named All-Pac-12 First Team. … Women’s soccer finished the 2022 season 8-7-5 (2-6-3 Pac-12) after a 5-0-2 start had the Buffaloes ranked No. 19 nationally. … Ambassador David Bolen (Mktg, MBA’50), ��ͯ��Ů’s first Olympian, died on Dec. 10, 2022. Bolen placed second in the 440 yards at the 1947 NCAA Championships and fourth in the 400 meters at the 1948 London Olympics. He went on to a distinguished career in the foreign service, including appointments as U.S. Ambassador.

Coach Talk

“Change is evident. It’s going to happen. … Whenever you dominate a space, there’s elevation.”

— Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders in the February 2023 issue of GQ.

Stats

77-67

Score after women’s basketball beat the previously undefeated and No. 8-ranked Utah Utes on Jan. 6 in Boulder.

19.56

Distance, in meters, of indoor track and field’s Gya’ni Sami’s (EthSt, Soc’23) weight throw, a new ��ͯ��Ů record by over a foot, at the Air Force Holiday Open on Dec. 2.

96%

��ͯ��Ů student-athlete Graduation Success Rate announced by the NCAA in November, an all-time high for the university.

262nd

career win for men’s basketball head coach Tad Boyle when the Buffs beat Southern Utah 86-78 at home on Dec. 21, making him the winningest head coach in program history.

1st

Offensive tackle Tommy Brown (MSOL’24) signed with Boulder-based Shinesty to become the first-ever college football NIL underwear model.

Submit feedback to the editor

Photo courtesy ��ͯ��Ů Athletics

The latest in sports news.

Off

Traditional

Spring 2023

White

Hannah Sharts Excels On and Off the Pitch

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

Hannah Sharts Excels On and Off the Pitch Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/11/2022 - 00:00

Andrew Daigle

Buffs soccer captain Hannah Sharts talks about playing every minute, scoring as a defender and how she’s using her name, image and likeness to help promote female student-athletes.

You began your collegiate career at UCLA. Growing up near Los Angeles with a mom who was an alum of the soccer program, did you always want to play at UCLA?

UCLA was in my blood. It was special to follow in my mom’s footsteps because she was part of the fight to get UCLA women’s soccer to Division 1 (D-1). She essentially made it possible for me to play D-1 soccer at UCLA. She played on the club team, but never actually got to play D-1. I got to live her D-1 dream.

When you explored transferring after two seasons, what about ��ͯ��Ů attracted you?

��ͯ��Ů recruited me the first time around, but I hadn’t visited the campus because I was focused on California schools. But the coaching staff here — they care so much about their players — and I love the Boulder community. Plus, I loved that it was in the Pac-12. The coaches believed in me, and that’s something that I didn’t get as much at UCLA.

Since joining the ��ͯ��Ů team, how has your role changed?

It’s a big adjustment going from not getting many minutes to being thrown into the highest intensity games. I tried to be a sponge and learn from the players around me — not overstep boundaries and work hard. Going into my super senior year, I have all of these different experiences. From being on the bench at UCLA to taking on a more substantial role here, I try to be the best example I can be.

Can you describe your responsibilities as a defender?

I’m right in front of the goalkeeper. My job is to cover for everyone else. It’s high risk. You have to be cautious of where you are at all times and organize those around you, like the goalie does, but you’re higher up the field. And I like to score, too, so I’m lucky because I go up for set pieces and corner kicks.

The last two years you’ve upped your points scored. How are you able to score or assist on goals while still anchoring the defense?

I’m very hard on myself in terms of corner kicks. I’m trying to convert those, whether it’s heading it across to someone or finishing it myself. I believe I’m going to score every time I go up there. Scoring is a mentality you need to have. It’s a hunger.

Is there a lot of pushing and shoving in the box?

I get fouled a ton. People pinch me, stomp on cleats. It gets rowdy. I’ve been trying to work on my vertical to give me an edge. If I can jump higher and be above everyone else with my size, it’ll help. But it’s a battle for sure.

You’ve led the team in minutes played over the last two seasons. How do you stay fresh?

A ritual I have is to drink beet juice before games. It helps prolong muscles from getting tired. But, honestly, I have so much love for the game that I’m not thinking I’m exhausted because I’m so grateful to be there.

What does it mean for you to be the first ��ͯ��Ů soccer player to win First Team Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America?

My parents were very good in school, and I try to make them proud. My grandpa used to tell me that you need to do three things in life: brush your teeth, do well in school and get A’s and no tattoos. I received that award in July. It was a few months before he passed. He was the first person I sent it to, and he loved it.

In March, Fowler Auto signed name, image and likeness (NIL) partnerships with you and eight other ��ͯ��Ů student-athletes. How did that come about?

I wasn’t looking for NIL deals. I didn’t want to make anything about me or distract from the team. But Fowler messaged me. I signed with them because I love that they were only signing female student-athletes and putting more female student-athletes on the map. That struck me. I am passionate about women in sports, and I’m involved in clubs on campus focused on that.

What are you looking forward to with your final season for the Buffaloes?

It’s going to be emotional. I’m looking forward to taking this team further than we have been before. That’s everyone’s goal. It was heartbreaking not to make the playoffs last season.

What are your plans for after graduation?

It’s my dream to play professionally. I would love to get drafted in the NWSL, the women’s pro league. But if not, I’d be open to overseas opportunities to see a new culture and experience soccer on a different side of the world.

Submit feedback to the editor

Photos by Matt Tyrie

Buffs soccer captain Hannah Sharts talks about playing every minute, scoring as a defender and how she’s using her name, image and likeness to help promote female student-athletes.

Off

Traditional

White

Sports News Fall 2021

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Sports News Fall 2021 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/05/2021 - 00:00

Andrew Daigle

New Alliance
The Pac-12, ACC and Big Ten — three of the nation’s Power Five athletic conferences — announced a handshake partnership Aug. 24.

“There’s a lot going on in our industry,” ��ͯ��Ů Athletic Director Rick George said. “This alliance allows us to collaborate on these issues and bring stability to college athletics and the collegiate model.”

Such issues include evolving NCAA legislation on name, image and likeness (NIL); the expected expansion of the College Football Playoff; and conference instability, notably Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 for the SEC (effective 2025). To start, the alliance will encourage more interconference scheduling, multi-team, single-site events featuring teams from all three conferences and increased national television exposure.

With its 41 institutions united, the alliance could determine the future of the College Football Playoff, while also combining the resources of its research universities to improve student-athlete health and wellness.

Buffs Bits
Ralphie VI debuted Sept. 3, leading the Buffs football team onto Folsom Field to face Northern ��ͯ��Ů. The Ralphie Live Mascot Program is funded entirely by private support from donors. … Anthony Pham, tennis associate head coach, was promoted to head coach on July 26. Pham is the seventh head coach in program history. … Men’s basketball went undefeated on its four-game exhibition tour of Costa Rica in August. The on-court highlight came against Selección de Baloncesto when Jabari Walker (ExSt’24) shattered the backboard on a dunk attempt in the third quarter. Without a replacement backboard, the game was called with ��ͯ��Ů ahead 68-54. … On Sept. 18 Buffs volleyball extended its school-record undefeated start to the season to nine matches, taking down rival ��ͯ��Ů State twice in a row. … Women’s golf’s Ellie Gower (A&S’23) finished runner-up at the English Women’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship Aug. 17-19 in Wallasey, United Kingdom.

Coach Talk
“The crowd was absolutely fantastic. This has been the best environment since I’ve been here in my 10 years. This needs to be the standard for ��ͯ��Ů soccer, not the exception.”

— Soccer head coach Danny Sanchez after 2,536 fans attended the Buffs’ home game against No. 1 Florida State Aug. 29.

Stats

$1
Bonus Spencer Dinwiddie (Comm ex'15) will receive, per his three-year, $62-million contract with the Washington Wizards, if the team wins the NBA championship

5th
Melissa Stockwell's (Comm’02) place in the triathlon (PTS2) at the Tokyo Paralympics

6
Total ��ͯ��Ů women’s cross-country runners who placed in the top 10 at the season-opening Wyoming Invitational in Cheyenne

30
��ͯ��Ů club sports teams will resume competition in 2021-2022

281
Buffs rushing yards in football’s season-opening 35-7 victory over Northern ��ͯ��Ů on Sept. 3.

15th
Stage of the Tour de France won by Sepp Kuss (Advert’17) in July, the first American to win a stage of the race since 2011

Submit feedback to the editor

Photos by Glenn Asakawa (Ralphie); Courtesy ��ͯ��Ů Athletics (Ellie Gower)

New Pac-12 Alliance, Ralphie VI and more.

Off

Traditional

White

The Double

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 06:00:00 +0000

The Double Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/18/2021 - 00:00

Andrew Daigle

J.J. Tompkins is ��ͯ��Ů soccer’s all-time leader in wins. Now, the goalkeeper plays professionally in Norway.

Goalkeeper J.J. Tompkins (Psych’19) is ��ͯ��Ů soccer’s all-time leader in wins with 49 total. Her standout performance, however, came in defeat Nov. 22, 2019, as she made several highlight-reel saves when North Carolina eliminated the Buffs 1-0 in the NCAA Tournament.

The Phoenix native wasn’t done. She began exploring professional opportunities for after her December graduation. She considered leagues in the U.S., Europe, Japan and Israel.

Tompkins earned a tryout with Vålerenga Fotball Damer, a top-tier team in Norway. She bought a one-way ticket, passed the trial and signed in February 2020.

After moving into East Oslo, she joined club practices. She trained with the starting goalie, Hannah Seabert, the only other American on the 20-player roster. In March, though, the pandemic forced Vålerenga into lockdown. Three weeks into her pro career, Tompkins was receiving unemployment.

She walked the city, kept in touch with family and connected with similarly isolated teammates.

“I was a bit shy, so it gave me time to meet them. We really bonded during quarantine,” Tompkins said.

After six weeks, Vålerenga began practices and the team resumed games July 5. Tompkins got her first start Aug. 16. She dedicated it to Buffs associate head coach Jason Green’s late mother Donna.

“She was always a number-one fan. Such a special woman,” Tompkins said. With “Mama Green” written on her hand, she earned a shutout. Tompkins stayed in goal. She collected several more shutouts. On Dec. 6, Vålerenga won the league championship. Meanwhile, the club also began play in the Norwegian Cup — a prestigious nationwide club tournament — and won its Champions League qualifiers.

A week later, Vålerenga won the Norwegian Cup with another shutout by Tompkins.

Said ��ͯ��Ů coach Green: “One trophy was huge, but to bring a double in her first season — it’s why she is now regarded as the best goalkeeper playing in Norway.”

Photos by Vegard Wivestad Grott/Bildbyran

Off

Traditional

Spring 2021

White

Sports Briefs Winter 2020

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Feb 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Sports Briefs Winter 2020 Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 02/01/2020 - 00:00

Andrew Daigle

Stats

1st

Football win over Washington since joining the Pac-12

Second

Place finish by Joe Klecker (BioChem’20) at Cross Country Nationals

Handlers who worked with Ralphie V over the years

14,178

Round-trip miles men's basketball flew for Shanghai season-opener

79-75

Women's basketball victory in Fort Collins over rival CSU

101,000

Combined attendance for first two 2019 home football games, the highest in 10 years

Soccer Returns to the NCAA Tournament

��ͯ��Ů soccer advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling 1-0 to top-seeded North Carolina Nov. 22 at Chapel Hill. Benefiting from a difficult non-conference schedule and regular season wins against No. 24 Texas and No. 21 Washington, the 12-8-2 Buffs avenged the previous season’s tournament snub. ��ͯ��Ů opened the postseason by routing Northern ��ͯ��Ů 6-0 at Prentup Field Nov. 16. Two senior captains led the squad: Midfielder Taylor Kornieck (IntPhys’19) and goalkeeper JJ Tompkins (Psych’19). Kornieck set ��ͯ��Ů’s all-time points (102) record on her way to being named to the All-Pac-12 First Team. Tompkins became ��ͯ��Ů’s all-time leader in both wins (49) and saves (369) and was named to the Second Team. Additionally, forward Tessa Barton (Psych’22) earned a spot on the conference Freshman Team. With six seniors graduating, head coach Danny Sanchez signed 10 new recruits to ��ͯ��Ů’s 2020 class, which is ranked 10th best in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer.

Buffs Bits

With a team-leading 37th overall finish at Cross Country Nationals, Sage Hurta (ChemBioEngr’20) joined Shalaya Kipp (IntPhys, Psych’14) as the second four-time All-American recipient in school history. Overall, the ��ͯ��Ů cross-country women finished 10th, and the men finished third. … The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame named ��ͯ��Ů athletic director Rick George to the prestigious “Team of Excellence” in October. … In December, junior wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (Ethnic, Film’21) declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. … Senior Daniel O’Loughlin (Geog’20) closed ��ͯ��Ů’s fall golf season by tying for second at the inaugural Les Fowler-��ͯ��Ů Invitational in October. … Emma Coburn (Mktg’13) earned a silver medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships. … Antonio Alfano, five-star prospect and 2018’s top-ranked high school football recruit in the nation, signed with ��ͯ��Ů this fall after transferring from Alabama.

Coach Talk

Looking back now, am I surprised that I didn't get fired along the way somewhere, or that I kept my mouth shut? A little bit, yes."

— Eight-time national champion cross-country and track head coach Mark Wetmore on 25 years at ��ͯ��Ů.

Soccer returns to the NCAA Tournament, Cross Country Nationals and other stats.

Off

Traditional

Winter 2020

White

Sports Briefs — Fall 2019

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 06:00:00 +0000

Sports Briefs — Fall 2019 Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/01/2019 - 00:00

Andrew Daigle

Stats

Senior on 2019-20 women's basketball roster [Quinessa Caylao-Do (Comm'20)]

Women's soccer's national ranking in SoccerAmerica.com preseason poll

52-31

��ͯ��Ů beat CSU in the final Denver Rocky Mountain Showdown

3.024

All-time high cumulative spring GPA for ��ͯ��Ů's 330 varsity athletes

500

Head coach Danny Sanchez's career victories after soccer's 2-0 opening win over Drake Aug. 22

��ͯ��Ů Women’s Track and Field Athletes Run Up the Score

Women’s outdoor track and field continued to thrive after the close of the Pac-12 season. At NCAA championships, Dani Jones (Psych, SLHS’20) won the 5,000-meter run, giving her a fourth national title and adding to her previous championships in the outdoor distance medley relay (2017), cross-country (2018) and indoor 3,000-meter run (2019). Gabby Scott (Mgmt’19) was runner-up in the 400-meter hurdles at NCAAs. Scott then ran for Puerto Rico at the Pan American Games in Peru, placing fifth overall with her teammates in the 4x400 relay. Thrower Elisa Grandemange (Neuro’19) also excelled outside the U.S., finishing ninth in the hammer throw at France’s National Championships in July. Kaitlyn Benner (ChemBioEngr, Soc’18) was named Pac-12 Woman of the Year, the first-ever Buff to earn the honor. Finally, alumni Jenny Simpson (Econ, PolSci’09) and Emma Coburn (Mktg’13) impressed at the USA Championships. Simpson placed second in the 1,500 meters and Coburn won her eighth U.S. championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Both runners qualified for this fall’s World Championships in Qatar.

Buffs Bits

All-American Alexa Smith (Mktg’19) signed her first professional volleyball contract with France’s Beziers Angels.
Golfer Daniel O’Loughlin (Geog’20) won the Walton Heath Trophy, one of England’s top amateur events.
Derrick White (Mgmt’17) earned a roster spot on Team U.S.A. for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China.
Darrin Chiaverini (Comm’99) was named assistant head coach for ��ͯ��Ů football following his 2018 Rivals.com distinction as one of the nation’s top-25 recruiters.
Kennedy Leonard (Comm’19) signed with Herner TC to play in Germany’s top professional basketball league.
Hale Irwin (Mktg’67) received the PGA Tour’s Payne Stewart Award for his exceptional character, sportsmanship and commitment to charity.
Cliff Branch (A&S’71), first-team All-American at ��ͯ��Ů, 14-year member of the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, four-time Pro Bowl selection and one of the most electrifying Buffs football players ever, died in August at age 71.

��ͯ��Ů Women's Track and Field, Golf and more.

Traditional

Fall 2019

White

It's a Woman's World

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 06:00:00 +0000

It's a Woman's World Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/01/2019 - 00:00

Andrew Daigle

Recall 1999: A century crested, the U.S. Women’s National Team won the World Cup in a shootout and some of today’s ��ͯ��Ů Boulder soccer players drew their first breaths.

Buffs women’s soccer celebrated a slew of 20th anniversaries this summer — overseas. For 10 days in June, all returning players toured France, testing their mettle against European teams, exploring a nation and — how could they not? — attending the World Cup, which the latest U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) was favored to win, and did.

The Buffs won all their matches against French club teams — by shutout, no less, dominating the opener 11-0. Afterward, they watched the U.S.’s record-setting 13-0 Cup victory over Thailand.

Goalkeeper Jalen Tompkins (Psych’20) recalls reveling in the Cup’s cosmopolitanism. “Soccer is the world’s game,” she said.

Between days on the pitch and in the stands, the ��ͯ��Ů crew bonded at the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Versailles. They snapped pictures, crowded into cafés for watch parties and cheered in the streets.

“To see them soak up the cultural experiences really put a smile on my face,” said Associate Coach Jason Green.

The squad departed France before the Americans’ finale. But the spirit of the U.S. team — on the field and in their unapologetic demands for equal pay — stoked the Buffs’ pride in their sport and in each other.

The USWNT’s World Cup win “brings legitimacy and attention to our sport,” said forward Libby Geraghty (IntPhys’22).

Midfielder Hannah Sharts (Comm’22) added, “More exposure means more opportunities for women to play professionally.”

Indeed, the national team depends on stateside growth for new stars.

With 2019 alumni Erin Greening (StComm), Scout Watson (Comm) and Jorian Baucom (Comm) all in the pros, Buffs are doing their part.

“We thought it would be all about soccer,” Green said, reflecting on the quadrennial overseas trip, “and it never is.”

Photo courtesy ��ͯ��Ů Athletics

Animated by a team trip to Europe during the World Cup, ��ͯ��Ů soccer has enthusiasm to burn.

Off

Traditional

White

Sports Briefs — Winter 2018

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2018 19:31:00 +0000

Sports Briefs — Winter 2018 Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 12/01/2018 - 12:31

Stats

Number of foreign players on ��ͯ��Ů's seven-member women's tennis team.

$3.1M

Recent donation to ��ͯ��Ů Boulder's performance nutrition program.

13-0-3

Women's soccer's record in mid-October.

NINE

Number of freshmen and sophomores among this year's 13 men's basketball scholarship recipients.

10/1

Week all five of ��ͯ��Ů's fall sports teams were ranked in the Top 25 nationally.

TWO

Individual Pac-12 Cross Country Champion titles in a row for senior Dani Jones (Psych'19).

Buffs Bits

Phillip Lindsay (Comm’18) scored the Denver Broncos' first touchdown in their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 9. It was his NFL debut. … Also in September, Jenny Simpson (Econ, PolSci’09) won her seventh Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City with a time of 4:18.8. … ��ͯ��Ů men’s golfer Daniel O’Loughlin (Geog’20) of Nottingham, England, finished in the Top 10 four times this fall. … In mid-October Jorian Baucom (StComm’20) led scoring for ��ͯ��Ů women’s soccer, with 12 goals. Her twelfth goal set a ��ͯ��Ů regular season record of 46 total team goals. … Star forward Dallas Walton (StComm’21) of men’s basketball will sit out the 2018-19 season with a right ACL tear.

2,200 Pairs and Counting

When young Native Americans from around the West travel to ��ͯ��Ů each November for an annual three-day run honoring victims of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, they receive a pair of running shoes from nonprofit One World Running. In years past, some of the shoes belonged to the likes of Olympians Jenny Simpson (Econ, PolSci’09) and Kara Goucher (Psych’01).

That’s because members of the ��ͯ��Ů track team have been donating their old or unused footwear to One World for a decade. The group, founded in 1986 by Daily Camera running columnist Mike Sandrock (MCDBio’80; MBA’84), distributes new and like-new shoes and athletic gear from runners around the U.S. to people in need worldwide.

By now, ��ͯ��Ů has donated an estimated 2,200 pairs of racing and training shoes and spikes.

In January, volunteers will distribute more former Buffs’ shoes in Cuba.

“Many of these Cuban runners are the same age and talent level as the Buffs who donated the shoes,” said Sandrock, who also serves as a writing tutor for the ��ͯ��Ů Athletic Department.

For the student-athletes, donating shoes is a no-brainer.

“All we have to do is tell them there’s a bin for donating shoes,” said Heather Burroughs (EPOBio’99), associate head cross-country coach.

Photo by @iStock/CatLane

The latest on ��ͯ��Ů athletes past and present.

Off

Traditional

Winter 2018

White

Soccer

Soccer Returns to NCAA Tournament

Off

Sports Briefs: Fall 2023

Prime Era Debuts

Buffs Bits

Coach Talk

Off

Sports Briefs Spring 2023

Sanders Named Football Coach

Buffs Bits

Coach Talk

Stats

Off

Hannah Sharts Excels On and Off the Pitch

Off

Sports News Fall 2021

Off

The Double

Off

Sports Briefs Winter 2020

Stats

Soccer Returns to the NCAA Tournament

Buffs Bits

Off

Sports Briefs — Fall 2019

Stats

��ͯ��Ů Women’s Track and Field Athletes Run Up the Score

Buffs Bits

Related Articles

It's a Woman's World

Off

Sports Briefs — Winter 2018

Stats

Buffs Bits

2,200 Pairs and Counting

Off