Thought I'd start this thread to list the various honors given to Buff Student-Athletes, as well as cover anything see regarding any graduation news later in the month.
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To start with, a week or two ago the annual academic awards were announced, with, initially, a Youtube video released with the news. (Subsequent to that, there's been individual snippets released of individual awardees via the https://NOPE/BuffsHACademicsaccount, as well as the https://www.youtube.com/user/buffvision/videos channel.)
Congrats to all the honorees!!!
Full announcement show-
Associated cubuffs.com article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2020/4/22/cross-country-cu-athletics-honors-its-academic-best.aspx
Quoting the full article:
"
CU Athletics Honors Its Academic Best
By: David Plati, Associate AD/Sports Information
28th Annual Student-Athlete Recognition Banquet Went Virtual
BOULDER — Over three dozen University of Colorado student-athletes, including two dozen with perfect 4.00 grade point averages for one or both semesters last year, were honored for a variety of outstanding academic accomplishments Tuesday on-line on Facebook and YouTube, as the school's 28th Annual Student-Athlete Academic Recognition Banquet was virtual for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Usually over 300 people attend the event, including university faculty and staff, coaches and student-athletes; this year, those presenting submitted videos announcing the recipients of the awards. A replay of the virtual event can be viewed here: .
The Clancy A. Herbst, Jr., Student-Athlete Achievement Award were presented to redshirt sophomore men's basketball player Frank Ryder and sophomore football player Jaylon Jackson. The award is given to athletes who overcome personal, academic or emotional challenges difficulties to succeed both academically and athletically.
Ryder, who is majoring in Economics, in his first year in college at the University of San Diego, he suffered from an infection that led to a stroke and two heart surgeries. A Boulder Fairview High School graduate, he transferred back home and joined the team as a walk-on. With all this going on in his life, and while working hard in rehabilitation and then to get back into playing shape. He became the first men's basketball player to record a 4.0 grade point average for a semester in recent memory. Jackson, a Communication major who is also earning a minor in Ethnic Studies, has kept a positive attitude while dealing with assorted injuries that have limited his participation for his first three years as a member of the football team.
Four students were presented with the Morgan Family Buff Club Scholar-Athlete Award, as the recipients include a member of the sophomore and junior classes and male and female members from the senior class who have accumulated the highest cumulative grade point average in their respective class (and are awarded by academic year, not eligibility class). The winners were:
Academic team winners for grade point average were the women's cross country team for the seventh straight year (and 16th time in 28 years) for a sport with its championship in the fall semester (3.498) and the women's ski team, also the seventh time in a row (and 15th time overall) for those who compete in the spring semester (3.434). The volleyball team was honored for the most improved honor for a team, as its cumulative GPA rose an impressive .242 (from 2.957 after the fall of 2018 to 3.199 through last fall), one of the highest increases since the award was created.
Out of 352 student-athletes, 189 attained a 3.0 grade point cumulatively through the Fall 2019 semester (53.7 percent; 190 recorded 3.0's for the semester term). There were 85 with aggregate GPA's of 3.5 or better, with 106 earning that mark or better for the semester alone. The fall grade point average of all 360 worked to a 2.945, the fourth-best on record in nearly 25 years of compiling the information, with the cumulative average overall the third-best at 3.006. That's 11 straight semesters over a 2.9 – out of 12 all totaled – with 11 of CU's 15 programs owning team GPA's in excess of 3.0. Those continue to be impressive numbers when realized that CU's curriculum is one of the toughest in Division I athletics, which is easily evidenced by the roll call of majors being undertaken by many of the award winners.
In the 2019 calendar year, there were 24 student-athletes who studied to perfection, as in 4.00 grade point averages for at least one semester if not the full year; that nearly matched the established record of 27 set last year. All were thus inducted into CU's 4.0 club; membership now stands at 420 since 1994. Those honored included five recognized for their fourth straight year, all on the track and field team: Hurta, Penner, Kaitlyn Benner (Chemical & Biological Engineering), Bri Schwartz (Strategic Communication Public Relations) and Michaela Wenning (Chemical & Biological Engineering and Biochemistry).
Honored for a third consecutive year were: Hannah Cardenas (Integrative Physiology and Psychology), Libby Geraghty (Integrative Physiology and Pre-Med Studies) and J.J. Tompkins (Psychology) from soccer; Tonje Trulsrud (Architectural Engineering) from skiing. A second-time honoree was Elle Otten (Accounting and Psychology) from women's golf.
First-time members of the club include Farrow, Ryder, Hunter Appleton (Integrative Physiology), Ryan Ganson (master's in Organizational Leadership), Ethan Gonzales (majoring in Environmental Engineering), Joe Klecker (Biochemistry and Pre-Dentistry), Karina Mann (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies) and Wyatt Rhoads (master's Organizational Leadership). all from cross country and track; Sondre Bollum (International Affairs and Political Science) from Nordic ski; Tim Lynott, Jr. (master's in Organizational Leadership), Valentin Senn (Pre-Business) and Jonathan Van Diest (Business Management) from football; Caroline Perry (Business-Finance) from lacrosse; and Hannah Sharts (Communication) from soccer.
Justine Spann, a senior who just completed her career on the volleyball team, Delrick Abrams, a senior on the football team. and Mya Hollingshed, a sophomore major on the women's basketball team, were recognized as the recipients of the Most Improved Student-Athlete Awards. Spann, Sociology major, who is also earning a minor in Communication, saw her grade point rise 1.5 points from her first semester grade point to her best-semester high of 3.075. Hollingshed, a junior Communication major, earned the honor for underclassmen, as she has increased her grade point average every semester since enrolling at CU in the fall of 2017. Abrams, majoring in Ethnic Studies, prioritized his commitment to academics after arriving at Colorado from junior college and has inspired those underclassmen on the football team.
There were three recipients of the Byron R. White Leadership and Initiative Award, named for CU's legendary football All-American, Rhodes Scholar and U.S. Supreme Court Justice. It is awarded to those student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding initiative and demonstrate a strong commitment to service to the CU and Boulder communities. The winners were Penner (who received the award for seniors), Liz Phillips (sophomore, lacrosse), who is majoring in Integrative Physiology and the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences and Alisha Lau (junior, golf), a Strategic Communication major. The three were selected among nine nominees from across all sports.
The Student Support Services Academic Award was presented to Zoe Myers, a senior student assistant who has worked four years in the equipment department, most particularly with the volleyball program. The owner of a 4.0 grade point average as a Business major (Management) along with a minor in Leadership Studies, this award is presented to a student worker who maintains a 3.0 GPA while demonstrating strong commitment and leadership to CU athletics. Myers, who is also the president of her sorority, also earned certificates in Business Leadership and Technology, Arts & Media.
Klecker was asked to represent all the award winners with the closing comments. He admitted his was disinterested in his major at first. "My main goal when I first got to campus was to make the varsity cross country team. (Ahead of his sophomore year) The first day back on campus, coach (Mark) Wetmore asked us what are goal was for being here. He called on a few people who gave answers were to win a national title or a Pac-12 title, or even just to get a degree, but all of those were wrong answers. To which he replied, 'Your goal for being here should be to graduate so you don't have to move home and live on your parents' couch. Essentially you should be self-sustainable adults.' This point really stuck with me. I realized that I needed to find a path and a major that I was deeply excited about as I was my sport. That path was dentistry. I doubled down on my efforts in the classroom. As Buffs, we have the best of both worlds, we have incredible support in our sport, amazing nutrition, amazing facilities and great coaching, and equally incredible support from the Herbst academic staff. Use the resources you have here while you have them."
Academic medallion sponsors for this year's recognition awards included Kathy & Tom Anselmo, Lawren & Fred Bradford, Dana & Ben Broussard, Jeff Brown, Pat Confer, Lori Dumler & Tami Dick, Janis & Steve Freel, Stephen Hansen, Carol & Dick Lewis, Gineva McKinney, Kimbirly Orr, Molly & David Santisteven, Sarah Sterkel, Robert Umbreit and "The Ultimate Scholarship Group."
In other academic news, the National Football Foundation's Colorado Chapter released its annual Academic All-Colorado Team this week, with six Buffaloes earning first-team honors (minimum 3.3 GPA): Van Diest, defensive back Lucas Cooper, punter Alex Kinney, guard Tim Lynott, Jr., defensive tackle Nico Magri, and placekicker Davis Price. Nine others earned honorable mention: receiver Daniel Arias, tight end Jalen Harris, guards Chance Lytle and Colby Pursell, outside linebackers Alec Pell, Mark Perry and Carson Wells, inside linebacker Ray Robinson and cornerback K.J. Trujillo. Last week, the NFF announced the 2019 Hampshire Honor Society team, rewarding those senior student-athletes who have in excess of a 3.2 grade point average. Cooper, Harris, Kinney, Lynott and Price all were named to that squad, as Colorado was represented for the 14th straight year, the entire history of the team; CU is one of just eight FBS schools to be have been recognized all 14 years.
"
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
To start with, a week or two ago the annual academic awards were announced, with, initially, a Youtube video released with the news. (Subsequent to that, there's been individual snippets released of individual awardees via the https://NOPE/BuffsHACademicsaccount, as well as the https://www.youtube.com/user/buffvision/videos channel.)
Congrats to all the honorees!!!
Full announcement show-
Associated cubuffs.com article - https://cubuffs.com/news/2020/4/22/cross-country-cu-athletics-honors-its-academic-best.aspx
Quoting the full article:
"
CU Athletics Honors Its Academic Best
By: David Plati, Associate AD/Sports Information
28th Annual Student-Athlete Recognition Banquet Went Virtual
BOULDER — Over three dozen University of Colorado student-athletes, including two dozen with perfect 4.00 grade point averages for one or both semesters last year, were honored for a variety of outstanding academic accomplishments Tuesday on-line on Facebook and YouTube, as the school's 28th Annual Student-Athlete Academic Recognition Banquet was virtual for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Usually over 300 people attend the event, including university faculty and staff, coaches and student-athletes; this year, those presenting submitted videos announcing the recipients of the awards. A replay of the virtual event can be viewed here: .
The Clancy A. Herbst, Jr., Student-Athlete Achievement Award were presented to redshirt sophomore men's basketball player Frank Ryder and sophomore football player Jaylon Jackson. The award is given to athletes who overcome personal, academic or emotional challenges difficulties to succeed both academically and athletically.
Ryder, who is majoring in Economics, in his first year in college at the University of San Diego, he suffered from an infection that led to a stroke and two heart surgeries. A Boulder Fairview High School graduate, he transferred back home and joined the team as a walk-on. With all this going on in his life, and while working hard in rehabilitation and then to get back into playing shape. He became the first men's basketball player to record a 4.0 grade point average for a semester in recent memory. Jackson, a Communication major who is also earning a minor in Ethnic Studies, has kept a positive attitude while dealing with assorted injuries that have limited his participation for his first three years as a member of the football team.
Four students were presented with the Morgan Family Buff Club Scholar-Athlete Award, as the recipients include a member of the sophomore and junior classes and male and female members from the senior class who have accumulated the highest cumulative grade point average in their respective class (and are awarded by academic year, not eligibility class). The winners were:
- Caleb Penner, Sr., Track & Field (3.984 GPA, Engineering Physics and Applied Mathematics.
- Sage Hurta, Sr., Cross County & Track (3.979 GPA, (Chemical & Biological Engineering and Pre-Med Studies)
- Libby Geraghty, Jr., Soccer (4.00 GPA, Integrative Physiology and Pre-Med Studies)
- Tallulah Farrow, Soph., Tennis (4.00 GPA, Philosophy, Anthropology and International Affairs)
Academic team winners for grade point average were the women's cross country team for the seventh straight year (and 16th time in 28 years) for a sport with its championship in the fall semester (3.498) and the women's ski team, also the seventh time in a row (and 15th time overall) for those who compete in the spring semester (3.434). The volleyball team was honored for the most improved honor for a team, as its cumulative GPA rose an impressive .242 (from 2.957 after the fall of 2018 to 3.199 through last fall), one of the highest increases since the award was created.
Out of 352 student-athletes, 189 attained a 3.0 grade point cumulatively through the Fall 2019 semester (53.7 percent; 190 recorded 3.0's for the semester term). There were 85 with aggregate GPA's of 3.5 or better, with 106 earning that mark or better for the semester alone. The fall grade point average of all 360 worked to a 2.945, the fourth-best on record in nearly 25 years of compiling the information, with the cumulative average overall the third-best at 3.006. That's 11 straight semesters over a 2.9 – out of 12 all totaled – with 11 of CU's 15 programs owning team GPA's in excess of 3.0. Those continue to be impressive numbers when realized that CU's curriculum is one of the toughest in Division I athletics, which is easily evidenced by the roll call of majors being undertaken by many of the award winners.
In the 2019 calendar year, there were 24 student-athletes who studied to perfection, as in 4.00 grade point averages for at least one semester if not the full year; that nearly matched the established record of 27 set last year. All were thus inducted into CU's 4.0 club; membership now stands at 420 since 1994. Those honored included five recognized for their fourth straight year, all on the track and field team: Hurta, Penner, Kaitlyn Benner (Chemical & Biological Engineering), Bri Schwartz (Strategic Communication Public Relations) and Michaela Wenning (Chemical & Biological Engineering and Biochemistry).
Honored for a third consecutive year were: Hannah Cardenas (Integrative Physiology and Psychology), Libby Geraghty (Integrative Physiology and Pre-Med Studies) and J.J. Tompkins (Psychology) from soccer; Tonje Trulsrud (Architectural Engineering) from skiing. A second-time honoree was Elle Otten (Accounting and Psychology) from women's golf.
First-time members of the club include Farrow, Ryder, Hunter Appleton (Integrative Physiology), Ryan Ganson (master's in Organizational Leadership), Ethan Gonzales (majoring in Environmental Engineering), Joe Klecker (Biochemistry and Pre-Dentistry), Karina Mann (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies) and Wyatt Rhoads (master's Organizational Leadership). all from cross country and track; Sondre Bollum (International Affairs and Political Science) from Nordic ski; Tim Lynott, Jr. (master's in Organizational Leadership), Valentin Senn (Pre-Business) and Jonathan Van Diest (Business Management) from football; Caroline Perry (Business-Finance) from lacrosse; and Hannah Sharts (Communication) from soccer.
Justine Spann, a senior who just completed her career on the volleyball team, Delrick Abrams, a senior on the football team. and Mya Hollingshed, a sophomore major on the women's basketball team, were recognized as the recipients of the Most Improved Student-Athlete Awards. Spann, Sociology major, who is also earning a minor in Communication, saw her grade point rise 1.5 points from her first semester grade point to her best-semester high of 3.075. Hollingshed, a junior Communication major, earned the honor for underclassmen, as she has increased her grade point average every semester since enrolling at CU in the fall of 2017. Abrams, majoring in Ethnic Studies, prioritized his commitment to academics after arriving at Colorado from junior college and has inspired those underclassmen on the football team.
There were three recipients of the Byron R. White Leadership and Initiative Award, named for CU's legendary football All-American, Rhodes Scholar and U.S. Supreme Court Justice. It is awarded to those student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding initiative and demonstrate a strong commitment to service to the CU and Boulder communities. The winners were Penner (who received the award for seniors), Liz Phillips (sophomore, lacrosse), who is majoring in Integrative Physiology and the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences and Alisha Lau (junior, golf), a Strategic Communication major. The three were selected among nine nominees from across all sports.
The Student Support Services Academic Award was presented to Zoe Myers, a senior student assistant who has worked four years in the equipment department, most particularly with the volleyball program. The owner of a 4.0 grade point average as a Business major (Management) along with a minor in Leadership Studies, this award is presented to a student worker who maintains a 3.0 GPA while demonstrating strong commitment and leadership to CU athletics. Myers, who is also the president of her sorority, also earned certificates in Business Leadership and Technology, Arts & Media.
Klecker was asked to represent all the award winners with the closing comments. He admitted his was disinterested in his major at first. "My main goal when I first got to campus was to make the varsity cross country team. (Ahead of his sophomore year) The first day back on campus, coach (Mark) Wetmore asked us what are goal was for being here. He called on a few people who gave answers were to win a national title or a Pac-12 title, or even just to get a degree, but all of those were wrong answers. To which he replied, 'Your goal for being here should be to graduate so you don't have to move home and live on your parents' couch. Essentially you should be self-sustainable adults.' This point really stuck with me. I realized that I needed to find a path and a major that I was deeply excited about as I was my sport. That path was dentistry. I doubled down on my efforts in the classroom. As Buffs, we have the best of both worlds, we have incredible support in our sport, amazing nutrition, amazing facilities and great coaching, and equally incredible support from the Herbst academic staff. Use the resources you have here while you have them."
Academic medallion sponsors for this year's recognition awards included Kathy & Tom Anselmo, Lawren & Fred Bradford, Dana & Ben Broussard, Jeff Brown, Pat Confer, Lori Dumler & Tami Dick, Janis & Steve Freel, Stephen Hansen, Carol & Dick Lewis, Gineva McKinney, Kimbirly Orr, Molly & David Santisteven, Sarah Sterkel, Robert Umbreit and "The Ultimate Scholarship Group."
In other academic news, the National Football Foundation's Colorado Chapter released its annual Academic All-Colorado Team this week, with six Buffaloes earning first-team honors (minimum 3.3 GPA): Van Diest, defensive back Lucas Cooper, punter Alex Kinney, guard Tim Lynott, Jr., defensive tackle Nico Magri, and placekicker Davis Price. Nine others earned honorable mention: receiver Daniel Arias, tight end Jalen Harris, guards Chance Lytle and Colby Pursell, outside linebackers Alec Pell, Mark Perry and Carson Wells, inside linebacker Ray Robinson and cornerback K.J. Trujillo. Last week, the NFF announced the 2019 Hampshire Honor Society team, rewarding those senior student-athletes who have in excess of a 3.2 grade point average. Cooper, Harris, Kinney, Lynott and Price all were named to that squad, as Colorado was represented for the 14th straight year, the entire history of the team; CU is one of just eight FBS schools to be have been recognized all 14 years.
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