The school had its annual academic awards ceremony -
https://cubuffs.com/news/2025/4/15/general-buffaloes-honor-student-athlete-academic-success
Congrats to all honored!
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Buffaloes Honor Student-Athlete Academic Success
By:
Troy Andre, Associate Director/Athletic Communications
BOULDER – The University of Colorado celebrated a record setting year in the classroom Tuesday at the 33rd Annual Student-Athlete Recognition Ceremony at the Touchdown Club in the Dal Ward Athletic Center.
Following a fall season that saw Colorado student-athletes achieve both the best semester grade point average (3.287) and cumulative GPA (3.254) in program history, the Buffaloes recognized special award recipients and honored 61 student-athletes with a perfect 4.0 GPA for the spring 2024 and/or fall 2024 semesters.
Ronald Coleman (Football) and Assane Diop (Men's Basketball) earned the Motivated to Succeed Award, presented to a student-athlete who is self-reflective, coachable and makes good decisions that allow them to improve and maintain their academic performance every day.
Coleman continues to hold high expectations for himself in all areas of life. He entered the Spring of 2024 with a goal of a 4.0 GPA. When that fell short last semester, he decided to make a change in his approach, reaching out to each professor he had early on to meet with them in their office hours to understand their expectations.
Diop was honored due to the professional approach to his studies and has enjoyed success in the classroom with the formula of attending class while connecting and communicating with his instructors. He is also a leader and example for his men's basketball teammates. Diop had the option of opting out of a mandatory freshman-sophomore study hall because of his academic success, the only one allowed to do so, but he opted to stay in study hall because he felt that if his teammates had to be in there, he should as well.
Prior to presenting the awards to Diop and Coleman, it was announced that going forward the honor will be renamed the
Kris Livingston Motivated to Succeed Award, honoring Colorado's long-time Executive Senior Associate AD and Director of the Herbst Academic Center who is retiring at the end of the school year.
"Kris has been an exceptional mentor and leader to all of us here at the Herbst Academic Center," said
Jedediah Herb, Colorado Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Services who will take over for Livingston in the lead academic role this summer. "Whenever I think of this event, I can't help but recall Kris saying this is her second favorite day of the year, right after graduation, because it's a time to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our student-athletes.
"On behalf of the entire Herbst Academic Center staff, Kris, thank you for your leadership, friendship, your unwavering commitment and your profound impact on our department over the past three decades."
Emily Dodd, a sophomore midfielder on the lacrosse team was honored with the Charging Buffalo Award, given to a student-athlete who has faced significant hardships during their academic journey, demonstrates growth through persistence and displays exceptional resilience to succeed academically.
As an international student, Dodd navigated the transition to the United States, faced injuries on the field that tested her both academically and athletically, and, just this past fall, overcame several personal struggles that led her to step away from sports and school for a bit of time. Despite these challenges, she has consistently been a shining example of what it means to be a student-athlete and a member of the Colorado community.
Even after suffering another injury this spring, when it would have been easy to give up, she refused to quit. She never fell behind in any of her courses and continued to stand tall in the face of yet another challenge.
Colorado Academic Mentor
Tyler Parminter in his tribute to Dodd added "A naturally private person, I asked her if she would be comfortable being nominated for this award and have some of her journey shared. After a moment of thought, she laughed and said, 'Well, what's the phrase? A buffalo faces the storm, right?' To me, that simple, powerful response perfectly encapsulates the spirit of this year's recipient."
Natalie Myslinski (Lacrosse) and Karolina Kaleta (Skiing) earned the Most Improved Student-Athlete Award. Given to at least one underclass and one senior student athlete, the honor is for those who demonstrate exceptional growth over their previous terms.
Myslinksi has found her footing as a student, improving her GPA in every semester highlighted by making the Dean's List in the Fall of 2024. Kaleta, a native of Poland whose older sister Weronika won this award last year, was lauded for her efforts in transitioning to predominantly writing and speaking in English, being away from her family and adjusting to the norms and expectations of an American University.
Three student-athletes were presented with the Morgan Family Buff Club Scholar-Athlete Awards, given to the sophomore, junior and seniors with the highest cumulative GPA. The winners, awarded by academic year, are:
Danny Tragarz, Sophomore, Track & Field (Environmental Engineering)
Luka Riley, Junior, Skiing, (Mechanical Engineering)
Kindyll Wetta, Senior, Women's Basketball (Integrative Physiology)
Four student-athletes were honored with the RAPID Core Values Award which is awarded to at least one underclass student-athlete and at least one senior student-athlete who embody the Athletic Department's core values of Respect, Accountability, Passion, Integrity and Dedication while succeeding academically during their participation in athletics.
Frida Formann (Women's Basketball) and Aya El Sayed (Tennis) were the senior RAPID Core Values Award winners while Johannes Flaate, a sophomore skier, and Riley Burkey, a junior track & field student-athlete were the underclass recipients.
Tabitha Betson (Women's Basketball) and Jace Holley (Soccer) received the Academic Promise Award, presented to a freshman student-athlete who demonstrates the dedication and commitment needed to succeed academically while participating in athletics.
The men's track and field team received the Most Improved Team GPA Award, receiving the honor for their improvement from a 3.183 GPA in the Fall of 2023 to a program best 3.254 GPA for the Fall 2024 term. In between, the team recorded a 3.193 GPA in the Spring of 2024 for their best Spring season GPA.
The football team won the Impressive Academic Performance Award for their actions in the classroom and Herbst Academic Center. The football team recorded a 3.011 GPA in the Fall of 2024, their first time with a semester GPA over 3.0 in program history. Their cumulative GPA of 3.083 through the Fall 2024 term is also a program record.
The 61 student-athletes who achieved a 4.0 GPA in the spring 2024 and/or fall 2024 semesters represent 16 different sports at CU are:
- Hanna Abrahamsson, Skiing, Environmental Engineering
- Valerya Alexin, Tennis, A&S - Open Option
- Hunter Appleton, XC/Track, Organizational Leadership
- Jade Babcock-Chi, Soccer , Aerospace Engineering Sciences
- Eleanor Baran, XC/Track. Masters of the Environment
- Tabitha Betson, Women's Basketball, A&S - Open Option
- Nicholas Bianco, Track & Field, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Eva Bruce, Track & Field, Neuroscience/Spanish
- Aidan Carr, Lacrosse, Integrative Physiology
- Shane Cokes, Football, Leadership and Management Certificate
- Camden Dempsey, Football, Finance/Marketing
- Anna-Maria Dietze, Skiing, Physics
- Nyamer Diew, Women's Basketball, Learning Sciences & Human Development
- Jacob Dilling, Skiing, Communication
- Elena Exenberger, Skiing, Psychology/Media Studies
- Louis Fausa, Skiing, Business Analytics
- Katie Fleckenstein, Skiing, Strategic Communication Design
- Frida Formann, Women's Basketball, Business Analytics
- Abigail Glynn, Track & Field, Psychology/Leadership & Community Engagement
- Lauren Gooding, Women's Golf, Strategic Communication
- Laura Gouvin, Soccer, Organizational Leadership
- Kendall Havill, Lacrosse, Organizational Leadership
- Jace Holley, Soccer, Exploratory Studies
- William Houser, Track & Field, Applied Mathematics
- Travis Hunter, Football, Anthropology
- Sabrina Iqbal, Women's Golf, Organizational Leadership
- Will Koch, Skiing, Psychology
- Eddie Lampkin, Jr., Men's Basketball, Ethnic Studies
- Kili Lehmkuhl, Skiing, Environmental Studies
- Aubrey Leneweaver, Track & Field, Information Science
- Ruthie Loomis-Goltl, Basketball, English
- Marco Martinez, Track & Field, Aerospace Engineering Sciences
- Kole Mathison, XC/Track, Integrative Physiology
- Joelle McDonald, XC/Track, Creative Technology and Design
- Caroline Mehlhorn, XC/Track, Psychology
- Morgan Miller, Women's Golf, Strategic Communication
- Abigail Nechanicky, XC/Track, Integrative Physiology
- Ames Newman, Track & Field, Biochemistry/Chinese
- Madeline Nolan, Women's Basketball, Organizational Leadership
- Jordan Nytes, Soccer, Sociology
- James Overberg, XC/Track, Mechanical Engineering
- Erin Powell, Women's Basketball, Environmental Studies
- Ellen Puzak, Tennis, Applied Mathematics
- Pia Rebec, Tennis, Biochemistry
- Molly Reed, Lacrosse, Media Studies
- Jack Reich, Skiing, Finance
- Luka Riley, Skiing, Mechanical Engineering
- Allie Routledge, Track & Field, Organizational Leadership
- Tyler Scholl, XC/Track, Strategic Communication
- Jessica Secor, XC/Track, Psychology
- Jaylyn Sherrod, Women's Basketball, Criminal Justice
- Taylor Smith, Lacrosse, Marketing
- Lola Stanley, Soccer, Communication
- Marlee Starliper, XC/Track, Organizational Leadership
- Emilea Stepaniuk, Volleyball, Integrative Physiology
- Maya Tabron, Volleyball, Marketing/Business Analytics
- Cydnee Taylor, Track & Field, Psychology
- Danny Tragarz, Track & Field, Environmental Engineering
- Whitney Valenti, XC/Track, Integrative Physiology
- Kindyll Wetta, Women's Basketball, Integrative Physiology
- Emma Zawatski, XC/Track, Journalism
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