Anne Kelly Retiring After 27 Years

Women’s golf head coach after the 2023–24 season. The program’s second full-time head coach, she has led the Buffaloes since 1997 and is the longest-tenured female head coach in ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Athletics history. 

Under Kelly, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ has gone to regionals eight times and NCAAs twice. Golfers’ achievements include five entries to regionals, nine All-Americans and 24 All-America Scholars. 

“[I’m] primarily proud of so many of the young women who have played for ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ and the amazing, successful and caring adults they have become,” Kelly said. 

Kelly received the 2023 Kim Evans Award for lifetime contributions to the sport from the Women’s Golf Coaches Association. 

ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ athletic director Rick George announced that associate head coach Madeleine Sheils will succeed Kelly as head coach starting in 2024–25. 

“[Kelly’s] kindness, patience and humor are the foundations of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ women’s golf, and I have big shoes to fill as I follow a coach who has positively influenced so many lives,” said Sheils.  

Buffs Bits

ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ football finished 4-8 (1-8 Pac-12) in Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ first season as head coach. Sanders was named the Sports Illustrated in November 2023. Cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter (Psych’26) won the Paul Hornig Award as the Nation’s Most Versatile Player and was a consensus First- Team All-American and Academic All-American. … Cross-country women and men finished 19th and 25th respectively at the NCAA Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia. … Lexi Hadrych (�ѳ�����’23), Skyy Howard (MA&S’23) and Maya Tabron (Bus Ana, Mktg’24) received All-Pac-12 Volleyball Honorable Mentions. The Buffs finished the 2023 season 16-15 (8-12 Pac-12). … Women’s basketball’s Jaylyn Sherrod (Soc’22; MSOL’24) was named Associated Press National Player of the Week on Jan. 2. She had a career-high 34 points in a 76-65 win over No. 12 Utah on Dec. 30. … On Jan. 10, guard KJ Simpson (Comm’25) was named to the midseason watch list for the Wooden Award All America Team and Most Outstanding Player Award. 

Coach Talk

“They do it, they reconnect, we come back together, refocus and just make sure we’re all locked in and on the same page.” 

— Women’s basketball head coach JR Payne after the No. 5 Buffs defeated No. 8 Stanford 71-59 on Jan. 14.

Digits

1st

First year alpine skier Filip Wahlqvist (Bus’27) won the first two races of his career Jan. 17 and 18 in Park City, Utah. 

1.76

Meters cleared by track and field’s Allie Routledge (EnvEngr’24) to win the women’s high jump at Air Force on Jan.

3rd

Morgan Miller’s (StComm’26) finish at the 2023 Miami Hurricane Invitational to close the fall season for women’s golf. 

7-0

Tennis defeated UC Riverside in its spring season opener on Jan. 14 in Riverside, California.

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Photo courtesy ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Athletics

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“Just Me and the Ball” 

Rising junior (Mktg’25) of the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ men’s golf team has played in the No. 1 or No. 2 position in both of his first two years at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ. A rare lefty golfer, he started the 2022–23 season by winning the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Classic with a three-round total of 200, the lowest-ever gross score for a ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ golfer. In May, he was after placing second in the Pac-12 Championship. 

You and fellow rising junior Justin Biwer (Acct, Fin’25) played in the top two positions your first two years at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ. How has it been adapting to college play while leading the team?

The competition is up, the courses are harder. A funny thing is that with high school golf, another friend and I were No. 1 and No. 2 all four years as well. But I was not expecting it here. I came in as one of the lower guys. Coming in, I put a lot of effort in over the summer to step up my game, emphasizing things that I hadn’t been good at.

You’ve been remarkably consistent with the Buffs, including closing the fall 2022 season with six consecutive tournaments under par. To what do you attribute your consistency?

I’ve always been on the shorter side of distance, so I have to be accurate. I grew up on a tree-lined course where you have to hit the fairway. If you consistently hit fairways and shots into the green, you can consistently play well.

My dad broke his neck when he was about 15, so he can’t swing much. When we practiced when I was young, we always went to the short game area to work on chipping and putting. If I end up in a bad position now, I believe I’m good enough to save a par.

How do college tournaments work?

Typically, tournaments are 54 holes. Your coaches are basically caddies. Reading putts, picking lines, whatever they can help with — they just can’t carry your bag. They bounce from player to player or stick around on tough holes that we might struggle on. We bring five players to each tournament and count the top four scores from each day. With winter tournaments [in warmer regions], we’ll head out early to get rounds in and practice on grass because we can’t here in the winter.

You’re from Granite Bay, California, near Sacramento. Why did you choose ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ?

Roy Edwards, our head coach, gave me an opportunity. It was one of my best offers. Coming to the Pac-12 was awesome because practically all my friends who I grew up playing with went to Pac-12 schools. I get to compete against them. And the practice facilities and everything here are exactly what I need to get better.

Can you share some advice you’ve received from your ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ coaches?

Derek Tolan (Soc’20), our assistant coach, tells me to swing confidently. Commit to every shot. A problem I’ve had is I’ll have the shot planned out, but when I try to pull it off, I’ll come out of it and get scared. Like if I don’t want to go in the water, I’ll hit left. 

What do you remember about your ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ record-breaking Fighting Irish tournament?

Going in, the main thing I worked on was alignment, making sure I was aimed to where I thought I was pointed. When I play my best, I’m typically putting and chipping well. That weekend, I putted pretty badly, but my irons were probably the best they’ve ever been. That was weird. It just shows there are different ways to win.

What contributed to making the 2022–23 season so successful?

Justin pushes me. We’re always battling back and forth trying to be better than each other. Competition sharpens your game. And Derek has helped me focus on my mental game. I can get mad at shots. I’ve started to calm down and believe that even if I start off bad, I can always come back. 

When striking the golf ball, how do you block out distractions? 

It’s just me and the ball. You can’t tell yourself ‘Don’t go there’ — like the water, because then all your mind hears is ‘water.’ I tell myself to hit the middle of the green, the flag or a spot. When standing over a shot, you need a plan. The line to start on. The finishing point. Your club down. Yardages, wind, everything. It takes years before that comes naturally.

What is something people may be surprised to learn about you?

In junior golf and even last year, I didn’t have much confidence. I truly didn’t believe that I could make it in golf until I started talking with my coaches. Once I won the Notre Dame tournament, that sparked my confidence — not just in golf, but in everything. It’s been a whole different mindset.

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Photos by Mike Rasay/Pac-12 Conference, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Athletics

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Fifteen Lacrosse Seniors Graduate

Eleven seniors and four super-seniors played their last game for ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ in the early 60s, became director of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ’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, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ football’s new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach told BuffZone in April. He was hired in December.

Stats

3

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

27

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

21

ESPN’s national ranking of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ football’s 2023 recruiting class, as of May 9

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Photos courtesy ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Athletics 

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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,” ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ. 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 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ ahead 68-54. … On Sept. 18 Buffs volleyball extended its school-record undefeated start to the season to nine matches, taking down rival ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ women’s cross-country runners who placed in the top 10 at the season-opening Wyoming Invitational in Cheyenne
 
30 
ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ club sports teams will resume competition in 2021-2022
 
281
Buffs rushing yards in football’s season-opening 35-7 victory over Northern ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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

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Photos by Glenn Asakawa (Ralphie); Courtesy ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Athletics (Ellie Gower) 

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Stats

1

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

25

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

52-31

ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ beat CSU in the final Denver Rocky Mountain Showdown

3.024

All-time high cumulative spring GPA for ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ's 330 varsity athletes

500

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

ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ, 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.

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Stats

5

Number of foreign players on ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ's seven-member women's tennis team.

$3.1M

Recent donation to ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ'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. … ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ women’s soccer, with 12 goals. Her twelfth goal set a ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 (�ʲ��⳦��’01).

That’s because members of the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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

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