Monday, March 28, 2011

Swim and Dive Heads to Nationals in search of Fifth Title

ATLANTA (3/28/11) – The University of Colorado swimming and diving team will be looking for their fifth national title when they head to the East Coast Championships this weekend.

Georgia Tech will host the meet that beings on Friday Apr. 1 and goes until Sunday Apr. 3.

The Buffaloes will be competing against 46 other teams from across the country at the largest club swimming and diving meet ever as 1,048 athletes will be in attendance. CU will send 50 athletes and two coaches to the championships.

Colorado has had a strong season so far as the team has broken eight school records and will look to break more in Atlanta.

Revenge will be on the minds of many of the athletes as CU was denied a chance for their fifth straight title last year, and the Buffs want to prove that the team is still as strong as they’ve been in years past.

However, CU senior Steve Nester said that the task of picking up a fifth title isn’t going to be easy.

“A lot of the other teams have gotten faster, so there is going to be more competition than it has been in the past,” Nester said.

During the year, the team has prepared for the East Coast Championships by participating in many club and NCAA level meets, including the NCAA Midwestern Collegiate Championships in Omaha, Neb., in February.

“A lot of people swam some of their best times in Omaha,” Nester said. “It was a good pre-championship meet for us.”

Last week’s spring break came at a perfect time for the team as the Buffs will now be well rested when they begin the meet this weekend. Colorado will leave for Atlanta on Thursday.

No. 6 Men's Lacrosse Falls 15-5 to No. 2 Arizona State

BOULDER (3/27/11) – After a disappointing loss to the hands of Colorado State, the Arizona State Sun Devils responded with a 15-5 victory over the University of Colorado men’s lacrosse team on Sunday afternoon to complete their Rocky Mountain road trip.

The loss ends a four game winning streak for Colorado, dropping their record to 6-2 overall while Arizona State improves to 7-1 on the year.

ASU’s scoring leader Eric Nelson highlighted the Sun Devil’s outing with a five goal performance.  Freshman attackman Jeff Petznick also had a good game as he finished with four goals.
                                                                                                                            
Early in the contest, Colorado had the upper hand on ASU, maintaining ball control for the majority of the opening quarter while also netting the first goal of the game by the hands of scoring leader A.J. Blackburn. But the CU lead was short lived as the Sun Devils scored eight goals through the third quarter. Arizona State continued to hold the upper hand in nearly every category of the game through the final minutes, giving little opportunity to Colorado.

“Today was a very inconsistent day for us,” said Colorado head coach Mike Ryder. “We came out and played pretty well early on, but we didn’t find the back of the net as much as we wanted to. We really got out of our character on the defensive end. Usually we are a defensive strong team.”

Blackburn and sophomore Matt White both finished with two goals in the game while freshman Tyler Dougherty also found the back of the net for Colorado.

Defense was the key for both teams on the day. For Arizona State, it was goaltender Dylan Westfall who was there time and time again to deny the Buffaloes efforts, recording 13 saves on 18 shots.  His defense meanwhile kept the Buffs’ shooters at bay, allowing very little opportunity in the middle of the field, forcing CU to take the majority of their shots from the perimeter of the ASU zone.

The Buffs defense however struggled to keep the Sun Devils off the ball, as they could not find an answer for the ASU shooters, whether it was in front of the crease or on the outside.  Many of their goals were due to mismatches found working the ball around the Buffs’ defense, finding an open man time and time again as they stirred traffic off the ball.

Colorado came into Sunday’s game riding on a four game win streak as they knocked off the Arizona Wildcats on Friday and went 3-0 in their Pacific Northwest road trip where they defeated Oregon, Simon Fraser and Minnesota Duluth. CU will now take a few days off before preparing for Wyoming next Saturday, followed by Chapman, another big game on the schedule going down the stretch. Colorado will play Chapman on Apr. 9 at 3 p.m. in Boulder, three hours before the CU football spring game.

Arizona State meanwhile remains atop the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference with the win and will travel next week to Michigan to take on the Wolverines in a rematch of last year’s MCLA Championship game.

The audio broadcast from Sunday’s CU-ASU game is available online at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cu-buffs-lacrosse.


CU Men’s Lacrosse website: www.culax.org

Friday, March 18, 2011

Men's Rugby Hosts BYU on St. Patrick's Day

BOULDER (3/15/11) - The No. 22 University of Colorado men's rugby team is preparing for their biggest challenge to date in the new College Premier Division when they play host to the No. 2 Brigham Young Cougars, one of the strongest teams in college rugby, on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Kittredge Field.

The Buffaloes are now at 1-1 in CPD league play, and are fresh off a confidence boosting 29-3 victory over in-state rival Colorado State last week. The CU defense proved its medal in that match, limiting the Ram's to a single 3-point penalty kick. CU associate head coach Jim Snyder said the team's "D" will have to be at its very best again on Thursday to get the upper hand against the Cougars.


"BYU is without a doubt one of the finest programs in the country," Snyder said. "If we play defense like we did last week, we have a shot at beating anybody."


Snyder can also be encouraged with past CU performances against BYU. In the spring of 2008, Colorado beat Brigham Young in a mid-season friendly match. That Colorado team went on to face the Cougars again in the National Semifinals where the Buffs were tripped up in their quest for the National Championship. Last year, CU traveled to Provo to take on the eventual national runner up Cougars, and played a great first half as they only trailed BYU by five points at the break.

The Buffs are also starting to see many of their younger student athletes stepping up to the challenge of the College Premier Division. Sophomore Brendan Cox is currently the team's leading try scorer after adding a pair against CSU in an MVP performance. Freshman Michael Sangaline of Highlands Ranch, Colo., is also performing well for the Buffs after a strong performance at prop against the Rams. This young talent is mixing well with the upper class experience of the Buffs, led by junior Chris Martin, who was another star for CU against Colorado State.

"Cox is really starting to come into his own as an athlete. He's got real pace and light feet that makes him a threat from anywhere on the field. Chris Martin is a true team leader. They both raise the level of the rest of their teammates," Snyder said. "BYU is a very exciting and fast team, and our backs should match up well. It's going to be a heck of a ball game."

Admission is free to Thursday's St. Patrick's Day match. Parking around the field is also free but will be limited due to a basketball game at the Coors Events Center scheduled for the same night.

Triathlon Heads to Lake Havasu Looking for Third Straight Conference Championship

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (3/14/11) – The University of Colorado triathlon team will be looking for a three peat when they head to the Mountain Collegiate Triathlon Conference (MCTC) Championships on Saturday Mar. 19 at Lake Havasu.

Colorado won the first two MCTC Championships in 2009 and 2010 and will be looking to do the same this weekend while also giving their younger athletes more racing experience.

“We have a young squad this season,” said Colorado head coach Mike Ricci. “We are looking to gain some racing experience for some of our younger team members at this race.”

The conference championships will be the Buffaloes first race of 2011 and will be a good warm up event for the Collegiate National Championships on Apr. 16 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

CU is the defending national champion and will be looking to bring home their 12th national title this season. The team’s strength last year was their veteran leadership, however, the Buffs lost four women and three men from their 2010 squad that helped win the championship.

The MCTC Championships will be a good measuring stick to see how Colorado will fair at nationals, and how the young athletes on the squad respond in their first major race of the season.


Colorado Triathlon website: http://www.cutriathlon.com/

Men's D-III Hockey Finishes Ninth in the Nation

HOLLAND, Mich. (3/13/11) – The University of Colorado men’s D-III ice hockey team finished ninth in the nation after competing at the American Collegiate Hockey Association D-III National Championships last week.

Colorado went 2-1 at the tournament, grabbing wins against Robert Morris and Florida Atlantic. The Buffs began the tournament on Wednesday Mar. 9 with a 5-2 win over Robert Morris before picking up a 6-3 victory on Thursday against Florida Atlantic.

On Friday night, Colorado faced Hope College, who was 1-1 in the tournament, in a game to decide the representative of the pool in the national semifinals. In a hard fought game, the Buffs ended up losing 4-3 after the Flying Dutchman scored in overtime, advancing Hope while ending CU’s season.

Hope went on to play for the national championship on Saturday night, but lost 5-3 to College of the Canyons, who finished their season undefeated.

Colorado finished the regular season ranked second in the Pacific Division and earned an automatic bid to nationals, along with the regions first place team and eventual national champions, the COC Cougars. Other teams from the region that went to the national championships include McKendree, who finished 13th, and Colorado State, who finished 14th.

The Buffaloes will now head into the offseason as they begin to prepare for their 2011-12 campaign which will likely begin in late September/early October.



Men’s D-III Hockey website: http://uofcd3.goalline.ca/

Men's Lacrosse Falls 11-7 to BYU

PROVO, Utah (3/12/11) – Senior A.J. Blackburn and sophomore Michael Beimford each scored three goals for the No. 6 University of Colorado men’s lacrosse team, but the No. 4 Brigham Young Cougars held off a late Buffaloes run for the 11-7 victory on Saturday at the North University Fields.

The loss is the Buffs first of the season, dropping their record to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference play. The Cougars remain undefeated at 7-0 and are now 1-0 against conference opponents this year.

To go along with Blackburn and Beimford’s hat tricks, sophomore Jack Cranston also found the back of the cage for the Buffs. Sophomore goaltender Brad Macnee had another solid game in net, making 15 saves on 26 BYU shots.

“Brad had an unbelievable game and we need to play better team defense in order to support him and play successfully,” said Colorado head coach Mike Ryder. “It was a tough trip and we learned a lot about our team and how to improve all over the field.”

Cranston gave Colorado the 1-0 advantage five minutes into the game, but BYU scored the next three goals to take a two goal lead in the second quarter. Beimford scored midway in the second to cut the CU deficit to one, but Brigham Young answered back with a goal late in the quarter, giving them the 4-2 lead at the half.

Blackburn scored his first of the game nearly eight minutes into the third to make it once again a one goal contest, but the Cougars scored the next four to extend their lead to five.

Beimford and Blackburn both found the back of the net twice in the fourth quarter, but Colorado wasn’t able to close the gap as BYU held on for the 11-7 win.

Colorado will now head to the Pacific Northwest for three more games against ranked opponents. CU will begin the trip on Friday Mar. 18 versus No. 19 Simon Fraser in Sammamish, Wash., before playing two games in Lake Oswego, Ore. The Buffs will play No. 13 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday Mar. 19 and No. 20 Oregon on Monday Mar. 21 in a rematch of last season’s first round game of the national tournament.

The Buffs’ next home game will be on Mar. 25 against No. 18 Arizona at 7 p.m. at Kittredge Field in Boulder. CU will play No. 2 Arizona State two days later on Mar. 27.

Men's Lacrosse Defeats Utah Utes

SALT LAKE CITY (3/11/11) – In their first of back-to-back games this weekend, the No.6 Colorado Buffaloes men’s lacrosse team edged the No. 11 Utah Utes 13-9 at Spence Eccles Field House on Friday night. 

Colorado improves to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference while Utah falls to 4-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

Utah midfielder Danny Polityka led the charge for his team with a five goal, one assist night, but CU attackman A.J. Blackburn better Polityka's performance as he led the Buffs with five goals and two assists.

Colorado’s pressure on Utah was key to Buffs’ victory as they forced turnovers consistently throughout the contest. Another factor in the game was CU goaltender Bradley Macnee, whom head coach Mike Ryder said played extraordinary in his second game of the year. 

“While Blackburn put numbers on the board, our goalie stood on his head today,” Ryder said of Macnee, who finished with 12 saves. “He made some big saves today and he’s going to have to do that all year if we’re really going to be strong on defense.”

The Buffs will have another tough challenge on Saturday when they head to Provo, Utah to face the No. 4 Brigham Young Cougars at 7 p.m. to wrap up their Utah road trip.  BYU defeated CU 10-8 in the first round of the RMLC Playoffs last season.

Collegelax’s Tim Haslam contributed to this story

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Men's Lacrosse Dominates Kansas in Season Opener

BOULDER (3/6/11) – The No. 4 Colorado Buffaloes men’s lacrosse team kicked off their 2011 campaign in impressive fashion on Sunday afternoon, knocking off the Kansas Jayhawks 17-3 at Kittredge Field.

“I’m really impressed with some of our back up guys out there,” said Colorado head coach Mike Ryder. “They really showed a lot of confidence in what we do. We had a lot of stuff from everybody all over the place. It is a nice home atmosphere to start our season off on the right note because we spend a lot of time on the road this year.”

The team looked dominant from the opening faceoff and never looked back as they executed an impressive offensive scheme from the get-go. 

Colin Rosenblum was among those leading the charge for Colorado; the senior shooter tallied three goals in the game but certainly wasn’t the only threat. Freshman attackman Tyler Dougherty also secured a hat trick in his first game after spending last season on the Buffs’ practice squad.

Senior A.J. Blackburn, a notable threat in front of the crease for the Buffs for several seasons, played the role of playmaker rather than shooter against Kansas. He finished with five assists as he set up his teammates for goals all game long.

Hap Knowles began Colorado’s siege on the net early on, scoring just over two minutes into the contest. The Buffaloes maintained possession for the majority of the quarter and put the pressure on the Jayhawks defense early. CU put seven additional points on the scoreboard before the quarter ended. Rosenblum and Dougherty each scored twice in the stanza while Fred Reisen, Ryan Emerson and Thomas Appel also found the back of the net.

Colorado continued their surge into the second quarter as they scored five additional goals and took the 13-0 lead at halftime. Kansas’ offense finally got things rolling in the second half with goals by senior attackman Francis Enright and sophomore midfielder Jack Faerber.

The Jayhawks would tack on a final goal in the fourth from Nick Troll, but Colorado tagged on two more of their own to win the game by 14.

It was the first regular season game for the Buffs since the departure of several key players that contributed to the team’s improbable run last year in which they won four of their final five games to earn a berth in the national championships. The losses include midfielder Tyler Snyder, long poles Marty Taffet and Mike Geocaris and faceoff specialist Aaron Gray. Those holes in CU’s game seemed successfully filled in Sunday’s matchup as the Buffs outshot the Jayhawks and won 15-of-24 faceoffs.

Kansas falls to 3-4 on the season and will now head home to host the St. Cloud State Huskies on Mar. 11 at 7 p.m. The Buffs meanwhile will have a few days off before traveling to Utah to take on the No. 16 Utah Utes on Friday Mar. 11 and the No. 4 Brigham Young Cougars on Saturday Mar. 12.


Watch the postgame interview with head coach Mike Ryder at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=888jWk-HWmQ&feature=channel_video_title

Listen to the archived audio broadcast of Sunday’s game at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cu-buffs-lacrosse

Men’s Lacrosse website: www.culax.org

Swim and Dive Hosts Second Annual Water Buffalo Stampede 5K Race

BOULDER (3/4/11) - The University of Colorado swimming and diving team will host the second annual Water Buffalo Stampede road race on Saturday Mar. 12, rain or shine on the CU-Boulder campus.

The 5-kilometer race will begin at 9 a.m. at the Duane Physics building and will go throughout the campus. Registration costs are as follows: $15 for the general public, $10 per person for teams of 10 or more, $12 for college students, and $10 for youths 12 years old and younger. T-shirts will be sold for $5 before the race and $10 on the day of the event, but the first 100 people to register will receive a free shirt.

The Water Buffalo Stampede is also a qualifier for the 2011 Bolder Boulder 10k road race on Memorial Day weekend. Saturday's race will use underground chip timing which will produce accurate and verified results. There will be seven categories of racing with the winners in each category getting a prize.

Colorado swimming and diving has won four National Championships and will be looking for their fifth title this year. Money raised from the race will help fund the team's trip to the East Coast Championships on Apr. 1-3 in Atlanta, Ga.

For more information on the race, visit the event website at http://www.colorado.edu/StudentGroups/swimdive/stampede.html or contact Teddy Augustine at theodore.augustine@colorado.edu.


Wrestling Sends Two to Nationals

ARLINGTON, Texas (3/3/11) – The University of Colorado wrestling team qualified two wrestlers for nationals last weekend at the Southwest Regional Conference Championships.

The Buffs took three wrestlers to Texas, John Combs and Casey Myers, both at 157 pounds, and club president Adrin Linan at 184 pounds.

The two 157 pounders won several key matches at the tournament which situated them in the championship match against one another. Combs edged Myers 5-2 in the finals. Linan wrestled in one of the most competitive weight classes at the competition and came away with a respectable fifth place finish.

“Our guys wrestled really well this past weekend and I’m proud of the effort put forth by all three wrestlers,” said CU head coach Steve Bunch. “We’ve put ourselves in great position for the National Championships next week and I am excited about our chances of bringing home a couple of All-Americans.”

The NCWA National Championships will be held Mar. 10-12 in Macon, Ga. Ticketing information can be found at www.ncwa.net.

The team is presently accepting monetary contributions to help cover the costs associated with travel to the National Championships. If you’d like to make a tax-deductable donation, please contact Adrin Linan at adrin.linan@colorado.edu.

Men's Rugby Faces Colorado State March 11 at Infinity Park

GLENDALE, Colo. (3/3/11) – The University of Colorado men’s rugby team is set to make history next Friday as they square off against Colorado State for the first time in the newly formed College Premiere Division.

The CPD is the elite men’s collegiate rugby competition in the United States, and pits the best 31 teams in the country against one another for a National Championship. College football fans can think of it as similar to the Bowl Championship Series, but only if the BCS had 31 teams. It’s the best of the best, and the CU-CSU rugby match always brings out the best between these two traditional rugby powerhouses.

The old rivalry will be taken to new heights in 2011, in part due to the new CPD and also because rugby is now an Olympic sport. The added importance of this match means it will be played at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo., the nation’s only rugby specific municipal stadium.

“Our guys are really switched on for this match,” said CU assistant coach Jim Snyder.  “Playing the Rams so early in our new CPD league schedule makes it a must win for both teams. Not to mention the added intensity playing under the lights in front of a couple thousand fans. It’s going to be a heck of a ballgame.”

The two teams met last fall in a preview leading up to this match. The Rams came away with the win in that contest, holding off a big second half comeback by the Buffs to take the 32-29 win. Since then, the Buffs have been all business, putting in a ton of work in the off season, and taking on tough local men’s league competition in preparation for this game.

“We really want to put on a good show for our fans and alumni who come out to support us in Glendale,” said CU junior Luke Lahman. “All the hard work we have been doing will hopefully pay off and make the event something special. There really is nothing better than a CU-CSU match under the lights on a Friday night.”

Tickets for the match are $6 and proceeds from each sale go to the CU Rugby program if you enter the Coupon Code BUFF when checking out. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday March 11.

For more information contact CU Rugby Media Relations Director Eric Taber at etaber@usarugby.org or at 646-287-7492


Equestrian Wins Region, Now Prepares for Zones

LARAMIE, Wyo. (3/3/11) - The University of Colorado equestrian team are regional champions after a dominating performance at the University of Wyoming's English Show over the weekend.

Entering the show, Colorado held the points lead in the region, but they needed a good showing in order to stay ahead of Wyoming. The Buffaloes got that good showing as they finished as the high point team on Saturday, gaining 32 points, and as the reserve high point team on Sunday, gaining 27 points.

CU finished on top of the regional standings with 279 points overall, 20 more than second place Wyoming with 259.

Senior Jennifer Burke led the Buffaloes on both days as she earned the high point rider on Saturday and Sunday, picking up the most individual points. Coming into the show, Burke was six points behind Wyoming's Katie Hurrell for the Cachione Cup, but is now back in the lead.

The Cachione Cup is an award for the rider who gains the most individual points from each region in the open division, which is very competitive. Riders who earn the title in each division will then compete against other Cachione winners for the Cachione Cup title at nationals.

With the Buffs already winning the region, they will send representatives to the English Zones; hosted by Cal Poly on Apr. 3-4 in Pomona, Calif. CU will be competing against other schools for a spot at the IHSA Nationals in Lexington, Ky. on May 5-8.

Before Colorado heads to zones, they'll host the Regional English Show at Fall River Farms in Fort Lupton, Colo. on Saturday Mar. 12. English riders that have qualified for regionals include Burke, Andrea Fieger, Karly Hobbs, Courtney Lennon, Anna Bohlin, Sarah Vicksman, Jenica Northrup, Kaley Silipo and Kelly Meyer.

The team is currently accepting sponsors for the regional show. For more information on sponsorships, contact Andrea Fieger at andrea.fieger@colorado.edu.

CU's Hana Fancher will represent the Buffs at the Western Regional show at Laramie County Community College on Sunday Mar. 13.

On Saturday Mar. 5, the equestrian team will host a pancake breakfast at the Applebee's in Boulder, located on 28th Street and Walnut. The breakfast will help fund the team's trip to the English Zones as well as nationals if the club gets that far. Tickets will be sold for $7 at the door with breakfast being served from 7-9:30 a.m.

CU Rec Center Expansion To Be On Spring Ballot

BOULDER, Colo. (3/1/11) – Expansion and renovation of the University of Colorado at Boulder Student Recreation Center will be on the Apr. 4-8 CU Student Government ballot as a referendum.

The new renovation will increase the size of the center by nearly 30 percent at its current location on campus. Other features of the project include doubling the cardio and weight rooms, adding an indoor turf field, doubling the group fitness studio space, reconstructing the ice arena, renovating existing gyms and adding new wood floors, and building a state-of-the-art climbing gym and bouldering area. The project will also include renovation of the current pool and an installation of an outdoor pool so students can enjoy Colorado's 300 annual days of sunshine.

However in order for the renovations to take place, 25 percent of the student body will need to vote in the spring election because it is a student referendum – a significant challenge since the highest percentage of the student population that has voted in any election was 24 percent.

"It is very important for students to not only exercise their voice through the student elections, but it is also important for students to consider that previous generations of students took it among themselves to create the rec center that we have now,” said CU Recreational Services Director Cheryl Kent. “Students have the chance to leave their legacy for the future in the April vote."

The current student recreation center first opened in 1973 and was considered a state-of-the-art facility and one of the largest of its kind in the country. The center was expanded to improve facilities in 1989 and reopened in 1990. Student fees helped fund both projects.

There is a considerable amount of support for the use of student fees to help fund the new renovations. Of the students who responded to three surveys in February, April and December of last year, 71 percent indicated support for an increase in their fees to help pay for the proposed project. The surveys were conducted by Brailsford and Dunlavey, a program management firm that works with many universities around the country.

Under the terms of the referendum, student fees would increase in the amount of $121-$125 per student per semester, but the increase won’t occur until Fall 2013 at the earliest when ready for occupancy. That means the majority of students on campus today will never have to pay for the project. CU students voting in the election would be leaving their legacy by supporting a new student recreation center at one of the premier universities in the country.

If the referendum does pass, the student recreation center will still be open and useable during construction.

If the referendum doesn’t pass in the April vote, programs and facilities at the rec center may have to close because the costs to maintain them will become too high. There are over $25 million in needed repairs for the center that include the ice rink, the roof, heating and ventilation, life safety, structural issue, pool issues, and many more.

"The biggest thing is that this project is designed to effectively address the deferred maintenance needs of the building,” Kent said. “This is to help keep what we have in great shape from a safety and structural prospective while also growing the building to meet the needs of today's student enrollment numbers.”

Voting for the referendum will begin at midnight on Monday Apr. 4 and will go until 8 p.m. on Friday Apr. 8. Students will be able to vote at the CU Rec Center and University Memorial Center or online on their My CU Info accounts.

For more information on the project, visit www.buffuptherec.com.


UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDENT
RECREATION CENTER BY THE NUMBERS
• In 2009-10, 88 percent of full-time CU students engaged in Recreation Services programs.
• Facilities were open 119 hours per week during spring and fall semesters, with late night hours on Friday and Saturday. 
• Annually, 800,000 student visits to the CU Recreation indoor facilities are recorded, and hundreds of student and community groups are served.
• Registrations in Intramural Sports reach 18,600 annually.
• Collegiate Club Sports teams have a rich history of bringing home national championships.
• More than 1,350 CU students participate on 61 teams within our 34 Collegiate Sport Clubs annually.
• Over 50 Outdoor Program activities are offered each semester and students get connected through our partnership with new student welcome and orientation. 
• Customized team-building and problem-solving activities are created for CU and off-campus groups at our Challenge Ropes Course, with nearly 100 groups served annually.
• 350 students (70-80 F.T.E.) are employed by annually.
• This student-fee funded department operates on a $7 million budget, with 36 staff F.T.E. to support all programs, facilities, and services.

Men's D-III Hockey Heads to Nationals in Michigan

HOLLAND, Mich. (3/1/11) - The University of Colorado men's D-III ice hockey team will look for their second national title when they head to the 2011 ACHA D-III National Championships at the Edge Ice Arena on Mar. 9-12.

Colorado ended the year second in the pacific division and earned one of the two automatic bids to nationals from the region. The Buffaloes finished the regular season with a 22-4 record and 4-0 against Colorado State. In fact, CU's D-III team has never lost to the D-III Rams, going 8-0 lifetime against CSU.

The Buffs will be the number two seed in Pool D at the tournament and will face Hope College, Robert Morris and Florida Atlantic in pool play. Colorado will begin play versus No. 3 seed Robert Morris on Wednesday Mar. 9 and No. 4 seed Florida Atlantic on Thursday Mar. 10. Puck drops for both games at 1:15 p.m. CU will finish pool play against No. 1 seed Hope College on Friday Mar. 11 at 5:15 p.m.

Friday's game against Hope College is big not just because Hope is hosting the event and are the top seed in the pool, but also because they knocked CU out of nationals last season. Colorado will be looking for redemption this time against the Flying Dutchmen, who finished second overall last year. Last season the Buffs finished eighth in the nation.

The best team from each of the four pools will then play in the semifinals on Saturday morning with the championship game being played later in the day. It CU wins their pool, they'll face the winner of Pool C, which consists of Central Florida, Farmingdale, Colorado State and Michigan State.

Saginaw Valley State University is once again the favorite to win the title as they've won the previous two D-III national championships.

Colorado last won the national championship in 2005, which capped off an undefeated season by the Buffs.
All of the national tournament games will be broadcasted live online at http://www.fasthockey.com/.
CU D-III men’s hockey website: http://uofcd3.goalline.ca/

Colorado National Tournament Schedule
Wed. Mar. 9 vs. No. 3 Robert Morris - 1:15 p.m. on the Red Rink
Thurs. Mar. 10 vs. No. 4 Florida Atlantic - 1:15 p.m. on the Red Rink
Fri. Mar. 11 vs. No. 1 Hope - 5:14 p.m. on the Blue Rink
Sat. Mar. 12 vs. Winner of Pool C - 9:30 a.m. on the Blue Rink
Sat. Mar. 12 National Championship game vs. Winner of Pool A/Pool B game - 8:30 p.m. on the Blue Rink

Men's Lacrosse Begins Season against Kansas March 6

BOULDER (2/28/11) - With the season rapidly approaching, teams around the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association are preparing for their 2011 campaigns.

The University of Colorado men's lacrosse team is no exception; the team has been hard at work during the off-season, including bolstering a roster that took the team on an unexpected run deep into the MCLA National Tournament last year. The Buff’s 2011 team was finalized last month, and among the players that made the final roster, four new transfer that each bring a new unique asset to the black and gold.

Jack Cranston is a sophomore from Coto de Caza, Calif. The attackman was among the 2009 class at Margarita Catholic High School, where he earned 2009 US Lacrosse All American honors. His greatest memory of those days was scoring the overtime winner for his team against Margarita’s rival school in the playoffs of his senior year. Now at Colorado, Jack will pursue an economic major on top of adjusting to the lifestyles of Colorado.

“I have relatives and lots of friends at CU, and it’s a lot closer to home," Cranston said. "When I visited CU I really liked the school and the environment.”

Fellow incoming sophomore, Michael Beimford, also plays attack and is a native of Colorado, where he earned All American status in 2008 and 2009 at Cherry Creek High School.

Coming from a background which consisted of varsity level play since freshman year at Cherry Creek, Beimford hopes to put his talents to good use. While juggling majors in communications and economics, he hopes to find time for skiing amidst lacrosse season.

Dane Mueller and Tyler O’Crowley are also Cherry Creek graduates. The two seniors played a role in winning back-to-back state championships in 2005 and 2006, O’Crowley on defense and Mueller in the midfield. Both players have come over from the University of Denver and are looking to help bring Colorado to greater heights.

“CU is a great school.” O’Crowley said. “I wanted to be in a place with great academics and a great campus. CU seemed to be the perfect fit after leaving the University of Denver.”

While watching the Kansas Jayhawks’ play basketball in his downtime, Tyler is working towards a political science degree in the classroom.

In high school, Tyler earned All American honors on top of two All-Colorado and three All-Conference honors.

Mueller meanwhile was a first team All American and is perusing an education in both economics and communications. Off the field and out of the classroom, Dane loves to ski, golf and lift. His favorite memory of playing lacrosse, like O’Crowley's, was winning those two championships during their junior and senior years.

The Buffaloes will open their regular season on Sunday Mar. 6 at 1 p.m. against the Kansas Jayhawks at Kittredge Field. They'll play their final preseason game the day before versus Adams State also at 1 p.m. on Kittredge Field.

Colorado will play Colorado State on Apr. 16 at INVESCO Field at Mile High in Denver.