CU's Student-Athletes Honored At Silver Academic Recognition Banquet
April 05, 2017 | General, Herbst Academic Center
25th Annual Event Honors The Best In The Classroom
BOULDER — Over three dozen University of Colorado student-athletes, including a near record 23 with perfect 4.00 grade point averages last year, were honored for a variety of outstanding academic accomplishments Wednesday morning at the school's 25th Annual Student-Athlete Academic Recognition Banquet.
Once again, over 300 people attended the event, held in the Touchdown Club room in the Dal Ward Athletic Center.
The Clancy A. Herbst, Jr., Student-Athlete Achievement Award had two honorees this year, senior Jesse Knori (skiing) and junior Ryan Moeller (football), as the award is given to athletes who overcome personal, academic or emotional challenges difficulties to succeed both academically and athletically.
Knori was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when she was just 12 years old, which obviously made things daunting at time for a cross country skier; then in the summer after her freshman year, she lost her father who died in a horseback riding accident. She persevered and would participate in two NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors both years while maintaining a 3.645 grade point average in Landscape Architecture Studies.
Moeller started the first seven games of the 2015 football season at free safety, but on October 19, he was riding on his moped in Boulder when he got rear-ended by a car – at 30 miles per hour. He suffered multiple injuries and would miss the remainder of the season and had to battle back from the cognitive, physical as well as emotional affects from the accident.
Four students were presented with the 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:
Wenning also received the honor her sophomore year,
Academic team winners for grade point average were the women's cross country team for the fourth straight year (and 13th time in 25 years) for a sport with its championship in the fall semester (3.281) and the women's ski team, also the fourth time in a row (and 12th time overall) for those who compete in the spring semester (3.510). The volleyball team was honored for the most improved honor for a team, as its cumulative GPA rose an impressive .281 (from 2.873 to 3.154) over the last two semesters.
The Leadership Through Service Award was presented to the soccer team. Not only striving in the class room (the team grade point average is 3.358), they are aligned with the local Emergency Family Assistance Association, and has aided the organization in performing several assorted tasks to help those in need.
Out of 360 student-athletes, 186 attained a 3.0 grade point cumulatively through the Fall 2016 semester (196 recorded 3.0's for the semester term), both all-time highs. There were 76 with aggregate GPA's of 3.5 or better, with 92 earning that mark or better for the semester alone. The fall grade point average of all 360 worked to a 2.953, the second-best on record in over 20 years of compiling the information, with the cumulative average overall the third-best at 2.932. That's five straight semesters over a 2.9 – out of six all totaled. Those are 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 2015 calendar year, there were 23 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 24 set in 2014 and again last year. All were thus inducted into CU's 4.0 club; membership now stands at 343 since 1994. Those honored included Wenning for the third straight year and DeWinter, Saarel and Schwartz now in back-to-back years, with that quartet joined by:
Kaitlyn Benner (Chemical & Biological Engineering), Mackenzie Caldwell (majoring in Accounting), Erin Clark (Master's program in Educational Foundations, Policy & Practice), Elisa Grandemange (Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience), Sophia Hallam-Eames (Environmental Studies & Geography), Sage Hurta (Chemical & Biological Engineering and Applied Mathematics); Lucy May (Finance), David Merkel (Finance), Mandy Ortiz (Integrative Physiology), Caleb Penner (Engineering Physics and Applied Mathematics) and Adam Peterman (Environmental Studies and Geology), all on the cross country and/or track teams; Madison Hall (Management & Marketing) and Kahlia Hogg (Mechanical Engineering), both from soccer; Aaron Howard (Psychology), Derek McCartney (Master's program in Integrative Physiology) and Isaac Miller (Integrative Physiology and Psychology), all from football; Henrik Gunnarsson (Accounting & Finance) and Max Luukko (Finance) from men's skiing; and Holly Sutherland (Accounting), lacrosse.
Mads Stroem, a senior who just completed his career on the ski team, and Annee O'Conner, a junior on the lacrosse team, were recognized as the recipients of the Most Improved Student-Athlete Awards. O'Conner, a sociology major, saw her grade point rise from 3.12 to 3.500, while Stroem raised his from 3.325 to 3.675 in Business (Finance).
There were three recipients of the Byron R. White Leadership and Initiative Award, given to those student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding initiative and demonstrates a strong commitment to service to the CU and Boulder communities. Those winners were Wilson Beck (sophomore, golf), Stephanie Shadley (junior, volleyball) and Haley Smith (senior, women's basketball). The three were selected among 18 nominees from across all sports.
There were four recipients of the Ceal Barry Leadership Award, named for CU's legendary women's basketball coach and awarded to those student-athletes who most effectively inspires his or her team and the Colorado campus and community through exemplary commitment, composure and integrity. The recipients of the honor were Phillip Lindsay (senior, football), Petter Reistad (sophomore, skiing), Molly Rovzar (senior, lacrosse) and Jaron Thomas (senior, track & field).
The Student Support Services Academic Award was presented to Henry Oliver, a senior student assistant who has worked three years in the athletic department for marketing, promotions and community outreach. The owner of a 3.984 grade point average as a Business major (Finance and Marketing), this award is presented to a student worker who maintains a 3.0 GPA while demonstrating strong commitment and leadership to CU athletics. Oliver quickly impressed his superiors and over the course of three years coordinated and managed several key projects.
Thomas opened the event with some brief comments, but summed up his college experience in one simple phrase, "I was born and raised in Texas, but I grew up in Colorado." Closing comments were made by senior women's soccer player Kenzie Tillitt, who centered her speech on what student-athletes think they are expecting when they come in as wide-eyed freshmen and what the realities are four years later. In her case, how a small town athlete from Carson City, Nevada, found her way to the University of Colorado, reflecting on the highs and the lows and making a point that the latter make you grow. She cited a book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by author Dan Millman and credited it with changing her life.
In other academic news, senior inside linebacker Ryan Severson was named to the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society team, rewarding those student-athletes who have in excess of a 3.2 grade point average. The NFF Colorado Chapter also released its annual Academic All-Colorado Team on Tuesday, with four Buffaloes earning first-team honors: Severson, defensive back Lucas Cooper, defensive end Aaron Howard and outside linebacker Derek McCartney. Seven others earned honorable mention: running back Michael Adkins, tight end Chris Bounds, tight end George Frazier, placekicker Chris Graham, offensive tackle Aaron Haigler, punter Alex Kinney and placekicker Davis Price.
Once again, over 300 people attended the event, held in the Touchdown Club room in the Dal Ward Athletic Center.
The Clancy A. Herbst, Jr., Student-Athlete Achievement Award had two honorees this year, senior Jesse Knori (skiing) and junior Ryan Moeller (football), as the award is given to athletes who overcome personal, academic or emotional challenges difficulties to succeed both academically and athletically.
Knori was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when she was just 12 years old, which obviously made things daunting at time for a cross country skier; then in the summer after her freshman year, she lost her father who died in a horseback riding accident. She persevered and would participate in two NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors both years while maintaining a 3.645 grade point average in Landscape Architecture Studies.
Moeller started the first seven games of the 2015 football season at free safety, but on October 19, he was riding on his moped in Boulder when he got rear-ended by a car – at 30 miles per hour. He suffered multiple injuries and would miss the remainder of the season and had to battle back from the cognitive, physical as well as emotional affects from the accident.
Four students were presented with the 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:
- Maddie DeWinter, Sr., Lacrosse (3.929 GPA, Chemical & Biological Engineering)
- Ben Saarel, Sr., Cross Country & Track (3.971 GPA, Engineering Physics)
- Michaela Wenning, Jr., Track & Field (4.00 GPA, Chemical, Biological Engineering & Biochemistry)
- Bri Schwartz, Soph., Cross Country & Track (3.954 GPA, Journalism)
Wenning also received the honor her sophomore year,
Academic team winners for grade point average were the women's cross country team for the fourth straight year (and 13th time in 25 years) for a sport with its championship in the fall semester (3.281) and the women's ski team, also the fourth time in a row (and 12th time overall) for those who compete in the spring semester (3.510). The volleyball team was honored for the most improved honor for a team, as its cumulative GPA rose an impressive .281 (from 2.873 to 3.154) over the last two semesters.
The Leadership Through Service Award was presented to the soccer team. Not only striving in the class room (the team grade point average is 3.358), they are aligned with the local Emergency Family Assistance Association, and has aided the organization in performing several assorted tasks to help those in need.
Out of 360 student-athletes, 186 attained a 3.0 grade point cumulatively through the Fall 2016 semester (196 recorded 3.0's for the semester term), both all-time highs. There were 76 with aggregate GPA's of 3.5 or better, with 92 earning that mark or better for the semester alone. The fall grade point average of all 360 worked to a 2.953, the second-best on record in over 20 years of compiling the information, with the cumulative average overall the third-best at 2.932. That's five straight semesters over a 2.9 – out of six all totaled. Those are 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 2015 calendar year, there were 23 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 24 set in 2014 and again last year. All were thus inducted into CU's 4.0 club; membership now stands at 343 since 1994. Those honored included Wenning for the third straight year and DeWinter, Saarel and Schwartz now in back-to-back years, with that quartet joined by:
Kaitlyn Benner (Chemical & Biological Engineering), Mackenzie Caldwell (majoring in Accounting), Erin Clark (Master's program in Educational Foundations, Policy & Practice), Elisa Grandemange (Integrative Physiology & Neuroscience), Sophia Hallam-Eames (Environmental Studies & Geography), Sage Hurta (Chemical & Biological Engineering and Applied Mathematics); Lucy May (Finance), David Merkel (Finance), Mandy Ortiz (Integrative Physiology), Caleb Penner (Engineering Physics and Applied Mathematics) and Adam Peterman (Environmental Studies and Geology), all on the cross country and/or track teams; Madison Hall (Management & Marketing) and Kahlia Hogg (Mechanical Engineering), both from soccer; Aaron Howard (Psychology), Derek McCartney (Master's program in Integrative Physiology) and Isaac Miller (Integrative Physiology and Psychology), all from football; Henrik Gunnarsson (Accounting & Finance) and Max Luukko (Finance) from men's skiing; and Holly Sutherland (Accounting), lacrosse.
Mads Stroem, a senior who just completed his career on the ski team, and Annee O'Conner, a junior on the lacrosse team, were recognized as the recipients of the Most Improved Student-Athlete Awards. O'Conner, a sociology major, saw her grade point rise from 3.12 to 3.500, while Stroem raised his from 3.325 to 3.675 in Business (Finance).
There were three recipients of the Byron R. White Leadership and Initiative Award, given to those student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding initiative and demonstrates a strong commitment to service to the CU and Boulder communities. Those winners were Wilson Beck (sophomore, golf), Stephanie Shadley (junior, volleyball) and Haley Smith (senior, women's basketball). The three were selected among 18 nominees from across all sports.
There were four recipients of the Ceal Barry Leadership Award, named for CU's legendary women's basketball coach and awarded to those student-athletes who most effectively inspires his or her team and the Colorado campus and community through exemplary commitment, composure and integrity. The recipients of the honor were Phillip Lindsay (senior, football), Petter Reistad (sophomore, skiing), Molly Rovzar (senior, lacrosse) and Jaron Thomas (senior, track & field).
The Student Support Services Academic Award was presented to Henry Oliver, a senior student assistant who has worked three years in the athletic department for marketing, promotions and community outreach. The owner of a 3.984 grade point average as a Business major (Finance and Marketing), this award is presented to a student worker who maintains a 3.0 GPA while demonstrating strong commitment and leadership to CU athletics. Oliver quickly impressed his superiors and over the course of three years coordinated and managed several key projects.
Thomas opened the event with some brief comments, but summed up his college experience in one simple phrase, "I was born and raised in Texas, but I grew up in Colorado." Closing comments were made by senior women's soccer player Kenzie Tillitt, who centered her speech on what student-athletes think they are expecting when they come in as wide-eyed freshmen and what the realities are four years later. In her case, how a small town athlete from Carson City, Nevada, found her way to the University of Colorado, reflecting on the highs and the lows and making a point that the latter make you grow. She cited a book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by author Dan Millman and credited it with changing her life.
In other academic news, senior inside linebacker Ryan Severson was named to the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society team, rewarding those student-athletes who have in excess of a 3.2 grade point average. The NFF Colorado Chapter also released its annual Academic All-Colorado Team on Tuesday, with four Buffaloes earning first-team honors: Severson, defensive back Lucas Cooper, defensive end Aaron Howard and outside linebacker Derek McCartney. Seven others earned honorable mention: running back Michael Adkins, tight end Chris Bounds, tight end George Frazier, placekicker Chris Graham, offensive tackle Aaron Haigler, punter Alex Kinney and placekicker Davis Price.
This Week in Colorado Soccer: Big 12 Play
Wednesday, September 17
Golden Spike Series Preview | GTK Ana Burilović | This Week in Colorado Volleyball | Sept. 16, 2025
Tuesday, September 16
Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders Weekly Press Conference
Tuesday, September 16
Colorado vs. Arkansas Highlights | September 12, 2025
Saturday, September 13