COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs Alex Andersson and Emily Shimkus have been named the 2020-21 UCCS Male and Female Freshmen of the Year.  The award is given to the top male and female freshmen student-athletes who have made a significant impact for their program.  With the announcement of the McLaughlin Award on May 6, the UCCS Department of Athletics is announcing the remaining four major awards this week (see below for the complete list). 
 
Men's soccer freshman Alex Andersson (Helsingborg, Sweden) made a statement in his first year with the Mountain Lions, earning RMAC Freshman of the Year and All-RMAC Second Team accolades.  He started in every match for the Mountain Lions this season as he led the team with nine points behind three goals and three assists. He finished his freshman campaign with 12 shots, five shots on goal, and he went 2-for-2 on penalty kicks. In the last game of the season, Andersson scored three points off a goal and game-winning assist while landing all three of his shots on frame as UCCS defatted MSU Denver, 2-1. The two-time RMAC Offensive Player of the Week ranks top-5 in the RMAC for three different categories including goals (t-5^th), assists (t-2^nd), and points (t-4^th).
 
In her first year with the women's golf program, Emily Shimkus (Cave Creek, Ariz.) won the 2021 RMAC Championship individual title after leading all golfers at the championship tournament shooting a 221, including a four-under par 67 in the final round.  A 2020-21 All-RMAC First Team performer, Shimkus led the Mountain Lions to a second-place finish at the conference championship.  In seven tournaments and 15 rounds this season, she averaged 78.3 strokes per round and led UCCS in scoring in two tournaments and finished in the top 10 in four tournaments, including the season opening tournament CCU Swan Memorial (151).  She was named the RMAC Golfer of the Week on March 4 after shooting a 160 at the SMU Rattler Invite.
 
McLaughlin Award – Thursday, May 6
Male: Will Ross, Track & Field
Female: Mallory Corrigan, Lacrosse
 
Freshmen of the Year – Monday, May 17, 2021
Male: Alex Andersson, Men's Soccer
Female: Emily Shimkus, Women's Golf
 
Student-Athlete of the Year - Tuesday May 18, 2021
 
AD Award – Wednesday, May 19
 
Athlete of the Year – Thursday, May 20