UCCS Athletics

In celebration of the 50th year anniversary of Title IX (1972-2022), the UCCS Department of Athletics is highlighting milestones, accomplishments. and award winners in 35 years sponsoring varsity athletics (1987-88 - 2021-22).

Title IX

Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 is a federal law that states:

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

Timeline of UCCS Athletics 

Events surrounding women's athletics are in bold, italics

1965-1983 
Intramurals

1966 
CUC coeds played Air Force Squadron 19 cadets to a 28-28 tie in a powderpuff football game (first intercollegiate competition in school history)

1983 
Men’s Soccer Club Formed

1984 
Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Committee Formed 
First Athletic Director hired Student Government designates funding from vending machines to support Athletics 

1985
Regents approve first student fee for athletics: $2 per student, per semester 

1986
Regents approve transition to varsity status when sports reached a demonstrated maturity 

1987
Women’s Volleyball and Men’s Soccer given Varsity status 
Joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) 

1988
Gymnasium (“Lions Den”) is built in the University Center

1990
Founding member of the Colorado Athletic Conference 
Joined the NCAA (September 1, 1990) 
Added Women’s Basketball, Women’s Softball and Men’s Tennis 
Scholarships were awarded to athletes. Money came from land lease from cell phone towers 

1994
Softball wins first Conference Championship in school history 

1995
Student fee referendum of $3.35 per credit hour passed 

1996
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country programs added as varsity sports

1997
Greg Meyer named first All-American in School history in Men’s Soccer

1999
Men’s Golf wins their first RMAC championship
Men’s and Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field added
Women’s Tennis wins their first Conference championship 

2000
“Mountain Lions” become the official mascot of UCCS Athletics 

2004
Steel and Silver Trophy competition established with CSU-Pueblo 

2005
Renovation of the Red Field at Four Diamonds. 
Stadium renamed Mountain Lion Field and became permanent home for women’s softball 
Moses Tum first National Champion in school history in Track & Field in the 1500 Meter Run
Crystal Krebs named first Academic All American in school history in Women’s Softball 

2006
Student fee increased to $4.85 per credit hour 
Men’s and Women’s Tennis discontinued 
With a partnership with Colorado Spring Christian School and Campus Recreation, Mountain Lion Stadium renovated with field turf, sports lighting, new scoreboards and press box 

2008
Women’s Soccer added as a varsity sport 

2009
Men’s Golf wins NCAA Super Regional

2010
Gallogly Events Center opens, hosting basketball, volleyball and other campus events 
ENT UCCS Athletics Booster Club established 

2011
Lauren Graham finishes as National Runner-Up in the pole vault at the NCAA Indoor National Championships 

2012
UCCS Athletics earns NCAA President’s Award for Academic Excellence 

2013 
Women’s Golf added as a varsity sport 

2015
Mountain Lion Field (Softball) renovated with synthetic field 
Men’s basketball wins First RMAC Tournament Championship in program history
Women’s basketball advances to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA National Tournament 
Athletic Weight and Conditioning Room relocated to the Recreation Center expansion 

2016
Student fee referendum of $9 per credit hour passes student vote and Regent approval 
Athletic Director Steve Kirkham retires, and Nathan Gibson hired as new Athletic Director 
Men’s Baseball and Women’s Lacrosse added as varsity sports 
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field expand to include athletes in all event categories 
Mountain Lion Stadium renovated and new turf, scoreboards installed 

2017
Women’s Basketball wins the first RMAC Tournament Championship in program history 
Construction begins on the baseball stadium and indoor track facilities 
Women’s Lacrosse won their first game in school history, 12-9 over Adams State 
Baseball won their first game in school history in dramatic fashion with a 4-3 victory over #6 Cal Poly Pomona Colin
Prater named PING First Team All-American, the First 1st Team All-American in Men’s Golf Program history
Derrick White, former UCCS Men’s Basketball student-athlete, drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs
Volleyball wins the Brechler Award for highest GPA in the RMAC 
Women’s Soccer wins first RMAC Tournament Championship in UCCS history and makes a historic run through the post season, hosting the NCAA 1st and 2nd round of the NCAA Regional, winning the NCAA South Central Region Championship and advancing to the Final Four
Tarah Paterson named First Team All-American in Women’s Soccer, the first women’s soccer player to be named All-American

2018
Women’s Indoor Track and Field wins first RMAC Championship in school history 
Mountain Lion Park, opens on March 2, 2018
Women’s Golf wins first RMAC Tournament Championship in school history. 
Skylyn Webb is the first Women’s Track and Field National Champion in UCCS history, winning the 800M run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. 
Baseball standout Zach Hall is drafted in the 19th Round of the MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies. Hall is the first baseball players in UCCS history to be drafted.
Mountain Lion Fieldhouse, a 200-meter indoor track/field and training facility, opens on September 5, 2018
Anna Gregg named NCAA D2 National Scholar Athlete of the Year for Women’s Soccer 
UCCS Athletics recognized with the RMAC SAAC Cup for most outstanding student athlete advisory committee in the RMAC

2019
Charlie Forbes is crowned NCAA National Champion in the 60mH for Indoor Track
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field wins first RMAC Championship in school history 
Skylyn Webb is named RMAC Woman of the Year 
Men’s Golf and Women’s Basketball win the Brechler Award for highest GPA in RMAC 
Women’s soccer wins their first regular season RMAC Championship Title 

2020
Hosting the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships for the first time, both UCCS track & field programs sweep the RMAC Championships, marking the first RMAC championship for the men’s program
The NCAA DII winter and spring championships and the spring seasons were cancelled on Thursday, March 12, due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Baseball second baseman Matt Clarke becomes the first player in program history to be named Academic All-American (Third Team)

2021
The men’s and women's cross country programs record their best finishes ever in team history as the men placed fifth and the women seventh at the NCAA DII National Championship meet behind three All-American performances (Layla Almasri, Riley McGrath and Afewerki Zeru)
The Mountain Lions indoor track & field teams sweep the RMAC Championships for the second straight year
Dakota Abbott wins the Triple Jump National Title at the 2021 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field National Championship meet
Playing their fall 2020 schedule in the spring of 2021 due to COVID, the Mountain Lions women’s soccer team wins their second regular season title
The outdoor track & field programs continued where they left off from the indoor season, winning both conference titles
Baseball wins their first ever RMAC Conference Championship title and qualify for the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance
UCCS women’s soccer is crowned the 2021 RMAC Regular Season and Championship Tournament titles, marking the first time in program history the Mountain Lions have won both titles

2022
The UCCS men’s and women’s track & field teams win all four RMAC Championship Titles – 2022 RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships and the 2022 RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Spring 2022 marks the 36-consecutive semester (18 years) with a 3.0+ department GPA

BASKETBALL

Women’s basketball started as a varsity sport at UCCS in 1989-90 under the direction of Celia Slater who led UCCS to a 67-93 record in the first five years of the program, including their first winning seasons in 1992-93 (18-9) and 1993-94 (16-15).  UCCS’ first win in program history was a 68-55 victory on Dec. 4, 1989 at Colorado Christian University. 

The Mountain Lions qualified for their first post-season tournament in 2001.  Head coach Dave Murphy led UCCS to a 16-11 record in 2000-01 and a berth to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament where they recorded their first RMAC tournament win (75-70 vs. Regis) before falling to the University of Nebraska-Kearney, 74-52.

Fourteen years after UCCS qualified for their first RMAC Tournament appearance, the Mountain Lions qualified for their first NCAA post-season Tournament in 2011-12.  UCCS posted a 73-63 win over CSU Pueblo in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament, followed by an 83-77 win against Colorado Christian that led to an appearance in the Sweet 16 and regional championship game. UCCS fell to the top seed and host team, West Texas A&M, 70-43.

In his first year at the helm, current head coach Lynn Plett guided UCCS to their first ever RMAC Tournament Championship crown and their third straight bid to the NCAA playoffs. Plett has led UCCS to a 3-1 record in RMAC tournaments games and a 1-1 mark in the NCAA tournament.

In 33 seasons as a varsity program, UCCS has qualified for the RMAC Tournament (8-9 overall) 10 times and the NCAA Tournament (4-4 overall) three times.  UCCS has boasted nine winning seasons and own a 396-501 overall record (.441).

Basketball program highlights, milestones, award winners and accomplishments

March 6, 2001 
Dave Murphy became the first coach in program history to be named the RMAC Women's Basketball Coach of the Year. He led the Mountain Lions to a 16-11 overall record.

Feb. 10, 2004   
B.J. McNeally (2001-04) becomes UCCS Women's Basketball All-Time Assists Leader by surpassing Stephanie Frisch (354) after recording seven assists against University of Northern Colorado to reach 360 career assists. As the all-time assists leader, McNeally finished with 379 in her four-year career.

Feb. 20, 2004   
B.J. McNeally (2001-04) becomes UCCS Women's Basketball All-Time Steals Leader by surpassing Tara Newton (263) after recording three steals against Colorado State University Pueblo to reach 266 career steals. As the all-time steals leader, McNeally finished with 274 in her four-year career.

Dec. 5, 2014     
Abby Kirchoff (2012-15) becomes the UCCS Women's Basketball All-Time Scoring leader by surpassing Jennine Sauter (1,464) after scoring 22 points against Fort Lewis College to reach 1,471 career points. As the all-time scoring leader, Kirchoff finished with 1,951 points in her four-year career.

March 3, 2015        
Senior guard Abby Kirchoff became the first Mountain Lion in program history to earn RMAC Player of the Year honors. She was the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division II National Player of the Week on Dec. 16 and was a five-time RMAC Offensive Player of the Week. Kirchoff holds the UCCS scoring records for career, season and game.

March 8, 2015        
The Mountain Lions (24-6) qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history as they earn the No. 2 seed in the South Central Region.

March 13, 2015     
Women's Basketball notches their first NCAA Tournament win in school history after defeating Colorado State University Pueblo at a final score of 73-63 in Canyon, Texas.

March 31, 2015     
Abby Kirchoff earned two All-America awards in 2014-15 with a Third Team selection by the Division II Bulletin and an Honorable Mention selection from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, becoming the first women's basketball player in program history to earn All-America accolades.  Kirchoff finished her senior season in the top 30 of Division II with an 87.7 free-throw percentage, 19.2 points per game and 2.85 three-pointers per game. She set the UCCS records with 1,951 career points and 633 points.

March 2, 2016        
Brittany Hernandez earned both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors from the RMAC. She is the second straight Mountain Lion to earn the RMAC Player of the Year award after All-American Abby Kirchoff in 2014-15.

March 6, 2016        
The women's basketball (21-10) team qualifies for the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second straight season, receiving the No. 6 seed in the South Central Region.

March 30, 2016     
Brittany Hernandez was named to the All-America Division II Bulletin Third Team and the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association Third Team in 2015-16
Hernandez averaged 20.8 points per game and finished seventh in Division II scoring and second in the UCCS record books. 

Feb. 11, 2017     
Brittany Hernandez (2015-17) becomes UCCS Women's Basketball All-Time Rebounding Leader by surpassing Tara Newton (678) after recording 13 rebounds against Chadron State College to reach 689 career rebounds. As the all-time rebounding leader, Hernandez finished with 751 in her three-year career

March 4, 2017        
The Mountain Lions used the best defensive performance in RMAC Tournament Championship game history to win the first title in program history in a 53-37 victory against Regis University.

March 5, 2017        
After finishing 23-8 and winning the program's first ever RMAC Championship, the Mountain Lions earned the No. 3 seed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. 

Women’s cross country was added as a varsity sport in 1996 and the team was coached by Graeme Badger for the first 11 years of existence (1996-2006). Current UCCS men’s cross country head coach Mark Misch took over the reins for five seasons (2007-11) and David Harmer led the team for two seasons (2012-13) before turning it over to current head coach Corey Kubatzky in 2014. 

In just the fourth season as a varsity program in 1999, Kira Claussen became the second women’s cross country runner to compete as an individual qualifier at the NCAA Division II Championships and the first to bring home All-America honors as she placed 29th at the national championship meet with a 6,000m time of 22:02.70. 

Following a program high second place finish at the 2000 RMAC Championship meet that earned head coach Graeme Badger the RMAC Coach of the Year award, the Mountain Lions went on to qualify for their first team appearance at the 2000 NCAA Division II Championships, finishing 10th with 254 points. Teammates Sarah Vigil and Sarah Gray became the first duo in program history to earn All-America status as Vigil finished the 6,000m race in 13th place (22:15.40) and Gray crossed the finish line in 34th (22:59.20).

Badger finished his 11-season career at the helm of the women’s cross country program with four trips to the NCAA Division II Championships and six student-athletes earning a total of eight All-America nods. The best program finish at the national level under Badger came in his final season with the team at the 2006 national championship meet in which he coached the team to a seventh place finish with 211 points. 

In 2008, head coach Mark Misch led Shannon Payne to one of the best seasons in program history as she posted the highest finish of any Mountain Lion in school history with a third-place finish at the national championship meet at a time of 21:29. 

Although David Harmer’s time at the helm of the women’s cross country program was short-lived, he led the team to the national championship meet in both seasons he coached, including a 10th place finish in 2012 and a 20th place finish in 2013. 

Current head coach Corey Kubatzy took over the program in 2014 and has led the Mountain Lions to six national championship meet appearances and has coached five All-Americans. Most recently, Kubatzy and the Mountain Lions tied for a program-best finish at the 2021 NCAA Division II Championships with a seventh place finish as Layla Almasri and Riley McGrath each earned All-America honors. 

In 26 years of existence, the women’s cross country program has made 12 national championship appearances and 11 student-athletes have combined to earn 15 All-America honors. 

Cross Country program highlights, milestones, award winners and accomplishments:

Nov. 11, 1997
Deanna Kerl becomes the first UCCS Women’s Cross Country runner to qualify for the national championship meet on an individual basis, finishing the 5K race in 55th place with a time of 19:10.80. 

Nov. 20, 1999 
Kira Claussen becomes the first ever All-American in women’s cross country program history, placing 29th in the 6K race and crossing the line at 22:02.70. 

Nov. 12, 2000
Graeme Badger leads the Mountain Lions to a second-place finish at the 2000 RMAC Championship meet, earning him the RMAC Coach of the Year award. 

Nov. 18, 2000
The Mountain Lions compete in the program's first NCAA Championship as a team and finish in 10th place with 254 points at Prado Park in Chino, Calif. Sarah Vigil and Sarah Gray become the second and third all-time women’s cross country student-athletes to earn All-America status as Vigil finished the 6,000m race in 13th place (22:15.40) and Gray crossed the finish line in 34th (22:59.20).

Nov. 17, 2002
UCCS finishes 11th at the 2002 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, with Sarah Vigil being the first Mountain Lion to cross the line in 53rd place (23:21.10). 

Nov. 20, 2004
Shannon Payne earns All-America honors with a 35th place finish (23:06.30) as the women’s cross country team finished 16th at the 2004 national championship meet.

Dec. 5, 2005
Competing as individual qualifiers at the 2005 NCAA Championships, Shannon Payne earns her second consecutive All-America nod with a tenth-place finish (21:37.10) and Sarah Shepard races to the first All-America recognition of her career with a 31st place finish (22:27.20).  

Dec. 4, 2006
In their fourth NCAA DII National Championship appearance, Women's Cross Country records a then program best finish as they post 211 points for a 7th place finish in Pensacola, Fla. Shannon Payne and Jenna Dorsey-Spitz garner USTFCCCA All-America honors after finishing 11th and 35th overall, respectively.

Nov. 24, 2008
Shannon Payne becomes the first ever four-time All-American at UCCS after earning All-America honors at the 2008 NCAA DII National Championship meet. Payne recorded a program best individual finish as she placed third overall with a time of 21:29. 

Nov. 1, 2012 
Alex Colvin receives CoSIDA Academic All-America Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Third Team honors.

Nov. 17, 2012
The Mountain Lions tie for the program's second-best finish at the NCAA DII National Championships as they score 326 points to notch a 10th place finish. Megan Burrell claims All-America honors with a 37th place finish, crossing the line in 21:16.10. 

Nov. 23, 2013
Women's Cross Country qualifies for the 2013 Division II National Championships as they finish in 20th place with a team score of 488 points at the Plantes Ferry Sports Complex in Spokane, Wash.

Nov. 9, 2014
Heather Bates earns RMAC Freshman of the Year honors as she finished fourth in the 2014 RMAC Championship race to lead the No. 11 Mountain Lions to a third-place team finish. 

Dec. 6, 2014
Women’s Cross Country competes at the NCAA Division II National Championships for the third consecutive season, finishing 20th with 512 points. Heather Bates becomes the 11th Mountain Lion to earn All-America honors in women's cross country as she finished the course in 21:39.50 to place 16th overall. 

Nov. 19, 2016
Women's Cross Country finishes in 20th place at the NCAA DII National Championships with a team score of 491 points at the Abbey Course in Saint Leo, Fla.

Nov. 18, 2017
The Mountain Lions compete in the program's ninth NCAA DII National Championship and finish in 17th place with a team score of 454 points in Evansville, Ind. Kayla Wooten paced UCCS with an All-American performance, finishing 28th and completing the 6K course in a personal best 21:34.70.

Dec. 1, 2018
Women's Cross Country takes 11th at the NCAA DII National Championships with a team score of 436 points, their best finish since 2012. Kayla Wooten notches the second-best finish in program history as she crosses the line eighth overall (22:51.20) to earn All-America honors. 

Oct. 25, 2019
Maia Austin earns the 2019 RMAC Women's Cross Country Summit Award.  A two-year member of the UCCS women's cross country and track & field programs, Austin earned a perfect 4.000 grade point average in Health Professions.

Nov. 23, 2019
UCCS secures a 15th place finish after scoring 472 team points in their fourth straight national championship appearance at the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, Calif.

Nov. 20, 2021
Women’s Cross Country matches highest program finish at NCAA Division II National Championships with a seventh-place finish at 263 points. The Mountain Lion duo of Layla Almasri and Riley McGrath earn All-America honors as Almasri took 12th place at 20:57.90 and McGrath finished 39th at 21:28.40. 

Apr. 20, 2022
Layla Almasri named UCCS McLaughlin award winner as a five-time All-American (XC, 3x IT&F, OT&F) for the 2021-22 academic year. 

Added as the 14th NCAA Division II varsity sport in the department during 2013, UCCS Women's Golf was led by the program's first ever head coach Sadie Farnsworth for seven of the program's nine years. 

Under Farnsworth's direction, the Mountain Lions climbed the conference rankings year by year with two consecutive top-3 finishes at the RMAC Tournament that included an RMAC Runner-Up finish at the 2015-16 tournament, and a third place finish in 2016-17. On the cusp of a conference title, the Mountain Lions sealed the deal during the 2017-18 season by dominating the field by carding an 839 to best the runner-up position by 24 strokes. Their championship season only got better as Farnsworth and the Mountain Lions earned an automatic bid for the program's first NCAA Division II West Regional tournament appearance. Then to round out the year, Julia Baroth posted a stellar season and was selected as RMAC Freshman of the Year with Farnsworth earning RMAC Coach of the Year honors.

Farnsworth went on one final journey with the Mountain Lions where she helped Baroth qualify for the NCAA Regional Tournament once again in 2018-19 before passing the torch to assistant coach and UCCS alumnus Todd Laxson who was named head coach in 2019. 

Laxson did not skip a beat as the Mountain Lions hit the ground running. After COVID-19 canceled part of the spring 2020 season, UCCS went on to post back-to-back second place finishes in both the 2021 and 2022 RMAC Tournaments. As a freshman in 2021, Emily Shimkus went out to shoot a 221 to be crowned the RMAC Individual Champion as the following season saw three Mountain Lions in Dakota Kreil (fifth), Shimkus (fourth), and Baroth (second) all finish in the conference tournament's top-5.

Women's Golf program highlights, milestones, award winners and accomplishments:

April 20, 2017
Alex Darwin received the 2017 RMAC Women's Golf Summit Award with a 3.988 GPA in accounting.

May 9, 2018
Following the program's most successful year, three UCCS players earned All-RMAC honors as well as head coach Sadie Farnsworth earning Coach of the Year. Alex Darwin and Julia Baroth made the First Team as McKenna Vanko was named to the Second Team. Additionally, Baroth was honored as the Freshman of the Year award.

May 24, 2018
Women's Golf claims their first RMAC Tournament Championship in program history after recording a program record score of 893 at Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler, Ariz.

The Mountain Lions also qualify for the NCAA South Central/West Regional Tournament for the first time in school history after earning an automatic bid.

October 24, 2018
Alex Darwin earned RMAC Academic Golfer of the Year honors. Darwin was the RMAC Summit Award winner at the conference championships as the golfer with the highest GPA at the championships. She earned a 3.988 GPA in accounting and was the runner-up at the RMAC championships for the second straight season.

May 2, 2019
One year after becoming the first RMAC individual award winner in program history (2018 RMAC Freshman of the Year), Julia Baroth was named the RMAC Women's Golfer of the Year in 2019.

April 20, 2021
Freshman Emily Shimkus fires off a four-under par (67) in the final round of the RMAC Women’s Golf Tournament at Wigwam Golf Course to finish with a three-round score of 221 as she claimed RMAC’s Individual Champion title.

UCCS Women's Lacrosse was part of the most recent athletic department expansion in 2015 that also included the addition of baseball and an expanded track & field program. The women's lacrosse program was first headed by Christine Hatton in 2015 who helped put together a Mountain Lion team that hit the playing field in 2017 where UCCS won their inaugural game at a final score of 12-9 against Adams State University on Feb. 25.

Hatton and the Mountain Lions went on to notch four wins in their first season but continued to improve by upping their wins to seven games in 2018 before going on to make the program's first RMAC Tournament appearance in 2019 behind a 6-10 record. It was only the beginning for the team as they found their stride following a canceled season in 2020 as Hatton guided the Mountain Lions to their first winning record of 8-4 in 2021. UCCS registered a 4-3 RMAC record to make their second consecutive conference tournament.

After leading the Mountain Lions to two RMAC Tournament appearances behind a 27-37 record through five seasons, Hatton passed the reigns to assistant coach Melissa Rausch who was appointed the new UCCS Women's Lacrosse Head Coach on Sep. 9, 2022. 

Coming fresh off a winning season, Rausch helped keep the Mountain Lions rolling into 2022 by embarking on an 11-7 overall record and impressive 8-4 RMAC record to register the program's second straight winning record for the team's most wins in program history. The season was capped off with the third consecutive RMAC Tournament appearance with goalkeeper Madison McGriff leading the way with the program's first RMAC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year and RMAC Academic Player of the Year honors.

In six seasons, UCCS Women's Lacrosse have had three major award winners with Natalie Church being voted RMAC Freshman of the Year in 2018 and McGriff garnering conference goalkeeper and academic player of the year last season. The Mountain Lions have also claimed 22 All-RMAC honors, 44 RMAC All-Academic selections, and 12 RMAC Player of the Week awards.

Women's Lacrosse program highlights, milestones, award winners and accomplishments:

May 2, 2018
Natalie Church was named the 2018 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women's Lacrosse Freshman of the Year. A starter in all 17 games, Church led the RMAC and ranked 10th in NCAA Division II with 121 draw controls (7.12 per game).

April 27, 2019
Ellie O'Brien (2017-19) becomes UCCS Women's Lacrosse All-Time Caused Turnovers Leader after causing three turnovers against Rockhurst University to total 86 career caused turnovers. As the all-time caused turnovers leader, O'Brien finished with 100 caused turnovers in her three-year career.

Ellie O'Brien (2017-19) becomes UCCS Women's Lacrosse All-Time Ground Balls Leader after gathering six ground balls against Rockhurst University to total 133 career ground balls. As the all-time ground balls leader, O'Brien finished with 169 groundballs in her three-year career.

March 12, 2020
Natalie Church (2018-Present) becomes UCCS Women's Lacrosse All-Time Draw Controls Leader after registering nine draw controls against Ashland University to total 191 career draw controls. As the all-time draw controls leader, Church finished with 324 draw controls in her five-year career.

Madison Ellis (2017-20) becomes UCCS Women's Lacrosse All-Time Games Played Leader after playing her 46th career game against Ashland University. 

Kennedy Travis (2019-Present) becomes UCCS Women's Lacrosse All-Time GAA Leader after surpassing Elle Scott-Williams (13.36 GAA) by recording a current GAA of 12.54. 

April 3, 2021
Natalie Church (2018-22) became the all-time points leader at CSU Pueblo (W, 17-9), surpassing Kiera Lowe’s previous mark of 132.  Church finished her career with 206 points (124 goals, 82 assists).

Natalie Church (2018-22) also became the all-time assists leader in the same game by surpassing Brianna Martinez’ previous mark of 50.  Church finished her career with 82 assists.

March 9, 2022
Natalie Church (2018-22) became the all-time goals leader vs. Grand Valley State, surpassing Kiera Lowe’s previous mark of 90.  Church finished her career with 124 goals.

March 29, 2022
Madison McGriff (2020-22) became the all-time wins leader on March 29, 2022 vs. CSU Pueblo (W, 19-8).  In three seasons at UCCS, she has recorded 15 wins.

April 8, 2022
Madison McGriff (2020-22) became the all-time saves leader at Fort Lewis College (W, 20-6).  In three seasons at UCCS, she has made 253 career saves.

May 2, 2022
Madison McGriff is named RMAC Academic Player of the Year after boasting a 3.879 GPA as an Elementary Education major. McGriff becomes the first Mountain Lion in program history to earn conference academic player of the year honors.

May 4, 2022
Madison McGriff piles on the awards by leading five Mountain Lions on the All-RMAC team and being named RMAC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, becoming the first Mountain Lion in program history to receive the honor.
 

Announced as a varsity program in 2007, UCCS Women’s Soccer hit the pitch for the first time as a Division II program in 2008 with Nichole Ridenour leading the Mountain Lions for the first eight years of the program’s history. 

From 2008 to 2016, Ridenour and the Mountain Lions posted a 70-84-10 record with five RMAC Tournament appearances, including the program’s first-ever postseason appearance in 2009. UCCS went on to register back-to-back winning seasons in 2012 (13-4-2) and 2013 (9-8-1) before notching the program’s first RMAC Tournament win in 2015 where the Mountain Lions shut out New Mexico Highlands 2-0 on Nov. 4.

UCCS Women’s Soccer was just getting started as newly appointed head coach Sian Hudson entered the scene in 2017 and helped take the program to new heights as the Mountain Lions prowled to a 17-5-1 record that included an RMAC Tournament Championship win against CSU Pueblo on Nov. 5 and NCAA Tournament run that ended in a Final Four appearance against No. 2 ranked Carson-Newman. UCCS recorded wins against No. 6 Colorado School of Mines during the regular season and advanced on PKs against No. 3 ranked UC San Diego with Hudson and the Mountain Lions recording numerous program firsts including their first conference championship, NCAA Tournament appearance, All-American in Tarah Patterson, and Final Four appearance.

The first year under Hudson sparked a new era for UCCS Women’s Soccer with the Mountain Lions going an impressive 52-10-4 in Hudson’s three years. UCCS made both the RMAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament in 2018 and 2019 with the Mountain Lions also reaching another stellar feat during 2019 by winning 19 straight games and going an undefeated 17-0 for the program’s first RMAC Regular Season Championship.

After the 2019 season, leadership changed hands to the seventh winningest coach in NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer and current head coach, J. B. Belzer. Belzer has continued the program’s success by winning two RMAC Regular Season Championships in his two years at the helm with the program also winning their second conference tournament title in 2021 as UCCS made their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance behind a 19-4 record.

In 14 seasons as a varsity program, UCCS Women’s Soccer has been tabbed with four All-Americans and have garnered three RMAC Regular Season Championships (2019-21), two RMAC Tournament titles (2017, 2021), and four NCAA Tournament appearances that includes two trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 (2018, 2021) and one trip to the NCAA Final Four (2017).

Women's Soccer program highlights, milestones, award winners and accomplishments:

November 1, 2008
Amie Kern wrapped up the Mountain Lions inaugural season as a women's soccer program by earning the first ever RMAC individual award for UCCS when she was voted the RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year.

September 4, 2011
Kelly Schroeder (2010-13) becomes UCCS Women's Soccer All-Time Shutouts Leader by surpassing Amie Kern (4) after recording her fifth shutout against Northern State University in a 3-0 win. As the all-time shutouts leader, Schroeder finished with 21 in her four-year career.

August 31, 2012
Kelly Schroeder (2010-13) becomes UCCS Women's Soccer All-Time Saves Leader by surpassing Amie Kern (150) after recording nine saves in a 1-0 win against Fort Hays State University to total 154 career saves. As the all-time saves leader, Schroeder finished with 331 saves in her four-year career

November 1, 2013
Kelly Schroeder became the second UCCS women's soccer player to be named the RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year, and the first in five years (Amie Kern, 2008).

October 16, 2014
Hannah Levett became the first student-athlete in program history to be named RMAC Women's Soccer Academic Player of the Year.

October 31, 2017
Taylor Proctor and Tarah Patterson earned RMAC individual honors in 2017 as they were voted the RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year and RMAC Freshman of the Year, respectively.

November 1, 2017
Tarah Patterson is the first player in program history to be named an All-American. She led UCCS with 22 points (9 goals, 5 assists).

November 5, 2017
Women's Soccer defeats Colorado State University Pueblo at a final score of 1-0 to claim the program's first ever RMAC Tournament Championship.

November 6, 2017
Women's Soccer appears in their first-ever NCAA Championship tournament, hosting a first and second round game inside Mountain Lion Stadium.

November 12, 2017
Women's Soccer wins their first NCAA Tournament match in program history after defeating West Texas A&M at a final score of 1-0 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

October 24, 2018
Anna Gregg was named the 2018 RMAC Women's Soccer Academic Player of the Year. Gregg (3.991 GPA) holds a nearly perfect 4.0 GPA as a Health Science major.

October 30, 2018
Anna Gregg and Kaylyn Smith each earned individual awards as Gregg was selected as RMAC Co-Player of the Year and Smith was selected as RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year.

November 1, 2018
Anna Gregg proved to be one of the offensive leaders on the highest scoring offense in the RMAC and in the South Central Region during the 2018 season. Her team leading 37 points was comprised of a team high 15 goals and five assists, as she set new program records in most goals and most points scored in a single season.

Anna Gregg became the first women's soccer student-athlete to be recognized to the Academic All-America Division II Women's Soccer Team.

November 5, 2018
Women's soccer makes their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance as they draw the No. 3 seed in the South Central Region of the NCAA Tournament

November 1, 2019
Women's Soccer shuts out Black Hills State University at a score of 4-0 to be named 2019 RMAC Regular Season Champions, the program's first ever conference regular season championship.

November 5, 2019
Head coach Sian Hudson is recognized as RMAC Coach of the Year, Shanade Hopcroft takes home RMAC Player of the Year, and Tanner Sanders was voted RMAC Freshman of the Year.

November 18, 2019
Women's soccer made their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance as they draw the No. 1 seed in the South Central region of the NCAA Tournament. As the No. 1 seed, the Mountain Lions hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Regional.

November 24, 2019
Mollee Swift (2019) becomes UCCS Women's Soccer All-Time GAA Leader by surpassing Brandi Arsenault (0.96 GAA) after recording a GAA of .60 in 2019.

December 1, 2019
Shanade Hopcroft earned Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) and United Soccer Coaches All-America First Team honors while teammate Aleesa Muir was selected to the D2CCA and United Soccer Coaches All-America Second Team.

December 4, 2019
Aleesa Muir was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Women's Soccer First Team. Muir goes down as just the second UCCS Women's Soccer student-athlete to receive Academic All-America honors, joining Anna Gregg who earned the honor in 2018.

April 20, 2020
Tarah Patterson becomes UCCS Women's Soccer All-Time Points Leader by surpassing Michaela Mansfield after recording an assist for one point in a 6-1 win against Adams State University to total 69 career points. As the all-time points leader, Patterson finished with 100 points in her six-year career.

April 23, 2021
Mountain Lions capture two major awards with Tarah Patterson being voted RMAC Player of the Year and Head Coach J. B. Belzer named RMAC Coach of the Year.

May 11, 2021
Tarah Patterson is voted RMAC Co-Academic Player of the Year after posting a perfect 4.00 GPA as an MBA student.

July 6, 2021
Tarah Patterson and Ella Fischer become the third and fourth women's soccer student-athletes to receive CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in program history as they also notch the third consecutive year of a UCCS Women's Soccer student-athlete to earn academic All-America honors.

September 11, 2021
Ella Fischer becomes UCCS Women's Soccer All-Time Games Played leader by surpassing Bailee Jameson and Kristin Preble (74) after playing against UC San Diego for her 75th game played. As the all-time games played leader, Jameson finished her career with 76 in her four-year career.

September 26, 2021
Tarah Patterson becomes UCCS Women's Soccer All-Time Goals leader by surpassing Michaela Mansfield after scoring her 30th career goal in a 4-1 win over Fort Lewis College. As the all-time goals leader, Patterson finished with 35 goals in her six-year career.

October 3, 2021
Tarah Patterson becomes UCCS Women's Soccer All-Time Assists leader by surpassing Julia Saenz after notching her 24th career assist against Colorado Mesa University. As the all-time assists leader, Patterson finished with 30 assists in her six-year career.

November 3, 2021
UCCS Women's Soccer claims the program's third consecutive RMAC Regular Season Championship on Wednesday night after topping Colorado State University Pueblo at a final score of 4-2.

November 13, 2021
UCCS defeats Regis at a final score of 3-1 to claim the program’s second RMAC Tournament Championship as the Mountain Lions also make program history by claiming both the conference regular season and tournament title in the same year.

November 15, 2021
UCCS receives the No. 2 seed in the South Central Region, earning a first-round bye and the right to host both the first and second round of the national tournament.

November 21, 2021
No. 9 nationally ranked UCCS blanks No. 20 Colorado School of Mines at a final score of 2-0 in the second round of the NCAA Regional Tournament to advance to the program’s second NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.

December 8, 2021
Tarah Patterson earns All-America honors from D2CCA and United Soccer Coaches by being named D2CCA All-America First Team and United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team. Patterson garnered her second and third career All-America honor.

December 9, 2021
Ella Fischer and Tarah Patterson are both named CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team selections. With their respective academic awards, Fischer and Patterson become just the second and third Mountain Lions in school history to be named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans twice in their careers, joining former UCCS Track & Field student-athlete William Ross in achieving that feat.

One of the first sports to be docketed as a varsity program at UCCS, softball was added in 1989-90 along with women’s basketball and men’s tennis, bringing the count to five varsity sports (men’s soccer, women’s tennis). 

Dave Shakelford was tabbed as the first head coach in program history in 1990.  After an 0-22 season, Jackie Coburn took over the reins in 1991, leading the Mountain Lions to a 55-86 record in four years, and the Mile High Intercollegiate Softball League championship title in 1994.  Coburn also led UCCS to their first winning season in 1994 as the Mountain Lions finished the season 23-19 overall.

In 1995, Jose Garcia led UCCS to a MHISL and two RMAC Tournaments in the span of five years.  UCCS won their first RMAC tournament game in 1996 as Garcia tabulated an 88-118 record as the head coach.  Leticia Pineda spent one season as a head coach, guiding the Mountain Lions to a 21-25 record and a berth in the 2000 RMAC Tournament.

Following Pineda’s one-year stint, Scott Peterson became the longest tenured softball coach at UCCS, leading UCCS to a 365-364-1 record in 15 years.  The Mountain Lions captured the RMAC Regular Season and Tournament Championship titles in 2004 after boasting their best record in program history (39-13).  The Mountain Lions earned their first berth to the NCAA Tournament, going 4-2 in the three-day regional tournament. 

Current head coach Ricki Rothbauer-Stubbs has been guiding the Mountain Lions 2016, posting a 147-166 record while taking UCCS to four RMAC tournaments (2-8) in the past seven years.

Seven Mountain Lions have garnered 10 All-America honors, led by Hall of Famer Crystal Krebs’ back-to-back selections in 2004 and 2005.  In 2005, Krebs was also tabbed to the Academic All-America team, followed by Stacey Haney in 2008 and Whitney Weber in 2018.

In its 32 years of existence, the UCCS softball program has garnered a 676-781-1 overall record, one NCAA playoff berth (4-2), 15 trips to the RMAC tournament (16-24), two MHISL appearances, nine 20-win seasons, and three straight 30-win seasons from 2004-07 when they went 141-67 (.678).

Softball program highlights, milestones, award winners and accomplishments

May 1, 1994     
Softball wins the Mile High Intercollegiate Softball League / RMAC Regular Season, recording the first conference regular season championship in program history.

May 1, 1994     
Jackie Coburn was the first person in the history of UCCS Athletics to receive an RMAC individual award.  Coburn was named the 1994 RMAC Softball Coach of the Year. 

May 1, 1998     
Kelly Wagner (softball) became the first Mountain Lion in the department to earn RMAC Freshman of the Year accolades. 

May 1, 1999     
For the second straight season, a UCCS Mountain Lion was named the RMAC Softball Freshman of the Year. 
Kacy Larson earned the award in 1999, one year after Kelly Wagner was named 1998 Freshman of the Year.

May 1, 2003     
Brittni Carlson was named the RMAC Softball Freshman of the Year, and the third Mountain Lion to receive the award.

May 1, 2004     
Mountain Lions top Regis University 6-3 in the RMAC Championship game to be crowned conference tournament champions for the first time in program history.
Four Mountain Lions earned RMAC individual awards in 2004: Crystal Krebs (RMAC Player of the Year), Brenna Pool (RMAC Pitcher of the Year), Linsday Shandera (RMAC Freshman of the Year), and Scott Peterson (RMAC Coach of the Year).     
Softball (35-11) qualifies for their first NCAA Tournament in program history after winning their first RMAC Tournament Championship.

May 6, 2004     
Softball wins their first NCAA Tournament game in program history after defeating Midwestern State University at a final score of 9-1 in San Antonio, Texas.

May 31, 2004   
Crystal Krebs was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First Team as a catcher in 2004, becoming the first ever UCCS softball player to receive All-America accolades.

May 1, 2005     
Crystal Krebs repeated in 2005 after being voted the RMAC Softball Player of the Year, while Amber Colton earned RMAC Pitcher of the Year.  Colton is the second Mountain Lion to earn the award in back-to-back years (Brenna Pool, 2004).

May 6, 2005     
Crystal Krebs (2004-05) becomes UCCS Softball's All-Time Home Runs Leader after recording her 44th career home run against Regis University.

May 7, 2005     
Amber Colton (2002-05) becomes UCCS Softball's All-Time Strikeouts Leader by surpassing Kelly Wagner (192) after recording 89 strikeouts in 2003 to reach 235. As the all-time strikeouts leader, Colton finished with 547 in her four-year career.

May 31, 2005   
Crystal Krebs repeated as a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American in 2005 as a catcher.

June 1, 2005     
Softball catcher Crystal Krebs became the first UCCS student-athlete to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

April 15, 2006  
Brittni Carlson (2003-06) becomes UCCS Softball's All-Time Hits Leader by surpassing Kara Rainey (217) after recording her 218th hit against University of Nebraska Kearney. As the all-time hits leader, Carlson finished with 234 in her four-year career.

April 26, 2007  
Lindsay Shandera was voted the 2007 RMAC Softball Academic Player of the Year, becoming the first student-athlete in department history to be named RMAC Academic Player of the Year.

May 1, 2007     
Stacy Haney became the third player in four years to be named the RMAC Softball Player of the Year.  Crystal Krebs also earned the award in 2004 and 2005.

May 31, 2007   
Outfielder Stacey Haney and second baseman Rachel Hancock earned Daktronics First Team and Second Team honors, respectively, following the 2007 season.  Haney was also named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Third Team.

June 1, 2008     
Three years after the first ever Mountain Lion earned Academic All-America accolades (Crystal Krebs, softball), Stacey Haney (softball) was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team.

May 1, 2009     
Jessica Anastos was named the RMAC Softball Player of the Year, becoming the fourth player in program history to win the award.

May 31, 2009   
Jessika Anastos (softball) received National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Third Team honors as a second baseman in 2009.

April 12, 2012     
Softball alumna Crystal Krebs had her jersey retired in 2012, becoming the first Mountain Lion in department history to have a jersey retired. 

May 1, 2013     
Patyon Komfeind was named the RMAC Freshman of the Year, becoming the fifth player in program history to earn the award.

May 31, 2013   
Payton Kornfeind received two All-America accolades in 2013 as an outfielder.  She was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First Team and to the Daktronics Second Team.

May 31, 2014   
Designated player Jessica Belsterling (softball) earned All-America honors with a Third Team selection by Daktronics. Belsterling is the seventh softball student-athlete in program history to earn All-America honors and the first to receive the award as a designated player. 

June 6, 2018     
Softball outfielder Whitney Weber was selected to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America Second Team, becoming the 8th Mountain Lion in program history to receive the award, and the third from the softball program.

May 26, 2021
Redshirt-freshman Brianna Santos was named to the 2021 D2CCA All-America First Team as a utility player.  Santos also garnered D2CCA All-South Central Region First Team and All-RMAC First Team accolades earlier in the season. 

TRACK & FIELD

Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field was added to the UCCS lineup of varsity sports for the 1999-2000 academic year and had a heavy focus on distance running for many of the early years before the program was expanded prior to the 2015-16 season. 

Graeme Badger led the program for the first eight years of its existence and quickly saw success on the national stage as he coached a pair of student-athletes to indoor and outdoor All-America honors within the first three seasons of the team’s inception. Following Badger’s departure after the 2006-07 season, current men’s cross country head coach Mark Misch took over the women’s track & field program and led the team to a then program best 22nd place finish at the 2010-11 NCAA Indoor Championships. Misch coached a total of four All-Americans in his five years at the helm of the program. David Harmer (2012-14) and current women’s cross country head coach Corey Kubatzky (2014-15) also had short stints leading the team before the track & field expansion took place in 2015-16. 

As part of the expansion, Brandon Masters and Ross Fellows were brought aboard as co-head coaches for the 2015-16 season with the goal of developing a well-rounded program that could compete at a high level across all areas of the sport. They quickly succeeded in their goal as the women’s track & field team edged Western Colorado by a single point at the 2017-18 RMAC Indoor Championships to bring home the first conference title in program history. Masters and Fellows also teamed up to oversee the first individual national champion in program history as Skylyn Webb went on to win her first of three 800m national titles at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

After Masters departed following the 2017-18 season, Fellows took over full-time head coach duties and has taken the program to new heights, leading the team to the rare indoor/outdoor sweep of the conference championship meets in each of the last two seasons (2020-21, 2021-22). In four years as the sole head coach of the women’s track & field team, he has led the program to six additional indoor and outdoor RMAC championships, program best finishes of eighth place at the 2020-21 NCAA Indoor Championships and T17th at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships, and a total of 54 indoor and outdoor All-Americans. 

Across 23 years as a varsity sport, women’s indoor and outdoor track & field has totaled seven RMAC Championships (4 indoor, 3 outdoor) and has had 19 student-athletes combine for 54 indoor All-America honors along with 16 student-athletes recording a total of 26 outdoor All-America nods. 

Track & Field program highlights, milestones, award winners and accomplishments:

May 24, 2001
Sarah Gray becomes first Mountain Lion to qualify for NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, placing fourth in the 3,000m Steeplechase (10:40.37) to score five points and lead the women’s track & field team to a 40th place finish in Edwardsville, Ill. Gray also becomes the first women’s student-athlete to earn outdoor track & field All-America accolades. 

Mar. 8, 2002
Women’s track & field competes in the program’s first NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships as the Mountain Lions went on to finish 30th. Amanda Occhi becomes the first UCCS women’s indoor track & field student-athlete to earn All-America status, placing sixth in the 5,000m with a time of 17:10.58. 

May 23, 2002
The Mountain Lions finish 49th at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in San Angelo, Texas. Maddie Bosen clocks an eighth-place finish in the 5,000m (17:46.90) to score one point and earn outdoor track & field All-America accolades. 

May 22, 2003
Tina Gray takes fifth place in the 3,000m steeplechase (10:49.29) at the 2003 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships to earn All-America status and score four points, leading the Mountain Lions to a 52nd place finish.

May 24, 2004
Tina Gray repeats as a 3,000m steeplechase All-American with a sixth-place finish in the event to garner three points and push UCCS to a 45th place finish at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships. 

May 26, 2005
Women’s track & field finishes 49th at 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships as Sarah Shepard took seventh in the 3,000m steeplechase (10:55.67) and Shannon Payne grabbed eighth in the 10,000m (36:56.83) to garner All-America honors. 

May 25, 2006
Women's Track & Field finishes 49th at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships as Ashley Birger takes 6th in the 3,000m Steeplechase (11:09.94) to score three points and earn USTFCCCA All-America honors. 

Mar. 9, 2007
Sarah Shepard finishes eighth in the 5,000m at the 2007 NCAA indoor championships to earn USTFCCCA All-America honors and help the UCCS women’s track & field team secure a 39th place finish. 

May 7, 2007
Andi Harrelson sets a new RMAC outdoor championship meet record with a mark of 41.60m in the women's javelin heptathlon inside Western Colorado University's Mountaineer Bowl.

May 24, 2007
Women's Track & Field finishes 54th at 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships as Shannon Payne places 7th in the 3,000m (9:58.08) to score two points in Charlotte, N.C.

May 22, 2008
Shannon Payne earns All-America accolades for the third consecutive outdoor season, taking fourth place in the 10,000m (35:45.50) to score five points as the Mountain Lions recorded a 37th place finish at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

May 24, 2010
The Mountain Lions finish 47th at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships as Lauren Graham places 5th in the pole vault (3.83m) to score four points in Charlotte, N.C.

Mar. 11, 2011
Women's Track & Field places 22nd at the 2010-11 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships as Lauren Graham takes second in the pole vault with a mark of 4.13m to score eight points in the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, N.M.

May 24, 2011
Women's Track & Field finishes 50th at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships as Lauren Graham scores three points with a 6th place finish in the pole vault (3.77m) at the Al Brenda Track Facility in Turlock, Calif.

Mar. 7, 2017
After winning the high jump at the 2016-17 RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, Danielle Cormier earns the first RMAC Women's Freshman of the Year award in program history. 

Mar. 9, 2017
Women's Track & Field finishes 44th at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships as Kayla Wooten takes 6th in the mile with a time of 4:47.12 to score three points at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala.

Feb. 24, 2018
Women's Track & Field wins the program's first indoor RMAC championship with a team score of 118 points inside Colorado School of Mines' Steinhauer Fieldhouse.

Mar. 6, 2018
The Mountain Lions earn three RMAC major awards for the 2017-18 indoor season as Skylyn Webb is named the RMAC Female Track Athlete of the Year, Kaija Crowe is named the RMAC Female Freshman of the Year, and Co-head coaches Ross Fellows and Brandon Masters take home RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year honors. 

Mar. 9, 2018
Women's Track & Field records their best finish in school history at the NCAA indoor championships with a 13th place finish with a school record 18 team points at the Robert W. Plaster Center in Pittsburg, Kan. Six student-athletes combine to earn eight All-America nods, including Kaija Crowe (Pentathlon), Elinor Enderle (DMR), Dejah Glover (DMR), Molly Klotz (Mile, DMR), Skylyn Webb (800m) and Kayla Wooten (Mile, DMR).

Apr. 27, 2018
Kaija Crowe sets two new conference outdoor championship records after posting marks of 1.69m in the women's high jump heptathlon and 5.70m in the women's long jump heptathlon inside Colorado School of Mines' Stermole Complex.

May 16, 2018
Skylyn Webb is named the RMAC Female Track Athlete of the Year for the 2018 outdoor season after posting the No. 1 800m mark in the nation and winning the 400m dash at the conference championship meet. 

May 24, 2018
Skylyn Webb becomes the first women’s outdoor track & field student-athlete at UCCS to win a national championship as she sets a new meet and championship record with a time of 2:02.47 in the 800m. The Mountain Lions finish with 11 points at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships for a 29th place finish as three women athletes earn All-America honors, including Kaija Crowe (Heptathlon), Molly Klotz (1500m) and Skylyn Webb (800m).

Feb. 23, 2019
Kaija Crowe sets a new RMAC conference championship record as she records a mark of 1.64m in the women's pentathlon high jump. Skylyn Webb also sets a new conference indoor championship record with a time of 54.65s in the women's 400m at the Adams State University High Altitude Training Center.

Feb. 28, 2019
Skylyn Webb and Kaija Crowe were named the Track Athlete of the Year and Field Athlete of the Year, respectively, following the 2019 RMAC Indoor T&F Championship meet.

Mar. 8, 2019
Skylyn Webb becomes the first indoor women's national champion in school history after setting a new meet and facility record in the 800m with a time of 2:04.94 at the 2019 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships. Women's Track & Field scores a then program high 19 points at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships as they record their second-best finish in program history with an 18th place finish. Nine women’s student-athletes come away from the indoor national championship meet with All-America honors, including Layla Almasri (DMR), Maia Austin (DMR), Jada Carr (Long Jump), Kaija Crowe (Long Jump, Pentathlon), Ellie Enderle (DMR), Dejah Glover (DMR), Skylyn Webb (800m), and Kayla Zink (60m).

April 28, 2019
The UCCS women’s track & field team earns their first outdoor RMAC championship in program history as Kaija Crowe sets a new conference outdoor championship meet record with a time of 14.65s in the women's heptathlon 100m hurdle inside South Dakota School of Mines' O'Harra Stadium.

May 6, 2019
Skylyn Webb is named the 2019 RMAC Female Track Athlete of the Year and head coach Ross Fellows takes home the RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year award. 

May 23, 2019
Skylyn Webb races to a back-to-back outdoor national championship in the women’s 800m to score ten points for the UCCS women’s track and field team. The Mountain Lions record a program best finish at the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships with 14 points for a T17th place finish. Webb (800m), Kaija Crowe (Heptathlon, Long Jump), and Hannah Meek (Long Jump), combine to bring home a total of four All-America honors. 

Jun. 26, 2019
Will Ross and Skylyn Webb were named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Google Cloud Academic All-America Division II Men's and Women's Track/Cross Country teams.

Feb. 26, 2020
Junior Maia Austin is selected as the RMAC Summit Award winner after boasting a perfect 4.0 GPA as a health professions major. 

Feb. 29 - Mar. 1, 2020
Kaija Crowe sets a new conference indoor championship meet record after posting a mark of 5.77m in the women's pentathlon long jump inside Mountain Lion Fieldhouse. Women’s track & field goes on to score 158.50 points to bring home the second RMAC indoor conference title in program history.

Mar. 26, 2020
Maia Austin is voted as the RMAC Indoor Track & Field All-Academic Athlete of the Year as she maintains her perfect 4.0 GPA as a health professions major. 

Mar. 27, 2020
Head coach Ross Fellows receives the 2020 RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year award after leading the women’s team to the 2019-20 RMAC indoor conference title. 

May 26, 2020
Eight women’s student-athletes earn USTFCCCA All-America honors for the 2019-2020 indoor season, including Layla Almasri (DMR, Mile), Maia Austin (DMR, Mile), Kaija Crowe (Pentathlon), Dejah Glover (DMR), Hannah Meek (Long Jump, Triple Jump), Faith Novess (High Jump), Kayla Wooten (DMR, Mile), Kayla Zink (60m).

June 24, 2020
A pair of Mountain Lion women receive CoSIDA Academic All-America Track & Field/Cross Country honors as Maia Austin earns first team honors and Kaija Crowe takes home second team accolades. 

Feb. 28, 2021
Women’s track & field repeats as RMAC indoor champions as they score 216 points to finish with a 106-point lead over second place Colorado Mesa University inside the Donald E. Young Center Fieldhouse. 

Mar. 13, 2021
The Mountain Lions record 21 points at the 2020-21 NCAA Indoor Championships for a program best 8th place finish as Layla Almasri (DMR, Mile), Elinor Enderle (DMR), Dejah Glover (DMR), Riley McGrath (DMR, Mile), Hannah Meek (LJ, TJ), and Kayla Zink (60m) combine to bring home nine All-America honors. 

Mar. 29, 2021
The women’s track & field program collects three RMAC major awards for the 2020-21 indoor season, with Layla Almasri earning RMAC Female Track Athlete of the Year, Hannah Meek being named RMAC Female Field Athlete of the Year, and Ross Fellows taking home RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year. 

May 2, 2021
UCCS women’s track & field wins their second consecutive outdoor conference title after scoring 196 points and winning four events at the 2021 RMAC Outdoor Championships. 

May 12, 2021
Head coach Ross Fellows is named the RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year for the 2021 outdoor season after coaching the women’s team to their second consecutive outdoor team title along with 33 All-RMAC honors and four RMAC individual titles. 

May 29, 2021
Hannah Meek records a runner-up finish in the women’s long jump to record eight points and lead the Mountain Lions to a T-29th place finish at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Meek (Long Jump, Triple Jump) and Kayla Zink (100m) team up to earn a combined three All-America honors. 

Dec. 14, 2021
Hannah Meek is named the USTFCCCA Women’s Division II National Athlete of the Week after breaking the women’s indoor long jump record with a leap of 6.37m at the CRC Pre-Holiday Invite & Multi. Meek’s jump ranked tied for the sixth furthest jump in NCAA Division II history. 

Feb. 26, 2022
The UCCS women’s track & field team wins their third consecutive RMAC indoor championship after tallying 179.50 points and finishing 88.5 points ahead of second place Colorado Mesa University. Kayla Zink is named the RMAC Women’s Athlete of the Meet as she contributed 20 points for the women’s team by virtue of winning both the 60m and 200m dashes. 

Mar. 10, 2022
Hannah Meek is named as the RMAC Female Field Athlete of the Year for the 2021-22 indoor season while Ross Fellows takes home his third consecutive RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year award. 

Mar. 12, 2022
UCCS records 18 points at the 2021-22 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships to come away with a 15th place finish. Layla Almasri (DMR, Mile, 3000m), Amber Davis (DMR), Kate Hedlund (DMR, Mile), Riley McGrath (DMR, Mile), Hannah Meek (Long Jump, Triple Jump), Melissa Moreni (60m hurdle), and Kayla Zink (60m) tally a combined 12 All-America honors. 

Mar. 18, 2022
Assistant women’s track & field coach (distance) Corey Kubatzky is named as the 2021-22 USTFCCCA Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year for the South Central region after coaching four student-athletes to a combined eight All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships. 

May 1, 2022
The Mountain Lions win the RMAC Outdoor Championship for the third consecutive year (2019, 2021, 2022), racking up 18 podium finishes and six individual event champions to score 191 points and defeat second place Colorado School of Mines by 94 points. 

May 23, 2022
Hannah Meek is named the RMAC Female Field Athlete of the Year for the 2022 outdoor season and Ross Fellows earns his third consecutive RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year award. 

May 28, 2022
Women’s track & field notches a 28th place finish at the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships after scoring nine points. Five Mountain Lion women earn All-America honors, including Layla Almasri (1500m), Kate Hedlund (1500m), Riley McGrath (1500m), Hannah Meek (Long Jump), and Melissa Moreni (100m hurdle). 

Volleyball joined men’s soccer as the inaugural varsity programs at UCCS in 1986-87.  Cathy Drake led UCCS in their first three seasons of existence, owning a 16-49 overall record.  Faye Bozorgzard (1989-92) and George Egan (1993-98) carried the Mountain Lions for the next 10 seasons before Shawn Garus took over the program in 1999.

In his third and final season at UCCS, Garus led the Mountain Lions to their first ever RMAC Tournament appearance, falling to Western State College in the opening round on Nov. 19, 2001 (L, 3-1).  Garus was replaced by Tara Miller who went 9-49 in 2002 and 2003. 

Succeeding Miller for the next five years was one of the most successful volleyball coaches in program history, Jessica Wood.  Wood had a .500 or better winning percentage in her first four years while leading UCCS to their first ever NCAA Tournament berth in 2007.  That season, the Mountain Lions garnered a 20-12 record and posted their first conference tournament win with a sweep over Colorado Mesa University on Nov. 9.  The following day they went on to notch a 3-1 win over Adams State University before falling in the championship match to host team Nebraska-Kearney, 3-1. 

After Wood’s 78-69 career at UCCS, Keith Barnett was tabbed the seventh head coach in program history, boasting a 67-46 record from 2009-12.  He and the Mountain Lions qualified for the RMAC Tournament in three of the four years and experienced winning seasons in all four years (68-46). In his first season at UCCS, Barnett coached Laura Brodie who was named the RMAC Freshman of the Year.  In his final season, Barnett coached the first All-American in program history, Nikki Kinzer, who was also named the 2012 RMAC Defensive Player of the Year.

The longest tenured coach at UCCS (2013-2021), Chrissy Elder boasted seven RMAC Tournament appearances in nine seasons and three straight winning seasons from 2015-17.  The Mountain Lions notched their third RMAC Tournament win in program history after defeating Colorado Christian University, 3-1, on Nov. 15, 2016, before falling to Colorado Mines in the semifinal round, 3-1. In nine seasons at the helm, Elder and the Mountain Lions accumulated a 106-125 record.

Tara Hittle will begin her reign on the sidelines in 2022 as the ninth head coach in program history. 

The oldest women’s program at UCCS, the Mountain Lions have tabulated a 426-577 (.425) record in 35 years as a varsity program.

Volleyball program highlights, milestones, award winners and accomplishments

Nov, 19, 1992       
Joy Blake (1989-92) becomes UCCS Volleyball's All-Time Total Blocks Leader after recording 140 blocks in 1992 to total 676 in her four-year career.

Oct. 18, 1994       
Leslie McKenzie (1991-94) becomes UCCS Volleyball's All-Time Assists Leader by surpassing Robyn Rodriguez (1,605) with 2,570 assists after recording 1,327 in the 1994 season. As the all-time assists leader, McKenzie recorded 3,858 in her four-year career.

Nov. 10, 1994       
Melissa Clark (1992-95) becomes UCCS Volleyball's All-Time Attacks Leader by surpassing Brenda Brown (2,528) with 3,337 attacks after recording 1,292 in the 1994 season. As the all-time attacks leader, Clark went on to record 4,432 in her four-year career.

Nov. 10, 1994       
Melissa Clark (1992-95) becomes UCCS Volleyball's All-Time Kills Leader by surpassing Brenda Brown (1,096) with 1,165 kills after recording 481 in the 1994 season. As the all-time kills leader, Clark went on to record 1,519 kills in her four-year career. 

Oct. 13, 2006       
Andrea Weedman (2004-07) becomes UCCS Volleyball's All-Time Aces Leader by surpassing Joy Blake (112) with 115 aces after recording two against Metropolitan State University Denver. As the all-time aces leader, Weedman recorded 141 in her four-year career.

Sept. 4, 2007     
Andrea Weedman (2004-07) becomes UCCS Volleyball's All-Time Digs Leader by surpassing Melissa Clark (1,472) with 1,477 digs after recording 11 against Regis University. As the all-time digs leader, Weedman recorded 1,811 in her four-year career.

Nov. 11, 2007       
Laura Meeter (2004-07) becomes UCCS Volleyball's All-Time Matches Played Leader by surpassing teammate Caroline Ottino (117) with 118 matches played after playing against University of Nebraska Kearney. As the all-time matches played leader, Meeter played in 119 matches in her four-year career.

Nov. 16, 2007       
Volleyball qualifies for the program's first NCAA Tournament after posting a 20-11 record.

Nov. 1, 2009   
Laura Brodie became the first Mountain Lion in program history to earn an RMAC individual award.  Brodie was voted the RMAC Volleyball Freshman of the Year in 2009.

Nov. 1, 2012   
Nikki Kinzer became the first player in program history to be voted the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Dec. 1, 2012   
Nikki Kinzer became the first volleyball student-athlete in program history to earn All-American status. 

Oct. 22, 2015       
Kim Catlett used a 3.56 GPA in Health Care Science and the top offensive numbers in the conference to earn RMAC Academic Player of the Year honors. 

Nov. 17, 2016       
Junior libero Natasha Habert received the 2016 RMAC Volleyball Summit Award with a 3.969 GPA in criminal justice.

One of the first sports to be a varsity program at UCCS, the women's tennis team saw  success early in the program.  The 1991 team went undefeated at 11-0 to earn a berth to the NAIA National Championship Tournament.  Eight years later, the Mountain Lions won the RMAC Championship Tournament in 1999. The program was discontinued following the 2005-06 season.

RMAC AWARD WINNERS

2006
Katie McPhail - RMAC Women's Tennis Player of the Year, All-RMAC First Team Singles (No. 1)
Natascha Vander Molen - All-RMAC Second Team Singles (No. 3)
Katelyn Town - All-RMAC Second Team Singles (No. 5)
Charise Lopez and Katelyn Towne - RMAC Honorable Mention Doubles (No. 3)

2005
Laura Backlin - RMAC Women's Tennis Freshman of the Year, All-RMAC First Team Singles (No. 5)
Katie McPhail - All-RMAC Second Team Singles (No. 2)

2004
Nikki Duval - All-RMAC Second Team Singles (No. 6)

2003
Mary Bollinger - All-RMAC Second Team Singles (No. 1)
Patrice Shields - RMAC Honorable Mention Singles

1999
Michelle Mathisen - RMAC Women's Tennis Freshman of the Year
Jerry Cross - RMAC Women's Tennis Coach of the Year