Sports Briefs: Fall 2023
Prime Era Debuts
Colorado football opened the 2023 season — the “Coach Prime” era — with unprecedented national attention and an undefeated nonconference schedule. Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders was named head football coach on Dec. 3, 2022.
CU opened on the road Sept. 2 at No. 17-ranked TCU. The Buffaloes defeated the Horned Frogs, last year’s national runner-up and a 21-point favorite, 45-42. Colorado went on to beat Nebraska 36-14 Sept. 9 in Boulder before a double-overtime 43-35 victory over Colorado State Sept. 16 at Folsom Field.
“We did some things that showed we were resilient. We showed that we would fight, we showed that we had no surrender or give up in us,” Coach Prime said after the thriller over CSU.
Colorado finished its non conference schedule ranked No. 19 in the nation. All three nonconference games were televised nationally, with Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show on campus Sept. 9 and ESPN’s College GameDay on campus Sept. 16.
Buffs Bits
On July 27, the CU Board of Regents unanimously approved CU Boulder’s move to the Big 12 Conference effective for the 2024-25 school year. … Four women’s track standouts earned All-American honors at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships; Abbey Glynn (LeadCommEngmt, Psych’24) raced a school record 55.94 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles semifinals on her way to a First Team All American finish. Avery McMullen (IntPhys, Psych’24) earned Second Team in the heptathlon, and Ella Baran (MEnv’24) and India Johnson (MTechMedSoc’24) earned honorable mention in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters respectively. … Women’s soccer closed out its non conference schedule at 8-1 and ranked No. 22 in the nation. Shyra James (MediaSt’24) led the Buffs with seven goals in nine games, and goalkeeper Jordan Nytes (Soc’26) was named National Player of the Week by Top Drawer Soccer on Aug. 29.
Coach Talk
“We have a lot of competitors here. There are a lot of people still fighting for spots, fighting for minutes and fighting for roles.”
— Women’s soccer head coach Danny Sanchez after the start of the season. The Buffs’ overhauled roster has 14 newcomers joining 14 returning players.
Digits
1
Match play hole difference that eliminated men’s golf’s Dylan McDermott (Mktg’25) at the 123rd U.S. Amateur
5
Volleyball consecutive wins without dropping a set, Aug. 26–Sept. 2, a streak the Buffs hadn’t accomplished since 1993
1–4ٳ
Women’s cross-country individual places at Sept. 1 kick-off races in Boulder
100th
Season at Folsom Field began when CU kicked off against Nebraska Sept. 9
3.154
Spring 2023 GPA of CU’s 369 student-athletes, the highest term GPA ever recorded
510
School record passing yards for football’s Shedeur Sanders (Soc’25) in debut win at No. 17 TCU
Photos courtesy CU Athletics