The night was highlighted by the presentation of the Male and Female Athletes of the Year, recognizing the top individual performers across all sports.
Barrington Hargress (men’s basketball) was named Male Athlete of the Year, emerging from a strong group of finalists that included Hunter Swanson (men’s golf), Isaiah Givens (track & field), Filip Wahlqvist (alpine skiing) and Jakob Moch (Nordic skiing). Additional nominees included Dominic Serem (cross country) and Jeremiah Brown (football).
Hargress put together an outstanding season, averaging 14.2 points and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 48.5 percent from three-point range. He led the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio and ranked among the nation’s most efficient guards with a .531 field goal percentage.
On the women’s side, Hope Leyba (soccer) earned Female Athlete of the Year honors, headlining a deep finalist group that included Carolyn Fuller (women’s golf), Avery Pearson (track & field), Lily Assini (lacrosse), Tilde Baangman (Nordic skiing), Louison Accambray (alpine skiing) and Ana Burilovic (volleyball). Other nominees were Jade Masogayo (women’s basketball), Jessie Secor (cross country) and Pia Rebec (tennis).
Leyba delivered a historic campaign, leading the nation in goals while earning First-Team All-America honors and setting a Colorado single-season record with 24 goals. She finished the season with 24 goals and six assists (54 points) and was selected to the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team.
Career Achievement Awards
The Male Career Athletic Achievement Award was shared by Filip Wahlqvist (alpine skiing) and Hunter Swanson (men’s golf), selected from a finalist group that also included James Overberg (cross country) and Alejandro Mata (football), with Elijah Malone (men’s basketball) among the additional nominees.
Swanson has emerged as one of the most accomplished golfers in program history, posting a 71.69 career stroke average while competing in 48 tournaments with the Big 12 Tournament and more still to come. He recorded 20 tournaments under par and ranked among the program’s top performers in rounds in the 60s, rounds of par or better and total birdies.
Wahlqvist capped a dominant skiing career that included 38 top-10 finishes, 24 podium appearances and 11 victories. He set program records in slalom wins and podium finishes, cementing his place among Colorado’s all-time greats.
On the women’s side, Jordan Nytes (soccer) earned the Female Career Athletic Achievement Award. She was selected from a finalist group that included Jade Masogayo (women’s basketball), Jess Peluso (lacrosse), Tilde Baangman (Nordic skiing) and Aya El Sayed (tennis), with Louison Accambray (alpine skiing) and Sarah Morton (volleyball) also recognized as nominees.
Nytes capped her career as one of the top goalkeepers in program history, earning Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year honors three times while setting the school record for career shutouts and starting more than 80 matches. She also earned multiple All-America honors and signed a professional contract following her collegiate career.
Newcomer of the Year
Dominic Serem (men’s cross country) was named Male Newcomer of the Year, leading a finalist group that included Barrington Hargress (men’s basketball), Joseph Williams (football), Jackson Rivera (men’s golf) and Justine Kipkoech (track & field).
Serem made an immediate impact for the Buffaloes, placing fifth at the Gans Creek Classic and fourth at the Nuttycombe Invitational before finishing as Colorado’s top runner at the NCAA Championships with a 58th-place finish.
Avery Pearson (track & field) earned Female Newcomer of the Year honors, emerging from a group of finalists that included Zyanna Walker (women’s basketball), Nina Schamberger (Nordic skiing) and Raegan Kotschau (soccer), with Hannah Soria (alpine skiing) and Peyton Neal (volleyball) also among the nominees.
Pearson has delivered a record-breaking season, becoming the first athlete in program history to break the two-minute barrier in the 800 meters with a school-record time of 1:59.98. She qualified for the NCAA Championships and won the Big 12 title in the 600 yards.
Freshman of the Year
Feb Allasina (alpine skiing) was named Male Freshman of the Year after a standout debut season. He was selected from a finalist group that included Isaiah Johnson (men’s basketball), Quentin Gibson (football), TJ Hansen (track & field) and Storm Pedersen (Nordic skiing), with Tyler Long (men’s golf) also among the nominees.
Allasina finished 13 of 16 races, all within the top 10, recording 10 top-five finishes and six podium appearances. He won two giant slalom races, claimed the RMISA giant slalom title and earned two First-Team All-America honors.
The Female Freshman of the Year award was shared by Logyn Greer (women’s basketball) and Mia Larochelle (cross country). The duo led a finalist group that included Rowan Edson (lacrosse), Paige DeHart (alpine skiing) and Vivi Zacarias (soccer), with Teemapat Pateetin (women’s golf) and Lani Brotman (tennis) also recognized as nominees.
Greer earned All-Big 12 Freshman Team honors while appearing in all 34 games, recording 16 double-digit scoring performances. Larochelle posted strong results throughout the season, including a top-100 finish at the NCAA Championships and a top-10 all-time mark in the 3,000 meters.
The Staff Member of the Year honor was shared by Taylor Stratton, Director of the Ralphie Live Mascot Program, and Colton Behr, Assistant Program Manager. The two were instrumental in bringing the Ralphie tradition charging back with the debut of Ralphie VII.
The Student-Athlete Support Award was presented to the Custodial Maintenance Staff.
The Spencer Nelson Buffalo Spirit Award was presented to Magdalena Luczak (alpine skiing), honoring her resilience and perseverance. Luczak was on the verge of history at last year’s NCAA Championships, holding a commanding lead at the giant slalom split before a fall resulted in a knee injury, ending her race and subsequent 2026 season just seconds from what would have been her fourth career individual NCAA title. Granted an additional year of eligibility, Luczak is set to return and compete for the Buffaloes once again next season.
Faith Leyba and Hope Leyba (soccer) were named Women’s Lifters of the Year, while Lucas Williams (track & field) earned the men’s honor.
The Ceal Barry Leadership Award recipients included Jessica Peluso (lacrosse), RJ Johnson (football), Louison Accambray (alpine skiing) and Luke Dry (track & field).
The Byron R. White Leadership & Initiative Award was presented to Rian Finley (volleyball), Johnny Homsy (track & field), Anya Nelson (tennis) and Matthew Winston (Ralphie Handler).
Championing Change Awards were presented to student-athlete Balansama Kamara (football) and Dr. Courtney Copeland (Psychological Health and Performance).
Entering CU for the spring semester, Kamara wasted no time making an impact. He co-hosted the annual Black Excellence night in CU athletics and was also instrumental in hosting The Kickback, a space for student athletes, staff and coaches to fellowship, build community and bridge the gap with student campus leadership groups.
The Moment of the Year was voted on during the event, and the Lacrosse team’s win over No. 2 Northwestern to start the year won. In the highest-ranked win in CU history, Maddie Shoup led the charge with five goals, including the game-winner with just over four minutes to play. And when it came down to the final seconds, goalkeeper Elena Oh made the stops that sealed it.
Originally created in 2001, the annual event remains one of the most popular among the athletes, as they have tailored the function to be the final social gathering solely amongst themselves for the last time before finals and summer vacation, if not for a longer period of time for those graduating. It is believed to be one of the only events in the country almost entirely organized by the student-athletes, and certainly was among, if not, the first.
