Buffs Roundup: Fall sports off to a scorching start

BOULDER, Colo. — In a week that saw over 6,700 freshmen join the ranks of almost 30,000 undergraduate students, the University of Colorado Boulder welcomed the new academic year without a single loss across its varsity sports.

Here’s what happened:

Football

The biggest story of the weekend was the final Rocky Mountain Showdown in Denver.

The Colorado Buffaloes stampeded past in-state rival Colorado State Rams on Friday evening to the tune of 52-31. The game started neck-and-neck, with both teams trading blows to a mere 24-21 halftime lead for the Buffs.

This all changed when, on the first play of the third quarter, the Buffs forced a fumble and consequently scored a touchdown on the following drive. They never looked back, pouring on points in the final 30 minutes of game action to leave them with an overwhelming victory. The Buffaloes now build on their all-time series lead, 67-22-2.

This weekend the Buffs will host No. 25. The team now looks to prepare for next week’s matchup against rival Nebraska in the first iteration of the rivalry to be played in Boulder since 2009. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Soccer

The Buffs soccer team started off this season hot with a record of 4-0, as they have taken down Drake (2-0), Boston University (2-0), and Kent State (2-1) and Texas (2-1). They’re the sixth team listed outside of the NCAA Top 25 rankings.

Senior midfielder Taylor Kornieck is helping lead the charge, as she has already logged two goals and two assists on the year, with nine more shots on goal. Defensively, senior goalkeeper Jalen Tompkins is also holding down her end, allowing only two goals compared to her 10 saves.

This week, the Buffs will face off against Austin Peay State on Thursday and No. 24 Baylor Sunday afternoon as they look to build on their tremendous start to the 2019 campaign. Both games will be played at Prentup Field in Boulder.

Volleyball

The Buffs opened their season by hosting the Buffs Invitational on Aug. 30-31 and capped off a three-win weekend by beating Wyoming (3-0), LIU Brooklyn (3-1), and UC Santa Barbara (3-1). Senior Justine Spann is leading the team in kills with 42. Freshman Jill Schneggenburger is behind her with 29 kills as well as 27 digs, giving balanced play that helped push the Buffs to an undefeated record after the first week.

The Buffs next head into the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge next, and they will face off against Iowa and Illinois on Sept. 6-7 in Iowa City.

Golf

The men’s team will open play on Sept. 6 for the first round against Air Force in the Gene Miranda Air Force Falcon Invitational, giving the squad their first look at the competition for 2019. The Buffs are defending champions in this tournament and will look to make up for missing the NCAA Championship last season, their first absence since 2012.

The women’s team opens up their play just a few days later on Sept. 9 when they play against SMU in the SMU Trinity Forest Invitational in Dallas, Texas. The tournament will mark the first in the Buffs 25th anniversary as a varsity program.

Cross Country

The cross country squad will travel to Cheyenne, Wyoming on Sept. 6 to compete in the Wyoming Invitational, as both the men’s and women’s teams look ahead to what should be another promising season. 

The women’s team, defending national champions, open up as the top-ranked program in the 2019 Preseason Poll. Although they lost three national championship scorers last season, the Buffs will bring back two All-Americans and a pair of transfers as they build to repeat as champions.

The men’s team came in fourth in the preseason poll, matching their place at last season’s NCAA Championship. The Buffs sit at 292 points, just 36 behind top-ranked Northern Arizona.