Search

University of Colorado (Boulder)

UCB Athletics
369 UCB Boulder, CO 80309
Division 1 Colorado Southwest
Public Very Large National competitor

Coaches

Email coach

Ann Elliott Whidden

Ann Elliott Whidden is in her 10th season as the head coach at Colorado and has compiled a 98-53 record (.649) in that time.


She has been recognized twice as the IWLCA West/Midwest Region Coach of the Year (2017 and ’18) and was the 2018 Pac-12 Coach of the Year and 2017 MPSF Coach of the Year. In addition, she was selected to be an assistant coach for the 2019 U.S. U20 Team which won gold, defeating Canada 13-3 at the world championship.


Whidden was hired as CU’s first-ever head lacrosse coach on March 26, 2012, just short of two months after the school officially added the program.


In her eight years as the leader of the program, the Buffaloes have thrived. Besides an impressive overall record, she has guided the team to a 47-16 mark in conference play, which includes a 9-1 record during the inaugural Pac-12 season in 2018. With that mark, the Buffs became the first-ever regular season Pac-12 Lacrosse Champions.


Under Whidden’s guidance, the Buffs have become a nationally recognized lacrosse program, doing so very quickly since the program started in 2014. In the first four years of competition, the Buffs finished in the top four of the MPSF, which included a second-place finish in 2017.


Then in 2018, the fifth year of the program, CU won the inaugural Pac-12 Conference regular season championship. During the 2019 season, the Buffs recorded their third straight NCAA Tournament berth and advanced to the second round for the second straight year. CU has always finished over .500. The Buffs were 3-2 in 2020 when the season was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic and in 2021 with a few games canceled due to Covid protocols within other programs, CU recorded an 8-7 mark.


Under her leadership, several players have earned numerous honors in the program’s history, including Julia Lisella, who was named the 2018 IWLCA Goalkeeper of the Year. Four of her athletes have combined for six IWLCA All-America honors. Sarah Brown and Lisella were the first two players to earn first team honors (2018); Brown was also a second team honoree in 2017. Darby Kiernan was also a two-time All-American, earning second team honors in 2018 and third team honors in 2017. Paige Soenksen was the fourth Buff to record the prestigious award as a member of the third team in 2017.


Additionally, Whidden’s athletes have recorded 18 all-region and 34 all-conference honors, as well as 18 conference all-tournament selections. In eight seasons, CU has earned 45 weekly conference awards. CU has also earned the Pac-12 Defender of the Year (Brown, 2018 and Lisella, 2021) and the Pac-12 Attacker of the Year (Miranda Stinson, 2019).


The Buffs broke into the national rankings to start the 2017 season and finished that campaign with a school-record 16 wins. They advanced to the NCAA for the first time in the program’s short history and were ranked as high as fourth in all three major polls.


CU went on to record a 14-6 mark in 2018 and achieved more success. The Buffs advanced to their second straight NCAA Tournament and won their first NCAA Tournament game with a 23-18 victory against Jacksonville. During the 2019 campaign, the Buffs recorded an 11-8 record, which included an 8-2 mark in Pac-12 play. They advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time, which also marked their third straight trip to the national championship.


The Buffs have been a force at home, recording a 44-13 mark in Boulder, which includes a 41-11 at Kittredge Field. CU recorded 19 straight home wins from 2016-18, which is tied for the fifth in NCAA history and included an 8-0 record in 2017.


Academically, the Buffs have performed well in the classroom. They received the IWLCA Team Academic Honor Squad award five straight years (they were not eligible in their first season and it was not awarded in 2020) and earned it for the sixth time in 2021. 14 of CU’s athletes have been named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll for 19 overall selections. Numerous athletes have earned spots on the MPSF and Pac-12 Academic teams as well.


Despite the 2020 campaign ending after five games due to the pandemic, CU recorded its seventh straight season with a winning mark at 3-2, which included a 1-0 Pac-12 record. In the final two games of the season against Oregon (3/6) and Coastal Carolina (3/8), the Buffs recorded 40 goals. They recorded a school single-conference game record with 21 goals against Oregon and followed it up with another 19 goals against CCU. The 40 goals tied for the second-most goals in back-to-back games for the Buffs since 2017. Sophomore Charlie Rudy was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week following those games after recording 12 goals and four assists, which included tying a school-record eight goals against CCU.


During the 2019 season, Whidden guided the Buffs to an 11-8 overall record, which included an 8-2 mark in Pac-12 play. CU finished second in conference play and was second at the Pac-12 Tournament. All eight losses came at the hands of ranked opponents. CU’s defense ranked 23rd in the nation, allowing just 10.26 goals per game. The Buffs averaged 9.68 caused turnovers per game, the 32nd best mark in the NCAA. They ranked 11th overall in turnovers with just 13.68 per game.


In 2018, CU was solid on offense and defense. The Buffs were 26th in scoring offense (14.00) and held their opponents to 9.90 goals per game, which was 17th in the NCAA. In conference play, CU’s 14.00 goals per game ranked second. Defensively, CU ranked second in save percentage (.482).


The Buffs won the inaugural regular season Pac-12 Championship with a 9-1 record in 2018. Their only loss in league play was in overtime at Southern California (8-7). CU earned the top-seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, defeating Oregon 16-6 in the second round. The Buffs fell in the championship game to Stanford, after defeating the Cardinal twice during the regular season. CU’s season continued as the Buffs earned an at-large bid to their second straight NCAA Tournament. The Buffs defeated Jacksonville, 23-18, in the first round, which was CU’s first-ever tournament win, before Florida defeated the Buffs in the second round, 13-9.


CU was again strong defensively in 2017, as well as offensively. The Buffs finished the campaign ranked third nationally in scoring defense (8.10) and were sixth in scoring margin (+6.35) and turnovers per game (13.95). The 16-4 mark for the season gave CU a .800 win percentage, which was tied for the eighth-best in the NCAA.


The Buffs also recorded their first wins against ranked opponents during the campaign, which included a huge 11-10 overtime win against No. 9 Northwestern on Feb. 12 to open the season. CU went on to defeat three other ranked teams: No. 16 UMass (11-7), No. 14 Denver (14-3) and No. 6 Penn State (16-11).


The 2016 season was another big step in the right direction. CU won a then-school-record 13 games, going 13-5 overall and finishing third in the MPSF with a 7-2 conference mark. The Buffs reached the semifinals of the conference tournament, defeating Oregon 11-3 in the first round. All five losses during the season came to teams ranked in the top 10 nationally and the Buffaloes received votes in both the IWLCA and the Inside Lacrosse top-20 polls several times during the year.


Defense was again an emphasis for the Buffs, who ranked second in the MPSF and seventh nationally in scoring defense (7.00). They also were second in the MPSF and eighth in the nation in scoring margin (+5.61 goals per game). Offensively, CU ranked third in the MPSF and 14th in the country in scoring (12.61) and the team’s .722 winning percentage was the 14th-best in the country.


Despite the excellent season on both ends of the field, CU was left out of the 26-team NCAA Tournament field. The Buffs faced six teams during the year that were selected to the postseason, including James Madison, which they defeated 15-14 in overtime on March 3.


Five Buffs were selected All-MPSF at the end of the season. Marie Moore, Darby Kiernan and Sarah Brown were first-team selections, while Johnna Fusco and Paige Soenksen were named to the second team. Moore and Brown were both second team all-region picks by the IWLCA.


In 2015, Colorado earned a No. 4 seed at the MPSF Tournament and defeated San Diego State 15-6 to advance to the semifinals for a second straight year. The Buffs dominated at home, posting a 6-2 record at Kittredge Field.


Prior to joining Colorado, Whidden was a major force at powerhouse Northwestern. After an astounding collegiate career, she returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach ahead of the 2009 season. Before the start of the 2012 season, she became the first to ever be promoted to the associate level. As a player and aide under Kelly Amonte Hiller, who is considered to be one of the nation’s top coaches and recruiters, Whidden and Northwestern appeared in the NCAA title game seven times, winning six titles, including three as a player and three as a member of the staff.


After graduating from Northwestern with a bachelor’s degree in radio, television and film in 2007, Whidden served as the head coach of the Wildcat Elite Club and the Wildcat Developmental Team for Amonte Sports. She also spent one season as an assistant coach for New Trier High School, helping the Trevians to the 2008 state championship.


She was also actively involved in Amonte Sports since her playing days at Northwestern, serving as a camp counselor as well as heading the development of New Wave lacrosse clinics for the organization and WomensLax.com, coordinating youth and high school clinics across the country. She also utilized her major, doing extensive work in video production for Amonte.


Primarily a defender during her collegiate career, she played in 72 games, including starts in 63 of a possible 64 her sophomore through senior years, all NCAA championship seasons. As a senior and team captain in 2007, she was an Inside Lacrosse third-team All-America selection when she was a key member of a defensive unit that allowed an NCAA-low 6.1 goals per game, with opponents scoring in double figures only twice. She played an important role on Northwestern’s 2005, 2006 and 2007 national championship teams, scoring 14 goals, causing 44 turnovers and scooping up 101 ground balls. She earned four varsity letters and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten team member.


Whidden was a four-year letter-winner in lacrosse at Ohio’s Shaker Heights High, where she set a school record with 278 ground balls. She had 115 goals, 50 assists, 114 caused turnovers and 99 draw controls in her prep career.


Whidden was a two-time All-America and first-team all-state selection, helping lead the Raiders to two state championships and four consecutive seasons of undefeated conference play. As a senior, she was the team captain and was named the Northeast Ohio Defender of the Year. Whidden also played goalie for the Ohio Flames ice hockey club team, which finished second at nationals in 2002, and lettered one year as a goalie on OSHH’s field hockey team.


Whidden married Nick Whidden in 2017. The couple resides in Boulder with their daughter, Skylar, and son, Daniel.

show more

Email coach

Mitch Fenton

Mitch Fenton is in his sixth season as an assistant coach for the Colorado lacrosse team and works primarily with CU’s goalkeepers.


One of Colorado’s strongest positions has been goalkeeper since the program’s inception with Paige Soenksen and Julia Lisella. Soenksen earned numerous all-conference and all-region honors as a four-year starter. A 2017 Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-American third team selection, Soenksen led the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) in goals against average (8.45) and save percentage (0.491) as a senior.


After Soenksen’s departure following the 2017 season, Lisella stepped into the starting goalkeeper position in the fourth game of the 2018 and went on to compile a 13-4 mark, which included a 9-1 record in conference play. She led the Pac-12 in saves percentage (.503) and was second in goals against average (9.34) and saves per game (9.17). Nationally, Lisella ranked seventh in goals against average, 10th in save percentage, 29th in saves and 31st in saves per game. As a redshirt sophomore, she was named the IWLCA Goalkeeper of the Year and was a member of the IWLCA All-America First Team. Additionally, she was selected to the IWLCA All-Region and All-Pac-12 First Teams.


Lisella would start for the Buffs for the following three seasons, 2019-21. After the 2021 season, she was tabbed the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the year, becoming CU’s second player to earn the honor in three season.


Prior to joining the Buffs full-time, Fenton was an assistant coach for the CU men’s club team, serving as the co-defensive coordinator and goalie instructor from 2016-17.


He earned four letters as a goalkeeper on the Colorado men’s club team, helping the Buffs to the 2014 Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference (RMLC) and the 2014 Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) Championships. Fenton was also a member of the 2013 team which was the runner-up in the MCLA title game.


In his senior season, he was named to the All-RMLC second team and was a MCLA All-America honorable mention selection. That year, Fenton led the MCLA in saves (264), which was also a CU single-season record. In 20 games played that season, Fenton allowed 8.00 goals per game and averaged 13.2 saves per game.


Fenton earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and political science from CU in 2014. A native of Brookfield, Conn., he earned four letters on the lacrosse team at Brookfield High School, graduating in 2010. Fenton enjoys playing tennis, hiking and trap and skeet shooting in his free time.


Fenton is married to Taylor Stratton, the manager of CU’s Ralphie Live Mascot Program.

show more

Email coach

Nicole Beardsley

Beardsley comes to the Buffaloes from the University of Massachusetts, having spent the previous season as an assistant for the Minutewomen.


While at UMass, Beardsley worked with the team’s attack and goalies. The Minutewomen went 9-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, winning the A10 regular season and the program’s first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Beardsley helped mentor two All-American attackers in Kendra Harbinger and Kelly Marra. UMass was ranked as high as No. 13 in the nation, marking the team’s highest ranking in program history. The Minutewomen concluded the season ranked No. 22 and had two players selected to the IWLCA Senior All-Start teams.


Prior to UMass, Beardsley spent three seasons as the Director of Operations at Northwestern. The Wildcats made two Final Four appearances (2019, 2021) and claimed the 2019 Big Ten Tournament championship. Northwestern finished ranked in the top 10 in all three seasons.


Beardsley graduated from Northwestern in 2018. In her four-year career, the Wildcats advanced to two Big Ten Tournament finals and made the NCAA Tournament each season. Northwestern went as far as the Elite Eight in both 2015 and 2018.


Beardsley scored a career-high 19 goals as both a junior and senior and finished with 41 goals in her 52 games. 2018 was her best statistical season, adding a career-high nine assists to give her 28 points. Over her career, Beardsley was an All-Big Ten Tournament selection, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a member of the team leadership group.


Beardsley, a native of Burnt Hills, N.Y., earned her bachelor’s degree in human development and psychological services and received her master’s in sport and performance psychology from the University of Western States in 2021. She also has a certificate in coaching and leadership development from Northwestern’s Kellogg Executive School of Management.

show more
Using this format of recruitment services was top notch, great tool to use for young dedicated athletes!
- Willon BuckmyreWhat are others saying?