What you need to know about CSU’s fall sports

Emma Askren, Sports Editor

August 12, 2023

A large part of the Colorado State University atmosphere revolves around sports, and thousands of students and Fort Collins residents can be seen at any football, volleyball and basketball game. The Division I fall sports that CSU has to offer are football, volleyball, soccer and both men’s and women’s golf.

Last season, the Rams football team had a disappointing record of 3-9, which proved to be significantly below the average season compared to other Football Bowl Subdivision teams. In the FBS, the Rams ranked near the bottom at 125 out of 131 teams.

However, despite CSU’s below-average football team, the sport still plays a huge part in the athletic culture at CSU, with nearly all rivalries stemming from the early days of Colorado State football. The University of Wyoming and the University of Colorado Boulder are the two main rivals of CSU due to their proximity to Fort Collins.

While the University of Wyoming is considered to be the “younger brother” of CSU, the University of Colorado Boulder considers the Rams to be their own younger sibling. But CSU is the oldest of both schools, being founded in 1870 — compared to CU’s 1876 and UW’s 1886.

The rivalries between the Cowboys and the Buffaloes are evident in nearly every sport played at Colorado State, especially in football.

The Rocky Mountain Showdown is the traditional football game between CSU and CU and will be held at Folsom Field in Boulder this year. The game is only held every couple of years, as both schools are in different conferences, making the game more competitive. The game will be held Sept. 16 this year, with tickets selling fast.

Volleyball is yet another popular sport at Colorado State and one of CSU’s most successful. Last season the Rams had a record of 19-11 and were extremely close to making it to the NCAA tournament.

CSU will play both CU and UW in volleyball this season, providing opportunities for fans to show support for the Rams as they play their biggest rivals. The first match of the season will take place at Moby Arena against the University of Kentucky in a whiteout game Aug. 25.

Another important tradition of CSU athletics is themed games. Colorado State has a rich history, and that is celebrated during sporting events. There is an orange out to celebrate the Aggies, which was CSU’s previous mascot. There are several other color-themed games where fans wear a designated color such as green and gold, pink and even blue for Colorado State pride.

Soccer and golf are the final two fall sports that CSU competes in. While these sports are less popular than football or volleyball, the Rams are equally — if not more — successful in these avenues than football or volleyball.

This year marks the 10th year CSU has participated in Division I soccer and the first season the Rams are able to utilize the new soccer facilities that were finalized over the summer.

CSU announced two new transfers on the team: Kate Dunne from Oklahoma State University is a sophomore defender from Denver, and Olivia Fout from Auburn University is a sophomore forward from Virginia Beach, Virginia. These new additions bring added depth to the CSU roster as well as high expectations for the upcoming season.

“I really appreciate the culture and the environment that the coaches and girls are creating, and it is definitely something I am lucky to be a part of,” Dunne said in a release from CSU Athletics.

Colorado State also competes in Division I golf for both men and women. Both teams were fairly competitive last year, making it to the NCAA regional tournament. The men placed 28th at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship and had an incredible first season under new head coach Michael Wilson, advancing to their first NCAA tournament in 12 seasons.

On the women’s side, only one athlete made it to the NCAA tournament, but she had a historic season. Sofia Torres posted the best NCAA tournament finish in program history with a 24th place individual finish. Torres was also named to the Mountain West Conference All-Conference Second Team.

“She has played very solid and consistent golf all year,” head coach Laura Cilek said in a release from CSU Athletics. “She had a record-breaking season, and it was so fun to see her and all her hard work pay off.”

Colorado State has a wide variety of sports to offer in the fall season, with football and volleyball taking the spotlight. The first volleyball match of the season takes place Aug. 25 at Moby Arena, the first football game is Sept. 2 at Canvas Stadium, the first men’s golf tournament begins Sept. 9, the first women’s golf tournament begins Sept. 18 and the first soccer game is Aug. 17.

Reach Emma Askren at easkren@collegian.com or on Twitter @emma_askren.

About the Contributors

Emma Askren, Sports Editor

Emma Askren, alongside Damon Cook, is the fall 2023 sports editor for The Collegian. She began working at The Collegian during her first year in the fall of 2022, when she covered the swim and dive team as well as anything sports-related. She is currently a sophomore at Colorado State University, where she is majoring in journalism and media communication and double minoring in Spanish and sports management. During her first year, she joined the rowing team, began working as a reporter for The Collegian and working at the Student Recreation Center. Askren applied to CSU as a journalism major, knowing she wanted to combine her passion for sports and writing to create a fulfilling career. Upon realizing that Rocky Mountain Student Media was hiring for first-years, she jumped at the opportunity to become a writer for The Collegian. While working for the sports desk, Askren has had the opportunity to write about hockey, logging, whitewater rafting and the importance of women in sports. As a woman in a male-dominated industry, she seeks to break the status quo and become a successful sports journalist following graduation. Following a year as a sports reporter, Askren became a co-editor for the sports desk alongside Cook. Together the duo seeks to create a new and improved sports desk that caters to all readers of The Collegian and beyond.

Falyn Sebastian, Digital & Design Managing Edtior

After becoming a page designer as a sophomore, Falyn Sebastian evolved from print editor to design director and has now officially begun her new position as digital and design managing editor. Originally from the Big Island of Hawaii, she chose to attend Colorado State University to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in graphic design along with a minor in entrepreneurship. When it comes to arranging content in The Collegian's newsprint, Sebastian formats and arranges the visual media that readers love in a physical copy. After attending content and budget meetings with the editors of each desk, she manages how each week's visual content fits into the paper by clicking through Adobe InDesign. With a combination of original photos, illustrative graphics and advertisements, Sebastian organizes and delegates tasks to her talented and ever-growing design team. As a graphic design student, journalism was not a field Sebastian intended to work in during college, but she embraced the world of publication design through The Collegian. As graphic design focuses on the importance of effective communication, she realized she was truly designing for a fulfilling purpose. Student media will forever have a happy home in her heart. Working with other students who are passionate about what is happening in their community drives her to continue working on impactful design. Sebastian looks forward to what is yet to come while gaining new experience and memories with her staff.

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