Colorado University Athletics
Colorado Takes Home Big 12 Honors
April 29, 2026 | Lacrosse
IRVING, Texas – Colorado's Elena Oh, Jess Peluso, and head coach Ann Elliott Whidden highlighted the Buffaloes' 11 All-Conference postseason honors. Oh was honored with her first career Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year award, Peluso took home her second career Big 12 Defender of the Year, and Whidden earned her first Big 12 Coach of the Year award, the conference announced Wednesday.
Colorado landed seven All-Big 12 selections, with Lily Assini, Rachel Kennedy, and Maddie Shoup joining Oh and Peluso as unanimous selections. Other Buffs honored as All-Big 12 selections were Mary Carson and Mack Hanlon.
Oh, a Chapel Hill, N.C., native, posted all 12 wins in net for the Buffs this season, recording her first season with double-digit wins and the fourth most in a season in CU history. She leads the conference and the country, allowing only 6.30 goals per game. Oh earned seven Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week honors this season, pushing her career total to 11. She was named to the Tewaarton Watch List during the season.
Oh is the first Colorado player to earn Goalkeeper of the Year honors in addition to being a unanimous All-Big 12 selection.
Peluso, an East Islip, N.Y., native, became the first player in CU history to earn multiple conference player of the year awards, earning back-to-back Big 12 Defender of the Year honors. She has started all 15 games and leads the conference with 2.00 caused turnovers per game to lead the top defense in the country. Peluso won four Big 12 Defender of the Week honors and one Big 12 Draw Specialist of the Week this season.
This year, she has put herself firmly in the record book in many regards. Peluso is now the all-time CU record holder with 101 caused turnovers, fifth in draw controls with 153, and sixth in ground balls with 102. She was named to the Preseason Tewaarton Watch List as well as a unanimous All-Big 12 selection.
Whidden earned her second career coach of the year award, the first since winning the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2018. This year, she led the Buffs to a 12-3 record and 4-1 in conference play. The 12 wins are tied for the second most in the regular season in program history. Whidden has fielded the best defense in the country, allowing only 6.33 goals per game.
Assini earned her second All-Big 12 selection, this time unanimously. She is currently tied for third on the team with 27 goals and leads the team with 17 assists. She has a streak of 31 games with at least a point going back to last season. She has added 21 ground balls, 16 caused turnovers, and 14 draw controls. This is her third conference honor after being named second team All-Pac-12 in 2024.
Kennedy earned her first career conference honor. She missed last season due to injury but returned this season and made a big impact on the offense. She is tied for third on the team with 27 goals, highlighted by five on the road against then No. 18 Denver. Kennedy is currently on a seven-game goal streak; during that time, she has put 20 in the back of the net.
Shoup claimed her second straight All-Big 12 selection after leading the Buffs' offense this season. She leads the team with both goals (30) and assists (17). Shoup ranks seventh in the Big 12 in goals per game (2.00) and assists per game (1.13). She has moved up the record books to sit in 12th for all-time points at Colorado with 118.
Carson, as a part of the best defense in the nation, earned her first All-Big 12 selection. She leads the team and is fifth in the conference with 25 ground balls. She also added 12 caused turnovers.
Hanlon, another key member of the defense, took home her first All-Big 12 selection. She is third on the team and sixth in the conference with 16 caused turnovers. She is also fourth on the team with 21 ground balls and has added one draw control.
Freshman Rowan Edson was a unanimous selection to the All-Newcomer Team. She finished the regular season with 19 goals, the fifth most on the team. She scored a team-high eight goals on free positions. Edson added 17 ground balls, five assists, one caused turnover, and one draw control.
Along with the end-of-season awards, Oh and Edson took home two of the final weekly honors. Oh earned her seventh Goalkeeper of the Week award after only allowing four goals in 51 minutes of action against Arizona State. Edson claimed her second Freshman of the Week award. Against the Sun Devils, she finished with a career-high four goals, putting up her second hat-trick.
Colorado (12-3, 4-1) returns to the field on Thursday against Arizona State (8-9, 3-2), a rematch of the regular-season finale, now in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
For more information on Colorado Lacrosse, please visit cubuffs.com/wlax. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffswlax on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Facebook.
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Colorado landed seven All-Big 12 selections, with Lily Assini, Rachel Kennedy, and Maddie Shoup joining Oh and Peluso as unanimous selections. Other Buffs honored as All-Big 12 selections were Mary Carson and Mack Hanlon.
Oh, a Chapel Hill, N.C., native, posted all 12 wins in net for the Buffs this season, recording her first season with double-digit wins and the fourth most in a season in CU history. She leads the conference and the country, allowing only 6.30 goals per game. Oh earned seven Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week honors this season, pushing her career total to 11. She was named to the Tewaarton Watch List during the season.
Oh is the first Colorado player to earn Goalkeeper of the Year honors in addition to being a unanimous All-Big 12 selection.
Peluso, an East Islip, N.Y., native, became the first player in CU history to earn multiple conference player of the year awards, earning back-to-back Big 12 Defender of the Year honors. She has started all 15 games and leads the conference with 2.00 caused turnovers per game to lead the top defense in the country. Peluso won four Big 12 Defender of the Week honors and one Big 12 Draw Specialist of the Week this season.
This year, she has put herself firmly in the record book in many regards. Peluso is now the all-time CU record holder with 101 caused turnovers, fifth in draw controls with 153, and sixth in ground balls with 102. She was named to the Preseason Tewaarton Watch List as well as a unanimous All-Big 12 selection.
Whidden earned her second career coach of the year award, the first since winning the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2018. This year, she led the Buffs to a 12-3 record and 4-1 in conference play. The 12 wins are tied for the second most in the regular season in program history. Whidden has fielded the best defense in the country, allowing only 6.33 goals per game.
Assini earned her second All-Big 12 selection, this time unanimously. She is currently tied for third on the team with 27 goals and leads the team with 17 assists. She has a streak of 31 games with at least a point going back to last season. She has added 21 ground balls, 16 caused turnovers, and 14 draw controls. This is her third conference honor after being named second team All-Pac-12 in 2024.
Kennedy earned her first career conference honor. She missed last season due to injury but returned this season and made a big impact on the offense. She is tied for third on the team with 27 goals, highlighted by five on the road against then No. 18 Denver. Kennedy is currently on a seven-game goal streak; during that time, she has put 20 in the back of the net.
Shoup claimed her second straight All-Big 12 selection after leading the Buffs' offense this season. She leads the team with both goals (30) and assists (17). Shoup ranks seventh in the Big 12 in goals per game (2.00) and assists per game (1.13). She has moved up the record books to sit in 12th for all-time points at Colorado with 118.
Carson, as a part of the best defense in the nation, earned her first All-Big 12 selection. She leads the team and is fifth in the conference with 25 ground balls. She also added 12 caused turnovers.
Hanlon, another key member of the defense, took home her first All-Big 12 selection. She is third on the team and sixth in the conference with 16 caused turnovers. She is also fourth on the team with 21 ground balls and has added one draw control.
Freshman Rowan Edson was a unanimous selection to the All-Newcomer Team. She finished the regular season with 19 goals, the fifth most on the team. She scored a team-high eight goals on free positions. Edson added 17 ground balls, five assists, one caused turnover, and one draw control.
Along with the end-of-season awards, Oh and Edson took home two of the final weekly honors. Oh earned her seventh Goalkeeper of the Week award after only allowing four goals in 51 minutes of action against Arizona State. Edson claimed her second Freshman of the Week award. Against the Sun Devils, she finished with a career-high four goals, putting up her second hat-trick.
Colorado (12-3, 4-1) returns to the field on Thursday against Arizona State (8-9, 3-2), a rematch of the regular-season finale, now in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
For more information on Colorado Lacrosse, please visit cubuffs.com/wlax. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffswlax on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Facebook.
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