Colorado University Athletics
Three Buffs Earn IWLCA All-America Honors
May 21, 2026 | Lacrosse
NORTHBOROUGH, MASS.– Colorado's Lily Assini, Jess Peluso, and Maddie Shoup were recognized on the Division I All-American Teams the IWLCA announced Thursday. The trio is the first to be selected on the IWLCA All-American teams since 2018.
Colorado was one of only seven schools with at least three All-Americans.
Peluso was named to the first team, only the third player to be named to the first team of any All-American team in program history. Prior to this announcement, she had been named a second-team selection by Inside Lacrosse and a third-team selection by USA Lacrosse Magazine. Her five All-American honors are the most in program history.
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 started all 20 games and led the conference with 2.11 caused turnovers per game, helping 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 finishes as the all-time CU record holder with 113 caused turnovers, fifth in draw controls with 161, and sixth in ground balls with 110. She was named to the Preseason Tewaarton Watch List as well as a unanimous All-Big 12 selection.
Assini and Shoup both earned third-team honors, with both appearing on all three major All-American teams.
Assini, a Colorado native, earned her first third-team selection after receiving honorable mentions in both previous publications. She finished fourth on the team with 30 goals and second on the team with 23 assists. She ended with a streak of 34 games with at least a point going back to last season. She has added 29 ground balls, 23 draw controls, and 17 caused turnovers. She had six games with at least two assists this season, including a career-high four assists against Towson.
Shoup, who was selected to the third team for the second time this season, led the Buffs' offense from start to finish. She led the team with both goals (47) and assists (24). Her 24 assists rank sixth all-time, and her 71 points are seventh in a single season in CU history. After a career-high eight points in the Buffs' double overtime loss to Northwestern, Shoup moved up to tenth all-time with 142 points.
After an eight-goal performance in the conference tournament, she was named the Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
The trio became the first Buffs to be named to all three major All-American teams since USA Lacrosse Magazine was recognized in 2023.
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 was one of only seven schools with at least three All-Americans.
Peluso was named to the first team, only the third player to be named to the first team of any All-American team in program history. Prior to this announcement, she had been named a second-team selection by Inside Lacrosse and a third-team selection by USA Lacrosse Magazine. Her five All-American honors are the most in program history.
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 started all 20 games and led the conference with 2.11 caused turnovers per game, helping 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 finishes as the all-time CU record holder with 113 caused turnovers, fifth in draw controls with 161, and sixth in ground balls with 110. She was named to the Preseason Tewaarton Watch List as well as a unanimous All-Big 12 selection.
Assini and Shoup both earned third-team honors, with both appearing on all three major All-American teams.
Assini, a Colorado native, earned her first third-team selection after receiving honorable mentions in both previous publications. She finished fourth on the team with 30 goals and second on the team with 23 assists. She ended with a streak of 34 games with at least a point going back to last season. She has added 29 ground balls, 23 draw controls, and 17 caused turnovers. She had six games with at least two assists this season, including a career-high four assists against Towson.
Shoup, who was selected to the third team for the second time this season, led the Buffs' offense from start to finish. She led the team with both goals (47) and assists (24). Her 24 assists rank sixth all-time, and her 71 points are seventh in a single season in CU history. After a career-high eight points in the Buffs' double overtime loss to Northwestern, Shoup moved up to tenth all-time with 142 points.
After an eight-goal performance in the conference tournament, she was named the Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
The trio became the first Buffs to be named to all three major All-American teams since USA Lacrosse Magazine was recognized in 2023.
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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