There was no March Madness this year, and the return to bowl season didn’t end as preferred for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Still, the 2024-25 athletic calendar once again provided a wealth of moments and memories.

Football, of course, led the way, with the trio of Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and omnipresent head coach Deion Sanders pushing the recently feeble Buffs to nine wins while the nation was attuned to almost every play.

There were impressive postseason runs for women’s soccer and men’s golf, plus a gutsy season turned in by the women’s basketball team.

Even the men’s team, amid the worst season of coach Tad Boyle’s tenure, turned in arguably the biggest upset win by any CU team in 2024-25 by knocking off two-time defending national champion UConn at the Maui Invitational.

With that backdrop, a look at BuffZone’s annual award winners for the 2024-25 campaign.

Men’s athlete of the year: Travis Hunter

This was as easy a call as it gets following one of the most unique individual seasons not only in Colorado history, but in all of college football.

Hunter became the second Heisman winner in CU history after dominating both sides of the ball and collecting enough hardware to last a few generations worth of Buffaloes.

As a cornerback, Hunter was named the Big 12 defensive player of the year, adding two prestigious national honors with the Bednarik Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

Offensively, Hunter recorded 96 receptions (the second-most in CU history) for 1,258 yards (third in team history) and a CU record 15 touchdowns. Despite playing just two seasons at CU (and missing two-plus games in 2023), Hunter ranks in a tie for seventh in CU history in receptions (153), 11th in receiving yards (1,979) and is tied for sixth in touchdown receptions (20).

Hunter won the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in the nation and added his second consecutive Hornung Award as the most versatile player in the nation.

Hunter also was named the Associated Press national player of the year and the Walter Camp player of the year before getting picked second overall by Jacksonville in the NFL Draft.

• Honorable mention: Justin Biwer (golf); Kole Mathison (track); Dylan McDermott (golf); Shedeur Sanders (football).Women’s athlete of the year: Jordan Nytes

Nytes picked up right where she left off in the Big 12 Conference, winning the league’s goalkeeper of the year award just as she did two seasons earlier as a freshman at Oklahoma State.

After leading the Buffs to the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season, Nytes was named third-team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. She became just the fourth CU player (and first goalie) to earn All-American honors, joining teammate Shyra James (2023), Taylor Kornieck (2018, 2019) and Fran Munnelly (2004, 2005).

Nytes posted 11 shutouts, the second-highest season total in program history, and landed five Big 12 Conference weekly honors. Nytes’ 101 total saves ranked second in the Big 12, as did her .821 save percentage. She posted the longest consecutive shutout streak in program history at 583 minutes, 33 seconds.

With one more season of eligibility remaining, Nytes in two years at CU already ranks fifth all-time in wins (25) and is tied for fourth in shutouts (19).

• Honorable mention: Tilde Baangman (skiing); Faith Leyba (soccer); Jade Masogayo (basketball); Jess Peluso (lacrosse); Madeline Pisani (lacrosse).

Coach of the year: Deion Sanders

Honestly, I was tempted to give this honor to JR Payne. A case can be made that Payne did more with less in getting an overhauled, injury-stricken women’s basketball team to 21 wins, while the football team fell flat in a late showdown against Kansas and ultimately got fat on the bottom third of the Big 12.

Still, winning nine games and reaching the Alamo Bowl was a Herculean achievement when viewed through the prism of where the Buffs were just two Decembers previous, when Sanders was hired to reverse the fortunes of a program that had become arguably the worst among the power conferences.

The 2024 season was the culmination of that abrupt and dramatic two-year turnaround. The Buffs boasted the most electrifying player in the country in Hunter, and featured an entertaining (if one-dimensional) offense powered by one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, Shedeur Sanders.

With two of the top players in the nation, maybe coach Sanders could have simply rolled the footballs out on the field and won games. But the sellouts and spotlights once again made Coach Prime’s Buffs must-see TV, providing an impact that went well beyond the awards and final scores.

• Honorable mention: Roy Edwards (men’s golf); JR Payne (women’s basketball); Danny Sanchez (women’s soccer); Jana Weinberger (skiing).

Game of the Year: CU Buffs football 38, Baylor 31 (OT)

It should’ve been a loss for the Buffs, no doubt. But Shedeur Sanders and Hunter had other thoughts.

On the final play of regulation, Shedeur, who had been sacked eight times that night, heaved a Hail Mary that LaJohntay Wester collected for a game-tying touchdown. CU found the end zone on a 1-yard run by Micah Welch on the first drive of overtime, but Baylor was inches away from matching that score and forcing another OT session when a clutch hit from Hunter forced a fumble from Baylor running back Dominic Richardson. The Buffs recovered. Game over.

• Honorable mention: CU women’s soccer 3, Georgia 2 (NCAA Tournament first round; Nov. 15); CU men’s basketball 73, No. 2 UConn 72 (Nov. 26); CU women’s basketball 63, No. 10 Kansas State 53 (Jan. 25).

Thanks for everything award: Frida Formann and Shyra James

Our annual nod to departing four- or five-year seniors who left indelible marks on their programs goes to a pair of warriors whose final seasons didn’t pan out as planned.

Both players returned to CU to take advantage of their extra COVID seasons, and James provided a big early highlight by recording a hat trick against Wyoming at Prentup Field that gave her the Buffs’ all-time goals record.

However, injuries limited James to 14 of CU’s 22 games, though she still finished with seven goals and one assist. In addition to the goals record — James finished with 47 — she finished her career ranked second in points with 101, trailing all-time leader Taylor Kornieck by one.

It was a similar story for Formann, as injuries limited her to just 17 of 34 games after playing a key role in CU’s three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Formann leaves CU as the program’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers (300) and also ranks 13th in scoring (1,538), third in games played (137) and fourth in 3-point percentage (.385).

• Honorable mention: Julian Hammond III (men’s basketball); Morgan Pence (women’s lacrosse); Kindyll Wetta (women’s basketball).