Colorado College

Coed Swimming & DivingJen Buffin

Head Swimming & Diving Coach

Colorado College

ACHA M3 • NULL

2.0

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Would Recommend

As someone whose child swam competitively for more than a decade, I find these numbers deeply concerning. What makes this situation particularly disappointing is how far Colorado College's swimming program has moved from an inclusive, competitive, and fun culture to a workhorse, school-second, swim-fast-only mentality. Under the highly respected former head coach, Anne Goodman, Colorado College offered something special: a competitive, caring, and genuinely enjoyable Division III swimming experience. Athletes were expected to work hard, but the coach understood the demands of being a student-athlete at a rigorous academic institution. Some swimmers at Colorado College could have competed at Division I or Division II schools. They deliberately chose Division III because they desired to be athletes while also enjoying a challenging academic experience and a balanced college life. Swimmers typically don't shy away from hard work. Most have spent a decade or more waking up before dawn, training year-round, and balancing swimming with demanding academics. Colorado College's Block Plan makes this balance especially important. Students attend class from 9 a.m. to noon, and many STEM students also spend substantial time in afternoon labs. The previous coaching philosophy recognized those demands, emphasizing afternoon practices and some morning strength training. Under Coach Buffin's leadership, multiple double-practice days each week have fundamentally changed that balance, eroded team camaraderie, and impacted mental health. There is a difference between building a competitive Division III program and trying to run a Division III program like Division I without recognizing why athletes chose Division III in the first place. Keep in mind that CC offers ZERO athletic scholarships for Division III swimming. What concerns me most is not simply the training schedule, but the apparent loss of a positive team culture. Reports of favoritism, negativity, burnout, and athletes feeling unsupported deserve serious attention, especially alongside the documented roster departures mentioned above. The numbers already shared speak volumes. These are not inexperienced athletes discovering that college swimming is difficult. Many are upperclassmen, accomplished competitors, and academically successful students who have dedicated much of their lives to this sport. And the departures appear to be continuing. The current season is already seeing attrition. At what point will Colorado College's athletic department recognize this as a program-wide issue rather than a series of unrelated individual decisions?!?! Winning conference championships is wonderful, but championships alone don't measure a program's health. Athlete retention, team morale, academic balance, and the student-athlete experience matter just as much. CC also competed in a less competitive conference last season, where it won both events, while its biggest competition moved divisions. A successful Division III coach should build a competitive program without sacrificing the culture, enjoyment, and well-being of the athletes who make it possible. Colorado College once demonstrated that those things could coexist under Coach Anne. It is disappointing to see so many swimmers apparently deciding that continuing in the program is no longer worth it. I know I will no longer donate to this program, nor encourage younger swimmers to consider CC swimming. Prospective swimmers and their families deserve to ask difficult questions about training expectations, team culture, and the reasons behind these departures before committing to four years at CC. Colorado College is a wonderful institution, and its student-athletes deserve a program that reflects that standard. It is time for CC to examine the swimming program’s roster attrition under its head coach, Buffin, look closely at the numbers, and ask what is driving athletes to leave. I do not think it is the chlorine or the hard work! It is the new leadership. She has had time to settle in, and the students are still leaving her team. Not everyone is meant to lead young adults.

Women's LacrosseAshley Johnson

Women's Lacrosse Assistant Coach

Colorado College

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5.0

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Would Recommend

AJ is an amazing coach. She was an assistant when I played with her and has worked her way up to head coach now. She is a good balance of fun and serious and knows the game very well. I would recommend her and Colorado College as a program to anyone!

Coed Swimming & DivingJen Buffin

Head Swimming & Diving Coach

Colorado College

ACHA M3 • NULL

2.0

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Would Recommend

I am submitting this information because I believe the data warrants public awareness and because parents and swimmers are afraid to come forward. The data must speak because the people behind it will not go to the coach or athletic department. The numbers: Colorado College's swimming program, not including diving, lost 13 athletes from the roster from the 2024-2025 season to the 2025-2026 season: 7 men from a roster of 21, and 6 women from a roster of 26. This represents a 33% attrition rate on the men's side and a 23% rate on the women's side. These figures are verifiable through roster data published on the Colorado College athletics website cctigers.com. This figure includes athletes who were listed on the 2024-2025 roster but who do not appear on the 2025-2026 roster. The roster data is publicly available as of March 20, 2026. Should it be taken down, that absence will speak as loudly as the data itself. For context, the attrition across Coach Buffin's entire tenure tells an important story. In her first season, the program lost 3 men and 1 woman, a total of 4 athletes. In her second season, that number jumped to 7 men and 6 women, a total of 13 athletes. Across her full tenure, 10 men and 7 women have left the program. That is 17 athletes in two years. 17 student athletes who spent their lives working toward the dream of competing in college, who chose Colorado College, and who are no longer there. Regardless of how any individual departure is categorized by season, the cumulative picture is undeniable: the rate of departure did not just continue under Coach Buffin, it accelerated dramatically. Why this is not ordinary attrition: What makes this attrition pattern notable is not just the volume but who left. The departures were concentrated almost entirely among upperclassmen who had already committed multiple years to the program. Further, accelerated attrition did not occur under Coach Buffin's first season roster but her second, suggesting the environment within the program did not improve with time but worsened. On the men's team, one swimmer departed going into or during his senior season, and three departed going into or during their junior seasons. On the women's side, all six of the departing swimmers had invested at least two years in the program. Two of the most accomplished swimmers on the women's team did not finish their swimming careers at Colorado College. One departed mid-season 2025-2026, just before Christmas break of her senior year. The other was listed on the 2024-2025 roster, did not compete, and did not return for the 2025-2026 season. Between them, their credentials speak for themselves: one is a school record holder and SCAC champion, the other is the only swimmer in the program to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships in the 2023-2024 season, a distinction neither the men's nor the women's team has achieved since. Both were multi-year SCAC Academic Honor Roll recipients. These were not marginal contributors. They were the best the program had to offer. Losing upperclassmen and decorated athletes at this volume is not a pattern consistent with ordinary attrition. The argument that the coach is reshaping the program with athletes who do not fit her vision does not hold weight. These are not athletes who were underperforming freshman. You do not rebuild a program by losing your most experienced and decorated athletes. If these athletes do not fit her vision, who then does this vision serve? A program that loses 17 athletes is not being rebuilt, it’s being dismantled. The concern: Those close to the program have indicated that swimmers and their families do not feel they have a meaningful path for raising concerns within the athletic department. Fear of retribution has kept people from coming forward formally. Whether the departed swimmers transferred, were pushed out of the program, or simply did not return, the through line is the same: they are no longer in the program. The data is all that remains. Any explanation that characterizes these departures as ordinary transfers or personal decisions should be weighed against the sheer volume, the seniority of those who left, and the fact that those individuals no longer have a platform or a team to return to. A relevant precedent: Colorado College's athletic department has already demonstrated how it responds when concerns about a coach are brought forward. In 2025, The Catalyst reported that men's lacrosse players, parents, and alumni submitted a 147-signature petition to Athletic Director Lesley Irvine requesting the removal of head coach Mike Horowitz, including 28 pieces of testimony documenting concerns about coach behavior and player mental health. Despite that effort, the college confirmed Horowitz would return for the 2026 season. The athletic department cited internal surveys and promised supplemental observation. That situation was covered on this site: https://www.2adays.com/blog/colorado-college-lacrosse-coach-under-fire-after-petition/. This athletic department has watched 13 students leave the swimming program in a single season (17 in 2 years) and has taken no meaningful action. The athletic department's role is to protect student athletes, and at Colorado College, it is doing the opposite, functioning as a barrier between students and any meaningful resolution. The swimmers and their families are too afraid to come forward. There will be no petition, no signatures, no testimony. There is only the data. The question is whether the athletic department will act on behalf of athletes who cannot advocate for themselves, or look the other way. A note on the 2026 SCAC championship: Before accepting either result at face value, context is essential. Trinity University, which had won 22 consecutive SCAC women's swimming championships, and Southwestern University, which consistently finished in the top three on the women's side, both left the conference after the 2024-25 season to join the Southern Athletic Association. On the women's side: In 2025, Trinity won the women's title with 1,114 points to Colorado College's 815, a gap of nearly 300 points. In 2026, with both programs gone, Colorado College's women's team won its first-ever SCAC conference championship with 1,032 points. The second place finisher was Asbury University, a conference newcomer. The field the women's team beat to claim its historic first championship was not the field it had competed against for years. That title reflects the departure of the competition, not the strength of the program. On the men's side: The men's team defended their SCAC title in 2026, also in a weakened conference without Trinity and Southwestern. The SCAC championship meet includes 17 scored swimming events, 12 individual and 5 relays, each relay requiring a minimum of 4 swimmers. At 14 swimmers, the men's team cannot cover every event without swimmers competing in multiple races outside their specialty. Winning a depleted conference with 14 swimmers is not a sign of a healthy program. It is a sign of a shrinking one. To any prospective swimmer considering Colorado College: These are the numbers. If nothing else, take this away: 17 student athletes left this program in 2 seasons, before their time. Should additional athletes exit the program, updates will follow. At 14 men and 20 women, the program is already at a critical threshold.

Coed Swimming & DivingJen Buffin

Head Swimming & Diving Coach

Colorado College

ACHA M3 • NULL

2.2

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Would Recommend

Over the past two years, the team has lost half of the members. Incredibly bad retention rate. The entire team is miserable and depressed. She has no regard for mental health, only cares about athletic performance, and the athletes hate her. She picks favorites and enforces a negative team culture. The men’s and women’s teams are incredibly segregated. No one is motivated to swim nor care about the consequences of punishment. This is a survival game not a team sport.

Men's LacrosseMike Horowitz

Men's Lacrosse Head Coach

Colorado College

ACHA M3 • NULL

2.0

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Would Recommend

He has not demonstrated strong leadership qualities. A good coach knows when to challenge players, but he often mishandles those moments. His tendency to argue with referees comes across as ineffective rather than motivating. On field performance has clearly declined under his tenure. The program once consistently competed with top teams, yet now loses to programs such as Elmhurst and Lake Forest, schools they would rarely have fallen to in the past. His approach to scheduling compounds the issue. Instead of challenging the team against strong opponents, he seeks out easier opponents with automatic bids, and the team still struggles. To be the best, you have to play the best, and that philosophy has been lost. Off the field, program management has suffered. Alumni engagement has deteriorated, and donations have fallen sharply. Assistant coach turnover is unusually high, with many leaving after only a year, which speaks to deeper issues with how he manages his staff. While all coaches show some favoritism, in his case it became noticeable and disruptive. To his credit, he does support players who need him and is accessible for mental health or personal concerns. The frustration is less from neglect in this area and more from a lack of performance and program growth.