Mile High Sports Awards: College Athlete of the Year – Finalists

From preps to pros, Mile High Sports recognizes the top athletes, coaches, executives and teams each year.

These outstanding individuals were among the best in their respective sports in 2017, earning nominations as finalists for the annual Mile High Sports Awards.

Check out the January 2018 edition of Mile High Sports Magazine to see who is named the College Athlete of the Year.

College Athlete of the Year Finalists

Will Butcher
University of Denver, Hockey

The 2016 Mile High Sports College Athlete of the Year built upon last year’s award by earning All-America and league MVP honors, a Hobey Baker Award and captaining his team to an NCAA championship. In 43 games for the Pioneers as a senior, Butcher had seven goals and 30 assists, and his totals over four seasons were 25 goals and 75 assists in 158 games.

Michael Gallup
Colorado State University, Football

Born in Atlanta, Michael was adopted by the Gallup family when he was 10 months old. Raised in small-town Monroe, Ga. among seven multiracial siblings, with five others also adopted, he came to CSU from El Dorado Community College (Kansas). In a stellar senior season, he was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Trophy in 2017, with 94 receptions for 1,345 yards and seven touchdowns in the Rams’ 12 regular-season games. He earned first-team All-America honors from the FWAA and Walter Camp Foundation and AP second-team honors.

Mostafa Hassan
Colorado State University, Track & Field

The native of Cairo, Egypt is only 21, and he decisively won the NCAA indoor shot put championship as a junior in March at College Station, Texas. How decisively? His winning effort of 69-9 1/2 beat the runner up by more than four feet.  Hassan holds the Colorado State outdoor shotput record, as well.

Petra Hyncicova
University of Colorado, Skiing

From Liberec, Czech Republic, the Buffaloes’ junior won both Nordic races at the NCAA meet, just the 15th competitor in the history of the championships to sweep both events. She was named the 2017 National Skier of the Year for women’s Nordic by both the USCSCA and FasterSkier.com.

Dani Jones
University of Colorado, Distance

It was an impressive 2017 for Jones, who won NCAA titles as the 3,000-meter indoor champion and the indoor DMR Relay champion. She was a 2017 All-America first team in the indoor 3,000 meters. The junior from the Phoenix area was also 10th at the NCAA cross country championships in November, earning All-America honors, and that was the top finisher for the Buffs as they claimed third place in the team standings.

David Ketterer
University of Colorado, Skiing

In April, the CU freshman from Germany was named the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association’s Male Competitor of the Year and also the USCSA’s National Skier of the Year. He was the 2017 national champion in the slalom and giant slalom, impressively joining a long list of Buffaloes ski champions. Ketterer also claimed the 2016-17 NorAm Cup Slalom Championship, the first Buff to win a NorAm Cup title. He won the title by 275 points, the second-largest winning margin in the cup in the last 20 years.

Phillip Lindsay
University of Colorado, Football

The Denver South High product – ironically, his father, Troy, had been a star at CSU – was a bright spot in a disappointing Buffaloes season. He rushed for 1,474 yards on 301 carries and had 23 receptions for 257 yards. He departs CU as the program’s all-time all-purpose yardage leader.