Evergreen High School senior Ryn Gardner is preparing to join the University of Colorado women’s lacrosse team next season, according to a March 31 announcement. Gardner will follow in the footsteps of her sister Averi and former teammate Bella Reece, who are already part of the CU program.
Gardner is nearing a milestone of 300 career goals with the Cougars and said she is enthusiastic about her future at Boulder. “I love the coaches and they are doing amazing this year,” Gardner said about CU’s women’s lacrosse team, which is currently ranked No. 12 in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse RPI with a 7-2 record. “I love Boulder. I think it’s a sick town and a great community. I’m super excited.”
Before heading to college, Gardner has one more chance to help Evergreen win another Class 4A girls lacrosse state championship. The Cougars have won back-to-back titles, with Gardner as their leading scorer for both seasons. Reflecting on her final high school season after a large graduating class last year, she said, “It has come so fast and obviously this year it’s a different team… Hopefully we can make it really far.” In their recent game against Chatfield at Trailblazer Stadium, Gardner scored nine goals in Evergreen’s 20-9 victory.
Coach Rachel Sanford praised Gardner’s contributions since her freshman year: “Ryn has been a dominate player since her freshman year… It is fun to see where she is at now and happy to have her stay in-state so we root for her in college.” Despite graduating eight starters from last year’s squad and starting this season with three losses against strong opponents, Sanford noted that previous teams have overcome similar starts: “That actually feels more encouraging hearing that,” Sanford said when reminded that the 2024 state championship team also started with a 2-3 record.
The Cougars are adjusting after losing four-year starting goalie Neva Mertsching but have sophomore Logan Lamont and freshman Rae Pegues sharing time in goal this season. Juniors Grace Lessig and Addison White bring varsity experience alongside several freshmen stepping into key roles.
Looking ahead, Evergreen will host Jackson Hole (Wyoming) on April 3 before opening league play later in April against Dakota Ridge as part of the four-team Class 4A West League. Sanford summarized their approach: “We want to compete with the best… Hopefully we are playing for a state championship, but if not, we’ll go down swinging.”
