Student Athlete of the Week Julian Lettow

Not many student-athletes nowadays are willing - or able - to take the path that Julian Lettow traveled throughout his time at Niwot High School.

Besides opting out of his sophomore basketball season due to COVID-19 concerns, Lettow balanced academics with hoops, tennis and baseball for all four years, earning the increasingly rare distinction of being a three-sport athlete. The effort he put forth made receiving his diploma all the more satisfying.

"I put a lot of work into these four years," Lettow said. "I played three sports every year, so it was a great feeling to realize that I'm done and I persevered through the busyness with classes, high-level courses and three sports at once."

His final high school baseball season this spring produced several gratifying moments, too, as Lettow manned first base for a Niwot team that snapped a six-year postseason drought. While the Cougars ultimately fell to Riverdale Ridge High School in the regional finals, Lettow was proud to aid in Niwot's resurrection.

"It was a pretty awesome feeling," Lettow said of reaching the postseason. "Our team was notorious for being a team that everybody should beat, but it was good that we brought the name back and brought some success back to Niwot."

The left-handed Lettow admittedly described himself as more of a role player. Yet, his bat proved clutch late in the season when he ripped a go-ahead two-run double to help Niwot beat Northridge High School on May 13, giving the Cougars a needed victory en route to the playoffs.

Lettow gave credit to new assistant coaches Greg Wilcox and Bobby Matthews, who is also Niwot's head coach in both softball and boys wrestling, for helping him throughout his senior year.

"I had shoulder troubles, but he (Wilcox) taught me a lot of things about recovery and how to throw a little bit harder," Lettow said. "We had a new hitting coach as well (Matthews) that taught me a lot of things about my swing, so I batted better than I did the previous year."

Basketball, however, has always been Lettow's "number one" sport. In his senior year, the 6-foot-4 Lettow averaged 6.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game as a starter. "I grew a lot," Lettow said looking back on the season. "I learned from my teammates, Jerek Funkhouser and Jack Jarvis, they taught me so much (about) being a leader and being a voice."

As for tennis, Lettow admitted that he mainly played for the enjoyment it brought him.

With a Niwot diploma now secured, he plans on studying political science at the University of Colorado-Boulder this fall with the intention of eventually entering law.

"I took an AP gov class my junior year with Mrs. (Sarah) Demmel and it was my favorite class of high school," Lettow said. "I did some research and I thought political science would be a good way to start. I can always change, but that'd be a good way to start."