Awards Under Coach Carissa Ratliff
- RMAC Honorable Mention, Jordon Heckert, 2025-26
- RMAC Honorable Mention, Hayley Luther, 2025-26
- RMAC Honorable Mention, Elise Grosdidier, 2025-26
- RMAC Honorable Mention, Victoria Perez, 2024-25
- RMAC Honorable Mention, Dasiya Jones, 2024-25
- RMAC Honorable Mention, Nicole Bowlin, 2024-25
LAKEWOOD, Colo – Coach Carissa Ratliff enters her second season 2026-2027 as head coach of the Colorado Christian University (CCU) Women’s basketball team!
Coach Carissa began her CCU basketball journey as an assistant coach for the Cougars from 2018–2022. She became head coach in the 2024-2025 season, overall spending eight years in the Colorado Christian University athletic department, including two years coaching the track & field program.
Her passion for the game as a player was on full display during her career at Calvin University (MI) where she currently holds the all-time scoring and blocks record, and most recently was named on the All-Decade team for Division III. She also received the NCAA DIII All-American honors along with MIAA Most Valuable Player four times as a player.
Rooted in her days as an NCAA Division III athlete, she approaches coaching as an extension of her playing career. Coach Carissa supports her team in their spiritual, mental, and academic health.
Through this approach she provides faith integration into the team's practices, inspires good character to display on and off the court, and encourages academic rigor with many of her players achieving a 3.7 GPA average in just 2 years. Driven by her leadership, ten of her players received RMAC All-Conference recognition, which honors elite athletes.
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 “As a college coach now, playing at the D3 level taught me the importance of relationships and balance that is needed at every level...No one can overlook the importance of genuine love, care, support when it comes to sports," said Coach Carissa as she expressed her heart for her team.
Coach Carissa is married to her best friend, Levi Ratliff, who is an amazing, loving, and supportive husband. He cheers her on at the women's basketball games with their joyous, one-year-old daughter. One can often see them on game day in matching outfits as they rally the team.
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