Sports Extra: A story of love and life at CSU-Pueblo

She is one of CSU-Pueblo’s most decorated student athletes.

He is a starting offensive lineman for CSU-Pueblo’s football team, one of the nation’s best.

Together, they are Katherine and Domingo Prince, newly weds as of last summer.

"He came into my life in a time when I really doubted my athletic ability and I doubted my purpose for being here." Katherine says. "He helped me build confidence in who I am and what I could accomplish. And I have no doubt in my mind that if I wasn't with him and if he didn't push me to be confident in what I was capable of and everything I had come in for me, it never would have happened."

"Nobody had the skill, the talent, and obviously, like she said, didn't have me," Domingo says.

Domingo Prince is a problem for defensive lineman. He’s one of the reasons the CSU-Pueblo football team is so good. Most people aren’t watching him on every play, but Katherine is.

"A lot of the time the play is happening and other people watch the ball and I'm like, oh, that was a great block, or 'Oh, did you see him just shove that guy off the sideline?' And so I miss the action. But I have all the action I need."

"I always try to find her in the crowd. I just want to know where she's at. I know she's either paying attention, or talking to to her best friend."

Game recognizes game, and Katherine's got game.

"I was a shotput thrower for CSU-Pueblo for five super short years."

When she went by Katherine Higgins, you’d see her name atop plenty of leaderboards.

"I'm the 2025 D2 national champion in the shotput, and the elite 90 winner. I'm a multi-time RMAC winner, and a multi-time national qualifier. i have four second place trophies, national runner ups. Oh, I was also the RMAC woman of the year and the RMAC Academic Athlete of the Year this year."

The two of them make a great team, and it seems like they were always meant to be.

"He had ran into my best friends one night and they were like, oh, I know someone you would go really well with. She told me to come over to her house and I thought we were just hanging out, watching tv, doing homework. So I showed up in like sweat pants and my practice outfit and I was disgusting. He sat down on the couch next to me. He was like, I heard you like to cook. And so our first date, I made him chicken and dumplings, and I think I never got him to leave my house after that."

"We had an odd interaction at first because I already knew her life story. After the chicken and dumplings, it's been us forever."

They got married in June, but there are some challenges to being newly weds. Katherine is a teacher in Aurora, while Domingo is in his final season with The Pack. Teaching and football are both demanding, and time is hard to come by.

"When we first started dating, I told her we're the only team, the two of us together. We're a unit.

"Just of knowing that she's waiting for me and I can't wait to join our her, and live life."

"Calling him at the end of the day and telling him like, I can't believe this kid did this today, and just like sharing the funny, silly stories and still having that special bond and connection, like we're coming home to each other even though we're miles apart, it's really special. And I think it's about cherishing that time we have together and really making it about each other."

But even while apart, they’re always there for each other.

"To know that she still believes in me really just really like hits my heart because it's hard. And without her, there's no me."

"Planning for the future helps make the time go by faster and being hopeful about what's to come instead of sitting on where we're at and being frustrated."

But no matter what life throws at them, they can handle it, because they’ve got each other.

"It's really special that we have such a strong connection and a strong trust in each other that we can make this work even though it's hard to be apart."

"When I get to see her, it's like the best time and it brings me peace when I'm angry, or just when I have a bad day. She brings me peace at the end of it.

"It's hard to find somebody who believes in you, even when you're having bad days, and when you're in the rough part of life. I'm just so lucky that I found that."