Pioneer Spirit

Pioneer Highlights: A Year to Cheer

On the field, the ice, the mats, the snow, the courts, the links and in the pool, the University of Denver Pioneers are not only tough to beat but, in many sports, the one to beat. DU is also the one to beat in the classroom. In keeping with its high academic expectations of student-athletes, DU captured its 10th consecutive Sun Belt Conference Graduation Rate Award.

2009–10 highlights include:

• The Pioneers won their 21st NCAA skiing championship, leading the nation in the number of championships held. DU’s Antje Maempel became the second skier in NCAA history to sweep the individual national championships in women’s classical and freestyle in consecutive years.
• DU sent eight teams—women’s soccer, men’s and women’s skiing, hockey, gymnastics, men’s lacrosse, women’s golf and men’s tennis—to NCAA postseason action.
• The Pioneers also sent individuals from gymnastics, men’s golf, women’s golf and women’s tennis to NCAA postseason play.
• The Pioneers captured four conference championships: women’s soccer, hockey, men’s lacrosse and women’s golf.
• Four head coaches earned coach-of-the-year honors: George Gwozdecky, hockey; Aaron D’Addario, men’s diving; Sammie Chergo, women’s golf; and Bill Tierney, men’s lacrosse.
• Twelve Pioneers earned All-American honors.
• As a measure of academic excellence, all 17 DU varsity sports programs achieved an NCAA Academic Progress Rate score of 925 or higher. Two programs—men’s golf and gymnastics—achieved perfect scores of 1,000.
• DU finished 59th in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup and No. 1 among all Division I-AAA, Front Range and Sun Belt Conference institutions.
• Senior hockey forward Tyler Ruegsegger and skier Antje Maempel were named to the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America At-Large First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
• The Pioneers hockey program celebrated its 60th anniversary with a reunion of more than 300 faces and voices from DU’s legendary hockey heritage.