The past weekend was bookended by a premier lacrosse showdown between #8 DU and #11 Duke at a sold-out Peter Barton Stadium and #5 Denver Gymnastics performing in front of 5,500 fans in Magness Arena. If athletics are ‘the front porch’ of a university, Denver was just a few heads short of a visit from the fire marshall. Continue reading Roller Coaster Weekend for DU Athletics and Fans
Category Archives: Women’s Lacrosse
#10 Women’s Lax Downs #20 Stanford in Home Opener, 17-13
Photo: Courtesy of Jason Evans
Denver (1-0) raced out to a 12-6 lead at the break versus the Stanford Cardinal and held strong the second half to close-out their home opener at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium Saturday afternoon. Continue reading #10 Women’s Lax Downs #20 Stanford in Home Opener, 17-13
University of Denver Athletics’ Decade in Review: Top 10 Moments of the Decade
In 2010, when the decade began, the University of Denver was known primarily as a hockey school, supplemented by many NCAA ski titles. Continue reading University of Denver Athletics’ Decade in Review: Top 10 Moments of the Decade
Pioneer Athletics officially off the air
Looking forward to watching DU soccer, volleyball, hockey on TV this fall? Well, unfortunately, DU athletics are now off the air along with the rest of Altitude TV’s programming in its 10 state region if you have Comcast/Xfinity, DISHTV or Direct TV. And, Altitude TV claims that streaming content is not a feasible, economic option to do an ‘end run’ around the Big Three.
Altitude is also the home network for the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, NBA’s Denver Nuggets, MLS’ Colorado Rapids and NLL’s Colorado Mammoth. Should it last that long, the dispute ratchets up on October 3rd when the Colorado Avalanche are scheduled to return to Altitude’s lineup with their regular season opener and October 5th when DU hockey hits the ice.
Altitude’s coverage-area includes Colorado, Utah, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, and Wyoming. DirectTV and Dish Network also provide nationwide coverage for Pioneer Nation so this will impact all Pioneer fans. Continue reading Pioneer Athletics officially off the air
Five Future Plans for Peter Barton Stadium Expansion
Photo: Courtesy of Pinkard Construction
DU’s Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium sparkled like a diamond when it was formally dedicated on April 30, 2005. The stadium had begun as a old vision from DU to be the first collegiate lacrosse-only stadium, and it began to take shape with a large donation from the family of a local cable industry tycoon as a memorial to the family patriarch, Peter Barton, who had died tragically at age 51 from stomach cancer in 2002. The stadium was constructed before the 2009 arrival of legendary head coach Bill Tierney and the national rise of lacrosse as the fastest growing team sport in America.
But that was all more than a decade ago, and DU’s advantages of Peter Barton are shrinking fast as other universities continue to pour millions into their facilities since then. For example, the University of North Carolina just completed a $35.5 million renovation of its soccer/lacrosse complex and Ohio State announced the construction of a new $20 million lacrosse-only stadium this week. Also, since that completion of Barton Stadium, both Notre Dame and Michigan have built newer lacrosse-only stadiums and other colleges and universities are joining the capital expenditure fray to build the best facilities.
Continue reading Five Future Plans for Peter Barton Stadium Expansion
Denver Women’s Lacrosse falls to Maryland in NCAA Quarterfinals, 17-8
Photo: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics
The Terps (#1 seed, 20-1) raced out to a 9-3 first half advantage and coasted to a convincing win over Denver (16-4) Saturday in College Park, Maryland.
Denver had their chances in the NCAA quarterfinal match with 15 first-half shots but only 6 on-goal. Maryland’s offense was much more efficient (79% scoring) with 14 shots on-goal in the first half. Denver faced a stout Terrapin defense that held Denver scoreless for a 17 minute stretch during the first half to build their substantial lead. Maryland was led by 4 goals from Caroline Steele in the half.
The Pioneers join the Terrapins on the board!!
Bea Behrins fights her way to the goal for @DU_WLax. #NCAAWLAX pic.twitter.com/LPjH3YTjJ1
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) May 18, 2019
Continue reading Denver Women’s Lacrosse falls to Maryland in NCAA Quarterfinals, 17-8
Denver Women’s Lacrosse travels to the Belly of the Beast
Photo: Courtesy of Denver Athletics. DU’s standout goalie, Carson Gregg, is a key to this season’s success
Denver Women’s Lacrosse Travels to play the Maryland Terrapins Saturday afternoon in the NCAA quarterfinals – and it will not be an easy assignment.
Maryland women’s lacrosse (19-1) has won 14 national championships and is the top overall seed yet again this season. To add to the challenge, unseeded Denver (16-3) must travel to College Park, Maryland to play the vaunted Terps on their home turf. Continue reading Denver Women’s Lacrosse travels to the Belly of the Beast
Hoch-Bullen’s 5 Goals Leads Denver to NCAA Elite Eight in Historic 9-5 Revenge Rout of Michigan
The 17th-ranked Denver Pioneers (16-3) women’s lacrosse team made school history on May 12, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Mich., exacting a revenge upset on the #7th-ranked University of Michigan Wolverines (16-4) , 9-5 in the second round of the NCAA tournament. DU now advances to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in program history, and will play the top-ranked University of Maryland Terrapins on May 18 at 5pm MT for a trip to the NCAA final four.
Michigan had beaten Denver 12-10 at DU’s Barton Stadium earlier this season, and the Pioneers were in no mood to allow Michigan to win again. Continue reading Hoch-Bullen’s 5 Goals Leads Denver to NCAA Elite Eight in Historic 9-5 Revenge Rout of Michigan
Men’s & Women’s Lacrosse Seal Regular Season Titles on the Road
Photo: Courtesy of Marquette Athletics
#12 Denver men’s (9-4, 4-1) and #15 women’s lacrosse (12-2, 4-0) completed a rare regular season Championship sweep on the same day Friday. Both teams earned their regular season titles in different ways.
The women earned a convincing 14-8 win against the Villanova Wildcats. DU ran out to a 7-3 lead in the first half and coasted to victory. DU’s Quintin Hoch-Bullen and Eliza Radochonski led the Pioneers with three goals each against the Wildcats en route to the crown.
With the win, Denver women’s lacrosse become the 2019 BIG EAST Regular Season Champions for the first time in program history. Continue reading Men’s & Women’s Lacrosse Seal Regular Season Titles on the Road
Pioneering Excellence this Winter
While men’s hockey and lacrosse take up the lion’s share of fan interest for most Pioneer fans, it’s important to recognize some other DU athletic teams who continue to climb higher into national prominence and greater conference impact:
- The 13th-ranked DU women’s lacrosse team beat its very first top five opponent since coach Liza Kelly took the helm in 2006, upsetting (#6/#4) Stony Brook (N.Y.) University, 11-7, behind Bea Behrins’ three-goal hat trick. This was a statement win for the program. The Pios have been a top-20 program for a while now, but have had trouble beating the very top echelon teams. Sunday’s win over SBU kept DU undefeated at 4-0 and may see the Pioneers knocking on the door of a top-10 ranking. The Michigan Wolverines come to town this Tuesday to face the surging Pioneers for a 12 noon start.
- The sixth-ranked DU women’s gymnastics team scored its second highest all-time score (and the highest score of this season) with a 197.725 on Sunday afternoon before over 4,000 fans at Magness Arena, to win the meet over Iowa State and Boise State. This kind of scoring should keep DU in the hunt for a top-five national ranking as the season moves into the stretch run.
- The DU men’s (#24th nationally) and (#47) women’s swim teams once again won the Summit League title for the sixth year in a row. DU was so dominant at the Summit League Championships that the DU women set an all-time league record for points, and DU mens and women swimmers won 37 of 38 of the swimming events overall. That’s an incredible achievement – perhaps the swimming equivalent of winning the Summit League basketball title game by 30 points, and repeating the winning margin for six straight years.
- DU women’s basketball (15-12, 8-6 Summit league) continued its rise into a winning program with a dramatic road win at North Dakota. Often-injured senior Pioneer Haley Simental hit the long-range three point shot-of-her-college-career to send the game into overtime at the buzzer, in a game that the Pios would later win, 92-91. With the OT win, the Pios’ have earned at least a top-five seed at the Summit League tournament next month.
- The DU women’s tennis team, ranked #40 nationally, are 7-2 this year in a sport where 317 teams compete nationally. DU has already defeated brand name schools such as Oregon, Wisconsin, BYU and Colorado this season.
All of these teams deserve our support, and we look forward to seeing how they compete in the coming months.