It is hard to believe that the students are back on campus and the first quarter has begun. We would like to recap the FY2008 end of year highlights as well as to provide you with an overview of our focus for this upcoming year.
The U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the United States Sports Academy, and USA Today to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country. The University of Denver ended the year ranked 1st and ended the year as the most successful Division I program in the NCAA 1-AAA category which is made up of all Division I institutions that do not sponsor football. The University of Denver also received the highest ranking ever in the NCAA Division I category which includes all Division I schools, finishing 47 out of the 330 schools in the country. And finally, the University of Denver was the highest ranked school out of all the Colorado Front Range Schools as well as the highest ranked school in the Sun Belt Conference. This is even more impressive when you consider the fact that just this past year the points awarded for success in Men’s Hockey, Women’s Gymnastics, and Men and Women’s Skiing were devalued by 50 percent due to the limited number of schools sponsoring these sports.
One of the rankings that we are most proud of is to be included in the Sports Illustrated.com’s Top 25 rankings of the 2007-08 college sports year. Within the 330 Division I schools in the U.S., Denver tied with Wisconsin and was ranked 23rd in the nation. The scoring system used to determine this ranking included all of the sports sponsored by the University of Denver except Skiing. This article certainly created a great deal of interest in our University at the national level.
Academically our student-athletes are reaching new heights as well. The National Scouting Association (NCSA) announced that the University of Denver has earned a listing in the 6th Annual NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings. The NCSA’s 2008 Collegiate Power Rankings rate colleges and universities comprehensively based on student-athlete graduation rates, academic strength and athletic prowess of the University. The institutions posted in the 2008 Power Rankings (which included Denver) are an elite group of less than 6 percent of colleges and universities across the nation. For a school to be at the top of a list of more than 1,000 schools with athletic programs is remarkable.
The dream of the soccer stadium and training center for our varsity athletes is about to become a reality. We are so pleased to report that the project is now fully funded and soon the ground will be broken to complete the vision. The support we have received from donors and friends serves as confirmation that our program is going to the next level. Our student-athletes will now have the training resources they need to compete at their best.
The Division began the year with the first annual DU BBQ. All student-athletes, sponsors, donors, friends and staff were welcomed back to campus by Chancellor Coombe after which everyone was treated to great Bar B Q from Famous Dave’s.
Welcome Barbecue Photo Gallery
Our sport programs are off to a great start.
Currently, Women’s golf is 12th in the national rankings.
Women’s soccer has a record of 12-1-2.
Men’s soccer is 5-5.
Overall the Volleyball team is 16-3 and 5-1 in the Sun Belt Conference.
Men’s and Women’s swimming defeated Wyoming in their season opener.
Hockey opened their season by defeating Notre Dame 5-2.
Men’s and Women’s tennis and Men’s golf have begun fall competition.
Basketball, skiing, lacrosse and gymnastics are in preseason condition and practice.
The Division of Athletics and Recreation would like to welcome new staff to our program:
Vicky Gillen Assistant Director of Compliance
Kris Peat Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach
Chris Lam Assistant men’s Tennis Coach
Barrett Lais Assistant Men’s golf Coach
Becky Ball Assistant Athletic Trainer
Joslyn White Assistant Athletic Trainer
The Division’s Strategic Plan continues to be the driving force behind the progress we are making toward the accomplishment of our goals and objectives. Our focus is clear and our resources are aligned with the objective of becoming the premier intercollegiate basketball program in the Rocky Mountain Region and maintaining national recognition of our rich hockey tradition. You may access the Strategic Plan any time on this website. Watch our progress as we build on our success.
Thank you for your interest and support.
