SPORTS UPDATES
No. 4 HOCKEY (18-7-5, 14-5-3 WCHA)
Denver (18-7-5, 14-5-3 WCHA) hosts Michigan Tech (3-23-4, 1-19-2 WCHA) in a two-game WCHA series on Feb. 18-19. Denver is second in the WCHA with 31 points, while Michigan Tech is 12th with four points. The Pioneers are tied for fourth with Merrimack in the latest PairWise Rankings. The Pioneers need one point to clinch home ice for the WCHA Playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. DU owns a 114-81-18 advantage against Michigan Tech in the all-time series that began in 1951. The Pioneers sport a 76-26-10 mark against the Huskies in Denver, including a 13-game unbeaten streak (12-0-1) at Magness Arena. DU owns an eight-game winning streak against Michigan Tech, outscoring the Huskies 35-13 during the streak.
DU is led in scoring by Drew Shore (17-17=34), Jason Zucker (18-13=31) and Anthony Maiani (7-22=29). Zucker leads the WCHA in league goal scoring (18) and points (29) in 22 games, while Shore is tied for fourth with 25 points (10g, 15a). Shore is tied for ninth with 10 goals each during league play. Shore is tied for eighth in WCHA scoring for all games and Zucker is tied for second in goals and tied for 12th in points. Freshman Sam Brittain (13-5-5, 2.23 GAA, .923 Sv%) and sophomore Adam Murray (5-2-0, 3.68 GAA, .874 Sv%) have split the five of the last six weekend series.
Brittain ranks third in the WCHA in save percentage and winning percentage and fourth in goals against average. DU has 10 players with 10 or more points. The Pioneers lead the WCHA on the penalty kill at 85.4% and rank fourth on the power play at 20%. DU has recorded at least one win against its eight WCHA opponents. Senior captain Kyle Ostrow (10-12=22) missed the Minnesota series after undergoing vascular surgery in the lower abdominal area on Friday in Minneapolis. Ostrow, who may return to the DU lineup on March 4, has a career-best, eight-game point streak and is one point shy of joining the Pioneer Century Club for 100-point scorers.
Zucker has seven points (2g, 5a) during his five-game point streak, while Drew Shore has six points (3g, 3a) during his four-game point streak. David Makowski, who leads WCHA rookie blueliners with 21 points (4g, 17a), will miss Friday's game against Michigan Tech after receiving a five-minute major and 10-minute game disqualification for fighting at 8:16 of the third period at Minnesota on Feb. 12. Maiani is Denver's current career scoring leader with 119 points (33g, 86a) in 147 games, which ranks 53rd on DU's all-time scoring list. DU is 12-0-1 when scoring four or more goals and 16-0-3 when tied or leading after two periods. DU travels to Nebraska Omaha on Feb. 25-26 and closes out the regular-season against St. Cloud State on March 4-5.
MEN'S BASKETBALL (12-13, 8-4 SBC)
The Pioneers return home for their final two games at Magness Arena this season, taking on Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday and South Alabama on Sunday. DU is 9-7 all-time against ULM, including a 66-57 win on Jan. 8 in Monroe, La., and is 7-0 against the Warhawks in Denver. South Alabama holds a slight 11-10 edge in the all-time series, but Denver is 7-3 against the Jaguars at home. In the last meeting, USA won 54-52 in Mobile, Ala., on Feb. 25, 2010.
Denver split a pair of games last week, knocking off SBC-leading Florida Atlantic 69-42 on Thursday before falling 64-55 at Troy. Sophomore Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) averaged 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the two games. Denver is sixth in the nation this season with a .413 three-point field goal percentage, and the Pioneers are tied for seventh in adjusted field goal percentage at .557. Freshman Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) is second in the Sun Belt during conference play in blocks (1.8 per game), seventh in field goal percentage (.556), tied for 12th in rebounds (5.9 per game).
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (15-10, 7-5 SBC)
Denver continues Sun Belt Conference play this week, hosting Louisiana-Monroe at Magness Arena in a midweek contest and then hosting South Alabama on Sunday. The Pioneers' game against the Warhawks will be their annual WBCA Pink Zone game to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research. The Pioneers are 8-3 all-time against the Warhawks of ULM, including 3-1 when playing at home. Denver is 15-6 all-time against the Jaguars of South Alabama, 8-2 when playing at home. The Pioneers have won the last three meetings.
The Pioneers finished the week 2-0, recording wins over Florida Atlantic (79-55) and on the road at Troy (66-43). Senior Britteni Rice (Pampa, Texas) led the Pioneers for the week, averaging 20.0 points per game on 66.7 percent shooting from the field, while junior Kaetlyn Murdoch (Temple, Texas) finished with 28 points (14.0 ppg) and grabbed eight rebounds (4.0 rpg). For the season, Rice is third on the team with 347 points (13.9 ppg) and is shooting 40.4 percent from the floor and 43.0 percent from long distance, while Murdoch leads the way with 415 points (16.6 ppg) and 181 rebounds (7.2 rpg). Denver is averaging 63.6 ppg and 33.3 rpg, while shooting 45.6 percent shooting from the field. The Pioneers are holding their opponents to 59.9 ppg and 34.0 rpg, while shooting 39.0 percent from the field.
GYMNASTICS - No. 19 (6-5)
The DU gymnastics team returns home this Saturday for a dual meet against No. 10 Nebraska. The Pioneers are 6-20 all-time against the Cornhuskers, with the last meeting resulting in a 196.425-194.175 defeat at the Masters Classic last season.
DU posted its highest road score of the season with a 196.200 at the Iowa Hawkeye dual meet last Friday night. The No. 20 Hawkeyes turned in a score of 196.350 to win the meet, but the Pioneers' score was their highest road score since the 2008 season when Denver recorded a 196.250 to defeat Arizona on March 15, 2008. The score is also the second-straight meet that DU has scored higher than 196.000.
Despite the loss, Denver gained a spot in the national rankings, moving up from No. 20 to No. 19. The Pioneers are ranked 13th in the nation on vault (48.929), 16th on uneven bars (48.861), 23rd on balance beam (48.379) and 26th on floor (48.686). Regionally, DU is second on vault, fourth on bars, fifth on beam and sixth on floor. Individually, freshman Moriah Martin (Lake Mary, Fla.) is ranked 26th in the nation and fifth in the region on vault. Junior Louise Mercer (Nottingham, England) is tied for 22nd in the nation and fifth in the region on uneven bars, and is currently ranked 37th in the nation in the all-around.
SKIING
The Pioneers enjoy a week off before the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association Championships/NCAA Western Regional in Park City/Soldier Hollow, Utah, on Feb. 25-26. Senior Seppi Stiegler (Wilson, Wyo.) won the men's giant slalom at the Denver Invitational, as well as the RMISA extra qualifier last week. Junior Lindsay Cone (Killington, Vt.) was first in the RMSA women's giant slalom extra qualifier and third in the women's slalom at the DU Invitational, and freshman Sterling Grant (Amery, Wis.) remains undefeated in the women's slalom this season, winning the women's slalom. Junior Ida Dillingoen (Oslo, Norway) was second in the women's GS at the Denver Invitational. Sophomore Andrew Dougherty (Anchorage, Alaska) was fourth in freestyle and fifth in classical, just behind sophomore Kristian Soerlund (Sjusjoen, Norway), who was fourth.
MEN'S LACROSSE - No. 12/13 (0-0)
The No. 12/13University of Denver men's lacrosse team opens the 2011 season this weekend for the second-straight year against perennial national contender Syracuse on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. MT. The Pioneers return their top two leading scorers and preseason All-American selections, Alex Demopoulos (Canton, Conn.) and Mark Matthews (Oshawa, Ontario). Matthews was chosen as the preseason ECAC Offensive Player of the Year and joined Demopoulos on the preseason All-ECAC team. The DU men's lacrosse team is entering its second year under the Hall of Fame Coach Tierney. Last season, the Pioneers turned in one of their best seasons in program history, finishing 12-5, a perfect 7-0 in the ECAC, winning the conference title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008.
WOMEN'S LACROSSE (0-0)
The No. 20 Denver women's lacrosse team kicks off its season with a road trip to Jacksonville on Friday and No. 17 Florida on Sunday. The Pioneers have never played either team. Denver returns 16 student-athletes, including six starters, from a squad that finished 13-5 overall in 2010 with a 6-0 sweep of the MPSF during the regular season. Seniors Carrie Gamper (Towson, Md.) and Tulley Stapp (Denver, Colo.) will serve as captains
MEN'S TENNIS - No. 41 (2-4)
The No. 41 Pioneers travel to No. 43 Arizona (4-3) on Saturday, Feb. 20. DU dropped a 4-3 decision to New Mexico State on Feb. 12 and has lost four of its last five matches. Andrew Landwerlen (Las Cruces, N.M.), Jens Vorkefeld (Ostercappeln, Germany) and Yannick Weihs (Guntramsdorf, Austria) lead the Pioneers with three singles wins each. Jonathan Kidane (Stockholm, Sweden) and Weihs lead DU with a 5-1 doubles mark. Enej Bonin (Koper, Slovenia) is ranked No. 25 in singles. DU has defeated Montana State (6-1) and Oregon (5-2). Three of DU's four losses have come against ranked opponents (Illinois, Oklahoma and Washington).
WOMEN'S TENNIS - (3-3)
Denver travels to Las Vegas for a pair of matches against No. 35 UNLV (Feb. 19) and Wichita State (Feb. 20) this weekend. Sophia Bergner, Emma Isberg (Tyreso, Sweden) and Elena Najera (San Diego, Calif.) lead DU with four singles wins each, while Natalie Dunn (Fort Collins, Colo.) and Caroline Schnell (Greenwood Village, Colo.) lead Denver with a 5-1 doubles mark. Bergner defeated No. 82 Anastasia Putilina of Utah on Feb. 6. DU has charted wins over Air Force (5-2), Colorado State (7-0) and Tulane (5-2) this season.
MEN'S GOLF
The DU men's golf team will begin the spring schedule this week when the Pioneers compete at the 2011 John A. Burns Intercollegiate in Honolulu, Hawaii from Feb. 16-18. Senior Klinton Krieger (Cheyenne, Wyo.) leads Denver with a 74.00 scoring average, two rounds in the 60s and five rounds of par or better.
The 16-team tournament field at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate includes Arizona, BYU, Brigham Young-Hawaii, Cal, Fresno State, Hawaii, Hawaii-Hilo, Hawaii Pacific, Nevada, New Mexico, SMU, Texas A&M, Utah, Texas-El Paso and Virginia.
WOMEN'S GOLF
The DU women's golf team heads to Palos Verdes, Calif. this week to begin its spring schedule at the Northrupp Grumman Regional Challenge from Feb. 14-16. Sophomore Kelly Drack (Melbourne, Fla.) leads DU with a 73.42 scoring average, one round in the 60s and four rounds of par or better.
The 13-team field at the Northrupp Grumman Regional Challenge includes Arizona State, East Tennessee State, Florida, Furman, Louisville, Michigan State, Ohio State, Pepperdine, Southern Cal, UC Irvine, UCLA and Wake Forest.
