DENVER - Six distinguished individuals and the 2000 NCAA champion ski team became the 14th class of the University of Denver Athletic Hall of Fame Thursday night in Hamilton Gymnasium at the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness. The event kicked off homecoming week at DU, highlighted by the No. 5 hockey team hosting Michigan Tech on Friday and Saturday at Magness Arena.
Robert Wilson (Heritage Era - Posthumously), Ed Zemrau (Heritage Era - Posthumously), Paal Moerkved Aavatsmark (Modern Era), George Morrison (Modern Era - Posthumously), Kathy Conklin Jacobson (Female Athlete), Dr. M. Dianne Murphy (Athletic Administrator) and the 2000 NCAA champion ski team make up the University of Denver Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2012.
With these additions, the DU Athletic Hall of Fame will include 117 individuals and nine distinguished teams. The list of the 2012 inductees is below with brief biographical sketches:
Robert Wilson - Heritage Era Inductee - Baseball, Basketball and Football - 1942-44
Wilson was a three-sport athlete, who earned six varsity letters in baseball, basketball and football from 1942-44. He was a two-time captain and three-year letterwinner in basketball. Wilson also fought in World War II and the Korean War, and was a successful teacher, coach, administrator and official after graduation.
Ed Zemrau - Heritage Era Inductee (Posthumously) - Hockey - 1956-58
Zemrau earned All-America and NCAA All-Tournament honors after captaining DU to its first hockey national championship in 1958. He was a two-time All-WCHA performer who tallied 48 points on 16 goals and 32 assists in 79 career games from the blueline. Zemrau later played minor pro hockey before embarking on a stellar career in the national and international amateur sport scene for over 55 years.
Paal Moerkved Aavatsmark - Male Athlete Modern Era Inductee - Men's Soccer - 1981-84
Moerkved Aavatsmark is one of DU's most accomplished men's soccer players. He ranks third all-time at Denver in career points (128) and assists (32), and is fifth in goals (48). Moerkved Aavatsmark earned all-conference honors and was named an NAIA second team All-American in 1984. The two-time captain led the 1983 Pioneers to a 19-4-1 record and third appearance in the NAIA National Championships.
George Morrison - Male Athlete Modern Era Inductee (Posthumously) - Hockey - 1968-70
Morrison amassed 115 points, a pair of All-America honors and an NCAA championship during his stellar two-year hockey career at DU. He netted 70 goals and 45 assists from 1968-70 and was a two-time All-WCHA First-Team performer and the Rookie of the Year in 1969. Morrison scored five goals in a game against Colorado College and played eight seasons in the National Hockey League.
Kathy Conklin Jacobson - Female Athlete - Women's Soccer - 1989-92
Conklin Jacobson totaled an impressive 98 points on 42 goals and 14 assists in a brilliant four-year career from 1989-92. Conklin Jacobson is tied for first all-time at DU with 42 goals and ranks fourth in points. Conklin Jacobson helped the Pioneers break four school records during her freshman season in 1989 and served as team captain her senior season in 1992. Conklin Jacobson led the Pioneers to a 53-19-4 record during her four seasons. After a successful 16-year career as a CPA, Conklin Jacobson founded a youth sports and fitness program in Northern Colorado.
Dr. M. Dianne Murphy - Athletics Administrator - 1998-2004
Murphy served as the Director of Athletics at DU from 1998-2004. She successfully guided the Pioneers' transition from NCAA Division II to Division I in 1998 and managed the building and opening of the prestigious Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness. DU's athletic and academic excellence was a model for national recognition as the Pioneers captured four national championships and made 25 NCAA Tournament appearances in her six years at the helm.
2000 Ski Team - Special Team
The 2000 Pioneer Ski Team captured its 15th NCAA championship and first since 1971. Collegiate Male Skier of the Year Pietro Broggini and Female Skier of the Year Cecilie Hagen Larsen captured individual NCAA championships as Denver outdistanced in-state rival Colorado for the title. The team was led by head coaches Kurt Smitz and Knut Nystad, and assistant coaches Roberta Pergher and Trond Nystad. The team was comprised with Tyler Craig, Christian Hutter, Marc Kuehni, Jayme Smithers, David Viele, William Wittusen, Dana Alexandrescu, Julia Delich, Erika Gibbons, Christina Guptill, Kristin Kreizel, Martina Sailer, Jörn Frohs, Jack Gervais, Todd Greenwood, Kyrill Kretzschmar, Dylan Prosser, Michael Savoie, August Teague, Beau Terhaar, Wolf Wallendorf, Camilla Brinchmann, Irene Eder, Suzie Smith, Sanna Virtanen, Britta Wienand, Hagen Larsen and Broggini.
