Denver – Four years in a Pioneer uniform and countless records later, senior Madison Nelson left an everlasting legacy on the University of Denver women's basketball program.

"I experienced a lot throughout my four years and it really shaped me into the person I am today," Nelson said. "I developed relationships with my coaches and teammates that I'll have forever and I couldn't be more thankful for the program, it created a home away from home for me."

As a freshman, Nelson immediately saw the floor as she appeared in 25 games that season.

After learning to adjust to the collegiate game in 2016-17, her sophomore season presented a new challenge as she had to learn to adjust to a new position as a forward. In her new position, Nelson was able to step into a starting role where she averaged 7.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

"I did a lot of moving around with positions that people probably don't know, but it ultimately set me up for the most success," added Nelson. "It made me a better-rounded player and allowed me to see the court from multiple positions which helped my versatility."

Success is exactly what Nelson saw after a year in her new position. The Dover, Minnesota native posted team-best averages of 16.5 points and 8.9 rebounds during her junior season while playing 30.4 minutes per contest.

Nelson fit right in with her new role as she continued to develop heading into her senior year.

"The biggest thing that developed with my game was my maturity," Nelson said. "I went through multiple coaches and each one helped me in different ways but at the end of the day I was the one who needed to hold myself accountable and I think that's the biggest realization I had throughout my four years."

Her maturity showed during her dominating-historical senior campaign as she once again came back even stronger and didn't just lead Denver, but led the entire Summit League in scoring (19.7), rebounding (11.4), steals average (2.4), and double-doubles (20).

Nelson recorded two 20-20 performances in 2019-20 to make her just one of four players in the entire NCAA with multiple games of 20-20. The senior forward's averages of 19.7 points and 11.4 rebounds made her the only player in the Summit League to average a double-double last season and first player in Denver's Division I era to average one.

She finished her career as just the seventh player in program history with 1,000 career points and 800 career rebounds. Nelson is ninth on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,408 career points and fourth in program history with 856 career rebounds to cap off what was a tremendous career for Nelson.

"I had really great coaches and teammates that put me in positions to be successful," added Nelson. "I don't like losing and I came in everyday with the mindset that I was going to do everything I could to make sure my team was successful."

The journey for Nelson does not end here as she looks to continue her success on the court professionally after graduation.

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