DENVER – The University of Denver athletic department celebrated the close of another athletic and academic campaign in 2024-25 at the 88th Annual Crimson Carpet Awards on Wednesday, May 28, in Hamilton Gymnasium.
Throughout the course of the last year, Denver's programs recorded their third-consecutive 100-win home season by producing a 104-39-4 record in the Mile High City. In addition to their success at home, the programs went 32-35 against Power-4 programs, Denver's third-straight year with at least 30 Power 4/5 wins. A pair of trips to the national semifinals for men's soccer and hockey, and skiing's fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships gave Denver three top-four finishes in the athletic season. Denver's teams combined for eight NCAA Tournament appearances, six conference tournament titles, four conference regular-season championships and an alpine sweep of individual national titles from Sara Rask. On the awards front, 108 student-athletes earned all-conference awards in 2024-25, 14 were named All-Americans, and six Denver coaches were named conference coaches of the year.
Denver had a pair of NCAA Elite 90 Award Winners in AJ Francois and Boston Buckberger, honoring the student-athletes with the top-grade point average of programs at the national championship site. With their honors and Kent Anderson's Elite 90 honor last season, Denver became the third athletic department in the country to earn at least three Elite 90 Awards since January 1, 2024. In the latest data released in 2024-25, Denver athletics tied department records for graduation success rate (96%) and the number of perfect programs in GSR (11).
The gymnastics team won this year's prestigious gold vest given to the program that exemplifies superior community service, leadership, academic achievement and spirit. The team finished the year ranked No. 13 nationally after upsetting two higher-ranked teams in then-No. 10 Minnesota and then-No. 13 Stanford at NCAA Regionals and advancing to its sixth consecutive NCAA Regional Final.
Rask, who became the 19th Pioneer in program history to sweep NCAA title events in the same championship, was named the department's Female Student-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday night. Overall, the individual national championships were the 97th and the 98th in the program's history. The two titles were her fifth and sixth All-America honors in her career, earning a pair of honors in each of her three seasons with the Pioneers.
Leading the men's soccer program to its second College Cup appearance in its history, midfielder Sam Bassett was named the Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Bassett became the second Pioneer to be named one of three finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy, earning himself a trip to St. Louis for the national player of the year ceremony. Following his play this fall, Bassett signed a Homegrown Contract with the Colorado Rapids and made his first MLS start last Saturday. The 2025 Summit League Midfielder of the Year became the third Pioneer in program history to earn United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America honors, joining Reagan Dunk and Andre Shinyashiki.
2024-25 Denver Athletics Award Winners:
Gold Vest: Gymnastics
Male Student-Athlete of the Year: Sam Bassett, Men's Soccer
Female Student-Athlete of the Year: Sara Rask, Alpine Skiing
Men's Comeback Player of the Year: Russell Overly, Men's Lacrosse
Women's Comeback Player of the Year: Cecilia Cooley, Gymnastics
TEAM MVPs:
Men's Basketball: Sebastian Akins
Women's Basketball: Jordan Jones
Men's Golf: Willis Panzarello
Women's Golf: Emma Bryant
Gymnastics: Madison Ulrich
Hockey: Zeev Buium
Men's Lacrosse: Casey Wilson
Women's Lacrosse: Lauren Black
Alpine Skiing: Sara Rask
Nordic Skiing: Andreas Kirkeng
Men's Soccer: Sam Bassett
Women's Soccer: Ella Frost
Men's Swimming and Diving: Dylan Wright
Women's Swimming and Diving: Jessica Maeda
Men's Tennis: Daniel Sancho Arbizu
Women's Tennis: Andrea Burguete Beltran
Triathlon: Elizabeth Harita
Volleyball: Cassie Davis
Scholar-Athletes of the Year:
Freshmen Female:
Freshman Male:
Sophomore Female:
Sophomore Male:
Junior Female:
Junior Male:
Senior Female:
Senior Male:
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