DENVER – The University of Denver Athletic Department has finalized multi-year contract extensions for four of its head coaches, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Ritchie Center Operations Josh Berlo announced on Friday.
Otto Tschudi Head Alpine Ski Coach Joonas Rasanen, women's golf head coach Martha Richards, men's tennis head coach Drew Eberly and triathlon head coach Barbara Perkins all signed multi-year extensions to keep them with their Pioneer programs.
"Denver Athletics is thrilled to have the continuity of leadership with these impressive Pioneer head coaches as they further the legacy that is Denver Athletics," Berlo said. "We look forward to watching their programs continue to thrive for seasons to come under their leadership."
Rasanen completed his fourth season in charge of Denver's alpine skiers, coaching senior Sara Rask to a National Championship alpine sweep in 2025. In addition to his role at Denver, Rasanen is the President of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA), the conference the Pioneers compete in. In his first three seasons with the program, Rasanen helped guide the Pios to podium finishes at the national championships. Denver's 2023 alpine squad led the country in points acquired at the national championships and had a pair of podium finishers in Rask and Nora Brand.
Richards is now a four-time Summit League Women's Golf Coach of the Year after guiding the Pios to their fourth-straight Summit League Championship in April. In Richards' four seasons with the Pios, Denver has also claimed the individual conference championship in all four years, including back-to-back Summit League titles for Clara Gestsdottir, who completed her title defense in 2025. In her first three years as the Pioneers head coach, Richards coached Anna Zanusso to back-to-back-to-back Summit League Golfer of the Year awards, and a position in the ANNIKA development program at Old Barnwell after graduation. Richards and the Pioneers have produced some of its best golf in NCAA Regional play during her four years, taking seventh in 2023, the program's best finish at a regional since winning the NCAA East Regional in 2009. The Pioneers followed that up with a sixth-place finish at regionals, one spot outside the cut line for the 2024 NCAA Championships.
Eberly wrapped up his fourth season as the head coach and his 11th on the Denver coaching staff in 2025, guiding the Pioneers to their sixth-straight Summit League regular season title and back-to-back Summit League Tournament crowns. He coached Raffaello Papajcik and Daniel Sancho Arbizu, who squared off against each other in the ITA Mountain Regional singles championships, and on to the NCAA National Singles Championship. Papajcik became the first DU men's singles player to win an NCAA singles match at the national championships. In 2024, the ITA Mountain Region Coach of the Year guided the Pioneers to a 23-0 record through the Summit League Tournament, the first men's program in the country to enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated since 2013. Eberly and the Pioneers achieved the program's highest ranking in 14 years in that 2024 season, ranking as high as 28th in the computer rankings. Eberly is 8-8 against the Power 4 in his four seasons in charge, earning as many wins against the premiere conferences as the program's previous seven seasons combine.
Perkins will begin her sixth season in charge of the program this fall, having guided the Pioneers to top-five finishes in each of the program's four previous appearances at the Collegiate National Championships. In 2023, Denver tied for third (fourth overall due to lost tiebreak) at the national championships, and were led by then-freshman Maira Carreau, who claimed the program's first-ever individual national title and the 128th such championship in Denver Athletics history. As a team, the Pios podiumed in 2022, the first Pioneer women's program to finish in the top-3 of any sport (skiing co-ed). Following Denver's third-place finish, Perkins was named the 2022 Collegiate Triathlon Coaches' Association Division-I Coach of the Year. In her five years at the helm of the program, Perkins has coached student-athletes to 26 individual podium finishes, 11 All-American awards and 28 Academic All-American honors. As a program, the Pioneers have won the team event four times.
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