11/5/2026 1:45:00 PM | Athletics
In the ever-changing world of college athletics, Denver continues to find success with Colorado recruits
DENVER – Denver's Home for College Sports has over 65 student-athletes on its 2026-27 rosters from the state of Colorado. Denver's men's lacrosse program leads the way with 15 student-athletes from the Centennial State, while both soccer programs feature 11 student-athletes from Colorado. Those three programs are no strangers to attracting some of the top talent from their backyard. In Denver's modern DI era (since 1998-99), all three programs have rostered exactly 111 Colorado high school student-athletes in the last 25-plus years.
Of note, a pair of soccer freshmen were Colorado Gatorade Players of the Year last year in Reese Morgan (Loveland) and Ethan Orchard (Arvada). Another rarity in college athletics, senior Liv Moritz (Vail) is a two-sport athlete in skiing and women's soccer. Three-time CHSAA girl's tennis state singles champion, Caroline Daugherty (Castle Pines) is a current first year student athlete for the Pioneers.
Below is a breakdown of some of the key Colorado student-athletes having impacts on Denver's programs.
Men's Soccer:
Heading into Friday's Senior Night at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium, DU's 11 student-athletes include six that have played significant minutes this season. Grant Lund (Erie) captained the team this year, and a pair of Colorado freshmen in Alex Hohl (Castle Pines) and Orchard have both regularly started for Jamie Franks' squad.
Colorado products and seniors David Biggers (Fort Collins) and Collin Keller (Denver) will both be recognized postgame on Friday (BUY TICKETS).
Women's Soccer:
The Pioneers 11 women's soccer student-athletes include 10 that saw action this season, and seven that have started games. Captain Samantha Dreiling (Centennial) is a rarity in the college landscape, giving six years to the program heading into her collegiate finale on Saturday at Seattle. The team also has a pair of Colorado goalkeepers that both started matches this year as Lucy Garnsey (Denver) and Jaidin Kinch (Castle Rock) have each seen significant time.
Senior Kera Nguyen (Highlands Ranch) is coming off the first multi-goal game of her career on Saturday and is leading the team in goals this season with five.
Men's Lacrosse:
Denver's 15 student-athletes on the 2027 roster include 2026 starters Blake Kirschke (Lone Tree) and Gordon Reynolds (Denver). The Pioneers have three freshmen on this year's roster from the state. Mason Ham (Centennial), Blake Ham (Centennial) and Ashton Hutter (Littleton) all won a pair of state championships together at Valor, and all earned all-state honors during their prep careers. Beyond the hometown connection, Hutter's father was a skiing student-athlete at DU as well.Â
Hockey:
Oh Captain, My Captain: Denver hockey senior captain Kieran Cebrian (Denver) entered the campaign with over 120 games played for the Crimson and Gold, helping lead the Pioneers to national championships in 2024 and 2026. Cebrian landed on the 2026 NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team in Loveland last spring. Cebrian is a homegrown talent from the Washington Park neighborhood that started with skating as a Junior Pioneer, went to Kent Denver and played locally for the Colorado Thunderbirds.Â
Gymnastics:
Denver has three student-athletes from Colorado on its 2027 roster, including Addie Hewitt (Denver) who was a mainstay in Denver's vault lineup a year ago. Lily Caranci (Erie) is the reigning USAG DP Nationals Level 10 beam co-champion, and Delilah Zepeda-Orth (Aurora) took fourth in the event.Â
Skiing:
Including the multi-sport athlete and skiing All-American Liv Moritz, who is a three-time DU Athletics Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award winner, seven Pioneers are from the state of Colorado. Claire Chimileski (Vail), Solveig Moritz (Vail), Adrian Beauregard (Steamboat Springs) and Carson Hume (Frisco) are all newcomers on the 2027 roster. Â
Women's Tennis:
A pair of Denver women's tennis student-athletes are tied to the state. Junior Remy Nguyen (Parker) graduated early from high school to enroll at Denver in the winter 2025 and trained at the Denver Tennis Park as a high school student-athlete. Freshman Caroline Daugherty (Castle Pines), as mentioned earlier, former three-time CHSAA state champion, defeated her now teammate Nguyen for the title in 2024.
Swimming and Diving:
Denver men's swimming and diving includes three Colorado student-athletes this year, including Pierce Bickerton (Fort Collins) who earned All-Summit League honors last season in the 200 free, 500 free and 800 free relay. This season, Bickerton ranks fifth among mid-major swimmers in the 200 free and 80th overall nationally in the event.
The Pioneers' women's swimming and diving program includes six Colorado student-athletes, including four All-Summit League honorees. Sabrina Rachjaibun (Broomfield) was named the 2026 Summit League Women's Swimming Championship MVP. Sophomore Samantha Synsvoll (Colorado Springs) earned four All-Summit League event honors last season, and she was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Women's Swimmer of the Week last week.
Women's Basketball:
Head coach Erik Johnson, who began his second stint as the Denver women's basketball program's head coach on Monday, prioritized having success recruiting in his backyard in his first stint. Johnson inherited two student-athletes from Colorado on this year's roster in Brooke Murrell (Aurora) and Tori Baker (Highlands Ranch), both of whom started the opener on Monday, and were two of the top three leading scorers for the Pioneers.
Women's Golf:
A pair of Coloradans in Logan Hale (Erie) and Kaitlin Zingler (Lakewood) played key roles in the Pioneers' fall slate. Hale's fall was highlighted by three top-25 finishes, including medalist honors at the Ron Moore Invitational at the University of Denver Golf Club at Highlands Ranch. Zingler was in the lineup for all four fall tournaments, highlighted by her third-round one-under 71 at Red Sky in Wolcott, Colorado.
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