Champions on the Ice & Champions in the Classroom
Tyler Bozak
As the 2008-2009 Pioneer Hockey Team takes to the ice for its first face-off of the season in October, their No. 3 pre-season ranking resembles the Pioneers’ top finish in last year’s Western Hockey Association.
DU hockey has, among its storied history, 7 NCAA championships, 12 WCHA regular-season championships, 33 All Americans, and five WCHA Student-Athletes of the Year.
Like our hockey players, Pioneer student athletes in all of our 17 sports excel on the field of competition and also in the classroom.
Here’s a rundown of last year’s Pioneer Athletics accomplishments:
- DU won its first Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association All-Sports trophy.
- Our athletes earned their eighth consecutive Sun Belt Conference Academic Award Trophy.
Sports Illustrated also named DU’s athletic department 23rd best in the country. - Our student athlete GPA was 3.29 and our graduation rate was over 80 percent
- DU finished 47th in the U.S. Sports Academy’s Directors Cup rankings.
The DU Ski Team won the 2008 NCAA National Championship for the 19th time in school history. - The Pioneers hockey team won their 15th Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship.
- Five more teams won conference titles including women’s golf, men’s golf, women’s soccer and men’s lacrosse.
- John Buchar took individual national championships in two skiing events—slalom and giant slalom.
- Eight coaches were recognized as conference coach of the year for 2007-2008.
- 12 teams qualified for berths in NCAA post-season tournaments, including men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s lacrosse, women’s gymnastics, hockey, swimming, diving and skiing.
- Peg Bradley-Doppes was named NACDA Astroturf AD of the Year.
Published on Oct. 14, 2008