A newly-crowned NCAA victor has been named and for the first time in history, it’s the Denver Pioneers.

On May 25 in Philadelphia, Denver handled the University of Maryland Terps, defeating them 10-5 and earning the NCAA Championship men’s lacrosse title.

Soon to bring the NCAA trophy back to Denver, the team added DU’s 30th national championship title to the books. On a historic Memorial Day, Denver also became the first university located west of the Mississippi to win a men’s lacrosse national championship.

This was the seventh national championship win for Denver head coach Bill Tierney, but his first with the Pioneers.

The Pioneers dominated the matchup, with senior Wesley Berg (Coquitlam, British Columbia) scoring five goals and earning the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. Berg ended his time as a Pioneer on a high note, recording a school record of 58 goals this season.

Berg was also named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, along with sophomore Zach Miller (Steamburg, New York), freshman Trevor Baptiste (Denville, New Jersey), senior Mike Riis (Carlsbad, California) and senior Ryan LaPlante (Fort Collins, Colorado).

LaPlante kept the Terps at bay, recording 13 saves. His performance against the University of Notre Dame in the semi-final game on May 23 was pivotal for Denver making their first-ever NCAA Finals appearance.

Both offensive and defensive lines led Denver to victory. Defensively, the Pioneers frustrated Maryland, while on the opposite end of the field, the Terps could not stop Denver’s variety of shooters. Baptiste was also dominant on the face-off, giving the Pioneers an out-of-the-gate advantage.

Ranked No. 1 in the preseason this year, Denver was able to live up to its expectations. After a monumental day for DU and Pioneer lacrosse, this well-earned title will hopefully pave the way for additional NCAA victories in the future.