Oct. 22 declared National Pioneer Athletics Day
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock declared Oct. 22 to be National Pioneer Athletics Day last week as part of the DU Homecoming celebration.
The dual proclamation celebrates the Pioneers’ success during the 2010-2011 athletic seasons, which resulted in DU’s fourth consecutive Learfield Sports I-AAA Director’s Cup. This award is given annually to the highest achieving non-football athletics program in NCAA Division I.
The Pioneer hockey program will host Minnesota State both Friday and Saturday night in their first two WCHA games of the season. There will be a tailgate event before Friday’s matchup, with play beginning at 7:37 p.m.
Saturday night, the festivities will include the unveiling of a new Director’s Cup banner and a ceremonial puck drop prior to the game at 7:07 p.m. There will also be a family-friendly fall festival and parade Saturday.
For the 2010-2011 academic year, DU finished No. 54 among all Division I schools with 384.5 points. The Pioneers were the highest-ranked Sun Belt Conference and Front Range program for the fourth-straight season.
Johnson, Vaughn win
SBC honors
Junior volleyball player Lyndi Johnson and junior soccer player Kalie Vaughn each received Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honors last Tuesday.
Johnson, the libero for the Pioneer volleyball team, was named the Sun Belt Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week by the conference’s head coaches. Johnson shared the honor with Louisiana-Monroe’s Marcela Urbina.
In two road matches on Oct. 7 and 8, Johnson tallied 33 digs in seven sets, with a 4.71 digs-per-set average. So far this season, Johnson leads the Pioneers in digs, with 324. She has also contributed 44 assists and 13 service aces.
Vaughn, a midfielder for the Pioneers, was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Women’s Soccer Player of the Week after scoring two goals in each of the teams games over the previous weekend.
Vaughn is tied for 4th in the SBC in points (19), tied for 5th in goals (7) and tied for 6th in assists (5). So far this season, the Pioneers have recorded a 6-0 Sun Belt Conference record for the second consecutive season.
Vaughn has scored eight goals so far this season, putting 18 of 27 shots on goal.
Pioneers release 2012
lacrosse schedule
The DU lacrosse team announced its 2012 schedule last week, including nonconfernece matchups against Duke, Harvard and North Carolina.
Last season the Pioneers competed in the NCAA Final Four and claimed the title of Eastern College Athletic Conference champions.
DU has also scheduled exhibition matches against Ivy League powerhouse Harvard, the U.S. National Team and contender North Carolina.
