Students, families and alumni gathered at DU on Saturday to celebrate University of Denver Pioneer Athletics Day after a joint proclamation from Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock earlier this month.
“The mayor and the governor have taken a moment to recognize in a very significant way the outstanding athletic and academic accomplishments of the Pioneer program,” said Peg Bradley-Doppes, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation and Richie Center Operations at DU. “It’s really special because it highlights DU as a great place with great people.”
The proclamation was made to celebrate DU’s fourth consecutive Learfield Sports I-AAA Directors’ Cup, which is awarded annually to the highest achieving non-football athletics program in NCAA Division I.
“We’re very proud of our DU student-athletes,” said University of Denver Chancellor Robert Coombe. “They had another great year [last year], capturing their fourth-straight Directors’ Cup, while maintaining their tremendous academic performance. In many ways, our programs are emblematic of the best in collegiate athletics: great student athletes, high integrity and top levels of competition. It’s a great time to be a Pioneer.”
As part of the weekend’s Homecoming celebration, the Pioneers took on Minnesota State in back-to-back hockey games Friday and Saturday, defeating them with scores of 4-2 and 10-2, respectively.
The Undergraduate Student Government hosted a Pioneer Pregame and DUGS provided free food to the fans. Saturday, students and families were invited to a fall festival and a DU parade.
“Athletics can be a unifier,” said Bradley-Doppes. “Everything we do is for academics, but athletics are just another reason people want to come back and visit. “
In addition to the normal Homecoming festivities, several activities were added to commemorate Pioneer Athletics Day. Before Saturday’s hockey game, the new Directors’ Cup banner was unveiled at the Ritchie Center. Former Chancellor Daniel L. Ritchie and Chancellor Coombe also participated in a ceremonial puck drop to begin the game.
Adding to the honor of receiving the Directors’ Cup, the Pioneers finished 54th among all Division I schools for the 2010-2011 athletic season. For the fourth year in a row, DU finished first in the Sun Belt Conference and on the Front Range.
“I think [the Pioneers’ success] is a combination of the vision of former Chancellor Daniel L. Ritchie and the vision of Chancellor Coombe to help retain the best student athletes and the best staff to create a program that is envied across the country,” said Bradley-Doppes. “It’s great that we’ve been able to do it without compromising athletics. We do it the right way.”
Bradley-Doppes expects the tradition of Pioneer Athletics Day to carry on.
“We have to continue to have the national prominence that we do today,” said Bradley-Doppes. “I’m hoping this is the first [Pioneer Athletics Day] of many.”
Bradley-Doppes also thinks that next year’s conference migration will be beneficial to the Pioneers and their future levels of success, as 10 of its athletic programs leave the Sun Belt Conference for the Western Athletic Conference.
“We’re making the transition to the WAC, and these teams are right in our backyard,” said Bradley-Doppes. “We’ll be able to reduce missed class time, and we know these teams. Hockey is also changing to the WCHA. I think the competition will get stiffer, but we’re up for the challenge.”
