The Denver Pioneers are no strangers to success.
Over the summer, the DU Athletics was again awarded the 2012-2013 Director’s Cup for Division 1-AAA.  It is the fifth time in six seasons ,the Pioneers have earned this accomplishment. Compared to all other non-football Division I schools, Denver ranked as number one in terms of athletic programs.  In comparison to schools that have football programs, the Pioneers ranked as No. 55. This impressive feat was driven by DU’s eight teams, in addition to four individual athletes that made it to postseason competition.
The Director’s Cup is determined through points accumulated based on the performance of the respective school’s athletic program. Compared to all other WAC schools, the Pioneers accumulated the most amount of points by an impressive margin of 250 points.

According to Peg Bradley-Doppes, vice chancellor for athletics, “One of the significant attributes I appreciate most about the Athletics and Recreation Division is the team’s goal-oriented nature.” Bradley-Doppes went on, stating that “everyone is committed to ensuring we continue to succeed by doing things the right way. At the beginning of last year we made retaining the Directors’ Cup our highest priority and we accomplished that goal while also improving our graduation rates and overall competitiveness. I could not be more proud of our efforts.”
Reflecting a similar sentiment of the University oriented focus of the Pioneers’ Athletic Program, Head Coach of the women’s lacrosse program Liza Kelly stated that the best part of winning the Director’s Cup is “how it unites all teams together under one goal.” Kelly and the women’s lacrosse program made it to the NCAA tournament last season.  Once again, our Pioneers show why DU is such a proud and accomplished institution.