Last year, the Clarion published a list of athletics awards, recognizing the best of what Denver’s Division I athletics programs accomplished. With all teams being able to complete a full season this year after many of last season’s sports were cut short, it is that time again to highlight DU’s student athletes and their coaches. 

Best Male Athlete: Ethan Walker, men’s lacrosse

Walker, who was in his fifth year with the team as a graduate student, led the team in goals with 39 and was second in points with 60. He was third on the team in assists and secured 7 hat tricks throughout the season. In the Big East semifinal against Providence, Walker scored a season-best 7 points out of the team’s 14. His absence will be strongly felt next season as he joins the Waterdogs of the Premier Lacrosse League.

Honorable Mention: Cole Guttman, hockey

Best Female Athlete: Lynnzee Brown, gymnastics

This one is a no-brainer. Just reading through the list of Brown’s awards and achievements in the past year alone is a tall endeavor. For starters, she claimed the all-time school record for highest all-around score back in March with a 39.825. She achieved her career high in every event this year, including a perfect 10.0 on bars and beams, the latter of which she did twice. A few of Brown’s other season highlights include being named the Big 12 co-gymnast of the year, All-Big 12 Championship Team and Academic All-Big 12 Team (first team).

Brown represented DU at the NCAA Nationals in April, where she finished in the top 10 in three different events. In total, she has now placed in the top 15 at NCAA Nationals seven times in her three career appearances. Though Brown is graduating with her degree in June, DU is lucky that she opted to return for 2022 after the NCAA decided to grant student athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic.

Honorable Mentions: Anna Riedmiller, women’s tennis; Bea Behrins, women’s lacrosse

Best Coach: Lindsay Kuhle, women’s golf

DU’s golf teams may be the school’s most underrated programs, as both the men and women have seen consistent success in the past several years. Kuhle was recently named the women’s golf Summit League Coach of the Year for the seventh time in her eight years with the league. She led the team to tenth place in the NCAA championship qualifiers, which was their eighth consecutive appearance. Kuhle is known for directing a strong academic program as well. Last year, they finished with a 3.85 GPA, the highest in team history.

Honorable Mention: Liza Kelly, women’s lacrosse

Newcomer of the Year: Carter Savoie, hockey

Though this year’s hockey season was not what fans were hoping for, the team had a strong class of first-year players, with Savoie on top. He became the first freshman to score in the first five games of his college career and the first player since 2004-05 to score in the first five games of any season. Savoie was named NCAA rookie of the month in January, and he was a unanimous selection to the NCHC All-Rookie Team. He had the second-most points of anyone on the team this season, coming only after junior forward Cole Guttman (Los Angeles, Calif.). He was the only player to reach double digits for number of points scored with 13. 

Honorable Mention: Mike Benning, hockey

Best team overall: Women’s lacrosse

Though the team fell hard to Northwestern in the second round of the NCAA tournament, it was only their second loss of the season and they put up a number of impressive victories against some of the country’s top programs. The Crimson and Gold won their first Big East tournament title against the University of Connecticut on May 8. The team had several individual players earn national recognition throughout the year. The loss of the team’s strong senior class will be noticed as they aim to return to the national tournament next year.

Honorable Mention: Gymnastics