A defense of the conference title from the women’s golf squad and wins for both lacrosse teams in their final contest of the season.
Here’s what happened last week in University of Denver athletics.
Women’s Golf
The women’s golf squad was competing in the Summit League Championships this past week and defended their conference title for their fourth straight season. The team broke several records in the tournament and has established itself as the top program in the entire Summit League. The team scored an 852 total team score which shattered their previous record from last year by 19 strokes. Individually, senior Anna Krekling (Lommedalen, Norway) took home first place in the tournament alongside MVP honors. Krekling recorded a 9 over-par score, which is also a new record for the Summit League Championships. Senior Anna Zanusso (Castelfranco Veneto, Italy) had an outstanding final round and rose 10 spots to secure a podium finish. After earning an auto bid into the NCAA Championships, the team has been placed in the San Antonio Regionals and will compete against 11 other teams on May 8-10 to earn a place in the NCAA Championships. If the team places in the top five they will advance to the championships in Arizona on May 19-24.
Men’s Golf
The men’s golf squad will be competing in their respective Summit League Championships this week. They will be in Lincoln, Nebraska at the Wilderness Ridge Golf Club looking to defend their conference title, with round one action already starting on April 30. After two rounds, Denver has a wide seven-stroke lead over Kansas City and Oral Roberts. The tournament will conclude Tuesday afternoon.
Women’s Lacrosse
It was a historic ending for the No. 3 women’s lacrosse squad as they capped their regular season with a 17-0 record in their final matchup against Marquette University. The team captured their fourth straight Big East regular season title in the 12-5 win and earned their first undefeated season in program history. Sophomore attack Lauren Black (New Westminster, B.C) recorded a hat trick in the contest, her third straight and fifth of the season. Senior defense Sam Thacker (Lutherville, Md.) was instrumental on the defensive side of the field and recorded a career-high six caused turnovers in the match. Denver did not allow a goal in the first quarter but only held a one-goal lead going into the second half. They used a solid fourth quarter to help lift them to a seven-goal victory margin and their 17th straight victory. The team looks to now add a Big East Conference tournament title to their trophy case with a matchup against Villanova University Friday afternoon in Connecticut. DU defeated the Wildcats 17-4 on April 1 in Denver. If Denver wins, they will advance to the championship match on Sunday and will play the winner of the University of Connecticut and Marquette.
Men’s Lacrosse
The men’s lacrosse team capped off their season on a five-game win streak and captured a win against Marquette Friday afternoon in overtime. Junior midfielder Stephen Avery (Nashville, Tenn.) scored the game-winner for Denver on the second possession of overtime to lift the Crimson and Gold to a 15-14 victory. Senior attack Richie Connell (Evergreen, Colo.) had his best outing of the season recording four goals in two assists, which were both team highs in the contest. Sophomore midfielder Mic Kelly (Towson, Md.) registered his first hat trick of the season and also recorded his 12th assist of the season. In a back-and-forth contest, the biggest lead of the game belonged to Denver in the fourth quarter when they went up three after a goal from Kelly, three minutes into the quarter. Marquette would respond with three goals to end the quarter with the game-tying goal coming in the last 11 seconds. The late storm would not be enough for the victory and Avery’s 25th goal of the season would lift them to their ninth win of the season. The team is now the second seed in the Big East conference tournament and will take on Villanova in the semi-finals matchup Thursday evening. DU defeated Villanova earlier this season 12-6 at home. If Denver wins, they will advance to the championship matchup and will take on the winner of Georgetown and Providence, Saturday morning.
