As most students are just arriving back for the winter quarter, University of Denver athletics never took a break. They have won games, made historic runs, received international recognition and even brought home a national championship.
MEN’S SOCCER
The men’s soccer team got the ball rolling shortly after Thanksgiving in the NCAA Tournament. They went in as the No. 3 seed, which was the highest in program history, and hosted their first three matchups.
In the opening game against Gardner-Webb, the Crimson and Gold won 3-0. They went on to beat No. 14 Indiana, 1-0, and UMass, 3-0, in front of a record crowd of 2,361 fans in the quarterfinal to secure their spot in the College Cup in Cary, NC.
The University of Denver played against Vermont in the semifinal matchup. Senior midfielder Sam Bassett scored a stellar goal into the top right corner to put Denver up 1-0 in the 69th minute. Redshirt junior Ian Smith provided the assist with a short pass.
Vermont equalized in the 83rd minute, sending the game to sudden-death overtime. After neither team could score, the game went to penalty kicks. Vermont was perfect from the spot while Denver missed two penalty kicks, sending Denver home, but not without their best NCAA tournament finish since 2016.
MEN’S HOCKEY
On the ice, the Denver hockey team fell from their No. 1 ranking in the polls as they took their first losses of the season over the break. First, they were swept by Arizona State at home in their first losses of the season which ended a 21-game win streak. They went on to split series at No. 7 Western Michigan and No. 10 Colorado College.
On Dec. 28, Denver played an exhibition game against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas ACHA D-1 team. They tied 6-6 in regulation and lost the shootout.
Next, they traveled to No. 7 Maine on Jan. 3, splitting yet another series. This moved their record to 15-5 and their ranking in the national polls to No. 6.
Sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium, Head Coach David Carle, Director of Operations Travis Culhane and Equipment Manager Nick Meldrum were also selected for Team USA in the World Juniors tournament in Ottawa, Canada. They won gold, beating Finland 4-3 in the final. Buium scored two goals and registered four assists throughout the tournament. It was the second straight gold medal at World Juniors for both Buium and Carle. This victory marks Carle’s final season as the Head Coach of the World Juniors team.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Denver men’s basketball went 3-9 over break, moving their overall record to 6-13. They beat Sacramento State on Dec. 4 and Portland State on Dec. 7 in the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge.
Later, the Crimson and Gold started Summit League play on Jan. 4 at South Dakota State, losing 91-70. They went on to lose three more Summit League games to South Dakota, North Dakota and North Dakota State.
Junior guard Nicholas Shogbonyo leads the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game. He also leads the team in minutes and has started every game.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Denver women’s basketball won seven games over winter break, moving their record to 7-10, but they also lost their first four Summit League games. Junior guard Jordan Jones is on fire, leading the team with 20.8 points per game.
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
The No. 11 ranked University of Denver gymnastics team opened their season on January 5, hosting No. 13 Michigan in front of a record-setting home crowd of 5,071 at Magness Arena. They won the meet 195.700-194.975.
Sophomore Madison Ulrich won the all-around title with a total score of 39.350. Junior Cecilia Cooley won first place on the floor with a 9.875 after missing all of last season with an injury.
CLUB CYCLING
Sophomore Elsa Westenfelder won the Crimson and Gold’s first club cycling national championship since 2014 at the Cyclocross National Championships in Bentonville, Ark.
This was the product of a huge turnaround from the club cycling program at the University of Denver, as last year the club had just two members. Now, led by sophomore Carter Sheley and Junior Tyler Gale, the club has almost 30 members, traveling all around the state for races.
With the success of all programs over winter break, University of Denver athletics looks promising for 2025.
