Athletics at the University of Denver had yet another successful year. Highlighted by hockey’s national championship, gymnastics and women’s lacrosse making runs into the NCAA tournament and the men’s basketball team making noise, these teams demonstrated why DU takes such pride in their sports.
But despite their success, every team is still in search of one of the most prestigious accolades out there: The Denver Clarion Sports Awards. Explanations are written by bolded names.
Athlete of the Year
Male:
Anna, Ella, Nick — Johnny Hicks, men’s hockey
A deserving unanimous selection. Hicks brought the Crimson and Gold from a struggling season to the national championship. He broke the record for the highest save percentage in a collegiate hockey season and remained undefeated in every game he started. During the Frozen Four, his dominance continued, earning him the Frozen Four Player of the Tournament award. This was one of his many accolades for this season. Hicks is only a freshman, meaning he’ll be back and looking for more. He has yet to sign with an NHL team, so there is still a lot to prove for the young goalie. For now, fans will have to wait and see if his first loss with Denver will ever come.
Female:
Ella, Nick — Olivia Ripple, women’s lacrosse
Olivia Ripple was the engine behind one of the most successful seasons in Denver women’s lacrosse history. The junior midfielder dominated all season long, finishing with 73 goals, 88 points, a career-high scoring total and an incredible 52.1% shooting percentage while consistently delivering in big moments. Ripple also led DU with six game winning goals, proving time and time again that the ball belonged in her stick when Denver needed her most. Whether it was finishing in transitions or stepping up in big moments, Ripple’s impact was impossible to ignore.
Anna — Cecilia Cooley, women’s gymnastics
Cecilia Cooley was the heartbeat of Denver gymnastics in her senior season, delivering clutch performances when the team needed them most. She was selected for the Big 12 preseason team for bars and floor and lived up to that billing all season long. Her most memorable moment came in the opening meet against Stanford when she slipped off the bars midway through the routine, regrouped and then closed the meet with a 9.975 floor routine to seal the win.
Among other highlights, she earned a 9.925 on bars against Utah on senior day and capped her career at NCAA Regionals with back-to-back 9.800s after a fall on beam. Cooley’s composure, resilience and the ability to deliver on the biggest stages are why I’m nominating her for female athlete of the year. And it’s not over, yet. Cooley will use her fifth year of eligibility to join the Tar Heels while beginning her masters degree at the University of North Carolina.
Newcomer of the Year
Male:
Anna, Nick — Johnny Hicks, men’s hockey
For us, this isn’t much of a debate. He’s our unanimous pick for Male Athlete of the Year and he’s a newcomer. In fact, Hicks came into the season as a third string before his meteoric rise once he got the start. He broke the single season save percentage record and went undefeated while doing it earning him a plethora of awards, most recently the Bill Masterton MVP Award within the DU hockey program.
Ella — Carson Johnson, men’s basketball
After beginning his collegiate career at Minnesota State University Moorhead, Carson Johnson made an immediate impact in his first season with the Denver men’s basketball team. The sophomore guard started all 32 games while averaging 20.1 points per game, finishing with 642 points, the second most in Denver’s modern Division I history for a single season. Johnson scored double digits in 30 games, including the final 20 games of the season. Additionally, he recorded three 30 point games tying for the second most in a single season in program history. Johnson’s instant impact and ability to take over games made Johnson one of the top newcomers in the Summit League and earned him Summit League Player of the Year.
Female:
Ella, Anna, Nick — Shyla Bhatia, women’s gymnastics
Emblematic of the Denver gymnastics team’s consistency, Shyla Bhatia hit all 42 of her vaults this season. She was named the Big 12 newcomer of the year and was the only member of the team to qualify for the NCAA individual tournament. But she doesn’t just bring a huge talent to the vault. Her scores across all events gave Denver a boost this year and will surely be a key factor next season as they hunt for a Big 12 title.
Team of the Year
Nick — Hockey
They won their 11th national championship with impressive performances over Michigan and Wisconsin consecutively. This came in a season that started with DU hockey not looking like themselves. But through Hicks’ magic touch and success being seemingly inevitable for Head Coach David Carle and the Crimson and Gold, they found their way back to the Frozen Four. With plenty of youth on the roster and their recruiting pull stronger than ever, Denver will be favorites to win another championship next year.
Ella, Anna — Gymnastics
Everyone talks about hockey, but this year, Denver women’s gymnastics put together one of the most consistent seasons in program history. The Crimson and Gold avoided counting a single fall in 12 of their 13 meets and set a program record by going 127 consecutive meets without a fall on vault. The team’s steady success under Head Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart was a testament to strong leadership from seniors Cecilia Cooley, Kiley Rorich and Mila Brusch as well as the quick emergence of rookies like Shyla Bhatia, who won Big 12 Newcomer of the year. At NCAA Regionals, Denver posted a 49.300 on floor, their 10th score of 49.300 or higher this season, with every routine securing at least a 9.800. This was a team that never flinched, and that alone makes them deserving of this honor.
Individual Performance of the Year
Anna, Nick — Carson Johnson @ North Dakota
If it wasn’t for a spectacular hockey season, you would be hearing a lot more about Carson Johnson. Johnson had quite a few performances to choose from, but I’ve gone with a two game stretch away at North Dakota State then North Dakota. From where they stood, the Crimson and Gold had no business beating the two best teams in the Summit League, back to back and away from home. But they did, behind two 20 point games from Johnson as well as nine assists for the weekend. While they couldn’t make it happen in the playoffs, these games give fans a lot of hope for DU men’s basketball next year.
Ella — Kent Anderson @ Las Vegas
On the biggest stage of the season, Kent Anderson delivered one of the most unforgettable moments in recent Denver hockey history. In a Frozen Four semifinal matchup against Michigan in Las Vegas, Anderson buried the double-overtime game winner to send Denver to the national championship game and keep their title hopes alive. The senior captain’s goal capped off a legendary matchup between two powerhouse programs and etched his name into Denver hockey history. With the season on the line and pressure at its highest, Anderson delivered a defining play and helped lead the Crimson and Gold to their eleventh national championship.
Game of the Year
Anna, Nick — Hockey vs. Michigan
I, for one, was on the edge of my seat in Las Vegas. With Wisconsin pulling off the upset against North Dakota just beforehand, there was something in the air when Denver took the ice against Michigan. This game had it all. Despite it being a seven goal game, both goalies came up huge to keep their teams in it. Ultimately, Johnny Hicks and Denver found the edge. A storybook game winner by senior captain Kent Anderson sent tournament favorites Michigan home packing and Denver well on their way to their 11th national championship. An instant classic in the Frozen Four.
Ella — Womens LAX vs. Georgetown – Big East Champions
The Denver women’s lacrosse team delivered one of the program’s most dominant performances of the season in a commanding 12-4 win over Georgetown to capture a sixth consecutive Big East Tournament title. From the opening draw, Denver controlled the game with relentless defense, forcing turnovers and controlling possession early. Caroline Keil led the attack with five goals and two assists, while Lexi Gwaku anchored the defense with a career high of 13 saves in one of the best performances by a DU goalie in a conference championship game. In a matchup with everything on the line, Denver dominated from start to finish and proved once again why they remain the team to beat in the Big East.
Club Team of the Year
Nick — Men’s Ultimate Frisbee
Yes, men’s rugby made a run to the NCR D-III championship. And sure, women’s lacrosse even took home the trophy at their national championship. Men’s ultimate frisbee? Well, they didn’t make it to the national tournament (you heard me, there is a national college ultimate frisbee tournament, at both the D-I and D-III level). So I know what you’re thinking, Sourdough (that’s their team name) has no business taking home this pick. And that’s where you’re wrong. I’m going to put their wins and losses aside for a moment. First, they dominated multiple on campus dance competitions. That’s a multitalented group. Then, they came to 1Day4DU and raised $16,000 with another $2,500 in prize money for being the club sport with the most unique donors at nearly 100. When you get a frisbee talent like Noam Halpern flinging a brand new, gold-plated disc towards a chippy go-getter like Owen Lewis, the sky is the limit for this team.
Ella — Women’s Club Lacrosse
The Denver Women’s Club Lacrosse capped off a dominant season in Naples, Fla., with a 12-8 win over Tampa to secure the WCLA Division II national championship — the program’s third national title. The Crimson and Gold finished their season 14-1 with a 10 game winning streak and continued to establish themselves as one of the premier club lacrosse programs in the country. With another national championship trophy heading back to Denver, the Crimson and Gold now head into next season with plenty of momentum and confidence.
Anna — Men’s Rugby
The DU men’s rugby club team capped off a remarkable season by reaching the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) D-III National Championship final — a first in program history. After going undefeated across four regular season tournaments in Houston, New Mexico, Wisconsin and Colorado, the team entered the national tournament in Maryland as the No. 2 seed with high expectations. They made good on those quickly, opening with a dominant 19-0 shutout of Susquehanna before defeating Duke 24-12 to reach the final four — another program first. From there, they edged Springfield 15-12 to punch their ticket to the national championship final, where they fell to Slippery Rock and finished second in the nation. Falling just one win short of a national title is never easy, but getting that far for the first time should give this program plenty of confidence heading into the next season.
