Castro qualifies for 2012 Olympics
Sophomore gymnast Simona Castro made history on Jan. 11, her 23rd birthday, as she became the first Chilean woman to qualify for a gymnastics spot in the Olympic games.
Castro finished 55th in the All-Around, posting a 13.600 on vault, an 11.466 on bars, a 12.566 on beam and a 12.700 on floor, for a score of 50.332, to put her into the XXX Olympiad.
“We are thrilled that Simona has earned the privilege of representing her country, her family and the University of Denver,” said head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart. “She is getting the ability to fulfill a lifelong dream.”
Jessica Lopez, a 2009 graduate of DU, also qualified for the All-Around event this summer after finishing 22nd in the qualifying round.
Castro and Lopez are the only two Olympic gymnasts in DU history. The 2012 games will take place this summer in London.
Pioneers name new volleyball coach
Jesse Mahoney, former Colorado State volleyball associate head coach, has been added to the Denver roster as the new Pioneer volleyball head coach, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation and Ritchie Center Operations Peg Bradley-Doppes announced Thursday.
Mahoney will be the sixth head volleyball coach in the program’s history, following Beth Kuwata, who resigned at the end of November. During his seven seasons at Colorado State, Mahoney helped the Rams to a 188-55 (.744) record, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and five Mountain West Conference championships.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jesse into the Pioneer family,” said Bradley-Doppes. “Jesse is a well-known, respected coach at the regional and national levels. He is a teacher of the game and is a very articulate coach. Jesse has a strong understanding of the student-athlete and the expectations here at the University of Denver. He has the competitive drive and passion to take our volleyball program to the next level.”
Swim and dive team collects SBC honors
Senior swimmer Tyler Pennington and freshman diver Ross Edfort swept the Sun Belt Conference’s Swimmer and Diver of the Week awards after their performances against Florida Atlantic and Cincinnati last week.
This was Edfort’s fourth SBC honor during his freshman season. It was Pennington’s first award as a Pioneer.
“We had high expectations for Ross entering this season,” said head dive coach Aaron D’Addario. “He came into this season committed to the program and has put the work in to improve week-in and week-out.”
At FAU, Pennington and Edfort each set new personal best records in the 1000 Freestyle and 3-M event, respectively. Edfort swept the dive boards and Pennington placed first in both the 1000 Freestyle and the 200 Butterfly.
“It’s really great to see Tyler get this recognition,” said head swim coach Brian Schrader. “He has been a great leader for our program, and to watch him have a great start to his senior year has been a lot of fun. He has set up a great last year.”
Men’s hoops to air on ESPN
The DU-Middle Tennessee men’s basketball game on Feb. 4 will be aired on ESPN or ESPN2 after the network announced it was chosen as ESPN’s Sun Belt Conference Wildcard game last week.
The game, originally scheduled for 4 p.m., has been moved to 2 p.m. This will be the first men’s basketball game to be broadcast by ESPN from Magness Arena.
“This is a nice opportunity for our team and the University of Denver to get national exposure,” said head coach Joe Scott. “Both our team and Middle Tennessee have been playing well this year, and it should be an exciting game. We look forward to welcoming ESPN to Magness Arena.”
So far this season, the Pioneers are 14-4 overall and 4-1 in the SBC, the team’s best start in program history.
Men’s lacrosse players selected in 2012 MLL draft
University of Denver men’s lacrosse seniors Mark Matthews and Alex Demopoulos were selected in Friday night’s Major League Lacrosse Draft.
Matthews was selected by the Denver Outlaws, while Demopoulos was picked by the MLL’s expansion franchise Ohio Machine.
Matthews, originally from Oshawa, Ontario, will remain in the same city where he established himself throughout his collegiate career, as the Outlaws selected him with the fourth overall pick. During the 2011 season, Matthews was named the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and selected to the All-ECAC First Team.
The Canadian-native also holds the DU record for points (152) and game-winning goals (5) in a career.
Demopoulos, originally from Canton, Conn., was chosen as the 24th overall selection by the Ohio Machine. He returns for his final season with the Pioneers after earning All-ECAC Second Team honors and ranking 23rd in the nation in points per game (3.22) and assists (28) last season.
“I’m really happy they both have the opportunity to continue their lacrosse careers as professional athletes,” said head coach Bill Tierney.
“For Mark to be able to stay in Denver, where he has developed a reputation as a great player, and for Alex to have a chance to have a positive effect on an expansion franchise is very exciting. They both know, however, that they have a unique opportunity to help lead the DU Pioneers to an epic conclusion of their collegiate careers.”
This is the second consecutive draft where the Pioneers have been represented, as Todd Baxter was chosen in the sixth round of the 2011 MLL Draft to the Minnesota Swarm.
