Denver Athletics has had yet another all-around successful school year; hockey made another tournament run, men’s soccer found its way to the College Cup, gymnastics made some noise in the NCAA Tournament and individual athletes made names for themselves across the board. However, now these teams have a chance to win some of the greatest accolades in college sports: The Denver Clarion Sports Awards. All explanations are written by the bolded names.
Athlete of the Year:
Male
Nick, Riley — Sam Bassett, men’s soccer
Bassett was, without a doubt, the most valuable player for men’s soccer this year. He led them in both goals and assists on their way to NCAA College-Cup, coming up just short of the final when they lost in penalties to Vermont. He scored their opening goal with a phenomenal strike. The Colorado local then signed with the Colorado Rapids where he has played three games in the MLS.
Christian — Zeev Buium, men’s hockey
Buium played a pivotal role this season; the sophomore defenseman was third in scoring this season with 13 goals and 35 assists for 48 points. He also led the entirety of college hockey in assists and points by a defenseman. Buium was a top-three finalist for the Hobey Baker award, which is given to the best player in all of college hockey. He’s the first defenseman finalist since 2020.
Female
Riley, Nick, Christian — Sara Rask, skiing
Sara Rask had an unbelievable season on the slopes. Rask was undefeated in the slalom race, winning all seven races she participated in. She finished 10 of 13 races on the podium and was a First Team All-American for the first time in her career. But, most importantly, she brought home two individual national championship titles in the slalom and giant slalom races— the first DU skier to do it since Amelia Smart in 2018.
Newcomer of the year:
Male
Nick — Sebastian Akins, men’s basketball
Despite another disappointing season for men’s basketball, Akins was a standout. He broke the Denver freshman scoring record and won the Summit League freshman of the year. He averaged 12.7 points per game with a high of 27 points against North Dakota State. Akins entered the transfer portal after the end of the season and has yet to commit to his next school.
Riley — Samuel Rovai, men’s tennis
It was another solid season for the men’s tennis team, and Samuel Rovai was a big reason why. He had the best overall record as a freshman, 23-10, and individually had the second most wins on the squad. He played in the number three and four matches all season and will likely move up to the number two slot next season.
Christian — Eric Pohlkamp, men’s hockey
Pohlkamp was a Staple for Denver Hockey’s defense this season. Though a sophomore. The Bemidji State transfer was a standout player all season. He posted 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points in 44 games. The offensive defenseman played a huge role as the season went on and scored the pivotal first goal in the Manchester regional championship game.
Female
Nick — Megan Murray, women’s soccer
Murray played a big role in a good season for women’s soccer, with the team going 11-6-2. She played all 19 games, scoring four goals and tallying five assists. This placed her third on the team in total goal contributions. Murray scored game-winning goals against both Texas A&M and Lamar.
Riley, Christian — Caroline Bowers, women’s lacrosse
Bowers was the best freshman on the women’s lacrosse squad this season and was a solid part of Liza Kelly’s offense. Bowers finished fifth on the team in goals with 22 and picked up two hat tricks against Maryland and Arizona State. Bowers will likely be a key piece of the women’s lacrosse attack next season as she enters her second year at DU.
Team of the year:
Nick, Riley — Men’s soccer
Men’s soccer went 12-2-4 in the regular season to earn the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the program’s highest ever. They went on to make their second-ever appearance in the College Cup, falling just short of the final with a 4-3 loss in a penalty shootout against Vermont who went on to win the championship. Denver conceded just one goal in the tournament.
Christian — Men’s Hockey
Denver hockey dominated all season long, posting a 31-12-1 record. The team set a school record, winning 13 straight games to start the season. They also made their third Frozen Four appearance in the last four seasons. They fell in the Frozen Four semi-final game to Western Michigan in double overtime. The resilience of the team showed all season long, and they continued their dominance all the way till the final few games of the college hockey season.
Best individual performance:
Riley, Nick — Olivia Ripple, 10 goals vs Marquette (April 2)
This is a hard individual performance to top. Olivia Ripple had one of the greatest games in women’s lacrosse program history and recorded 10 goals in DU’s 23-10 win over Marquette— a new program record. She also tied the fourth-best single-game goal record in NCAA history during the April 2 win. Ripple is going to be the force on DU’s offense next season.
Christian — Matt Davis, Frozen Four vs. Western Michigan
The man who won the Frozen Four last season just about stole the Frozen Four semi-final game. Davis kept Denver in the game all night long, making 44 saves on 47 shots and crucial save after crucial save that kept Denver in the game they struggled for a large part of the game.
Best team performance:
Nick — Women’s gymnastics @ NCAA Second Round
Women’s gymnastics came into this meet unseeded and upset No. 13 Stanford while tying with No. 4 Utah to advance to the NCAA Regional Final. They posted their highest score of the year with a 197.650 and hit on all 24 of their routines. Fifth-year Rosie Casali tied for first in the beam with a score of 9.950 while sophomore Madison Ulrich finished third all-around with a score of 39.575.
Riley — Swim & Dive Summit League Championships
For the third season in a row, I am giving the best team performance to the Swim and Dive team, who once again dominated the Summit League Championships. The women won their 12th straight conference title and the men won their 11th since joining the Summit League in 2013. Both teams nearly swept the conference awards and dominated, winning 32 of the 42 events at the competition. They consistently dominate the conference and the Summit League seriously needs to reconsider renaming the coaches’ awards after Alicia Hicken-Franklin and Aaron D’Addrio.
Christian — Men’s Hockey Regionals
The college hockey regionals were a huge performance for Denver Hockey. The first game against Providence College was a dominant, 5-1 win for the team that traveled the farthest in their regional in Manchester, NH. They then played the Boston College Eagles and played a nearly perfect game to beat the number one team in the country, 3-1 and send them to the Frozen Four for the second straight year.
Club team of the year:
Nick — Club Cycling
Not only did Club Cycling grow from two members last year to 30 members this
year, but Elsa Westenfelder won a cyclocross national championship in Bentonville, Ark. Cycling completely rebuilt their program and immediately created a culture of success.
Riley, Christian — Men’s Rugby
Shout-out to the men’s rugby squad for capturing the D-III National Collegiate Rugby Championships in April and finishing fifth in the nation. The team has been on the rise since 2023 and according to their Instagram, 14 of 15 players are returning next year, so there’s even more to be excited about for the club. Shoutout to my guy Chris Culkin!
