News & Notes From Around PioNation

Add the Denver Post's Woody Paige to the growing chorus that wants George Gwozdecky to be the next coach of the Colorado Avalanche.

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DU alum Mark Matthews of the NLL's Edmonton Rush was named Rookie of the Year of the Indoor lacrosse league.  Matthews was 5th in the league in scoring.

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Incoming University of Denver coach Jim Montgomery led the Dubuque Saints to two wins over the weekend to grab a 2-0 lead in the best of five series against the Fargo Force.

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After upsetting the University of Florida on Friday, the DU men's tennis team lost to the University of California 4-1 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

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The University of Denver women's lacrosse team also advanced to the second round of the NCAA women's Lacrosse Tournament before falling to Florida 16-5.

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DU alum Anthony Maiani, a member of the Allen Americans, won their first CHL Presidents Cup Championship, 3-2 in overtime on Saturday night.

DU Women's Lax Team Makes NCAA's For 1st Time

(above) Click on image to enlarge

The #11 ranked University of Denver Women's lacrosse team made the NCAA Tournament for the first time this season. They will face Jacksonville next Friday at 2 PM in Florida.

Big Weekend On Campus

[above] DU Rugby will play at Infinity Park on Saturday

FRIDAY

#1 DU Women's Tennis vs. #5 Idaho @ Gates Tennis Center - WAC Semi's [2 PM]

#11 DU Women's Lacrosse team vs. Oregon @ Barton Stadium DU [5 PM]

DU Students: "The BIG Event" on Driscoll Green & Sturm Hall [9 PM-2 AM]

SATURDAY

Men's Lacrosse vs. Michigan Wolverines [Noon] @ Barton Stadium

Pregame Lacrosse Tailgate starts at 9 AM, and DUGS is making pancakes

DU Men's Rugby vs. St. John's University @ Infinity Park in the FINAL FOUR of the NSCRO National Championship [3 PM]

Men's Soccer Spring Season game against Air Force [6:15 PM]

News & Notes From Around PioNation

(above) Members of the University of Denver Men's basketball team with Boone during the pre-game tailgate before the men's lacrosse game

The #1 ranked University of Denver men's lacrosse team lost to Fairfield in overtime on Saturday at Barton Stadium.  The Stags trailed 9-7 early in the fourth quarter before blanking DU the rest of the way.

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The #11 ranked DU's women's lacrosse team won their 12th & 13th consecutive games over the weekend after defeating Cal 13-10 & St. Mary's 20-9.  The Pioneers will face Oregon in the regular season finale on Friday at Barton.

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Jim Montgomery will not take over the helm as head coach of the University of Denver hockey program until Dubuque finishes its season in the USHL.  The season was extended on Saturday night when Dubuque defeated Muskegon in the first round of the USHL playoffs.

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University of Denver recruit Will Butcher has scored a goal and recorded an assist in the first two games as the USA Under-18 team is competing in the World Under-18 Championships in Russia.

News & Notes From Around PioNation

(above) Terry Frei is not impressed with DU's handling of the Coach Gwodecky firing

According to a Twitter from Andrew Weiss of Future Considerations, "In wake of Coach Gwozdecky’s departure, NTDP U18’s Gage Ausmus has decommitted from the University of Denver."

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College Hockey News reprinted an article that first appeared in LetsGoDU asking questions about the firing of University of Denver hockey coach George Gwozdecky.  The role of the Board of Trustees in this firing is critical on many levels.  Certainly far more important than the excuses trumpeted by the Athletic Department about the firing.

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Terry Frei of the Denver Post penned a commentary on the firing of George Gwoxdecky calling DU "arrogant" for not answering questions about the firing.

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The DU women's lacrosse team defeated longtime nemesis #10 Stanford 14-10 and UC Davis 13-11 this past weekend.  This may be shaping up as a special season for the Pioneers who are 13-1-0 so far this season.

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The University of Denver club rugby team won the Pacific West Championships this past weekend after defeating Cal Maritime Academy 21-17 & Occidental College 31-27.  DU Rugby will now advance to the Final Four.

Come Out And Support Our PIONEERS

(above) Saturday will be a great day to be a PIONEER

"One thing is certain--we will always be the Pioneers"
Chancellor Coombe's email to students in 2008

News & Notes From Around PioNation

(above) When you Google "University of Denver" Boone's name comes up

MileHighHockey.com speculates that the Avs might make a run at signing DU alum Matt Carle.  No doubt it would be a popular move at the Pepsi Center ticket window.

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University of Denver Athletic Director Peg Bradley-Doppes has been selected as the 2011-12 Division I West Region Under Armour AD of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).  A well desrved honor.

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A group of DU students claimed the $1,000 first prize at the The Global Spa & Wellness Summit, the premier annual event for spa and wellness industry leaders, at the “Spa of the Future” Student Challenge Competition hosted by the Aspen Institute.  DU was followed by Cornell, the University of Houston and Penn State in the competition.

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University of Denver women's lacrosse head coach Liza Kelly announced the addition of Matt Lawicki as an assistant coach.

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Minnesota high school hockey player Jack Jablonski continues to make progress from a broken neck suffered in a game earlier this year.  Jack's progress is slow compared to Jesse Martin's amazing recovery, but its great to read that he's battling on.

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DU Defeneseman Joey LaLeggia will attend the Edmonton Oilers 2012 Development Camp from June 27-July 2, 2012.  33 players will join LaLeggia at the camp.

DU Assistant Gets Head Coaching Job

From: LaxPower.com

Furman University director of athletics Dr. Gary Clark announced today that Rachel Shuck Whitten, associate head coach at the University of Denver, has been named Furman's first women's lacrosse coach.  Furman just added women's and men's lacrosse to its Division I athletics program. The teams will begin varsity competition by the 2014-15 academic year.

"Rachel Whitten's enthusiasm, experience, and commitment to the growth of lacrosse make her the ideal inaugural head women's lacrosse coach for Furman," said Clark in making the announcement.

"I am extremely excited and honored to be named the first head coach of the Furman women's lacrosse program," said Whitten. "I am thankful to Liza Kelly and the athletic department at the University of Denver for the past six years I have been part of their staff."

Whitten, a native of Annapolis, Md., has spent the last six seasons at the University of Denver, serving as an assistant coach from 2007-11 before being promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2012 season.

A two-time All-American at Loyola University in Baltimore, Md., Whitten helped the Greyhounds advance to three straight NCAA tournaments from 2002-04, including an appearance in the 2003 Final Four.

DU Women's Lacrosse Team Continues To Roll

(above) Only conference tournament winners and the top at-large teams in the computer rankings comprise the 16 team NCAA Womens Lacrosse Tournament field

Despite winning 12 straight games and having one of the greatest seasons in DU lacrosse history, the DU Women's Lacrosse team will have to continue winning to get an NCAA Tournament bid in a couple weeks.

On Sunday, University of Denver sophomore Jenn Etzel scored a career-high six goals while adding an assist, leading the Pioneers to a 20-12 victory over UC Davis. Redshirt junior Kara Secora tallied four goals and four assists, while senior Melissa Maier had a hat trick and freshman Jill Remenapp added two goals and a pair of assists for the Pioneers (12-1, 6-0 MPSF). 

Sunday's win clinches DU's spot in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament, and sets up the season finale on Saturday at Oregon (11-4), which is also a perfect 6-0 in the MPSF, for the regular season title. The Pioneers conclude the regular season at Oregon on Saturday at 2 PM MT. The game will be webcast live on Pioneer Vision.

DU Lacrosse Teams Sweep Over The Weekend

DU Women's Lacrosse

The University of Denver Women's Lacrosse team defeated Stanford 12-9 on Saturday afternoon. DU Sophomore Jenn Etzel scored twice and had two assists and junior Mikayla Clark added a hat trick to  on Senior Day at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

"This was a very exciting win for us. Stanford has been one of our top conference opponents for seven years running, so it was a great win," head coach Liza Kelly said. "The girls really made an effort to play hard for our seniors, and I think they did that."

DU Men's Lacrosse

Led by a season-high six points from senior Mark Matthews on five goals and one assist the #9 University of Denver men's lacrosse team defeated Bellarmine University 12-6 on Friday evening at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. 

"Overall the effort was there," said head coach Bill Tierney. "We didn't finish well early when we had some chances and then they got the ball in their hands and it turned into a wild game. When it came back to 7-6 I thought our guys really showed some fortitude, stood up and scored five straight goals for the win."

DU Women's Lax Defeats Cal 16-13

From: DenverPioneers Website

The University of Denver women's lacrosse team held off a late rally by California for a 16-13 win on Wednesday. DU scored three of the game's final four goals to seal the victory.

Sophomore Jenn Etzel scored five goals to help give the Pioneers (4-1, 2-0 MPSF) their fourth-straight victory [read entire article].

PioNation Awaits Kiki Boone's Arrival On Campus

(above) Incoming freshman lacrosse recruit Kiki Boone

Midfielder Kiki Boone will play women’s lacrosse at the University of Denver this season. She was voted a U.S. Lacrosse All-American and U.S. Lacrosse Academic All-American during her senior year at Cherry Creek High School in 2011. 

Boone scored 33 goals and had 18 assists in 2010 when Cherry Creek won the Colorado state championship. Cherry Creek finished the 2010 season ranked No. 1 in the West. She was selected to the Colorado academic all-state team and the All-Centennial League first team.

Boone was also a two-year letter winner as an outside hitter for Cherry Creek's top-ranked volleyball team in 2009 and 2008. She is a high honors student, and a member of National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society.

Boone Signs LOI To Play DU Women's Lacrosse

(above) LetsGoDU is trying to confirm if DU's incoming female lacrosse recruit is any relation to out mascot

University of Denver Women's Lacrosse team has added nine student-athletes, head coach Liza Kelly announced today. The list of newcomers includes three from Colorado, three from New York, two from Maryland and one from California.  But of all the signings, one name stood out; Kiki Boone from Cherry Hills, Colorado [read rest of article].

Kiki Boone was voted a U.S. Lacrosse All-American and U.S. Lacrosse Academic All-American during her senior year at Cherry Creek High School in 2011. Boone was named All-Conference First Team in 2010 and 2011, as well as All-Colorado First Team in 2011. Boone led the Bruins to the Colorado State Championship in 2008, 2010 and 2011, and a runner-up finish in 2009, while helping her team win the Centennial League championship all four years.

DU Women's Lax Loses Championship To Stanford

From: LaxPower.com

The No. 18 University of Denver women's lacrosse team took No. 15 Stanford to double overtime, but the Cardinal's Karen Nesbitt scored a sudden victory goal to give Stanford an 11-10 win in the championship game of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship Tournament on Sunday afternoon at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.

“I am very proud of how we played against a tough Stanford team,” head coach Liza Kelly said. “We showed a lot of heart and emotion on the field. I am especially proud of our seniors who stepped up and showed their leadership.”

No. 1 seed Denver (13-5) took an early 2-1 lead, but No. 2 seed Stanford (14-5) scored five-straight goals over a nearly 29-minute stretch.

Ali Flury's hat trick gave her 202 career goals, the most in Denver history, and her 236 points ranks third in the program's record book. Flury scored at least one point in all 69 career games at Denver and had a goal in her final 48 games, both the second longest streaks in the NCAA.