Pioneer Athletics: A Winning Year in Review
At DU, our athletes routinely outpace the competition. But the 2007-2008 season was unlike any other.
Here’s why:
- The DU ski team won the 2008 NCAA National Championship for the 19th time in school history. No other ski program can claim this level of slope dominance.
- The Pioneers hockey team won their 15th championship in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association—considered to be the most difficult conference in the country—and received a bid in the NCAA tournament.
- Five more teams won conference titles including women’s golf, men’s golf, women’s soccer, women's tennis and men’s lacrosse.
- John Buchar took individual national championships in two skiing events—slalom and giant slalom.
- Eight of our coaches were recognized as conference coach of the year for 2007-2008.
- Overall, 12 of our teams qualified for berths in NCAA post-season tournaments, including men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's skiing, women’s soccer, men’s lacrosse, women’s gymnastics, and hockey.
- For the eighth consecutive year, DU student athletes have had the highest graduation rate in the Sun Belt Conference.
- DU ranked number 1 among non-football Division I schools in the U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup, which marks the finest year for DU athletics. DU ranked 47th overall.
- Sports Illustrated ranked DU 23rd among the top 25 athletics programs of the 330 Division I schools in the country. The magazine’s scoring system was based on national titles, top-30 finishes and conference championships.
The DU ski team with President George W. Bush at The White House. The Pioneers won the 2008 NCAA skiing national championship.
Published on June 27, 2008