Spring typically is the season of new beginnings, but at the University of Denver, fall is the time of change—at least when it comes to athletics. As new and returning students prepare to fill the seats of Magness Arena to cheer on their Pioneers, there are changes happening behind the scenes that should make the 2012–13 season one of the most exciting in University history.
The biggest change on tap for 2012–13 is DU’s long-awaited move to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), as 10 teams—men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, gymnastics, women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, and volleyball—leave the Pioneers’ longtime home in the Sun Belt Conference to embark on new regional rivalries against the likes of Utah State, New Mexico State and Idaho.
In hockey, head coach George Gwozdecky will embark on his 19th season with DU in what should be a historic campaign. The upcoming season will be the Pioneers’ final year in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, which has been the program’s home for more than 50 years. DU is a founding member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which will begin competition in the 2013–14 season.
“We are fortunate to have enjoyed some great success in the past, and this upcoming year promises to be another outstanding year for our Denver Pioneers,” says Peg Bradley-Doppes, vice chancellor for athletics and recreation. “From our inaugural year participating in the WAC to our hockey team competing on the ice in the historic WCHA for the last season—combined with the excitement surrounding us hosting the presidential debate this fall — we look forward to another banner year.”
Read previews of fall and winter sports by clicking the links below
Hockey
Men’s basketball
Women’s basketball
Men’s soccer
Women’s soccer
Volleyball