Kristen Hamilton is the women’s soccer team’s all-time points leader and leading goal scorer, and she’s the only NCAA Division I athlete in history to be named player of the year in three conferences. Photo courtesy of DU Athletics
Senior finance major Kristen Hamilton made University of Denver history in January, becoming the first Pioneer women’s soccer player to be drafted to the National Women’s Soccer League. The Western New York Flash picked Hamilton up in the fourth round.
A standout on the field since her first year at the University, Hamilton is successful off the field as well — she was named a first-team scholar all-American by the NCAA and Capital One, thanks in part to her 3.7 GPA. Hamilton puts her time in in the community also. She has done a variety of work throughout the Denver community — at the Ronald McDonald House, at the Denver Rescue Mission and at Children’s Hospital, where she and some teammates worked on craft projects with the siblings of sick kids.
“It was a great experience, just seeing how happy the crafts made the siblings of the kids,” she says. “They were actually smiling and having a good time — it’s a release. Hospitals can be kind of depressing, and to have that kind of outlet to have fun and still be by the side of their loved ones was really nice.”
Hamilton, who grew up in Littleton, Colo., is the women’s soccer team’s all-time points leader and leading goal scorer, and she’s the only NCAA Division I athlete in history to be named player of the year in three conferences (Summit League, Western Athletic and Sun Belt). And she did it all while staying close to home and to her 8-year-old brother, Simon, who has Down syndrome and cheers on his big sister any chance he gets.
“I thought I wanted to go out of state for college, but I realized that I wanted to stay close to home,” Hamilton told the NCAA website in November. “By going to Denver, not only did I become a part of an amazing soccer program and get a great education, but my family was there to watch and support me every step of the way.”
The future pro also attributes some of her success to her teammates. “Being named conference player of the year three times is definitely a huge honor, but I can only attribute that to my team,” she told the NCAA. “I definitely would not have won the award without them.”
Hamilton first discovered soccer while growing up in Littleton, Colo., as a tomboy — younger and smaller than most of her male playmates. One friend in particular caught her attention.
“His name was Jeremy, three years older than me,” she says. “I watched him play and thought it looked fun, so when I got home I told my mom I wanted to play. She signed me up, and I’ve loved the game ever since.”
Jeff Hooker, women’s soccer head coach, calls Hamilton “a truly special player who has the true ‘it factor’ [and is] one of the best all-around athletes our program has ever seen. She’s one to keep an eye on … she has the capability of doing some great things in her post-college soccer career.”