DENVER – Eleven Pioneer student-athletes were honored at the University of Denver’s 83rd annual Pioneer Awards Ceremony held in the Governor’s Ballroom in the Driscoll Student Center on May 15.
The highlight of the annual awards ceremony is the naming of “The Pioneers” – individuals whose dedication to the University of Denver and its students is beyond measure. Ten students, one faculty and one staff member were selected as Pioneer Award recipients this year, including a trio of senior student-athletes.
Volleyball’s Alyssa Hampton (Parkville, Mo.), hockey’s Peter Mannino (Farmington Hills, Mich.) and Nordic skier John Stene (Trondheim, Norway) received Pioneer Awards this year.
Hampton helped the 2007 Pioneer squad to a 22-12 overall record, the best finish in DU Division I history. The Pioneers also claimed the SBC West Division title. Hampton, an outside hitter, finished her career ranked seventh in DU history with 3.17 career digs per game and 10th with 1,026 career digs.
Mannino was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2005 NCAA Frozen Four after leading DU to its second straight NCAA Championship in 2005. This season, Mannino helped Denver to a 26-14-1 overall record this season and finished his DU career ranked first in shutouts (15), second in saves percentage (.917), and third in save percentage (2.35) and wins (63).
Meanwhile, Stene helped the Pioneer ski team to its 19th NCAA National team title this winter, the second in Stene’s four-year career. With his seventh place finishes in both the classical and freestyle competitions at the NCAA Championships, Stene earned All-American honors for the seventh and eighth time in his career.
A number of Pioneer student-athletes were also recognized in the presentation of the Outstanding Student Awards. Students were nominated for these awards based on their contributions to academic excellence, the campus and university, and community involvement.
Hockey player Zach Blom (Englewood, Colo.) was named the Outstanding Senior, while basketball’s Brooke Meyer (Denver, Colo.) received a Distinguished Senior award. Hampton and gymnastics senior Sasha Sullivan (Glen Allen, Va.) were also nominated.
Three student-athletes received nominations for the Outstanding Sophomore awards in hockey’s Matt Glasser (Calgary, Alberta) and co-captain Tyler Ruegsegger (Lakewood, Colo.) and golfer Jon Lopez (Aurora, Colo.).
In other awards, Hampton received the Chuck Cortese Undergraduate Trophy, given by the Office of the Provost. Hockey senior captain Andrew Thomas (Bow, N.H.) received the Managerial Leadership Award from the Daniels College of Business, and freshman swimmer Garth Summers (Portland, Ore.) earned the Lynn H. Miller scholarship from the Chemistry and Biochemistry department.
Seniors Justin Edmonds and Sarah Pifer also received Pioneer Awards after four years of dedication to the University, including work in the Athletics and Recreation Department.
