The Denver Pioneers women's lacrosse team is an NCAA Division I college lacrosse team representing the University of Denver as part of the Big East Conference. They play their home games at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium in Denver, Colorado.
| Denver Pioneers women's lacrosse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1999; 27 years ago |
| University | University of Denver |
| Head coach | Liza Kelly (20th season) |
| Stadium | Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium (capacity: 2,000) |
| Location | Denver, Colorado |
| Conference | Big East Conference |
| Nickname | Pioneers |
| Colors | Crimson and gold[1] |
| NCAA Tournament Final Fours | |
| 2023 | |
| NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals | |
| 2019, 2023 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | |
| Conference Tournament championships | |
| 2014, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | |
| Conference regular season championships | |
| 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | |
History
editThe Pioneers women's lacrosse team began play in the 1999 season, finishing with a 4–9 record in their inaugural season.[2]
The Pioneers were members of the MPSF conference from 2004 to 2016. From 2017 to present, Denver has been a member of the Big East Conference in women's lacrosse.[3][4]
Denver has appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.[2][5]
In the 2013 NCAA tournament, the Pioneers, defeated Jacksonville in the first round and lost to Florida in the second round (Sweet 16). In the 2014 NCAA tournament, Denver again beat Jacksonville in the first round and lost to Florida in the second round. In the 2018 NCAA tournament, the Pioneers defeated High Point in the first round and lost to Maryland in the second round.
In the 2019 NCAA tournament, Denver broke through and made the NCAA quarterfinals after wins over USC and Michigan before losing to Maryland in the Elite 8.[2]
After the 2020 tournament was cancelled, the Pioneers appeared in the 2021 NCAA tournament and lost in the second round to Northwestern. In the 2022 NCAA tournament, the Pioneers lost to Boston College in the second round.
In the 2023 NCAA tournament, Denver had a historic run to the NCAA Final Four. The Pioneers defeated USC, Albany (NY), and North Carolina before losing to eventual NCAA champion Northwestern.
After their Final Four appearance in 2023, Denver lost in the second round of the 2024 NCAA tournament, again eliminated by Northwestern.
In the 2025 NCAA tournament, Denver was a first-round exit to Stanford.
Individual career records
edit| Record | Amount | Player | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | 202 (2) | Julia Gilbert, Ali Flury | 2020–24 2007–10 |
| Assists | 192 | Jill Remenapp | 2012–15 |
| Points | 302 | Jill Remenapp | 2012–15 |
| Ground balls | 182 | Sam Thacker | 2020–24 |
| Draw controls | 390 | Abby Jenkins | 2021–24 |
| Caused turnovers | 186 | Sam Thacker | 2020–24 |
| Saves | 575 | Steph Schneider | 2002–05 |
| Save %* | .605 | Gemma McDonald | 1997–99 |
| GAA** | 7.12 | Lexi Gwaku | 2025–Present |
*Minimum 100 saves
**Minimum 1000 minutes
Individual single-season records
edit| Record | Amount | Player | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | 73 | Olivia Ripple | 2026 |
| Assists | 74 | Jill Remenapp | 2013 |
| Points | 113 | Jill Remenapp | 2013 |
| Ground balls | 66 | Tanya Fuchs | 2006 |
| Draw controls | 134 | Abby Jenkins | 2023 |
| Caused turnovers | 70 | Kate Henrich | 2013 |
| Saves | 242 | Steph Schneider | 2004 |
| Save %* | .557 | Sarah Hazard | 2002 |
| GAA** | 6.43 | Emelia Bohi | 2023 |
*Minimum 100 saves
**Minimum 500 minutes
Individual game records
edit| Record | Amount | Player | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | 10 | Olivia Ripple | 4/2/25 |
| Assists | 9 | Jill Remenapp | 4/21/13 |
| Points | 13 | Kristie Leggio | 3/27/07 |
| Ground balls | 14 | Tanya Fuchs | 4/9/05 |
| Draw controls | 17 | Alex Dorr | 4/19/25 |
| Caused turnovers | 8 | Layne Voorhees | 4/28/17 |
| Saves | 26 | Steph Schneider | 2/22/04 |
Seasons
edit| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA Division I (NCAA DI Independent) (1999–2001) | |||||||||
| 1999 | Deanna Blood | 4–9 | N/A | N/A | |||||
| 2000 | Deanna Blood | 3–11 | N/A | N/A | |||||
| 2001 | Abby Burbank | 3–9 | N/A | N/A | |||||
| NCAA Division I (Mountain Pacific Lacrosse League) (2002–2003) | |||||||||
| 2002 | Abby Burbank | 6–11 | 3–5 | 4th | |||||
| 2003 | Abby Burbank | 8–6 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| NCAA Division I (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) (2004–2016) | |||||||||
| 2004 | Cathy Reese | 7–12 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 2005 | Cathy Reese | 8–12 | 3–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 2006 | Cathy Reese | 15–5 | 4–1 | T-1st | |||||
| 2007 | Liza Kelly | 16–3 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2008 | Liza Kelly | 13–6 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2009 | Liza Kelly | 10–8 | 4–2 | T-2nd | |||||
| 2010 | Liza Kelly | 13–5 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2011 | Liza Kelly | 7–11 | 5–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 2012 | Liza Kelly | 12–3 | 6–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 2013 | Liza Kelly | 18–3 | 8–0 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2014 | Liza Kelly | 19–2 | 9–0 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2015 | Liza Kelly | 13–5 | 7–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 2016 | Liza Kelly | 9–9 | 5–4 | 5th | |||||
| NCAA Division I (Big East Conference) (2017–present) | |||||||||
| 2017 | Liza Kelly | 14–4 | 7–2 | T-2nd | |||||
| 2018 | Liza Kelly | 13–7 | 6–3 | T-3rd | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2019 | Liza Kelly | 16–4 | 5–0 | 1st | NCAA Quarterfinals | ||||
| 2020 | Liza Kelly | 7–1 | 0–0 | N/A | |||||
| 2021 | Liza Kelly | 16–2 | 10–0 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2022 | Liza Kelly | 18–3 | 5–0 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2023 | Liza Kelly | 22–1 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA Semifinals | ||||
| 2024 | Liza Kelly | 16–4 | 5–0 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2025 | Liza Kelly | 14–6 | 5–1 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2026 | Liza Kelly | 16–4 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| Total: | 336–166 (.669) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Postseason Results
editThe Eagles have appeared in 10 NCAA tournaments. Their postseason record is 12–10.[2]
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | – | First Round Second Round | Jacksonville #5 Florida | W, 14–7 L, 5–16 |
| 2014 | – | First Round Second Round | Jacksonville #4 Florida | W, 12–8 L, 9–19 |
| 2018 | – | First Round Second Round | High Point #1 Maryland | W, 19–10 L, 4–15 |
| 2019 | – | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | USC #8 Michigan #1 Maryland | W (OT), 11–10 W, 9–5 L, 8–17 |
| 2021 | – | First Round Second Round | Stanford #2 Northwestern | W, 15–13 L, 4–19 |
| 2022 | – | First Round Second Round | Vermont #3 Boston College | W, 16–3 L, 8–13 |
| 2023 | #5 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | USC UAlbany #4 North Carolina #1 Northwestern | W, 10–7 W, 8–6 W, 5–4 L, 7–15 |
| 2024 | – | First Round Second Round | Stanford #1 Northwestern | W, 13–12 L, 4–17 |
| 2025 | – | First Round | Stanford | L, 4–10 |
| 2026 | – | First Round Second Round | Florida #8 Colorado | W, 18–8 L, 9–11 |
References
edit- ↑ Colors | University of Denver. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Denver Women's Lacrosse Record Book 2025" (PDF). Denver Pioneers Athletics. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ Schneider, Megan (April 12, 2017). "The Legacy of the MPSF: Pioneering Lacrosse in the West". USA Lacrosse. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Denver To Join BIG EAST For 2017 Season". Inside Lacrosse. May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ Wettemann, Sarah (May 3, 2026). "Denver to Face Florida in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament in Boulder". Denver Pioneers Athletics. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Women's Lacrosse Cumulative Statistics". denverpioneers.com. Retrieved May 15, 2026.