University of Denver Spring 2024

50 Reasons to Love DU

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WOMEN CHANGING THE GAME When the first women’s varsity teams were sanctioned in 1974, all five were led by female coaches— and, in the 2023-24 season, we have eight female head coaches, the most in the University’s history: Alicia Hicken-Franklin 3 , men’s and women’s swimming and diving; Julianne Sitch 4 , women’s soccer; Doshia Woods 6 , women’s basketball; Martha Richards 2 , women’s golf; Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart 8 , women’s gymnastics; Liza Kelly 5 , women’s lacrosse; Barbara Perkins 1 , women’s triathlon; and Megan Pendergast 7 , women’s volleyball.

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OPEN ACCESS “It was always about making it as useful as possible for as many people as possible, even if we don’t know how they’re using it,” said Thor Andreassen (PhD ’23) of the biomechanics research that he and professor Kevin Shelburne published in the DU Digital Commons, where students and faculty from all corners of campus share their discoveries with the world. And over in the Ritchie School, professor Kerstin Haring is leading a collaboration with other universities to develop the Sustainability Hub, a platform for researchers, activists and policymakers alike to share and make use of health, well-being and sustainability data.