A week full of reunions, celebrations and hockey victories during DU Homecoming 2024

From alumni reunions and student band performances to the hockey home opener and the Crimson Classic 5K, DU's Homecoming 2024 events brought hundreds of students, alumni, faculty and community members to campus last week. Here are some highlights.

A week full of fun for students

The festivities started on Monday karaoke and the return of the campus-wide DU Duck Hunt, where students searched the Community Commons, Anderson Academic Commons and residence halls for yellow rubber ducks to submit for prizes. On Tuesday eveningSpiritual Supper Clubstudents cooked and shared meals from different cultures, religions and traditions. Featured on Wednesday sundaes and a lively one Multicultural Block Partythat provides opportunities for students to connect and celebrate.

That evening, the Hunters Full Moon Apartment Festcelebrated October's supermoon and Halloween in DU's apartment district, while it occurred annually Homecoming OUT danceprovided an inclusive opportunity to dance and enjoy music.

Family and sporting events attract large crowds from campus and beyond

The excitement built throughout the week, culminating on Friday TWO Paloozaa family-friendly festival on the Campus Green, featuring student band performances, Denver's best food trucks and student exhibits.

On Friday afternoon, 929 faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends laced up their running shoes for the 12th annual Crimson Classic 5k Run and 1.5k Walk, with Nathan Arndt taking first place in the men's alumni category and Sonja L. winning in the female category alumni. Max Maronde and Abbey Can Valkenburg placed first in the student category, and Jacob Rothman and Shanna Pomager won in the faculty and staff category.

DU's triumphs on the field and rink were a major highlight of the week. Fans cheered on the men's soccer team, which earned a 2-0 victory over Omaha, and the women's soccer team, which battled to a 1-1 draw. Women's volleyball battled Omaha and lost 3-2.

Friday night's hockey home opener was the first of back-to-back 5-2 wins over Northeastern, with Chancellor Jeremy Haefner and captain McKade Webster making the ceremonial puck drops.

What a great weekend of DU Athletics and Homecoming events! Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Ritchie Center Operations Josh Berlo says. All weekend long the atmosphere in and around the Ritchie Center was buzzing with hockey, football and volleyball. That energy fueled the competition on the ice and helped our hockey program achieve a top 20 sweep. Additionally, this homecoming weekend was all about celebrating our record-breaking 10th National Championship, and to do that in front of two of the largest crowds in Magness history, especially the record-breaking banner night crowd, is a moment that will live on for a long time . #TENver history. Going 4-0 in our first two series, the 11 campaign has begun in earnest and we were looking forward to hosting an old WCHA rival this weekend. Buy your tickets early and see you in Magness for the Wisconsin series.

On Saturday, the Hocktoberfest pregame offered family-friendly fun, with bouncy castles, yard games and activities for kids. Community members reunited in the beer garden, which featured a variety of alumni beers, wines and spirits. Hockey fans enjoyed live music and DU giveaways that built excitement for the banner raising and the Pioneers' battle against Northeastern that evening at Magness Arena.

Alumni come together to support impactful work

Alumni, friends and colleagues gathered again at the Morgridge College of Educations (MCE) Homecoming Social, where attendees had the opportunity to reconnect with faculty and celebrate the impactful work of MCE faculty.

Across campus, the DU Clarion, the university's student newspaper, invited alumni for a reunion and celebration of the newspaper's 125th year in production. They also hosted a series of inspiring masterclasses and discussions for alumni and current students, with notable alumni David Von Drehle (BA 83), deputy opinion editor and columnist for the Washington Post, and Sara Castellanos (BA 09), news editor at the Wall Street Journals live journalism team. Topics ranged from the role of artificial intelligence in journalism to the crucial importance of reliable news in a democracy.

Connect with DU all year round

With the launch of the Denver Difference Campaign this year it was great to bring everyone back to campus to see all the exciting things happening, the ways you can get involved, the opportunities to get involved, get involved, volunteer to do and give something back to the university. said Ben Hancock, vice chancellor of alumni engagement and career development.

Learn more about the opportunities to reconnect and get involved at the university.