DU CLARION
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FEB. 08, 2017
| SPORTS
Freshman Henrik Borgström blazes own trail at DU
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enrik Borgström (Helsinki, Finland) chose the collegiate route at DU over offers to play professionally in Finland or in the Canadian Hockey League’s major junior system. The Florida Panther’s firstround pick initially struggled producing for the Pioneers, though not for a lack of preparation, as Borgström notoriously is the last skater off the ice following practices. A three-point (2G - 1A) night against Boston University on Oct. 15 ignited the freshman’s hot hand. As soon as Borgström experienced that familiar puck striking the twine, his game instantly altered. A once frustrated center missing wide-open shots, Borgström quickly propelled the Pioneers offensively.
With a 6-foot-3, 185 pound frame, Borgström is a force on the puck; with meticulous puck-handling he almost effortlessly alludes players throughout the blueline before firing lethal shots on net or assembling an open passing lane. “He’s so long, he’s so quick and so powerful,” said Head Coach Jim Montgomery. “When he’s tenacious on pucks he takes over games. He’s unstoppable when he’s tenacious.” In his 22 appearances of the 2016-17 campaign, Borgström has amassed 25 points (14G - 11A). Seven of Borgström’s 14 tallies were converted on the powerplay. The outgoing 19-year-old boasts a 1.14 points per game average. After faceoff specialists Quentin Shore (Denver, Colorado) and Gabe
Levin (Marina del Rey, California) graduated last season, Borgström has stepped into the vacated role. He currently executes a 47.5 faceoff percentage clip. Even after missing six games, due to illness and an extended absence representing Finland for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Juniors Championship in Montreal, Borgström is the current leading goal-scorer for the Pioneers. Within the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), DU’s top-line center is in fourth place for goals. Against fellow classmates on the national level, Borgström is fifth. “The kid is special. When he wants to take over a game, he can do it, and you don’t see that too often at this level,” Montgomery said. Borgström is Denver’s fourth first-round NHL draft pick in
program history and first since Beau Bennett went 23rd overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010. Bennett left DU after two years to sign his NHL entry-level contract, a common path that the coaching staff is aware Borgström may also embark upon. “He has NHL talent, [but] he’s not a pro yet,” Montgomery said. “I think he’s aware of that. He came this route and turned down a lot of money to come to Denver from Finland already. So for him, it’s about getting to the NHL at the right time, and we’re going to make sure that we share with whoever helps him, his parents and when they advise him. We have a good relationship with Florida, too.” Sasha Kandrach | News Editor
Henrik Borgstrom 8
Of Borgström’s 14 goals scored thus far in the 2016-17 season, seven were converted on the powerplay.
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Power Play Goals
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Key:
= other NCAA players
1 0
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14 Goals
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he No. 8-ranked DU Pioneers finished in second behind Big 12 opponent and No. 1-ranked University of Oklahoma on Feb. 3. Denver also competed in a meet against Southern Utah State on Feb. 6, where they also finished in second place. In the first meet, freshman Maddie Karr (Stillwater, Minnesota) and senior Julia Ross (Henderson, Nevada) placed second (39.400) and third (39.350), respectively, in the all-around. Karr took third overall on the floor, as well. Denver collectively finished in second with a score of 194.500, placing behind only Oklahoma, who finished first with a final score of 197.675. On the bars, Ross had a teamhigh score of 9.850. Karr was not far off, finishing with a 9.825. Sophomore Diana Chesnok (Charlotte, North Carolina) made her season debut since sustaining an injury and recorded a 9.775. The Pioneers totalled a 49.125 on the beam, registering as the second-best team performance thus far of the 2017 season. Four scores were higher than 9.800,
including two 9.825 marks earned from freshman Courtney Loper (West Des Moines, Iowa) and sophomore Kaitlyn Schou (Orlando, Florida). Ross led the scores on the vault, recording a 9.875, matching her season-high. Karr received a 9.825. In Denver’s second meet of the week, the team would lose to Southern Utah by a score of 196.500 to 196.700. DU was led on the vault by Karr, who improved her score to 9.875 in the team’s Monday night meet. She would also participate in the bars, beam and floor, finishing with an all-around score of 39.425. Schou helped the squad with a team-leading 9.850 on the beam, but it was not enough to outpace the visitors. Denver would fall in the event, 49.125 to 49.300. The Pioneers return to Hamilton Gymnasium on Sunday, Feb. 11 against Boise State University. Olivia Hyde | Clarion
Sasha Kandrach | News Editor
PIO BIO: Julia O’Loughlin SPORT: Tennis GRADE: Junior
MAJOR: Mathematics HOME STATE: Florida
amed the 2016 Summit League Women’s Tennis Player of the Year, junior Julia O’Loughlin is a 20-year-old tennis star at DU. She grew up in Denver and moved to Florida when she was 10 to intensely pursue a tennis career.
Her mother played college tennis for the University of Connecticut. Seeking to carry on the family tradition, O’Loughlin began to play when she was only three years old. She grew up playing at Colorado Athletic Club-Monaco, which is also where the DU team practices and competes.
Sasha Kandrach | Clarion
Clarion
SPORTS | 5
Gymnastics places second to No. 1 Oklahoma
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= Henrik Borgström
DU CLARION
FEB. 08, 2017
Photo courtesy of Denver Athletics
Before coming to college, O’Loughlin played for the Team U.S.A National Junior Team. At the age of 12, she was ranked No. 1 in the country for singles. She traveled the country and even traveled internationally to compete. When O’Loughlin was about 14, she played in tournaments in France, England and the Czech Republic. In the Czech Republic, Team U.S.A competed in the Junior Fed Cup and took second out of 32 countries. The balance between tennis and academics at such a young age was a bit challenging, but nothing O’Loughlin couldn’t handle. Since she was traveling so much, she had to complete middle school and high school online. “It was challenging, but it was something I knew and I was comfortable with because I was with the same people everyday and everyone was in the same boat when it came to school,” she said. Being from Colorado, her decision to return to DU was a fairly straightforward one. “I love Colorado,” she said. “I grew up here and I wanted to come back. DU was one of the schools I was looking at and when I went on a visit, I loved the team and the coaches. I like that it’s a small school and the small, private atmosphere was what I was looking for.” Tennis is traditionally an outdoor sport, but due to the weather in Colorado, the beginning of DU’s season is typically played indoors. O’Loughlin prefers indoor tennis because it has a faster pace and it is easier to control the ball without outside factors, such as wind.
O’Loughlin plays both singles and doubles for DU. She and her doubles partner, senior Maureen Slattery (Newport News, Virginia), have been playing together for three seasons. O’Loughlin and Slattery are currently ranked No. 13 in the country. “Doubles is more fun because you’re out there with your partner. Having a partner really helps because if you’re not having a good day, your partner can pick you up,” said O’Loughlin. “In every dual match, we get to play doubles first and that can really get the mood set for the match. Doubles is super loud and super fast. Everyone is cheering. The whole team is right next to each other.” The DU tennis season is just beginning and O’Loughlin’s goal is to continue playing the number one spot for DU in both doubles and singles. She also hopes to make the NCAA tournament in May. The highest ranked duo and individual in the Summit League Conference automatically advance to the national tournament. After college, O’Loughlin plans to pursue a career in actuarial science. She is majoring in mathematics with a concentration in finance. She hopes to stay in the Denver area. Tennis will always be a part of her life, as well. “I don’t have plans for competing in any big tournaments after I graduate, so I think I might take a little bit of a break after school, but tennis is a lifelong sport that I know I’ll play for the rest of my life,” she said. Carolyn Angiollo | Staff Writer