Alumni in Action: Moritz nets first goal of the season to guide DU women’s soccer team to 3-0 win
The dual-sport skier and soccer star was the 2023 Summit League Newcomer of the Year on the pitch and earned All-American honors on the slopes last winter
Tyler Schank/Clarkson Creative Photography
Former Vail Mountain School star Liv Moritz scored her first goal of the 2024 season on Sunday, helping the University of Denver cruise to a 3-0 win over Lamar University.
Moritz — who scored seven goals and tallied four assists during her freshman campaign to earn Summit League Newcomer of the Year — scored in the 50th minute. Her teammate Michaela McGowan beat a pair of defenders to get a shot off from the top of the box. The Broomfield product’s shot ricocheted off the cross bar, but Moritz was there to collect the rebound and tap it into the back of the net.
The Pioneers entered the season atop the Summit League pre-season coaches’ poll for the eighth-straight year. DU won its sixth-straight regular-season crown last year but was ousted by the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
Moritz has played in all four games this fall, starting the last three. She had two shots on goal in the Pioneers’ upset of No. 24 Texas A&M on Aug. 21. The former Gore Ranger also skis for the Pioneers and is a member of the U.S. Ski Team. In March, she earned All-American honors by placing fifth in the giant slalom.
- Kassie Carpenter, a freshman at Alabama State University, accumulated her first NCAA minutes in the Hornets’ 7-0 loss to the University of North Dakota on Sunday. Carpenter, a former Eagle Valley defender, logged 13 minutes in the contest.
Middaugh takes second at Americas Triathlon Cup in Edmonton
Sullivan Middaugh came within two seconds of winning his second-straight Americas Triathlon Cup on Sunday. The former Battle Mountain star finished the continental cup draft-legal event in Edmonton, Canada — which was altered to a duathlon due to river-water quality — in 50 minutes, 8 seconds. Middaugh finished right behind Canadian Daniel Damian, who took the victory on home soil.
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Middaugh came through the first 2.5-kilometer run in 7:38 as 14 athletes crossed the initial checkpoint within two seconds of each other. The EagleVail athlete created a bit more separation on the bike, however, scorching the 20-kilometer segment in 24:48, 33 seconds faster than the next-best athlete. Middaugh closed in 15:58 in the final 5-kilometer run, but Damian used a 15:18 to rally for the victory.
Middaugh has enjoyed a successful 2024 season, winning the Americas Triathlon Cup Calima on May 5 and the Central Caribbean championships in Punta Cana on Aug. 10. He also won the XTERRA North American championships on May 17 in Pelham, Alabama.
Have an Eagle Valley, Battle Mountain, Vail Christian or Vail Mountain School alumni story tip? Reach out to Ryan Sederquist at rsederquist@vaildaily.com.
