Early Bird

Kudos

Celebrate Roadrunner achievements in literature, sports and beyond.

By Josie Lavender

November 24, 2021

In addition to Faculty Citings, the Early Bird shines a spotlight each month on the accomplishments of Metropolitan State University of Denver faculty and staff members as well as University partners.

This week, we have a lot to be thankful for as a Roadrunner Community; however, if we missed an award, accolade or opportunity to celebrate an accomplishment big or small, please email us at earlybirdeditor@msudenver.edu.

Fantastic faculty

“Winter Counts” by David Heska Wanbli Weiden, J.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Political Science, has earned an impressive collection of awards on the way to making a global impression. Weiden has been recognized with the High Plains Book Award for Best Indigenous Writer and is among the first Native American authors to win the Anthony, Thriller, Lefty, Barry and Macavity Awards for Best First Novel. The book is being released in the United Kingdom through Simon & Schuster and is being translated into French, German, Turkish, Polish and Japanese. Adding to the long list of acclaim for “Winter Counts” are the Spur Award for Best Contemporary Novel, Best First Novel by the Western Writers of America and the Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing, awarded by the Working Class Studies Association. Congratulations, Professor Weiden, on your huge literary success!

Congratulations are also in order for Rosemarie Allen, Ed.D., associate professor, Early Childhood Education. Allen was selected to share her broad expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion in educational and teaching practices in a talk on generational trauma at TEDxCherryCreekWomen on Dec. 4.

Outstanding staff

Roy Montgomery, assistant director of Equity and Student Leadership, was recently selected for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators’ intensive four-day program for Aspiring Vice Presidents for Student Affairs. As a member-centered association, NASPA helps to address regional issues and develop higher-education professionals. Montgomery was also named the state membership coordinator for Colorado in NASPA Region IV-West, one of the organization’s most diverse and expansive regions. Thank you for your leadership!

Inspiring teams

The MSU Denver Precision Flight Team soared at this year’s National Intercollegiate Flying Association regional competition. MSU Denver came in second overall in the competition, and the team of Roadrunners even beat the Air Force Academy in a number of categories. Highlights of the competition included Roadrunner Dylan Beal’s Top Pilot award and Dylan’s shared victory with fellow student Eli Fozzard as Top Scoring contestants. Additionally, the team won first place in the Message Drop category, first and second place in the Ground Trainer category and top-five finishes in the Preflight, SCAN, Unlimited Navigation and Short Field Landings categories. Hats off to coaches Mike Forney and Chad Kendall and additional team members Bennet Blumenthal, Connor England, Noah Taht, Jason Walter and Max Moll for an exceptional performance.

It’s been an exciting week for Roadrunners in the world of basketball, with student-athletes Allie Navarette and Laolu Oke earning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors as the 2021-22 campaign began. Both Roadrunner stars are returning RMAC Players of the Year, with Navarette holding nine Player of the Week distinctions and Oke earning seven. A Roadrunner cheer for these champions!

MSU Denver’s volleyball team has been on fire all season, and things aren’t cooling down. In addition to holding the nation’s No. 1 ranking in NCAA Division II, the Roadrunners are closing out the season with some RMAC honors. Rylee Hladky has been named RMAC Player of the Year, and coach Jenny Glenn is the league’s Coach of the Year. A standing ovation for these remarkable athletes.

First-rate website

Thanks to a collaborative effort and user feedback, MSU Denver’s digital transformation beat out more than 1,000 entries in the 9^th Annual Education Digital Marketing Awards. Every year, EDMA judges evaluate higher-education institutions across the country on their presentation of digital communication, and this year MSU Denver earned gold in the Institutional Website-Update/Refresh category. A job well done to all the innovative Roadrunners involved in reimagining the University website!