The lacrosse teams for men and women are members of the Big East Conference; the men began Big East play in the 2013–14 school year (2014 season), while the women left the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) after the 2016 lacrosse season.

In 2017, Denver finished #4 in the men's Division I Capital One Cup rankings, the highest finish in school history, and has also won the Learfield Cup in nine of the past 10 seasons, emblematic of the top non-football Division I athletic department in the nation.

The men's and women's lacrosse teams compete as associate members of the Big East Conference.

[citation needed] Denver's ice hockey alumni include over 85 NHL hockey players, including Hockey Hall of Famer Glenn Anderson and current NHLers, such as 2007 Calder Memorial Trophy nominee Paul Stastny, Jason Zucker, Trevor Moore, Scott Mayfield, Danton Heinen, Will Butcher, Henrik Borgstrom, Troy Terry, Dylan Gambrell.

Legendary hockey coaches at Denver include four former NHL players: Murray Armstrong, Marshall Johnston, Ralph Backstrom and Jim Montgomery.

[2] The six charter members of the NCHC—DU, Colorado College, Miami (OH), Minnesota–Duluth, North Dakota, and Omaha[2]—have combined for 21 NCAA championships in the sport.

Denver won the NCAA men's lacrosse championship in 2015, beating Maryland, 10–5 in Philadelphia.

Denver has progressed to seven NCAA Tournaments in its history, with the highest level of advancement being to the final four in 2023.

In that 2023 tournament, DU (23-1) beat the USC Trojans and Albany Great Danes in Denver in the first and second rounds, respectively, and beat the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, NC in the quarterfinals, before losing to the eventual NCAA champion Northwestern Wildcats in the semi-finals in Cary, N.C.

Prior to that 2023 high water mark, Denver went to the Elite eight in 2022, beating USC and Michigan before losing to Maryland, and the Sweet 16 in each of its other three NCAA appearances in 2013, 2014 and 2018, beating Jacksonville University in the first round in 2013 and 2014 before losing to the Florida Gators in those consecutive years in Gainesville, Fla.

[citation needed] The women's basketball team appeared in the 2001 NCAA Tournament, where it lost to Virginia Tech in the first round.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich received a master's degree from DU but did not play any varsity sports there.

Five-time world champion and US Olympic figure Skating star Michelle Kwan graduated from DU in 2009.

Former DU basketball player David Adkins went on to greater fame outside of sports as comedian and actor Sinbad.

Phil Heath a former DU basketball player in the early 2000s, won the Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Championship seven consecutive times between 2011 and 2017.

The University of Denver has 35 NCAA team national championships, the most of any Division I school outside of the Power Five conferences.