Michael Perry

Classroom

Michael Perry maintains a 3.98 GPA in finance and plans to pursue a career in investments and finance after his graduation in June 2011. For his work in the classroom, Perry was selected to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team and was named to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic team. Perry is also a three-time Denver Scholar-Athlete, an award given to Denver’s top student-athlete for each academic year.

Character

After joining the team as a walk-on during his freshman year, Perry used his tireless work ethic to become a three-year starter and team captain this season. Perry is the hardest worker on the team and leads by example. The team voted him Most Improved Player as a sophomore, and his teammates selected him as the John Byrden Award winner last season for his leadership, character and teamwork. Perry’s success at Denver followed a traumatic auto accident during his senior year in high school that killed his best friend’s father. Fortunately, Perry was able to walk away with minor injuries and learned to prioritize the important things in his life.

Community

Perry helped collect used soccer balls for a local organization, which sent them to underprivileged children in South Africa. Perry also helped coordinate more than 1,000 community service hours that the Pioneers have logged. Along with his teammates, Perry has volunteered with Project Homeless Connect, an organization dedicated to ending homelessness, as well as working at numerous soccer camps, teaching children soccer and life skills.

Competition

Perry has become the anchor of Denver’s defense and its top one-on-one defender. As a sophomore he was named an All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honorable mention after helping the Pioneers achieve their first berth in the NCAA Tournament since 1970.