"Metro State 2000 NCAA Div. II Champions" posterColorado celebrated its first-ever national collegiate basketball title when the Roadrunners beat favored Kentucky Wesleyan 97-92 for the NCAA Division II championship. The achievement marked the beginning of MSU Denver Athletics’ transformation into a Division II powerhouse.

In an unprecedented event, four Roadrunners were named to the All-Tournament Team: DeMarcos Anzures, Lee Barlow, Kane Oakley and John Bynum.

Anzures, who scored 32 points, was named tournament MVP and NCAA Division II First Team All American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Anzures’ 2,116 points in the 1999-2000 season still stands as the school record for most points scored in a single season.

After head coach Mike Dunlap was honored as the NABC National Coach of the Year, MSU Denver signed him to its first ever multi-year contract for a coach.

In April, the team was honored with a resolution from the Colorado State Legislature that recognized them as Colorado’s most successful NCAA basketball team ever.

Other highlights of the Roadrunners 1999-2000 season included going 33-4, a school record for most victories in a single season. Nationally, they ranked 1st in scoring margin (+19.1), 2nd in home-game winning streaks (25 games) and 3rd in field-goal percentage (51.5%).

The Roadrunners repeated as champions in 2002, beating Kentucky Wesleyan again, 80-72.