‘Yote Notes – Oct. 25,
2005
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Mike Safford Jr. – Sports
Info. Director
msafford@collegeofidaho.edu
ATHLETIC
NEWS:
SEASON TICKETS / NNU GAME TICKETS: Season ticket and United Heritage
Tip-Off ticket forms were mailed out over a week ago to all on the Albertson
College athletic mailing list. To
purchase season tickets for the upcoming 2005-06 basketball season, or to
purchase tickets for the United Heritage Tip-Off on Nov. 9 between the Coyotes
and Northwest Nazarene, contact Dave Hahn at 459-5835.
TAILGATE PARTY: The Albertson College Alumni department will be hosting a
tailgate party prior to the United Heritage Tip-Off at the Idaho Center between
the Coyotes and Northwest Nazarene. To
RSVP, contact Mary Bitner at 459-5300.
SWIMMING: ‘Yotes to open second-season on Saturday with first-ever
home meet vs. Lewis & Clark
COMING UP: vs.
Lewis & Clark College (short course dual), Saturday, 1 p.m.
SECOND SEASON BEGINS ON SATURDAY: The
Albertson College swim team will begin their second season of competition this
weekend, hosting Lewis & Clark at the J.A. Albertson Aquatics Center
on the ACI campus. It will be the first
home meet in the history of the school – the Coyotes competed in two duals last
year, both on the road.
ABOUT THE PIONEERS: L&C
should have the depth to fare very well against the women’s squad – as the
Pioneers have 26 female swimmers on their roster (compared to 14 for the
Coyotes). However, the men’s dual should
be interesting, as Albertson holds a 11-7 edge in swimmers. The squad from Portland, Ore. finished
seventh out of eight teams in the NCAA Division III’s Northwest Conference last
year.
THE MEN: Head
coach Mike Shines is very excited about the 2005-06 squad, as unlike
last year, he has the bodies and the ability to fill every race in a meet. Leading the group this weekend is Scott
Mikelonis (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) in the 200-medley, along with
freestylers Travis Guy (Estes Park, Colo. / Estes Park HS), John
Green (Pleasanton, Calif. / Foothill HS), and Matt Barclay (Boise,
Idaho / Centennial HS) – a former ACI men’s basketball player. Shines feels that the Coyotes have the
ability to have their first-ever men’s provisional qualifier for the NAIA
Championships in St. Charles, Mo.
THE WOMEN: The
Albertson women will be much improved, thanks to a large group of freshmen with
outstanding resumes. Leading the pack
is Phon Savell (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) in the
breaststroke, and both Christine Mabile (Post Falls, Idaho / Coeur d’Alene
Charter HS) and Tessa Mennell (Pine Grove, Calif. / Mountain Oaks
HS) in the freestyle sprints. All
three have the capability to earn provisional times this weekend against Lewis
& Clark.
NEXT WEEK: The
Coyotes will host the University of Puget Sound on Sunday (Nov. 6) – their final
home meet of the 2005 portion of the schedule.
MORE ON THE COYOTE SWIM TEAM: For more
information on the Albertson swim team, including meet results and top times,
head to their official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/swim.htm.
BASKETBALL: Men’s and Women’s teams to open up
next week
HOOPS ONE WEEK AWAY: Both the Albertson men’s and women’s
basketball teams will open up the 2005-06 season next week – the men on Nov. 3
at Boise State, the women in Havre, Mont. on Nov. 4-5 against Montana
State-Northern.
MEN THIRD, WOMEN FOURTH IN CCC POLL: The Coyote
men’s team was picked third in the preseason Cascade Conference coaches poll,
while the Lady ‘Yotes were picked fourth.
Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech shared the top spot on the men’s side,
while Corban, Oregon Tech, and Eastern Oregon were picked ahead of the women.
NATIONAL POLL RELEASED ON WEDNESDAY: The NAIA
Division II men’s and women’s preseason national polls will be released this
Wednesday afternoon. The Albertson men
are expected to be among those in the Top-25 – as the Coyotes finished last
season ranked No. 21 (after reaching as high as No. 5 in the poll).
VOLLEYBALL (16-4, 12-3 CCC): Coyotes off to best start
in school history, end home schedule Friday vs. Eastern Oregon
LAST WEEK: vs. Cascade (W 3-0), vs. Warner
Pacific (W 3-1)
COMING UP: vs. Eastern Oregon, 7 p.m.
BEST START IN SCHOOL HISTORY: With wins
last week over Cascade and Warner Pacific, the Albertson College volleyball
team has now posted their best ten-game, 15-game, and 20-game start in school
history. The Lady ‘Yotes, winners of
nine of their last ten matches, have begun the season with a 16-4 record – a
faster pace than the 15-5 start that the 1997 had.
OTHER TOP STARTS: The following are the 10-game,
15-game, and 20-game starts for the Lady ‘Yotes over the past nine seasons
YEAR 10-GAMES 15 GAMES 20-GAMES
1997 7-3 11-4 15-5
1998 6-4 10-5 12-8
1999 5-5 6-9 11-9
2000 5-5 9-6 13-7
2001 6-4 10-5 12-8
2002 4-6 5-10 9-11
2003 5-5 10-5 12-8
2004 5-5 9-6 13-7
2005 7-3 12-3 16-4
WIN STREAKS: With the
seven-match win streak this season, the Lady ‘Yotes have registered a five-game
or more winning streak in each of the last seven seasons. Both the 2003 and 2004 teams share the
school record with nine-consecutive wins, while the second-longest streaks
belong to the 1999 and 2005 clubs with seven.
HOME SWEET HOME: Since Liz
Mendiola took over the Coyote program in 2001, teams have struggled when
they have ventured into the Treasure Valley.
During the five-year span, Albertson has a 47-12 record in the J.A.
Albertson Activities Center (.797 win percentage) – including a 18-2 mark over
the past two seasons (with both losses coming at the hands of nationally ranked
opponents.
PLAYOFF HUNT: With the
two wins last weekend, the Lady ‘Yotes clinched a playoff spot for the seventh
consecutive season. Albertson, along
with Northwest and Southern Oregon, have clinched berths in the six-team
Cascade Conference postseason tournament, to be held on Nov. 11-12. Oregon Tech can be the next to secure a spot
with a victory this weekend.
REGIONAL RANKINGS: With just
two weeks remaining in the regular-season, the entire NAIA Region I top-ten
poll remained the same, with the ‘Yotes sitting at No. 3. Southern Oregon maintained the top spot with
Northwest sitting at No. 2 – after the Raiders beat NW in three-games on Saturday
night. After the Coyotes in the poll are Oregon Tech, Westminster, Great Falls,
Montana-Western, Montana State-Northern, Carroll, and Concordia. Southern is ranked No. 11 in the latest NAIA
poll, with Northwest at No. 13. Both
Albertson and Oregon Tech received votes.
LADY ‘YOTES RECEIVE VOTES: For the
sixth time this season and for the fifth consecutive week, the Albertson
volleyballers received votes in the NAIA national poll, good enough to be the
No. 31 ranked team in the nation. The
Coyotes received three votes in this week’s poll – the sixth team listed in the
“others receiving votes” category. The
last time Albertson was ranked in the NAIA Top-25 was during the 2001 season –
a year after making their lone National Tournament appearance. The ‘Yotes began 2001 ranked No. 15 in the
preseason poll, dropped to No. 19 in the first regular-season poll, and have
not been ranked since.
GASTON NAMED LIBERO OF THE WEEK: For the
second time in three weeks, Albertson libero Charity Gaston (Harrisonberg,
Va. / James Madison U.) was named CCC and NAIA Region I Libero of the
Week. The senior averaged over 8.19
digs per game in the Coyotes two wins, vaulting into third-place in the league
dig leaders. Gaston has a chance at
NAIA Libero of the Week honors – as Corban’s Becky Horn earned the nod last
week, averaging 7.57 digs per game.
BIG HITTING NIGHT VS. CASCADE: Thanks to
the best hitting night in six seasons, the Albertson College volleyball team
clinched their seventh-straight playoff appearance with a 30-14, 30-12, 30-17
victory Friday over Cascade in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. The Coyotes recorded a .444 hitting
percentage as a team - the highest since rally scoring began in 2001, and the
best hitting night since a .500 night against Warner Pacific on Sept. 15,
2000. Anne Parker (Pocatello,
Idaho / Century HS) slid into the middle blocker role and led the way with
14 kills and six blocks, with Fran Hartman (Lakeview, Ore. / Lakeview
HS) recording 13 kills without an error. Albertson used an 11-2 run
to take control of Game 1, then dominated Game 2 and 3, committing just three
attack errors. Erin Cherrington (Granby, Colo. / Middle Park
HS) had 56 assists and 14 digs, Charity Gaston added 26 digs, and Tiffany
Sower (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) recorded nine kills, 13 digs, and seven
aces.
‘YOTES STOP WARNER IN FOUR: Kathryn
Ely (La Grande, Ore. / La Grande HS) led four Albertson players in
double-figure kills with 19 spikes, as the Albertson volleyball team stopped
Warner Pacific 30-22, 28-30, 30-18, 30-16 on Saturday night. After coasting to the Game 1 win, Game 2 saw
11 ties - as the Knights broke a 28-all deadlock, using an Albertson serving
error and a Kaylee Stone ace to steal the set.
The Lady 'Yotes would not budge, as Ely and Fran Hartman each had five
kills in the Game 3 win and Albertson used a 17-4 push to close out the
finale. Ely added 16 digs and three
blocks in the win, with Katie Hogue (Sparks, Nev. / Reed HS) providing
17 kills and four blocks, Hartman 16 kills and five blocks, and Anne Parker 12
kills and five blocks. Erin Cherrington recorded 65 assists and ten digs,
with libero Charity Gaston tying a season-high with 31 digs.
RECORD BOOK: Three
players are climbing on the career record list heading into this weekends
action. Erin Cherrington reached the
2,800 career assist mark last week (2,858, third-most in school history), while
moving into fourth-place on the all-time ace list with 125. Fran Hartman now has 861kills, sixth-best in
Coyote history (133 behind fifth-place), while she also moved into sixth-place
all-time with 235 blocks (ten behind fifth-place). In less than two seasons, Katie Hogue now has 205 blocks,
11th-place all-time, and just three blocks away from the top-ten.
I-84 CUP, VOLLEYBALL STYLE: Friday
night, a resurgent Eastern Oregon volleyball team heads to Caldwell with
years of pent-up emotion – as the Lady ‘Yotes have dominated the I-84 Cup
series, winning the last 20 meetings in a row.
However, the Mountaineers (8-8, 7-8 CCC) are in the middle of a three-team
race for two playoff spots, as Eastern looks to return to the postseason for
the first time since 2001. The Mounties
are led by Jennifer Luatua (3.82 k/g, 4.22 d/g) and Keri Brown (3.25 k/g) – and
have won four of their last five matches.
Albertson took home a 30-20, 30-21, 30-28 win in La Grande in September.
SENIOR NIGHT: Friday
night marks the final home match for a quartet of Albertson seniors. Of the four, three of the players – Charity
Gaston, Kimberly Horn (Notus, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC), and Jennifer
Horn (Notus, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) have been with the team for
the past two seasons. The fourth
senior, Fran Hartman, was the first player recruited by Liz Mendiola when she
got the head coaching position. The
Coyotes and their fans would like to thank the senior for the memories.
MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2005 volleyball team can be found on Albertson volleyball official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball.htm. Up-to-date Cascade Conference standings can be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball/stats/standings.htm.
CROSS COUNTRY: No. 10 Coyote men win home meet,
women place second – continue to improve
LAST WEEK: hosted Coyote
Invitational – Men place first, Women place second
COMING UP: at Cascade
Conference / NAIA Region I Championships, Portland, Ore. – November 5.
COYOTES
WIN HOME MEET: Hosting their first home meet
in 30 years, the Albertson College men’s squad took home their second team
title of the 2005 season, distancing the field over the 8,000-meter course
traversing the ACI campus. The Coyotes
were joined atop the podium by the Eastern Oregon women, as the No. 15 ranked
Mountaineers claimed three of the top-five scoring spots on the ladies
side. Paced by fourth and fifth-place
finishes by David Fluckiger (Herisou, Switz. / Va. Commonwealth) and
Jesse Chlebeck (Eagan, Minn. / Eagan HS), the Albertson men
continued to improve in just their second-year of competition since 1977. Eastern Oregon battled the ‘Yotes, who were
fighting the flu bug all week, but settled for a second-place finish – led by a
sixth-place finish from Josh Ego. Shannon
Edwards (Sherwood, Ore. / Eastern Oregon U.) had an outstanding race
for the Lady ‘Yotes on the women’s side, as the senior was the first collegiate
runner to cross the finish line (18:59.29), placing third-overall. However, Ryan Finney, Shawna Muchow, and Marcella
Bosch ran outstanding races for Eastern to help them outdistance Albertson.
MORE ON THE MEET: A great day (sunny, no wind,
temperatures in the 60s greeted the runners and spectators. The unique course
(two-kilometer loop) wound through the Caldwell campus – allowing runners who
can best handle turns and switchbacks the advantage. Greater Boise Running Club standout Jake Stout distanced the
men’s field (24:51.34), followed by Evergreen State’s Josh Klimek. Another GBRC runner, Cynthia Mauzerall won
the women’s individual title (18:20.04), followed by Kelsey Jones of the
Eastside Track Club.
COYOTE MEN
SIT AT NO. 10 IN NAIA: The Albertson College men’s cross country team, which
spent last week preparing for their first home cross country meet in 30-years, dropped
two spots to No. 10 in the latest NAIA national poll.
TWO WEEKS
OF TRAINING LEFT BEFORE KEY MEET: Both teams will
take this week off from competition, preparing for the Cascade Conference and
NAIA Region I Championship, set for Nov. 5.
The Albertson men, who placed fourth in the CCC and seventh in the region
last year – are gunning for a top-three finish. The women, who placed fifth in the CCC and eighth in the region –
look to improve next week, possibly earning a top-three finish in the league
race.
NATIONALS?: Automatic bids for teams and individuals will be
released following the meet on Nov. 5.
There is a strong possibility that the men’s team will earn a berth to
the national meet on Nov. 19 in Louisville, Ky., while Shannon Edwards has a
very good chance to earn her third trip to nationals.
MORE INFORMATION: Updated information on the 2005 cross country team,
including meet-by-meet results and top times, can be found on the Albertson
cross country official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/xc.htm.
MEN’S SOCCER (8-8, 7-3 CCC): Playoff
picture – beat Cascade and Concordia, plus Evergreen loss equals berth
LAST WEEK: at Corban (L 6-1), at Warner
Pacific, (W 2-1)
COMING UP: vs. Cascade, Friday, 3 p.m.; vs.
No. 22 Concordia, Saturday, 1 p.m.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: One week left in the
regular-season and for the second-straight year Albertson will battle for a
playoff spot up until the final gun.
The Coyotes come into the week tied with Evergreen State for
second-place in the Cascade Conference, two games behind Concordia, with two
games remaining. A victory on Tuesday
by the Cavs will clinch CU their
fourth-straight CCC regular-season title and the host site for next week’s NAIA
Region I tournament. Albertson and
Evergreen will battle for the second automatic berth into the Regional – with
the ‘Yotes needing either two wins and a n Evergreen loss; or one win and two Evergreen
losses to earn the berth.
WHAT’S AT STAKE AND WHY?: At stake is a slot in the
four-team Region I tourney – with the winner earning an automatic bid to the
NAIA championships in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The top-two teams in the CCC earn spots, as do the top two Longo rated
teams in the Region (including the remaining CCC clubs, plus Simon Fraser and
Westminster). Albertson has no chance
to advance on Longo points – so they must finish in the top-two in the CCC to
return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus.
REGIONAL RANKINGS: Heading into the final week of the
season, Simon Fraser leads the NAIA Region I weekly top-five poll, followed by
Concordia, Evergreen State, Westminster, and Corban.
CORBAN BREAKS THROUGH IN A BIG WAY: Four
goals in the first 25 minutes of the match was all that Corban College needed
on Friday afternoon, as the Warriors quickly ended the Albertson five-game win
streak with a convincing 6-1 win in Salem.
Scott Marshall led the Corban attack with three goals, as the hosts kept
their playoff hopes alive with the victory.
The loss was the worst CCC defeat for Albertson since the 1998 season (a
7-1 loss to Concordia) and only the second time that the ‘Yotes have allowed
six-or-more goals in a league match.
WHAT WENT WRONG?: In talking with head coach Brian
Smith after the match, things looked very wrong from the get-go. “We did not come to play,” said the
second-year coach. “Despite having a
very good week of training, we were outworked, outhustled, and outplayed – in
every facet of the game.
SCORELESS STREAK ENDED: The ‘Yotes went into the
Corban match having not allowed a goal in 353 minutes and allowed just one goal
scored in the last 472 minutes played.
The streaked ended just nine minutes into the match on Friday – stopping
at 481 minutes.
KEY VICTORY AT WARNER: In a must-win situation, the Albertson College men's
soccer team got a huge game-winning goal from junior Mitch White (Boise,
Idaho / Gonzaga Univ.), as the Coyotes stopped Warner Pacific, 2-1, at
Portland Christian High School on Saturday.
After the Knights
erased an Albertson one-goal lead on a Trevor Tharp goal in the 80th minute,
the Coyotes came right back three minutes later. White took a slotted
ball from Michael Delgado (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) and
found the net - and the defense preserved the lead. Scott Ward (Rexburg, Idaho / Madison HS) got Albertson on the
board in the first half, scoring an unassisted goal ten minutes into the
match. "Scott Ward played an outstanding game," said head coach
Brian Smith. "He gave us a spark early and our defense was able to
rebound after a tough game yesterday."
LAST HURRAH FOR SENIORS: Saturday will be the final
home game for seven players on the Albertson roster. Fifth-year senior Shane Carmody (Boise, Idaho /
Timberline HS) will be joined by a six-pack of four-year players on the
roster – John Mitchell (Boise, Idaho / Boise State), Tyler
Seaman (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS), Joe Chandler (Nampa,
Idaho / Nampa HS), Ryan Huber (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS), Andrew
Heisler (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS), and Sam Reed (Eagle,
Idaho / Eagle HS). The ‘Yotes and
their fans would like to thank the senior for the many memories over the years.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AT THE PITCH: Albertson
rounds out their home schedule this weekend with must-win matches against Cascade
and nationally-ranked Concordia.
Friday’s match with the T-Birds (1-11-1, 0-9 CCC) will be a rematch of
an Albertson 1-0 win in Portland three weeks ago – a match in which Cascade
flooded the defensive zone, making scoring difficult for the ‘Yotes. Cascade, whose lone win was a 3-1 victory
over Simpson (Calif.), is led by four goals from Adalberto Angulo – but has
lost 35 consecutive CCC matches.
Albertson has won 22 of the 26 all-time matches between the teams. Saturday, the Cavaliers (11-4-1, 9-1) look
to avenge their only loss in their last 11 matches – a 2-1 Albertson victory in
Portland. Concordia, ranked No. 22 in
last week’s NAIA poll, is led by the 1-2 punch of Luis Garica (ten goals, five
assists) and Mirzet Sacirovic (ten goals, nine assists). It is the 36th meeting between the teams,
with Albertson holding a 19-15-1 edge.
MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics
on the 2005 men’s soccer team can be found on Albertson men’s soccer official
website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/menssoccer.htm. Up-to-date Cascade Conference standings can
be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/msoccer/stats/standings.htm.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (7-8-1, 5-5-1 CCC): Season
Recap – Coyotes lose season-finale, finish 2005 with six-win turnaround
LAST WEEK: at Eastern
Oregon (L 2-0)
COMING UP:
season complete
EASTERN
ENDS ALBERTSON SEASON: The Albertson College women's soccer team failed in its bid to post
their first winning season since 1989, dropping their season finale at Eastern
Oregon, 2-0. Kendra Aynan scored the opening goal
for the Mountaineers in the 38th minute and Kristina Kennedy added an insurance
tally in the 65th minute, as Eastern avenged a pair of earlier losses to
Albertson. Keeper Meave Johnson stopped a pair of point-blank
opportunities in the final 15 minutes to preserve the shutout.
FINAL GAME FOR SENIORS: Last Friday’s match was
the final collegiate soccer contest for three Albertson seniors. Candice Frank (Boise, Idaho /
Rocky Mountain Coll.) has been the starting keeper for the past two seasons,
while Lindsay Russell (Idaho Falls, Idaho / Idaho State Univ.) has
been a two-year starter as a midfielder, scoring three goals and six assists in
her career. The final senior is Danielle
Dorsch (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS), who is the lone four-year member
of the program – who spent her first two seasons as the starting keeper.
LADY ‘YOTES
UNABLE TO CRACK .500 MARK?: Only once
in program history has an Albertson women’s soccer team finished above the .500
mark – John Calpin’s first-ever women’s team in 1989, a club that registered an
8-3 mark. Since then, only one team has
won more than eight games (the 2002 team finished 10-11) – and no team has
finished with a record above the .500 mark.
Two times the ‘Yotes finished at the
.500 mark – the 1992 team (5-5-2) and 1993 team (6-6-1) with that
distinction.
PLAYOFFS: The Cascade Conference playoffs will begin on Wednesday – with North
Division No. 1 seed Concordia hosting South No. 2 Southern Oregon, while South
No. 1 Corban hosts North No. 2 Evergreen State.
RECORD BOOK
HUNT: With the season complete, Lady
‘Yotes have a trio of players who will leave their mark on the Albertson
women’s soccer program. Sophomore
striker Leah Roach (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS) has
scored ten goals in her career, good enough for No. 7 on the all-time
list. Joining her in the career book is
junior Allison Rupert (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS), who
ranks tied for fourth all-time with nine assists. Also making a statement this season was keeper Candice Frank, who
tied a school-record with four shutouts this season – while posting the lowest
goals against average in the last ten years.
RECAP OF
2005: The Coyotes began the season with
their best start in school history, sprinting out to a 5-1-1 record – including
wins over Northwest Nazarene, playoff-bound Southern Oregon, and a tie of
playoff-bound Evergreen State. However,
Albertson took their lumps on a trip to Montana – beginning a slide that would
see them lose six of their final seven matches. The team, however, was one of the more improved teams in the CCC
– having improved from a 1-16 mark in 2004 to a 7-8-1 record in 2005.
MORE
INFORMATION:
Updated information and statistics on the 2005 women’s soccer team can be found
on Albertson women’s soccer official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmenssoccer.htm. Up-to-date Cascade Conference standings can
be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wsoccer/stats/standings.htm.
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