Yote Notes – Jan. 30,
2007
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Mike Safford Jr. – Sports
Info. Director
msafford@collegeofidaho.edu
ATHLETIC
NEWS:
C-TOWN
FIGHT NIGHT RETURNS: After great success last year, both the ACI baseball
team and the Caldwell High football team have joined forces again for the
Second-Annual C-Town Fight Night. The
amateur boxing event will take place at O’Connor Fieldhouse
on February 7, with the first bout set for 7 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale – for tickets,
call Josh Hegstad at 459-5862, or by email at jhegstad@collegeofidaho.edu.
HALL OF
FAME SET FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON: A former runner, a former coach,
and a national championship winning team will be inducted into the ACI Athletic
Hall of Fame, during ceremonies set for Feb. 3 on the
TENNIS,
BASEBALL, SOFTBALL INCHING CLOSER: The Coyote baseball and women’s
tennis teams will open regular-season play the weekend of Feb. 10-11 (with the
softball team hosting an exhibition game against the
TAILGATE
PARTY: The ACI Alumni Office will be holding a tailgate party prior to the
Coyote basketball games vs. Warner Pacific on Friday, Feb. 2. To RSVP, contact Mary Bitner
at 459-5300.
MEN’S
BASKETBALL (16-4, 10-3 CCC): Yotes set to host No. 3 Warner
Pacific and Cascade to close regular-season home schedule
COMING
UP: vs. No. 3 Warner Pacific, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; vs. Cascade, Saturday, 7:30
p.m.
LAST
WEEK: at Northwest (L 79-76), at
RADIO /
INTERNET BROADCAST: All
regular-season men’s basketball games will be broadcast live in the
NO LIVE STATS: Live Stats are currently unavailable
for ACI home games.
COYOTES CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT: With a win against Concordia on Jan.
20, the Coyotes clinched its tenth-consecutive berth in the Cascade Conference
postseason tournament, set to begin on Feb. 21.
The Yotes have won the CCC postseason title four times (in 1996, 2001,
2003, and 2004) – with the team posting a 12-3 mark in tourney play under Mark Owen.
ATTENDANCE TOPS THE CCC (AND THE BIG
SCHOOLS?): So far
this season, the Coyotes have averaged 1,607 fans a game – the highest average
attendance in the Cascade Conference.
ACI average is over 200 more fans than the
HOME SWEET HOME: The big crowds have helped make the
YOTES AT NO. 10 IN NAIA POLL: The Coyotes dropped one spot in last week’s national poll, sitting at
No. 10 in the latest rankings – the sixth-straight week that the Yotes have
been in the national poll. ACI has
maintained its perfect mark in the NAIA Division II, as the Yotes have been ranked
at least once in the Top-25 every season since the NAIA split into two
divisions in 1991 (The Coyotes were the very first No. 1 ranked team in the
NAIA Division II, topping the initial poll during the 1991-92 season). The
Cascade Conference had three other teams in the Top-25 – Warner Pacific ranked
No. 3, Oregon Tech at No. 12, Eastern Oregon at No. 18, while Northwest and
18-STRAIGHT YEARS: For the last 18 years, the ACI
men’s basketball team has been in the Top-25 at least once each season –
including all seven years under Mark Owen. The following are the high-water
mark each season since Coach “O” has been at the helm
2000-01 No. 24 2001-02 No. 8 2002-03
No. 15
2003-04 No. 3 2004-05 No. 5 2005-06
No. 16
2006-07 No.
9
YOTES THIRD IN CCC POLL: Following a loss Friday at
Northwest, ACI dropped to No. 3 in the latest CCC coaches’ poll. Warner Pacific continues to hold the top
spot, despite dropping their first league game to the new No. 2 team, Oregon
Tech. The Yotes are followed by
CAREER NUMBERS: Three different Coyotes are
currently climbing the career record book lists. Josh
Owen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue
HS) currently ranks No. 3 in free throw percentage (.868, 164-of-189
attempts), is No. 4 all-time in three-point field goals made (166) and
attempted (429), and is in the Top-15 in steals (108) and assists (203). The junior needs just 50 points to become the
15th ACI player to record 1,000 points in his career. Senior Brandon
Nielsen (Twin Falls, Idaho / Big Bend
CC) is No. 10 in three-point attempts (345) and is in the Top-15 in three-pointers
made (123), while fellow senior, Ike
Stafford (Auburn, Wash. / Salt Lake
CC) is in the Top-15 in three-pointers made (132) and attempted (289).
TOP TEAM IN LEAD HEADS TO TOWN: Front-running Warner
Pacific makes their lone appearance this season in the
CASCADE SET FOR SENIOR AND HALL OF FAME NIGHT: It will be a
festive atmosphere on Saturday night, as Cascade will share the
stage with the 9th ACI Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and Senior
Night. The T-Birds (2-18, 1-11) come
into the weekend having won two of their last three games, including a
surprising 73-62 win over
MORE ON THE FESTIVITIES: Two individuals
(track and field star, Bernie Hamilton, and baseball coach, Tim Mooney), along
with the 1995-96 men’s basketball team, will be inducted into the ACI Athletic
Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon. It
is expected that nearly all of the members of the first NAIA Championship team
in school history will be attendance. It
will also mark the final regular-season home game for a trio of Coyotes – Ike
Stafford, Brandon Nielsen, and Casey Oliver (
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Scoring Average –
Scott O’Gallagher (WPC) 23.6, Adam Moore (ESC) 20.8,
Alex Hartman (CU) 18.6, Ike Stafford (ACI) 18.1, Josh Jackson (WPC) 18.0,;
Rebound Average – Paul Carollo (EOU) 8.8, Joshua Wetzler (OIT) 8.5, Aaron Sawyer (NU) 8.3, Jalonta Martin (WPC) 7.6, Tayo
Cotton (CAS) 7.0; Field Goal Percentage – Derek Brown (EOU) .680, Erion Moore (SOU) .601, Craig McGee (ACI) .585, Neil Fryer
(EOU) .584, A. Moore .579; Assist Average – Levell Hesia (OIT) 5.2, Jesse Alvarez (CU) 4.8, Jeremy Templeton
(EOU) 4.7, Dwain Hicks (ESC) 4.4, O’Gallagher 4.1.
AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the
Coyotes lead the Cascade Conference in four statistical categories – steals per
game (13.6), three-pointers made per game (11.3), turnovers forced per game
(24.6) and turnover margin (+9.2).
Individually, Ike Stafford leads the loop in
three-pointers made per game (3.5), while ranking No. 4 in scoring average
(18.1), No. 5 in free throw percentage (.823), and No. 7 in both steals (1.7),
and three-point percentage (.449). Josh
Owen is second the league in steals per
game (2.4), is third in the league in both three’s made per game (2.8),and free throw percentage (.836). Also among the league
leaders are Brandon Nielsen, who is sixth in three-pointers made per game
(2.4), Bryan Champ (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS), who leads the
league in steals per game (2.5), Craig
McGee (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS), who is third in
field goal percentage (.585), sixth in blocks per game (0.8), and eighth in
rebounds per game (6.4), and Donnel Garner (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Chaparral HS), who
is fifth in steals per game (1.8).
ON THE NATIONAL FRONT: As a team, the
Yotes lead the NAIA Division II in turnover margin and steals per game, ranking
second in three-pointers made per game, and third in scoring average. Individually, Ike Stafford ranks second in
the NAIA in three-pointers made per game and Bryan Champ is eighth in steals
per game.
YOTES CAN’T HOLD ONTO LATE LEAD AT
NORTHWEST:
ACI CLAMS UP
MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and
information regarding the ACI men’s basketball program, head to the official
site Coyote Basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.
WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL (16-6, 12-1 CCC): Lady Yotes host Warner Pacific and
Cascade, looking for home win No. 100
COMING
UP: vs. Warner Pacific, Friday, 5:30 p.m.; vs. Cascade, Saturday, 5:30 p.m.
LAST
WEEK: at Northwest (W 72-60), at
INTERNET
BROADCAST: All Lady Yote women’s basketball home games are
carried live on the Internet, via the ACI athletic website (www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/caa/radio.htm).
NO LIVE STATS: Live Stats are currently not available
for ACI home games.
NEXT
HOME WIN A MILESTONE FOR LADY YOTES: Playing at home has always
been a big key for the Lady Yotes, as ACI has posted a 99-41 all-time record in
the J.A. Albertson Activities Center – needing just one win to reach the
coveted 100-win plateau on their home floor.
This year’s team has excelled in
LADY
YOTES WITH TWO-GAME LEAD WITH THREE WEEKS LEFT: The ACI
women’s basketball maintained their two-game lead in the Cascade Conference
standings with road wins at Northwest and
LOVING
PLAYOFFS
AGAIN FOR THE LADY YOTES: ACI clinched a spot in the CCC postseason tournament with
its win Jan. 20 vs. Concordia, and has now advanced to the CCC tourney in 11 of
the 12 seasons since women’s basketball was reinstated at the College in
1995. The Coyotes have advanced to three
NAIA Division II tournaments (1998 – first round, 2000 – quarterfinals, 2001 –
championship game), but have never won a CCC postseason tournament (advanced to
the finals in 2000, 2002, and 2005).
TOP
DRAWING WOMEN’S PROGRAM IN
LADY YOTES FALL OUT OF TOP-25: After spending a week in the NAIA
Division II Top-25 for the first time since 2001, the Lady Yotes dropped three
spots to No. 28 in last week’s national poll.
The ranking on Jan. 17 was the first Top-25 ranking for ACI since the
preseason poll during the 2001-02 season. The
Coyotes have previously been ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation - that
coming in January of 2001, as ACI ended the season as the national
runner-up. Indiana Wesleyan was the
unanimous No. 1 team, followed by Ozarks (
YOTES
HOLD TOP SPOT IN CCC POLL: For the fifth-straight week, the
Lady Yotes held the top spot in the Cascade Conference weekly coaches’
poll. ACI was the unanimous No. 1 team
for the fourth-straight week, earning eight first-place votes (two teams did
not vote). They are followed by Corban, Oregon Tech, Eastern Oregon,
SCORING
PACKS A PUNCH: Through 22
games this season, the Lady Yotes lead the CCC in scoring offense, averaging
74.2 points per game – upping that to 77.8 points a night in league play. ACI has already scored 70-or-more points in a
game 17 times this season, going over the 80-point mark six times. During the 2004-05 and the 2005-06 seasons –
the Coyotes managed just nine 70-point games in each year. The most 70-point games in a season by an ACI
team is 19 – set by both the 1999-2000 and 2000-01
clubs. Interestingly, the 1996-97 team, which holds the school record for scoring average in a
season (73.4), had only 14 70-point games.
To break the school record (73.2 ppg) for
scoring average in a season, the Lady Yotes need to average 69 points a game
over the remaining five regular-season contests.
STEALING FRENZY: As a team, the Yotes lead the CCC and the NAIA Division II in steals per game (18.1), with the 389 steals breaking the former school record (386) set in 2005. A staggering number is the fact that nine different ACI players have recorded 25-or-more steals this season – while a total of 22 other players from the nine other conference teams have accomplished the same.
WARNER
PACIFIC OFF TO
CASCADE
LOOKS TO SPRING THE UPSET: A big crowd is
expected for Hall of Fame Night on Saturday, as Cascade meets the Lady Yotes. The T-Birds
(2-18, 1-11) have been trying to fight through problems – an 11-game losing streak
to open the season, followed by the resignation of head coach Lisa Berger in
early January – and average just 52 points a game and shoot 23-percent from
three-point range. The team, however,
has played tough in recent weeks, winning a pair of games behind the play of
posts Kristin Woller (12.3 ppg,
4.2 rpg) and Te Awhina Aranui (9.8 ppg, 10.1 rpg). It is the 14th all-time meeting between the
teams, with ACI holding a 10-3 series edge, including a 76-58 victory in
SENIOR NIGHT: Saturday marks the final regular-season home game for a trio of ACI seniors. Playing in their final J.A. Albertson Activities Center contest will be Whitney Martin (Paul, Idaho / Boise State), a three-year member of the Yotes, and Jori Grady (Roseburg, Ore. / Umpqua CC), who has been with the club the last two years. Also being honored is Libby Baker (Dillon, Mont. / Beaverhead County HS), who played for the Yotes for three years, before becoming a student-assistant coach this season, after injuries cut short her playing career.
CONFERENCE
LEADERS: Scoring Average – Nicole
Brown (WP) 18.3, Whitney Clark (ACI) 16.7, Christie Weaver (EOU) 15.8, Jessi Norton (CRB) 15.0, Jessica Steigleman
(CRB) 14.5; Rebound Average – Te Awhina Arunui (CAS) 10.1, Jackie Spear (SOU) 8.9, Jennifer Solberg
(ESC) 7.9, Brianne Carras (CRB) 7.7, Denise Hill
(ACI) 7.5; Field Goal Percentage – Carras .578,
Kelsey Richards (SOU) .542, Rebekah Johnson (NU)
.537, Sheena Henderson (EOU) .533, Tosha Wilson (CRB)
.530; Assist Average – Whitney Leman (EOU) 5.6, Wilson 5.5, Chelsey
Zimmerman (SOU) 4.7, Kelsi Haylett
(OIT) 3.8, Lindsey Wells (WPC) 3.7.
AMONG
THE LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the Lady Yotes lead the CCC in
steals per game (17.7), turnover margin (+7.2), turnovers forced per game
(29.2), and scoring average (74.2).
Individually, Whitney Clark
(Jerome, Idaho /
Northwest Nazarene U.) ranks second in the loop in scoring average
(16.7), is third in free throw percentage (.819), is sixth in steals per game
(2.3), and ninth in three-pointers per game (1.6), with Jori Grady
ranking fourth in steals per game (2.6).
Christon Vander Esch (Grangeville,
CAREER
RECORDS: Both Whitney Clark and Jori
Grady are inching up the ACI career record book as the 2006-07 season rolls
on.
BACK-TO-BACK WINS AT NORTHWEST: A 22-4 run midway through the
second half helped ACI top Northwest University, 72-60, on Friday night. The Lady Yotes saw a lead of 28-10 in the
first half erased by the host Eagles, as NU took a 43-41 lead with 12 minutes
left. However, ACI responded, getting key buckets from Magen Dufurrena (
IN OVERTIME: The victory by the Lady Yotes over
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For up-to-date statistics, stories,
and information about the ACI women’s basketball team, head to the official
website for the Lady Yotes – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.
ALPINE SKIING: Coyotes sweep races at Brundage and Tamarack
LAST
WEEK: at NWCSC
Qualifier #2 (
COMING
UP: at NWCSC
Qualifier #3 (Giant Slalom) - Saturday and Sunday at
MEN
EXTEND WIN STREAK TO THREE WITH SWEEP: The ACI men's ski team continued a great start to the
2007 season by sweeping the slalom races, Saturday at
YOTES
DOMINATE MEN'S STANDINGS: As a team, the Coyotes hold a 135-point lead over the
University of Oregon at the midway point of the season - as ACI looks to win
the NWCSC title for the fifth-straight year. Same goes for the individual
standings, as Kevin Makinson, Aaron Flynn (
BULLARD
LEADS LADY YOTE CHARGE: Paced by senior captain Molly Bullard (Boring,
ACI
AT THE TOP OF WOMEN'S STANDINGS: As a team, the Lady Yotes hold a 120-point lead over the
YOTES
HEAD BACK NORTH: This weekend, the eight Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference teams head
to Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg for the second round of giant slalom
races. The teams will close out the NWCSC circuit next weekend at Mount
Hood Ski Bowl in
HISTORY: Since 1979, the ACI ski program (alpine, nordic, snowboard) has won a combined 21 NCSA or USCSA team national championships, along with 15 individual NCSA or USCSA national championships. Current snowboarder Evan Williams is a two-time national champ - winning the 2005 Snowboardcross and 2006 Halfpipe championships.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: Both the ACI men and the ACI women were ranked No. 8 in the USCSA preseason poll, released in November.
ABOUT THE COACH: Ron Bonneau is in his 17th season as head coach for the ACI alpine ski programs. During his tenure at ACI, the native of New Hampshire has seen the Coyote men's team qualify for the USCSA championships on nine occasions, with the women's team making appearances 12 times. His 2004 women's squad finished second in the nation and fourth in the alpine combined. The Yotes have seen much success in the 21st Century, as both the men's and women's programs, under Bonneau's direction, have won four-consecutive Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference championships, with the Lady Yotes taking home Western Region championships in 1999, 2003, and 2006. His women's teams have advanced to eight-straight USCSA championships, finishing in the Top-8 on each occasion. Bonneau, a graduae of Plymouth State College, replaced Tom Olson as the alpine coach in 1991 - and worked with Chris Melgaard on the nordic side, to claim the women's nordic national championships in 1994 and 1995. During his tenure, Bonneau has coached five national champions, 30 All-Americans, and 60 All-America Scholar-Athletes
FOR
MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the ACI alpine ski program, head to the official
homepage of the Coyotes - www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/skiing.htm.
TRACK AND FIELD: 21 Coyotes to compete Saturday in
LAST
WEEK: at
COMING
UP: at United
Heritage Invitational, Saturday -
YOTES
OPEN SEASON WITH NAIA MARKS IN
FULL
TEAM TO COMPETE IN
RECORD
HOLDER HEADED INTO THE HALL OF FAME:
FOR MORE
INFORMATION: For
more information on the ACI track and field team, head to the official homepage
of the Coyotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/track.htm.
SWIMMING: Yotes win six events in dual with
PLU, host Caldwell Invitational this weekend
LAST
WEEK: vs.
Pacific Lutheran (Men L 122-48, Women L 135-56)
COMING
UP: Host
YOTES
WIN SIX EVENTS IN DUAL WITH PACIFIC LUTHERAN: The ACI swim team took home six
titles Saturday afternoon in their lone home dual meet of the season with
Pacific Lutheran, notching one more NAIA national qualifying time to their
list. PLU took home the team wins - 122-48 on the men's side and 135-56
on the women's side. Leading the Lady Yotes was freshman Elizabeth Peters (Woodburn, Ore. / Woodburn HS), who set a
new school record in the 100-freestyle, placing second in the event in 56.83 -
earning her a second individual race at the NAIA Championships this
March. Alphonsina Savell (
INVITATIONAL
TIME: The
Coyotes will host an open invitational this weekend in the
AMONG
THE NAIA'S ELITE: The NAIA released its individual and relay Top-20 times last week, with
three Coyote individuals and seven relay teams on the list. Leading the
group were the men's 200 and 400-freestyle relay teams, whose times sit in
seventh-place on the list, with the men's 200-medley relay at No. 10.
Four women's relays are in the Top-20, with the 200-free relay at No. 10
(200-medley at No. 11, 400-free at No. 13, and 400-medley at No. 14).
Individually, Alphonsina Savell
has the 15th-fastest 100-breaststroke and 16th-fastest 200-breaststroke
times. The Yotes also have a pair in the Top-20 of the 50-free - freshman
Elizabeth Peters at No. 13 and sophomore John
Green (
AUTOMATIC
NATIONAL QUALIFIERS: Individuals - John Green (50-Free, 100-Free), Alphonsina
Savell (100-Breast, 200-Breast), Elizabeth Peters
(50-free, 100-free). Relays - Men's (200-Free,
400-Free, 200-Medley), Women's (200-Free, 400-Free, 200-Medley).
The NAIA Championships are set for February 28 through March 3 in
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the ACI swim teams, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/swim.htm.