‘Yote Notes – Oct. 30, 2006

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

ATHLETIC NEWS:

MIDNIGHT MADNESS TONIGHT: The ACI basketball teams will be unveiled to Coyote students and fans tonight, as part of the first Midnight Madness on the Caldwell campus. At midnight, the teams will compete in two-ball competition, a men’s slam dunk competition, and a three-point shootout. The event is free to the public.

TAILGATE UNDER THE HOOPS: The Albertson College of Idaho alumni office is hosting a "Tailgate Under the Hoops" tailgate party at the Idaho Center prior to the United Heritage Tip-Off between ACI and Northwest Nazarene.  To RSVP, contact Mary Bitner at 459-5300 - cost is $5.00 per person.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR ACI-NNU GAME ON NOVEMBER 2: The ACI men’s basketball team opens up the season on November 2 at the Idaho Center in the United Heritage TipOff against Northwest Nazarene.  Tickets are on sale in the ACI athletic development office in Sterry Hall – with ticket prices ranging from $2.00 to $20.00.  For more information, contact Dave Hahn at 459-5835.

COYOTES ON THE AIR: All 27 Albertson College of Idaho men’s basketball games and all nine ACI women’s basketball road conference games will be broadcast live on 1490 KCID-AM.  Mike Safford Jr. will begin his sixth season as the Voice of the Yotes, beginning with a pregame show 20-minutes prior to each game.  The Yotes would like to thank the Journal Broadcast Group for their support of Coyote basketball again in 2006-07.

VOLLEYBALL (24-2, 16-0 CCC): Lady Yotes clinch Cascade Conference title, will host CCC and Regional Tournaments

COMING UP: vs. Lewis-Clark State, Wednesday, 7 p.m.; at Cascade, Friday, 7 p.m. (PST); at Warner Pacific, Saturday, 7 p.m. (PST)

LAST WEEK: at Eastern Oregon (W 3-1)

LADY YOTES WIN CASCADE CONFERENCE TITLE: For the first time in program history, the Albertson College of Idaho volleyball team captured the Cascade Conference regular-season championship. With their victory over Eastern Oregon on Friday night, the Lady Yotes secured at least a share of the title, and claimed the title outright after Southern Oregon lost to Concordia on Saturday. ACI has, however, won CCC postseason tournament titles in 1982 and in 2005.

PLAYOFF FEVER COMING TO CALDWELL: With the conference title come the spoils – as ACI earns the right to host the Cascade Conference postseason tournament on Nov. 10-11 and the NAIA Region I tournament from Nov. 16-18. The first tournament will bring the Top-6 teams in the CCC to Caldwell, while the regional will have the Top-6 teams in the NAIA Region I playing in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. Season tickets for ACI volleyball will not be valid during postseason competition.

STREAKS GALORE FOR THE YOTES: Impressive numbers dot the landscape of the 2006 volleyball season for ACI, as the Lady Yotes have multiple streaks still alive. ACI has won 18-consecutive matches at home, dating back to last season, and has won 36-consecutive matches against teams not ranked in the national poll (or others’ receiving votes). The home win streak ties a mark the squad accomplished from midway through the 2003 season to the start of last year.

ONE STREAK ENDS: The Lady Yotes did see one streak come to an end on Friday night at Eastern Oregon, as the Yotes dropped just their second game in CCC play this season, when EOU won Game 3. The squad has dropped their first game in CCC play at Southern Oregon on Sept. 8, and won their 41 in a row, prior to Friday (won 48-of-50 games played in league play this year).

NATIONAL RANKING: The Yotes were ranked No. 9 in the eighth NAIA volleyball poll of the regular-season, released last week by the national office in Olathe, Kan. The Yotes remained at No. 9 for the second-straight week, equaling the highest ranking in program history. Six others – No. 1 National American (S.D.), No. 6 Columbia (Mo.), No. 22 Westminster, No. 24 Cedarville (Ohio), Lindenwood (Mo.), and Southern Oregon were among the ACI opponents this season in the Top-25 and others receiving votes. The Top-13 teams in the nation remained intact, except for No. 3 Concordia (Calif.) flip-flopping with No. 4 Cal Baptist. 

PREVIOUS RANKINGS: The Coyotes have been ranked in the Top-25 on 14 occasions in program history – the second (No. 24) and third (No. 19) polls of the 1997 season, the preseason (No. 15) and first poll (No. 19) of the 2001 season, the final poll during the 2005 season (No. 24), the 2006 preseason poll (No. 16), and the eight rankings this year.

YOTES MAINTAIN PERCH ATOP REGIONAL RANKINGS: With a perfect 16-0 start to the Cascade Conference season and a 24-2 overall record, the Yotes remained this week’s NAIA Region I weekly Top-10 poll. ACI is followed by Westminster, Southern Oregon, Great Falls, and Carroll. Rounding out the top-ten are Rocky Mountain Oregon Tech, Warner Pacific, Northwest, and Montana Tech. The top-six teams in the final regional poll will head to Caldwell for the NAIA Region I tournament.

MENDIOLA ADDS TO HER WINS RECORD: With the Lady Yotes victory over Cedarville (Ohio) on Sept. 23, ACI volleyball coach Liz Mendiola became the all-time winningest volleyball coach in program history. While at ACI, Mendiola has posted a 125-54 record (.698 win percentage) - six-straight Cascade Conference tournament appearances, three NAIA Region I tournament appearances, along with a trip to the 2005 NAIA Championships.

HOME SWEET HOME: Under Mendiola, the Lady Yotes are 59-12 in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center, an .831 winning percentage. They are even better in CCC play, holding a 45-8 mark (.849 percent) since the 2001 season.

BEST START EVER: The 24-2 start by the Lady Yotes is the best in program history, dating back to the 1982 season. In recent years, the 1997 and 2005 teams opened the season with 7-3 marks (best ten-game mark), while the 2005 squad opened with a 12-3 (best 15-game mark), 16-4 (best 20-game mark), and 20-5 (best 25-game mark) start to a season. ACI is also a perfect 9-0 on the road this year (not including neutral court matches).

MOST WINS?: The Lady Yotes are in position to approach the ACI record for most wins in a season. The 1981 team, led by ACI Hall of Famer Lerna Thames and coached by Don Braunecker, went 30-11. Both the 1987 and 2005 teams each won 27 games.

PERFECT CONFERENCE RECORD?: If ACI is able to notch road wins at Cascade and Warner Pacific this weekend, they would be just the second school to record a perfect Cascade Conference record, since the league went to the double round-robin schedule in 1995. Concordia is the only other school to accomplish the feat, doing in three-straight seasons – 2000, 2001, and 2002.

DOMINATING THE LEAGUE NUMBERS: As a team, the Yotes dominate the Cascade Conference statistics, leading the loop in hitting percentage (.252), assists per game (14.78), kills per game (15.74), blocks per game (3.12), and aces per game (2.42). Individually, Katie Hogue (Sparks, Nev. / Reed HS) leads the league in blocks per game (1.51), while ranking second in hitting percentage (.376) and aces per game (0.50), and sixth in kills per game (3.41). Erin Cherrington (Granby, Colo. / Middle Park HS) leads the league in assists per game (13.68) and is seventh in aces per game (0.44), while Kristin Henning is second in blocks per game (1.25) and is third in hitting percentage (.328). Anne Parker (Pocatello, Idaho / Century HS) is fifth in blocks per game (1.08) andin hitting percentage (.281), with Kathryn Ely (La Grande, Ore. / La Grande HS) ranking fifth in kills per game (3.55) and tenth in hitting percentage (.231). Rounding out the group is Catherine Everist (Portland, Ore. / Chicago State U.), who is No. 2 in digs per game (6.25) and No. 8 in aces per game (0.43). The numbers are even better in league-only categories – with ACI averaging a league best 16.84 kills a game, 15.78 assists per game, recording 2.86 aces per game, and holding opponents to a .072 hitting percentage.

YOTES LEAD NAIA IN ASSISTS AND KILLS, CHERRINGTON LEADS ALL NAIA PLAYERS: As a team, ACI leads the entire NAIA in assists per game and kills per game – while ranking No. 6 in blocks per game and No. 12 in hitting percentage. Erin Cherrington continues to lead the nation in assists per game, while Katie Hogue ranks No. 8 in the NAIA in blocks per game and is No. 12 in hitting percentage.

RECORD BOOK: It has already happened, but it is inevitable that the ACI record books will continue to be rewritten. Currently, five players are already among the all-time top-ten. Katie Hogue ranks No. 3 all-time with 377 blocks (19 from second-place), No. 7 with 893 kills, and No. 7 with 110 aces. Erin Cherrington holds the all-time record with 4,699 assists, is third with 176 aces, is No. 5 in games played (419), and is No. 6 with 1,016 digs. Also on the list are Tiffany Sower, who is fifth all-time with 130 aces, Anne Parker, who is sixth in blocks with 266, and Kathryn Ely, who is No. 9 in kills with 678.

FINAL REGULAR SEASON HOME GAME: The three ACI seniors will play their final regular-season home game in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center on Wednesday night, as the Coyotes host Lewis-Clark State. The Warriors (7-16) have dropped five of their last six matches, including a three-game loss to Great Falls on Saturday night. LC-State is led offensively and defensively by Kelly Scott (2.7 k/g, 3.4 d/g), while Julie Maciboba (2.6 k/g) is a threat on the outside, and Brittney Kubick (1.8 k/g, 1.0 b/g) is tough in the middle. It will be the 15th all-time meeting between the clubs, with the Warriors holding a 9-5 series edge, but ACI has won the past four meetings, dating back to the 2003 regional semifinals.

ON THE ROAD ONE MORE TIME: ACI makes one final regular-season road trip this weekend, heading to the Willamette Valley for the second time this year. Up first is Cascade College, who are mired in the midst of a 15-game losing streak. The T-Birds (1-26, 0-16 CCC) have struggled all season, winning just 5-of-85 games played in 2006. The best option for Cascade is hitter Alicia Charles (2.1 k/g, 2.7 d/g), who look to end a 19-match losing streak to the Yotes, who hold a 25-5 all-time series edge. Saturday, its over to Warner Pacific, who is vying for their first playoff berth since bringing volleyball back this decade. The Knights (12-9, 9-7) have won four matches in a row and have an 8-4 record at home. All-star candidate Michelle Allen (4.8 k/g, 3.9 d/g) leads the attack – leading the league in kills per game and digs per game by a non-libero. Also helping WP is Amy Rispler (2.5 k/g, 3.6 d/g) and setter Tara Andrews (10.0 a/g). The Knights look to end an 18-game losing streak to ACI, who hold the all-time series, 21-2.

YOTES WIN 24TH-STRAIGHT AGAINST EASTERN: The Albertson College volleyball team secured its first-ever Cascade Conference regular-season championship Friday night, knocking off Eastern Oregon 30-19, 30-22, 24-30, 30-16 at Quinn Coliseum in La Grande. Katie Hogue led the ACI attack, recording 15 kills, five blocks, and four aces. After recording 17 hitting errors in the Game 3 loss, the Yotes came out firing on all cylinders in Game 4 - recording 16 kills on 31 attempts, without an error.  Kathryn Ely, playing in front of big crowd in her hometown, had 13 kills, with Katie Zillner (Emmett, Idaho / Chicago State U.) adding 12.  Erin Cherrington recorded 55 assists and 16 digs, with Catherine Everist chipping in with 22 digs.

MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2006 volleyball team can be found on ACI 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.

MEN’S SOCCER (11-6-1): Yotes earn Co-Cascade Conference title, meet Westminster in Regional semifinals

COMING UP: at NAIA Region I Tournament, Salt Lake City, Utah – Friday vs. Westminster, 2 p.m.; with win, vs. Concordia-Corban winner, Saturday, 1 p.m.

LAST WEEK: at Cascade (W 5-1), at Concordia (L 2-1)

YOTES HEADED TO SALT LAKE CITY: A relatively short trip awaits the ACI men’s soccer team and its quest for a regional championship, as the Yotes will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah for the NAIA Region I Tournament, set for Friday and Saturday at Dumke Field on the Westminster College campus. It marks the first playoff appearance by the Coyotes since 2003, but is the tenth-time that ACI has advanced to the district or regional playoffs. The Yotes have won two regional titles, taking the 1989 championship after Warner Pacific forfeited the title, along with the 2001 championship – advancing to their lone NAIA National Tournament.

PLAYOFF BRACKETS: ACI will meet Westminster in the second of two semifinals on Friday, with Concordia meeting Corban in the early game. The two winners will meet on Saturday to determine an automatic berth to the NAIA Championships, to be held at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.

WHITE NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Following a banner regular-season, Coyote striker Mitch White (Boise, Idaho / Gonzaga U.) was named Cascade Conference Player of the Year. The senior, who was a second-team All-CCC selection in 2004 and a first-team selection last year, led the league in shots, and shots per game, along with 13 goals scored and five game-winning goals. White becomes the first Coyote to earn the league honors since Dan Bruce won the award back in 2000.

SMITH NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR: After just missing out on the postseason during his first two seasons at the helm, Brian Smith led the Yotes to the playoffs – and received the spoils. The third-year head coach was named CCC Coach of the Year by his peers at the CCC meetings in Portland, Ore. Smith is just the second ACI men’s soccer coach to earn the award – his mentor, John Calpin, received the honor six times during his 18-year career, the last time in 2000.

OTHER ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS: Five other Coyotes were honored by the CCC – three first-team and two second-team selections. Sweeper Scott Fuller (Boise, Idaho / Cal State-Fullerton) battled through injuries to earn his second-straight first-team honor, while two newcomers – Jay Gentle (Boise, Idaho / Walla Walla CC) and Kazuki Murata (Tokyo, Japan / Ichiritu HS) earned the accolade as well. Gentle, a junior, led all CCC goalkeepers with a 0.77 goals against average to go along with a 10-1 record in net, while Murata, a freshman, scored two goals and assisted on three others in the midfield. Earning second-team honors were sophomores Brandon Koomler (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) and Alex Penrod (Las Vegas, Nev. / Cimarron-Memorial HS).

REGIONAL RANKINGS: The final NAIA Region I poll of the season reflects the final Longo rating of the year in determining the regional tournament. Concordia sits in the No. 1 slot, followed by Westminster, Albertson, and Corban. Simon Fraser, which actually had a higher Longo than Corban, but lost out on the postseason due to a 1-0 loss to the Warriors in September, was fifth.

VOTES IN THE POLL: Last week, the Coyotes received one vote in the NAIA Top-25 poll, marking the first time ACI has been in the national rankings since September of 2004.  ACI has not been in the Top-25 since October of 2002. The Yotes have been ranked in the NAIA Top-25 on five different occasions – finishing the 2000 season No. 25, finishing the 2001 season at No. 23, earning a No. 16 ranking in the 2002 preseason poll, a No. 15 ranking in the first poll of the 2002 season, with their last time in the poll on Oct. 9, 2002 – at No. 24.

ANOTHER TEN WIN SEASON: The Yotes finished the regular-season with 11 wins, the seventh time in the last eight seasons that the Yotes got to double digits in the victory column. ACI has had ten or more wins in 13 of the 23 years of sponsoring men’s soccer.

WIN STREAK: The eight game win streak that was snapped on Saturday was the second-longest streak in program history. The Yotes set the school record with an 11-game win streak during the 2001 season.

REGIONAL OPPONENTS: ACI opens the regional against a familiar opponent, Westminster College. The Griffins (9-8) are the lone NAIA Region I independent in the tournament and are hosting the regional for the first time. Led by strikers Dave Rogers (6 goals) and Taylor Lever (3 goals), Westminster has played a challenging schedule – including matches against three NAIA nationally ranked opponents, and solid NCAA Division II and III competition. Friday’s game will be a rematch of an August encounter in which Westminster topped the Yotes, 3-1. It is the 27th meeting between the teams, with the Griffins holding a 13-11-2 series edge. With a win, the Coyotes will meet the winner of top-seeded Concordia and fourth-seeded Corban. The Cavaliers (11-5-2) extended their win streak to five-straight with the win over ACI on Saturday, while the Warriors (9-7-2) won their final three matches to claim the final playoff berth.

WEEKEND RECAP: The Yotes scored five unanswered goals Friday, stopping Cascade College, 5-1, in Portland, Ore. The T-Birds got on the board first, as Chris Smerke knocked home an Adalberto Angulo feed at the nine minute mark of the opening period.  ACI would counter with a pair of goals late in the period - as Antonio Bautista (Homedale, Idaho / Homedale HS) ripped home a shot off a Jesus Lopez (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS) corner, then saw Mitch White convert a goal off a rebound of a Bautista shot - giving ACI the 2-1 lead. Lopez would make it 3-1 in the 73rd minute, rocketing a 25-yard shot into the net, with Bautista adding his second goal of the match a minute later, off a longball from Michael Delgado (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS).  Senior Dustin Wanders (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) capped the scoring, heading home an Alex Penrod corner kick inside the final ten minutes. ACI held a commanding 19-5 edge in shots, along with a 7-0 edge in corners. Saturday, Brandon Eddy (Sandpoint, Idaho / Sandpoint HS) scored his second goal of the season, but it wasn't enough, as Concordia ended the Yotes eight-game win streak with a 2-1 victory. After a scoreless opening 45 minutes, Concordia broke through ten minutes into the second half - less than one minute apart.  Mirzet Sacirovic feed Rigo Rivas with the opening goal, then fed Chris Henry for a blast into the Upper V - the eventual game-winner. ACI got a goal back late in the game as Eddy corraled a Scott Ward (Rexburg, Idaho / Madison HS) pass through traffic and found the twine.  However, the Yotes were unable to get the equalizer.

MORE INFORMATION: Updated information and statistics on the 2006 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.

CROSS COUNTRY: Coyote men take second at L-C Invite, four ladies break 20-minute barrier

COMING UP: at Cascade Conference/NAIA Region I Championships, La Grande, Ore, Saturday.

LAST WEEK: Idle

COYOTE MEN UP TO #12, CLAIM TOP REGIONAL SPOT: The Albertson College men's cross country team climbed six spots in the latest NAIA Top-25 poll, moving to No. 12 in the nation, released last Wednesday by national office in Olathe, Kan. Coming off a second-place finish at the Lewis-Clark State Open, the Coyotes assumed the No. 1 spot in the NAIA Region I rankings for the first-time in school history.  Their previous best was second, during last season.  ACI is ranked ahead of No. 16 Concordia (whom they've defeated once), No. 18 Lewis-Clark State (whom they've defeated twice), and No. 25 Eastern Oregon (whom they've defeated four times).  Also receiving votes from the Region are Southern Oregon, Corban, and British Columbia.

TIME TO PROVE THE RANKINGS ARE CORRECT: The Yotes will have a big bullseye on their back Saturday in La Grande, as the ACI men and women will run in the Cascade Conference/NAIA Region I Championships.  The Coyote men recorded their best finish in this meet a year ago, placing second in the CCC and fourth in the Region I - good enough for an at-large berth to nationals.  The Lady Yotes also had a strong showing a year ago, placing fourth in the CCC and seventh in the Region I.  The men's race is wide open on the altitude course at Eastern Oregon (which the Yotes won the EOU Open three weeks ago) - as many as eight teams have a legitimate chance to win.  The women's race is expected to be dominated by Simon Fraser - ranked No. 1 in the NAIA.

WHAT'S AT STAKE: Teams are vying for an automatic berth to the NAIA Championships in Louisville, Ky.  Also at stake are five individual berths to the top-five finishers not on a team that qualifies for Nationals.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the ACI cross country program, head to www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/xc.htm, the official homepage of the Yotes.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Yotes set for United Heritage TipOff against NNU, tilt at Idaho State

COMING UP: vs. Northwest Nazarene (at Idaho Center), Thursday, 7:05 p.m.; at Idaho State, Saturday, 7:05 p.m.

RADIO: All regular-season men’s basketball games will be broadcast live in the Treasure Valley on 1490 KCID-AM, the “Home of the Coyotes.” Mike Safford Jr. begins his sixth season as the play-by-play man for Albertson basketball, with the pregame show beginning 20 minutes prior to every game. Thursday’s game with NNU will also be carried on 950 KNJY-AM with Craig Stensgaard calling the action, while Saturday’s game at Idaho State will be broadcast in Pocatello on ESPN Radio 930 with Dave Reichelt calling the action.

TELEVISION: The United Heritage TipOff on Thursday will also be carried live by KTVB-TV (cable channel 28, digital channel 7.2, UHF channel 49) with sports director David Augusto calling the play-by-play and former BSU player Brian King handling the color-commentary. It is the third-straight season the game has been carried live on television.

TICKETS: Tickets for the United Heritage TipOff can be purchased in the ticket offices of both ACI and NNU, along with www.ictickets.com and at the Idaho Center box office. Tickets are $7.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors, $2.00 for students, and $20.00 for coaches row tickets (a one-dollar surcharge will be added to any ticket purchased at the Idaho Center).

OLDEST COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL RIVALRY IN IDAHO: The recorded history of the ACI-NNU series began in 1933, with the College of Idaho knocking off Northwest Nazarene, 23-16. Overall, the two teams have met 183 times in men’s basketball, with the Coyotes holding a 111-72 advantage. The Coyotes have had three seven-game win streaks in the series (1952-56,1960-62. 1984-86), while NNU has won five games in a row three times (1975-76, 1977-80, and 1996-97).

TEAMS ON A NATIONAL SCENE: Both the Coyotes and Crusaders have been very successful on the national stage over the course of the last four decades. Albertson has advanced to 16 NAIA national tournaments, including four of the last six years – winning the 1996 crown. Northwest Nazarene, before their move to the NCAA Division II made nine appearances in the NAIA tourney, with a second and three third-place finishes. The two schools combined have a 31-23 record at nationals.

ABOUT THE CRUSADERS: Northwest Nazarene returns just three players and one starter from last season – losing all-stars Mesut Ademoglu and Ryan McCarthy to graduation. Three-year starting point-guard Marcus Clift (10.2 ppg, 5.5 apg) is the floor general for the Crusaders (12-15 in 2005-06), and will be helped by three-point specialist Tim Ireland (10.1 ppg). NNU will look to transfers Jason Simmons (19.3 ppg in JC) and Scott Helpenstell for production, along with freshmen Andrew Swartz and Louie Beech – fresh off back-to-back state titles at Skyview High.

POCATELLO TO WELCOME THE YOTES: It’s been four years since the Coyotes have met Idaho State in men’s basketball and it probably took the fans in Pocatello that long to recover from the ACI 72-68 victory over the Bengals (13-14 in 2005-06). Unlike that game, which was playing at American Falls High, the Yotes will have to battle the friendly confines of Reed Gym on the ISU campus (as Holt Arena is being used for football on Saturday). First-year head coach Joe O’Brien will rely on the experience of sixth-year senior and All-Big Sky selection David Schroeder (15.4 ppg), point-guard Akbar Abdul-Ahad (5.9 ppg, 3.1 apg), and Texas Tech transfer John Ofoegbu. It is the 46th meeting between the teams since 1935, with ISU holding a 37-8 all-time series edge.

GAME TIME CHANGES FOR GOLDEN RULE SHOOT-OUT: Due to the NAIA Region I Volleyball Tournament that ACI will be hosting Nov. 16-18, the game times for the Duane Wolfe Memorial Golden Rule Shoot-Out have been changed. On Nov. 17, the Yotes will meet Willamette at 7:30 p.m., with Eastern Oregon meeting Westminster at 9:30 p.m. On Nov. 18, Eastern will meet Willamette at 7:30 p.m. and ACI will meet Westminster at 9:30 p.m.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information regarding the Albertson men’s basketball program, head to the official site Coyote Basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Lady Yotes to open with exhibition at University of Utah

COMING UP: exhibition at University of Utah, Saturday, 3 p.m.

LADY YOTES HOST SCRIMMAGES: On Oct. 21, the Albertson College of Idaho women’s basketball team hosted a Saturday morning of scrimmages – to prepare teams for the upcoming 2006-07 season. The Lady Yotes faced off again Treasure Valley CC, Salt Lake CC, and the College of Southern Idaho (Northwest Nazarene was also in the rotation, but did not play ACI) – allowing head coach Reagan Rossi a chance to evaluate her squad without worrying about wins and losses.

HEADED TO THE HUNTSMAN CENTER: The last few seasons, the Lady Yotes were able to play on a big stage in Boise State’s Taco Bell Arena. This Saturday, ACI heads southeast to the Jon Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City for a match-up with the University of Utah. The Utes (27-7) are coming off a magical 2005-06 season, one in which they won the Mountain West Conference tournament, advanced to the Albuquerque Regional final (losing in overtime to eventual national champion, Maryland), and finishing ranked No. 12 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Utah, however, must replace their top three scorers from last season – as both Kim Smith and Shona Thorburn were selected in the WNBA Draft, with the Utes also lose Julie Larsen, the top three-point shooter in the nation. Longtime coach Elaine Elliott does return starters Heidi Carlsen (5.9 ppg) and Jessica Perry (7.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg) – with eight players on the roster standing six-foot or taller. Utah was picked to finish fourth in this year’s MWC preseason coaches and media polls.

NOT THE FIRST MEETING: ACI and Utah have meet twice before – with the Utes winning both match-ups. The teams met during the 1998-99 season, with Utah winning 80-48, then again during the 2001-02 season, with the U of U taking a 93-45 decision.

AGAINST DIVISION I TEAMS: It is the eighth time that the Lady Yotes have faced NCAA Division I competition – still searching for their first win against the top classification in college sports.

LIVE STATS: The University of Utah will provide live stats of Saturday’s exhibition game with the Lady Yotes via their CSTV Gametracker service. To access the stats, head to http://utahutes.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/utah-w-baskbl-sched.html.

LADY YOTES PICKED FIFTH BY COACHES: The Coyotes were tabbed to finish fifth in the Cascade Conference women’s basketball preseason poll. ACI which dropped a first-round playoff game to Oregon Tech last season, received 54 points in the poll. Corban College held the top spot, followed by Eastern Oregon, Oregon Tech, and Warner Pacific. Following the Yotes were Evergreen State, Northwest, Southern Oregon, Concordia, and Cascade.

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.

SWIMMING: Yotes set for dual at Whitman College

COMING UP: at Whitman College, Saturday, 1 p.m. (PST)

LAST WEEK: Idle

MYSTERY TIMES APPEAR FROM PUGET SOUND MEET: Four different times were inadvertantly left off the final results from the Yotes opening meet at Puget Sound on October 21 - including one national qualifying time.  The men's 200-medley relay team met the provisional mark set by the NAIA by less than a second, giving ACI four qualifiers after only one meet.  The group of Jeremy Younggreen (Island City, Ore. / La Grande HS), Scott Mikelonis (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS), Blake Bower (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS), and John Green (Pleasanton, Calif. / Foothill HS) have now qualified in both 200 relays, with the women's 200-free relay and women's breaststroke specialist Alphonsina Savell (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) meeting the time in the 100-breast.

OTHER TIMES: ACI saw the school record shattered in women's butterfly, as freshman Ashlee Byrnes (Vancouver, Wash. / Columbia River HS) took six seconds off the 100-fly mark.  Also earning Top-5 times were Ali Cabrera (Payette, Idaho / Payette HS)  in the 100-free and Ben Parker (Hailey, Idaho / Wood River HS) in the 100-fly.

OFF TO WHITMAN: The Yotes will head back on the road this weekend, traveling to Walla Walla, Wash. for a dual at Whitman College.  The Missionaries opened their season last weekend with solid performances at the Northwest Conference Pentathlon and the Northwest Conference relays - with both the men and women earning Top-5 finishes.  It will be the first times the two schools have met in the pool.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the ACI swim program, including results and top times, head to www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/swim.htm, the official homepage of the Coyotes.