‘Yote Notes – Nov. 8,
2006
Mike Safford Jr. – Sports
Info. Director
ATHLETIC NEWS:
THREE LADY YOTES NAMED
ALL-CONFERENCE: Three ACI women’s soccer players were named to the
All-Cascade Conference team, released late last week. Junior sweeper Laura Fink (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) earned
first-team honors after helping the Yotes tie a school-record with six shutouts
on the season. Earning second-team
honors were juniors Leah Roach (Boise, Idaho / Timberline
HS) and Jessie Harris (Boise, Idaho
/ Walla Walla CC). Roach, a first-team selection last year, led
the team in assists, while Harris was another key defender, helping ACI allow
just ten goals in CCC play.
ORANGE SALES: The ACI
baseball team has begun their annual Orange Sales, to help raise funds for the
2007 season. This year, the Yotes are selling
not only oranges, but grapefruits and apples, just in time for the
holidays. Cost per box is $18.00. For more information or to purchase a box,
contact Shawn Humberger at 459-5861 or at shumberger@collegeofidaho.edu.
RUN TO THE MOUNTAINS: The ACI ski and snowboard team will
be holding their annual Run to the Mountains on November 11. The 2006 “Run to the Mountains” is a fund
raising event hosted by the Albertson College Ski and Snowboard Team to help
subsidize their expenses for the coming season. Each athlete is responsible for soliciting
pledges for each mile that they run. The
2006 Ski and Snowboard Team is one of the largest and most talented the College
has had in 15 years, therefore, an increase in funding is necessary to insure
full team participation. The athletes
will partake in the relay by rollerblading, roller-skiing, and on foot from the
Caldwell campus
to the top of Bogus Basin Ski Area. Last
year’s successful effort covered the 45 miles in five hours, one of the best
times recorded in the 28-year history of the traditional event.
VOLLEYBALL (27-2): No. 8
ranked Lady Yotes set to host Cascade Conference postseason tournament in Caldwell
COMING UP: Hosting Cascade Conference postseason tournament,
Friday and Saturday – vs. Northwest or Concordia, Friday, 7 p.m.; vs. TBA,
Saturday 4 or 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: vs. Lewis-Clark
State (W 3-0), at Cascade (W 3-0), at Warner Pacific (W 3-0)
CASCADE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT: For the first time ever, Albertson
College of Idaho will host the Cascade Conference postseason volleyball
tournament – beginning Friday morning in the J.A. Albertson
Activities Center. The top-six teams in the CCC regular-season
standings will compete for an automatic berth to the NAIA Region I tournament.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: Action will begin on Friday at 11
a.m. with No. 3 Oregon Tech meeting No. 6 Eastern Oregon, while at 1:30 p.m., No. 4 Northwest will battle No. 5 Concordia – with both
losers out of the tournament. Semifinal
action begins at 4 p.m. with No. 2 Southern Oregon meeting the OIT-Eastern
winner, with the Coyotes meeting the Northwest-Concordia winner at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the semifinal losers will play
for third-place at 4 p.m., with the title game set for 7 p.m. The All-CCC team will be announced following
Saturday’s championship match. Updated
conference tournament information can be accessed via the Internet at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball/2006CCCTourney.htm.
TICKETS: The tournament will be divided into
three sessions – Friday morning, Friday afternoon, and Saturday. Admission will be $5.00 for all adults and
$2.00 for students (17-and-under) per session – with a tournament pass
available for $12.00. Only NAIA passes
will be accepted, and concessions will be available.
ABOUT THE TEAMS: The tournament should offer some of
the best volleyball seen in Canyon
County in years. Southern Oregon, ranked No. 3 in the latest NAIA
Region I poll, have won 13 of their last 15 matches, and recorded a 9-1 mark at
home. The Raiders (17-6) are led by
All-CCC candidate Mia Wortel (4.3 k/g, 1.2 b/g) in
the middle, with outside hitter Jaclyn Hamilton-Smith (2.9 k/g) doing the
damage on the outside. SOU won recent
CCC tourney titles in 2003 and 2004. Oregon Tech has been a mystery team at
times this season – having gone 6-5 during the final five weeks of the regular-season . The Owls
(19-8) boast a potent attack, led by outside hitter Krista Wooley
(4.4 k/g, 3.7 d/g) and setter Megan Albertson (2.3 k/g, 9.9 a/g, 2.7 d/g). OIT advanced to the 2005 regional semifinals,
losing to ACI. Northwest was on the verge of missing the tournament completely
after dropping 4-of-5 games late in the season – but defeated OIT in their
final game to earn the No. 4 seed (a loss would have eliminated them). The Eagles (13-9) balanced attack is led by
hitter Kara VanZanten (2.8 k/g, 3.2 d/g) and libero Dayna Casseday
(6.2 d/g). Northwest reached the
regional final last season, losing to ACI in five games. Concordia
continues their streak of playoff appearances, dating back to the
1990s. The Cavaliers (12-13) are led by hitter
Erin Murphy (4.1 k/g, 2.5 d/g) and setter Andrea Brandt (10.0 a/g, 2.4
d/g). CU won CCC tourney titles in 1999,
2000, 2001, and 2002. Rounding out the
field is Eastern
Oregon, which swept its final road trip to earn the No. 6
spot. The Mountaineers (10-14) have won
5-of-6 matches and are led by blocker Grace Deboodt
(3.1 k/g, 0.7 b/g) and hitter Chelsea Lally (3.0 k/g,
3.2 d/g). Eastern has now qualified for
the CCC tourney the last two seasons.
PERFECT CONFERENCE RECORD?: With wins at Cascade and Warner
Pacific, ACI became just the second school to record a perfect Cascade
Conference record, since the league went to the double round-robin schedule in
1995. Concordia was the only other
school to accomplish the feat, doing in three-straight seasons – 2000, 2001,
and 2002.
PLAYOFF FEVER WILL CONTINUE IN CALDWELL: With the conference title come the
spoils – as ACI earns the right to host not only this week’s Cascade Conference
postseason tournament, but also the NAIA Region I tournament from Nov.
16-18. 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 a school-record
14 matches in a row, have won a school-record 19-consecutive matches at home,
dating back to last season, and has won 39-consecutive matches against teams
not ranked in the national poll (or others’ receiving votes).
NATIONAL RANKING: The Yotes were ranked No. 8 in
the tenth NAIA volleyball poll of the regular-season, released today by
the national office in Olathe,
Kan.. – equaling the highest ranking in program history. Four others – No. 1 National American (S.D.), No. 6 Columbia (Mo.), No. 22 Cedarville (Ohio),
and No. 25 Westminster,
among the ACI opponents this season in the Top-25 and others receiving votes. There is one final NAIA poll – which will
help determine at-large berths to the NAIA Championships.
PREVIOUS RANKINGS: The Coyotes have been ranked in the
Top-25 on 16 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 ten rankings this year.
YOTES MAINTAIN PERCH ATOP REGIONAL
RANKINGS: With the
Cascade Conference regular-season championship and a 27-2 record, the Yotes
remained this week’s NAIA Region I weekly Top-10 poll. ACI is followed by Westminster,
Southern Oregon, Great Falls, and Rocky Mountain. Rounding out the top-ten are Carroll,
Northwest, Oregon Tech, Montana Tech, and Concordia. 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 126-54
record (.700 win percentage) - six-straight Cascade Conference tournament
appearances, three NAIA Region I tournament appearances, the 2005 CCC tourney
title, the 2005 Region I tourney title, the 2006 CCC regular-season title, along
with a trip to the 2005 NAIA Championships.
HOME SWEET HOME: Under Mendiola, the Lady Yotes are 60-12
in the J.A. Albertson Activities
Center, an .833 winning percentage.
They are even better in CCC play, holding a 45-8 mark (.849 percent)
since the 2001 season.
BEST START EVER: The 27-2 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), 20-5 (best
25-game mark), and 25-5 (best 30-game mark) start to a season. ACI is also a perfect 11-0 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.
DOMINATING THE LEAGUE NUMBERS: As a team, the Yotes dominate the
Cascade Conference statistics, leading the loop in hitting percentage (.257),
assists per game (14.73), kills per game (15.78), blocks per game (3.02), and
aces per game (2.52). Individually, Katie Hogue (Sparks, Nev. / Reed HS) leads the league in blocks
per game (1.44 hitting percentage (.387) and aces per game (0.57), while sixth
in kills per game (3.44). Erin Cherrington (Granby, Colo.
/ Middle Park
HS) leads the league and the NAIA in assists per game (13.56) and is seventh
in aces per game (0.44), while Kristin
Henning (Boise,
Idaho / Boise
HS) is second in blocks per
game (1.21) and is third in hitting percentage (.348). Anne
Parker (Pocatello,
Idaho / Century HS) is fifth in blocks per game (1.02) and in hitting percentage (.292),
with Kathryn Ely (La Grande,
Ore. / La Grande HS) ranking
fifth in kills per game (3.52) and tenth in hitting percentage (.237). Rounding out the group is Catherine Everist
(Portland,
Ore. / Chicago State U.), who
is No. 2 in digs per game (6.08) and No. 5 in aces per game (0.48).
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 381 blocks (15 from second-place), No. 6 with 120 aces, and No. 7
with 919 kills. Erin Cherrington holds
the all-time record with 4,784 assists, is third with 180 aces, is No. 5 in
games played (426), and is No. 6 with 1,029 digs. Also on the list are Tiffany Sower (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS, who is fifth all-time with 134 aces, Anne
Parker, who is fifth in blocks with 270, and Kathryn Ely, who is No. 9 in kills
with 707.
THREE MORE WINS LAST WEEK: Coyotes established a pair of new
school records in topping regional rival Lewis-Clark
State last Wednesday night, stopping
the Warriors 30-15, 30-17, 30-16 in the J.A. Albertson
Activities Center. With the win, the No. 8 ranked Coyotes
extended their overall win streak to 12 games - a new record, as is their
19-game home win streak. Kathryn Ely led
the ACI charge with 16 kills and had five of the Lady Yotes 25 block assists on
the night. Erin Cherrington had 28 assists in two games, while Catherine Everist led all players with 16 digs. Friday, the Yotes kept their win streak alive
with a 30-19, 30-19, 30-20 victory at Cascade
College in Portland, Ore. With the win, the No. 8 ranked Yotes extended
their win streak against non-ranked opponents to 38 games. ACI set a season-high with 18 aces in the
match, while Kristin Henning recorded nine kills without a hitting error to
lead the attack. Katie Hogue recorded 14
kills as the Coyotes became the second school in Cascade Conference history to
complete the regular-season undefeated with a 30-19, 30-19, 30-21 victory at
Warner Pacific on Saturday night. ACI joins Concordia as the only two teams
since the conference went to the double round-robin schedule in 1995 to record
a perfect record. Concordia did not lose a league tilt during the 2000,
2001, and 2002 seasons. With the win,
ACI extended their school record win streak to 14 matches, extended their win
streak against non-ranked teams to 39 matches, and ran their mark to 11-0 on
the road this season. Anne Parker had 13
kills in the win, Erin Cherrington recorded 35
assists, with Catherine Everist leading the way with
16 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 BASKETBALL
(0-0): Coyotes split exhibition games,
meet Montana-Western, Montana Tech at Quinn Classic
COMING
UP: at Quinn Classic, La Grande, Ore. – Friday vs. Montana-Western, 6 p.m. (PST); Saturday
vs. Montana
Tech, 6 p.m. (PST)
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.” Longtime
“Voice of the Coyotes” Dave Hahn will be calling the play-by-play this weekend
as the Yotes play in the Quinn Classic.
The pregame show will begin at 6:40 p.m. (MST)
each night on the Home of the Coyotes, 1490 KCID – America’s Best Music.
LIVE STATS: Live stats will also be available
from the Quinn Classic, via the Eastern
Oregon University
athletic website at www.eou.edu/athletics
- by clicking on the link at the top of the page.
COYOTES TAKE UNITED HERITAGE TIPOFF: Junior Josh Owen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) hit five second half three-pointers as the
Albertson College men's basketball team rallied from a 16-point halftime
deficit to defeat Northwest Nazarene, 88-80, in the 4th-Annual United Heritage TipOff before 4,852 fans at the Idaho Center. NNU closed the opening half on a 7-0 run to
take a 50-34 lead at the break and held a 62-46 edge with just under 16 minutes
remaining in the contest. However, the Yotes went on a 23-3 run, keyed by
a pair of treys from both Owen and Kurt
Nielson (Rexburg,
Idaho / Eastern Utah
CC), to take a 69-65 edge with eight minutes left. The Crusaders regained the lead with five
minutes left at 75-74, but a Bryan Champ
(Boise,
Idaho / Borah HS) baseline
lay-up gave the Yotes the lead for good.
Ike Stafford (Auburn, Wash. / Salt Lake CC) led all
scorers with 24 points, with freshman Anton
Coleman (Las Vegas, Nev. / Eldorado HS) adding
ten points off the bench - all in the first half, including a breakaway dunk.
TOUGH
NIGHT FROM THE LINE: One negative taken away from the NNU game was poor
foul shooting by the Yotes. ACI
connected on just 14-of-29 free throws, with only two players making both ends
of a two shot foul.
OWEN
AGAINST THE ‘SADERS: The victory over NNU gave head coach Mark Owen a
4-1 all-time record against NNU – with all of the games occurring in the Idaho Center.
WILD NIGHT IN POKY: Albertson
College forced 30 Idaho State
turnovers and outscored the Bengals 55-49 in the
second half, but the NCAA Division I program withstood a late Coyote rally to
post a 91-80 exhibition victory before 1,365 fans in Reed Gymnasium on Saturday
night. The Yotes' run-and-gun style saw
the NAIA squad go 16-for-47 from outside the three-point line, with ISU
outscoring the visitors 58-18 in the paint.
ACI took a 17-11 edge on a Josh Owen three-pointer with just under 12
minutes to play in the opening period. However, the Bengals
would hold the Coyotes without a field goal for nearly ten minutes, using a
23-0 run to take control. ISU would build a 76-48 lead with six minutes
to go, but the Yotes would can eight treys to claw back into it. Brandon
Nielsen (Twin
Falls, Idaho / Big
Bend CC) scored all 20 of his game-high points in the second
half, including a six-pack of three's. Owen added 19 points and four
assists - as all ten Coyotes who played scored. Texas Tech transfer John Ofoegbu led ISU with 17 points and eight rebounds, on
8-of-9 shooting from the floor.
COULD HAVE BEEN A RECORD: If the ISU game on Saturday
would have been a counter, the Yotes would have broken the school record for
three-point field goals attempted in a game. The 47 treys surpassed the current record of
39 – set on two occasions, the last against Westminster in 2001.
OFF TO
THE GRANDE RONDE
VALLEY: The Yotes
will open the regular-season for the second consecutive season at the Quinn
Classic, hosted by Eastern Oregon. ACI will tangle with Montana-Western on
Friday night, facing a Bulldogs (2-1) team that is averaging 98 points a
game. Western has notched victories over
Lethbridge and Walla Walla College, but dropped a tight contest with Eastern Oregon.
Six players average in double figures, led by senior Wes Morales (17.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg),
sophomore Zach Pitts (12.7 ppg, 6.0 apg), and transfer Aaron Sims (13.5 ppg,
7.5 rpg). The
Bulldogs have been sloppy at times, turning the ball over 25 times a game. It marks the 51st meeting between the teams
since the first meeting during the 1941-42 season,
with the Yotes holding a 33-17 series edge.
Saturday, ACI meets Montana Tech in the tournament finale. The Orediggers
(3-3) are coming off a 79-58 loss at the University of Utah
on Tuesday night – and are much improved from the past two seasons. Freshman Shea Bradshaw (15.5 ppg) has been the key, connecting on 54-percent of his
three-point attempts – as the Diggers are shooting 46-percent from three-point
land as a team and 79-percent from the foul line. Tech has won games this season against Walla Walla College and a pair against Lethbridge, dropping games to Alberta,
Calgary, and Eastern Oregon. It is the 24th meeting between the teams
(first meeting was in 1971), with the Yotes holding a 16-7 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 (0-0): Lady Yotes off to Salt Lake
for three tough games vs. NAIA Division I competition
COMING
UP: at Holiday Inn Classic, Salt Lake City – Thursday vs. No. 6
Montana-Western, 4 p.m.; Friday vs. Westminster, 6 p.m.; Saturday vs. No. 10
Lewis-Clark State, 2 p.m.
LIVE
STATS: All three games from Salt Lake City will
have live statistics available through Westminster College’s
DakStats site.
To access the stats, head to http://people.westminstercollege.edu/webcast/basketball/Women%202006-2007.htm.
COYOTES FALL AGAINST UTAH: Marie Warner led four University
of Utah players in double figures as
the Utes defeated Albertson College, 98-45, in an
exhibition game at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt
Lake City on Saturday afternoon. The Utes, who
advanced to the Albuquerque Regional final in last season's NCAA Tournament,
jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first five minutes and were never threatened. Despite the score, the Lady Yotes did have
multiple positives - including forcing 29 Utah turnovers and recording 13 steals. Jori Grady (Roseburg, Ore. / Umpqua CC), Christon Vander Esch (Grangeville, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC),
and Denise Hill (Eugene, Ore. / Boise State U.) each scored eight points to lead
ACI - but the Yotes were done in by 12-of-61 shooting from the field and 15-of-30
shooting from the stripe.
ROSSI ON
THE LOSS: “We knew going in that it was going to be a
difficult game, but we set out some specific goals that we hoped to attain,”
said head coach Reagan Rossi. “We
forced 29 turnovers against a very good NCAA Division I team, we also got 17
tipped ball – which could have turned into turnovers. I am very pleased with the effort of the team
– it is something that we can build off of.”
AGAINST
DIVISION I TEAMS: Saturday was 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.
OFF TO SALT LAKE
AGAIN: For the second-straight week, the Lady Yotes head to the Wasatch Front,
this time for the Holiday Inn Classic, hosted by Westminster College
– all against NAIA Division I competition.
ACI opens the tourney against Montana-Western, ranked No. 6 in
the NAIA preseason poll. The Bulldogs
(3-0) are coming off a second-round appearance at the NAIA Tournament and
return three All-Americans – guard Megan Schmitz (16.3 ppg,
4.7 apg), forward Katherine Sunwall
(14.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg), and
post Becky O’Neil (13.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg). Western has converted 52-percent of their
field goals and 42-percent of the three-pointers through the first two games of
the season. It is the 12th meeting
between the teams, with the Bulldogs holding a 9-2 series edge, including two
wins last year. Friday, the Yotes meet
host Westminster, who opened the season
last weekend by splitting games in Washington
state. The
Griffins (1-1) lost to Northwest
University, but defeated
Evergreen State, 70-44. Westminster must replace All-American forward
Shalee Fackrell, who is
playing professional basketball – but return talented guard Shannon Evans. ACI has won the past five meetings and lead
the all-time series, 7-2. Saturday, the
Yotes play fellow Idaho school, Lewis-Clark State, to round out the
tourney. The No. 10 ranked Warriors are
coming off their 11th-striaght 20-win season and advanced to the second-round
of the NAIA tourney. L-C played a pair of
exhibitions against NCAA Division I foes, losing 73-67 at Washington State and
79-37 at Boise State – with Ashley Baker averaging 13 points and nine rebounds
and Jade Fulbright averaging 16 points and four assists a game. ACI has not met L-C since 2003 – hoping to
win their first game ever against the Warriors, as the Yotes are 0-7 all-time
against the Gem State school.
GAME
TIME CHANGE ON
NOVEMBER 18: The Coyotes have moved the start time of their
November 18 home opener against Great
Falls from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The change was necessitated by the ACI
volleyball team hosting the NAIA Region I Tournament – with the championship
game slated for 2 p.m. on the 18th.
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:
Two more NAIA Automatic qualifying times at Whitman
COMING UP: at Lewis & Clark College,
Saturday, 10 a.m. (PST)
LAST WEEK: at Whitman College
(Men L 129-44, Women L 127-62)
LADIES CONTINUE TO IMPRESS IN EARLY
SEASON: The ACI
women's swim team is off to an outstanding start in 2006, despite dropping a
127-62 dual to Whitman on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Yotes got an
inspired performance from freshman Elizabeth Peters (Woodburn, Ore. /
Woodburn HS), who broke the school-record in her victory in the 50-free in
a time of 25.79 - well under the NAIA Championships automatic qualifying
time. The 200-medley relay team of Ashlee Byrnes (Vancouver,
Wash. / Fort Vancouver HS), Christine Mabile (Post
Falls, Idaho / Coeur d'Alene Charter HS), Alphonsina
Savell (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS),
and Peters also met the NAIA "A" standard in school-record time of
2:00.70 - nearly six full seconds off last season's top time.
MORE FROM THE WOMEN: Four other school records were
broken by the Lady Yotes - Alphonsina Savell set a new record in the 200-medley (2:24.01), Ashlee
Byrnes set a new mark in the 100-fly (1:07.73), and Christine Mabile had a record-setting time in the 100-back
(1:10.86). Also setting a mark was the 200-free relay of Peters, Mabile, Savell, and Alicia
Cabrera (Payette, Idaho / Payette HS), which swam a
1:46.31. The time by Byrnes is astounding, considering she shaved six
seconds off the previous record against Puget Sound, then swam another seven
seconds faster at Whitman.
MEN BREAK RECORD TOO: The Coyote men saw a trio on
Saturday, as Blake Bower (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS) won the 50-free (23.96), John
Green (Pleasanton, Calif. / Foothill HS) took home the
100-free crown (50.99), and the 200-free relay team (1:34.66) outdistanced the
Missionaries. ACI also saw sophomore Jeremy Younggren
break the school mark in the men's 100-back (1:00.58).
NATIONAL QUALIFIERS: The Coyote men have two relays
(200-free, 200-medley) that have qualified for the NAIA Championships, while
the Coyote women have two individuals (Alphonsina Savell - 100-breast, Elizabeth Peters - 50-free) and two
relays (200-free, 200-medley) that are headed to Nationals in San Antonio,
Texas.
OFF TO PORTLAND: The Yotes will compete Saturday morning at Lewis
& Clark in their final short-course dual of the 2006 portion of their
schedule. ACI will also compete the first weekend of December at the
Northwest Invitational, hosted by Pacific Lutheran.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the ACI swim
program head to www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/swim.htm,
the official homepage of the Coyotes.
MEN’S SOCCER: Season
Review
LAST
WEEK: at NAIA Region I Tournament – vs. Westminster
(L 3-2)
YOTES
LOSE IN REGIONAL SEMIFINAL: Dave Rogers broke a 2-2 tie with
less than ten minutes remaining, lifting Westminster
College to a 3-2 victory over
Albertson College of Idaho in the semifinals of the NAIA Region I Tournament in
Salt Lake City. Rogers
took a cross from Jantzen Romney and found the upper
shelf to key a two-goal comeback for the Griffins. The Yotes controlled the pace of play in the
opening 45, getting on the board in the 39th minute on a Michael Delgado (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue
HS) goal, but it was short-lived, as Taylor Lever countered with a goal
four minutes later to tie the game at the break. ACI would regain the lead in the 63rd minute
as Delgado was fouled in the box – allowing Mitch White (Boise, Idaho / Gonzaga U.)
to convert a penalty kick. Once
again the Griffins would come back, as Danny Duke slotted home a goal in the 67th
minute. Despite outshooting
Westminster
15-13, the Yotes could not counter in the waning moments.
WORDS
FROM THE COACH: “I thought today was some of the best soccer we have
played all season,” said Brian Smith.
“I felt that we controlled the tempo and pace of the game and had a
definite edge in possession. But it came
down to the fact that Westminster
scored one more goal that us. I am so
proud of the way our guys battled to the end – this has been a great season, we
all knew it had to come to an end at some point – we hoped it would be in Florida.”
REGIONAL
RECAP: Concordia defeated Corban in penalty kicks to
advance to the regional final, where the Cavs
defeated Westminster,
2-1. Concordia heads to the NAIA
Championships in Daytona Beach,
Fla. for the second straight
season.
SENIORS
LEAVE WITH GREAT MEMORIES: A banged up senior class for the Yotes will
look back on their careers with great memories and fondness. Mitch White leaves after scoring 28 career
goals (No. 6 all-time) and 70 total points, with he and Scott Fuller (Boise,
Idaho / Cal State-Fullerton)
earning back-to-back All-Cascade Conference honors. Tyler Seaman (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) rebounded from a bad knee injury two
seasons ago to again be a force in the middle, while reserve striker Dustin
Wanders (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell
HS) notched a goal in his final game played against Cascade. Two others did not see action late in the
season due to injury – Rob Erichson (Boise, Idaho / Walla Walla CC),
who sustained a season-ending knee injury midway through the year, and Sam
Reed (Eagle, Idaho
/ Eagle HS), who was unable to return after a gruesome head-to-head injury
sustained against Whitman
College.
RECAP OF
THE SEASON: Things did not start out well for the ACI men’s
soccer team in 2006, as the Coyotes began 1-3-1 – after a tie and a loss to Division III
Whitman College, and
losses to Westminster and Fresno Pacific in Salt Lake City. After opening up play 1-2 in the Cascade
Conference, the Yotes made some key adjustments – moving Mitch White to a
striker position, moving Jay Gentle into goal, and moving true freshman Brandon
Eddy (Sandpoint, Idaho / Sandpoint
HS) into the midfield. What
transpired was amazing – the Yotes would run off eight consecutive wins – their
longest win streak since 2001, including three-straight shutouts. ACI would earn a share of the CCC title, just
the second time in program history that the Yotes won a regular-season banner.
ALL-REGION,
ALL-AMERICA: It is likely that a trio of Coyotes will be named to
the All-NAIA Region I team later this week.
ACI had three players – Mitch White, Scott Fuller, and Jay Gentle (Boise, Idaho / Walla Walla CC) were named to the CCC first-team and all are
among the tops at their position in the Region I. If selected to the All-Region team, they are
guaranteed a spot on the NAIA All-America team, to be announced in late
November.
ANOTHER TEN WIN SEASON: The Yotes finished the 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.
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: Season
Review
LAST WEEK: at Cascade Conference / NAIA Region
I Championships (Men 3rd in CCC, 6th in Region I; Women 4th in CCC, 8th in
Region I)
TOUGH BREAK HURTS COYOTE MEN: Sport is a strange thing - in the
blink of an eye, things can change dramatically. Following a
regular-season in which the ACI men's cross country team did not sustain a
major injury, the Yotes had an unfortunate injury occur at last weekend's
Cascade Conference/NAIA Region I Championships in La Grande, Ore. After completion of the first
two-kilometer loop, Coyote standout Jesse Chlebeck
(Eagan, Minn.
/ Eagan HS) was
forced to drop out of the race due to injury - putting ACI down a man.
Despite a seventh-place finish from Tyler Hopper (Caldwell,
Idaho / Caldwell HS) and an inspiring
tenth-place finish from Sam Hardy (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS), the Yotes finished
third in the league and sixth in the Region I. "That was a tough
break for us," said head coach Pat McCurry.
"Jesse has been our No. 1 or No. 2 guy all year and it is unfortunate that
he could not complete the race. I am proud of the way the team hung in
there - we ran well."
AWARDS, BUT NO NATIONALS: With their Top-12 finishes in the
Cascade Conference, both Tyler Hopper and Sam Hardy were named to the All-CCC
team. With the team finish, ACI dropped completely out of the NAIA poll,
eliminating a chance to earn a repeat bid to the NAIA Championships.
Hopper also was an odd man out in the pool for an individual national
spot. With just three teams qualifying for nationals from the Northwest
(Concordia, Lewis-Clark State,
British Columbia), Hopper was the
sixth-fastest runner not on a team that qualified for nationals - with the NAIA
sending just the Top-5.
WOMEN END SEASON ON A HIGH NOTE: The youthful ACI women's cross
country team made giant strides this weekend at in La Grande, as nine of the
ten runners competing ran faster on the five-kilometer course that they did
three weeks earlier at the Preview Meet. Freshman Molli
Lee-Painter (Moscow, Idaho / Moscow HS) just narrowly missed out on
All-CCC honors, finishing 13th, however, her time of 19:53 was nearly
40-seconds faster than she ran earlier on the course, and faster than her time
at the Willamette Invitational - one of the faster courses the Yotes race all
year. "I am so proud of our women's team - they trained hard heading
into the race and it paid off - nearly everyone ran faster here the second
time."
WHAT'S NEXT: The Yotes will begin training for
their indoor track season, which will begin January 20 with the Hampton Inn
Invitational at the Jackson's Indoor Track in Nampa.
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 Coyotes.
