Yote Notes – May 21,
2007
Mike Safford Jr. – Sports
Info. Director
ATHLETIC NEWS: Scholar-Athletes, ACI camps, 1953
Football Team headed to Hall of Fame
TWO MORE SCHOLAR-ATHLETES ANNOUNCED:
The number of
Albertson College of Idaho All-America Scholar-Athletes rose by two last week,
as the NAIA announced their award winners in women’s tennis and softball. Karin Hayashida (Caldwell, Idaho /
Caldwell HS) of the women’s tennis team and Johnna Bice (Middleton, Idaho / North Idaho CC) of the softball team earned the
honors – bring ACI’s total for the 2006-07 school
year to 22.
SUMMER CAMPS OFFERED BY THE COYOTES: ACI will be offering a trio of
camps this summer to interested kids.
For more information on the women’s soccer camp (www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmenssoccer.htm),
the volleyball camps (www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball.htm),
or the Coyote basketball camp (www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm),
head to the respective sport website and click on the camp icon.
1953 FOOTBALL TEAM AND COACH TO BE
INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME: Last week, College of Idaho legend R.C. Owens visited the Treasure Valley
- over 50 years after rewriting the record books as a Coyote basketball,
football, and track athlete. At the conclusion of his visit, Owens was
notified that the 1953 Coyote football team, along with its head coach, the
late Sam Vokes, will be the next inductees in the ACI
Athletic Hall of Fame. Building off a
1952 season that saw the C of I play before 75,000 fans in Mexico
City in a 55-20 victory over the University of Mexico,
the Coyotes ran roughshod over the Northwest Conference - averaging 42 points a
game. They also notched impressive wins over Idaho
State (46-9) and Montana State
(38-26). It was a star-studded team - as four members (Owens, Jack Kennevick, Joe Kahahawai, Eddie
Cole) have previously been inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame as
individuals, and three others (Gene Strehlou, Bill Kundrat, Owens) have been inducted as members of the
1954-55 C of I basketball team. Owens
had an outstanding year, earning All-NWC honors - and set a league record with
12 receptions for 270 yards in a 40-14 win over Lewis & Clark. The
Coyotes ground game was bolstered by quarterback Boyd Crawford (1,350 yards)
and halfback Ted Martin (1,262) - who were among the
Top-5 nationally in rushing yards. The
season was capped with the first-ever bowl game played by a four-year school in
Idaho - the Refrigerator Bowl in Evansville, Ind., against Sam Houston
State. The Coyotes dropped the game, 14-12. Vokes legacy as the
Coyotes head man was short-lived, but well respected. He led the C of I
to back-to-back NWC titles in 1953 and 1954 - a combined 15-3 record on the
gridiron. In basketball, he led the Coyotes to a 48-31 career record in
three seasons, winning the 1954-55 NWC championship with a perfect 15-0
mark. Vokes also was the baseball coach during
the 1953 and 1954 seasons, recording a combined 17-30 mark. He left the
College following the 1954-55 basketball season. Currently, the induction ceremonies are
tentatively set for February of 2009 - however, discussion of moving the
timetable up is under consideration.
NEXT WEEK: A review of the 2006-07 athletic season and an update on recruiting for the 2007-08 season.
TRACK: Six Coyotes off to NAIA Outdoor
Championships
COMING
UP: at NAIA
Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Fresno,
Calif. - Thursday-Saturday.
SIX
COYOTES TO RUN IN FRESNO: A group of six runners will
represent ACI this weekend at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on
the campus of Fresno
Pacific University.
The Coyotes will compete in four men's and three women's events - as the ACI
men will look to improve on their 45th-place finish from a year ago and the ACI
women look to place for the first time in program history.
SURVEYING
THE FIELD: On
the men's side, Tyler Hopper (Caldwell,
Idaho / Caldwell HS) will
compete in two events - the 800 and 1,500 meters. In the 800 - 32 runners
are entered, with the junior posting the 19th fastest qualifying time, while in
the 1,500, only 19 runners are entered, with Hopper holding the 13th fastest
time. He placed ninth in the 1,500 last season.
Two Coyotes will run in the 5,000 meters - senior Jacob Haas (Portland, Ore. / Eastern Oregon U.) and
junior Jesse Chlebeck
(Eagan, Minn. / Eagan HS).
Haas, who placed 14th last season at nationals in the 10,000, has the 23rd
fastest time in the 26-man field, while Chlebeck, who
placed 28th in the event last year, is ranked No. 24. On the women's
side, Shannon Edwards (Sherwood,
Ore. / Eastern Oregon U.)
looks to cap an outstanding career with a solid 5,000 meters. The senior
has the 11th fastest time of the 27 runners in the field and hopes to reach the
finals for the second-straight national championships - as she placed ninth
overall last year. Also making a repeat trip to Fresno
is Jayne Saunders (Emmett,
Idaho / Emmett HS),
who is ranked No. 29 of 36 competitors in the 400-hurdles - hoping to get out
of the preliminary round this year. Rounding out the group is Natalie Hatch (Emmett, Idaho / Willamette
U.), who will
be one of 39 women competing in the marathon.
SCHEDULE
OF EVENTS: (All
times Pacific) Thursday - 1:55 p.m. (Men's 1,500 Trial), 4:30 p.m. (Men's 800
Trial), 5:15 p.m. (Women's 400 Hurdle Trials); Friday - 3:35 p.m. (Men's 800
Semis), 5:15 p.m. (Women's 400 Hurdle Semis), 6:40 p.m. (Women's 5,000 Semis),
7:30 p.m. (Men's 5,000 Semis); Saturday - 6 a.m. (Women's Marathon), 3:10 p.m.
(Men's 1,500 Final), 3:50 p.m. (Women's 400 Hurdle Final), 5:10 p.m.
(Women's 5,000 Final), 5:35 p.m. (Men's 5,000 Final). Live scoring from
all of the events will be available on the NAIA website at http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-otrack/spec-rel/091905aac.html.
COYOTES
FIFTH AT CASCADE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS: Shannon Edwards defended her crown
in the women's 5,000-meters, and Jacob Haas took home the title in the men's
10,000 as both the ACI men's and women's track teams placed fifth at the
Cascade Conference Championships, at Community Stadium in La Grande,
Ore.
The fifth-place finish is astounding, considering the Coyotes do not have any
throwers on the team and are primarily composed of middle-distance and distance
runners. Edwards, who won the 5K title in 2006, defeated the large
field in a time of 18:39.53, 16 seconds faster than her nearest
competitor. Haas outdistanced a solid field in the 10K - winning the race
in 33:11.55. On the opening day, the Yote men placed three men's
runners in the 1,500 - as Tyler Hopper placed second, Jesse Chlebeck
sixth, and Sam Hardy (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) seventh.
ACI also got points on the men's side from Tyler Gross (Buffalo,
N.Y. / Springfield Griffith Inst.), who was seventh in the
3,000-steeplechase. The women saw a pair of school records broken, as Katie Ball (Boise, Idaho / Boise
HS) set the mark while placing second in the 1,500 (4:48.59) - one
of four ACI runners to score in the event. Edwards placed third, Stephanie Sparks (West Jordan, Utah / Juan Diego HS) seventh, and Molli-Lee Painter (Moscow, Idaho / Moscow
HS), eighth. Jayne Saunders took sixth in the 400 - breaking
the school record in the process (1:01.02), while Natalie Hatch took fifth in
the 10,000. Hopper had a solid Day 2, taking second in the
800-meters, setting a school-record of 1:52.82 - meeting the NAIA "A"
qualifying mark. Other Top-5 finishers on Day 2 by the
Coyotes were Saunders, who was second in the 400-hurdles (1:06.52), Chlebeck, who was second in
the 5,000 (15:38.88), Emily McCutchan (Meridian, Idaho / Cole Valley Christian HS), who was third
in the triple jump (33' 11.75"), Haas, who was fourth in the 5,000
(15:46.25), and Sparks, who placed fifth in the 800 (2:21.14). Courtney Mitchell (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS) did not place in the
200, but set a new school-record (27.09), as did Rand Kline (Caldwell,
Idaho / Caldwell HS) in
the 400-hurdles (59.44).
NATIONAL QUALIFIERS AND TIMES: NAIA “A” qualifiers –
Shannon Edwards (5,000-meters), Tyler Hopper (800). NAIA “B” qualifiers – Jayne
Saunders (400-hurdles), Natalie Hatch (half-marathon) Hopper (1,500), Jesse Chlebeck (5,000), Jacob Haas (5,000).
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on
the ACI track team, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/track.htm.
BASEBALL: Season
Review
COMING
UP: Season Complete
COYOTES BATTLE TO REGIONAL FINAL, BUT CAN’T GET BY
L-C: For the
third consecutive season, the ACI baseball team advanced to the NAIA Region I
Tournament final, but the Coyotes
could not find an answer to top-ranked Lewis-Clark State, as the Warriors
claimed the championship with a 2-0 victory in 11 innings. ACI opened the tournament with a convincing
12-3 victory over British Columbia –
their first postseason win over the T-Birds since 2002, and following a
semifinal loss to L-C, hammered Concordia, 14-5, to reach the title game.
ZUBY IMPRESSIVE VS. L-C: The talk following the regional
tournament wasn’t about L-C winning the title, but on the gutsy pitching
performance by Coyote Joey Zubizarreta
(Boise,
Idaho
/ Cochise CC). The junior
lefty kept the Warriors at bay for ten innings in the title game – the longest
outing by an ACI pitcher since 1998, allowing just five hits, one walk, and
five strikeouts. Zubizarreta,
whose longest outing of the season prior to the extra inning marathon was four
innings, allowed only two base runners to reach third base. It marked the first time in L-C head coach Ed
Cheff’s 31-years at the school that a pitcher had
shutout the Warriors through ten innings.
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NAIA WORLD SERIES (WITHOUT
THE YOTES): For
the fifth-straight season, the Avista NAIA World
Series will be without the Yotes. Ten
teams will be in Lewiston, beginning
Friday – with games running until the following Friday. Spring Arbor (Mich.) is the top seed in the tournament,
followed by Azusa Pacific (Calif.),
Lewis-Clark
State,
Cumberland (Tenn.), Bellevue
(Neb.), Lee (Tenn.), St.
Thomas (Fla.),
Lindenwood (Mo.),
Houston Baptist (Texas),
and Walsh (Ohio). Outside of L-C, Bellevue (1995) and Cumberland
(2004) have won NAIA titles.
As a side-note, ACI sports information director, Mike Safford Jr. will be one of the network broadcasters at the Avista NAIA World Series, helping provide radio and television
coverage via the NAIA website.
L-C DOMINATES ALL-REGION TEAM: Regional champ, Lewis-Clark State
dominated the 2007 NAIA Region I Team, as skipper Ed Cheff
and third-baseman Beau Mills were named coach and player of the year. ACI had three players on the team – each of
them a two-time recipient. Jason Roach (Sacramento,
Calif. / Sacramento
City CC) was one of four pitchers on the team – as the senior went
10-5 for the Yotes with 103 strikeouts this season. Pat Burke (Sisters, Ore. / Sisters
HS) was one of two catchers on the team, having hit .363 with a
team-high 38 RBI this season, while Casey Oliver (Pocatello, Idaho / Coll.
of Southern Idaho) was named the utility infielder – after hitting
.363 with six homers, 35 RBI, and 19 stolen bases this season. Two others were named to the Rawlings
All-Region Gold Glove Team – third-baseman Bryan Champ (Boise,
Idaho /
Borah HS) and outfielder Luke Howarth (Boise,
Idaho
/ Centennial HS).
END OF THE ROAD FOR THE SENIORS: The loss in the regional final ended
the careers of six ACI senior baseball players.
Jason Roach, Pat Burke, Casey Oliver, Carson Taysom (Pocatello,
Idaho /
Century HS), Drew Cauffman (Mountain
Home, Idaho
/ Mountain Home HS), and Adam Roach (Sacramento,
Calif.
/ New Mexico Highlands U.) completed their eligibility following
the 2007 season.
RECORD BOOK EDITING: Following the final out of the
season, the ACI record book was edited to include the accomplishments of the
2007 Coyotes. The Yotes set a new school-record by being
hit eight times in one game (Apr. 7 vs. Corban) –
tying an NAIA record, while ACI recorded their 19th one-hitter in program
history (Feb. 10 vs. NNU). Individually,
Dane McGrady (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) was hit 21
times by pitches this season – the second-most ever by a Coyote,
while Joey Zubizarreta is one of nine pitchers in
program history to win four-or-more games without a loss, and Jason Roach
became the fifth Coyote to record
100-or-more strikeouts in a season (the first since 1999). Rounding out the list is Pat Burke, who
closes out his career with eight different entries in the Top-10 in the career
record book.
ALUMNI IN PRO BALL: A pair of former Coyote
players are
starting their second month of the 2007 season in the professional ranks. Jason Simontacchi,
who pitched at ACI in 1996, has rejoined the Washington Nationals and is in
their starting rotation. Last Sunday, he
picked up his first major league victory since 2003 in a 6-4 win over Philadelphia. Another former Yote, Branden
Florence, is in his first full-season at AA, playing for the Reading Phillies in the Philadelphia
organization. Unfortunately, Florence has been
sidelined with a torn bicep muscle and is out indefinitely.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and
information regarding the ACI baseball program, head to the official site Coyote
baseball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/baseball.htm. Up to date regional scores and standings can
also be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/baseball/stats/standings.htm.
SOFTBALL: Season
Review
COMING
UP: Season
Complete
COYOTES PLAY WELL IN REGIONAL TOURNAMENT: The ACI softball team made a splash
in their first-ever appearance at the NAIA Region I Tournament. The Lady Yotes sprinted to the championship
game with wins over Cascade Conference rivals Oregon Tech and Concordia. However, five-time defending regional
champion and three-time NAIA champion Simon Fraser swept a pair of games in the
championship round to take the title – and the Region I automatic berth to the
NAIA Women’s World Series. Leading the
way for the Coyotes in Canada were sophomores Haley Butcher (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS)
and Stacy
Smith (Draper, Utah / Juan Diego Catholic HS) – with Butcher
going 6-for-10 with a homer and seven RBI and Smith going 4-for-8 with two
doubles, a homer, and three RBI.
HOW CLOSE THEY TRULY WERE: Despite losing in the regional
final, ACI still had an outside chance to earn one of the seven at-large berths
to the Women’s World Series. The Yotes
needed three teams to claim their regional championships to earn the at-large
bid. Two of the teams – Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.)
and Bellevue (Neb.),
won their regions, but Thomas (Ga.)
lost in the Region XIV title game – leaving ACI on the outside. It marks the sixth-straight season a CCC team
has not advanced to the softball nationals.
LOOKING AT THE NATIONAL
TOURNAMENT: The
Top-13 teams in the NAIA, along with seven others advanced to the Women’s World
Series in Decatur, Ala., beginning Friday.
The teams were positioned into four five-team pools, with the top-two
teams in each pool advancing to a double-elimination bracket. Simon Fraser was selected to play in Pool B –
along with Columbia (Mo.),
Oklahoma City, Vanguard (Calif.),
and Lee (Tenn.).
ZILLNER NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR, THREE OTHERS
HONORED: Following
the regional tournament, Katie Zillner (Emmett, Idaho
/ Chicago State U.) was named NAIA Region I Player of the
Year. The junior led the region with 18
wins and 204 strikeouts in the circle, while hitting .342 with 15 doubles and
43 RBI at the plate. Joining her on the
All-Region Team were outfielders Stacy Smith and Heather Kirtley (Eagle, Idaho
/ Eagle HS), along with third-baseman Haley Butcher.
MENDIOLA NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR: In doubling the previous mark for
wins in a season, ACI skipper Al Mendiola was named NAIA Region
I Coach of the Year. He joins his wife,
Liz Mendiola, as the only coaches this season to earn honors at the regional
level (Liz Mendiola was regional volleyball coach of the year).
ACI FINISHES RANKED NO. 14: The Lady Yotes climbed two spots in
the final NAIA Top-25 Coaches’ Poll of the season. ACI was ranked in the final five polls of the
2007 season – making their first appearance on April 11 at No. 23, falling to
No. 24 on April 18, to No. 25 on Apr. 25, and moving up to No. 16 on May
2. A total of eight ACI teams were
ranked in their respective national polls this season (volleyball at No. 8,
women’s skiing at No. 8, men’s basketball at No. 9, men’s skiing at No. 9,
men’s cross country at No. 9, baseball at No. 12, softball at No. 14, and
women’s basketball at No. 23).
YOTES CLINCH
SECOND WINNING SEASON: With a 37-12 final
record, the Lady Yotes secured just their second winning season in the six
years of fastpitch softball. Only the 2003 team, which finished 18-17,
finished above .500. With a 16-4 mark –
winning the CCC title by four games, ACI set their highest mark above .500
ever. ACI moved to 27 games above .500
for the first time opening the regional with a pair of wins.
TEAM RECORDS BY THE WAYSIDE: The record-setting 2007 season by
the Coyotes saw ACI rewrite the record book for wins in a season, conference
wins, consecutive wins, and consecutive games not shutout. The Yotes set single-game records for runs,
runs in an inning, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, and victory margin. ACI also set single-season records for
batting average, runs, hits, RBI, doubles, home runs, walks, hit by pitches,
total bases, slugging percentage, on base percentage,
fielding percentage, sacrifice flies, earned run average, shutouts, and
strikeouts.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and
information regarding the ACI softball program, head to the official site
Coyote softball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/fastpitch.htm.
