‘Yote Notes – Aug. 15,
2006
Mike Safford Jr. – Sports
Info. Director
ATHLETIC
NEWS: Basketball and Baseball Alums,
Website Info, Cross Country barbeque
BASKETBALL ALUMNI HEAD TO ENGLAND: A pair of
Albertson College of Idaho men’s basketball alumni are headed to
England
to continue their playing career. Tom Perkes (2002-04) and Steve Humphreys (2002-05) will both
head across the pond – Perkes to play for the Worcester
Wolves and Humphreys for the Reading Rockets, both in the British Basketball
League, the top-level professional league in England. Perkes was a
two-time NAIA All-American for the Coyotes, helping ACI to back-to-back
national tournament appearances, while Humphreys also led ACI to two national
tournaments and is among the all-time leaders in blocked shots. Perkes will join
former Coyote, Andy Harper (2002-04) as a member of the Wolves, who are coached
by former Northwest Nazarene All-American, Josh Cooprider. Another former Coyote Eric Hare continues to
excel in Mexico, playing for
the Durango Lobos Grises in the National Basketball
League (top league in Mexico),
averaging 12 points and six rebounds a game.
Last year, Hare saw considerable playing time in the FIBA World Basketball
Championships qualifying for his home country.
Another former Yote, Mike Homik, is a member
of the New Zealand National Team, the “Tall Blacks” and currently plays for the
North Harbour Heat in the National Basketball League
of New Zealand.
FLORENCE TEARING UP STATE LEAGUE: Baseball
alum Branden Florence has had a monster season with
the Clearwater Threshers, the Advanced A affiliate of
the Philadelphia Phillies. Florence
is currently hitting .326 with five homers and 76 RBI – ranking in the Florida
State League Top-5 in hits, average, doubles, and RBI. He is currently the only former baseball
player competing in the professional ranks.
WEBSITE TO BE UNVEILED AT THE END OF
THE MONTH: Look for major changes to the ACI athletic website
at the end of August, as the school will complete a complete overhaul of www.collegeofidaho.edu, including the athletics
portal.
CROSS COUNTRY TO HOST RACE/DINNER: The ACI
cross country program will host the 1st Annual Purple & White Race and
Barbeque on August 30 on the ACI campus (near the Village Apartments). Both the men’s and women’s teams will race
alumni teams over a 3,000-meter course, beginning at 6:15 p.m., with a barbeque
to follow (cost $5.00). For more
information, contact head coach Pat McCurry at
459-5085.
VOLLEYBALL
(27-7 in 2005: Season Preview
SCRIMMAGE:
at Northwest Nazarene, 8/22 (next Tuesday), 7 p.m.
SEASON OPENER: at Holiday Inn Express NAIA
Tournament of Champions – Salt Lake
City, 8/25-26 (next Friday-Saturday).
PICKED TO WIN THE CCC: The Albertson College of Idaho
volleyball team was picked last week to win the 2006 Cascade Conference
championship in the preseason coaches' poll released by the CCC.
The Coyotes are coming off their most successful season in 23 years,
having won their first-ever CCC postseason tournament, first-ever NAIA Region I
tournament, and just their second appearance ever at the NAIA Championships -
where they tied for ninth-place. Southern Oregon, the reigning regular season conference
champion the past three seasons, received the remaining first place vote to
finish second in the overall balloting.
Oregon Tech, Concordia, and Corban rounded out
the Top-5.
WHAT THE COYOTES NEED TO REPLACE: Initially, head coach Liz Mendiola (101-52, 6th year) will have to replace a pair of seniors to reap
the accolades during 2005. Blocker Fran
Hartman became the fifth player in program history to be named an NAIA
All-American and the third Coyote to achieve 1,000 kills and 250 blocks in a
career. Libero Charity Gaston shattered
the ACI defensive book, breaking records for digs in a game, digs and dig average in a season, and dig average in a career. Gaston also became the second ACI volleyball
player to earn NAIA National Player of the Week honors after a mid-October
outburst against Warner Pacific and Cascade.
SETTERS: Running the show is Erin Cherrington (Granby, Colo. / Middle
Park HS),
who set a school record for assists per game in 2005. The senior has been in the top-ten nationally
in assists per game each of the last two seasons, earning All-Cascade
Conference honors along the way. She is
962 assists away from being the all-time leader in ACI history. Cherrington will have an understudy this
season, as All-State freshman Ashley
Galeai (Nampa, Idaho
/ Skyview HS) looks to learn from the four-year
starter.
BLOCKERS: At the net, the Coyotes will not
miss a beat. All-CCC blocker Katie Hogue (Sparks, Nev. / Reed HS) returns after a monster
sophomore campaign – where she racked up 376 kills, 132 blocks, and a
school-record 68 aces. Returnee Aubrey Nielsen (Twin Falls, Idaho
/ Walla Walla CC) and true freshman Kristin Henning (Boise, Idaho / Boise
HS) look to grab Hartman’s spot in the rotation. Nielsen missed most of last year in
preparation for the birth of her and her husband's first child, while
Henning comes to ACI after an All-State career in high school. On the right side, Anne Parker (Pocatello,
Idaho / Century HS)
returns for her third-season with the Yotes.
The 6-3 spiker had 279 kills and 110 blocks
during the 2005 season and was a key component during ACI’s
run through the playoffs. Transfer Jessie Link (Tonopah,
Nev. / Nicholls State U.),
who began her career at NCAA Division I Nicholls State, but was displaced by
Hurricane Katrina, will complement Parker in the rotation.
ON THE OUTSIDE: Options abound for Mendiola on the
outside, as five players will battle for time in the rotation. Starters Kathryn Ely (La Grande, Ore. / La Grande
HS) and Tiffany Sower (Eagle,
Idaho / Eagle
HS) return in 2006, each coming off solid seasons. Ely was among the top freshmen in the CCC,
recording 408 kills and 303 digs, while Sower made a
triumphant return after knee surgery, registering 203 kills and 290 digs – most
coming in the second half of the season.
Also in the mix is senior Michelle
Riordan (Nampa, Idaho
/ Skyview HS), who impressed the
Yotes with her play at the NAIA Championships.
Joining the returnees are two newcomers – freshman Sarah Buhler (Middleton, Idaho /
Middleton HS) and transfer Katie Zillner (Emmett, Idaho
/ Chicago State U.). Buhler helped Middleton High win the 2005 3A
state title, while Zillner, an Emmett native,
transfers from NCAA Division I Chicago State.
DEFENSE: Defensively, ACI looks to transfer Catherine Everist
(Portland,
Ore. / Chicago State U.) to
take Gaston’s place at libero. The junior was the starting setter last
season at Chicago
State, averaging nearly
three digs per game. Also in the mix
defensively are freshmen Stacie Drumm (Salem, Ore.
/ South Salem HS), Donnae Carrell (Middleton, Idaho / Middleton HS),
and Courtney Gamel
(Nampa, Idaho
/ Skyview HS).
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: 2006 will see the Coyotes travel to
a pair of tournaments, each filled with nationally-ranked foes. The season opens in Salt Lake City at the NAIA Tournament of
Champions – where defending NAIA champion Cal Baptist, along with Olivet
Nazarene and National American join ACI and four other teams. The Yotes will also travel to Indiana for the Best of the Best Challenge – where
Savannah A&D, Indiana-Southeast, Cedarville, and Columbia – all NAIA Championship teams, await the Idaho bunch. Also in the mix are non-conference matches
with rivals Lewis-Clark
State and Northwest
Nazarene, along with a home date with NCAA Division II Dixie State.
CASCADE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: A ton of questions arise out of the
Cascade Conference this year – a year after Southern
Oregon and Northwest shared the regular-season crown. Southern will have to replace all-stars
Kristin Lilly, Nicholette LeBel,
and Jamie McCreary, but head coach Paul Elliott is among the best in restocking
the cupboard. Northwest is more of a
question mark – as coach Shaun Kupferberg resigned in
June, taking CCC Freshman of the Year Sara Bendorf
with him to Jacksonville
State. New coach Mary Cotton
also lost setter Allison Simmons to the University of Washington. Both Concordia and Oregon Tech look to
continue their recent improvements – as coaches Chris Duenow
and Amanda Rico each had solid recruiting classes. Two other teams look to join the playoff
mix, as both Corban and Evergreen
State seem to be on the cusp, while Eastern Oregon, Warner Pacific, and Cascade look to
be in rebuilding mode.
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 (9-9-0 in 2005): Season
Preview
EXHIBITION
GAME: vs. North Idaho College,
Saturday, 2 p.m.
SEASON
OPENER: at Whitman, 8/25 (next Friday), 7 p.m. (PDT)
WHAT THE COYOTES NEED TO REPLACE: Third-year head coach Brian Smith (19-13-1, 3rd year)will need to replace a quartet of players from
last year’s team which won nine of their final 12 games, following a 0-6
start. Forward Joe Chandler, keeper Ryan
Huber, and defenders Shane Carmody and John Mitchell
each spent four years in the ACI program – playing in a combined 227 career
games, including 193 starts. Without
these players, ACI now has just three men on their roster with playoff
experience.
MORE ON LAST SEASON: The Yotes were shutout of five of
their first six games and managed just 23 goals all season. However, the squad was in position to claim a
playoff spot up until the final day of the regular-season, posting a .500 or
better record for the seventh consecutive season.
GOALKEEPERS: Smith will have decisions galore
prior to the opening of Cascade Conference play in late September. One of them is in goal, where a pair of
former junior college teammates will battle for the starting nod. Senior Rob
Erichson (Boise,
Idaho / Walla Walla CC) got the starting nod
early last season, and returns after posting four shutouts last season, along
with a 1.79 GAA. He will be pushed by
fellow Walla Walla CC transfer Jay Gentle (Boise, Idaho
/ Walla Walla CC), who stands 6-4 and had a 0.79
career GAA at the two-year school.
FORWARDS: There will also be options on the
top end, where the Yotes will look to improve on their 1.28 goals per game
average from 2005. Two-time
All-CCC striker Michael Delgado (Caldwell,
Idaho / Vallivue
HS) returns, after leading ACI with six goals and 17 total points as a
sophomore last season. Also
returning is Scott Ward (Rexburg,
Idaho / Madison HS), who
worked his way into the starting line-up after missing two seasons on an LDS
Mission. A pair of first-year players, Kazuki Murata (Tokyo, Japan / International Secondary Institute) and Colt Gilliland (Pleasant View, Utah / St. Joseph HS), look to get in the playing
mix. Murata, a native of Japan, is among the most skillful players on the
team, while Gilliland was a Utah
3A All-State selection.
OUTSIDE MIDFIELDERS: The midfield is among the deepest
positions on the field for the Coyotes.
On the outside, ACI returns senior All-American Mitch White (Boise,
Idaho / Gonzaga U.),
who has 14 career goals, along with sophomore Alex Penrod (Las Vegas, Nev. / Cimarron-Memorial HS), who
started 17 games last season. Pushing
the duo will be junior transfer Cameron
Johnson (Boise,
Idaho / Treasure Valley CC), out of
Treasure Valley CC, along with freshman Esteban
Cabrera (Quito,
Ecuador / Payette HS), a
native of Ecuador.
INSIDE MIDFIELDERS: On the inside of midfield,
sophomores Derek Erstad
(Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS) and Mauricio Both (Cachoeira de Sul,
Brazil / Nampa HS) look to lock down the starting
spots they held as freshmen. However, Tyler Seaman (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) returns, hoping
to regain his All-CCC form after missing the 2005 recovering from knee
surgery. Redshirt
freshman Antonio Bautista (Homedale, Idaho / Homedale HS) and Idaho
4A All-State freshmen Brandon Eddy (Sandpoint, Idaho / Sandpoint HS) and Jesus Lopez (Nampa, Idaho
/ Skyview HS) will also try to work their way
into the rotation.
DEFENSE: All-CCC senior Scott Fuller (Boise, Idaho
/ Cal State-Fullerton) anchors the back-third for the Yotes, joined by
three of his 2005 running mates. Junior Stephen Reinschmidt
(Mountain Home, Idaho / Mountain Home
HS) is an imposing force, having added 35 pounds to his frame since his
freshman season, as is senior Sam Reed (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS), one of the
strongest players on the team. The other
returner is Brandon
Koomler (Boise, Idaho
/ Bishop Kelly HS), who started 16 games as a freshman. A true freshman, Dinko Miljkovic (Meridian, Idaho
/ Mountain View
HS), will battle for playing time in the back.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: After playing possibly their
toughest preseason schedule in school history last year, the Yotes will face a
slew of tough squads in 2006. ACI will
rekindle their rivalry with a home-and-home series with Whitman after a
five-year hiatus, along with meeting NCAA Division II Montana State-Billings
for the first time since 1997. They will
also head to Salt Lake City
for the annual Westminster Invitational, meeting the host Griffins, along with
both Fresno Pacific of California and Morningside of Iowa – who each spent time
in the Top-25 last season.
CASCADE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: The Cascade Conference should again
challenge ACI game in and game out.
Concordia looks to be the class of the league, a year after advancing to
the NAIA Tournament. Both Evergreen State and Corban
have skilled players returning, but will be working with new head coaches. Both Warner Pacific and Northwest each had
solid recruiting classes, while Cascade has been steadily improving. For the third-straight year, the top-two
teams in the league will be guaranteed a spot in the regional playoffs.
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.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (7-8-1 in 2005): Season
Preview
EXHIBITION
GAME: vs. North Idaho College,
Saturday, Noon.
SEASON
OPENER: at Whitman, 8/26 (next Saturday), 7 p.m. (PDT)
NEW COACH: Last month ACI announced Niki Taylor as the seventh head coach of
the women’s soccer program. A graduate
of Truman State
University in Kirksville,
Mo., Taylor
was an honorable mention all-conference player for the Bulldogs in 1999 and
2000, helping the squad to the NCAA Division II regional championships.
She went on to assist coach Mike Cannon during the 2001 season, helping TSU to
the regional finals, then moved West, where she was an assistant for Steve
Lucas at Boise State for the past three seasons. Taylor replaces Aisha Reed, who was named the 2005 Cascade Conference North
Division Coach of the Year. Reed, who had a 24-42-2 record in her four
seasons, will remain on the staff as an assistant coach. Taylor has also been
involved with the Les Bois United Soccer Club for the past three years, having
coached the U-11 squad this season, while serving as a head coach in the Idaho
Olympic Development Program.
WHAT THE COYOTES NEED TO REPLACE: Taylor will have to replace four starters
from last season’s 7-8-1 team – including a pair of All-Cascade Conference
performers. Two-year starting keeper
Candice Frank graduated after posting the lowest GAA this decade, with
midfielders Nikki Anderson and Ryann Lagomarsino, and defender Sarah Barlow, each deciding to
leave school early.
MORE ON LAST SEASON: The Yotes opened the season with a
5-1-1 record, including victories against Northwest Nazarene, Oregon Tech, and Southern Oregon.
However, ACI dropped six of their final seven games to fall out of
playoff contention.
GOALKEEPERS: In goal this year, the Coyotes will
have a battle among a trio of quality keepers – something the team has not had
the luxury of in the past. Freshman Tiffany Elsberry (Sandy, Ore.
/ Sandy HS) knows the ropes after spending last season as a redshirt, but will be pushed by newcomers Sadie Hughes (Courtenay, B.C. / Vanier SS) and Amy Rhoades (Eagle, Idaho / Dixie State
Coll.). Hughes, a
5-8 freshman from Canada,
provides size in the box. Rhoades, who
led Eagle High to the 2004 5A state title, transfers from Dixie State.
FORWARDS: ACI returns their top two forwards
from last season, Leah Roach (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS) and Allie Dufault (Irvine, Calif. / University HS). Roach earned All-CCC honors after scoring
seven goals, while Dufault tallied four early goals,
before injuries plagued her second half of the season. A pair of speedsters will also battle for
playing time, sophomore Jayne Saunders (Emmett, Idaho / Emmett HS), and freshman Mandy Greif (Payette, Idaho
/ Payette HS). Saunders, who was a
qualifier at the 2006 NAIA Track Championships, scored a pair of goals last
season, while Greif scored 88 career goals at Payette High, leading her club to
the 3A state championship.
MIDFIELDERS: Three everyday starters return in
the midfield – senior Allison Rupert (Boise, Idaho / Captial HS), junior
Laura Fink (Boise, Idaho
/ Centennial HS), and sophomore Emily
Dickerson (Nampa, Idaho
/ Vallivue HS).
Rupert, a three-year starter, is fourth all-time in career assists, and
is solid in controlling the midfield.
Fink ranked third on the team last season with three goals, with
Dickerson starting 12-of-16 games. This
group will be bolstered by two newcomers – Stephanie
Stover (Caldwell,
Idaho / U.
of Nevada) and Alyssa Newbold (Caldwell, Idaho / Walla Walla CC).
Stover, who took the 2005 soccer season off, is among the fastest
players on the team, with Newbold transferring to ACI
from the competitive program at Walla Walla CC.
DEFENSE: The back-third should be the Yotes
anchor, with three starters roaming the pitch.
Two-year starter Katie Ball (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS), along with
freshmen Kat Becker (Salt Lake City, Utah / Judge Memorial HS) and
Martine Troy (Ogden, Utah / Judge Memorial HS) helped ACI post five shutouts in
2005. Also in the mix is junior Ali Jakubowski,
(Caldwell,
Idaho / Caldwell HS), transfer Jessie Harris (Boise, Idaho
/ Walla Walla CC), and freshman Jessica Brotherton
(Payette, Idaho
/ Payette HS). Jakubowski
is one of the toughest competitors on the squad, but has been injury plagued
throughout her career, Harris heads to ACI after a year away from soccer, with Brotherton coming to the Yotes from the successful Payette
High program.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: The Coyotes will be tested during
their eight-game non-conference slate, which will include three home games, two
others in Nampa
at the Les Schwab Invitational. ACI
opens the season at Whitman – a game that is an exhibition for the
Missionaries. They will then look to win
back-to-back games against rival Northwest Nazarene for the first time in over
a decade, along with a meeting with Eastern Oregon. The Yotes home opener is in early September
against Division II Central Washington, whom ACI lost to on an own goal in
2005. They will then hit the road for
games at Western Oregon and Lewis & Clark
– the first meeting with Western since they left the CCC, and the first
match-up with L&C since 1990.
Non-conference play wraps up in early October, as regional foes Great Falls and Carroll head to Caldwell.
CASCADE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: Cascade Conference play will be
different in 2006, as the league’s coaches have eliminated the North and South
Division’s, along with double round-robin play, as Northwest University has
added a women’s soccer program, and Northwest Christian College is set to join
the CCC in 2007. The ten teams this
season will play nine league tilts, with the top-six squads advanced to the CCC
postseason tournament. Defending
champion, Concordia, will likely begin the season in the NAIA top-ten, and is
the odds-on bet to win the league again.
Corban, Evergreen
State, and Southern
Oregon look to stay in playoff form – with State and Southern each
doing so with new head coaches. Oregon
Tech, Warner Pacific, and Eastern Oregon were
all in playoff contention late in last season and return key components of
their teams, while Cascade looks to be improved and first-year Northwest is a
question mark.
MORE
INFORMATION:
Updated information and statistics on the 2006 women’s soccer team can be found
on ACI women’s soccer official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmenssoccer.htm. Up-to-date Cascade Conference standings can
be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wsoccer/stats/standings.htm.
