Yote Notes – Sept. 5, 2007

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

ATHLETIC NEWS: Coyote Open, CCC Golf, Baseball Alumni Game

COYOTE OPEN SET FOR SEPTEMBER 28: The 23rd Annual Coyote Open Golf Tournament is set for Friday, September 28, at Falcon Crest Golf Club in Kuna. Year in and year out one of the top events in the Treasure Valley, the Coyote Open has 175 players and over 110 sponsors per year that help support athletics at Albertson College of Idaho. To secure your spot in the tournament for yourself or your team, or to support the tournament as a sponsor, contact Dave Hahn at 459-5835 or go online at https://www.collegeofidaho.edu/media/_secure/coyoteopen.asp.

GOLF TEAM TO HOST FALL TOURNAMENT: The ACI golf team will begin play in the newly formed Cascade Conference golf division this fall, hosting a 54-hole event on September 17 and 18 at River Bend Golf Course. Concordia, Corban, and Northwest Christian join the Yotes as members of the CCC, while it is expected that Treasure Valley CC and Northwest Nazarene will also compete in the event. The four CCC teams will play two fall and two spring events to determine the league champion.

BASEBALL ALUMNI GAME SET FOR SEPTEMBER 29: The annual Albertson College of Idaho baseball alumni game has been scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 29, at Simplot Stadium in Caldwell. A home run derby will begin at 11:30 a.m., with the game to begin around 1 p.m. For alumni and their families, food and drinks will be provided throughout the day - with a $30.00 fee per player to help pay for t-shirts, derby prizes, and the post-game barbeque. For more information, contact head coach Shawn Humberger at 459-5861 or shumberger@collegeofidaho.edu.

VOLLEYBALL (2-6): Lady Yotes ranked No. 11 in latest NAIA poll, set to open CCC play at home vs. Southern and OIT

LAST WEEK: at Crowne Plaza Labor Day Festival, Irvine, Calif. – vs. Vanguard (W 3-2), vs. No. 11 Biola (L 3-2), vs. No. 10 Savannah A&D (W 3-0), vs. No. 2 Fresno Pacific (L 3-0)

COMING UP: vs. Southern Oregon, Friday, 7 p.m.; vs. Oregon Tech, Saturday, 7 p.m.

SEASON TICKETS: ACI head coach Liz Mendiola has announced that season passes for the 2007 volleyball season are currently on sale at the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. Season passes are available for $20.00 (a savings of $40.00) for the 12-game home slate, with a family pass available for $50.00 (a savings of $142.00 for a family of four). To purchase season passes, contact ACI sports information director Mike Safford at msafford@collegeofidaho.edu or (208) 459-5681.

PLAYING AT HOME: The Lady Yotes have enjoyed much success in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center over the last 12 years, compiling a 118-36 record in the building – winning more than 75-percent of their matches. Over the last three seasons, ACI has a staggering 37-2 record at home, including the current 25-match home win streak. Under Liz Mendiola, the Lady Yotes have a 66-12 record in the JAAC.

CONFERENCE PLAY OPENS WITH RAIDERS, OWLS: The Coyotes open the 20-game Cascade Conference schedule at home this weekend, hosting two of the top teams in the loop. On Friday night, Southern Oregon heads to Caldwell, looking to end a five-game losing streak to ACI. The Raiders (5-3) have one victory this season against a nationally-ranked opponent – topping then No. 8 Azusa Pacific in August. First-year head coach Josh Rolfing has an experienced group, led by outside hitter Jaclyn Hamilton-Smith (2.8 k/g) and middles Richelle Millsap (2.6 k/g, .333 %) and Mia Wortel (3.2 k/g). ACI won all three matches between the teams last year, but Southern holds a commanding 51-14 series edge, dating back to 1982. Saturday, Oregon Tech makes the trip to the Treasure Valley, a year after being snubbed a spot in the NAIA Region I Tournament after placing third at the CCC Championships. The Owls (7-5) have won six-straight matches after a 0-4 start and return one of the more versatile athletes in the league in Michelle Klaja (3.3 k/g). ACI swept the season series from OIT last season and holds a 28-17 all-time series edge.

NAIA POLL: Despite the 2-6 start to the season, ACI remained among the elite teams in the NAIA, as the first regular-season national poll was released on Wednesday. The Lady Yotes fell five spots to No. 11 – while all eight opponents the Purple and Gold played during the preseason are in the Top-25 (No. 1 Fresno Pacific, No. 5 Biola, No. 6 National American, No. 7 Point Loma Nazarene, No. 8 Westminster, No. 16 Savannah A&D, No. 20 Vanguard, No. 25 Great Falls). Receiving votes in the poll from the Region I were Southern Oregon and Montana Tech. The NAIA Top-25 will be released each Wednesday afternoon during the regular-season.

PREVIOUS NATIONAL POLLS: The Coyotes have been ranked in the Top-25 on 19 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 preseason poll and all 11 rankings during the 2006 season, the 2007 preseason poll., and this week’s poll. In all, ACI has been ranked in the last 14 tabulations released by the NAIA.

REGIONAL POLL (MISTAKE): It was reported earlier in the week that the Lady Yotes had remained tied atop the NAIA Region I Top-10 standings. However, a computer glitch in the NAIA’s software caused the tie – even though the rating committee had voted Westminster No. 1 and ACI No. 2. Following the two top teams were Great Falls, Southern Oregon, and Montana Tech, with Concordia, Oregon Tech, Lewis-Clark State, Carroll, and Eastern Oregon rounding out the top-ten. The regional poll will be released each Monday afternoon during the regular-season.

RECORD BOOK: Five Coyotes moved up in the ACI career record book over the weekend in California. Katie Hogue (Sparks, Nev. / Reed HS) ranks second all-time in blocks (440), fourth in kills (1,102), and sixth in aces (144) – needing just 31 blocks to set the school record. Anne Parker (Pocatello, Idaho / Century HS) is fifth all-time in blocks (313) and is tenth in kills (748), with Kathryn Ely (La Grande, Ore. / La Grande HS) now eighth on the all-time kills list (921), needing 79 spikes to become the seventh member of the 1,000-kill club. Tiffany Sower (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) is now fifth all-time in aces (153) and is seventh in digs (1,011) – becoming the ninth member of the 1,000-dig club at ACI, while teammate Catherine Everist (Portland, Ore. / Chicago State U.) is 11th in digs (970).

COYOTES GO 2-2 IN CALIFORNIA: The Coyotes played a tough team each time out in California last weekend, but gutted out a pair of victories at the Crowne Plaza Labor Day Festival. Leading the Yotes offensively was Kathryn Ely, who recorded 3.1 kills per game, with Katie Zillner (Emmett, Idaho / Chicago State U.) right behind her at 2.6 k/g. At the net, Sarah Buhler (Middleton, Idaho / Middleton HS) continued a strong early season start, recording 20 blocks in the four matches, averaging 1.3 blocks a game. Defensively, Catherine Everist continued to shine, recording 75 digs on the weekend – an average of 4.7 per game. The downside for ACI was their hitting percentage, with the team managing just a .174 clip in the four matches.

RECAP OF DAY 1: It was a tale of two different Game 5's for ACI, as the Lady Yotes rallied to top Vanguard University in Friday’s opener, then struggled in the final set of a loss to then No. 11 ranked Biola University at the Crowne Plaza Labor Day Festival in Southern California. Against Vanguard, ACI rallied from a two games to none deficit to force a Game 5 and never trailed in the clincher, defeating the Lions 23-30, 21-30, 30-28, 30-23, 15-12 on VU's home court. The Lady Yotes got a big match from Katie Hogue, as the senior powered 16 kills and five blocks, while Kathryn Ely and Katie Zillner added 13 kills each. Head coach Liz Mendiola praised the play of setter Ashley Galeai (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS), who had a game-high 34 assists - helping the Yotes get into a rhythm that led to the win. In the late game, ACI could not stop Meghan Warkentan and the Eagles in Game 5, as Biola used a 7-0 spurt to start the game and an eight-point push to end it, as BU won the match 29-31, 30-28, 30-11, 26-30, 15-2. Warkentan had 28 kills in the win for Biola, as the Eagles hit .524 in the decisive game - without an attack error. ACI got 13 kills from Zillner and 12 from Ely, while Galeai had 34 assists.

RECAP OF DAY 2: The Yotes split a pair of matches for a second-straight day at the Crowne Plaza Labor Day Festival in Irvine, Calif. The Coyotes (2-6) stopped then No. 10 ranked Savannah College of Art & Design 30-20, 30-25, 30-23 in Saturday’s first match, but lost a 30-21, 30-16, 30-23 decision to then No. 2 Fresno Pacific. In the opener, Kathryn Ely led ACI with 13 kills, with setter Ashley Galeai recording 34 assists and blocker Sarah Buhler registering six block assists. It marked the first match this season that ACI had not played four-or-more games. Game 2 was all FPU, as the Sunbirds got 14 kills from Brittany Pierce. ACI got eight kills each from Buhler and Ely, while Catherine Everist had 16 digs.

LOSING STREAK ENDED: With the five-game win over Vanguard on Friday, the Coyotes saw their six-game losing streak ended. It had been the longest losing skid for ACI since the end of 1999 and start of the 2000 season, when ACI dropped seven in a row. The club had not lost more than four matches in a row during a single season since 1994, when the squad set the school record by losing 11 in a row.

AROUND THE LEAGUE: The Cascade Conference schedule opened up Tuesday with Warner Pacific defeating Cascade in four games to improve to 4-0 on the young season. Besides OIT and Southern’s trip to ACI and Eastern, Concordia and Corban head north for dates at Evergreen State and Northwest, and both WP and Cascade will battle with Northwest Christian.

ABOUT THE COACH: Liz Mendiola is in her seventh season as the ACI head volleyball coach. During her first six seasons at the helm, the Coyotes have advanced to six consecutive Cascade Conference tournaments, four NAIA regional tournaments, and back-to-back trips to the NAIA National Championships, amassing a record of 138-62, the most wins in school history. Last season, she led the Lady Yotes to their best season in program history, compiling a 35-4 record - earning CCC and NAIA Region I Coach of the Year honors. ACI won their first Cascade Conference championship in 24 years, becoming just the second school to complete the league schedule without a loss. The Coyotes also captured their second-straight CCC Tournament title, along with their second-straight NAIA Region I Tournament title, before placing ninth at the NAIA Championships. Her team set a school-record with 22 straight wins and heads into the 2007 season with a 25-game home win streak and a 45-game win streak against non-ranked opponents, dating back to 2005. Mendiola was an assistant for the Coyotes on two separate occasions – from 1995-96 and from 1999-2000, before elevating to head coach. She has also coached club volleyball at Emmett High, for the Treasure Valley Volleyball Club, the Boise River Volleyball Club, and various camps in the Northwest. A native of Jerome, Mendiola graduated from ACI in 1996 with a degree in elementary education, and taught kindergarten in Nampa before becoming head coach in 2001. A two-year member of the Coyotes, Mendiola set school records for kills per game (4.86) in 1994, and holds the school mark for kills per game in a career (4.46). She earned All-CCC honors following her senior season with the Yotes. Mendiola is married to former Coyote baseball standout and current ACI softball coach Al Mendiola. The Mendiola’s have two children, Aleah and Micah, and live in Caldwell.

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

MEN’S SOCCER (2-1): Yotes win 2-of-3 in Salt Lake City, set to open CCC season Saturday at Cascade College

LAST WEEK: at Westminster Invitational, Salt Lake City – vs.Westminster (L 3-0), vs. Biola (W 4-0), vs. Olivet Nazarene (W 4-3 OT)

COMING UP: at Cascade, Saturday, 1 p.m. (PDT); at Whitman, Sunday, 2 p.m. (PDT)

SEASON PASSES: ACI soccer fans can avoid paying an admission charge at all home matches again this season by purchasing a season pass, good for all men’s and women’s soccer games at Symms Field. A single person season pass is just $20.00 (a savings of $45.00) for 13 games this season, with a family pass available for $50.00 (a savings of $154.00 for a family of four). To purchase the season pass, contact ACI SID Mike Safford at msafford@collegeofidaho.edu or (208) 459-5681. Single-game ticket prices are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for seniors and students.

YOTES FARE WELL IN SALT LAKE CITY: Year in and year out, the Westminster Soccer Invitational gives the ACI soccer team great early season competition – preparing for the rugged Cascade Conference schedule. 2007 was no different, as the Yotes were able to win 2-of-3 matches in Salt Lake City and head into conference play with a winning record. Although ACI sustained a tough 3-0 loss to host Westminster, the Coyotes rallied back after a day of rest, routing Biola 4-0, then coming out on the right end of a 4-3 see-saw overtime affair with Olivet Nazarene.

SCORING PUNCH SPREAD OUT: Head coach Brian Smith mentioned prior to the season that the Yotes will have a balanced scoring attack this season, and following the trip to Utah, that is exactly the case. Three Coyotes – juniors Alex Penrod (Las Vegas, Nev. / Cimarron-Memorial HS) and Mauricio Both (Cachieora de Sol, Brazil / Nampa HS), along with sophomore Kazuki Murata (Tokyo, Japan / Ichiritu HS), each scored two goals, while Jesus Lopez (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS) and Michael Delgado (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) converting one each. Six players – including Penrod, Murata, and Lopez, each recorded assists.

PENROD NAMED CCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For his efforts in Salt Lake City, Alex Penrod was named Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I Offensive Player of the Week. Penrod had a goal in the Yotes win over Biola, then tallied a goal and two assists against Olivet Nazarene.

EVERYONE PLAYS: With three games in four days, the Yotes were forced to use every member of their bench to stay fresh. All 17 players who were healthy saw action in the first two games – with the first-year players earning key learning opportunities. The lone players who did not see action were Brandon Koomler (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS), who is nursing a knee strain, and Teddy Coleman (Lagos, Nigeria / United World College – USA), who is battling a shoulder injury.

HOT TEMPERATURES: ACI had to deal with record temperatures in Utah’s capital city during the weekend – with keeping hydrated the No. 1 key. Playing on the FieldTurf surface at Dumke Field, temperatures climbed as high as 105-115 degrees on the pitch during the tournament.

RECAP OF THE WEEKEND: Kimball Parker turned away six ACI shots on goal, as host Westminster College handed the Yotes a 3-0 loss in the 2007 season opener Wednesday at Dumke Field. Despite holding a 15-14 edge in overall shots and a 6-3 edge in corners, the Coyotes were unable to find the net against the 2006 NAIA Region I runner-up. After a scoreless opening 40 minutes, the Griffins scored three times in a 25-minute stretch to put the game away. Friday, the Yotes from the tough loss to defeat Biola University, 4-0. ACI got a pair of goals in the opening 20 minutes and added two late goals for insurance in a key non-conference victory. Mauricio Both got ACI on the board eight minutes in, cracking a 35-yard dart into the Upper "V" to give the Yotes the lead. Six minutes later, Kazuki Murata cracked his first goal of the season, one-touching a pass from Jesus Lopez in front of the goal. In the second half, Alex Penrod took a through-ball and found the net in the 69th minute, followed by Both's second goal of the game, a 25-yard free kick that was bent around the wall and found the twine. Jay Gentle (Boise, Idaho / Walla Walla CC) was up to the task in goal, turning away ten Eagle shots on goal to record his first shutout of the season. Saturday, Lopez headed home a cross six minutes into overtime, as the Coyotes won their second-straight non-conference match, stopping Olivet Nazarene, 4-3. After squandering 2-1 and 3-2 leads, the Yotes (2-1) got the Golden Goal when Cameron Johnson (Eagle, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) played a ball to Penrod, who fed a cross to the far post, where Lopez found the net for the winner. Jose Villa got the Tigers from Illinois on the board first, ACI got a Murata unassisted goal in the 21st minute to tie the score, then Penrod scored off a Murata feed to give the Coyotes the lead at the break. Cody Crahill tied the game in the 56th minute, but ACI got a Michael Delgado goal nine minutes later to retake the lead. It would hold until the 86th minute, when Machel Cromwell sent the game to overtime with a tally.

REGIONAL POLL: The Albertson College of Idaho men's soccer team remained at No. 4 in the first NAIA Region I Top-5 ranking of the regular-season, released by the NAIA Monday afternoon. Simon Fraser took over the top spot in the regional poll, thanks to a 2-0 win over Concordia, which sits in the No. 2 spot. Westminster is third, followed by ACI and Corban. The first regular-season national poll will be released by the NAIA on Wednesday, Sept. 5.

CONFERENCE SEASON OPENS AT CASCADE: With eight teams now in the Cascade Conference and 14 games making up the double round-robin schedule, the Yotes jump quickly into loop tilts, opening the 2007 league slate on Saturday at Cascade. The Thunderbirds (0-2) were the story of 2006, recording a 10-8 mark – their first winning season since 2001. Despite losing tough early-season matches to Western Washington (2-1) and Menlo (0-3), the T-Birds return a pair of All-CCC selections in Girardo Cifuentes and Mario Vivanco. ACI holds the all-time series edge, 25-4, including a 5-1 win over Cascade in Portland last year.

FINAL NON-CONFERENCE TILT OF SEASON: Sunday, the Yotes will make a pit-stop on the way home from the Willamette Valley, traveling to Whitman for their final non-league battle of the season. The Missionaries (3-0) are off to a solid start – picking up road wins against La Sierra, La Verne, and St. Martin’s, outscoring the trio, 15-3. Using a three striker attack, Whitman has a pair of potent scorers up top in Andy Huntington and Stephen Phillips, who have both scored four goals in 2007. The two teams have met 13 previous times, with ACI holding a 7-5-1 series edge – however, Whitman played the Yotes to a scoreless draw in Walla Walla last season, and later in the year, defeated ACI in Caldwell, 1-0.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Opening week for the CCC has each of the travel partners meet – with Concordia and Warner Pacific, Northwest and Evergreen State, and ACI and Cascade meeting for the first of two times this season. Last week, the league schedule opened as Corban toppled Northwest Christian, 6-0. Concordia, who had the top spot in the regional poll to start the season, dropped a tough 1-0 decision to Holy Names at home on Sunday. Other key games this week include Pacific at Northwest and Corban at Azusa Pacific.

ABOUT THE COACH: Brian Smith is in his fourth season as head coach of the ACI men's soccer team and has compiled a 32-21-2 overall mark. In his first season two seasons, the Coyotes narrowly missed a spot in the NAIA Region I Tournament, despite a second and third-place finish in the Cascade Conference standings. Last season, however, the Yotes claimed their first CCC title since 2001 and advanced to the regional semifinals. For his efforts, the Coyote skipper was named CCC Coach of the Year. Smith, who helped the Coyotes to a 35-21-1 record as a player for longtime coach, John Calpin, from 1990-93, returned to his alma mater in 2004 after a successful high school coaching career in the Treasure Valley. He coached the Timberline High School boys’ team for three years, before taking over the THS girls’ program in 2002 – earning Idaho State Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2001 and Southern Idaho Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2003. After earning All-District honors as a player, he graduated from ACI with a degree in political science in 1994.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the ACI men’s soccer program, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/menssoccer.htm.

WOMEN’S SOCCER (2-2): Lady Yotes earn first-ever Regional Ranking, head to Utah for tough matches at Dixie State and Westminster

LAST WEEK: at Northwest Nazarene (L 3-0)

COMING UP: vs. Dixie State (at Westminster), Saturday, 10 a.m.; at Westminster, Sunday, 10 a.m.

YOTES EARN FIRST-EVER REGIONAL RANKING: For the first time in the 19-year history of the Albertson College of Idaho women’s soccer program, the Lady Yotes earned the respect of the ratings committee, as ACI was among the NAIA Region I Top-5 rankings. Victories on the road vs. Rocky Mountain and Great Falls helped move the Coyotes, who were selected to finish sixth in the Cascade Conference by the coaches, into the No. 4 spot. Concordia holds down the top spot, followed by Carroll, Simon Fraser, ACI, and Rocky Mountain. The regional Top-5 is released each Monday, with the NAIA Top-25 poll released each Wednesday afternoon.

ACI STRUGGLES WITH CRUSADERS: A lackluster overall performance and a pair of first half Northwest Nazarene goals put the Purple and Gold in a hole they would not recover from, as the Crusaders completed a 3-0 shutout of the Yotes in Nampa. The Crusaders opened the scoring in the 13th minute, as Marie Smith headed home a corner kick from Carlee Stinton. Just before the half, NNU added a second goal, as Kendra Courcy blasted a 30-yard shot into the net. Stinton added the third goal in the second half on a penalty kick. ACI was outshot 22-10 by their Canyon County rivals. “This was not our best effort, by a longshot,” said head coach Niki Taylor. “We did not come out ready to play and it showed in the first 20 minutes. I think we had a better effort in the second half – but did push numbers in the attacking zone to pressure on NNU.”

SCORELESS STREAK ENDED: It didn’t take long on Saturday for the Lady Yotes scoreless streak to be broken – as NNU found the net just 13 minutes in. However, ACI did hold opponents without a score for 278 – spanning parts of four matches.

ROAD WARRIORS CONTINUE ALONG: The long early season road trip continues this weekend for the Lady Yotes – as all seven non-conference games will be played away from Symms Field. The third-straight road trip for ACI takes them to Utah, where they will compete in the Westminster Classic in Salt Lake City. The Yotes will open up the weekend against NCAA Division II member Dixie State, of the Pacific West Conference. The Rebels (1-1), in their second-year as an NCAA institution, opened the year with a 2-0 win over Cal State-San Marcos, then dropped a 5-0 decision at Brigham Young – but have had 12 days between matches. Dixie is led by sophomore Mikala Wilkes and Shannon Larsen who scored their goals against CSUSM. It is the first-ever meeting between the schools. Sunday, ACI begins a new rivalry with Westminster, in their first year as an intercollegiate program. The Griffins (4-0) have had an outstanding start to their season – notching wins over the College of the Southwest (N.M.), Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), Hope International (Calif.), and Great Falls – outscoring their opponents, 17-1. Jen Pirente (five goals), Maggie Nielsen (four goals), and Carly Empey (four goals) have provided much of the scoring punch for the newest addition to the Frontier Conference soccer group.

EARLY MORNING WAKE-UP CALL: With Westminster hosting a men’s and women’s tournament at the same time on their six-million dollar Dumke Field, a major scheduling decision by the host school has the women’s teams playing morning matches – some of them early morning matches. Fellow CCC member, Northwest Christian, is the fourth team in the tourney, and they will play a pair of 8 a.m. matches in Salt Lake, while the Yotes will play both of their matches at 10 a.m. This could end up working in ACI’s favor, as temperatures on the FieldTurf at the stadium reached well over 100-degrees last week during matches in the afternoon while the Coyote men’s team was at Westminster.

CONFERENCE / NATIONAL NUMBERS: Although all of the games for league teams have not been reported to the CCC office, among the games that have, ACI leads the league with two shutouts, is fourth in overall assists, and is fifth in goals against average. Individually, only Amy Rhoades (Eagle, Idaho / Dixie State Coll.) is among the Top-5 – ranking third in save percentage and fourth in goals against average. This year the NAIA is requiring schools to report their statistics on a national basis each week – creating a national stats report. To access the women’s soccer national page, log onto the DakStats website at http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Team/TeamPage.aspx?association=10&sg=WSO&sea=NAIWSO_2007&team=2300.

AROUND THE LEAGUE: Every team in the league was in action last week, with varying success. Oregon Tech traveled to California and played well in losses to Vanguard and Biola, while Southern Oregon lost a decision to Fresno Pacific. Mount Vernon Nazarene traveled from Ohio to Oregon and defeated Corban, but lost a 6-1 decision at Concordia, with CU handing Rocky Mountain a 4-1 defeat. Other interesting scores had Northwest play Central Washington to a 1-1 draw and Warner Pacific run wild over Mills in a 11-0 rout. Games this week feature Concordia and Carroll meeting in Couer d’Alene to determine the No. 1 spot in the regional poll, with both Corban and Eastern Oregon making the trek to Montana for a pair of matches, and Southern Oregon heading south to play both Menlo and Cal Baptist.

ABOUT THE COACH: Niki Taylor is in her second season has head coach of the ACI women's program and has an overall record of 8-12-2. In her first season with the Coyotes, she helped to their fourth-ever postseason berth, losing the Evergreen State, 2-1, in the Cascade Conference playoffs. 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 an 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 three seasons. She has also been involved with the Les Bois United Soccer Club for the past four years, while serving as a head coach in the Idaho Olympic Development Program. Taylor has received her USSF "B" Coaching License.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the ACI women’s soccer program, head to the official homepage of the Lady Yotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmenssoccer.htm.

CROSS COUNTRY: Coyotes set to open season Saturday at Hampton Inn Invite in Nampa

COMING UP: at Hampton Inn Fall Harrier Classic, West Park, Nampa, Saturday, 10 a.m.

YOTES SET TO OPEN SEASON: The Albertson College of Idaho cross country teams make their 2007 debuts this Saturday at the Hampton Inn Fall Harrier Classic, hosted by Northwest Nazarene. The event, at West Park in Nampa, will pit the Yotes against host NNU, Cascade Conference rival Eastern Oregon, NCAA Division I Boise State, and Treasure Valley Community College. With the race being early in the season, it will not cover the typical collegiate course – the women will race four kilometers, while the men will race six kilometers.

HISTORY AT THE “NNU INVITE”: The ACI men have fared well at the opening race each of the last two seasons – claiming their first-ever team title in 2005 (including defeating Boise State), and placed second to BSU last season. The Lady Yotes look to improve their standing this season, as ACI has finished fifth at the race in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

MEN AMONG REGIONAL ELITE, RANKED #14 IN NAIA: The ACI men’s squad earned a preseason national ranking for the second time in three years, as the Yotes were No. 14 in the first poll released by the NAIA. The 2005 team was also ranked to start the season – at No. 24, climbing as high as No. 8 in the poll. Regionally, ACI was ranked No. 2 – just behind Lewis-Clark State. Rounding out the Top-5 were Eastern Oregon, Simon Fraser, and Southern Oregon. The next regional poll will be released on Sept. 10, with the first regular-season national poll released Sept. 12.

WOMEN EARN REGIONAL RANKING: For the first time, the Lady Yotes were a part of the NAIA Region I Top-10 ranking to start the season, sitting at No. 6 among the Northwest schools. Simon Fraser led the ranking, followed by British Columbia, Lewis-Clark State, Eastern Oregon, and Corban. Following ACI were Concordia, Southern Oregon, Evergreen State, and Carroll.

INTRASQUAD RACE FAVORS RETURNERS: Last Saturday, the Yotes competed in an intrasquad race on the ACI campus loop – pitting the returning athletes against the first-year runners and any alumni runners. On the men’s side, Tyler Hopper (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) and Jesse Chlebeck (Eagan, Minn. / Eagan HS) led the way for the “Purple” squad over the 4,000-meter course. The women’s race was tighter, as the “White” team placed one-two, with freshman Stephanie Helm (Challis, Idaho / Challis HS) winning the race, defeating former NAIA national meet competitor Shannon Edwards on the 3,000-meter loop. Following the “fun run,” the runners and a group of nearly 200 family and friends celebrated the new season with a barbeque.

HOSTING THE REGIONAL: For the first time, ACI will play host to a major cross country meet, as the Coyotes are the host institution for the Cascade Conference Championships. The event will be Oct. 20 at Eagle Island State Park – and is sponsored by Bandanna Running and Walking of Boise. For fans attending the race, an admission charge of $5.00 per person ($3.00 for seniors/students) will be charged, while the Idaho State Parks Department will charge a nominal fee for parking.

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

- ACI -