Yote Notes – January 19, 2009

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

 

 

 

 

 

ATHLETIC NEWS:

 

ST. PATTY’S DAY MILE TO BENEFIT TRACK TEAM: The College of Idaho track team will be hosting the first-annual St. Patty’s Day Mile in March as a key fundraiser for the program.  More information on the event will be in next week’s Yote Notes, including a preview of the Indoor Track season, which begins Jan. 31.

 

IDAHO PRESS TRIBUNE FEATURES C OF I/NNU SPORTS BLOG: Fans of C of I athletics can share their thoughts on the Yotes as part of the Idaho Press Tribune’s College of Idaho/Northwest Nazarene Sports Blog.  Beat writer Mike Stetson shares his thoughts and stories, along with pictures and videos, on both the Yotes and Crusaders, with fans having the ability to leave their thoughts on their favorite team.  The blog is linked on the front of The C of I athletic website or can be visited at http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/?blogid=6.

 

DONATE TO THE COLLEGE OF IDAHO ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION: Click here to make your tax deductible gift to assist the CIAA with post-season championships team travel, scholarships and recruiting - https://www.collegeofidaho.edu/media/_secure/makeagift.asp

 

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL (11-8, 7-2 CCC): First-place Coyotes set for home-and-home series with Cascade, game at No. 16 Warner Pacific

 

LAST WEEK: vs. Concordia (W 79-59), vs. Corban (W 77-72)

 

COMING UP: vs. Cascade, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.; at Cascade, Friday, 7:30 p.m. (PT); at No. 16 Warner Pacific, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (PT)

 

ON THE RADIO:  All three C of I games will be carried live in the Treasure Valley on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford calling the action.  Tuesday, the Jackson’s Pregame Show will begin at 7:15 p.m., with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m., while men’s action on Friday and Saturday will follow Lady Yotes’ action as part of the women’s-men’s doubleheaders.

 

LIVE VIDEO ON THE WEB: All C of I home men’s basketball games will be available for pay-per-view viewing via the Internet, thanks to Penn Atlantic.  To access the games, head to http://www.pennatlantic.com/main.php, click College of Idaho on the “Choose School” dropdown bar, and select the game.  The viewing window should be available 15 minutes prior to game-time.  Radio voice, Mike Safford, will provide the play-by-play, of all internet games.

 

LIVE STATS AVAILABLE: All C of I home games will also feature Live Stats online at http://yotestats.i8.com/basketball/xlive.htm.  This weekend, Live Stats will also be available at Cascade at www.cascadethunderbirds.com/livestats/live/xlive.htm, and at Warner Pacific via the WP athletic website (www.wpcknights.com – follow the links).

 

YOTES ELEVATE TO TOP OF CCC: Heading into the 2008-09 season, it was evident that there was much parity in the Cascade Conference – which is exactly what has occurred nearing the midway point of the season.  Riding a six-game win streak, the Coyotes have climbed to the top of the loop standings, tied with Evergreen State with a 7-2 record, a half-game back of Warner Pacific and Oregon Tech – who are the lone teams to defeat The C of I in league play.  The quartet of teams have a full two-game lead on fifth-place Eastern Oregon and Northwest Christian.

 

WIN STREAK EXTENDED TO SIX: With wins over Concordia and Corban, the Coyotes extended their win streak to six games – the first time that The C of I has strung six wins in a row since February of 2005.  The last time the squad has won seven in a row was during the 2002-03 season, when the Yotes recorded a pair of seven-game win streaks,   The longest win streak under head coach Mark Owen was a 12-game run during the 2000-01 season.

 

MCGEE DOUBLING UP: After earning CCC Player of the Week honors last week, Craig McGee (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) continued his torrid play by notching two more double-doubles in the weekend wins.  The junior had 14 points and 11 rebounds against Concordia, followed by 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against Corban, extending his double-double streak to four games – the longest streak by a Coyote since Ty Shaw recorded six-straight double-doubles during the 2000-01 season.  For his career, McGee has recorded 12 double-doubles.

 

MCINTOSH HAVING A BLOCK PARTY: With his minutes up since joining the starting line-up six games ago, Jabari McIntosh (Union City, Calif. / West Valley CC) has been a stalwart on the defensive end for the Yotes – recording at least two blocked shots in each game.  The junior transfer had a season-high six blocks in the win over Concordia – the most since Rich Fried had six blocks in a game during the 2004-05 season.  McIntosh is averaging seven points, five rebounds, and three blocks per game, while hitting 17-of-30 shots from the field.

 

BEST SHOOTING NIGHT: Fueled by their best shooting half of the season, the Coyotes notched their best field goal shooting night in nearly three seasons in the win over Concordia.  The C of I hit 19-of-28 shots after halftime in outscoring the Cavs, 54-27, connecting on 55-percent of their field goals in the win.  It was the most proficient shooting night by the Yotes since the 2006-07, when the squad hit 59-percent of their field goals in a 116-77 win over Willamette.

 

CHAMP HITS HIS FREEBIES: Guard Bryan Champ (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) provided the winning points in Saturday’s win over Corban, connecting on 12-of-12 free throws – including ten-straight inside the final five minutes of the game.  The senior also kept a pair of long individual streaks going, as Champ has recorded a steal in 48 consecutive games, at least two points scored in 66-straight contests. 

 

CAREER RECORDS: Two Coyotes find themselves in the Top-10 on The C of I all-time career record book.  Bryan Champ ranks second all-time in steals (231), while needing 20 assists to crack the Top-10 in the category (209).  Craig McGee ranks fifth all-time in blocked shots (63) and sixth in free throw attempts (377), while closing in on the Top-10 in free throws made (232) and rebounds (434).

 

YOTES RECEIVE 19 POINTS IN NAIA POLL: The fifth regular-season NAIA Top-25 Poll was released this afternoon, with Bethel (Ind.) the new No. 1 team, With two losses, Oregon Tech dropped to No. 7, Evergreen State was up to No. 10, and Warner Pacific climbed to No. 16.  The Yotes were listed in the Others Receiving Votes category for the second-straight week, receiving 19 points, with Eastern Oregon receiving three.  The Top-25 poll will be released every Monday for the remainder of the season.

 

COYOTES IN THE CCC STATS: As a team, the Yotes rank second in scoring defense (70.2), defensive field goal percentage (.420), and blocked shots per game (4.0), while ranking fourth in steals per game (7.8).  The C of I sits No. 5 in opponents rebounds per game (35.8), No. 7 in scoring margin (+2.9), total rebounds (36.2), and rebound margin (+0.4), No. 8 in free throw percentage (.661), field goal percentage (.454), and defensive three-point percentage (.369), No. 9 in scoring offense (73.1) and assists (12.8), and No. 10 in three-point percentage (.325).  Individually, Craig McGee finds himself among the top-ten in the loop stats in four categories – No. 4 in rebounds per game (8.2), field goal percentage (.589), and blocked shots (1.1), ranking eighth in scoring average (15.7).  Bryan Champ ranks second in both three-point percentage (.451) and steals per game (2.5), along with No. 6 in free throw percentage (.833), with Kelvin Potts (Oakland, Calif. / Chabot CC)  No. 6 in assists per game (3.6) and No. 10 in minutes per game (30.8).  Rounding out the group are Jabari McIntosh, who is No. 3 in blocks per game (1.4) and Brian Bergerson (Modesto, Calif. / Modesto CC), who is No. 9 in three-pointers per game (1.8).  In league-only counters, the Yotes as a team lead the CCC in scoring defense (67.8) and opponents field goal percentage (.403), while outrebounding their opponents by nearly four boards per game.

 

CCC LEADERS: Scoring Average – Nate Menefee (ESC) 24.3, Adam Moore (WP) 20.9, Ben Pawlak (CAS) 20.0, Jguwon Hogges (OIT) 17.7, Steven Vaughan (CU) 17.2; Rebound Average – Kaylone Riley (WP) 11.2, Josh Wetzler (OIT) 9.3, Paul Carollo (EOU) 8.8, Craig McGee (CI) 8.2, Alex Tiefenthaler (CU) 8.2; Field Goal Percentage – Wetzler .714, Christian Cavanaugh (OIT) .655, Steve Trotter (ESC) .611, McGee .589, Dylan Perry (NCU) .577; Assists Average – Justin Parnell (OIT) 5.4, Kao Saelee (CAS) 4.8, Jeremy Templeton (EOU) 4.4, Paul Martin (CRB) 4.1, Humphrey Jackson (SOU) 3.9.

 

CASCADE READY FOR HOME AND HOME WITH YOTES: The Yotes will get their fill of Cascade College this week, as the two teams will meet Tuesday in Caldwell (make-up of the Dec. 20 contest that was postponed), then meet Friday in Portland.  The T-Birds (10-6, 3-5 CCC) are an exciting team to watch, leading the league in scoring average (88.6), having scored 100-or-more points five times this season – and bring a three-game win streak east, including a 76-72 win over then No. 1 ranked Oregon Tech.  Cascade is led by guard Ben Pawlak (20.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg), the CCC Player of the Week, who will shoot from anywhere on the floor, while mid-season addition Erving Adams (15.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg) one of the more versatile players in the league.  It may be the final two meetings between the schools, as Cascade will be closing their doors at the conclusion of the Spring Term.  C of I and the T-Birds have met 44 times, with the Yotes holding a 42-2 series lead, including 18 in a row.

 

LAST HOME AND HOME FOR C OF I: Over the last four seasons, the Yotes have played consecutive home-and-home games against opponents twice, going 0-4 in the contests.  During the 2006-07 season, the Yotes closed the regular season with a 78-75 loss at Eastern Oregon, then opened the CCC Tournament at home against EOU, losing 70-65.  A year earlier, The C of I met Westminster in the title game of the Golden Rule Shoot-Out, losing 79-72, then playing their next game at Westminster, losing 92-85.

 

REMATCH WITH WARNER PACIFIC: Saturday, the Coyotes will get their rematch with Warner Pacific, who humbled The C of I in December in Caldwell.  The Knights (14-4, 7-3), who dropped back-to-back games two weeks ago at Corban and Concordia, rebounded with wins over Southern Oregon and a buzzer-beater over Oregon Tech.  Leading the way for WP is Adam Moore (20.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg), who has scored 27 or more points in a game six times this season, with post Kaylone Riley (12.4 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 3.8 bpg) leading the nation in blocked shots.  It is the 43rd meeting between the teams, with the Coyotes holding a 28-14 series edge, but WP has won the last three meetings in Portland.

 

GAME RECAP: C OF I 79, CONCORDIA 59: A 16-0 C of I run midway through the second half broke a 48-48 tie, as the Coyotes extended their win streak to five games with a hard-fought 79-59 victory over Concordia University, Friday inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  After the visiting Cavaliers took a 38-27 lead early in the second half on an Alex Tiefenthaler bucket, the hosts would rally, using a 7-0 push to get back in the game.  A Bryan Champ trey would give the Yotes their first lead of the period at 45-44.  After a Dustin Hiebert triple for the Cavs tied the score at 48-48, The C of I held CU without a field goal for a six-minute stretch - with Brian Bergerson scoring seven of his 16 points off the bench in the Coyote run.  The Yotes converted 19-of-28 shots from the field after halftime, hitting 55-percent of their field goals for the game, a season-high.  The C of I also held a 42-33 edge on the glass.  Kelvin Potts led the Coyotes with 20 points in the win, with Craig McGee recording his third-straight double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.  Steven Vaughan led the Cavs with 16 points, with Tiefenthaler scoring 14 points and 12 rebounds.

 

GAME RECAP: C OF I 77, CORBAN 72: Craig McGee recorded his fourth-straight double-double, scoring 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, as The C of I moved into a first-place tie in the CCC standings with a 77-72 victory over Corban College Saturday in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  The win, the sixth in a row by the Coyotes, coupled with an Oregon Tech loss at Warner Pacific, moved The C of I into a tie with Evergreen State atop the league standings.  After a sluggish first half that saw the Yotes take a 29-24 lead into the locker room, the hosts picked up the pace in the final 20 minutes, using a Steffen Spinks (Manteca, Calif. / East Union HS) coast-to-coast lay-up to cap a 12-2 run, building a 43-30 lead with 14 minutes left.  However, the Warriors would battle back, clawing within 56-54 on a pair of Bryan Martin free throws with six minutes remaining.  It would be as close as Corban would get, as Kelvin Potts used a transition bucket, followed by a three-pointer to push the lead back to seven, with Bryan Champ hitting 10-of-10 free throws in the final four minutes to seal the win.  Spinks had 17 points and four rebounds in the victory, with Champ adding 15 points and seven rebounds, and Potts chipping in with 14.  Jabari McIntosh had a great all-around night, scoring six, grabbing seven boards, and blocking four shots.  Ben Potloff led four Warrior players in double-figures with 16 points and eight rebounds, with Wade Douglas scoring 15, Clay Martin 14, and Ian Logan 12.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more on The C of I men’s basketball program, head to the homepage of the Coyotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (18-1, 9-0 CCC): No. 9 Lady Yotes run win streak to 18, set for three-game week vs. Portland schools

 

LAST WEEK: vs. No. 17 Concordia (W 62-53), vs. Corban (W 74-54)

 

COMING UP: vs. Cascade, Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.; at Cascade, Friday, 5:30 p.m. (PT), at Warner Pacific, Saturday, 5:30 p.m. (PT)

 

ON THE RADIO: Both weekend games in Portland will be broadcast live in the Treasure Valley on 1490 KCID-AM with Mike Safford calling the play-by-play.  Broadcast time is set for 6:15 p.m. local time each night for the Jackson’s Pre Game Show, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. (MT)

 

LIVE VIDEO ON THE WEB: All C of  I home women’s basketball games will be available for pay-per-view viewing via the Internet, thanks to Penn Atlantic.  To access the games, head to http://www.pennatlantic.com/main.php, click College of Idaho on the “Choose School” dropdown bar, and select the game.  The viewing window should be available 15 minutes prior to game-time.  Radio voice, Mike Safford, will provide the play-by-play, of all internet games.

 

LIVE STATS AVAILABLE: All C of I home games will also feature Live Stats online at http://yotestats.i8.com/basketball/xlive.htm.  This weekend, Live Stats will also be available at Cascade at www.cascadethunderbirds.com/livestats/live/xlive.htm, and at Warner Pacific via the WP athletic website (www.wpcknights.com – follow the links).

 

YOTES JUMP INTO TOP-TEN IN NAIA POLL: The C of I climbed two spots to No. 9 in the latest NAIA Division II Top-25 Coaches Poll, released this afternoon by the national office in Kansas City. Mo.  The Lady Yotes notched their highest national ranking since the 2000-01 season, when they elevated to No. 4 and lost in the national title game.  Despite the loss to the Lady Yotes, Concordia remained at No. 17, while Southern Oregon was the second team listed in the Others Receiving Votes category.  The three unbeaten teams remaining in the NAIA Division II sit atop the poll - Morningside (Iowa), Shawnee State (Ohio), and Davenport (Mich.), followed by Jamestown (N.D.) and College of the Ozarks (Mo.).  The poll will be released each Monday for the remainder of the season.

 

LADY YOTES AT NO. 4 IN CFSN POLL: The Lady Yotes also find themselves among the Top-5 in an unofficial poll, released by the College Fanz Sports Network last Wednesday.  The C of I is ranked No. 4 in the poll – trailing just the three unbeaten teams in the NAIA.  Concordia (No. 5) and Southern Oregon (No. 21) are in the CFSN NAIA poll.

 

AGAINST TOP-25 TEAMS: The win for the Lady Yotes over Concordia was the fifth victory over a team ranked in the Top-25.  The Lady Yotes stopped NAIA Division I No. 13 Cal Baptist and NAIA Division II No. 23 Holy Names in November, No. 19 Southern Oregon and NCAA Division III No. 24 Whitman in December, and now No. 17 Concordia.  The lone loss this season for The C of I was to NAIA Division I No. 15 Westminster in November.

 

NEW HOME WIN STREAK: The weekend wins over Concordia and Corban helped The C of I extend their home win streak to 13, breaking the school record.  The Lady Yotes have not lost at home this season (10-0) and surpassed the mark set from Feb. 5, 1999 to Feb. 12, 2000.

 

WIN STREAK RECORD EXTENDED: The wins last weekend helped the Lady Yotes extend the school record for consecutive wins, now recording 18-straight victories in a row.  It has eclipsed the former mark of 13 in a row set during the 1996-97 season.

 

ALL-TIME CASCADE CONFERENCE WIN STREAKS: With the Lady Yotes sitting at 18 wins in a row, the squad is closing in on the three longest win streaks in CCC history.  Northwest Nazarene holds the longest CCC win streak, winning 23-straight during the 1999-00 season, while Western Oregon won 20 in a row during the 1995-96 season, on their way to the NAIA title.  Of the current CCC teams, Eastern Oregon holds the longest streak, winning 19-straight during the 2003-04 campaign.

 

BEST START EVER: The 18-1 start pushes the Lady Yotes into elite status, as The C of I has recorded their best  ten and 15-game starts to a season, and have secured the best 20-game start – even though the team has played just 19 games.  The 1997-98 team had held the school record for best 20-game start, recording a 17-3 record.

 

GALL TIES SINGLE-GAME RECORD: In the win Saturday over Corban, Nicole Gall (Boise, Idaho / Santa Clara U.) tied a C of I record for shot attempts in a game with 24, equaling the total established by both Heidi Goicoechea (2002) and Michelle Dyreng (2003).

 

CAREER NIGHT FOR VANDER ESCH, EARNS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Forward Christon Vander Esch (Riggins, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) broke a pair of career-highs in the win over Concordia, scoring 28 points, with 19 rebounds – for her efforts, earning CCC Player of the Week honors.  She had scored 27 points in a game once – at Oregon Tech last season, and had pulled down 15 rebounds in a game last year vs. Corban.  It marked her fifth double-double of the season, the tenth time in her three-year career that she had a double-double and is the lone player in program history to have a triple-double.  Vander Esch also extended a pair of long streaks over the weekend – she has now scored at least one point in 58-straight games, recorded a rebound in 68-straight games, and a steal in 36-straight games.  She is No. 1 on The C of I career steals list (220), is second on the all-time blocked shots list (133), sixth all-time in free throws attempted (334), seventh all-time in free throws made (222), eighth in field goal attempts (755), ninth in both rebounds (576) and points scored (843), and tenth field goals made (287) – while closing in on the list in both three-pointers made (47), and three-point attempts (147).

 

LADY YOTES IN THE CCC STATS:  As a team, the Lady Yotes lead the CCC in four different categories – defensive three-point percentage (.251), total rebounds (47.8), blocked shots (5.9), and steals per game (18.2) – leading the nation in steals per game.  The squad ranks second in the loop in scoring offense (79.3), defensive field goal percentage (.358), turnover margin (+7.0), and scoring margin (+14.7), is No. 3 in assists per game (16.1), fifth in three-point percentage (.339), sixth in scoring defense (64.6) and rebound margin (+2.1), seventh in free throw percentage (.668), and field goal percentage (.399), and 11th in opponents rebounds (45.7).  Individually, Christon Vander Esch leads the loop in blocked shots per game (2.2), is second in steals per game (3.7), third in rebounds per game (8.9), and eighth in scoring average (14.2).  Nicole Bruce (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) is fifth in blocked shots per game (1.5) and tenth in rebounds per game (7.2), while Nicole Gall ranks third in three-pointers per game (2.5) and steals per game (2.7), seventh in three-point percentage (.390), and is ninth in scoring average (13.9).  Katie Strunk (Shoshone, Idaho / Walla Walla CC) ranks fifth in the league in field goal percentage (.512), with Meghan Hughes (Eagle, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) seventh in the league in field goal percentage (.483).

 

CCC LEADERS: Scoring Average – Kristina Schumacher (CAS) 22.1, Robin Swain (CAS) 17.0, Jacki Speer (SOU) 15.5, Katie Steigleman (CRB) 15.2, Emily Gray (NCU) 15.1; Rebound Average – Speer (SOU) 9.5, Maya Gross (CAS) 9.3, Christon Vander Esch (CI)  8.9, Gray 8.7, Nicole Morgan (OIT) 7.9; Field Goal Percentage –Danielle Clauson (CU) .542, Amanda Johnston (OIT) .532, Ann Snodderly (CU) .525, Brianna Smith (EOU) .514, Katie Strunk (CI) .512; Assist Average – Meagan Miyasaka (OIT) 6.4, Kailey Bostwick (CRB) 4.8, Jenny Fiso (EOU) 4.4, Morgan 4.3, Whitney Scott (SOU) 4.2.

 

HOME AND HOME WITH CASCADE: It should be an interesting four days for the Lady Yotes, as they will meet Cascade College in a pair of games – one Tuesday in Caldwell, the other Friday in Portland.  The T-Birds (8-7, 1-7 CCC) will be finishing a stretch of four games in five days Tuesday night, as they must make up games lost due to travel problems from Dec. 19-20.  The highest-scoring team in the league has yet to defeat a team with a winning record and have played just three road contests – an brings a seven-game losing streak to Idaho.  The CCC’s leading scorer, Kristina Schumacher (22.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg), has put up one-third of Cascade’s shots as a team, while second-leading scorer, Robin Swain (17.0 ppg, 4.1 apg) is recovering from a knee injury.  Post Amy Russell (11.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, .950 ft%) can play inside-outside, while Maya Gross (5.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg) is a load on the glass.  The Coyotes swept the season series with Cascade last year and lead the all-time series, 13-3, including seven wins in a row.

 

WARNER PACIFIC GUNNING FOR THE YOTES: Saturday, Warner Pacific looks for a second shot at the Lady Yotes, as the Knights (9-10, 5-5) lost to The C of I, 65-64, in Caldwell.  WP has a 6-2 record this season at home, thanks to the play of freshman Kelsey Mattsen (14.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and senior Jacque Barton (12.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg).  Rebounding will be key, as the Knights dominated the Coyotes 48-33 on the glass in the first match-up.  It marks the 21st meeting between the teams, with The C of I holding a 14-6 series edge, including six in a row.

 

GAME RECAP – C OF I 62, CONCORDIA 53: Christon Vander Esch scored 19 of her game-high 28 points in the second half, as The C of I ran their win streak to 17 in a row, defeating Concordia University, 62-53, in a battle of nationally-ranked teams Friday inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  With the win, the Lady Yotes become the lone unbeaten team in CCC play, extending their home win streak to a school-record 12 games.  The No. 17 ranked Cavaliers jumped out to a 10-2 lead and held a commanding 31-15 edge on the glass in the first half, however, found themselves tied 31-31 at the break.  Vander Esch took over in the second half, hitting a trey to open up the period to give the Lady Yotes the lead for good, pushing the margin to 44-35 with ten minutes to play.  The Cavs would cut the margin to 56-53 inside the final minute, but the senior hit her final five free throws to seal the win.  The C of I held Concordia to just 25-percent shooting in the second half and held a 37-18 edge on the boards in the period - with Vander Esch recording a career-high 19 rebounds.  Nicole Gall added 17 points and five rebounds in the win, with Whitney Owen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) adding five points and ten rebounds off the bench.  Ann Snodderly led the Cavs with 13 points and six rebounds, but CU was let down by their starting guard-line, which shot a combined 3-for-28 from the field.

 

GAME RECAP – C OF I 74, CORBAN 54: Despite shooting just 33-percent from the field, The C of I forced 33 Corban College turnovers, as the Lady Yotes ran their win streak to 18 games with a 74-54 victory over the Warriors Saturday inside the J.A. Albertson Activities Center.  The win streak for the Coyotes is the fourth-longest in CCC history, with the Purple and Gold pushing their home-court streak to 13 in a row.  It wasn't easy early, as the Yotes missed their first nine shots from the field, with the visiting Warriors taking a 19-16 lead with six minutes left in the first half.  However, a 10-0 run by the Lady Yotes gave The C of I the lead for good, with back-to-back Nicole Gall treys helping the hosts to a 38-30 halftime lead.    Leading 48-40 in the second half, the Coyotes put the game away with an 11-0 run, keyed by a pair of Nicole Bruce buckets.  Gall led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds - tying a school record with 24 shot attempts in the contest.  Bruce had 15 points and nine rebounds in the win.  Corban got 11 points from Jennesa Miller, with Becky Buhler adding 11 points, but recording ten turnovers.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more on The C of I women’s basketball program, head to the homepage of the Lady Yotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.

 

SKIING: Yotes dominate NWCSC giant slalom qualifier, head this weekend to Willamette Pass

 

LAST WEEK: at NWCSC Qualifier #1 (giant slalom) – Saturday (Men 1st, Women 1st), Sunday (Men 1st, Women 1st)

 

COMING UP: at NWCSC Qualifier #2 (Slalom), Saturday-Sunday, Willamette Pass, Ore.

 

COYOTES DOMINATE GIANT SLALOM ON OPENING WEEKEND: With quality runs by multiple skiers over the two-day event, The College of Idaho men’s ski team began defense of their five-straight Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference championships with two victories at Mount Hood Ski Bowl.  Saturday, defending NWCSC individual champ, Dewey Moss (Jerome, Idaho / Oregon State U.) was the star, placing second overall – with the Yotes winning, despite no other Top-10 finishes.  Sunday, it was a stellar day for the Coyotes, as Mats Boehnke (Carson City, Nev. / Carson HS) placed second overall, with Moss in fifth, Eric Ostrand (Gilford, N.H. / Gilford HS) in sixth, and Wes Beougher (Whitefish, Mont. / Whitefish HS) in eighth – as the Yotes won by a whopping 18 seconds.

 

GOULD LEADS LADY YOTES TO BACK TO BACK WINS: Head coach Ron Bonneau wasn’t exactly sure what he was getting when transfer Gabrielle Gould (East Burke, Vt. / U. of Vermont) made the trek to The C of I – however, after this weekend, he now knows.  Gould dominated the field at Mount Hood with a pair of individual wins, recording the fastest giant slalom time in all four runs, helping the Lady Yotes to team titles.  Freshman Kelley Fitzpatrick (Keizer, Ore. / McNary HS) was a mainstay in her collegiate debut in the Top-5, placing third Saturday and fifth on Sunday, while transfer Katie Sawaya (San Rafael, Calif. / U. of British Columbia) rebounded from a rough Saturday to take second-overall on Sunday.

 

NWCSC TEAM STANDINGS: Men – C of I 200, Idaho 160, Oregon 110, Washington 100, British Columbia 95, Washington State 85, Puget Sound 72, Oregon State 64; Women – C of I 200, Oregon 140, British Columbia 140, Washington 100, Idaho 85, Puget Sound 85, Washington State 72.

 

NO RESULTS FROM FREESTYLE COMPETITION: The Coyote freestyle snowboard team competed at Mount Hood this weekend, however, no results from the event have been reported.

 

COLLEGESNOWSPORTS.COM POLL SET TO BE RELEASED: The 2009 collegesnowsports.com USCSA national polls are set to be released in the next week, with the Yotes expected to find themselves in the Top-10 on both the men’s and women’s alpine sides, along with the freestyle events.

 

OFF TO WILLAMETTE PASS: This weekend, the Yotes will tackle the slalom course, as the NWCSC heads into Central Oregon for the second qualifier at Willamette Pass.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on The C of I ski teams, head to the official home page of the Coyotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/skiing.htm.

 

SWIMMING: Coyotes head to Willamette Valley for final regular-season dual meets

 

LAST WEEK: Idle

 

COMING UP: at Willamette, Friday, 6 p.m. (PT); at Pacific, Saturday, 10 a.m. (PT)

 

FINAL DUAL MEETS OF THE SEASON: The Coyote swim teams will have their final opportunities to improve their regular-season marks this week, as The C of I travels to the Willamette Valley for a pair of duals.  Friday night, the Yotes are at Willamette – with an opportunity for both teams to notch dual wins.  The Bearcats (1-3 men, 1-4 women) are light on numbers – with the men’s team having just seven swimmers and the women 11, giving both squads a shot at the victory, as WU does not have a men’s swimmer in the Top-20 of any NWC event this year, with the Bearcat women led by distance swimmer Jenna Larrow and multi-event specialist Gwen Schulze.  Saturday morning, the Yotes meet Pacific, a youthful program that just recently joined the NWC.  The Boxers (1-4 men, 2-4 women) are led on the men’s side by Brendan Mantei in the IM and distance events, while Caldwell native Kristin Favillo is one of the top Boxers on the women’s side, competing in the breaststroke.  It marks the first time that the Coyotes have swam against either team in a dual meet.

 

NAIA TOP TIMES: Two C of I swimmers have recorded times among the NAIA Top-20 through December 16 – John Green (Pleasanton, Calif. / Foothill HS) and Forrest Shoemaker (University Place, Wash. / Curtis HS).  Green holds the No. 10 time in the 100-free and the No. 12 time in the 50-free, while Shoemaker has the 20th-fastest time in the nation in the 1,000-free.  Both the men and women have four relay teams in the Top-20 – the men’s 400-free (No. 8); men’s 400-medley and women’s 800-free (No. 13); men’s 200-free, 200-medley, and women’s 400-free (No. 14); women’s 200-free (No. 17), and women’s 400-medley (No. 18).  The next update from the NAIA National Office is set for January 20.

 

NATIONAL MARKS PILING UP: Plane tickets to St. Louis and the NAIA Swimming and Diving National Championships can already be secured for the Coyotes, as The C of I men have recorded nine NAIA “A” and eight NAIA “B” marks, with the Lady Yotes recording 13 NAIA “A” times and six NAIA “B” times over the two months of the season.  NAIA "A" - John Green (50-free, 100-free), Forrest Shoemaker (100-free, 100-fly, 500-free), Men's 200-medley relay, Men’s 200-free relay, Men’s 400-medley relay, Men’s 400-free relay, Alphonsina Savell (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) (100-free, 100-breast, 200-breast, 400-IM), Auriana Clapp (Eagle, Idaho / Meridian HS) (100-breast), Ellen Judd (Missoula, Mont. / Sentinel HS) (200-breast), Annie Younggren (Island City, Ore. / La Grande HS) (1,650-free), Ashlee Byrnes (200-fly), Women's 200-free relay, Women’s 200-medley relay, Women’s 400-free relay, Women’s 400-medley relay, Women’s 800-free relay; NAIA "B" - Jeremy Younggren (Island City, Ore. / La Grande HS) (50-free), John Green (200-free), Forrest Shoemaker (200-free), James Rutter (Bakersfield, Calif. / Stockdale HS) (100-back), Scott Mikelonis (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS)  (100-breast, 200-breast, 200-IM), Kemp Smith (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) (100-back), Alphonsina Savell (200-IM), Annie Younggren (200-free, 500-free), Ellen Judd (100-breast), Kayley Pitzele (Sammamish, Wash. / Skyline HS) (1650-free), Auriana Clapp (200-breast).

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on The C of I swim program, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/swim.htm.