UW wrestling to open in Kansas

“Overall, we have a very young team and not many upperclassmen. That is not always a bad thing. They are hungry, excited and everything is a new experience. The coaching change has been a little easier because of their youth. It is good to have big changes when people are young and overall there is a great attitude and work ethic." -- UW wrestling coach Mark Branch



by Wyoming Sports.org

A new era of University of Wyoming wrestling begins this weekend for first-year head coach Mark Branch.

In their first action of 2008-09, the Cowboys will have 14 team members wrestling at the Daniel Cormier Open in Colby, Kan., on Saturday. Six will compete in Wyoming team singlets, while the other eight will wrestle unattached.

Competition begins at 8 a.m. MT at Colby Community College and continues all day.

Branch, hired on July 14 following the resignation of 19-year veteran Steven Suder, inherits a team that is certainly not void of talent with nine returning letterwinners, one NCAA qualifier, several key contributors from last season and a recruiting class that has garnered national attention for its skill level. Most notably were national rankings from W.I.N. Magazine and IntermatWrestle.com, both placing the UW recruiting class No. 11 in the country.

That said, this year’s UW squad will have a strikingly different look than Cowboy teams of the past, based simply on a new coaching philosophy and the infusion of 20 freshmen or redshirt freshmen into the program.

There are several true freshmen who have the potential to break into the starting lineup with their talent, but only if they are physically and mentally ready. The Wyoming coaches would like to redshirt many of the freshmen, but after evaluating some early season tournament action, they will wrestle the best guy at each weight regardless of year.

“Overall, we have a very young team and not many upperclassmen,” said Branch. “That is not always a bad thing. They are hungry, excited and everything is a new experience. The coaching change has been a little easier because of their youth. It is good to have big changes when people are young and overall there is a great attitude and work ethic.”

Other than four returning Cowboys who will likely begin the year in the starting lineup, the remainder of the spots are up for grabs. Senior Eric Coxbill (157/165), sophomore Cole Dallaserra (141/149), redshirt freshman Michael Martinez (125) and junior Cory VomBaur (133/141) head into the season with a leg up in their respective weight classes, but all other spots could be claimed by any number of guys.

“Our lineup is crazy to me right now because there are so many guys that could go at two different weights,” Branch said. “There is a lot of variation and multiple options in the middle weight classes. We have several guys that certified low and want to wrestle up, so we are trying to work through that. I suspect there will be a lot of changes to our line-up between the start of season and the end of the year.”

One certainty is that the Cowboys’ schedule should work to their favor in 2008-09. Wyoming has three early events that might see UW teammates match up against each other, which could help determine the depth chart for the rest of the season. The Cormier Open, the Northwest Wyoming tournament (Nov. 8) and the Cowboy Open (Nov. 15) will all fall into the above category and should be good indicators for the coaching staff. UW will host a dual against Stanford on Nov. 14. The other three fall events (Omaha, Las Vegas, Reno) will be against high-caliber competition and will be a good challenge.

By second semester, UW should have a solid team put together that Branch hopes to stick with throughout the dual season. The Cowboys will face teams such as Duke, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State and five of the six other Western Wrestling Conference schools, save Northern Iowa who has chosen not to dual Wyoming this season. The ‘Pokes could have a chance to meet UNI at the prestigious National Duals in early January.

“We have a good mix of duals with teams at different levels,” Branch said. “There are some teams that should challenge us and some we should match-up well against. That mix should be a good indicator of how prepared we are for the end of the year. We also have a great opportunity to compete in the National Duals where we will see how well we match up with the top teams in the country.”

The Cowboys will have a chance to qualify for the NCAA National Tournament by earning automatic or wild-card bids at the Western Wrestling Conference Championship on March 7 in Greeley, Colo.

UW runners ready for conference

From left, Emily Higgins and Mark Korir

by Wyoming Sports.org

The University of Wyoming cross country teams are set for the 2008 Mountain West Conference Championships in San Diego at the Mission Bay Park on Saturday.

“This is what we have been training for all year long and we are excited to see how we stack up against the rest of the conference,” said UW head coach Randy Cole.

The Cowgirls will take to the 6k race, where last year in Albuquerque, they finished fourth out of nine teams. The Cowgirls return second-team All-MWC runner, junior Emily Higgins, who finished 14th out of 70 runners. Higgins currently has the 13th-fastest 6k time in the conference this season. She is followed by sophomores Alysha Davis and Emily Byra. Junior Erin Heffron and senior Nikki Peterson will also be vying for positioning for the Cowgirls.

“Emily has really been leading this team and has been running very well all season, she has a legitimate shot at being All-Conference again this season,” said Cole.

For the Cowboys, senior Mark Korir will help guide the team to an improvement from last year’s fifth-place finish. Korir has been the runner-up at this meet the last two seasons and enters this year’s race with the top 8k time in the conference. Korir will be followed by fellow seniors Michael Huntington and Brett Schuler. Behind them are sophomores Seth Grossman and Taylor Kelting, and freshmen Greg Miller, Eliud Chirchir, Philemon Kimutai and Ryan Griesbach.

“Mark is really excited for the opportunity to run against the best in the conference and if everything goes to plan, he will be on top,” said Cole. “Like I have been saying all year long, if our guys can just run as a tight pack and really push themselves down the stretch, we can turn some heads this weekend.”

The race will begin at 11 a.m. (Mountain time) for the Cowgirls and noon for the Cowboys.

Cowgirls finish off Falcons

Richard Anderson photo
UW sophomore JennaRae Jester, left, and teammates celebrate a point in the four-set win over Air Force on Thursday night.


“We had a great week of practice and I really think it all comes down to that. You practice like you play. We worked hard and we worked on what they do. We executed the game plan with our serving and just being aggressive.” -- UW senior outside hitter Samantha Eley.


By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Samantha Eley’s arm has to be getting tired by now. She took nearly as many swings Thursday night against Air Force than she did in her first three seasons with the Cowgirls.

A backrow player for Wyoming in her first three campaigns, Eley moved to the outside earlier this season after sophomore middle blocker Chantilly Watson went down with a season-ending injury.

Like the Cowgirls against the Falcons on Thursday, Eley finished strong after a slow start in the four-set victory (20-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-13) in the Mountain West Conference match at the UniWyo Sports Complex that was televised on The Mtn.

Eley’s seven kills only tied her for fifth on the team for the night and paled in comparison to team-leader Dani Bedore’s 16 kills or sophomore Lauren Whitney’s 12 kills.

Considering her circumstances, her hitting outburst against Air Force added to the strong night for Wyoming offensively.

Eley, who had three kills to her credit in her first three years, now has 62 this season in 71 games. Her 212 total attacks this season is about nine times more than she had going into her final year. She went into the match averaging 0.82 kills a set.

Eley, who played outside hitter in high school and club before becoming a libero at Wyoming, said it has been somewhat like riding a bike.

“It is starting to come back to me,” she said with a smile. “It doesn’t matter how big they are on the other side, it’s all about what I do.”

In case you are wondering, Eley is just 5-foot-8.

The Nebraska native knows she is out-matched physically on the other side of the net every time she steps out on the court. For her, it is all about heart and wanting it more.

“You have to be smart because obviously you can’t hit right into the block,” Eley said. “But it’s good. My teammates are telling me where to hit; they see where the block is when I am up in the air. It’s good to have them back there telling me what is open.”

The win snapped a five-match losing skid for the Cowgirls and moved them to 3-7 in league play and 4-15 overall.

“You want your seniors to play well so they can feel good about the remaining of their season,” Wyoming coach Carrie Yerty said.

One of three seniors on the team, Eley said it was good to get back into the win column.

“We had a great week of practice and I really think it all comes down to that,” Eley said. “You practice like you play. We worked hard and we worked on what they do. We executed the game plan with our serving and just being aggressive.”

Yerty said she was a bit surprised that the Cowgirls got off to a slow start because of their preparation against Air Force, the lone match of the week for the second straight week.

“I think the girls came out a little bit tight tonight. We had a great week of practice, so it was a little bit shocking to see that,” Yerty said. “I really think they wanted to win so bad that they really started off tight. Once we got into a rhythm, then it was OK.”

After hitting just .122 in the first set, the Cowgirls prevailed in a close second set before rolling in the final two. Wyoming, which hit .259 on the night, hit .391 and .375 respectively in the final two sets.

“Our middles did well. Jenna Arneson really got the momentum going and did a nice job. Carissa Lee passed nails tonight and she gave us a little leeway when we were struggling,” Yerty said.

Arneson and JennaRae Jester had nine kills each and senior setter Tasha Weishahn had a big night with seven kills and 44 assists. Lee finished with a team-leading 19 digs.

Jasamine Pettie led the Falcons, 0-11 and 5-19, with 10 kills. Air Force hit just .098 on the night.

The Cowgirls will return to action next Thursday at TCU before facing New Mexico on Saturday in Albuquerque.

“I think they will feel good about this and it is nice to have the weekend off to celebrate it and enjoy it,” Yerty said. “Monday, we have to come back in and put our shoes on, just like we do every day and go to work. It was a good opportunity for us to really gain some confidence before we go on to our next two conference matches.”

Cowgirls sophomores learning and leading

From left, Cowgirl sophomores Dani Bedore, Lauren Whitney, Jenna Arneson and JennaRae Jester.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The past two weeks have been a time for the shorthanded Wyoming volleyball team to rest with just one match a week. This season been a time for the young Cowgirls to learn.

Their record might not show it (3-15 overall, 2-7 in league play), but head coach Carrie Yerty said certain situations have been a blessing in disguise.

“After we lost to CSU (last Friday), I didn’t have anything bad to say to my team,” Yerty said. “My job is to continue help them develop and continue to turn this program around. Their job is to give me everything they have and they have every day this year.”

The Cowgirls will look to get back on track Thursday night when they host Air Force at 7 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

With just three seniors on the team, sophomores Jenna Arneson, Lauren Whitney, Dani Bedore and JennaRae Jester have not only been thrown into the fire, but have also been counted on to provide leadership while developing.

“Jenna Arneson, who has been an outside hitter for this program and who now plays middle for us for the majority of this year, has become more versatile,” Yerty said. “She is a six-rotation player who can hit in any front-row position. Lauren Whitney has developed actual shots and repertoire, as to just jumping high and hitting hard. She is really gaining a lot of confidence in her ability to be a finesse player.”

Bedore continues to lead the team offensively at 3.02 kills a game, which is ninth in the MWC, and 1.57 digs per set. Whitney has had a solid season at 2.79 kills and almost one dig per set, followed by Arneson at 2.27 kills a game and Jester at 1.91 kills per contest.

“This conference is going to see a lot of Dani Bedore in the next few years,” Yerty added. “Even with our team so up and down and struggling, she has been a mainstay for us. She is in the top six or eight in a lot of conference categories all year long.

“For JennaRae Jester, this year of playing has been a tremendous confidence builder. It has provided her with a different vision of competitive Division I athletics. She will be an asset for us when she gets bigger, stronger and faster.”

With the rest also comes added practice time and learning. For the third time this season, the Cowgirls have had just one match a week. Last week their lone outing was at home against CSU.

“It’s different from what I have been used to. I can’t remember the last time prior to this year that we have had one match per week three different times in one season,” Yerty said. “With the position that our team is in, with limited bodies, it actually has been rejuvenating for our team. Would I schedule that in the future? Probably not. But has it been great for us right now? Absolutely.”

The Falcons are 5-18 overall and 0-10 in MWC play this season. They are led by Jasamine Pettie, who is averaging 2.34 kills per set and has 33 total blocks, while Nichole Stilwell is adding 2.10 kills and 40 total blocks. The last time the two teams met was Oct. 4 as the Cowgirls defeated the Falcons 3-1 in Colorado Springs.

“Air Force, for whatever reason, they get fired up to play Wyoming,” Yerty said. “I wouldn’t take any team lightly. We’re going to prepare for Air Force like we would prepare for Utah or CSU. It is going to be critical that we defend their middles. They really had a nice match against us last time. We’re going to have to take care of the ball on our side and serve aggressive so their middles don’t have an opportunity to get up offensively. We’re going to have to hit positive.”

Wyoming returns to the road next week at Utah and BYU.

UW swimmers, divers earn MWC honors

From left, UW swimmers and divers, Stephanie Ortiz, Tyler Miller and Eli Bell all earned MWC honors from their performances last week in Gillette.

by Wyoming Sports.org

Wyoming sophomore Eli Bell and junior Tyler Miller were named Mountain West Conference Men’s Swimmer and Diver of the Week, respectively, while Colorado State freshman Breann Fuller and Cowgirl junior Stephanie Ortiz garnered MWC Women’s Swimmer and Diver of the Week accolades.

Bell, from Greeley, Colo., helped lead the Cowboys to dual wins over North Dakota, South Dakota and South Dakota State over the weekend in Gillette. On Friday, the sophomore won the 100 and 200-yard freestyles with times of 46.83 seconds and 1:42.50 respectively. Bell also swam the lead-off leg in Wyoming’s 400 free relay, as the Cowboys touched in 3:09.78 to win. He followed his performance on Saturday by notching MWC season bests en route to win the 500-yard freestyle (4:44.69), 200 free relay (1:26.07) and 200 medley relay (1:36.03).

Miller, who also hails from Greeley, was the Cowboys’ top diver in the season-opening weekend in Gillette. On Friday, the junior captured the 3-meter springboard with a score of 306.30 points, before setting an MWC season-high mark on the 1-meter Saturday (297.35).

Ortiz, a Colorado Springs, Colo., product, qualified for the NCAA Zone “E” Championships in her first regular-season meet by scoring 289.80 on the 3-meter springboard to win the event in Gillette. The junior also finished second on the 1-meter board with a score of 250.45.

Fuller, a native of Brighton, Colo., won two individual events and helped the Rams to two relay victories in CSU’s first conference meet at UNLV. The freshman led off the 200-yard medley relay that won in 1:45.60, and the 400-yard freestyle relay that won with a time of 3:30.64. Fuller also set lifetime bests in the 100 and 200-yard backstrokes, finishing in 56.81 and 2:02.81, respectively. Both times currently rank first in the MWC.

Cowgirls fall in double OT; swimmers win

by Wyoming Sports.org

SALT LAKE CITY -- On television for the first time in school history, the Wyoming soccer team dropped a tough 1-0 decision to Utah in double overtime on Sunday. The goal for the Utes came very late in the second overtime period at the 108:00 minute.

The lossed dropped the Cowgirls to 8-9-1 overall and 2-4 in the Mountain West Conference. Utah advances to 9-8-2 and 4-2 in MWC play.

In the first half the Cowgirls and Utes battled back and forth and seemed to have equal possession. Utah took nine shots in the first half, but senior goalkeeper Jamie Scarcliff made four saves to keep the score tied at zero at halftime.

“I felt like our effort was tremendous today. I am disappointed for the girls because they played very well on both sides of the ball,” said UW head coach Danny Sanchez. “We took more corner kicks then Utah did, but we didn’t have a lot of chances that weren’t from set pieces.”

In the second half, Utah continued to be aggressive on the offensive attack and took seven shots to the Cowgirls three, but Scarcliff and the rest of the Cowgirl defense kept the game scoreless.

The two teams fought for possession in the first overtime period, but again the score stayed tied at zero. Utah controlled the ball in the second overtime and Lauren Hair got past Scarcliff and scored the game winning goal with less than two minutes left.

The Cowgirls will return to Laramie to play their final home game of the season Saturday against BYU. The game will also be “Senior Day” for six Cowgirls. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. from the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.

Swimmers sweep in Gillette meet
GILLETTE --The Wyoming swimming and diving tams were absixally perfect in sweeping and winning all of the events Saturday against North Dakota, South Dakota and South Dakota state.

The Cowboys went 6-0 on the weekend, picking up a pair of dual wins over North Dakota, South Dakota and South Dakota State. The Cowgirls went 4-0 picking up two wins over both North Dakota and South Dakota.

"There was a great atmosphere today and great to hear fans cheer. All the schools had fans show up and a lot of parents got to see their kid’s swim today. I know it helped our swimmers to know they had that support," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "Lesley Young was awesome today winning both the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke. Kelsey Conci was great again today, as she was yesterday. The men were fired up and Matt Jones and Christian Johnson were great winning events."

Cowboys winning multiple second day events were Tommy Gregory (200 freestyle, 1 minute, 44.88 seconds and 100 freestyle, 47.02) and Marshall Dilworth (400 IM, 4:14.75 and 100 backstroke, 52.64). Single event winners were Brett Henehan (1650 freestyle, 16:44.58), Christian Johnson (50 freestyle, 22.05), Tyler Miller (one-meter diving, 297.35), Eli Bell (500 freestyle 4:44.69) and Alex Larkin (100 breaststroke 57.63). The Cowboys won both relay events, the 200 medley relay (1:36.05) and the 200 freestyle relay (1:26.07).

For the Cowgirls, winning two second day events were Aimee Stinson (1650 freestyle, 17:45.94 and 100 freestyle, 53.74), Stephanie Vint (200 freestyle, 1:55.33 and 500 freestyle, 5:11.20) and Lesley Young (100 butterfly, 59.26 and 100 breaststroke 1:05.84). Single event winners were Cassie Stelow (50 freestyle, 24.02), Megan Evans (400 IM, 4:36.50), Stephanie Ortiz (three-meter diving, 289.80) and Kelsey Conci (100 backstroke, 58.36). The Cowgirls also won both relays, the 200 medley relay (1:47.55) and the 200 freestyle relay (1:38.06).
Cowgirl Stephanie Ortiz qualified for the NCAA Zone "E" Diving Championships with her three-meter score.

"We had good wins for our program and we are on the right track. Once again, the community of Gillette was wonderful with their turnout and support," said Johnson.

The Wyoming swimmers return home Nov. 7 as the Cowgirls will take on New Mexico at 5 p.m. in Corbett Pool. On Nov. 8, both the Cowboys and Cowgirls will host the Colorado School of Mines at 1 p.m.

CSU stops Cowgirls; swimmers dominate in first day at Gillette

By Wyoming Sports.org

The scores were close, but the results were the same as No. 16 Colorado State stopped the Wyoming Cowgirls in three games Friday night at the UniWyo Sports Complex.

CSU, 8-1 in the Mountain West conference and 18-2 overall, stopped Wyoming 25-21, 25-23 and 25-17. The loss dropped Wyoming to 2-7 and 3-15.

“We need to work and continue to grow every day on the court,” said UW head coach Carrie Yerty. “The players are doing everything I ask of them. We’ve got a job to do and we’re going to keep working towards that. I think this team comes out and plays tough every night, and that’s all I can ask them to do.”

Wyoming was led by sophomore Lauren Whitney, who finished with a team-high 10 kills, hitting .240 (10-4-25) for the match. She was followed by Jenna Arneson with seven kills and Dani Bedore with six. The Cowgirls hit .130 (32-19-100) as a team.

The Rams were led by Danielle Minch with 13 kills, three block assists and a .308 (13-5-26) hitting percentage. Mekana Barnes added 12 kills and six block assists. CSU hit .300 (46-16-100) for the match and out blocked the Cowgirls 10-3.

The Cowgirls return to action Thursday, hosting Air Force. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex and will be broadcast on The Mtn. television network.

UW swimmers off to good start
GILLETTE -- After the first of two days at the Campbell County School Aquatics Center, both the Wyoming Cowboy and Cowgirl swimming and diving teams have established a commanding lead in the first-ever UW meet in Gillette. The UW teams are leading a four-way dual meet with South Dakota, South Dakota State and North Dakota.

At the end of 12 men’s and women’s first day events, the Cowboys and Cowgirls did not lose an event.

"This has been a great experience and everyone in Gillette has been extremely welcoming to our team," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "As for the meet itself, I am very pleased with our performance today. The freshmen are getting better and the seniors and upper classmen continue to show leadership," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "Aimee Stinson had her best time in the 500 freestyle. Eli Bell swam very well and Brett Henehan is learning fast and did well the distance events."

Winning two individual events for the Cowboys were Brett Henehan (1,000 freestyle, 9 minutes, 54.24 and 500 freestyle, 4:48.20) and Eli Bell (200 freestyle, 1:42.50 and 100 freestyle 46.83). Also winning events for the Cowboys were Tommy Gregory (50 freestyle, 21.68), Brandon Fischer (200 IM, 1:58.10), Tyler Miller (three-meter diving, 306.30 points), Matt Urich (200 butterfly, 1:56.37), Tyler Kybartas (200 breaststroke, 1:56.00) and Alex Larkin (200 breaststroke, 2:07.20). The Cowboys also won both relays, the 400 medley relay (3:28.28), and the 400 free relay (3:09.78).

Multi-event winners for the Cowgirls were Stephanie Vint (1,000 freestyle, 10:44.77 and 200 butterfly, 2:09.42), Aimee Stinson (200 freestyle 1:55.28 and 500 freestyle, 5:03.85) Cassie Stelow (50 freestyle, 24.21 and 100 freestyle, 53.01) and Megan Evans (200 IM, 2:10.47 and 200 breaststroke 2:21.87). Also winning events for the Cowgirls were Allie Smith (three-meter diving, 262.20) and Erin Wagner (200 breaststroke, 2:09.21). In the relays, the Cowgirls won the 400 medley relay (3.57.85) and the 400 freestyle relay (3:35.03).

"We swam very well and had a great team performance," added Johnson. "We hope we can continue that tomorrow."

The meet will conclude Saturday morning with another 12-event day. Action will begin at 11 a.m.
---
Multi-Event Dual Scores
Women’s Scores
Wyoming 183.00-North Dakota 41.00
Wyoming 188.00-South Dakota 36.00
North Dakota 167.00-South Dakota 57.00
Men’s Scores
Wyoming 176.00-North Dakota 41.00
Wyoming 189.00-South Dakota 33.00
Wyoming 188.00-South Dakota State 33.00
North Dakota 146.00-South Dakota 71.00
North Dakota 137.00-South Dakota State 77.00
South Dakota 92.00 -South Dakota State 121.00

Cowgirls to host No. 16 CSU

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming head coach Carrie Yerty, center, talks to assistant coach Jill Stucky during a timeout in a recent home match.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

She's said it before, she’ll say it again.

“We’re the team that everybody thinks they should beat, but aren’t sure if they can,” Wyoming head volleyball coach Carrie Yerty said, describing her team. “Depending on what level of ability we are able to sustain, we can be a very good team.”

With that, the Cowgirls have another shot at No. 16 Colorado State, as they host their rival Friday at 7 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

The last time the two teams met, CSU just survived in a five-set match. The Rams admitted afterwards that they didn’t expect Wyoming to be so feisty.

Their overall won-loss record doesn’t show bulldog intensity, but the Cowgirls are all of that. In their 3-14 overall record, Wyoming has lost five five-set matches, with several to highly-ranked or highly-regarded teams.

“The wins aren’t exactly as planned or what we would like in terms of being with a group of young women who are competing hard, but they are a pleasure to be around,” Yerty said. “They’re coachable and they are giving me every bit of their best. Now my job is to help them continue to grow and continue to recruit and build this program back into the powerhouse that it was.”

Yerty came to Wyoming after 12 years at Memphis and inherited a Wyoming team that lost about 90 percent of its offense, in terms of attacks. With a young, inexperienced and often over-matched lineup physically, Yerty admits that she didn’t know what to expect coming in.

“I would never put limitations on a team because you never know what their capabilities are going to be, day-in and day-out,” she said. “I expected that we would have a transition year; I expected that we would have a lot of focus on recruiting and teaching in the gym, establishing new expectations and building our language and our volleyball IQ. In terms of wins and losses, I expect to win every time we step out on the floor and my team does, too. How we handle the adversity once we get out on the floor, we’re working at getting better at.”

The Rams enter the week 17-2 overall, 7-1 in the MWC. They are led by Jaime Strauss, who is averaging 3.51 kills and 1.68 digs per set, while Mekana Barnes is adding 3.22 kills and 1.39 blocks per set.

“Colorado State is a good team,” Yerty said. “They have two All-Americans returning. In terms of being a veteran team, they are very good. Our team generally steps up to the challenge of playing a good team and we’re hard to beat at home.”

The Cowgirls are led by sophomore rightside hitter Dani Bedore, who is averaging 3.06 kills, which is sixth in the MWC, and 1.59 digs per set. She is followed sophomore outside hitter Lauren Whitney, who is adding 2.76 kills and almost one dig per set. As a team, they are averaging 9.40 kills and 9.21 digs per set.

Friday night’s match will also be Yerty’s second experience in the Border War. She said he is enjoying the intensity of the rivalry.

“Our girls are all fired up. They have a whole bunch of different slogans ready,” she said. “They are excited for the CSU match, they’re excited to be back at home. We are able to focus on one team, with only having the match against CSU.”

UW swimmers in Gillette for duals
For the first time ever, the Wyoming swimming and diving team will host a meet away from Corbet Pool this weekend. The Cowboys and Cowgirls will travel to Gillette for dual match-ups with North Dakota, South Dakota and South Dakota State.

Action will be at the Campbell County High School Pool. The two-day meet will begin on Friday at 5 p.m., and will continue Saturday at 11 a.m.

The meet was set up to allow fans from Northern Wyoming and the Dakotas a chance to see their teams compete without traveling far.

"We are very excited to go to the north part of the state and expose our program there," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "The community of Gillette and their tremendous hospitality will make it feel like its a home meet for us. There are swimmers from Wyoming that are going to the Dakota schools and I’m sure they are excited to come home and swim in front of their parents."

Cowboy golfers improve on final round

by Wyoming Sports.org

EL CAJON, Calif. -- On the final day of the fall season, the Wyoming men's golf team climbed two places in the team standings and finished in a 13th place tie at the San Diego State Sycuan Invitational on Tuesday.

In Tuesday’s final round, the Cowboys shot a six-over par 294 to move up in the standings. The Cowboys finished with a three-round total of 881 (+17).

“We closed out the fall with a solid final round today,” said UW head coach Joe Jensen. “Each round, it seems as though every guy is just one or two shots away from a very good round and today was no different.”

Individually, sophomore Zach Zaremba closed out a nice tournament with a final round scorecard of 73 (+1). Zaremba finished the tournament with an even par score of 216, which was good for a 35th place tie in the 120-man field.

After a disappointing second round, sophomore Phil Henzlik rebounded nicely to shoot a final round 72 (E), and finish the tournament with a three-round total of 223 (+7). Sophomore Gabe Maier finished with an identical 223 (+7). Henzlik and Maier tied for 79th place.

Colorado State won the invitational with a three-round score of 837 (-27). The Rams edged UC Santa Barbara by just one stroke and San Diego by only two strokes.

Wichita State’s Dustin Garza held on to win the tournament with a three-round total of 200 (-16).

“Overall, it was an up and down fall,” added Jensen. “I feel like we matured and are now looking to do more of that during the winter break. This winter will be good for this team as we will continue to grow and become better players. Now that all five of these guys are through the first half of their sophomore year, I look for a much improved team come springtime.”

The Cowboys will return to San Diego to open the spring season in mid-March with the Barona College Cup.

UW hockey loses, ties AFA

by UW Media Relations

The University of Wyoming hockey club salvaged a point in a two-game weekend series against the United States Air Force Academy club team.

After falling 7-4 to the Falcons Friday night at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo., Graham Barrett and Elliott Bauder scored key goals as the Cowboys rallied to earn a point with a 5-5 tie in the series finale.

Playing in his hometown, Barrett helped rescue UW in the second game, netting a pair of goals in a three-minute span of the third period to even the score at 4 and force overtime. Air Force struck first in the five-minute extra period, on Tanner Lee's third goal of the game, but Bauder answered with his first goal of the season and the teams settled for a tie.

Will Alpsteg (Kearney, Neb.) and David Wilcox (Houston, Texas) also scored goals for the Cowboys in the series finale. David Wells (Rock Springs), Nate Olsen (Pinedale), Tad Bernet (Katy, Texas) and Grayson Walsh (Fort Collins, Colo.) had assists.

Despite two goals by Erik Blomberg (Parker, Colo.), UW suffered its first loss of the 2008-09 campaign in the series opener. Luke Walker (Jackson) and Brandon Moore (Littleton, Colo.) also scored for the Cowboys.

Bauder had two assists and Barrett, Bernet, Wells, Wilcox and Craig Luplow (Sheridan) also notched assists in a losing cause.

This weekend, UW (2-1-1) makes its only swing of the season through central Wyoming for two games against the Montana State University club squad. The teams play Friday night at the Casper Ice Arena and Saturday night at the indoor arena at the Wyoming State Fairgrounds in Douglas. Both games start at 7 p.m.

Cowgirls dominate fall rodeo scene

By UW Media Relations

CHEYENNE -- The University of Wyoming Cowgirls made a definite statement this fall after falling short of their goal of repeating as College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) champions.

The Cowgirls swept all five Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) events after dominating last weekend's Shawn Dubie Memorial rodeo at Laramie County Community College (LCCC).

With the latest victory, the Cowgirls retook the overall national lead for the second time in three weeks. The women scored 3,045 points after concluding their fall season, while last week's national leader, Cal Poly State-San Luis Obispo, has 2,483.5 with one event remaining.

The Cowgirls are running away with the CRMR title for the third straight season, scoring 3,045 points, compared to runner-up Gillette College's 1,390.

With basically the same team intact with seniors TaNaye Carroll, Sarah Mulholland and Nikki Steffes, the UW women are determined to put last summer's CNFR short go meltdown behind them. At the 2008 college finals, UW sought to repeat as CNFR champions, but their lackluster effort on the final night resulted in a fourth-place finish.

It's a new season and the team has a determined attitude, say team members.

"It's been a great year. I think that the three of us were pretty disappointed with the way that the college finals went. It seemed that the short round just didn't work for anybody. It's one of those things where we didn't have the luck," Steffes, a molecular biology senior from Vale, S.D., said after her second-place barrel racing performance Sunday. "I definitely think we're one of the best teams in the nation right now. Hopefully we can all stay healthy and we'll be back. Things have gone better for us this fall than last year."

During Sunday's short go, the Cowgirls went 1-2-4 in the goat tying event to score a whopping 385 points. Mulholland, nursing, Richland Center, Wis., won the event by taking the first round and placing second in the short go. Carroll, kinesiology, La Junta, Colo., the overall regional leader, took second and Steffes added fourth place points in the average.

All three women hold the top three positions in goat tying, with Carroll first, Mulholland next and Steffes, who has placed second in the event the past two seasons at the CNFR, third.

Steffes, who won the LCCC all-around title, scored another 140 points by finishing second in barrel racing, the event in which she is the runner-up in the overall regional standings.
The final points came from Carroll in team roping. She reached her first short go in the event, partnering with Northeastern Junior College's Brice Simmons to place third.

Carroll says the tough competition among teammates makes each one better.

"When you know that some of the toughest competition at each rodeo is the girls that you practice with each day, it really improves your skills and makes you do better," Carroll said. "We're halfway through our season and next spring could be a totally different ball game for all the schools in all the regions. I think we're tough, but we'll see how it plays out in the end."

Mulholland says the three seniors are making sure each rodeo counts as they prepare for the spring season and a chance to qualify for next June's CNFR.

"We all hoped to have an even better year because this is our senior year; it's our last year so we have to make the best of it. We never get to do it again," Mulholland said outside the LCCC arena. "These past four years have gone by extremely fast, the fastest four years of my life. I thought I was just a freshman a year ago. It's gone by too fast."

The UW men relinquished their overall CRMR lead to perennial champion CWC after faltering to a fourth-place finish in Cheyenne Sunday. The Rustlers won the LCCC rodeo with 750 points, while the Cowboys were 450 points back.

CWC has the overall regional lead going into the spring season with 2,325 points, while the UW men are second with 2,085.

Troy Brandemuehl, wildlife biology senior, Gordon, Neb., picked up most of the Cowboys' points by scoring in two events. He won the steer wrestling short go and wound up fourth in the average. He finished in the same position in tie down roping.

Bucky Dickson, kinesiology sophomore from Sequim, Wash., took third in bareback riding and Chad Nelson, agricultural business senior from Buffalo, S.D., added team roping points when he partnered with Gillette College's Beau Miller.

Dickson, who suffered a broken jaw when he was kicked in the face last season, is third overall in bareback riding.

"I feel like I should be sitting No. 1. I just haven't had the draws this fall, but I'm biding my time. I'm just waiting around; the draws make everything and I know I can do better than I'm showing right now," he said after his Sunday ride. "The injury is behind me. Actually, three days after I got my jaw unwired I went to three rodeos and they all turned out good -- I placed in all three. It just happens that you break bones in rodeo and you get used to it."

The spring season begins March 27-29 at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington.

Listed are the top six individuals and team points from the LCCC rodeo.
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Women's team scores -- University of Wyoming (UW), 605; Central Wyoming College (CWC), 210; Gillette College (GC) and Casper College (CC), 180; Lamar Community College (LCC), 60; Colorado State University (CSU), 35; Eastern Wyoming College (EWC), 20; Chadron State College (CSC), 10.
Men's team scores -- CWC, 750; Northeastern Junior College (NJC), 570; CC, 370; UW, 300; GC, 256.66; LCC, 210; CSC, 190; Otero Community College (OCC), 160; Laramie County Community College (LCCC), 40; EWC, 10.
Barrel racing -- Michelle Robinson, GC, 35.05; Nikki Steffes, UW, 35.42; Ilene Hilman, UW, 35.62; Sydney Hettinger, UW, 35.67; Annie Novotny, SC, 35.68; Molly Johnson, NJC, 35.89.
Breakaway roping -- Megan Schrock, CC, 4.7; Jessica Picchietti, CWC, 5.9; Sam Gagnon, CWC, 6; Chelsey Willhoite, LCC, 6.3; Misty McPherson, GC, 7.7.
Goat tying -- Sarah Mulholland, UW, 16.1; Laura Waldo, CWC, 16.4; TaNaye Carroll, UW, 16.7; Nikki Steffes, UW, 16.9; Echo Johnston, GC, 17.4; Chyann Howard, UW, and Jamie Kirk, CC, both 18.6.
Saddle bronc riding -- Cole Eishere, GC, 149; Chancy Miller, GC, 145; J.W. Moore, CC, 132; Ty Hammaker, CWC, 129.
Bareback riding -- Ty Breuer, CWC, 149; Bryan Jones, CWC, 148; Troy Bechen, CC, 143; Bucky Dickson, UW, 138; Whitten Hoover, CSC, 133.
Bull riding -- Cameron Weddle, NJC, 152; Ty Hammaker, CWC, 145; Kody Pierce, UW, 138.
Steer wrestling -- Nathan Ramsey, OCC, 10; John Franzen, UW, 11.7; Troy Brandemuehl, UW, 11.8; Cameron Weddle, NJC, 15.9; O.J. Huxtable, CC, 17.1.
Tie down roping -- Cole Dorenkamp, LCC, 20.4; Bridger Chytka, CSC, 20.8; Mitch McAdow, NJC, 21; Troy Brandemuehl, UW, 21.3; Clay Forgey, LCC, 24; Will Smith, UW, 30.5.
Team roping -- Cody Waldrip/Hadley Berger, UW, 17.4; Austin Laramore, Regis University/Taylor Thompson, NJC, 18.9; TaNaye Carroll, UW/Brice Simmons, NJC, 19.7; Trice Watts/J.J. Watts, NJC, 19.8; Chase Bierma/Riley Warren, CWC, 20.8; Tyrel Larson/Chris Robinett, CC, 31.

Cowboy golfers open 15th at SDSU

by Wyoming Sports.org

EL CAJON, Calif. -- Through the opening two rounds of the 2008 San Diego State Sycuan Invitational on Monday, the Cowboy golf team is currently in a 15th place tie. The Sycuan Invitational is being played at the Willow Glen Golf Club.

The Cowboys had a nice first round team score of 291 (+3) but fell five strokes in the second round, 296 (+8), to finish with a two round total of 587 (+11).

San Diego State leads its own tournament with a two-round total of 550 (-26). Colorado State is in second with a 556 (-20) and Denver is in third with a 561 (-15).

“We played a lot better today as a whole, but still had a few mistakes and mental lapses that cost us some important strokes,” said UW head coach Joe Jensen. “We had a nice first round and shot 291, but slipped five strokes in the second round, which was unfortunate.

“We have a young team and at times can be very competitive, but what is holding us back is our lack of maturity. I really like the fact that we are so young and have so much potential, but we still lack that confidence to have a clear head throughout every shot.”

Individually, sophomore Zach Zaremba had a nice opening day and was the only Cowboy to finish under par, with rounds of 71 and 72 (-1). Zaremba is currently in a 37th place tie with a two-round total of 143. Sophomore Gabe Maier had the Cowboys second lowest scorecard with rounds of 73 and 75. His four-over par total of 148 placed him in an 82nd place tie.

Wichita State’s Dustin Garza leads the tournament with a two-round total of 132 (-12). Bryce Hanstad, of Colorado State, is in second place (133, -11) and San Diego’s Jason Shano is in third place (136, -8).

The Sycuan Invitational will conclude Tuesday with one round of 18 holes. The day will begin with an 8:30 a.m. (Mountain Time) shotgun start.

“Things are really bunched up in the middle of the standings,” said Jensen. “We have a lot to play for tomorrow as we have the opportunity to have a nice finish in a very good tournament. We need to come out and take care of business tomorrow.”

Cowgirl soccer falls to SDSU

by Wyoming Sports.org

SAN DIEGO -- Another tough second half proved to be costly for the Wyoming soccer team, as San Diego State scored three late goals for a 4-0 win Sunday.

The Cowgirls fell to 2-3 in Mountain West Conference play and 8-8-1 overall. With the win the Aztecs improved to 2-3 in the conference and 6-8-2 overall.

The scoring for SDSU started early when Jessica Gordon scored her fifth goal of the season and gave her team the 1-0 lead at the 17:45 mark. In the first half, Wyoming took only three shots while SDSU attempted five.

In the second half, the scored stayed tied until in the 75th minute until Aztec Jilian Riker scored from 15 yards out to add the second goal of the game for San Diego State. The next two goals came quickly from Ali Lokanc, at the 82:20 mark, and from Brooke Holliday at 85:06. Both goals were the second of the season for both players.

Senior Jamie Scarcliff made four saves and allowed three goals, while freshman keeper Ryann Torrero allowed one goal.

For the game Wyoming was out-shot 15-9, and 10-6 in the second half. Wyoming did take five more corner kicks than San Diego State in the match.

The Cowgirls will return home for a week of practice before taking on Utah in Salt Lake City on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.

UW roundup: Korir, Higgins lead Wyoming runners; Cowgirl vb falls

by Wyoming Sports.org

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Mark Korir and Emily Higgins once again led the University of Wyoming cross country teams top Top 10 finishes Saturday at the Pre-Nationals Invitational.

The Cowboys ran in the blue race and finished the 41 team field in 27th place. Korir’s seventh-place finish of 23 minutes, 43 seconds, was the top time by any Mountain West Conference runner at the meet and the second fastest in Wyoming history.

Korir was followed by fellow senior Brett Schuler 159th (out of 273) at 25:23. Redshirt freshman, Greg Miller and sophomore Seth Grossman grouped nicely behind Schuler with times of 25:27 and 25:29 respectively. Freshman Eliud Chirchir rounded out the top five for the Pokes with his time of 25:52.

“Mark ran a very solid race and was out with the lead pack from the get go,” said UW head coach Randy Cole. “Our guys are right there, they need to step it up just a bit and that may mean just 20 seconds or so in order for us to make some noise at conference in two weeks.”

For the Cowgirls, Higgins set the pace with her sixth-place finish and time of 21:42 in the 6k open race. Higgins was followed by sophomore Alysha Davis at 15th in 21:58.

Sophomore Emily Byra and junior Erin Heffron ran together and finished in 44th and 47th with times of 22:36 and 22:38 respectively. Irene Masai and McKynzie Maher rounded out the field for the Cowgirls with times of 23:24 and 23:54 respectively.

“I felt like the women really gained some race experience and also gain some much needed confidence heading into the conference meet,” said Cole. “They ran very well, each Cowgirl set their own personal best today in this very exciting meet.”

The Cowgirls and Cowboys will return to action in two weeks at the MWC Championships in San Diego, where they finished fifth and fourth respectively in last year's race.

Cowgirls fall to UNLV in three sets

LAS VEGAS -- The Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team fell in a tough three-set match to UNLV on Saturday 25-23, 25-19 and 25-23.

The loss dropped the Cowgirls to (3-14 overall and 2-6 in the Mountain West Conference.

“We are continuing to compete hard as a team,” said UW head coach Carrie Yerty. “I felt that Jenna Arneson had a nice weekend overall. We just need to get back in the gym and work on things to keep improving.”

Arneson led the Cowgirls with 13 kills, while hitting .391 (13-4-23). She was followed by sophomores JennaRae Jester and Lauren Whitney with eight kills each. Senior libero Carissa Lee led the way with eight digs. The Cowgirls hit .306 (44-10-111) for the match and had five total team blocks.

The Rebels were led by Erin Greenwood who recorded 19 kills, five digs and a .567 (19-2-30) hitting percentage. Cursty Jackson had 14 kills followed by Sara Nehf with 12. UNLV hit .412 (59-12-114) for the match and had 53 digs.

Wyoming returns home Friday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Colorado State.

UNLV soccer stops Cowgirls

by Wyoming Sports.org

LAS VEGAS -- UNLV scored a pair of goals in the second half to stop Wyoming 3-1 Friday night in Mountain West Conference women's soccer action.

Wyoming had won the previous two meetings against UNLV, but dropped to 8-7-1 overall and 2-2 in the MWC. UNLV advances to 10-5-1 and 2-2 in the MWC.

The scoring started early in the game, as Ashleigh Shoughro scored from seven yards out to give the first goal to UNLV at the 18-minute mark.

Wyoming came back quickly as Amanda Lathrop took a shot from 25 yards out that hit the cross bar and fell straight down and landed in the goal. Emily Layton was credited with the assist on Lathrop’s team-leading eighth goal of the season.

The scored stayed tied in the second half until the 60th minute when Rebel Shannon Hughes took a shot that was blocked, but the rebound came back to her and was able to shoot again and break the 1-1 tie. Brianna Moore added the next goal for UNLV at the 80:13 mark to put the Cowgirls away.

Although the Cowgirls lost, Lathrop continues to write her name in the UW record books. With her goal she is tied with fellow senior Tamika Wilson for second most career goals all-time with 20.

The Cowgirls return to action on Sunday, as they travel to take on San Diego State at 3:30 p.m.

UW roundup: Cowgirls fall in five; tennis in Central Region tourney

By Wyoming Sports.org

SAN DIEGO -- The Wyoming Cowgirls lost their fifth five-set match of the season on Thursday night against San Diego State.

The Aztecs held on for the home win, 20-25, 25-12, 25-10, 20-25 and 15-11. The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 2-6 in Mountain West Conference play and 3-13 overall. San Diego State moves 3-4 and 6-11.

Two Cowgirls finished the match in double-figures, led by sophomore Dani Bedore, who had 16 kills, along with four digs and two block assists. Jenna Arneson followed with 15 kills and a .314 (15-4-35), while JennaRae Jester added eight kills. Wyoming hit .163 (51-27-147) fro the match.
The Aztecs had four players in double-figures, led by Stephanie Darnall with 18 kills, 13 digs and a .378 (18-4-37) hitting percentage. Lauren Salisbury finished with 13 kills, while Kyley Sexton had 11 and Lauren Van Orden added ten. San Diego State hit .374 (56-13-115) for the match and out blocked the Cowgirls 10-5.

Wyoming will close out the weekend against the UNLV Rebels on Saturday, in Las Vegas. The match is set to begin at 2 p.m.

Cowgirl tennis continues at Central Region Tournament
SALT LAKE CITY -- Two doubles teams and one individual for the Wyoming Cowgirl tennis team continued play at the 2008 Wilson ITA Central Region Tournament.

In doubles play, the Cowgirl team of Rebecca Berger and Sarah Summerfield earned a tough 9-7 win against Galina Semenova and Maryna Tkachenkio of Oklahoma State, but lost in the next round to Maria Ring and Wiveca Swarting of Nebraska, 8-5. Wyoming’s Brittany DeFelice and Carly Van Hollen also fell short, 8-6, against Tori Arneson and Laura Neal of Colorado State.

“We began the day playing at a higher level of doubles than we’ve played all year,” said assistant coach Dean Clower. “It’s a great accomplishment to beat a team the caliber of Semenova and Tkachenkio of Oklahoma State. Sarah also fought through a tough first round match and showed a lot of maturity.”

The only player left in singles play, Summerfield, won her opening match in the main draw, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, over Laura Boguet of New Mexico State. She will play the 10th-seed in the tournament Lutfiana Budiharto of Wichita State in her next match.

Cowgirls hit the road to Cali, Vegas

UW sophomore Lauren Whitney

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

As the weather begins to cool in Wyoming, it’s still always pleasant in San Diego and Las Vegas.

But it is no vacation for the Wyoming Cowgirls, as they look to get back on track with a pair of road matches against the Aztecs and Rebels. Wyoming faces San Diego State Thursday night at 8 p.m. and UNLV Saturday at 2 p.m.

It won’t be like a cultural shock for the Cowgirls to compete in these resort areas, as they have already competed in a preseason tournament in Hawaii, as well as in Oregon.

Wyoming coach Carrie Yerty said that volleyball is their No. 1 priority on the road, but they always try to blend a little pleasure with business on these type of trips.

“We are very good at focusing in on what the task of hand is. We try to allow them to see something wherever we go, so they can get it out of their system,” Yerty said. “At Hawaii, the ocean was huge. They needed to go and get to experience the beach, then be able to focus on volleyball. In San Diego, we’ll probably let them take a job on the beach and do a little shopping, then really get geared for our match.”

The two matches are important for the Cowgirls, 2-5 in Mountain West Conference play and 3-12 overall, as they try to stay in the middle of the pack in the standings. SDSU is 2-4, with UNLV 4-2.

“This is an opportunity for us to go compete with somebody who is vying for somewhat of the same position in conference as we are,” Yerty said. “We’re certainly excited to go San Diego. (Sophomore outside hitter) Lauren Whitney’s family is from there and hopefully she’ll have a good match with that.”

The Aztecs are 5-11 overall and are led by Lauren Salisbury, who is averaging 3.12 kills and 1.05 blocks per set, while Stephanie Darnall is adding 2.45 kills and 1.65 digs per set. San Diego State returns four starters and eight letterwinners that went 13-16 overall and 4-12 in the in the Mountain West Conference a year ago.

“San Diego State is very diverse team,” Yerty said. “They run a 6-2 offense with four hitters who can pretty much hit from any location on the court, and that will be new for us. In terms of our blocking scheme, we won’t be able to match up for every rotation because they won’t have a rotation where they swing from.”

The Rebels are 11-8 overall and will take on Colorado State before facing the Cowgirls. They are led by Jessica Walters, who is averaging 3.48 kills and .89 digs per set, while Erin Greenwood is adding 2.43 kills and .62 blocks per set. UNLV returns three starters and 10 letterwinners that went 24-6 overall and 12-4 in the in the Mountain West Conference a year ago.

“Las Vegas is a big enough distraction in itself,” Yerty said. “The girls are fired up and they understand that every game across the board is equal in wins and losses. Well go out and put our best foot forward and see what we can do.”

The Cowgirls are led by sophomore rightside hitter Dani Bedore, who is averaging 3.11 kills, which is sixth in the MWC, and 1.64 digs per set. She is followed by Whitney, who is adding 2.77 kills and almost one dig per set.

Although Wyoming is coming off of two disappointing three-set losses to New Mexico and TCU last weekend at home, Yerty said that they worked hard this week in practice -- just like they have all season -- to get ready for the road trip.

Yerty said they’ll will come out fighting.

“I don’t think there is any team in the conference that thinks Wyoming is an easy win,” she said. “I think we put pressure on them because they think it is a win that they should have, but they are not sure they can get. We don’t have anything to lose. We go out and play hard every time. We know that we are building and getting better every time we step out on the court.”

Four UW athletes named to MWC track decade team, Usher on swim team

by Wyoming Sports.org

The Mountain West Conference announced its 10th Anniversary Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Teams and Men's and women's Swim Team, as selected by a combined panel of media, institutional and conference personnel and on-line fan poll.

On the list from the University of Wyoming were Jessica Fox and Shauna Smith for the Cowgirls and Jason Gervais and Quincy Howe for the Cowboys.

For UW on the swim team, former Olympian Scott Usher was also named to the squad.

While running for the Cowgirls, Fox was a three-time All-American and a nine-time MWC champion. During the indoor seasons she was the 200-meter champion in ‘04 and ‘05, she was also the 400-meter champion in ‘03 and ‘05. She currently ranks second in the 60-meter dash and 400-meter dash, first in the 200-meter dash and is a part of the fastest 4x400-meter relay team in indoor Cowgirl history.

Smith was a five-time All-American and a five-time MWC champion. Just for the indoor Cowgirl records, she currently ranks first in the 60-meter hurdles, the 400-meter dash and was a part of the 4x400-meter relay team in ‘04, and she sits in third all-time in the 60-meter dash.

Gervais was one of the most dominate throwers in Wyoming history, as he still owns both of the throwing event records during the indoor season, the 35-pound weight throw and the shot put. Gervais was a seven-time All-American and a four-time MWC champion.

Howe was one of the most dominate jumpers in his time. While competing for the Cowboys, Howe was honored as an All-American in ‘01 and ‘02 in the triple jump. He owns eight conference championships and was never beaten in the event during his competition in the WAC and MWC. He currently owns Wyoming and MWC records in both the indoor and outdoor triple jump events.

Usher was a five-time All American for the Cowboys from 2002-2005. He was the first Cowboy swimmer to make the Olymic team which he did so in 2004 and had a seventh place finish in the 200 breaststroke. Usher also won six MWC championships in his UW career.

In order to be eligible for consideration, candidates must have won an event at the Mountain West Conference Championship at least once in their careers. The conference will name a similar team for the outdoor season later this year.

Cowgirl golf wins tournament

by Wyoming Sports.org

MERIDIAN, Idaho -- A team tournament title can now be added to the already long list of accomplishments for the 2008-09 University of Wyoming women’s golf team. On Tuesday, the Cowgirls shot a team 300 (+12), which put them in a tie with four other teams in the 36 hole Fall Bronco Invitational and was then awarded the title based on the fifth player scorecard.

The title was the Cowgirl’s first since March of 1998 when the team won the Idaho Invitational in Moscow, Idaho.

“It was just amazing,” said UW head coach Josey Stender of the win. “I am really proud of our girls and how far they have come and how far this program has come. The girls really believed they could win today and they did.”

The Cowgirls were led by junior Sarah Fogerty, who shot a second round 75 (+3), but finished the tournament tied for eighth place, the team’s highest finish of the season. Freshman Juanita Rico was close on her tail with the Cowgirl’s best round of the day and her second round 73 (+1). Rico climbed 10 spots from the conclusion of Monday’s opening round to finish the tournament in a tie for 10th-place.

Sophomore Molly Black closed out the top-25 for the Cowgirls with her second round 76 (+4) and finished the day in a tie for 18th-place. The final two Cowgirls were sophomore Jenna Zamprelli (+12), tie for 26th-place and junior Jonelle Martinez (+15), tie for 35th-place. Zamprelli and Martinez had final rounds of 81 and 76 which came to become the decision maker for the winner of the tournament. Zamprelli’s 81 edged out Boise State’s Iris Ocariza’s 82 and gave the crown to the Cowgirls for the first time in 10 years.

“Jenna was our fifth best today and she really fought all the way to the end. If she hadn’t, we wouldn’t have won,” said Stender. “I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to a great fall. It is a great building block for us during our four months off and will be huge for us next semester.”

The Cowgirls will be out of action during the winter months and will get back on the fairways Feb. 15, to compete in the SDSU Lady Aztec Spring Classic.

Cowgirl rodeo sets scoring record

by UW Medias Relations

A week after taking over the national overall lead, the University of Wyoming Cowgirls set a school record for the most points ever scored in a single rodeo.

At least weekend’s Chadron State College (CSC) rodeo in Crawford, Neb., the UW Cowgirls piled up an unheard of (for women’s rodeo) 725 points. This more than doubled the second place efforts of Central Wyoming College (CWC), which had 350.

The Cowgirls’ domination in the Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) continued when the UW women won for the fourth straight week, giving the team 2,440 points on the season with just this weekend’s rodeo at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne left on the fall slate. Gillette College (GC) is a distant second in the CRMR standings -- 1,230 points back.
Overshadowed by the UW women’s season-long dominating performance is the effort being turned in by their male counterparts. The Cowboys won for the second time in four fall rodeos, splitting first place with GC at last weekend’s CSC. Both UW and the Pronghorns scored 495 points. The points gave the Cowboys 1,785 on the season, putting UW at the overall CRMR lead by 210 points over four-time champion CWC.

Teams are finding out the UW women’s steady performances are due not only to their three seniors, but a fourth member that gives Coach George Howard perhaps the nation’s strongest lineup.

Two years ago the Cowgirls won the national title and were on their way to repeating last summer, but stumbled in the short go at the College National Finals Rodeo and slipped to fourth place.

With the three-women team back intact, the Cowgirls just needed to add that fourth person to the lineup. Lander kinesiology freshman, Heather Bregar, has stepped up to contribute points in three of her first four collegiate starts.

Howard said earlier in the season that his senior trio of Nikki Steffes, Sarah Mulholland and TaNaye Carroll will score points, which takes off the pressure on Bregar. That was the case at Chadron State.

The Cowgirls won two of the three women’s events, but all four UW team members added plenty of points after the short go to give the women the most dominating performance in school history.

It started with Steffes, a molecular biology senior from Vale, S.D., in barrel racing where she won the short go and also the average. Next up came Mulholland, a nursing senior from Richland Center, Wis., who was the breakaway roping runner-up, while Steffes was one place back.
And finally, the Cowgirls put three team members in the overall top six in the goat tying average. Carroll, a kinesiology senior from La Junta, Colo., won both goat tying rounds to win the average, while Mulholland finish second. Bregar came through in a supporting role by adding sixth-place average points.

Mulholland’s high placing in two separate events gave her the all-around title over Steffes.
For the season, Carroll, Mulholland and Steffes are ranked first through third in the overall CRMR goat tying event. Steffes is a close second in the overall barrel racing points chase and is also sitting second in breakaway roping.

The Cowboys scored more than half their team points in a pair of roughstock events.
Bucky Dickson, kinesiology sophomore from Sequim, Wash., had a pair of solid rides to win the bareback event for the first time this season. Overall regional saddle bronc leader, Merritt Smith, animal science, Gillette, placed second, giving him either first or second in the fall season’s first four rodeos.

The Cowboys, who placed first for the second time this season, scored in just one other event – steer wrestling. Troy Brandemuehl, Gordon, Neb., wildlife biology senior, was the bulldogging runner-up, while teammate Seth Bolerjack, geophysics junior, Gillette, added fourth place points in the average.

The team suffered a major blow when senior John Franzen, communications senior from Riverton, suffered a torn knee again two weeks ago -- the same knee that was reconstructed two seasons ago. He was the team’s top steer wrestler.

Lamar Community College’s Cole Dorenkamp was the CSC rodeo’s all-around winner.
The fall portion of the CRMR schedule closes this weekend in Cheyenne for the annual Shane Dubie Memorial Rodeo at LCCC.
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Women’s team scores -- University of Wyoming (UW), 725; Central Wyoming College (CWC), 350; Gillette College (GC), 280; Chadron State College (CSC), 185; Casper College (CC), 60; Lamar Community College (LCC), 35; Eastern Wyoming (EWC), and Laramie County Community College (LCCC), both 20.
Men’s team scores -- UW and GC, 495; NJC, 410; LCC, 330; CC and CWC, both 240; CSU, 160; EWC, 150; CSC, 145; LCCC, 40; Sheridan College (SC), 10.
Barrel racing -- Nikki Steffes, UW, 33.97; Michelle Robinson, GC, 33.98; Jessica Picchietti, CWC, 34.22; Amanda Welch, GC, 34.43; Codi Guthrie, UW, 34.53; Chelsea Moore, CWC, 34.60.
Breakaway roping -- Kelsey Scott, CSC, 5.9; Sarah Mulholland, UW, 6.5; Nicki Steffes, UW, 7.1; Cassie Godfrey, NJC, 7.6; Kacy Hatten, UW, 7.7; KayTee Schaffer, LCCC, 16.5.
Goat tying -- TaNaye Carroll, UW, 17.4; Sarah Mulholland, UW, 18.1; Lacey Tech, CWC, 18.7; Kiley Scott, CC, 19.2; Chelsea Moore, CWC, and Heather Bregar, UW, both 19.3.
Saddle bronc riding -- Cole Elshere, GC, 152; Merritt Smith, UW, 151; Travis Darling, CC, 145; Blaze Hamaker, CWC, 143; Chance Darling, CC, 129; Riley Knoll, CWC, 123.
Bareback riding -- Bucky Dickson, UW, 145; Whitten Hoover, CSC, 144; Cheyenne Seymour, GC, 142; Ty Breuer, CWC, 139; Troy Brechen, CC, 136; Bryan Jones, CWC, 135.
Bull riding -- Cameron Weddle, NJC, 76; Doug Dillon, CSU, 75; Douglas Owen, UW, 70; Quin Hiser, CC, 69. All on one.
Tie down roping -- Cole Dorenkamp, LCC, 21.1; Cameron Weddle, NJC, 21.6; Caleb Adle, NJC, 24.4; Mitch McAdow, NJC, 23.7; Brady Graff, Cody McCluskey, NJC, 27.2.
Steer wrestling -- Levi Gorsuch, NJC, 9.1; Troy Brandemuehl, UW, 9.6; Troy Teague, CC, 10.1; Chason Floyd, GC, 10.4; Matt Hollan, LCCC, 11.6; Tyrel Larson, CC, 12.3.
Team roping -- T J Teague, UW/Troy Teague, CC, 14.2; Chad Nelson, UW/Beau Miller, GC, 15.1; Jessica Picchietti/Chelsea Moore, CWC, 23.4; Austin Laramore, Regis College/Taylor Thompson, NJC, 24.5; Cole Dorenkamp, LCC/Quincey Opela, EWC, 37.1.

UW hockey opens with sweep of Mesa State

by UW Media Relations

A new University of Wyoming hockey season began with the same old story.

The Cowboys' dynamic scoring tandem of Graham Barrett and Erik Blomberg picked up where they left off last season, accounting for seven goals and six assists to lead UW to victories of 10-0 and 6-5 against Mesa State College last weekend.

"They need to pull a lot of the weight for us on offense, but I think we all know they're capable of doing that. They did it last year and they're sure off to a good start again this year," UW coach Shawn Rockey said. "They're definitely our leaders -- both offensively and as role models -- and it's really important for them to step up, especially early in the year, and show the younger guys what's it all about."

The team's leading scorer with 38 points on 17 goals and 21 assists a season ago, Barrett (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had a goal and two assists in Saturday's opener at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne and three assists in Sunday's series finale at the Laramie Community Ice Arena.

Blomberg (Parker, Colo.), who burst onto the scene last season with a team-leading 22 goals to go along with 11 assists as a freshman, netted a pair of goals in both games and also recorded three assists in the weekend sweep of the Mavericks.

Barrett and Blomberg received plenty of offensive support in the series opener. Tad Bernet (Katy, Texas), the anchor of the team's second forward line, scored a pair of goals and assisted on another, and Ryan Allred (Laramie), Will Alpsteg (Kearney, Neb.), Willie Forbes (Casper), Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas) and David Wells (Rock Springs) had a goal apiece.

In goal, Robert Kola (Colorado Springs, Colo.) stopped 20 shots to earn his second career shutout.

The Cowboys weren't as crisp in their second game of the weekend and needed an overtime goal by Alpsteg to finish off Mesa State.

"In the first game, I thought everyone worked together and we played hard as a team," Rockey said. "In the second game, I thought we broke down and everybody was trying to do things on their own. It was a little disappointing to go to overtime after beating them 10-0, but we finally came together and pulled it out."

Forbes, Evan Reed (Fort Collins, Colo.) and Lucas Wescoat (Idaho Falls, Idaho) also scored goals for UW. Drew Luplow (Sheridan) deflected 34 of 39 shots to record the victory in goal.

The Cowboys open American Collegiate Hockey Association Pacific Regional play this weekend with two games against the United States Air Force Academy club squad in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Three named to MWC decade team

From left, Hanna Zavecz, Marcus Bailey, Josh Davis

By Wyoming Sports.org

Three former University of Wyoming basketball players were named to the Mountain West Conference 10th Anniversary basketball teams on Monday.

For the Cowgirls, Hanna Zavecz was named to the women’s team, with Josh Davis and Marcus Bailey named to the men’s team.

The men’s and women’s anniversary teams were selected by a combined panel of media, institutional and conference personnel and an on-line fan poll. In order to be eligible for consideration, candidates must have been a First Team All-Mountain West selection at least once in their careers.

A 6-foot forward from Melbourne, Australia, Zavecz led the Cowgirls several categories including scoring (13.9 points per game), rebounds (6.1 rpg), assists (3.6 aspg), steals (1.6 spg), blocked shots (1.6 bpg) during the 2007-08 season. She shot .408 (561-1375 (.408) from the field, .703 (468-666) from the free throw line and .332 (146-440) from beyond the arc. She also ranked among the Top 15 in the MWC in several categories as she finished second in blocks, fourth in assist/turnover ratio, fifth in assists, seventh in scoring, 11th in steals and 12th in rebounding.

Bailey and Davis led the Cowboys into the second round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament that included an upset of No. 6 Gonzaga.

Bailey, a 6-5 guard/forward, was a two-time All-MWC First Team performer and had his career cut short nine games into the 2002-2003 season with an ACL injury against South Carolina. He finished his career averaging 13.4 points and 3.7 rebounds a game in 101 games.

Davis, a 6-8 forward/center was also a two-time All-MWC First Team performer and one of the top rebounders in the conference in his junior and senior seasons. He finished his career averaging 12.5 points and 8.4 rebounds a game in 118 games.

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MWC Women’s Anniversary Team
Jordan Adams, New Mexico, 1999-2003
Linda Fröhlich, UNLV, 1999-2002
Constance Jinks, UNLV, 1999-2003
Dionne Marsh, New Mexico, 2004-2008
Sherry McCracklin, UNLV, 2001-2004
Leilani Mitchell, Utah, 2007-2008
Kim Smith, Utah, 2002-2006
Shona Thorburn, Utah, 2002-2006
Erin Thorn, BYU, 1999-2003
Hanna Zavecz, Wyoming, 2004-2008
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MWC Men’s Anniversary Team
Lee Cummard, BYU, 2005-Present
Jason Smith, Colorado State, 2004-07
Ruben Douglas, New Mexico, 2000-03
Danny Granger, New Mexico, 2003-05
Brandon Heath, San Diego State, 2003-07
Wink Adams, UNLV, 2005-Present
Marcus Banks, UNLV, 2001-03
Andrew Bogut, Utah, 2003-05
Marcus Bailey, Wyoming, 1999-03
Josh Davis, Wyoming, 1999-02

Lobos nip Cowgirls

by Wyoming Sports.org

This 1-0 game went the other way this time for the Wyoming soccer team.

After winning three straight 1-0 contests, New Mexico's score in the first half stood up in the 1-0 win over the Cowgirls Sunday at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.

The loss was also the first in Mountain West Conference play (2-1), as Wyoming fell to 8-6-1 on the season.

In the first half, both teams had few chances to score. Wyoming had three shots in the first half while New Mexico had five. The only goal came when New Mexico’s Jael Fanning crossed a corner kick that Samanta Bevis was able to get past Cowgirl goalkeeper Jamie Scarcliff at the 23:07 mark.

"New Mexico deserves all the credit, there weren’t a lot of chances in this game, but they took care of the ball," said UW head coach Danny Sanchez. "There are only so many 1-0 games you can win and eventually one will go against you."

In the second half, the Cowgirls had scoring opportunities by taking four corner kicks and taking 13 shots, but were unable to tie the game.

"We played with a little more urgency at the end but it was too little too late," Sanchez said. "Today was a game that could have gone either way. We need to bounce back and get ready for the week ahead."

With the win, New Mexico moves to 2-1 and 7-3-4.

The Cowgirls hit the road next week, facing UNLV Friday at 5 p.m. and San diego State Sunday at 2 p.m.

UW swimmers come up short at DU

by Wyoming Sports.org

DENVER -- The Wyoming swimming teams came up short against Denver University Saturday at the Denver Relays on Saturday.

"We were expecting more teams to be there, which was a little disappointing, but I think overall we had a good meet," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "We have a lot to work on. There were a few times we were ahead in races but fell apart on the end. I saw some good things today though. Some of the little things we talk about in practice we need to get better at."

The Cowgirls kept the score close against DU, only losing by eight points, 139-131. The Cowgirls won three relay events, including the 300 breaststroke (3 minutes, 19.96 seconds), the 400 medley 4X100 (4:04.30), and the 400 freestyle (3:39.12). Lesley Young, Megan Evans, and Kaella Hartigan swam the 300 breaststroke. Swimming in the 400 medley 4X100 Evans, Young, Caroline Wells, and Stephanie Vint, while Amiee Stinson, Vint, Erin Wagner, and Cassie Stelow swam the 400 freestyle.

Last season at the Denver Relays, the Cowgirls won the same three relays in a victory over DU and three other schools.

The Cowboys lost to DU 136-129, and had one first-place finish. Eli Bell, Matt Urich, Jamie Comrie, and Tommy Gregory won the 100 freestyle. Another Wyoming team finished second in that event: Christian Verbrugghe, James Rigg, Christian Johnson, and Devin Hougardy.

The UW swimming and diving teams will travel to Gillette totake on North Dakota and South Dakota on Oct. 24. The South Dakota State men’s team will take on the Cowboys the next day.

Lady Frogs stop Cowgirls in three

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming coach Carrie Yerty talks to freshman Lauren Curtis during a timeout Saturday.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

You could hear it in her voice and in her words: The Cowgirls aren’t quite there yet, but they will be.

First-year Wyoming head volleyball coach Carrie Yerty sounded like a coach who had just swept the weekend, not losing both matches in three games each.

The Cowgirls, however, struggled offensively at times and fell to TCU 25-20, 25-14 and 25-21 . The loss was the second straight at home and dropped Wyoming to 2-4 in Mountain West Conference play and 3-12 overall. TCU, which lost in four games at Colorado State on Thursday, is 4-3 and 15-5.

“They give me everything they have. It’s my job to make this team better and we’re going to continue to work hard and we’re going to continue to build this program,” Yerty said. “These kids can walk with their head held high, they can be proud that they are Wyoming Cowgirls, they need to know that our future is bright, and we need to keep building so every day we get better, I believe in this team. I believe they have the heart of a lion and they have no reason to hang their head.”

The young Cowgirls went into the weekend on somewhat of a roll, with wins over Utah and TCU this year and playing well in a three-game loss to No. 24 BYU and a five-game loss to No. 13 Colorado State in Fort Collins.

As was the case in the three-game loss to New Mexico on Thursday, Wyoming struggled to get any kind of consistent offense going. When the Cowgirls would find some momentum, they couldn’t hold on to it.

“Tonight was tough. It was tough back-to-back losses in our conference, but I am proud of my girls,” Yerty said. “They come every day and work hard and compete to the best of their ability. I don’t feel like they ever give up. Sometimes we get beat. Tonight, we got beat.”

Wyoming hit just .028 on the night and of the Cowgirls‘ 26 kills, sophomores Dani Bedore (10 kills) and Lauren Whitney had 16 of them.

Yerty said the Cowgirls had a hard time working around TCU’s block at times and it took the wind out of their sails a little bit.

“You have to talk about experience here,” Yerty said. “ Lauren Whitney has moments of greatness and then she has moments of, ‘I’m a sophomore.’ It’s hard to go up against a big block and swing and get blocked and come back. I saw her tell Tasha (Weishahn), ‘set me again, set me again.’ I want that.

“ I think Dani goes out every time and she truly believes she is going to put the ball away or she truly believes she is going block. I think tonight, TCU was the better team, but we’re going to have other opportunities and we’re going to come back and fight every point and every play. We’re going to keep getting better.”

In the third game, the Cowgirls finally got some momentum and led 215-9 before the Lady Frogs came back. It’s still a learning process for the younger Cowgirls, senior libero Carissa Lee said.

“We’re still working on it. We still have a little more than a half of the season left, so there is definitely a lot of time. It’s more practice. We’ll get into the gym and keep working hard. That’s all you can do.”

The Lady Frogs were led by Christy Hudson and Lauren Otto with eight kills each. TCU had 40 kills on the night and hit .247.

Despite the tough night, Yerty was also impressed with the Cowgirl crowd that was estimated at 685.

“What an awesome Homecoming crowd,” she said. “Our fans just continually come out and cheer for us. The girls appreciate it and I certainly appreciate it. It helps to build our home court advantage.”

Wyoming hit’s the road Thursday at San Diego State and Saturday at UNLV.
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LADY FROGS 3, COWGIRLS 0
TCU K A D B
Kourtney Edwards 5 0 2 4
Christy Hudson 8 3 8 0
Nirelle Hampton 5 30 7 4
Devon Kirk 7 0 1 4
Lauren Otto 8 1 11 3
Sarah Joeckel 3 0 3 1
Katelyn Blackwell 0 1 5 0
Megan Munce 1 3 12 0
Irene Hester 0 0 8 0
Team 40 38 50 16
Wyoming K A D B
Dani Bedore 10 0 6 3
Lauren Whitney 6 0 3 0
Tasha Weishahn 3 21 3 1
JennaRae Jester 3 0 0 0
Samantha Eley 0 3 8 0
Jenna Arneson 3 0 1 4
Jessica Kagarise 0 1 1 0
Carissa Lee 0 0 7 0
Lauren Curtis 1 0 0 1
Team 26 25 29 9
TCU 25 25 25 -- 3
Wyoming 20 14 21 -- 0
Attendance -- 685. Time: 1:20. Referees: Kim Pickering, Bill Peer.