Branch inks four wrestlers for 2009-10 season

University of Wyoming head wrestling coach Mark Branch announced on Thursday that four student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to wrestle for the Cowboys beginning in the 2009-10 season. Jimmy Belleville of Tumwater, Wash., Tyler Cox from Gillette, Jake Eitzen of Estes Park, Colo., and Patrick Martinez from Hemet, Calif., will join the UW squad next fall.

“These guys believe in what we are doing here and are committed to the direction of this program,” said Branch as he described his first recruiting class. “They all had other offers, but chose to attend Wyoming based on what was in their best interest and what was in the best interest of the program. All four of these guys are excited to come here and are fired up to be on board. That is the type of wrestler we try to recruit. Their credentials speak for themselves, but their commitment is what has me excited about this class.

“I know first-hand how difficult five years of college wrestling can be, so it is very important that they are excited to be at Wyoming. The buzz about Wyoming Wrestling caught their attention and they want to be a part of it.”

Belleville comes to Wyoming from Black Hills High School in Tumwater, where he is a three-time state champion. He enters his final high school season with a record of 126-6. As a freshman his state title was at 103 pounds, 125 as a sophomore and his junior year he won at 145 pounds. Belleville was the Freestyle Junior National runner-up earlier this year. He could factor into the Cowboy lineup at 149 or 157 pounds.

Cox is a three-time Wyoming state champion and is expected to wrestle at 125 pounds for the Cowboys. Entering his senior year at Campbell County High School, he has a career high school record of 117-1, with his only loss coming during his freshman season. Cox won the 4A state title at 112 pounds the past two years and earned the top spot at 103 pounds as a freshman. He is a two-time FILA World Team member and wrestled in the Junior World Championships in Beijing in 2007. Cox won the 110-pound division at the High School National Wrestling Championships this past March.

Eitzen is a Colorado state champion from Estes Park High School. Including his state title as a junior, he has placed three times at the state tournament, runner-up as a freshman and sixth as a sophomore. Eitzen was the 2008 Colorado State Freestyle and Greco-Roman champion. He hopes to wrestle at the 133 pound level collegiately. A good student, he was named Academic All-State as a junior, as well as an NHSGA Academic All-American. Eitzen was also a three-year letterwinner on the football team for Estes Park H.S.

Martinez is is a two-time Freestyle and Greco Roman State Champion, as well as a place-winner at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Martinez is a California State Tournament place-winner in arguably one of the most difficult state high school events in the nation. His high school team, Temecula Valley, won the CIF championship three straight years and the Southern Section Masters championship those same years. Martinez was a California Triple Crown winner in 2007 and the California FILA Greco Roman state champion. He is projected to compete at 165 or 174 pounds for the Cowboys.

UW hockey goes 1-2

The University of Wyoming hockey club finished 1-2 at the Clash in the Corn tournament last week in Sioux Center, Iowa.

The Cowboys opened the four-team, round-robin event with a 6-5 victory Thursday over University of Wisconsin-Platteville but lost their final two games, 9-1 Friday against Dordt College and 6-3 Saturday against Calvin College.

Heading into a six-week holiday break, UW is 10-6 and ranked fourth in the American Collegiate Hockey Association's (ACHA) Division III Pacific Region.

"It's a long break this year and we're going to have to try to stay in shape without practice and ice time," UW Coach Shawn Rockey says. "I am having Kerry Brown (a personal trainer at the UW Wellness Center) draw up a special program for the break to keep the guys at their best possible performance levels.

"We plan to come back strong, even though we are losing four guys at the semester break. We are going to try to pick up a few new guys, but if that doesn't work out, we'll just have to bear down and learn to become a stronger team without them."

When the Cowboys return to the ice Jan. 16 at Kansas, they will be minus forwards Tad Bernet (Katy, Texas) and David Wells (Rock Springs), both of whom graduate at the semester break, and defensemen Evan Reed and Grayson Walsh (both of Fort Collins, Colo.), both of whom are being deployed to Iraq.

UW will especially feel the loss of Bernet, who anchors the club's second line and fronts the team with 24 points on 11 goals and 13 assists. His linemate, Wells, has accounted for five goals and seven assists.

At the Clash in the Corn, Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas) netted a pair of goals in the opening seven minutes to spark a five-goal outburst in the first period of the Cowboys' tourney debut against the previously undefeated Pioneers.

Erik Blomberg (Parker, Colo.) added two goals, his team-leading 14th and 15th of the season, and Wells and Ryan Allred (Laramie) also scored for UW.

Bernet and Rick Comer (Gillette) each had two assists for the Cowboys. Wells, Willie Forbes (Casper), Nate Olsen (Pinedale) and Ryan Tufte (Jackson) also recorded assists.
In goal, Drew Luplow (Sheridan) made 11 saves to earn the victory.After beating UW-Platteville, the Cowboys were overwhelmed by two of the ACHA's best teams.

Dordt College, which eliminated UW from last year's Pacific Regional Tournament, scored six unanswered goals in the first two periods en route to its second win over the Cowboys this month.

The Blades (13-2), ranked No. 2 in the region behind Northern Arizona University (14-0), have outscored their opponents by a 118-50 count this season, including 19-2 against UW.

Lucas Wescoat (Idaho Falls, Idaho) scored the Cowboys' lone goal, assisted by Bernet and Graham Barrett (Colorado Springs, Colo.).

In its tourney finale, UW fell to Calvin College, the No. 3 team in the ACHA's North Regional. The Knights (10-4) won each of their three games at the Clash in the Corn, including a 5-2 triumph over Dordt College.

Olsen, Tufte and Cody Leeper (Jackson) scored the Cowboys' goals in a losing cause. Allred, Barrett and Leriger had assists for UW.

Injury hampers Korir at NCAA Championships

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The combination of cold weather and rolling hills were too much for Mark Korir to overcome and become the first three-time All-American in University of Wyoming cross country history Monday at the NCAA Championships.

Battling back problems, Korir finished 71st in a time of 30 minutes, 38 seconds.

At the second mile of the 6.2 mile (10k) course, Korir was cruising along with the lead group. When they entered a decline at the Indiana State University course Korir’s back started to tighten up on him. That’s when the lead pack began to pull away from not only Korir but the rest of the field.

It was a two-man race from the get-go with sophomore Samuel Chelanga from Liberty and senior Galen Rupp from the University of Oregon. Chelanga sprinted out from the start and Rupp had to play catch up, he caught him about half way through the race and ran with him the rest of the way. Neither of them made their move to pull away until the last 400 meters. They came down the home stretch and that’s when Rupp led for the first time in the 10k race. He crossed the line with a time of 29:03, five seconds in front of Chelanga.

“Mark has had an incredible career here at UW and he will be sorely missed on the cross country course,” said head coach Randy Cole. “It just wasn’t his day with his back locking up on him, but he still gave everything he had and I am very proud of him for that.

“There are some great runners here and unfortunately Mark was unable to keep up with them. He will have some time to recover before the start of the indoor track and field season and I expect him to be full strength and continue to reek havoc on the conference soon.

Korir to run at NCAAs on Monday

UW photo
Wyoming senior Mark Korir will compete in the NCAA Championships Monday in Terre Haute, Ind.

Mark Korir will run his last cross country race of his illustrious career for the University of Wyoming Monday in Terre Haute, Ind., at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships.

“Mark has been an incredible runner and leader for this University for the past three years and has a chance to become the first three-time All-American in Wyoming history on Monday,” said UW head coach Randy Cole. “He has put the Brown and Gold on the map in the cross country world and you won’t be able to miss him on Monday in the lead pack with his gameday gold jersey.”

The championships will be televised on CBS College Sports beginning at 10 a.m. (MST) and will run till 11:30 a.m., there will also be a live webcast on NCAA.com.

During the 2007 NCAA Championships, Korir finished in 19th place with a time of 30 minutes, 13 seconds and in 2006 in 22nd-place with a time of 31.24.

“Mark is a great competitor and he heads into this Championship with the goal of improving on his place and time from the last two years and who knows what can happen,” said Cole.

The ‘Pokes ran in Terre Haute, Ind., earlier in the year at the Pre-Nationals Invite where Korir placed seventh overall in the 8k race. On Monday, they will be running on the same course but be running a 10-kilometer race.

This year the NCAA changed the rule to the top 40 individuals in both races will be named All-American regardless of nationality.

Cowgirl junior Emily Higgins was unable to run along with Korir as she was short by only two-seconds and was left on the outside looking in.

Results will be posted at www.wyomingathletics.com immediately following the race.

Cowgirl vb falls to Utes

SALT LAKE CITY -- This time around, it was a different story in the Mountain West Conference volleyball match-up between the Wyoming Cowgirls and the No. 22 ranked Utah Utes.

Utah defeated Wyoming in three straight sets on Thursday night in Salt Lake City, in stark contrast to the last game between the two squads, when the Cowgirls beat the Utes 3-0 in Laramie on Sept. 20.

UW (5-19, 4-11 MWC) held their own against UU (21-5, 13-2 MWC) in the early going of all three sets, but the Utes would slowly edge ahead at key moments and win 25-16, 25-20 and 25-17. Blocks played a major role in the match outcome as Utah out-played Wyoming at the net 23-12. The Utes also held a large advantage in hitting percentage, 31 percent compared to 10 percent for the Cowgirls.

Sophomore Lauren Whitney led the Cowgirls with nine kills and five digs, while senior setter Tasha Weishahn had 24 assists.

Lori Baird had nine kills to lead Utah and Emillie Toone had a team-high six blocks.

The Cowgirls will conclude their 2008 regular season against the BYU Cougars on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Provo, Utah.

Cowgirls close in Utah

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

One final weekend, one last time to cause a little damage for the young Cowgirl volleyball team.

The Cowgirls will make their annual Utah trip to close the season, taking on No. 22 Utah on Thursday in Salt Lake City before facing BYU Saturday in Provo. Both matches begin at 7 p.m.

Wyoming’s biggest win of the season came early on when the Cowgirls shocked Utah in three games in Laramie. The Utes head into the final season tied for first place in the Mountain West Conference with Colorado State.

First year Wyoming head coach Carrie Yerty said she has a hunch they will be playing with big targets on their backs against the Utes.

“They are going to be ready for us after the whooping they took here,“ Yerty said. “They are going to be energetic and ready to play us. It won’t be their senior night, but it will be their senior weekend. They will definitely be ready. Our loss may be the one that costs them the conference championship. My guess is they are going to come at it 100 miles an hour."

Utah is currently 20-5 overall, 12-2 in the conference. The Utes are led by Lori Baird who is averaging a team leading 3.10 kills along with 1.38 blocks per set, while Kathryn Haynie is adding 2.86 kills and 2.27 digs per set.

“Utah is a phenomenal team,” Yerty said. “I would expect them to get a NCAA tournament bid and represents our conference, hopefully past the first round.”

BYU is 12-12 overall, 5-9 in MWC play and will take on Colorado State before facing the Cowgirls. They are led by Kayla Walker, who is averaging 3.01 kills and 2.08 digs per set, while Bryn Porter is adding 2.93 kills and 2.10 digs per set. The Cougars downed the Cowgirls in three close games earlier in Laramie.

For Yerty, this will be a bittersweet weekend.

“It’s hard for me because our senior class has done such an awesome job for us,” she said. “We know what our record (4-10, 5-18) is, but it certainly doesn’t entail what they have done for this program. I’m excited for this year to wrap up so we can look forward to the new year, but I’m also dad to see the end of the season because it is really been such a great year in terms of people and getting better and playing hard and commitment. All of the tangibles you want tin a program, this program has had. That’s why I truly believe our future is going to be so bright.”

Seniors Tasha Weishahan, Carissa Lee and Samantha Eley will be playing their final matches for Wyoming.

Yerty will lose those three seniors, but will welcome at least six talented newcomers to the program. She said this current Wyoming team had a lot to do in bringing in these players.

“It is important that the team understands what a valuable asset to us in the recruiting process," Yerty said. “These kids have worked their tails off, not just in the gym, but outside the gym to help us bring in the caliber athletes we need to bring in to improve to another level. Not just senior class but the corps returning next year is dedicated to see this program go back into a position where they can compete against anybody all of the time.”

UW women's golf signs another Zamprelli

University of Wyoming women’s head golf coach Josey Stender announced the signing of Dana Zamprelli to a national letter of intent to hit the links for the Cowgirls in the upcoming 2009-10 season.

Zamprelli is the little sister of current Cowgirl Jenna Zamprelli, who is currently a sophomore on the squad. She comes to Wyoming from Castle Rock, Colo., and Douglas County High School, where she is a four-sport athlete. Zamprelli lettered twice in volleyball, basketball, once in swimming and all four years in golf.

“We can’t be more excited about getting Dana to come and play here next season. She has the whole package,” said Stender. “Dana has quite the resume that follows her to UW along with holding many of the records in the weight room. She is the type of player that has her best golf ahead of her.”

During her golf career, she has led her team to the league championships twice, in 2006 and ‘07, as well as the regional championship in ‘07. The same year they were the state runner-up for the 5A division. Zamprelli has been selected to the first team all-conference team once while being named to the second team in ‘06 and ‘07. This past season, she was also named to the Colorado Junior Golf Association Academic All-Star team.

“Dana will add more depth to our roster and give us another option when it comes to players next season,” said Stender. “We try to add quality student-athletes each year and it has shown with our recent success. Dana will fit in perfectly here as she is very coachable and extremely team oriented.”

The Cowgirls will resume action Feb. 15 at the SDSU Lady Aztec Spring Classic in Chula Vista, Calif.

Onufer named WWC Wrestler of the Week

Shane Onufer

University of Wyoming 174-pounder Shane Onufer has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials.

Onufer, a redshirt freshman from Auburn, Wash., was 5-0 this past weekend, leading UW to a 34-10 dual win over Stanford and earning the 174-pound title at the Cowboy Open. In his five matches, Onufer did not give up a single point to his opponents.

On Friday night he won by fall at 1:54 over Stanford’s Victor Haug, giving Wyoming a large cushion on the way to UW’s first dual win of the season.

Onufer then bullied his way to the 174-pound crown on Saturday in the Elite Division at the 36th annual Cowboy Open. He posted a 4-0 record and was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. He won his first two matches by fall, his third round bout by major decision, 15-0 over Brett Hunter of Chadron State, and then out-muscled Nebraska-Kearney’s Kamarudeen Usman, the No.2 ranked DII wrestler in the country, by a score of 7-0 in the finals.

As evidence of the competition level at 174 pounds, included in Onufer’s bracket at the Cowboy Open was the No. 8 ranked wrestler in the country, Nate Lee of Boise State. Lee lost to Usman in the semifinals.

Onufer’s season record is now 13-0, with nine pins.

The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

Border War T-shirt designer

UW Photo
Cody Connor of Newcastle, a University of Wyoming junior in business administration, won the Border War T-Shirt design contest sponsored by the UW Bookstore. He won four tickets to this Saturday's UW vs. CSU football game, two nights at a Laramie motel and a gift card. The T-shirts are being sold at the UW Bookstore.

Six sign with Cowgirl volleyball

UW head coach Carrie Yerty

University of Wyoming head volleyball coach Carrie Yerty announced her first recruiting class to attend the University of Wyoming, with six new signees.

“Overall, I’m really excited about our first recruiting class at the University of Wyoming,” Yerty said. “I feel fortunate to be able to bring in the caliber of athletes to this class. I give a lot of credit to our current Cowgirl team, who has actively assisted the staff in rebuilding this program.”

Among the new signees are two Casper athletes and a former Laramie resident. The new recruits include Makenzie Bartsch of Casper Natrona, Emily Rochelle of Casper Kelly Walsh, Reese Roehrkasse of Fort Collins (formerly of Laramie), Camille Coffman of Peculiar, Mo., Cali Miller of Bullard, Texas and Jodi Purdy of Winterset, Iowa.

Bartsch, a 6-foot middle blocker, is a two-time all-conference and all-state selection, while attending Natrona County High School. As a junior, she led her team to 30-5 overall record and the 4A State Championship. This season, they went undefeated on their way to a 4A West Conference and Regional Championship. They finished 28-5 overall and in the runner-up spot at the state tournament. Coached by Sally Nichols, a four-year letterwinner in volleyball, she also earned letters in basketball. She is a three-time all-conference selection while earning all-state honors last season.

An excellent student, she is a member of the National Honor Society and involved with student council. She is the daughter of Lisa and Richard Bratton and she has our siblings.

“Makenzie is going to provide size and depth to the middle hitter position,” Yerty said. “She is a fiery competitor who has a great deal of untapped potential.”

Roehrkasse, a 6-2 middle blocker, is an all-conference selection while attending Ridgeview High School. She played volleyball at Fort Collins High School. During her senior year, she led her team to a Front Range Conference championship with a 13-1 conference mark, while finishing 19-7 overall. Roehrkasse was coached in high school by Lindsey Kerr. An excellent student, she has been a member of the honor roll throughout high school. She played club volleyball for the Norco Volleyball club. In 2007, the team qualified for the Junior Nationals and placed 13th. Her 17 black team placed third at the Rocky Mountain Region, while she was named to the All-Start Team at the RMR Junior National Qualifier in 2008. The daughter of Bruce and Jan Roehrkasse, she has four siblings.

“Reese is a blue collar worker, and always striving better herself and those around her,” Yerty said. “She is a total team player and has outstanding blocking ability.”

Rochelle, a 6-1 middle blocker/outside hitter, is a two-time all-State and 4A Player of the Year selection while attending Kelly Walsh High School. She is also earned all-conference honors three straight years, along with being selected to the Wyoming Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year in 2007. Rochelle was a two-time team captain and named to the McDonald’s Tournament Team. This season, Kelly Walsh went 30-4 overall on the way to a State 4A championship, while the past two seasons they were in the runner-up spot. Her team also won the 4A West Conference and regional championships in both 2006 and 2007. A three-year letterwinner in volleyball, she also earned letters in both basketball and track and field. She was a two-time team captain, while earning all-state and all-conference honors. In track, she qualified for the state meet three straight years in the triple, high and long jump. An excellent student, she is a member of the National Honor Society, the honor roll, while being involved with several other scholastic activities. The daughter of Joe and DeAnn Rochelle, she has three siblings.

“Emily is a great athlete and student, while being a tremendous competitor,” Yerty said. “She will be an impact player in the future for the Cowgirl volleyball program.”

Coffman, a 6-3, middle blocker/rightside hitter, is an all-conference selection while attending Ray-Pec High School. During her senior year, she also earned second team all-conference and all-district honors, while being selected to play in the Missouri-Kansas All-Star Game. A captain her senior year, she was coached in high school by Cara Hornbeck. Coffman played for the Invasion Swat Volleyball Club, as they finished first at the 18 open Northern Lights tournament, second at the Crossroads tournament and fifth at nationals. She is the daughter of Paul and Amy Coffman and has three siblings.

“Camille comes from an extremely athletic background,“ Yerty said. “Her size and mobility make her a versatile player with an intimidating net presence.”

Miller, 6-1, outside hitter, is two-time All-East Texas selection and team captain, while attending Bullard High School. She was named the District MVP, while helping her team to a District and Area Championship in 2006. As a junior, she earned the District Outstanding Hitter Award, while her team won the Bi-District Championship and the runner-up spot in the District Championship. She was coached by Kalya Hanningham. A four-time letterwinner in volleyball, she has also earned letters in basketball and was selected first team all-district and All-East Texas in 2007, and second team all-district in 2006. An excellent student, she is a member of the National Honor Society and honor roll. Miller is the daughter of Kevin and Linda Miller and has two siblings.

“Callie has the versatility to play any position on the court and will eventually challenge as a sixth rotation player,” Yerty said. “She is a very spirited and will bring focus and intensity to the court.”

Purdy, a 5-11 outside hitter, is a three-time unanimous all-conference selection while attending Winterset High School. This past season she helped her team to a 40-4 overall record and a conference championship, along with being selected to the senior all-star team. During her junior season, she earned first team all-state and all-regional team honors. She has also earned second team all-state and special mention all-state honors, while earning all-tournament honors several times during her career. She was coached by BJ Eldridge. Besides volleyball, she has lettered in basketball and track and field. In basketball, she is a two-time all-conference and all-regional selection. She is also a three-time state qualifier in the 200-meters. Her IPVA club team has qualified for the Junior Olympic National Tournament three straight years, while she was named to the 2008 All-Tournament Team for the American Division at the this year’s tournament. An excellent student, she is a member of the National Honor Society, on the honor roll, along with being involved with the student-council. The daughter of Jeff and Annette Purdy, she has two siblings.

“One of the most competitive athletes, who has the experience and ability to challenge for playing time immediately,” Yerty said. “She is a natural leader, and will be a player to watch in the future.”

UW hockey sweeps Metro State

The University of Wyoming club hockey team completed a three-city, nine-game homestand last weekend with a pair of victories over Metro State College.

The Cowboys romped to a 5-0 win over the Roadrunners Friday night at the Laramie Community Ice Arena and rallied for a 7-6 triumph Saturday night at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne.

UW (9-4), ranked No. 4 in the Pacific Region of the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division III, embarks on an eight-game road trip this week that includes a Saturday matchup against No. 2 Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, and a pair of games against No. 3 University of Colorado Jan. 23-24 in Boulder.

In the Cowboys' opener against Metro State last weekend, Erik Blomberg (Parker, Colo.) and Willy Miller (Arvada, Colo.) each had a goal and an assist to back goaltender Robert Kola (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Kola stopped 33 shots to record his second shutout of the season.

Graham Barrett (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Craig Luplow (Sheridan) and Lucas Wescoat (Idaho Falls, Idaho) also scored goals for UW. David Wells (Rock Springs) added two assists, and Cody Leeper (Jackson), Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas), Nate Olsen (Pinedale) and Ryan Tufte (Jackson) had single assists.

In Saturday's series finale, Rick Comer (Gillette) capped a four-goal rally in the third period with a power-play goal in the final two minutes to lift the Cowboys over the Roadrunners.
Barrett, Blomberg, Tufte, Wells, Tad Bernet (Katy, Texas) and Zach Jacobson (Parker, Colo.) also netted goals for UW. Bernet, Leriger and Evan Reed (Fort Collins, Colo.) recorded assists.

The Cowboys open their longest road trip of the 2008-09 season Thursday in Sioux Center against the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Following Friday's faceoff against Dordt, UW wraps up its weekend Saturday against Calvin College.

Cowboys have two champs in own tournament

Shane Onufer and Lee Helbig

Ten University of Wyoming wrestlers placed in the top three of their brackets on Saturday at the 36th annual Cowboy Open tournament. The ‘Pokes enjoyed the home-mat advantage of War Memorial Fieldhouse, as they tallied two weight class titles, three runner-up finishes and had five student-athletes place third.

Wyoming redshirt freshman Shane Onufer captured the 174-pound crown in the Elite Division. Onufer had a 4-0 record, did not give up a point to an opponent and was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. He won his first two matches by fall, his third round bout by major decision, 15-0 over Brett Hunter of Chadron State, and then out-muscled Nebraska-Kearney’s Kamarudeen Usman, the No.2 ranked DII wrestler in the country, by a score of 7-0 in the finals. Onufer’s season record is now 12-0, with eight pins.

UW’s other division champion was true freshman Lee Helbig, who dominated the Amateur Division at 184 pounds. On his way to 4-0, Helbig had three pins and a 13-2 finals win over Karl Oeser of Air Force.

“I thought that this was a good tournament and for the most part we competed hard,” said Wyoming head coach Mark Branch. “There were some talented wrestlers here today and a higher level of competition than we had seen so far this year. It was good to see how our guys stacked up against this talent level and how they did in tough situations, because we will be in those tough situations later in the season.

“Shane Onufer wrestled with attitude and that is the reason he won. He came into this tournament believing he would win. The hardest job I have as head coach right now is getting this team to do just that, believe they can win. I have seen glimpses of that so far this season and hopefully more guys will start to wrestle that way as we progress.”

Including Onufer and Helbig, Wyoming had five total individuals wrestle in the finals. All three second-place UW finishers lost to nationally ranked opponents in the Elite Division.

Cowboy redshirt freshman Michael Martinez had two wins by fall on his way to a 3-1 record at 125 pounds. He suffered a gritty 5-3 overtime finals loss to No. 15 ranked Tony Mustari of Northern Colorado.

At the 141 pound level, UW sophomore Cole Dallaserra won four matches, two by major decision, before losing in his finals match-up with No. 11 ranked Cory Fish of Boise State.

Wyoming also got three wins from redshirt freshman Joe LeBlanc at 184 pounds, including one pin. LeBlanc fell to Boise State’s No. 5 ranked Kirk Smith in the finals.

The ‘Pokes five third place finishers included three in the Elite Division; redshirt freshman Chase Smith at 149 (4-1), senior Eric Coxbill at 165 (3-1) and junior Alex Rieder at 174 (5-1). In the Amateur Division , UW freshman Kasey Garnhart (5-1) was in the three spot at 133 pounds, while redshirt freshman Tyler Davis (7-1) won the back draw of a very large bracket and placed third at 157 pounds.

The next competition for the Cowboys will be the Omaha Open, Nov. 22 in Omaha, Neb.

UW swimmer and divers beat TCU; Ortiz sets another school mark

Stephanie Ortiz

In an impressive performance that included first place finishes in 22 of 32 events, the University of Wyoming swimming and diving team swept TCU in Mountain West Conference dual action Saturday afternoon in Corbett Pool. The Cowgirls beat TCU 168-131 while the Cowboys cruised to a 191.5-106.5 victory.

With the wins, the Cowboys improve to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the MWC, while the Cowgirls improve to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the MWC. TCU falls to 4-1 overall and 2-2 in the MWC on the women’s side and 1-3 overall and 0-3 in the MWC for the men.

"Its a great conference win for the team today. We did well in the events we are good at like the breaststrokes, butterfly's, and backstroke," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "The divers were dominant as usual and it was nice to have a home pool advantage today."

The UW divers took three out of four events, including two by Stephanie Ortiz who broke the school record in the three-meter diving with 313.73 points. Last week, Ortiz set the one-meter school record with her six dive total of 300.22 against New Mexico.

"It’s a great accomplishment for Stephanie to own both records. With her great training efforts she was been putting what she has learned into competition," said diving coach Ben Herdt.

On the diving boards for the men, Kyle Bogner won the one-meter diving with his six dive total of 325.50, a personal best. Mark Murdock had the highest score for the Cowboys on the three-meter board and finished second with a total of 321.15.

"Overall, we had a good day and helped the team earn a victory. We also had a few NCAA zone qualifying scores," Herdt said.

For the Cowgirl swimmers, Lesley Young led the way with two victories in the 200 IM (2 minutes, 12.40 seconds) and 200 breaststroke (2:24.20). She was also on the 200 medley relay team that possed a time of 1:46.14, a new Corbett Pool Record. Other Cowgirls on that team were Kelsey Conci, Shelby Bull, and Cassie Stelow. Other event winners for the Cowgirls were Aimee Stinson (1000 freestyle, 10:31.07), Kelsey Conci (100 backstroke, 58.13), Stephanie Vint (200 butterfly, 2:07.58), and Cassie Stelow (50 freestyle, 24.18).

Individually, the Pokes had three multi-event winners. Eli Bell won the 200 (1:42.71) and 100 freestyle (46.72). Alex Larkin won the 100 (57.33) and 200 breaststroke (2:05.67) while Matt Urich won the 200 (1:55.64) and 100 butterfly (50.72). The Cowboy relay team also won the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:33.19.

The UW diving team will travel to Tucson, Ariz., to take part in the Wildcat Invite Friday through Sunday. The swimmers will have a break until taking on Denver on Dec. 13 in Corbett Pool at 1 p.m.

Korir qualifies for NCAA meet

Mark Korir

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- For the third time in as many years, senior Mark Korir will have a shot at being an All-American, as he automatically qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships by placing third Saturday at the NCAA Mountain Region championship.

Wyoming junior Emily Higgins will now play the waiting game with her 13th-plae finish in the women’s field.

“Mark will have an opportunity to three-peat as an All-American, while Emily will wait and see how many teams from the Mountain Region get selected as at-large teams,” said UW head coach Randy Cole. “This was one of the best team efforts on both sides this season for the Brown and Gold.”

Korir finished the 10k race in 29 minutes, 33 seconds, 15 seconds behind the winner, David McNeill of Northern Arizona. He led the ‘Pokes to a sixth-place finish out of 15-teams and a total of 182 points.

Fellow senior, Michael Huntington broke the 31-minute barrier with his 39th-place finish and time of 30:54. Freshmen Greg Miller, Eliud Chirchir and sophomore Seth Grossman all ran great races with their 49th, 52nd and 54th-place finishes respectively.

Senior Brett Schuler ran a 31:57 and finished his last Mountain Regional Meet in 61st-place. While freshman Ryan Griesbach, Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, concluded the running for the Cowboys in 82nd-place.

“The men had a nice pack early and actually through 8-kilometers had run times faster than most of the season,” said Cole. “They really hung tough and finished strong. With six guys breaking the 32-minute mark, this is what we expect out of them throughout the track and field season.”

For the Cowgirls, they earned two All-Mountain Region honors in Higgins and sophomore Alysha Davis ,who finished the 6k race in 23rd-place in a time of 21:17. Following Davis was junior Erin Heffron and sophomore Emily Byra in 50th and 54th-place respectively. Rounding out the field for the Cowgirls were sophomore Irene Masai in 96th-place and senior Nikki Peterson in 109th-place, who has been plagued by injury much of this season.

“It was a great race for the Cowgirls as they all set their own personal bests in the 6k race,” said Cole.

The Cowgirls as a team finished in ninth place with a team total of 234 points out of the 18-team field. Higgins should find out either Sunday or Monday if she will be joining Korir at the Championships on Nov. 24 in Terre Haute, Ind.

Cowgirls stop Aztecs in four

Richard Anderson photo
The Cowgirls celebrate a big defensive play Saturday in the win over San Diego State

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

This time the Cowgirls finished the job.

Wyoming closed strong in three of the four games and downed San Diego State to send the three Cowgirl seniors out a winner in their final home matches of their careers. The Cowgirls (4-10 in the MWC, 5-18 overall) prevailed 26-24, 25-21, 20-25 and 25-19.

After out-playing the Aztecs (5-10, 8-17) in the end of the first two sets, the Cowgirls stumbled out of the block before making it close at the end in the third game. Not wanting to chance another five-set match, Wyoming came out and took control in the fourth game and never really let up.

The Cowgirls are 0-7 this season in five-set matches, including Thursday in a disappointing loss to UNLV.

Saturday, the Cowgirls had something to hang their hats on.

“It’s a great win for our seniors, it’s a great win for our program. Any win is a great win,” Wyoming coach Carrie Yerty said. “It’s nice to see at the end of the season, when you’re going five with teams, to be able to get a team in four.”

Saturday’s match was the final home contest for setter Tasha Weishahn, libero Carissa Lee and outside hitter Samantha Eley. Wyoming honored the three seniors before the match with flowers and a yellow flag with Steamboat on it in which they draped over their backs after they were introduced. At the end of the match, Cowgirl fans were invited down to the court where a slide show was presented with pictures of all three seniors throughout their careers.

“These seniors have been the foundation builders for the future of our program. For the first year as the Cowgirl coach, I couldn’t ask for better people to be on my team leading them,” Yerty said.

While the night belonged to the three seniors, four sophomores led the way offensively in the win. Outside hitter Lauren Whitney had a match-high 18 kills, followed by outside hitters Jenna Arneson and Dani Bedore with 14 and 13 kills respectively and middle blocker JennaRae Jester with 11 kills.

Weishahn had 50 assists in the match and is currently third all-time in assists with 4,138, with Lee adding to her UW-leading digs mark with 17 on Saturday. She now has 1,127 digs in her career. Eley is now ninth all time in digs with 888.

“I’m really proud of this team. We have another weekend and we’re excited to take on Utah and BYU,” Yerty said.

San Diego State was paced by Kyley Sexton with 12 kills.

Wyoming will face Utah Thursday in Salt Lake City before taking on BYU Saturday in Provo. Wyoming split with the two teams in Laramie, shocking the No. 23 Utes in three games. While UW traditionally hasn’t fared well on this trip, Yerty said they are not going to back down.

“We’re going to go after a win, like we do every time,” Yerty said.

Cowboys roll past Cardinal

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming redshirt freshman Shane Onufer looks to take control against Stanford's Victor Haug Friday at the UniWyo Sports Complex. Onufer won by a fall.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It’s not like Mark Branch looks for perfection, he just looks at the negatives first in order to turn them into positives later on.

Even with a 34-10 win over Stanford to open the home wrestling season, Branch found several things to critique with his new-look Cowboys.

“Tonight was a small glimpse into the future of this program...a small glimpse,” said Branch after coaching his first dual with Wyoming. “It was nice to meet the Wyoming crowd. We had some good spots and the level of competition level was higher than we have seen so far this year, but we have a long way to go.

“Of course, the level of competition went up, but I saw us going back to things that we’ve been trying to get away from, some bad habits. Of course, in most of these situations, I’m probably looking for the negative and looking for where we can improve.”

Wyoming got pins from redshirt freshmen Brock Smith (157 pounds) and Shane Onufer (174)and a major decision victory by sophomore 141-pounder Cole Dallaserra and won five of the eight matches wrestled (along with two forfeit wins).

It just could have been better in Branch’s eyes.

“It’s just elementary stuff,” Branch said, ‘Like coming off bottom. We’re doing baby stand-ups and we haven’t done that all year. A couple of them looked shell-shocked on their feet. Their standing flat-footed, not being aggressive. We’re moving side-to-side, we’re not moving forward to our opponent. I know we have room to improve, but those things I’m not real happy about right now.”

Branch, however, was pleased with the efforts of some of his younger wrestlers, especially that of Onufer and Smith, who each gave the Cowboys six points with aggressive pins.

Smith scored an exciting win by fall at 157-pounds over 2008 NCAA participant Lucas Espericueta. Smith caught his opponent off-guard with a rush, put him on his back and did not let up until both of Espericueta’s shoulders were on the mat two minutes into the match.

“It was my first match in front of the home crowd, so I was a little excited, pretty nervous,” Smith said. “I just tell myself to put my heart into every match and win or lose, I am going to put everything I have on it. That’s what I did.”

Smith is now 9-1 on the young season.

“Brock Smith is a raw talent who has been a surprise for us from day one,” Branch said. “Tonight, he beat a good wrestler and I’m excited about that.”

Fellow redshirt Onufer simply over-powered and pinned his opponent at 1:54 in the first period. Onufer said that if he gets his opponent in a pinning situation, he’s going to stick him.

“I just went out there and kind of felt it out there a little bit and hit a high crotch and took him down and worked it over,” Onufer said. “That’s my bread and butter, the power-half. I just wanted the match over with and win this dual. It was a big step for us as a team.”

The win keeps Onufer unbeaten on the season at 9-0.

“Shane (Onufer) did what he was supposed to do and wrestled aggressively,” Branch said.

While newbies on the college varsity level, both Smith and Onufer are buying into Branch’s aggressiveness and like what they see form the program.

“We’ve been training really hard for almost three months now," Onufer said. “We’re just ready to go and we’re all really excited to get on the mat and show everybody what we are all about. We’re a new Wyoming; this is a new team. This is a new everything for us.”

“Coach Branch has been pushing us,” added Smith.” We’re working a lot of technique and just improving everything we possibly can and just taking one step at a time."

The Cowboys also got a solid 10-3 win from redshirt freshman Michael Martinez to begin the evening at 125 pounds. Dallaserra then earned four team points with his impressive 10-1 major decision victory at 141, followed by a grinding 4-0 win at 149 pounds by senior Cody Chipperfield.

The Cowboys will get right back at it Saturday morning with the 36th annual Cowboy Open. Action begins at 9 a.m. in the War Memorial Fieldhouse.

“In a tournament setting, I hope maybe we come out and open it up a little bit more, and we’re a little more aggressive,” Branch said. “The level of competition is no doubt a lot better than we’ve faced, so we’re going to see All-Americans and nationally ranked guys."
---
COWBOYS 34, CARDINAL 10
125 -- Michael Martinez (WYO) dec. Matt Sencenbaugh 10-3
133 -- Porfirio Madrigal (STAN) dec. Cory VomBaur 7-3
141 -- Cole Dallaserra (WYO) major dec. Timmy Boone 10-1
149 -- Cody Chipperfield (WYO) dec. Max Rosefigura 4-0
157 -- Brock Smith (WYO) pinned Lucas Espericueta 2;04
165 -- Nick Amuchastegui (STAN) dec. Eric Coxbill 9-7
174 -- Shane Onufer (WYO) pinned Victor Haug 1:54
184 -- Joe LeBlanc (WYO) wins by forfeit
197 -- Jake Johnson (STAN) major dec. Alfonso Hernandez 11-1
Hwt. -- Jacob Scharbrough (WYO) wins by forfeit

Cowgirl seniors leave with fond memories

Cowgirl seniors, from left, Carissa Lee, Samantha Eley and Tasha Weishahn

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

At first glance, one would think that the three Wyoming volleyball seniors couldn’t wait to get the season over with.

After all, the Cowgirls have won just four games this season (4-18, 3-10 in MWC).

At second glance, though, you see three seniors who having the time of their life despite some ups and downs in threw won-loss column.

Setter Tasha Weishahn, libero Carissa Lee and outside hitter Samantha Eley will be playing their final home games of their careers Saturday when the Cowgirls host San Diego State at 7 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

Why the fun? All three said it is because of new head coach Carrie Yerty.

“It’s been a great season. Our record doesn’t show it, but it has been a lot of fun," Weishahn said. Carrie has been a blessing to work with and it has been an honor to play for her.”

“In the past our record has been better, but it was more of a drag,” Weishahn said. “”This year, even though our record doesn’t show it, we’ve had so much fun; we’ve worked so hard. We’ve competed with every team we have played. It’s just been a matter of getting over that hump. This is a young team and a new program, so in a few years it will get over that hump.”

Lee added: “I think it has been a good season. I love Carrie, I love the team. I like how she has come in here and changed our program. It’s been a great experience this last year.”

Yerty has emphasized to her three seniors that although they will play for her for just one season, they are a big part of the rebuilding process.

“Carrie makes sure that we feel like we are a part of it (rebuilding the program), that we are an important part,” Eley said. “She really emphasized this season that we’re going to building the foundation and we’re going to be setting the goals for the team next year. I’m excited to see how it goes.”

“I firmly believe that we are building the foundation,” Lee added. “All three of us seniors, we play on the court , we’ve had the most experienced. We’ve all learned to work together. I think hat if the younger girls see that, we only have one year with Carrie and we’re giving our best that we can in her system, I think it would be great for them.”

While the Cowgirls have struggled with wins and losses in their tenure, all three have put together impressive runs as players.

On Thursday, Lee became the all-time Wyoming leader in digs with 1,110, moving past UW Hall of Famer Ronda Munger.

It’s been a ton of great experiences; make memories with all of the girls on the team. Playing a sport is just a great experience,” Lee said.

Weishahn has the most experience as a four-year starter. She is currently third all-time for assists at Wyoming with 4,088.

“It was awesome to come in as a freshman and start and play, so I have had a lot of experience here,” Weishahn said. “I just love Wyoming, I love the town, I love the girls. It’s been a great experience. It will be nice to move back to Nebraska, too.”

Eley spent most of her career as a libero, before moving to the net this season after an injury to sophomore Chantilly Watson.

“I remember coming in as a freshman and being scared and wide eyed,” Eley said. “It was a good experience. I wouldn’t take it back for anything; I would do it all again for sure. I do wish that I could have had Carrie for all four years. She’s just going to make these girls amazing and she’s a great person and now she expects good things.”

The future looks bright for the three long-time volleyball players as well.

An elementary education major, Weishahn said she will be doing her student teaching in her native Nebraska next semester and then after getting married, looking to be a teacher and coach.

Eley will also be getting married in the near future and will graduate with a degree in communications in the fall of 2009. She looks to get an internship with the UW athletic department as well.

Lee will graduate in the spring of 2009 and looks to go to graduate school studying speech language pathology.

While all three are ready to move on in another chapter in their lives, they said it has been a positive experience, topped off by an enjoyable season.

“It‘s nuts, it is insane to be here at this point. It‘s crazy to think that we have been playing together for almost four years here,” Weishahn said.

Eley said earlier this week that she keeps forgetting that they are at their final home games of their careers.

When we talk about senior stuff, I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m a senior,’” Eley said. “It is weird, but it is bittersweet. I’m excited for the next chapter in my life, but I’m still sad to be leaving.”

Added Lee: “We grew these four years together. It is going to be exciting, we’re going to move on. We have a ton of great memories from our four years here.”

UW harriers ready for regional meet

The University of Wyoming cross country teams are rested and fresh off their two-week break from the Mountain West Championships and are ready to compete in the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships in Fort Collins, Colo., on Saturday at the Collindale Golf Course.

“Both teams are really coming off a nice week of training following the MWC Championships,
and this week we are really trying to taper and be as fresh as possible for this weekend,” said UW head coach Randy Cole.

The women’s 6k race will begin at 11 a.m., while the men are set to begin their 10k race at 11:45 a.m. This will be the first 10k race the men will run this season.

“With the longer race we need to keep our focus for that much longer and then finish the last two-miles strong,” said Cole.

The Cowboys are led by senior two-time All-American Mark Korir who looks to qualify for his third NCAA Championship and be named the first three-time cross country All-American in Wyoming history. Korir is coming off his first MWC Championship and looks to finish in the top-four to be considered for the NCAA Championships.

The top-two teams from each region will be automatically selected to the NCAA Championships, with 13 at-large teams selected from across the nation later. Out of those teams that are selected, they will take the top four individuals who are not already on one of the teams that has automatically qualified.

“We will again be running against some stiff competition and if we can get a few to finish in the top 25 they will earn All-Mountain Region honors and that’s something to shoot for,” said Cole.

The Cowgirls are led by junior Emily Higgins who finished the 2007 NCAA Regional meet in 31st-place with a time of 21:54. She has been followed by sophomore Alysha Davis all season long and both look to challenge for top 25 finishes.

“I really expect both teams to really push themselves and leave it all out on the course,” said Cole. “We need to get after and beat the teams we are capable of beating and who knows what can happen with the rest of the field, it should be an exciting finish.”

Results can be found at www.wyomingathletics.com immediately following the race.

Another tough five-set loss for Cowgirls

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming sophomore Lauren Whitney looks to get the ball past the UNLV block on Thursday.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The odds just don’t seem to favor the Wyoming volleyball team when it approaches that fifth and deciding set. Would Thursday be the night the Cowgirls finally got over the hump?

Not quite. UNLV rallied to win the final two games to edge Wyoming 3-2 with a 24-26, 25-20, 20-25, 26-24 and 15-11 victory. The Cowgirls are now 0-7 this season in five-set matches, including 0-4 in Mountain West Conference play.

Once again, the Cowgirls (3-10 in the MWC and 4-18 overall) had their chance to put a team away, Wyoming head coach Carrie Yerty said.

“That’s exactly how our match with New Mexico (last week) went,” Yerty said. “Our kids played hard, I’ll give them that. When it comes down to sealing the deal, we have to be able to handle the pressure and we have to have somebody who wants the ball every time who can be a terminator. We don’t have that person right now. It’s almost like they are hoping for the win, versus going after it and getting it.”

The Cowgirls had big nights from senior libero Carissa Lee and sophomore outside hitter Lauren Whitney, but couldn’t quite get over the hump at crunch time.

Lee finished the night with 21 digs to become Wyoming’s all-time leader with 1,110 digs. She surpassed UW Hall of Famer Ronda Munger (1984-87), who had 1,108.

“My team is great. I can’t do anything without them,” Lee said. “If my block is there, they can get a touch on it and it makes defense so much easier. It’s definitely a team effort for everything we do.”

Whitney finished with 20 kills, but like the Cowgirls as whole, couldn’t quite get the big kill at the end. Wyoming hit just .151 on the night, including .000 in the fifth game.

“We just couldn’t convert on a couple of key points. We’re playing our hearts out, but it is just those couple of balls that we’re letting drop or making errors,” Whitney said.

Although they dropped the final two sets, the Cowgirls made a couple of nice rallies to get back in the game, only to come up short. Wyoming trailed by as much as six points midway through the fourth game, only to come back and tie the set four times, including at 24-24. A kill and a net hit by Wyoming, however, gave the Rebels the win.

Wyoming trailed 4-1 in the fifth game, but rallied for a 9-8 lead when sophomore Dani Bedore saved the ball on a sure kill, sending it straight up and off of the basketball bang board, with junior Jessica Kagarise diving and getting the ball over the net. The Cowgirls would then get a block for the lead.

What could have been a big momentum changer went for naught, as UNLV would rally for five straight points and basically clinch the win.

As has been the case all season, Yerty has credited her young team for playing hard and taking a good team to five games. But this time, she said, going five games isn’t good enough.

“We’re good enough to beat that team tonight,” Yerty said. “Our team has to be really hungry every time the ball is served, every time the ball is in play. It’s not good enough to go five enough any more. We’ve really improved from that. I know they play hard, they give me everything they have. But it is my job to teach them to play under pressure and obviously that is what we really have to focus on for the remainder of the season.”

Three other Cowgirls also hit in double figures, with Bedore finishing with 13 kills, followed by Jenna Arneson with 11 and JennaRae Jester with 10.

Sara Nehf led the Rebels (8-6, 15-12) with 17 kills. Erin Greenwood added 15.

The Cowgirls will look to close their home season on a good note Saturday when they host San Diego State, beginning at 7 p.m.

“Saturday, we are just going to keep focusing on ourselves,” Lee said. “We just need to clean up our game. If we focus on ourselves, we can pull it together and get a win.”

Martinez has eye on ultimate wrestling goals

UW photo
Wyoming redshirt freshman Michael Martinez, left, works out in a recent practice.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Michael Martinez isn’t afraid to set lofty goals. He wants to win, period, and that means a NCAA title, followed by Olympic dreams.

“I’m just going to plug away and do as well as I can; try to keep from losing,” said Martinez, the Wyoming 125-pounder. “I’ll take what I know and try to win. I hate losing. You think about the times you have lost, and I don’t want to ever be in that position again, and even if I am, I have to learn from it because I don’t plan on stopping until I win.”

Martinez and the rest of the Cowboys will look to begin their home slate with that winning mindset, as they host Stanford Friday night at 5 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex, and then the annual Cowboy Open Saturday in the War Memorial Fieldhouse.

Martinez, at the age of 22, isn’t your ordinary redshirt freshman. After winning a couple of high school state titles in Colorado, Martinez went to Tennessee to wrestle for legendary coach Terry Brands. As it turned out, he didn’t enroll at Tennessee to establish residency, but after a year, Brands left to become the U.S. coach at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Martinez followed Brands to Colorado before enrolling at Wyoming, where he redshirted for the 2006-2007 season.

Martinez then left Wyoming for an Olympic redshirt season, which is allowed by the NCAA, to try to make the U.S. team. After a year of training at the Olympic Training Center, Martinez is back at Wyoming looking to pick up where he left off.

So far, so good, as Martinez is 7-0 on the young season, winning a pair of tournament titles.

Martinez said he took two redshirt years because he just wanted to get better. Although he didn’t make the U.S. team, the experience was one that he couldn’t pass up.

“Coach Brands and Coach (Kevin) Jackson were two unbelievable coaches, and any chance you get to wrestle for them, you should probably take it,” he said. “The experience is good because I have wrestled the best guys, so I kind of know that in order to win a national championship, I’m going to have to beat some of the best guys. There’s no doubt about that. Everybody gives you a different look. Freestyle and collegiate are different as well. On my feet, freestyle has helped me a lot. Even on the mat, just scrambling, has helped.”

Coming back to Wyoming to compete for the Cowboys and first-year coach Mark Branch also has Martinez excited.

“I like the way things are being run,” he said. “When I was here the first time, I liked coach (Steven) Suder, he was a great guy. But we’re working harder as a team, I think, and I like that.”

While he is still just a redshirt freshman, Martinez said his goal is not to just progressively get better and possibly close his career as a contender: He wants to win a NCAA title now.

“I’d love to win more than one. I think I have a shot now,” he said. “You could ask the worst wrestler in the world, and if they are competitive, they’ll tell you they have a shot, too. As far as I am concerned, everybody has a shot at it.”

Cowboys have busy weekend
Stanford (0-2, 0-1 Pac-10) dropped its season opener to No. 21 Navy, 27-11 last Saturday, then fell to Pac-10 opponent Cal State Bakersfield, 28-13.

Stanford placed 19th at the 2008 NCAA Championship and returns three national qualifiers off that team for 2008-09: junior Zack Giesen (184), senior Luke Feist (174) and sophomore Luke Espericueta (149). Feist is expected to wrestle at heavyweight against the Cowboys, while Espericueta should compete at 157. Giesen has yet to wrestle this year. Stanford’s new head coach is Jason Borrelli.

The last time Wyoming and Stanford met on the wrestling mat was Jan. 4, 2003, at the Lone Star Duals in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Cardinal by a score of 33-6, losing only two of 10 matches.

“As our season progresses, the competition will get tougher and our guys will have to be prepared to go hard for seven minutes against Stanford,” Branch said. “They have some experience and are in a similar situation, with a new head coach. Their team will be eager to wrestle well.

“I expect us to come out with an aggressive style, just as we’ve been working on in practice. The guys are fired up to show everyone how hard they’ve been working.”

A long-time Wyoming tradition will continue on Saturday with the 36th annual Cowboy Open tournament.

“The Cowboy Open will give our team a good test and will be an indicator as to what kind of strides we still need to make,” said Branch. “There are a good number of Division I schools competing, several other Western Wrestling Conference teams and some ranked individuals, so that should make for an exciting tournament.”

Over 20 collegiate teams are expected to bring competitors and NCAA DI schools that will bring full squads include Air Force, No. 14 Boise State, Northern Colorado, Stanford, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Event officials are anticipating nearly 400 individuals will compete.

Mat notes: Ticket prices for the Stanford dual are $5 for adults and $3 for kids 18 and younger, while UW students are free with a valid ID. In a special promotion, a ticket for the Cowboy basketball game against Cal State Bakersfield will gain the holder free admission to the wrestling dual, while a wrestling ticket will earn fans $5 off an upper level basketball for Friday night … Tournament tickets are good for the entire day and are $10 for adults, $5 for youth 18 and younger. UW students can watch the event free with a valid ID …Cowboy Open results can be followed on TrackWrestling.com and matches are scheduled to begin on nine mats at 9 a.m., running all day through the finals on Saturday evening.

Cowgirl volleyball to close home slate

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming assistant coach Jill Stucky talks to the team during a time out in a recent home match.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming volleyball team hasn't had the best of luck in the won-loss column, but it has put up a fight for much of the season, especially at home.

The Cowgirls will get two more tries to come away with home wins when they host UNLV Thursday night and San Diego State on Saturday. Both matches will begin at the UniWyo Sports Complex at 7 p.m.

The Cowgirls are just 4-17 overall this season and 3-9 in Mountain West Conference play. Wyoming, however, has been tougher than its record indicates. The Cowgirls have been in six five-set matches and lost all six. One of those five-set losses came last week against New Mexico and another came earlier in the season against San Diego State.

“It is really going to be important for us to stay focused,” Wyoming coach Carrie Yerty said. “Our team does really well when it is relaxed. These kids want to win so bad … for themselves, for the seniors, for me, for the university. They get really tight when it comes down to the end. We’ve been focusing on just trying to be relaxed and play under pressure.”

The momentum from the New Mexico game should carry over for these final two matches, Yerty added.

“Being at home, being the last weekend, will be inspiration in itself,” she said.

The Cowgirls are currently led by outside hitter Dani Bedore, who is averaging 3.04 kills, which is sixth in the MWC, and 1.67 digs per set. She is followed Lauren Whitney, who is adding 2.77 kills and almost one dig per set. As a team, they are averaging 11.94 kills and 11.08 digs per set.

The Rebels enter the week 14-12 overall and 7-6 in MWC play. They are led by Jessica Walters, who is averaging 3.08 kills and .92 digs per set, while Erin Greenwood is adding 2.78 kills and .71 blocks per set. The last time the two teams met was Oct. 18. as the Rebels defeated the Cowgirls, 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-23, in Las Vegas.

“For us, we just really need to focus on UNLV, defending their middle and taking care of our side of the court,” Yerty said.

The Cowgirls will close the weekend against the Aztecs, who are 8-15 overall and 5-8 in MWC play and will take on CSU before facing Wyoming. They are led by Lauren Salisbury, who is averaging 2.94 kills and 1.01 blocks per set, while Stephanie Darnall is adding 2.71 kills and 1.83 digs per set. SDSU leads the series 27-8. The last time the two teams met was Oct. 16, as the Aztecs defeated the Cowgirls in five (20-25, 25-12, 25-10, 20-25 and 15-11) in San Diego.

“Against San Diego State, I think we’ll have a real competitive match,’ Yerty said. “I truly believe we should have beat them at San Diego. I think we’ll have a good opportunity to beat them on senior night.”

The Cowgirls will close the season next week at Utah and BYU.

Murdock, Ortiz earn MWC honors

Wyoming divers Mark Murdock and Stephanie Ortiz were named Mountain West Conference Divers of the Week on Tuesday. For Murdock, its his first honor of the season and the second for Ortiz.

Murdock, a native of Flower Mound, Texas, had season-best performances last week against Colorado School of Mines. Murdock scored 290.85 points to win the 1-meter springboard, followed by an event-winning 292.72 on the 3-meter board.

Ortiz, a product of Colorado Springs, Colo., broke the Wyoming and Corbett Pool records with her six-dive total of 300.22 on the 1-meter springboard against New Mexico. The junior also won the 3-meter title by scoring 283.28.

UNLV sophomore John Mendoza and BYU junior Natasha Menezes were named MWC Swimmers of the Week.

UW equestrian club places third at LCCC event

The University of Wyoming equestrian club continues to make positive strides in western riding.

After placing eighth out of nine teams in that style of riding last season in its Intercollegiate Horse Show Association zone, UW notched its second top-five finish of the season last weekend at Laramie County Community College (LCCC) in Cheyenne.

Led by Katie French (Plymouth, Minn.), Mccabe Jones (Dillon, Colo.) and Kristina Maddocks (Hecla, S.D.), UW placed third behind the University of Nebraska and host LCCC in Saturday's show.

Earlier this season, UW finished fourth at a western show in Lincoln, Neb.

While UW couldn't duplicate its success in Sunday's show, French won the walk-trot class for the second straight day and first-time contestants Kimberly Kuhn (Cheyenne), the reining Miss Frontier of Cheyenne Frontier Days, and Aurora Lambert (Anchor Point, Alaska) turned in fourth-place finishes in their classes.

Lauren Heisel (Story) and Samantha Enyart (Saint Paris, Ohio) also showed well over the weekend, says UW Coach Kari Randle.

UW returns to competition Nov. 22-23 at a hunter seat riding event in Omaha, Neb.

UW hockey wins two of three

The University of Wyoming men's club hockey team defeated South Dakota State University 5-3 Friday at the Laramie Community Ice Arena and split a pair of games at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne, losing 10-1 Saturday to Dordt College of Iowa and winning 6-5 Sunday in overtime against the University of South Dakota.

UW displayed a balanced offensive attack over the weekend, with nine players scoring goals and 12 players recording assists.

"It's really nice to have so many guys who are able to contribute. It takes some of the pressure off our top scorers and allows them to concentrate more on the defensive side of the game rather than carry such a heavy burden," UW Coach Shawn Rockey said. "We have a very deep offensive team, especially since some of the new players are stepping up and creating opportunities, and that's helping us put more points on the board.

"I think it really gives the team a lot of confidence when there are more than just a select few players who can score and contribute to the game."

In the Cowboys' first game of the weekend, Graham Barrett (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Tad Bernet (Katy, Texas), Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas), Craig Luplow (Sheridan) and Brandon Moore (Littleton, Colo.) scored goals and Robert Kola (Colorado Springs, Colo.) turned aside 24 shots to earn the win in goal.

Lucas Wescoat (Idaho Falls, Idaho) added two assists for UW. Leriger, Rick Comer (Gillette) and Willie Forbes (Casper) also had assists.

The Cowboys hoped to exact a measure of revenge against Dordt College in their second game. But the Blades, who eliminated UW from last year's American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Pacific Regional Tournament, scored three goals in the first period and four more in the second to ice the Cowboys' upset bid.

Team president Elliott Bauder (Douglas) netted the Cowboys' lone goal, on an assist from Willy Miller (Arvada, Colo.).

With four wins in the past five games, Dordt College (9-3) has established itself among the Pacific Regional's elite teams again this season. The Blades won their three weekend games by a combined score of 27-4.

UW rebounded in its final game of the weekend, beating the Fighting Sioux club squad on Bernet's unassisted goal at 2:05 of overtime.

Barrett, Comer, Miller, Erik Blomberg (Parker, Colo.) and Nate Olsen (Pinedale) also scored goals for the Cowboys, who won despite squandering leads of 3-1 and 5-3.

Six players -- Bernet, Blomberg, Miller, Ryan Allred (Laramie), Cody Leeper (Jackson) and Ryan Tufte (Jackson) -- notched assists for UW. Drew Luplow (Sheridan) made 18 saves in goal for the win.

"The first 11 games haven't been a cakewalk, that's for sure, but we're learning about our strengths and weaknesses and that's important," Rockey says. "The team has yet to find that win-at-all-costs mindset, but we're progressing in a positive direction. That's the kind of mindset we need to have to survive in this region this year. There are so many great teams in the Pacific Regional and that means we have to show up to every game and take it to our opponents."

The Cowboys conclude a nine-game, three-city homestand this weekend with two games against Metro State College. Faceoffs are scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday in Laramie and Saturday in Cheyenne.

UW roundup: Swimmers win two; wrestlers clain seven titles

By Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming swimming and diving teams earned another victory on the weekend, as it defeated Colorado School of Mines. The Cowboys rolled to a 143-88 win, with the Cowgirls doing much of the same, 143-79.

The Cowboys improved to 7-0 overall, and the Cowgirls advanced to 6-0 overall.

"It was a different kind of day because we had athletes swimming in events they aren’t used to," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "The women raced yesterday, but they did very well today and the men came out strong after not racing for a while."

Winning events for the Cowboys were Robbie Hilton (1,650 freestyle, 16 minutes, 49.03 seconds and 500 freestyle, 4:56.79), Matt Urich (200 freestyle, 1:43.76), Eli Bell (50 freestyle, 21:47), Brandon Fischer (400 IM, 4:17.23 and 100 breaststroke, 1:00.23 ), Devin Hougardy (100 butterfly, 52.90), Chrisitan Verbrugghe (100 freestyle, 48.43), Nathan Fuller (100 backstroke, 53.89), 400 medley relay team (3:28.83), and 800 freestyle relay team (7:03.81).

The highlight of the night for the Cowgirls came when Aimee Stinson, Stephanie Vint, Caroline Wells, and Kristen Flachbarth set the Corbett Pool record in the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 7:46.11. The previous record was set in 2005 with a time of 7:52.13. Individual event winners were Aimee Stinson (1650 freestyle, 18:06.09), Krista Jones (200 freestyle, 1:59.66 and 500 freestyle 5:21.71), Amanda Forister (50 freestyle, 25.18), Caroline Wells (400 IM, 4:44.35), Lesley Young (100 butterfly, 55.63), Shelby Bull (100 freestyle, 53.24), Kenzie Hewson (100 backstroke, 1:00.58), Kaella Hartigan (100 breaststroke, 1:07.91), and the 400 medley relay team (4:04.13).

"Marshall Dilworth swam very well today in the 100 backstroke. Another freshman that did great was Amanda Forister. She won her first college event tonight in the 50 freestyle," Johnson said. "The women’s 800 freestyle relay team crushed the old pool record and may possibly be in the top 25 in the country with that time."

On the diving boards Wyoming’s Emily Huth won both the one-meter and three-meter diving events. Cowboy Mark Murdock also won both the one-meter and three-meter on the men’s side.

UW swimming and diving will be back in action Saturday at noon at Corbett Pool against TCU, beginning at noon.

Wrestlers win seven titles
POWELL -- The University of Wyoming wrestling team came away with seven individual titles Saturday in the Northwest Wyoming College tournament.

“It was a busy day and the guys wrestled a lot of matches,” said Wyoming head coach Mark Branch. “That is what we wanted. It was good for us as a coaching staff to evaluate and it was good for the guys to get a feel for where they are at.

“Overall, I was pleased. Our team actually matched up against each other quite a bit and there were a lot of good things out there, but there are also plenty of things we need to improve on.
“There were several guys who got behind in their matches and had to work their way back. Some won and some came up a little short, but that is what I expect from all of them. They kept coming and that was good to see.”

The Cowboys won their brackets at seven different weight classes, with UW wrestlers going head-to-head four times in the finals. Redshirt freshman Michael Martinez won his second straight tournament at 125 pounds, while sophomore Cole Dallaserra and junior Cory VomBaur were to meet in the 141 pound final, but the UW coaches chose not to have them wrestle. Other titles came from redshirt freshman Brock Smith at 157 and senior Eric Coxbill at 165. Redshirt freshmen Shane Onufer and Joe LeBlanc remained undefeated en route to winning titles at 174 and 184 respectively, while true freshman Alfonso Hernandez came out on top in the 197 pound division.

Wyoming will begin the home portion of its schedule Friday by hosting Stanford at 5 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex. UW will then host the annual Cowboy Open tournament, all day on Saturday in War Memorial Fieldhouse.

Cowgirls fall in five to Lobos
ALBUQUERQUE -- After falling behind two games to start the match, the Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team (4-17 overall, 3-9 in the MWC) came back to force a fifth set, but fell 3-2 (25-11, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25 and 15-12) 11-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 12-15) to New Mexico (19-6 overall, 9-5 in the MWC) on Saturday afternoon.

“This team played very hard in this match, we just didn’t have enough at the end,” said head coach Carrie Yerty. “We passed and blocked really well tonight. Overall, I’m proud of this team and the way they played, because New Mexico is a very good team.”

Four UW players finished the day in double-figures, led by sophomore Jenna Arneson. She recorded a career-high 15 kills, along with two solo blocks and six block assists. Dani Bedore followed with 14 kills and 14 digs, while Samantha Eley added a career-high 13 kills and 10 digs. JennaRae Jester also recorded 10 kills and Carissa Lee had a match-high 16 digs. As a team, the Cowgirls hit .169 (61-30-183) for the match and had 12 blocks.

New Mexico was led by Jeanne Fairchild with 20 kills and four blocks. Lisa Meeter and Rose Morris each recorded 12 kills. They hit .233 (64-26-163) for the match and had 13.5 total blocks.

The Cowgirls return home Thursday against UNLV before hosting San Diego state on Saturday. Both matches begin at 7 p.m.