BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – The University of Wyoming wrestling team ended its East Coast road trip on Sunday at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals. Wyoming competed in two morning duals, first with No. 24-ranked Michigan State and then with West Virginia. UW lost to the Spartans 20-13, but then bounced back and defeated the Mountaineers 19-18.
Junior Cole Dallaserra at 149 pounds, as well as the sophomore trio of No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (184), No. 10 Michael Martinez (125) and Chase Smith (141), each won both their match-ups for the Cowboy.
Wyoming’s dual with Michigan State was tight throughout, but the Spartans ultimately won six of 10 bouts to earn a seven-point victory.
Martinez started things off right for the ‘Pokes with a 15-5 major decision win at 125 pounds, but then redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart ran into No. 1-ranked Franklin Gomez at 133 pounds and suffered a 17-1 technical fall set-back. Down 5-4, UW won the next two matches with Smith and Dallaserra earning five-point decisions. Now the Cowboys had a 10-5 lead before losing three straight match-ups by narrow margins to go down 14-10. LeBlanc brought his team back to within one (14-13) by winning 8-3, however Wyoming would get no closer and lost the last two bouts by two-point decisions.
In their next head-to-head match-up, Wyoming won five matches and West Virginia won five matches, however the Cowboys had two bonus-point wins, while the Mountaineers had only one.
Again, Martinez started the dual with a major decision victory (14-4), only to see that lead shrink immediately when Garnhart lost a close two-point decision at 133 pounds. The team score was 4-3 in favor of Wyoming when Smith and Dallaserra won back-to-back decisions for UW to stretch the margin to 10-3.
Three straight wins by WVU would give them their only lead of the day, 12-10. Included in those wins was a key victory at 165 pounds by No. 13 Donnie Jones (3-2) over Wyoming’s No. 16 Shane Onufer, as well as a triumph for No. 20 Chance Litton (6-3) over UW’s Alex Rieder. LeBlanc then made short work of his WVU opponent, earning the win by fall only 40 seconds into the match. That win, combined with Alfonso Hernandez’ 4-2 decision at 197 pounds gave the Cowboys a 19-12 lead, which would be enough for the team win despite a Mountaineer pin in the heavyweight match.
The next competition for the Cowboy team will be the Las Vegas Invitational, Dec. 4-5 in Las Vegas, Nev.
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No. 24 Michigan State 20, Wyoming 13
125 pounds - No. 10 Michael Martinez (WYO) by major decision over Eric Olanowski (MSU), 15-5
133 pounds - No. 1 Franklin Gomez (MSU) by technical fall over Kasey Garnhart (WYO), 17-1
141 pounds - Chase Smith (WYO) by decision over Collin Dozier (MSU), 5-0
149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra (WYO) by decision over David Cheza (MSU), 10-5
157 pounds - Anthony Jones (MSU) by decision over Mikah Kadera (WY), 7-4
165 pounds - Kyle Bounds (MSU) by decision over No. 16 Shane Onufer (WYO), 5-3
174 pounds - Ian Hinton (MSU) by decision over Alex Rieder (WYO), 6-2
184 pounds - No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by decision over Nick Palmieri (MSU), 8-3
197 pounds - Tyler Dickenson (MSU) by decision over Alfonso Hernandez (WYO), 5-3
Hwt. (285) - Alan O’Donnell (MSU) by decision over Matthew McLaughlin (WYO), 3-1
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Wyoming 19, West Virginia 18
125 pounds - No. 10 Michael Martinez (WYO) by major decision over Anthony Curcio (WVU), 14-4
133 pounds - Colin Johnston (WVU) by decision over Kasey Garnhart (WYO), 2-0
141 pounds - Chase Smith (WYO) by decision over Trey Ayala (WVU), 5-3
149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra (WYO) by decision over Mark Tsikerdanos (WVU), 7-3
157 pounds - Ryan Goodman (WVU) by decision over Mikah Kadera (WYO), 10-6
165 pounds - No. 13 Donnie Jones (WVU) by decision over No. 16 Shane Onufer (WYO), 3-2
174 pounds - No. 20 Chance Litton (WVU) by decision over Alex Rieder (WYO), 6-3
184 pounds - No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by fall over Matt Ryan (WVU), 0:40
197 pounds - Alfonso Hernandez (WYO) by decision over Kyle Rooney (WVU), 4-2
Hwt. (285) - Brandon Williamson (WVU) by fall over Matthew McLaughlin (WYO), 1:59
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Chase Smith leads Cowboys in New York
Wyoming sophomore Chase Smith
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Wyoming wrestling team faced off with some East Coast juggernaut programs on Saturday at the Body Bar Classic tournament. UW more than held its own, with a weight-class title from sophomore Chase Smith, as well as four other top-six finishes.
“Overall, this was not a bad performance,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “I was happy with some of the individual performances and several of the guys made important adjustments. It was definitely good to see some teams that we won’t see again until the NCAA Championship. We had a good tournament overall and I feel like we learned some things.
“We had some guys lose early and that hurt us in the team standings since there were no true third and fourth place matches.”
As a team, the ‘Pokes placed fourth of 12 teams with 92 points. No. 20-ranked Kent State placed first by scoring 147.5 points, while the event host and No. 4 Cornell tied with No. 10 Maryland at 109 points.
Highlighting the Cowboys’ event finishes was a bracket win by Smith at 141 pounds. Smith had a break-through tournament and went on a whirlwind tour at his weight. He had bonus-point wins in four of his five matches, with two pins, a technical fall victory and a win by major decision. Smith’s finals opponent was Chase Skonieczny from Kent State, whom he stuck in the first period at 2:33 to put an exclamation point on his day.
No. 6-ranked Cowboy sophomore Joe LeBlanc was 3-1 and placed second, losing 8-4 to No. 5 Dustin Kilgore of Kent State in the 184-pound final. Of his three wins, LeBlanc earned a pin and a technical fall. He now has a season record of 8-1, with five technical falls and two pins.
UW sophomore and No. 10-ranked Michael Martinez also placed second, narrowly losing a sudden victory, overtime decision 6-4 in the 125-pound final to Frank Perrelli from Cornell. Martinez had two major decisions on his way to a 3-1 record. He is now 8-1 for the season with five major decisions and one technical fall.
Junior Matthew McLaughlin (Hwt.) and No. 16-ranked sophomore Shane Onufer (165) were two ‘Pokes that lost early and had to fight their way back through the consolation bracket. Onufer was 5-1, with two falls and a major decision, placing fifth. McLaughlin was 4-2, with a pin and a major decision, placing sixth.
Despite not placng, several other Cowboys got quality wins, faced highly-ranked opponents and were tough outs in their brackets. Redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart (133) was 2-2 overall and upset the No. 5 seed Jordan Thome of Army in his first match. Junior Cole Dallaserra (149) had a record of 3-2, losing to No. 7-ranked Matt Kyler of Army in the quarterfinals. Sophomore Dallas Hintz (174) was 2-2 overall, with one of his losses coming to No. 2-ranked Mack Lewnes from Cornell in the quarterfinal round. Sophomore Alfonso Hernandez (197) and junior Alex Rieder (174) each had 2-2 records.
The Cowboy team will dual No. 24 Michigan State and West Virginia on Sunday morning in Binghamton, N.Y. at the Sprawl & Brawl Duals.
“Both teams we will face tomorrow are tough,” Branch said. “We will need more guys to make adjustments and we will need some of our team to just put today behind them. Everyone needs to focus on coming out ready to go from the first whistle, ready to battle hard.”
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Wyoming wrestling team faced off with some East Coast juggernaut programs on Saturday at the Body Bar Classic tournament. UW more than held its own, with a weight-class title from sophomore Chase Smith, as well as four other top-six finishes.
“Overall, this was not a bad performance,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “I was happy with some of the individual performances and several of the guys made important adjustments. It was definitely good to see some teams that we won’t see again until the NCAA Championship. We had a good tournament overall and I feel like we learned some things.
“We had some guys lose early and that hurt us in the team standings since there were no true third and fourth place matches.”
As a team, the ‘Pokes placed fourth of 12 teams with 92 points. No. 20-ranked Kent State placed first by scoring 147.5 points, while the event host and No. 4 Cornell tied with No. 10 Maryland at 109 points.
Highlighting the Cowboys’ event finishes was a bracket win by Smith at 141 pounds. Smith had a break-through tournament and went on a whirlwind tour at his weight. He had bonus-point wins in four of his five matches, with two pins, a technical fall victory and a win by major decision. Smith’s finals opponent was Chase Skonieczny from Kent State, whom he stuck in the first period at 2:33 to put an exclamation point on his day.
No. 6-ranked Cowboy sophomore Joe LeBlanc was 3-1 and placed second, losing 8-4 to No. 5 Dustin Kilgore of Kent State in the 184-pound final. Of his three wins, LeBlanc earned a pin and a technical fall. He now has a season record of 8-1, with five technical falls and two pins.
UW sophomore and No. 10-ranked Michael Martinez also placed second, narrowly losing a sudden victory, overtime decision 6-4 in the 125-pound final to Frank Perrelli from Cornell. Martinez had two major decisions on his way to a 3-1 record. He is now 8-1 for the season with five major decisions and one technical fall.
Junior Matthew McLaughlin (Hwt.) and No. 16-ranked sophomore Shane Onufer (165) were two ‘Pokes that lost early and had to fight their way back through the consolation bracket. Onufer was 5-1, with two falls and a major decision, placing fifth. McLaughlin was 4-2, with a pin and a major decision, placing sixth.
Despite not placng, several other Cowboys got quality wins, faced highly-ranked opponents and were tough outs in their brackets. Redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart (133) was 2-2 overall and upset the No. 5 seed Jordan Thome of Army in his first match. Junior Cole Dallaserra (149) had a record of 3-2, losing to No. 7-ranked Matt Kyler of Army in the quarterfinals. Sophomore Dallas Hintz (174) was 2-2 overall, with one of his losses coming to No. 2-ranked Mack Lewnes from Cornell in the quarterfinal round. Sophomore Alfonso Hernandez (197) and junior Alex Rieder (174) each had 2-2 records.
The Cowboy team will dual No. 24 Michigan State and West Virginia on Sunday morning in Binghamton, N.Y. at the Sprawl & Brawl Duals.
“Both teams we will face tomorrow are tough,” Branch said. “We will need more guys to make adjustments and we will need some of our team to just put today behind them. Everyone needs to focus on coming out ready to go from the first whistle, ready to battle hard.”
UW swimmers split at TCU
FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Wyoming swimming and diving team continued the season with mixed results in a conference dual meet against TCU. The Cowgirls defeated TCU 182-118 to stay undefeated on the season, while the Cowboys fell to the Horned Frogs 180-114.
The Cowgirls advance to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference, while the Cowboys swam their first conference meet today and are 4-1 overall.
"It was a great meet for us today. The women took the lead early and never looked back," UW head coach Tom Johnson said. "The men had great distance swims. We let a few races get away from us early, but we are showing great improvement and we are getting better every week."
The Cowgirls had a total of nine event victories, including Stephanie Vint’s outstanding performance. Vint swam to first place finishes in the 100 butterfly (57.35 seconds), 200 IM (2:06.95) and second place in the 200 freestyle. Along with individual races, Vint swam the third leg of the 400 freestyle relay that set the fourth fastest time in school history with a time of 3:28.95.
In the women’s breaststroke events, the Cowgirls dominated by placing first through third in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. In both events, Lesley Young led the way in first while Lauren Hewson was second and Meghan Swirzcki in third.
Leading the Cowgirls on the diving boards was Allie Smith. Smith won both the one-meter (277.80 points) and three-meter springboards (292.42).
Other individual winners for the Cowgirls include Cassie Stelow in the 50 freestyle, Paige Fischer in the 1000 freestyle, Kelsey Conci in the 100 backstroke, and Shelby Bull in the 100 freestyle.
For the Pokes, the distance swimmers stole the show by winning the 500 freestyle, and placing first through third in the 1000 freestyle. Senior Sam Holmes swam the 500 freestyle in 4:43.06 and placed first. Fellow senior Robbie Hilton won the 1000 freestyle in 9:40.38, while Holmes was close behind in second (9:40.53) and Kyle Wemhoff was third (9:47.57).
The 200 IM was won by freshman Kendrick Bachman in 1:54.79. Sophomore Brandon Fischer was second with a time of 1:54.94
On the boards, Kyle Bogner placed second in both events, while Valentin Schwarz was third in both.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the UW swimming and diving squad will return home and train for their next competition. Wyoming will travel to the three-day Texas Invite in Austin, Texas, Dec. 3-5. The Cowgirls will take on Northern Colorado on Dec.5 in Greeley, Colo. at noon.
The Cowgirls advance to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference, while the Cowboys swam their first conference meet today and are 4-1 overall.
"It was a great meet for us today. The women took the lead early and never looked back," UW head coach Tom Johnson said. "The men had great distance swims. We let a few races get away from us early, but we are showing great improvement and we are getting better every week."
The Cowgirls had a total of nine event victories, including Stephanie Vint’s outstanding performance. Vint swam to first place finishes in the 100 butterfly (57.35 seconds), 200 IM (2:06.95) and second place in the 200 freestyle. Along with individual races, Vint swam the third leg of the 400 freestyle relay that set the fourth fastest time in school history with a time of 3:28.95.
In the women’s breaststroke events, the Cowgirls dominated by placing first through third in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. In both events, Lesley Young led the way in first while Lauren Hewson was second and Meghan Swirzcki in third.
Leading the Cowgirls on the diving boards was Allie Smith. Smith won both the one-meter (277.80 points) and three-meter springboards (292.42).
Other individual winners for the Cowgirls include Cassie Stelow in the 50 freestyle, Paige Fischer in the 1000 freestyle, Kelsey Conci in the 100 backstroke, and Shelby Bull in the 100 freestyle.
For the Pokes, the distance swimmers stole the show by winning the 500 freestyle, and placing first through third in the 1000 freestyle. Senior Sam Holmes swam the 500 freestyle in 4:43.06 and placed first. Fellow senior Robbie Hilton won the 1000 freestyle in 9:40.38, while Holmes was close behind in second (9:40.53) and Kyle Wemhoff was third (9:47.57).
The 200 IM was won by freshman Kendrick Bachman in 1:54.79. Sophomore Brandon Fischer was second with a time of 1:54.94
On the boards, Kyle Bogner placed second in both events, while Valentin Schwarz was third in both.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the UW swimming and diving squad will return home and train for their next competition. Wyoming will travel to the three-day Texas Invite in Austin, Texas, Dec. 3-5. The Cowgirls will take on Northern Colorado on Dec.5 in Greeley, Colo. at noon.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Cowgirls send Kagarise out on top
Cowgirl senior Jessica Kagarise
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls sent senior libero Jessica Kagarise out on top in impressive fashion with a straight-set win over the UNLV Lady Rebels at the UniWyo Sports Complex Thursday night to conclude their season.
The 25-14, 25-23 and 27-25 win snaps a seven-match losing skid to the Lady Rebels and avenges a heartbreaking five-set loss back on Sept. 22, in Las Vegas.
The night also marked the end of an era for Kagarise, the lone senior on the team had a game high 13 digs and set the school single season record for digs in the process finishing with 435 on the year.
More than anything, the coaches and players wanted to get the win for the native of Monument, Colo.
“She’s battled all year with us,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “To accomplish the record for single season digs and to go out with a win with this young team really shows that she stayed focused all the way throughout her career.”
Wyoming (13-18 overall, 3-13 Mountain West Conference), came out of the gate fired up and stormed to an 11-point first-set win.
UNLV (8-16 overall, 5-10 MWC), came back in the next two sets and made them interesting. The Cowgirls won a close second set and then trailed for much of the third set before taking a 23-20 lead late. The Lady Rebels battled back to tie things up at 24 all, and saw both squads jockey for the match point. With the Cowgirls up one the final attempt by UNLV sailed out-of-bounds and Wyoming hung on for a wild 27-25 win to clinch the match.
“My experience here has been awesome,” Kagarise said. “It was a really great way to finish it winning in three (sets) against UNLV. That’s a team we wanted to really beat this year. It feels really good.”
Jodi Purdy and Lauren Whitney had 13 and 11 kills with eight digs apiece respectively for the Cowgirls, while Cursty Jackson led the Lady Rebels recording 13 kills and eight digs.
“It’s a great stepping stone and a building block to continue to grow from for next season,” Yerty said. “We’ve had a lot of five-game matches and we’ve been up two games a lot this year and tonight it really came together and I’m really proud of the girls.”
“These girls have come so far since the beginning of the season,” Kagarise said. “They’re just going to keep growing, keep learning and keep getting better. I think our team is so strong already and with only one player leaving they’re going to be awesome next year.”
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls sent senior libero Jessica Kagarise out on top in impressive fashion with a straight-set win over the UNLV Lady Rebels at the UniWyo Sports Complex Thursday night to conclude their season.
The 25-14, 25-23 and 27-25 win snaps a seven-match losing skid to the Lady Rebels and avenges a heartbreaking five-set loss back on Sept. 22, in Las Vegas.
The night also marked the end of an era for Kagarise, the lone senior on the team had a game high 13 digs and set the school single season record for digs in the process finishing with 435 on the year.
More than anything, the coaches and players wanted to get the win for the native of Monument, Colo.
“She’s battled all year with us,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “To accomplish the record for single season digs and to go out with a win with this young team really shows that she stayed focused all the way throughout her career.”
Wyoming (13-18 overall, 3-13 Mountain West Conference), came out of the gate fired up and stormed to an 11-point first-set win.
UNLV (8-16 overall, 5-10 MWC), came back in the next two sets and made them interesting. The Cowgirls won a close second set and then trailed for much of the third set before taking a 23-20 lead late. The Lady Rebels battled back to tie things up at 24 all, and saw both squads jockey for the match point. With the Cowgirls up one the final attempt by UNLV sailed out-of-bounds and Wyoming hung on for a wild 27-25 win to clinch the match.
“My experience here has been awesome,” Kagarise said. “It was a really great way to finish it winning in three (sets) against UNLV. That’s a team we wanted to really beat this year. It feels really good.”
Jodi Purdy and Lauren Whitney had 13 and 11 kills with eight digs apiece respectively for the Cowgirls, while Cursty Jackson led the Lady Rebels recording 13 kills and eight digs.
“It’s a great stepping stone and a building block to continue to grow from for next season,” Yerty said. “We’ve had a lot of five-game matches and we’ve been up two games a lot this year and tonight it really came together and I’m really proud of the girls.”
“These girls have come so far since the beginning of the season,” Kagarise said. “They’re just going to keep growing, keep learning and keep getting better. I think our team is so strong already and with only one player leaving they’re going to be awesome next year.”
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
UW golf signs three
With the national signing period upon college athletics, the Wyoming golf program recently signed three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Wyoming beginning in the fall of 2010. Those signees include Stacey Blunt, Emily Wood and Jake Hedge.
“We are really looking forward to having Stacey, Emily and Jake join the Wyoming golf program,” Wyoming Director of Golf Joe Jensen said. “We like the direction both programs are heading right now, as both the men and women are at or near the upper third of the national rankings. By adding three student-athletes like these, we won’t take a step backwards when others graduate. These three newcomers will all compete for a position in each lineup right away.”
Blunt, from Federal Way, Wash. (Decatur High School), was a two-time South Puget Sound League Player of the Year while leading her team to a fifth-place finish in 2009 at the Washington State Tournament. Individually, Blunt finished 11th in ‘08 and 19th in ‘09 at the 4A Washington State Championships. Academically, she was a member of the National Honor Society all four years of her high school career, as well as being named to the All-Academic team for three years. Stacy was also recruited by Montana State and Seattle University.
“Stacey is very disciplined on the golf course and has great golf savvy,” Cowgirls coach Josey Stender said. “She is very goal oriented and is one of the most mature 18 year olds I have seen in a long time.”
Wood, from Salida (Colo.) High School, is the 2009 4A State Champion, along with finishing sixth in ‘07 and ‘08. She also placed 53rd at the Junior America’s Cup in Logan, Utah and 13th in the Mary Cave Cup in San Diego, Calif. During her junior year, her stroke average was a 76.8 for the entire season.
“Emily is an extremely good ball striker and has a great sense of the game,” Stender added. “We are excited to have both of these girls join the Wyoming program, as they fit the mold perfectly as athletic, well-rounded players with regional and some national experience.”
Hedge comes to Wyoming from Billings, Mont., where he excelled at Billings West High School and was a member of four consecutive Montana state championship golf teams. During the 2008 season, Billings West won every tournament in which they competed.
Individually, Hedge was an All-State performer all four years of his high school career. He won the 2A Montana State Championship as a freshman.
In addition to golf, Hedge was a member of the National Honor Society. He is the son of Kathy and John and has two brothers and one sister. His brother Josh played golf at Xavier University.
Hedge was also recruited by Colorado State, Washington State, South Dakota State and Weber State.
“Obviously, we are thrilled to have Jake as a member of the Wyoming golf family,” Jensen said. “He is regarded as one of the top players in this region and has played well in a lot of national events. He had numerous opportunities to play at different schools, but he chose to be a Cowboy and we are very excited he did.
“Jake will have the opportunity to come here and contribute immediately as a freshman. He is a fabulous student and will fit in nicely with our current team.”
“We are really looking forward to having Stacey, Emily and Jake join the Wyoming golf program,” Wyoming Director of Golf Joe Jensen said. “We like the direction both programs are heading right now, as both the men and women are at or near the upper third of the national rankings. By adding three student-athletes like these, we won’t take a step backwards when others graduate. These three newcomers will all compete for a position in each lineup right away.”
Blunt, from Federal Way, Wash. (Decatur High School), was a two-time South Puget Sound League Player of the Year while leading her team to a fifth-place finish in 2009 at the Washington State Tournament. Individually, Blunt finished 11th in ‘08 and 19th in ‘09 at the 4A Washington State Championships. Academically, she was a member of the National Honor Society all four years of her high school career, as well as being named to the All-Academic team for three years. Stacy was also recruited by Montana State and Seattle University.
“Stacey is very disciplined on the golf course and has great golf savvy,” Cowgirls coach Josey Stender said. “She is very goal oriented and is one of the most mature 18 year olds I have seen in a long time.”
Wood, from Salida (Colo.) High School, is the 2009 4A State Champion, along with finishing sixth in ‘07 and ‘08. She also placed 53rd at the Junior America’s Cup in Logan, Utah and 13th in the Mary Cave Cup in San Diego, Calif. During her junior year, her stroke average was a 76.8 for the entire season.
“Emily is an extremely good ball striker and has a great sense of the game,” Stender added. “We are excited to have both of these girls join the Wyoming program, as they fit the mold perfectly as athletic, well-rounded players with regional and some national experience.”
Hedge comes to Wyoming from Billings, Mont., where he excelled at Billings West High School and was a member of four consecutive Montana state championship golf teams. During the 2008 season, Billings West won every tournament in which they competed.
Individually, Hedge was an All-State performer all four years of his high school career. He won the 2A Montana State Championship as a freshman.
In addition to golf, Hedge was a member of the National Honor Society. He is the son of Kathy and John and has two brothers and one sister. His brother Josh played golf at Xavier University.
Hedge was also recruited by Colorado State, Washington State, South Dakota State and Weber State.
“Obviously, we are thrilled to have Jake as a member of the Wyoming golf family,” Jensen said. “He is regarded as one of the top players in this region and has played well in a lot of national events. He had numerous opportunities to play at different schools, but he chose to be a Cowboy and we are very excited he did.
“Jake will have the opportunity to come here and contribute immediately as a freshman. He is a fabulous student and will fit in nicely with our current team.”
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Martinez wins league honors
UW sophomore Michael Martinez
University of Wyoming sophomore 125-pounder Michael Martinez (Pagosa Springs, Colo./Pagosa Springs HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials.
Martinez, a returning NCAA qualifier at 125 pounds, started his season in a big way this past weekend by going 5-0 and getting a huge win over No. 9 ranked Ben Kjar of Utah Valley in the final of the Cowboy Open.
On Friday, Martinez, ranked No. 17, opened the Cowboys' home dual with Northwest College (24-13 team win) by cruising to a technical fall victory. He used four takedowns, three nearfalls and a reversal to beat Phillip Grout, 18-3.
Then on Saturday at the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, Martinez won the 125-pound Elite weight class. He was 4-0 and recorded three major decisions on the day. In the finals he got one of the biggest wins of his young career, over Kjar by sudden victory decision 5-3. After forcing the pace in the closing minutes, Martinez earned the decisive takedown near the edge of the mat late in the overtime period.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
UW swimmers win in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The University of Wyoming Cowgirl swimming and diving team won a total of 11 events on Saturday, as they defeated New Mexico and New Mexico State to advance their record to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the Mountain West Conference.
Wyoming defeated UNM 195-105 for their first conference victory of the season. The Cowgirls also beat New Mexico State 208-92.
"It was a great day for us and we never looked back after winning the very first race," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "There were a lot of season and personal best times for a lot of swimmers today so I am very pleased."
The Cowgirls started off by winning the 200 medley relay with a time of 1 minute, 46.43 seconds. Leading off that event was sophomore Kelsey Conci. Conci won the 50 freestyle as well with a time of 23.85, and was followed closely by senior Cassie Stelow in second place at 23.95.
Junior Stephanie Vint had a tremendous day for the Cowgirls with two individual victories and a second place finish. Vint won the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:53.02 and swam the 200 IM in 2:08.04 for another first place finish. Vint placed second in the 100 butterfly (57.82) and also anchored the 400 freestyle relay that placed fourth.
On the diving boards, two Cowgirls scored high enough to qualify for NCAA Zone "E" Championships. Senior Stephanie Ortiz scored 283.70 points on three-meter and won in that event. Sophomore Tiffany Izatt placed the highest for the Cowgirls on one-meter in second place with a score of 265.15.
Other individual winners for Wyoming include Shelby Bull in the 100 freestyle (52.16), Paige Fischer in both the 500 freestyle (5:09.51) and 1000 freestyle (10:33.86), Lesley Young in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.06), and Lauren Hewson in the 200 breaststroke (2:21.32). Along with the 200 medley relay, the Cowgirls won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:32.59 with Bull, Caroline Wells, Kristen Flachbarth, and Stelow.
"All in all it was a great meet and I couldn’t be happier," Johnson said. "We had a lot of motivation coming in and faced two good teams today. We had a number of great performances and we are looking forward to our next meet."
Next week both the Cowboys and Cowgirls will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for a conference dual meet agaubst TCU, beginning at noon.
Wyoming defeated UNM 195-105 for their first conference victory of the season. The Cowgirls also beat New Mexico State 208-92.
"It was a great day for us and we never looked back after winning the very first race," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "There were a lot of season and personal best times for a lot of swimmers today so I am very pleased."
The Cowgirls started off by winning the 200 medley relay with a time of 1 minute, 46.43 seconds. Leading off that event was sophomore Kelsey Conci. Conci won the 50 freestyle as well with a time of 23.85, and was followed closely by senior Cassie Stelow in second place at 23.95.
Junior Stephanie Vint had a tremendous day for the Cowgirls with two individual victories and a second place finish. Vint won the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:53.02 and swam the 200 IM in 2:08.04 for another first place finish. Vint placed second in the 100 butterfly (57.82) and also anchored the 400 freestyle relay that placed fourth.
On the diving boards, two Cowgirls scored high enough to qualify for NCAA Zone "E" Championships. Senior Stephanie Ortiz scored 283.70 points on three-meter and won in that event. Sophomore Tiffany Izatt placed the highest for the Cowgirls on one-meter in second place with a score of 265.15.
Other individual winners for Wyoming include Shelby Bull in the 100 freestyle (52.16), Paige Fischer in both the 500 freestyle (5:09.51) and 1000 freestyle (10:33.86), Lesley Young in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.06), and Lauren Hewson in the 200 breaststroke (2:21.32). Along with the 200 medley relay, the Cowgirls won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:32.59 with Bull, Caroline Wells, Kristen Flachbarth, and Stelow.
"All in all it was a great meet and I couldn’t be happier," Johnson said. "We had a lot of motivation coming in and faced two good teams today. We had a number of great performances and we are looking forward to our next meet."
Next week both the Cowboys and Cowgirls will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for a conference dual meet agaubst TCU, beginning at noon.
Cowgirls fall in three to Utah
SALT LAKE CITY -- The Wyoming Cowgirls hung around, but still fell in three sets to Utah on Saturday, 25-17, 25-18 and 25-20.
The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 2-13 in the Mountain West Conference a nd 12-18 overall. Utah moved to 9-5, 16-9.
“We didn’t play as well as we would have like to,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “We will move past this loss and look forward to a very competitive match against UNLV on Thursday. It will be the final match for senior Jessica Kagarise and we hope to come out on top with a victory.”
Wyoming was led by junior Dani Bedore ,who recorded eight kills, four digs and a .333 (8-1-21) hitting percentage. JennaRae Jester finished with seven kills and three service aces, while Lauren Whitney and Jodi Purdy each had five kills. Senior Jessica Kagarise finished in double-figures with 11 digs. The Cowgirls hit .028 (28-25-106) and had five total team blocks.
Utah was led by Karolina Bartkowiak and Cinthia Silva with nine kills each. Danielle Killpack had a team high six block assists. The Utes hit .231 (36-15-91) for the match and recorded 12 total team blocks.
The Cowgirls will close out the regular season on Thursday as they host the UNLV Rebels. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 2-13 in the Mountain West Conference a nd 12-18 overall. Utah moved to 9-5, 16-9.
“We didn’t play as well as we would have like to,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “We will move past this loss and look forward to a very competitive match against UNLV on Thursday. It will be the final match for senior Jessica Kagarise and we hope to come out on top with a victory.”
Wyoming was led by junior Dani Bedore ,who recorded eight kills, four digs and a .333 (8-1-21) hitting percentage. JennaRae Jester finished with seven kills and three service aces, while Lauren Whitney and Jodi Purdy each had five kills. Senior Jessica Kagarise finished in double-figures with 11 digs. The Cowgirls hit .028 (28-25-106) and had five total team blocks.
Utah was led by Karolina Bartkowiak and Cinthia Silva with nine kills each. Danielle Killpack had a team high six block assists. The Utes hit .231 (36-15-91) for the match and recorded 12 total team blocks.
The Cowgirls will close out the regular season on Thursday as they host the UNLV Rebels. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Five Cowboys win titles
While several Wyoming Cowboy wrestlers won multiple matches on Saturday at the 37th annual Cowboy Open in UW’s War Memorial Fieldhouse, five ‘Pokes sauntered all the way to the top of their brackets and won individual titles at their home tournament.
A total of nine UW student-athletes placed in the top-three of their weight groups. Wyoming also won Outstanding Wrestler awards in both the Elite and Amateur divisions, sophomore Joe LeBlanc and freshman Tyler Cox respectively.
“As a whole we wrestled harder today,” head coach Mark Branch said. “I want perfection and we still did not wrestle technically well, but we did come out and compete.
“We struggled on bottom, which is disappointing because we have spent a lot of time on that this preseason. The team should expect to spend more time on that in the weeks to come.
“There is a group of our guys wrestling with the attitude that I want, so hopefully the rest of the team takes notice and learns from the example of their peers. That is a great way to learn.”
No. 5-ranked LeBlanc led the UW team by example at the Elite 184-pound level. He simply dominated his competition, going 4-0 en route to his weight class win with all four wins coming by way of technical fall. LeBlanc beat Charlie Pipher of Western State College by a score of 16-1 in the final.
Sophomore and No. 17-ranked Michael Martinez was one of the Cowboys who competed with the fire that Branch looks for, and in doing so won the 125-pound Elite weight class. Martinez was 4-0 and recorded three major decisions on the day. In the finals he got one of the biggest wins of his young career, beating No. 9-ranked Ben Kjar of Utah Valley by sudden victory decision 5-3. After forcing the pace in the closing minutes, Martinez earned the decisive takedown near the edge of the mat late in the overtime period.
Cox, a UW freshman who will redshirt this season and competed unattached, had little difficulty winning the Amateur 125-pound bracket. Cox wowed the crowd with his array of moves, going 5-0 and winning one match by technical fall and one by major decision. He beat Jesse Hillhouse from Northwest College, 2-1 in the final.
Junior Cole Dallaserra looked strong in every match on his way to the Elite title at 149 pounds. Dallaserra, 5-0, had a win by fall, a technical fall and a major decision to his credit. He beat T.J. Hepburn from Nebraska-Kearney by a score of 7-3 in the final.
No. 19-ranked Shane Onufer, UW sophomore at 165 pounds, posted a perfect 4-0 record with one pin and two major decisions. Onufer beat Northern Colorado’s Justin Gaethje, 3-2 in their Elite title bout. With the match tied 2-2 heading into the final period, he dominated physically on top and rode Gaethje the entire period to earn a riding point and the win. It was Onufer’s second consecutive Cowboy Open title, winning last year at 174 pounds.
The Cowboy team will travel to the East Coast next weekend for two days of competition. They will compete in the Body Bar Classic in Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday and then dual Michigan State and West Virginia the following day in Binghamton, N.Y. at the Sprawl & Brawl.
---
Wyoming Wrestlers (Tournament Record)
ELITE
125 pounds - First-- No. 17 Michael Martinez (4-0, three major decisions)
133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart (3-2, fall)
141 pounds - Chase Smith (5-2, major decision), Cory VomBaur (3-2)
149 pounds - First -- Cole Dallaserra (5-0, fall, technical fall, major decision)
157 pounds - Tyler Davis (3-2, major decision), Second -- Eric Jones (3-1, two falls), Mikah Kadera (3-2)
165 pounds - First -- No. 19 Shane Onufer (4-0, fall, two major decisions)
174 pounds - Dallas Hintz (1-2), Alex Rieder (3-2, technical fall, major decision), Brock Smith (3-2, major decision)
184 pounds - First -- No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (4-0, four technical falls)
197 pounds - Lee Helbig (3-2, fall, two major decisions), Third -- Alfonso Hernandez (4-1, major decision), Joe O’Farrell (2-2, fall)
Hwt. (285) - Second -- Matthew McLaughlin (3-1, fall)
AMATEUR
125 pounds - First -- Tyler Cox (5-0, technical fall, major decision)
133 pounds - Jake Eitzen (2-2, technical fall), Kyle Komata (4-2, two major decisions)
141 pounds - Colton Zier (1-2, technical fall)
149 pounds - Second -- Jimmy Belleville (4-1, two falls, major decision)
165 pounds - Patrick Martinez (3-1, major decision)
A total of nine UW student-athletes placed in the top-three of their weight groups. Wyoming also won Outstanding Wrestler awards in both the Elite and Amateur divisions, sophomore Joe LeBlanc and freshman Tyler Cox respectively.
“As a whole we wrestled harder today,” head coach Mark Branch said. “I want perfection and we still did not wrestle technically well, but we did come out and compete.
“We struggled on bottom, which is disappointing because we have spent a lot of time on that this preseason. The team should expect to spend more time on that in the weeks to come.
“There is a group of our guys wrestling with the attitude that I want, so hopefully the rest of the team takes notice and learns from the example of their peers. That is a great way to learn.”
No. 5-ranked LeBlanc led the UW team by example at the Elite 184-pound level. He simply dominated his competition, going 4-0 en route to his weight class win with all four wins coming by way of technical fall. LeBlanc beat Charlie Pipher of Western State College by a score of 16-1 in the final.
Sophomore and No. 17-ranked Michael Martinez was one of the Cowboys who competed with the fire that Branch looks for, and in doing so won the 125-pound Elite weight class. Martinez was 4-0 and recorded three major decisions on the day. In the finals he got one of the biggest wins of his young career, beating No. 9-ranked Ben Kjar of Utah Valley by sudden victory decision 5-3. After forcing the pace in the closing minutes, Martinez earned the decisive takedown near the edge of the mat late in the overtime period.
Cox, a UW freshman who will redshirt this season and competed unattached, had little difficulty winning the Amateur 125-pound bracket. Cox wowed the crowd with his array of moves, going 5-0 and winning one match by technical fall and one by major decision. He beat Jesse Hillhouse from Northwest College, 2-1 in the final.
Junior Cole Dallaserra looked strong in every match on his way to the Elite title at 149 pounds. Dallaserra, 5-0, had a win by fall, a technical fall and a major decision to his credit. He beat T.J. Hepburn from Nebraska-Kearney by a score of 7-3 in the final.
No. 19-ranked Shane Onufer, UW sophomore at 165 pounds, posted a perfect 4-0 record with one pin and two major decisions. Onufer beat Northern Colorado’s Justin Gaethje, 3-2 in their Elite title bout. With the match tied 2-2 heading into the final period, he dominated physically on top and rode Gaethje the entire period to earn a riding point and the win. It was Onufer’s second consecutive Cowboy Open title, winning last year at 174 pounds.
The Cowboy team will travel to the East Coast next weekend for two days of competition. They will compete in the Body Bar Classic in Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday and then dual Michigan State and West Virginia the following day in Binghamton, N.Y. at the Sprawl & Brawl.
---
Wyoming Wrestlers (Tournament Record)
ELITE
125 pounds - First-- No. 17 Michael Martinez (4-0, three major decisions)
133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart (3-2, fall)
141 pounds - Chase Smith (5-2, major decision), Cory VomBaur (3-2)
149 pounds - First -- Cole Dallaserra (5-0, fall, technical fall, major decision)
157 pounds - Tyler Davis (3-2, major decision), Second -- Eric Jones (3-1, two falls), Mikah Kadera (3-2)
165 pounds - First -- No. 19 Shane Onufer (4-0, fall, two major decisions)
174 pounds - Dallas Hintz (1-2), Alex Rieder (3-2, technical fall, major decision), Brock Smith (3-2, major decision)
184 pounds - First -- No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (4-0, four technical falls)
197 pounds - Lee Helbig (3-2, fall, two major decisions), Third -- Alfonso Hernandez (4-1, major decision), Joe O’Farrell (2-2, fall)
Hwt. (285) - Second -- Matthew McLaughlin (3-1, fall)
AMATEUR
125 pounds - First -- Tyler Cox (5-0, technical fall, major decision)
133 pounds - Jake Eitzen (2-2, technical fall), Kyle Komata (4-2, two major decisions)
141 pounds - Colton Zier (1-2, technical fall)
149 pounds - Second -- Jimmy Belleville (4-1, two falls, major decision)
165 pounds - Patrick Martinez (3-1, major decision)
Friday, November 13, 2009
UW wrestlers top Northwest
by UW Athletics Media Relations
In a performance that earned a team win and gave a variety of ‘Pokes some dual experience, the University of Wyoming wrestling team opened the 2009-10 season on Friday night against the Northwest College Trappers with a 24-13 victory at home.
On the evening, UW won six matches while NWC, an NJCAA school from Powell, took four bouts in the UniWyo Sports Complex. However, the Cowboys were on the plus side in three of four lopsided matches and those bonus points are what ultimately propelled them to victory in the season-opening dual for both teams.
Despite Wyoming’s team win, Cowboy head coach Mark Branch was not satisfied with his team’s showing in front of the home crowd.
“Although we did have a couple guys who performed okay, I expect a certain tenacity and attitude from my team and I did not see that tonight,” Branch said. “No one wrestled to the best of their ability. I could make excuses for them but that will not help us in the long run. The particular make-up of our team on any given night does not matter. The bottom line is that we have to go out and perform.”
Returning All-American and No. 5-ranked Joe LeBlanc led the way for the ‘Pokes with a win by fall at 184 pounds. The Cowboy sophomore pinned NWC’s Jarrett Baker at 4:04 in the second period after rolling to a commanding 12-2 lead. LeBlanc racked up two takedowns, two nearfalls and a reversal before putting his opponent on his back.
Another UW sophomore, No. 17 ranked Michael Martinez, got his team a big win at 125 pounds. Martinez used four takedowns, three nearfalls and a reversal to earn a technical fall win, 18-3, over Phillip Grout.
Tyler Davis, also a Wyoming sophomore, wrestled at 165 pounds and worked hard for a 9-1 major decision victory over Zach Oppenheimer.
The Cowboys also got wins from redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart at 133 pounds, senior Cory VomBaur (141) and junior heavyweight Matthew McLaughlin.
Four Wyoming wrestlers competed for the first time for their team in a dual match: Garnhart, sophomore Mikah Kadera (157), McLaughlin and redshirt freshman Colton Zier (149).
UW sophomores Alfonso Hernandez (197), Dallas Hintz (174) and Kadera each dropped one-point decisions to the Trappers.
“Give credit to Northwest tonight,” Branch said. “They had everything to gain, were more aggressive and wrestled with more heart. We are going to have to change our approach if we expect to improve during the Cowboy Open.”
On Saturday, UW will host the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, all day in War Memorial Fieldhouse. The event is sponsored by UniWyo Federal Credit Union.
Nearly 20 collegiate teams are expected to bring competitors and among NCAA DI schools bringing full squads are three Western Wrestling Conference rivals of the ‘Pokes: Air Force, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley. Event officials are anticipating nearly 400 individuals will compete.
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 10 mats at 9 a.m., running all day through the finals on Saturday evening.
Defending event champions for the Cowboys are Shane Onufer (Elite, 174 pounds) and L.J. Helbig (Amateur, 184 pounds). UW also had three runner-up finishes and had five student-athletes place third at the tournament in 2008.
Wyoming 24, Northwest College 13
125 pounds - No. 17 Michael Martinez (WYO) by technical fall (5) over Phillip Grout (NWC), 18-5 5-0 WYO
133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart (WYO) by decision over Jesse Hillhouse (NWC), 3-2 8-0 WYO
141 pounds - Cory VomBaur (WYO) by decision over No. 3 McCade Ford (NWC), 4-0 11-0 WYO
149 pounds - Cody Britt (NWC) by major decision over Colton Zier (WYO), 16-2 11-4 WYO
157 pounds - No. 5 Briston Brenton (NWC) by decision over Mikah Kadera (WYO), 3-2 11-7 WYO
165 pounds - Tyler Davis (WYO) by major decision over Zach Oppenheimer (NWC), 9-1 15-7 WYO
174 pounds - No. 10 Nick Petersen (NWC) by SV decision over Dallas Hintz (WYO), 7-6 (3OT) 15-10 WYO
184 pounds - No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by fall over Jarrett Baker (NWC), 4:04 21-10 WYO
197 pounds - Mak Jones (NWC) by decision over Alfonso Hernandez (WYO), 6-5 21-13 WYO
Hwt. (285) - Matthew McLaughlin (WYO) by decision over Sergio Pedroza (NWC), 5-3 24-13 WYO
* Wyoming national rankings are based on InterMat’s DI preseason poll. Northwest College rankings are based on the NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Association preseason poll.
In a performance that earned a team win and gave a variety of ‘Pokes some dual experience, the University of Wyoming wrestling team opened the 2009-10 season on Friday night against the Northwest College Trappers with a 24-13 victory at home.
On the evening, UW won six matches while NWC, an NJCAA school from Powell, took four bouts in the UniWyo Sports Complex. However, the Cowboys were on the plus side in three of four lopsided matches and those bonus points are what ultimately propelled them to victory in the season-opening dual for both teams.
Despite Wyoming’s team win, Cowboy head coach Mark Branch was not satisfied with his team’s showing in front of the home crowd.
“Although we did have a couple guys who performed okay, I expect a certain tenacity and attitude from my team and I did not see that tonight,” Branch said. “No one wrestled to the best of their ability. I could make excuses for them but that will not help us in the long run. The particular make-up of our team on any given night does not matter. The bottom line is that we have to go out and perform.”
Returning All-American and No. 5-ranked Joe LeBlanc led the way for the ‘Pokes with a win by fall at 184 pounds. The Cowboy sophomore pinned NWC’s Jarrett Baker at 4:04 in the second period after rolling to a commanding 12-2 lead. LeBlanc racked up two takedowns, two nearfalls and a reversal before putting his opponent on his back.
Another UW sophomore, No. 17 ranked Michael Martinez, got his team a big win at 125 pounds. Martinez used four takedowns, three nearfalls and a reversal to earn a technical fall win, 18-3, over Phillip Grout.
Tyler Davis, also a Wyoming sophomore, wrestled at 165 pounds and worked hard for a 9-1 major decision victory over Zach Oppenheimer.
The Cowboys also got wins from redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart at 133 pounds, senior Cory VomBaur (141) and junior heavyweight Matthew McLaughlin.
Four Wyoming wrestlers competed for the first time for their team in a dual match: Garnhart, sophomore Mikah Kadera (157), McLaughlin and redshirt freshman Colton Zier (149).
UW sophomores Alfonso Hernandez (197), Dallas Hintz (174) and Kadera each dropped one-point decisions to the Trappers.
“Give credit to Northwest tonight,” Branch said. “They had everything to gain, were more aggressive and wrestled with more heart. We are going to have to change our approach if we expect to improve during the Cowboy Open.”
On Saturday, UW will host the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, all day in War Memorial Fieldhouse. The event is sponsored by UniWyo Federal Credit Union.
Nearly 20 collegiate teams are expected to bring competitors and among NCAA DI schools bringing full squads are three Western Wrestling Conference rivals of the ‘Pokes: Air Force, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley. Event officials are anticipating nearly 400 individuals will compete.
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 10 mats at 9 a.m., running all day through the finals on Saturday evening.
Defending event champions for the Cowboys are Shane Onufer (Elite, 174 pounds) and L.J. Helbig (Amateur, 184 pounds). UW also had three runner-up finishes and had five student-athletes place third at the tournament in 2008.
Wyoming 24, Northwest College 13
125 pounds - No. 17 Michael Martinez (WYO) by technical fall (5) over Phillip Grout (NWC), 18-5 5-0 WYO
133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart (WYO) by decision over Jesse Hillhouse (NWC), 3-2 8-0 WYO
141 pounds - Cory VomBaur (WYO) by decision over No. 3 McCade Ford (NWC), 4-0 11-0 WYO
149 pounds - Cody Britt (NWC) by major decision over Colton Zier (WYO), 16-2 11-4 WYO
157 pounds - No. 5 Briston Brenton (NWC) by decision over Mikah Kadera (WYO), 3-2 11-7 WYO
165 pounds - Tyler Davis (WYO) by major decision over Zach Oppenheimer (NWC), 9-1 15-7 WYO
174 pounds - No. 10 Nick Petersen (NWC) by SV decision over Dallas Hintz (WYO), 7-6 (3OT) 15-10 WYO
184 pounds - No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by fall over Jarrett Baker (NWC), 4:04 21-10 WYO
197 pounds - Mak Jones (NWC) by decision over Alfonso Hernandez (WYO), 6-5 21-13 WYO
Hwt. (285) - Matthew McLaughlin (WYO) by decision over Sergio Pedroza (NWC), 5-3 24-13 WYO
* Wyoming national rankings are based on InterMat’s DI preseason poll. Northwest College rankings are based on the NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Association preseason poll.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Cowgirls fall to BYU in three
PROVO, Utah -- The Wyoming Cowgirls hung tough on the road, but dropped a three-set match to BYU Thursday night in Mountain West Conference volleyball action.
The Cougars (7-6 MWC, 13-12) came out on top 25-21, 25-20 and 25-19.
The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 2-12 in league play and 12-17 overall.
The Cowgirls were led by freshman Jodi Purdy, who finished with eight kills, four digs and two blocks, while junior Lauren Whitney added eight kills and eight digs. As a team, Wyoming hit just .082 (32-23-110) for the match.
BYU was led by Kayla Walker with 10 kills and a .308 (10-2-26) hitting percentage. She was followed by two players with nine kills each. The Cougars hit .283 (44-14-106) for the match.
The Cowgirls return to action Saturday in Salt Lake City, taking on Utah at 1 p.m.
The Cougars (7-6 MWC, 13-12) came out on top 25-21, 25-20 and 25-19.
The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 2-12 in league play and 12-17 overall.
The Cowgirls were led by freshman Jodi Purdy, who finished with eight kills, four digs and two blocks, while junior Lauren Whitney added eight kills and eight digs. As a team, Wyoming hit just .082 (32-23-110) for the match.
BYU was led by Kayla Walker with 10 kills and a .308 (10-2-26) hitting percentage. She was followed by two players with nine kills each. The Cougars hit .283 (44-14-106) for the match.
The Cowgirls return to action Saturday in Salt Lake City, taking on Utah at 1 p.m.
Cowboy wrestlers to open at home
by UW Athletics Media Relations
The quest for the 2010 postseason begins this weekend for the University of Wyoming wrestling team, as it opens the season by hosting two home events. Wyoming will dual the Northwest College Trappers on Friday and then host the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, presented by UniWyo Federal Credit Union, on Saturday.
“It will be nice to start the season from the comforts of home,” second-year UW head coach Mark Branch stated. “Since we will wrestle a lot of matches this weekend, it will be good not to have to deal with outside things such as travel issues.
“With the multiple events in Laramie this weekend, high school and UW, I am hopeful that fans from all over the state of Wyoming will get a chance to watch some of their home-grown talent on the wrestling mat.
“Our focus as a team will be to execute in areas that we have stressed in preseason. We need to wrestle with confidence, not be conservative and not be hesitant.”
The Northwest College dual will begin at 5 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Ticket prices 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 South Dakota State will gain the holder free admission to the wrestling dual, while an adult wrestling ticket will earn fans admission to basketball later Friday night.
It is the first time the two teams will have met in a dual match, however both squads were represented at NW College’s tournament last Saturday and there were some head-to-head match-ups between the two teams. Wyoming was 3-2 in those matches, featuring mainly back-ups and freshmen who will redshirt.
Tentatively scheduled to wrestle in the dual for the Cowboys are all four returning NCAA qualifiers from last season: sophomore All-American Joe LeBlanc (184), sophomore Michael Martinez (125), senior Cory VomBaur (141) and sophomore Shane Onufer (165). Three Wyoming natives could also see mat time on Friday night: redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart (Ten Sleep) at 133 pounds, redshirt freshman Colton Zier (Basin) at 149 and sophomore Mikah Kadera (Sheridan) at 157.
Seven starters, including three NJCAA All-Americans, return this season for Northwest College head wrestling coach Jim Zeigler. The Trappers will be trying for their 16th consecutive finish in the national top-10. Northwest College placed 10th at the national NJCAA tournament in 2009.
Last year’s NJCAA national runner-up at heavyweight, Landon Harris, compiled an impressive 32-3 record on the mat in 2009-10. Joining Harris are returning All-Americans Saul Guerrero (133) and McCade Ford (141). Both placed in the top eight at last year’s junior college nationals.
A long-time Wyoming tradition will then continue on Saturday, Nov. 14, when UW will hold the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, all day in War Memorial Fieldhouse.
Nearly 20 collegiate teams are expected to bring competitors and among NCAA DI schools bringing full squads are three Western Wrestling Conference rivals of the ‘Pokes: Air Force, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley. Event officials are anticipating nearly 400 individuals will compete.
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 10 mats at 9 a.m., running all day through the finals on Saturday evening.
Defending event champions for the Cowboys are Shane Onufer (Elite, 174 pounds) and L.J. Helbig (Amateur, 184 pounds). UW also had three runner-up finishes and had five student-athletes place third at the tournament in 2008.
The quest for the 2010 postseason begins this weekend for the University of Wyoming wrestling team, as it opens the season by hosting two home events. Wyoming will dual the Northwest College Trappers on Friday and then host the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, presented by UniWyo Federal Credit Union, on Saturday.
“It will be nice to start the season from the comforts of home,” second-year UW head coach Mark Branch stated. “Since we will wrestle a lot of matches this weekend, it will be good not to have to deal with outside things such as travel issues.
“With the multiple events in Laramie this weekend, high school and UW, I am hopeful that fans from all over the state of Wyoming will get a chance to watch some of their home-grown talent on the wrestling mat.
“Our focus as a team will be to execute in areas that we have stressed in preseason. We need to wrestle with confidence, not be conservative and not be hesitant.”
The Northwest College dual will begin at 5 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Ticket prices 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 South Dakota State will gain the holder free admission to the wrestling dual, while an adult wrestling ticket will earn fans admission to basketball later Friday night.
It is the first time the two teams will have met in a dual match, however both squads were represented at NW College’s tournament last Saturday and there were some head-to-head match-ups between the two teams. Wyoming was 3-2 in those matches, featuring mainly back-ups and freshmen who will redshirt.
Tentatively scheduled to wrestle in the dual for the Cowboys are all four returning NCAA qualifiers from last season: sophomore All-American Joe LeBlanc (184), sophomore Michael Martinez (125), senior Cory VomBaur (141) and sophomore Shane Onufer (165). Three Wyoming natives could also see mat time on Friday night: redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart (Ten Sleep) at 133 pounds, redshirt freshman Colton Zier (Basin) at 149 and sophomore Mikah Kadera (Sheridan) at 157.
Seven starters, including three NJCAA All-Americans, return this season for Northwest College head wrestling coach Jim Zeigler. The Trappers will be trying for their 16th consecutive finish in the national top-10. Northwest College placed 10th at the national NJCAA tournament in 2009.
Last year’s NJCAA national runner-up at heavyweight, Landon Harris, compiled an impressive 32-3 record on the mat in 2009-10. Joining Harris are returning All-Americans Saul Guerrero (133) and McCade Ford (141). Both placed in the top eight at last year’s junior college nationals.
A long-time Wyoming tradition will then continue on Saturday, Nov. 14, when UW will hold the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, all day in War Memorial Fieldhouse.
Nearly 20 collegiate teams are expected to bring competitors and among NCAA DI schools bringing full squads are three Western Wrestling Conference rivals of the ‘Pokes: Air Force, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley. Event officials are anticipating nearly 400 individuals will compete.
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 10 mats at 9 a.m., running all day through the finals on Saturday evening.
Defending event champions for the Cowboys are Shane Onufer (Elite, 174 pounds) and L.J. Helbig (Amateur, 184 pounds). UW also had three runner-up finishes and had five student-athletes place third at the tournament in 2008.
Monday, November 9, 2009
UW hockey drops two of three
by UW Media Relations
The University of Wyoming hockey club hasn't found its home-ice advantage at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne.
The Cowboys dropped to 0-3 at their second home, falling 7-1 to the University of Nebraska and 7-3 to Creighton University over the weekend. Sandwiched between the two losses was an 8-2 victory over Iowa State University at the Laramie Community Ice Arena, where UW is 2-0 this season.
After losing Friday night to the Cornhuskers, UW overwhelmed the Cyclones with four power-play goals in the first 40 minutes of Saturday night's contest.
Mitch Nelson (Sheridan) netted his second career hat trick to front the Cowboys' offensive onslaught, and Luke Walker (Jackson) added a goal and two assists. Jake Bates and Cody Leeper (both of Jackson), Seth Farrell (Longmont, Colo.) and Billy Ross (Superior, Colo.) also scored goals for UW.
Lucas Wescoat (Idaho Falls, Idaho) had a pair of assists for the Cowboys. Bates, Erik Blomberg and Taylor Freeman (both of Parker, Colo.) and Willy Miller (Arvada, Colo.) also recorded assists.
In goal, Kenny Ainsworth (Casper) stopped 22 shots to earn the victory.
In its weekend finale, UW wasted the first collegiate hat trick by Dustin Galbreath (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) against the Bluejays, who scored three second-period goals to break open a close game. Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas) and Levi Wood (Cheyenne) had two assists apiece and Tyler Yorke (Calgary, Alberta) had one assist in a losing effort.
In Friday's setback against Nebraska, Bates scored UW's lone goal on an assist from Cody Suder (Laramie).
The Cowboys have now been outscored 18-5 in three games in Cheyenne this season.
UW (6-4) returns to the ice this weekend with 7 p.m. games against Fresno State University (Friday, Cheyenne) and the College of the Canyons (Saturday, Laramie).
The University of Wyoming hockey club hasn't found its home-ice advantage at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne.
The Cowboys dropped to 0-3 at their second home, falling 7-1 to the University of Nebraska and 7-3 to Creighton University over the weekend. Sandwiched between the two losses was an 8-2 victory over Iowa State University at the Laramie Community Ice Arena, where UW is 2-0 this season.
After losing Friday night to the Cornhuskers, UW overwhelmed the Cyclones with four power-play goals in the first 40 minutes of Saturday night's contest.
Mitch Nelson (Sheridan) netted his second career hat trick to front the Cowboys' offensive onslaught, and Luke Walker (Jackson) added a goal and two assists. Jake Bates and Cody Leeper (both of Jackson), Seth Farrell (Longmont, Colo.) and Billy Ross (Superior, Colo.) also scored goals for UW.
Lucas Wescoat (Idaho Falls, Idaho) had a pair of assists for the Cowboys. Bates, Erik Blomberg and Taylor Freeman (both of Parker, Colo.) and Willy Miller (Arvada, Colo.) also recorded assists.
In goal, Kenny Ainsworth (Casper) stopped 22 shots to earn the victory.
In its weekend finale, UW wasted the first collegiate hat trick by Dustin Galbreath (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) against the Bluejays, who scored three second-period goals to break open a close game. Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas) and Levi Wood (Cheyenne) had two assists apiece and Tyler Yorke (Calgary, Alberta) had one assist in a losing effort.
In Friday's setback against Nebraska, Bates scored UW's lone goal on an assist from Cody Suder (Laramie).
The Cowboys have now been outscored 18-5 in three games in Cheyenne this season.
UW (6-4) returns to the ice this weekend with 7 p.m. games against Fresno State University (Friday, Cheyenne) and the College of the Canyons (Saturday, Laramie).
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Cowgirls sweep Air Force in three
Intensity and consistency have had its fleeting moments this season for the young Wyoming volleyball team.
Both stuck around for all three games, as the Cowgirls toppled Air Force 25-20, 25-22 and 25-12 Saturday night at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
The win snapped a seven-match conference losing skid for Wyoming, 12-16 overall, and upped its Mountain West conference record to 2-11.
The defeat dropped the Falcons to 0-13, 8-18.
On Tuesday, the Cowgirls had to rally a bit to stop Division II Colorado Christian in four games. On Thursday, Wyoming dropped a five-set match to San Diego State, leading the fifth game 13-10 before falling 16-14.
On Saturday, the Cowgirls did what they had to do to put Air Force away.
“I thought the players did a nice job getting focused and staying focused through out the entire match,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “It would be easy to come out after the second set break and relax, but I think they were very intense through out the whole match. We served well and our blocking was good. I hope this will give us some momentum heading into the final matches of the season."
Junior Lauren Whitney led the way for the Cowgirls with 13 kills, six digs and a .320 (13-5-25) hitting percentage. Freshman Jodi Purdy followed with nine kills and three blocks, while junior JennaRae Jester added eight kills, nine block assists and a .385 (8-3-13) hitting percentage. The Cowgirls hit .263 (41-16-95) for the match and out blocked the Falcons, 10.5-8.
“JennaRae always stands out in terms of leadership and defense for our team,” Yerty said. “Along with her, Lauren Whitney and Dani Bedore also played big parts in this victory.”
Air Force was led by Caroline Kurtz with seven kills and four digs. Nichole Stillwell added six kills and three block assists. They hit .106 (29-19-94) for the match.
The Cowgirls will go on the road next week for the final time with two conference match-ups. They will take on the BYU Cougars on Thursday and the Utah Utes on Saturday.
Both stuck around for all three games, as the Cowgirls toppled Air Force 25-20, 25-22 and 25-12 Saturday night at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
The win snapped a seven-match conference losing skid for Wyoming, 12-16 overall, and upped its Mountain West conference record to 2-11.
The defeat dropped the Falcons to 0-13, 8-18.
On Tuesday, the Cowgirls had to rally a bit to stop Division II Colorado Christian in four games. On Thursday, Wyoming dropped a five-set match to San Diego State, leading the fifth game 13-10 before falling 16-14.
On Saturday, the Cowgirls did what they had to do to put Air Force away.
“I thought the players did a nice job getting focused and staying focused through out the entire match,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “It would be easy to come out after the second set break and relax, but I think they were very intense through out the whole match. We served well and our blocking was good. I hope this will give us some momentum heading into the final matches of the season."
Junior Lauren Whitney led the way for the Cowgirls with 13 kills, six digs and a .320 (13-5-25) hitting percentage. Freshman Jodi Purdy followed with nine kills and three blocks, while junior JennaRae Jester added eight kills, nine block assists and a .385 (8-3-13) hitting percentage. The Cowgirls hit .263 (41-16-95) for the match and out blocked the Falcons, 10.5-8.
“JennaRae always stands out in terms of leadership and defense for our team,” Yerty said. “Along with her, Lauren Whitney and Dani Bedore also played big parts in this victory.”
Air Force was led by Caroline Kurtz with seven kills and four digs. Nichole Stillwell added six kills and three block assists. They hit .106 (29-19-94) for the match.
The Cowgirls will go on the road next week for the final time with two conference match-ups. They will take on the BYU Cougars on Thursday and the Utah Utes on Saturday.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Cowgirls come up short again
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
In college basketball, it’s a 40-minute game. On the volleyball court, the team that scores the final point gets the win.
For the young Wyoming volleyball team, Thursday night was case of doing just about everything better but scoring points; San Diego State had the edge at the end, winning in five games, 25-20, 22-25, 13-25, 25-13 and 16-14.
The heartbreaking defeat was the fourth time in Mountain West Conference matches that the Cowgirls have taken it to the limit, but come out on the short end of five-set matches. Two of those five-set losses have been to the Aztecs.
“Realistically it was about us; we didn’t handle the pressure situations of the match,“ Wyoming assistant coach Jill Stucky said. ‘As our team matures, we plan on those situations going our way. Right now with this team, we’re going to continue to work on pressure situations, so the next time we get into that position, the match will go our way.”
What made it more difficult to swallow for Wyoming, 1-11 in MWC play and 11-165 overall, is the Cowgirls had a 2-1 edge in the match before dropping the fourth game, and then led 13-10 in the fifth set before the Aztecs, 5-7, 11-12, rallied in the end.
“We just have to finish,” said Wyoming junior outside hitter Lauren Whitney, who had 19 kills and 23 digs in the game. “We get there and we’re fighting, competing, competing and in the end we don’t finish. That’s what we need to work on, finishing the game.”
The one area in which the Cowgirls fell short statistically was on the block, where the Aztecs held a commanding 16-7 edge in total team blocks. SDSU had one solo block and 30 block assists, to just one solo for the Cowgirls and 12 assisted blocks.
Part of that was due to Wyoming losing 6-foot-4 freshman middle blocker Camille Coffman on the first set of the game. Coffman appears to have a high ankle sprain and her availability is in question.
Freshman Makenzie Bartsch, who was seen more and more playing time as of late, filled in admirable, but Coffman’s void was felt.
Stucky said the actual move in the game was made at setter, as junior Barbara Lasic, who had been out with a sprained ankle herself, played the rest of the way and finished with 55 set assists.
“That was the main adjustment that we made,“ Stucky said. “We lost a huge block that we really could have used. At the same time, Barbara is back and healthy; she ran a pretty good offense.”
After two competitive sets to begin the match, the Cowgirls came out on absolute fire in the third frame led by the hard hitting of Whitney, freshman Jodi Purdy and junior JennaRae Jester. The Cowgirls led 16-3 and were never challenged.
That momentum, however, was fleeting, as the Aztecs controlled the fourth game although Wyoming made a nice run to close the gap.
In the end, the ball didn’t fall the Cowgirls way.
“Everything adds up. One to six is just as important as 18-25,” Whitney said. “We have to push through the whole game and not just be satisfied with 20.”
Purdy led all hitters with 21 kills, while Jester added 15 kills and hit .750 with no errors. As a team, the Cowgirls hit .218 and had 65 kills to 56 for SDSU. The Aztecs were paced by Andrea Hannasch with 12 kills and Hannah Evans with 11. Hannasch was also big at the net, with nine assisted blocks.
The Cowgirls will look to bounce back Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when they host Air Force.
“We’ll just keep plugging along. We’ll be back here on Saturday,” Whitney said.
Jester earns academic honors
For the first time in her career, Jester was selected on Thursday to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII Second Team. Jester, who has earned a 3.96 cumulative grade-point average in business administration, was one of six individuals to earn Second Team honors.
The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team is a part of the Academic All-America program. Student-athletes are selected in voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). CoSIDA District VII is made up of the states of Wyoming, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
To qualify, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of 3.30 cumulative grade-point average, must be at least a sophomore and must have participated in at least 50 percent of her team’s matches.
An Academic All-MWC and Scholar Athlete selection, Jester has played in all 27 matches and 104 sets this season and for her career 57 matches and 206 sets. Going into Thursday's match, she was averaging a team- leading .257 (191-76-448) hitting percentage and 1.13 blocks per set, while adding 1.93 kills and 2.81 points per set. She currently ranks fourth overall in blocks and fifth in MWC matches in that category.
Wyoming Sports.org
In college basketball, it’s a 40-minute game. On the volleyball court, the team that scores the final point gets the win.
For the young Wyoming volleyball team, Thursday night was case of doing just about everything better but scoring points; San Diego State had the edge at the end, winning in five games, 25-20, 22-25, 13-25, 25-13 and 16-14.
The heartbreaking defeat was the fourth time in Mountain West Conference matches that the Cowgirls have taken it to the limit, but come out on the short end of five-set matches. Two of those five-set losses have been to the Aztecs.
“Realistically it was about us; we didn’t handle the pressure situations of the match,“ Wyoming assistant coach Jill Stucky said. ‘As our team matures, we plan on those situations going our way. Right now with this team, we’re going to continue to work on pressure situations, so the next time we get into that position, the match will go our way.”
What made it more difficult to swallow for Wyoming, 1-11 in MWC play and 11-165 overall, is the Cowgirls had a 2-1 edge in the match before dropping the fourth game, and then led 13-10 in the fifth set before the Aztecs, 5-7, 11-12, rallied in the end.
“We just have to finish,” said Wyoming junior outside hitter Lauren Whitney, who had 19 kills and 23 digs in the game. “We get there and we’re fighting, competing, competing and in the end we don’t finish. That’s what we need to work on, finishing the game.”
The one area in which the Cowgirls fell short statistically was on the block, where the Aztecs held a commanding 16-7 edge in total team blocks. SDSU had one solo block and 30 block assists, to just one solo for the Cowgirls and 12 assisted blocks.
Part of that was due to Wyoming losing 6-foot-4 freshman middle blocker Camille Coffman on the first set of the game. Coffman appears to have a high ankle sprain and her availability is in question.
Freshman Makenzie Bartsch, who was seen more and more playing time as of late, filled in admirable, but Coffman’s void was felt.
Stucky said the actual move in the game was made at setter, as junior Barbara Lasic, who had been out with a sprained ankle herself, played the rest of the way and finished with 55 set assists.
“That was the main adjustment that we made,“ Stucky said. “We lost a huge block that we really could have used. At the same time, Barbara is back and healthy; she ran a pretty good offense.”
After two competitive sets to begin the match, the Cowgirls came out on absolute fire in the third frame led by the hard hitting of Whitney, freshman Jodi Purdy and junior JennaRae Jester. The Cowgirls led 16-3 and were never challenged.
That momentum, however, was fleeting, as the Aztecs controlled the fourth game although Wyoming made a nice run to close the gap.
In the end, the ball didn’t fall the Cowgirls way.
“Everything adds up. One to six is just as important as 18-25,” Whitney said. “We have to push through the whole game and not just be satisfied with 20.”
Purdy led all hitters with 21 kills, while Jester added 15 kills and hit .750 with no errors. As a team, the Cowgirls hit .218 and had 65 kills to 56 for SDSU. The Aztecs were paced by Andrea Hannasch with 12 kills and Hannah Evans with 11. Hannasch was also big at the net, with nine assisted blocks.
The Cowgirls will look to bounce back Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when they host Air Force.
“We’ll just keep plugging along. We’ll be back here on Saturday,” Whitney said.
Jester earns academic honors
For the first time in her career, Jester was selected on Thursday to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII Second Team. Jester, who has earned a 3.96 cumulative grade-point average in business administration, was one of six individuals to earn Second Team honors.
The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team is a part of the Academic All-America program. Student-athletes are selected in voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). CoSIDA District VII is made up of the states of Wyoming, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
To qualify, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of 3.30 cumulative grade-point average, must be at least a sophomore and must have participated in at least 50 percent of her team’s matches.
An Academic All-MWC and Scholar Athlete selection, Jester has played in all 27 matches and 104 sets this season and for her career 57 matches and 206 sets. Going into Thursday's match, she was averaging a team- leading .257 (191-76-448) hitting percentage and 1.13 blocks per set, while adding 1.93 kills and 2.81 points per set. She currently ranks fourth overall in blocks and fifth in MWC matches in that category.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Lobos end Cowgirls soccer season
PROVO, Utah -- Wyoming’s soccer season ended Wednesday with a 1-0 loss to New Mexico in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. The Cowgirls finish the year 9-8-3 overall, while New Mexico (13-4-3) advances to the semi-finals.
The Lobos netted the game winner very quickly out of halftime at the 46:33 mark. Rachel Felds and Alexis Ball teamed up on the assist for the Zaneta Wyne goal.
The Cowgirls kept the attack on the Lobos after the goal, but were unable to find the equalizer. With under a minute left the Cowgirls had a corner kick opportunity and a free kick with eight seconds left, but the Lobos were able to clear.
UNM outshot the Cowgirls 14-7 in the game. Freshman Courtney Merkle made five saves, while UNM keeper Kelli Cornell stopped three shots.
Prior to the game, two Cowgirls were honored by being named Second Team All-Conference. Senior Emma Wilson and junior Nicole Rice earned conference honors of the first time in their careers. Wilson not only led the team in assists, but she also was tied for second in the MWC in assists at the end of the regular-season. Rice was tied for second on the squad in goals with three and second
The Lobos netted the game winner very quickly out of halftime at the 46:33 mark. Rachel Felds and Alexis Ball teamed up on the assist for the Zaneta Wyne goal.
The Cowgirls kept the attack on the Lobos after the goal, but were unable to find the equalizer. With under a minute left the Cowgirls had a corner kick opportunity and a free kick with eight seconds left, but the Lobos were able to clear.
UNM outshot the Cowgirls 14-7 in the game. Freshman Courtney Merkle made five saves, while UNM keeper Kelli Cornell stopped three shots.
Prior to the game, two Cowgirls were honored by being named Second Team All-Conference. Senior Emma Wilson and junior Nicole Rice earned conference honors of the first time in their careers. Wilson not only led the team in assists, but she also was tied for second in the MWC in assists at the end of the regular-season. Rice was tied for second on the squad in goals with three and second
UW hockey to host weekend games
The University of Wyoming hockey club, off to a 5-2 start and ranked seventh in the Pacific Region of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), returns to the ice this weekend with three home games.
The Cowboys open with a 7 p.m. Friday faceoff against the University of Nebraska (4-3) at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne. The Cornhuskers won the last meeting between the clubs, 6-4 in November 2007.
UW's weekend continues Saturday with a 7 p.m. showdown against Iowa State University (2-2) at the Laramie Community Ice Arena and concludes Sunday in Cheyenne with an 11 a.m. contest against Creighton University (0-2).
UW's games last week, against the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Mines, were cancelled because of poor travel conditions. The Cowboys haven't played since sweeping a two-game series Oct. 24-25 at Mesa State College.
The Cowboys open with a 7 p.m. Friday faceoff against the University of Nebraska (4-3) at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne. The Cornhuskers won the last meeting between the clubs, 6-4 in November 2007.
UW's weekend continues Saturday with a 7 p.m. showdown against Iowa State University (2-2) at the Laramie Community Ice Arena and concludes Sunday in Cheyenne with an 11 a.m. contest against Creighton University (0-2).
UW's games last week, against the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Mines, were cancelled because of poor travel conditions. The Cowboys haven't played since sweeping a two-game series Oct. 24-25 at Mesa State College.
Cowgirl rodeo team to be honored at BYU game
The University of Wyoming women's rodeo team, winners of last summer's College National Finals Rodeo championship, will be honored at halftime of Saturday's football game against Brigham Young University. The game begins at noon.
The four team members are TaNaye Carroll, La Junta, Colo; Kacy Hatten, Wheatland; Sarah Mulholland, Richland Center, Wis.; and Nikki Steffes, Vale, S.D. They are coached by George Howard.
The four helped UW win its second CNFR title in the past three seasons and the program's fifth overall. The 2009 national champions won 10 of 11 regional rodeos last season and set a school-record with 5,620 total points.
Three of the four team members still attend UW to complete their degrees. Hatten is a current team member and is majoring in agricultural communications; Mulholland majors in nursing; and Steffes is a molecular/medical biology major. Carroll is pursing a doctoral degree at Creighton University.
Both Mulholland and Steffes have used up their eligibility, but Steffes still competes because she is the regional student director. However, her points do not count toward the Cowgirls' team scores.
Steffes won the her second all-around title at last summer's CNFR and was the national goat tying runner-up for the third straight season. Mulholland won the goat tying championship.
The four team members are TaNaye Carroll, La Junta, Colo; Kacy Hatten, Wheatland; Sarah Mulholland, Richland Center, Wis.; and Nikki Steffes, Vale, S.D. They are coached by George Howard.
The four helped UW win its second CNFR title in the past three seasons and the program's fifth overall. The 2009 national champions won 10 of 11 regional rodeos last season and set a school-record with 5,620 total points.
Three of the four team members still attend UW to complete their degrees. Hatten is a current team member and is majoring in agricultural communications; Mulholland majors in nursing; and Steffes is a molecular/medical biology major. Carroll is pursing a doctoral degree at Creighton University.
Both Mulholland and Steffes have used up their eligibility, but Steffes still competes because she is the regional student director. However, her points do not count toward the Cowgirls' team scores.
Steffes won the her second all-around title at last summer's CNFR and was the national goat tying runner-up for the third straight season. Mulholland won the goat tying championship.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Cowgirls rally to stop Colorado Christian
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls snapped a six-game a losing streak and beat the Colorado Christian Cougars 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-22) Tuesday night at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
Wyoming (11-15, 1-10 Mountain West Conference), stepped out of conference play to take on Colorado Christian (5-24, 1-15 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference), before playing conference foes San Diego State and Air Force to close out the week.
Facing the Division II School out of Lakewood, Colo., at home figured to be just the tune up the Cowgirls needed to begin the week, but the Cougars had other ideas and came out of the gate with inspired play and shocked the home team winning the first set.
“Colorado Christian, this match really mattered to them,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “They came in ready to play and we did not come ready to play, and it was very obvious.”
Yerty said perhaps her team was overlooking their opponent to their next match with San Diego State.
“I don’t think that our focus was there tonight, but I do commend the team for coming back and winning," Yerty said.
Winning is what the Cowgirls did indeed after the first set and overwhelmed the visitors by a combined score of 50-30 in the next two sets to lead the match 2-1, but the pesky Cougars still would not go away.
The fourth and final set was a back-and-forth battle between two teams hungry for a win. With Colorado Christian clinging to a 22-21 lead, the Cowgirls scored three straight to regain the lead at 24-22. Wyoming would then score the match point, but not without some drama. The final kill hit the west end-line and it was initially ruled out-of-bounds with the point going the other way, but a brief conference by the officials confirmed that the ball hit the end-line and the point went to the home team securing their 11th win of the season.
“Right now, it’s a good confidence boost,” UW junior JennaRae Jester said. “Game one, we weren’t completely all there together, but to make game two better than game one, game three better than two, and four better than three, and that’s what we came out here to do and hopefully that will give our team a lot of confidence.”
Jester had 13 kills in the match, following teammate Jodi Purdy, who had a game-high 16 kills with 12 digs, while Lauren Whitney contributed 10 kills of her own.
Colorado Christian was led by Andi Weber, Taryn Coughlin, and Brooke Wittmayer each recording nine kills and Wittmayer also chipped in 14 digs.
Wyoming will take a day off and then step back into conference play Thursday night against the San Diego State Aztecs, beginning at 7 p.m., in the UniWyo Sports Complex
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls snapped a six-game a losing streak and beat the Colorado Christian Cougars 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-22) Tuesday night at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
Wyoming (11-15, 1-10 Mountain West Conference), stepped out of conference play to take on Colorado Christian (5-24, 1-15 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference), before playing conference foes San Diego State and Air Force to close out the week.
Facing the Division II School out of Lakewood, Colo., at home figured to be just the tune up the Cowgirls needed to begin the week, but the Cougars had other ideas and came out of the gate with inspired play and shocked the home team winning the first set.
“Colorado Christian, this match really mattered to them,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “They came in ready to play and we did not come ready to play, and it was very obvious.”
Yerty said perhaps her team was overlooking their opponent to their next match with San Diego State.
“I don’t think that our focus was there tonight, but I do commend the team for coming back and winning," Yerty said.
Winning is what the Cowgirls did indeed after the first set and overwhelmed the visitors by a combined score of 50-30 in the next two sets to lead the match 2-1, but the pesky Cougars still would not go away.
The fourth and final set was a back-and-forth battle between two teams hungry for a win. With Colorado Christian clinging to a 22-21 lead, the Cowgirls scored three straight to regain the lead at 24-22. Wyoming would then score the match point, but not without some drama. The final kill hit the west end-line and it was initially ruled out-of-bounds with the point going the other way, but a brief conference by the officials confirmed that the ball hit the end-line and the point went to the home team securing their 11th win of the season.
“Right now, it’s a good confidence boost,” UW junior JennaRae Jester said. “Game one, we weren’t completely all there together, but to make game two better than game one, game three better than two, and four better than three, and that’s what we came out here to do and hopefully that will give our team a lot of confidence.”
Jester had 13 kills in the match, following teammate Jodi Purdy, who had a game-high 16 kills with 12 digs, while Lauren Whitney contributed 10 kills of her own.
Colorado Christian was led by Andi Weber, Taryn Coughlin, and Brooke Wittmayer each recording nine kills and Wittmayer also chipped in 14 digs.
Wyoming will take a day off and then step back into conference play Thursday night against the San Diego State Aztecs, beginning at 7 p.m., in the UniWyo Sports Complex
Cowgils to face Lobos in conference tourney opener
For the second time in two weeks, the Wyoming soccer team will play in Provo, Utah, as the cowgirls take on New Mexico Wednesday in the first round Mountain West Conference Championship Tournament.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
"We are excited to be playing in the Mountain West Tournament. We know that New Mexico is a very good squad that has a tremendous defense and some of the most dangerous attackers in the league," said UW head coach Danny Sanchez. "Everyone knows everyone else so well at this point of the season that I expect it to be a very competitive tournament."
The Cowgirls finished the regular season at 3-3-1 in conference play, which puts them as the fifth seed in the tournament, and 9-7-3 and 3-3-1 in conference play, which put them as the fifth seed in the tournament. This season will be the first post-season appearance for UW soccer since 2007.
New Mexico earned the fourth seed after posting an overall record of 12-4-3 and 4-3-0 in the MWC. Earlier in the season on Oct. 8, the Cowgirls traveled to Albuquerque, N.M. for their second conference game of 2009. The Cowgirls fell behind 1-0 in the second half, but scored two goals from freshman Carmen Blume and Mara Cosgrove for the 2-1 victory.
The win over UNM was the fourth of five consecutive victories for the Cowgirls.
Individually, Blume leads the team in goals with four, while four Cowgirls are close behind with three goals scored. Senior Emma Wilson has seven assists on the season which is second most in school history in a single season. Wilson also ranks second in the MWC in assists.
Freshman goalkeeper Courtney Merkle has started in every game for the Cowgirls this season and owns the best save percentage in the conference at .827.
The Cowgirls and Lobos will battle for a chance to move to the semi-finals against regular-season champion BYU.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
"We are excited to be playing in the Mountain West Tournament. We know that New Mexico is a very good squad that has a tremendous defense and some of the most dangerous attackers in the league," said UW head coach Danny Sanchez. "Everyone knows everyone else so well at this point of the season that I expect it to be a very competitive tournament."
The Cowgirls finished the regular season at 3-3-1 in conference play, which puts them as the fifth seed in the tournament, and 9-7-3 and 3-3-1 in conference play, which put them as the fifth seed in the tournament. This season will be the first post-season appearance for UW soccer since 2007.
New Mexico earned the fourth seed after posting an overall record of 12-4-3 and 4-3-0 in the MWC. Earlier in the season on Oct. 8, the Cowgirls traveled to Albuquerque, N.M. for their second conference game of 2009. The Cowgirls fell behind 1-0 in the second half, but scored two goals from freshman Carmen Blume and Mara Cosgrove for the 2-1 victory.
The win over UNM was the fourth of five consecutive victories for the Cowgirls.
Individually, Blume leads the team in goals with four, while four Cowgirls are close behind with three goals scored. Senior Emma Wilson has seven assists on the season which is second most in school history in a single season. Wilson also ranks second in the MWC in assists.
Freshman goalkeeper Courtney Merkle has started in every game for the Cowgirls this season and owns the best save percentage in the conference at .827.
The Cowgirls and Lobos will battle for a chance to move to the semi-finals against regular-season champion BYU.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Cowgirl soccer falls to BYU
PROVO, Utah -- After a scoreless first half, the University of Wyoming Cowgirl soccer team fell to the BYU Cougars 2-0 on Saturday.
The Halloween match closed the regular season for the Cowgirls. UW has already clinched a spot in the Mountain West Conference Tournament that will begin next week.
The Cowgirls are 9-7-3 overall and 3-3-1 in the MWC. The ninth ranked Cougars advance to 16-2-2 overall and 6-0-1 in league play.
The two teams battled to a first half scoreless tie. BYU held the advantage in first half shots six to one. Freshman keeper Courtney Merkle made four saves to keep the score at zero going into halftime.
BYU struck at the 50:11 mark when Carlee Payne passed ahead to Kassidy Shumway for the first goal of the game. 13 minutes later the Cougars added their second goal of the day on a goal from Andrea Willis.
BYU goalkeeper McKinzie Olson made four saves in the game for her 10th shutout victory of 2009. UW’s Merkle made eight saves and fellow freshman Meagan Burke made one save in her 13 minutes of action.
The Cowgirls will return to Provo again Wednesday for the MWC Tournament. It will mark the first postseason appearance for Wyoming since 2007. The Cowgirls will wait for the completion of other MWC games so see who they will face.
The Halloween match closed the regular season for the Cowgirls. UW has already clinched a spot in the Mountain West Conference Tournament that will begin next week.
The Cowgirls are 9-7-3 overall and 3-3-1 in the MWC. The ninth ranked Cougars advance to 16-2-2 overall and 6-0-1 in league play.
The two teams battled to a first half scoreless tie. BYU held the advantage in first half shots six to one. Freshman keeper Courtney Merkle made four saves to keep the score at zero going into halftime.
BYU struck at the 50:11 mark when Carlee Payne passed ahead to Kassidy Shumway for the first goal of the game. 13 minutes later the Cougars added their second goal of the day on a goal from Andrea Willis.
BYU goalkeeper McKinzie Olson made four saves in the game for her 10th shutout victory of 2009. UW’s Merkle made eight saves and fellow freshman Meagan Burke made one save in her 13 minutes of action.
The Cowgirls will return to Provo again Wednesday for the MWC Tournament. It will mark the first postseason appearance for Wyoming since 2007. The Cowgirls will wait for the completion of other MWC games so see who they will face.
UW cross country teams fifth at MWC meet
MWC photo/Wyoming junior Emily ByraOREM, Utah -- The University of Wyoming cross country teams had a pair of fifth-place finishes at the 2009 Mountain West Conference Championships at the Cascade Golf Course on Saturday afternoon.
The University of New Mexico won the team titles on both the men’s side and women’s side with a total of 29 and 24 points respectively. The Cowboys finished fifth with a total of 132 points, while the Cowgirls also finished fifth but with a total of 165 points.
The Cowboys were led by junior Taylor Kelting with his 8k time of 25 minutes, 34 seconds, good for 24th place. Sophomore Greg Miller was recovering from a bruised foot that he injured a couple weeks ago and ran a very solid race for the ‘Pokes, with his 26th-place finish and time of 25:43. Sophomore Ryan Griesbach and freshman Nik Deininger were not far behind with their 30th and 33rd-place finishes respectively.
“We were looking to finish in the top-four which was a little disappointing,” said head coach Randy Cole. “Greg (Miller) was unable to run to his standard but still put in quite the effort for us today. Taylor (Kelting) picked up the pace for us and ran probably his best race as a Cowboy today.”
On the women’s side, junior Emily Byra led the charge for the Cowgirls, as she finished in 26th place with her time in the 6k race of 22:47. Senior Erin Heffron and junior Francis Gipson were not far behind as they finished in 35th and 36th respectively. Freshman Brooke Hughes ran a solid race with her 39th-place finish and time of 23:30, while junior Alysha Davis crossed the tape in 42nd place.
“Emily (Byra) ran a very smart progressive race and on the women’s side we knew it was going to be a battle,” said Cole. “Both teams are very young and it was a great atmosphere for them, and I really believe that with one more year of training they can be up towards the top battling for a title.”
Up next for the Cowboys and Cowgirls will be the NCAA Mountain Regionals in Albuquerque on Nov. 14.
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