University of Wyoming head wrestling coach Mark Branch announced on Thursday that four student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to wrestle for the Cowboys beginning in the 2009-10 season. Jimmy Belleville of Tumwater, Wash., Tyler Cox from Gillette, Jake Eitzen of Estes Park, Colo., and Patrick Martinez from Hemet, Calif., will join the UW squad next fall.
“These guys believe in what we are doing here and are committed to the direction of this program,” said Branch as he described his first recruiting class. “They all had other offers, but chose to attend Wyoming based on what was in their best interest and what was in the best interest of the program. All four of these guys are excited to come here and are fired up to be on board. That is the type of wrestler we try to recruit. Their credentials speak for themselves, but their commitment is what has me excited about this class.
“I know first-hand how difficult five years of college wrestling can be, so it is very important that they are excited to be at Wyoming. The buzz about Wyoming Wrestling caught their attention and they want to be a part of it.”
Belleville comes to Wyoming from Black Hills High School in Tumwater, where he is a three-time state champion. He enters his final high school season with a record of 126-6. As a freshman his state title was at 103 pounds, 125 as a sophomore and his junior year he won at 145 pounds. Belleville was the Freestyle Junior National runner-up earlier this year. He could factor into the Cowboy lineup at 149 or 157 pounds.
Cox is a three-time Wyoming state champion and is expected to wrestle at 125 pounds for the Cowboys. Entering his senior year at Campbell County High School, he has a career high school record of 117-1, with his only loss coming during his freshman season. Cox won the 4A state title at 112 pounds the past two years and earned the top spot at 103 pounds as a freshman. He is a two-time FILA World Team member and wrestled in the Junior World Championships in Beijing in 2007. Cox won the 110-pound division at the High School National Wrestling Championships this past March.
Eitzen is a Colorado state champion from Estes Park High School. Including his state title as a junior, he has placed three times at the state tournament, runner-up as a freshman and sixth as a sophomore. Eitzen was the 2008 Colorado State Freestyle and Greco-Roman champion. He hopes to wrestle at the 133 pound level collegiately. A good student, he was named Academic All-State as a junior, as well as an NHSGA Academic All-American. Eitzen was also a three-year letterwinner on the football team for Estes Park H.S.
Martinez is is a two-time Freestyle and Greco Roman State Champion, as well as a place-winner at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Martinez is a California State Tournament place-winner in arguably one of the most difficult state high school events in the nation. His high school team, Temecula Valley, won the CIF championship three straight years and the Southern Section Masters championship those same years. Martinez was a California Triple Crown winner in 2007 and the California FILA Greco Roman state champion. He is projected to compete at 165 or 174 pounds for the Cowboys.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
UW hockey goes 1-2
The University of Wyoming hockey club finished 1-2 at the Clash in the Corn tournament last week in Sioux Center, Iowa.
The Cowboys opened the four-team, round-robin event with a 6-5 victory Thursday over University of Wisconsin-Platteville but lost their final two games, 9-1 Friday against Dordt College and 6-3 Saturday against Calvin College.
Heading into a six-week holiday break, UW is 10-6 and ranked fourth in the American Collegiate Hockey Association's (ACHA) Division III Pacific Region.
"It's a long break this year and we're going to have to try to stay in shape without practice and ice time," UW Coach Shawn Rockey says. "I am having Kerry Brown (a personal trainer at the UW Wellness Center) draw up a special program for the break to keep the guys at their best possible performance levels.
"We plan to come back strong, even though we are losing four guys at the semester break. We are going to try to pick up a few new guys, but if that doesn't work out, we'll just have to bear down and learn to become a stronger team without them."
When the Cowboys return to the ice Jan. 16 at Kansas, they will be minus forwards Tad Bernet (Katy, Texas) and David Wells (Rock Springs), both of whom graduate at the semester break, and defensemen Evan Reed and Grayson Walsh (both of Fort Collins, Colo.), both of whom are being deployed to Iraq.
UW will especially feel the loss of Bernet, who anchors the club's second line and fronts the team with 24 points on 11 goals and 13 assists. His linemate, Wells, has accounted for five goals and seven assists.
At the Clash in the Corn, Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas) netted a pair of goals in the opening seven minutes to spark a five-goal outburst in the first period of the Cowboys' tourney debut against the previously undefeated Pioneers.
Erik Blomberg (Parker, Colo.) added two goals, his team-leading 14th and 15th of the season, and Wells and Ryan Allred (Laramie) also scored for UW.
Bernet and Rick Comer (Gillette) each had two assists for the Cowboys. Wells, Willie Forbes (Casper), Nate Olsen (Pinedale) and Ryan Tufte (Jackson) also recorded assists.
In goal, Drew Luplow (Sheridan) made 11 saves to earn the victory.After beating UW-Platteville, the Cowboys were overwhelmed by two of the ACHA's best teams.
Dordt College, which eliminated UW from last year's Pacific Regional Tournament, scored six unanswered goals in the first two periods en route to its second win over the Cowboys this month.
The Blades (13-2), ranked No. 2 in the region behind Northern Arizona University (14-0), have outscored their opponents by a 118-50 count this season, including 19-2 against UW.
Lucas Wescoat (Idaho Falls, Idaho) scored the Cowboys' lone goal, assisted by Bernet and Graham Barrett (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
In its tourney finale, UW fell to Calvin College, the No. 3 team in the ACHA's North Regional. The Knights (10-4) won each of their three games at the Clash in the Corn, including a 5-2 triumph over Dordt College.
Olsen, Tufte and Cody Leeper (Jackson) scored the Cowboys' goals in a losing cause. Allred, Barrett and Leriger had assists for UW.
The Cowboys opened the four-team, round-robin event with a 6-5 victory Thursday over University of Wisconsin-Platteville but lost their final two games, 9-1 Friday against Dordt College and 6-3 Saturday against Calvin College.
Heading into a six-week holiday break, UW is 10-6 and ranked fourth in the American Collegiate Hockey Association's (ACHA) Division III Pacific Region.
"It's a long break this year and we're going to have to try to stay in shape without practice and ice time," UW Coach Shawn Rockey says. "I am having Kerry Brown (a personal trainer at the UW Wellness Center) draw up a special program for the break to keep the guys at their best possible performance levels.
"We plan to come back strong, even though we are losing four guys at the semester break. We are going to try to pick up a few new guys, but if that doesn't work out, we'll just have to bear down and learn to become a stronger team without them."
When the Cowboys return to the ice Jan. 16 at Kansas, they will be minus forwards Tad Bernet (Katy, Texas) and David Wells (Rock Springs), both of whom graduate at the semester break, and defensemen Evan Reed and Grayson Walsh (both of Fort Collins, Colo.), both of whom are being deployed to Iraq.
UW will especially feel the loss of Bernet, who anchors the club's second line and fronts the team with 24 points on 11 goals and 13 assists. His linemate, Wells, has accounted for five goals and seven assists.
At the Clash in the Corn, Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas) netted a pair of goals in the opening seven minutes to spark a five-goal outburst in the first period of the Cowboys' tourney debut against the previously undefeated Pioneers.
Erik Blomberg (Parker, Colo.) added two goals, his team-leading 14th and 15th of the season, and Wells and Ryan Allred (Laramie) also scored for UW.
Bernet and Rick Comer (Gillette) each had two assists for the Cowboys. Wells, Willie Forbes (Casper), Nate Olsen (Pinedale) and Ryan Tufte (Jackson) also recorded assists.
In goal, Drew Luplow (Sheridan) made 11 saves to earn the victory.After beating UW-Platteville, the Cowboys were overwhelmed by two of the ACHA's best teams.
Dordt College, which eliminated UW from last year's Pacific Regional Tournament, scored six unanswered goals in the first two periods en route to its second win over the Cowboys this month.
The Blades (13-2), ranked No. 2 in the region behind Northern Arizona University (14-0), have outscored their opponents by a 118-50 count this season, including 19-2 against UW.
Lucas Wescoat (Idaho Falls, Idaho) scored the Cowboys' lone goal, assisted by Bernet and Graham Barrett (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
In its tourney finale, UW fell to Calvin College, the No. 3 team in the ACHA's North Regional. The Knights (10-4) won each of their three games at the Clash in the Corn, including a 5-2 triumph over Dordt College.
Olsen, Tufte and Cody Leeper (Jackson) scored the Cowboys' goals in a losing cause. Allred, Barrett and Leriger had assists for UW.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Injury hampers Korir at NCAA Championships
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The combination of cold weather and rolling hills were too much for Mark Korir to overcome and become the first three-time All-American in University of Wyoming cross country history Monday at the NCAA Championships.
Battling back problems, Korir finished 71st in a time of 30 minutes, 38 seconds.
At the second mile of the 6.2 mile (10k) course, Korir was cruising along with the lead group. When they entered a decline at the Indiana State University course Korir’s back started to tighten up on him. That’s when the lead pack began to pull away from not only Korir but the rest of the field.
It was a two-man race from the get-go with sophomore Samuel Chelanga from Liberty and senior Galen Rupp from the University of Oregon. Chelanga sprinted out from the start and Rupp had to play catch up, he caught him about half way through the race and ran with him the rest of the way. Neither of them made their move to pull away until the last 400 meters. They came down the home stretch and that’s when Rupp led for the first time in the 10k race. He crossed the line with a time of 29:03, five seconds in front of Chelanga.
“Mark has had an incredible career here at UW and he will be sorely missed on the cross country course,” said head coach Randy Cole. “It just wasn’t his day with his back locking up on him, but he still gave everything he had and I am very proud of him for that.
“There are some great runners here and unfortunately Mark was unable to keep up with them. He will have some time to recover before the start of the indoor track and field season and I expect him to be full strength and continue to reek havoc on the conference soon.
Battling back problems, Korir finished 71st in a time of 30 minutes, 38 seconds.
At the second mile of the 6.2 mile (10k) course, Korir was cruising along with the lead group. When they entered a decline at the Indiana State University course Korir’s back started to tighten up on him. That’s when the lead pack began to pull away from not only Korir but the rest of the field.
It was a two-man race from the get-go with sophomore Samuel Chelanga from Liberty and senior Galen Rupp from the University of Oregon. Chelanga sprinted out from the start and Rupp had to play catch up, he caught him about half way through the race and ran with him the rest of the way. Neither of them made their move to pull away until the last 400 meters. They came down the home stretch and that’s when Rupp led for the first time in the 10k race. He crossed the line with a time of 29:03, five seconds in front of Chelanga.
“Mark has had an incredible career here at UW and he will be sorely missed on the cross country course,” said head coach Randy Cole. “It just wasn’t his day with his back locking up on him, but he still gave everything he had and I am very proud of him for that.
“There are some great runners here and unfortunately Mark was unable to keep up with them. He will have some time to recover before the start of the indoor track and field season and I expect him to be full strength and continue to reek havoc on the conference soon.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Korir to run at NCAAs on Monday
UW photo
Wyoming senior Mark Korir will compete in the NCAA Championships Monday in Terre Haute, Ind.
Mark Korir will run his last cross country race of his illustrious career for the University of Wyoming Monday in Terre Haute, Ind., at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
“Mark has been an incredible runner and leader for this University for the past three years and has a chance to become the first three-time All-American in Wyoming history on Monday,” said UW head coach Randy Cole. “He has put the Brown and Gold on the map in the cross country world and you won’t be able to miss him on Monday in the lead pack with his gameday gold jersey.”
The championships will be televised on CBS College Sports beginning at 10 a.m. (MST) and will run till 11:30 a.m., there will also be a live webcast on NCAA.com.
During the 2007 NCAA Championships, Korir finished in 19th place with a time of 30 minutes, 13 seconds and in 2006 in 22nd-place with a time of 31.24.
“Mark is a great competitor and he heads into this Championship with the goal of improving on his place and time from the last two years and who knows what can happen,” said Cole.
The ‘Pokes ran in Terre Haute, Ind., earlier in the year at the Pre-Nationals Invite where Korir placed seventh overall in the 8k race. On Monday, they will be running on the same course but be running a 10-kilometer race.
This year the NCAA changed the rule to the top 40 individuals in both races will be named All-American regardless of nationality.
Cowgirl junior Emily Higgins was unable to run along with Korir as she was short by only two-seconds and was left on the outside looking in.
Results will be posted at www.wyomingathletics.com immediately following the race.
Cowgirl vb falls to Utes
SALT LAKE CITY -- This time around, it was a different story in the Mountain West Conference volleyball match-up between the Wyoming Cowgirls and the No. 22 ranked Utah Utes.
Utah defeated Wyoming in three straight sets on Thursday night in Salt Lake City, in stark contrast to the last game between the two squads, when the Cowgirls beat the Utes 3-0 in Laramie on Sept. 20.
UW (5-19, 4-11 MWC) held their own against UU (21-5, 13-2 MWC) in the early going of all three sets, but the Utes would slowly edge ahead at key moments and win 25-16, 25-20 and 25-17. Blocks played a major role in the match outcome as Utah out-played Wyoming at the net 23-12. The Utes also held a large advantage in hitting percentage, 31 percent compared to 10 percent for the Cowgirls.
Sophomore Lauren Whitney led the Cowgirls with nine kills and five digs, while senior setter Tasha Weishahn had 24 assists.
Lori Baird had nine kills to lead Utah and Emillie Toone had a team-high six blocks.
The Cowgirls will conclude their 2008 regular season against the BYU Cougars on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Provo, Utah.
Utah defeated Wyoming in three straight sets on Thursday night in Salt Lake City, in stark contrast to the last game between the two squads, when the Cowgirls beat the Utes 3-0 in Laramie on Sept. 20.
UW (5-19, 4-11 MWC) held their own against UU (21-5, 13-2 MWC) in the early going of all three sets, but the Utes would slowly edge ahead at key moments and win 25-16, 25-20 and 25-17. Blocks played a major role in the match outcome as Utah out-played Wyoming at the net 23-12. The Utes also held a large advantage in hitting percentage, 31 percent compared to 10 percent for the Cowgirls.
Sophomore Lauren Whitney led the Cowgirls with nine kills and five digs, while senior setter Tasha Weishahn had 24 assists.
Lori Baird had nine kills to lead Utah and Emillie Toone had a team-high six blocks.
The Cowgirls will conclude their 2008 regular season against the BYU Cougars on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Provo, Utah.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Cowgirls close in Utah
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
One final weekend, one last time to cause a little damage for the young Cowgirl volleyball team.
The Cowgirls will make their annual Utah trip to close the season, taking on No. 22 Utah on Thursday in Salt Lake City before facing BYU Saturday in Provo. Both matches begin at 7 p.m.
Wyoming’s biggest win of the season came early on when the Cowgirls shocked Utah in three games in Laramie. The Utes head into the final season tied for first place in the Mountain West Conference with Colorado State.
First year Wyoming head coach Carrie Yerty said she has a hunch they will be playing with big targets on their backs against the Utes.
“They are going to be ready for us after the whooping they took here,“ Yerty said. “They are going to be energetic and ready to play us. It won’t be their senior night, but it will be their senior weekend. They will definitely be ready. Our loss may be the one that costs them the conference championship. My guess is they are going to come at it 100 miles an hour."
Utah is currently 20-5 overall, 12-2 in the conference. The Utes are led by Lori Baird who is averaging a team leading 3.10 kills along with 1.38 blocks per set, while Kathryn Haynie is adding 2.86 kills and 2.27 digs per set.
“Utah is a phenomenal team,” Yerty said. “I would expect them to get a NCAA tournament bid and represents our conference, hopefully past the first round.”
BYU is 12-12 overall, 5-9 in MWC play and will take on Colorado State before facing the Cowgirls. They are led by Kayla Walker, who is averaging 3.01 kills and 2.08 digs per set, while Bryn Porter is adding 2.93 kills and 2.10 digs per set. The Cougars downed the Cowgirls in three close games earlier in Laramie.
For Yerty, this will be a bittersweet weekend.
“It’s hard for me because our senior class has done such an awesome job for us,” she said. “We know what our record (4-10, 5-18) is, but it certainly doesn’t entail what they have done for this program. I’m excited for this year to wrap up so we can look forward to the new year, but I’m also dad to see the end of the season because it is really been such a great year in terms of people and getting better and playing hard and commitment. All of the tangibles you want tin a program, this program has had. That’s why I truly believe our future is going to be so bright.”
Seniors Tasha Weishahan, Carissa Lee and Samantha Eley will be playing their final matches for Wyoming.
Yerty will lose those three seniors, but will welcome at least six talented newcomers to the program. She said this current Wyoming team had a lot to do in bringing in these players.
“It is important that the team understands what a valuable asset to us in the recruiting process," Yerty said. “These kids have worked their tails off, not just in the gym, but outside the gym to help us bring in the caliber athletes we need to bring in to improve to another level. Not just senior class but the corps returning next year is dedicated to see this program go back into a position where they can compete against anybody all of the time.”
Wyoming Sports.org
One final weekend, one last time to cause a little damage for the young Cowgirl volleyball team.
The Cowgirls will make their annual Utah trip to close the season, taking on No. 22 Utah on Thursday in Salt Lake City before facing BYU Saturday in Provo. Both matches begin at 7 p.m.
Wyoming’s biggest win of the season came early on when the Cowgirls shocked Utah in three games in Laramie. The Utes head into the final season tied for first place in the Mountain West Conference with Colorado State.
First year Wyoming head coach Carrie Yerty said she has a hunch they will be playing with big targets on their backs against the Utes.
“They are going to be ready for us after the whooping they took here,“ Yerty said. “They are going to be energetic and ready to play us. It won’t be their senior night, but it will be their senior weekend. They will definitely be ready. Our loss may be the one that costs them the conference championship. My guess is they are going to come at it 100 miles an hour."
Utah is currently 20-5 overall, 12-2 in the conference. The Utes are led by Lori Baird who is averaging a team leading 3.10 kills along with 1.38 blocks per set, while Kathryn Haynie is adding 2.86 kills and 2.27 digs per set.
“Utah is a phenomenal team,” Yerty said. “I would expect them to get a NCAA tournament bid and represents our conference, hopefully past the first round.”
BYU is 12-12 overall, 5-9 in MWC play and will take on Colorado State before facing the Cowgirls. They are led by Kayla Walker, who is averaging 3.01 kills and 2.08 digs per set, while Bryn Porter is adding 2.93 kills and 2.10 digs per set. The Cougars downed the Cowgirls in three close games earlier in Laramie.
For Yerty, this will be a bittersweet weekend.
“It’s hard for me because our senior class has done such an awesome job for us,” she said. “We know what our record (4-10, 5-18) is, but it certainly doesn’t entail what they have done for this program. I’m excited for this year to wrap up so we can look forward to the new year, but I’m also dad to see the end of the season because it is really been such a great year in terms of people and getting better and playing hard and commitment. All of the tangibles you want tin a program, this program has had. That’s why I truly believe our future is going to be so bright.”
Seniors Tasha Weishahan, Carissa Lee and Samantha Eley will be playing their final matches for Wyoming.
Yerty will lose those three seniors, but will welcome at least six talented newcomers to the program. She said this current Wyoming team had a lot to do in bringing in these players.
“It is important that the team understands what a valuable asset to us in the recruiting process," Yerty said. “These kids have worked their tails off, not just in the gym, but outside the gym to help us bring in the caliber athletes we need to bring in to improve to another level. Not just senior class but the corps returning next year is dedicated to see this program go back into a position where they can compete against anybody all of the time.”
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
UW women's golf signs another Zamprelli
University of Wyoming women’s head golf coach Josey Stender announced the signing of Dana Zamprelli to a national letter of intent to hit the links for the Cowgirls in the upcoming 2009-10 season.
Zamprelli is the little sister of current Cowgirl Jenna Zamprelli, who is currently a sophomore on the squad. She comes to Wyoming from Castle Rock, Colo., and Douglas County High School, where she is a four-sport athlete. Zamprelli lettered twice in volleyball, basketball, once in swimming and all four years in golf.
“We can’t be more excited about getting Dana to come and play here next season. She has the whole package,” said Stender. “Dana has quite the resume that follows her to UW along with holding many of the records in the weight room. She is the type of player that has her best golf ahead of her.”
During her golf career, she has led her team to the league championships twice, in 2006 and ‘07, as well as the regional championship in ‘07. The same year they were the state runner-up for the 5A division. Zamprelli has been selected to the first team all-conference team once while being named to the second team in ‘06 and ‘07. This past season, she was also named to the Colorado Junior Golf Association Academic All-Star team.
“Dana will add more depth to our roster and give us another option when it comes to players next season,” said Stender. “We try to add quality student-athletes each year and it has shown with our recent success. Dana will fit in perfectly here as she is very coachable and extremely team oriented.”
The Cowgirls will resume action Feb. 15 at the SDSU Lady Aztec Spring Classic in Chula Vista, Calif.
Zamprelli is the little sister of current Cowgirl Jenna Zamprelli, who is currently a sophomore on the squad. She comes to Wyoming from Castle Rock, Colo., and Douglas County High School, where she is a four-sport athlete. Zamprelli lettered twice in volleyball, basketball, once in swimming and all four years in golf.
“We can’t be more excited about getting Dana to come and play here next season. She has the whole package,” said Stender. “Dana has quite the resume that follows her to UW along with holding many of the records in the weight room. She is the type of player that has her best golf ahead of her.”
During her golf career, she has led her team to the league championships twice, in 2006 and ‘07, as well as the regional championship in ‘07. The same year they were the state runner-up for the 5A division. Zamprelli has been selected to the first team all-conference team once while being named to the second team in ‘06 and ‘07. This past season, she was also named to the Colorado Junior Golf Association Academic All-Star team.
“Dana will add more depth to our roster and give us another option when it comes to players next season,” said Stender. “We try to add quality student-athletes each year and it has shown with our recent success. Dana will fit in perfectly here as she is very coachable and extremely team oriented.”
The Cowgirls will resume action Feb. 15 at the SDSU Lady Aztec Spring Classic in Chula Vista, Calif.
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