Boise State's Emma Bates Finishes 3rd in the Nation

Bronco sophomore Emma Bates took third place in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene.  The third-place finish is one of the highest ever for a Boise State student-athlete and the second-best for a female Bronco.  Elena Kafourou won the long jump in 2009.

Bates (33:37.13), stayed in the Top 10 for most of the race and topped Washington's Megan Goethals, who finished in 33:40.85.  Emma shattered her own school record by nearly 13 seconds and earning her All-America status after getting the nod on two second-team All-America units previously.  Bates will also run in the 5,000 later in the week, an event in which she is ranked #9.

It won't hold up without more points, of course, but Boise State is tied for 11th with 6 team points.  It should be noted that the Broncos finished 19th in the nation in 2009 when Kafourou won her national title, the best finish in school history for the Bronco women.  Besides Bates' 5,000, Marissa VanderMalle will run in the steeplechase semifinal this afternoon.  She is also ranked ninth in the country.

Once again, this is an Idaho exclusive.  Those who follow Blue Through and Through are used to getting the important Bronco news here first.

Place	Athlete	Affiliation	Time		Wind	Heat (Pl)	Result (split)
1	Betsy Saina	IAST	33:08.85		+1.9	1 (1)	Heat data
2	Aliphine Tuliamuk-Bolton	WICH	33:14.12		+1.9	1 (2)	Heat data
3	Emma Bates	BOIS	33:37.13		+1.9	1 (3)	Heat data
4	Megan Goethals	WASH	33:40.85		+1.9	1 (4)	Heat data
5	Katie Matthews	BOSU	33:43.26		+1.9	1 (5)	Heat data
6	Jennifer Bergman	ARIZ	33:45.03		+1.9	1 (6)	Heat data
7	Katie Kellner	CORN	33:45.31		+1.9	1 (7)	Heat data
8	Risper Kimaiyo	UTEP	34:03.35		+1.9	1 (8)	Heat data
9	Allison Lasnicki	UCON	34:11.99		+1.9	1 (9)	Heat data
10	Elaina Balouris	WAM	34:13.53		+1.9	1 (10)	Heat data

Ajayi Named 2013 Bronco Freshman of the Year

Running back Jay Ajayi was overwhelmingly supported as the 2013 Bronco Freshman of the Year, receiving  40.98% of the vote in a BroncoCountry poll.  Freshman tennis phenom Thomas Tenreiro, who won his final 18 matches to lead the Broncos into the NCAA Tournament, was second with 18.85%.  All ten nominees, plus Shane Williams-Rhodes, received votes in the poll.

Defensive back Darian Thompson was third with 14 votes, with basketball's Mikey Thompson right behind with 13.

Congratulations to Jay--keep focused and give Bronco fans another three years as good as the last one!

Mountain West Postseason Basketball Tournament Format Announced

With 11 men's and 11 women's basketball teams next season, the Mountain West had to come out with a new formula for the conference tournament.  They have done that and it's easy to understand.

All you need to know is that the bottom six seeds in each sex will face off in the opening round.  The three winners which emerge will join the top five seeds in the quarterfinals, and then the rest of the tournament proceeds as usual.

Patton Inducted into Idaho Tennis Hall of Fame

Greg Patton, one of the instrumental figures on the national tennis scene over the last 30 years, was inducted into the Idaho Tennis Association Hall of Fame last month.

Patton, who has coached Boise State to a 380-145 record and 10 conference championships, has an overall record of 731-338 in his 32 years as a collegiate head tennis coach.  Eleven times, Patton has been named a conference coach of the year and he was the 1997 NCAA Coach of the Year when he led the Broncos to a Top 5 ranking and quarterfinal finish in the NCAA Championships.

Patton coached the United States Boys' National Team from 1998-2003 and the U.S. Collegiate National Team from 2009-2012.