#10 Boise State Bronco Gymnasts Top 196 Mark Again in Win Over BYU Cougars

BOISE, Idaho--#10 Boise State (5-0) defeated BYU (1-4) for the second straight weekend, downing the Cougars 196.400 to 195.100 last night at CenturyLink Arena as part of the Gem State Invitational in front of 2,715 fans.

Sandra Collantes captured the all-around title with a 39.475, the 14th best all-around score in the nation this season.  Krystine Jacobsen won the uneven bars with a career-high-tying 9.95.  Ann Stockwell shared the title on vault with a 9.85 and Maddie Krentz and Collantes tied for the floor title with back-to-back 9.95's.

"The team was amazing tonight," co-head coach Neil Resnick said. "We struggled just a little bit on a couple floor routines. We are eager to get back in the gym and fix the little mistakes before we travel to Southern Utah next week."

Boise State opened on vault and recorded a team score of 49.100, led by Stockwell with a 9.85.  Mary Frances Bir and Collantes each scored 9.825's and Mackenzie Bennion and Krentz finished with 9.80 scores on the talented Bronco team.

Boise State then recorded the fourth-best uneven bars score in school history with a 49.425.  Stockwell (9.85) and Collantes, Remme and Krentz (9.875) all scored above 9.80, the benchmark score in each event necessary for the team to reach the important 196 team total.  An average score of 196 will generally get a team in or near the Top 10 in the country, which is where Boise State is thus far this season.

Boise State recorded a 49.075 on beam, their highest score of the year in the event.  Remme and Collantes scored career highs and Jacobsen and Paige Urquhart set season marks with 9.825's.

The Lady Broncos finished with a 48.800 on floor led by Krentz and Collantes, with Remme posting a 9.875.

Collantes' all-around score is tied for third in Boise State history with Caitlin Mann (2013).

"Sandra is a phenomenal athlete and I'm so proud of her accomplishments tonight," co-head coach Tina Bird said. "Two of our seniors and team captains, Maddie and Krystine, showed that they are forces to be reckoned with tonight as they each posted a 9.95 score along with other great routines."

At 5-0, the 2016 Broncos are the third team in school history to open the season with five straight wins, tying the mark set by the 1988 and 2010 teams.

Boise State travels to Mountain Rim Conference foe Southern Utah next week for a Friday meet in Cedar City, Utah.

Boise State Bronco Allie Ostrander Breaks School, Conference Records at UW Invitational

SEATTLE--Boise State freshman Allie Ostrander broke school and Mountain West Conference records at the UW Invitational, finishing second in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:21.85, breaking both marks by nearly 29 seconds.

Ostrander was beaten only by Olympian Kim Conley (15:09.31) in a stacked field, and shattered the Boise State and conference records previously held by former Bronco great Emma Bates (15:50.78).  Among times on an oversized 307-meter track, Ostrander turned in the third-fastest time in collegiate history.  Ostrander's time is the fastest 5,000 of the year thus far among collegiate student-athletes.

By virtue of her performance, Ostrander is now eligible to compete in the 5,000m U.S. Olympic Trials in July.

Minttu Hukka and Brenna Peloquin ran the seventh and 10th-fastest collegiate times as Boise State's talented distance runners showed they could compete with some of the best in the nation.  Hukka set a personal best of 16:09.36 to finish fifth, while Peloquin was eighth with a time of 16:11.90.

The rest of the mid-distance and distance athletes will compete today at the Invitational, with Jeff Lautenslager kicking off action for the Boise State team at 1:10 p.m. (MT).

Boise State #33 in Learfield Cup Standings

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nacda/sports/directorscup/auto_pdf/2015-16/misc_non_event/D1Jan14stand.pdf

Other than wrestling, Boise State is very strong in the other sports coming up--could (should) make the NCAA Championships in men's basketball, the gymnastics team is ranked #10 and if they make the championships they would score points, and the track team will score points at Nationals as well.

Bronco Gymnasts Make History With #10 Ranking

BOISE, Idaho--For the first time in history, a Boise State gymnastics team is ranked in the national Top 10.

Boise State moved from #13 to #10 this week, the highest ranking in school history. The Broncos' previous high ranking was #11 on January 13, 2014. Last year, they reached #12 several times. Boise State is averaging 196.063 per meet and trails only #4 UCLA in the west region.

The Broncos' floor effort is setting the pace, as they are currently #7 in the nation with a 49.175 average. Individually, sophomore Sandra Collantes is seventh. Boise State is ranked #11 on uneven bars, #13 on vault and #18 on beam.

The #10 Broncos host BYU Friday night at 7:30 as part of the Gem State Invitational at CenturyLink Arena.

Dr. Keiser Has Died

Former Boise State University president Dr. John Keiser has died at the age of 79.

Next to current president Bob Kustra, Keiser probably did more for Boise State than any other president.  In his 13 years from 1978-1991, Keiser saw the Broncos win the I-AA national championship and built the Pavilion (now called Taco Bell Arena), the Morrison Center, the Student Union Building and the Technology Center.

Keiser fought hard with the Idaho State Board of Education to move Boise State to Division I, only to be denied.  Those board members who voted against the move were replaced, and Boise State was able to realize Keiser's dream in 1996.

Keiser was named to the Boise State Hall of Fame in 2007, and even though he moved on to Missouri State, he continued to follow the Broncos.  When Keiser retired in 2005, he and his wife Nancy moved back to Boise.

Rest in Peace, Dr. Keiser--we acknowledge your many accomplishments for Boise State.

Broncos Rebound For 94-69 Win Over the Spartans

BOISE, Idaho--Nick Duncan and James Webb III led four Broncos in double figures as Boise State topped San Jose State 94-69 at Taco Bell Arena last night.

Plagued by poor three-point shooting in a home loss to San Diego State last Saturday, the Broncos set out not to repeat that. Duncan hit his first six three-point attempts en route to 20 points in the first half as Boise State grabbed a 45-32 lead. The Spartans had no answer for Webb, as the Bronco junior penetrated the paint on numerous occasions for layups or dunks.

The 94 points scored by Boise State is the most ever by the Broncos in a Mountain West Conference game. Duncan and Webb finished with 24 points, with Webb also pulling down a game-high 19 rebounds. Mikey Thompson had 16 points and freshman Paris Austin 11.

Freshman sharpshooter Ryan Welage led San Jose State with 19 points, while Brandon Clark contributed 13 and Jaycee Hillsman added 10.

Boise State advanced to 14-5 (5-1 in MW play) with the victory, while the Spartans are 6-16 and 1-6.

The Broncos head to Wyoming for an afternoon contest Saturday in Laramie.

Boise State Wide Receiver Thomas Sperbeck Wins Yahoo National Award for Catch of the Year

http://bluefootballthroughandthrough.blogspot.com/2016/01/boise-state-wide-receiver-thomas.html

Boise State Downs Nevada on the Road, 74-67

RENO, Nevada--Mikey Thompson led four Broncos in double figures as Boise State held off Nevada 74-67 tonight for their school record-tying 10th consecutive victory. Coach Leon Rice's Broncos are tied for the fifth-longest winning streak in the nation.

Boise State went into halftime ahead 35-24, by the Wolf Pack cut the lead to 35-32 on a dunk by Cameron Oliver. The lead varied from four to 10 points over the next 10 minutes, but Paris Austin's driving layup gave Boise State a 58-46 lead with 6:57 remaining. Austin made one of two free throws to extend the lead to 59-46, a 13-point advantage that Mikey Thompson maintained when he too made one of his two free throws to put Boise State ahead 60-47 with less than five minutes left.

Marqueze Coleman, who was held to just four points in the first half, began taking charge. Coleman's three-pointer cut the margin to 63-52, and then after his layup and jumper on consecutive possessions, all of a sudden it was 63-56.  Nick Duncan's jumper missed, and Coleman was at it again, driving past the befuddled Broncos for another layup.

With 1:12 left, D.J. Fenner also snuck past the Bronco defense for a layup and Nevada trailed 63-60. Rather than continue to take the air out of the ball, a strategy that clearly was not working, Duncan found himself free seven seconds later and let it fly from beyond the arc--nothing but net.

The Nevada fans, who had been whooping it up during the late-game rally, were deflated. Coleman missed on Nevada's next trip down the court, and Thompson's two free throws iced the game.  Anothony Drmic sank four free throws and Duncan two to finish the Bronco scoring.

Boise State advanced to 5-0 in Mountain West Conference play and 13-4 overall, while Nevada dropped to 2-3 and 10-5.

Thompson finished with 18 points, four assists and three rebounds, while James Webb III had 14 points and 14 rebounds. Drmic finished with 13, while Duncan had 11 points and five rebounds and Chandler Hutchison had eight points and 11 rebounds for the Broncos.

Coleman led the Wolf Pack with 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, while Fenner had 15 points and Eric Cooper 13.

Boise State returns home Saturday for a clash with one of the favorites to win the Mountain West--San Diego State. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. in Taco Bell Arena. Bronco fans are reminded to allow extra time in getting to the game due to the close of the Broadway Avenue Bridge.