Boise State Set to Recapture Pac-10 Championship

 Boise State would be going for a fourth consecutive Pac-10 wrestling championship this weekend if the streak were not so rudely interrupted by Oregon State last year.  The Beavers shocked Boise State, winning the title by two points and now get to host the championships Sunday in Corvallis.

The Broncos are bruised and battered from the debacle in Stillwater, but they are still loaded enough to capture the crown.  Here is a brief preview of each weight classification.

             125

1. Anthony Robles-Arizona State (Sr.) Robles is a two-time All-American, placing fourth in 2008 and seventh in 2000.  Robles is 28-0 in his senior year and possesses an incredible record of 110-23 over his career.  80% of his career victories have produced bonus points.  Robles is a two-time defending Pac-10 champion, defeating Jason Lara of Oregon State in the final last year. 

This season, Robles defeated Iwamura 19-3 and Lara 17-0.

2. Ryan Mango-Stanford (So)  Mango was 26-15 in his freshman year and has vastly improved, going 19-3 this season.  He defeated Iwamura this season 18-8.  Mango is 45-18 over his career. 

3. Tyler Iwamura-Cal-State Bakersfield (So) Iwamura has a 15-11 record this season.  Iwamura defeated Lara (13-4).  He lost to Mango (18-8), Bartelli of Boise State (14-10), Robles 19-3 but defeated Iwamura (13-4).

4. Jason Lara-Oregon State (Jr.)  Lara was runner-up last season in the Pac-10 Championships and owns a 19-8 record this season.  Over three seasons, Lara is 57-25.  Lara defeated Bartelli twice (3-2 and 5-3) and lost to Iwamura 13-4 and Robles 17-0.  Lara is 54-17 in his career. 

4. Alan Bartelli-Boise State (Sr.)  Alan was sixth in the Pac-10 Championships last year and is hoping for an improvement.  He was one of the only Broncos to wrestle well against Oklahoma State, upsetting Jon Morrison 6-1.  Bartelli comes into Corvallis sporting a 15-7 record this season and he is 68-53 overall in his Bronco career.  He defeated Iwamura (14-6) and lost to Lara twice (3-2 and 5-3) . 

133

1. Andrew Hochstrasser-Boise State (Sr.)  Hochstrasser was third at the Pac-10 Championships last year and fourth at the NCAA Championships.  He is 22-1 on the season, with his only defeat coming to #1 Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State.  Andrew has defeated Drucker three times (11-0, 10-1 and 12-3), Novachkov 16-2 and Paulson of Stanford.  Hochstrasser is 94-13 in his fabulous Bronco career. 

2. Filip Novachkov-Cal Poly (Sr.) Novachkov was runner-up in the Pac-10 last season and third place in 2009. Novachkov is 11-6 this season.  He lost to Hochstrasser 16-2 but defeated Drucker 6-4 and Mendoza 16-10.  Filip is 88-39 in his career. 

3. Garrett Drucker-Oregon State (Jr.)  Drucker downed Mendoza 15-3 earlier this year.  Drucker is enjoying a fine season at 15-6, making his career mark 32-21.

4. Justin Paulsen-Stanford (Sr.)  Paulson finished sixth in the Pac-10 last season.  He carries a 12-2 mark into the Championships and is 47-21 in his Cardinal career.  Paulsen beat Drucker 8-4 but also lost to him 6-4. 

5. Jose Mendoza-Cal-State Bakersfield (Fr)  Mendoza has gone 16-12 in his initial collegiate season.  He fell to Novachkov 17-2 early this season and also 16-10 less than a month ago and lost to Drucker 15-3.

                               141

1. Boris Novachkov-Cal Poly (Jr.)  The younger Novachkov won the Pac-10 championship at 133 pounds and moves up a weight this year.  Novachkov also finished third in 2009.  He finished seventh in the nation last season.  Boris is 24-1 this season and is 80-18 in his career.  He shut out Gray of Stanford 8-0 early in the year and also defeated him 8-3 a couple of weeks ago.  Boris edged Mangrum 3-2 and also got the better of Boise State’s Levi Jones 4-2 before blasting Mendoza 19-4. 

2. Michael Mangrum-Oregon State (So), Mangum captured the consolation championship last year and owns a career record of 52-19.  Mangrum is 20-7 this  season, including an 11-4 win over Levi Jones and a 9-4 win over Nacita.  He lost to Novachkov 3-2 and downed Gray with a fall.  Jones got the better of him in a rematch in Corvallis 9-2. 

3. Levi Jones-Boise State (Sr.) Jones was a disappointing sixth place last season at the Pac-10 Championships after a third-place finish as a sophomore.  Levi is again just 12-8 this season but is wrestling better of late, getting the fall over Mendoza and a 9-2 decision over Mangrum a few weeks ago.  Jones lost earlier in the year to the Oregon State star 11-4.  Jones gave Novachkov a battle before losing 4-3 and also defeated Gray 10-3 and Nacita 5-2.  Jones has a 32-16 career record for Boise State. 

4. Elijah Nacita-Cal-State Bakersfield (Sr.)  Nacita too had a disappointing 2009 even though he finished fourth in the conference; he was the Pac-10 champion in 2009.  Nacita is 19-7 this year and is 100-45 in his career.  He shut out Gray 9-0 and lost to Jones 5-2 and Mangrum (9-4)

5. Jordan Gray-Stanford (Fr)

                               149

1. Jason Chamberlain-Boise State (Jr.)  Chamberlain is out to reclaim the Pac-10 championship he won as a promising freshman but lost last year (third in 2010).  He was undefeated (22-0) until his crushing upset at Oklahoma State.  Jason is 70-19 in his career and will be one of the few remaining starters next year with experience on the Bronco team.  Shortly before his loss in Stillwater, Chamberlain blasted Cardenas 25-12.  Chamberlain is very familiar with the man many think will be his greatest challenger in Corvallis—Oregon State’s Scott Sakaguchi, facing and defeating him four times 4-3, 6-4, 3-1 and 6-3. 

2. Scott Sakaguchi-Oregon State (Fr)  Aside from the four losses to the Pac-10’s top seed, Sakaguchi has put forth an impressive freshman campaign, going 21-10.  He defeated Timmy Boone 4-1 and John Cardenas 4-0 and 6-1. 

3. Timmy Boone-Stanford (So) Boone was 7-9 in his freshman year.  He lost to John Cardenas of Bakersfield 5-3.

4. John Cardenas-Cal-State Bakersfield (Jr.)  Cardenas is 9-9 this season and also an even 28-28 for his career.  Cardenas beat Boone 5-3 and Nick Jordan 8-6 and lost twice to Sakaguchi (4-0 and 6-1) and 25-12 to Boise State’s Chamberlain.

5. Nick Jordan-Cal-State Fullerton (Sr.)  Jordan has had a nice 21-10 record this season and is 48-28 in his career.  He lost to Cardenas 8-6. 

                                157

1. Adam Hall-Boise State (Sr.)  Hall is one of the most successful Bronco gymnasts of the last 10 years, finishing second in the Pac-10 in 2008 and 2009 before winning it last year at 157 pounds.  Hall rode all the way to third place at the NCAA’s in his weight classification in 2010 and is the only Bronco wrestler that is headed into the postseason undefeated (23-0) and is currently ranked #2 in the nation.  Adam defeated Alex Elder twice by the count of 22-7 and another time 26-8, Bubba Jenkins (2-1 and  8-2), Barrett Abel of Cal Poly 14-6  and Kyle Meyer of Stanford 14-3 earlier this season.  Hall is now 117-16 in his remarkable collegiate career. 

2. Bubba Jenkins-Arizona State (Sr.)  Arizona State got a good addition when Jenkins transferred to Tempe.  He was the Big 10 runner-up last season  and also finished fifth in 2008 and 6^th in 2007.  In 2008, Jenkins was the national runner-up so he is a formidable force.    Jenkins has a career mark of 88-23 and is 14-2 this season.    He lost to Hall 8-2 and Abel (by fall) and downed Alex Elder 8-3.  Jenkins is ranked #4 by Intermat.

3. Barrett Abel-Cal Poly (Sr.)  Abel is the defending Pac-10 champion at 149 pounds and decided to move up a weight this year.  Abel carries a 61-29 overall mark into the championships.  He is 23-8 this season and has split with Jenkins (winning with a fall and losing 18-6) while defeating Meyer 8-6 and 14-6 and Elder 11-5 and losing to Hall  14-6.

4. Kyle Meyer-Stanford (Fr)  Meyer defeated Alex Elder 4-2.

5. Alex Elder-Oregon State (Fr) Elder is 13-16 this year.  He lost to Hall twice at 22-7 and another time 26-8, Meyer 4-2, Jenkins 11-3 and Abel 11-5. 

                                165

1. Ryan DesRoches-Cal Poly (Jr.)  DesRoches finished third in the Pac-10 last year.  Ryan is 27-5 this year, advancing his career mark to 77-28.  This year, he pined Edwards of Arizona State and defeated him two other times (8-6 and 14-6), beat Trevor Hall twice (5-2 and 5-3) and defeated Kurt Swartz 6-0 and Jon Brascetta 5-3.  

2. Kurt Swartz-Boise State (Sr.)  Swartz was the Pac-10 runner up a season ago but has not enjoyed the senior season he was hoping for, going 10-8.  Swartz defeated Hall (8-6), has beaten  Brascetta of Oregon State twice (once by fall and once 3-2) and lost 6-0 to DesRoches.  Swartz is 48-20 in his Bronco career.

3. Te Edwards-Arizona State (Jr.)  Edwards finished third last season at the championships and has compiled a 15-12 record this year.  He is 35-33 in his career.  He lost by fall to DesRoches and two other times by decision (8-6 and 14-6), and fell to Brascetta 8-7 and  defeated Trevor Hall 5-4.

4. Jon Brascetta-Oregon State (Sr.)  Brascetta had a 24-14 record coming into this season.  He lost to Swartz (by fall and a 3-2 decision) but defeated Edwards 8-7 and Trevor Hall 8-5.  Brascetta is 16-12 this season.

5. Trevor Hall-Cal-State Bakersfield (Sr.)  Hall finished fifth at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships but hasn’t been in the money since.  He is 18-14 this season with a career record of 47-37.  Hall lost to DesRoches (5-2 and 5-3), Swartz (8-6), Brascetta (8-5) and Edwards (5-4).

                                174

1. Colby Covington-Oregon State (Sr.)  Covington is the defending Pac-10 champion at this weight and is 16-1 this season.  The former Iowa transfer is 65-10 in his career and is unbeaten against his closest challengers in the conference.  He slaughtered Jake Swartz 13-4 and won two other contests by decision (3-1 and 12-6), defeated Eric Starks 4-1, Nick Amuchastegui (3-2), Eric Starks 4-1  and Joey Granata 22-7. 

2. Nick Amuchastegui-Stanford (Jr.)  Amuchastegui was the Pac-10 runner-up in 2009 and won the championship last year at 165 pounds, advancing all the way to fourth place at Nationals.  He has a sparkling 26-2 record this season and is 90-16 in his great career at Stanford.  This season, Nick lost a close contest to Covington (3-2), defeated Granata 10-3 and downed Swartz twice (3-2 and 4-0).

3. Joey Granata-Cal-State Bakersfield (Sr.)  Granata is 16-11 this year, losing to Covington 22-7 and Amuchastegui 10-3 but pinning Swartz and defeating Starks 8-7.  Granata is 53-33 in his Roadrunner career.

4. Jake Swartz-Boise State (Fr)  Swartz shows a lot of promise and might be more successful than his brother.  This year, he is 15-12, losing three times to Covington (13-4, 3-1 and 12-6), twice to Amuchastegui (3-2 and 4-0) and lost to Joey Granata by pin.

5. Eric Starks-Arizona State (Jr.)  Starks is 14-7 this year 42-31 in his career.  He lost to Covington 4-1 and Granata 8-7.

                              184

1. Jake Meredith-Arizona State (Jr.)  Meredith enjoyed a good junior season, going 19-14 to move his career mark over .500 (42-39).  Meredith split with Noel, with each taking 5-0 decisions.  Meredith also defeated Brice Arand of Oregon State twice (3-2 and 6-0) and downed Troy Goodban 9-4.

2. Todd Noel-Cal-State Fullerton (Sr.)  Noel is 18-9 this season and is 75-44 in his career.  Noel defeated Goodban 10-1and 13-5  but lost 4-3; he also lost to Meredith 5-0 and defeated Arand (3-1).

3. Kirk Smith-Boise State (Sr.)  Smith is the two-time defending Pac-10 Champion and finished runner-up in his sophomore season.  He finished 8^th pace in the NCAA’s in 2008 and was 2^nd in the nation last year.  Smith defeated Troy Goodban 9-2 and Brice Arand 6-2 and 9-0.  Smith has been competing sparingly to recover from a previous injury and then had to be carried off the mat following a loss at Oklahoma State.  Given that everyone at Boise State is tight-lipped about Smith’s injury, I cannot rank him #1.  Although he should be head and shoulders above his competition, the injury and subsequent silence complicates things.  When I’ve seen him in the past after he’s injured, he’s wrestled very carefully, trying to “get by”.  That’s the quickest way to injure it again.  Smith has a 102-11 career record coming into the Pac-10 Championships.

4. Troy Goodban-Cal-State Bakersfield (Sr.)  Goodban has lost to Kirk Smith (9-2), Jake Meredith (9-4) and won one of three against Noel (losing 10-1 and 13-5 with a 4-3 win).  Goodban also defeated Arand 8-6.

5. Brice Arand-Oregon State (Sr.)  Arand had a 43-33 record heading into this season.  He is 19-11, making his career mark 62-44.  Arand lost to Smith (6-2 and 9-0), Goodban (8-6) and Meredith (3-2 and 6-0).

                               197

1. Zack Geisen-Stanford (Sr.)  Zack was the runner-up in 2007, improved to fourth in 2008, third last year, and would love to win the title this year.  Geisen has wrestled to a 15-2 mark this season and he is now 102-37 in his fabulous Cardinal career.  Orozco defeated the always-tough Riley Orozco 6-4 and 7-5 this season and he defeated Ryan Smith 11-2 but he did suffer a 3-2 setback at the hands of Chad Hanke of Oregon State and he lost to Casperson 4-3.

2. Riley Orozco-Cal-State Bakersfield (Sr.)  Orozco finished fourth place in the Pac-10 in 2008, was runner up in 2009 and won the Pac-10 championship last season (at 197 pounds).  Orozco is 22-9 this year and is 69-30 over the last three years.  Orozco lost two close decisions to Geisen (6-4 and 7-5), has two wins over Chad Hanke (a pin and a 7-3 decision), lost to Casperson of Boise State (2-1) and he split with Ryan Smith (winning 9-5 before losing 9-7).

3. Matt Casperson-Boise State (Sr.)  Matt finished third in the Pac-10 Championships in 2008.  He is 10-6 this season, including a 2-1 decision over Orozco.  Matt’s career mark stands at 67-47.  Casperson also split with Hanke of Oregon State, losing a tough 4-3 decision earlier this month after winning 10-5, defeated Ryan Smith of Cal Poly 10-5 and edged Geisen 4-3. 

4. Ryan Smith-Cal Poly (Jr.)  Smith is 12-6 this year and 39-28 in his Mustang career.  He lost to Orozco 9-5 and then defeated him 9-7.  He also downed Hanke of Oregon State 5-3 and lost to Geisen 11-2 and Casperson 10-5.

5. Chad Hanke-Oregon State (Jr.)  Hanke was fifth at the 2009 Pac-10 Championships and was fourth last season.  Hanke is 19-9 this year and possesses a 71-34 career mark.  Hanke defeated Geisen 3-2 and lost to Orozco twice (by fall and a 7-3 decision) and to Smith (5-3).  Hanke split with Casperson, losing 10-5 and then coming back to take a 4-3 win. 

                              285

1. Levi Cooper-Arizona State (So)  Cooper has compiled a 22-8 record this season in earning the top seed.  He has a career mark of 39-27.  Levi defeated Felix of Boise State 7-2, Disney of Cal-Poly (9-4), Morgan (3-1) and Jack (6-3).  He also had to drop a contest with Disney because of injury. 

2. Clayton Jack-Oregon State (Jr.)  Jack was the third-place finisher in 2009 and the runner-up last season.  He is 19-8 this season, advancing his career mark to 77-31.  He split with Disney, winning 4-1 before losing 12-6, defeated Morgan (3-1) and Felix twice (7-2 and 10-5)  but lost to Cooper (6-3).

3. David Morgan-Cal-State Bakersfield (Sr.)  Morgan is 17-8 this season and is 38-24 in his career.  He has defeated Felix twice (2-1 and 7-3) and Disney 4-1 and lost to Jack and Cooper by 3-1 counts.

4. JT Felix-Boise State (Fr)  Felix has fought his way to an 11-9 mark in his freshman campaign.  Felix lost to Morgan twice (2-1 and 7-3), Jack twice (7-2 and 10-5) and to Cooper (7-2).

5. Atticus Disney-Cal Poly (So)  Atticus is just under .500 this year with an 8-9 record.  Disney lost to Cooper 9-4 and Morgan 4-1 and split with Jack (a 4-1 loss and a 12-6 win).  The Minnesota transfer was 18-3 in open meets two years ago.

Bronco Tennis Team Loses to #22 Auburn

The Boise State tennis team fell to #22 Auburn at the Blue-Gray Classic in Montgomery, Alabama. The Broncos will meet Arizona tomorrow in the consolation round.

#22 Auburn 4, #37 Boise State 1

DOUBLES

1. Tim Puetz/Daniel Cochrane (AU) def. Damian Hume/Scott Sears (BSU) 8-4

2. Jeff Mullen/Nathan Sereke (BSU) def. Alex Stamchev/Andreas Mies (AU) 8-6

3. Lucas Lopasso/Rafael Rondino (AU) def. Andy Bettles/Filipp Pogostkin (BSU) 8-6

SINGLES

1. #72 Puetz (AU) def. #109 Hume (BSU) 6-2, 6-3

2. Pogostkin (BSU) vs. #96 Tim Hewitt (AU) 6-3, 4-4 DNF

3. Sears (BSU) vs. Stamchev (AU) 6-4, 4-2 DNF

4. Cochrane (AU) vs. Mullen (BSU) 6-3, 6-1

5. Bettles (BSU) def. Rondino (AU) 6-0, 6-1

6. #106 Mies (AU) vs. Sereke (BSU) 6-3, 6-4

Broncos Roll Up Big Lead at WAC Swimming Championships

After three days of competition at the WAC Swimming Championships, Boise State leads with 585 points, while Hawaii is second with 404. Northern Arizona is third with 353 points.  Fast-swimming San Jose State, a pre-meet favorite, is simply being bested by swimmers who are used to swimming at high altitudes and have found the San Antonio pool much to their liking.  The Spartans have just 336 team points, followed by New Mexico State (293), Nevada (198), Fresno State (170) and Idaho (146).


Four Broncos scored points in the 400-yard Individual Medley tonight in San Antonio at the WAC Swimming & Diving Championships.  Christine Raininger was second to lead the Bronco charge:

 1 Kiss, Tricia           FR NM State          4:20.80    4:16.62  
  2 Raininger, Christine   SO Boise St          4:20.56    4:16.75  
  3 Miller, Chelsea        FR Boise St          4:23.16    4:21.71  
  4 Craddock, Julia        SO SJSU              4:24.24    4:22.73  
  5 Gray, Madison          JR Boise St          4:27.42    4:25.42  
  6 Palmer, Rachel         FR NAU               4:27.49    4:26.34  
  7 Thaveesupsoonthorn, C  SO Nevada            4:25.39    4:26.36  
  8 Balogh, Brooke         FR Boise St          4:27.58    4:27.34 

Amber Boucher and Stevie Hughey were 1-2 in the 100-yard butterfly:

1 Boucher, Amber         JR Boise St            52.46      52.05  
  2 Hughey, Stevie         SO Boise St            54.72      54.64  
  3 Cate, Beth             SO NM State            55.33      54.68  
  4 Heaney, Rachel         FR Boise St            55.32      54.70  
  5 Denman, Heather        JR SJSU                55.51      55.32  
  6 Donohue, Lily          SO Boise St            55.89      55.66  
  7 Takaki, Maddie         SO Hawaii              55.78      55.69  
  8 Acosta, Ashlyn         FR SJSU                56.08      56.46  


Stephanie North took first in the 200-yard freestyle:

 1 North, Stephanie       JR Boise St          1:48.12    1:46.96  
  2 Mi, Mengjiao           SO Nevada            1:50.02    1:48.64  
  3 Barrett, Maura         JR Hawaii            1:49.85    1:48.72  
  4 DeWames, Marisa        SO SJSU              1:49.98    1:49.46  
  5 Landeck, Vivian        SR NAU               1:50.28    1:50.17  
  6 Diener, Kelsy          JR Boise St          1:50.09    1:50.22  
  7 Koch, Julia            SR SJSU              1:50.37    1:50.81  
  8 Conrad, Kelly          SR NM State          1:50.06    1:51.07 


Kelly Forester led a Bronco trio in the 100-yard breaststroke:

 1 Lawrence, Alannah      SR NM State          1:01.84    1:01.35  
  2 Ritenberg, Taylor      SO Hawaii            1:02.18    1:01.70  
  3 Forrester, Kelly       SR Boise St          1:01.94    1:02.04  
  4 Spies, Maria           JR NM State          1:03.85    1:02.94  
  5 Vogel, Britney         SO Fresno St         1:04.27    1:03.43  
  6 Miller, Chelsea        FR Boise St          1:03.64    1:03.46  
  7 Anderson, Darcie       FR SJSU              1:03.45    1:03.71  
  8 Irvin, Emily           JR Boise St          1:04.43    1:04.62 

Denise Green paced the Broncos in the 100-yard backstroke:

 1 Lim, Shana             FR Idaho               55.04      53.00  
  2 Connell, Fi            SO NAU                 54.97      54.23  
  3 Green, Denise          SR Boise St            55.01      54.53  
  4 Prior, Christa         JR Hawaii              55.78      55.78  
  5 Gjoen, Heidi           JR Fresno St           56.47      56.02  
  6 Donohue, Lily          SO Boise St            56.68      56.21  
  7 McLain, Morgan         JR Boise St            56.69      56.68  
  8 Swinney, Briana        FR SJSU                56.67      57.30  

and Boise State finished the night in style by winning the Medley Relay:

 1 Boise St  'A'                       3:46.35    3:37.88  
     1) Green, Denise SR              2) Forrester, Kelly SR          
     3) Boucher, Amber JR             4) North, Stephanie JR          
  2 NM State  'A'                       3:50.75    3:42.24  
     1) Kiss, Tricia FR               2) Lawrence, Alannah SR         
     3) Cate, Beth SO                 4) Conrad, Kelly SR             
  3 Hawaii  'A'                         3:49.47    3:43.36  
     1) Prior, Christa JR             2) Ritenberg, Taylor SO         
     3) Takaki, Maddie SO             4) Accornero, Annathea FR       
  4 NAU  'A'                            3:53.60    3:43.82  
     1) Connell, Fi SO                2) Branning, Jaclyn SO          
     3) Lowther, Emma FR              4) Ferro, Claire SR             
  5 SJSU  'A'                           3:43.00    3:46.88  
     1) Swinney, Briana FR            2) Anderson, Darcie FR          
     3) Craddock, Julia SO            4) DeWames, Marisa SO           
  6 Idaho  'A'                          3:51.45    3:48.22  
     1) Lim, Shana FR                 2) Saxe, Kelsie SO              
     3) Bettis, Savannah JR           4) Pang, Si Jia JR              
  7 Fresno St  'A'                      3:51.07    3:49.66  
     1) Gjoen, Heidi JR               2) Vogel, Britney SO            
     3) Nguyen, Rayanne SO            4) Yoho, Dani SO                
  8 Nevada  'A'                         3:58.21    3:52.17  
     1) Mariani, Kayla JR             2) Kunz, Ashley SO              
     3) Gandionco, Marichi SR         4) Kostecki, Andrea FR   

Auburn Wins Doubles Point Over Boise State

Auburn jumped out in front of Boise State 1-0 at the Blue-Gray Tennis Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama.  Singles matches are underway at this hour.

Arizona Upsets Boise State Women's Tennis Team

#41 Arizona 5, #42 Boise State 2
DOUBLES
1. Sarah Landsman/Natasha Marks (UA) def. Lauren Megale/Marlena Pietzuch (BSU) 9-7
2. Lacey Symth/Kim Stubbe (UA) def. Elyse Edwards/Sonia Klamczynska (BSU) 8-3
3. Sandy Vo/Stephanie Jasper (BSU) def. Jane Huh/Susan Mc Rann (UA) 8-6
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
SINGLES
1. Landsman (UA) def. Megale (BSU) 7-5-6-1
2. Klamczynska (BSU) def. Marks (UA) 6-4, 0-6, 7-5
3. Smyth (UA) def. Jasper (BSU) 5-7, 7-6, 10-5
4. Stubbe (UA) def. Pietzuch (BSU) 6-1, 6-3
5. Mc Rann (UA) def. Edwards (BSU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Morgan Basil (BSU) def. Huh (UA) 6-4, 6-1
Order of finish: 1, 6, 4, 5, 3, 2

Bronco Softball Team Comes Up Empty Against UNLV

Not a good start for the Bronco women this year.  UNLV blasted them 9-0 this afternoon.  Boise State is playing UC-Riverside in the second game in Vegas.

Viitala Leads 1-2-4-5 Bronco Finish in Long Jump

The second final is in for the men at the WAC Track Championships.  Eetu Viitala jumped 7.65 meters to win the event and pull in 10 points for Boise State.  Kurt Felix, who just set a new school record earlier in the day in the grueling 7-event heptathlon, came back hours later to compete in the long jump.  He was second.  Rolando Trammel and Edidiong Essien finished the scoring for the Broncos.

Event 26  Men Long Jump
Heat 1 of 1
=================================================
    Name                 Year School       Finals
=================================================
  1 Viitala, Eetu          JR BOIS          7.65m             10 points
  2 Felix, Kurt            JR BOIS          7.35m               8 pts.
  3 Szade, Damian          JR UTST          7.01m          6 pts.
  4 Trammel, Rolando       SO BOIS          6.95m       4 pts.
  5 Essien, Edidiong       SO BOIS          6.73m          2 pts.
  6 Briggs, Colin          SO UID           6.70m             1 pt.
  7 Aronson, Jeff          SO UID           6.60m
  8 Lorentz, Jason         SO UID           6.54m
  9 Hamlett, Kenneth       SO UTST          6.52m
-- Capelle, Eric          JR BOIS           FOUL



The Broncos' team chances were severely affected when Boise State's 5,000-meter runners, many of whom were responsible for Boise State's WAC cross country championship, scored one point.  This enabled favorite Utah State to score 16 points in the event and Idaho 14.

And now, the Utah State distance medley team has won, giving the Aggies 10 points and the lead.

Boise State was able to come back and do well in the shot put, regaining the lead for now.

Finals                                                                           
  1 Mannucci, Eugenio         SR Idaho                   17.99m   59-00.25  10   
      17.03m  16.94m  17.83m  17.99m  FOUL  17.68m                               
  2 Jones, Larry              SR Louisiana Tech          16.74m   54-11.25   8   
      16.74m  16.39m  15.89m  15.93m  FOUL  16.66m                               
  3 Sexton, Chase             SO Boise State             16.67m   54-08.25   6   
      14.83m  15.64m  16.56m  FOUL  FOUL  16.67m                                 
  4 Levkiv, Andrey            FR Idaho                   15.41m   50-06.75   4   
      FOUL  15.41m  14.48m  14.68m  FOUL  FOUL                                   
  5 Hall, Spencer             JR Utah State              15.30m   50-02.50   2   
      13.04m  FOUL  14.62m  15.30m  FOUL  14.53m                                 
  6 Rothwell, Kyle            FR Idaho                   15.12m   49-07.25   1   
      14.53m  15.12m  14.50m  14.75m  FOUL  14.95m                               
  7 Nelson, Alex              JR Boise State             14.01m   45-11.75       
      12.61m  13.90m  14.01m  FOUL  13.28m  FOUL                                 
  8 Cunningham, Donavon       SO Idaho                   13.49m   44-03.25       

So now after four events, here are the scores:
1.  Boise State 54
2.  Utah State 50
3.  Idaho 36
4.  Louisiana Tech 8

Bronco Women Third For Now at WAC Track Championships

They won't be able to hold it, but Boise State's women are currently in third place at the WAC Track Championships in Nampa.  Utah State is in the lead with 60 points, and Nevada is in second with 50 points. Boise State is in third place with 49 points, followed by New Mexico State in fourth place with 31.50 points. Hawai'i has a hold of the fifth spot with 26.50 points, while Fresno State is in sixth place with 20 points. Louisiana Tech is in seventh with 19 points, while Idaho finishes the second day in eighth place with 16 points

Mele Vaisima finished second in the women's weight throw at the WAC Track & Field Championships at Jackson's Track in Nampa.  The Bronco senior uncorked a throw of 57-feet, 07.00 inches.


Also a nice finish for the Boise State women in one of their top events.  Senior BreAnna Craig vaulted 12-feet, 5.50 inches to take second to Utah State's Sonia Grabowska (13-11.25) in the pole vault.  Danielle Valentine of Boise State was fourth with a height of 12-5.50.


Emma Bates finished eighth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:40.02 to earn Boise State a point.  Louisiana Tech is expected to win the team title although Utah State is off to a great start.


Boise State's Alexi Morton, who already won gold in the pentathlon last night, has qualified for the finals of the 60-meter hurdles.


Preliminaries                                                  
  1 Francis, Kim              FR Louisiana Tech            8.55Q
  2 Davis, Tiana              SR Louisiana Tech            8.58Q
  3 Hawkins, Chari            FR Utah State                8.75q
  4 Pate, April               JR Nevada                    8.79q
  5 Peterson, Heidi           JR Utah State                8.82q
  6 Morton, Alexi             FR Boise State               8.84q
  7 Cleveland, Jndia          JR New Mexico St.            8.84q
  8 Morris, Erin              FR Fresno State              8.87q
  9 Jones, Jesseka            JR Louisiana Tech            9.07
10 Simmons, Tajanee          JR Boise State               9.15
11 Flores, Alyssa            SR New Mexico St.           10.19




On the men's side...


Four Broncos qualify for 400-meter final.  This is one of Boise State's strongest events.


Preliminaries                                                  
  1 Terry, Justin             SR Louisiana Tech           47.88q
  2 Butler, Karrie            FR Boise State              48.57q
  3 Goree, Josh               SO Louisiana Tech           48.73q
  4 Hunt, Tanner              FR Utah State               48.82q
  5 Robertson, Paul           SO Boise State              48.96q
  6 Daw, Jeff                 SO Boise State              48.98q
  7 Wesson, Manoah            SO Boise State              49.03q
  8 MaGaha, Wade              SR Louisiana Tech           49.62q
  9 Boully, AJ                FR Utah State               53.24






Seven Bronco women were entered in the 400; none qualified for the final.....




Boise State qualified three for the men's 800 final while Utah State qualified four.  Important for the three Broncos to beat the four Aggies in the final tonight.


Heat  1 Preliminaries                                          
  1 Holt, Jason               JR Utah State             1:55.05Q
  2 Green, Alwayne            SO Louisiana Tech         1:56.06Q
  3 Edwards, Austin           SO Boise State            1:56.09q
  4 Peterson, Jacob           FR Utah State             1:56.52q
  5 Tylor, Kyle               SO Idaho                  1:57.23
  6 Morris, Jermaine          SO Louisiana Tech         1:57.59
Heat  2 Preliminaries                                          
  1 Allred, James             SR Utah State             1:56.23Q
  2 Klein, Dusty              JR Boise State            1:56.37Q
  3 Owen, Mercer              SR Utah State             1:56.43q
  4 Moyer, Matthew            JR Boise State            1:56.57q
  5 Killpack, Tyler           JR Utah State             1:56.71
  6 Boudreaux, Jeff           SO Louisiana Tech         1:57.98


Paul Robertson and Rolando Trammel qualified in the 200 but Manoah Wesson, Karrie Butler and Jeff Daw did not.


Back to the women--Alexi Morton and Racquel Jones finished a surprising fourth and fifth, respectively, in the long jump, giving the Broncos 9 team points.

1 Hayes, Chelsea            SR Louisiana Tech           6.34m   20-09.75  10   
      FOUL  5.88m  PASS  6.16m  6.34m  PASS                                      
  2 Davis, Tiana              SR Louisiana Tech           6.16m   20-02.50   8   
      6.04m  6.16m  6.08m  6.03m  FOUL  FOUL                                     
  3 Amoah, Deborah            SO Nevada                   5.99m   19-08.00   6   
      5.79m  5.85m  5.62m  5.90m  FOUL  5.99m                                    
  4 Morton, Alexi             FR Boise State              5.71m   18-09.00   5   
      5.71m  FOUL  FOUL  5.67m  5.67m  FOUL                                      
  5 Jones, Racquel            JR Boise State              5.68m   18-07.75   4   
      5.37m  5.61m  5.56m  5.68m  FOUL  5.55m                                    
  6 Avery, La Tijera          JR Nevada                   5.63m   18-05.75   2.50
      5.46m  5.59m  5.29m  5.44m  5.63m  5.53m                                   
  6 Hawkins, Chari            FR Utah State               5.63m   18-05.75   2.50
      5.26m  5.50m  5.33m  FOUL  5.34m  5.63m                                    
  8 Williams, Quatisha        SR Louisiana Tech           5.54m   18-02.25   1   
      5.54m  FOUL  5.40m  FOUL  FOUL  5.53m                                      
  9 Daye, Markeva             SR Louisiana Tech           5.47m   17-11.50       
      5.47m  4.57m  4.90m  5.14m  5.27m  5.23m                                   
 10 Jones, Daphne             FR Utah State               5.44m   17-10.25       
      5.15m  5.36m  5.44m                                                        
 11 Jacobs, Shannon           FR Boise State              5.42m   17-09.50       
      5.18m  5.42m  FOUL                                                    

Broncos Start Off Well at WAC Swimming Championships

Boise State has advanced 15 swimmers to tonight's finals at the WAC Swimming & Diving Championships in San Antonio.  San Jose State, considered by most to be the top challenger to the Broncos, qualified six.
Four Broncos have advanced in the 400-yard individual medley, which consists of 100 meters in each stroke (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly):

1 Raininger, Christine   SO Boise St          4:22.44    4:20.56 
  2 Kiss, Tricia           FR NM State          4:26.60    4:20.80 
  3 Miller, Chelsea        FR Boise St          4:26.56    4:23.16 
  4 Craddock, Julia        SO SJSU              4:25.08    4:24.24 
  5 Thaveesupsoonthorn, C  SO Nevada            4:27.43    4:25.39 
  6 Gray, Madison          JR Boise St          4:28.43    4:27.42 
  7 Palmer, Rachel         FR NAU               4:35.66    4:27.49 
  8 Balogh, Brooke         FR Boise St          4:31.02    4:27.58

And the Broncos have the three fastest qualifying times and will have half of the competitors in the 100-yard fly final:

 1 Boucher, Amber         JR Boise St            53.44      52.46 
  2 Hughey, Stevie         SO Boise St            56.12      54.72 
  3 Heaney, Rachel         FR Boise St            56.26      55.32 
  4 Cate, Beth             SO NM State            57.10      55.33 
  5 Denman, Heather        JR SJSU                54.73      55.51 
  6 Takaki, Maddie         SO Hawaii              57.52      55.78 
  7 Donohue, Lily          SO Boise St            57.83      55.89 
  8 Acosta, Ashlyn         FR SJSU                57.26      56.08 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
  9 Irvin, Emily           JR Boise St            58.32      56.12 
10 Ferrin, Hannah         SO NM State            58.71      56.28 
11 Seaver, Terrin         FR NM State            58.98      56.37 
12 Gandionco, Marichi     SR Nevada              58.15      56.61 
13 Guerrero, Rudie        SR SJSU                57.32      56.78 
14 Nguyen, Rayanne        SO Fresno St           58.13      56.79 
15 Larson, Nicole         JR Hawaii              57.69      57.05 
16 Bassen, Rachelle       JR NM State          1:00.39      57.13


Boise State's Stephanie North had the fastest time in qualifying for the 200-yard freestyle finals:

  1 North, Stephanie       JR Boise St          1:49.51    1:48.12 
  2 Barrett, Maura         JR Hawaii            1:49.08    1:49.85 
  3 DeWames, Marisa        SO SJSU              1:50.86    1:49.98 
  4 Mi, Mengjiao           SO Nevada            1:51.65    1:50.02 
  5 Conrad, Kelly          SR NM State          1:52.51    1:50.06 
  6 Diener, Kelsy          JR Boise St          1:51.82    1:50.09 
  7 Landeck, Vivian        SR NAU               1:53.64    1:50.28 
  8 Koch, Julia            SR SJSU              1:51.36    1:50.37 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
  9 Kostecki, Andrea       FR Nevada            1:55.51    1:50.49 
10 Maier, Krista          JR NAU               1:53.67    1:50.58 
11 Friedhoff, Amy         SO SJSU              1:50.34    1:50.67 
12 Foster, Kiley          SO SJSU              1:53.48    1:50.69 
13 Cahill, Jennifer       SO Boise St          1:52.05    1:50.91 
14 Schellenberg, Ricarda  SR Hawaii            1:51.67    1:51.30 
15 Vlasic, Jessica        SO NM State          1:58.03    1:51.72 
16 Fenton, Alex           SO NM State          1:55.27    1:51.73


At least three Broncos moved on in the 100-yard breaststroke:

  1 Lawrence, Alannah      SR NM State          1:03.75    1:01.84 
  2 Forrester, Kelly       SR Boise St          1:04.02    1:01.94 
  3 Ritenberg, Taylor      SO Hawaii            1:03.66    1:02.18 
  4 Anderson, Darcie       FR SJSU              1:02.52    1:03.45 
  5 Miller, Chelsea        FR Boise St          1:04.25    1:03.64 
  6 Spies, Maria           JR NM State          1:06.05    1:03.85 
  7 Vogel, Britney         SO Fresno St         1:04.14    1:04.27 
  8 Irvin, Emily           JR Boise St          1:08.05    1:04.43 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
  9 Branning, Jaclyn       SO NAU               1:08.40    1:04.76 
10 Runestrand, Kelly      SR NM State          1:06.01    1:04.84 
11 Brown, Karly           JR SJSU              1:09.11    1:04.91 
12 Stacy, Jessica         JR Hawaii            1:06.62    1:04.97 
13 Macky, Caitlin         SR SJSU              1:05.24    1:05.37 
14 Pagett, Valerie        SO Hawaii            1:06.53    1:05.38 
15 Burnes, Jordan         FR NAU               1:05.77    1:05.47 
16 Stotts, Erin           SR Boise St          1:06.70    1:05.54

Denise Green was second in qualifyng for the 100-yard backstroke:

1 Connell, Fi            SO NAU                 56.87      54.97 
  2 Green, Denise          SR Boise St            56.17      55.01 
  3 Lim, Shana             FR Idaho               55.11      55.04 
  4 Prior, Christa         JR Hawaii              57.15      55.78 
  5 Gjoen, Heidi           JR Fresno St           57.14      56.47 
  6 Kiss, Tricia           FR NM State            57.73      56.59 
  7 Swinney, Briana        FR SJSU                58.20      56.67 
  8 Donohue, Lily          SO Boise St            58.06      56.68 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
  9 McLain, Morgan         JR Boise St            56.95      56.69 
10 Seaver, Terrin         FR NM State            58.12      56.92 
11 Stratton, Staci        SR Idaho               59.61      57.49 
12 Guerrero, Rudie        SR SJSU                56.06      57.86 
13 Takaki, Maddie         SO Hawaii              59.57      58.14 
14 Foo, Alyssa            FR Hawaii              59.50      58.30 
15 Egloria, Meredith      SR NAU                 59.18      58.38 
16 Mariani, Kayla         JR Nevada            1:00.93      58.47

Felix Shatters School Record in Heptathlon

Kurt Felix is on fire.  Not only has he beaten the best athletes in the WAC in all five events of the heptathlon, but he is closing in on his school record.  Felix set the mark with 5,348 points.  He is less than 1,100 points from that with two events to go.

Section  1                                                            
  1 Felix, Kurt               JR Boise State               8.46     869
  2 Balcirak, Nathan          FR Boise State              10.64     427
  3 Hawkins, Sam              JR Utah State               11.49     295
Section  2                                                            
  1 Noble, Philip             SR Utah State                8.59     839
  2 Belcher, Anthony          JR Boise State               9.12     720
  3 Johnson, John             JR Utah State               10.29     488
  4 Malashin, Justin          FR Boise State              11.82     250




Philip Noble won the pole vault with Felix fourth.  The 1,000 isn't one of Kurt's best events.  We'll see if he has enough to break the record.

=================================================
    Name                 Year School       Finals
=================================================
  1 Noble, Philip          SR UTST          4.73m 828 points
  2 Balcirak, Nathan       FR BOIS          4.53m 769 points
  2 Johnson, John          JR UTST          4.53m 769 points
  4 Felix, Kurt            JR BOIS          4.13m 654 points
  5 Hawkins, Sam           JR UTST          3.83m 570 points
  6 Belcher, Anthony       JR BOIS          2.63m 271 points
  7 Malashin, Justin       FR BOIS          2.33m 206 points


Here are the standings:

1.  Felix, Boise State 4,910
2.  Noble, Utah State 4,322
3.  Johnson, Utah State 3,701
4.  Belcher, Boise State 3,412
5.  Hawkins, Utah State 3,132
6.  Balcirak, Boise State 2,884
7.  Malashin, Boise State 2,695

That means Felix needs 439 points in the 1,000 to break his own school record.  He has to run the distance in 3:25 or less to break the mark.

The final event is in, and Felix has done it.  He ran the 1,000 36 seconds faster than he needed to to break the school record.  He shattered it.  He will get 781 points in the event, giving him 5,691, breaking his own school record by 343 points.  Felix also broke the WAC record with his performance.


1 Noble, Philip          SR UTST        2:39.27      882 points
  2 Felix, Kurt            JR BOIS        2:48.49       781 points
  3 Hawkins, Sam           JR UTST        2:48.69  779 points
  4 Johnson, John          JR UTST        2:57.51    689 points
  5 Belcher, Anthony       JR BOIS        2:57.55   688 points
  6 Malashin, Justin       FR BOIS        3:12.83     544 points
  7 Balcirak, Nathan       FR BOIS        3:15.60   520 points


Here are the final standings in the heptathlon:

1.  Felix, Boise State 5,691   10 team points
2.  Noble, Utah State 5,204    8 pts.
3.  Johnson, Utah State 4,390  6 pts.
4.  Belcher, Boise State 4,100  4 pts.
5.  Hawkins, Utah State 3,911  2 pts.
6.  Balcirak, Boise State 3,404  1 pt.
7.  Malashin, Boise State 3,239

Brilliant move by Coach Hardy to tie Utah State is one of their best events.