Collins Qualifies For 200 Final

Daveon Collins ran a 20.43 20 this afternoon and he just missed the final.

Place	Athlete	Affiliation	Time		Wind	Heat (Pl)	Result (split)
1	Bryshon Nellum	USC	19.99	Q	+3.2	2 (1)	Heat data
2	Anaso Jobodwana	JKST	20.02	Q	+3.1	3 (1)	Heat data
3	Ameer Webb	TAMU	20.05	Q	+4.3	1 (1)	Heat data
4	Isiah Young	UMS	20.12	Q	+3.2	2 (2)	Heat data
5	Aaron Brown	USC	20.26	Q	+3.1	3 (2)	Heat data
6	Carvin Nkanata	PITT	20.29	q	+3.1	3 (3)	Heat data
7	Charles Silmon	TCU	20.30	Q	+4.3	1 (2)	Heat data
8	Justin Austin	IOWA	20.33	q	+4.3	1 (3)	Heat data
9	Diondre Batson	BAMA	20.35		+3.2	2 (3)	Heat data
10	Akeem Williams	GRAM	20.41		+4.3	1 (4)	Heat data
11	Daveon Collins	BOIS	20.43		+3.2	2 (4)	Heat data
12	Prezel Hardy Jr.	TAMU	20.54		+3.2	2 (5)	Heat data
13	Brendon Rodney	LIU	20.58 (20.575)		+3.2	2 (6)	Heat data
14	James Taylor	NORF	20.58 (20.577)		+3.1	3 (4)	Heat data
15	Dedric Dukes	UFL	20.61		+4.3	1 (5)	Heat data
16	Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake	LSU	20.67		+3.1	3 (5)	Heat data
17	Michael Bryan	TAMU	20.68		+3.1	3 (6)	Heat data
18	Ryan Carter	DEST	20.69		+4.3	1 (6)	Heat data
19	Timothy Faust	OHST	20.70		+3.2	2 (7)	Heat data
20	Aaron Ernest	LSU	20.73		+3.2	2 (8)	Heat data
21	Carl Horsley	CSUN	20.78		+4.3	1 (7)	Heat data
22	Joe Morris	COLO	20.81		+3.1	3 (7)	Heat data
23	James Alaka	WASH	20.97		+3.1	3 (8)	Heat data
24	Dexter McKenzie	NEB	21.07		+4.3	1 (8)	Heat data

Post with 198-10 on Final Throw

He does not move on to the finals.

Post Has One More Throw

He is the final competitor and needs a mark of at least 211.

Post Throws 61.31

A little better on second attempt, but far, far short of what he needs to advance to the finals.  Matt is now 9th in his field and 18th overall.  Right now, Post is nearly nine feet short of the mark he posted at Regionals, and in fact that mark would move him into the finals today.

Post with a 61.24

Matt's 61.24 meters (200.11 feet) on his first throw--eighth in his field and 17th overall.  He'll need to do much better on his next two attempts, probably at least 219 feet.

Post About To Compete in Eugene

Bronco hammer thrower Matt Post is about to begin at the NCAA National Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene.  He has a hard act to follow, as yesterday Emma Bates placed third in the women's 10,000.

The first Field Series of 14 competitors has completed each of their first three throws, and now Post and the other 13 in the second field are set.  The Top 12 advance to finals.  Here are the marks Post needs to beat:

Place	Athlete	Affiliation	Best Mark		Wind	Flight (Pl)	Result
1	Tomas Kruzliak	VT	69.26m (227-3 )			1 (1)	Field Series
2	James Lambert	SIU	66.34m (217-8 )			1 (2)	Field Series
3	Elias Hakansson	UAL	65.17m (213-9 )			1 (3)	Field Series
4	Alec Faldermeyer	UCLA	64.73m (212-4 )			1 (4)	Field Series
5	Kyle Strawn	UFL	63.62m (208-9 )			1 (5)	Field Series
6	Remy Conaster	USC	63.56m (208-6 )			2 (1)	Field Series
7	David Phillips	MTST	63.24m (207-6 )			1 (6)	Field Series
8	Quentin Mege	MINN	63.18m (207-3 )			1 (7)	Field Series
9	Chukwuebuka Enekwechi	PURD	62.75m (205-10 )			2 (2)	Field Series
10	Nicolo Bolla	TROY	62.44m (204-10 )			1 (8)	Field Series
11	Denis Mahmic	VT	61.86m (202-11 )			1 (9)	Field Series
12	Rick Fenton	UH	61.20m (200-9 )			2 (3)	Field Series
13	Ethan Dennis	MICH	60.97m (200-0 )			1 (10)	Field Series
14	Matthias Tayala	KENT	60.24m (197-8 )			1 (11)	Field Series
15	Isaac Twombly	DRAK	59.57m (195-5 )			1 (12)	Field Series

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.  

2013 Bronco Freshman of the Year

We began this category last year because freshmen are beginning to be "impact players" for Boise State in several sports.  This year, there are no less than 10 deserving student-athletes in this category:

Jay Ajayi (football) rushed 84 times for 548 yards and four touchdowns last season.  His 6.7 yards-per-carry average broke John Smith's 40-year-old record of 6.57.  

Holden Huff (football) stepped up when Gabe Linehan was injured and caught 17 passes for 250 yards (14.7 average) and four touchdowns.

Maddie Krentz (gymnastics) was fifth in floor exercises and bars against Southern Utah with scores of 9.80 and 9.875, respectively.  She then scored 9.825 on bars, good for 10th at the Western Athletic Championships, as she helped Boise State capture the team title.  Krentz was honored as the WAC Freshman of the Year.

Devin Madsen (swimming & diving) was second in both the 100-yard and 200-yard backstrokes against #13 Arizona, and won both backstroke events against BYU.  She was third in the 200-yard backstroke at the Missouri Invitational.  Madsen helped the Boise State 200-yard medley relay team set a school record and set an individual mark of 1:57.56 in the 200-yard backstroke to finish fifth at the Mountain West Conference Championships.  Madsen was also sixth in the 100-yard backstroke.

Samantha Martin (women's golf) had six Top 25 finishes this season, which already ranks seventh in school history.  She finished ninth at the Mountain West Championships, helping Boise State to a second-place finish.

Thomas Tenreiro (tennis) finished the season with a 23-3 record, and won his last 18 matches in a row.  Thomas's play was a key reason Boise State won the Mountain West Conference and fought #23 Clemson to the wire in the opening match of the NCAA Tournament before falling 4-3.

Darian Thompson (football) was credited with 28 solo tackles and 43 overall, and picked off three passes for 19 yards, recovered a fumble, and had six pass deflections.

Mikey Thompson (basketball) averaged 7.9 points per game for the Broncos.  He hit 83-216 of his field goal tries (38.4%), was second on the Broncos with 25-57 shooting from three-point land, and connected on 47 of 67 free throws (70.1%).  Thompson also averaged 2.4 rebounds per game, had 41 assists and 17 steals as Boise State finished tied for fourth in the tough Mountain West Conference and earned its first at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Makenna Weir softball) had 42 hits in 142 at bats this season, including 11 doubles and four home runs.  She batted .296 on the season and drove in 31.

Sam Wicks (swimming & diving) won the 50-yard freestyle against Denver and the 100-yard backstroke against Wyoming and helped the 200-yard medley relay team win against BYU.  Wicks anchored the record-breaking 200-yard medley relay team and set an individual school record when she swam the 100-yard backstroke in 53.93 to finish fifth at the Mountain West Conference Championships.

Bronco Coach of the Year--2013

Our annual poll for Bronco Coach of the Year showcases four coaches who won conference championships (Bird & Resnick are co-coaches), three coaches who led their team to Top 25 finishes, and four coaches who guided their troops to the NCAA postseason.

Bird & Resnick helped the Bronco gymnasts to an upset win in the WAC Championships over #13 Denver.  Caitlin Mann and Kelsey Black both made the All-WAC team in all-around, Black was also all-conference in the vault and floor, Mann was honored on beam and Kelsey Morris was All-WAC on bars.  Mann was named WAC Gymnast of the Year, Maddie Krentz of Boise State was Freshman of the Year and Bird and Resnick were awarded WAC Coaches of the Year.  Boise State was ranked in the Top 20 most of the year and finished #23.

Coach Patton led Boise State to its second straight Mountain West tennis championship and automatic berth in the NCAA Championships.  Andy Bettles was named MWC Player of the Year.  Bettles was All-Mountain West in both singles and doubles (with partner Nathan Sereke).  The Broncos shocked both #22 Notre Dame and Texas Tech to win the Blue-Gray Tennis Championship, and Boise State battled #23 Clemson before falling in the NCAA Championships, 4-3.  Boise State finished the season ranked #42.  Bettles finished the year ranked #40 in singles and will compete in the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship.

Chris Petersen led the football team to an 11-2 record, with the two losses consisting of a combined six points.  Boise State won the Mountain West Conference, then edged Washington 28-26 to win the Las Vegas Bowl.  Boise State finished the season #14 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll and #18 in the AP.  Center Matt Paradis, defensive linemen Mike Atkinson and DeMarcus Lawrence, linebacker J.C. Percy and cornerback Jamar Taylor were named All-Mountain West.

Greg Randall led Boise State to a second-place finish in the Pac-12 and Jake Swartz Jason Chamberlain captured individual PAC-12 titles.  Three Broncos (Chamberlain, George Ivanov and J.T. Felix) advanced to the national quarterfinals at the NCAA Tournament and Chamberlain wrestled for the national championship before finishing second.  Boise State finished 19th in the Team Standings.

Leon Rice led the Boise State basketball team to a 21-11 record this season, including a win over nationally-ranked Creighton as Boise State tied for fourth in the Mountain West.  Boise State earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in its history before losing to LaSalle in the opening round.

The winner, with 138 votes--Coach Rice is the 2013 Bronco Coach of the Year.  Coach Petersen garnered 19.25% while Coach Patton had 3.74%, the team of Neil Resnick and Tina Bird had 2.67% and Coach Randall received one vote.