Felix with Two Early Takedowns

J.T. Felix now on the mat for Boise State at heavyweight.  He has a 4-1 lead over Wisconsin's Connor Medbery with 1:16 left in the first.

Swartz in the Quarters

with a 2-0 win over #11 Lawrence Thomas of Penn.

Swartz Gets Huge Riding Time

Jake refused to let his opponent up in the second period and has a huge riding time advantage at the NCAA National Wrestling Championships.  They go to round three.

Scoreless First

Swartz will start up at the start of the second.

Swartz About to Go in Round 2

Jake will wrestle Lawrence Thomas of Penn, the 11 seed, in the NCAA National Wrestling Championships.  Boise State currently 23rd with five points.

Boise State Wrestlers Tied for 21st

The duo of Jake Swartz and J.T. Felix combined for five first-round points, and that puts Boise State in a tie for 21st at the NCAA National Wrestling Championships.

Felix Pins Walz of Virginia Tech

The Hokies fell to Boise State in football a few years back, and Bronco heavyweight wrestler J.T. Felix kept up Boise State's winning ways over Virginia Tech with a pin just prior to the end of the first period.  Ty Walz was 26-12 prior to the match with Felix.

Felx meets #9 seed Connor Medberry of Wisconsin tonight.

Idaho Exclusive--Swartz with 12-3 Major

Jake did super at the end of his first-round match, mounting a series of attacks against Phillip Joseph.  He scored takedown after takedown, and finished with a 12-3 win.

Swartz will take on 11th-seed Lawrence Thomas of Penn tonight in the second round.

Another Takedown for Swartz

An escape, but now 10-3 with 34 seconds left.

Escape for Joseph, But Another Takedown

Jake acting like he's mad he had to wrestle someone so talented in the opening round.

Swartz with three more points

Jake has Joseph in trouble again in the third.  Two minutes left in period #3.  6-0 lead.

Swartz with an Escape and Takedown

3-0 lead in the second with 56 seconds remaining.  He will be on top in the third.

By the way, this is an Idaho exclusive for you from Blue Through and Through.  No one else in the state is telling you this information as it happens.

Second Period Underway

Scoreless first between Swartz and Joseph.

No Score Yet

1:20 remaining in opening period between Jake Swartz of Boise State and Phillip Joseph of Eastern Michigan.

Swartz on the Mat

They put him up against another senior.  Phillip Joseph is 23-7.  Swartz is ranked sixth.

Swartz About Ready to Go at Nationals

Jake has plenty of experience, but a tough first-round opponent.

Swartz Will Wrestle Joseph

Phillip Joseph of Eastern Michigan will be his first round opponent.

Bronco Gymnasts Remain 17th

To be #12, which will be the score necessary to advance to the NCAA National Gymnastics Championships, Boise State will need a RQS of 196.5.

http://www.troester.com/gym/WRankings/2014/0317/wteam.htm

Boise State Women's Golf Team Leads Fresno Invitational

Boise State leads the field after two rounds at the Fresno State Invitational women's golf tournament.  The Broncos carded a school record 289 yesterday for a two-round score of 597.  That is two strokes ahead of Cal State Northridge and four ahead of host Fresno State.

Lady Broncos Rewarded with Postseason Birth

The Boise State women's basketball team is one that is still playing in the postseason.  The Lady Broncos have accepted an invitation to play in the Women's Basketball Invitational, according to head coach Gordy Presnell.

Boise State will travel to play Grand Canyon this Thursday night.  It's the Broncos' first postseason experience since they played in the WNIT in 2008.

Boise State Will Not Play in Postseason

Due to injuries, Boise State has declined to play in the postseason.  There was rumor that they might be in the College Basketball Insider Tournament, but Boise State has just announced that they will decline any offers.

#19 Boise State Nudges #46 Virginia Tech

It was much closer than a match between #19 and #46 should be (something's off there), but Boise State prevailed 4-3.

Boise State Gymnasts Make No Further Push Towards Nationals

For several years, the Boise State gymnastics program has been nationally-ranked, but always falls short of making the NCAA National Gymnastics Championships.

This is due to the unpublished fact that a team must consistently score above 196 as a team to qualify.  Last night, #17 Boise State lost to a lower-ranked team (#21 Denver), when they scored just 195.925 points.  Denver was there--196.725 points, and won the meet, with Iowa State scoring third at 194.250.

Boise State will compete in the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Championships in Provo, Utah, next week.
 

Bates Fourth in 3,000, Now Most Decorated Student-Athlete in Boise State HIstory!

Emma Bates finished fourth in the 3,000 meters today at the NCAA Division I National Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

It was the second fourth-place finish this week for Bates, who also placed fourth in the 5,000 last night.  Emma earned All-America honors #6 and 7 this week, making her now the most decorated student-athlete in Boise State history.  The amazing Abbey D'Agostino of Dartmouth won the 3,000, just as she had the 5,000 and the national cross country championship, in which she edged Bates.

1	Abbey D'Agostino	SR	DART	9:14.47			1 (1)
2	Dominique Scott	JR	ARK	9:16.05			1 (2)
3	Elinor Kirk	SR	UAB	9:17.00			1 (3)
4	Emma Bates	SR	BOIS	9:17.37

Abbey D'Agostino Wins 3,000

Abbey D'Agostino of Dartmouth has won the women's 3,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.  We'll try to get the finish for Boise State's Emma Bates soon.

Bates Finishes Fourth in 5,000, Attains Record-Tying Sixth All-American Honor

Emma Bates was fourth tonight in the 5,000 at the National Championships, the first of two events she qualified for. Bates ran the 5000 in 16:25.66, 5.27 seconds out of first place, won by defending champion Abbey D'Agostino of Dartmouth (who also edged out Bates for the national championship in cross country).

Bates earned All-America honors, the sixth All-American award in her career, which ties Emma with Ryan Grinnell (2008-09) and Jarred Rome (1997-2000) for the most ever at Boise State.

McCall Gets His Way

His hated Boise State is out of the tournament.  All it took was for him to officiate a game.

Team fouls in a tight game the entire way:

New Mexico 13 (the entire game)
Boise State 26

Looks evenly officiated to me. (insert sarcastic emoticon here...)

In this stage of a tight game...

Bairstow 11 free throw attempts, Boise State 8.  No further comment necessary.

The Mountain West Conference Needs to Fire Randy McCall Immediately

Bad officiating is the nature of the beast--it happens all the time.  But when you have a guy that obviously hates Boise State, he needs to be shown the door by the Mountain West Conference.  If a particular team experiences bad officiating from a particular referee one time, it is what it is.  But this guy has been vindictive four times against Boise State, so much so that in one game, he wouldn't let Rice even talk to him, then chatted it up in the Wyoming huddle afterwards.

There is no room in college basketball for an official that hates any school.  Time to go.

Cortney 11th in Three-Meter Final

To advance to Nationals, you pretty much have to finish in the top three in at least one event.

Unofficial Statistics Women 3m Championship (6 Dives) (Final)
This event is now closed.
Place	Score	Diver Name	Event Avg Score	Avg Round Score
1	661.55	Haley Ishimatsu (USC)	7.25	56.57
2	654.90	Hailey Casper (ASU)	7.08	59.50
3	651.60	En-tien Huang (NEV)	6.64	55.80
4	637.90	Kersten Merry (UTAH)	6.39	56.53
5	635.25	Aimee Harrison (HAWA)	6.31	53.81
6	627.25	Stephanie Phipps (STAN)	6.56	54.08
7	614.90	Michal Bower (ARIZ)	6.44	51.21
8	610.50	Kassidy Cook (STAN)	6.31	51.88
9	600.45	Annika Lenz (UCLA)	6.53	53.78
10	590.90	Krysta Palmer (NEV)	5.97	50.20
11	587.00	Ciera Cortney (BSU)	5.69	46.31
12	586.80	Megan Harper (UNM)	6.00	51.16
13	581.25	Lauren Hall (HAWA)	5.92	48.31
14	577.75	Anne Kastler (CAL)	6.17	46.99
15	577.50	Chelsea Jackson (NAZU)	6.06	47.13
16	570.85	Paige Hunt (IDAH)	6.31	49.12
17	540.40	Sally Hackett (ARIZ)	5.31	42.36
18	536.80	Samantha Adams (USC)	5.44	43.13
Official scores for this event should be posted later in the day. This page will refresh automatically. Please do not hit the Refresh button.

Cortney Finishes 10th in One-Meter Dive at Zone E Diving Championships

Haley Ishimatsu	USC	1	580.20	0.00
Alexandra Clay	STAN	2	577.95	-2.25
Lauren Hall	HAWA	3	567.40	-12.80
Hailey Casper	ASU	4	565.50	-14.70
Stephanie Phipps	STAN	5	557.55	-22.65
Kassidy Cook	STAN	6	550.95	-29.25
Aimee Harrison	HAWA	7	547.75	-32.45
Hannah Prigge	FRES	8	545.65	-34.55
Lillian Hinrichs	STAN	9	545.15	-35.05
Ciera Cortney	BSU	10	543.30	-36.90
En-tien Huang	NEV	11	539.25	-40.95
Michal Bower	ARIZ	12	530.55	-49.65
Paige Hunt	IDAH	13	528.15	-52.05
Annika Lenz	UCLA	14	524.15	-56.05
Megan Harper	UNM	15	519.50	-60.70
Paulina Guzman	UCLA	16	518.80	-61.40
Sally Hackett	ARIZ	17	515.35	-64.85
Kersten Merry	UTAH	18	497.80	-82.40

 

Bates Takes On the Best Tonight

Emma Bates will run in the 5,000 meters tonight at the NCAA National Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The event will start approximately 8:35 Mountain Time tonight.  Bates is currently ranked ninth in the 5,000.  She will also race in the final of the 3,000 meters tomorrow.

Best of luck, Emma!  I just feel eventually you're going to win one of these.

Broncos Pull Together for 75-62 Win

Boise State played great at times, terrible at others.  Bottom line:  it was good enough to score a 75-62 win tonight in Las Vegas over Nevada in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament.

UNLV Surges Past Wyoming 71-67

The Cowboys had the lead most of the game, and rallied strong at the end, but it was the home team that prevailed, 71-67.  UNLV will take on San Diego State tomorrow night in the semifinals.

#1 Seed San Diego State Has Fun With Utah State

Top seed and #8 in the nation San Diego State had a field day with Utah State, dealing a 73-39 blowout to Utah State in Las Vegas in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament.  San Diego State awaits the winner of the UNLV-Wyoming game tomorrow night.

Broncos Begin Mountain West Tournament With 83-52 Win

Boise State ran out to a 25-0 lead and seemed to get stronger as the game went on, defeating San Jose State 83-52 in the opening round of the Mountain West Basketball Tournament tonight in Las Vegas.

Coach Leon Rice went to his bench early and often, resting his players in the hope that they can capture the conference crown.  To do that, the Broncos will have to first get past powerful third seed Nevada, which downed the Broncos in double overtime last week in Boise.

That rematch is set for tomorrow night at 9:30 MDT.

Boise State Leads San Jose State 46-14 at the Half

Now we see the real Bronco basketball team.

Utah State Beats Colorado State 73-69

USU was 10 points down with 2 minutes left, scored 10 points in 44 seconds, and won.

Drmic Named to All-District VIII Basketball Team

Boise State junior Anthony Drmic was named to the All-District VIII Team by the United States Basketball Writers Association, the group announced today.

Drmic finished the regular season averaging 16.7 points and 4.7 rebounds a game.  He is the third Bronco in the past decade to earn All-District, following Coby Karl (2005-06) and Reggie Larry (2007-08).

Division I schools in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming make up District VIII. 

Drmic and the Broncos meet San Jose State tomorrow night in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Basketball Tournament.

 

Boise State Women Lose 61-56 to Wyoming

Boise State was the favored team, but you'd never know it.  Wyoming held the lead nearly the entire game and advanced to the semifinals.

Emma Bates to Compete in Two Events at NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships

Emma Bates is the lone representative from Boise State at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Bates ranks fifth in the 3,000-meters and ninth in the 5,000-meters, and the five-time All-American will look to make a statement on the national scene.  Action gets underway Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Wyoming 25, Boise State 24

halftime in Las Vegas.

Lady Broncos Move to 18-17 Lead

4:39 left in the first half.  Boise State got behind 8-2, then went on a 10-point run and have held Wyoming at bay.

MWC Women's Quarterfinal Results

#1 Colorado State tipped #8 Utah State 67

Boise State Gymnasts Ranked #17 This Week

http://www.troester.com/gym/WRankings/2014/0310/wteam.htm

Mountain West Women's Basketball Tournament Results

#7 UNLV struggled past #10 San Jose State, 78-75
#8 Utah State tipped #9 New Mexico 69-66
#6 San Diego State got by #11 Air Force 63-56

Boise State's Deanna Weaver First Team All-Mountain West, All Defensive Team and Newcomer of the Year

Deanna Weaver made quite an impression on Mountain West coaches.  The junior was named to the All-Mountain West Conference Team, the All-Defensive Team, and she was tabbed Newcomer of the Year, according to an announcement today by the league office.

Weaver led the Lady Broncos with 13.2 points a game and 6.5 rebounds a game, and she paced the team with 12 blocks and 32 steals.



2013-14 All-Mountain West Honors

First-Team All-Mountain West
Deanna Weaver, Jr., G/F, Boise State
&Taylor Thompson, Sr., G, Fresno State
Cierra Warren, Sr., C, San Diego State
Jennifer Schlott, Sr., G, Utah State
&^Kayla Woodward, Jr., F, Wyoming

Second-Team All-Mountain West
&^!Sam Martin, Sr., F, Colorado State
AJ Newton, Jr., G, Colorado State
Ellen Nystrom, Fr., G, Colorado State
Gritt Ryder, Jr., G, Colorado State
Bree Farley, Sr., G, Fresno State
&Danika Sharp, Sr., G, Nevada

Honorable Mention
Arielle Wideman, Sr., G, Nevada
Antiesha Brown, Jr., G, New Mexico
Ta'Rea Cunnigan, Jr., G, San José State
Alana Cesarz, Jr., F, UNLV
Fallon Lewis, Sr., G, Wyoming

All-Defensive Team
Deanna Weaver, Jr., G/F, Boise State
Ellen Nystrom, Fr., G, Colorado State
Taylor Thompson, Sr., G, Fresno State
Mimi Mungedi, Jr., C, Nevada
Elise Nelson, Jr., G, Utah State

All-Freshmen Team
Yaiza Rodriguez, Fr., G, Boise State
Elin Gustavsson, Fr., G, Colorado State
Ellen Nystrom, Fr., G, Colorado State
Ariell Bostick, Fr., G, San Diego State
Jasmine Smith, Fr., F, San José State

Player of the Year: Jennifer Schlott, Sr., G, Utah State
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Taylor Thompson, Sr., G, Fresno State; Mimi Mungedi, Jr., C, Nevada
Co-Freshman of the Year: Yaiza Rodriguez, G, Boise State; Ellen Nystrom, G, Colorado State
Newcomer of the Year:  Deanna Weaver,  Jr., G/F Boise State
Sixth Player of the Year: Caitlin Duffy, So., G, Colorado State
Coach of the Year: Ryun Williams, Colorado State

Anthony Drmic and Ryan Watkins Second Team All-Mountain West Conference

After the year Watkins has had (i.e. the first player in Mountain West history to score 200 points and get 200 rebounds, and the all-time single-season top rebounder), this slam should serve as motivation for the upcoming tournament.  Remember Ryan, the coaches you are going against voted against you.

Congrats to Anthony--you'll be first team next year!

Bronco Women Will Play #5 Wyoming Tuesday at 3:30 MT

The Lady Broncos earned the #4 seed in the upcoming Mountain West Conference women's basketball tournament in Las Vegas. 

Boise State Will Play San Jose State Wednesday at 8 PM (MT)

The sixth-seeded Broncos will open with #11 San Jose State in the Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament in Las Vegas.  #3 Nevada awaits the winner Thursday night at 9:30.

The Broncos will stay at the South Point Hotel.  Reservations:

With Postseason Hopes on the Line, Boise State Loses to 11-17 Air Force

Boise State loses 64-61 in overtime. 

Broncos About To Tip It Off

Boise State pretty much needs to win to get a first-round bye in the upcoming Mountain West Conference Tournament.  Action underway at noon today!

Boise State Softball Team Wins A Game

The Lady Bronco softball team returned home, and it gave them something they have been looking for--a win.  In the opening game of the Spring Hill Invitational at Dona Larsen Park, Boise State turned back Indiana 3-2.

Bronco Women Demolish Air Force 75-44

The Boise State women finished their regular season with a 75-44 shellacking of Air Force in Taco Bell Arena last night.  The Lady Broncos finished the regular season tied for third with Nevada in the Mountain West, and earned a first round bye in next week's tournament.

Three Exemplary Seniors

Ryan Watkins

Without Watkins’ offensive rebounds and second-chance points, Boise State would not be 19-10 but would be a .500 team.  His improvement from his freshman year has been amazing, so much so that he is being talked about not only as an All-Mountain West Conference player, but an NBA player as well.  Ask a Bronco fan which Boise State basketball player has ever given more effort than Watkins, been more of a workhorse, and helped his team out more, and they are hard-pressed to come up with an answer. 

This season, Number 0 has started all 29 games, connecting on 127 of 227 shots (55.9%).  He has hit 78 of 105 from the free-throw line (74.3%), pulled down 311 rebounds (10.7 average) and is credited with 26 blocked shots, 27 assists and 23 steals.  Ryan is the all-time Mountain West Conference leader in single-season rebounds, and his intelligent placement of his body and fierce tenacity have resulted in an incredible 145 offensive boards.  They do not keep that statistic in the Bronco record books, but if they did, Ryan very well might have a single-season record. 

In fact, Watkins leads the nation with 145 offensive rebounds this year.  That is the 29th-most in a season since 1996-97, and only 22 players have reached 150 in a year in that time.

With three more rebounds, Watkins will tie Bruce Bolden for third-place all-time in career rebounds; Ryan currently has 764.  Should he maintain his season rebounding average of 10.7, Watkins would rank fourth behind Steve Wallace (11.0) in single-season rebounding.  With four more points, Watkins will join the 1,000-point career club at Boise State.  

Last year, Ryan started in 32 games and averaged 8.4 points.  He hit 61.7% of his shots (111-180), eighth-best in Boise State history.  He averaged 6.8 rebounds a game to rank eighth in the Mountain West, with 3.16 a game coming on the offensive glass (third in the conference).  Watkins scored in double figures 11 times and posted double figures in rebounding seven times.  Ryan had five double-doubles on the season—his 18 rebounds against Fresno State  were tied for the best in the conference.  He had 10 offensive rebounds and 17 total in Boise State’s dominating win over LSU of the SEC. 

In the 2011-2012 season, Watkins started 16 games, averaging 6.8 points and 4.0 rebounds.  He scored in double figures nine times, and ranked seventh in the MWC with 1.90 offensive rebounds a game. 

Watkins started 23 games as a freshman, setting a school record for games played (35) as a freshman.  Ryan averaged 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds a game, and hit 74 of 141 shots (51.8%). 

 

Thomas Bropleh 

The same that can be said about Watkins can be said about Bropleh.  Boise State very well could be a .500 team, as Thomas has won three or four games for the Broncos with his clutch shooting. 

Bropleh has blossomed into a force this year in the Mountain West, both offensively and defensively.  Thomas has done everything asked of him and more.  When called upon to guard one of the “twin towers” of New Mexico, he performed admirably, despite giving up five inches and more than 50 pounds to his opponent, enabling Boise State to score a win in Taco Bell Arena. 

Bropleh has started four games this season, improving his game dramatically down the stretch.  He has hit 73-147 (49.7%) from the field, including pinpoint three-point shooting (38-85 for 44.7%), and is the team’s best free-throw shooter at 86.1% (31-36).  In addition, Thomas has 70 rebounds (2.4 per game), 35 assists, 10 steals and two blocked shots.  Bropleh has averaged 7.4 points a game this year, but he is just coming off a game in which he singlehandedly brought Boise State back from a double digit deficit with 20 points as the Broncos defeated Wyoming. 

Last year, Bropleh played in 30 games and averaged 3.5 points.  As a sophomore, Bropleh played in all 30 games with 11 starts.  He averaged 7.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, and hit 29-86 three-point attempts (33.7%).  Against #12 UNLF, Bropleh had 17 points and 13 rebounds.  Thomas was named to the Mountain West Academic All-Conference team. 

As a freshman, Bropleh played in 34 of 35 games, including a start against #20 Utah State.  He averaged 3.7 points and 2.4 rebounds a game. 

 

 

Jeff Elorriaga

Elorriaga is another sharpshooter, putting up career three-point shooting numbers that will be hard for many ahead of him to catch.  Bothered by nagging injuries, most the result of his desire to put the team's needs ahead of himself (such as taking charges and diving for loose balls), Elorriaga has still started 22 games and played in 26, averaging 7.2 points a game.  He has been successful on 61-of-133 shots (45.9%), shooting nearly that well from behind the arc (53-116 for 45.7%).  Jeff has also contributed in other phases of the game, pulling down 54 rebounds (2.1 avg.), while dishing out 30 assists and getting 16 steals. 

In 2012-13, Elorriaga started 29 games and was the third-leading scorer on the team with 10.2 points a game.  He led the Mountain West Conference and was sixth in the nation in three-point percentage (44.7%), hitting 84 of 188 tries.  It was the fifth-best single-season percentage in school history.  Jeff’s 84 three-pointers are tied with Tyler Tiedeman (2007-08) for the second-most in single-season history.  Elorriaga rained in 10 treys against Corban to set a school and conference record.  It was just the 23^rd time that a college player had hit 10 three-pointers in a game since the NCAA moved the line back in 2008.   

Elorriaga scored in double figures 13 times his junior year.  He led his team with 33.86 minutes per game.  Jeff nailed two three-pointers in the final 31 seconds against #25 Wyoming, including a buzzer beater that gave the Broncos a 63-61 win. 

Jeff started 16 games and played in 26 his sophomore season, averaging 6.0 points and 2.4 rebounds a game.  After the season, Jeff was named All-Academic by the Mountain West Conference. 

Elorriaga started 11 games as a freshman, and his importance to the team was evident in Boise State’s 9-2 record with him in the starting lineup.  Jeff averaged 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in his first season in Boise.  Elorriaga led the team in steals five times, including a career-high four in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Game against Utah State.  

Elorriaga now has 204 three-pointers in his Bronco career, having recently passed Eric Lane (199) for fourth place all-time.  Jeff needs seven to tie Paul Noonan (2007-2011) for third.   

Three Broncos, three exemplary seniors who have poured everything they have into making themselves and Boise State better.  Ryan Watkins, Thomas Bropleh and Jeff Elorriaga will be saluted on Senior Night prior to the big basketball game with Nevada tomorrow night in Boise. 

Ryan, Thomas and Jeff:  Bronco Nation is blessed to have watched you the past four years at Boise State!