WAC Women's Golf Seedings Heading Into Tournament

The Western Athletic Conference women's golf Tournament is set for Friday.  Here are the seedings heading into the tournament:

1.  New Mexico State (ranked #57 in the nation)--5-29 against Top 50 teams and 26-51 vs. Top 100 teams
2.  San Jose State (#66--0-19 vs. Top 50 teams and 21-72-1 vs. Top 100 teams)
3.  Nevada (#99--1-3 and 7-16)
4.  Idaho (#102--0-15 and 8-65)
5.  Fresno State (#115--1-26 and 11-49)
6.  Boise State (#149--0-6 and 1-39)
7.  Hawai'i (#160--0-28 and 0-63)

Boise State's Aubray Zell is the WAC Pitcher of the Week

Aubray Zell of Boise State is the Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week, according to the league office.



Zell won two games over the weekend, pitching 12 innings without allowing an earned run.  Zell struck out nine and walked one in two victories over Louisiana Tech that helped vault the Broncos into first place in the WAC.  She struck out five in a complete game win over Louisiana Tech Friday afternoon, then came back to record her fourth shutout of the season Saturday, allowing just four hits.  Zell is now 9-1 this season with an ERA of 0.95.

WAC Statistics for Week of April 11

        STANDINGS (as of Apr 12, 2011)

                                  WAC                Overall
     Team                   W   L   T   Pct       W   L   T   Pct
     New Mexico State....   8   1   0  .889      29  12   0  .707
     Boise State.........   8   1   0  .889      25  13   0  .658
     Fresno State........   7   2   0  .778      23  11   0  .676
     Hawai`i.............   6   3   0  .667      28  12   0  .700
     San Jose State......   2   7   0  .222      16  25   0  .390
     Louisiana Tech......   2   7   0  .222      11  28   0  .282
     Utah State..........   2   7   0  .222       7  33   0  .175
     Nevada..............   1   8   0  .111      10  25   0  .286
    
    

---

Leaders Summary

Western Athletic Conference
WAC Leaders Summary as of Apr 12, 2011            
(All games)

TEAM BATTING           G   Avg   AB    R    H   2B   3B   HR   BB   SO  SB-ATT 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Mexico State....  41  .338 1117  283  377   66    8   52  179  208  63-71  
Boise State.........  38  .311 1008  227  313   39    2   38  129  145  38-45  
Nevada..............  35  .274  920  153  252   45    5   27   92  236  23-27  
San Jose State......  41  .262 1092  168  286   52    2   18  143  194  34-42  
Hawai`i.............  40  .253 1003  183  254   35    3   42  129  225  24-28  
Fresno State........  34  .247  870  118  215   30    7   22   81  197  36-42  
Utah State..........  40  .246 1031  122  254   40    3   18   87  228  11-17  
Louisiana Tech......  39  .220  982  115  216   25    2   15   98  203  36-45  
Totals.............. 154  .270 8023 1369 2167  332   32  232  938 1636 265-317 

TEAM PITCHING          G   ERA   W   L  Sv     IP     H     R    ER    BB    SO 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hawai`i.............  40  1.48  28  12   1  264.0   180    80    56    65   303 
Fresno State........  34  2.49  23  11   2  239.0   215   104    85    83   197 
Boise State.........  38  3.27  25  13   6  243.2   247   144   114   102   224 
New Mexico State....  41  4.65  28  12   4  262.0   338   215   174    86   157 
Louisiana Tech......  39  4.69  10  28   2  255.0   305   217   171   117   224 
San Jose State......  41  4.91  16  25   2  265.0   390   247   186   123   131 
Nevada..............  35  5.81  10  25   1  215.2   273   242   179   136   165 
Utah State..........  40  6.14   7  33   0  248.2   355   256   218   163   150 
Totals.............. 154  4.16 147 159  18 1993.0  2303  1505  1183   875  1551 

TEAM FIELDING          G    PO     A     E    Pct    DP    PB SBA-ATT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Fresno State........  34   717   293    31   .970    12     3  23-26 
Hawai`i.............  40   792   285    39   .965    10     5  19-23 
Boise State.........  38   731   307    43   .960     9    14  40-51 
Louisiana Tech......  39   765   294    52   .953     7     9  59-71 
Utah State..........  40   746   331    53   .953    15     5  39-53 
New Mexico State....  41   786   348    58   .951     8     4  32-39 
Nevada..............  35   647   240    48   .949     5    14  36-49 
San Jose State......  41   795   338    64   .947    14     3  21-41 
Totals.............. 154  5979  2436   388   .956    80    57 269-353

INDIVIDUAL BATTING
Min 2.0 AB/Team game         G   Avg  AB    R    H  RBI   2B   3B   HR   BB
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nohara, Hoku-NMSU.........  37  .461  89   31   41   56    6    1   19   45
Bridges, Devon-BSU........  38  .418  98   25   41   42    5    0   11   19
Jones, Kandis-NMSU........  40  .413 138   40   57   30   10    1    0   10
Bourke, Holly-BSU.........  38  .398 123   29   49   27    8    1    3   12
Crump, Allie-BSU..........  37  .369 103   22   38   21    3    0    8   14
Caplan, Kellie-BSU........  38  .361 133   31   48   15    3    0    1    3
Jennings, Tiare-NMSU......  41  .357 115   37   41   33    6    0    9   35
Randall, Kylie-NMSU.......  41  .354 130   43   46   10    6    3    1   20
Hopkins, Karley-NEV.......  35  .349 126   26   44   12   14    1    2    6
Jones, Erin-NEV...........  25  .342  79   14   27   19    3    0    5    6
Maroda, Ashley-NMSU.......  38  .339 118   23   40   25   11    0    4   11
Uchida, Kassandra-USU.....  38  .333 108   14   36    8    5    0    1   11
Conrad, Teresa-NMSU.......  37  .330 106   25   35   32    5    1    7   13
Wolfe, Annica-SJSU........  38  .327 104   12   34   20    5    0    3   10
Murdock, Britton-NEV......  35  .324 105   15   34   17    7    1    2    8
Coenen, Sadie-SJSU........  36  .323  99   23   32    5    9    1    0   16
Stange, Alex-SJSU.........  39  .319 113   15   36   18    5    0    2   11
Swedberg, Valerie-NMSU....  35  .316  98   17   31   29    9    2    6    6
Iwata, Jessica-UH.........  40  .311 122   32   38   25    3    1   11   20
Gilleland, Haley-FS.......  34  .310 113   19   35   11    6    2    0   12

INDIVIDUAL PITCHING
Min 1.0 IP/Team game       App   ERA  W-L  Sv    IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Parnaby, Kaia-UH..........  14  1.07 10-3   1  84.2  53  19  13  19 103
Ricketts, Stephani-UH.....  28  1.57 17-9   0 173.2 117  56  39  45 196
Zell, Aubray-BSU..........  16  1.64  9-1   0  77.0  65  22  18  11  71
Oakes, Mackenzie-FS.......  20  2.07 13-2   1 101.2  99  41  30  29  55
Moses, Michelle-FS........  23  2.90  9-9   1 120.2  98  57  50  44 134
Krieg, Meghan-LATEC.......  26  3.36  7-16  1 150.0 137  91  72  71 183
Work, Lela-BSU............  20  3.57  4-5   6  53.0  54  28  27   7  51
Newman, Alex-NMSU.........  31  3.73 18-4   0 107.0 114  63  57  35  64
Crump, Allie-BSU..........  19  3.84 11-5   0  96.2 108  73  53  53  93
Ames, Jennifer-SJSU.......  22  4.09  6-12  2 119.2 167  90  70  47  49
Walker, Celisha-NMSU......  22  4.13  3-4   3  57.2  76  44  34  12  29
Darby, Mallary-NEV........  30  4.94 10-18  0 157.1 175 150 111  85 124
Fox, Elyssa-SJSU..........  19  5.00  4-11  0  68.2  95  62  49  32  50
Kipp, Erin-LATEC..........  14  5.65  0-7   1  62.0  93  64  50  23  26
Harmon, Mandy-USU.........  30  5.71  5-19  0 122.2 161 114 100  74  82

HITS
----
Jones, Kandis-NMSU........   57
Bourke, Holly-BSU.........   49
Caplan, Kellie-BSU........   48
Randall, Kylie-NMSU.......   46
Hopkins, Karley-NEV.......   44

RUNS SCORED
-----------
Randall, Kylie-NMSU.......   43
Jones, Kandis-NMSU........   40
Jennings, Tiare-NMSU......   37
Iwata, Jessica-UH.........   32
2 tied with 31 run(s) scored

RUNS BATTED IN
--------------
Nohara, Hoku-NMSU.........   56
Bridges, Devon-BSU........   42
Kliebenstein, Shar-UH.....   34
Jennings, Tiare-NMSU......   33
Conrad, Teresa-NMSU.......   32

DOUBLES
-------
Hopkins, Karley-NEV.......   14
Maroda, Ashley-NMSU.......   11
Jones, Kandis-NMSU........   10
3 tied with 9 double(s)

TRIPLES
-------
Randall, Kylie-NMSU.......    3
Swedberg, Valerie-NMSU....    2
Ortiz, Brooke-FS..........    2
Gilleland, Haley-FS.......    2
23 tied with 1 triple(s)

HOME RUNS
---------
Nohara, Hoku-NMSU.........   19
Kliebenstein, Shar-UH.....   11
Bridges, Devon-BSU........   11
Iwata, Jessica-UH.........   11
2 tied with 9 home run(s)

TOTAL BASES
-----------
Nohara, Hoku-NMSU.........  106
Bridges, Devon-BSU........   79
Iwata, Jessica-UH.........   76
Jennings, Tiare-NMSU......   74
Kliebenstein, Shar-UH.....   73

STOLEN BASES                SB-ATT
----------------------------------
Randall, Kylie-NMSU.......  26-27 
Gilleland, Haley-FS.......  18-20 
Caplan, Kellie-BSU........  12-14 
Weatherly, Tazz-BSU.......  11-13 
Murdock, Britton-NEV......  10-10 

STRIKEOUTS                    IP   SO
-------------------------------------
Ricketts, Stephani-UH..... 173.2  196
Krieg, Meghan-LATEC....... 150.0  183
Moses, Michelle-FS........ 120.2  134
Darby, Mallary-NEV........ 157.1  124
Parnaby, Kaia-UH..........  84.2  103

Trammel, Gammage Pace Broncos at Sun Angel Classic

A fourth-place and a pair of fifth-place finishes highlighted Boise State's showing a the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Arizona yesterday.


Junior Manoah Wesson ran a great race to finish fourth in the 400.  Wesson (48.18) finished behind Iowa's Steven Willey (46.48), Arizona State's William Henry (46.87) and Iowa's Chris Barton (47.63).


Pontus Thomee and Alex Cartwright took fourth and fifth, respectively, in the javelin.  Thomee tossed the spear 205-feet, 4-inches while Cartwright was right behind with a mark of 203-5.


Rolando Trammel placed fifth in the 110-meter hurdles to lead the Boise State men.The Bronco hurdler crossed the finish line in 14.92 seconds.  The top collegiate finisher was Jordan Mullen of Iowa, who finished #2 in 14.24.  


The promising sophomore Destiny Gammage was fifth in the 200 meters with a time of 24.97.

Lady Broncos Gear Up for WAC Golf Championship

The Boise State women's golf team has been improving recently, and they'll need to be at their best next weekend as another championship in the Western Athletic Conference is decided.  The Championship will be in Mesa, Arizona Friday through Sunday.

Devon Bridges Becomes 3rd Player in NCAA History With 3 Slams in a Season

Prior to this season, only two collegiate softball players had ever hit three grand slams in a season.  

Better make it three.  Boise State freshman phenom Devon Bridges hit another salami yesterday to key a seven-run inning and complete a Bronco sweep of Louisiana Tech.  It was Bridges' third of the season and she still has plenty of games to go.  She homered with the bases full in the 17th game of the season against Seattle, did it again on May 26 in a victory over Nevada and cleared the bases again this afternoon.

Bridges has now reached base safely in 28 games in a row.  The Broncos head out on the road for an eight-game trip beginning with three against Utah State.

#57 Boise State Wins Again

The Boise State women's tennis team is building momentum for the upcoming Western Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Broncos downed New Mexico State 5-2 this afternoon for their fourth WAC win against no defeats.  Boise State won the doubles points, then spread out for four singles wins against the Aggies.   

                                            Megale keys wins at #1 singles and doubles

Lauren Megale and Marlena Pietzuch are playing well right now, getting an 8-5 win over Isabela Kulaif and Annemieke Witte at No. 1 doubles.  Elyse Edwards and Sonia Klamczynska clinched the point with an 8-6 victory over Manon Sylvain and Jodie Williams.  Megale made it 2-0 after Kulaif withdrew from their match at No. 1 singles; at the time Megale was leading 6-3, 2-1.  Edwards won her match 6-2, 6-3.  Pietzuch clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-3 disposal of Williams.  Morgan Basil added a win at No. 6 singles for the final Bronco win. 

Boise State moves its season record to 14-6 and will take on Nevada in Reno Sunday at noon Mountain Time. 

#57 Boise State 5, New Mexico State 2

DOUBLES
1.  Lauren Megale/Marlena Pietzuch (Boise State) def. Isabela Kulaif/Annemieke Witte (NMSU) 8-5
2. Elyse Edwards/Sonia Klamczynska (Boise State) def. Manon Sylvain/Jodie Williams (NMSU) 8-6
3.  Stephanie Jasper/Sandy Vo (Boise State) def. Ginet Pinero/Ros-Polly Nguyen (NMSU) 8-6

SINGLES
1. Megale (Boise State) def. Kulaif (NMSU) 6-3, 2-1 (retire)
2. Sylvain (NMSU) def. Klamczynska (Boise State) 6-4, 6-3
3. Pinero (NMSU) def. Jasper (Boise State) 6-2, 3-6, 10-8
4. Edwards (Boise State) def. Witte (NMSU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Pietzuch (Boise State) def. Williams (NMSU) 6-0, 6-3
6. Morgan basil  (Boise State) def. Nguyen (NMSU) 6-1, 6-4

Boise State Softball Team Moves Into Tie for First Place

You heard it on this blog first.  With #23 Fresno State's 9-1 softball win over New Mexico State last night and New Mexico State's 10-2 and 9-1 wins over Fresno this afternoon, the WAC race is up for grabs.  Boise State and New Mexico State are now tied for #1 in the conference with 8-1 records with Fresno State a game back at 7-2.  The Broncos swept a doubleheader from Louisiana Tech and are now 8-1.  Fresno State is 8-0 pending the second game of a doubleheader.

Boise State Blanks Louisiana Tech 8-0

Freshman sensation Devon Bridges hit another grand slam to key a seven-run Boise State fifth and Allie Crump had a homer as well.  Aubray Zell moved to 9-1 on the season as she struck out four and didn't walk a batter.


The Lady Broncos are on fire.  With the win, the Broncos are now tied for first with New Mexico State.

Boise State Rocks Louisiana Tech 11-3 in First Game

Boise State has defeated Louisiana Tech 11-3 in the first of a scheduled twin bill at Mountain Cove Field in Boise.

Mackenzie Whyte's solo homer in the first helped the Bronco cause right off the get-go.  In the second, Tazz Weatherly's grounder scored Devon Bridges who had singled to lead off the inning.  Kellie Caplan came up and singled to drive in Kelly Sweeney and then stole a base, putting her in position to score on a single by Holly Burke that Weatherly also scored on. 





The Lady Broncos have blown it open in the third with a two-run homer by Christina Capobianco and a solo shot by Sweeney to make it 8-2.  Boise State added a run on Vanessa Alvarez's double down the left field line that scored Allie Crump in the fourth and two runners scored on an error following Caplan's sacrifice in the fifth.  Caplan finished the game a perfect 3-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Crump allowed just three hits to pick up the victory for Boise State.  The two teams will play a second game shortly.

Boise State Professor Jorcyk Receives Grant to Research Breast Cancer

Boise State associate professor Cheryl Jorcyk has secured a $600,000 grant from the Komen for the Cure Foundation to research breast cancer.

Jorcyk has studied Oncostatin M, a protein that is produced by breast cancer and immune cells that plays a role in inflammation.  With the grant, she will be able to explore the therapeutic effectiveness of an existing antibody against the metastasis of cancer from breast to bone.  Jorcyk believes that the spread of cancer is connected to OSM and that the antibody could block the binding mechanism of OSM.




“It’s extremely exciting to be entrusted with such important resources and the responsibility to produce results,” Jorcyk said. “It is every investigator’s hope that the return on investment will be significant, and this project has the potential to deliver.”

The Komen Foundation hopes that Jorcyk's work will lead to a new treatment product that will better address the complexity of breast cancer.  If Jorcyk is successful, she will be a major contributor to combating the disease. 

“Dr. Jorcyk exemplifies the spirit of Boise State’s research mission, to surpass expectations and define powerful new possibilities,” said Director of Technology Transfer Mary Givens. “The knowledge generated by her research has great promise to impact health and society across the world.”

Boise State Receives Grant to Research Biological Hazards

The money keeps coming in for Boise State.  The Univeristy recently received a grant from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency in conjunction with the National Science Foundation to research chemical and biological hazards. 

Inanc Senocak and Jodi Mead of Boise State will be conducting the research that will reconstruct and simulate hazards once they have been detected in the atmosphere.  The pair will study how to reduce and control the threat of contamination that could occur to civilians as well as troops in the battlefield.



Senocak has already secured millions in grants for his work in other areas--he is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering.  While working on a postdoctoral fellowship, Senocak used statistical algorithms and models of air pollution to reconstruct how contaminants would disperse in the atmosphere.  Mead, a professor of mathematics at Boise State, assisted Senocak with her expertise in numerical analysis.

Boise State's Nelson Wins Collegiate Hammer Throw at Sun Angel Track Classic

Boise State's Alex Nelson won the hammer throw in the Collegiate Division at the Sun Angel Track Classic in Tempe, Arizona yesterday.  Nelson uncorked a throw of 208-feet, 8-inches on his fourth of six throws at the competition.  Nelson's throw would have finished second and been within a foot of Minnesota's Micah Hegerle, who won the so-called "Premiere Division".



Unfortunately, Nelson's effort represented the only Boise State finish in the top five yesterday.  Action resumes this afternoon in Tempe.

Lady Broncos Down Louisiana Tech 6-2

Chalk up yet another win for the Boise State softball team.  Aubray Zell's complete game paced the Broncos to a 6-2 victory this afternoon over Louisiana Tech at Mountain Cove Field.  Freshman phenom Devon Bridges once again powered the offense with a three-run blast in the fifth inning.  The amazing Broncos are 6-1 in conference play and 23-13 overall.

Zell had a shutout going through five and two-thirds before Tech was able to get two unearned runs in the sixth.  Zell put out that fire and was there at the finish to accept congratulations from her teammates as Aubray is now 8-1 this season.  Zell has turned into one of Boise State's best pitchers with a 1.75 ERA.

Kellie Caplan got things going in the first with an infield hit and her 10th stolen base of the season, then advanced to third on a passed ball.  Allie Crump lofted a two-out single behind second base and the Broncos were on the board.  The score stood at 1-0 until the Broncos' fifth, when Tazz Weatherly walked and stole second and dependable Holly Bourke sent an RBI double into the gap in left center.  Crump came through again with a two-out hit that found a hole between the pitcher and second base.  Bridges came up and belted the next pitch over the left-field fence and Boise State took a 4-0 lead. 

Like all good teams do, Boise State added an insurance run in the sixth as Bourke drove in Weatherly.  Bourke now has eight hits in the last nine games and 48 on the season.

Coach Erin Thorpe's team has to feel pretty good about its run production against All-WAC pitcher Meghan Krieg.  Krieg went the distance to pick up the loss but made the Broncos earn every hit and every run.

Fresno State and New Mexico State are undefeated in the WAC, meaning that Boise State must continue to win and knock off those two in head-to-head action.  The Broncos face Louisiana Tech in a doubleheader tomorrow.  First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Mountain Cove.  All participants in the Beat Coach Pete Scholarship Run/Walk will be admitted to both games free--just show your race t-shirt a the gate!

Bronco Track Team at Sun Angel Classic

Action is underway in the prestigious Sun Angel Classin in Tempe, Arizona. 

Boise State is sending part of its squad there this weekend.  Broncos who will compete at the Sun Angel are Anthony Belcher, Yvonne Bennett, Karrie Butler, Taryn Campos Eric Capelle, Alex Cartwright, Jeff Daw, Austin Edwards, Emily Field, Mackenzie Flannigan, Emily Funkhouser, Destiny Gammage, Quinten Hennekam, Shannon Jacobs, Racquel Jones, Steffanie Jordan, Sasa Kampic, Dustin Klein, Jamie Knapp, Trevor Kraychir, Will Lohman, Justin Malnes, Rici Morill, Alexi Morton, Mathew Moyer, Alex Nelson, Alyssa Osai, Cyntrail Pierce, Paul Robertson, Nadine Russell, Chase Sexton, Tajanee Simmos, Pontus Thomee, Dan Thompson, Rolando Trammel and Manoah Wesson.

Other teams facing Boise State are Adams State, Air Force, Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Central Arizona, Colorado State, DePaul, Eastern New Mexico, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, San Diego State, Syracuse, UC Riverside, UC San Diego and Virginia Tech

Obviously the Classic will give the Broncos a good idea where they stand not only in the Western Athletic Conference and not only in their future Mountain West Conference but nationally as well.

Lady Broncos Host Louisiana Tech This Weekend

Boise State's softball team must keep winning in its quest for the Western Athletic Conference title.  The Broncos host Louisiana Tech this weekend for a three-game set.


Returning All-WAC pitcher Meghan Krieg will be stingy so Boise State will have to make the most of its opportunites.  Krieg leads the conference with 8.77 strikeouts per seven innings pitched and ranks 16th in the nation with 175 K's.


First pitch is set for 3 p.m. this afternoon at Mountain Cove Field in Boise.  The two teams will square off in a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m.

The "Near-Finalized" Boise State Football Schedule for 2011

2011 Boise State University Football Schedule  

(Tentative - as of April 7, 2011)

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME TV
Sept. 3 (Sat.) vs. Georgia Atlanta, GA 8:00 p.m. (ET) ESPN
    Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game  (Georgia Dome)  
Sept. 10 (Sat.) Open
Sept. 17 (Sat.) at Toledo Toledo, OH TBA   TBA
Sept. 24 (Sat.) Tulsa Boise, ID 6:00 p.m. (MT)  CBS SN
Oct. 1 (Sat.) Nevada Boise, ID TBA   VERSUS
Oct. 7 (Fri.) at Fresno State Fresno, CA 6:00 p.m. (PT) ESPN
Oct. 15 (Sat.) * at Colorado State Fort Collins, CO 4:00 p.m. (MT)  The Mtn.
Oct. 22 (Sat.) * Air Force Boise, ID 1:30 p.m. (MT)  VERSUS
Oct. 29 (Sat.) Open
Nov. 5 (Sat.) * at UNLV Las Vegas, NV 7:30 p.m. (PT)  CBS SN
Nov. 12 (Sat.) * TCU Boise, ID 1:30 p.m. (MT)  VERSUS
Nov. 19 (Sat.) * at San Diego State San Diego, CA 5:00 p.m. (PT)  CBS SN
Nov. 26 (Sat.) * Wyoming Boise, ID 12:00 p.m. (MT)  The Mtn.
Dec. 3 (Sat.) * New Mexico Boise, ID 4:00 p.m. (MT)  The Mtn.
* Mountain West Game   Home Games in Bold

Boise State Wrestlers Dominate Pac-10 Academic Team

As is the case nearly across the entire Boise State athletic department, the Boise State wrestlers proved that they are champions in the classroom as well.  Six Broncos from the team that finished #8 in the nation were selected to the Pac-10 Conference 2010-2011 All-Academic Wrestling Team.  


Isn't it ironic that academics was the excuse that the conference gave in not inviting Boise State last year, yet it is that same university that dominates the Pac-10 Academic Team with four of the ten selections?   We just keep laughing at the poor Pac-10.  Their decision is looking more stupid and more transparent by the moment.  We know the real reason why they did not invite Boise State--because they did not want to be dominated in the same way their wrestling teams are.


Alan Bartelli, Michael Cuthbertson, Adam Hall and Josh Strait all were chosen to be on the Pac-10 Academic First Team, while Jacob Swartz was a second-team member and Kirk Smith received honorable mention.  To be eligible for All-Academic recognition, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or higher and be classified as a starter or significant contributor to his team.







Hall, who was named the Pac-10 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year, led the All-Academic conference team.  Hall had a 30-2 overall record, Pac-10 title at 157 pounds and a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Wrestling Tournament in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Hall will graduate next month with a 3.50 GPA in Health Science.







Bartelli is a Pre-Dental/Biology major with a 3.37 GPA.  He finished third at the Pac-10 Tournament at 125 pounds, had a 20-10 overall mark and qualified for the national tournament.  







Cuthbertson carries a 3.52 GPA in General Health Science and started five duals at 165 pounds this year.  







Strait is a redshirt sophomore who has a 3.78 GPA in General Health Science.  Strait competed in 19 matches at 141 pounds this season.







Swartz, a freshman, is undeclared on his major and earned a 3.34 GPA.  He broke into the starting lineup in his first year with a 20-16 record and trip to the NCAA Championship. 







 Smith is one of the most successful wrestlers in Boise State history but was plagued by nagging injuries this season.  





FIRST TEAM
Nick Amuchastegui, STAN Jr. 3.98 Mechanical Engineering 
Alan Bartelli, Boise State Sr. 3.37 Pre-Dental/Biology
Michael Cuthbertson, Boise State So. 3.52 General Health Science 
Tai Fukumoto, ASU So. 3.92 Philosophy
Adam Hall, Boise State Sr. 3.50 Health Science
Tyler Iwamura, CSUB So. 3.67 Business Accounting
David Morgan, CSUB Sr. 3.32 Business Administration 
Elijah Nacita, CSUB Sr. 3.41 Business Administration 
Josh Strait, Boise State So. 3.78 General Health Science
Stephen Thalin, CP Sr. 3.32 Civil Engineering 


SECOND TEAM
Timmy Boone, STAN So. 3.13 International Studies 
Jordan Gray, STAN R-Fr. 3.36 Undecided
Michael Hawkins, ASU So. 3.28 Justice Studies 
Mike Kent, STAN So. 3.35 Public Policy 
Jake Meredith, ASU Jr. 3.09 BIS
Kyle Meyer, STAN R-Fr. 3.30 Undecided
Dylan Rush, STAN Sr. 3.22 Philosophy 
Jacob Swartz, Boise State R-Fr. 3.34 Undeclared Business 
Jacob Tanenbaum, CP So. 3.19 Kinesiology 
Bryce Whitehead, CSUF R-Fr. 3.19 Mechanical Engineering 


HONORABLE MENTION
Joey Granata, So, CSUB
Clayton Schuelke, So, CSUF
Kirk Smith, Boise State Sr. 

Viitala Honored as WAC Field Athlete of the Week

Boise State's Eetu Viitala was named Western Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week, according to the league office.

Viitala, a high-performing junior from Finland, won the long jump at the All-Idaho Cup in Boise with a leap (25-feet) that currently ranks sixth in the nation and leads the WAC by over two feet.
Dennis Richardson of Louisiana Tech captured the WAC Track Athlete of the Week after posting two leading marks over the weekend at the Jim Mize Invitational in Ruston, Louisiana.
Boise State's Rolando Trammel of Boise State was also nominated for the Track Athlete of the Week; Trammel won both hurdle races over the weekend.

Pogostkin Earns WAC Men's Player of the Week Honor

Boise State sophomore Filipp Pogostkin has received his first career nod as conference Player of the Week, according to the Western Athletic Conference office.  Pogostkin won both of his matches at No. 1 singles last weekend and teamed with Andy Bettles to go 2-0 and win their 10th consecutive match.




Pogostkin joins Jeff Mullen and Scott Sears as Broncos to have received the weekly award.

The Broncos fly to California next week to take on #9 Stanford, #44 Fresno State and #56 Hawai'i.