Boise State Offers Legace

Arcadia Head Coach Jon Dimalante has confirmed that Taylor Legace has been offered a scholarship at Boise State.

Legace played receiver and safety and returned punts and kicks last year for Arcadia, accounting for 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns and also making four interceptions.  As a sophomore, Legace had 74 receptions for 895 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Legace, 6-2, 190, runs a 4.5 40.


Legace has received interest from UCLA, Stanford, Washington, USC, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Colorado State.  He is a possession receiver with deceptive speed.

Blue Through and Through will have more information soon on Legace.

Oregon Might Get First Win Over Boise State in 13 Years

Oregon had not defeated Boise State in a major sport (football or basketball) in 13 years.  The Ducks finally broke that long dry spell with a 79-71 win in Eugene tonight over the Broncos in the semifinals of the CBI Tournament.

Kudos to Boise State, though, down by 20 in the second half, cut the lead to six in the waning moments.

Broncos Open WAC Season by Hosting Nevada

Boise State's softball team dives into the conference season with three home games against Nevada.  It is important for the Broncos to take advantage of the home field since these are the only games scheduled against the Wolf Pack this season.

Nevada can score runs in bunches when they're on.  The Pack is right behind Boise State (.304) for third in the Western Athletic Conference (.285) in hitting.  There are four main contributors to the Nevada offense.  Karley Hopkins is fifth in the WAC (.383) and leads the conference in doubles with 11.  Britton Murdock is hitting .354 and is third in the league with a perfect 8-for-8 stolen bases.  Erin Jones bats .340 while Daniell Patrick is third in the WAC with 25 RBI's.  However, only five Nevada hitters bat over .220 on the season.  Thus, the task is pretty clear--shut down those four and you have a good chance to win.

Mallory Darby (9-10, 4.24 ERA) is the top hurler for Nevada; Darby is thrd in the conference with 95 strikeouts.  The question is depth, as Nevada's team ERA is 5.74.  The Bronco bats were quiet at the beginning of the year, but as new faces began to hit on a consistent basis, the Boise State offensive attack has come alive during their winning streak.  They will need to continue to hit and move teammates along the basepaths and take advantage of the fat ERA's on the Nevada staff.

Boise State's Kellie Caplan is enjoying a fantastic year, hitting over .400 (.407), third in the WAC.  The surprise in the conference is freshman Devon Bridges.  Bridges is not only hitting well (.385) which is fourth in the WAC, but she seems to be a part of nearly every Bronco rally.

Boise State and Nevada take the field at Mountain Cover for a Friday game beginning at 3.  The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday with games scheduled at 1 and 3 p.m.

Boise State Ready to Battle Oregon in Eugene

After winning two College Basketball Invitation Tournament games at home, Boise State ventures to Eugene, Oregon for a CBI semifinal game with the Ducks Wednesday night.


The venue won't be the only thing that is different.  In Monday's game with Duquesne, Oregon outscored the Dukes 20-4 at the free throw line.  The Ducks won that one 77-75.


Senior forward Joevan Catron tops Oregon with 15.2 points (7th in the Pac-10) and 6.5 rebounds a game and broke the school record by playing in his 129th career game against Duquesne.  Catron, a Second-Team All-Pac-10 selection, shoots 46.7% from the field (164-351).  Catron recently became the 30th player in school history to top 1,000 career points.  Catron draws attention underneath and will get to the free-throw line; he's a 71.4% shooter there.


Catron's frontcourt mate E.J. Singler (sophomore) was named to the Pac-10 All-Tournament Team.  He is the conference leader in free-throw shooting (87.1%; 101-116) and is second on the Oregon team with 11.5 points and 5.7 rebounds a game.  Singler will also pop out and hit the three; he is 128-283 this year (45.2%).  


Tyrone Nared has started the last 17 games, with his career high being 16 points against California.


Junior guard Malcolm Armstead is sixth in career steals at Oregon with 143.  Armstead has a record 78 steals this season.  He also led Oregon with 148 assists this year, 10th all-time at Oregon.  Senior guard Jay-R Stowbridge is Oregon's third leading scorer at 9.6 points a game although he has not been a full-time starter.


Another Duck to watch is junior guard Garret Sim, who has become a three-point threat as the season has progressed.  Sim has made at least one trey in 19 of Oregon's last 22 games and he is second on the team with 33.3% shooting (46-138)  from beyond the arc.


As a team, Oregon set a school record for steals with 288 and they lead the Pac-10 in turnover margin.


Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. Mountain Time.

Bronco Women Down #54 Oregon 5-2

To the poor Duck fans, Boise State has to seem like the school that won't go away.

The Boise State women's tennis team topped Oregon 5-2 yesterday at the BOAS Indoor Tennis Complex in a match much closer than the final score might indicate.  Four singles matches were decided in three sets.

Did you know:

Last school year, more than 2,300 Boise State students devoted 56,785 hours to non-profit organizations in the Treasure Valley, valued at $912,787 in economic benefit to the community.

ESPN Will Televise Boise State-Fresno State Game

ESPN has announced it will televise this year's Boise State-Fresno State game.  The Broncos travel to play the Bulldogs October 7.  This is the 11th-straight year that ESPN has nationally televised the rivalry game.

Boise State Will Play at Oregon Wednesday Night

Oregon fans got good news when their Ducks won in the College Basketball Tournament over Duquesne.  But just when they thought they'd gotten rid of Boise State by rejecting them for Pac-10 membership, the Ducks found out that it will be those same Broncos coming to town for the CBI semi-finals.

Creighton will play Central Florida in the other semi-final, with the two winners playing in a best-of-three series for the CBI Championship.

Boise State Advances to CBI Final Four

Freshman Ryan Watkins scored a career-high 19 points to lead Boise State to a 76-67 victory over Evansville tonight in Taco Bell Arena to advance to the semi-finals of the College Basketball Invitational Tournament.

Boise State One of Only 37 Teams Still Dancing

116 men's college basketball teams started out last week dancing in quest of a tournament championship.  One by one, they have been tapped on the shoulder by someone letting them know their dreams were over.  Now, just 37 teams remain.

Boise State is one of those 37, and tonight the Broncos take on Evansville in the CBI quarterfinals.  Follow the link to read a preview of tonight's game.  Tip-off is 7 p.m. in Taco Bell Arena.

Tickets for the 2011 NCAA Gymnastics Regional in Denver

Now that we have told you that Boise State will be traveling to the NCAA Denver Regional Saturday, April 2, the next step is to announce ticket information.

You can purchase tickets directly through the Ritchie Center Box Office or from TicketMaster.com  The Ritchie Center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at 303-871-2336.  Reserved tickets are $15 for the lower level and $10 for the upper level.  Children and seniors are admitted for $8 in the upper level.

The Regional Championships begin at 6 p.m. on April 2.  The top two teams from the Regional will advance to the NCAA Championships April 15-17 in Cleveland.

Boise State Gymnasts will Compete in Denver Regional

Apparently it's a secret.
I had to learn about it not from the NCAA itself, but from the Deseret paper in Salt Lake City.  Here is the field and it is an Idaho exclusive (brought to you here on this blog before Boise State's official web site Broncosports.com, before KTVB.com and before TheIdahoStatesman.com:


Denver, Co. Regional - No. 1 Florida; No. 12 Arkansas; No. 13 Boise State; No. 19 Denver; No. 20 Arizona; No. 27 BYU


Tuscaloosa, Ala. Regional - No. 2 Alabama; No. 11 Penn State; No. 14 Illinois; No. 22 Auburn; No. 25 Central Michigan; Kentucky


Corvallis, Ore. Regional - No. 3 Oregon State; No. 10 Nebraska; No. 16 Iowa; No. 31 SUU; San Jose State; Michigan State


Ann Arbor, Mich. Regional - No. 4 Stanford; No. 9 Michigan; No. 16 Ohio State; No. 21 Iowa State; No. 23 Minnesota; No. 24 Kent State


Norman, Ok. Regional - No. 5 Oklahoma; No. 7 Utah; No. 17 Washington; New Hampshire; Missouri; North Carolina


Athens, Ga. Regional - No. 6 UCLA, No. 8 Georgia; No. 18 LSU; North Carolina State; Maryland; West Virginia

Boise State Remains at #13 in NCAA Gymnastics Rankings

http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/gymnastics-women/d1

NCAA to Announce Regional Gymnastics Lineup Today at Noon

The NCAA will announce which 36 teams will be invited to participate in the 2011 Regional Gymnastics Championships and where those teams will be performing.  The news is expected to be announced shortly after noon Mountain Time.

Boise State Tennis Loses to Idaho 4-3

They beat #40 New Mexico yesterday then lose to Idaho.

Boise State Second in the Nation in Conference Championships

The gymnastics title in the Western Athletic Conference last night gave Boise State its record sixth conference championship of the season, putting the Broncos all alone in second place in the nation among major colleges.  Stanford is #1 with seven championships, although the Cardinal missed out on an eighth in wrestling because Boise State was in the Pac-10.  Wrestling is the only sport that the Pac-10 allows Boise State to compete in, and the Broncos won.

Boise State has also captured WAC titles in football, men's cross country, women's swimming and diving and men's indoor track.  That breaks the overall record of five set back in 2005 and ties the WAC record of five championships, also set in 2005.

Stanford has won Pac-10 championships in men's and women's cross country, women's soccer, women's volleyball, women's basketball and men's and women's swimming.

Louisville and Ohio State are third behind Boise State with five conference titles each; the Cardinals have won Big East championships in men's soccer, women's volleyball, men's and women's swimming and women's indoor track while Ohio State has won Big Ten titles in football, women's soccer, women's indoor track and men's and women's basketball.  Michigan (field hockey, men's soccer, men's swimming and women's gymnastics) and Connecticut (football, men's indoor track and men's and women's basketball) are in fourth with four conference championships each.  Several schools are tied with three conference championships, including Arkansas-Little Rock and Middle Tennessee of the Sun Belt, Florida of the SEC, Oklahoma State and Nebraska of the Big 12, Akron and Central Michigan from the MAC, BYU of the Mountain West Conference, Connecticut of the Big East, Central Florida of Conference USA and Duke and Maryland of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Click on the link to take a look at the championships won in each major conference:

Boise State Sets School Record With Sixth Conference Championship

The Western Athletic Conference Gymnastics Championship last night gave Boise State its sixth conference championship of the year, setting a new school record.  Boise State is second in the nation in conference championships; the Cardinal have seven.  Stanford was a solid contender for the Pac-10 title in wrestling, but Boise State was in the conference and Stanford could not win that one.

The Broncos had humble beginnings in the WAC with just one conference title in their initial year (football).  From there, Boise State's progress has been steady.  The Broncos won two WAC championships in 2002, 2003 and 2004, then a record five in 2005.  Boise State won four in 2006, two in 2007, four each in 2008 and 2009 and now a record-tying five this year.  Boise State also won the Pac10 Wrestling Championship in the only sport that the Pac-10 allows Boise State to compete.

In fact, that was Boise State's third Pac-10 wrestling title in the last four years, as the Broncos have dominated in much the same way that the football team has.  It was Boise State's sixth overall Pac-10 Championship since 2000.

Conference championships won by Boise State since 2001 (32 WAC, 5 Pac-10):

2001-2002:  2 (WAC--Football; Pac-10--Wrestling)
2002-2003:  2 (Football, Men's Tennis)
2003-2004:  3 (WAC--Football, Indoor Men's Track; Pac-10--Wrestling)
2004-2005:  2 (Football, Men's Tennis)
2005-2006:  5 (Football, Gymnastics, Men's Indoor Track, Men's Outdoor Track, Men's Tennis)
2006-2007:  4 (Football, Women's Basketball, Men's Indoor Track, Men's Tennis)
2007-2008:  4 (WAC--Football, Gymnastics, Men's Outdoor Track; Pac-10--Wrestling)
2008-2009:  5 (WAC--Football, Gymnastics, Men's Indoor Track, Men's Tennis; Pac-10--Wrestling)
2009-2010:  4 (Football, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Women's Tennis)
2010-2011:  6 (WAC--Football, Men's Cross Country, Men's Indoor Track, Women's Swimming & Diving, Gymnastics; Pac-10--Wrestling)

Boise State Gymnasts Return to Top of WAC Podium

Redemption is special.  Boise State had that chance last night when they went into San Jose State with the goal of returning the Western Athletic Conference gymnastics trophy to Boise.  Boise State also captured its sixth conference title of the season, second in the nation to Stanford's seven.  With the win, Boise State also widened its WAC Commissioner's Cup lead to 64.50-59.75 for Utah State.

The Broncos started and solid and finished with a flurry in ringing up an impressive 195.70 to turn back a determined Southern Utah team and reclaim the WAC title.  Boise State recorded six All-WAC finishes, with senior Hannah Redmon and junior Amy Glass each scoring individual titles.  Redmon topped all competitors on bars while Glass vaulted to conference glory and was named the WAC Gymnast of the Year.  

After the break, learn how the Broncos did it...

Bronco Wrestlers Set School Record With #9 Finish

There comes a time when you compete as hard as you can and then be happy with your accomplishments.


Boise State's wrestling team earned the highest finish in school history at the NCAA National Championships yesterday when the Broncos finished ninth in Philadelphia.  Coach Greg Randall's team scored 57.5 points, just one point behind eighth-place Lehigh, 3.5 behind perennial power Minnesota and 5 behind Arizona State.  Penn State won the national title with 107.5 points.  The #9 finish tops the 10th-place finish the Broncos managed in 1999.  


Still, it must have been disheartening to finish behind fellow Pac-10 school Arizona State, a team the Broncos thought they had vanquished in winning the Pac-10 Championship just two weeks ago.  ASU brought far less wrestlers to the party than Boise State's record 10, but the Sun Devils who were there came to wrestle.  Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins both brought home national championships to Tempe and the success of that pair plus Levi Cooper was enough to offset Boise State's 10 participants, many of whom did not win.


What Boise State did do was earn three All-America honors.


Bronco senior Andrew Hochstrasser led the charge with a second-place finish yesterday at 133 pounds.  Hochstrasser roared through the tournament, scoring the lion's share of the team's bonus points until he met his nemesis Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State.  Oliver surprised Hochstrasser with a takedown just 12 seconds into the match and that early shot appeared to throw the Bronco star out of rhythm.  Oliver scored his third win of the season over Hochstrasser 8-4 to capture the national title.



Hochstrasser became the sixth Bronco to reach a national final and the fourth to place second.  He joins the select company of Scott Barrett (126 pounds in 1982), Kirk White (165; 1999), Larry Quisel (157; 2000), Ben Cherrington (157; 2006) and Kirk Smith at 184 pounds last season.  The two-time All-American and three-time NCAA qualifier Hochstrasser finished his career with a 98-14 record, sixth in Boise State history.  


The other Broncos in action had a good day as well, with Jason Chamberlain capturing third place at 149 pounds and Adam Hall taking fifth at 157.  Chamberlain scored a 3-1 win in overtime over #5 Jamal Parks of Oklahoma State as his dramatic takedown with 28 seconds remaining in sudden victory allowed Chamberlain to advance to the consolation final.  It was a sweet victory for Chamberlain, who avenged his only loss of the season (to Parks).  Jason took on #8 Ganbayer Sanjaa of American in the third-place match.  American was a team that Boise State was chasing in an attempt to land fifth place and the Broncos could not lose if they hoped to move up.  Chamberlain kept Boise State's hopes alive with a 3-0 victory.  Chamberlain, one of the bright returners for next season, concludes the year 29-2.  


Bronco senior Adam Hall avenged a championship round upset to #8 Jason Welch of Northwestern by coming back strong in a rematch.  Welch had ended Hall's individual dream of a national title with a takedown in the final seconds of their match Friday night but this time it was no contest.  Hall built a 2-0 lead heading into the third period and ended any Welch hopes for another upset with a takedown in the third.  A riding time point gave Hall a 5-1 victory and fifth place.  Hall (30-2 this season) finishes his career as a two-time All-American and second all-time in career wins with a record of 122-18.  Only Tyler Sherfey (124-39) has a better career record.


Promising heavyweight J.T. Felix got a couple of wins in Philadelphia and Alan Bartelli and Jacob Swartz also scored a win.  But in the end, it was too many injuries and too many missed opportunities that kept Boise State from a higher finish.  For the seniors, they leave a legacy of incredible individual and team success and have a strong record to be proud of.  For the returning Broncos, they have something to shoot for.

Bronco Softball Team Earns Split at Prestigious Judi Garman Classic

#5 Arizona State stopped Boise State's winning streak at 12, but solid Bronco pitching shut down the mighty Nittany Lion bats to earn a split yesterday at the Judi Garman Softball Classic in Fullerton.  The Garman Classic annually draws in some of the top softball teams in the nation and this year is no exception.  Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Washington, Texas, Michigan, Arizona, Illinois and the fifth-ranked ASU team are some of the many teams participating.


The Sun Devils were explosive in dealing Boise State a 9-3 loss yesterday afternoon.  ASU scored two runs in the first inning when Alix Johnson doubled, marking the first time the Broncos had trailed in 76 innings.  The high-powered Devil offense plated two unearned runs in the second and then broke the game open with three more runs in the third and another in the fourth.  


The Broncos rallied from the 8-0 deficit in the fourth as junior Kellie Caplan led off with a single.  After two outs, Devon Bridges and Vanessa Alvarez each singled to bring Caplan home with Boise State's first run of the game.  Lela Work followed with a single, but pinch-runner Brittany Barcellos was gunned down trying to score.  


Arizona State scored again in the top of the sixth to make it 9-1but the Broncos answered.  Caplan, Bourke and Crump bunched singles together to score another run.  Crump's RBI-single through the right side of the infield drove in Caplan.  Bridges then walked to load the bases and Alvarez drove in Bourke with a fielder's choice.  Another walk loaded the bases but the Broncos could not capitalize again. 


 Arizona State advanced to 30-2 with the win while Boise State saw its winning streak end at 12.


Boise State would bounce back in the nightcap by stifling Penn State 1-0.  Coach Erin Thorpe's team got just two hits but the superb hurling of Aubray Zell kept the Nittany Lions away from home plate.  


Zell fired her third complete game shutout of the season and did not allow a walk in thoroughly confusing the Nittany Lions.  Zell scattered three hits in picking up the victory.

Boise State scored what would prove the game-winner in the third as freshman Mackenzie Whyte led off with a single.  Caplan reached safely on a PSU error and one out later Crump walked to load the bases.  After the second out, Alvarez drew a walk to force Whyte in with the unearned run.  Boise State threatened again in the fifth when Caplan reached third base with one out, but she was thrown out trying to score on Crump's grounder.


Zell (5-1) retired the Nittany Lionettes in order in the fourth and worked out of trouble in the fifth.  Penn State had something going with a leadoff hit, an error and a passed ball that put two runners in scoring position with two outs.  Zell got a ground ball to end the inning nad once again retired the side in order in the seventh to preserve the Bronco victory.



Boise State is now 15-9 while Penn State fell to 13-11 this season.  


The Broncos once again go for the program's first win over a ranked team when they meet #4 Washington this afternoon at 2 Mountain Time.  Boise State will then face host Cal State Fullerton at 4:30.