Wyoming Hosts Bristol on Friday to Open Regular Season
LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming men’s basketball team begins the 2015-16 season in earnest on Friday when the Pokes open the regular season by hosting Bristol University (Calif.) at 7 p.m. MT in the Arena-Auditorium.
The Cowboys wrapped up exhibition play with a 77-69 overtime loss to Fort Lewis last Saturday at home, but did not play several starters in the second half. Now Wyoming will look to finalize its rotation before facing the Bears, who are coached by former Cowboy standout Jeron Roberts.
Tickets can be purchased by calling the Wyoming Athletics Ticket Office at 877-WYO-FAN1 (877-996-3261) or online at GoWYO.com. Fans can follow live stats, audio and video of the game through the men’s basketball Gameday Central page on GoWYO.com. The contest will be broadcast on the radio by the Cowboy Sports Network.
A Look at the Matchup
Head coach Larry Shyatt and Wyoming concluded the preseason with a 77-69 overtime loss to Fort Lewis last Saturday in the Arena-Auditorium. The Cowboys raised their 2015 Mountain West championship banner prior to the game, but it was the Skyhawks flying high after that. Fort Lewis jumped out to a nine-point lead in the first six minutes.
Wyoming would battle back to take a 29-28 advantage into halftime, but the Skyhawks once again went back up by nine with less than five minutes remaining in the game. That’s when UW hit a three to spark a 13-4 run down the stretch to send the contest to overtime. In the extra period it was all Skyhawks, though, as Fort Lewis outscored the Cowboys, 12-4, for the win.
Wyoming went 0-of-6 from the field in overtime and shot just 33 percent (17-of-52) for the game. The Pokes hit 21 percent (6-of-28) beyond the arc compared to 40 percent (24-of-60) and 32 percent (12-of-37), respectively, for Fort Lewis. Wyoming was outrebounded 47-33 and trailed 17-10 in assists, but outscored Fort Lewis 20-8 in the paint and had a 9-5 advantage in steals.
Several Wyoming starters did not play the majority of the second half, though, as the loss snapped a 24-game exhibition winning streak for Wyoming. The Pokes were picked to finish eighth in the MW preseason media poll.
Bristol is a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, which is a part of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, and is led by Roberts, who lettered for the Pokes from 1995-98. He still has his name in several places in the Wyoming record book and was also a member of Shyatt’s squad that advanced to the NIT tournament in 1998.
Roberts is now in his fourth season at the helm for the Bears and welcomes back two starters and seven letterwinners from last year’s squad that won a PCAC championship at 7-1 in league play and 11-14 overall. Bristol has started the 2015-16 season with an 0-3 record, as all three losses have come on the road by double digits.
The Bears play their first 16 games this season on the road and don’t have a home contest until Jan. 17. Most recently, Bristol dropped a 108-63 game at CSU Bakersfield last Saturday. The Bears shot 40 percent (24-of-60) from the field and 33 percent (7-of-21) from deep, but allowed the Roadrunners to make 59 percent (38-of-64) and 44 percent (8-of-18), respectively. Bristol was outrebounded 45-26 and committed 22 turnovers.
Each Team’s Leaders
Senior guard Josh Adams posted 18 points, four rebounds and three steals in 23 minutes in Wyoming’s exhibition loss to Fort Lewis. He is the top returning Cowboy and was named to the preseason All-MW team after averaging 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season.
Redshirt sophomore guard Trey Washington III added 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals versus the Skyhawks. Sophomore forward Hayden Dalton led Wyoming on the boards with five rebounds to go with eight points and two assists.
Overall, 10 different Cowboys scored and six had at least one assist. Adams, junior guard Jason McManamen, sophomore guard Jeremy Lieberman and sophomore forwards Alan Herndon and Jonathan Barnes started for Wyoming last Saturday, but overall nine Cowboys played at least 20 minutes.
Bristol is paced by junior guard Jaylen Rose at 12.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, as he shoots 45 percent from the field and a team-high 46 percent beyond the arc. Rose had a team-high 19 points, including four triples, at CSU Bakersfield last Saturday.
Senior forward Michael Johnson also scores in double figures for the Bears at 12.0 points per game to go with 3.7 rebounds. Johnson had 14 points versus the Roadrunners and a team-high six rebounds. Senior guard Tade Keshishyan leads Bristol at 4.7 rebounds per game and adds 9.7 points and 2.7 assists. He notched five rebounds and three assists at CSU Bakersfield.
Junior guard Steven Shares and sophomore forward Brian Mahood round out BU’s probable starters at 5.0 and 3.0 points per game, respectively.
About the Series
Friday will be the first meeting between Wyoming and Bristol.
Up Next
The Pokes start the road portion of the 2015-16 season with the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Conference Challenge at Indiana State on Monday at 5 p.m. MT.
Cowboy Wrestlers Make Big 12 Debut at Air Force
LARAMIE – A historic night is on tap Friday as the University of Wyoming wrestling team will make their Big 12 debut tangling with Air Force. It is the fifth conference the Cowboys have been a part as the Pokes are 3-1 in their previous four conference debuts.
The Details
The dual is set to start at 7 p.m. MT in Clune Arena on the Air Force Academy campus in Colorado Springs, Colo.
A Look at Wyoming
A trio of Cowboys find themselves in the national rankings. Junior Benjamin Stroh, who moved to 174 pounds is ranked as high as 13th in the nation by Intermat Wrestling. He is also ranked 15th by FloWrestling and The Open Mat. Senior 285 pounder Tanner Harms is ranked 17th by Win Magazine and 20th by Intermat Wrestling. Junior Drew Templeman is ranked 20th by The Open Mat at 125 pounds.
A busy Saturday in War Memorial Fieldhouse was capped with six individual championships in two divisions at the 38th annual Cowboy Open. A pair of juniors in Benjamin Stroh (174 pounds) and Drew Templeman (125 pounds) won titles at new weights for the Pokes joining senior Tanner Harms (285 pounds) and sophomore Bryce Meredith (141 pounds) with individual titles in the elite bracket.
A Look at Air Force
Air Force also participated in the Cowboy Open last weekend and the Northern Colorado Open the weekend before. The top competitor for Air Force is 133-pounder Josh Martinez. He is ranked highly by several publications and is ranked 14th by Intermat wrestling. The Falcons had 10 total place-winners at the Cowboy Open. Martinez earned Outstanding Wrestler honors in the Cowboy Open’s Elite Division, going 4-0 en route to the title at 133 pounds.
He Said it
“It is a little early to be hitting a conference foe, but this will be a good test for us,” Wyoming head coach Mark Branch said. “I think this is one of the better teams Air Force has had in a while, they are a gritty team that is very tough to score one.”
“It is a statement to say that the season is here opening with a conference dual,” Branch said. “It is a new era started and we are excited to see what Friday brings.”
Series History
The Cowboys also met the falcons in last season’s conference opener defeating Air Force 34-0 in the UniWyo Sports Complex on Dec. 11, 2014.
UW leads the overall series 39-12 in 51 meetings since 1958, and has won the last seven meetings.
Probable Matchups
125: #NR/NR/20 Drew Templeman vs. Drew Romero (AF)
133: Gunnar Woodburn vs. #14/NR/15 Josh Martinez (AF)
141: Bryce Meredith vs. David Walker (AF)
149: Austin Breckenridge or Jake Elliott vs. Jerry McGinity (AF)
157: Archie Colgan vs. Zach Stepan (AF)
165: Chaz Polson vs. Adam Jackson (AF)
174: #13/15/15 Benjamin Stroh vs. Adam Jackson (AF)
184: Jace Jensen vs. Anthony McLaughlin (AF)
197: Brandon Tribble vs. Parker Hines (AF)
285: #20/NR/NR Tanner Harms or Sam Eagan vs. Marcus Malecek (AF)
*Rankings reflect the latest InterMat//FloWrestling/The Open Mat individual polls.
Wyoming Returns Home to Face San Jose State
LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team will continue Mountain West play this weekend hosting San Jose State before heading to the Golden State for its only matchup this season with Fresno State.
The Cowgirls return to the UniWyo Sports Complex on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., MT to face the Spartans, and will then travel to Fresno, Calif., to take on the Bulldogs at 8 p.m., on Wednesday.
“Nothing is easy when you are on the road. It’s a tough league to play in when you are on the road, and I think everyone is a little more comfortable playing at home. I was very happy with this team this past weekend to pick up two good wins. Something we’ve worked on is finding a way to stay aggressive and continue to play one match at a time.” – UW head coach Chad Callihan.
Wyoming has been led by junior Kayla Slofkiss, who averages 2.75 kills per set and a total of 256 kills, and Laura Beach, who has 242 kills and a team-leading .344 hitting percentage. During UW’s current four-match winning streak, Bridget Shanahan has posted a team-high 47 kills, which includes a season-high 19 against Air Force. Shanahan is 15 kills away from moving into tenth place all-time for Wyoming.
Freshman Reed Copeland plays a vital role ranking second nationally in total blocks with 154 and sixth in blocks per set with 1.60. She leads the MW in both and is the only freshman in the top-10 in each category in the NCAA.
This past weekend Copeland moved into sixth place in the single-season blocks list, while senior Allison Waldvogel moved into sole possession of third place on the single-season digs list for the Cowgirls. She currently has 444 on the season for an average of 4.48 per set.
Junior Courtney Chacon has been crucial in shaping the successful offense Wyoming has had. After surpassing 2,000 assists earlier this season, Chacon leads UW with 5.37 assists per set and a total of 532.
The Spartans (13-14, 5-9 MW) have won two matches since defeating the Cowgirls on Oct. 15. They split last weekend defeating Utah State before falling to Boise Statae. SJSU is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m., match tonight in Fort Collins against Colorado State.
Tyanna Roy leads SJSU with 260 kills, as Nandyala Gama is right behind with 237. Allison Meehan is seventh in the MW with an average of 7.45 assists per set. Hana Tresnakova averages 0.35 service aces per set, good enough for fourth in the conference, while Yavianliz Rosado is seventh in the league with 3.62 digs per set for the Spartans.
The Fresno State Bulldogs (13-14, 5-8 MW) are coming off losses from San Diego State and Nevada last weekend. They will host Air Force tonight at 7 p.m. Zana Bowens is leading the team in kills with 274 total, and also a team-high 3.01 kills per set average. Carly Scarbrough has recorded 271 kills, as Aleisha Coates has 268. Brooke Legaux is sixth in the MW with 745 total assists and 7.76 per set.
Maggie Eppright is leading the conference with 494 digs on the season and 4.84 per set. Lauren Torres has a total of 73 blocks on the year to lead the Bulldogs.
Cowboys Fall Short Against Air Force
LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming Cowboy swimming and diving team came up just short in its dual with Air Force on Thursday afternoon.
It was not without a number of strong performances by several athletes, as five different Cowboys claimed victories on senior day against the Falcons. UW won seven of the 16 events during the dual to fall by a score of 156-144.
Sophomore Ryan Ball won three events to lead the Pokes. He finished with the top time in the 1,000 free, 200 back and 200 IM. Ball’s first victory in the 1,000 free came from a time of 9:38.15, before he finished with a mark of 1:50.15 in the 200 back. His time in that event was the best by a Cowboy this season. He won his third and final event of the afternoon with a 1:54.37 in the 200 IM.
Freshman Jack Herron won his first event as a Cowboy, as he claimed the top time in the 200 free with a 1:41.80. Ryan Nelson once again had another solid meet for the Pokes. He won the 200 fly with a final mark of 1:51.02. Nelson also had two second-place finishes against Air Force.
He finished just behind Ball in the 200 IM and also swam a 4:40.47 in the 500 free. Gabe Rooker claimed the top spot in the 200 breaststroke. His time of 2:02.25 earned him the win for the Cowboys.
On the diving side, which took place at the Academy in Colorado Springs, Austin Rettinghouse won the 3-meter diving event with a score of 292.43. He also placed second in the 1-meter with a final of 284.25. Ryan Russi finished in third place in both diving events and Jacob Rehmeier finished fifth in the 1-meter for the Pokes.
There were a number of other solid performances for Wyoming against the Falcons. Wade Nelson took second in the 100 back with a final mark of 51.19. Rooker was just short in the 100 breaststroke and finished second with a 55.70, while in the last event of the afternoon, a team of Kyle White, Rooker, Kyle Scalise and Bryce Carter took second in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:04.00.
Cross Country Squads Seek NCAA Bids at Friday’s Mountain Regional
LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming men’s and women’s cross country teams run the most important race of the 2015 season Friday at the NCAA Mountain Regional Championship in Albuquerque, N.M.
The Cowgirls compete over 6 kilometers at noon MT, while the Cowboys race over 10 kilometers at 1 p.m. on the UNM North Golf Course.
Hosted by the University of New Mexico, the Mountain Regional meet determines which teams and individuals will receive bids to the NCAA Championship meet. The top two teams from each of the nine regions in the country automatically qualify, while 13 at-large teams are selected based on meet results throughout the season.
In the regions, the top two female and top two male finishers not on qualifying teams advance to the national meet as individual competitors. The Mountain Regional is comprised of 19 schools that are at least 3,000 feet in elevation.
The men’s side of the Mountain Regional features five teams ranked in the nation’s top 30, while the women’s race has five ranked squads as well. Both of the No. 1 teams in the nation come from the Mountain Regional.
“We have a lot of ranked teams on both the men’s and women’s side in our region, but we want to improve on our showing from the conference meet” UW head coach Bryan Berryhill said. “We had a lot of younger women step up for us, so hopefully they can take that confidence and do it at the regional meet. The distance is the same so nothing changes for them. On the men’s side it is a little bit different going from 8 kilometers to 10 kilometers, but it doesn’t change a lot on how you approach it. Mentally you have to be a bit tougher, but with a lot of seniors I don’t think that distance will make a lot of difference for them.”
Wyoming History at the NCAA Mountain Regional
The Wyoming men’s highest team finish at the NCAA Mountain Regional meet is sixth place on three occasions, including the last time in 2010, while the lowest point total is 182 in 2008. Mark Korir owns the highest individual placing by a Cowboy, with third in 2006 and 2008.
Last season the Cowboys placed 10th as a team with 243 points, while Amos Bowen placed sixth individually for All-Region accolades. The Cowgirls finished fifth last season to tie their highest team placing ever, and totaled 154 points in 2004 for their lowest mark ever.
Holly Page has the best individual finish with a sixth-place showing last season. Page and Kerry White, who placed 21st, earned All-Region. Bowen and Page earned individual bids to the NCAA meet.
Last Time Out
Senior Aaron Derner placed fourth individually to pace the University of Wyoming men’s cross country team to a historic fourth in the team standings at the 2015 Mountain West Championships in Reno, Nev., on Oct. 30.
Derner’s finish garnered him an All-MW First Team accolade, while fourth in the team race with 89 points tied the squad’s best team finish and was four points away from UW’s lowest total in MW history.
Derner traversed the 8-kilometer course in 26:37 to pace the Cowboys for the third time this season. He was followed by fellow senior Amos Bowen in 27:30 for 18th, just four places away from all-conference accolades. Bowen was All-MW Second Team last season and was looking to become the first Cowboy to earn two-straight all-conference honors since 2010-11.
Senior Dylan Morin finished one place and two seconds behind Bowen to edge out sophomore Jonah Henry who placed 20th in the same time as Morin. Redshirt freshman Ricky Faure rounded out UW’s scorers in 28:01 for 28th.
No. 26 Air Force won the men’s team title with 49 points, while No. 30 Colorado State was second at 53 and No. 16 Boise State third at 56. Wyoming, who last finished fourth at the 2010, edged out New Mexico, who received votes in the latest national poll.
On the women’s side, sophomore Kerry White placed 16th in 23:50 on the 6-kilometer course to help the Cowgirls place fifth with 129 points. No. 1 New Mexico won the women’s team race with 24 points, while No. 9 Boise State was second with 71 points.
White was just two places away from a second-straight All-MW honor, while junior Megan Brunette finished in 23:59 for 19th. Sophomore Lauren Hamilton had her best race this season to place 22nd in 24:17, freshman Isabella Pape was 33rd in 24:56 and fellow freshman Kiah Leonard rounded out UW’s scorers in 25:13 for 43rd.
“I’m really proud of our women,” Berryhill said. “They fought hard on a tough course at elevation. I thought we had some sophomores and true freshmen that stepped up at 3-4-5 and I couldn’t be more proud. We’ve had a lot adversity this season, so for them to come out and fight and get fifth place in a deep conference is something I’m proud of. That is something we can build on.”
Returning NCAA Qualifier
The Cowboys return all seven of their top runners from a season ago, but more importantly they welcome back someone with experience at the national meet. Senior Amos Bowen will look to qualify for the national meet for a second-straight season.
He is the first Cowboy to return after competing at the NCAA Championships since Mark Korir went three-straight seasons from 2006-08. Bowen will also be looking to take down Korir’s school record in the 8,000 meters of 23:41. Bowen was two seconds shy at last season’s Washington Invite.
The Injury Bug
Wyoming has been a bit unlucky this season in terms of injuries. Seniors Audra DeStefano and Mike Seas are doubtful for the Cowgirls and Cowboys this weekend. Both have been diagnosed with mononucleosis. DeStefano was UW’s top runner in the first two meets this season, while Seas was in UW’s top eight.
Junior Ali Walker is a race-day decision after suffering a leg injury at the Louisville Pre-Nationals. Sophomore Kerry White, the Cowgirls’ top returner this fall, has been battling a foot injury she suffered in the first meet of the season, but should be close to 100 percent for this meet.
Next Up
The NCAA Championships will be hosted by Louisville on Nov. 21 in Louisville, Ky.
