University of Wyoming Athletic News

University of Wyoming Athletic News

Cowgirl Soccer Falls to Northern Colorado in Cheyenne

It marked the first loss of the season for UW

 

CHEYENNE – A trio of unanswered goals lifted Northern Colorado past the University of Wyoming women’s soccer team, 3-1 at Okie Blanchard Stadium in Cheyenne on Tuesday night.

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It was the first loss of the season for the Cowgirls, as they drop to 3-1-3 on the season. Junior forward Laurel Ramer tallied UW’s only goal in the 14th minute of the contest.

After Ramer’s goal, Northern Colorado responded with two goals to end the first half. The first score for the Bears came from Paige Morris in the 18th minute. Three minutes later Kassy Castillo snuck another one by sophomore goalkeeper Georgia Rowntree. Then Brooke Braden added another in the third period.

The Cowgirls outshot the Bears 18-12 having 10 of them come on goal. Wyoming also accumulated two corner kicks. Sophomore forward Shaina Ashouri led UW in shots with seven. Ramer followed with four shots. Defender Katie Marcheso and midfielder Annika Clayton had two shots apiece on the night. Forward Jessie Gentle and defenders Alisha Bass and Kimmy Burbank each had one shot.

The Cowgirls return to action on Friday hosting Idaho State at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex. The match is slated for a 4 p.m. start.

 

 

 

Cowgirls Wrap Up Ptarmigan Ram Classic

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Cowgirl  golf team finished play at the Colonel Wollenberg Ptarmigan Ram Classic in Fort Collins, Colo., on Tuesday afternoon.

Klara Castillo once again guided UW through the final round of play and finished as the top golfer for Wyoming. She shot an 82 (+10) on Tuesday to finish with a three-round tally of 234 (+18) to tie 64th.

The Cowgirls hit a 326 (+38) in the third round for a total of 938 (+74) to finish 16th at the Ptarmigan Country Club. BYU won at 876 (+12), San Jose State finished second with 880 (+16), with California placing third finishing eight shots behind at 888 (+24) in the 17 team field.

“The overall scores were higher due to high winds today,” UW head coach Josey Stender said. “The conditions got to us mentally so we struggled with putting and being decisive.”

Senior Kathleen Kershisnik carded an 80 (+8) on Tuesday and ended with 235 (+19) to finish tied for 71st of 90 total competitors. Sophomore Gabrielle Gibson tallied a 235 (+19) after an 82 (+10) in the final-round to finish tied with Kershisnik in 71st, while freshman Megan Knadler also hit an 82 (+10) to come in tied for 77th at 238 (+22).

Playing as in individual, freshman Kaylee Knadler posted a final round score of 86 (+14) to finish her first collegiate tournament with 239 (+23). Junior Mackenzie Barrie scored an 88 (+16) in the final round and finished the tournament with 244 (+28).

“We had a great start to the event and I know the potential we have,” Stender added. “We will take the next nine days before our home event and focus on consistency.”

UW will next host the Wyoming Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate in Palm Desert, Calif., on Sept. 26-27.

 

2015 Colonel Wollenberg Ptarmigan Ram Classic Team Standings

  1. BYU: +12 (293-287-296=876)
  2. San Jose State: +16 (297-287-296=880
  3. California: +24 (294-293-301=888)
  4. Wyoming: +74 (302-310-326=938)

 

2015 Colonel Wollenberg Ptarmigan Ram Classic Individual Standings

T64: Klara Castillo: +18 (75-77-82=234)

T71: Kathleen Kershisnik: +19 (79-76-80=235)

T71: Gabrielle Gibson: +19 (74-79-82=235)

T77: Megan Knadler: +22 (75-81-82=238)

T79: Kaylee Knadler: +23 (73-80-86=239)*

T86: Mackenzie Barrie: +28 (78-78-88=244)

*Played as an individual

 

 

 

Cowgirls Conclude Non-Conference Schedule with Wyoming Invite

LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team concludes the non-conference portion of the schedule this weekend, hosting the Wyoming Invite.

The Cowgirls welcome Idaho State, McNeese State and Pepperdine. In addition to the tournament, UW will take on Shanghai Eastbest Lansheng Volleyball Professional Club on Sunday afternoon for a final tune-up before Mountain West play.

The action starts at the UniWyo Sports Complex on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m., with the Cowgirls facing the Idaho State Bengals. It will mark the first meeting between the schools since 2009.

Friday, Sept. 18, will be a busy day with four contests slated. Pepperdine will meet Idaho State at 10 a.m., before UW will face McNeese State for the first-ever meeting at 12 p.m. The afternoon session begins at 5 p.m. between Idaho State and McNeese State.  

Wyoming will face West Coast Conference foe Pepperdine in the nightcap at 7 p.m. It will mark the first meeting between the Waves and Cowgirls since 1998.

“It doesn’t get any easier this week,” UW head coach Chad Callihan said. “We’ve got to pick up right where we left off and make sure we have another successful weekend. We know we need to come prepared each match and be ready to compete, regardless of who is across the net from us.”

For the third consecutive week, Wyoming has received votes in the AVCA Division I Coaches Poll. The weekly poll has UW with 41 votes, and four spots outside of the top-25.

After three weekends of play into the 2015 season, the Cowgirls are led by Laura Beach, Kayla Slofkiss and Bridget Shanahan offensively. Beach has a team-high 86 kills, Slofkiss has 85 while Shanahan is close behind with 81. Courtney Chacon and Cori Aafedt have organized a majority of the attack passing out 172 and 110 assists, respectively.

On the defensive end, UW is led by freshman Reed Copeland, who is first in the MW with 58 total blocks, and ranks third in the NCAA, averaging 1.71 blocks per set, along with Allison Waldvogel, who is fourth in the MW with 161 digs, and ranks 62nd in the NCAA, averaging 4.74 digs per set.

“Overall I like what this team has done,” Callihan said. “We have been able to pick up a couple quality wins which will help us throughout the rest of the year. We haven’t always been executing the way we want to, but we find a way to compete.”

Pepperdine brought in the No. 22 ranked recruiting class according to PrepVolleyball.com and are off to an 8-2 start. Freshman middle blocker Tarah Wylie has 103 kills for the Waves, as freshman outside hitter Nikki Lyons has 99 on the season.

Senior setter Becca Strehlow, earned WCC player of the week honors after the first weekend of the season and All-Tournament team accolades at the USC Invitational this past weekend. She has 374 assists through the first ten matches, as senior libero Lara Dykstra is leading Pepperdine with 181 digs.

The first-ever meeting with McNeese State will bring a Cowgirl team that is led by sophomore outside hitter Rae Myers, who has 76 kills. Senior setter Kelly Graham is the team-leader with 223 assists and junior libero Bridget Justis has 128 digs for McNeese State.

Idaho State is led by first year head coach Rick Reynolds and was also picked to win the Big Sky Conference in the preseason coaches’ poll. The 2014 Big Sky MVP redshirt senior Tressa Lyman returns and is currently the team leader with 158 kills.

Senior middle b locker Mackenzie Filer is next for the Bengals with 120 kills, as redshirt junior setter Haley Farrer has 444 assists. Former Cowgirl libero Kaitlyn Johnson leads ISU with 125 digs.

“We are focused on getting through these next three matches,” Callihan added. “It’s always fun to see a different style of volleyball. I think they will play the game a little differently from what we normally see.”

The volleyball team will deviate from the normal non-conference schedule and host the Shanghai Eastbest Lansheng Volleyball Professional Club from Shanghai, China, in an exhibition match on Sunday afternoon. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m., in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

 

 

 

Burbank Earns MW Defensive Player of the Week

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Wyoming sophomore defender Kimmy Burbank was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week for her performance against the Kansas Jayhawks last Friday.

The native of Spring Branch, Texas, helped the Cowgirls defeat Kansas, 2-1, in an action packed match from start to finish. For the first time in her career she scored two goals in a single match. Her first goal of the evening was a header that came from a corner kick by sophomore forward Shaina Ashouri. She had a second header hit the back of the net from a free kick taken by junior defender Sammi Dunda.

“It’s nice to see success for a girl that works hard to be dominant in the air,” Cowgirl head coach Pete Cuadrado said. “She really tries hard to put herself in the right places.”

Burbank helped the Cowgirl defense hold Liana Salazar, ranked ninth in the country by TopDrawerSoccer, to one goal during the match. The victory moved Wyoming’s record at home to 3-0. The Cowgirls have not lost at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex since 2013. The win on Friday avenged last season’s loss to the Jayhawks, 3-1, in Lawrence, Kan.

Burbank tied Ashouri for the team lead with three goals on the season. Burbank leads the team in shot percentage at .500 and she has accumulated 305 minutes of playing time. This marks the first time Burbank has won Defensive Player of the Week honors. The last Cowgirl to win the Defensive Player of the Week award was Courtney Merkle in 2012.

The Cowgirls will return to action on Tuesday to face the Northern Colorado Bears at East High School in Cheyenne. Kick off will begin at 7 p.m. MT.

 

 

 

Brian Hill Named College Sports Madness MW Player of the Week

LARAMIE – University of Wyoming sophomore running back Brian Hill has been recognized by College Sports Madness as its Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for his performance last Saturday versus Eastern Michigan.

  Hill recorded the second 200-yard rushing game of his career, ending the day with 242 yards on 21 carries and scoring two rushing touchdowns.  He averaged 11.5 yards per carry.  Hill’s 242 yards was the second best single-game performance in the NCAA this season — second only to Dalvin Cook’s 266 yards for Florida State vs. South Florida.

Hill’s 242 yards rushing vs. Eastern Michigan ranks as the fourth best single-game performance in University of Wyoming history.  He has rushed for over 100 yards in five of his last seven games.

The sophomore from Belleville, Ill., had nine runs of 10 or more yards, including runs of: 10, 11, 13, 14, 14, 16, 20, 40 and 65 yards.  His 40-yard scamper set the Cowboys up at the Eastern Michigan six-yard line which led to the Cowboys’ first touchdown of the day on their first possession of the game.  

His 65-yard run went for a touchdown on Wyoming’s first drive of the second half.  Hill also had a rush of 10 yards on that drive to account for all 75 yards on the scoring drive.  He also scored on a five-yard TD run later in the third quarter.

This week’s College Sports Madness National Offensive Player of the Week was Florida State’s Cook, who rushed for 266 yards against South Florida.