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Show SPORTS A5 Not according to the plan UVU baseball was incapable of maintaining its domination of the Great West during the final season of the competition within the conference By Garrett Coleman Assistant Sports Editor The Wolverines' season ended earlier than expected with a first round GWC tournament exit CONNOR ALLEN/UVU REVIEW In sports, success is measured universally by one thing: championships. Spectators generally don't drool over their team unless they have a chance at winning championships. UVU baseball has had its share of championships, winning three of the four conference championships while in the Great West. Moving to the WAC will allow the Wolverines to compete against some of the nation's best. "Our expectation level wasn't reached and that devastated us as a program," explained head coach Eric Madsen. "Our only expectation is to win and we weren't able to reach our goal and that devastated us." This season saw the Wolverines face a variety of teams, from top-ranked opponents to in-state rivals and even future WAC foes. The team had mixed success against these opponents. The collective expert opinion coming into the season predicted a midconference level finish, and another solid campaign for a team that lost over one-fourth of its previous year's roster. Among the early season highlights, was a win against the then-No.10 ranked Arizona Wildcats. The victory invited the idea that it would be another season to remember. However, the Wolverines could never catch a hot streak like they have in past seasons and ended the non-conference schedule on a low note, losing six straight before opening up conference play. The Wolverines began the season with a winning streak of 29 games over Great West opponents. That streak was extended to 31 when UVU won its first two conference games, but ended abruptly with a loss against NJIT. The rollercoaster ride continued for the team, which never really found the groove it needed to make a final push toward the GWC championship. UVU finished with a 15-9 conference record; the inability to win series against belowaverage opponents and close out sweeps preventing the Wolverines from finishing the regular season atop the GWC for the first time. Despite a late push for the top seed, the Wolverines headed into the Conference tournament as the No. 4 seed. A disappointing two game exit from the tournament capped the season, the team falling short of its goal to win a final GWC championship. UVU finished with a 24-30 record. The season did feature more individual accomplishments, as five athletes were noticed for their excellent play. Senior shortstop Kai Hatch was named first-team All-Conference for the third straight year. The Wolverines had four other players named to the second-team. Senior pitchers Jeff Barto and Justin Campbell, junior outfielder Riley White and freshman first baseman Mark Kruger joined Hatch as AllGWC team members. The future is bright as UVU heads into the WAC. The conference re-alignment gives the baseball program the chance to compete for an automatic bid to compete in the NCAA regionals. Coach Madsen welcomes the opportunities that lie ahead. "We are excited." Madsen said, "when you have this result, you can expect the guys to come out and be hungry and I'm excited." The team hopes to continue improving and replicate its past success in the inaugural year of the WAC. The team loses eight seniors, who will be replaced in the lineup with the young, talented players that joined UVU this season. "Our freshmen played well down the stretch." Madsen explained. "As the year progressed, so did they and that's something to be excited about." Though the Wolverines were unable to hoist one last trophy, the UVU baseball program has created a winning tradition during its time in the GWC, which can be emulated by future Wolverine teams. The beginning of something special Head coach Greg Maas tackles multiple off-season tasks this summer in order to build the first NCAA Division I soccer program in Utah By Kyle Spencer Sports Editor @kyledspencer UVU soccer head coach Greg Maas' aspirations of creating a nationally competitive program are evident in the lengthy summer to-do list. Coach Maas' first order of business was to find an associate head coach to help him shoulder some of the burdensome load. Matt Ellinger, previously the head coach at the University of Utah, was hired on May 22 and has been working incessantly from day one, albeit without an office. Maas' lofty goals required that not only a well-qualified individual fill the vacancy, but also someone who had achieved success at the collegiate level. With Ellinger aboard, Maas will be able to lean on a coach who led his Utah team to back-to-back finishes as regional finalists in 2011 and 2012. Matt is also the son of the John Ellinger, who was the first head coach in the history of Real Salt Lake. As he worked for the club his father guided on the field, he was able to witness firsthand the off-field strategies implemented by the club to invoke interest in the fans. "The chance to get back to the Division I level," said associate head coach Matt Ellinger in response to what attracted him to UVU. We want to build a soccer culture. We want different student groups and supporter clubs [that are] borderline rowdy. Utah is a very soccer-savvy community and we're going to be the football team here. Our second preseason game [next year] will be with Real Salt Lake down here. That's going to be an annual exhibition for us. We're playing an MLS team every year, which is great for recruiting." Maas (U-17 head coach) and Ellinger (U-16 head coach) know each other from their time with the Real Salt Lake development academy, which aside from providing them with a head start on recruiting has helped form a relationship that has them united in their expectations and goals. "I look at this as an opportunity being the only men's Division I program in Utah to really engage the community and get people excited," said head coach Greg Maas. "Matt and I dream that consistently we're putting four or five thousand fans in the seats at these games." The coaches have already received a number on no-official commitment and are currently busy preparing UVU soccer camps, which will be organized in three sessions this year. The first begins June 24 and ends on June 27. Session two will be held from July 15-18, and session three will 66 We're going to be the football team here. MATT ELLINGER Associate Head Coach UU run July 22-25. More information can be found at wolverinegreen. corn. The camps are designed to offer technical training to the individual and help teach team oriented, tactical play. UVU will also hold a Men's College ID Camp for players interested competing collegiately August 2-3. "Our first registrant came from Singapore," coach Maas said. "There's a lot of interest, especially in the College ID camp. I've had four or five players from outside of the state, three of which I haven't had any contact with whatsoever have found out about it and want to come in. It's going to be important for us, in particular to engage our current UVU men's club members, to see if there are some other players we might be able to glean out of that group as well." One of the major objectives of the soccer camps is to start creating a national brand that will become the identity of UVU soccer. While a future UVU football team appears to be nothing more than a pipe dream, young men and women that find beauty in the international brand of football can get their foot in the door by enrolling in the soccer camps. It could be their first step toward cementing themselves as a permanent part of history by representing the first ever Division I soccer team in Utah. "The first priority has been to target our Utah players," coach Maas said. "We want to get the best student-athletes we can get here in Utah [and] engage them in the opportunity. With our resources [we] kind of network out, through Real Salt Lake, the Portland Timbers, the Seattle Sounders, [and] the L.A. Galaxy. Those particular U.S. development academy clubs that we have a relationship with we know people in the front office - we are working to get those kids interested." With Maas and Ellinger in charge, UVU soccer is poised to invigorate a region that has been starved of the beautiful game on the highest collegiate level for too long. Their passion for the game and desire to build an elite program shine brightly as they talk about their vision, which includes building state-of-the-art facilities and an enclosed stadium that will strike fear into the hearts of the opponents as they experience thousands of energetic, green-clad fans, audibly supporting their beloved Wolverine soccer team from the stands. 4 MADELINEALLEN/UVU REVIEW Seven lady Wolverines were named to all-PCSC teams Wrapping up PCSC play Coach Rachel Hartgrove led the Wolverines to a successful season during her first year in charge, which led to several Wolverines being honored by the PCSC By Weston Brierley Sports Writer @WestonGB The UVU Women's Softball teams season came to a close on May 5, and what a season it has been. Under interim head coach Rachel Hartgrove the lady Wolverines finished the year with an impressive conference record of 14-10, which was good enough for third overall in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference, and an overall record of 35-20. Nothing but good can be said about the effort this team has given their coach throughout the year, and interim coach Hartgrove can pat herself on the back for guiding them through it. The stat that seems to stand out the most is total hits for the year, the Wolverines outhitting their opponents 404-312. Morgan Summers, a freshman from Tremonton, Utah, contributing 42 of these hits. Morgan is a fine example of the future potential the current roster is loaded with. With only five seniors on this roster this season UVU will have plenty of returning young, talented players. The opportunity to bring in an additional number of impact players through recruiting suggests that the UVU will only get better. Winning on the road must be a priority next year if UVU hopes to compete for a conference championship, and reach the postseason. Although they still notched a decent 11-10 away record, improving their play on the road will be vital for the Wolverines to play at a high level in the Western Athletic Conference. The future is bright though for the lady Wolverines, as well as all of UVU athletics as they move into the WAC next year. For the first time ever athletics will be able to qualify for a postseason berth in the NCAA championships. PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLEN HISER Maas and Ellinger's chemistry has soccer recruiting off to a strong start Coach Hartgrove led UVU to a succesful season in her first year at the helm With a locker room full of a variety of talent Coach Hartgrove should be excited for next season so long as she does get the head coach job, which many are hoping she does. "I am proud of each and every one of these girls for the way they stuck through the year and accomplished some amazing feats," Hartgrove said. "I'm especially proud of our five seniors (Brinkerhoff, Cisneros, Jachim, Mills, and Williams) who each turned in great years. There is definitely some room for improvement, but we'll get to work with the objective of coming back and competing for a championship next season." The Pacific Coast Softball Conference recognized the outstanding individual performances of the Wolverines. Junior first baseman Amanda Robinson garnered first team all-PCSC honors and senior outfielder Kylee Brinkerhoff, senior shortstop Kyrstin Jachim, senior pitcher Tiffany Mills, and sophomore catcher Jamie North were selected to the second team. Sophomore utility player Kelli Fox and sophomore pitcher Josi Summers received honorable mention. MADELINEALLEN/UVU REVIEW |