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Show Monday r June 2/2008 Track and field Ken Hoglund/ UVU Review In a win over BYU, Wolverine third baseman Jace Brinkerhoff put Utah Valley on top early with a three-run home run. Going out on top Matt Beaudin Sports editor It took one stretch of unfathomably perfect play for the New York Giants to win the Super Bowl this year. Time and time again in sports, a team gets hot at the right moment and coasts to achieve greatness. While Utah Valley has struggled through most of the season with a 17-35-1 record, the Wolverines have been on a tear lately to finish the season with wins over teams with national precedence. The magic started with a surprising 11-3 drumming of the nationally ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. The ninth-ranked Cowboys were the highest ranked team the Wolverines had ever beaten. In a near perfect performance from pitcher Bryan Smith, who struck out 11, and with Adam Openshaw's early home run, the Wolverines jumped all over the Cowboys and, maybe more importantly, got a legal shot of something called confidence. The side effects of the shot carried over into Utah Valley's game the following night against cross-town rival BYU. With Moore on the hill and over 3,000 fans in attendance, the Wolverines silenced the Cougars with an 11-4 dominating victory behind Jace Brinkerhoff s three-run bomb in the first. It was an emotional win for Gardner as his team continued its magical mystery baseball tour of convincing wins over the elite college baseball teams in the country. The Wolverines fell short in their three game series with the Arizona Wildcats, who came into the series as the 19th-ranked team in the country. The speed bump merely slowed Utah Valley down as they traveled to Corvallis, Oregon to take on the defending champion Beavers. After stumbling in the first game of the series, Utah Valley rebounded with a crushing 11-6 win over the Beavers. A fourth inning grand slam by Utah Valley's Cole Anderson cemented the win as the Wolverines built an 11 -0 lead before the Beavers knew what hit them. Moore pitched eight innings for Utah Valley and struck out six Oregon State batters on the way to the win. To end the 2008 campaign, the Wolverines made the long trip across the Pacific Ocean to play a series with the University of Hawaii. Behind Utah Valley pitcher Dan Christenson's third complete game of the season, the Wolverines won the series opener 5-1. "It's a great way to go out; end it on a high note," Christensen said. "It was great to have my teammates playing so well behind me." Utah Valley's Kevin Arendse hit two home runs in the game and became the Wolverines' first player to do so in nearly a year. His first blast came in the second to break a scoreless tie and his second homer came in the sixth to give the Wolverines the lead back. In the series and season finale the Wolverines escaped with a 2-0 win to send Gardner out with his 471st career win as a Wolverine. It was also the final game for senior Moore, who won a school record 10 games in the year. "I'm just so happy to come over here and win two games," Gardner said. "I'm thrilled to death we could send Marcus and the rest of the seniors out with a win." Farewell to a legend Matt Beaudin | Sports editor If anyone is worthy of having his or her own statue on the campus of UVSC, it's baseball coach Steve Gardner. After 18 seasons as the Wolverines skipper coach Gardner has decided to call it quits and ride off into the sunset of retirement. Merely listing the accomplishments Gardner has achieved in his career as a coach wouldn't do him justice. However, any story about Gardner wouldn't be complete without a rundown of what made him a fantastic coach statistically. As a player Gardner was named All-State at Spanish Fork High School, and received the same honor at Weber State. After his collegiate career, Gardner took a stab at playing professional baseball and spent four years in the Houston Astros minor league system. Gardner even won a batting title in the Western Carolina League as a prospective major leaguer. Gardner realized that playing in the minor leagues wasn't exactly conducive to family life, and decided to hang up the cleats in exchange for a clipboard and become a coach. Starting as a baseball coach at a junior high school, Gardner made stops at Bonn- : eville High School and Snow College before becoming a Wolverine. After 18 seasons and 471 wins, Gardner is calling it quits again to be able, to spend more time with his family. With three SWAC Southern Division Championships and two Region 18 crowns, Gardner has put Utah Valley on the map as a baseball program no, team can take lightly. In a 2001 match up with 16th-ranked Arizona State, the Wolverines knocked off the Sun Devils of the Pac Ten. Since that landmark win under Gardner's tutelage, Utah Valley has recorded wins over BYU, Utah, University of Washington, Oklahoma State and the two-time defending National Champion Oregon State Beavers. While the accomplishments tell the story on the field, the love his players have for Gardner as a coach and mentor truly tells the story of how great a coach Gardner See LEGEND' A8 The Utah Valley men's and women's track and field teams finished an impressive 2008 season as each were crowned the National Athletic Conference 2008 Outdoor Track and Field Champions. Combined, the two teams won 22 of the 46 total events held at the five-team NAC Championships and set eight new school records on the year. Wolverine head coach Scott Houle won National Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors for both the men's and women's teams. Senior sprinter Manama Salifu was awarded the NAC Female Athlete of the Year, and freshman runner Chelsea Baker earned the NAC Female Newcomer of the Year. "It was a good year for us," Houle said. "We met our goal to win the National Athletic Conference Championships, and we were also able to continue to set multiple individual records throughout the season. It was good to see our young talent step up and produce when needed, as well as have consistent contributions from our mature athletes." Wrestling Utah Valley head wrestling coach Greg Williams announced his 2008-2009 signees Wednesday, a list that includes seven accomplished grapplers from Utah and Nevada. With the additions of these top recruits, UV will look to make an impact in the Western Wrestling Conference (WWC) in the 2008-09 season. Adam Fagen Fager is a twotime Utah State Champion and AIl-American. Adam will compete at 197 pounds. Trey Edmunds: From Damonte Ranch High School in Nevada, Edmunds was a state champion this past season and is a two-time finalist. Josh Wilson: A two-time All-American, Wilson signed in the fall and was a two-time state champion from Morgan High School in Utah. He was a National Champion at the High School Nationals as a junior and placed third as a senior. Paul Johnson: A three-time state champion from Lone Peak High School, he will compete at Utah Valley for one year before serving an LDS mission. He will compete at 133 pounds. Wyatt Ray: Ray is a two-time Utah High School finalist and a State Champion from Roy High School. Nicko Paraso: Paraso, a threetime state placer, two-time finalist and a Utah State High School Champion, will compete at 125 pounds for Utah Valley. Nick Flores: Flores is also a three-time state placer, placing sixth as a sophomore, second as a junior, and third as a senior. He previously wrestled for Coach Williams in the Elite Wrestling Club. He will compete at 125 pounds for the Wolverines. FOR SPORTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS SEE UVUREVIEW.COM Ken Hoglund/ UVU Review long-time Utah Valley baseball coach Steve Gardner was honored at a pre-game ceremony before his team played BYU. Join the team SC220 |