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Show Friday, February 2, 2001 Page 6 Sports WSU to compete in Mountain States Games Track and field teams travel to Pocatello, Idaho again to participate in competitive meet By Scott Boyson asst. sports editor The Signpost The men's and women's track and field teams are ready to run this weekend in one of the largest and most competitive meets of the season: the Mountain States Games. Both the men's and women's teams are set out to do what they have been trying to do since the beginning of the season, qualify for the Big Sky Championship. Head women's coach Jim Blaisdell currently has 14 women qualified for the Big Sky meet, but is shooting for more. "We've got 14 women qualified right now and we need 20 plus if we're going to make a run for the championship," he said. WSU loses By Jose Carvajal sports editor The Signpost The Weber State men's basketball teams' flirtation with supremacy in the Big Sky Conference came to an end this week, as Cal State Northridge regained control of the reigns. Part of its dominance involved a 96-86 victory over WSU Thursday in California. At orie point this week, both teams were tied atop the conference standings, but a 100-73 Matador victory over Sacramento State Wednesday night meant that CSN would remain in first place, no matter what happened Thursday. But that wouldn't stop the Wildcats from fighting for the victory. WSU (11-8 overall, 6-3 Big Sky) managed to build itself a six-point lead going into halftime, but it was CSN (15-8 overall, 8-2 Big Sky) that would ultimately hold the lead. The Matadors held the lead for most of the first half, but the Wildcats would fight back, taking the lead with 5:20 left at 31-29, on a Stevie Morrison layup. WSU drove that lead up to as many as eight points, but would go in at halftime leading by six. 46-40. After the break, CSN chipped at WSU's lead and took the lead, 67-66, for good with 11:04 left in the half. Leading by as many as nine points at one point, the Matadors coasted toward victory. Morrison finished the game as WSU's leading scorer, with 18 points, and Jermaine Boyette followed with 14 points. WbU will have an opportunity to bounce back from the loss with a game at Northern Arizona Saturday. The game will be shown Fox Sports Rocky Mountain at 12 p.m. Along with the goal to qualify more women for the Big Sky meet, Blaisdell has three women who are trying to qualify for the NCAA meet in March. One of these women is Allison Adams. Adams is hoping to run a 800-meter race with an NCAA qualifying time of 2:08. Adams feels good about her chances to qualify. "I've felt good this week in practice and coach Blaisdell has prepared me well so I feel pretty confident," Adams said. In the 5,000 meters, Rebecca Bennion will be running against some stiff competition to qualify for the national meet, which will hopefully cause her to run at her peak performance. "BYU's bringing three or four girls who are about the same caliber that she is and so it's going to Hockey club on weekend roadtrip Wildcats in Southern California this weekend for three-game stretch By Jarrod M. Hiatt sr. sports reporter The Signpost The WSU hockey club has loaded up the bus and has taken another trip to California. For the second time in three weeks, WSU is headed to California to play three games in three nights. But this time WSU is headed to Southern California instead of the Bay area. The Wildcats looking for momentum heading into the upcoming Rocky Mountain Collegiate Hockey Association tournament and the national tournament by extending its unbeaten streak to 15 games by winning all three games this weekend. WSU has not lost in the months of December or January and with a weekend sweep of its West coast foes that streak can extend into the month of February. WSU played USC last night. They will face UCLA tonight and will end its road trip Saturday with a rematch against USC. WSU is viewing this trip as a pivotal one. WSU hockey club coach Brad Larsen feels that his team needs to win all of these games to retain their RMCHAA No.l ranking and to gain experience vital for the upcoming national tournament. "We have to win these games," said Larsen. "Every game counts. This trip is like a mini-nationals. In the nationals you play three games in three nights against tough teams." One of the tough teams that WSU will face is USC. USC is currently ranked No. 4 in the RMCHAA and will be a true test for WSU. Larsen knows that the task will be even more difficult considering the fact that his 'Cats have to play , be a great opportunity for her to run fast in the 5,000 and to see if she can get that qualifying mark to go to the national meet," Blaisdell said. High jump standout Brooke Cottle is looking to clear 6-feet, 0.5-inches this week to automatically qualify her for the national meet. Cottle currently owns the fifth best jump in the nation this season with a jump of 5-feet, 10.5-inches.Coupled with qualifying more runners for the Big Sky, men's head coach Chick Hislop would like to take advantage of the distance medley events. "Our main objective this week is to run a good distance medley," Hislop said. "In fact, I have two teams and I want both teams to run well in the distance medley."The distance medley consists of four separate races: a 1,200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter followed by a one-mile run. ? J. Tin JIT . . .- In -r ... - I ' .,- - i aniii " r-T' ' r - I ' - i . WSU goalie Seth Libby takes a break during a hockey game last week. the Trojans twice in three nights on their home ice. "It's hard to do," said Larsen about playmg a team twice in three nights. "It's hard to keep the same intensity. It's tough to beat a team twice on the road." That happened to us with Colorado State earlier in the season (in Colorado). They beat us one night and we came back and beat them the next." WSU faced USC earlier this season at the Ice Sheet. The 'Cats easily defeated the Trojans by a score of 7-0. However, that was then and these two games against USC are what's important to WSU now. WSU will play UCLA tonight. UCLA and WSU have not met as of yet this season, however, the 'Cats are not taking the Bruins lightly. "I feel that even coming off the tie Colorado State that if we win all three of these games this weekend then we can keep our No. 1 ranking." said Larsen. '"'The No. 1 ranking is vital (6' Three 400-meter runners who are hoping to have some good races are Todd Grunander, Jerome Milner and Jeff Tingey. Each runner is within . 1 5 of a second of qualifying for the Big Sky.' Each runner knows where he stands and has been working hard to get over the hump. "After the meet last week, coach Hislop talked to us and suggested that we train more endurance-type stuff because the last part of our race is where we're really slowing down," Grunander said. "So we just did a bunch of longer stuff to try to help us out with the end of our race." The meet is today and Saturday, in the Holt Arena on the campus of Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho, the site of last week's Quadruple Dual. More than 12 teams will be participating in the meet. Next week the 'Cats return to Ogden to host the Wildcat Invitational in the Swenson Gym. WSU heading into the upcoming conference and national tournaments. If WSU can retain the No. 1 ranking than they will be seeded higher and will be in an easier bracket and that will take some of the pressure off the players in those tournaments. Look for team captain Kiyoshi Ryujin to come up big on this trip. On WSU's last trip to California, Ryujin burned his golden state opponents by scoring 13 points in three games. Ryujin is also coming off a big game against Provo in which he scored two of WSU's seven goals in their 7-1 victory. WSU goalie Seth Libby has been solid in the net as of late. Libby allowed just one goal on 25 shots against third ranked Colorado State. For WSU to win. Libby and the remainder of the WSU goalies must play well. WSU's next home game will be played at the Ice Sheet Feb. 9 at 8:30 p.m. against No. 2 ranked University of Utah. riifs Rodeo club set to ride The Weber State rodeo club will begin its 2001 campaign this weekend, hoping to continue its winning tradition. The WSU Rodeo Club has been involved with the National Rodeo Association for over 20 years. You can see the Rodeo Club to night at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. at the We ber County Fairgrounds in the Golden Spike Arena. Students get into the 1 p.m. performance with a Wildcard. Zacharova loses in first round WSU tennis player Lenka Zacharova lost in the first round of the Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. She was defeated by No. 8 Lauren Kalvaria, but will play in the con solation tournament, which starts today. The rest of the team will await Zacharova in Las Vegas for games against New Mexico State and UNLV this weekend. "Both of these teams, are very competitive and it will be a good test for us this early in the season," said WSU coach Keith Cox. Women's hoops hosts two The women's basketball team will be in action this weekend at the Dee Events Center against Northern Arizona Friday' and Northridge Saturday. Both games promise to be good matchups. "NAU has won some great games on their home court. We had a tough game there winning in overtime. They are similar to us with their post game complimented by their perimeter game," said WSU women's basketball coach Carla Taylor. CSN also looks to be a challenge. "Cal State Northridge always has the potential to be very explosive offensively," she said. 'They shot a high percentage from the floor when we were at their place and we have to do a better job defensively this time." Both games will begin at 7 p.m. ComiM Friday. Feb. 2 Women's basketball vs. NAU Dee Events Center. 7 p.m. Track and field Mt. States Games Pocatello, Idaho Rodeo club Golden Spike Arena, 7 p.m. Hockey club USC Los Angeles Women's tennis UNLV Invit. Las Vegas Saturday, Feb. 3 Women's basketball vs. Northridge Dee Events Center, 7 p.m. Men's basketball N. Arizona Flagstaff, Ariz.. 12 p.m. Radio: KLO 1430 TV: Fox Sports Rocky Mountain Track and field Mt. States Games Pocatello, Idaho Women's tennis UNLV Invit. Las Vegas Rodeo Club Golden Spike Arena. 1 and 7 p.m. |