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Show irrififniiiriiiiiiiiiTiiii iirii'iiililili'ii Tilirhiii i idnn u mmr ifmairwn WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 20 1 5 yn i" years lies BY PORTER LARSEN PLarsenDSN Dixie State University athletic programs are pretty familiar with winning, and for the most part, this year was no different. Several teams competed during fall semester, includi- 1 3 ng mens and womens football soccer, and volleyball. In soccer, the men continued to struggle, while the women posted their first season since 2010. The men finished with a record of cross-countr- y, 10-w- in just season, sophomore defender Brian Baugh was named to team as an the honorable mention. Head coach Danny Ortiz will not return next season and will subsequently be replaced by former professional player Josh Pittman. The team is returning all but five players from last years squad, and Pittman said he is looking forward to the future of DSU soccer. Im excited for the opportunity at Dixie State, Pittman said. We expect to create an program here, both regionally and nationally. The womens season went a little differently. DSU bounced back from a .500 season to notch its first season in five years. elite-lev- el i 1 10-w- in Finishing with a record, the DSU women won their final three games of the season and finished just three games behind Point Loma University. Senior forward Jennifer Mason became the leading scorer in DSU history with 40 career goals and was named to the 10-7- -1 first-pla- a le ce all-ti- All-PacW- team. ight fie to ito a cross-count- ry BY BLAIR KERKHOFF d of )taled 5. 1- In the final - Inal of led up id. ie e final 14th said 5 e e opoi a le n tied nior the s. YU-Hawa- ii IICM prasidoKJ TNS ter-)u- All-Star- 20-w- in teams also had successful seasons. The men and women both finished with top-2- 5 rankings. DSU us record in the 10k en route to a No. 22 national ranking. For the women, sophomore Skyler Stone led the way. Storie finished 17th in the NCAAs with the team finishing in 18th. The football team, however, did not fare as well. Winning just one game all year, DSU finished last in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. Even though it only won a single game, DSU had six GNAC Junior receiver Nate Stephens, freshman lineman Lucas Beddow and senior defensive end Jake Miller received second-teahonors, while senior defensive tackle Saula Taufa, junior linebacker Robert Metz, and senior corner Zac Christian all garnered honorable mention. The final fall sport to wrap up was volleyball, and it did so in exciting fashion. DSU squeaked into the national tournament after a 20-- 8 regular season. The Storm would become the Cinderella story of the tournament as they beat the No. 1 team in the country, Northwest Nazarene, in the first round. Led by seniors Kendahl Weiland and Nichole Koehler, DSU also went on to defeat the No. 5 B before being downed by Sonoma State. Finishing just one game away from a national championship appearance, it was the deepest postseason run in the schools Division II history. The basketball season was much like many of the past years, as the mens's team continued its sheer domination of the Pacific West Conference, while the women struggled to pick up wins. The men finished with a 20-- 8 overall record, the sixth season consecutive fifth conference champiand onship in the last six years. Led by seniors DeQuan Thompson and Zach Rob- m hi an otherwise uneventful .1 George Barlow led the mens team with a school days before the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NBA draft, the leaders of college and professional basketball agree the current arrangement is not ideal. But when it comes to players who attend college for one season before entering the draft, NCAA president Mark Em-me- rt and NBA commissioner Adam Silver dont agree on a fall continued from Page 6 have signed National Letters of Intent to soccer begin playing at DSU. Mens and womens crosscountry players are already naming on their own now and this fell through the summer to prepare for the season, head coach lustin Decker said. It is important for huild is excited for tire upcoming season. In past years, we have had very young teams, but we will have a large group of upper classmen this season who will be very experienced and great leaders for our younger runners, Decker said. Football is in full swing after a rigorous spring schedule that Di- them to up a strong base in their conditioning over the summer that they will be ready for the start of team workouts, Decker said. My position is a young man or woman shouldnt have to go to college to become a professional athlete, Emmert said in New York during an annual session with the Associated Press Sports Editors. If they want to come to college to become a better athlete and get a degree, then come on. But to force someone to go to included a few scrimmages. xie State aggressively recruited this offseason to bring in local talent from St. George, the state of Utah and California, head coach Scott Brumfield said. Dixie State football only had ' I; list. an Im so proud of my guys, head coach Jon Judkins said. In my years of coaching, I dont know that Ive ever had a group of players that were so close on and off the court. It was a truly memorable year-- Winning the conference championship on our home floor is something Ill always remember. The womens season did not go quite as well. After a dramatic offseason, head coach Catherria Turner was terminated, and assistant Jenny Thigpin took over. Under Thigpin, the team went a and she was subsequently named permanent head coach. Despite missing the postseason, senior guard Kaylah Miller made history by becoming the leader in field goals and also climbing to No. 2 on the scoring list. She was named to the . V t M if A - 3, J L 1 all-ti- r .4" A ' V,-- ,f s,va I third-tea- I. womens tennis, DSU In played in the No. 1 conference in Division II and was often outmatched and beaten, but the team continued to focus and play hard. Led by sophomore Ashley Anderson, DSU finished the season Were a young team, head coach Eric Pelton said. It was great to see the underclassmen stay poised and focused throughout the year. It shows great potential for the programs future. The spring semester saw both mens and womens golf tee off after their winter break, along with baseball and softball. Last week, the golf teams hosted the PacWest tournament. The mens team won its conference chamthanks to clutch pionship r" 6-- 9. first-ev- er csd rjcmSs solution. Emmert believes in a direct path from the high schools to the NBA, as there was before 2006. That was the route of such players as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Decker said he bins, DSU took down six nationally ranked teams. Thompson and Robbins, along with junior guard Mason Sawyer, received honors. Robbins was named as an honorable mention to the Division II Yi -J Alex Anderson, a junior integrated studies major from Prescott, Arizona, serves to the Alumni Team on Aug. 30, 2014. The volleyball team plans to bring in a total of 10 new recruits during the fall. performances from junior Kenny You and senior Cody Wass. The women finished in second place, led by senior Haley Dunn. Dunn went on to win the individual championship in dramatic fashion. She sunk a birdie putt in a sudden-deat- h playoff round to retain her title, which she also won in 2013. Both teams now await in college when they might otherwise have advanced directly to the NBA from high school. Silver said he believes the college player has no say in the issue, even though he is most directly affected. But colleges have thought about ways around the NBA rule. The Big Ten is studying freshmen ineligibility, which hasnt been part of the college sports landscape since the early 1970s. Emmert has other ideas. He floated the notion of allowing early entrants to spend one year in the NBA Develop one win last season. This year is the last year DSU will play in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference before switching to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference fall of 2016. The football team has also and leadership, head coach Robyn Felder said. The 2014 team was the most successful in the schools Division II history. With a record , of 22-- 9 record, the team came one win shy of winning the West Region to advance to the brought on two new coaches, duector of defense Shay McClure and director of offense Blaine Monkres. Womens volleyball has been recruiting for fall also. The team mid-yerecruits brings in three and will get another seven in the ar fall. It will be a mix of junior college and high school talent to give the team athleticism, depth no-hitt- er 1- -0 bullpen: senior Michelle Duncan is currently 23-- 0 this season, and Aryn Feickert (18-5- ) slung the first perfect game in DSU history. Both teams are currently in first place in the PacWest and ranked No. 4 and No. 15, respectively. The teams will close out their seasons at home before looking to make a postseason run in May. bashc&di players rcs-snik- bit college who has no interest in being in college makes a travesty of the whole notion of a college athlete. I would love to work with anybody in the pro leagues to provide a system that works. The rule was created by the NBA and its players association and requires that a player be at least 19 years old or finished with at least one season of college before entering the draft. rule The is why players like Kevin Durant (Texas), Derrick Rose (Memphis) and Andrew Wiggins (Kansas) spent a year one-and-do- the NCAA regional s in May. Softball and baseball, although still in the midst of their conference play, have already had some memorable moments this season. Senior John Conquy threw in Division the first II history in a win against Fresno Pacific. The softball team has also been carried by its strong mental League and return to school. Emmert also has suggested e combine for pro a that information so prospects about college players future isnt coming from agents or coaches. Freshmen to the NBA draft isnt exactly an epidemic. Russell became the 12th to declaxe, including Kansas Kelly Oubre and Cliff Kentucky and Duke jrave three each. But there is a perception issue. Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, whose team loaded with upperclassmen lost to the Blue Devils in NFL-styl- Alex-ende- r. the title game, referred to culture as the one-and-do- ne rent-a-play- Becoming a great athlete is a wonderful thing, Emmert said. But players shouldnt be made to spend two semesters in college to make that happen. I want kids to come to college to become educated, and if they want to become better athletes, great, Emmert said. But if they just want to get to the NBA as quickly as possible, dont come. (c) Distributed by MCT Information Services Need CPR now? offers private American Heart courses in your home or work - no cancellation worries a classroom Same cost as HazMat-CP- Association CPR f National Championships. We want to be back at the NCAA tournament again and Ss V tlfis time we want to go fur- ther, Felder said. 1 am a firm believer in finding good girls that work hard and get along. Great chemistry is a big key to a great team. HAZMAT-CP- S AHA validation card provided upon no need to wait! course completion To 702-6- 1 - Schedule: Contact Belinda 5 RN at or hazmatcprgmail.com |