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Show D11 DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE August 2011 WOMEN'S SOCCER After a tough season, ante upped reach their goals as a team. In response to the disappointing 2010 season, the Utes have trained harder and become more fit in addition to setting a higher standard in the offseason for fall's preparation. "Last season definitely brought a sense of disappointment," said head coach Rich Manning. "We had much adversity to overcome and did not meet our standard. However, I am still proud of our girls' efforts and know that our work post-season is looking promising for fall's play." The improvement Manning has in mind is the team's decision to become more adhesive through atti- McKenzie Dean STAFF WRITER After finishing 2010 with a 5-15I record, the women's soccer team faces another challenging schedule, this year against the loaded Pac-12 Conference. "We are very excited about going to the Pac-12," said senior forward Erin Dalley. "We know it is a very competitive and strong conference, but are looking forward to the challenge." With a young roster and after being injury-plagued this past season, Dalley and the Utes struggled to tude, dedication and a stronger work ethic. With the great veteran leadership, the Utes have raised expectations for the upcoming season. This past season's young players will now have grown with more experience as the Utes return key players such as Dalley and goalie Hannah Turpen. Turpen, who will be a senior this season, led the Ute defense that was the high point for the team a season ago. She finished 2010 with a .723 percent save rate and a 1.92 goals-against average. Seven to eight universities from the Pac-io Conference consistently made the NCAA Tournament. Man- ning's goal is to become one of those teams through consistent, positive conference play and to take the U to the NCAA. In the 2010 championships, six Pac-io schools entered the tournament. Three schools advanced to the third round, and two to the semi-finals. The Stanford Cardinal finished as runner-up after falling to Notre Dame 1-o in the final. "We're not afraid of the schools within the conference," Daly said. "We are excited for the upcoming challenge that our team will be faced with when competing against them. The National Soccer Coaches As- sociation of America and Adidas have ranked Stanford, Oregon State, Washington and UCLA in the Top 25 going into next year's season. All these teams are slated for play on the Utes' schedule. The U's competition might be tougher, but the Utes will spend more time in Salt Lake City than they did in 2010. Season tickets are available in the form of scarves and sell for $20. The Utes open their season at home on Aug. 28 against the Nevada Wolf Pack. m.dean@ chronicle.utah.edu SOFTBALL Strong foundation will turn heads Team hopes to carry win streak into Pac-12 Jory Carroll STAFF WRITER RICHARD PAYSON/The Daily Utah Chronicle Senior Tia Palauni steps up to bat. Utah lost a key batter from last season in Brittany Parker but still believes it has the fire power to compete in the Pac-12. ATHLETICS Dee Glen Smith Athletic Center Renovation continued from Page D1 step up athletically from the Mountain West. Some sports, such as football and gymnastics, are expected to be able to thrive right away, while other programs could take more time to become competitive. It's these programs that present Hill with the biggest challenge. "First of all, you need good coaches in place, and I think we're in pretty darn good shape in that area," Hill said. "We also need to make sure they get the support...like increased recruiting budgets. I think we'll also need patience." Making matters more difficult is the reality that many of the sports not expected to compete right away are Olympic sports, an area in which the Par-12 thrives, earning the moniker "Conference of Champions." "The bar is very, very high," Hill said. "The Pac-12 takes a tremendous amount of pride, and rightfully so, on what they've done in those sports. They have well over 400 NCAA championships." The increased revenue Utah will take in as a member of the Pac-12 will help, though. The league signed a 12-year, nearly $3 billion TV deal with ESPN and Fox in early May, putting the Utes in a position to eventually haul in more than $20 million per season. Though Utah won't receive a full revenue share from the conference until 2014 to 24:15—after three years of incremental revenue increases—the school will The first major upgrade to athletic facilities on campus will be to the Dee Glen Smith football complex. Located on Guardsman Way, it was constructed in 1960 as a motor pool for the Utah National Guard and wasn't converted into use for the football team until 1990. In 2009, the strength and conditioning equipment underwent a small renovation, but many improvements have yet to be made in order to compete with other Pac12 schools'facilities. The cost for the renovations has been estimated between $16 to $20 million and will come from private donors. Construction is expected to begin in December and will take 12 to 16 months to complete. all values in square feet • • • • • • • • 155-seat dining hall (6,069) Team classrooms & auditorium (5,532) Football administration offices (8,330) Training facilities 8,493 Football equipment storage (5,967) Players' locker room (9,700) Sports Medicine (5,500) Players' lounge/study (1,682) be bringing in far more than the paltry-in-comparison $1.2 million it received last year as a member of the Mountain West. "I would be telling you a lie if I said I wasn't excited about the TV contract and the money," said women's basketball head coach Anthony Levrets. Don't expect the Utes to spend it all at once, though— Hill is committed to using the money wisely and cautiously. "We have to be really smart because the revenue comes in over time for us," Hill said. "We just have to be strategic. We have to make sure we spend where it's going to help our student-athletes." One area where money will be spent is improving athletic facilities. The Utes already have plans for a $16 million football training complex, and have also been vocal about the need to build a softball stadium on campus, as well as improved basketball practice facilities and outdoor tennis courts. "Almost every sport needs a little help somewhere," Hill said. "There's a bunch of things on the plate, and as we get further into it, we'll also see what other teams have—so we can say, 'What The U softball team is coming off its first winning season since 2008 with a record of 29-22. The Utes finished strong in the second half of the season, winning 14 of their past 20 games. They plan to carry that momentum into the Pac-12 when the season starts in February. "We only lost one defensive player, so I expect us to come out playing like a well-oiled machine," said head coach Amy Hogue. "We have the best competition in the country in our own conference now." Hogue said this year's schedule will favor the Utes early on because they won't play any Pac-12 teams until the second half of the season when conference play starts. The 29 wins this past season were the most for the Utes since 2006. One of those wins included a 3-1 victory over Arizona State, which went on to win its second national championship in four years. The No. I Sun Devils are just one of many Pac-12 teams placed high in the national ranking. Along with the Sun Devils, six other Pac-12 teams finished in the Top zo. Hogue said she believes the team will turn a lot of heads this season. "I know what kind of talent our players have, and they understand how talented they are," Hogue said. "They're excited to play." Maggie Livreri joins the coaching staff this season as an assistant coach after spending three years coaching at UNLV. fits for us?' We already have some very good facilities, so we feel we are off to a good start." Much ado has been made about potential expansion of Rice-Eccles Stadium, but Hill said the Utes are taking a wait-and-see approach in regard to changing the 45,000-capacity stadium. "I just told everybody, `Take a breath,' " Hill said. "Our stadium is beautiful. There are several stadiums in the country, especially in the West, that are maybe too big for the populations. We have plans we've looked at, and I think in two or three years, we'll get a real good feel." An often overlooked benefit of moving to the Pac-12 is the increase in national exposure the Utes will receive as part of a power conference. "The difference is just incredible in the national exposure," Hill said. "I tell everybody it's the Grand Canyon that we're jumping over, and the exposure is great for all of us. It puts us aligned with institutions that are like ours, from athletics to academics." But it's not just the national media that's taken an interest in Utah since the announcement of the conference switch. The fans have come out in droves to support the Utes. "It's been hard to have business as usual with all the pomp and circumstance that's gone on with the change," Levrets said. "The fan base is really excited about it. Everywhere I go, people want to talk about it. Pac-12 day felt like a rock concert." b.brown@ chronicle.utah.edu The Las Vegas native said she is thrilled to join the Utes as they head into the Pac-12. "The foundation is already there, so I'm excited to get in and learn the program," Livreri said. "I can shine a different light on certain things and give another perspective." The Utes lost two notable seniors this past season in Brittany Parker and Brooke Olson. Parker, one of the top hitters in the Mountain West Conference, was a key player in the Utes' late-season charge, batting a team-high .56o in their final 20 games. Olson, the starting catcher for the past two seasons, was a productive hitter for the Utes as well and was named to the Mountain West All-Conference Softball Team for the first time in her career. Along with Olson, three other Utes were selected to the all-conference team, the most since 2006. Senior third baseman Whitney Holm, junior shortstop Kelsi Hoopiiaina, and sophomore outfielder Chalese Fankhauser made the team for the first time in their careers. Holm ended the season on a 10-game hitting streak and said the team is anxious to get back on the diamond. "We lost some good seniors, but we also have a lot of players returning as well. All the girls are pumped and can't wait to beat up on some of the teams. Everyone is excited to be in the Pac-12 and start where we left off," Holm said. Utah will begin its season in February. No schedule has been set at the time of print. j.carroll@ chronicle.utah.edu is a ristian ministry at t e We welcome both convinced and skeptical students to join us as we: pursue truth build community serve the U Tuesdays @ 2:15pm Library 1715 www.utahruf.com 801.560.5335 info@utahruf.com reformed universit fellowshi • |