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Show B2 SPORTS FEBRUARY 04, 2013 UVU athletic director Mike Jacobsen retiring after 29 years CARLOS SANCHEZ/UVU REVIEW Jade Rauser (above) and his twin brother Val Rauser share a love for both wrestling and each other. Both Rausers have victories in the last two duals. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DAILY HERALD Mike Jacobson announcing the invitation to the WAC. Mike Jacobson has left a lasting impression on Utah Valley University but he won't be around to witness it first hand By Jonathan Boldt Former Editor-in-Chief Twitter @jboldt24 In Utah Valley University's bid to establish athletic legitimacy both locally and nationally, no one has been more instrumental in pushing Wolverine sports into prominence than athletic director Mike Jacobsen. But Jacobsen's 29 years of devoted service will come to an end this year; the university announced Monday that he will retire at the end of June. "Mike has nearly quite literally seen it all. It is becoming less and less common for someone to exhibit this kind of loyalty to one institution, particularly in the athletics profession, where things seem to change on almost a minute-by-minute basis," said President Matthew Holland. Jacobsen's loyalties don't appear to be fading anytime soon either. "When you spend so many years at one place and put so much effort into doing what you love, it's hard to say goodbye," Jacobsen said. "My wife and I love the university and will always be the biggest supporters of UVU." Those sentiments were echoed by Holland. "UVU is part of Mike's permanent makeup, and I don't see that ever changing as long as he lives," Holland said. "He's given his all to this program the past 29 years, and this institution will always be grateful to him for that. He built a program virtually from scratch in many regards and now leaves us with a quality Division I-level operation in a regionally competitive conference." Jacobsen has been at the helm through an ever-expanding school and athletic program, winning the NACDA Athletic Director of the Year award for the Junior/Community College West Region in 2000. He was also the recipient of the William L. Miller Award in 2001, which is given annually to the administrator of the year for the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA). Personal accolades aside, his career-long aspirations were realized in 2012 as UVU was accepted after multiple failed bids to enter the Western Athletic Conference. "I feel really good about the state of the program," Jacobsen said. "It's not a matter of moving on to something bigger and better; it's just time. Joining the WAC has been something we've been working on for a long time, so I'm happy to have that come together before stepping down." There is one thing above all that Jacobsen finds alluring: time — time for the unknown and time for family. "We have some retirement plans, but that will all come together once it happens. I do have three grandkids that are starters on their basketball teams, and it's been really tough to get to their games, so I'm looking forward to that," Jacobsen said. Twin brothers and wrestlers, Jade and Val Rauser bring more than just pure talent to the mat. They bring their love and support for each other By Rachel Anderson Assistant Sports Editor Randerson3x@gmail.com Utah Valley's wrestling team was hit with small-town talent and record-breaking brothers coming from Townsend, Montana. Not just your typical brothers but twin brothers. Not only do they share a special bond and love for the sport but they share that bond and love for each other too. Jade and Val Rauser both signed scholarships with the Wolverines after having an incredibly impressive high school wrestling career. Jade Rauser (125 lbs) was number-one throughout high school, literally. He went 175-0, never losing a match and was a four-time National Champion. Val Rauser, (133) wasn't too far behind his brother. He finished 66 155-0 and was a three-time State champion and runner-up. Bringing the Rauser brothers to Utah Valley was the best decision for the team as the wrestling program was starting to progress. "When we signed the Rausers, we were quite pleased because we knew they had a lot of potential," said Head Coach Greg Williams. "With our program progressing, those are the kind of signings we needed to have, and they haven't let us down." With an immense amount of respect for the Rauser brothers, Williams continues to have confidence in them as they keep training and working hard to do what they can for UVU. "They are hardworking young men and they've continued to progress," Williams said. "After their redshirt year, they've stepped on and are performing at the level we've expected they would. There's no let down; they work hard all the time, and there's still plenty of things to work on to get them where they want to go." Not only does their talent radiate from the mat to the stands, but their love and respect for each other radiates over any match won or lost. Sleeping in the same room their whole lives and never leaving each other's sides, the Rauser's have never been separated. "Me and Jade are pretty much best friends," V. Rauser said. "Whether we know it or not, there may be times Jade makes me mad or not like him very much, but I'll always be there for him and I'll always love him." With as much time as these twins spend together, the Rauser's never split apart. Rather than wrestling out their frustration, they use each other as support to wrestle out a win. "The only time we'll only wrestle against each other is in practice, which is a big motivator, brother against brother, so there's a lot of good competition," J. Rauser said. Jade was recently named the Co-Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week after an outstanding defeat against Arizona State. He leads UVU with an overall 17-5 record. Season continues to headway for the Rauser twins as they train harder, while staying healthy, to make it to their main goal, Nationals. With the love and support from their teammates, coaches and each other, they'll be heating up the mat with more jaw-dropping performances. "More importantly than what they're doing on the mat, they're just quality young men and just great character and respectful to everybody, very humble, very unassuming and yet they've had a lot of success which is very impressive," Williams said. meager 29.3 percent from the floor. "I like the way we played tonight," Hunsaker said. "I thought we came out with focus in a game that can sometimes be difficult. We got some very good energy and production from a lot of guys. I was pleased with our effort." Antoine Hosley was the key contributor offensively from the Wolverines bench, scoring 19 points in 22 minutes of playing time. Former forward reserve Zach Jones dominated the paint defensively, finishing with eight points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three assists to support Thompson down low. The star forward and leader in the paint was motivated by the effort of his teammates and the result. "It's something we can build on and take to the next step," Thompson said. "Hopefully we're progressing. I think we're moving in the right direction." Consistent offensive production from Thompson and Holton Hunsaker will be absolutely necessary for the Wolverines to keep pace in the Great West Conference race. Though they cannot do it alone, the play of Hosley and Jones against Peru State was an excellent example of how good this team can be if everyone does their part to fill the holes in production created by the injuries of Aird and Hubbard. INJURIES from 81 Thompson's double-double against NAIA opponent Peru State powered UVU to an 84-49 victory on Monday Jan. 28. Holton Hunsaker led the Wolverines in scoring with 21 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting, while also going 4-for-6 from behind the three-point line. The Wolverines finished with four players in double figures and held Peru State to a Me and Jade are pretty much best friends. Whether we know it or not, there may be times Jade makes me mad or not like him very much, but I'll always be there for him and I'll always love him. VAL RAUSER 133 pounder UU Presented by Michael Martin Murphey NOW OPEN! ‘.... NEXT TO HAMPTON INN AT 1-15 EXIT r IR{_kww laingh IlqGmk cafixfGEr= DINE IN or TAKE OUT InuiP Come on Down, Pardners! LUNG • SPECIALS Utah Valley's Finest Homemade Fare Served a. DINE IN 8. TAKE OUT de Saddle hem (sad endow Sandwich only Ind Join Our Birthday Bandit Club for a Free Slice of Pie on your Birthday! 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