SOCCER Washington State Ranked No. 21 to Start the Season
~Cougars are fourth highest ranked Pac-12 team in the
preseason poll~
From WSU Sports Info 8 7 2018
PULLMAN, Wash. – After ending the 2017 season ranked in the
top-25, the Washington State soccer team has picked up where it left off as the
Cougars enter the 2018 season ranked No. 21 in the country as announced by the
United Soccer Coaches (USC) poll.
The Cougars' top-25 ranking marks the first time since the
2010 season, when they were also ranked No. 21 in the preseason poll, WSU has
entered the season ranked. Prior to last season's final ranking, the Cougars
flirted with the top-25 throughout the year, receiving votes multiple times.
A total of four Pac-12 teams picked up preseason rankings in
the USC poll with Stanford coming in as the near unanimous No. 1 pick while
UCLA was No. 2 and USC was No. 12. Three other Pac-12 schools received votes in
the initial poll as well. In addition to the No. 1 ranking, Stanford was also
picked to win the Pac-12 as announced in the conference's preseason coaches'
poll that came out Tuesday. The Cougars were picked seventh.
Last season, the Cougars made program history with a run to
the NCAA Tournament Third Round. In addition, last season's squad came up with
11 shutouts, the second-most in program history, with five coming against
top-25 opponents. Overall, the Cougars return 18 letter winners including nine
starters and 93% of their scoring.
WSU kicks off the new year at home on Aug. 17 when the
Cougars host Seattle University at Lower Soccer Field. The game is scheduled
for 7 p.m. live on the Pac-12 Network.
…………
WSUSoccer Heads to San Diego for Exhibition Play
The Cougars take on the Toreros Friday.
From Sports Info WSU
PULLMAN, Wash. - With the official beginning of the 2018
soccer season just 10 days away, the Washington State soccer team will head
south to San Diego, Calif. to play in their lone preseason exhibition contest
of the year. The Cougars will spend the week training in California before
taking on the University of San Diego Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Torero
Stadium.
For the Cougars, this marks the second time in three years
WSU has left Pullman for its exhibition contest after traveling to Fort
Collins, Colo. to take on Colorado State two years ago. The last two years the
Cougars matched up with Colorado State in exhibition play, winning both
contests including last season's 2-0 victory at Lower Soccer Field.
Against the Toreros, the Cougars are 2-0 in regular season
meetings winning 2-1 at home in 1994 and again in Los Angeles in 2012.
The Cougars return 18 letter winners from a season ago and
bring back 93% of their scoring. In 2017, the Cougars advanced to the third
round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The regular
season kicks off Sept. 17 at home against Seattle University. The season opener
is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Lower Soccer Field and can be watched live on the
Pac-12 Network.
………..
Cougar Swimming Announces 2018-19 Schedule
From WSU Sports Info 8 8 2018
PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State swimming team is
scheduled to host six home meets during the 2018-19 season, head coach Matt
Leach announced Wednesday.
"The 2018-19 schedule will feature more dual meets this
season and will provide a number of good challenges, especially a couple meets
on back-to-back days," said head coach Matt Leach. "As we prepare our
young program to face the always competitive Pac-12 opponents, we will also be
tested against teams from throughout the western region. I am looking forward
to seeing how our team responds to a long dual meet season as we focus on the
process of building our culture and trying to get better every day. If we are
able to work together as a team, I know that we will be ready for the Pac-12
Conference Championships."
The Cougars open the season on the road, traveling to San
Diego, Calif. to take on San Diego State University and the University of
Nevada, Sept. 21 before facing the University of San Diego in a dual meet set
for Sept. 22. The Cougars hold a 14-2 overall record against San Diego State,
with the last meeting coming in the 2015-16 season, a 161.5-132.5 Cougar win in
San Diego. Washington State last met Nevada in the 2008-09 season. The Cougars
hold a 2-1 record against San Diego, with their last head-to-head competition
taking place in the 2001-02 season when WSU swam away with a 149-100 victory.
The Cougars will open their home schedule against defending
national champion Stanford University at Gibb Pool Oct. 12 before welcoming
Boise State University to Pullman Oct. 14.
WSU closes out the month of October traveling across the
border to Moscow, Idaho for a nonconference matchup against the University of
Idaho, Oct. 20. The Cougars currently hold a 19-7 record over Idaho, with their
last head-to-head competition taking place in the 2012-13 season, a 156-105
Cougars win at Gibb Pool.
The Cougars start out of the month of November with three
home meets, hosting Northern Arizona University Nov. 2, the University of
California Nov. 3, and the University of Wyoming Nov. 9. The team heads to
Houston, Texas to compete in the Phil Hansel Invitational Nov. 15-17.
In January, WSU resumes competition in the Pac-12
Conference, traveling to Arizona to face the University of Arizona and Arizona
State University, Jan. 11-12, respectively. The Cougars close out their road
slate with a trip to Corvallis, Ore. to face Oregon State University, Feb. 1.
The Cougars wrap up regular season competition Feb. 16 as
they host the University of Utah for senior day at Gibb Pool.
The Pac-12 Championships are set for Feb. 27 – March 2 in
Federal Way, Wash., the CSCAA National Invite is set for March 14-16 in
Cleveland, Ohio and the NCAA Championships will be hosted in Austin, Texas
March 20-
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Harrington's got a message for more than just the RB's
WSU senior advises his teammates to 'be a dog'
By Dale Grummert, Lewiston Trib
Aug 8, 2018
LEWISTON - If the last few days are any indication,
Washington State senior Keith Harrington may be ready to reprise the role he
played as a freshman three years ago, as part of the "Earth, Wind and
Fire" rotation of Cougar tailbacks.
In any case, he's the elder statesman of the running backs'
meeting room. And anybody on the Wazzu roster could probably learn a thing or
two from this guy.
Take the young inside receivers, for example. That's the
position Harrington played in high school in Florida, and he spent an awkward
redshirt season at WSU trying without success to re-embrace it in 2016.
Harrington tells the young receivers essentially the same
thing he tells the young running backs.
"I just tell them to be a dog," he said Tuesday at
Sacajawea Junior High in Lewiston after Day 5 of preseason camp.
"Especially inside, you're going against linebackers, people twice your
size. You've got that safety up there coming down hot. You've got the corners.
You've got to read a lot of stuff on the inside. I just tell them to be a dog -
grab it and tuck it in. Just take that hit and show no weakness."
No big surprise, but that's the mentality Harrington has
exuded recently while making repeated big plays in practice, especially
catching passes out of the backfield. He's competing with junior James Williams
and true freshman Max Borghi for the starting RB role, and all three are likely
to play this season.
"It's been a nice few days for him," running-backs
coach Eric Mele said. "He's been stacking practices, which is great to
see. ... He's an ultimate team guy. He knows it takes more than one guy at one
position to make this thing work. It's great to have a guy like that in our
meeting room too. We're lucky to have him."
To this point, Harrington has been a bit of a hard-luck
case. Although he rushed for 238 yards and made 43 catches as a freshman in
2015, he lost momentum with the experiment at receiver, then was overshadowed
at tailback last year while playing behind Jamal Morrow, Williams and Gerard
Wicks. He rushed the ball only six times and caught only one pass.
But there's something irrepressible about him. He dedicated
himself to special teams last season and wound up leading the Cougs in tackles
for those units.
As a senior now, he's trying to exert a greater influence on
teammates, starting with the Cougars' annual stay in Lewiston, where they bunk
in dormitories at Lewis-Clark State College, practice on a junior-high field
and try to strengthen team bonds.
"When you're a senior, it's the little things you focus
on more," Harrington said, "like making sure the team gets more close
at Lewiston. Pick up your trash. Be respectful to the people at Lewis-Clark
(State). Don't be cussing too much while people are trying to work. Stuff like
that."
QB race accelerates
The Cougars' three-way battle for the starting quarterback
job took on a different look Tuesday as coach Mike Leach decided to foreground
all three on the same day. In previous workouts, he had highlighted two per
day.
Trey Tinsley, Gardner Minshew and Anthony Gordon each took a
turn directing the show during the scrimmage-like team drill that concludes
every WSU practice, usually with just two QB's.
As usual, their performances were comparable. It was the
first day of full pads, and a fired-up defense posed new obstacles to all
three. On the other hand, emerging deep threat Tay Martin came to the
quarterbacks' aid on an equal-opportunity basis.
"I thought all three played pretty good today,"
Leach said of the QB's. "Trey probably scored out the best, but I thought
all three did some good things."
If you're tabulating at home, Tinsley has been foregrounded
four times in this camp, Minshew and Gordon three apiece and Camm Cooper once.
Leach said he'll probably focus on three of them again today.
Temperatures topped 100 degrees on Tuesday, though hazy
skies from area wildfires softened the sun's glare. It's supposed to be even
hotter for practices today and Thursday, after which the Cougars will return to
Pullman.
……………
Running out of rooms: Washington State University’s largest
freshman class leaves more than 200 students in need of housing
Wed., Aug. 8, 2018, 8:15 a.m.
By Katie Short
Moscow-Pullman Daily News
In this photo taken Aug. 17, 2011, freshmen climb down from the
sculpture of the Washington State
WSU Vice President of Marketing and Communications Phil
Weiler said the university is expecting its largest influx of freshman students
in its 128-year history, forcing the university to find extra bed space
anywhere possible.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Weiler said 237 students are still
on the university waitlist to find a space on campus.
“We’re literally counting beds,” he said.
To meet the need, the university has reopened Waller Hall –
a dormitory that was closed in 2015 – to accommodate incoming freshman men.
Weiler said for women, the university will be converting
single-student rooms in Orton Hall to house two students, noting rooms in Orton
Hall were originally designed to accommodate two students.
Weiler said other rooms in certain residence halls have been
upped from two students to three.
About 135 freshmen, primarily women, are expected to be
placed in three-student rooms.
Weiler said the students had to volunteer to be placed in a
three-student room and will receive a 25 percent discount on their housing
fees.
Other students will reside in the same room as residence
advisers, who in past years have had their own rooms.
Currently, 15 of the university’s 95 residence advisers have
been assigned a roommate, Weiler said, but that number is likely to increase.
Weiler said sophomore, junior and senior students hoping to
stay in on-campus housing were put on a waitlist at the beginning of the
summer, and it is unlikely the majority of the 237 students still on the
waitlist will find on-campus housing.
Weiler said sophomores, juniors and seniors who need to seek
alternative off-campus housing will receive an email early next week.
He said there is a chance some space will open up if
incoming freshman do not complete WSU’s Alive! orientation course, which is
required.
The deadline to complete Alive! is Saturday.
While still an older dormitory, Waller Hall will have all
new beds, carpeted floors and fresh paint, Weiler said.
……….
NCAA BASKETBALL
NCAA adopts college basketball reforms for draft, recruiting
UPDATED: Wed., Aug. 8, 2018, 4:16 p.m.
By Aaron Beard
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA is carving out a limited role for
agents to work with college basketball players and is changing key parts of its
rules-enforcement system as part of numerous reforms in the wake of a
corruption scandal.
The Indianapolis-based governing body for college sports
announced Wednesday that its Board of Governors and Division I Board of
Directors had adopted a “series of significant policy and legislative changes”
as part of an effort to “fundamentally” change the NCAA’s structure. Some are
immediate, while others first require action from other agencies – such as the
NBA changing the age limit for draft-eligible players that has fueled the wave
of “one and done” at the college level.
That follows late-April recommendations from the commission
headed by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice following a federal
investigation into alleged bribes and kickbacks designed to influence recruits
on choosing a school, agent or apparel company. Georgia Tech president and
Board of Directors chairman Bud Peterson said the NCAA had pushed through
changes in about 3 1/2 months that would “normally take us about two years
through the governance process.”
“Today was obviously a very important day for the NCAA and
especially for men’s basketball, and … Division I,” NCAA President Mark Emmert
said in a teleconference with reporters Wednesday afternoon.
The agent changes are about transparency and offering a
legitimate avenue for communication or advice that previously could’ve taken
place in the shadows – and raised the likelihood of attracting unscrupulous
actors.
Now college basketball players can work with an
NCAA-certified agent while testing the waters of declaring for the NBA draft.
College players first would have to request an evaluation from the NBA
Undergraduate Advisory Committee about their draft prospects after the season,
and that would clear the way to enter into a written agreement – disclosed to
the NCAA or school – with the agent.
That agreement must end if the player returns to school.
Agents would be allowed to cover minimal expenses such as
meals and transportation associated with meetings or workouts with pro teams,
though the NCAA said that might first require revisions to the Uniform Athlete
Agent Act – a version of which is in place in more than 40 states to regulate
unethical agent conduct. Previously pro teams could cover some of those
expenses.
The agents would have to be certified by the NCAA by no
later than August 2020, agents certified by the NBA players’ union would
qualify until a formal deadline is set.
The NCAA included a provision allowing agent access for high
school players identified as an elite prospect by USA Basketball beginning July
1 before their senior year. But that is dependent on the NBA and players’ union
lowering the age limit of draft-eligible players to 18, which would clear the
way for elite players to go from preps to pros. It’s unclear what impact that
would have on colleges recruiting NBA-ready prospects.
The changes also include allowing a player to return to
school if undrafted, but only if he sought the NBA advisory evaluation and
participated in the scouting combine – a number that NCAA senior vice president
of men’s basketball Dan Gavitt said would be “very limited in scope.” That, too,
would first require tweaks to NBA and players’ union rules.
There were also significant changes to the enforcement
process to handle cases of rules violations, including the appointment of
Rice-recommended independent groups to handle and resolve complex cases. Emmert
estimated that would apply to maybe five cases annually.
The changes also allow the NCAA to accept outside
information in investigations that has been “established by another
administrative body or a commission authorized by a school.” The NCAA says that
will save time since investigators would no longer have to independently
confirm those details, which could come apply to the current corruption case
with federal investigators having access to information through subpoenas and
wiretaps – tools the NCAA doesn’t possess.
The changes also include requiring school presidents and
athletics staff to commit “contractually” to cooperate fully with
investigations, stiffer penalties for violations and regulation of the summer
recruiting circuit.
Federal prosecutors announced last fall they had charged 10
men – including assistant coaches at Arizona, Auburn, USC and Oklahoma State
along with a top Adidas executive – in a fraud and bribery scandal. The case
has entangled schools such as Kansas, North Carolina State, Maryland and
Louisville, among others, though prosecutors withdrew a criminal complaint in
February against one of the defendants.
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