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| (above) All times listed are Pacific Time Zone |
Showing posts with label WAC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WAC. Show all posts
Boone Heads To Sin City To Bring Home Hardware
After Final Exams Boone will be heading to Las Vegas with his support staff
to represent PioNation and cheer on the DU Women's and Men's Basketball
games later this week.
Check Boone's Facebook Page regularly to keep abreast of events and appearances in Las Vegas.
Check Boone's Facebook Page regularly to keep abreast of events and appearances in Las Vegas.
News & Notes From Around PioNation
Good luck to the DU Women's basketball team today. They open up against Texas State in the first round of the WAC Tournament at 1 PM MT in Las Vegas.
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University of Denver bluechip recruit Will Butcher tied a USHL record on Saturday night when he posted a +7 rating in his
team’s 8-5 victory over the Indiana Ice. Butcher was on the ice for all eight of Team USA’s goals while being on the
ice for just one of Indiana’s tallies.
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University of Denver recruit Nick Neville was named NAHL South Division Star of the Week after he
recorded five points (2 goals, 3 assists) and was a +2 in the two road
wins.
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Mike Chambers of the Denver Post penned an article yesterday stating that the WCHA playoffs are not very important for DU this season. He used 2004 as an example, when DU lost to Colorado College in the first round of the WCHA playoffs and then stormed home to win the National Championship in Boston.
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If you want to watch the DU women or men's basketball games in the WAC Tournament, the only way to do it is online [$7.95 per game]. WAC Website has details.Paparazzi Spot Boone Celebrating Around DU
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| (above) In the late hours of Saturday evening DU's Outlaw Mascot was spotted dancing in a local cheesesteak eatery |
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| (above) DU is "King Of The WAC" |
PioNation Heads To Vegas For WAC Tourney
The WAC Basketball Tournament will be held in Las Vegas March 12-16, 2013 and many DU fans are making plans to attend. Not only will the DU Men's & Women's basketball team be competing, but there will be many other basketball games going on in Las Vegas at the same time.
The WAC Tournament will take place at the 9,500 seat Orleans Arena. DU will play their first game on the second day of the Tournament, Thursday March 14th.
The Mountain West Tournament featuring Colorado State & Air Force will be playing over at UNLV, the West Coast Conference featuring Gonzaga & St. Marys will take place at the Orleans Arena just before the WAC Tourney and the PAC 12 Tourney will be at the MGM Grand.
Goodbye WAC: DU To Join Summit League
Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports just announced via Twitter that the University of Denver will be joining the Summit League.
For those of you keeping score at home, the Summit League consists of:
North Dakota State,
South Dakota State,
Fort Wayne,
South Dakota,
Western Illinois,
Kansas City,
IUPUI,
Oakland [Detroit] & Nebraska-Omaha.
DU will compete in the Summit League in Basketball [M&W], Golf [M&W], Soccer [M&W], Swimming/Diving [M&W], Tennis [M&W] & Volleyball [W].
DU's Skiing [M&W] team competes in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association, Ice Hockey [M] will compete in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference beginning next season, Lacrosse [M] competes in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, Gymnastics [W] is independent, while Lacrosse [W] competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
DU will compete in the Summit League in Basketball [M&W], Golf [M&W], Soccer [M&W], Swimming/Diving [M&W], Tennis [M&W] & Volleyball [W].
DU's Skiing [M&W] team competes in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association, Ice Hockey [M] will compete in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference beginning next season, Lacrosse [M] competes in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, Gymnastics [W] is independent, while Lacrosse [W] competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
Good News-Bad News Comes With WAC Additions
The Good News: The WAC looks like its going to survive thanks to the two new members that will bring the membership up to six members and keep the conference NCAA eligible.
The Bad News: Its California State University-Bakersfield and Utah Valley University.
The WAC is now officially the worst conference in America.
In case you are interested: The new teams are the Roadrunners & the Wolverines.
WAC Implosion Appears Imminent
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| (above) Goodbye WAC... |
As conference realignment has unfolded the University of Denver Athletic Department appears to be without a conference home and the prospects look bleak.
First several Western Athletic Conference brethren departed the league, and now conference disintegrating all together appears to be a near certainty.
The University of Idaho - a school that makes up one of just two football-playing programs in the WAC, and is part of the league's five-team Olympic-sports contingency - is expected to announce its independence in football for the 2013 season, while also seeking permission to approach the Big Sky Conference on possible membership, during a meeting with the Idaho State Board of Education Friday.
Boise State - also a current WAC non-football member - is expected to join the Big West Conference in the near future, which would leave the WAC with just three athletics programs - Denver, Seattle and NMSU - for the 2013 campaign.
In essence, the three remaining schools are left holding the bag, as the WAC's options as a non-football league would be on life support.
The WAC has not added schools to it's non-football model to this point - programs such as Cal-State Bakersfield, Utah Valley and Texas Pan-American all seemed like possible candidates, although nothing came to fruition.
Last month saw league commissioner Jeff Hurd all but confirm the conference would not sponsor football for the 2013 season, and now there are questions if the WAC can hold together if it fell to a three-team membership.
"It would leave the WAC in jeopardy," Hurd said. "I don't think there's any question."
There was conversation about the WAC and the Big Sky forming a partnership to combine some sports affiliates, although Hurd characterized those discussions as "up and down."
"They lost momentum, then gained some momentum. If I spoke on it today, it's lost some momentum again," Hurd said, adding that the Big Sky "held the cards" in such negotiations.
DU's options would continue to shrink - the school has already been shunned by the West Coast Conference, Mountain West, and could be out of luck with the Big Sky now as well.
Denver Post: WAC Set To Change Course
by Irv Moss
The WAC is
exploring an option that would take the league into a future without
football beginning in 2013.
Conference interim commissioner Jeff
Hurd stipulated this week the WAC must make a decision on a future
course in the next few weeks. Hurd noted that the conference's board of
directors has a number of options available for consideration, one of
which would be to proceed as a nonfootball league. The conference will
play the 2012 season as is, before being ripped apart with defections a
year from now.
"We definitely have to have our plan for the
2013-14 year in place by the end of the summer," Hurd said. "In our
case, sooner is better than later."
The University of Denver and
Seattle are joining the conference for the upcoming year as nonfootball
members. The WAC will have an 18-game conference basketball schedule.
DU's hockey program will remain in the Western Collegiate Hockey
Association.
Hurd said he couldn't offer an opinion about the
most likely direction the conference will take beyond the upcoming
school year.
"It's anyone's guess right now. We're actively and
aggressively trying to make that determination," Hurd said. "Conference
alignment is a fluid situation across the board. Change and change on
short notice seems like almost a daily occurrence. It's definitely our
intent for the conference to continue well after the upcoming season."
ESPN: Sources Reveal DU's WAC Plan
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| (above) DU is trying to save the WAC |
From: ESPN.com
by Andy Katz
The University of Denver’s plan, according to a source, is to try to convince the
remaining WAC members (Idaho, New Mexico State, Boise State and Seattle)
that they should stay together to keep the league’s automatic NCAA
tournament berth.
The WAC could then add available Utah Valley and Cal
State Bakersfield.
The problem is that NMSU and Idaho will need a home
for football and Boise State now would rather be in the Big West or, if
the Big East were to fail, head back to the Mountain West. And,
according to a source, if Denver had its choice, the Pioneers would go
to the stable and all-private WCC.
DU Gets WACked As League Implodes
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| (above) Three things you may never see together again; Boone, Ruckus and Denver playing in the Western Athletic Conference |
A tidal wave of defections from the Western Athletic Conference has left the University of Denver Athletic Department in a precarious position. Departures caused by football playing schools looking for new conference homes as the BCS shakeup continues to implode around college sports.
WAC and school officials are meeting this week in Scottsdale, Ariz.,
trying to focus on league business for the 2012-13 season, like the site
of the 2013 WAC basketball tournament and its gymnastics membership.
Boise State has asked to join the league a year early
The Salt Lake Tribune reported on Sunday that WAC members Utah State and San Jose State are expected to join the Mountain West in the next seven to ten days. The report also cited that longtime WAC team Louisiana Tech is headed for Conference USA and Texas-San Antonio is set to join Conference USA less than a month after joining the WAC.
Texas State's stay in the WAC will also be limited to one year, as the school appears headed to the Sun Belt along with Texas-Arlington.
New Mexico State University, a member of the WAC since 2006, appears to be running out of time and options for joining another league, mostly due to a perceived absence of an attractive television market to conferences with a greater level of stability.
New Mexico State University, a member of the WAC since 2006, appears to be running out of time and options for joining another league, mostly due to a perceived absence of an attractive television market to conferences with a greater level of stability.
This latest round of realignment has put the WAC's future as a football conference on life support.
If reports are proven correct in the next month, NMSU and Idaho would be the lone football schools in the WAC in 2013-14 and the league would feature just five schools — Seattle, Denver, Boise State — in other sports.
Idaho is mulling a move back to the Big Sky Conference.
Possible additions to the WAC could be adding non-football Utah Valley University and Cal State Bakersfield. Yikes.
Idaho is mulling a move back to the Big Sky Conference.
Possible additions to the WAC could be adding non-football Utah Valley University and Cal State Bakersfield. Yikes.
2012-13 Western Athletic Conference: New Mexico State
— Utah State
— San Jose State
— Idaho
— Louisiana Tech
— Texas-San Antonio
— Texas State
— Denver (Non-football)
— Seattle (Non-football)
— Texas-Arlington (Non-football)
Potential WAC in 2013-2014: New Mexico State
— Idaho
— Seattle (Non-football)
— Denver (Non-football)
— Boise State (Non-football)
DU Gymnastics Makes NCAA Regionals
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| (above) Amanda Johanson celebrates her 9.675 bars routine with Kristina Coccia earlier this season |
photo credit: Justin Edmonds
From: DenverPioneers.com
The #14 ranked University of Denver were selected to compete in the NCAA Regionals on the campus of the University of Illinois. Joining the Crimson and Gold in the six-team field will be #2 Oklahoma, #11 Stanford, #22 Illinois, #24 Kentucky and Illinois-Chicago. The meet will take place at Assembly Hall on April 7, at 3 PM MT.
"I'm really pleased with how the team performed to close out the regular season," head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. "We have room for improvement in training this week, but I'm pleased that this team is peaking at the right time of the season. We are looking forward to what should be a tremendous competition."
DU is coming off its first Western Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday, scoring a 196.350 on its way to victory. Denver finished the regular season with a Regional Qualifying Score of 196.090, the second-highest RQS in school-history.
The top-two teams from each six-team regional will advance to the NCAA Championships in Duluth, Ga., April 20-22. DU will attempt to make their fourth appearance in the NCAA Championships [read entire article].
WAC May Be Raided By Mega-Conference
The University of Denver will join the Western Athletic Conference next season in several sports, most notably, basketball. With Conference Comissioner Karl Benson jumping ship to head up DU's former conference, the Sunbelt, things are looking very unstable in the WAC.
Less than 24 hours have passed and rumors are swirling that the new "competitive agreement" formed by Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference could expand to include a total of 24 schools.
This agreement would require the addition of eight more schools, and probably means the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and Sun Belt Conferences are likely to be targeted (again) by this new mega-conference.
Perhaps, the time has come for the WAC to take a page from the "competitive agreement" playbook and make a preemptive strike to preserve their own conference and prevent further damage to their brand [read entire article].
Boise State To Join WAC In Most Sports
Boise State University will return to the Western Athletic Conference as a full member in all sports except football effective July 1, 2013.
The move became necessary when Boise State announced earlier today that it was withdrawing from the Mountain West Conference to join the Big East Conference in football-only for the 2013 season. Prior to joining the Mountain West five months ago, the Broncos had been a WAC member the previous 10 years.
With the addition, the WAC will consist of 11 members for the 2013-14 season; Boise State (non-football), Denver (non-football), Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Seattle (non-football), Texas State-San Marcos, UT Arlington (non-football), UT-San Antonio and Utah State.
"The addition of Boise State only strengthens an already strong WAC brand," University of Denver Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation Peg Bradley-Doppes said. "Boise State is certainly welcomed by DU and its sports programs."
Lax Magazine Features Full-Page Boone Photo
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| (above) Boone appears in a full-page photograph in the July issue of Lacrosse Magazine |
The July, 2011 issue of Lacrosse Magazine [Page 67] features a full-page photo of DU's unofficial mascot Boone and DU Sophomore Sam White. The photo was taken during DU's thrilling 13-10 victory over Villanova in the NCAA Tournament. Lacrosse Magazine is the official monthly publication of U.S. Lacrosse and has a circulation of over 300,000 players, coaches, parents and fans.
It was a pretty incredible year for DU's unofficial mascot Boone. He flew to Minnesota twice in hockey related activities. Boone met hundreds of alumni and their children at the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four in Baltimore. He followed the DU swimming and diving team to the Sunbelt Championships in Denton, Texas. He also appeared at DU's introduction to the WAC at Magness Arena. And performed a skit with the Pioneer Dance Team during halftime of a DU basketball game
Boone was featured on two ESPN telecasts of DU lacrosse playoff games as well as an ESPN lacrosse music video promo. DU's mascot was interviewed during a timeout on the Jumbotron of the Baltimore Ravens Stadium during the Lax Championships. He also appeared on Coors Field with other Colorado mascots before a Rockies baseball game.
Most important, the student who ran the Boone Program flew to Minneapolis to deliver a giant Get-Well Card to injured hockey player Jesse Martin, signed by thousands of DU hockey fans, students and players. Martin had suffered a catastrophic neck injury that required surgery. Miraculously Martin recovered from the injury.
New & Notes From Around PioNation
Mike Chambers Blog points out that the new NCHC format will allow DU and CC to play Air Force twice a year in a home and home series. Twice as many games against Air Force will be very popular with Front Range hockey fans. Air Force coach Frank Serratore had some interesting comments about the changing college hockey landscape.
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University of Denver Athletic Director Peg Bradley-Doppes wrote an open letter to fans, students and alumni thanking them for a fantastic year of DU Athletics. Besides pointing out all of DU's success on the field and DU's many great athletes and coaches, she noted that the administration was thrilled with the uptick in school spirit. We agree. Go DU.
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The University of Texas-Arlington is joining the WAC along with DU in 2012. The 2012 WAC will have 10 members: Denver (non-football), Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Seattle (non-football), Texas State, Texas-Arlington (non-football), Texas-San Antonio and Utah State.
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DU Alum Patrick McCrudden defied some atrocious weather conditions and the weight of history to win the North of Ireland Match Play Championship at Royal Portrush yesterday. The 25-year-old, who graduated from the University of Denver in 2009, became the first ‘home’ player since David Young in 1977 to win the title and he did it the hard way. He trailed by two holes at the 12th but ‘gained a second wind’ and showing great composure, clawing his way back into a marathon match which lasted five hours 10 minutes.
Denver Post Profiles DU AD Peg Bradley-Doppes
(above) DU has the most successful athletic department in the Front Range
From: Denver Post
by Natalie Meisler
The WAC ballcap atop a hockey stick is just one incongruity in the office of University of Denver athletic director Peg Bradley-Doppes. But it's not nearly as out of place as an NCAA Division I school in a major metropolitan area in the Rocky Mountain region competing in the mostly rural Sun Belt Conference.
And consider this paradox: A school that abandoned football half a century ago has the most successful Division I athletic department on the Front Range [read entire article].
Seattle University Invited To Join WAC
WAC
Louisiana Tech
Idaho
New Mexico State
Utah State
San Jose State
Texas-San Antonio
Texas State
Denver
Louisiana Tech
Idaho
New Mexico State
Utah State
San Jose State
Texas-San Antonio
Texas State
Denver
Seattle
From: Sam Marcos Record
by Tyler Mayforth
When the Western Athletic Conference last publicly discussed expansion in Nov. 2010, Seattle University was among four schools considered for inclusion. The Redhawks, however, were on the outside, looking in, when WAC commissioner Karl Benson extended invitations to only Texas State, Texas-San Antonio and the University of Denver.
Seven months later, Benson finally let SU join the party. Benson announced Wednesday that the Redhawks accepted an invitation to join the WAC as a non football-playing member beginning July 1, 2012.
“Timing is sometimes everything,” Benson said of SU’s invitation. “When those other schools made their presentations to us in Dallas back in November, it was a different WAC landscape.”
So what changed in seven months? For one, the WAC needed another member after losing the University of Hawaii in December.
When the Warriors announced they’d be leaving the WAC to join the Big West and Mountain West, Benson’s pride and joy was back in scramble mode. The WAC was left with only seven football-playing members beginning July 1, 2012.
Benson and the remaining athletic directors scrambled to find a football-playing member from January to April. Yet, they couldn’t find a suitable option.
“We have been in contact with at least 10 or 12 FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) and FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) football-playing schools, but the state of the economy hasn’t allowed some of those schools to move up,” Benson said. “We decided to shift our focus to finding a non football-playing member at that time.”
Once Benson narrowed those other choices, the WAC was left with three options — SU, Cal State Bakersfield and Utah Valley University. At the end, SU was the only school left standing.
“Those other schools made presentations as well and while we applaud and respect what they’ve done, at this time, the WAC board of directors believed Seattle University had the athletic and academic characteristics as well as media market the WAC needed at this time,” Benson said.
News & Notes From Around PioNation
2012 DU recruit Josah Didier (6'2 200 lbs) looks like he is going to be one heck of a find for the Pioneers. He is tied for third in the USHL for assists by a defenseman. Didier already won a National Championship with the AAA Colorado Thunderbirds as a 16 year-old.
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DU players Sam Brittain and David Makowski picked up some WCHA league honors yesterday. Brittain was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week and Makowski was named Rookie of the Week. For Brittain, its his third WCHA weekly award so far this season.----------
SB Nation writer Evan Pfaff thinks that the University of Denver should reconsider joining the WAC. He doesn't seem to think the conference will survive.----------
Speaking of the WAC, the Denver Post has an article about the latest rumors of schools thinking about or declining offers to join the conference. TCU, Seattle, Hawaii and North Texas are all mentioned.----------
The next shoe to fall could be Utah State. Supposedly they have already been invited to join the Mountain West but declined out of loyalty to the WAC. With Hawaii's impending departure all bets may be off.----------
Things are not off to a good start for the PioNation basketball program. An 0-4 start isn't the end of the world, but then the team's brand spanking new blog "The Pioneer Post" had to change their name to the "Pioneer Pulse."----------
Three younger brothers of DU hockey players won Gold Medals last week at the Four Nations Cup for Team USA Under-17s. Supposedly. Seth Jones, the younger brother of Justin Jones, was the best player on the ice all week. Seth Jones is considered to be a potential 2012 NHL first round draft selection. Quentin Shore, the third of four Shore brothers, is reportedly looking at the University of Wisconsin and other schools as well as DU. Dakota Mermis, brother of DU forward Jarrod Mermis, played on the blueline for Team USA and has already committed to DU on 2012.2011 Recruiting Class
D Scott Mayfield (Youngstown, USHL)
F Zac Larraza (U.S. Under-18)
F Garrett Allen (Fargo, USHL)
D Matt Van Voorhis (U.S. Under-18)
D Joey LaLeggia (Penticton Vees, BCHL)
F Larkin Jacobson (Janesville Jets, NAHL)
2012 Recruiting Class
F Tyler Pham (Colorado Thunderbirds-U18)
D Dakota Mermis (U.S. Under-17)
D Josiah Didier (Cedar Rapids, USHL)
F Daniel Doremus (Sioux Falls, USHL)
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