Oct. 26, 2008
LOGAN, Utah -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
WEEKLY AGGIE UPDATE - OCTOBER 26, 2008
CROSS COUNTRY
Contact: Jackie Banda - (435) 797-8584
This Week
Sat., Nov. 1--- at WAC Championships, Las Cruces, N.M., 10 a.m.
• Utah State's men's and women's cross country teams return to action this week as they compete in the 2008 Western Athletic Conference Championships held in Las Cruces, N.M., on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. USU's men's team has won three straight WAC Championships (2005, 2006, 2007), while the women won the 2006 title.
Last Competition
Women, 31st/41 --- at Pre-Nationals Men, 36th/41 --- at Pre-Nationals
• Utah State's men's and women's cross country teams performed well at a pre-national meet in Terre Haute, Ind., two weekends ago as the women placed 31st and the men placed 36th. Senior Caroline Berry led the Aggie women as she finished 149th in the 6,000 meter race with a time of 22:21.2, while sophomore Kim Quinn finished 152nd in 22:21.5. Other Aggie women to compete were freshman Jessie Chugg who finished 163rd (22:25.7), freshman Ruth Hilton who was 173rd (22:32.9), junior Erin Stratton who finished 207th (22:52.9), sophomore Alicia Holt who placed 215th (22:58.7), and senior Vanessa Gledhill who finished 219th (23:04.7). Junior Jason Holt was the top finisher on the men's side as he ran the 8,000 meter race in 24:50.7 to place 90th overall. Freshman Brian McKenna was the next USU finisher as he placed 169th (25:27.8), followed by freshman Daniel Howell who finished 175th (25:30.0), and junior Steve Strickland who placed 221st (25:58.8). Other Aggie men who competed were sophomore Chio Lopez who placed 237th (26:07.5), and sophomore Nick Bolinder who finished 262nd (26:48.4).
VOLLEYBALL
Contact: Doug Hoffman - (435) 797-3714
This Week
Thur., Oct. 30 --- IDAHO, 7 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 1 --- at #9 Hawai'i, 9 p.m.
• Utah State (8-14, 6-5) will continue Western Athletic Conference play this week as it hosts Idaho (14-7, 7-3) on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m., and plays at No. 9 Hawai'i (17-3, 10-1) on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 9 p.m (MT). USU is 15-15 all-time against the Vandals and 8-35 all-time against the Rainbow Wahine.
Last Week
W, 3-2 --- BOISE STATE
L, 1-3 --- at Nevada
• Utah State posted a 1-1 WAC record last week with a five-set win at home against Boise State (23-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-18, 15-13) and a four-set loss at Nevada (19-25, 25-19, 23-25, 23-25). Against the Broncos, senior middle blocker Rebecca Anderson hit .500 (15-2-26) in the match and posted a career-high 15 kills, while senior outside hitter Melissa Osterloh had her fourth double-double of the season with 19 kills and 12 digs. Freshman outside hitter Emily Kortsen added a season-high 12 kills, and sophomore libero Christine Morrill posted a career-high 29 digs. USU out-hit BSU, .186 to .168 in the match. Against the Wolf Pack, Osterloh led the Aggies with 15 kills and nine digs, while Kortsen had 10 kills. Morrill added her 17th double-figure dig match of the season with 10 to go along with a career-high four service aces. UNR out-hit USU .288 to .244.
FOOTBALL
Contact: Zach Fisher - (435) 797-2066
This Week
Sat., Nov. 1 --- HAWAI'I, 1 p.m.
• Utah State (1-7, 1-3) continues Western Athletic Conference action this weekend as it hosts Hawai'i (4-4, 3-2) on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. (MT). The game will be televised live on Altitude (Comcast Ch. 61). USU is 4-4 all-time against the Warriors, which includes a 2-1 home record.
Last Week
L, 28-30 --- FRESNO STATE
• Fresno State's Kevin Goessling booted a 58-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bulldogs a 30-28 victory over Utah State on Saturday, spoiling USU's Homecoming. The Aggies rallied from a 24-13 early fourth-quarter deficit with 15 points, taking a 28-27 lead with 38 seconds left after freshman RB Marquis Butler's one-yard plunge. Sophomore PK/P Peter Caldwell split the uprights with the go ahead PAT. Fresno State's Rashad Evans returned the ensuing kickoff 27 yards and three pass completions by Tom Brandstater put the Bulldogs into Goessling's range, and he drilled the kick to stun the spirted Aggie Homecoming crowd. Utah State amassed 399 yards of total offense on the day, with 206 on the ground and 193 through the air. Fresno State had 411 total offense yards with 257 passing and 154 rushing, the Bulldogs second-lowest rushing output of the season. Borel led USU with 15-of-24 passing for 193 yards and one TD, while adding 74 rushing yards and a TD, as well as a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter after tossing a 20-yard scoring pass to junior WR Xavier Bowman to pull the Aggies to 24-21. Butler had a season-high 55 rushing yards, while junior WR Nnamdi Gwacham had 72 yards on two catches, including a career-long 52-yard reception to set up Bowman's TD catch. Defensively, senior LB Jake Hutton had a game-high 13 tackles, while junior S James Brindley added 10 stops.
SOCCER
Contact: Kara Irving - (435) 797-1361
This Week
Fri., Oct. 31 --- at Louisiana Tech, 6 p.m.
• Utah State's women's soccer team (11-7-1, 6-0-0) will conclude its regular season on Friday Oct. 31 at Louisiana Tech (10-3-5, 0-1-4) at 6 p.m. (MT). USU is 3-0 all-time against the Lady Techsters. USU will then be the top seed at the 2008 WAC Tournament, held in Reno, Nev., on Nov. 6-7, 9.
Last Week
W, 2-1--- at Hawai'i
W, 3-2--- at San Jose State
• Utah State claimed its first-ever WAC Championship this weekend with a pair of wins at Hawai'i (2-1) and San Jose State (3-2). Against the Rainbow Wahine, senior forward Candice Clark scored both of USU's goals. Her first goal of the game was in the fifth minute, and her second was in the 84th minute to secure the win. Hawai'i tied the game at 1-1 with a goal in the 55th minute. Against the Spartans, USU received goals from midfielder Shandra Salmon in the 40th minute to tie the score at one. USU then took a 2-1 lead in the 44th minute on a goal by sophomore midfielder Heather Pond. After SJSU tied it at two-all, Clark once again provided the winning goal for the Aggies as she scored in the 57th minute to give USU a 3-2 lead.
MEN'S GOLF
Contact: Doug Hoffman - (435) 797-3714
This Week
Mon.-Tues., Oct. 27-28 --- at Bill Cullum Invit., Simi Valley, Calif., All Day
• Utah State's men's golf team will conclude the fall portion of its schedule on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 27-28 when it travels to Simi Valley, Calif., to participate in the Bill Cullum Invitational hosted by Cal State Northridge.
Last Week
W 9-7 --- at Southern Utah
• Utah State's men's golf team won five of the eight matches played against Southern Utah during the final day of its annual Ryder Cup-style competition to record a 9-7 win against the Thunderbirds at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course two weekends ago. SUU leads the overall series, 3-2. Utah State began the two-day match by dominating Southern Utah in four-man best ball, 3.5 to 0.5. USU's Toph Peterson and Tyler Labrum recorded a 1-up win against Nate Page and Jeff Evans, while Brandon Broadhead and Benjamin Schilleman notched a 5&4 win against Matt McArthur and Denny Job, and Jeremy Pack teamed with Thad Truman to record a 3&2 win against Kyle Hill and Chas Boorman. The fourth match finished all-square between USU's Devin Daniels and Tyson McFarland, and SUU's Tai Reynolds and Jared Brader. Southern Utah turned the tables on Utah State Saturday afternoon in the alternate shot format, out-scoring the Aggies 3.5 to 0.5 to tie the match at 4-all. USU received its half-point from the tandem of Daniels & McFarland who played Reynolds and Brader. SUU then won the other three matches as the team of Job & Evans defeated Pack/McFarland, 4&3, while Page & McArthur defeated Peterson & Schilleman, 2&1, and Boorman & Hill defeated Broadhead & Truman, 1-up. In match play, USU won five matches as McFarland beat Job, 4&3, Pack beat Boorman, 5&4, Schilleman beat McArthur, 1-up, Broadbent defeated Hill, 4&3, and Labrum defeated Reynolds, 3&1. SUU won the other three matches as Evans beat Truman, 4&3, Page beat Peterson, 2&1, and Brader defeated Daniels, 1-up.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Contact: Doug Hoffman - (435) 797-3714
This Week
Wed., Oct. 29 --- BLUE-WHITE SCRIMMAGE, 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 31 --- NORTHWEST NAZARENE (Ex.), 7 p.m.
• Following its annual Blue-White Scrimmage on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m., Utah State's men's basketball team will begin the 2008-09 season with an exhibition game against Northwest Nazarene on Friday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Utah State is picked to finish second in the Western Athletic Conference this year as it returns three starters and six letterwinners from last year's team that went 23-11 on the year, won a share of its first-ever WAC championship with a 12-4 league record, and advanced to its ninth straight postseason as it played at Illinois State in the first round of the MasterCard NIT. Despite the loss of senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll, who was the Player of the Year in the WAC in 2008, Utah State does return two of its top three scorers from last season in senior forward Gary Wilkinson and sophomore forward Tai Wesley. Wilkinson, who was named the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year by the media this year, averaged 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a junior, while shooting 58.4 percent from the field and 81.5 percent from the free throw line. He finished the year ranking fourth in the WAC in field goal shooting, fifth in free throw shooting, eighth in rebounding and 13th in scoring. Wesley was named to the WAC's preseason second-team this fall after averaging 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first year at USU. He finished the year ranking third in the conference in field goal shooting (63.5) and eighth in blocked shots (0.94). Utah State also returns Tyler Newbold to the starting lineup as the sophomore guard averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game last year and shot 54.7 percent from the field, 51.5 percent from three-point range and 83.9 percent from the free throw line. USU also welcomes back three reserves in sophomore center Modou Niang, sophomore forward Matt Formisano, and sophomore guard Pooh Williams.
