Nov. 9, 2008
LOGAN, Utah -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
WEEKLY AGGIE UPDATE - NOVEMBER 9, 2008
CROSS COUNTRY
Contact: Jackie Banda - (435) 797-8584
This Week
Sat., Nov. 15--- at NCAA Mountain Regional, Fort Collins, Colo., 10 a.m.
• Utah State's cross country teams will return to action this weekend when it travels to Fort Collins, Colo., to compete in the 2008 NCAA Mountain Regional on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 10 a.m.
Last Competition
Women, 1st/9 --- at WAC Championships
Men, 1st/7 --- at WAC Championships
• Utah State made it a clean sweep at the 2008 WAC Cross Country Championships as both its men and women won team titles. Overall, it is the fourth-straight WAC Championship for the Aggie men and the eighth team title in the last 17 years, while the USU women won their second WAC Championship in the last three years and third-ever team title. Junior Jason Holt led the men as he finished first overall with a time of 25:34.80 to earn WAC Male Athlete of the Year honors, while senior Ashley Johnson finished third overall on the women's side with a time of 18:29.80. Head Coach Gregg Gensel was also honored by the WAC, as he was named the conference's coach of the year on both the men's and women's side. Along with Holt, USU had two other runners earn first-team all-conference honors as senior Ben Kessen finished third overall with a time of 25:44.80, and junior Steven Strickland placed seventh in 26:13.80. Other finishers on the men's side include freshmen Daniel Howell and Brian McKenna who placed 16th (26:53.80) and 20th (27:09.30), respectively, while sophomore Hunter Nelson was 23rd (27:13.90), senior Heath Wing was 26th (27:24.40), sophomore Chio Lopez was 33rd (27:53.50), and sophomore Nick Bolinder was 37th (27:58.50). On the women's side, USU had five of the top 15 finishers as Kim Quinn, Caroline Berry, Ruth Hilton and Alicia Holt all earned second-team all-WAC honors, joining Johnson who earned first-team all-conference accolades. Quinn finished ninth overall with a time of 18:55.30, while Berry placed 10th in 18:57.80. Hilton was 11th with a time of 18:58.30, and Holt placed 15th with a time of 19:04.80. Other Aggie women to compete included freshman Jessie Chugg who placed 22nd (19:18.00), senior Vanessa Gledhill who finished 27th (19:29.80), and junior Erin Stratton who placed 43rd (20:19.10).
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Contact: Kara Irving - (435) 797-1361
This Week
Fri., Nov. 14 --- PORTLAND, 5 p.m.
• Utah State's women's basketball team will officially begin its 2008-09 season on Friday, Nov. 14 when it hosts Portland at 5 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. USU is 1-1 all-time against the Pilots.
Last Week
W, 73-46 --- MONTANA TECH (Ex.)
W, 74-58 --- Dixie State (Ex.)
•Utah State went 2-0 during its preseason with a 73-46 win against Montana Tech and a 74-58 win against Dixie State College. Senior guard Danyelle Snelgro had 12 points against Montana Tech, while sophomore guard Alice Coddington had 10. USU shot 52.7 percent (29-55) in the game and held the Orediggers to 27.1 percent shooting (16-59). Against Dixie State, USU had four players score in double-figures led by junior center Lydia Whitehead who had 12 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Ana Pares and sophomore forward Amber White also scored 12 points, while Coddington had 11. USU shot 38.7 percent (24-62) overall, and held the Rebels to 30.2 percent shooting (16-53).
FOOTBALL
Contact: Zach Fisher - (435) 797-2066
This Week
Sat., Nov. 15 --- at Louisiana Tech, 12:30 p.m.
• Utah State (2-8, 2-4) continues Western Athletic Conference action this weekend at Louisiana Tech (5-4, 3-2) on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 12:30 p.m. (MT), in its final road game of the season. USU is 2-3 all-time against the Bulldogs, which includes a 1-1 record on the road.
Last Week
L, 14-49 --- at #9 Boise State
• Utah State lost at ninth-ranked Boise State, 49-14, last weekend after trailing just 28-14 midway through the third quarter. USU had 305 yards of total offense, but six turnovers and a season-high 13 penalties thwarted any chance the Aggies had of an upset. Boise State amassed 458 passing yards on the way to 563 yards of total offense. Senior QB Sean Setzer came off the bench to throw for a career-best 226 yards with two TD's on 19-of-33 passing, including a 51-yard scoring strike to sophomore TE Doug Barbour late in the second half. That pass sent USU into halftime trailing, 28-7. Barbour was one of a season-high 12 different receivers to catch a pass for a total of 261 yards. Junior WR Omar Sawyer had a team-high four catches for 37 yards, while redshirt freshman RB Robert Turbin added three receptions for 51 yards, including a career-long 29-yard TD catch from Setzer. Turbin's TD catch on the Aggies' opening drive of the second half pulled USU within 28-14 with 13:41 to go in the third quarter, but did not score again as BSU pulled away with 21 unanswered points. USU recovered a BSU fumble on the Broncos' next drive at the Aggies' 27. After driving out to midfield, a USU fumble gave the ball back to Boise State. The Broncos capitalized six plays later on a 17-yard end-around TD pass. Defensively, Utah State was led by senior LB Jake Hutton's season-high 14 tackles, two off his career-best. It was Hutton's fifth double-digit tackle outing this season and the seventh in the last 13 games, as well as the 12th of his career. Senior DT Ben Calderwood and senior LB Paul Igboeli added eight stops each, with Calderwood recording a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, while Igboeli notched a pass break-up. Junior S James Brindley tallied seven stops and had his second interception of the season.
SOCCER
Contact: Kara Irving - (435) 797-1361
This Week
TBA --- at NCAA Tournament, TBA
• Utah State's women's soccer team (13-8-1, 7-0-0) will wait and see if it receives an at-large berth to the 2008 NCAA Soccer Tournament. The field will be announced on Monday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. (MT).
Last Week
W, 1-0--- vs. Boise State, WAC Tournament, Reno, Nev.
L, 1-2--- vs. Fresno State, WAC Tournament, Reno, Nev.
• Utah State lost to Fresno State, 2-1, in double-overtime of the championship game of the 2008 WAC Tournament held in Reno, Nev., on Sunday. USU scored first on a goal by sophomore Lauren Hansen, before Fresno tied it just two minutes later and then won in double-overtime. Utah State began the tournament with a 1-0 win against Boise State in the semifinals as Hansen scored the game's only goal. The Aggies had three players named to the WAC All-Tournament team in Hansen, senior Jessie Malaska and junior Sydne Porter.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Contact: Doug Hoffman - (435) 797-3714
This Week
Fri., Nov. 14 --- MONTANA STATE-NORTHERN, 7 p.m.
• Utah State's men's basketball team will open the 2008-09 season at home as it hosts Montana State-Northern on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Last Week
W 74-60 --- CONCORDIA (Ex.)
• Returning starters Tyler Newbold, Tai Wesley and Gary Wilkinson combined for 41 points and 19 rebounds to lead Utah State to a hard-fought 74-60 exhibition win against Concordia (Quebec) University last weekend. Wesley, a sophomore forward from Provo, Utah and Wilkinson, a senior forward from South Jordan, Utah each scored 14 points for Utah State, while Newbold, a sophomore guard from Payson, Utah scored 13 points. Wesley added a game-high eight rebounds, while Wilkinson grabbed six boards and Newbold had five. Utah State finished the game by shooting 49.0 percent from the field (24-49), made 8-of-12 three-pointers (.667), and hit 72.0 percent of its free throws (18-25). Concordia shot 38.2 percent overall (21-55), including just 25.0 percent from behind the arc (4-16). The Stingers finished 14-of-18 (.778) from the charity stripe. Utah State dominated the glass, out-rebounding the smaller Canadian team, 40-23. USU also had 12 more assists (18-6), but also committed seven more turnovers (19-12).
VOLLEYBALL
Contact: Doug Hoffman - (435) 797-3714
This Week
Thur., Nov. 13 --- at New Mexico State, 7 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 15 --- at Louisiana Tech, 6 p.m.
• Utah State (10-15, 8-6) will conclude its regular season with a pair of Western Athletic Conference road matches. USU will begin its trip at New Mexico State (19-7, 13-1) on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m., and then play at Louisiana Tech (4-21, 0-14) on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. (MT). USU is 23-34 all-time against NMSU and 7-0 all-time against LTU. Utah State's match at New Mexico State will be televised live on Altitude (Comcast Ch. 61).
Last Week
W, 3-1 --- SAN JOSE STATE
• Utah State posted a 1-0 WAC record last week with a four-set win at home against San Jose State (25-15, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22). Against the Spartans, senior outside hitter Melissa Osterloh recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 13 kills and a season-high tying 13 digs. She also added four block assists and a career-high five assists in the match for Utah State, while freshman outside hitter Emily Kortsen had 12 kills and a career-high seven block assists. Senior outside hitter Kris Hymas added 12 kills, five digs and three block assists, to go along with a career-high three service aces. Utah State finished the match by hitting .280 (56-16-143) and San Jose State hit .090 (47-33-156). USU also had 10 more team blocks (14-4), while SJSU had four more digs, (58-54), one more service ace (4-3), and eight fewer service errors (11-3).
