Stephen Madison — men’s basketball
The Vandal men’s basketball team opened up the season on Saturday with a non-conference win over Western Illinois, 67-63. Idaho was led by Stephen Madison, who started his senior season with a double-double. Madison, a senior from Portland, Ore., was 7-of-11 from the field for 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. His efforts helped keep the Vandals in a game that featured 10 lead changes. Idaho goes on the road on Wednesday to play the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Okla. The game will be part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
Rachel Millet and Megan Venlos — swimming and diving
The Idaho swimming and diving team competed over the weekend in Seattle. The Vandals battled hard against a much-improved Redhawks team and came out with a victory by a score of 177-85. Rachel Millet, a junior from Spokane, continues to be undefeated this season with wins in the 200-yard freestyle (1:56.67), the 100-yard backstroke (57.33) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:04.28).
Millet wasn’t the only Vandal to help secure the win for the team. Megan Venlos, a senior from Elgin, Ill., also had a great day in the water. Venlos won the two events she participated in — the 50-yard freestyle (24.29) and the 100-yard freestyle (53.01). The swim and dive team takes a break this week before heading down to Houston, for the Houston Invitational that runs from Nov. 22-24.
Dezmon Epps — football
The Vandal football team played their final home game of the season on Saturday against the Old Dominion Monarchs. The team fought hard trying to help the seniors win the final home game of their career but ended up losing 59-38. A bright spot for the Vandals was wide receiver Dezmon Epps.
Epps, a junior from Sacramento, Calif., had a career day. He racked up nine catches for 175 yards and one touchdown. The total receiving yards are the most yards by a Vandal receiver since Maurice Shaw had 183 in 2009. Idaho has a bye week this week followed by a match-up against the No. 2 team in the nation, Florida State.
Ashley Christman — volleyball
Saturday was Senior Day for the Vandal volleyball team. One senior made it a night to remember as she helped lead the Vandals to a 3-1 victory over visiting Seattle U. Ashley Christman, a senior from Christina Lake, B.C., had one of her best games as a Vandal. She ended the night with career-highs in kills (18) and digs (13), which coincidently was also her first double-double in a Idaho uniform.
“She was determined before the match,” Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan said of Christman, who hit a team-high .353 in the match. “You could tell she was definitely motivated and it does mean something when it’s your last game — so for her it was a special night.”
Idaho wraps up the regular season with matches at Chicago State, Kansas City and Grand Canyon the next two weeks before the WAC Tournament begins. Idaho has already clinched a berth in the six-team field, but could still end up seeded anywhere from third to sixth.
Christina Salvatore — women’s basketball
The Vandal women’s basketball team opened the season with a tough test on the road in a big tournament. Idaho faced the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the opener of the Preseason WNIT.
While they were able to keep pace with the Bulldogs through most of the game, they fell behind late and ended up losing 64-56 in Spokane. While the Vandals were unable to win, they had many bright spots during the game. One of them was guard Christina Salvatore.
Salvatore, a sophomore from Anaheim, Calif., had 14 points, 12 of which came behind the three-point arc. Most of those came at crucial moments of the game, including one heading into halftime and one at the start of the second half. The Vandals’ next game in the Preseason WNIT is Friday against Mount St. Mary’s in Chicago, Ill.