Track pair sweep WAC award
Idaho track and field claimed multiple Verizon WAC Men’s Track and Field Athlete of the week awards for the week of April 16-22. Senior Stephane Colle and sophomore Andrey Levkiv were the recipients of the track and field program’s 14th and 15th awards this year. Colle’s first career WAC Track Athlete of the week honor came after the Quebec native finished the 5,000-meter race at Friday’s Mt. SAC Relays in a WAC season-best 14:05.03. Colle’s time hasn’t been touched by a Vandal for 30 years or by anybody in the WAC since 2006, and it’s the third fastest time by a Canadian this year and ranks No. 33 in the NCAA West Region. The award is Levkiv’s second of the season who was well deserving of the honor after he notched a personal best in the shot put at the Beach Invitational hosted in Long Beach, Calif. The sophomore’s throw of 57-7.75 (17.57) is the ninth best in Idaho history and the best in the WAC by almost four feet. It ranks No. 26 in the West Region this year.
Bye earns men’s tennis berth to
semi-finals
Earning a first-round bye and the highest seed ever into the WAC Championship, the No. 2 seeded Idaho men’s tennis team will face the No. 3 Hawaii or No. 6 Utah State at noon Saturday, depending on weather.
Idaho beat both teams 4-3 to finish the regular season, which Idaho Director of Tennis Jeff Beaman said isn’t ideal.
“Both teams gave us tough matches and it’s tough to beat a team and then play them again so soon,” Beaman said. “… I’d rather play the one that lost, but it doesn’t work that way.”
He said Hawaii is the strong favorite, but seedings often don’t matter during the WAC Championship.
“… It’s just who’s nervous and who goes out and plays well,” he said. “A lot of the time the seeding can just go out of the window.”
Sanz picks up second individual, fourth team honor
While leading the Idaho women’s tennis team to a 2-1 mark in its final regular season stretch, sophomore Almudena Sanz went 6-0 to close out the season and was honored by the WAC for the second time this season, earning the Verizon WAC Player of the Week award. In the team’s 5-2 loss to San Francisco, Sanz still managed to go unscathed, picking up an 8-4 doubles win with partner Vicky Lozano before disposing of her No. 2 singles opponent 6-4, 6-1. Sanz and Lozano were victorious again at WAC opponent San Jose State, defeating the Spartans’ Sabastiani Leon Chao and Erica Medlin 8-5. Sanz went on to beat Chau Truong in 7-5, 6-0 at No. 2 singles. In the regular season finale, Sanz and Lozano brought their doubles dominance back home to Moscow, where they beat their No. 1 doubles opponents from La. Tech 8-4. Sanz closed out the regular season victoriously, beating the Bulldogs’ Vivian ten Dolle 6-3, 6-4.
Women’s golf trio earns end of the year WAC awards
Seniors Kayla Mortellaro and Teo Poplawaki, along with coach Lisa Johnson were all honored at the WAC Championships this week. Mortellaro, who clinched her second straight WAC individual title Wednesday, was nominated the WAC Player of the Year for the third consecutive year. Mortellaro also highlighted the all-WAC first team. Poplawski, who finished just eight strokes shy of Mortellaro at the WAC Championships, was named to the all-WAC first team. Johnson shared WAC Coach of the Year honors with San Jose State’s John Dormann. Dormann led the Spartans to the 2012 WAC team title.
O’Brien to appear at re-dedication
Former Olympic gold medalist and Idaho legend Dan O’Brien will return to Moscow for the re-dedication of the newly remodeled Dan O’Brien Track and Field Complex. The re-dedication will take place at 11 a.m. May 7 on the west side of the Kibbie Dome. The ceremony is open to the public. O’Brien was a world class decathlete in the 1990s and in addition to his gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, he earned a trifecta of gold medals at the ‘91, ‘93 and ‘95 World Championships.