Kyle Barone
Averaging nearly a double-double, Barone’s production was noteworthy in Idaho’s Thursday loss at La. Tech, and its third WAC victory Saturday at Texas-Arlington. Barone has double-doubles in six of his last eight games and he could’ve made that seven of eight, but was three rebounds shy Thursday in Ruston when he scored 19 points and seven rebounds. The Vandals cruised to a much-needed WAC victory Saturday at Texas-Arlington and a career night from the Idaho center was in effect, as Barone grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds, while adding 14 points for yet another double-double.
Alyssa Charlston
As was the case with the Vandal men, the Idaho women also had a monkey to get off their back and though that didn’t happen Thursday, Charlston had a double-double that would nearly help Idaho escape the Cowan Spectrum with its first victory over La. Tech in program history. Charlston shot just 4 of 11 on the evening, but the all-WAC junior went 3 of 4 from three-point range and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line, while posting a game-high 16 points. Her nine rebounds were also a team-high. Saturday, the Vandals did break through for their fourth conference victory and Charlston was good for a game-high 20 points. She was 10 of 15 from the floor against the one-win Mavericks.
Rachel Millet
Idaho honored two seniors in the last home meet of the season, a narrow victory against New Mexico State. It was sophomore Rachel Millet though, that looked to be the most experienced swimmer in the pool Friday evening. Millet tallied three individual wins and anchored a winning relay team, adding to her already successful sophomore season. Millet won her first event, the 200-yard freestyle race, in 1:52.37, three seconds better than the second-place finisher. She then went on to win the 50-yard freestyle, where she finished one second ahead of teammate Megan Venlos. Millet’s last individual victory came in the 200-yard backstroke race, where she crushed the field and took home a first-place finish by five seconds. Millet and her teammates cruised in the 400-yard freestyle relay, beating Idaho’s second relay team by seven seconds.
Abid Akbar
Coming off of a fall season that saw him rack up a number of wins in both singles and doubles, including two doubles wins in the National Indoor Tournament in New York, Akbar won both of his matches in a 7-0 Idaho sweep Sunday at Eastern Washington. The No. 1 Mountain Region doubles team of Akbar and Marius Cirstea defeated Joseph Cohen and Eduardo Martinez at the No. 1 doubles slot, before Akbar went on to beat Cohen, 6-1, 6-4 at No. 1 singles. Akbar was named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week.
Liga Velvere
After keeping many of its weapons hidden at the WSU Open, coach Wayne Phipps and the Idaho track and field team unveiled a few of them at this past weekend’s Idaho Collegiate I meet hosted in the Kibbie Dome. Velvere was undoubtedly one of those weapons and the junior finished the women’s 800-meter race with a WAC-leading time of 2:10.07. The time also ranks No. 10 in the nation. Last indoor season, Velvere opened with a school record in the same race.