Women’s tennis learns tournament seeding
The Idaho women’s tennis team will face Pepperdine in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament May 13 in Malibu, California.
The Vandals (19-8) enter the tournament for the third consecutive year, after claiming the Big Sky title with a 4-0 sweep of Northern Arizona.
Idaho will face No. 8 seed Pepperdine (21-2) after the Waves won a fourth consecutive West Coast Conference Tournament with a 4-0 victory over Saint Mary’s.
“Pepperdine is one of the best teams in the country,” Vandal head coach Mariana Cobra said. “I expect our team to go give it their best and leave everything on the court.”
The Waves possess two doubles pairings ranked in the top 25, while freshman Luisa Stefani is the No. 8 ranked singles player in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
The two teams will meet May 13, with the time to be determined at a later date.
Nuhn named Coach of the Year
Idaho men’s golf coach David Nuhn was voted the 2016 Big Sky Coach of the Year after leading the Vandals to the team’s second consecutive conference title with a seven-stroke victory over Sacramento State.
The former Vandal took over the program midseason after serving as a PGA apprentice with the university and a volunteer assistant coach at Washington State.
Under Nuhn’s guidance, members of the Idaho program set the conference record for the lowest round in tournament history with a 271. Junior Ryan Porch also shot the lowest round in the Big Sky tournament since 1997 with a seven-under-par 65.
The Vandals were just the fourth program in conference history repeat as Big Sky champions.
Track and field adds jumper
The Idaho track and field program announced the signing of jumper Karina Moreland of Tualatin High School Tuesday morning.
The Oregon recruit was named an all-state performer on several occasions, placing third in the triple jump during the Oregon State High School Championships last year. Moreland also finished in seventh during the long jump that same year
“Karina is going to be a great addition to the Vandal family, said Tim Cawley, Idaho director of track and field. “She is a solid jumper with good speed, she also does well in the classroom and is a great student.”
Moreland is currently ranked second in Oregon in the triple jump.
“I chose the University of Idaho because of the family environment,” she said. “The coaches and the team were very personable and great to be around, which is what I was seeking during my college search.”
Moreland said she considered attending Western Oregon and Seattle Pacific, but ultimately chose Idaho, thanks partially to that family environment, but also because the university offers a family and consumer sciences major.
Moreland said her goal at the University of Idaho is to become a better athlete and jumper.
“Outside of sports, I want to grow as a person and embrace the environment,” she said.
Floeck discusses Palmer’s injury progress
After spending the last season as a redshirt for the Idaho track program, junior Marquita Palmer has been working to rebuild her confidence following a knee surgery to repair loose cartilage.
“Since she’s returned this season, I’ve just seen a growth in her confidence,” Idaho assistant track and field coach Travis Floeck said. “Stepping on the line and knowing that she can put more out there and compete.”
Floeck said he challenged Palmer to bring a more positive energy to the team as she sat out with her injury.
“She’s approaching her days with a little more enthusiasm and positivity, and I think that’s helped her a ton,” Floeck said. “I think she’s in a really great spot because of that. There’s a lot there, it’s just been more about having that confidence that she can compete at a really high level and race at a high level.”
Flock said Palmer has rebounded from her surgery and progressed to the point where her knee rarely hinders her running.
“Anytime you have a surgery, it kind of takes a while to come back from it,” Floeck said. “It’s just been really cool to see her get stronger and back to full health.”