Hannah Kiser — women’s cross country/indoor & outdoor track and field
It didn’t take Idaho’s distance specialist long to engrain her name into the school’s all-time books. Now after excelling on both the course and track for three consecutive years, Hannah Kiser leaves you thinking, “She’s still just a junior?” Yes, a junior who has already begun chipping away on her own school and conference records. But during the fall cross-country season, Kiser did come away with a career first. The junior won her first individual WAC Championship at the conference meet in Ruston, La., crossing the finish line in 17:05.03, 10 seconds better than the second-place finisher from New Mexico State. The team’s WAC title was Kiser’s third and the third for the Vandals’ core group of juniors who have had an immeasurable impact on the cross-country program. Kiser’s domination on the trails translated onto the track and during the indoor season she went on to set multiple WAC records. At the indoor WAC Championships, Kiser won both the 3,000 meter events, finishing in 9:40.35 while beating her previous conference record by five seconds. Though she didn’t compete in the mile at the conference meet, Kiser snapped the WAC record in the event at the UW Qualifier meet, finishing in 4:37.55. She qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted in Fayetteville, Ark., where she finished fifth in the 3,000. Kiser was later named a USTFCCA All-American. In the outdoor Mt. SAC relays, Kiser shattered the WAC and school record in the 5,000-meter race, finishing in 15:44.06. The time is 26 second better than the previous Idaho record and 17 seconds better than the previous WAC record.
Kyle Barone — men’s basketball
When Deremy Geiger, Landon Tatum and Djim Bandoumel graduated a year ago, there was a sense of urgency within the men’s basketball team — an urgency to sign any number of junior college transfers and an urgency to replace the trio that led Idaho to a third-place finish in the WAC regular season. Don Verlin wasn’t able to do exactly that, but it was Kyle Barone who would step up and fill the leadership void the others left. Not only did he do that, but he filled Geiger’s scoring void and Bandoumel’s rebounding/blocking void. Barone asserted himself as the team’s primary leader — as well as scorer and rebounder. He was named the conference’s player of the year and there surely wasn’t much of a debate surrounding that conversation. When Utah State’s Preston Medlin went down early in the season with an injury, the POY award was Barone’s to lose. He wouldn’t lose it. The best post player in program history capped off a remarkable career by being named an AP All-American honorable mention and was recognized as the nation’s 14th most efficient player. During his senior year, the Garden Grove, Calif., native averaged nearly double-double figures, posting 16.6 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. He was invited to play in the postseason Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which compiles the nation’s elite seniors for NBA and other professional scouts.
Bobby Cowan — football
It looks as though the Vandals have just replaced the lone punter on Idaho’s 2012-13 roster. They’ll have big shoes to fill as the program’s best punter has moved on to bigger and better things — the Oakland Raiders. Cowan came to Idaho as more of an athlete type having played quarterback, punter and a few other positions at Evergreen High School in Vancouver, Wash. He left Moscow as a two-time Ray Guy Award watch list nominee and one-time Ray Guy semi-finalist. Though Cowan may have
been on the field too much for Robb Akey’s liking, he seemed to drop jaws with his thundering Kibbie Dome bombs. Cowan left Idaho as the program’s all-time leading punter and holds the single season record for punting yards with 4,084. After being named a Football Writers Association of America All-American in 2011, Cowan came back with a vengeance and averaged 43.1 yards-per-punt during the 2012 season. He punted nine total times in games against Eastern Washington and San Jose State and had a season-long punt of 61 yards in Idaho’s season finale against Utah State. In six different games, Cowan averaged more then 45 yards-per-punt and the senior had just two of his 70 punt attempts blocked. His quarterback skillset came in handy during the Vandals’ Nov. 17 game against UTSA , when Cowan launched a 64-yard pass to Camryn Harris on a fake punt call. Cowan will compete for the Raiders’ starting position after longtime Oakland punter Shane Lechler departed for Houston.
Allison Baker — volleyball
Her Idaho career came to an early end after Baker opted to forgo her senior season, but the outside hitter from Othello, Wash., certainly left her mark on a thriving Vandal volleyball program. The senior-laden Vandals came up just short of a Western Athletic Conference title but may not have made it even that far if it wasn’t for Baker’s heroics. The three-time All-WAC First Team selection finished her final season in Moscow second in the conference in both kills and points, second only to conference player of the year Meredith Hays of New Mexico State. Idaho entered the WAC Tournament with momentum, having deafeated eventual tournament champion NMSU 3-0 in the last regular season game. With the absence of sophomore blocker Alyssa Schultz, Baker carried a hint of extra pressure. That pressure transformed into flawless execution on the conference’s biggest stage. Baker notched three double-doubles in three tournament matches beginning with a 3-1 victory against Texas State. Baker accumulated 13 kills and 11 digs in the quarterfinal match-up before matching her career high kill tally (29) in a tightly contested semifinal.
But her clutch actions would prove more valuable to the team in a 3-2 win over hosts Texas-San Antonio. Trailing 14-13 in the deciding fifth set, Baker pulled out a kill, a block, then another kill to help the Vandals escape with the 16-14 win. Despite Idaho’s championship game loss, Baker was able to tally 28 kills and another 12 digs in her final game wearing a Vandal uniform.
Paige Hunt — swimming and diving
Hunt, the WAC’s “platform perfectionist,” was named the conference diver of the year after excelling at the WAC Championship meet while also impressing on the national stage at the Zone Diving Championships. Just more than a year ago, Hunt had set brand new school marks in all three diving events. The Mesa Community College transfer improved upon those efforts this season, finishing first in the 3-meter event, second in the 1-meter event and third in the platform dive during the conference meet held in San Antonio. The WAC meet saw Idaho break 12 program records, one of those being Hunt’s platform record, which was set after the junior recorded 234.30 points. Hunt, not content with simply topping her previous school record, shattered it during the Zone Championships. At the Air Force Academy, Hunt reeled off a score of 397.45, more than 100 points better than her previous record. At this point of her career, Hunt is refreshing records she’s set during past seasons, having topped all three of her school records during her junior season. Regardless, it’s safe to say her name will grace the record boards in the university swimming and diving center for years to come.
Dmitry Perevoschikov — men’s tennis
Idaho’s sophomore transfer took an extended break from competitive tennis before arriving in Moscow two years ago. He returned to his home country of Russisa before trekking back to Idaho in the spring for his first year of eligibility. During that time, Perevoshchikov went from WAC newcomer to All-WAC First Team honoree. Easing his way into the team’s No. 2 singles position, Perevoshchikov won his first Division 1 match in three sets. Three matches into the season, he was No. 1 singles good. Perevoshchikov took a 15-match unbeaten streak into a March 22 match against Southern Mississippi before he was finally dethroned by the Golden Eagles’ Matt Frost. In his next match, Perevoshchikov continued to battle a season-long foot injury and lose to Andrew Bettles of Boise State, the nation’s 30th-ranked singles player at the time. It was a battle from there on out dealing with injury for Perevoshchikov. Still, the Izheusk, Russia, native put together a season that earned him a midseason appearance in the national singles rankings, as well as All-WAC and All-WAC Tournament honors. Partnering with three separate teammates, Perevoshchikov went on to win five of his last eight doubles matches, including two at the WAC Tournament when he played at the No. 3 slot with Cesar Torres. His efforts helped lead Idaho to its second straight WAC Tournament championship game appearance, though the Vandals lost to Denver 4-0.