Athletes recognized for academic achievements
The Western Athletic Conference named 22 Idaho athletes competing in fall sports to the conference all-academic teams. Nine cross country runners, six soccer players and seven volleyball players were honored. Eligible student-athletes completed at least one academic year, had a 3.2 cumulative grade point average and participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s contests.
Idaho tennis announces schedules
The Vandal men’s and women’s tennis teams announced their respective 22-match spring schedules Dec. 16. The Idaho women, who don’t leave the Palouse until Feb. 28, open the season at Washington State today and will follow up with a match against Montana State on Saturday — also to be played in Pullman. The team will host a pair of non-conference matches against Fresno State and Utah State Feb. 13-14 and will commence league play on Feb. 22 against Missouri-Kansas City in Lewiston. Idaho hosts another non-conference match on April 18 against Oregon. The Vandals will conclude with the WAC Tournament on April 25-27. The Vandal men open their slate Jan. 25 in Cheney, Wash., for a double-header against Seattle U and Eastern Washington. Idaho will meet the only Pac-12 schools on its schedule on Feb. 9 and 15 against Washington and Arizona, respectively. The team’s sole home match is the last of the Vandals’ season, an April 19 contest with Lewis-Clark State College.
Basketball players earn WAC honors
Three Idaho basketball players earned Western Athletic Conference honors during the months of December and January. Idaho guard Connor Hill was honored for his performances during the week of Dec. 9-15. The junior had consecutive 20-point games against Montana and Portland State, with 24 points against the Griz and 21 against the Vikings. Hill’s teammate, Stephen Madison, earned the same award just weeks later to add to his collection. The senior earned his third WAC Player of the Week award of the season after scoring a career-high 35 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a loss to Montana. It was the fourth time an Idaho player has won the award this season.
Idaho junior Stacey Barr is the most recent Vandal to earn the award, and was named player of the week for the week of Dec. 30 to Jan. 5. It’s the third time she’s won the award this season. The honor came after Barr scored 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and five assists in a win against Missouri-Kansas City, only to follow that up with her fifth double-double of the season, which came with 21 points and 12 rebounds in a win at Chicago State.
Football team rakes in awards
The Vandal football team collected a heap of postseason awards, led by Walter Camp All-American punter Austin Rehkow, who was named a first-team All-Independent choice of CollegeSportsMadness.com, second team All-American by SB Nation, a third-team All-American by the Associated Press and an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated. CollegeSportsMadness.com recognized nine other Vandals on its All-Independent Team. Defensive end Maxx Forde and Rehkow were Idaho’s only first-team honorees, while Dezmon Epps, Mike Marboe, Mike LaGrone, James Baker, QuayShawne Buckley, Marc Millan and Jayshawn Jordan were selected to the second team. Trey Williams made the third team. Rehkow was also named the FBS Independent Special Teams Player of the Year, an award given by a nationwide panel.
Vandal tennis players ranked in region
Five Idaho tennis players earned preseason regional rankings from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association ahead of the upcoming spring season. Men’s doubles players Jose Bendeck and Cristobal Ramos Salazar were ranked No. 1 in the region, Bendeck was ranked No. 11 in singles and Artemiy Nikitin followed behind at No. 12. Women’s doubles duo Vicky Lozano and Almudena Sanz were ranked No. 8 in the region and Lozano earned a No. 17 singles ranking.
Idaho swimming and diving ranked
The Vandal swimming and diving team was ranked No. 68 in the nation in the Endless Pool College Swimming power rankings and No. 22 among mid-majors. The Vandals are the highest WAC squad ranked.
“These rankings are nice because it gets our name mentioned among some really good schools and historically very successful programs, Idaho coach Mark Sowa said. “However, you still have to show up and swim that race and rip your dives.”
Britt earns spot on national team, Whyte ranked nationally
Ex-Idaho distance runner and current volunteer assistant Barry Britt has earned a spot on the Canadian National Cross Country team. He will have a chance to compete at the North American, Central American, Caribbean Cross Country Championships on Feb. 22 in Trinidad and Tobago. Vandal Athletics Hall of Famer and assistant track coach Angela Whyte ranked ninth in the world by Track and Field news for her 100-meter hurdles time.
Baker plays in Medal of Honor Bowl
Former Idaho running back James Baker carried the ball twice and had a reception for 12 yards in the inaugural Medal of Honor Bowl. Baker’s National Team fell to the American team, which was led by Florida wide receiver Solomon Patton, who accounted for 98 all-purpose yards, and Portland State’s D.J. Adams, who scored twice in the 20-3 victory. The game featured players primarily from FBS and FCS programs and ticket sales benefited the Wounded Warrior Project as well as the Medal of Honor Museum.