From the one who sees all of Idaho athletics and athletic performances week in and week out, here are my picks for Vandal athlete of the Week.
No. 4 — Cameron Tyson, men’s basketball
The men’s basketball team is not having the year anyone was hoping it would — to say the least. As the team continues its desperate hunt for its second Big Sky win of the season, freshman guard Cameron Tyson is slowly making a name for himself. This program may not be clicking as a unit, but that shouldn’t take away from the individual talent and accomplishments of those on the team. Tyson is without a doubt one of those athletes.
Despite only winning four contests with the Vandals, Tyson has already earned himself an elite-level title — top-scoring freshman in men’s program history. Tyson moved himself into the top-spot in the team’s 75-47 loss to Northern Colorado Thursday with a five-point performance, good for 310 total career points. The record has been solid since Sekou Wiggs set it in the 2013-2014 season.
The team’s lackluster season makes it easy to overlook the talent on the roster — but Tyson is definitely worth noting.
No. 3 — Zach Short, track and field
I may go to my grave believing the work and accomplishments of those on the track and field team gets overlooked. Junior thrower Zachary Short has been nothing but successful throughout the 2019 indoor season. Short has set a Big Sky record in the shot put not once, but twice during the indoor season. Over the course of five weeks, he earned Big Sky Male Field Athlete of the Week three times. The number of victories he has brought the team in the single season is even more. Not one record, but two. Short has only improved throughout his career — if this season’s trajectory is any indication of his success to come as Big Sky Indoor Championships and outdoor approach, he is in for an incredible success.
No. 2 — Kelly Dopke, soccer
No, soccer is not in season and Dopke isn’t spending her time suited up and in action on the field. But these athletes are students too, something that can be easy to forget in the flurry of hype surrounding their athletic performances. Not only is Dopke a standout on the field, but this week her successes both on and off the field earned her major recognition. The NCAA awarded her the $10,000 for the NCAA Postgraduate scholarship, just one of 21 female athletes who participated in fall sports to win the award. The award is given for academic and athletic success.
On the field, Dopke started in 78 games in an Idaho jersey, missing just one with an injury. She was named an All-Big Sky First Team selection as well as the 2018 Big Sky Defensive MVP.
The award is not the first major award the standout has earned recently. Dopke earned the Google Cloud Academic All-America First Team honors, the first Vandal to do so.
While she may not be currently spending much time on the field, her accomplishments both on and off are more than worthy of recognition. Soccer may not be in season, but success always is.
No. 1 — The “Splash Sisters”, women’s basketball
Because choosing just one of the two powerhouses would be just wrong. Junior guards Mikayla Ferenz and Taylor Pierce have both had plenty of attention in the past week — and for good reason. Pierce joined the 400-club in Idaho’s win over Southern Utah Feb. 2, with 400-made 3-pointers. Ferenz followed up the following week by becoming Idaho’s all-time leading scorer with 2,180 points. Not only do the “Splash Sisters” look unstoppable this season, but the team as a whole is functioning at another level right now. With the firepower of both Ferenz and Pierce on deck, this team has only seen the start of its success.
Meredith Spelbring can be reached at [email protected]