Thirty-one Pack scholar-athletes are honored

One of Cary Groth's goals is to get better student-athletes at the University of Nevada, so she must have been happy when the WAC released its all-academic squad for the spring semester.

A total of 31 Nevada athletes were honored for their classroom efforts this past spring, including 14 from the women's track and field program. An additional 19 Nevada freshmen and transfer students also were honored.

Junior reliever Wesley Dorsett (3.57) and sophomore reliever James McCarthy (3.55) represented baseball. Darren Fletcher (3.50), Kelly Burke (3.68) and Chandeni Gill (3.82) represented the men's and women's golf programs.

Juniors Ashley Ablahani (3.65), Cynthia Elkins (3.28) and Robyn Ford-Feitz (3.21) plus sophomores Tiffany Hoeft (3.29) and Amanda Wise (3.56) represented Michelle Gardner's up-and-coming softball program.

Eldar Dzhafarov (3.62), Adam Jooste (3.44), Milos Popovic (3.79), Myriam Bouchiaka (3.47), Kristen Davenport (3.36), Christine Tilley (3.40) and Sonia Velez (3.63) represent the men's and women's tennis programs.

Jennifer Abbott (3.51), Inger Appanaitis (3.60), Kali Baker (3.61), April Fitzgerald (3.73), Sara Frank (3.26), Christine Harms (4.0), Jenna Huber (3.36), Megan Lytle (3.47), Jamie Martino (3.37), Janna Moyer (3.80), Bree'ann Piva (3.82), Brittney Rohm (3.71), Heather Thomson (3.79) and Sarah Woydziak (3.20) represent the outdoor track and field squad.

MORE ON NEVADA

Nevada's top-notch rifle squad participated in the U.S. National Rifle Championships earlier this summer.

Ryan Tanoue, who just used up his eligibility, placed third in the 10-meter air rifle event as did Meghann Morrill. Michael Tanoue, who will be a junior, placed 10th in the men's junior division and didn't qualify for the finals.

Ryan Tanoue still has to qualify for the 2008 Olympics.

BATES AWARDEES

Hawai'i softball pitcher Tracie Uchima and Rice track star James Adam Davis have been named the 2004 Stan Bates Award winners.

The Bates award honors the top male and female scholar-athletes and celebrates their athletic and academic achievements.

Uchima hit .327, 10th in the WAC last year and had 16 multi-hit games. She has been on the dean's list eight straight semesters.

Nevada baseball player Taylor Pullins was an award winner back in 2003.

BSU COACHES TURN INTO WRITERS

Several Boise State assistant football coaches have had articles published in coaching journals recently, according to Max Corbet, the Broncos' media relations director.

Romeo Bandison, the Broncos' defensive line coach, had an article published in the June edition of American Football Monthly. Bandison talked about proper stance, hand placement, the first step and shedding blocks as it pertains to defensive line technique.

In the American Football Coaches Association publication, BSU assistants Kent Riddle, Bryan Harsin and Robert Tucker co-authored an article about BSU's special teams. Riddle is starting his fifth year as special teams coach.

WOLF PACK SCHEDULE IS TOUGH

Nevada's ability to land away games at Nebraska, Florida State and Notre Dame is an obvious coup in two ways.

The first is that it will help recruiting. What kid wouldn't want to play in Lincoln, South Bend or Tallahassee?

The second is that it will put some big chunks of money back into the football program. I would wager a guess that the Pack will get a minimum of $300,000 for each of those games.

Not bad to be somebody's sacrificial lamb.

The true test for Nevada will be if it can lure some big-name schools to Nevada sometime in the future. That's when you know the program has truly arrived.