| ARCHIVE: AUGUST 2009 EDITION |
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| This Washington State University Sports Blog has been established to show game action and behind the scenes photos of Cougar athletes past and present in various Pac-10 conference sports, as well as current scores from all the action. |
| HOME BIO CONTACT IN THE BAG GALLERIES / STORE COUG BLOG LINKS SPORTS: THRILL & AGONY |
FIRST ISSUE ARCHIVES Current Issue July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009  |
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| Butch (Butch T. Cougar), the well-known Washington State mascot, was invited once again to compete in the Capital One Mascot Challenge, sponsored by Capital One. Butch hasn't been in the season long contest since winning it all in 2006. He was also in the contest in 2005. Show your Cougar spirit by going online every day to vote for Butch and help him win it all again! To find out more information on Butch and the Mascot Challenge, you'll find everything you need on the official WSU Athletics web site by clicking HERE. To go straight to the Capitial One site to bookmark it so you can vote daily, click HERE. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| After demolishing Syracuse 4-0 in the first game of the Colorado College/Fairfield Inn Invitational, Washington State suffered their first loss of the season earlier today in losing to the host team, Colorado College, 2-1. Senior Kiersten Dallstream scored twice, with Tiara Pittman and Emma Stoltz each tallying once, in the route of Syracuse. Carly Dobratz (pictured above) scored the only goal for the Cougs in the loss to Colorado College, despite outshooting them in the match, 15-7. Next up for the Cougar soccer team is Gonzaga, at Gonzaga, on Thursday, September 3. After making the short trip to Spokane, WSU hits the airways and goes across country for a tough match-up with 5th ranked Florida State in Tallahassee, Florida, on Sunday. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| Vince Grippi, Cougar beat writer, is reporting tonight in his Spokesman-Review Sportslink Blog that the news out of Pullman is that Kevin Lopina has been selected as the starting quarterback for the Cougars first game of the season on Saturday, September 5, 2009, against the Stanford Cardinal. Grippi said the announcement about the starting QB job came from head coach Paul Wulff at the end of tonight's practice. Wulff also said that sophomore Marshall Lobbestael would also get snaps early in the game unless Lopina has a hot hand going. The competition between Lopina and Lobbestael for the starting nod has been neck-and-neck throughout camp, with neither being able to put much distance between themselves and the other. Regardless of who lines up behind center this season, their job should be much easier than it was last year with the line play in fall camp being much improved over last season. It is going to be fun to watch both quarterbacks operate in the no huddle offense this season that WSU was going to run last year, until they lost Gary Rogers, Lopina and Lobbestael to injury (only Lopina was able to come back and play last year, and the Cougars had to burn the redshirt of JT Levenseller to be the back-up and also held an all-campus try-out for the scout team quarterback job.....here's to an injury free 2009 season!). GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| The Washington State volleyball team won the Nike Cougar Invitational on August 28-29, 2009, by defeating UC Davis 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18), Montana State 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 25-12) and Portland 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-17) to win the tournament championship and start the season 3-0. UC Davis finished second at 2-1, Portland finished third at 1-2 and Montana State finished fourth at 0-3. Senior Cassie Robbins was named the tournament MVP, while Brittany Tillman (#21 - pictured above), Jackie Albright and Renee Bordelon were the other Cougars named to the all-tournament team. The next action for the Cougar volleyball squad is on September 4-5, in the Utah Valley La Quinta Inn & Suites Invite in Orem, Utah. They have matches scheduled with Missouri, Utah and Utah Valley. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| Washington State defensive coordinator/assistant head coach/secondary coach (that's a lot of hats....for those of you keeping score at home), Chris Ball, has been tabbed by the Sporting News as the best position coach in the Pac-10 conference. To see all of the other coaches and players recognized by TSN prior to the start of the football season, click here to read the entire article. Coach Ball coached the Cougar secondary from 2000-02, back in the Lamont Thompson/Marcus Trufant/Jason David/Erik Coleman era, before going on to Alabama when then head coach Mike Price left to take the Crimson Tide job. He coached at 'Bama for four years and Pittsburgh for one year before heading back to the Palouse to join Paul Wulff's staff last season. Congratulations to Coach Ball on his selection and we wish him and the rest of the football coaching staff, and the players, all the best this upcoming season. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| With three goals in the first half, including one by Tiara Pitttman (#19 - pictured above), head coach Matt Potter and the Washington State soccer team got the season off on a winning note by shutting out the University of Idaho in their opener, 3-0. Freshman Brandi Vega got the Cougars on the board first by tallying her first collegiate goal, with an assist from Mallory Fox, at the 17:15 mark. Kiersten Dallstream put WSU up 2-0 with an unassisted goal from 8 yards out at the 30:00 mark, and Tiara Pittman finished the scoring at the 32:27 mark from 12 yards out, with an assist from Elysse Van Leer. WSU's next game is against Syracuse in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on August 28, 2009, in the 2009 Colorado College/Fairfield Inn Invitational. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| Former Washington State star wide receiver, Brandon Gibson, a sixth round pick in last springs NFL draft, is making a strong case for himself to make the Philadelphia Eagles squad. In tonights NFL exhibition game against the Indianapolis Colts, Gibson led the team with 4 catches for 49 yards, including one for a 21 yard touchdown! Unfortunately for the Eagles, his touchdown wasn't enough as Philly lost to Indianapolis, 23-15. For more information on how training camp is going for Brandon and the rest of the Eagles, check out Philadephia's official web site. Best of luck to Brandon for the rest of training camp in his quest to make the Eagles roster and get his NFL career started in the NFC East! Stay tuned to the WSU Sports Photo Blog for updates on his progress. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| Former Cougar pitcher, Matt Way, picked by Philadelphia in the fifth round in this year's Major League Baseball draft, is already moving his way up through their minor league system. On August 4th, Way was promoted from the the Phillies Williamsport club to their minor league team in New Jersey, the Lakewood BlueClaws (you've got to love the team nicknames in the minors!). Way was 2-2 with an impressive 1.71 ERA with Williamsport, and has continued to mow down batters in his first two starts in Lakewood, sporting a 1-1 record with an outstanding 0.64 ERA (14 innings pitched, 10 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 20 K's) Congratulations to Matt Way on an amazing start to his professional baseball career and we wish him the best of luck the rest of this season! GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| Washington State University has announced that seven new members are set to be inducted in to the Athletic Hall of Fame. The new members, including Duke Washington (pictured above), will be joining the current 113 members during campus ceremonies on September 18-19, 2009. The inductees are Richard Fry, Craig Ehlo, Keri Killebrew, Peter Koech, Bernard Lagat, Jim Walden and Duke Washington. Duke Washington, Cougar running back from 1952-54, is most widely known the All-American running back who broke the color barrier at the University of Texas' Memorial Stadium on October 2, 1954. He even scored on a 73 yard touchdown in the game! For more detailed information about each of the new members of the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame, go the official athletic site by clicking here. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| The Washington State men's basketball team, led by Klay Thompson (pictured above along with Mike Harthun) and new head coach, Ken Bone, has been announced as one of the six teams in the 2009 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout, November 25-28, 2009, in Anchorage, Alaska, at the University of Alaska Anchorage's Sullivan Arena. The other participants are the host, Alaska Anchorage, Oklahoma, San Diego, Nicholls State and Houston. The tournament has had a format change for this year, with Olympic-style pool play determining playing positions in the field. For more information on WSU's draw in the tournament, please check the information posted on the official WSU Athletics web site. For more information on the tournament itself, check out the tournament home page on the official University of Alaska-Anchorage Athletics site. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| COUGS RANKED: The National Soccer Coaches Association of America just came out with their preseason national poll and, on the heals of their appearance in the NCAA tournament last season, the Washington State women's soccer team has garnered a #21 pre-season ranking. According to the official WSU Athletics web site, this is the second time in history that WSU has been ranked prior to the start of a season. The Cougs are tabbed #22 in the preseason 2009 Soccer America poll. Head coach Matt Potter (shown with assistant coach Jason Goodson in the photo above) has everybody back from last season, including Kiersten Dallstream, who spent a good portion of last season practicing and playing with the United States U-20 National Team. The Cougars are definitely looking to build upon last years' NCAA tournament berth, a first round loss to the Texas Longhorns. WSU's first tilt this season is with the University of Idaho at Cougarland Field in Pullman, Washington, on Friday, August 21, 2009. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| The 2009 football season officially got under way on the Palouse this morning with the first practice of the fall schedule beginning at 9:00am at Rogers Field. Running back appears to be a real position of strength this season for Washington State, with the return of stallwarts such as Dwight Tardy, Logwone Mitz and Marcus Richmond. Add James Montgomery (pictured above), the former high school Parade magazine All-American who transferred to WSU from Cal, to the mix and you have a stable full of thoroughbreds to run the rock for the Cougs in 2009. With an improved offensive line leading the way, look for great things from this group this coming season! Stay tuned to the WSU SPORTS - PHOTO BLOG for updates as the home opener with Stanford approaches on September 5, 2009! GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| There was a great article penned by Bud Withers today in the Seattle Times regarding the progress Cory Mackay is making in his rehabilitation from the injuries he suffered in a car accident that happened after he fell asleep at the wheel returning home from Pullman following finals this past May (click here to link to and read the entire Seattle Times article). The accident occurred just outside Washtucna, and is a reminder to all about the potential dangers of driving back to the west side of the state on little or no sleep following finals week. This article is a great read and really shows the determination that Mackay has at being able to walk again. I think I speak for the entire Cougar family and everyone that knows him in wishing all the best to Cory and his family as he continues his rehabilitation. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| Although I was sad to see former WSU head coach, Tony Bennett, bolt for the University of Virginia, I am really excited to watch the Cougs play under the tutelage of new head man, Ken Bone. Coming to Washington State from Portland State, Bone's Viking teams made the NCAA tournament the last two years, and last season they beat Gonzaga at the Kennel (the McCarthey Athletic Center), which is not an easy geat to accomplish for any teams, let alone a team from the Big Sky conference. It appears Washington State will continue to play a similar version of their tough defense, but they will now play a more up-tempo style on the offensive side of the court. The Pac-10 conference is never easy, but with the players that are returning, and the new recruits that have already reported for duty,, I think this season will end up being a very memorable one for Cougar hoop fans! GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| Another highlight of the 2008-09 season was the selection of Cougar soccer star, Kiersten Dallstream, to teh 2008 United States U-20 National team that won the U-20 Women's World Cup in December by defeating the People's Republic of Korea 2-1 in the final in Santiago, Chile. Although the selection meant that Dallstream had to miss a good portion of the Cougars 2008 campaign, as the World Cup team practices and matches were going on at the same time as the Pac-10 conference soccer season, but it was still quite an honor and quite an experience for her. Hopefully the international experience will pay off for Kiersten and the Cougs during her senior season this fall! GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| More belated major props to Washington State athletes, this time to two freshman stars on the Cougar basketball team. Both Klay Thompson and DeAngelo Casto made the United States team that competed in and won the gold medal in the U-19 World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, this summer! Although DeAngelo was only able to compete during the early portions of the tournament due to a knee injury (don't worry Coug fans, Casto will be ready to go when practice starts this fall), both he and Klay played major roles with major minutes during games on the USA team that finished the tournament 9-0. Both gained valuable experience going up against the best the world had to offer at the U-19 World Championships...experience that should bode well during their upcoming sophomore seasons for new Cougar head coach, Ken Bone. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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| I wanted to give some major props, although a little bit belated, to Washington State sophomore, Jeshua Anderson, for winning the Pac-10 conference and NCAA championships in the 400 meter hurdles for the second consecutive year! The 400 meter hurdles is such a tough race, it is just unbelievable to think that he has been able to win both races in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. And, if that isn't enough, Anderson is also a starting wide receiver on the Cougar football team....what an incredible athlete! To be able to compete at such a high level in both sports is simply amazing! I can't wait to see him hurdle would-be tacklers this fall and then see him win conference and national championships in the hurdles again next spring. Congratulations again to Jeshua Anderson, from the entire Cougar Nation! GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog Staff |
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| Summer is a tough time for Cougar fans, no matter what sports you enjoy following, because nothing much is going on at the moment that is newsworthy. However, fear not Coug fans, football season is just around the corner. Fall camp starts in exactly two weeks, on Sunday, August 9th...and, with that, head coach Paul Wulff, shown in a recent spring practice photo, is the subject of the very first photo installment to the WSU SPORTS - PHOTO BLOG! I am far from a professional writer, but I do take a lot of Washington State University sports photos, so I am trying to put the two together in a blog-like format so everyone can see more of the photos that I am fortunate to have the access to take. Hopefully you like them! Since it is summertime, I will start out by rehashing some of the highlights of the recently completed 2008-09 seasons. I will be attempting to update this blog as often as possible (hmmmm....we'll see how long that lasts), and am always willing to get feedback. If you would like to comment, please email me at greg@gregdavissportsphotography.com. GO COUGS! - WSU Sports Photo Blog staff |
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ARCHIVES First Issue |
| HOME BIO CONTACT IN THE BAG GALLERIES / STORE COUG BLOG LINKS SPORTS: THRILL & AGONY |
| The "WSU Sports - Photo Blog" is a Washington State University fan web site (blog) and is not associated with or affiliated with Washington State University, the Pac-10 Conference (or any of its members), or the NCAA, or any of their properties or organizations. The views on this site are the views of the WSU Sports Photo Blog, not Washington State University, the Pac-10 Conference or the NCAA, and are for entertainment purposes only. Any trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners. |
