Cowboy wrestler Tanner Harms works a takedown of a Boise State opponent last season. This week Harms was named Big 12 wrestler of the week. (Photo via UW Photo Service)
A few news and notes items from the past week about Cowboy and Cowgirl sports..
Let’s start with a quick update on Cowboy football player Brian Hill. This week Brian Hill was named to the Touchdown Club of Columbus’s players to watch in 2016. Hill was one of seven running backs to the list. The only other Mountain West players to be named to the list was Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols and Boise State wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck.
Hill finished the season with 1631 yards rushing, good enough for eighth in the nation. He was a Doak Walker Award semifinalist, the only player from the Group of Five named to the semifinalist list.
Former Wyoming receiver Marcus Harris was a recipient of a TCC award, the Warfield Award in 1996.
Onto wrestling news, Wyoming wrestling had a very up and down weekend. On the down side the Pokes faced off against the #2 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in Laramie and suffered a 34-7 loss. They then traveled to Reno for the Reno Tournament of Champions. The Cowboys finished with three individual champions, Tanner Harms, Bryce Meredith, and Drew Templeman.
For his effort in the Reno Tournament of Champions, Harms was named as the Big 12 wrestler of the week this week. Harms finished the tournament with a 5-0 record. Harms is the second Cowboy to be honored with Big 12 wrestler of the week. Harms has a 10-2 mark on the season.
In Cowgirl soccer news two Cowgirls were named to the All-Pacific Region team. Shaina Ashouri and Alisha Bass were named National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I All-Pacific Third Team. The two sophomores earned their first nominations to the team. Both of the players were named to the All-Mountain West teams. Ashouri was named to the All-Mountain West 1st team, Bass was an Honorable Mention nominee. The two Cowgirls helped the team achieve its first back-to-back ten win seasons in the program’s history.
In Cowgirl basketball news they will head into the Christmas break as winners. They defeated Colorado in Laramie on Monday 77-68. The Cowgirls had six players finish in double digits. The Cowgirls are 7-3 on the season and are on a four game winning streak. Sophomore Liv Roberts led Cowgirl scorers with 13 points. Marta Gomez and Jordyn Kelley both had 12. The Cowgirls will be back in action on December 30th as they’ll kick off Mountain West play against San Diego State in the AA.
In Cowboy basketball news the Mountain West and Missouri Valley announced their pairings for the 2016 MW/MVC challenge. The Cowboys will be hosting Northern Iowa next season in Laramie. The Cowboys and Panthers faced off in the 2015 NCAA tournament. The Panthers got the best of the Pokes in that one, but the Pokes still lead the overall series 2-1.
The Pokes competed in the Global Sports Classic in Las Vegas this past week. The four team tournament featured Wyoming, Houston, Marshall and Grand Canyon. The Cowboys played their first game against Marshall and for the first time in the Larry Shyatt era gave up 90 points. The Herd won a 90-82 contest against the Pokes. Josh Adams recorded his first double-double with 37 points and 10 rebounds.
In the second game of the Global Sports Classic the Cowboys played in the third place game against the Houston Cougars. The Cougars started a little slow then got really hot and never looked back until late in the game. The Pokes would eventually lose a 94-89 contest to the Cougars in double overtime. For the second time in two nights the Pokes gave up 90 or more points. Josh Adams finished with 34 points, his third game in a row scoring more than 30 points. He was followed by Jason McManamen who scored 23 points, a career high for him. The Cowboys will be off until December 30th when they’ll hit the road to take on San Diego State.