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Archive for the ‘Wolves in college’ Category

Stone, Blues romp on opening night

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on November 15, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s Makana Stone, with mom Eileen, banked in 18 points Friday as Whitman basketball rolled to a big win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Get off to a fast start? Check.

Coupeville grad Makana Stone kicked off her final season of college basketball Friday by throwing down a game-high 18 points, as the Whitman women thrashed Concordia University 90-51.

The win came in Spokane, as the two squads helped launch the 2019 Whit Classic, hosted by Whitworth University.

After whippin’ up on their Texas counterparts, Whitman returns to the floor Saturday to play Carroll College out of Montana.

The Blues, who open the season ranked #23 in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, play their first seven games on the road, including a rematch Dec. 6 with Concordia in Austin, Texas.

After that, Whitman plays six straight at home in Walla Walla, beginning with two games at the Kim Evanger Raney Classic Dec. 13-14.

The Blues have a tough schedule, playing 15 of 25 regular season games on the road.

Starting off the season away from Walla Walla seemed to have no negative effects on Whitman, however, as it came out strong and put Concordia down hard.

A 21-12 run in the first quarter set the stage, while a 26-17 surge in the second turned the game into a potential blowout.

Not letting up, the Blues powered through a 24-11 third frame, then coasted home to a 19-11 tune in the fourth with the bench players carrying the load.

With Whitman romping, Stone and her fellow starters eased into the season, not having to play a tremendous amount of minutes.

The former Wolf star picked up her 18 points in just 19 minutes of floor time, draining nine of 15 shots from the floor.

Stone added three rebounds, three steals, and an assist, while Kaelan Shamseldin backed her up with 17 points, including five three-balls.

Mady Burdett popped for 10, giving Whitman three players in double-digit scoring, with 11 of the 14 Blues who hit the court landing in the scoring column.

With her 18-point performance, Stone has amassed 946 points across 84 college games.

She remains on target to become just the ninth female player in Whitman history to top 1,000 career points.

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Stone set for final college challenge

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on November 11, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grad Makana Stone, now a senior at Whitman College, opens her basketball season Friday in Spokane. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They’re on their final lap.

Two of the best athletes to come out of Coupeville High School, Nick Streubel and Makana Stone, are in the process of wrapping equally-stellar college athletic careers.

Streubel is in the final weeks of his time as an offensive lineman at Central Washington University, while Stone tips off her senior season Friday with the Whitman College women’s basketball team.

A two-time All-Conference pick while playing with the Blues, Stone is on target to become just the ninth Whitman woman in the modern era to top 1,000 career points.

The former Wolf, who has helped the Blues compile a 68-17 record during her three seasons on campus, also has a solid chance of finishing in the Top 10 all-time in numerous other categories.

Which is pretty dang good, as the school dates its women’s hoops program back to 1902.

Whitman’s official record book is missing stats from 1903-1969, but that’s not as bad as it might sound at first, as women’s college sports exist in two vastly different worlds — pre and post Title IX.

Playing in the modern era, where scoring is greatly ramped up, Stone’s numbers can stand with the best Whitman has produced.

She is already #6 all-time in offensive rebounds, #7 in both defensive rebounds and total rebounds, and #10 in field goal made.

Whitman opens its 25-game regular season schedule with an appearance at the Whit Classic in Spokane.

The Blues play Concordia University of Texas Friday, before facing Carroll College of Montana Saturday.

The regular season stretches through late February, with the top four teams from the Northwest Conference advancing to the league’s postseason tourney Feb. 27 and 29.

Whitman has made it to the tourney in each of Stone’s seasons, finishing 3rd, 2nd, and 2nd in regular season play.

The Blues won the NWC postseason tourney during her freshman season, before advancing all the way to the Elite 8 of the NCAA D-III championships.

Stone and Co. made it back to the national tourney the next year, falling in the first round, before being denied a bid last season despite a strong 20-7 record.

Seniors Mady Burdett and Lily Gustafson and juniors Taylor Chambers and Kaelan Shamseldin join Stone as leaders on an experience-packed roster which was picked to win the league title in a preseason coach’s poll.

Whitman is also ranked #21 in the first D3hoops.com poll.

 

Makana’s career numbers (2016-2019):

Points – 928
Offensive Rebounds – 236
Defensive Rebounds – 376
Total Rebounds – 612
Assists – 123
Steals – 65
Blocks – 39
Field Goals – 394 of 781 (50.4%)
Free Throws – 139 of 199 (69.8%)
Games – 83
Starts – 66
Minutes – 1876

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She’ll be back

Posted in Softball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on November 10, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Veronica Crownover, sultan of swat, titan of terror on the diamond. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Playing softball in not-so-balmy November, Crownover is fond of muttering “Throw me the dang ball, woman, before I freeze in place!” (Kelly Crownover photos)

The union that was meant to be.

Hey, the weather was better. So, that’s a start.

Coupeville grad Veronica Crownover and the Washington State University club softball squad have endured freezing temps, rain, and plenty of doom ‘n gloom-lookin’ clouds during the opening of their season.

After winning four of six games while battling the weather, the Cougars found slightly more balmy temps awaiting them in Eugene this weekend, but the game scores took a turn slightly for the worse.

Wazzu pulled out a come-from-behind 9-7 win Saturday, then fell 13-5 and 7-1 Sunday to the University of Oregon, dropping its record to 5-4 headed into winter break.

With fall ball wrapping, Crownover and Co. put the mitts and bats away for a bit, with the spring portion of the season kicking off in February.

WSU, which opened by taking two of three from both Boise State and Gonzaga, played this weekend minus its starting pitcher (foot injury) and with its catcher hampered by a numb leg which limited her movement.

Crownover, who has swung a hot bat in her college debut, picked up a pair of singles and an RBI in the series.

The former Wolf was also a vacuum at first base, pulling in several short throws to nab the out.

A freshman at Wazzu, Crownover, when she’s not bashing softballs, is on track for a career in saving all the animals.

All of them, I said!

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Big Hurt takes a bow

Posted in Football, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , on November 9, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Nick Streubel hangs out with family on Central Washington University football Senior Night. (Photos courtesy Nanette Streubel and Amanda Jones)

“I taught the boy everything he knows about football, just saying…”

Uncle Nick, the gentle gridiron giant.

“The Big Hurt” went out by delivering a … really big hurt.

Coupeville High School grad Nick Streubel celebrated Senior Night Saturday by leading his Central Washington University football team to a 72-17 win over Missouri’s Southwest Baptist University.

The non-conference rout was the fifth-straight win for the streaking Wildcats, who sit at 6-4 with one game left on the regular season schedule.

Central, which is 4-1 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, travels to Canada next Saturday, Nov. 16 to play Simon Fraser University (1-4, 1-8).

With a win, the Wildcats clinch half the GNAC title, which they will share with Western Oregon (5-1, 7-3).

The two teams split this season, with the Wolves coming out on top 36-26 in late September, before Central rebounded for a 42-41 overtime win in mid-October.

If Streubel and Co. win out and lay claim to their share of the title, it will be the third-straight year CWU has done so.

While he and his teammates are hopeful of landing a spot in the NCAA D-II playoffs, the former Wolf is nearing the end of what has been a rock-solid college career.

Thanks to two red-shirt seasons, one as a freshman, then a second due to a hand injury, Streubel spent six seasons in the Wildcat program.

A team captain and the face of CWU football this season, the anchor of the offensive line has already graduated but returned for one final go-round on the gridiron.

During his time as a ‘Cat, Streubel has been named to All-League and All-Region teams, while having ESPN announcers hype him as a guy worthy of a look from the NFL.

Way back when he was still a growing man mountain, and not yet the carved-from-granite physical specimen he has become, “The Big Hurt” was a three-sport standout at CHS.

Football, basketball, and track kept him busy, but his greatest moment came after a season-ending gridiron clash against Chimacum his junior year.

The stadium in Port Townsend had been used the night before the Wolves and Cowboys played, and the field was ripped up, mushy, and stinky.

After a game in the trenches, Streubel was given a rushing attempt as a reward for years of work, and he promptly carried at least seven screaming, sobbing Cowboys on his back, crashing forward for yardage, ending the play in the middle of a giant mud puddle.

The Wolves had to high-tail it to catch the last ferry out of town after the game, which gave no one a chance to clean up.

At the dock, Streubel, all 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds of him, coated from head to toe in mud, chased after his coaches, eventually snagging one and wrapping them in a grimy embrace.

So, basically, it’s great to see Nick do so well in college and all.

But, that said, I already witnessed him at his finest on that dock.

The man was a freakin’ legend at 17, and just keeps getting better with time.

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They hit her, Crownover hits right back

Posted in Softball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on October 27, 2019| 1 Comment »

Veronica Crownover, prairie legend. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Some good hits, some bad hits.

Coupeville grad Veronica Crownover continues to tear up the diamond for the Washington State University club softball team, even if the weather in Pullman doesn’t exactly scream “let’s go outside.”

The former Wolf collected six base-knocks over the weekend, while also absorbing a fair amount of pain, as the Cougars won two of three games against visiting Gonzaga.

After splitting a doubleheader Saturday, winning 12-11 and falling 13-3, Crownover and Co. closed out the series with a 14-2 win Sunday.

WSU sits at 4-2 on the season, with a road trip to the University of Oregon coming up in two weeks.

Crownover’s bat was smokin’ in sub-40 degree weather (rain and wind drove temps a lot lower before the weekend was done), as the freshman first-baseman collected two singles in each of the three games.

She also picked up some black and blue marks, as she took a pitch to the shin, fouled a ball off her foot, then was later plunked in the elbow.

During her Coupeville days that was known as getting “Nicoled,” in honor of teammate and best bud Nicole Laxton, who had an uncanny ability to get drilled by opposing pitchers.

The worst of the three injuries was the shot to the elbow, which left a black circle on her now-swollen arm.

Wazzu’s coach took her out of the game, but then reinserted her as a courtesy runner for another player, a first for Crownover, who has been playing softball since she could walk.

Putting an exclamation point on her wild weekend, she promptly scored as a pinch runner, proving she can do it all.

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