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Archive for the ‘Wolves in college’ Category

Crownover still loves taters

Posted in Softball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on October 6, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Veronica Crownover, home-run hitting prairie legend. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Now a college player, Crownover (back, center) had four hits, including a long ball, as Wazzu won two of three on opening weekend. (Photo courtesy Kelly Crownover)

Different town, different uniform, same booming bat.

Coupeville High School grad Veronica Crownover made her college softball debut this weekend, and she filled the Pullman sky with the sight of a bashed ball flying far, far away.

Just the way she used to do it as a Wolf.

Crownover is now a freshman at Washington State University, and she and her teammates on the school’s club softball squad took two of three games from visiting Boise State.

The Cougars dropped the season opener Saturday, falling 11-3, then bounced back to sweep a doubleheader Sunday, winning 9-5 and 13-4.

Crownover’s bat was smokin’ in the 38-degree weather, as she peppered Bronco pitching.

After picking up her first two collegiate hits and coming around to score in Sunday’s opener, she smacked a third single to open the nightcap, then went deep.

Her two-run home run was still climbing as it cleared the center-field fence 310 feet away, while parents Darren and Kelly out-screamed the entire rest of the fan base of both teams.

Trotting home with her first college tater, Veronica Crownover, who has picked up the nickname “Bro” from her Wazzu teammates (since she uses the word as a noun, verb, and adjective in most conversations), was all smiles.

“Today was a really good day,” she said. “I can die happy.”

Along with her offensive explosion, Crownover was her usual slick-fielding presence at first base, pulling in throws no matter where they were headed.

The Cougars, who play year-round, return to action the last weekend of October, when they’ll put their 2-1 record on the line against Gonzaga.

During her time in Coupeville, Crownover earned a truck load of softball awards from her team and various leagues for her play.

Before graduating last spring, she and fellow Wolf seniors Sarah Wright and Nicole Laxton led CHS to the state tournament in Richland, where Coupeville won a game for the first time since 2002.

The Wolves held up well against eventual state champ Montesano, upset Deer Park, which had taken out the defending state champs, then came within a play of also knocking off Cle Elum.

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Streubel crushin’ fools, winnin’ awards

Posted in Football, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on October 1, 2019| Leave a Comment »

“I must break you.” (Photo property Central Washington University football)

The line got some love.

In a rare move, Central Washington University bucked the football gods, handing out its Offensive Player of the Game award this week not to a quarterback, running back, or receiver, but to the dude holding the line together.

And that man-mountain making the heavens and the Earth tremble, leaving rivals lying in crumpled piles across the field is Coupeville’s own Nick Streubel.

The red-shirt senior was tabbed for the honor for his play Saturday against Western Oregon.

The official, Twitter-approved announcement:

Nick Streubel continues to be dominant at the line of scrimmage opening up running lanes for the RB’s.

A leader on the Offensive Line, the Offensive unit and the team as a whole.

Congrats on being named Offensive Player of the Game!

“The Big Hurt” is wrapping up a stellar gridiron career at CWU, during which time he’s been named an All-League and All-Region pick.

Back in his Coupeville days, Streubel was a three-sport standout, playing football, basketball and track and field.

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Big Hurt a big star

Posted in Football, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , , on September 30, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grad Nick Streubel is featured on the program for Central Washington University football games. (Susan Wenzel photo)

The Big Hurt with two of his biggest fans, sister Amanda and niece Natalie. (Photo courtesy Nanette Streubel)

He’s their poster boy.

Coupeville High School grad Nick Streubel is front and center for Central Washington University football this fall, the featured star in all their advertising.

The Big Hurt, who is playing his final season for the Wildcats, who are off to a 1-3 start, is featured on the program and the media guide.

CWU has a new head coach and starting quarterback this season, and there have been some growing pains, but the guy anchoring the offensive line has been a rock.

An All-League and All-Region pick in previous seasons, Streubel, a redshirt senior, has played in 33 games during his stellar career in Ellensburg.

While lineman often don’t get the notice that skills players do, since they don’t have a chance to pile up gaudy stats, no one is ignoring the former Wolf.

During a recent ESPN broadcast of a Central game, the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Streubel was singled out by the announcers as being someone they believed could play in the National Football League.

That came shortly after he knocked his guy on his butt, went down, popped back up, then charged down the field to catch up to the runner.

Once there, he slammed into the pile and drove his man forward several yards on sheer willpower and brute strength.

Regardless of whether the NFL comes calling or not, Streubel has already accomplished his first goal, of graduating with a college degree.

He earned a bachelors in Safety and Health Management, and has a post-college job already set up.

But first Streubel has a final run on the collegiate gridiron to finish.

Central has seven games left on its regular-season schedule, beginning with a road rumble Saturday, Oct. 5 at West Texas A & M.

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Stone shares Whitman honors

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

Coupeville grad Makana Stone was honored by Whitman College for her athletic and academic performance. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coupeville’s Makana Stone was one of six student/athletes honored recently by Whitman College.

The former Wolf, who is headed into her senior year at the Walla Walla school, and her compatriots were hailed at the fourth annual fall awards picnic.

Whitman’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which is made up of current athletes, chose two top performers each from last year’s freshman, sophomore, and junior classes.

The picnic was a way to bring together athletes from all 15 Blues varsity sports programs, while also including the incoming freshmen recruiting classes.

A barbecue was served and Whitman’s new Athletic Director, Kim Chandler, made her debut at the event.

The winners from the 2018-2019 school year:

Freshmen:

Bella White (swim)

Michael Chang (swim)

Sophomores:

Sage Ali (lacrosse)

Peter Sephens (soccer)

Juniors:

Makana Stone (basketball)

Travis Craven (baseball)

Whitman women’s basketball kicks off a new season with an exhibition game Nov. 2 in Ellensburg against Central Washington University.

The first game to count in the win/loss standings arrives Nov. 15 when the Blues host Concordia University during the 2019 Whit Classic.

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Crownover brings the thunder to Wazzu

Posted in Softball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , on September 5, 2019| Leave a Comment »

After four seasons of blasting dingers for Coupeville, Veronica Crownover (and her boomin’ bat) will play for the Washington State University softball team. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Good-bye, softball.

Veronica Crownover isn’t ready to retire just yet.

The 2019 Coupeville High School grad, who launched towering home-runs to all fields and made opposing pitchers cry sweet, sweet tears during her time as a prep softball slugger, has officially made the team at Washington State University.

Tryouts were this week, and the former Wolf first-baseman impressed with both her glove and bat. The Wazzu freshman is in the mix for a starting position, as well.

Washington State competes as an NCAA D-I school in 11 sports, and supplements those varsity programs with 27 club sports teams.

Softball, which has been active at WSU since 1996, is part of the club system, along with sports such as wrestling, ice hockey, bowling, cricket, rugby, and lacrosse.

The Cougar softball team is a member of the National Club Softball Association, which boasts 143 colleges.

Wazzu plays out of the Pacific – North division, which also includes club teams from the University of Oregon, Eastern Washington University, Boise State University, and Gonzaga University.

Games begin in October, and Crownover and her new teammates play in both the fall and spring.

The former Wolf will have a busy schedule, as she’s also pulling a double major, studying Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Sciences along with Zoology, while being on a pre-vet track.

While that makes for a lot of class time, mixed with life on the diamond, it’s something Crownover has handled before.

She graduated twice this spring, earning degrees from both CHS and Skagit Valley College.

Her softball roots go back to little league, when she and future high school teammates like Sarah Wright, who will play for Sewanee: The University of the South this year, tore up the diamond.

Once she hit high school, Crownover made an immediate impact, earning All-League honors as a freshman, then adding enough awards over the next three years to build her own shrine.

She was a nimble defensive player at first base, providing a soft mitt for her fellow infielders to aim for, while pulling in just about any throw which came within 10 feet of her.

But it was Crownover’s bat, “Thunder,” which made her reputation.

The sultan of swat carved up pitcher after pitcher, from future D1 hurlers like Klahowya’s Amber Bumbalough and South Whidbey’s Mackenzee Collins, to the best playoff rivals could throw her way.

She crashed a home run deep over a very tall left-field fence at Oak Harbor to stun Coupeville’s big-city rivals, hurt South Whidbey so badly, so often that the Falcons intentionally walked her multiple times in one game, and played her best in the spotlight.

Crownover and Wright, along with fellow senior Nicole Laxton, led the Wolves to the state tourney this spring, where they won for the first time since 2002.

That victory came against Deer Park, a juggernaut which had upended the defending state champs, and CHS also came within a play of knocking off Cle Elum at the big dance.

Playing three games in one day at the state tourney in Richland (the Wolves also tangled with eventual state champ Montesano), Crownover went out in style, swinging for the fences and freakin’ out rival pitchers.

Now, she gets to go out and do it all again, just in a different uniform.

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