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Archive for the ‘Wolves in college’ Category

One team to rule Walla Walla

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , on November 20, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone scores, Whitman wins. End of story. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The battle for Walla Walla goes to the Blues.

Sparked by a game-high 17 points from Coupeville’s Makana Stone, the Whitman College women’s basketball squad clubbed cross-town rival Walla Walla University 78-50 Wednesday night.

The non-conference road win lifts the Blues to a perfect 3-0 as they open the season with seven straight games away from their home gym.

Whitman travels to California next, with games at the University of Redlands (Nov. 23) and Whittier College (Nov. 25), before doing a Texas two-step Dec. 6-7 against Concordia University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

The Blues home opener is not until Dec. 13, when they host the Kim Evanger Raney Classic.

Wednesday night, Whitman, ranked #21 in NCAA D-III women’s basketball, led from start to finish.

A 23-15 first quarter lead turned into a 41-26 bulge at the half, then a 56-34 margin headed into the final quarter.

Stone went off for 10 of her points in the first half, then poured in her final seven in the third quarter as the Blues put the game on ice.

Playing just 19 minutes, the former Wolf used her time well, netting six of eight shots from the floor, while ringing up all five of her free throw attempts.

Whitman hit 20-24 from the charity stripe, with Stone and Kaylie McCracken (10-12) leading the way.

McCracken finished with 16 points to give the Blues a nifty one-two punch, while Natalie Whitesel snatched a team-best seven rebounds.

Stone hauled down four caroms, while picking up her first two blocked shots of the young season.

Through three games, the Whitman senior has knocked down a team-high 49 points, shooting a crisp 18-32 (56.2%) from the field and 13-16 (81.3%) from the free-throw line.

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Big Hurt best of the best

Posted in Football, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , on November 20, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Former Wolf Nick Streubel earned two college football awards Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Amanda Jones)

The Big Hurt continues to get big props.

Coupeville grad Nick Streubel, who just wrapped his senior football season at Central Washington University, was tabbed Wednesday for two awards.

When Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaches tallied up their votes, the former Wolf was named a First-Team All-League pick and the GNAC Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Streubel, who anchored the Wildcat line at center, made the All-Conference team for the third time in his collegiate career.

Central, which finished the season on a six-game winning streak, finished 5-1 in league play, 7-4 overall, winning a third-straight league crown.

The ‘Cats snagged 11 spots on the GNAC’s First Team with Billy Greer joining Streubel as an individual winner.

The league leader in sacks, Greer was picked as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Streubel, who has been a First Team pick three straight seasons, led an offensive line which helped Central roll up 504.7 yards per game, best in the GNAC and ninth-best in all of D-II football.

During his time in Coupeville, he was a three-sport star for the Wolves, playing football and basketball, while also competing in track and field.

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They aim to thrill

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on November 16, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s Makana Stone had 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds Saturday as Whitman women’s basketball won a close one. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Blowout or close game, they’ve got this.

A day after opening the season with a 39-point win, the Whitman College women’s basketball team won a gut-check special Saturday, edging dangerous Carroll College 74-72.

The win over the Montana gunners gives the Blues, ranked #21 in D3 hoops, a clean sweep at the Whit Classic in Spokane.

Whitman, which got a game-high 24 points from Mady Burdett and a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double from Coupeville grad Makana Stone, is just starting its road trip.

The Blues put their 2-0 record on the line next Wednesday, Nov. 20 when they travel a whopping 3.2 miles across town to face Walla Walla University.

After that, Whitman has two games in California and another two in Texas, before the home opener Dec. 13.

Saturday’s game was a brawl from start to finish, with the teams battling down to the final shot of the night.

Up 21-19 after one quarter, the Blues found themselves in a 38-38 tie at the half, then clinging to a 59-58 lead headed into the final frame.

Stone opened the scoring in the fourth, banging down a jumper to momentarily stretch Whitman’s lead back out to three points.

After that, the Blues turned to their long-range shooters, with freshman Shaira Young and Stone’s fellow senior, Burdett, each rattling home back-to-back three-balls.

Even then, the game wasn’t decided until the final ticks of the clock played out.

Burdett swished a trey to break a 70-70 tie, with Carroll responding with a layup with 35 seconds to play to pull back within one.

The Montana squad then stole the ball, and had not one, but two shots at taking the lead, only to watch both a three-ball and a put-back pop back out.

Whitman’s Kaelan Shamseldin pulled down the game’s biggest rebound, and sank one of two free throws with a single second to play to set the final margin.

Stone netted her 14 points thanks to 3-9 shooting from the field, and 8-11 from the free throw stripe.

Her 10 boards were a game-high, while the former Wolf added three steals while playing 29 minutes.

Two games into her final college season, Stone has 32 points, 13 rebounds, and six steals.

With 960 career points, she continues to move closer to becoming just the ninth female player in Whitman basketball history to crack 1,000 points.

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Thank you, Mr. Streubel

Posted in Football, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on November 16, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Nick Streubel, great player, better man. (Photo courtesy Nanette Streubel)

He exits as a champion.

Actually, make that a three-time champion.

Barring a surprise invite to the NCAA D-II football playoffs, Coupeville grad Nick Streubel likely played his final college game Saturday night.

Appropriately, “The Big Hurt” and crew went out with a bang, as Central Washington University throttled host Simon Fraser 51-14 in Burnaby.

The win, the sixth-straight for the Wildcats, lifts them to 5-1 in league play, earning them a third-straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference title.

Central, having bounced back from a 1-4 start, sits at 7-4, keeping alive a slim chance it will hear its name called Sunday when the 28-team playoff bracket is announced.

Whether that happens or not, Streubel stands as one of the most successful former Wolves to ever compete at the collegiate level.

A team captain, the face of CWU football, an All-League and All-Region pick, the offensive lineman was a rock for the Wildcats every step of the way during his six-year adventure.

Streubel had two red-shirt seasons, the second due to a nasty hand injury, and graduated before this season.

With a new head coach, there was some question as to whether he would return to play a fourth, and final, season on the gridiron, but he remains one of the ultimate team players.

Anchoring the ‘Cats at center, he was hailed by his coaches for his dedication, and by ESPN announcers as a man worthy of a shot at the NFL.

He remains one of the best Wolf athletes I covered, not just for for his talent, but for his heart, his class, and the way he conducted himself on and off the field.

Talk to any current CHS or CMS athlete, and there are two names they all know. Two players they all want to be.

Nick Streubel and Makana Stone.

Transcendent athletes, and transcendent people.

The former walked off the gridiron Saturday night, while the latter just kicked off her senior season of basketball at Whitman.

Whether his playing days are done, or whether there is another game, another season still lurking around a corner, Nick Streubel long ago clinched his spot on my Wolf version of Mt. Rushmore.

And, at this point, he’s likely shaking his head, murmuring “simmer down, David.”

Too late.

Thank you, Nick.

For inspiring countless other young athletes.

I don’t know that you realize the impact you had, and continue to have.

But it is real, and it is tangible, shining through in so many conversations I have with those Wolves who are following in your footsteps.

Thank you for playing as a leader, always. For staying true to your friends and teammates, your family and yourself.

And thank you for just being a really good dude.

Most of all, thank you for letting me write about you. Even when I got all gushy.

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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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