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Archive for the ‘Wolves in college’ Category

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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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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