2011 wcc review The West Coast Conference was formed in 1952 to provide a convenient venue for five San Francisco Bay Area schools to compete in basketball. Since that modest beginning, the Conference has evolved and grown to become a nationally recognized and competitive force in intercollegiate athletics, with 13 league-sponsored sports: baseball; both men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, and tennis; and women's volleyball and rowing. The league began in 1952-53 as the California Basketball Association, and included College of the Pacific, Saint Mary's College, University of San Francisco, San Jose State University, and Santa Clara University. It remained five teams until 1956-57, when Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, and Fresno State joined the conference, giving it eight teams. At that time, the conference's name was changed to the West Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC). The WCAC shortened its name to West Coast Conference in 1989, and developed a new logo in 1995 that lasted until 2011. Thirty years after its most recent expansion, the WCC welcomed its ninth member by extending an invitation to Brigham Young University in September of 2010. BYU officially joined the West Coast Conference on July 1, 2011. Today, the nine WCC members span the western coast of the United States from Canada to Mexico, from the pine forests of Eastern Washington, to the Columbia River Basin, to the dynamic San Francisco Bay Area, to the sunny beaches of Southern California, to the majestic mountains of Utah. The Conference is characterized by the stability of its membership - only two conferences have been together longer - and its unique emphasis on combining excellence in athletics with excellence in academics. The Conference recognizes championships in each of its sports, has hosted NCAA championship events, and produced 26 NCAA Division I individual or team champions. And, many outstanding WCC studentathletes have gone on to excel in professional sports. 2011 All-West Coast Conference Honors
Player of the Year: Kris Bryant, San Diego; Marco Gonzalez, Gonzaga Pitcher of the Year: Ryan Carpenter, Gonzaga Freshman of the Year: Kris Bryant, San Diego; Marco Gonzalez, Gonzaga Coach of the Year: Nino Giarratano, San Francisco Defensive Player of the Year: Stephen Yarrow, San Francisco
FIRST TEAM ALL-WCC
Honorable Mention
Name Team Dillon Checkal San Diego Martin Agosta Saint Mary's Toby DeMello Saint Mary's Nik Balog San Francisco Chris Dennis Portland Kyle Barraclough Saint Mary's Calvin Drummond San Diego Connor Bernatz San Francisco Aritz Garcia San Francisco Kris Bryant San Diego Aaron Griffin LMU Ryan Carpenter Gonzaga Brenden Kalfus Saint Mary's Alex Gillingham LMU Eric Lane Gonzaga Marco Gonzales Gonzaga Matt Lowenstein LMU Tyler Chism Gonzaga Matt Lujan San Francisco Cameron Edman Gonzaga Jason Mahood San Francisco Aaron Gates Pepperdine Kevin Muno San Diego Turner Gill Portland Paul Paez San Diego Bryan Haar San Diego Mark Phillips Gonzaga Cory Hall Santa Clara Patrick Terry Santa Clara Travis Higgs San Francisco Joe Vierra LMU Brian Humphries Pepperdine Matt Koch LMU All-Freshman Zack Kometani San Diego Alex Balog San Francisco Kyle Kraus Portland Richard Boas Saint Mary's Pete Lavin San Francisco Kris Bryant San Diego Corey LeVier San Diego Kyle DeMerritt Santa Clara Cody Martin Gonzaga Scott Frazier Pepperdine Joe Sever Pepperdine Marco Gonzales Gonzaga Patrick Wisdom Saint Mary's Turner Gill Portland Stephen Yarrow San Francisco Corey Miller Pepperdine Kyle Zimmer San Francisco Paul Paez San Diego Michael Wagner San Diego
2011 West Coast Conference Team WCC Pct. San Francisco 16-5 .762 Gonzaga 15-6 .174 LMU 11-10 .524 Portland 11-10 .524 San Diego 11-10 .524 Saint Mary’s 9-12 .429 Pepperdine 7-14 .333 Santa Clara 4-17 .190
Standings Overall Pct. 32-25 .561 32-19-1 .625 30-25 .545 23-31 .426 22-31 .415 27-28 .491 22-34 .393 17-34 .333
The long and rich history of the WCC demonstrates that success in intercollegiate athletics can be built on the foundation of values, character, and academics. WCC ANNOUNCES 2011 ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS The West Coast Conference has announced its 2011 All-WCC teams and individual award winners, as voted on by the league's eight head coaches. Two freshmen in particular made a significant impact in their debut campaign: San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant and Gonzaga pitcher/first baseman Marco Gonzales were each recognized as the 2011 West Coast Conference Co-Player and CoFreshman of the Year. Gonzales was not the only Gonzaga player to earn a major award, as junior Ryan Carpenter earns Pitcher of the Year honors. After winning the 2011 WCC championship, San Francisco third baseman Stephen Yarrow is the WCC Defensive Player of the Year, and Dons' head coach Nino Giarratano was recognized as the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year. San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant was recognized with two major awards after an impressive freshman season. Bryant started all 21 games during conference play for the Toreros, while leading the WCC with a .410 batting average, .525 on-base percentage, 26 runs scored, and eleven doubles. For the season, Bryant led the WCC with a .365 batting average. His nine overall home runs were tied for most in the conference. Gonzaga's Marco Gonzales was also recognized as the Co-Player and Co-Freshman of the Year, along with Bryant. On the mound, Gonzales led the West Coast Conference with 11 victories, while posting a 2.57 earned run average. In seven conference starts, Gonzales went 6-0 while limiting WCC foes to a .222 batting average against. When he wasn't on the hill, Gonzales was the Bulldogs' first baseman - where he hit .315 during WCC play. The Gonzaga pitching staff led the West Coast Conference in earned run average, and junior Ryan Carpenter was named the WCC Pitcher of the Year. The Bulldogs junior was 5-1 with a 2.19 earned run average in seven conference starts, striking out a league-best 58 batters. For the season, Carpenter's 107 strikeouts over 96 innings ranks among the national top ten. San Francisco third baseman Stephen Yarrow was named the 2011 West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year. As the Dons' starting third baseman, Yarrow played error-free baseball in 58 chances during conference play. Yarrow was a part of five double plays from the hot corner in WCC action, while helping USF lead the nation in fielding percentage. After leading his team to its first West Coast Conference title since 2006, University of San Francisco head coach Nino Giarratano has been named the 2011 WCC Coach of the Year by his peers. It is the third such honor for Giarratano, who was recognized as the league's top skipper in both 2006 and 2005. After being picked to finish third in the coaches' pre-season poll, the 2011 Dons won 31 games, while posting a 16-5 conference mark.
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