COUGAR
Illustrated Basketball tips off: Cougars aiming for national tourney berth November 1, 2023 l Issue 2
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What’s Inside Men’s Basketball Preview
The men’s basketball team opens the season November 1 at home against Casper and this team will be young with just three returners back from a year ago. But, it is the talent of the freshmen that could lead this team to a national tournament experience.
Women’s Basketball Preview
The women’s basketball team will have six sophomores, two of which played a lot last year, two that red-shirted a year ago, and two transfers, and the make-up of this team looks promising with plenty of talent which Isaac Lu is expecting an up-tempo-style of play.
Region IX Volleyball Preview
The WNCC volleyball team finished the regular season at 16-16 but now it is regional tournament time and all the teams are 0-0 in the second season with two Region IX teams going to nationals. Check out the preview for the volleyball regionals.
20 Questions with Maurice Walker
Maurice Walker on the men’s basketball team is ready to embark on his sophomore season and he is ready to make an impact, but not only on the court but off the court with his leadership off the court. His goal is to do what God tells him and try to continue playing at the next level.
Any story ideas, pictures, or updates on former Cougar athletes, send the information to Mark at mrein2963@gmail.com or mrein@wncc.edu. Cougar athlete alumni, also send updates what you are doing. Will be putting something in the next Cougar Illustrated of what the former players are doing now.
—— Cougar Sports Calendar —— Wednesday, November 1 VBALL – AWAY – Region IX Tourney, @ Sterling, Colorado – WNCC vs. LCCC at 3 p.m. WBB – HOME – Colorado State Club @ Cougar Palace, 5 p.m. MBB – HOME – Casper College, @ Cougar Palace, 7 p.m. Thursday, November 2 VBALL – AWAY – Region IX Tourney, @ Sterling, Colorado Friday, November 3 VBALL – AWAY – Region IX Tourney, @ Sterling, Colorado WBB – Away vs. Gillette College at Riverton, Wyo. Saturday, November 4 VBALL – AWAY – Region IX Tourney, @ Sterling, Colorado WBB – Away vs.Central Wyoming College at Riverton, Wyo. Wednesday, November 8 MBB – AWAY – vs. Laramie County C.C., Cheyenne, 7 p.m. Friday, November 10 WBB – AWAY – vs. LCCC at Rock Springs, Wyo. MBB – AWAY – vs. Colby Community College, Goodland, Kansas, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 11 WBB – AWAY – vs. Western Wyoming at Rock Springs, Wyo. MBB – AWAT – vs. Northwest Kansas Technical College, Goodland, Kansas, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 14 VBALL – AWAY – NJCAA National Tourney, @ Hutchinson, Kansas Wednesday, November 15 VBALL – AWAY – NJCAA National Tourney, @ Hutchinson, Kansas Thursday, November 16 VBALL – AWAY – NJCAA National Tourney, @ Hutchinson, Kansas Friday, November 17 VBALL – AWAY – NJCAA National Tourney, @ Hutchinson, Kansas WBB – AWAY – vs. Central Wyoming at Powell, Wyo. MBB – AWAY – vs. Northwest College, Powell, Wyoming, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 18 VBALL – AWAY – NJCAA National Tourney, @ Hutchinson, Kansas WBB – AWAY – vs. Northwest at Powell, Wyo. MBB – AWAY – vs. Central Wyoming College, Powell, Wyo. 12 p.m. Tuesday, November 21 MBB – AWAY – vs. Western Wyoming C.C., Rock Springs, Wyo., 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 22 WNCC – Thanksgiving Holiday – NO CLASSES Thursday, November 23 WNCC – Thanksgiving Holiday – NO CLASSES
WNCC sophomore Shanelle Martinez goes up and ties up a Central Wyoming kill with a block earlier this season. Martinez won the battle at the net.
Friday, November 24 MBB – AWAY – vs. College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, Idaho, 7 p.m. WNCC – Thanksgiving Holiday – NO CLASSES Saturday, November 25 MBB – AWAY – vs. Colorado Northwestern C.C., Twin Falls, Idaho, 3 p.m. Tuesday, November 28 WBB – HOME vs. Eastern Wyoming, 5:30 p.m. MBB – HOME vs. Eastern Wyoming, 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 1 WBB – HOME – vs. Fairfield Inn Classic – WNCC vs. Casper MBB – HOME – vs. Jump Start Academy, Cougar Palace, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 2 WBB – HOME -- Fairfield Inn Classic – vs. College of Southern Idaho Monday, December 4 MBB – HOME – vs. Laramie County C.C, Cougar Palace, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, December 7 WBB – AWAY – vs. Willison State at Gillette, Wyoming MBB – AWAY – vs. Williston State at Gillette, Wyoming, 6 p.m. Friday, December 8 WBB – AWAY – vs. Dawson C.C. at Border Wars Invite at Gillette, Wyo. MBB – AWAY – vs. Dawson C.C. at Border Wars Invite at Gillette, Wyo,
Cougar Shorttakes
Former Cougar Tsvetanova in her third year at Coppin State and holds records
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ormer WNCC volleyball player Andrea Tsvetanova, a redshirt senior this season is having a stellar season for Division I Coppin State. In just two seasons, Tsvetanova owns the school with 165 aces and ranks third in assists with 2,028 coming into this season. Through this season so far, Tsvetanova had 801 assists, 35 kills, 53 aces, and 159 digs. For her three-year career, Tsvetanova has racked up 2,829 assists, 218 aces, 113 kills, 688 digs, and 82 blocks. Coppin State is having a outstanding season at 21-3 so far where they are 17-3 in the MEAC Conference. Tsvetanova was named the MEAC Setter of the Week on October 9. That week Tsvetanova recorded a match-high 37 assists with two kills, three digs, one block, and two aces in a win over Norfolk State that gave Coppin State sole possession of first in the conference. For the week leading up to the honor, Tsvetanova racked up 71 assists, two kills two aces, two blocks, and seven digs in six sets played. In her two years at WNCC, she had some impressive stats. As
a sophomore, she led the nation with 1,259 assists and ranked second with 10.95 assists per set while recording 49 aces, 26 blocks, 2.43 digs per set and 13 double-doubles. That year, she led the Cougars to the Region IX title and a ninth seed in the national touirney.. She was named Region IX South Setter of the Year, All-Region and All-Tournament Team. As a freshman, she tallied 7.89 assists with 22 blocks and 14 aces. In two seasons, WNCC went 55-16 under her guidance.
— Photo from Coppin State website, photographer Tim Rice
Former WNCC Cougar Erica Fava named Conference Defensive Player of the Week
F Katie Smith PT, DPT, CLT
Shelly Koehler PT, DPT, SCS
Blake Wills DC, MS
Wishing all area athletes a safe and healthy season! Elite Physical Therapy & Wellness Two Locations to Serve You
214 W. 27th Street Scottsbluff, Nebraska 308-633-2900
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www.elitept-scottsbluff.com
ormer Cougar Erica Fava becomes the second Maverick this season to earn Summit League Player of the Week honors as she was named the Peak Defensive Performer of the Week. The defensive specialist/libero had an eventful week on the court, racking up 36 digs (5.14 digs/set) in two wins over Oral Roberts and South Dakota State. The SDSU match in particular was a true standout performance for Fava as she become the first Maverick this season to top 20 digs in a single match with 25. Offensively, she also notched a service ace vs. ORU to become the first Maverick this season to reach 20 aces. This is the first weekly honor of Fava’s career. Fava is a junior at UNO and played the last two seasons at WNCC, earning NJCAA All-American honors.
Basketball is here! T
Men’s basketball ready to begin season with three returners
he Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team will be opening the season November 1 when Casper College heads to Cougar Palace. The contest will feature a Casper team that received pre-season NJCAA recognition compared to a Cougar men’s team that will be young with just three returners back from last year’s 16-15 team. Billy Engel, who will beginning his fourth year, is ready to turn the tables with a team that has been working hard in practice and fun to be around. “We are really excited about this group,” Engel said. “It is still early and we still have a ways to go. There is a lot we can continue to clean up and improve on and continue to work together better each day. But, there is a lot to be excited about this group. We have some youth. We have some experience from some different guys. We play hard and we are very competitive and right now it is really good group to be around.” The Cougars do have some talent returning even if it is three players. Those returning include 6-foot-4 Maurice Walker of Denver, Colorado, 6-9 Stephen Ovia of London, England, and 6-5 Daniel Bula of Belgium. Bula started 24 games for the Cougars a year ago while averaging 9.5 points and 4.9 rebounds a contest. Ovia averaged 6.1 points and 3.2 rebounds a contest, while Walker averaged 7.2 points and buried 53 3-pointers a year ago. Engel said these three have been good role models to this year’s team. “The three returners have been great. They have done a really good job of stepping into their roles as sophomores,” Engel said. “All three of them were very impactable as freshmen for different reasons. Daniel was on the floor a lot and, for statistics, he filled a lot of boxscores. Stephen had some really bright moments as a freshman. We look forward to seeing a lot more of those from him as a sophomore. Maurice really picked up on how good of a teammate he was, how much of a lead-
WNCC sophomore Stephen Ovia dunks the ball in practice in a drill the Cougars were running. WNCC opens the season on November 1 at home at Cougar Palace when they host Casper College at 7 p.m.
er he was, how much he cared about his teammates getting things right, and himself stepping in and getting things right.” To compliment those three three sophomores, the team has a good group of incoming newcomers that have the potential to off-set the seven sophomores that were lost from a year ago. The freshman include 6-4 JJ Harris of Tallahassee, Florida; 6-2 Loren Daniel of San Diego, California; 5-11 Junior Galicia of the Dominican Republic; 6-7 Anthony
Simo of Yaoundé, Cameroon; 6-7 Danilo Glisovic of Kragujevac, Serbia; 6-0 Nazir Griffin of Orlando, Florida; 6-2 Willie Wilson of Minneapolis, Minneapolis; 6-4 Travis Easterly, Jr. from Youngstown, Ohio; 6-1 Elijah Burney from Las Vegas, Nevada; 6-7 Kayden Nation of Peoria, Illinois; 6-4 Noah Jones of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and 6-1 Kellon Harris of Scottsbluff. What Engel likes about this group of guys is the willingness of working hard
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n Men’s basketball ready to hit the court ...... and competing. That is something that will stand out this season. “I think our strength right now is how hard we play and how competitive we are. I think those two things are things, after being around these guys for the past two months, is something I can go home every night and feel pretty good about of how this team plays hard and this team competes,” Engel said. “I think those are two really good things to be proud of.” The Cougars haven’t had a lot of pre-season scrimmages but of the ones they have, Engel said he likes where they are right now. “You have to be happy where we are at right now,” he said. “Like I said, there are things we still need to clean up. The other thing we have going for us is good depth. We have good guards at that position, so I am excited to get up and down and be a fast-paced team. To be a full-court press
team and get up and down the court.” The Cougars have a tough but unusual schedule this season. WNCC will have four home games before the holiday break in November and December, and will have the majority of home games second semester. “We open up at home and we get Eastern Wyoming at home in the first semester and we also get Laramie County at home in the first semester. This schedule is set up difficult,” Engel said. “We go on the road and play two Jayhawk teams down in Kansas. We go to CSI to play two tough Region 18 opponents. We are going up to Northwest Wyoming and play two Region IX North opponents. So, it is a tough schedule and we definitely will be pressed. The opener will be tough as well when they open Wednesday, November 1 against Casper College with a 7 p.m. tip. Casper received votes for the NJCAA pre-season poll
but are under a new coach in Tom Parks, who comes from the State College of Florida but has ties to Region IX, serving as the associate head coach for Sheridan College. Engel knows Casper will be tough, but his team will be ready. “We open up the season with an extremely difficult opponent,” he said. “It will be early for us and we are learning new things. But I am sure they will be in the same spot. I have seen some of the guys they have signed and I know there is a lot of talent over there and it is coach Parks first year at Casper, but he has a good track record behind him. We absolutely have our hands full November 1.” After that, the Cougars will travel to Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne for a November 8 game followed by trips to Goodland, Kansas, Powell, Wyoming, and Twin Falls, Idaho. The second semester will have nine home games with five in January and three in February. The Region IX tournament will be held at the site of the South conference winner March 14-16 with the national tournament slated for March 27 through March 30 in Hutchinson, Kansas. — Written by Mark Rein 23-24 Cougar Men’s Basketball Schedule Date 11/1 11/8 11/10 11/11 11/17 11/18 11/21 11/24 11/25 11/28 12/1-2
Freshman Travis Eastery, Jr., dribbles the ball above the key during a recent men’s basketball practice to get ready to for the upcoming basketball season that begins November 1 at home.
12/4 12/7 12/8 12/9 1/5 1/8 1/10 1/15 1/19 1/20 1/23 1/26 2/2 2/6 2/12 2/16 2/20 2/23 2/27 3/2 3/9 3/14-15 3/22-27
Opponent Location Time Casper College Cougar Palace 7 pm Laramie County Cheyenne, Wyo. 7 pm Colby Goodland, Kan. TBA NW Kansas Tech Goodland, Kan.. 3:30 pm Northwest Wyo. Powell, Wyo. 7:30 pm Central Wyoming Powell, Wyo. 12 pm Western Wyoming Rock Springs, Wyo. 6 pm C. of Southern Idaho Twin Falls, Idaho 7 pm Colo. Northwestern Twin Falls, Idaho 3 pm Eastern Wyoming Cougar Palace 7:30 pm Fairfield Inn Classic Cougar Palalce Friday, December 1 WNCC men vs. Jump Start 7:30 pm Saturday, December 2 NJC men vs. Jump Start 12 pm Laramie County Cougar Palace 7:30 pm Williston State Gillette, Wyo. 6 pm Dawson Gillette, Wyo. 7:45 pm Miles Gillette, Wyo. 2:15 pm Taylor Made Prep Cougar Palace 7:30 pm Eastern Wyoming Torrington, Wyo. 7:30 pm Western Wyoming Cougar Palace 6 pm Lamar Lamar, Colo. 7 pm Trinidad State Cougar Palace 7:30 pm Otero Cougar Palace 4 pm North Platte North Platte, Neb. 6 pm McCook Cougar Palace 7:30 pm Otero LaJunta, Colo. 7 pm Northeastern Sterling, Colo. 7:30 pm Northeastern Cougar Palace 7:30 pm McCook McCook, Neb. 6:30 pm North Platte Cougar Palace 7:30 pm Trinidad State Trinidad, Colo. TBA Lamar Cougar Palace 7:30 pm McCook McCook, Neb. TBA First Round Games Higher Seeds TBA Region IX Tourney North Winner TBA Nationals Casper, Wyo. TBA
Home Games are Bold -- All Times are MST
2023-24 Cougar Men’s Basketball Roster No. Player Pos. 0 JJ Harris G 1 Loren Daniel SG/PG 2 Maurice Walker II SG 4 Junior Galicia PG 5 Anthony Simo F 10 Danilo Glisovic SG/SF 11 Nazir Griffin PG 12 Willie Wilson G/W 13 Travis Easterly, Jr. G 14 Stephen Ovia C 15 Elijah Burney PG 21 Daniel Bula PG 22 Kayden Nation W 23 Noah Jones W Kellon Harris PG/SG
Cl. SO FR So FR FR FR FR FR SO So FR So FR FR FR
Ht. Wt. 6-4 200 6-2 173 6-4 195 5-11 6-7 200 6-7 175 6-0 165 6-1 1/2 185 6-4 195 6-9 6-1 175 6-5 6-7 215 6-4 170 6-1 152
Hometown / High School Tallahassee, Florida / West Oaks Academy / San Diego, California / Balboa School / Denver, Colorado / Smokey Hill (Rocktop Academy) / Dominican Republic/Italy / / Yaounde, Cameroon / College Francois-Xavier Vogt / Kragujevac, Serbia / First Technical School / Orlando, Florida / West Oaks Academy / Minneapolis, Minnesota / Minneapolis North / Youngstown, Ohio / First Love Christian Academy / London, England / / Las Vegas, Nevada / Centennial / Belgium / / Peoria, Illinois / Colorado Prep / Baton Rouge, Louisiana / Broadmoor / Scottsbluff, Nebraska / Scottsbluff /
Head Coach: Billy Engel Assistant Coach:Kyle Kincey Athletic Trainer: Doug Jones
Men’s basketball helps walk kids to school at Westmoor Elementary
Cougar women’s basketball ready to get the season started
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he Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team will begin the season November 1 at home with a different make-up of players. The Cougars, who had a 21-9 record a year ago after they lost in the first-round of the Region IX tournament, have six sophomores and plenty of talented freshmen that has second-year head coach Isaac Lu excited to get the season started. “We are all excited to get started,” Lu said. “the pre-season can be a grind at times when we are not yet playing official games, but we right around the corner now so every single day of preparation is a day for us to get better. You have to always understand that and take advantage of those opportunities so once it really matters we are ready to get going.” The Cougars will begin the season Wednesday, November 1 when they host the Colorado State Club team at Cougar Palace with a 5 p.m. tipoff time. Lu said the team is excited to start the season for real after a series of pre-season jamborees in October, the last on Friday against Chadron State College. “We had a very solid two and a half months of preparing from the time we got on campus and I am excited to see what we will accomplish once the seasons starts rolling,” Lu said. “We are getting better at the things we want to be good at. Of course, there will always be something that we need to continue to improve and it is constantly a work in progress, but the progress made in the past two months is very encouraging.” WNCC’s roster is a little different with six sophomores, two of which were major contributors a year ago with 5-foot-11 Mackenzie Joseph of Vinton, Louisiana, and 6-0 Faith Walker of Grand Rapids, Michigan. WNCC also has two sophomores academically that were a part of the team a year ago, but red-shirted because of injuries and both are ready to go this year. Those two include 5-7 Jamie Caron of Rifle, Colorado, and 6-0 Gal-La Font for Barcelona, Spain. The other two sophomores are transfers. They are 5-7 Amiyah Donaldson of Cleveland, Ohio, who spent a year at the University of Charleston, as well as 6-0 Keyla Cervantes of Tolleson, Arizona, who spent
WNCC’s Amiyah Donaldson dribbles the ball at the top of the key during an October scrimmage to get ready for the coming season. Donaldson is a sophomore transfer from the University of Charleston. Donaldson is one of six sophomores on the roster this season.
last year at Yavapai College. “I am excited for our sophomores for sure,” Lu said. “They have done a good job of setting the expectations and setting the standards of how we want things to be done in our program. Of course you have two red-shirt freshman that have sat out last year and I am excited for them to come in and play in the season. “Of course we have Mackenzie and Faith who played some important rolls for our team last season and they have made a pretty impressive jump from year one to year
two so far. Then the two transfers will provide some good experience. We have a good group of sophomores that will help lead the way as we start the season in a week.” With those six sophomores and a talented freshmen group, Lu is excited about the make-up of the team this year. The freshman newcomers include Faith Walker’s sister Trinity. Trinity is a 5-10 guard from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Other players to watch include 5-11 Adelina Urtane of Aizkraukle, Latvia; 5-4 Katie Vierra
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n Women’s basketball returns 2 starters ...... of Berthoud, Colorado; 5-8 Kiley Smich of Littleton, Colorado; 5-8 Laura Montiel of Granada, Spain; 5-5 Helena Kuck of Blumenau, Brazil; and 5-8 Ebere Egbirika of London, England. “I think we have two good freshmen point guards for us,” Lu said. “Helena, who is from Brazil, is a great shooter and can control the game for us offensively. I am excited to see her get on the floor for the first time. Then Laura from Spain is a lockdown defender and really makes plays happen. She is a player that impacts winning. When you have point guards that bring different looks to the team, it makes the other teams hard to prepare for one thing. “Then, from other positions, we have Adelina from Latvia who can really shoot the ball, athletic, and defends at a high level. She has played at a high level. Other freshman to watch is Ebere from the UK who is athletic and gets to the basket. We also
have Kiley from Colorado who really gets to the basket. We have some good athletes on this team because it fits what we want to do which is get up and down the floor and it is a matter of getting better at those things every single day.” What Lu likes about this year’s team is how hard they are working and how they are connected. “From a team standpoint, they have developed a really nice chemistry bond off the floor and that has really helped us on the floor as well,” Lu said. “Whenever we compete in practice, they really get after it and push each other to get better. We have many, many good players on this team who make it a battle in practice every single day whether we are competing in offense, defense, or all the little things that we want to work on. I am really excited to see this group put it all together from understanding what everyone is good at and letting them
understand of what they will be good at too. Lu sees this team being a more up-tempo team with some hard-nosed defensive play. “We want to play fast and we want to play in transition,” Lu said. “I think that fits to our greatest strength which is we will be able to use our athleticism to beat the teams down the floor for easy layups, push the tempo of the game with our defensive pressure, and always constantly and playing together and using each others strengths to get the best shot for our team on any given possession. We need to play freely and play fast and we have some unselfish players that make the right decisions on the floor for our team.” After Wednesday, the Cougars will hit the road for a pair of games in Riverton, Wyoming, against Gillette College and Central Wyoming College. The Cougars will only have five home games in the first semester. The second home contest will be November 28 against Eastern Wyoming College followed by the Fairfield Inn Classic when the Cougars will face Casper College and the College of Southern Idaho. WNCC will wrap up the first semester when they face Laramie County Community College on December 14. — Written by Mark Rein 23-24 Cougar Women’s Basketball Schedule Date 11/1 11/3 11/4 11/10 11/11 11/17 11/18 11/28 12/1-2
WNCC freshman Kiley Smich dribbles the ball while being defended my Jamie Caron during a practice in October. The Cougars open the season November 1 at home against Colorado State Club and then a weekend classic in Riverton, Wyoming. WNCC’s next home game won’t be until November 28 against EWC.
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Opponent Location Time Colorado State Club Cougar Palace 5 pm Gillette College Riverton, Wyo. 5 pm Central Wyoming Riverton, Wyo. 3 pm Western Wyoming Rock Springs, Wyo. 7 pm Laramie County CC Rock Springs, Wyo. 12 pm Northwest Wyo. Powell, Wyo. 5:30 pm Central Wyoming Powell, Wyo. 2 pm Eastern Wyoming Cougar Palace 5:30 pm Fairfield Inn Classic Cougar Palalce Friday, December 1 Southern Idaho vs. Otero women 3:30 pm Casper vs. WNCC women 5:30 p.m. WNCC men vs. Jump Start 7:30 pm Saturday, December 2 NJC men vs. Jump Start 12 pm Casper women vs. Otero 2 pm C. of Southern Idaho vs. WNCC women 4 pm Williston State Gillette, Wyo. 7:45 pm Dawson Gillette, Wyo. 6 pm Miles Gillette, Wyo. 12;30 pm Laramie County Cougar Palace 5 pm Central Wyoming Cougar Palace 2 pm Eastern Wyoming Torrington, Wyo. 5:30 pm Western Wyoming Cougar Palace 4 pm Casper Casper, Wyo. 6 pm Lamar Lamar, Colo. 5 pm Trinidad State Cougar Palace 5:30 pm Otero Cougar Palace 2 pm North Platte North Platte, Neb. 4 pm McCook Cougar Palace 5:30 pm Otero LaJunta, Colo. 5 pm Northeastern Sterling, Colo. 5:30 pm Northeastern Cougar Palace 5:30 pm McCook McCook, Neb. 5:30 pm North Platte Cougar Palace 5:30 pm Lamar Cougar Palace 5:30 pm Trinidad State Trinidad, Colo. 2 pm First Round Games Higher Seeds TBA Region IX Tourney North Winner TBA Nationals Casper, Wyo. TBA
2023-24 Cougar Women’s Basketball Roster No. Player Pos. Cl. Ht. 3 Amiyah Donaldson G SO 5-7 4 Ebere Egbirika G FR 5-8 5 Keyla Cervantes G/F RS FR 6-0 10 Helena Kuck G FR 5-5 11 Gal-La Font G RS FR 6-0 13 Laura Montiel G FR 5-8 21 Faith Walker F SO 6-0 22 Jamie Caron G RS FR 5-7 23 Kiley Smich G FR 5-8 24 Mackenzie Joseph G SO 5-11 34 Adelina Urtane G/F FR 5-11 40 Trinity Walker G FR 5-10 Katie Vierra G FR 5-4
Hometown / High School Cleveland, Ohio / Lutheran East / London, England / Southwark / Tolleson, Arizona / St. John Paul II Catholic / Blumenau, Brazil / A. Konder / Barcelona, Spain / The Webb School / Granada, Spain / I.E.S. Padre Manjon / Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forrest Hills Northern / Rifle, Colorado / Rifle / Littleton, Colorado / Chaparral / Vinton, Louisana / Kinder / Aizkraukle, Latvia / Liepaja Gymnasium / Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Northern / Berthoud, Colorado / Berthoud /
Head Coach: Isaac Lu Assistant Coach: Shayane Poirot Athletic Trainer: Doug Jones
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402-830-0548 jeschwab@bellevue.edu
Oumar Sissoko transferred from WNCC in 2020 and recently earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with an Emphasis in Finance. Today, Sissoko coaches soccer full time while he considers pursuing his MBA. Bellevue University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommision.org). Bellevue University is committed to providing an environment that is free from harassment and discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military obligations, or status in any other group protected by local, state, or federal lawn. Bellevue University, 1000 Galvin Road South, Bellevue, NE 68005. 2309_03
Volleyball team ready for regionals that begin November 1 in Sterling
Cougar volleyball team opens regional tourney play against LCCC as they aim for national trip
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he Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team will be entering the Region IX tournament November 1 with one thing in mind and that is to put the regular season behind them and enter the tournament like the other teams at 0-0. The Cougars will be one of the teams to not take lightly as they enter with a 16-16 record and have been up and down like a kids rollercoaster this season. The rollercoaster ride hasn’t been like an adult rollercoaster of big climbs of wins orr big drops of losses, but more like playing good for for a string of one or two matches and then the opposite side. WNCC wrapped up the regular season in splitting a pair of 5-setters last weekend, topping Trinidad State College before losing to Otero College. The Otero loss dropped the Cougars to the third seed from the South while McCook got the second seed. WNCC, 16-16, will open the tournament Wednesday, November 1 at 3 p.m. against the North second seed Laramie County Community College. LCCC enters with a 28-6 record and have lost their last two matches to Western Wyoming anc Casper College. The winner of the first-round contest will face the winner of the South No. 1 Northeastern Junior College and North No. 4 Central Wyoming College match on Thursday at 6 p.m. The loser of Wednesday’s contest will drop down into the second bracket and will face the loser of the NJC/Central Wyoming contest at 2 p.m. on Thursday. Region IX sends two teams to the national championship so the winner of the two brackets will qualify to the national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. Anything is possible for this team as
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ABOVE: WNCC freshman Lilly Zwart goes up for a kill during the Eastern Wyoming College home match on Oct. 24. WNCC opens the Region IX tournament on November 1 against LCCC at 3 p.m. in Sterling, Colorado. BELOW: Charli Blackman goes up for a kill against two EWC blockers in the Cougars’ last home match of the season on OCt. 24.
n WNCC volleyball ready for regionals ...... they have played and beaten some quality oppenents during the season including wins against Snow College, Iowa Western Commnity College, Butler Community College, and Casper College. Lilly Zwart, a freshman outside hitter, said they have to bring lots of energy and communicate to be successful on the court in the tournament. “We have to work as a team towards the goal we have,” Zwart said. “Being more talkative and positive will ead to achiving this .” When the Cougars are on, they are a very dangerous team. Even some of the matches that they lost, they played with plenty of energy and just came up short. WNCC has some talent and a variety of hitters have led the team in kills from Kyana
Gabriel, Dani Cruz, Lilly Zwart, and Charli Blackman. Even defensively, the team has been led by a variety of players leading the team in digs or blocks. For digging, the team has been led by Taylor Tyser, Megan Bewley, and Shanelle Martinez in the last eight matches. Tyser tallied 20 digs in the Otero loss and 16 digs in the Trinidad win, while Bewley had 19 digs in the win against Eastern Wyoming. Martinez had back-to-back 17 digs in matches against Lamar and McCook. As for blocks, thse have come from Blackman, Zwart, Martinez, Finja Schul, Chloe Grady, and Maya Angelova. LCCC has shown they are beatable and the Cougars are studying film to see what they can and can’t do against the Golden
Eagles. LCCC, before last weekend when they lost twice, wheeled off 13 straight wins. Zwart said they knows they are a good team, but they know they can be a good team as well. “We know they are a good team,but there are things we can expliut,” she said. Zwart said the team just has to go out there and leave everything on the court. “Win, that’s the common goal for every team,” she said. “IF we work as one unit, we could take out any team.” The Region IX tournament matches can be heard on the radio at KOLT AM690 or 101.7FM or they can be watched live on the NJC Youtube page at https://www.youtube.com/@njcathletics/streams — Written by Mark Rein
Good Luck Ladies at the Region IX Tourney
N3 — W. Wyoming Match 1 Wednesday, Nov. 1 1 p.m.
S2 — McCook S4 — Trinidad State
Match 7 Thursday, Nov. 2 4 p.m.
2023 Women’s Volleyball Region IX Tournament November 1-4 @ Sterling, Colorado
Match 3 Wednesday, Nov. 1 5 p.m.
N1 — Casper
Match 11 Friday, Nov. 3 4 p.m.
S3 — W. Nebraska Match 2 Wednesday, Nov. 1 3 p.m.
N2 — LCCC N4 — C. Wyoming
Region IX Champs NW Plains A
Match 8 Thursday, Nov. 2 6 p.m.
Match 4 Wednesday, Nov. 1 7 p.m.
S1 — Northeastern
Loser Match 8
Loser Match 1
Loser Match 11
Match 9 Friday, Nov. 3 12 p.m.
Match 13 Saturday, Nov. 4 Region IX Champs 4 p.m.
Match 5 Thursday, Nov. 2 12 p.m.
NW Plains B
Loser Match 3 Loser Match 2
Match 12 Saturday, Nov. 4 11 a.m.
Match 6 Thursday, Nov. 2 2 p.m.
Loser Match 4
Match 9 Friday, Nov. 3 2 p.m.
Loser Match 7
Volleyball team sophomore recognition
Men’s soccer end season in semifinal loss
T
he Western Nebraska Community College men’s soccer team came to a close in the semifinals of the Region IX tournament after falling to Otero College 3-0 on a cold Saturday afternoon day. WNCC finishes the season at 8-5-3 while Otero advances to the championship next Saturday to face Casper College. Casper defeated Northwest College 1-0. WNCC’s run to a regional title was impressive as they finished off the regular season with a 1-0 win over Laramie County Community College which was huge as they jumped from a first-round road game to hosting the first round. In that final regular season game, the Cougars played strong defense and got a penalty kick from Eduardo Oliveira in the second half to top Laramie County Community College 1-0 at Landers Soccer Complex. It has been nine years since WNCC has beaten the Golden Eagles and Saturday’s win changed the seeding of the Region IX Playoffs. WNCC, who was slated to travel for the first-round, earned a home field match and the loss cost LCCC a bye and dropped them to a first-round road contest. Guiherme Lindolfo, a defender for the Cougars, said this was a good win for the program “It is an important win for the freshman and the sophomores because we are here to play and it is important for the next games,” he said. “It was a big win because we want to defend our field. This is our field and we have fans here and it is important to play at home.” Saturday’s match was a defensive contest that resembled a chess match as each team marking up to try to score. Both teams had a number of shots in both halves with some near misses. LCCC had a total of 14 shots compared to 10 for WNCC.
WNCC’s Jerónimo Zelaya Diaz controls the ball in front of a LCCC player during the Cougar’s home playoff match with the Golden Eagles. WNCC beat LCCC in back-to-back weeks to advance to the semifinals of the tournament before falling to Otero.
Neither team could crack the net in the first half as the two defenses were playing tight. The second half was much the same. It wasn’t until under 17 minutes to play that Abdouilie Fatty took a pass and dribbled to the box and was fouled causing a penalty kick. With 16:08 to play, Oliveira took the kick and found the net on the right side for the lead.
The game was still intense as both teams battled hard. With under two minutes to play, LCCC had a couple good scoring opportunities on back-to-back corner kicks. The second corner kick resulted in a kick that was going in and WNCC goal keeper Hernan Burdiles snared the ball in and laid on the ball to preserve the win.
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n WNCC men fall in semifinals ...... Oliveria had three shots in the match while Adolfo Rojas finished with two shots. Burdiles finished with seven saves in net. LCCC had five corner kicks to WNCC’s three. In that first-round playoff contest, the Cougars topped Laramie County 2-1 inother chess match. Lucas Ovalle, who had the second goal for the Cougars which proved to be the game winner, said this was a big win for his Cougar team. “We played so well. We played like teammates,” The freshman from Chile said. “I am really proud of my teammates.” Samuel Acosta, who was celebrating his birthday on Saturday, couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present. He said his team played hard and stayed focused to get the win.” “We played really hard. We played together and we are like a family,” Acosta said. “We are now going to the semifinals.” The key in the contest was getting a goal in the first half and then when Ovalle scored the second goal, it proved to be the winner. The defense won the contest for the Cougars as they had to make some outstanding saves and stops late in the match. On offense, it was all WNCC in the first half with a number of shots in the first 10 minutes. WNCC kept peppering the net
WNCC’s Isrrael Rodriquez brings the ball up the field during the Cougar’s home playoff win against LCCC on October 21 when they won 2-1 over the Golden Eagles.
and finally cracked the goalline in the final minute. With about a minute to play, WNCC’s Simon Echeverry took the ball to the box
WNCC’s Eduardo Oliveira celebrates his goal in the first half of the first-round playoff win as he finds the camera in the Cougars home playoff match that they won 2-1. WNCC then fell in the semifinals 3-0 to Otero College to end their season.
and was fouled. Oliveira took the penalty kick with a minute to play and found the back of the net for the 1-0 going into halftime. The second half saw LCCC come out with a different energy as they had two good shots to score within the first 10 minutes, but both shots went either high or wide. WNCC finally added an insurance goal with 9:31 to play when Ovalle scored an unassisted goal on a 25-foot shot. That goal was important as LCCC came down the field and as Gael Hernandez played a cross to Brandon Young who finished the ball into the net with five minutes to play. LCCC kept playing hard and had a couple good chances to score with under two minutes to play, but the Cougar defense stepped to stop the goals including WNCC goal keeper Hernan Burdiles, who had a couple big saves. Burdiles had five saves in net while LCCC keeper Adan Herrera had four saves. WNCC had 11 shots in the contest compared to 12 for LCCC. WNCC’s season ended on Oct. 28 when they went down to Otero for the semifinals and played on a day that was blistering cold and the Cougars were cold in shots in falling to the Rattlers 3-0 to end their season WNCC finishes the season at 8-5-3 while Otero advances to the championship next Saturday to face Casper College. Casper defeated Northwest College 1-0. In the Otero match, the Cougars managed just five shots in the contest while Otero had 13. The Rattlers scored first in the 28th minute of the opening half when Breno Andreucci scored off a pass from Patrick Vukoje. Otero made it 2-0 when Vukoje had his second assist in the match after feeding Yuto Komine with the ball and the score. Otero led 2-0 at halftime. Otero had an insurance goal in the second half with two minutes left in the contest when Rafael Lara scored on a Maxime Legai assist. Otero had seven corner kicks to zero for WNCC. Both teams finished with 13 fouls each, three yellow cards each, and each goal keeper had two saves in net. WNCC loses seven or eight sophomores next year, but returns plenty of talent. — Written by Mark Rein
WNCC women’s soccer plays hard as they fall in first-round of playoffs
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he Western Nebraska Community College women’s soccer team qualified for the Region IX playoffs with some gutsy performances in the final matches fo the season. It was in the playoffs the Cougars were shutout in falling to Laramie County Community College on Oct. 20 The Cougars finished the season at 4-73 and played the last part of the season with a depleted roster of 13 to 12 players becuase of injuries. But, the Cougars had many
highlights to the season. The Cougars went on a 4-game non-losing streak in the last part of September and first of October that was crucial in the team’s bid for the playoffs. The streak started with a 2-0 win over Gillette College where WNCC got two goals from Lesley Vasquez and continued in a 3-2 win over Northeastern Junior College when Vasquez had two goals in the road win. The big game was against Lamar Community College when they tied the Lopes 2-2 on the road. Tania Razo had two goals in that win. WNCC then defeated Trinidad State 7-2 in a home match when Vasquez scored three goals.
WNCC then played hard against in their final two regular season games that were at home before losing to Otero 7-3 and then battling a good Laramie County team 2-1 in a game that WNCC could have won. In that final home game where WNCC lost to the Golden Eagles, it was the four sophomores — Tania Razo, Lesley Vasquez, Aileen Perez, and Sara Lourenco, — final game at Landers and they played hard. Razo, one of those sophomores, said they played from start to finish and left everything on the pitch in the team’s final home match of the season. “I think we played very well because we played with our hearts,” she said. “We need to like that for our next game.” The gutsy effort that the women showed was key in keeping the score low and the team within striking distance. Razo said
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GOOD LUCK
for Aileen Perez controls the ball and uses her speed as she starts to bring the ball up the field in the Cougar women’s final home match against LCCC on Oct. 14. WNCC lost to LCCC 2-1 in a very tight match.
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n WNCC women fall in first-round ...... playing from start to finish is critical if the Cougars are to go far in the post-season. “It’s (playing the entire game) really important and it shows we play for each other and we care for one another,” she said. “We need to focus in not making errors that cost goals so we need to focus to play until the end.” LCCC’s two goals were on errors on the field, which could have been avoided. The Golden Eagles got on the scoreboard first when Caroline Kuhn took a pass from Abby Williams and fired in a shot from 18 yards out that went into the net in the high corner for the 1-0 lead with 30:08 to play in the opening half. WNCC kept playing hard and earned the tying goal with 10:11 to play. Raso took a pass from Vasquez and went one-on-one to the goal and punched it into the net. That is where the score stood at halftime. The second half was a defensive battle as both teams had shots but couldn’t capitalize. LCCC finally scored with 20:13 left in the game when Tayler Miller fired a pass to Aubrey Yantis who scored to put the Golden Eagles in front. WNCC wasn’t finished in fighting for the tying goal. With 2:53 to play, Vasquez took a shot and it was on line to go into the net, but the LCCC goal keeper Kiara Kershaw reached up and tipped the ball over the net. The following corner kick also saw a juggernaut of action in front of the net, but the Cougars couldn’t get the tying goal in. WNCC managed just six shots compared to 17 for LCCC. Against LCCC, WNCC had just six shots compared to 22 for LCCC as WNCC controlled the contest, scoring once in the opening half on a goal from Macey Woolcock. The second half saw WNCC play harder, but LCCC played strong defensively adding two insurance goals from Tayler Miller and Caroline Kuhn to earn the win WNCC’s Kate Larsen plays strong defense as she and send them into the semifinals, which they won and will host Otero College in controls the ball and delivers it upfield during the the Region IX finals on November 4. Cougars match against LCCC on Oct. 14 which the — Written by Mark Rein
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Cougars lost a heartbreaker 2-1.
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Cougar Culture
Men’s soccer sophomores recognized
What was your favorite Halloween costume. Favorite Candy
Trinity Walker Women’s Bball
Ana Gomes Women’s Soccer
Taylor Tyser Volleyball
Mackenzie Joseph Women’s Bball
Katie Vierra Women’s Bball
Cat
Drake and Bad Bunny
Adam Sandler
Salsa Dancer
Drake and Bad Bunny
Twix
Twix
Hating or mistreating women because of their sex
The hatred of women or girls
Someone that hates Women
Nerds gummies
Reese’s
What is misogynist?
Somebody that looks at bacteria
Nicest Person
Gemir B.
Aileen Perez
Finja Schul
My sister
Worst Food to Eat
Mac and Cheese
Anything with red sauce
Sushi
Broccoli
M&Ms
Prejudice against women
Sara R.
Fermented Eggs
20 M
+Questions
with Maurice Walker
aurice Walker is a sophomore on the men’s basketball team and came to WNCC last year from Denver. Last season, Maurice averaged seven points a contest for Cougars. While he stood out on the basketball court, he also stood out in the classroom earning NJCAA All-Academic honors last June. Here is an interview with Maurice as the Cougar basketball team gets ready to open the season November 1 at home. MR: What does this year’s team look like for talent? MW: The talent for this team is very high. I would say this team has the potential to be really special, but potential doesn’t mean anything without hard work and focus. The talent is off the charts, we all have our different gifts and skills that will be shown on the court and I believe as a whole we have more than enough talent to have a very great season. MR: What is the goals for this year’s team? MW: The goals for this year are to have every player be able to move on to a 4-year university, a region 9 championship, and a national title run. I think we all have our minds set on getting the job done day in and day out so that was can all achieve our own goals, but the overall goals as a team as well. MR: What is your goal(s) for this year after having an excellent freshman year both in the classroom and the court? MW: I wouldn’t say I had an amazing year last year; I was not consistent and didn’t always have the right focus and mindset. My goals for this year are to be locked into the everyday challenges and tests, showing up for my teammates day in and day out, just playing every day with gratitude and Glorifying God as I do it. This is an opportunity to become a leader and as a captain, be apart of leading a team to do some very special things, on and off the court. MR: What kind of team will this year’s
team be, will it be a fast-paced team or one with a lot of defenses, or a combination of both? MW: This year’s team will be exciting, offensive and defensive. I believe that we have the capabilities to be a team that scores a lot of points, while also limiting the amount of the opposing team. I think Coach Billy has done a great job in getting the fellas to lock in on both sides of the court and as a whole we have really focused on giving our all on every possession. MR: What is it like meeting all the different players from all the sports at WNCC from different states, countries, backgrounds and how many friendships are made? MW: I have loved my two years at WNCC. I love how inclusive the school is as a whole and it is amazing to see how all the different backgrounds and cultures are ex-
pressed within the school. I have learned new information about countries that I wouldn’t have otherwise and because of this have been able to build connections that I wouldn’t have made anywhere else. Truly been a blessing and a great environment to go to school at. MR: What is your basketball playing background like? MW: I have been playing basketball since I can remember, my father was a great basketball player and I always just had a love for the game. I have played basketball competitively since I was in 2nd grade. I played ball in high school, but wasn’t really the best at the sport, didn’t understand what it meant to be a student of the game and love the game. I learned that at prep school in PA. There I really started to thrive and become the player I had the potential to be. I spent two years at prep
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n 20 questions with Maurice Walker ...... school before coming to WNCC. MR: Was basketball the only thing you did in high school/middle school/elementary school, or were there other sports you played? And why did basketball stick out? MW: I played every sport there is to play as a young person. From baseball to track, football, soccer, any sport you can think of, I was playing. Over the years I stopped participating in certain sports because I wanted to focus on specific sports instead. I played football and basketball in high school and I chose basketball in my Junior year because the school I was attending didn’t throw the ball a ton and I was a wide receiver and that didn’t excite me. I ultimately chose basketball because I have always wanted to play college ball, since my father was a college basketball coach when I was growing up. I was always around the game and it was always a passion of mine. MR: What makes for a good basketball player? MW: I think the better question is what makes for a better man. Basketball is only a small amount of time in the overall game called life. I think the characteristics of a
man translate in to how successful they are on a basketball court. For example, discipline, hardworking, wanting to show up everyday like it is the biggest day of their basketball career. I think that’s what makes a good basketball player. Many times, people only think that what is evident in the game is always going to happen, but in all honesty, the game is just the reward for all those days of hard practices and early morning workouts. A good basketball player is made on the days when a game isn’t being played, not only in those 40 minutes you play 30 times a year. MR: What did it mean to you to be recognized academically last year? MW: It meant a lot, I am a student-athlete, so education always comes first in my family and for me. I was very grateful for the recognition, but knew it was just the beginning. I have three more years until I get my bachelor’s degree and 4 or 5 before I get my master’s so I just want to make sure that I keep my grades high and keep succeeding in the classroom as well as on the court. MR: A few weeks ago, your mom paid you a visit on your birthday, what was that
like to see her that weekend? MW: I hadn’t seen my mother in months since she moved for her job. It was a great experience. I love my mother, she’s sacrificed so much for me all these years, for me to be in the position that I am in now. I just want to make her proud and when she came to pay me a visit, it was really a special event and I’ll always remember that memory. MR: How is photography going with your new camera? MW: It is AMAZING!!!! I really have fallen in love with capturing all the beautiful moments that I am blessed to be apart of. I had a great time taking some action shots at the volleyball game and just being able to share memories with people around me. A picture says a thousand words, so to be able to give pictures to others and have those memories is very cool. MR: Who is your hero in sports and why? MW: I don’t really have any, I watch specific players because my game is kind of similar to theirs, but I am 1 of 1, so I tend to just go to work everyday and try and get better for myself and my teammates. MR: What are your future plans after college? MW: I would love to go to a 4-year university and finish my basketball career at the highest level possible. I want to become a GM for a professional sports team, so I will also look into some internship opportunities that allow for me to get my foot in the door in that field as well. I just want to be able to have a positive impact on other’s lives and be a blessing and a help to anyone in need. I know the Lord will take me wherever He needs me to go, so I am just going to take it a day at a time and let God guide my feet. MR: If you were an admissions recruiter for the college, what and how would you describe WNCC to the high school kids? MW: I would say that WNCC gives you the best opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. This college has given me the ability to really find myself and to also be surrounded by some of the most loving people there are. The city as a whole
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n 20 questions with Maurice Walker ...... is so encouraging and the amount of love, they have for their COUGAR athletes and personal is unmatched. I never expected for my first two years of college to be in Scottsbluff, NE. However, I am honored to be apart of this community and the city of Scottsbluff. It just means more to be a COUGAR to me, so if you want to be apart of something that is more than just about the individual, this is the place to be. MR: The NBA just started, who will win the NBA championship this year and against who? MW: I am a Denver Native, so I going to have to say My NUGGETS will be repeating this year. I don’t know who will come out of the Eastern Conference, but Boston and Milwaukee both have so great odds. I just love watching the game and seeing some amazing guys just give everything they have every game. MR: Who will win the NCAA men’s basketball championship this year? MW: This is a question I have no answer to. I think the college basketball outlook at the Division 1 level is spread out and talent is all over the country. It’ll be able interesting to see as the year goes on. MR: If you had to play a different sport besides basketball, what sport would it be and why? MW: I would have to say football, but getting hit every play and the year-round football activities would be a no-no for me. I might honestly just hang up the athletic career as a whole if I didn’t play basketball.
MR: What are the things you learned about Scottsbluff/Gering when you came here that you didn’t know? MW: I still don’t know a lot about the towns, but I do know that the people that live in these towns have some of the biggest hearts and Love is very evident all throughout the town. MR: Anything else you want to add? MW: I would like to say thank you for all the support this year and encouragement, my teammates and I will give you everything we have for 40+ minutes a game and let God take care of the rest, I have Faith this season can go down as one of the best in the WNCC Men’s Basketball history, but Faith without work is dead, so we will make sure to put the work in to reap the benefits. God Bless y’all COUGAR FAMILY can’t wait to see you in the stands! — Written by Mark Rein
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MR: What sport are you the worst at and why? MW: Baseball, tennis, and soccer. I didn’t play these sports at a very high level growing up and they were almost only played to remain in shape. I can’t hit a baseball consistently, tennis just isn’t very interesting to me and soccer really is a hard sport if you do not practice everyday or like some of my teammates, from Europe. MR: What is your favorite movie? MW: After Death, it’s about the real-life experiences of people who had encounters with the Creator (God) and then came back to Earth and lived to tell their testimonies. I love everything that has to do with God and His amazingness.
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Pumpkin carving
Softball players get creative in carving pumpkins for Halloween
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Cleveland field gets turf
Turf infield installed at Cleveland Field for baseball season
WNCC athletes help with Foundation’s Monument Marathon on Sept. 30
Women’s soccer sophomores recognized
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Softball team dresses up for Halloween
Alumni comeback for baseball game
Several alumni baseball players came back in September to play against the current team and battled them to the end as the WNCC team earned a walk-off single in their last at-bat to record the 16-15 win. Alumni members that showed up for the game include l-r Mike Felton, Tyler Pollock, Rich Miller, Nat Andresen, Drew Book, Sergio Tarango, Hunter Nelson, Zach Berg, Braden Loflink, and Dallas Liptac.
ALUMNI ATHLETIC NEWS
Scottsbluff Junior College l Nebraska Western College l Western Nebraska Community College
Photography is for the students
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his is the award or honor that I received on Oct. 27 at the WNCC Alumni Foundation banquet and it is truly an honor that people think of me in that way. The award was the 2023 Cara Perkins Meritorious Service Award for, what they said in the introduction, is for my time that I attend WNCC activities whether sports or fine arts or student life in taking photos for the students. The one thing I love is to do things for the students to provide them memories in the sports that they partake in at the college. I also do that at the high school level as well when I don’t have something going on at the college. Why is photography so fun? That is a hard question to really answer but it is the chance to watch the athletes perform on the field or hardwood. I have taken countless photos since I started taking photos in 1981 when I got my first 35mm camera, which was a Canon AE1. During those times I wasn’t that good but I got to watch the Cougar men capture a regional tournament. From those first days where I had to develop the film and then print pictures to today where everything is digital and I download the photos to Adobe Lightroom and then crop the pictures that I want, makes it easier to get the photos edited. The difference between film and digital is that you can’t shoot as many with film so you have to be selective and you better know your camera and what settings because once you took a photo it was on the film and you wouldn’t know if it came out until it is developed. I remember spending countless hours in the darkroom at the Spectator office at WNCC and also my darkroom at home developing pictures. That was an art in itself. Digital photos are totally different there isn’t as much thinking and hands-on work to do with those photos that the computer couldn’t do. Plus, with digital photography the only thing you have to worry about is not filling up your media card. The first digital cam-
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n Photography is for the students .......... era I bought was around 2000 and it was a digital camera that took 3.5 discs. I then bought a digital camera that took a Sony memory card. I still have that camera but as for the 3.5 digital camera, I don’t have that one anymore because someone walked off with it from my office. After that memory stick camera, I kept upgrading my digital cameras and I have plenty of bodies. Now, I am mirrorless with the Canon R6 and it is hard to go back to the other digital cameras or even film. Oh, by the way, I still have a film camera which is the Canon Elan 7 and I have a roll of film in the camera that I can’t figure out how to take out since the battery is dead. The other thing I like about digital cameras is how I get the photos to the students. I used to print out a lot of the photos and it cost money. Now, I don’t do any printing. Instead, I invested in a nice photo gallery website and I let the athletes at the college have the link and they can go on and download the photos they want or right-click and save as the photo for their use for nothing, which is the way I like it. There is an op-
tion to buy photos, and some people have bought photos and I even used the buy option a couple of times, but the reason I do this is after I take the photos for the event, what am I going to do with them. The photo site that I used is smugmug and the link is reinphoto.smugmug.com and currently there are 476,063 uploads since I started this photo gallery around 2009. In October there has been 222,795 photo views. And when I got through all the photos that I took, it is hard to really pinpoint which ones are my best or the ones I like the most because when I start going back through the photos, whether on print or digital, it brings back at of memories and sometimes I tear up thinking I knew these athletes and how I miss them. I even tear up nowadays when I have to say goodbye to the sophomores or when I see a high school athlete graduate and realize that I won’t be taking their pictures in high school any more. The one thing I like about photography,
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Here is one of the first pictures I took in 2000 of the Cougar volleyball team at the NJCAA national tournament in Overland Park, Kansas. The location was just a rec center where nationals was held that year and you can see what the quality was like in the first digital cameras.
n Photography is for the students ..........
One of the first pictures that I took with my film camera where I got a women’s player dunking or pretending to dunk.
though, is reminiscing through the past and see all the great athletes or great actors and actresses, or the outstanding singers, or just the fun times of activities in the valley. Now, to the present. On October 27 when I received that award from the WNCC Foundation Alumni office I was humbled. You see, I am one that shy’s away from recognition because it is not about me. When Alumni Director called me in September telling me about the award, I was wondering, “Why me?” After receiving the award, I posted on my Facebook page the picture of the award and a message that I wrote stated: “Friday night I was presented with this light-up honor at the WNCC Foundation Alumni banquet for the 2023 Cara Perkins Meritorious Service Award. I had to look up what Meritorious meant exactly and the dictionary. com meaning is “deserving praise, reward, esteem, etc.; praiseworthy:” “I don’t know if I am that deserving of praise because I just do things to
make a student have memories whether it be a Cougar athlete or a Cougar fine arts performer or a regular student. I am here for the student to make them have memories and it is not about me, it is about the performer whether it is in the athletic or fine arts side, or from the high school to college scene. “I am honored to get this award and it makes me feel special that the 2023 class had several people that also received honors that I have worked with and admire for their work -- Dr. Tim Alvarez, John Marrin, and Tom Perkins (which the award I got is named after his wife); these three have had big involvement in the growth at WNCC during their times at the college. I am honored to be put up there with them but I don’t go out to get recognition because I shy around being recognized and sometimes hide from being in the forefront. It is not about me, but it is about the performers/athletes. “Going through all my pictures from the past years from sports, to musical
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n Photography is for the students .......... and play performances, to college activities, to high school events, to Cougar sports from when I started to take photos (and I am slowly trying to scan in all my pictures and negatives to get more memories for the students) I look at all the memories that I have been a part of. And there are some community memories as well. “Again, I wish I knew who nominated me for it so I can thank them and know why I was nominated because I just do what I love and it isn’t really Meritorious in my book, but I guess in others it is. I love providing memories and that is my number one goal, to make a student’s experience fun and memorable.” After I posted that, I started to read the comments from other people and I still can’t believe that many people trust me in what I photograph and remember what I take pictures of is for the students, the athletes, the people. The only questions I have is what am I going to do with all the prints that I printed off after I get them scanned in or the negatives
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Here are two team photos that I took when the women’s basketball team was at nationals in Salina, Kansas, (above) and the volleyball team was in nationals in I believe West Plains, Missouri, or maybe Council Bluffs, Iowa, with one of the first digital cameras
n Photography is for the students .......... after I get them scanned in? Or, what about all the CDs and and SD cards and compact flash cards that I have after I get all those photos moved over. The process of scanning in negatives and photos is a slow and time-consuming job, but one of these days I will get them all caught up. I am just thinking about pitching the photos in the trash after they get scanned in. That is what I am doing with the 3.5 discs once I get the files moved over and saved on an external drive.
And I am starting to put all the old photos that I get scanned in up on my photo gallery site of the college, even ones that I didn’t take because I want to preserve the WNCC college history. And I can tell you stories about Cougar athletics from all the years that I have watched the Cougars from golf to tennis to volleyball and basketball to soccer, softball, and baseball. The one thing I wish is that the college had a couple more sports such as track,
Here are two pictures that I took of my only visits to watch a Nebraska volleyball or football game. I remember the football game was against Colorado State and I believe the volleyball game was against Kansas State.
cross country, golf, beach volleyball, or the one sport that I want to learn to cover which is lacrosse. In closing, just remember that the photos that I take are for you, the athlete/student. I do it because I like to do it, but I also have my limitations. And for the award, thanks for the honor, but I will just keep doing what I am doing and not worrying about the accolades or recognition because that is not me. — Written by Mark Rein
(Above) One of the first Cougar softball photos that I took when softball started up in the early 2000s. (below) My lightning photo that was taken in the summer at the races with an early digital camera.
Old photos from the 1970s
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