What’s Inside
Page 6 — Women’s basketball get ranked
The WNCC women’s basketball team has been the surprise of the Region IX as they Cougars put together an impressive first semester at 12-3 and after coming back from the Gillette Tourney, the Cougars cracked the NJCAA Top 25 at No. 22.
Page 17 — Look back at Championship run
The men’s soccer team captured their second Region IX title, snapping a streak of 21 years since the last one. But the Cougars also made the national tourney for the first time in school history for the soccer program. Take a look down memory lane of this great feat.
Page 27 — Ex-Cougar named head coach at FGCU
Chelsea Lyles, who helped WNCC win a volleyball national title in 2007 and played two years of basketball for the Cougars, was named the head coach of Florida Gulf Coast on November 14. Lyles has been a part of the FGCU family as an assistant or player for 16 years.
Page 32 — WNCC remembers Tim Hurst
WNCC coaches and athletes remember what Tim Hurst meant to the community. Hurst, who called games for Torrington High School on the radio, also owned the Sports Racquet and had a knowledge of local talent and followed them throughout their playing career and beyond to see how they are doing. Hurst passed away on December 14.
—— Cougar Sports Calendar ——
Thursday, January 9
Men’s Basketball: HOME -- Western Wyoming at WNCC, Cougar Palace, 6:30 p.m.
Women’s Basketball: AWAY – WNCC vs. Gillette at Casper, Wyo., 4 p.m.
Friday, January 10
Men’s Basketball: AWAY -- WNCC at Casper College, 7:30 p.m.
Women’s Basketball: AWAY – WNCC vs. Western Wyoming at Casper, Wyo., 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 11
Men’s Basketball: AWAY -- WNCC at Gillette College, 11 a.m.
Women’s Basketball: AWAY – WNCC at Casper College, 6 p.m.
Friday, January 24
Men’s Basketball: HOME – Otero at WNCC, 7:30 p.m.
Women’s Basketball: HOME – Otero at WNCC, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 25
Men’s Basketball: HOME – Trinidad State at WNCC, 3 p.m.
Women’s Basketball: Home – Trinidad State at WNCC, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, January 28
Men’s Basketball: AWAY – WNCC at McCook, 6:30 p.m. MST
Women’s Basketball: AWAY – WNCC at McCook, 4:30 p.m. MST
Friday, January 31
Men’s Basketball: AWAY – WNCC at North Platte, 6 p.m. MST High School: Western Conference Tournament, Cougar Palace
Lidia Hernandez, Carleigh Pszanka, and Arianna Meyers pose with a couple signs to cheer on the men’s basketball team.
Cougar Faces
Shanelle Martinez
Shanelle Martinez, who graduated from WNCC last May, had a nice volleyball season at the Division ! level under former Cougar player Flavia Siqueira. Martinez appeared in 30 matches for the Panthers and led the team in assists with 646. She had a career-high 36 assists against Marshall and 14 digs against Arkansas State. She was named to the Tiger Invitational All-Tournament team.
Do you know any former or current athletes or coaches
Jasiya DeOllos
Jasiya DeOllos, who is in his final year of playing, had one of the biggest games on the court December 16 for Chadron State. Jasiya logged 22 minutes on the floor and had six rebounds, five assists, and a steal in a win over Central Christian. Jasiya played for the Cougars from 2020-22 and then played for Spokane CC before transferring to Chadron State.
This is a new feature in the newsletter and if there are little things that former or current WNCC athletes or coaches have done or accomplished or honors received, please forward them on with a photo if possible. You can send them to mrein@wncc.edu or text them to 308-631-0459. Any sort of honor or activity or something good can go in here to showcase the good things of Cougar
Cougar women ranked #22
WNCC women’s basketball team finishes first semester 12-3, move into Top 25
The WNCC women’s basketball team put together an impressive first semester with a team that no one in Region IX ot the nation thoiught anything about when the season started.
Under WNCC first-year head coach Ryan Davis and just three players that saw action a year ago, the Cougars have finished the first semester 12-3 with some impressive wins.
What happened after they got back from the Gillette Tournament the first weekend in December with a 3-0 record that included beating an unbeaten and ranked North Dakota School of Science 60-54 and topped a one-loss Gillette team 70-52 was the Cougars appeared in the NJCAA national polls at 22.
Yes, the No. 22 ranking is well deserved for a team that had nine active players and played a very competitive schedule.
The Cougars had an early season defeat to Casper College 74-61 in the third game of the season. The Cougars the reeled off four straight wins including a 73-65 win over Utah State Eastern before falling to a No. 8- ranked College of Southern Idaho 61-50 that saw the Cougars traile d11-9 after the first quarter and just 23-20 at halftime.
The third quarter saw the Cougars grab their biggest lead of the game at 31-26 behind back-to-back 3-pointers by Kuck and a bucket by Nataly Dunka. CSI responded as they went on an 8-3 run to lead 38-33 after three.
The fourth quarter was a battle as WNCC grabbed a 46-42 lead with just over two minutes to play. That was when the shooting woes hit for the Cougars and CSI went on a 13-0 run to lead 59-46 before winning 61-50.
Lidia Hernandez had a huge stat line for the Cougars as the 5-foot-7 guard posted a double-double with 15 points and 15 re-
bounds along with three steals.
Two other Cougars also netted double figures as Helena Kuck and Adelina Urtane each had 10 points. Kuck buried three 3-pointers while Urtane had a double-double with 10 rebounds to go with her 10 points.
The difference in the game was shooting as the Cougars shot just 27.4 percent from the game and were 6-of-33 from behind the arc. CSI wasn’t that much better, shooting 31.9 percent and just 4-of-21 from the 3-point line.
The Cougars did win the rebound battle 49-46 as Hernandez and Urtane combined
for 25 rebounds.
WNCC came back and defeated Utah State Eastern once again 78-67 before falling to No. 22 Salt Lake Community College in Utah.
WNCC rebounded with four straight wins that saw them blow past Dawson Community College in Salt Lake City, Utah.
THey then went to Gillette, Wyoming for three games. First up was No. 22 and unbeaten North Dakota School of Science and the Cougars had one of their best first halves as they ran to a 41-20 halftime lead.
The third quarter, the Cougars managed Continued on next page
WNCC’s Adelina Urtane dribbles to the paint against EWC in November. The Cougar women have battled the first semester to a 12-3 record and a Top 25 ranking.
n Cougar women ranked 22nd ....
just four points, but came back to out-score NDSCS 15-13 in the fourth for the 60-54 win.
WNCC then had an easy time with Miles Community College, winning 95-53. That set up a game with the host school Gillette College and buried 12 3-pointers in the 70-52 win that saw the Cougars start slow, trailing 12-7.
It was at that stage where something clicked for the Cougars and a big reason was the team’s 3-point shooting.
The Cougars shot 44 percent and buried 12 3-pointers while Gillette shot just eight percent and made just one of 13 treys. Helene Kuck started the 3-point shooting with an early triple. Laura Montiel then buried a trey to make it 12-10. WNCC took their first lead of the game at 15-14 when Adelina Urtane had an old-fashioned 3-point play.
The score was tied late in the first when WNCC was playing for the last shot. Nataly Dunka, with the clock running down, buried a 3-pointer to put the Cougars up 20-17 after one period.
The second quarter was one where the Cougar offense continued excelling, burying five treys while the defense allowed just eight Gillette points. WNCC pushed the lead to 27-19 after a Montiel triple. Then, moments later, Kuck buried back-to-back 3-pointers for a 33-21 lead. WNCC led by 18 late at 41-23 when Zozefina Sipolina hit her 3-pointer. The Cougars led at half 4125.
The third quarter started rough as Gillette scored the first six points and sliced the Cougar lead to single digits at 47-36. WNCC closed out the third on a 11-2 run that was highlighted by Kuck burying three free throws after getting fouled on a 3-pointer. Urtane then duplicated what Danka did in the first when she buried a buzz-beating triple to put WNCC up 60-40.
The final 10 minutes saw Gillette outscore WNCC 12-10, but the Pronghorns could never get closer than 15 points.
WNCC had four players in double figures. Kuck led the way with 20 points with five 3-pointers and five rebounds. Hernandez finished with 16 points with two treys,
eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
Urtane had 12 points before fouling out while Dunka had 11 points with seven rebounds.
Besides 3-point shooting, the Cougars also was perfect from the free throw line, going 10-of-10 while Gillette was just 65 percent (15-of-23).
The Cougars are off until January when they head to Casper, Wyoming, for the Region IX Crossover tournament wherent ey will face Gillette College once again on January 9 followed by a contest with Wetern Wyoming Community College and Casper College.
Western Wyoming is a team that has the Cougars number as the Mustangs have defeated the Cougars six straight times, three times each in 2023-24 and 2022-23. The last win against Western Wyoming was
in December 2021 when WNCC defeated Western Wyoming 105-59 in Cheyenne,k Wyoming.
After that weekend, the Cougars are slated to have 13 days off without a game before they start Region IX South play with home games with Otero Collegte and Trinidad State College January 24 and 25.
The Region IX tournament will be held March 13-15 at the site of the South winner, which could be Cougar Palace if they win their conference.
In overall records, WNCC has one less loss (three) than the second team in the South Sub-region which is McCook. McCook is 9-4 on the season. The other schools in the South and their overall records are Lamar at 3-9, Trinidad 1-10, Northeastern 1-12, and Otero 1-13.
— Written by Mark Rein
Laura Montiel battles a LCCC player for the ball during their game in November. The Cougars first home game in January is December 24 when they host Otero.
20+Questions with Zozefine Sipolina
WNCC’s Zozefine Sipolina is a freshman from Jurmala, Latvia, and is leading the Cougars in scoring after the first semester at 14.2 points a game. Zozefine is also shooting 36.5 percent from the 3-point line while also pulling down 3.1 rebounds a game. Zozefine has already made 46 3-pointers this season with the most in one game by the 5-foot-8 guard was six in a game against Laramie County Community College on November 13 when she poured in 27 points in the win. Her 46 3-pointers this season is tied for 21st with Silvia DaSilva from the 2003-04 team. The record is held by Merle Wiehl with 121 made in the 2018-19 season.
Zozefine has scored in double figures 11 of the 15 games that she has played with hitting the 20-point mark just three times. She had 22 points in the first two games of the season against Fort Hays Tech and Central Wyoming College.
Zozefine ranks fifth in the NJCAA in made 3-pointers with 46. K. Tinker of Wallace State leads the nation with 58 made. Before Zozefine left for the holiday break where she was staying with teammate Katie Vierra in Berthouid, Colorado, Zozefine sat down with me for a nice 20 question feature. The oh-so-humble Zozefine said she is hoping her team can continue playing like they have the first semester and try to get to the national tournament. Here is the 20-plus questions.
MR: How is the team playing so far after the first semester?
ZS: I think the team is playing good. Of course we can still play better than what we are playing right now, but I think it could be better.
MR: After the team got back from Gillette with three wins, the team got in the rankings. What does it mean to the team to be ranked?
ZS: To be honest, I am not into the rankings but it does feel pretty good that my team can be in the rankings and be one of the best teams in the country. That means a lot but like I said earlier, I am not focusing on the rankings because if we are focusing on the rankings it shows we are one of the best teams, but that doesn’t matter right now.
MR: How did you end up over at WNCC?
ZS: Coach Davis texted me and I really wanted to come to America and play basketball. That is how it happened.
MR: Did you know Adelina over in Latvia?
ZS: Yes, I was playing with her in on the Latvia national teams and I knew her for a while.
n 20 questions with Zozafina ....
MR: So it was pretty was it easy decision to come over here?
ZS: I would say, yeah, it was because also it was pretty late in the summer. It was like late July, so I had to make a decision fast. and I thought it was like a good opportunity to come and show myself.”
MR: What is basketball like overseas in Latvia and Europe compared to over here?
ZS: It’s more physical and it is like a little bit different. The games are like you are playing against one team and then you are playing them again. The second semester you are playing against teams home and away. So, the difference here is that you have to go far away before before the conference games.
MR: You like to shoot the threes, is that you’re specialty?
ZS: Well, I would call myself a shooter. Yes, of course I can shoot the three, but I can also drive. I can do everything pretty much, but I like shooting.”
MR: Does it get frustrating for you when you when your threes don’t go down sometimes, or do you just kind of try to dot other things?
ZS: I mean, of course, at first, when it doesn’t go in, I’m like, well, I just gotta run on defense to get back or if we get the ball again on offensive, we just gotta play offense again. But as a shooter, you cannot have that kind of mindset and you cannot be focusing all the time on the missed shots, I’m just thinking about what’s next.
MR: How far back have you made a three pointer? I know of you made some pretty long ones just the last semester, but how far back can you go? Yeah. Have you thought about that?
ZS: No I haven’t really thought about that.
MR: I know you’ve gone pretty far back behind the line somewhat. Have you made any halfcourt shots in your career?
ZS: No I haven’t.
MR: What is the goal for this team coming
the second semester?
ZS: I would say to win region 9, but there has to be like little goals like the little details such as being on time to practice and just practice all the time. By doing the little details, you can you can go to that the biggest goal where we have right now. Right now
it is to go to the Region 9 tournament and win Region 9.
MR: You don’t have a lot of players, so it’s probably tough on you, but how important is it for the ones on a bench to come in and do well?
ZS: I think when you played and won some of those games, it’s been like a team effort.
MR: And how important is it for the ones that usually don’t play a lot to do well?
ZS: They can come in and do stuff, too. It is really important. Like we have to be like in our game all the time, and so you cannot just go into the game and not do the little things and like details the details is , what coach says. So, it is really important to be focused all the time in the game, even though if you’re not playing a lot, because you never know if you’re sitting on a bench, coach might call you to go out on court. So, you’ve just gonna be prepared and focused and know what’s happening on a court.
MR: What is it like playing under coach?
ZS: It is good because there is that player coach communication and I think it is really good. I know that some coaches don’t like to listen to their players, but coach Ryan, and also coach Shay, they listen to us and we’ll listen to them. I would even say it’s like a good friendship, but like it’s not a friendship, but because they’re like coaches, so I cannot think of them as friends, but I have to think that I know I can go and just talk to them about everything like what I think about the game and what we can do better and all that. So, everybody gets along really well on a team and it’s like we’re a big families.
MR: Are you going home over break?
ZSL No, I’m going to Colorado to Katie’s house because tickets are pretty expensive to go back home so I’m staying here. But, I mean, I’m not that sad because Katie’s like my family.
MR: So you can enjoy the Colorado winter time a little bit.
Zozefine Sipolina shoots the ball against Casper in the first home game of the year.
n 20 questions with Zozafina ....
ZS: I am trying to thing about that.
MR: What are your goals for the second semester?
ZS: My goals now is to show myself that I can be my very best and that I can do everything better. I know I haven’t maybe some things did that and I wasn’t like that good as it was so I so my goal was to be better. I need to focus on details. I’m just gonna play my game and so I would say that’s pretty much it.
MR: What’s the most points you scored in the game?
ZS: Over in Latvia, it was 37 points.
MR: How many threes you make in your 37 points?
ZS: I don’t remember that.
MR: You don’t remember that?
ZS: Because I can shoot, I can drive, I can do everything, so, I mean, it is not like that important to me to see how many threes I made or something.
MR: So, stats don’t mean a lot to you, right?
ZS: They do, but at the same time, it doesn’t matter if it’s a three or if it’s a two because winning any game is more important.
—
Written by Mark Rein
Zozefine Sipolina drives to the basket in a game against Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, Wyoming. Sipolina is one of those players that likes to shoot the three, but also likes to shoot the two as well along with driving to the basket and getting assists.
Cougar men ready for 2nd semester
WNCC men wrap up first
semester with big win over Casper College
The WNCC men played one of the toughest first semester schedules and despite their 5-8 record this semester, the Cougars have come together with a first-year head coach in former WNCC assistant coach Roybell Baez.
WNCC is averaging 87.9 points a game and one of their biggest wins of the season was the final first semester when they defeated Casper College 95-91, a team that was averaging over 100 points a contest.
In fact, the Cougars have won three of four games in December.
The month of December started with a 91-89 win over North Dakota School of Science 91-89 in a game where the Cougars led 49-44 and had to survive in the final minute. NDSCS battled back from an 8682 defivit to make it a one-point contest at 87-86 with 1:26 to play. Elijah Hollins and Elijah Burned hit three charity toss with 25 seconds to play to make it 90-86. NDSCS hit a triple with 13 seconds to play for a Cougar 90-89 lead. Burney hit one of two free throws for the 2-point leald and NJSCS had a chance to win the game but a 3-pointer came up inches short at the buzzer for the Cougar winner.
The Cougars followed that up with a big 147-68 win over Little Big Horn where WNCC led 78-33 at halftime. It was a game where the Cougars moved up in the record book with some offensive records.
The Cougars’ scoring put the team high in the record books at the second most points scored in a game and a half. WNCC’s 147 points is second behind the 161 points scored in the 2010 season. WNCC’s 78 first-half points is also second, just four points from the record of 82 points scored in 2010.
WNCC shot 55.7 percent from the field and were 40 percent from beyond the arc. The Cougars buried 20 3-pointers, which is tied for third in the record book. The record is 22 3-pointers set against Eastern
Wyoming (2017) and North Platte (2018).
Seven different Cougars buried a 3-pointer in the contest. Randolph had seven treys while Toms Linis and Caleb Swisher each had three treys apiece.
WNCC also controlled the boards, pulling down 54 rebounds, led by Linis with eight and six each from Swisher, Randolph, Noah Jones, and Kendrick Preston.
The Cougars also dished off 30 assists and had 23 steals. Isaiah St. Preux had six assists followed by Randolph with five. Randolph also had four steals.
WNCC then followed up the Little Big Horn win with another high-scoring contest against Miles Community College. Unfortunately, the Cougars were on the wrong side of the scoreboard, falling 123-113 in game where Miles led 54-50 at halftime and both teams scored 60 or more points n the second half.
The two teams combined for 236 points, which is the third-highest in WNCC program history. The top combined score was 241 points when Gillette defeated WNCC 127-114 in triple overtime in 2013.
So, what would the Cougars do against Casper? It was a game that started out as a defensive contest but ended up with both teams scoring. WNCC led 47-40 at halftime and continued playing strong defense as they got the 95-91 win.
Casper came into the contest at 11-2 while averaging 100 points a contest. The Cougars, in their last five games, was averaging 111 points a contest. The two teams combined for 186 points as the Cougars buried 10 3-pointers and made clutch free throws to register their fifth win of the season.
WNCC coach Baez was pleased with
Continued on next page
WNCC’s Elijah Burney brings the ball up the court on a fast break against Casper on December 10.
n Cougar men ready for second semester ......
how his team played down the stretch. He said the key was holding Casper’s Abdul Bashir down, who had several NCAA Division I coaches in the stands watching him.
“I thought it was a complete team effort. You saw in the first half our guys flying around,” Baez said. “I told you this morning that we were not going to let number 4 beat us. We were just going to track him and let the others beat us and that is how it worked out. Every little space out there he went for it and that is why UCLA and Ole Miss were here to watch him. He is a really good player and I thought our guys did a really good job on him. I was proud of the effort.”
Casper’s Bashir finished with 17 points and just two treys. He was also 5-of-16 from the field.
WNCC, on the other hand, had five players in double figures led by Elijah Hollins with 24 points with four threes. Harris finished with 17 points followed by Isaiah St. Preux with 15, Mathiang Maker with 12, and Kendrick Preston with 10.
Baez said he is proud of the way this team battled tonight to go into the break on a bright spot.
“I am just so proud of these guys. Starting off the way we did to start the year, it would have been easy for the guys to just cave in. We are young and we have a lot of freshmen playing out there and I keep telling the fellas that we will be OK. We just have to continue to have the fire and what better way to go into the break than beating a team like that. That is a really good Casper team. They are really good and they are really well coached. They didn’t get uncomfortable and they got back into the game . I just thought our guys were tough tonight and that’s something I am proud of.”
WNCC will be back in action January 10 when they host Western Wyoming Community College at 6:30 p.m. at Cougar Palace. WNCC will then be on the road at Casper College and Gillette College January 10 and 11. They will then have a 13 day week off when they host Otero and Trinidad on January 24 and 25.
— Written by Mark Rein
Kendrick Preston slams home two points against Casper.
Crowd favortie Harris following
in his father, brother’s footsteps as a member of Cougars
Scottsbluff’s Kellon Harris has big shoes to fill as he follows in his dad, Anthony’s, and brother, Trent’s, footsteps as a part of the Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team. Kellon Harris, a 2023 Scottsbluff High graduate, has been a key player for the Cougars this season, having started all 13 games during the first semester while averaging 12.6 points a game.
His role on the team is similar in ways to his father and brother, but in many ways different. Kellon said he is definitely a better player than his brother and father with a little laugh. But they are also his biggest critic on the court, so he definitely has big shoes to follow.
“There is a little pressure, a little legacy at home for my dad winning and my brother winning,” he said. “They give me tips. They catch everything bad and try to fix my mistakes, They try to get me to play the best that I can and be the best player.”
His dad, Anthony, played for the Cougars under head coach Dave “Soupy” Campbell in 1991-93, winning a Region IX title in his sophomore year. Kellon’s dad was a different kind of player than Kellon or Trent. Anthony had 29 total steals in his two years. Anthony came to WNCC from Holy Springs, Mississippi, in 1991 and after his two years with the Cougars, he went on to play at Washburn University.
Trent played at WNCC from 2016-18, helping the Cougars to a Region IX title his sophomore year under the coaching of Cory Fehringer, Bill Engel and Roybell Baez. Trent finished his career with 745 points. Trent connected on 141 3-pointers in his two years at WNCC and shot 45.78 percent from beyond the arc (ranks 14th in career 3-point shooting percentage). Trent is third in made 3-pointers in his two years behind another former Scottsbluff High graduate Rick Kinner. Kinner nailed 225
Kellon Harris slams home two points in a game in November. Harris has started all the games for the Cougars and is averaging 12.6 points a game with 5.2 rebounds a game and making 33.3 percent of his long range shots.
treys and second on the list is Vinnie Shahid, who played with Trent, with 169 treys. Trent also tallied 128 steals which is fifth in the record book.
Trent’s sophomore year saw the shooting guard finish with 466 points and made 94 free throws. For Trent, he went on to have an outstanding career at the Division I
level at the University of Northern Colorado.
Kellon, who red-shirted a year ago, is in his first year of playing collegiately and he said that red-shirt year definitely has made him a better player.
Continued on next page
n Harris following in his dad, brother’s footsteps ......
“It is amazing how much I have improved,” Kellon said. “Last year, just practicing with those guys and watching every game, I couldn’t wait to get out there. Just growing up and being around my brother and playing college basketball and I couldn’t wait to be out there. Just seeing the environment, I couldn’t wait to be out there and experience it myself.
“(Red-shirting) helped a lot. I learned a lot I that first year learning how much effort it takes to get stuff done compared to high school, just learning to play on the floor and with each other. It (the redshirt year) helped a lot.”
During the first semester, Kellon is putting up the numbers on both the offensive and defensive side. Harris has already scored 164 points and connected on 23 3-pointers. He is also shooting 83.8 percent from the charity stripe (31-of-37). Kellon is on clip to surpass his brother’s totals.
But, the two brothers are different type of players. Trent was a defensive hound with long-ranging shooting ability. Kellon is one that loves to rebound – he has 67 rebounds this year – and can shoot the three. But his favorite part of scoring is dunking
and he has lighted up The Palace with some eye-popping dunks. He was also a dunker in high school as well.
While he enjoys dunking, he can shoot the three and that was his forte in high school as well. At the college level, Kellon is definitely a different player because all the
teams have players that can play.
“I think I am a different player than high school,” he said. “The competition has pushed me to play harder than before. I have been showing more skills than I did in high
Continued on next page
Kellon Harris looks to make a move to the basket against EWC in Torrington, Wyoming, in November.
n Harris following in his dad, brothers footsteps ......
school just because I have to play with more effort, so I think I am a better player now.”
Through the first semester, the Cougars are just 5-8, but they have played a very tough schedule including games against ranked teams like Salt Lake Community College, Snow College, College of Southern Idaho, and Gillette College.
One of their biggest wins of the season came on Tuesday, December 10 when the Cougars defeated a Casper College team 95-91. Casper came into the game at 11-2 while averaging 100 points a game. Kellon finished with 17 points with two treys in the contest while also pulling down six rebounds and collecting two steals.
Kellon said the schedule that they have played should help them during the second semester, which will have plenty of conference games.
“That schedule will help. Right now, we just have a bunch of freshmen and it is their first time experiencing it as well as myself,” he said. “So, just seeing those tougher teams before we get into conference will help us play better in conference.”
Last year, when Kellon was a red-shirt, he saw how that team had a below .500 first semester and then put it together in the second semester, going xx and almost winning the Region IX title falling to Trinidad State in the championship game.
“Last year they struggled the first semester, too, finished negative before Christmas and then in the second half, almost won Region IX. So, that is what we are working to.”
What this year’s team has is plenty of scorers. In the last six games before the holiday break, the Cougars are averaging 108.5
points a game.
Kellon said the strength of this year’s team is scoring and playing up-tempo.
“Playing fast is our biggest strength,” he said. “We have been playing a little slow we have been taking bad shots. We are a good shooting team so playing fast and getting up more threes will show what we can do.”
His goal is to follow in his dad and brother’s footsteps and play at the next level, hopefully at the Division I level like his brother. For now, he just wants to be the best teammate possible and see where this season will take him.
“For me it is playing the best ability that I can; being the best teammate that I can,” he said. “For everybody else, it is playing their role and playing the best they can, and for us to all play together.”
— Written by Mark Rein
Serving Scottsbluff and Gering as well as the Panhandle with medical facilities for over 50 years!
Region IX Champs
Cougars capture second Region IX title; compete at nationals for 1st time in program history
It was over 20 years since the WNCC men’s soccer team captured a Region IX title but this year’s team did something special for the soccer program.
The Cougars captured the conference championship when they went on the road and defeated then ranked Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
That gave them a first-round bye and in the semifinals of the regional tournament, the Cougars downed LCCC 1-0 on October 26 when Eduardo Oliveira scored with under eight minutes to play in the match.
That win meant the Cougars would host the Region IX finals in November. Imagine playing soccer at Landers in November? Well, it was a gorgorgous Saturday afternoon on November 2 and Otero College came to play as neither team scored a goal
in the first half.
The second half saw Maxime Niyibasho score in the 50th minutes for the 1-0 lead.
WNCC added an insurance goal in the k73rd minute when Lucas Ovalle scored to secure the 2-0 lead and it was enough to give the Cougars their second Region IX championship in school history. The first time was back in 2003.
The win, however also sent the Cougars to the national tournament. In years past, the Region IX winner always had to play a district playoff game. This year was different and the Cougars would pack their bags to head to the NJCAA national tournament in Wichita, Kansas in mid November.
For coach Todd Rasnic it is his first with the men’s program since he took over in 2005. The Cougar women won a regional title in 2008 under Rasnic. But, this is the
first time WNCC will be at nationals as the other times the Cougars had to go through a district final. Not this year, though.
Rasnic was one happy coach after the game and with under two minutes left in the match, it could be seen as he went down the line of his bench players giving them a high five and hugs.
“I have been at the school for a long time and this has been an event for me that eluded me in winning the Region IX championship and getting a chance to compete at nationals. So, needless to say, I am over the moon happy with what happened here today,” Rasnic said. “I would be remised if I didn’t take the time and say that I give 99 percent of the credit to Eseah Ingram, my assistant coach. He has done an excellent job of connecting with the players this year
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n Cougar soccer competes at nationals ......
and spends countless hours watching game video and breaking games down and the nitty-gritty work. The players did it. With all that being said, we are super excited that we won and get a chance to compete at nationals.”
Ingram, who used to play for Rasnic and is now the assistant coach, was humbled to see his players celebrate the victory. The players even lifted Ingram up and tossed him in the air in a celebratory salute to their assistant and winning regionals.
“This means everything. We haven’t won a Region IX title since 2003 and if my math is correct, 21 years ago,” he said. “We were in position a couple of times, we were the number one seed a couple of times, and today we made history so it means everything to us. We are enjoying the moment and enjoy the game over the weekend and come next week our focus is on nationals.”
Ingram, a Scottsbluff High graduate that went on to play soccer at Shaw University, said the players bought in to what they were doing all season.
“This is special right now. For me I am blessed that Coach Rasnic come in and trusted in what I was doing and I am happy that the boys bought in to know what we were doing in the long hard season. We knew that if we played our game, we could compete with anybody. Today, we endured
the pressure and got a little luck in some aspects and when our chances happened, we put it in the back of the net.”
Rasnic said it was a very competitive match against a talented Otero squad that were unlucky on some of their shots and WNCC get lucky on their shots.
“It was a tale of two halves,” Rasnic said. They came out strong. I kind of assumed that the pace they were playing they wouldn’t be able to keep the pace as hard
as they were playing. I just literally felt like we paced ourselves correctly without taking our foot off the gas. We were attacking for 90 minutes and I think that paid off for us in the end. We are grateful and we are looking for the opportunity to go to Wichita in a couple weeks.”
That sent the Cougars off to the national tournament and they were placed in the same pool as last year’s national champion
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WNCC competes against Tyler at Nationals as Roberto Rivero fights for a ball against a Tyler defender on a nice day in Wichita, Kansas.
n Cougar soccer competes at nationals ......
Tyler Junior College and also Indian Hills Community College, a team the Cougars lost to early in the year 6-0.
The national tournament was a different story as the Cougars competed well. Against Tyler on November 17, the Rasnic said the team had some nerves and it showed in the first half as they trailed 2-0 with Tyler scoring in the 19th and 36 minutes to take a 2-0 halftime lead.
The second half was a different story as WNCC played like a seasoned team.
WNCC head coach Todd Rasnic, who was presented with the District Coach of the Year award on Saturday, said the score doesn’t indicate how his team played.
“I thought we came out a bit timid. I don’t think we were scared, we just had nerves and you are human,” Rasnic said. “Today we weren’t lucky. We missed a few of our opportunities and looking at the stats of the game, the shots and shot count and time of possession was in our favor by the end of the match. We just didn’t basically capitalize on our opportunities and finish the way we should have.”
Those little jitters in the first half was the difference in the contest. Rasnic said they talked to the guys before the game and told them a mistake is a goal and that is how it works at the national tournament.
“We made three mistakes today and
they scored three goals,” he said. “We had chances. We hit the post several times. We had shots in front of the goal and they were saved. As far as I am concerned the run of play was in our favor, but it comes down to who puts the ball in the back of the net. We just didn’t do it today.”
WNCC sliced the deficit in half, scoring their first goal at nationals in the 64th minute when Guilherme Lindolfo sent a long pass to Anthony Lemus who found the back of the net..
But, Tyler scored another goal and got the win.
THe Cougars wouild then face Indian Hills the next day at nationals and the weather took a 360 turn from what the Tyler match was. The Cougars and Indian Hills played in rainy and coldy and windy conditions.
The Cougars, however, gave Monday’s contest a good try. The first half the two teams played in partly cloudy skies with strong winds. The second half saw plenty of rain combined with the fierce winds.
The first half saw WNCC get the first shot off as Lucas Ovalle took a shot but it was blocked. Indian Hills had four shots and a couple corner kicks after that, but the Cougar defense had a brick wall up as the two teams were knotted 0-0 at halftime.
The second half saw the weather ele-
ments deteriorate with plenty of rain with 35 or higher wind gusts going through Wichita.
Indian Hills struck first as they scored two goals in the first six minutes of the half. The first goal came with 1:27 gone off the clock as Daniel Mulero scored. Five minutes later, Indian Hills made it 2-0 when Commni Diego Lazaro scored off an assist from Daniel Mulero.
After that, the Cougar defense picked up its intensity and thwarted shot after shot. In the meantime, WNCC still was taking shots as well. The Cougars, who were going against the stiff wind in the second half, had a shot by Eduardo Oliveira that was saved by Indian Hills goalkeeper in the 64rd minute. Fifty seconds later, Alvaro Abeal had an excellent chance, but his shot went high.
WNCC had a couple of other shots, but couldn’t get them in the net.
WNCC finished with eight shots while Indian Hills had 15. Indian Hills had seven corner kicks to three for WNCC.
WNCC goalkeeper Owen Henderson had seven saves in net.
After the tournament, Oliveira was placed on the All-tournament team. Also, the Cougar team earned the Sportsmanship Award from their play in the tournament. — Written by
Mark Rein
Members of the WNCC soccer team are shown at the soccer banquet before the start of the tournament.
Owen Henderson skies to make a save at nationals.
Men’s soccer all-Americn 20
WNCC’s Oliveira becomes first men’s soccer NJCAA All-American in school history
WNCC’s Oliveria becomes Cougar men’s first soccer all-American
The Western Nebraska Community College men’s soccer team made their first-ever trip to the national tournament after winning the Region IX tournament in November.
A month later, Eduardo Oliveira made history as being the first men’s soccer player to be a NJCAA Division I All-American.
Oliveira was placed on the Third Team and was the only Region IX player to make All-American.
“It means a lot to me because I know how hard I worked and how much effort I put in to achieve this,” Oliveira said. “So, it’s very gratifying to see that I was named an All-American. It makes me very happy and even more motivated to keep improving.”
The Cougars finished the season at 10-6-2 and competed well against the two teams in their pool at the national tournament. The Cougars fell to last year’s national champion Tyler Junior College 3-1 and then lost to Indian Hills Community College 2-0.
Oliveira said competing at the national tournament was an amazing experience and the team played hard.
“Playing in the national tournament was a unique experience,” he said. “I know we only played two games, but they were two very difficult games where we had a chance to win but unfortunately, we didn’t. But the experience was incredible. I hope to have more of this experience in my life.”
In total, 33 players earned All-American status. Oliveira was the only Region IX player on the team. Most of the players on the team competed in the NJCAA national tournament. Iowa Western, who won the national tournament, led the way with three recipients as Ajmal Tesilimi was on the first team followed by Florentino Junior and Takumi Kumakura on the second team.
WNCC sophomore Eduardo Oliveira boots the ball in a game at LCCC in October. Oliveira became the men’s soccer team’s first NJCAA All-American for his play on the field this past season in helping the Cougars to a Region IX title.
Other First Team selections included Miami Dade’s Facundo Ochoa, Daytona State’s Hector Moreno, Indian Hill’s Daniel Mulero, Tyler’s Carlo Romberg and Joe Pollard, Harcum’s Zsombor Pall, Murray State’s Ryosuke Miyate, Cowley’s Kanta Ishi, Arizona Western’s Esteban Gonzalez, and Salt Lake’s Igor Goncalves.
Second Team members include Mur-
ray State’s Alexis Lopez, Cowley’s Shogo Haraikawa and Kohsuke Fukudome, Miami Dade’s Edoardo Duchini, Indian Hills’ Lucas Bauer; North Idaho’s Ismael Mane, Coastal Bend’s Yahel Paramo, Tyler’s Ljubo Popovic, and Arizona Western’s Esteban Gonzalez.
Joining Oliveira on the Third Team
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n Oliveira is a men’s soccer All-American ...... 21
include Mohave’s Luis Mario Medina, Western Texas’ Ruben Roy Ekue Kuevi, Snow College’s Jack Cook, Harford’s Rex Pearce, Southwestern Illinois’ Maquan Aldridge, Eastern Florida State’s Luc Achermann-Stanfield, Murray State’s Gui Alves, Cowley’s Takeru Chiba, Harcum’s Touhami Bel-Hadj, and Miami Dade’s Samuel Cavo.
For Oliveira, he finished the year with 13 goals and five assists. He finishes his WNCC career with 22 total goals, which makes him one of five players to collect over 20 goals in his career.
“This season, I can say, was one of the best of my life as an individual,” he said. “I was able to be crucial in helping my team in every game and thus make history at WNCC.”
Oliveira spent three years at WNCC redshirting two years ago. Last year, he managed just nine goals and then added 13 this
year. Oliveira said he got better each year and now starts the hard part, finding where his next college will be.
“I think each year I have improved a lot because I knew my potential and I went from not playing in my 1st year because of an Injury to being MVP and champion in my third year,” the forward from Brazil said. “So, I think I have improved a lot.”
Now begins Oliveira’s tough semester as he decides his future, which will include soccer. He also will be leaving an area that of Nebraska where he calls home when he graduates in May from WNCC.
“The decision of choosing a place to go next year is very difficult,” he said. “I think the hardest part, to be honest, I have to think about everything if I like the place, if the coaches will trust me, if the weather is good, so there are a lot of things to think about. But I am still looking for the best place for me.”
GOOD LUCK
His loyalty to the area is obvious as he became a men-
tor to young ones, who would want to play soccer with him after games and he was a mentor to them. That is why Nebraska and Wyoming has became a special place for him.
“It means a lot to me to be a mentor to young fans, especially Jade’s (Brothwell) nieces and nephews,” he said. “I remember being their age and looking up to players who inspired me to dream big and work hard. Seeing their excitement and knowing I can have that kind of positive influence on them motivates me even more.
“I think it (WyoBraska area) is very special because these two places changed my life,” he said. “I was very happy here and these two places will always be in my heart.”
His time in the area is one that he will remember and he has so many thanks for his soccer playing times.
“I just want to say thanks to my teammates who helped me during the season, my coaches who always believed in me, without them, I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything I’ve achieved,” he said.
— Written by Mark Rein
Todd Rasnic receives the District Coach of the Year award at the national tourney banquet.
Zwart puts together steller season, becomes an NJCAA All-American volleyball player
Western Nebraska Community College’s Lilly Zwart accomplished something that she had dreams of doing ever since she came to the United State and that was an All-American athlete.
Zwart, the sophomore from Nelson, New Zealand, said ever since her freshman year, she had a goal to accomplish that feat. Earlier in December the NJCAA Division I All-American list was unveiled and Zwart’s name was among the third team honorees.
“Being All-American was one of the biggest goals I had when I moved to America and I didn’t know it was a thing until I got here until my roommates told me about it and since then it became my goal to become one,” Zwart said. “Without us going to nationals, I thought my dream of being an all-American had died. But, getting told I made All-American was one of the astonishing things I received all year. Honestly, getting the Region IX South Player of the Year was incredible and first team on the all-conference was amazing and proud of myself. Then topping all those off being an All-American was so incredible and so happy.”
Zwart was one of four Region IX players on one of the three teams. Joining Zwart as honorable mention was Eastern Wyoming’s Boden Liljedahl, the Lancer libero. NJC had two All-Americans as Nerea Alvarez Jorge was a First Team selection as a setter and Rosa Brencic was a Second Team selection as an outside hitter.
When Zwart learned of her All-American honor, her first instinct was to call her mom back in New Zealand.
“My first thoughts of an All-American was to call my mom. She’s known about this dream that I’ve had since I found out what the All-American team was and she has been supporting me every way to get to that goal,” Zwart said. “My first instinct was to tell my mom and we had a little bit of excited call about that. Then, I told my roommates and they were super proud of me. Honestly, my first though after hearing about being an All-American.”
Zwart said this season was a special season with how the team played as a family and grew on the court.
“Honestly, I really had a fun season. Follow-
ing last season with all the coaching changes, it was really nice to grow with the sophomores and the freshmen coming in,” she said. “I think we all really enjoyed ourselves which was the most important part. When we were having fun, we were winning and when we were winning, we weren’t just scraping by, we were blowing teams out of the water, which was so much fun. Myself, personally, I think I had a really incredible season. I broke my season high multiple times for kills and I really just learned to be a more allaround player than just being a dominant hitter on the front line.”
Zwart has a standout season this year, tallying 474 kills, 119 digs, and 105 blocks. She finished her 2-year career with 848 kills, 40 service aces, 192 blocks, and 223 digs. She was named Region IX South Player of the Year this season as well as a South All-Region player.
With one more semester at WNCC, this next semester will be one of her hardest as she decides where to continue her playing as well as being around all the friends that she has become close to. She has had some unofficial offers but still has colleges calling so she will be making recruiting visits. She said, however, she isn’t going to jump the gun in making a decision, looking
for the right fit.
“I will be taking my visits to a couple schools and be making a decision where to go next year,” Zwart said. “Then, the rest of the semester, I will be training hard as I can so I can be the best version of myself when I go to that school. Also, to really enjoy my time at WNCC. I grown to love it here living in Scottsbluff so this next semester is going to be about enjoying my last few months here and make sure everyone that helped me along the way, realizes how much I appreciate them.”
For Zwart, coming to the United States was a learning curve.
“Coming to America was some of the biggest culture shocks I’ve had in my entire life,” Zwart said. “I live in a place right by the ocean where we just relax and chill out all the time. When I came to America where everything is a fast-paced environment and definitely a change for me, but I loved every second living here and I find this as my home away from home so I do love Scottsbluff.”
It is this may that will be hard when she has to say goodbye to her friends that she became close to.
“Honestly, that is one of my biggest fears about transferring is not having my friends. I’ve become super close with the other international girls,” she said. “ They have become my life support system over here and why whole support system. I have got a lot of connections with the other sports here and honestly, leaving them behind to go to my bigger school is going to be probably one of the hardest things about living in America.”
Zwart said she is hoping to continue playing after college in the United States in the professional volleyball league or overseas if that is where her sport takes her.
“I honestly am not sure what I am going to do when I finish playing volleyball in the states,” Zwart said. “Now, since there is a professional league here in America, I would love continuing playing here. I love the environment of playing volleyball in America. It is probably one of the biggest women’s sports so I really appreciate that. And, if I end up over in Europe in the professional league, I will be happy either way.”
— Written by Mark Rein
Lilly Zwart poses with softball player Tina Horton during sophomore day. The two are from down under, Australia and New Zealand.
The Top 12 Top Cougar events from 2024
1) WNCC men’s soccer team captures Region IX championship.
2) Men’s soccer competes in first national tourney, picks up the national tournament Sportsmanship award.
3) Cougar men’s basketball team takes runner-up at regionals in March.
4) Cougar baseball finishes in top four at regionals in May.
5) WNCC hires three new head coaches -- Fati, Roybell, and Ryan Davis.
6) Four teams make NJCAA All-Academic for 2024 -- volleyball, softball, women’s basketball, and baseball.
7) Former Cougar baseball player Garrett DeClue entertaining spectators as part of the Firefighters in the Savannah Bananas organization, a baseball team that travels around entertaining crowds.
8) Shintaro Inoue breaks a couple records for Cougar baseball team for runs scored (114) and home runs (28), signs with Kansas State.
9) Women’s basketball finishes first semester ranked 22nd at 12-3.
10) WNCC women’s basketball team sends four players to D1.
11) Former Cougar Chelsea Lyles named head coach at D1 FGCU.
12) Oliveira, Zwart named NJCAA All-American.
SSoccer, volleyball players earn post-season
All-Region IX honors
everal WNCC soccer and volleyball players earned Region IX honors for their play this fall.
The women’s soccer team placed two members on the All-Region teams. Lizbeth Barrera earned her second-straight all-region honor by being selected as an All-Region Honorable Mention defender. Yasmin Urbina was named an Honorable Mention forward.
The Cougar men’s soccer team, who competed in the program’s first national tournament this week, had both the offense and defensive player of the years.
Eduardo Oliveira, who had 13 goals this season, was named the Offensive Player of the Year (Leagues MVP) while sophomore Guilherme Lindolfo was named the Defensive Player of the Year. WNCC head coach Todd Rasnic was selected as the Region IX Men’s Coach of the Year.
As for individual honors, Oliveira was named a First Team Forward selection while Lindolfo was a First Team Defender selection.
Second Team All-Region honors were bestowed upon Lucas Ovalle and Maxime Niyibaho as midfielders, Paul Denz as a defender, and Owen Henderson as a goalkeeper. Denz and Henderson are both freshmen.
Honorable mention selections included Isrrael Rodriguez as a midfielder, Anthony Lemus as a forward, and Michael Escobar as a defender.
The Couigar volleyball team also had several players that earned Region IX South honors as well as All-Tournament honors.
First off, the All-Tournament team that was announced after the tournament on November 9 included a pair of Cougars. Sophomores Tamika Eastman of Harrison, Nebraska,
and Taylor Tyser, of Laramie, Wyoming, were named to the team.
Other members of the All-Tournament team included Region IX champion Eastern Wyoming College’s Boden Liljedahl, Amarie Huntsman, Siale Unufe, and Una Stepic; Region IX champion Northeastern Junior College’s Nerea Alvarez-Jorge, Natalie Moore, and Samantha Mosley; Laramie County’s Lea Susoy and Savannah Cummings; Western Wyoming’s Darleen Peterson and Shayna Quenga; and Central Wyoming’s Khloe Hobson and Hallie Reeder.
EWC’s Liljedahl, a libero, was named the tournament’s MVP.
The four Cougars that made All-Region South Conference honors included sophomore Lilly Zwart and freshman Nora Marginean on the First Team, and Taylor Tyser and Finja Schul on the Second Team.
Fall Sports Cougar All-Region Honors
— Women’s Soccer — Region IX All-Region Honorable Mention
Lizbeth Barrera
Yasmin Urbina
— Men’s Soccer —
Offensive Player of the Year
Eduardo Oliveira
Defensive Player of the Year
Guilherme Lindolfo
Coach of the Year
Todd Rasnic
All-Region First Team
Eduardo Oliveira
Guilherme Lindolfo
All-Region Second Team
Lucas Ovalle
Maxime Niybaho
Paul Denz
Owen Hernderson
All-Region Honorable Mention
Isrrael Rodriguez
Anthony Lemus
Michael Escobar
— Volleyball —
South Player of the Year
Lilly Zwart
South All-Region First Team
Lilly Zwart
Nora Marginean
South All-Region Second Team
Taylor Tyser
Finja Schul
All-Tournament Team
Tamika Eastman
Taylor Tyser
Rein
WNCC’s Zwart was named the Region IX South Player of the Year. — Written by Mark
Shake-up in athletic eligibility: NCAA grants waiver to players who played at non-NCAA schools
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved a blanket waiver which would grant an additional year of eligibility to junior college transfers because of a lawsuit that filed from Vanderbilt quarterbavk Diego Parvia.
The NCAA waiver would open the door for junior college athletes to spend another year in college playing if they would have used up their eligibility this year.
After the NCAA waiver granting junior college athletes an extra year, the NJCAA Board of Directors issued a statement.
“The NJCAA became aware today of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors granting a waiver to permit student-athletes who attended and competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years to remain eligible and compete in 2025-26 if those student-athletes would have otherwise used their final season of competition during the 2024-25 academic year,” the press release stated, “and meet all other eligibility requirements (e.g., progress toward degree, five-year period of eligibility). This is currently a temporary waiver that only applies to those student-athletes that meet the stated criteria to compete in 2025-26.”
The NJCAA press release further said they support all “two-year athletes seeking to continue their academic and athletic careers at the four-year level and is supportive of this waiver being granted to all two-year college student-athletes in a similar position as Diego Pavia.”
What bought about the waiver was the lawsuit by Vandy QB Pavia. Pavia previously played at New Mexico Military Institute for two seasons (2020-21) and then played two seasons at New Mexico State (202223).
He filed the lawsuiit deals with NIL deals and he was short-changed NIL money when playing at a JUCO. He won the lawsuit in the U.S. District court that requests an injunction that would prevent the NCAA from enforcing its bylaws regarding junior college player limits and grant Pavia two more seasons of eligibility.
The lawsuit, furthermore, says junior college transfers face eligibility restrictions that “are not placed on athletes who choose to delay entry to a Division I NCAA college to attend prep school, serve in the military, or even to compete professionally in another sport.”
The lawsuit also takes issue with the NCAA’s bylaws that start a player’s eligibility clock once he enters a two-year school, even if he doesn’t play, as well as its redshirt rule and four-year eligibility limit.
“Because Pavia cannot relive his short college career, the harm inflicted by the JUCO Eligibility Limitations Bylaws is irreparable and ongoing, and temporary and preliminary injunctive relief is necessary,” the lawsuit says. “Pavia brings this action to put a stop to the unjustified anticompetitive restriction on universities who seek to compete for college athletes, and to restore freedom of economic opportunity for himself and other college football players.”
Pavia enrolled at Vandy thinking he would only have one year of eligibiilty after playing four years before. He also will be making close to a million dollars in NIL money, and from some reports, that is one of the issues that drove the lawsuit since he thinks it is unfair to start the eligibility clock as soon as they start in JUCO where NIL money is not that great.
The NJCAA board, in their press release abouit the NCAA waiver, said. “The Division I Board of Directors and Division I Council authorized a comprehensive eligibility review in June of 2024. The intent of that review is to create an eligibility framework that will be sustainable and can withstand scrutiny. That review already resulted in action to modernize collegiate sports. The review includes all aspects of student-athlete eligibility, and Division I is committed to advancing the discussion during the upcoming January governance meetings.
“The NJCAA understands that communicating and working collaboratively will create a proactive environment to support
all student-athletes in a positive manner. We will welcome any opportunity to take part in discussions that impact the thousands of student-athletes that go from the NJCAA to the NCAA on a yearly basis. We all bear the responsibility to support them, while facilitating the ease of their transferability.
The NJCAA simply wants to do this by creating rules and objectives that meet those standards of being sustainable and without scrutiny from start to finish.
What this means for former WNCC players is those that went on to play at a NCAA institution and are seniors with four years of playing, could or would be granted an extra year of eligibility. This does not included sophomores at JUCO, only former JUCO players at an NCAA institution who used up their eligibility.
The big note is this is only a one-year deal as a preliminary injunction as the full trail could be held later in 2025. The ruling deals with antitrust laws going back to 2020 when the NCAA lifted the restriction on NIL compensation, rules regulating who can play -- i.e., who can enter the labot market for NCAA Division I football -- become commercial in nature.
— Written by Mark Rein
Future Cougars signed to play at WNCC for 2025-26, Cougar Sophomores that have signed to continue at a 4-year school
Newcomers signed for 2025-26
Volleyball
Men’s Soccer
Robert Connolly St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada
Tomoaki Kamiya Aichi, Japan
Aurele Cuenot Dr hamps-Vennes, France
Jean Lord Montreal, Ontario, Canada
Nicolas Selvaggio Domonguez.... A Coruna, Spain
Women’s Soccer
Irene Romero Molina .. Saint Joan D’Alacant, Span
JuliaMatte dos Santos ....Rio Grande, Brazil
Marit Schelstraete..... Oost-Souberg, Netherlands
. Softball
Emma Murdoch .... Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Baseball
Hudson Schwab Leander, Texasl
Jude Russell Carleton Place, Ontario
Men’s Basketball
Women’s Basketball
Where Cougar Sophomores Are Headed
Volleyball
Men’s Soccer
Women’s Soccer
Women’s Basketball
Baseball Softball
Current Sophomores, please contact Mark Rein via text at 308-6310459 or email when you decide to attend a specific college.
High School seniors, if you are coming to play sports at WNCC, please send Mark Rein information on high school, hometown, height, and which sport you are planning playing.
Former Cougar Chelsea Lyles named head coach at D1
Florida Gulf Coast
Anew era has dawned as Chelsea Lyles has been named the second head coach in Florida Gulf Coast University women’s basketball program history. Lyles played two years at WNCC where she helped the Coubar volleyball team to a NJCAA national championship in 2007. She also played for the Cougars from 2007-09.
“Chelsea Lyles is a longtime Eagle, having played for the team as a student and risen through the coaching ranks over the past 16 years,” said FGCU President Aysgeul Timur in a press release from Florida Gulf Coast. “I’m very confident in Chelsea’s ability to continue our team’s momentum and to take us to the next level.”
“It is with great enthusiasm and support that I announce Chelsea Lyles as the second head coach of FGCU women’s basketball,” said Colin Hargis, FGCU director of athletics. “Chelsea has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to FGCU and the women’s
basketball program over the last 16 years. She is prepared to lead the Eagles in the next chapter of our women’s basketball program and I am excited for our student-athletes to learn from Coach Lyles’ leadership.”
Lyles, who has spent 16 years at Florida Gulf Coast as a player and assistant coach, playing two years of basketball and one year of volleyball, is excited to lead the Eagles.
“I am absolutely excited and prepared to be the next FGCU women’s basketball head coach,” Lyles said. “I am so grateful to Karl and it was my honor to work for and learn from one of the legends of college basketball. I congratulate him on his success and in his new position leading the Dream. I will be his biggest fan in his future championship endeavors.
“Being FGCU’s second head coach, leading the program at my alma mater, is my dream,” Lyles continued. “I want to thank Colin Hargis and President Timur for
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All in the Numbers
2
How many times has a team played 70 or more games in a season. Twice as the softball team played 71 games in 2011-12 (45-26 record) and then played 70 games in 2014-15 (5614 record).
12
The number of times the Cougar men’s basketball team won the Region IX title. The last time was in 2018, breaking over a 15-year drought.
18
The number of appearances at the national tournament for the women’s basketball team. The team won 14 Region IX titles and went to nationals four times as an at-large team.
153
The number of total made free throws in a season by a women’s basketball player. That is held by Thais Celiberto, who made 153 in the 2001-02 season.
304
The number of total made free throws in a career by a men’s basketball player. That belongs to Diante Mitchell, who played for the Cougars from 2013-15. He made 154 in 14-15 and 150 in 13-14 and ranks fifth and sixth in season made free throws.
848
The number of kills by Lilly Zwart in her two years on the volleyball team. She had 475 this past fall. She ranks 18th in career kills in the record books.
Chelsea Lyles coaches from the sidelines in a game this season. Lyles, a former WNCC volleyball and basketball player, was named the head coach at Florida Gulf Coast on November 14.
n Former Cougar named D1 head coach ......
their confidence in me to lead this incredible program. These young women are special, and we are ready to continue the Eagles’ legacy, together. I’m excited and ready for the season ahead, and I am focusing on our game against NJIT this Sunday.”
Lyles began her coaching career as a student assistant in 2010-11. After a oneyear stint in that role, she officially joined the staff as an assistant coach in 2011, serving until being named the recruiting coordinator in the summer of 2014. She was promoted to associate head coach under Smesko in 2019. Lyles entered the 2023-24 season in her sixth year as an associate head coach with a 148-20 record.
Before her coaching career, Lyles spent two years (2008-10) as a player under the direction of Smesko. During that time, the Eagles won an Atlantic Sun Conference regular season championship and earned back-to-back WNIT automatic bids as the team wasn’t eligible for the NCAA Tournament until 2011-12. She also played a year on the Florida Gulf Coast volleyball team in the 2010-11 season.
Lyles becomes the second Cougar player to become a head coach at the Division I lev-
el, following in the footsteps of Brooke Adkinson, who played for the Cougars from 19982000. Adkinson has served as the head coach at New Mexico State and is now the associate head coach at Loyal Marymont. She was also an assistant at New Mexico State, Colorado State, South Dakota, and most recently the University of Wyoming from 2022-24.
Overall, Lyles was a two-time First Team All-ASUN selection and led the team to a 50-12 record overall and a 34-6 mark in ASUN play. As a senior, she produced double-digit scoring 21 times.
Including her time as a student-athlete, Lyles has been a part of 24 combined At-
lantic Sun Conference championships. Florida Gulf Coast is 9-3 on the season and since taking over the head coaching positions, the Eagles are 9-1. Her only loss so far as an head coach came December 16 to Montana State University. Since that loss, the Eagles have won four straight and will next be in action January 2 against Queens. That game will be available on ESPN+. — Written by Mark Rein with infro from FGCU press release
Chelsea Lyles with her volleyball teammates in 2007 after they returned home from winning the national tournament. Chelsea is in the front row on the right side.
Cougar hitting, pitching leagues are set for this winter
The WNCC winter hitting and pitching leagues are all set up and it will be 10 weeks of fun and competition from January through March.
The hitting league will run for five weeks beginning January 20 and will run Mondays on January 27 and February 3, 10, and 17.
The pitching league will begin February 24 and will run for four weeks in March on March 3, 17, 24, and 31.
Each league is $60 per participant. The Hitting league is open to the first 24 teams of four players each. If you don’t have a team, you will be placed on a team. The ages are 8 to 18.
The pitching league is open and they are teams of two. Time slots for the pitching league during the five weeks are 6 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.
The location for the camps are at the Field of Dreams located by Cleveland Field on 20 street.
For more information on the camps, contact WNCC baseball coach at 308-6356198 or email at jonesm@wncc.edu. There is also online registration available by going to the WNCC baseball webpage and clicking “camps” on the nav bar.
Forms can also be downloaded from the “camp” link on the WNCC website at www. wnccathletics.com
Walking the dogs
Off and on during the fall semester, the softball team would go and walk dogs at the Human Society. This was in October and they walked dogs to the river bridge and back while the other group walked west up the pathway. It seems like the enjoyed helping with the dogs on what has been nice weather from September through December.
Question
Cougar Frenzy
Cougar
Millie Selfe Women’s Soccer
Remembering Tim Tim Hurst was a fan of all athletes, coaches, sports
Cougar athletes, coaches remember Tim Hurst
Tim Hurst was a person with an encyclopedia of sports knowledge, whether it was local high school or college. Hurst touched so many people in his 40-plus years in the Panhandle.
Whether you were a player or coach from Wyoming or Colorado or just a sports fan who knew Tim through his radio play-byplay calling for KNEB or KGOS/KERM in Torrington, or buying shoes from him at the Sports Racquet, Hurst left a positive mark on you.
Alyssa Albaugh, a 2024 graduate from Torrington and now a freshman softball player at WNCC, said Hurst’s love for sports was evident.
“Tim loved and supported every single high school athlete out of Goshen County and probably even spread his love out of the county,” Albaugh said. “He was always following our teams to games, making sure he didn’t miss a moment. Tim was a very happy and kind soul who always made an appearance in Willi Gymnasium. His love for sports will be carried through all athletes that ran through Torrington High School. Tim was a kind soul, his voice over the radio and his appearance in the gym will be deeply missed.”
Hurst, 65, passed away on Saturday from a car accident in Douglas on his way back from covering the Torrington basketball teams in a tourney in Gillette, Wyoming. Hurst was doing what he enjoyed the most, calling games for the youth of the area.
Tuesday night in the first game without Tim on the call at home against Alliance,
Torrington honored Tim Hurst before the girl’s and boy’s basketball game. Alliance also presented the Hurst family a signed ball from the Alliance team. The Torrington girls topped Alliance 62-32 which would have put a smile on Tim’s face. The boy’s game Tuesday saw Alliance top the Blazers 63-54.
Thursday night, when Gering travels to Torrington for a game, the Bulldogs girls and boys, along with the coaches, will wear maroon warmups in honor of Tim Hurst.
Gering coach Trey Winkler said it is for Tim Hurst, who impacted so many young adults.
“It will be hard feelings as he was a big supporter of Panhandle sports,” Winkler said. “He loved the Trailblazers and loved supporting other programs as well.:
Todd Rasnic, the soccer coach at WNCC for the past 20-plus years and who will officiate Tim’s memorial service on Saturday, December 21 at the Weborg Centre in Gering at 10 a.m., knew Hurst and the family and always bought the Cougar team’s shoes from Hurst. Rasnic said his generosity in helping people is one of a kind.
“When Tim decided to close up shop at the Sports Raquet, I got a phone call to
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Tim Hurst checks scores on his phone while WNCC baseball player Ben Firminhac is right behind him during a Torrington and Wheatland volleyball game in September.
n WNCC remembers Tim Hurst ......
come see him. Upon arrival he asked if I had a good cause for his remaining inventory of soccer shoes,” Rasnic said. “I said yes and ended up leaving with 3 gigantic boxes of shoes. I called a friend I knew who is a missionary in Zambia. He is a soccer coach who ministers through teaching the bible and the game. His mother-in-law filled an empty suitcase full of Tim’s soccer shoes and delivered them to some very thankful young men. That season his men’s team won the championship and I like to think that Tim’s circle of influence became worldwide. Wasn’t that Tim, though, 1 act of kindness at a time, changing people’s lives…I will miss him!”
What Rasnic said was Tim Hurst touched many lives in different ways from players in the 1980s to today.
Torrington’s Ben Firminhac, a 2023 Torrington High School graduate, said he was a person that cared about the athletes during high school and in college and agrees with Rasnic’s idea of Tim’s generosity.
“While Tim was the biggest supporter of youth and college sports that I knew, his care went far beyond athletics, he cared deeply for the students he met as well as their families,” Firminhac, who is now a baseball at WNCC, said. “Tim broadcasted every Torrington High School basketball game while my older brother and I played. Tim developed a relationship with all of the players and you knew that he always
wanted the best for you. After I graduated from Torrington High School and started attending WNCC, Tim maintained a close relationship with me. Whenever I saw Tim around town or at a sporting event his genuine care for my family and I was evident along with his excitement at seeing us. The people that knew Tim were spoiled with his generosity and amiability.”
Other athletes that came through Torrington admired Tim for being a guy that would put a smile on your face.
“Tim was a guy who always made sure everyone was taken care of and personally made me always feel like a superstar,” Torrington’s Adia Sherbeyn, who is now in Romania, said. “I had moved to Torrington a little before my freshman year and Tim was one of the first people my family and I met. From there, he was a big part of my entire
athletic career and my mom’s coaching career at EWC. He showed up for the Blazer community every day until the end.
“Even outside of Torrington athletics, Tim was always there supporting you. From volleyball at WNCC to volleyball at Lyon in Arkansas, he was either at the volleyball games or following my schedule texting me after the games wanting to know how they went. He cared for his athletes with his whole heart. He will always hold a special place in the Torrington community and in my heart.”
Mikayla Brower, who graduated from Torrington in 2012 and played basketball at WNCC, said Tim was one-of-kind.
“Tim knew so many people but was never too busy to make time for you which is why his impact was so large on everyone he Continued on next page
Tim Hurst meant a lot to the athletes in the WyoBraska community and the Mitchell and Morrill basketball teams honored Tim on December 21 with the Hurst T-shirts.
n WNCC remembers Tim Hurst ......
knew,” Brower, who has been working for the United States Capitol Police in Washington DC for the past seven years, said. “He was so selfless and knowledgeable. He always made you feel like you were the most important person in the room.”
Reece Halley and Mattie Jones, both recent graduates of Torrington and who went on to play college basketball, Halley at North Platte Community College and Jones at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, said what Tim did for the athletes at Torrington is something that words really can’t explain.
“Tim was the heart of the Blazers always and really brought a smile to our faces every time we heard him on the radio,” Halley, who is now playing basketball at the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis, said. “He was also so supportive when I moved on to play in college, he checked up on me with texts and watch some games of mine even though he didn’t have to. It just showed how caring and good of a guy he was. He even sent me some socks when I moved to an adidas school, Tim was the best and I’m very glad I got to know him throughout my sports career.”
For Jones, she didn’t move far from home, but Tim stayed in contact with her,
too. Jones said everyone loved Tim.
“Before every home game I would go up and give Tim a hug and he always reminded me how much fun basketball is; his presence lit up the gym,” the Torrington 2022 graduate who is now a junior playing basketball at Webster University in St. Louis, said. “Into my third year of college basketball now and Tim still check in with me to see how hoops is going. He was a great friend. If everyone could replicate half the joy Tim did, the world would be a very happy place. Tim was such a special soul that the Blazers and surrounding communities had such a pleasure of knowing. 100 more years of Tim wouldn’t be enough, he will be deeply missed.”
Hurst, who lived in Scottsbluff, was a die-hard Torrington Blazer as the radio play-by-play man for the Trailblazers. Hurst, however, got his start in radio when he arrived in Scottsbluff at KNEB as a DJ and assistant sports announcer, He spent 42 years fluctuating between working radio and sports retail. In 1986 he went to work at Clemens Sports Racquet while announcing games for KGOS radio in Torrington. He also was part of KNEB with a very popular Friday night football score show where Dennis Ernest, who was then the program director at KNEB, said Tim was so complete in his converge on the Tims’s Sports Racquet Scoreboard Show, a show that lasted for nearly 30 years.
“I hope folks will remember how popular Tim’s Sports Racquet Scoreboard Show was and remember the days before internet and smart phones, this was how you got the rundown on all the scores. Earlier than the late news on TV and before the paper the next day,” Ernest said. “Coaches would call in scores and go over the game, the KNEB play-by-play announcers, Rob Barney and Kevin Mooney would report on the games they had called. Tim even had referee crews calling on the game they worked. If an area score was unavailable, Tim knew a local bar to call to get the score. Tim had all the regional scores, the conference standings and playoff implications. Toward the end of the show, Tim would rundown the complete statewide scoreboard for Nebraska and Wy-
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Remembering Cougars athletes, coaches, Cougar staff, dorm parents who left us in 2024
— Judy Schnell — Dorm Parent, Instructor, Fan
Sept. 25, 1955 - Jan. 2, 2024
— MIchael McFeely — Cougar Men’s Basketball (early 1970s)
Born ?? - July 15, 2024
— Lanier Bradshaw — Cougar Men’s Basketball Player (2000-01)
Aug. 8, 1980 - Oct. 3, 2024
— Tim Hurst — Cougar dorm parent, Cougar fan
June 12, 1959 - Dec. 14, 2024
A complete list of former Cougar athletes, coaches, athletic staff, etc can be viewed on the WNCC webpage at wnccathletics.com.
Goto “Fanzone” and then
“In Memoriam” If anyone knows of any more former Cougars that have passed on, send the info along with an obituary link to mrein2963@gmail.com
Kelli Feddersen, Gering High School girl’s assistant coach and former Cougar basketball player, shows the Tim Hurst T-shirts Gering wore during their game with Torrington on December 19.
n WNCC remembers Tim Hurst ...... 35
oming and knew every school mascot. He was amazing. The show often ran longer than the allotted time but as Program Director of KNEB, I never objected...it was pure radio gold!”
During his time on the airwaves for Torrington, he received a number of awards, including Wyoming Broadcasting Association awards for first place play-by-play in 2012 and second place play-by-play in 2024.
Morrill Activities Director Terry Lofink got to know Tim while he was in high school in Torrington and built a friendship with from then when Lofink was interning at the Torrington radio station.
“Tim was a special friend of mine. I got the opportunity in high school to work at the radio station KGOS for a CRT class and Tim and I had a great relationship announcing games and traveling and setting up events,” Lofink said. “We had so many laughs together he was a one and only, I know that.
“His first real team he admired was our 86-87 Torrington High School Basketball championship teams. Those teams were so special and Tim was such a huge
part of all of that. He was on the mic calling Torrington’s first-ever state championship in 1986. I know our class of boys had a special place in his heart, he always wanted to know how we were doing. Tim drove all the way down to Fort Collins to watch me coach in a Final 4 game in Moby Arena one year and you knew he was so proud. I know he never had any sons, but we were all his sons and he treated us all like one. Tim you are one crazy dude I’m going to miss the hell out of you buddy.”
A couple others also got to know Tim
while they were in school back in the 90s. Jennifer Pedersen, WNCC English instructor and former Cougar coach, got to know Tim when she was 14 years old back at her high school in Rawlins, Wyoming, in 1990 when he was announcing a Torrington game in Rawlins.
When Pedersen came to WNCC to play from 1994-96, Tim and his wife, Kim, and their daughter, Kenzy, became Pedersen’s dorm family. Pedersen still stays in contact with the family even today.
Continued on next page
Torrington High School honored Tim Hurst as his broadcast table sat empty with just two basketballs and his head set. Hurst passed away on December 14.
n WNCC remembers Tim Hurst ......
“I was playing on the freshman basketball team in high school and we chatted for the next few years, and he and Kim ‘adopted’ me as their dorm kid when I came to WNCC to play in 1994; they have treated me like a part of their family ever since,” she said. “I will never forget his booming voice I could follow all over his shop as he was helping one customer with shoes and talking sports with me. I appreciated the knowledge and passion he had for high school sports in the state of Wyoming, and he kept me up to date on all of the kids and coaches I knew. His laugh was contagious, and he was always willing to stop what he was doing to have a conversation.”
Torrington native Shelly (Harris) Rutt has known Tim for over 30 years. She got to know Tim while playing at Lingle-Ft. Laramie and now her daughter is a senior at Torrington. Rutt played volleyball for WNCC in the 1990s.
“I have known Tim Hurst for over 30 years and It began while shopping for a new pair of basketball shoes for high school. Tim had the Sports racquet store,” Rutt said. “He was the go-to store for us in high school and in college. I played volleyball for the WNCC Cougars, and he had outfitted all the teams for WNCC for many years since. Tim was a staple for a lot of our area schools and athletic programs. Tim knew so many people from all areas of Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, and so many other places. His stories were rich with history
and humor for sure. Tim was definitely the sixth man for all of our teams in our lives. I wish I would have thanked him more for his time and efforts he devoted to our girls, boys, coaches, and parents.”
Doug Jones, the athletic trainer at WNCC since 2006, bought his first football cleats from Tim in 1990 when he was at Mitchell High School. When he returned to the area after college, he met up with him once again and have been friends ever since. Jones said Tim was a good friend to many and had never met a stranger.
then tell me that we needed to switch to Adidas brand, because they were a superior product; a viewpoint from which he would never back down.”
“I first met Tim back when my mom took me to Sports Racquet to buy my first pair of cleats for football in the fall of 1991 (Pony brand cleats by the way),” he said. “When I came back to the area, Jennifer Pedersen (the AD at the time) suggested I go speak with Tim to see what he could help me with in regards to ordering some supplies. Tim and I hit it off, and we’d always talk about sports, whether it was the Cougars, high school, or college.
“Tim would start a conversation with ‘You know who I talked to the other day?’ He would tell me and I would reply to him I had no idea who he was speaking about, and he would always say ‘Sure you do, they used to be at…’ and fill in the blanks. He would always show me the newest uniform or shoe he got in for another team, and
Hurst started working at The Sports Racquet in the 1980s and bought the business in 2001, moving it from East Overland to Broadway. Jones said Tim always wanted to know what the former players in the area were doing after high school or college and had a good repertoire with Jones to keep tabs on the players.
“He would text me about players he visited with, players he saw, and current players at WNCC, wondering how they were doing,” Jones said. “Even after he closed the physical storefront in Scottsbluff, I would see him around and he always would fill me in on the latest news he had heard from former athletes. He never missed an opportunity to visit with people, and never failed to put a smile on people’s faces.”
The big thing with Tim, he was a huge Kansas Jayhawk fan and he let people know. That was because he grew up in Kansas before attending college at Central Community College Hastings. At his memorial on Saturday, December 21, in keeping with “’Tim’s vibe’ community people were asked to were KU Jayhawk or Torrington Trailblazer attire. His obituary read, “Tim never met a stranger who didn’t become a friend. Rock Chalk Jayhawk! and Go Blazers!”
— Written by Mark Rein
The Sports Racquet in downtown Scottsbluff was where Tim Hurst could be found since buying the store. Athletes would come and see him for shoes.
The display at Tim Hurst’s memorial service on December 21 shows the teams and what he meant to the community.
Cougar Athletes of the Week
Female Athletes of the Week
August 28
September 18
October 4 ..............................
October 10
October 17
Lilly Zwart, Volleyball
Amanda Duarte, Soccer
Danae Montalvo, Soccer
Taylor Tyser, Volleyball
Emily Villagomez, Soccer
October 31 .............................. Chloe Grady, Volleyball
November 18 Nataly Dunka, Woman’s Bball
November 24 Lidia Hernandez, Women’s Bball
December 11 ..............Adelina Urtane, Women’s Bball
Male Athletes of the Week
August 28
Eduarda Oliveira, Soccer
September 18 Paul Denz, Soccer
October 4 ............................... Anthony Lemus, Soccer
October 10
October 17
Eduardo Oliveira, Soccer
Lucas Ovalle, Soccer
October 31 ........................... Simon Echeverry, Soccer
November 18 Kellon Harris, Men’s Bball
November 24
Elijah Hollins, Men’s Bball
December 11 ................. Isaiah St. Preux, Men’s Bball
WNCC volleyball player Dani Cruz holds onto Taylor Tyser as she helps Tyser to learn to skate at the college’s roller skating night at the skating rink.
Former Cougar Brown nets 1,000 career points
Carter Brown is having an outstanding season season at Graceland University closed out the first half of its season with an impressive 80-62 victory over Park University.
Graceland improved t0 12-1 overall as they are off until the new year.
For Brown, this is his fifth year of playing and he has some impressive numbers in the three schools that he has attended.
In November, Brown notched his 1,000 career collegiate point. He also has 232 made 3-pointers in his five years of playing collegiately.
His time at Graceland has been one where his offense is shining. He started his senior season by scoring in double figures in five of the first seven games. The lastd time he was on the court, December 16 against Park, he scored 17 points with five 3-pointers
His high points this season is 18 points and that includes a season high of six 3-pointers.
Brown had a standout career at Ogallala where he was near 1,000 career points. He then spent two seasons at WNCC, during the COVID days, and finished his two years there with 400 points and 88 3-pointers made.
After WNCC, he spent one year at Spokane Community College, Brown scored 327 points with 74 made treys.
The last two years he has been at
Continued on next page
n Brown nets 1,000 career collegiate points ......
Graceland and in 23-24, Brown had 212 points with 45 threes. This season, thouigh the games in December, he has 128 points with 35 treys.
That gives Brown a total of 1,067 career points with 232 career 3-pointers made.
And, just think, in the Panhandle Prep All-star game in June of 2020, Brown scored 36 points.
In Graceland’s last game against Park, Brown started the offensive attack, opening with a three-pointer setting the tone for the Yellowjackets. Graceland led at half 38-33.
Brown was a significant offensive catalyst, scoring 17 points and knocking down five three-pointers on 11 attempts.
Graceland will next be in action January 2 at Baker, Kansas, University.
So, how are other former Cougars doing in college? This is the first of what I found of Carter having a big year. There are plenty of others that are playing at the Division I level or NCAA Division II or III, NAIA, and even junior college. If you know anyone that is having a good year, send the information to me at mrein@wncc.edu. I will try to do a better job of following the former Cougars at other colleges or professionally, but is hard to keep up with their where-at-abouts. So, if you know anyone, send me a message.
— Written by Mark Rein
Cougar athletics at Late Night Breakfast during December Finals Week
WNCC Cougar
Frontline Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors (1,500)
u Absolute Painting
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u Bellevue University
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u Kendell Henderson/American
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u Pepsi
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u Regional West Medical Center
u Runza
u Scottsbluff Screenprinting
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Gold Sponsors (1,000)
u Allo Communications **
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u Douglas, Kelly, Ostdiek, Ossian, Vogl, and Snyder, P.C.
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Blue Sponsors (600)
u Back-a-racks
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u Floyd’s Truck Service
u Hampton Inn & Suites
u Holyoke, Snyder, Longoria, Reichert, Rice Law
u Intralinks
u JBC, Inc.
u Mackenzie Westphal Photography
u Monument Smiles
u Panhandle COOP
u Quick Care
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White Sponsors (400)
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ALUMNI ATHLETIC NEWS
Scottsbluff Junior College l Nebraska Western
20 years ago from 2025 Looking Back: WNCC assistant baseball coach Marquez heads Gering’s Senior Babe Ruth team
Written February 17, 2005
Western Nebraska Community College assistant baseball coach Luis Marquez will be pulling double duty as the assistant for the Cougar baseball team and head coach of the Gering Senior Babe Ruth team this year.
While the Cougar baseball season opens up this weekend, registration for the Gering Senior Babe Ruth team begins next week. And, Marquez will be busy with both teams.
This, the start of baseball, is the time of the year that Marquez loves. He is looking forward to helping out the Gering program.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” he said. “I will get to meet the kids and their parents, and talk about Gering Organized baseball.”
Players and parents who want more information on the Gering Senior and Prep team can do so Wednesday, Feb. 23 at the Gering Junior High Cafeteria. Registration for the Gering Senior and Prep teams begin at 7 p.m. with a players and parent meeting shortly afterwards.
Players that are 19 and under as of July 31, 2005, are eligible to play for the Senior team, while the Prep team players must be 16 and under as of July 31, 2005.
Registration fees are $125 ($25 at signup and $100 when selected for a team). Participants will be provided with a “Gold” uniform shirt.
Marquez takes over the program from Ben McKee, who coached the teams the last three years. Marquez coached the senior team two years ago. Last year, he
umpired baseball games around the area, while conducting individual baseball lessons.
Marquez’ coaching staff will be the same as last season. Joe Quicke returns as the Prep team coach. Matt Anderson (seniors) and Kody Christensen (prep) return for their second years as assistant coaches.
The Senior and Prep team will be playing a competitive schedule against American Legion teams from the area and across the state. The Senior team will compete in tournaments in Wheatland, Wyo., Cheyenne, Wyo., and Gillette. They will also take a trip to eastern Nebraska to face Seward and Fremont during the College World Series.
Marquez is expecting a solid team this season.
“I expect to have a good team. We have some pretty good players playing for us,” he said. “We will work hard but at the same time we will have fun towards having a successful season.”
Marquez brings a lot of baseball knowledge to the Gering team. Marquez pitched for the Ven-
ezuelan National Junior Team, for Dodge City Community College and Georgia State University, a Division I program. Marquez is currently in his third year as an assistant coach with the WNCC baseball team.
“I bring everything that I have been learning from WNCC head coach Mike Jones and assistant Ryan Burgner, pitching coach, the last two years,” he said. “Hopefully the kids will learn how to play the game of baseball.”
Contact Mackenzie for senior, family, special occasion photo needs. Mackenziewestphalphotography@gmail.com
website: www.mackenziewestphalphotography.com
A look back of Cougar Athletics with photos
