How sweet it was
The 2006-07 year offered all the best of college sports -- major wins, surprising upsets, and a few heartbreaks.
In his third season as head basketball coach, Lon Kruger brushed aside pre-season predictions of mediocrity. The Runnin' Rebels won the conference title, reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, and finished with a No. 14 USA Today ranking. Kruger extended his contract through 2012 and then landed a strong class of recruits, including a highly touted 7-footer.
The women's soccer team upset ranked teams in tournament matches. The softball team narrowly missed a postseason berth. The men's swimming and diving team captured its third straight conference title. And both tennis teams advanced to the NCAA tournament.
Rebel basketball fans packed the Thomas & Mack center at levels not seen in years. And with good reason: Head Coach Lon Kruger returned his team to a national prominence it hadn't enjoyed since the early '90s.
Among the accomplishments: a 30-7 record; the team's first national ranking in 14 years; a conference tournament title; and the program's first trip to the NCAA Tourney's Sweet 16 in 16 years.
Rebels guard Wink Adams makes a layup during 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's NCAA Tournament game against Oregon.
TENNIS: MATCHED UP
Junior Elena Gantcheva (above) and freshman Kristna Nedeltcheva became only the second team in 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ history to win a match at the NCAA Doubles Championship. They stunned the third-seeded team from national champion Georgia Tech.
Both from Bulgaria, Gantcheva and Nedeltcheva finished the season ranked 18th nationally with a 24-4 record, including going 6-2 against ranked opponents. Both were named all-conference in singles and doubles. Gantcheva was named the MWC Co-Player of the Year.
TRACK & FIELD: A REBEL RETURNS
With her victory in the 1,500 meters, Charlotte Browning (above) became the first Rebel to win an event at the MWC Outdoor Track & Field Championships since 2005. The freshman from Addlestone, England, finished eighth at the NCAA West Regional. She was selected all- MWC, named conference Freshman of the Year, and garnered all-West region honors.
SOCCER: NO. THAT'S NOT ZIDANE
Senior midfielder/ defender Cole McCool (above) and the men's soccer team had a brutal season, finishing with a 1-15-2 record. The team's lone win was an upset of the University of Denver, which was then ranked 21st. Next year should be better with all-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation players Lamar Neagle, Nicholas Paterson, and Mason Trafford returning.
MEN'S BASKETBALL: DEFENSIVE STOPPERS
Joel Anthony (above) says a blocked shot energizes the team and gets the home crowd going. On the road, it can silence the crowd and change momentum. "Timing is everything," he says. "You have to stay far enough away from the player to avoid the foul, but close enough to get the ball."
With 2.9 blocks per game, Anthony was ranked 11th nationally and set the MWC and 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ records for most blocks in a game with 13 against TCU on Feb. 7. He was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.
Junior Sequoia Holmes garnered the same honors for the women's team with averages of 2.62 steals, 6.3 rebounds, and 14 points per game.
MEN'S BASKETBALL: FATHER & SON
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ point guard Kevin Kruger (below) took advantage of a short-lived NCAA rule that applied to graduates who had a year of eligibility remaining. Kruger transferred from Arizona State and worked on a master's degree while playing for his father, coach Lon Kruger (above).
WOMEN'S SOCCER: BIG SURPRISE IN SMALL PACKAGE
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's post-season hopes dimmed when starting goalie Ciera Nero (above) went down with a season-ending injury at the MWC Tournament. Enter freshman Alicia Lugo (below). At 5'5", Lugo falls well short of most NCAA goalkeepers. "I thrive on people thinking I can't get it done," she says.
Lugo and the Rebels went on to defeat Wyoming 1-0. Starting for the first time in six weeks, she led 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ to upset wins over 19th-ranked BYU and 10th-ranked Utah in the championship game. The team brought home the conference title for the second year in a row.
TOP MARKS
Freshman baseball player Kyle Kretchmer was named 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's Most Outstanding Male Scholar-Athlete (3.91 GPA, kinesiology sciences) while junior swimming captain Kim Bonney took the honors among female athletes (3.89 GPA, accounting and management).
15 football players were named to the academic all- MWC team; sophomore defensive tackle Jacob Hales was selected to ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-District 8 first team (3.72 GPA, Spanish).
Seven women's volleyball players were selected academic all-MWC.
11 women's soccer players earned academic all-MWC honors. *At presstime, academic MWC results only available for fall sports
HONORABLE MENTIONS
The men's swimming and diving team won its third consecutive MWC Championship. Sophomore Johan Claar pulled a monumental upset in the 1,650-meter freestyle, defeating the three-time defending champion by 0.46 seconds.
Women's volleyball finished 20-10, the second most wins in team history since the sport was reinstated in 1996. Maria Aladjova, Lauren Miramontes, and Jada Walker (above) earned all-league honors.
Men's tennis advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999 with its conference championship win. Sophomore Elliot Wronski, all-league in singles and doubles, beat seven ranked opponents this season, including the then-third-ranked Tony Paul of Wake Forest. Wronski was named the Mountain Region Player to Watch by the International Tennis Association. Owen Hambrook was named the ITA Mountain Region Head Coach of the Year.
Sophomore softballer Christie Robinson was named the MWC Pitcher of the Year. Lonni Alameda earned the conference's Softball Coach of the Year honors as the Rebels went 37-27.
THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR
Despite a 2-10 record, the football team ended the season by beating Air Force. Coming back this fall is Ryan Wolfe (above), the MWC Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-league pick.
Women's basketball finished with a 14-15 record, but ended the regular season on a four-game winning streak, including wins over BYU and New Mexico. The Lady Rebels return all-league performers Shamela Hampton and Sequoia Holmes.
The Hustlin' Rebels finished with a 24-36 record, the team's second straight losing season. Baseball coach Buddy Gouldsmith looks to return the team to its winning ways. The Rebels captured three straight MWC titles from 2003 to 2005.
