JULY 10 , 2008

ATHLETIC NEWS:

MEN’S TENNIS RETURNS: On June 19, College of Idaho athletic director Marty Holly announced that men's tennis will return as an intercollegiate sport, beginning in the spring of 2009.  It marks the third time that the Coyotes will compete in the sport.  The C of I sponsored men's tennis from the World War II era up until 1978, when all sports except men's basketball, women's volleyball, and men's and women's skiing were eliminated.  The highlight during that period was the play of Jan Christensen, who became the first C of I player to advance to the NAIA Championships during the mid 1970s.  The current women's tennis program began in 1984, with the men's program returning during the 1996-97 school year for a five-year run.  However, the men's team was eliminated once again due to a lack of quality courts - which were not able to handle two teams.  "We're excited to bring back men's tennis as an intercollegiate sport," said Holly.  "With the academic profile of most men's tennis players, it is a natural fit for The C of I."  Women's head coach Cisco Limbago will coach the men's program as well - and will benefit by the construction of three state-of-the-art courts, between the J.A. Albertson Aquatic Center and Covell Hall, while the two existing courts have been resurfaced - featuring a purple playing surface.  "With our new courts, there is no reason why we can't attract some of the better student-athletes in the Treasure Valley," said Holly.  Five players will join the Yotes next year - Eric Schuler of Mountain View High, James Collet of Pocatello High, Gage Egurrola and Shravan Sriganesh of Homedale High, and Joel Hernandez of Caldwell High - adding to a group of five current C of I students who competed at the club level this spring.  With the addition of men's tennis, The C of I now sponsors 19 intercollegiate sports - the most of any four-year school in Idaho.

PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL UPDATE: Although no former College of Idaho baseball players are currently in Major League Baseball organizations, four former Coyotes are playing in independent leagues.  Leading the way is Branden Florence (1999-2001), who is an outfielder for the Bridgeport Bluefish in the Atlantic League – regarded as the top independent league in baseball.  Florence was recently named to the all-star team after finishing the first half of the season with a .319 batting average, along with four home runs, eight doubles, and 31 RBI.  Also in the Atlantic League is Jason Simontacchi (1996), who is pitching with the Long Island Ducks.   The former big leaguer, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, is 0-1 with a 6.11 ERA in 17.2 innings of work.  In the Canadian-American Association is Matt Zachary (2004-05), who has been a stalwart in the bullpen for the Brockton Rox.  Zachary has a 1-0 mark with a 2.52 ERA in 18 appearances, with opposing batters hitting a paltry .245 against him.  Rounding out the group is former minor leaguer Jason Roach (2006-07), who is a starting pitcher for the Chico Outlaws in the Golden Baseball League.  Roach has struggled this season with a 0-6 record and a 9.46 ERA – thanks in part to allowing eleven home runs.

SID EARNS NATIONAL HONORS: College of Idaho sports information director Mike Safford Jr. was honored June 29 with four top-ten finishes in the NAIA-Sports Information Directors of America Publications Contest, announced at the annual NAIA-SIDA convention in Tampa, Fla. Safford, who will begin his eighth year at The C of I in September, earned the praise of his peers in four Media Guide categories - in Combined Basketball, Volleyball, Softball, and Combined Soccer. It is the eighth-straight year that he has received at least one top-ten finish.  The Coyote Combined Basketball Media Guide finished second overall in the contest, the Volleyball Media Guide was sixth, with the Softball and Soccer books placing seventh out of the nearly 300 NAIA schools across the nation. Each of the publications were printed by The Caxton Printers, Inc. in Caldwell - with the help of Wayne Garrett and Dennis Pattee. Safford was the lone SID of the 22 NAIA schools in the Pacific Northwest to be recognized, and has now accumulated 20 top-ten awards in his career, including two "Best in the Nation" awards.