Berryhill had quite the sports career back at CSU during his college years. Not only did he earn 10 All-American honors in cross country and track, in 2001 he was a national champion in the indoor 1-mile run and outdoor 1,500-meter run. He also owns five individual records and three relay records at CSU.  After college Berryhill competed as a professional track athlete during 2001-04 and 2007.

“I’ve been at CSU for a long time and I appreciate everything they have provided me as a coach and athlete, but I’ve always admired the success they have had across the border (at Wyoming),” Berryhill said. “I was blown away by the support the track and field program receives. Everybody is behind making the program successful.”

During four of the six years during Berryhill’s tenure, the CSU women managed to finish second or better in the MW Cross Country Championships. He coached his student-athletes to six school records and also coached the only CSU woman athlete to win the MW cross country individual title.

“It is a great indication of the potential of this program for us to be able to attract a coach of Bryan Berryhill’s caliber,” Burman said.

“His proven success as a collegiate and professional athlete, as well as being a head cross country coach and an assistant track coach, has been impressive. We look forward to seeing our track and field and cross country programs grow under his direction.”

Berryhill is waiting to finalize and announce his coaching staff at UW on a later date.

Ashlee Williams

More Posts

Graphic: Isaiah Martin

Sixty-one UW student-athletes received honors on Tuesday for academic achievements.

The Mountain West Conference announced its 2012 Academic All-Conference teams. There were 594 total student-athletes that had made the team conference-wide.

Leading the way with 19 honorees was the UW women’s track and field program followed by 15 honorees on the men’s track and field program.

The Cowgirls swimming and diving team had nine recipients, followed by the women’s basketball with six, women’s golf five, men’s golf four and women’s tennis received three.

A total of seven student athlete Cowboys and Cowgirls achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA which included track and field athletes; Taylor Gardner, Natalie Hurst, Candace Wollert, Tyler Gifford and Ryan Griesbach. Also, awarded were tennis player Veronica Popovici, swimmer Caroline Wells. Hurst, Popovici, Wells and Wollert were also 4.0 students for the 2011 Academic All-Conference team.

Juniors at UW lead with the most representation having 22 listed, followed by sophomores who had 20, 11 seniors, and the freshman class having eight.

The average GPA amongst the 61 total recipients was a 3.50.

The sports teams represented included; baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s track and field.

New Mexico led the conference with 108 award winners, followed by Boise State with 98, UNLV with 78, CSU and TCU with 68 apiece, Wyoming with 61, Air Force 60 and San Diego State rounded out the list with 53.

To receive the honor, student-athletes must have completed at least one academic semester/quarter at the member institution and also have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.

The student-athlete also must have competed in 50 percent of the team’s varsity contests.

Ashlee Williams

More Posts

“The players on the team give up their summer to play summer baseball in order to improve their game, learn new skills, rehabilitate injuries, and gain experience in a competitive setting with a lot of games in a short period of time,” Colts Manager Maria Almendares said. “These are the players that you will see playing at the next level.”

Photo: Edward Timmons. Second base forward Mason Smith during batting practice before the Colts versus Casper Cutthroats game June 7. The Colts won 14-9 against the Cutthroats.

But next to a strenous schedule, Colts Pitchers Alex Martin and Michael Coelho said that the team cohesiveness is also one of joking around and laughing with teammates. “We all love each other. We believe in the term ‘E.L.E.’ – everybody love everybody,” Martin said. The Laramie Colts Baseball Club started eight summers ago in 2005. They play on the University of Wyoming campus at Cowboy Field. This season, the Colts will compete with 27 players and three coaches on the team. “In the first seven years, the Laramie Colts have played in five league playoffs and won three league championships [in 2006, 2008, and 20090,” Almendares said.

The Laramie Colts Baseball Club has been off to a level start this season, with a record of 4-5 overall. With more than 40 games left to play, the Colts have plenty of time to turn their record into a winning one.

The Colts play that number of games in a relatively short season, lasting only a couple of months.

“Because the players are all members of their respective collegiate teams, our season is just two months in the summer,” Almendares said. “The players return to their schools for their regular seasons when school begins in the fall. Many of the players are on athletic scholarships with their respective colleges.”

In preparation for returning to school, the team is focuses on continually improving.

“The improvement of our guys [is our most important goal],” Head Coach Marty Berson said. “It’s about them.”

To Berson, working toward improving the players’ skills is the key to success as a team.

“It’s not about winning. If we improve, winning takes care of itself,” Berson said.

The Colts main competitor are the Ft. Collins Foxes, who are one of four teams competing in the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League and have defeated the Colts three times this season.

“I think eventually we are going to be on a par with them and I’m hoping that it’s between us for the championship,” Berson said.

Berson said he does not want his players working out too much during the season. He discourages players from lifting weights everyday, since it would be too strenuous with their schedule and it would be too easy for players to get injured, he said.

“These guys had a college season [and now] a summer season — these guys need a rest,” Berson said.

Martin said he would reccomend the beer and hotdog diet, which Berson referred to as the “Babe Ruth Diet.”

Since the Colts are just beginning their summer season, fans are welcome to come out and watch a home game at the Cowboy Field, Almendares said.

“The Laramie Colts are not affiliated with UW or the UW club baseball team, though our goal is to help continue to build a baseball community in Laramie and provide fun family entertainment during the summer in Laramie,” Almendares said.

Further information, game schedules and players statistics for the Colts can be found on their website, www.laramiecolts.com.

Holly Diorio

More Posts

The West Preliminary Round will take place from May 24 to 26. From there, the top 12 finishers from each event will then receive and invitation to the NCAA Championships being held in Des Moines, Iowa on June 6-9.

The Cowboys proceeded to the West Preliminary, including sophomore Garrett Zans, senior Taylor Kelting, senior Greg Miller, senior Nick Ekel, junior Lenyn Leonce, senior Jeremiah James, junior Joe Plante, freshman Paul Thomas and junior Henry Ferreira.

Cowgirl qualifiers were sophomore Candace Wollert, sophomore Erin Kirby, junior Mollie Dahl, freshman Shreese Daniels and senior Ashley Hutchinson.

“It’s a great achievement for these kids,” Wyoming assistant coach Randy Cole said. “It’s a positive affirmation of their training. You can see, each person individually, how they’re coming on at the end of the season. They’re on top of their game. They’re all excited about the opportunity. They want to go in and compete, and not just be glad they are there.”

The 14 qualifiers this year surpassed last year’s total of 12. Athletes Kirby, Hutchinson, Leonce, Kelting, Miller, Wollert, and Zans are all returning from last year’s NCAA West Preliminary round.

Freshman Aaron Derner was just a few spots out of the top 48 during the 10,000-meter run. He still has the chance to receive an invitation if there are scratches in the event.

Plante and James are currently ranked the highest out of all the Cowboy and Cowgirl competitors for the meet. Plante, the junior who won the Mountain West Conference championship in discus, is currently ranked 18th in the West region while James is ranked 18th in triple jump. Miller and Ekel are ranked 23rd and 25th respectively in the 10,000-meter run.

The highest ranked Cowgirl is hammer thrower Hutchinson. Hutchinson is currently ranked 29th in the West.

The meet kicks off today in Austin, Texas.

Ashlee Williams

More Posts

The MWC selections are awarded to the top three finishers in each event during the Outdoor Championships, which took place over the weekend. Cowboys to be named All-Mountain West include seniors Nick Ekel, Jeremiah James and Greg Miller, juniors Henry Ferreira and Joe Plante and sophomore Garrett Zans.

Being the first Wyoming champion in MWC history to have run the 10,000-meter, Ekel finished with a time of 31:06.54, which beat defending champion Nicholas Kipruto of New Mexico.

Plante achieved the title in men’s discus with mark of 184 feet, 7 inches during his final throw. This made him the Cowboys’ second-ever MWC champion in the event since 2001. This victory let him claim his third all-conference accolade.

James came in third during the triple jump, which earned him his third outdoor all-conference honor. Coming in second during the 5,000- and 3,000-meter steeplechase were athletes Miller and Zans. For the javelin event, Ferreira was named as the conference’s runner-up.

Cowgirls that had received honors during the conference included senior Ashley Hutchinson, who placed second in the hammer throw, and sophomore Erin Kirby, who earned the runner-up spot for the 400-meter hurdles.

Sophomores Jenna Mann and Candace Wollert had placed third in the heptathlon and the 800-meter run, respectively. Taking third place in the 4-by-400-meter relay team were athletes Audrey West, Lindsey Simmons, Samantha Kee and Kirby. The conference led Wollert and Kirby to both earn their second-straight all-conference honors.

Ashlee Williams

More Posts

Brandon Fisher

world grow up dreaming about accomplishing. This summer, London will host the Olympic Games, and welcome thousands of athletes from all around the world. The University of Wyoming has already qualified one wrestler for the games, and now swimmers look to add their name to the list Olympians.

Five UW swimmers qualified for the Olympic trials based on their performances this past year. Senior Brandon Fischer, sophomore Jayce Calhoon, and freshman Jordan Turner qualified on the men’s side while senior Kelsey Conci and sophomore Morgan Hartigan qualified on the women’s side. The athletes will travel to Omaha, Neb. to compete on June 25–July 2.

The five swimmers are the most that UW has qualified since 2000. In 2004, Scott Usher was able to go on to qualify for the Sydney Olympics. The UW team will swim at a few more meets this summer hoping to qualify a few more athletes.

“This sport is so fast, so competitive, so deep and ever-evolving,” head swim coach Tom Johnson said. “The number of athletes we qualified is just a statement to our year and how hard we worked.”

Johnson explained that in order to qualify for the trials the athletes had to make an Olympic cut time in an Olympic size pool, which is 50 meters rather than the 25 meter pool that most schools have. The team has had minimal opportunity to train, let alone compete, in an Olympic size pool as the only one in Wyoming is located in Gillette. All the meets the team will compete in this summer will be in 50 meter water.

Conci is currently ranked 78th in the world, and 20th in the United States, in the 100 backstroke. “Kelci has got a strong chance to make it in the top eight,” Johnson said. “Once you get to the finals, anything can happen for any of these athletes.” Conci will also compete in the 50 and 100 freestyle.

Johnson also said that Fischer has a great chance to get back to semi-finals in the 200 breast, a race that he broke records in this past season. “His main deal is handling the pressure,” Johnson said. Fischer will also compete in the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley.

Calhoon will compete in the 200 backstroke and Turner will compete in the 200 IM. Hartigan will swim the 100 breast.

All of these events will have a preliminary race which will narrow the field down to 16 for the semifinals. The top eight in the semi-finals will qualify for the finals. Six athletes will qualify for the Olympic team in the 100 and 200 freestyle. Just two athletes will qualify in all other events.

“26 women and 26 men will make the Olympic squad out of the 2,000 athletes showing up to compete,” Johnson said. “The events are loaded with past Olympians and legends in the sport. If we want to make it we will more than likely have to knock one of them out. But anything can happen once you get to finals.”

Rage Geringer

More Posts

David Schmitt, then senior swimmer for the Cowboys, died after falling from War Memorial Stadium late on that Friday night, the day before he was to bear his cap and gown for graduation.

“It was unfathomable,” Head Swimming Coach Tom Johnson said. “David was a great kid; nicest kid I knew. I couldn’t believe it happened to him. It was an honor to coach him.”

David Schmitt

Senior swimmer, and close friend of Schmitt, Marshall Dilworth said Schmitt and one other swimmer had gone to the stadium. They were reliving the past four years and looking ahead to the future with excitement. After a long talk, the other swimmer decided to head home while Schmitt stayed behind to continue to think about life. Schmitt was found later underneath the west side of the stadium.

“David was adventurous,” Johnson said. “He was never one to take the easy way. He hopped over the railing from the upper deck thinking the lower deck was right beneath it, but there was a hole in the stadium that separated the two and he fell straight through.”

The holes in the stadium have since been covered up.

“What I hope does not get lost in all of this was just how great a person he was,” Dilworth said. “He was an influential person. He made everyone around him a better swimmer and a better person.”

Schmitt swam for the Cowboys all four years of his collegiate career. He also served as the president of the Student Athletic Advisory Council and was always trying to be involved in people’s lives to make them better.

“He is hard to describe,” Dilworth said. “He was someone you strive to be.”

“He was one of those guys that when you met him, you instantly became friends,” Johnson said. “I have so many stories of him meeting random people at Denver International Airport on road trips and just talking to them for hours.”

Following his death, which was the second death in the UW athletic department between 2010 and 2012, the athletic department chartered buses from Laramie to Casper, Schmitt’s hometown, for the funeral. However, nearly half of the swim team, and more than half of the student body, had already headed home for summer break.

“It was very difficult with half the team gone,” Dilworth said. “It just happened at an awkward time and it was hard to deal with without the rest of our team around.”

A bench was dedicated in Schmitt’s honor on the north side of the Corbett building on campus. On the plaque reads “Lead. Inspire. Serve.”

“This was our motto because it completely encompasses who David was,” Dilworth said. “He was always looking out for other people.”

All of the swim team’s gear had the initials ‘DS’ on it to honor Schmitt. The initials could be found within the bucking horse on the team’s swim caps. Shirts were made and sold, with the proceeds going to Schmitt’s family, which had the triathlon logo with a kayak. The motto on the shirt read, “Smiling all the way through.”

“This is who he was: constantly smiling. He enjoyed life,” Dilworth said. “I am a better person for having known David Schmitt.”

Though it is unclear why Schmitt died when he did, his spirit lives on through his friends and family left behind. His legacy will live on: To lead, and to inspire and to serve.

Rage Geringer

More Posts

The efforts of Pendleton qualified him for the U.S. National Team, the second time he has earned a spot in his career.

Pendleton wrestled in the 96-kilogram (211.5 pound) bracket.  His first match of the event was against JD Bergman of New York Athletic Club/Ohio ROTC, which he won in a 2–1, 3–1 decision. He won his next match as well, as he defeated Dustin Kilgore in a 1–0, 4–3 decision.  He lost his final match to Tommy Rowlands in the finals, losing a 3–1, 4–0 decision.

Three UW wrestlers also competed in the trials.

Outgoing senior Joe LeBlanc went 0–2 for the day in the 84-kilogram freestyle bracket.

Tyler Cox, who wrestled for Wyoming in 2011 and took an Olympic redshirt last season, went 0–2 in the Greco-Roman 55-kilogram bracket as well.

Michael Martinez, a current senior on the UW wrestling team, went 0–2 in the 55-kilogram freestyle bracket.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

More Posts - Facebook - YouTube

The Cowboys, along with 2011 Mountain West Coach of the Year Dave Christensen, welcomed back six athletes who earned All-conference honors, including Mountain West Freshman of the Year quarterback Brett Smith.

Also on the list were senior center Nick Carlson, senior wide receiver Chris McNeill and senior strong safety Luke Ruff, who all earned second-team All-Conference.  Sophomore cornerback Blair Burns and junior offensive guard Tyler Strong were named as Honorable Mention All-Conference.

The Cowboys will also welcome two new coaches to the coaching staff, defensive coordinator and secondary coach Chris Tormey, as well as linebackers’ coach Robin Ross.

In the second scrimmage on April 11, the final score came down to a sudden-death situation, with the score tied at 63.  The offense was given a fourth down ball placement on the two-yard line.

However, the offense was called for a false start, and the ball was moved back to the seven-yard line.  On the ensuing play, sophomore running back Kody Sutton was stopped at the one-yard line off of a screen pass, which gave the defense the victory with a score of 64–63.

Notable performances in the scrimmage included sophomore Trey Norman, who caught five passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns.

Junior quarterback Colby Kirkegaard threw for 254 yards for four touchdowns and two interceptions, with 27 of 48 passing.

Junior linebacker J.J. Quinlan led tackles with 10 total, one sack and one tackle for a loss.

True freshman punter Tim Gleeson had four punts for an average of 41.8 yards, the longest being 57 yards.

The first scrimmage, held on April 4, ended in a 72–41 defensive victory.  The scoring system used is unique, and awarded the offense and defense specific points for specific plays.

Wide receivers junior Robert Herron and junior Spencer Bruce were the top offensive performers, with 97 and 90 reception yards, respectively.  Bruce also held the biggest play of the day, a 64-yard touchdown pass from Kirkegaard, who is taking over the position as Smith is recovering from an injury.

Kirkegaard ended the scrimmage with 24 of 50 passes completed for three touchdowns and three interceptions.

As for defensive leaders, senior linebacker Korey Jones led the team with one fumble recovery and one interception, along with three tackles.

The Cowboys will continue their spring training, as they will conduct their third, and final, scrimmage this Saturday, April 21.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

More Posts - Facebook - YouTube

The women have dominated during league play, earning a spot in the USA National Rugby Sweet 16 tournament, held this coming weekend at Sanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. On March 31–April 1, they competed in the Western Rugby Union playoff round of 32, winning the championship with shutout victories over Truman State University 57–0 and Mesa State College by a score of 18–0.

This is the second time the rugby club has qualified for the National Sweet 16, the other time being in 2009. They are amidst the best season in the history of the club, which was started in 1985.

If the Cowgirls win this coming weekend, they will advance to the Division II National Final Four, also held at Stanford University, early in May.

Rugby is not a well-known sport in America, let alone in Wyoming. Therefore, most of the 24 girls never played until they came to UW.

“The club is open to anyone,” co-captain Megan Degenfelder said. “The girls on our team are from all areas of study, different hometowns, and of all kinds of interests.”

For those who are unfamiliar with the sport, rugby is played by two teams of 15. The goal is to try to get the ball, which resembles an oversized football, into the goal. Two 40-minute halves are filled with full-contact tackling.

Former UW men’s rugby player, and current UW police officer, Cody Anderson, coaches the rugby team.

Practices are held three days a week for two hours at a time.

“The team has worked so well together all season,” head coach Anderson said in a UW press release. “Each one of them is willing to learn; they are all very hard workers.”

The team is financially supported by the Club Sports organization, as well as fundraisers put on by the team. Degenfelder said the team members are in charge of their own paperwork, scheduling and additional fundraisers.

Degenfelder said the team motto this year is “no excuses.” She said the team set a goal at the beginning of the year to make it to the national playing field.

“While we are honored to qualify for the Sweet 16,” Degenfelder said, “our journey doesn’t end here. We are training harder than ever, with goals set on the Final Four and National Championship.”

The rugby team has one final home game that will be played against the Air Force Academy on April 28.

Rage Geringer

More Posts