Griz earn team academic awards

The Montana women’s tennis and volleyball teams both earned academic recognition from their respective coaching organizations this week.

Coach Steve Ascher’s squad was named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team. Coach Jerry Wagner’s program claimed the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award.

In addition to the Grizzlies’ team award, Heather Davidson, Maddy Murray and Mackenzie Rozell were named ITA Scholar-Athletes for having a 3.5 GPA or better for the 2012-13 academic year.

This year marked the third time in Ascher’s five seasons at Montana that his team has been recognized by the ITA. The Grizzlies also received the team academic award in 2009 and 2011.

Montana was one of four Big Sky Conference teams to receive the award, which is given to teams with at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA following the spring semester. The Grizzlies have a cumulative team GPA of 3.36.

Wagner’s team was also recognized for the third time. The Grizzlies were previously named to the AVCA’s list in 2009 and 2011.

Montana, which was one of five Big Sky teams honored and one of 130 Division I programs recognized, had a team GPA for the 2012 fall and 2013 spring semesters of 3.48. The AVCA requires a minimum GPA of 3.3 for the academic year to be eligible for the award.

Paige Branstiter and Brooke Bray both had perfect 4.0 GPAs in 2012-13. Megan Murphey came in at 3.91 while taking a team-high 39 credits over the two semesters and winter session.

Seven of the volleyball team’s 13 players had an academic-year GPA of 3.8 or better.

Montana Sports Information  --  GoGriz.com

Fall Football Numbers

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Softball coaching search down to three finalists

Tom Gray, Mike Smith and Jamie Pinkerton will interview in Missoula next week

Aug. 8, 2013


The new Montana softball program is getting closer to having a face and a voice. The search for the Grizzlies' first coach has been narrowed down to three finalists. All three candidates will be in Missoula early next week to interview and meet with the public.
Making the cut from an initial applicant pool nearly 100 deep were Tom Gray, an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, Mike Smith, the head coach at McNeese State, and Jamie Pinkerton, an assistant coach at Iowa State. Gray will be in Missoula on Monday, Smith on Tuesday and Pinkerton on Wednesday.
As part of the day-long interview process, each candidate will have an opportunity to address questions at a public forum. Those assemblies will be held from 4-5 p.m. in room 330 of the University Center on campus each day.
"We expected there to be a lot of excitement about the Montana softball program and the opportunity to become the Grizzlies' first head coach, and that proved to be the case. We had an incredibly deep pool of qualified applicants," said UM's Jean Gee, who is chairing the search committee.
"To have the search process come down to candidates as strong as these three is indicative of the pool of applicants we reviewed."
Gray recently completed his fifth season (2009-13) as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State. During Gray's tenure at Stillwater, the Cowgirls have gone 177-110 and advanced to three NCAA tournaments.
In 2011, Oklahoma State advanced to the Women's College World Series, its first appearance at the WCWS since 1998, and finished the season with a No. 8 national ranking.
Prior to arriving at Oklahoma State, Gray was the co-head coach at Illinois-Chicago for seven seasons (2002-08). The Flames won four Horizon League regular-season titles under Gray and made the NCAA tournament in 2002 and 2004.
Before getting into the college game, Gray was a high school softball coach and teacher in California.
Smith, who has a career record of 708-209, just finished his second season as head coach at McNeese State. Prior to that, Smith had an impressive eight-year run (2004-11) at California Baptist that was highlighted by the Lancers' 2009 NAIA national championship.
Cal Baptist went 467-56 in eight seasons under Smith, who was a pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization from 1991-94 and rose as high as the Class AA ranks.
Smith coached the Lancers to eight conference championships and eight appearances at the NAIA World Series. In addition to winning the 2009 national championship, Cal Baptist finished runner-up in 2005, '06 and '11 and placed third in 2007 and '10.
That success followed Smith to Louisiana. In just his third game at McNeese State, he coached the Cowgirls to a 3-1 upset of defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Arizona State.
McNeese went 34-21 in 2012, then improved to 38-15 last spring, which matched a program record for single-season wins. Smith was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Cowgirls to a 19-5 league record and the program's first outright conference title since 1983.
Pinkerton, who was the head coach at Arkansas when the Razorbacks made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 2008 and '09, recently completed his fourth season (2010-13) as an assistant coach at Iowa State.
In 2013 the Cyclones broke team offensive records for batting average, slugging percentage, RBIs, runs scored, home runs and walks. The ISU defense also set records for fielding percentage and double plays. Those 29 double plays ranked as a tie for fifth in the nation.
Pinkerton capped his five-year (2005-09) run at Arkansas by leading the Razorbacks to the NCAA tournament in both 2008 and '09, at the time two of only four NCAA tournament appearances for the program.
Prior to coaching at Arkansas, Pinkerton was the head coach at Tulsa from 2001-04, earning Western Athletic Conference coach of the year honors in 2002 and '04. Pinkerton previously had assistant coaching stints at Tulsa, Louisiana-Monroe and Virginia.
Montana will begin playing softball in the 2014-15 school year.

Griz football players report Sunday

Posted: Jul 31, 2013 7:36 AM by MTN Sports

MISSOULA - The University of Montana opens fall football camp Sunday after being picked to finish third this season by Big Sky Conference coaches and media.
All players are slated to report on Sunday, with the first practice set for Tuesday in UM's Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The Griz will work out once a day Tuesday through Saturday from approximately 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The first two-a-day practice will be Sunday, August 11, between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., with the second slated for 7:45 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Fall camp practice sessions run from August 6-24 and are closed to the public.
Classes at UM start on Monday, August 26.
Montana's three fall camp scrimmages are scheduled for Sunday evening, August 11; Saturday morning, August 17; and Thursday morning, August 22, with times still to be announced.
Second-year head coach Mick Delaney will welcome 90 players on August 4.
The Grizzlies are coming off a 5-6 season (3-5 league, tied for eighth), and return 19-plus starters and 42 letterman. The Grizzlies adopted the theme "United" for the 2013 season - and say they are on a determined mission to get Montana back to one of the elite teams in the FCS.
Ten of those starters return from a defense that was second in the nation in sacks (41) and also second in rush defense (92.55 ypg). Last season the Grizzlies struggled with their pass defense, where they allowed 299.26 yards a game and were ranked 120th (out of 121 teams).
"I really, really expect our defense to be outstanding," Delaney said. "Obviously they haven't done it on the field as a group yet, but when you look at who we have coming back, plus the younger guys who will provide quality depth, I think our defense could be one of the best in the FCS."
Leading the way are returning All-Americans Jordan Tripp and Zack Wagenmann, who were both first team all-league selections as well. Other returning starters on "D" are tackles Alex Bienemann and Tonga Takai; linebackers Brock Coyle and John Kanongata'a; cornerbacks Joshua Dennard, Anthony Goodwin and Sean Murray; and safeties Matt Hermanson and Bo Tully.
Despite its six losses last season, Montana led the Big Sky and was ranked 11th in the country in total offense (452.27 ypg) and rushing (235.73 ypg), and tied for 27th in scoring (31.64 ppg).
"I know we are going to be very solid on the offensive side of the football," Delaney said. "We changed our scheme somewhat, and I think that will benefit the type of players we have. We have great size and depth on the offensive line and will use a two-back set sometimes, or a one-back scheme with two or three tight ends. I think that scheme will help our play-action passing game. I expect our completion percentage to go way up (it was 6.3% last season) because of what we are doing. We won't go down the field as often, but we will still have a nice package to stretch the field."
All-America tackler Danny Kistler Jr. heads a group of four returning offensive linemen, which also includes center Kjelby Oiland, guard William Poehls, and tackle Trevor Poole. Also back are wide receivers Ellis Henderson and Mitch Saylor, as well as part-time starters Jordan Canada at running back and Logan Hines at center.
Trent McKinney and Shay Smithwick-Hann shared the starting job at quarterback last season, but former starter Jordan Johnson returns and started in 12 games in 2011. Johnson emerged as the No. 1 signal-caller after spring drills.
Also back are kicker Chris Lider and punter Stephen Shaw, both sophomores. One of UM's key losses was punt returner/halfback Peter Nguyen, who was ranked among the national leaders in punt returns 18th, 9.88 ypr) and rushing (50th, 84.18 ypg) a year ago and was a four-time all-league pick.

GRIZ GRIDIRON NOTES
- The Grizzlies have had three players named to 2013 preseason All-America teams: Kistler, Tripp, and Wagenmann.
- UM has 11 returning all-league players: Kistler, Tripp and Wagenmann (first team), while Bienemann, Coyle, Hermanson, Kanongata'a, Lider, Murray, Shaw and Takai were honorable mention selections.
- The Griz return 15 academic All-Big Sky honorees: sophomore defensive end Derek Crittenden, sophomore safeties Herbert Gamboa and Zach Gratton, sophomore fullback Gavin Hagfors, sophomore cornerback Nate Harris, sophomore D-linemen Tyrone Holmes and Caleb Kidder, sophomore kicker Chris Lider, sophomore wide receiver Chase Naccarato, junior DT Trevor Rehm, junior quarterback Shay Smithwick-Hann, senior safeties Steven Rominger and Bo Tully, junior DE Zack Wagenmann, and senior wide receiver Cam Warren.

The Members' Press: The e-newslett​er from UMAA

Dear Members, Summer’s not over yet, but we’re already thinking about students, and alums, arriving back on campus in a matter of weeks. One of UMAA’s most exciting events of the year – Homecoming – is fast approaching! Mark your calendars for the week of Sept. 29-Oct. 5, when students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members will converge on campus for a full schedule of fun activities. In the meantime, we hope you’ll join us tonight for UMAA’s ninth annual Night with the Missoula Osprey, and come to Caras Park on Thursday, Aug. 15, for Missoula Downtown ToNight, co-sponsored by UMAA. As always, your generous support of the UM Alumni Association is greatly appreciated. We are lucky to have so many wonderful alumni like you who make it possible for us to provide great programs, events and services. Thank you, and go Griz! August 1 - UM Night with the Missoula Osprey 15 - Missoula Downtown ToNight, co-sponsored by UMAA 26-Sept. 6 - Taste of Europe Luxury Cruise September 19-21 - 100th Anniversary of UM's Department of Forestry 19-22 - Black Studies Program reunion (45th anniversary)29-Oct 5 - Homecoming Week October 6-7 - UMAA Board of Directors fall meeting, Missoula11-19 - Northern Italy: Culture and Cuisine (land program)17-25 - Greek Isles Odyssey Luxury Cruise26 - Montana State dedication of Grateful Nation Fallen Soldier Memorial
				See our full calendar online
This year’s Homecoming festivities will get under way Sunday, Sept. 29, with the annual Homecoming kickoff celebration in the clock court at Southgate Mall. Other popular events include coloring the Hello Walk, the Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony and reception, the pep rally, the Homecoming parade and the TV tailgate. You’ll find a complete Homecoming schedule with event details on our Homecoming web page. See you in September!
UMAA hosts its ninth annual Night with the Missoula Osprey on Thursday, Aug. 1, at Ogren Park at Allegiance Field. The barbecue will begin at 6 p.m. on the Blackfoot Party Deck, and the Osprey will take on the Helena Brewers at 7 p.m. For more information or to register, visit our Osprey Night event page.
Food, live music and family fun down by the river – it’s Missoula Downtown ToNight. On Thursday, Aug. 15, from 5:30–8:30 p.m., come visit the UMAA booth at Caras Park. If you're in town...join us!
Do you want to know what’s happening around the University of Montana from week to week? There’s a perfect publication for you: UM Weekly is a free, weekly e-newsletter that provides University-wide news to readers throughout the academic year. It’s easy to sign up: just go to the UM home page and enter your email address in the “Connect with UM” box in the right column. It’s easy to unsubscribe at any time and UM will never share or sell your email address.
Thank you to everyone who came out for our annual Flathead event! We had a fantastic turnout with 220 people in attendance at the Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork. Visit our Flickr page to see photos from the event.
The UMAA Board of Directors is thrilled to announce Jeanette Comstock as the recipient of this year’s UMAA legacy scholarship. Jeanette is a junior majoring in biochemistry and dance. She is a student of the Davidson Honors College and part of the pre-medical sciences program at UM. After graduating, she plans to pursue a career as a physician specializing in mental illness. Congratulations, Jeanette!
Colleen McGuire '79 Columbus, OH Colleen McGuire '79 is a retired U.S. Army brigadier general. She currently is the executive director of Delta Gamma Fraternity (est. 1873), and serves as a panel member on the Department of Defense’s Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel mandated by Congress. As a military police officer, Colleen was the first woman in the history of the U.S. Army to hold the highest law enforcement office, provost marshal general; first woman to command the U.S. Army’s premier felony investigative organization, Criminal Investigations Command; and the first woman to command the Department of Defense all-male maximum security prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Colleen also established the Army’s Suicide Prevention Task Force and served as its director for three years. Colleen earned a degree in radio-television production from the University of Montana, a master’s degree of military arts and sciences from the Army’s Command and General Staff College and a master’s degree of national security and strategic studies from the Army War College. She is a University of Montana Distinguished Alumna. Raised in Missoula, Colleen attended several Missoula grade schools and is a graduate of Sentinel High School. Her daughter, Maggie, and her family reside in Kalispell. Her father, William McGuire, still resides in Missoula.
See the complete list of the UMAA board of directors, including the five newly elected members
“Hope all is well in beautiful Montana. Not a day goes by without thinking about my amazing six years in MT. Every once in a while an Alum representative will come through Hawaii and take me to lunch and talk story. Keep up the good fight!” -Danny Jason Gallegos ’01, Honolulu, Hawaii
Do you know a new grad who’s looking to jump-start their career? A specially discounted $20 UMAA membership will gain them access to UM’s Career Services, where they can take advantage of the Ask-an-Alum mentoring program, individual career counseling, career fairs, workshops, and Griz e-Recruiting. Recruiting services and job postings are available exclusively to members of the University of Montana Alumni Association. For more information or to post a resume today, visit Career Services.
See all the benefits of your UMAA membership
Southern Culture and Civil War March 28–April 6, 2014 New Orleans, Oak Alley, Baton Rouge, St. Francisville, Natchez, Vicksburg, Helena, Memphis aboard the American Queen. Steamboat along the Mississippi River. Book by September 12, 2013 to receive a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay in New Orleans and $100 onboard credit per stateroom.
Did you know that you can make gifts to the UM Alumni Association directly from our home page? Look for this button on the right side of the UMAA home page at www.grizalum.com. Thank you for your continued support of UMAA!

Griz Nation Pulse Newsletter​: 8-2-13

Greetings Grizzlies,

Senior OT Danny Kistler Jr.

07/30/2013 - Football Griz football team welcomes vets and newcomers back Aug. 4 The University of Montana football team starts its preparation for the 2013 football season on Sunday, as the Grizzlies welcome their returning players and newcomers to fall camp, while practice starts Tuesday. Click here to read the full story

07/31/2013 - Women's Soccer 2013 Montana soccer preseason prospectus The Montana soccer team, the defending Big Sky Conference co-champion, holds its first practice of the 2013 season next Wednesday at South Campus Stadium. Use the preseason prospectus to get a jump on the season. Click here to read the full story

07/31/2013 - Outdoor Track Griz add pair of state champions Montana track and field coach Brian Schweyen solidified his 2014 men's roster with the signing of four athletes to National Letters of Intent over the past weeks. Two of the signees are recent state champions. Three of the newcomers are from Montana. Click here to read the full story

07/31/2013 - General Release Griz football home game style guide Know exactly how to prepare for each Saturday this fall in Washington-Grizzly Stadium with this style guide. Also, score some great savings with the Bookstore at the University of Montana. Click here to read the full story

07/29/2013 - Women's Golf Green shoots 69, finishes sixth at The Barn Amateur Montana's Tara Green, a junior-to-be, shot a 2-under 69 and tied for sixth at The Barn Amateur, held Friday at The Barn Golf Club in Pleasant View, Utah. What makes this particularly newsworthy? Green was competing in the male-dominated championship flight and playing from the men's tees. Click here to read the full story

07/26/2013 - General Release
Statements from President Engstrom, AD Haslam on NCAA investigation - UM President Royce Engstrom and Athletic Director Kent Haslam comment on NCAA findings

Paws For Compliance Newsletter

Laurel Hanson, Director of Compliance

The University of Montana

Department of Intercollegiate Athletics

(406) 243-5729 (Phone) | (406) 243-2264 (Fax)

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