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  1. Bronco getting revved up to prevent child abuse in Utah

    By BYU Athletic Co...

    - Thu, 07/30/2009 - 20:27

    BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall will participate in the inaugural Black Leather and Cougar Blue Motorcycle Ride on Saturday to benefit local child abuse prevention programs.

    Community members are invited to join Mendenhall for the benefit ride. The ride starts at Timpanogos Harley in Lindon at 10 a.m. Riders are encouraged to register starting at 8:30 a.m., then enjoy an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast and meet Mendenhall.

    Cost for an individual rider is $25 and includes breakfast, lunch, pin and bandana. A passenger may be added for only $10. In addition to the ride, the ride sponsors will give away a 2009 Harley-Davidson Street Bob at the event.

    Community members can register the day of the event at Timpanogos Harley in Lindon,  located at 555 So. Geneva Road, just west of I-15 exit 273 (Lindon/Orem 1600 North).

  2. BYU, Utah to kick off ’09-’10 Deseret First Duel with golf tourney

    By BYU Athletic Co...

    - Tue, 07/28/2009 - 21:12

    BYU and Utah will kick off the 2009-10 Deseret First Duel Rivalry Series with the Third Annual Deseret First Duel Cup Golf Tournament on Aug. 12 at Thanksgiving Point.

    Athletic department officials and fans will face off for bragging rights and to see their flag flown at Thanksgiving Point for the 2009-10 season.

    The format for the Duel Cup will be a Ryder Cup, best-ball match-play event. Teams will consist of two Cougars competing against two Utes. BYU won last year’s event and had its flag flown at Thanksgiving Point. The athletic directors for each department will serve as team captains, with Tom Holmoe representing BYU and Chris Hill representing Utah.

  3. Friendly coaches, structure attracted football recruit

    By Seth Stoker

    - Tue, 07/28/2009 - 21:11

    Although Danny Ainge hasn’t played basketball for BYU in more than 20 years, he is still scoring big for his alma mater. Ainge played a pivotal role in introducing a highly rated defensive back from Massachusetts to BYU.

    Jordan Johnson, a 5-foot-10, 172-pound cornerback, joined what many fans and experts alike are calling the best recruiting class in BYU history.

    Ainge works with Johnson’s uncle, Leo Papile, in the front office of the Boston Celtics. Shortly after learning about BYU, Johnson was able to take a trip to Provo and meet with the coaches.
    Although Provo is much different from his hometown, Johnson was impressed.

    “I like the community, I like the environment, and it’s a good fit,” Johnson said.

    The speedy defensive back, who describes himself as a hard worker with high expectations for himself, knows some things about BYU will take getting used to.

  4. Fredette having successful offseason

    By Seth Stoker

    - Tue, 07/28/2009 - 21:03
    Photo by David Scott. BYU's Jimmer Fredette in a game against TCU in January.

    Jimmer Fredette has had a busy offseason. After attending Spring Term classes at BYU, Fredette returned to New York, and is taking summer off. That doesn’t mean he has taken a break from basketball.

    Fredette is participating in an NCAA-sanctioned tournament called King of Kings, which showcases some of the top college talent in the country. “Participating” may be understating it.

    Fredette has dominated in the two games he has played in the tournament, averaging 34 points, 6 assists, 2 steals and 4 rebounds per game.

    The most recent game was against a combination of players from Syracuse and Canisius universities, both Division I schools. Fredette dropped a modest 41 points on the team featuring Rick Jackson and Brandon Triche, both considered up-and-coming talent for the Orangemen.

  5. Quick-selling sport passes coming Aug. 3

    By Adrienne Gorge

    - Mon, 07/27/2009 - 20:05

    As evidenced by their selling out the past two years, Student All-Sport passes have become a highly valued item. This year the passes go on sale on Aug. 3 at 9 a.m. Purchases can be made through BYUtickets.com.

    Students can go online now to BYUtickets.com and set up a student account and make sure they are eligible to purchase tickets. Changes have been made to the purchasing process, and students are advised to become aware of the changes before the purchase date.

    With last year’s pass, football seats were on a non-rotating basis. This year there are two sections of student seating: rotating and non-rotating.

    “Students voiced the desire to be able to rotate again,” said Bill Hoops, marketing coordinator for BYU Athletics. “Two years ago we tried the same thing and had a good response from students that were willing to pay more to not have to rotate and sit closer to the field.”

  6. Center of Excellence brings hope to Olympians

    By Nicholas Jordan

    - Tue, 07/21/2009 - 20:47
    Photo courtesy of U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. The Center of Excellence in Park City.

    The whirlpool machines were turned on, the smell of new carpet was in the air, and the gears on the weight machines glided back and forth without any sign of squeaking as only new machines do. With top-of-the-line training equipment brought in from around the globe, the Center of Excellence is already in full motion, ready for use by Olympic athletes. Athletes from around the nation are quickly calling this new place home as they begin training for the next Winter Games.

    The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association celebrated its newest achievement on Friday in Park City with the dedication of the Center of Excellence.

    The idea for a grand-scale training facility began in the late ’90s with hopes the facility would provide the best training and physical therapy to the many athletes who participate in Olympic events.

  7. BYU professor promotes ALS awareness

    By Adrienne Gorge

    - Tue, 07/21/2009 - 20:45
    Photo courtesy of Michael Goldsmith. BYU professor Michael Goldsmith takes a cut at a pitch during a fantasy camp game.

    With the bases loaded, the batter stepped up to the plate again. With two strikes against him, he nervously looked at the pitcher. Quickly the ball released from the pitcher and came whizzing toward the plate. With a surge of confidence, the batter swung. Crack. The ball went sailing into the air.

    Michael Goldsmith, a law professor at BYU, hit a triple to get his Little League baseball team back into the game. It was a defining moment for him.

    “It gave me confidence so that I never let two strikes worry me again,” he said.

    When Goldsmith was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2006, baseball became his refuge and his medium for awareness of ALS.

    “Watching part of yourself die every few days makes it very personal,” he said. “Life has now become a race against the clock,” he said.

  8. Hall gets preseason MWC honor

    By Daily Universe

    - Tue, 07/21/2009 - 20:41
    Photo by Stephanie Rhodes. Max Hall scrambles during last year's game against UCLA.

    BYU senior quarterback Max Hall has been voted Preseason MWC Offensive Player of the Year, while his team has been picked to finish second in the conference, behind TCU.

    In media voting announced at Tuesday’s Mountain West Conference football media days, three Cougars were named to the all-conference team on the offensive side of the ball, one on the defensive side and one on special teams.

    Joining Hall on the offense were running back Harvey Unga — one of just two juniors on offense or defense — and tight end Dennis Pitta. Defensive lineman Jan Jorgensen and placekicker Mitch Payne also received honors.

    Pitta was one of three unanimous picks to the team; the others were TCU defensive lineman Jerry Hughes, also named Defensive Player of the Year, and Utah linebacker Stevenson Sylvester.

  9. Cougars recruit unknown talent

    By Seth Stoker

    - Mon, 07/20/2009 - 21:07

    As recently as early June, Tayo Fabuluje of Arlington, Texas, hadn’t received so much as a letter, or even a phone call, from BYU. In fact, coach Bronco Mendenhall later told him the coaching staff knew absolutely nothing about him.

    Yet by mid-June, Fabuluje joined a fast-growing list of recruits who had committed to play football for the Cougars starting in 2010.

    Fabuluje lives with Ross Apo, a BYU wide receiver commit and high school teammate. While he has only lived with the Apo family for about a year, Fabuluje has a bond with them.

    “I’m grateful to Ross’ dad for allowing me to come stay with them, and I’ll never forget that because who knows where I’d be,” Fabuluje said.

    Fabuluje moved in with the Apos during a difficult time in his own family.

  10. Running against heat exhaustion

    By Adrienne Gorge

    - Mon, 07/20/2009 - 21:06

    Just before she started, Erica Christensen drank a couple glasses of Gatorade. With feelings of insecurity, she began running. For Christensen, an exercise science major from Kaysville, it was the last stretch of the race. Only eight miles remained, but it was more important than ever for her to monitor her body’s reactions.

    The cold air whipped around her. Raindrops began to sprinkle on her face. Christensen kept thinking, “only to the top of the hill, only to that bush —  then I’ll stop.”

    As she was about to give up, Paul Eliason, her captain and an economics major from Alta, Wyo., cheered her on, “Erica you can do this!” 

  11. BYU’s Fowler receives MWC’s highest honor

    Mon, 07/20/2009 - 21:04

    BYU Athletic Communications

    BYU senior Kellen Fowler and Air Force senior Abigail Rogers are the 2008-09 Mountain West Conference Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year, respectively.

    Established by the Mountain West Conference Joint Council in 1999, the Student-Athlete of the Year award is the highest honor presented to a student-athlete by the league. The award is bestowed annually to one male and one female who best exemplify the term “student-athlete” by achieving excellence in academics, athletics and community involvement. Criterion for the Student-Athlete of the Year award requires that nominees demonstrate leadership, character and conduct on and off the playing field. In addition to superior athletic achievement, candidates must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average. The winners each receive a $2,500 postgraduate scholarship.

  12. Cougars end season with win, tie

    By Neal Minson

    - Sun, 07/19/2009 - 20:06

    Emotion and heart were evident as the BYU men’s soccer team ended its season and said goodbye to the seniors with a win and tie.

    Saturday night’s match against Lancaster started out with a tribute to the senior members of the team: Quinn Sheperd, Dan McKinley, Dan Turnbull, Richie Bindrup, Curtis Graham, Steven Fellows and Steve Magleby.  When the whistle blew to begin the first half of the game, a battle of the offenses ensued.

    Lancaster scored first in the 14th minute after a well-executed play left the BYU defense behind. BYU answered 12 minutes later with a powerful shot by Brett Oswald. A minute later, Lancaster was able to find the back of the net off a free kick, putting them ahead. BYU was not going to stay silent long as seniors Magleby and Bindrup connected to tie the game.

    When it appeared the first half was going to end in a tie, Lancaster rallied once more in extra time to put them ahead to end the half.

  13. 2nd annual commercial contest deadline looming

    Tue, 07/14/2009 - 19:40

    By DAVE CHALK
       
    The grand prize of two football season tickets was never the driving force for Ben Thompson when he entered the first BYU football commercial competition in 2008.

    Thompson, now a senior at BYU, was driven by the opportunity to have his work and creation played on the big screen at LaVell Edwards Stadium during halftime of one of the football games. So when he found out he had won the competition and his commercial would be played for the more than 64,000 Cougar fans that fill the stadium for each home game, he said, “I was stoked. I didn’t even know what the prize was and didn’t care. I just wanted to have it played in the stadium.”

    Thompson’s main idea behind his commercial was to make something nostalgic while creating an emotional feeling. Thompson’s commercial featured moving photographs of the football players.

  14. Owlz offer fans a chance to swing for the fences

    Tue, 07/14/2009 - 19:39

    By DAVE CHALK
       
    Baseball fans who still have dreams of hitting a first-pitch fastball over the center field wall now have their chance to step up to the plate and put their bat where their mouth is.

    On July 22 at UVU’s Brent Brown Ballpark, the Orem Owlz are hosting the 2009 Best Buy Home Run Derby. It is the headlining event during this year’s Owl Fest. The derby is open to anyone who wishes to compete and participants are allowed to bring their own bat.

    It wasn’t the first home run derby for last year’s winner Gary Cooper, a real estate broker from Alpine and former Cougar baseball player. He had previously won the 1991 Triple-A home run derby when he was still playing professionally.

    Cooper remembers that it only took him one swing to regain his home run swinging form. He hit more than 20 home runs to win last year’s derby.

  15. RB prospect narrows list to 3, includes BYU

    By Seth Stoker

    - Mon, 07/13/2009 - 20:41
    Photo courtesy of Brandon Bourbon. Brandon Bourbon carries the ball during a game last season.

    It seems the day has finally come where Cougar Nation is calling for a shot of Bourbon.

    Brandon Bourbon, a running back recruit from Potosi, Mo., holds scholarship offers from eight division one programs, but said he has narrowed the list down to three schools.

    Fortunately for Cougar fans, BYU made the cut.

    “My top three are Stanford, BYU and Vanderbilt,” Bourbon said. “They are all pretty even.”

    Bourbon is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound track star who claims a 4.44 40-yard dash time and a 10.4 100-yard dash time.

    He has always wanted to play running back. Although he started playing football in the sixth grade, he had to wait until his sophomore year in high school to see the field at his desired position.

    As a freshman, Bourbon saw most of his reps at fullback on the freshman team.