91¶ÌÊÓƵ

 

Athletics

 

91¶ÌÊÓƵ Volleyball Team Makes History

The 2020–21 Weber State Volleyball team is one for the history books. 

With a 19–2 record in their unprecedented spring season, the Wildcats won their first-ever Big Sky Conference regular season title and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1988.

At the tournament, the team made history again, winning its first tournament match 3–1 against Bowling Green. The Wildcats fought hard, but lost in the second round to the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers.

“I'm so proud of our team and what they have accomplished this season through all the things that were thrown at them,” head coach Jeremiah Larsen said. “We had a vision and a plan to build this program and build a culture of success and we were able to accomplish many goals this season.”

Larsen was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year for the 2021 spring season, becoming the third Weber State coach to earn the honor in the program’s 47 years.

Senior Rylin Adams earned multiple honors this season, becoming the first Wildcat women’s volleyball student-athlete to be named to the Spring 2021 AVCA Division I Honorable Mention All-America list. She was also named the Big Sky Conference MVP for the season, Big Sky All-Conference Tournament Team, and AVCA Pacific North All-Region. 

Adams and three other Wildcats – Dani Nay, Sam Schiess and Ashlyn Power – were also named to the Big Sky All-Conference First Team. 

Weber State Football Takes Home Fourth-Straight Title

91¶ÌÊÓƵ football made the most of an unusual spring season.

The Wildcats took home the Big Sky Conference title for the fourth time in a row in April after an undefeated 5-0 regular season; it was also the team’s first outright conference championship.

In the postseason, the Wildcats suffered a heartbreaking loss against Southern Illinois in the first round of the FCS Playoffs.

Coach Jay Hill, who signed a two-year contract extension in 2021, was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year for the first time in seven seasons at Weber State. He was also named the Region 5 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award.

Senior linebacker Conner Mortensen was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, while running back Dontae McMillan was named the co-Big Sky Freshman of the Year. McMillan is just the second Wildcat to earn this honor.

The Wildcats led all schools with 13 players named to the Big Sky All Conference Team.

The team opened its fall 2021 season at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

 
 

Track and Field Has Record-Breaking Season

91¶ÌÊÓƵ broke all kinds of records during the spring 2021 track and field season.

The Weber State women’s team finished second overall at the 2021 Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May held at Stewart Stadium. During the meet, the Wildcats captured several Big Sky titles and set five stadium records.

Emily Morgan-King won first place in the 100 meters and broke her stadium record with a time of 23.46 in the 200 meters. She also set a new stadium record in the 100 meters with a time of 11.37, the second-fastest time in conference history.

Lexie Thompson placed first in the 10,000 meters with a time of 34:23.55, shattering stadium and conference meet records. She also won the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:26.7, breaking the stadium record.

On the men’s side, the team finished fourth overall at the championship and received four conference titles. Bronson Winter won the 800 meters with a time of 1:50.99 and was named the Big Sky Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year.

Xakai Harry set a new record in the long jump, posting a jump of 25-06 and became the first Wildcat since 2013 to win the conference title. Caleb Whitney won the decathlon with 7,061 points, the fourth highest total in Weber State history, becoming a third Wildcat to win the event.

Three Wildcats from the women’s team qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Spirit Squad Wins National Title for Fourth Year in a Row

You can’t spell Weber without this “W.”

The 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Spirit Squad earned its fourth-straight national title in the Advanced Large Coed division at the 2021 NCA and NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships.

The squad also earned the program’s first Grand National Championship trophy, with the best score of any school in any division.

Stunt partners Elsa Hassett and Kollin Cockrell won the Partner Stunt national title. Additionally, the Wildcat dance team took home the Hip Hop national title.

More than 100 schools from across the country participated in the competition.

Softball Team Wins Big Sky with Coach, Player, Pitcher and Freshman of the Year

91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s softball team captured its fourth Big Sky Conference regular season championship with three games left in the 2021 season.

Though the team was eliminated early from the post-season conference tournament, the Wildcats finished the season with a league-best 15-3 record and dominated the All-Conference team and individual awards.

Catcher Lauren Hoe was named the Big Sky Player of the Year, Mariah Ramirez was named Pitcher of the Year and outfielder Mia Rushton was named Freshman of the Year.

Hoe, Ramirez and Rushton joined teammates Faith Hoe, Chloe Camarero, Amanda Sink and Noelle Foster as selections on the All-Big Sky first-team.

Softball coach Mary Kay Amicone was voted the 2021 Big Sky Coach of the Year and led the Wildcats to their second-best win percentage (.833) in conference history. Amicone was also named coach of the year in 2015 and 2019, and is the first coach in league history to receive three Big Sky Coach of the Year honors.