Athlon Sports Previews #SummitMBB

The 2014-15 Athlon Sports College Basketball Yearbook hit newsstands today. Its analysis of the league race projects Fort Wayne as champion. In the national rundown, IUPUI's Jason Gardner is listed as one of "Five Notable First-Time Coaches". Below is a summary of the league picks:

PREDICTIONS

1. Fort Wayne

2. North Dakota State

3. Denver
4. Oral Roberts
5. South Dakota State
6. Omaha
7. South Dakota
8. Western Illinois
9. IUPUI

ALL-SUMMIT FIRST TEAM

Lawrence Alexander (G), North Dakota State
Garret Covington (G), Western Illinois
Steve Forbes (F), Fort Wayne
Cody Larson (F), South Dakota State
Brett Olson (G), Denver

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Steve Forbes (F), Fort Wayne

To read the full analysis of The Summit League, pick up a copy of Athlon Sports College Basketball Yearbook at your local newsstand or order online.

Fort Wayne Adds Cantillo, Kaneshiro to Softball Coaching Staff

IPFW head softball coach Germaine Fairchild announced the hiring of Chelsea Cantillo and Kelley Kaneshiro to her staff. Cantillo and Kaneshiro previously worked together at Utah State where Cantillo took her first coaching position while Kaneshiro was a junior on the team.

Cantillo spent the 2014 season on the staff at Army in West Point, New York, where she helped the Black Knights earn the fourth seed in the Patriot League Tournament en route to posting 23 wins. She helped guide two members of the squad to earn All-NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) honors, including a first-team selection. Cantillo worked primarily with the infield during her stints at Army and Utah State.

Kaneshiro comes to IPFW after most recently being employed by the City of Boise (Idaho) working with at-risk youth. During her time in Boise, Kaneshiro also worked for the local YMCA as the lead membership representative.

Lindy's Sports College Basketball Forecasts #SummitMBB

The 2014-15 Lindy’s Sports College Basketball Yearbook hit newsstands today. The publication ranks The Summit League No. 21 in its national conference ranking. Its analysis of the league race, written by Lindsey Willhite, forecasts Denver atop the standings. Below is a summary of the picks:

PREDICTIONS

1. Denver
2. Fort Wayne
3. Oral Roberts
4. North Dakota State
5. South Dakota State
6. Omaha
7. South Dakota
8. Western Illinois
9. IUPUI

ALL-SUMMIT FIRST TEAM

Lawrence Alexander (G), North Dakota State
Obi Emegano (G), Oral Roberts
Steve Forbes (F), Fort Wayne
Cody Larson (F), South Dakota State
Brett Olson (G), Denver

ALL-SUMMIT SECOND TEAM

Korey Billbury (G/F), Oral Roberts
Brandon Bos (G), South Dakota

CJ Carter (G), Omaha
Garret Covington (G), Western Illinois

Mike Rostampour (C), Omaha

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Brett Olson (G), Denver

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
George Marshall (G), South Dakota State

HONOR ROLL

Best Shooter: Brett Olson, Denver
Best Rebounder: Mike Rostampour, Omaha

Best Playmaker: Trey Norris, South Dakota

Best Defender: Devin Patterson, Omaha

Most Versatile: Lawrence Alexander, North Dakota State
Best NBA Prospect: Cody Larson, South Dakota State

To read the full analysis of The Summit League, pick up a copy of Lindy’s College Basketball Yearbook at your local newsstand or order online.

Leatherneck Baseball Lends Helping Hand to Lincoln Elementary School

On Saturday, September 6, Western Illinois baseball student-athletes gathered at Macomb's Lincoln Elementary to give back to the community by weeding the playground and painting new lines in the parking lot. The project was a special one for head baseball coach Ryan Brownlee.

"I come from a family of educators so most of our community service projects are about helping kids," said Brownlee. "My daughter Norah graduated from Lincoln last year and had a great experience there.  Mr. Horrell is a tremendous person who has a lot of school pride for Lincoln."

In just two hours 34 Leatherneck baseball players cleared weeds from the playground and painted fresh lines for stalls in the parking lot. Two projects that eliminated hours of work from the school district's "to-do" list.

The Sporting News Previews The #SummitMBB Season

The 2014-15 Sporting News College Basketball Yearbook is the first to hit newsstands this season. In its breakdown of The Summit League, written by John Akers of the Basketball Times, Oral Roberts was tabbed as league favorite. Below is a summary of TSN’s picks:

PREDICTIONS

1. Oral Roberts
2. Fort Wayne
3. Denver
4. South Dakota State
5. North Dakota State
6. Omaha
7. South Dakota
8. Western Illinois
9. IUPUI

ALL-SUMMIT TEAM

Korey Billbury (G), Oral Roberts
Obi Emegano (G), Oral Roberts
Steve Forbes (F), Fort Wayne
Cody Larson (F), South Dakota State
Brett Olson (G), Denver

RATING THE SUMMIT

Top Player: Obi Emegano, Oral Roberts
Top Newcomer:  Deondre Parks, South Dakota State
Top Coach: Scott Sutton, Oral Roberts

To read the full analysis of The Summit League, pick up a copy of The Sporting News College Basketball Yearbook at your local newsstand or order online.

Women's Soccer Exhibition Scoreboard (Aug. 19)

NDSU's Lauren Miller

North Dakota State 2, Bemidji State 1
The North Dakota State University Bison women's soccer team claimed a 2-1 victory over the Bemidji State University Beavers Tuesday, Aug. 19, at Dacotah Field in their final exhibition match before beginning regular season play.

Anisha Kinnarath gave the Bison a 1-0 advantage in the 22nd-minute after she scored a goal off a Jaclyn Scanlan assist. Scanlan charged down the left side of the field and directed the ball towards Kinnarath, who hammered it into the lower right corner of the net.

Omaha Adds Bennett to Women's Soccer Coaching Staff

Tim Bennett, the Executive Director of Omaha FC, has joined the UNO women's soccer coaching staff as an assistant coach for the 2014 season.

Bennett has been the OFC Executive Director since July 2013 and will continue in that role while assisting the Maverick program through the 2014 season. Bennett replaces Ted Anderson, who resigned in the offseason to pursue other professional opportunities.