Statesman sport staff pick out plays, players, teams of the year
The Utah Statesman sports staff is proud to announce their selections for this year’s covited Statesman Sports Awards.
Three columnists were asked to look back and select three athletes, game and moments they felt best represented the 2009/10 Aggie athletics year and write a short explanation. And the winners are –
Male Athlete of the Year
LH – Matt Hamilton – Hockey. Hamilton was the national leader in combined goals (37) and assists (65) for Division II ACHA hockey in 35 games played. His leadership led Utah State to an undefeated season at home, and most of freshman sensation Tyler Mistelbacher’s goals were assisted by Hamilton. A true team player and team leader – the Male Athlete of the Year.
MS – Robert Turbin – Football. Nobody in a USU uniform this year had more of an impact than Robert Turbin this past season. Every time he touched the ball it was a given that he was going to make something good happen. He could take over any game he played in, and, more often than not, that’s exactly what he did.
CJ – Clint Silcock – Track and Field. Robet Turbin and Matt Hamilton are great choices but could either of them jump over Andre The Giant without scraping a hair on his head? Doubt it. This is why my male athlete of the year choice is Clint Silcock. Silcock, junior exercise science major, tabbed the second best height in the NCAA competition this season on April 17 with an astonishing 7-5 height. Seriously, think about it, most doorways on campus are 7 feet tall. Could you clear that?
Female Athlete of the Year
TS – Kim Quinn – Track and Field. Hands down female athlete of the year is cross country and track star Kim Quinn. She is an outstanding runner, an integral part of Utah State’s amazing running program, but she also comes with an impressive list of accomplishments. WAC Female Athlete of the Year, Utah State Female Athlete of the Year and my personal favorite athlete of the year, just to name a few.
DF – Kim Quinn – Track and Field. It’s distance runner Kim Quinn and, with all due respect to every other female athlete at USU, it’s really not that close. She set a school record in the 10,000 meters, was named the WAC Female Athlete of the Year and recently won USU’s Robins Award for Female Athlete of the Year. Yeah, she wins.
SC – Amber White – Basketball. Amber White was the heart and soul leader of the women’s basketball team. She led the team in scoring and was the backbone of the team. Expect her to become an elite player in the conference next year as she will have a lot of support from the up-and-coming freshmen class.
Team of the Year
AN – Men’s basketball. They had their struggles through December, but the way they bounced back in conference play speaks volumes to not only the team, but the support they received once the students returned to campus. Another WAC regular season title and NCAA tournament appearance certainly don’t hurt either.
KC – Hockey. Not only did hockey go undefeated at home this year, they also went 15-1 against in-state teams. Our own Matt Hamilton led the nation in scoring, and Mistelbacher made the top 10 for points. USU beat BYU six times over the course of the season, U of U four times, Weber three times and UVU twice.
TH – Utah State’s Team of the Year must be the men’s basketball team. Overcoming diversity, withstanding pressure and shinning on a national stage are my reasons why the team is the Team of the Year. Overcoming a dismal start to the season by winning 17 straight games and the regular season outright by three games surely deserves accolades.
Game of the Year
DF – Men’s Basketball vs. BYU. This may not have been the most important game of the year, but the BYU-USU men’s basketball game was far and away the most anticipated. As evidenced by the raucus in-game atmosphere, Aggie fans had been waiting FOREVER for the Cougars to visit the Spectrum. Nevada, NMSU and Boise State get the juices flowing in Logan, but public enemy No. 1 is, and always has been, BYU.
AN – Men’s Basketball vs. BYU. For as much as I’d love to venerate the football team’s epic road win over Idaho, the obvious truth of the matter is that if I say anything other than the basketball game against BYU than I deserve to have my press pass revoked.
MS – Men’s Basketball vs. Louisiana Tech. Many choices could fit in here, but the sense of vengeance surrounding this game, the national TV broadcast and the way it came down to the wire makes this an easy choice. Pooh Williams wore the Superman cape as well as anyone all season during this game and the Aggies held on for a 67-61 victory.
No. 1 Moment of the Year
AN – Spectrum magic – The closing seconds of the winning effort on basketball against BYU. It was my first basketball game as a USU student, and my eardrums have never (and, dear God, I hope will never) recover.
LH – Mistelbacher’s last minute goal – After defeating Eastern Washington in Logan by a score of 2-1 two nights previous, USU went into OT on Nov. 21, 2009, against EWU. Locked up at five apiece, it took Tyler Mistelbacher fewer than two minutes of play to break away on his own, score the golden goal, win the game and send the crowd into hysteria. Mistelbacher’s scores put USU past EWU into third place in the regional rankings.
MS – “Winning Team/Losing Team” vs. BYU – BYU refused to come to the Spectrum last time they were due to, and, in their absence, the USU crowd learned a few new tricks. Dropping the winning team, losing team on the Cougars was nothing short of epic and a solid reminder as to who reigns supreme in basketball in the state of Utah.
KC – Bill on ESPN – Referred to as an “art,” Bill took free-throw distraction to another level. We weren’t the only ones to enjoy the sight of shirtless Bill when ESPN featured him on its “Not Top 10.” He was an instant hit nationally. Some favorites costumes, also noted on ESPN, included cupid, hula dancer, snorkeler, pirate and Chippendale dancer.
TH – Tina Ferguson’s walkoff homerun – The moment of the year goes to freshman second baseman Tina Ferguson for her walk-off three-run homer with two outs against the San Jose Sate Spartans. The hit meant so much to a team that generally struggles to win.
SC – Closing seconds of BYU game – The No. 1 moment of the year has to be when 10,270 crazy USU basketball fans sent the undefeated, all-mighty Cougars from Brigham Young home with the harshest “Winning-Team Losing-Team” chant. The fans came early, stayed the whole game and were rewarded with one of the biggest wins of the year. “Winning-Team Losing-Team” is something that is highly anticipated toward the end of the second half, and you could literally feel the message of, “Go home Dave Rose!” ringing through the air.
TS – Silcock’s amazing jump – The most momentus moment that I witnessed this year was at the Aggies’ home track meet. Junior Clint Silcock cleared an insane height of 7-5 feet in the high jump. And just to give you something to compare it to, Silcock could have jumped over Utah State basketball player Modou Niang, with plenty of room to spare.
DF – Gesture to Aggie legend – During halftime of the men’s basketball game against St. Mary’s, USU announced that it would name the field at Romney Stadium in honor of former Aggie great Merlin Olsen. A truly grand gesture directed toward Olsen, who passed away shortly after the ceremony, was long overdue. He has been the premiere name in Aggie athletics for 50 years and will certainly be missed.
CJ – Turbin’s record run – My moment of the year comes with another USU record setting effort – Robert Turbin’s 96-yard touchdown run against the University of Utah. Turbin’s run topped the previous school record, 95-yards, set by Percy Hanson in 1920 against Colorado Mines and ties the longest offensive play in school history, matching a Craig Bradshaw to Fred Fernandes 96-yard pass play vs. Arizona State in 1979.