WAC ACTION

With the Spring season well underway here are this weeks Top Ten in WAC Action...ENJOY!

10. New Mexico State junior Sophia Marks has been named the WAC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week. This is the first player of the week honor for Marks, who was a second team all-WAC performer last year for the Aggies in both singles and doubles. Marks led the Aggie women’s tennis team to a 2-1 record last weekend with wins over Utah State and Louisiana Tech. She went 2-1 in her singles matches and 2-1 in her doubles matches.

9. SJSU’s Erica Moston (pictured left) is ranked in the top-10 nationally among collegiate women's golfers and will be the live in-studio guest during the April 14 KRON TV (Channel 4, San Francisco) evening sports report. Heading into the WAC Championship Moston is ranked ninth nationally and has a season stroke average of 71.41. She has recent back-to-back tournament wins at the Ryder Canes & Carinal Classic in Miami Lakes, Fla., and the Mountain View Collegiate in Tucson, Ariz.

8. Utah State women's track and field athlete Sonia Grabowska has been named both the WAC and America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week. The WAC honor is selected by the conference office while the USU award is chosen by a statewide media panel. Grabowska, a sophomore set a new USU school record, taking second-place in the pole vault on Saturday at the UCLA Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational clearing 13-09.75 (4.21m). Grabowska's record setting height is also a new personal-best, a new Western Athletic Conference-best and an NCAA regional qualifying mark. She now holds both of the Aggies' indoor and outdoor record in this event.

7. Boise State football player Tommy Gallarda has been selected to attend the 2009 NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference. Gallarda is one of 233 Division I student-athletes who will participate in the annual conference. The conference is to provide a forum for student-athletes to discuss campus and community issues. It will also give them the opportunity to develop leadership, communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills.

6. The UH cheerleaders placed first and fifth respectively in the Partner Stunt Division at the National Cheerleaders Association's Collegiate Cheer Championship held in Daytona Beach, Fla. on Saturday. Partners Kristin Kowalkowski and Kelvin Lam won the prestigious event and Amanda Lucero and George McGuire captured fifth place.

5. The Nevada softball team had a strong performance in their Saturday sweep of Boise State. In game one of the doubleheader, freshman pitcher Mallary Darby tossed the third no-hitter in school history. Senior outfielder Brittany Puzey (pictured right) extended her hitting streak to 20 straight games, the longest in school history and the longest on record in the WAC. The Wolf Pack belted eight home runs on the day and broke the school record (43) for home runs in a season.

4. University of Idaho athletes Mac Hopson and Allix Lee-Painter garnered Athlete of the Year awards at the North Idaho Sports Banquet over the weekend. Hopson, a junior point guard with the Idaho men’s basketball team, was named the top men’s college athlete in Northern Idaho while senior Lee-Painter earned the same award for women as a member of the Vandal cross country and track and field teams.

3. Fresno State Junior Tom Mendonca (pictured above) hit two home runs in his first two at bats of the night at the FSU / NM State baseball game on April 13. The home runs tied the third baseman for all-time home run leader.

2. The Louisiana Tech Track and Field Team captured ten top five finishes and three regional qualifying marks at the Ole Miss Invitational.

· Sophomore Larry Jones placed second in the discus throw with a regional qualifying
throw of 177' 07".
· Senior Nadia Alexander recorded two top five finishes in the woman's discus and shot put.
Alexander finished third in the shot put with a regional qualifying throw of 51' 0" and fifth in
the discus with a throw of 146' 11".
· Sophomore sprinter Chasidee Lewis-Baker who finished third in the 100m with a regional
qualifying time of 11.50 which is top in the conference.


1. For only the second time in school history, San Jose State will be represented at the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships. Veronica Porte and Thomasina Wallace will compete in the all-around on Thursday, April 16. They are just the second and third Spartan gymnasts to compete in the all-around at the championships.