As students and fans alike reflect on the success and excitement of the Weber State University 2017–18 athletic year, it’s common for people on campus to feel confident and anxious for the 2018–19 year to begin.
In a strong year top-to-bottom for WSU, 2017 featured a school record 11 football wins in a season, a third place Big Sky Conference finish by both men’s and women’s basketball, as well as several All-American and All-Big Sky Conference honors earned by Wildcats.
Despite that success, 2018 brings promise and optimism as many key Wildcats are still in place and will look to build on the positive momentum shared by the entire athletic program.
Key contributors across WSU, including Stefan Cantwell, Taron Johnson, Kailie Quinn, Dusty Baker and Ellie Child, will all be missed by their fans and teammates as the 2018 year brings forth a new set of players and challenges for the Wildcats.
While those players and more will be gone, here is a list of Wildcat athletes to watch out for in 2018:
Treshawn Garrett
Hailing from Palmdale, CA, running back Treshawn Garrett will pace the Wildcats offensively in his fourth and final season at Weber State.
Contributing heavily in every season since his true freshman season in 2015, Garrett has put up 1,791 career rushing yards and scored 16 career touchdowns.
He also currently holds the Weber State school record with a 98-yard touchdown run, which is the longest Wildcat run from scrimmage in school history, setting the record in the 2017 season opener against Montana Western University.
After experiencing turnover at quarterback and tight end, Garrett figures to be an invaluable cog in the Wildcats offense in 2018 if he can stay healthy. Garrett and the rest of the Wildcats’ football team will take the field for their opening game at the University of Utah on Aug. 30.
Jordan Preator
After transferring back home to Weber State football from BYU, Fremont High School product Jordan Preator provided valuable minutes and experience on a stingy Wildcat defense.
The Wildcats only return six starters on defense in 2018, but Preator will look to lock down the WSU secondary along with his brother, senior Parker Preator.
After only playing one season with the Wildcats in 2017, Preator already has 51 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and one sack.
In his final season, Preator will provide experience and leadership from the defensive backfield as the Wildcats look to rebuild their stout defense.
Morgan Quarnberg
After winning the Big Sky Conference Golden Boot award during her junior year in 2017, Pleasant Grove native Morgan Quarnberg will lead the Wildcat women’s soccer team into 2018.
Quarnberg became the fifth Weber State player, and first since 2013, to win the Golden Boot award, which is annually given to the player with the most offensive points during conference play.
Quarnberg has scored 16 career goals for the Wildcats, while being on the pitch for a total of 3,355 minutes. She will be one of eight seniors on the WSU soccer team.
Andrea Hale
After a dominant 2017 season and after recently trying out for the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball team, Andrea Hale returns to anchor the Weber State volleyball team for her senior season in 2018.
Hale, who is from Elk Ridge, UT, played in 110 sets for the Wildcats in 2017. Overall, she finished second on the team with 365 total kills.
With 685 career kills as a Wildcat, Hale and her teammates will look to improve on their overall record in 2018 and to make the Big Sky Conference tournament for the 11th time in school history.
Jerrick Harding
Hailing from Wichita, KS, Jerrick Harding started all 31 games in his sophomore season and became the first sophomore Wildcat to achieve All-District honors in basketball.
Despite only being a junior in 2018, Harding will be one of the most tenured Wildcats after already playing in 63 total games.
Harding has contributed 979 total points, 52 steals and 78 assists in his career at Weber State, and he has spent 1,581 total minutes on the hardwood for his team.
Working with 2018 seniors Zach Braxton and Brekkot Chapman, Harding will look to lead his team to a fourth-straight 20-win season and build off of 2017’s momentum.
