As the school year winds down and spring begins, the 2018-19 sports seasons at Weber State University are winding down, but there is always another year on the horizon that athletes and fans alike look forward to.
Weber State has 16 Division I NCAA teams on campus, and each team has student-athletes worth knowing.
Last season’s football team returned to the playoffs for the third straight year under head coach Jay Hill. In those three years, the team has a combined record of 28-11 going 3-3 in the playoffs.
The ‘Cats starting quarterback, Jake Constantine, and starting running back, Josh Davis are both returning after great years in the purple and white.
With his breakout freshman year, Davis marched onto the college football season with 1,362 yards rushing with a long of 95 yards. Davis averaged 113.5 yards rushing per game, including two games over 200 yards, ending with 1,779 all-purpose yards, the most ever by a Wildcat freshman and the seventh most in a season in Weber State history.
Davis won the Jerry Rice Award as the National Freshman of the Year and the Utah Male Athlete of the Year Award after his record-setting freshman season. Davis was the first Wildcat freshman ever to receive national honors.
In his 12 games last season, Constantine recorded 2,205 yards through the year with 18 touchdowns thrown. He threw an average of 183 yards per game, completing 61 percent of his throws. Constantine will enter his junior year at WSU in hopes of another playoff run.
The men’s basketball team is coming off an 18-15 season with no postseason play. With 10 underclassman getting experience this year, the team will return looking to senior guards Jerrick Harding and Cody John to lead them through the Big Sky Conference during the 2019 season.
“I describe Jerrick as a pure scorer. His athletic ability and all the hours he has put into his game throughout his life have made him an elite shooter and finisher,” graduating senior and former WSU center Zach Braxton said. “He is extremely passionate about the game of basketball, and it shows on the court.”
John had a productive year for the ‘Cats, setting all new career highs. He averaged 15 points, four rebounds and two assists in 33 games. He shot 48 percent from the floor and 77 percent from the free throw line.
“Cody plays like his life depends on it. He plays hard and with a lot of passion, even when things aren’t going well,” Braxton added. “He has expanded his offensive game during his time at Weber State. He became a better shooter and a better finisher around the rim because he wants to succeed so badly.”
The women’s basketball team is coming off a six-win season, ending the year 6-25. Senior Dominique Williams and sophomore Kori Pentzer are both players to watch for next year according to head coach Velaida Harris.
Harris expressed the importance of Williams and Pentzer to the team next year and the potential contributions that the two could have as the team looks to improve from their losing season this past year. Between the two players, they appeared in 54 games for the Wildcats.
The women’s volleyball went 18-10 during last year and have a few players returning for their senior seasons. Megan Gneiting, outside hitter, and Hannah Hill-DeYoung, middle blocker, are two of these players.
“Megan is a powerful athlete and wonderful teammate. She has and always will give 100 percent in everything she does, and I am so excited to see what she does with her senior year,” former teammate Andrea Hale said. “She wants a Big Sky Championship, and I know she’s going to do everything in her power to do so.”
Hill-DeYoung played locally at Layton High School where she was recruited by Weber State. She posted a team-high .394 hitting percentage, with 199 kills from 388 attacks and only 46 errors.
“Hannah is a perfect example of resilience and hard work,” continued Hale. “I’ve never been more impressed by someone than Hannah Hill-DeYoung. I know with her hard work and determination she will do incredible things her senior year.”
Additional names to keep an eye out for next year include Megan Price and Haley Thomas from the women’s soccer team, Faith Hoe and Lauren Hoe from the women’s softball team, Kris Van Wyk from men’s tennis and Megan Lombardi from
women’s tennis.
