WSU football coordinator hired by Utah
Former WSU football defensive coordinator Justin Ena was hired by the University of Utah to become their linebackers coach on Monday.
Ena joined the Wildcats last season after spending the previous six seasons with Southern Utah University. Under Ena, the Wildcats improved their defensive game as they finished eighth in the Big Sky Conference in total defense in 2014—an improvement over their last-place 13th ranked defense in 2013.
Last season, the Utes finished second in the PAC-12 in total defense. Utah will begin its season Sept. 3 when they host University of Michigan.
Tennis teams go 1-1 in competitions
The WSU men’s and women’s teams played two matches each this weekend, and both teams walked away with a 1-1 record.
The women’s team traveled to Boise where they defeated Seattle 5-2 to open their weekend and followed up with a tough 5-2 loss against Boise State. The team was able to get things going in their first set of matches, with Agata Bachanek and Kristi Elmer both putting up solid wins throughout the weekend.
The men’s team also played a double-header on Saturday at the Ogden Athletic Club. They dropped a close match to University of Missouri-Kansas City 4-3. They bounced back from the loss and swept Nebraska-Omaha 7-0, with all members of the team winning their individual matches in two sets.
Track performs well in Washington and Idaho
In their second and third meets of the season, the men’s and women’s track teams performed well as they traveled to the Washington Invitational and the Mountain States Games.
At the Washington Invitational, the team broke records and set new records in competition against some of the best athletes in the nation. Jamie Stokes broke a school record as she ran a 4:43.86 mile, which was also the fastest in her division at the meet. Jazmin Porter tied for the fourth longest distance in team history during the shot put event with a mark of 47-04.5, and finished seventh at the meet in the weight throw with a distance of 56-06.75.
At the Mountain States Games, several players qualified for the finals in their events, as well as set some records. Tony Osheku Jr moved up on the school record books with a 6.98 second time in the 60 meter dash for a second-place finish at the meet. Osheku’s time was the eighth fastest in school history. Teammate Joey Czellecz made it to the Big Sky finals with a time of 8.27 on the hurdles. The teams will next participate in the Jacksons Invite in Boise, Idaho.