Eagle Athletes Compile 3.13 GPA in Winter Quarter
Eagles Select Giacoletti as New Head Coach
13th Annual Kickoff Golf Classic, August 3rd
Eagles, Wolff Have Challenging Debut on September 2nd
Hansen's Game-Winning Shot Selected as Compaq College Play of the Year
Johnson & Cross Country Earns Academic Honors
Hansen Receives $5000 Grant
Sports Updates

Eagle Athletes Compile 3.13 GPA in Winter Quarter

Eastern Washington University athletes compiled a 3.13 grade point average in the winter quarter of 2000. More than one-third had at least a 3.5 GPA.

Of Eastern's 276 student-athletes, 168 (61 percent) had at least a 3.0 average and 100 (36 percent) were at 3.5 and above. Student-athletes with a perfect 4.0 GPA in the winter quarter included Mike Thorniley (men's track), Lea Ruhl (volleyball), Shannon Anderson (women's track), Lisa Harrison (women's track), Christie Kight (women's track) and Kelsey Benson (junior varsity soccer).

The top sports were volleyball with a 3.50 GPA and women's basketball at 3.43. Women's student-athletes had a collective 3.36 grade point average while the men were at 2.89.

Thus far in the 1999-2000 season, 61 athletes have been selected to Big Sky Conference All-Academic teams.

Eagles Select Giacoletti as New Head Coach

Ray Giacoletti (pronounced jack-oh-LET-ee) has been named Eastern Washington University's new head basketball coach, replacing Steve Aggers, who became the new head coach at Loyola-Marymount University. Giacoletti takes over an Eagle program that finished 15-12 this past season and was 12-4 in the Big Sky Conference to share the regular season league title with Montana. "The Eastern basketball program is on the upswing," Giacoletti said. "We will work hard to continue that trend and build on the recent success Eastern has had. I'm excited to be a part of the Eastern family," he added.

13th Annual Kickoff Golf Classic, August 3rd

The 13th Annual Excell Foods Eagle Kickoff Golf Classic will take place Thursday, Aug. 3, 2000, at MeadowWood and Liberty Lake Golf Courses in Spokane. The best-ball scramble format tournament will again feature more than $4,000 in prizes, and begins at noon with a shotgun start. Special "team handicapping" will again be used. Each team will be assigned a handicap and will begin the tournament under par. Cost to enter the tournament is $125, with net proceeds going toward athletic scholarships at Eastern Washington University. Tee and green sponsorships, which include signage and an entry for a team of four, are available for $800 each. Call 509-359-2463 or 1-800-648-7697 for details.

Eagles, Wolff Have Challenging Debut on September 2nd

The head coaching career of Paul Wulff at Eastern Washington University will get off to an emotional „ and extremely challenging „ start next September. Wulff and his Eagles football team open the season against Oregon State of the Pacific 10 Conference on Sept. 2. Wulff played for Beaver head coach Dennis Erickson when Erickson was head coach at Washington State in the late 1980s. Eastern's home schedule is highlighted by a Big Sky Conference showdown against Montana on Sept. 30 at Spokane's Albi Stadium. For the past five seasons, the winner of the Eastern-Montana game has gone on to win the Big Sky Conference title. Wulff took over for Kramer last December after serving on the Eagle coaching staff for the previous seven seasons. He was a starting center for Erickson at Washington State in 1987-88.

Hansen's Game-Winning Shot Selected as Compaq College Play of the Year

Ryan Hansen's game-winning 55-foot desperation shot at Idaho State – the spark that led Eastern Washington to a Big Sky Conference men's basketball regular season co-championship – has been selected as the Compaq College Basketball Play of the Year for men. Hansen, a senior guard, made the shot after a time-out with just nine-tenths of a second remaining in the game. Trailing by two points after leading most of the game, Hansen took an in-bounds pass from Dennis Fitzgerald in the back-court, and immediately lobbed the ball at the basket from behind the midcourt line. It banked in to give the Eagles a 70-69 victory. A nationwide panel of sportswriters made the selection after convening in Indianapolis for the Final Four. The play can be viewed via the internet at: http://www.finalfour.net.

Johnson & Cross Country Earns Academic Honor

EWU standout cross country runner Amber Johnson has been honored as an Academic All-America selection by the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association. Johnson, a 1996 graduate of North Central High School in Spokane, was one of 51 NCAA Division I runners nationwide to be honored. The senior placed 64th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Bloomington, Ind., last November, and has a 3.70 grade point average as a dental hygiene major. As a team, Eastern's women's cross country squad was one of 69 teams that received Academic All-America honors "with distinction." With a collective 3.47 grade point average, the Eagles ranked 14th among 317 institutions that sponsor NCAA Division I women's cross country.

Hansen Receives $5,000 Grant

Eastern Washington University senior basketball player Ryan Hansen is one of just six NCAA Division I men's basketball players nationwide to be honored as a recipient of a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Award. Hansen, a 1996 graduate of Cascade High School in Leavenworth, Wash., received a $5,000 grant from the NCAA. The transfer from Walla Walla, Wash., Community College has a 3.81 accumulative grade point average, including a 3.95 GPA last quarter when he was also busy leading the Eagles to the Big Sky Conference regular season championship. A first team All-Big Sky Conference selection and two-time BSC All-Academic pick, Hansen will receive his physical education degree this spring before doing his student teaching in the fall. He plans to begin working on his master's degree – possibly in sports administration – in the 2001-2002 school year.

Sports Updates

Outdoor Track & Field
Beautiful, 70-degree weather greeted participants and spectators at the 28th Annual Pelluer Invitational on April 21 at Woodward Stadium. Four meet records were set, including Eastern hammer thrower Julie Nielson, who broke her own school record. Eagle triple jumper Kurt Kraemer also set a Pelluer record that ranked third in school history. Eastern junior Eric Boyd set a school record in the decathlon March 16-17 despite snow, cold temperatures and wind at Woodward Stadium at the EWU.

Tennis
After recording a 2-0 match record against conference foe Montana on March 10, Eastern Washington University sophomore Ryan Moran was selected as the Big Sky Conference men's tennis player of the week. Moran's award was the second time this year an Eagle player has earned a player of the week honor. Dean Kimoto earned the same honor on Feb. 24, which marked the first time since 1996 that an Eagle tennis player earned a conference player of the week award.

Men's Basketball
The Eagles won their first-ever Big Sky Conference regular season title, sharing it with Montana. Eastern finished the season 15-11, including a 12-4 record in the conference. Head coach Steve Aggers was selected District 13 Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Region 13 consists of 21 NCAA Division I schools on the West Coast. In addition, he was chosen Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year. Senior guards Deon Williams and Ryan Hansen were selected to the 11-member All-Big Sky Conference first team, while junior center Chris White earned honorable mention honors.

Women's Basketball
A tenacious defense kept them close, but Eastern couldn't get over the hump in the second half and fell to Idaho State 55-46 in a first-round game in March in the Big Sky Conference Tournament at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Mont. Eastern claimed the league's sixth and final berth into the tournament, finishing the year 11-16.

"I thought our kids played hard," said Eastern head coach Jocelyn Pfeifer, whose team won three of its last four regular season games to earn the school's first tourney berth since 1996.

"This isn't the way you want to end your season, but we were able to make a run in the second half of the conference season. It was good that the seniors got to come over here and experience this."

Indoor Track & Field
Sprinter Johnnie Williams was selected men's track athlete of the meet as he picked up victories in the 55 meters and 200 meters at the Big Sky Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Flagstaff, Ariz. As a result of Williams' effort, Eastern's men had its best-ever finish at the indoor championships by placing fifth. Eastern's women's team placed sixth as Jaime Martin broke her own school record in the 20-pound weight throw to win that event.

Golf
One of the season's highlights came on April 7 when the Eagles came just two strokes from victory in the Inland Collegiate Challenge in Spokane. Freshman Mark Poirer finished tied for first individually, but lost in a playoff on the third hole. Kyle Kelly, a senior from Spokane, leads the team with a 74.4 average after 23 rounds this season. The women's team finished fourth among 10 teams at its own Inland Empire WomenÕs Intercollegiate Tournament on April 3 in Spokane. Last fall, the Eagles placed eighth at the Big Sky Conference Championships. Senior Kylie Smith leads the Eagles with an 80.1 average per round, including a fifth-place finish at the Inland Empire Tournament.