NW Briefs | Eagles earn spot in NCAA playoffs
Northwest |
A four-game winning streak to end the regular season helped Eastern Washington earn a berth in the 16-team NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
The Eagles will play McNeese State at 5 p.m. Saturday in Lake Charles, La. It will be the Eagles’ first-ever meeting against the Cowboys (11-0), who won the Southland Conference title with a 6-0 record.
“I was hoping it was just a formality,” said Eagles coach Paul Wulff of his team’s selection to what previously was known as the Division I-AA playoffs. “I clearly thought we were one of the better teams in the country. I think the way we played this season proved that. I am very excited for our team, especially the seniors, to have the opportunity to compete for a national championship.”
The Eagles (8-3, 6-2 Big Sky Conference) will be making their sixth playoff appearance overall and third in the last four seasons.
“There are not a lot of teams that can say that at our level,” said Wulff. “I think it means a lot - it’s a statement that says our football program is on solid ground.”
McNeese State is making its 13th playoff appearance.
“They are a good football team,” said Wulff. “Traditionally, they have been really good over the years. They are extremely talented and are undefeated. But it’s a game that if we execute and take care of the football we can win. It is going to be a challenge, but I like our odds, our resiliency and our ability to attack adversity.”
Opponent set for
WWU volleyball
Western Washington will meet Dowling College from Oakdale, N.Y., on Nov. 29, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II tournament at a site still to be determined from among the eight regional champions.
The Vikings (24-4) earned their first trip to the Elite Eight with a sweep of third-ranked Cal State San Bernardino in the title game of the Pacific Regional. That extended their winning streak to 19 matches, the third-longest in school history.
The winner of the Western-Dowling matchup will play either South Region champion Tampa (31-2) or South Central Region champion Washburn (37-3) in a semifinal match on Friday.
UW cross country
gets NCAA bid
The seventh-ranked Washington women will compete at the NCAA championships in Terre Haute, Ind., today after receiving an at-large bid.
The Huskies, who received their first bid since 2004, finished fourth at the West Regionals on Nov. 10. Washington’s top qualifiers were Anita Campbell (fourth) and Katie Follett (seventh).
North Carolina junior Brie Felnagel, a former Bellarmine Prep standout, also qualified for the NCAAs by winning the Southeast Regional in 19 minutes, 52.25 seconds.
In the men’s division, two local products helped Portland to a second-place finish at West Regionals and a trip to Terre Haute. Junior David Kinsella, a former Inglemoor runner, was second in 29:45.70; and senior Michael Kilburg, formerly of O’Dea, was fifth in 30:06.90. Sophomore Jeff Helmer, an Everett native from Arizona State, finished 14th.
Men’s soccer
Washington battled to a 1-1 double-overtime draw with host San Diego State in both teams’ regular-season finale. Raphael Cox scored in the fourth minute for the Huskies. Washington (8-7-4, 3-4-3 Pac-10) awaits its postseason fate when the 48-team NCAA tournament field is announced at 2:30 p.m. today on ESPNews.
Compiled from sports-information reports and other sources.