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Athletics Director: S. Scott Barnes
Location: Dee Glen Smith Spectrum
Phone: (435) 797-1850
FAX: (435) 797-2615
E-mail: scott.barnes@usu.edu
WWW: http://www.utahstateaggies.com/
Executive Associate Athletics Director for External Operations/Senior Women’s Administrator: Jana Doggett
Senior Associate Athletics Director, Head Athletics Trainer: Dale Mildenberger
Senior Associate Athletics Director, Development: Kent Stanley
Associate Athletics Director, Academic Services: Dr. Brian Evans
Associate Athletics Director, Development: TBA
Associate Athletics Director, Business Affairs: Rob Rusnack
Assistant Athletics Director, Annual Giving: Cory Ansfield
Assistant Athletics Director, Media Relations: Doug Hoffman
Assistant Athletics Director, Compliance: Jake Garlock
Assistant Athletics Director, Internal Operations: Scott Randall
Director, Marketing and Promotions: Ryan McLane
Director of Ticket Sales: Katie Hickman
Compliance Director: Jimmy Moore
Strength and Conditioning: Evan Michael Simon
Equipment Supervisor: Mike Bair
Faculty Representative: Dr. Kenneth L. White
Head Coaches:
Basketball (Men’s): Stew Morrill
Basketball (Women’s): Raegan Pebley
Football: Matt Wells
Golf: Dean Johansen
Gymnastics: Jeff Richards
Soccer: Heather Cairns
Softball: Carissa Kalaba
Tennis: Chris Wright
Track/Cross Country: Gregg Gensel
Volleyball: Grayson DuBose
The Intercollegiate Athletics program at Utah State University encourages excellence in academic and athletic performance. The program is designed to develop qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, and individuality, helping each student-athlete realize his or her ultimate capabilities. Utah State’s Intercollegiate Athletics operates under the direction of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Western Athletics Conference (WAC), and Utah State University. The Aggies compete at the NCAA Division I Level in 16 sports, including football, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, women’s gymnastics, women’s softball, men’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field.
On July 1, 2005, a new era in Utah State Athletics began with the entrance into the WAC. With this move into one of the top 10 conferences in the country, Aggie fans are extremely excited about the future. During its first seven years in the WAC, Utah State has won 22 conference championships, while its student-athletes have earned 942 various all-conference honors. Additionally, USU has led the WAC in academic all-conference honorees during each of the last six years, including 228 during the 2010-2011 academic year. USU’s student-athletes also traditionally rank among the best in the WAC with an 84 percent graduation success rate and a cumulative 3.175 grade point average.
The basketball team has become a fixture in the NCAA Tournament and has won either a conference regular season title, conference tournament title, or both during every year, except two, during the 2000s. The Aggies have also won 20-plus games and advanced to post-season play 12 times since 2000. In 2011, USU won its fourth-straight WAC regular season championship and advanced to its 20th NCAA Tournament as it finished the year with a 30-4 record, tying for the most wins in school history.
The football team had one of its best seasons in recent memory during the 2011 campaign as it finished in second-place in the WAC with a 5-2 record and recorded its first winning season (7-6) since 1996. Furthermore, USU advanced to its first bowl game since 1997 as it played in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
USU’s cross country and track teams have been among the conference’s best for a number of years, as the men’s cross country team has won nine league titles and finished second seven times during the last 20 years. The track teams have claimed 15 league team championships during the last 19 years. Also, since USU joined the WAC, the men’s cross country team has won six WAC Championships, while the track teams have won seven WAC titles.
On the women’s side, USU has had success in a number of its sports. The gymnastics program has competed in the NCAA Regional during 27 of the last 33 years and has won five conference championships during the last 18 years.
The Aggie soccer team has made great strides every year since it started the program in 1996 and produced its best season in 2008, as it won its first-ever regular season championship. During the past four seasons, USU has won three regular season WAC Championships (2008, 2010, 2011) and advanced to its first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2011 as it set a school record with its 15-5-2 record.
The track teams continue to have success, as the women’s cross country team was the WAC Champion in 2006 and 2008, while the track team won seven consecutive league titles beginning in 1993 in the Big West.
Eleven different student-athletes have earned All-American honors in volleyball 17 times, and Elaine Roque and Karolyn Kirby have gone on to successful careers on the pro beach volleyball tour. USU’s volleyball team advanced to consecutive NCAA tournaments in 2000 and 2001, and participated again in 2005. In 2010, USU won its first-ever WAC Tournament Championship, advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history, and finished the year with the seventh-most wins in school history (24-9).
USU reinstated its women’s basketball program ahead of the 2003-2004 season. The program is quickly maturing into a competitive foe in the WAC and advanced to postseason play for the first time since 1982 during the 2011 campaign as it played two games in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) to finish the year with an 18-15 record, which is the most wins in school history. USU also notched its first postseason win since 1977, when it defeated Arizona (103-95) in the first round of the WNIT.
Academically, Utah State is the leader of the WAC. USU’s graduation success rate is above those of the other WAC schools, and “academics first” is stressed in all USU programs.
USU has a strong history of athletic success. Among these successful athletes is Merlin Olsen, who won the Outland Trophy awarded to the nation’s top lineman in 1961. Olsen, who was selected into the NFL Hall of Fame, was also an academic All-American. Merlin’s brother, Phil, was also an athletic All-American at Utah State and had great success in the NFL.
USU has produced five Olympians and 33 All-Americans in track and field, including former world record holders L. Jay Silvester and Mark Enyeart. Jay Don Blake became USU’s first NCAA national champion in golf, winning the national title in 1980 and finishing second the following year.
Aggie basketball boasts the legacy of Wayne Estes, an All-American in the early 1960s before his untimely death prior to the conclusion of his senior season, and Jaycee Carroll who was a two-time Associated Press honorable mention All-American and is the school’s all-time scoring leader with 2,522 career points.
Three Aggie gymnasts have earned All-American honors and two others have represented their countries in the Olympics and World Championships.
The softball team has produced six All-Americans, including three-time All-American Kelly Smith.
Facilities
Excellent training and competition facilities are provided in all sports.
E. L. “Dick” Romney Stadium, home of the Aggie football team for more than 30 years, seats 25,513. A state-of-the-art lighting system was installed prior to the 1993 season, and chair-back seating was added ahead of the 1997 season. The 1999 season saw expanded seating, two new scoreboards, and an improved sound system. A new synthetic turf was installed prior to the 2004 season. In 2007, the south plaza was updated with new areas for concessions and ticketing, and in 2010 a larger-than-life statue of Aggie great Merlin Olsen was erected.
The Jim and Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex was completed prior to the 2008-2009 academic year to meet the academic and athletic needs of all 16 Utah State University intercollegiate sports. The state-of-the-art facility is home to the 11,000 square-foot Dale Mildenberger Sports Medicine Complex and the Dr. John Worley Sports Medicine Research Center, along with a 7,000 square-foot equipment room. The first floor is also home to the Steve Mothersell Hall of Honor, along with locker rooms for football, women’s track and field, softball, and women’s soccer. Coaches’ offices and conference rooms are located on the second floor, and the academic center is on the third floor with classrooms, computer labs, and tutoring rooms for all 325 Utah State student-athletes.
Basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball are played in the beautiful 10,270-seat Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. A new playing floor was installed prior to the 2005-2006 season, and locker rooms for both men’s and women’s basketball were completely remodeled prior to the 2009-2010 seasons. In 2012, USU Athletics invested $1.5 million to install new state-of-the-art scoreboards and LED floor displays throughout the facility. Basketball and volleyball practices are held in the Spectrum, while the HPER Building is the practice home for the gymnastics team.
The recently renovated gymnastics practice gym has been labeled as one of the nation’s finest, complete with vaulting pits and foam-spring exercise floor.
The $4.4 million Stan Laub Indoor Training Facility is one of the finest facilities in the nation and in 2011 a new synthetic turf was installed. The building features a 85-yard football field that is regulation width, as well as a vaulted ceiling that reaches 78 feet high. The building is perfect for off-season conditioning for all of Utah State’s sports.
The Nelson Fieldhouse is the home of the Aggie indoor track and field teams. The teams practice on a 200-meter tartan track. For the outdoor season, a recently resurfaced and renovated Ralph Maughan Stadium is the home for the men’s and women’s track teams.
The women’s softball team plays its home games at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field, an on-campus facility, for which a large scoreboard, new grass, and a new fence were added ahead of the 2004 season.
The women’s soccer team also has a new facility, the Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field, which was built in 2003 and features a two-story press box.
The tennis teams play on campus during the outdoor season at the new USU Tennis Complex, which was completed during the summer of 2009. During the indoor season, its teams play at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club, one of the finest indoor facilities in the West. The men’s golf team practices and plays at the Birch Creek Golf Course and at the Logan Golf and Country Club.
Construction on a new $6.2 million, 20,000 square-foot strength and conditioning center will begin in the spring of 2012 with a completion date scheduled for spring of 2013. The center will feature areas for weight training, cardiovascular workouts and speed and agility training, as well as offices for staff.
Scholarships
Utah State offers partial and full scholarships in each of its 16 sponsored sports. A student or prospective student desiring consideration for one of these awards may contact one of the coaches for further information about scholarship applications.
Registration and Eligibility
Registration for athletic participation in Aggie athletics may be accomplished by contacting any of the coaches or the athletics office. Eligibility for participation is governed by the rules and regulations established by the NCAA, by the Western Athletic Conference, and by Utah State University.
Scheduling Policy
Utah State’s Athletics program works very closely with coaches and schedulers to avoid scheduling of intercollegiate practices and competitions for both men and women at times that conflict with the instructional calendar, particularly during end-of-term examinations.
Supervision
Supervision and direction for men and women is vested in the Director of Athletics and the Athletic Council, consisting of the President of the University, and members of the faculty, the alumni, and student organizations.
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