LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Four different athletic teams are in action this weekend, led by the Indoors Track and Field's first competition of the 2013-2014 school year. The indoor track and field will travel to Alamosa, Colo., to take part in the Adams State Early Grizzly Open on Saturday (Dec. 7).
Men's and women's basketball kick off Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Friday night (Dec. 6) when both teams take on Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colo. The Cowboys and Cowgirls finish off the weekend when they take on Colorado School of the Mines on Saturday (Dec. 7).
Wrestling looks to continue its early season success Saturday when it makes the trek to Fort Hays, Kan., to take part in the Bob Smith Open at 9 p.m. To read more on wrestling, click
here.
Track and Field
The track and field team was selected to finish fourth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, announced by the conference offices on Thursday (Dec. 5).
Danisha Phipps received preseason All-Conference recognition, one of only 10 athletes to receive this distinction by the RMAC.
Head coach
Bob DeVries feels this will be a good barometer on where the team is at this point of the season. The Cowgirls will also have the added benefit of competing at the site of the 2014 RMAC Indoor Championships (hosted by Adams State Feb. 21-22, 2014) this weekend.
"This meet will give us a good opportunity to see where we are at in terms of fitness," DeVries explained. "This will be a low-key meet for us as not everyone will compete, but it will give us a great preview of the new track and field facility at Adams State."
The Cowgirls are coming off a runner-up finish in 2012-13 RMAC indoor championships. Highlands returns a conference champion in Phipps, who won the conference pentathlon event with 3,549 points. Then-freshman
Destiny Dilworth qualified for the Indoor NCAA Championships with a runner-up finish to Phipps in the pentathlon with 3,408 points.
CiCi Cordova and
Sheneika Rochester both finished third in their respective events at the conference championship to score for the Cowgirls. Cordova cleared a personal best height of 11'-7" (3.53 meters) in the pole vault while Rochester crossed the line in 7.78 in the 60 meters.
Three different Cowgirls finished in the top-50 in the nation in their respective events in 2012-13. Among returners, Phipps turned in the ninth-best mark while Dillworth turned in the 19th-best total in the nation in the pentathlon. Dilworth also leapt to the 40th-best distance in the nation in the long jump with a mark of 18'3.25" (5.57 meters).
Former NM Highland athlete
Jillisa Grant, who captured the 2013 RMAC title in the long jump, finished eighth in the nation in the long jump (19'1.5"), 14th in the 60 meter hurdles (8.59), 17th in the 200 meters (24.43), 28th in the 60 meters (7.68) and 39th in the 400 meters 56.96.
The Cowgirls are competing in the first meet of the season this weekend and coach DeVries is excited about the prospects for the year. "We are fortunate with no major injuries in the fall and we really have an outstanding group of athletes for the upcoming season."
Women's Basketball
The New Mexico Highlands women's basketball team kicks off conference play this weekend when it takes on Colorado Christian Friday (Dec. 6) at 6 p.m. and Colorado School of the Mines Saturday (Dec. 7) at 5 p.m. Live stats for the game Friday is available by clicking
here while live stats for the game Saturday is available by clicking
here.
The Cowgirls are 3-0 to begin the season with a pair of wins over the University of the Southwest and a road victory at Northern New Mexico College.
"Despite playing our non-conference schedule without
Alyssa Lopez, a preseason First Team All-Conference selection, we started the season well defensively and we will continue to make that an emphasis on that end of the floor." head coach
Tiffany Darling stated. "We are also excited to get starting post
Trish Simpson back from an injury last season. She's worked hard to rehab and comeback stronger than ever."
Highlands leads the conference and is third in the nation by allowing only 49 points per game. However, the offense has also been potent in the first three games of the season. The Cowgirls are fourth in the RMAC in scoring with 75.3 points per game. Individually,
Michelle Traynham is third in the conference and 24th in the nation with 21.0 points per game.
Traynham exploded for 35 points in Highlands 69-47 win over Northern New Mexico on Nov. 12.
Also among the national leaders is
China Smith. Smith leads the RMAC and is second in the nation with 15.0 rebounds per game. In the Cowgirls 74-36 season-opening with over the University of the Southwest, Smith grabbed a new RMAC record 29 boards. The 29 rebounds were also the 12th-best game total in NCAA Division II history and is the most since the 1996 season.
"After the season we had last year, we are hungry to get started and to work our tails off so that we are competitive night in and out," Darling said. "The RMAC is a very competitive conference and we will have to play hard and execute every weekend.
Men's Basketball
The Cowboys men's basketball team won its first three games out of the gate, including a pair of games in back-to-back nights in Phoenix, Ariz., but lost its last contest at California Baptist on Nov. 18. Head coach
Joe Harge has used a balanced scoring attack so far in 2013-14 as eight players average at least seven points per game.
Lavell McDade leads the Cowboys with 27 points per game, including a season-best 27 points in Highland's 71-65 win over Bethesda on Nov. 16.
Stuart Sullivan (12.0 ppg) and
Mannie Cass (10.5 ppg) scored 17 and 22 points, respectively, in the Cowboys loss at California Baptist Nov. 18.
Stargell Love leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game and is second in scoring with 9.8 points per game.
Augustus French came off the bench for the lone double-double (10 points, 11 boards) in the Cowboys 91-71 win over Portland Bible College on November 11. In its other game of the season, Highlands beat Montana State-Northern 64-49 on Nov. 15.
Live Stats against Colorado Christian is available by clicking
here. while live stats against Colorado School of the Mines are available by clicking
here.
