PSU Magazine Fall 2005

Vikings recruit talented head coaches As Portland State comes off its most successful year as a member of the Big Sky Conference, the Vikings look ahead for even more success in 2005- 2006. Can PSU improve on last year's school-record and conference-best championships 7 With the fal l season already under way, coaches and ath– letes certai nly beli eve so, includ ing three new coaches. New soccer coach Tim Bennett is charged with picking up where former coach Tara Erickson left off. After play– ing a non-conference schedule in September, Bennett's team begins con– ference matches this month. Erickson led PSU LO a Big Sky regular sea– son Litle in 2004 before leaving for University of Coach Tim Bennett Oregon. Bennell has seven starters and 12 letter winners returning from that team, including first team All– Big Sky forward Jamie Blakesley, who led the conference in scoring in 2004, and Newcomer of the Year Juli Edwards. Bennett was hired last spring following a successful stint as head coach al North Dakota Stale University. His Fighting Sioux team was 14-5-2 in 2004. Benneu spem eight years as an assistant coach al University of Kemucky prior LO that. The winter season will introduce another new head coach, Ken Bone, for mens basketball. He, like Bennett, will lead a defending Big Sky cham– pion team. A veteran coach and native of the Pacific Nort11wesL, Bone had a brilliant 13-season campaign at Seaule Pacific University, compiling a 258-118 record, winning six conference titles and mak– Coach Ken Bone ing eight trips Lo the NCAA 11 playoffs. Over the past three seasons, Bone was an assistam coach at Uni– versity of Washington while that team burst on the national scene, earning top-10 rankings, winning a Pac-10 Litle and a number-one seed in the NCAA Tournament. Springtime brings the first new soft– ba ll coach in 30 years to patrol the third-base box. Although the beloved Teri Mariani has retired from coaching after 29 seasons, Amy Hayes, a former assistant at University of Oregon (UO) and head coach at Boston Uni– versity, has ably replaced her. Hayes spem the 2005 sea– son at UO. In the four sea- Coach Amy Hayes sons prior, she led Boston University to three America East Conference championships and two NCAA playoff appearances. Her coaching record was 121-95, including 68-18 in conference games. D Winners in 2004-05 A few of the highlights of Portland State Athletics' outstanding 2004-2005 campaign. Three Big Sky Conference champi – onships in women's soccer, men's bas– ketball, women's golf: the most in one season in school history and the most of any school in the Big Sky during the year Two Big Sky Conference Players of the Year: Seamus Boxley, men's basket– ball; Sarah Tiller, women's golf Academic All-American: Joey King, football Track and Field: Highest-ever finishes in the Big Sky Conference indoor and outdoor championships. PSU women won seven events in the outdoor championship, including two by Ena Shemi in the 100m and 200m. Soccer: Jamie Blakesley, Big Sky Golden Boot Award winner Volleyball: First-ever Big Sky tourna– ment victory Football : 7-4 record and a victory over national runner-up Montana Softball : 11 -8 Pacific Coast Softball Conference record Wrestling: Two athletes, Eddie Dahlen and Allen Kennett, earn trips to the national tournament GET ALL OF THE LATEST sports news at www.GoViks.com . Game stories, statistics, schedules, team information, press releases, and much more are available and updated daily. You can also listen to live broadcasts of football and men's and women's basketball games, or archived broadcasts. Buy season and single game tickets online at www.GoViks.com or call 1-888-VIK-TIKS or 503-725-3307. FALL 2005 PSU MAGAZINE 23