Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Fall Update
9/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | General
While the fall semester has come into full swing, four Colorado State athletic programs have begun their seasons and two more Ram sports begin this weekend.
The Rams volleyball team started the season ranked 9th in the nation and have gone on an eight game winning streak. The Rams traveled to Pullman and Spokane, Wash. and defeated both the Washington State Cougars and the Gonzaga University Bulldogs.
The Rams then returned home to host the University Park Volleyball Classic and won their first match against Ohio University. The team went in with confidence and defeated 18th ranked Pepperdine University in four games. The Rams took on Southern Miss for their final game of the tournament and went on to sweep the Eagles and win the 17th annual classic for the 11th time. Melissa Courtney was named MVP of the tournament after leading the field in assists (13.73) and aces (0.64).
The volleyball team heads into conference play with games against Air Force, New Mexico and San Diego State on Sept. 25, 30 and Oct. 2, respectively.
The Football team started the 2004 season with a lot of determination. After losing to the University of Colorado, the Rams traveled to Los Angeles, Calif. to take on the defending Co-National Champions and top-ranked USC Trojans. The Rams put up a strong fight and threatened to score on several occasions but were unable to get past the Trojans? defense and were defeated 49-0.
The Rams returned home for their season opener against the No. 22-ranked University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Rams fell behind 7-0 early, but Jeff Babcock kicked a field goal to bring them to 7-3 in the first quarter. While they made a late comeback against the Golden Gophers, it was not enough for a win and the Rams lost 34-16.
The Minnesota game gave the Rams their best rushing game of the season with 126 yards, including a season-high of 98-yards by starter Uldis Jaunarajs. For the Rams? defense, Ben Stratton claimed 13 tackles and Adam Lancisero recorded eight.
The Rams will take on Montana State at home on Sept. 25 for Ag Day with kickoff set for 1 p.m. MT. CSU follows Montana State with its homecoming game against BYU on Oct. 2.
The men?s and women?s cross country teams have been heating up the charts with their latest competition taking place at home in the CSU Open at Cottonwood Glenn Park. The women?s team took first place with a score of 25, defeating Wyoming, UNC, Colorado College and Western State, while the men?s team finished with a strong second place performance.
For the women, five Rams placed in the top-10, including Danielle Korb who came in first for Colorado State with a time of 23:58. Senior Mike Nicks led the Ram men, coming in third with a time of 25:54.4.
The cross country team heads to Minneapolis, Minn. for the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 25.
The women?s softball kicks off their season by hosting the Triple Crown Fall Classic with game time scheduled for 9 a.m. The team played a warm up game against softball alumni but lost 5-4.
The softball team finished the 2003 season with a 40-14 overall record and a 16-4 record in MWC play. The Ram softball team looks to dominate again in the 10 games of their fall season.
The women?s tennis team travels to Provo, Utah for the BYU Invitational on Sept. 23-25, which marks the beginning of their season. The tennis team finished the 2003 season with a 13-12 overall record and a 3-4 conference mark, their first winning season since 2001.
The team will be on the road for the fall and will not play at home until Feb. 12, 2005.
