Colorado State University Athletics
RamWire Mailbag: Tiebreakers and Record Breakers
2/20/2020 4:47:00 PM | RamWire
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Things are busy around here, with the championships of winter sports having already started (swimming) or on the way (indoor track and both basketball teams).
I have a lot to do, so, on to the mailbag …
What is the tiebreaker for the Mountain West Tournament?
Great call, considering how packed the top of the men's standings are at the moment. Six teams are 9-6 or better, with San Diego State having already clinched the top seed in the bracket as the Aztecs sit 15-0 in conference play.
Which leaves five teams jockeying for the next four positions and a first-round bye.
The first tiebreaker is easy, because it's head-to-head. Then you go with the record against the team at the top of the standings, and let's just assume the Aztecs run the table. Everybody at the top would be 0-2 against them, their lone one-timer being San Jose State. Let's also assume Utah State finishes unscathed, leaving the Aggies in second. Then the process runs through them.
In the event of three-way ties, which are extremely possible, if at any point one team has an advantage, it then moves to a tiebreaker with the remaining two at that point.
Again, considering all the upcoming matchups, it's something to watch closely, but would seem fruitless to navigate at this point. As we've learned this year in the Mountain West, things are likely to change.
You're the swimming guy? How are they doing?
So glad you asked. They are now in the second day of the Mountain West Championships, and they are off to a great start.
It began with junior diver Skylar Williams setting the school record on the 1-meter springboard on Wednesday, her 313.15 in the finals landing her in second place. She was oh-so-close to becoming the program's first conference champion, but was surpassed on the final dive of the evening. She's already qualified for the NCAA Zone E Meet on all three boards (3-meter and platform included), and teammate Rachel Holland qualified for the 3-meter today.
The biggest swim so far has been from Kristina Friedrichs, who was seeded 60th in the 50-yard freestyle, but blew past the 23-second barrier to touch in 22.94, just .04 off one of the five best times at CSU. In the lane next to her was teammate Elsa Litteken, who looked more excited about the swim than even Friedrichs. I believe Litteken muttered something to the effect of "holy moly", or something similar.
Even before the meet officially started, Maddie Ward hit a US Olympic Trials cut in the 100-meter breaststroke, making it the third consecutive trials the Rams will be represented by an active swimmer.
There's still tonight's finals, and Marie Goodwyn is in the championship heat of the 200 individual medley, leading a charge of five CSU swimmers to make it back to the evening heats of the event.
It's good stuff, and just off what we've seen, there should be more to come.
Just how charged up was Ryun Williams after Wednesday's victory?
You can tell when a coach has been waiting for a team to show them something the coach believes is there, yet the team had yet to achieve. That was Williams postgame after UNLV.
He needed to see some toughness from his team. Not so much physically, but mentally. The acuity to face a challenge, accept it and overcome. There have been too many games the Rams' women have led this year, only to see slip away. And down seven with 3:30 to play after leading all night qualified.
The 11-0 run wasn't always perfect, but nonetheless effective. There were some turnovers, but there were more winning plays, which the team had to have in the moment.
So, in describing what he saw, Williams accentuated words with purpose. He gritted his teeth, locked his jaw. And he did it over and over again. About 30 minutes after the game, he was still into what he witnessed.
He'd waited a long time. So had the players, they just didn't make any faces.
Now that the tennis season is in full swing, how do the Rams look?
The dual season didn't start well with four consecutive losses, and the Rams struggling in singles play. They were able to turn that around in a win over Grand Canyon University, especially with Emma Corwin and Alyssa Grijalva posting big victories in three sets to nail it down.
But talking about happy coaches, Jarod Camerota is one himself after the news of the No. 1 doubles team of Stella Cliffe and Emily Luetschwager breaking into the ITA Doubles rankings at No. 60. They become the first CSU tandem to do so nationally in doubles play.
They're 11-3 on the season, 5-0 in the dual season, and they hold a victory over Colorado's duo which is ranked No. 49. They didn't start the season as a tandem, but have been on a roll since the spring slate began. They'll get two chances to strengthen their standing this weekend at Nebraska (on Friday) and against South Dakota on Saturday (also at Nebraska).
I have a lot to do, so, on to the mailbag …
What is the tiebreaker for the Mountain West Tournament?
Great call, considering how packed the top of the men's standings are at the moment. Six teams are 9-6 or better, with San Diego State having already clinched the top seed in the bracket as the Aztecs sit 15-0 in conference play.
Which leaves five teams jockeying for the next four positions and a first-round bye.
The first tiebreaker is easy, because it's head-to-head. Then you go with the record against the team at the top of the standings, and let's just assume the Aztecs run the table. Everybody at the top would be 0-2 against them, their lone one-timer being San Jose State. Let's also assume Utah State finishes unscathed, leaving the Aggies in second. Then the process runs through them.
In the event of three-way ties, which are extremely possible, if at any point one team has an advantage, it then moves to a tiebreaker with the remaining two at that point.
Again, considering all the upcoming matchups, it's something to watch closely, but would seem fruitless to navigate at this point. As we've learned this year in the Mountain West, things are likely to change.
You're the swimming guy? How are they doing?
So glad you asked. They are now in the second day of the Mountain West Championships, and they are off to a great start.
It began with junior diver Skylar Williams setting the school record on the 1-meter springboard on Wednesday, her 313.15 in the finals landing her in second place. She was oh-so-close to becoming the program's first conference champion, but was surpassed on the final dive of the evening. She's already qualified for the NCAA Zone E Meet on all three boards (3-meter and platform included), and teammate Rachel Holland qualified for the 3-meter today.
The biggest swim so far has been from Kristina Friedrichs, who was seeded 60th in the 50-yard freestyle, but blew past the 23-second barrier to touch in 22.94, just .04 off one of the five best times at CSU. In the lane next to her was teammate Elsa Litteken, who looked more excited about the swim than even Friedrichs. I believe Litteken muttered something to the effect of "holy moly", or something similar.
Even before the meet officially started, Maddie Ward hit a US Olympic Trials cut in the 100-meter breaststroke, making it the third consecutive trials the Rams will be represented by an active swimmer.
There's still tonight's finals, and Marie Goodwyn is in the championship heat of the 200 individual medley, leading a charge of five CSU swimmers to make it back to the evening heats of the event.
It's good stuff, and just off what we've seen, there should be more to come.
Just how charged up was Ryun Williams after Wednesday's victory?
You can tell when a coach has been waiting for a team to show them something the coach believes is there, yet the team had yet to achieve. That was Williams postgame after UNLV.
He needed to see some toughness from his team. Not so much physically, but mentally. The acuity to face a challenge, accept it and overcome. There have been too many games the Rams' women have led this year, only to see slip away. And down seven with 3:30 to play after leading all night qualified.
The 11-0 run wasn't always perfect, but nonetheless effective. There were some turnovers, but there were more winning plays, which the team had to have in the moment.
So, in describing what he saw, Williams accentuated words with purpose. He gritted his teeth, locked his jaw. And he did it over and over again. About 30 minutes after the game, he was still into what he witnessed.
He'd waited a long time. So had the players, they just didn't make any faces.
Now that the tennis season is in full swing, how do the Rams look?
The dual season didn't start well with four consecutive losses, and the Rams struggling in singles play. They were able to turn that around in a win over Grand Canyon University, especially with Emma Corwin and Alyssa Grijalva posting big victories in three sets to nail it down.
But talking about happy coaches, Jarod Camerota is one himself after the news of the No. 1 doubles team of Stella Cliffe and Emily Luetschwager breaking into the ITA Doubles rankings at No. 60. They become the first CSU tandem to do so nationally in doubles play.
They're 11-3 on the season, 5-0 in the dual season, and they hold a victory over Colorado's duo which is ranked No. 49. They didn't start the season as a tandem, but have been on a roll since the spring slate began. They'll get two chances to strengthen their standing this weekend at Nebraska (on Friday) and against South Dakota on Saturday (also at Nebraska).
Tuesday, May 13
Wednesday, April 17
Thursday, April 20
Thursday, December 15