02.08.2012 - Three Owls, Softball Team, to Represent Oregon Tech at Oregon Sports Award Show This Weekend
PORTLAND, Ore. – Three Oregon Tech athletes, including Bryant Sentman, Jackie Imhof and Joseph Foster were named finalists for the Ad Rutschman Small College Athlete of the Year award, while the 2011 Oregon Tech softball team earned the George Pasero Team of the Year Award and will be honored at the Oregon Sports Award.
The Oregon Sports Awards honors Oregon’s top athletes, coaches and teams of the past year with the winners announced at the 2011 Oregon Sports Awards show on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike World Campus in Beaverton.
The Ad Rutschman award goes to the outstanding male and female student-athletes representing the state’s NCAA Division II and III, NAIA-affiliated colleges and universities, and community colleges, in the calendar year 2011. The George Pasero award goes to the top team's to represent the state of Oregon.
In 2011 Oregon Tech won the regular season championship after finishing with a 19-5 record in CCC action. The title gave the Owls the right to host the CCC conference tournament which the Owls also won. Oregon Tech then moved on to the 2011 NAIA national tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala. where the Owls made history. Tech, playing their finest softball of the year, rolled to its first-ever NAIA Softball National Championship with a 1-0 shutout of top-ranked California Baptist on May 25. The Owls went 42-13 overall and became the first team in the Cascade Collegiate Conference to win the national championship in the 31-year history of the event.
Foster, a 5-8 senior guard from Vallejo, Calif., was named a First Team NAIA Division II All-American in 2011 after leading the Hustlin’ Owls to a 30-5 overall record and a third-straight “Sweet 16” appearance at the NAIA National Tournament. Prior to All-American honors, Foster earned first-team all-conference honors, along with being named 2011 Cascade Conference Player of the Year after leading Oregon Tech to a 16-2 conference mark. Foster led the Owls in scoring after averaging 19.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. In just two seasons for the Owls, Foster eclipsed the 1,000 point mark and currently ranks 12th all-time with 1,281 career points.
Imhof, a senior pitcher from Portland, Ore., earned first-team all-conference honors, while being named Cascade Collegiate Conference Female Athlete of the Year in 2011. After helping the Owls to a regular season and conference softball tournament championship, Imhof led the Owls to the 2011 NAIA softball title in May, the first softball crown in program history. Imhof, who set single-season school records for wins (25), innings pitched (211 1/3), strikeouts (272) and shutouts (11), was named the most valuable player at the NAIA Championships. In the week-long national tournament at Gulf Shores, Ala., Imhof posted a 6-1 record and 0.59 earned run average. In addition to shutting out top-ranked Cal Baptist twice, including in the championship game, she also beat the No. 2, No. 6 and No. 7 teams in the country at the national tourney. She threw a perfect game vs. Midland Lutheran, tossed three one-hitters, and allowed just four earned runs in the tournament.
Sentman, a two-sport athlete from Cottage Grove, Ore., and currently in his senior year on the men’s basketball team, captured the NAIA decathlon title at the 2011 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Marion, Ind. Sentman, the 2011 Cascade Conference Male Athlete of the Year, scored a school record 7,097 points to edge conference foe Robbie Haynie of Eastern Oregon for the NAIA’s decathlon crown. Sentman established five PR’s in winning the title. He won the discus and javelin events and finished second in the shot put and high jump.
In basketball, the 6-4 forward averaged 10 points and 3.5 rebounds to help the Hustlin’ Owls win the CCC’s regular season and postseason tournament titles, while advancing to the NAIA II championships for a ninth consecutive season.
Oregon Tech was last represented at the awards last year when former Hustlin’ Owl basketball All-American Justin Parnell was a finalist for the Ad Rutschman Athlete of the Year. Prior Oregon Tech athletes named Ad Rutschman Athlete of the Year include Kelsi Haylett (basketball, softball, track and field) in 2007 and Ryan Fiegi (basketball) 2008.
The 2011 national championship softball team will be the third Oregon Tech team honored for the George Pasero award, joining the 2004 and 2008 men’s basketball teams after coming off national championships in those seasons.
02.06.2012 - Oregon Tech Remains at No. 2
Oregon Tech hosted Southern Oregon to a packed Danny Miles Court. The Owls won Saturday's contest 78-60. (photo by Kelly Caleb)  |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Oregon Tech men held their position at the No. 2 spot in the eighth edition of the NAIA D II Men’s Basketball Poll released Monday by the national office. The Owls tallied 359 points in the poll and moved to 23-3 and on the season after dropping rival Southern Oregon, 78-60, in the Owls’ only game of the week.
Northwood (Fla.) was the unanimous selection at No. 1 for the second-straight week. The Seahawks, who pulled in 343 total points, are riding a seven-game winning streak.
For the fourth-straight week Davenport locked down the third spot with 320 points. Standing with a 22-3 record, Dordt (Iowa) slides up one slot to No. 4 with 312 points. No. 5 Grace (Ind.) improved three positions with 298 points. That surge up the ranking was the highest this week for any team within the poll.
The Hustlin' Owls will look to remain in the top of the national poll where Tech will host their final two regular season home games, including a clash with No. 8 Northwest (Wash.) on Saturday after a date with Evergreen State (Wash.) on Friday.
Three other Cascade Conference teams remain in the national ranking with Northwest University jumping from No. 11 to the No. 8 spot, Warner Pacific falling from No. 10 to No. 12 and Southern Oregon University receiving votes. Eastern Oregon, receiving votes in last week’s poll, dropped out of the poll in week eight.
There are three teams to be ranked in the No. 1 spot this year (Northwood (Fla.), Oregon Tech and Indiana Wesleyan). No. 2 Oregon Tech has spent 17-straight polls ranked in the top 10, dating back to Jan. 10, 2011. Embry-Riddle (Fla.) owns the most No. 1 rankings since 2000 with 17; Oregon Tech is next with 13, followed by Oklahoma Wesleyan and former NAIA member Walsh (Ohio) at 12 mentions each. Oregon Tech is listed with the longest active streak in the Top 25 at 84-straight weeks - the last time the Hustlin' Owls were not ranked was on Jan. 11, 2005.
02.04.2012 - No. 2 Oregon Tech Takes Out Southern Oregon
Bobby Hunter throws one down in 78-60 romp over Southern Oregon. (photo by Kelly Caleb)  |
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – No. 2 ranked Oregon Tech set the tone with an 8-0 run to open up the game and didn’t look back, hammering rival Southern Oregon 78-60 in Cascade Conference action tonight at Danny Miles Court.
Oregon Tech moved to 23-3 on the season and 12-2 in conference play, while Southern Oregon fell to 15-10 overall and 8-6 in the CCC standings.
After leading 8-0, SOU answered to pull within four points, 12-8, with 13:56 to play in the opening stanza.
Tech’s Jason Gamblin later connected on a jumper to give the Owls their first double digit lead of the contest at 25-14. After a pair of Kyle Gomez free throws and ensuing Gomez layup Tech led by 18, the largest of the first half, 38-20. The Owls would head to the half with a 40-28 lead after an 8-2 SOU spurt to end the period.
Tech would maintain a 14 point lead, 50-36, before Alex Zerbach capped a 9-0 Tech run to move out to a 59-36 lead. The Owls would eventually lead by 29, before SOU attempted late comeback.
SOU would cut the lead to 16 points with under two minutes remaining, but that was as close as it would get, as the Owls took the game by a 78-60 final.
Bobby Hunter led the Owl attack with 20 points to go with five rebounds and four assists in the win for the Owls. Jason Gamblin finished with 15 points on 7-for-9 from the field and six rebounds. Kyle Gomez added nine points and five assists with David Clarke scoring seven points and handing out six assists.
SOU was led by Eric Thompson with 14 points while grabbing five rebounds. Jordan Highland added 12 points with Jeff Bush coming up with eight points, five rebounds and five assists in the loss for the Raiders.
Oregon Tech will host Evergreen State on Friday and Northwest University on Saturday in the last regular season home games of the year. Saturday night will also be Senior night, as OIT honors its graduating Seniors.