Tuesday’s Regional Briefs
Voyagers plan WWE event at stadium
The Great Falls Voyagers have announced a partnership with “Big Time Wrestling” to bring professional wrestling to Centene Stadium on Thursday, June 11.
The one-night event will begin at 7:30 p.m. with gates opening at 6 p.m. for fans to get autographs and meet their wrestling heroes. The event features six matches highlighting some of wrestling’s biggest stars, including Scotty 2 Hotty, Gangrel and the night’s headliner Bret “The Hitman” Hart.
Tickets for the event will go on sale April 6 at 9 a.m. and will be available online at www.gfvoyagers.com, by phone at (406) 452-5311 or at the Voyagers offices located inside Centene Stadium. Tickets start at just $20 for stadium GA seating while $50 VIP tickets with a private 30-minute autograph session and front row seating and a $30 GA Field ticket are also available.
Carroll adds prep defensive end
HELENA – Carroll College head football coach Mike Van Diest has announced the signing of Alex Hurlbut a 6-3, 225 defensive end from Ventura High School in Ventura, Calif.
This class looks to replace the twenty graduating seniors including 2013 NAIA Defensive Player of the Year Sean Blomquist and Carroll all-time rushing record holder Dustin Rinker.
“We have been in contact for the past two months with Alex and have been very impressed with his style of play, his speed on the field, and how he handles himself in the classroom and the community,” Van Diest said.
Hurlbut was named First-Team All-County on defense and, was All-CIF Southern Sectional and Second-Team All-State. He was named his league’s defensive MVP. He has played basketball and will run track and field this spring. He carries a 3.9 GPA.
Bobcats announce Homecoming date
BOZEMAN – The Montana State athletics department has announced game designations for the 2015 Bobcat football home season.
This fall’s game designations include Gold Rush, Sept. 3 vs. Fort Lewis College; Homecoming, Sept. 26 vs. Cal Poly; Cap on Cancer/Family and Parent’s Weekend, Oct. 10 vs. Sacramento State; Military Appreciation Day, Oct. 24 vs. East Tennessee State; AG Appreciation Day, Nov. 7 vs. Southern Utah; and the Bobcat-Grizzly Game/Senior Day on Nov. 21 vs. Montana.
Renewals for 2015 football season tickets have been sent out. In addition, new season tickets for the six-game home slate can be purchased beginning June 1 at 10 a.m. The priority deadline for season tickets and Bobcat Club membership is set for April 30.
Purchases can be made via the MSU Athletics Online Ticket Center or by calling the Bobcat ticket office at 406-994-CATS (2287).
Bobcat picked 2nd, 3rd in track polls
The Montana State women’s track and field team was picked to finish second in the 2015 outdoor campaign, while the men were respectively selected third, the Big Sky Conference office announce earlier this week.
After narrowly taking second at the indoor championships, the women’s team is picked behind Sacramento State, who won the conference title. Only eight points divides the top three slots of the polls (Sacramento State 133, MSU 129, Northern Arizona 125).
On the men’s side, the Cats sit at number three, behind Northern Arizona and Sacramento State.
The Montana Grizzly men are picked ninth and the UM women are picked eighth.
Montana State plays host to Montana, in addition to other Montana colleges and universities on Saturday, April 4. Field events are set to begin at 10:30 a.m.
MSU tennis player earns league honors
Montana State sophomore Andre Napoliatano led Montana State to a pair of big conference wins over the weekend, and was named Big Sky Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week on Tuesday for his performance.
Napoliatano won singles matches at the top ladder spot against both Sacramento State and Northern Arizona, and won his doubles match in each contest as well, to boost the Bobcats to wins over each school With the victories, MSU claimed a spot in the Big Sky Tennis Tournament beginning April 24 in Sacramento.
A native of Maringa, Brazil, Napoliatano raised his record to 10-6 on the season, 6-3 in Big Sky matches, and he’s won 10 of his last 12.
UM’s Breunig a finalist for award
The University of Montana’s Martin Breunig has been named one of 26 finalists for the 2015 Riley Wallace Award, announced recently by CollegeInsider.com.
The Riley Wallace Award is presented annually to the top transfer in Division I college basketball. During his coaching career at Hawaii, coach Wallace welcomed many transfers into the program, which helped him to become the winningest coach in Hawaii history.
A 6-8 junior forward from Leverkusen, Germany, Breunig, transferred to UM from the University of Washington, and redshirted for the Griz in 2013-14 due to NCAA transfer rules.
Breunig was recently named to the All-District 6 team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). This past season he was voted a unanimous first team All-Big Sky Conference selection and tabbed the league’s “Newcomer of the Year.” He was the Big Sky’s fifth leading scorer (tie) and rebounder, averaged 16.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.