Matt Weir / Collegian File Photo
Dec. 19, 2009
Fresno State lost its second consecutive New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 19, 2009, this time a 35-28 double overtime upset at the hands of the Wyoming Cowboys.
The Bulldogs maintained the lead the entire second half, but Wyoming freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels engineered a late rally to force overtime.
Despite racking up 366 total yards of offense, the Bulldogs seemed to forget what wins critical football games—defense.
The Cowboys scored and held on for the win after sacking quarterback Ryan Colburn on fourth down from the 20.
The Bulldogs finished the season 8-5. The game marked Fresno State’s 10th bowl appearance in the last 11 seasons.
Matt Weir / Collegian File Photo
Dec. 22, 2009
Baseball season will not begin for Fresno State until the ‘Dogs host Nebraska on Feb. 19, but that has not stopped two players from already collecting preseason hardware and national recognition.
Sophomore Dusty Robinson and junior Danny Muno earned Preseason All-American accolades. Louisville Slugger named Muno a preseason first-team All-American second baseman while National College Baseball Writers Association named Robinson a third-team All-American.
Muno’s first-team preseason nomination comes as no surprise after having a huge year last season for the ‘Dogs. He led all Fresno State hitters with a .379 batting average, 85 hits and 74 runs. He is also a three-time first-team All-WAC selection as well as Freshman of the Year in 2008.
Matt Weir / Collegian File Photo
Dec. 23, 2009
Although the Fresno State women’s soccer team could not repeat as WAC Tournament champions after an opening round loss to Boise State on Nov. 5, 2009, Vanessa Gonzalez gave fans something to look forward to.
Freshman forward Gonzalez was named to the Under-20 Regional team. In addition Gonzalez was selected from a pool of more than 125 possible contestants selected to the team. Normally the U-20 team competes, but will not this year.
The midfielder/forward was a mainstay a team that expected an unusually rough season. However, Gonzalez was the backbone for a defense that forced five shutout performances.
Brianna Campbell / The Collegian
Jan. 11, 2010
This time last season, Fresno State’s men’s basketball squad was starving for WAC victories, especially at home.
Nineteen games into the 2009-10 season the Bulldogs have improved from 8-11 to 10-9 overall record. That may not seem like much of a leap, but Fresno State’s WAC home record is what has fans interested.
The ‘Dogs have a 3-0 WAC record with home wins over Boise State, Hawaii and San Jose State. A Jan. 11 victory over San Jose State gave head coach Steve Cleveland his best start in WAC play of his tenure and capped a 6-game win streak.
Since the 3-0 WAC start, however, the ‘Dogs have dropped two straight conference road games to WAC frontrunner Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State.
Brianna Campbell / The Collegian
Jan. 14, 2010
Fresno State’s swimming and diving team opened its first home meet since the program’s return in stellar fashion, winning a dual meet against Pacific 107-130.
Fresno State opened and closed the meet in exciting form. The team raced out to an early 11-point lead as the 200-medley relay team, made up of Heidi Gjoen, Britney Vogel, Stephanie Hatayama and Dani Yoho, won in a time of 1:48.37.
In addition, Senior Kendra Weeks won the 1-meter dive.
The meet closed with a pivotal 400 free relay in which Bulldogs Rayanne Nguyen, Kat Vietti, Dede Torres and Hatayama won in a time of 3:34.69, providing Fresno State with 11 points and the dual meet victory.
Matt Weir / The Collegian
Jan. 16, 2010
The Fresno State Women’s basketball team is quickly showing fans and WAC opponents who the dominant team of the conference is.
With a 4-0 WAC start, head coach Adrian Wiggins’ Bulldogs remain the only unbeaten team in conference play. The Bulldogs’ have wins over Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico State, and Utah State by an average of 21.5 points.
The ‘Dogs won 11 of their last 13 games, with the only two losses coming to ranked opponents, West Virginia and Stanford. Junior guard Jaleesa Ross leads all Fresno State players in scoring, rebounding and assists.
Fresno State has been crowned the WAC Tournament champions the past two seasons, and looked to make another run at a national tournament birth.