San Diego blwo blooms for Mountain West
The Mountain West Conference received a new bowl tie-in Wednesday when the NCAA granted a license to a second San Diego bowl, tentatively called the Poinsettia Bowl, to be played Dec. 22 at Qualcomm Stadium. The Holiday Bowl will be played a week later at the same site.
An opponent for the MWC representative will come from the at-large ranks, with the Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA and Navy expressing interest. The WAC lost a bowl tie-in Wednesday when its Silicon Valley Bowl in San Jose was decertified.
The new San Diego bowl joins the Las Vegas Bowl and San Francisco-based Emerald Bowl in the MWC lineup. Commissioner Craig Thompson said athletic directors have expressed interest in a one-year agreement with the Liberty Bowl, but the Memphis organization is looking for a longer contract.
Thompson said a number of bowls open up in 2006, and he wants to maintain flexibility for the league. The MWC also is a fallback option for the Fort Worth Bowl if the Big 12 or Conference USA don’t qualify enough teams.
DU women’s golfers claim Sun Belt title
The University of Denver women’s golf team claimed its second consecutive Sun Belt Conference title, shooting a final-round 308 to take a two-shot win over New Mexico State at the Sun Belt Conference Championships in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
DU’s Emily Hoeper took individual honors after winning on the fifth hole of sudden death against Arkansas-Little Rock’s Sheridan Graham.
The men’s team shot a 54-hole total of 892 (28-over par) and finished third, 15 strokes back of tournament winner South Alabama (877).
