Fort Collins – Every team in the country heads into conference tournament play hoping to extend the season 40 minutes at a time.
Except for Colorado State senior center Marilyn Moulton: The faster this 8-20 rubble ends, the sooner she and CSU can look ahead to better days.
CSU, the No. 8 seed in the Mountain West Tournament, plays Air Force tonight in Las Vegas, with the winner advancing to play regular-season champion BYU in the quarterfinals. The Rams swept Air Force (5-22) this season but take nothing for granted.
Rams coach Jen Warden pretty much summed it up recently when it was suggested she call a friend ailing with a bad cold. Warden declined, saying, “With the season we’ve had, I’d catch her cold over the phone.”
In the well-chronicled debacle, four players were suspended in January for an off-campus prank. Then Molly Nohr, the other starting senior, quit for personal reasons. Two volleyball players suited up when the roster was down to seven, and two of the four suspended players elected to leave permanently.
The Rams twice were held to fewer than 40 points in MWC play and scored in the 40s in two other losses.
CSU’s final game will be Moulton’s last organized contest. Having already scored in the top 7 percent of her medical school admission boards, Moulton will spend next year applying to med school.
“I look at every game as a fresh start,” said Moulton, who turned in a double-double Saturday in her Moby Arena finale. “When you lose or when you win, you can’t take it into the next game.”
When Moulton was honored on Senior Day, CSU should have proclaimed it Survivor Saturday. The four other freshmen who reported in the fall of 2003 voted themselves off the island.
“It goes to show how things never turn out like you think they will,” Moulton said.
CSU was a top-25 program while she was growing up in Longmont. But in the past two seasons, the Rams have gone 7-40 (5-27 MWC).
At Class 4A state runner-up Longmont High School in 2003, “I was more used to winning,” Moulton said. “It’s been a long road. It’s tough to lose, but you take away what you can. You can’t let yourself be defined by the record.”
In her first year as a full-time starter, Moulton has defined herself as the MWC’s second-leading rebounder (8.2 average) and shot blocker (1.25). Her 94 offensive rebounds set a school single-season record.
“I wish I could coach her four more years,” Warden said. “I’m so proud of everything Marilyn has become with her work ethic, her habits, her level-headedness and maturity as a person. She’s a blessing to this program.”
The program has been anything but blessed since Tom Collen left after the 2002 season, CSU’s last NCAA appearance. Warden had to rebuild from the three-year Chris Denker free fall, only to hit another wall this season.
Long before Nohr quit, Moulton’s original classmates Annika Walseth and Sara Brown transferred to be closer to family. Kylee O’Dwyer left after Denker’s departure but remains in school.
Moulton’s hero is the other senior, Justine Square France, a local Poudre product who walked on as a junior-college transfer.
“When I think of how much work I put in, I wouldn’t do it if they weren’t paying me to go to school,” Moulton said. “With all of our struggles, she’s one of the reasons I stayed.”
CSU women vs. Air Force
What: First round, Mountain West Tournament
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas
Records: Colorado State (8-20, 3-13), Air Force (5-22, 1-15)
TV/radio: The Mtn./KCOL 600 AM (Fort Collins)
Notes: CSU is the No. 8 seed in the MWC Tournament for the second straight season. A year ago, the Rams defeated San Diego State 69-58 to qualify for the quarterfinals, then lost to BYU 65-45. … Tonight’s winner plays top-seeded BYU on Wednesday. … CSU swept Air Force in the season series, winning 65-56 at the academy and 61-49 at Moby Arena. … Ninth-seeded Air Force is 0-7 in MWC Tournament games.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
