One of Colorado’s best-known high school basketball players is returning to the state. Ann Strother, who led Highlands Ranch High School to back-to-back state titles before starring at Connecticut, is the new director of operations for the University of Colorado women’s basketball program, CU head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller announced Friday.
Strother, 23, replaces Carla Morrow, who left this fall to take an assistant coaching job at Xavier. Strother played for Indiana in the WNBA in the 2007 season. She also played pro ball in Russia last winter.
NLL announces new schedule. The National Lacrosse League’s new schedule for the 2008 season starts at the Pepsi Center when the Colorado Mammoth hosts the Calgary Roughnecks on Dec. 29.
The original schedule was terminated when the league canceled the season Oct. 16 after failing to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with the players union. A seven-year CBA was reached Oct. 24, but a new schedule was needed to accommodate scheduling conflicts at the various arenas.
The loss of the original schedule cost the league the Arizona and Boston franchises, but both teams plan to resume operations in 2009.
Western State, Adams State win titles. The Western State men’s cross country team won the 2007 NCAA North Central regional, and Adams State won the women’s division Saturday at the Don Baker Memorial Cross Country Course in Vermillion, S.D.
While both teams are the defending national champions, it was the fifth title for the Adams State women in six years, and the first for the men’s Western State team since 2004.
Lauren Ngirakamaro of New Mexico Highlands won the men’s individual race by setting a course record of 29 minutes, 44.58 seconds, with Adams State’s Reuben Mwei coming in second at 30:16.20 and Iain Donnan of Western State finishing third in 30:19.59.
Adams State’s Tanya Gaurmer won the women’s race in 20:44.63, beating out teammates Brittany Somers (21:07.80) and Lavenna Mullenbach (21:09.02), who placed second and third.
The NCAA Division II National Championships will be Nov. 17 in Joplin, Mo.
