Western Collegiate Hockey Association coaches on Thursday selected Colorado College’s Jack Hillen as the defensive player of the year.
Hillen leads the Tigers in plus/minus and boasts a penalty-killing efficiency of 97 percent. Joining Hillen on the WCHA first team was CC junior forward Chad Rau, who has 23 goals and 10 assists.
University of Denver junior defenseman Chris Butler was named to the second team.
Almaraz new Metro women’s soccer boss.
After winning national championships in women’s soccer as a player and an assistant coach at Metro State, Adrianne Almaraz is the new head coach.
Almaraz has been an assistant the past two season, during which the Roadrunners posted a 40-6-2 record and won the NCAA Division II national championship in 2006.
She was the team captain in 2004 when Metro State won its first championship. Almaraz replaces Danny Sanchez, who left for Wyoming in December.
UNC, AFA grapplers in consolation bracket.
Two Northern Colorado and four Air Force wrestlers are competing at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, and all will have to make it through the consolation bracket if they hope to get a medal.
UNC sophomore 125-pounder Tony Mustari won his first-round match 5-1 over Jasen Borshoff of American University, then lost on a technical fall to No. 4-ranked Tanner Gardner of Stanford, who is 35-1 this season. Mustari is 32-7.
Bears senior heavyweight Reece Hopkin lost in the first round, 7-3 to sixth-ranked Matt Fields of Iowa. In the consolation bracket, Hopkin downed Eddie Bordas of Rider 10-2.
Air Force senior Jacob Devlin (184 pounds) went 2-1 during the day, while the other three Falcons wrestlers, Jake Kriegbaum (141), Stephen Crozier (165) and Tyler French (174), all went 1-1.
Kriegbaum, a three-time qualifier for the championships, lost to the No. 2 seeded wrestler at 141 pounds, Charles Griffin of Hofstra. Crozier also lost to the second seed, defending national champion Mark Perry of Iowa. French’s win was over former Pomona High School state champion Dan Clum of Wisconsin, who saw his tournament end with the loss.
