Colorado Mammoth defenseman Ken Clausen will miss his rookie season with a knee injury, the club announced Friday.
Clausen tore his anterior cruciate ligament — and his medial meniscus — in last Saturday’s preseason loss to Toronto. Surgery is expected later this month, and Clausen will be out for at least six months, costing him the 2011 season.
“It’s a big loss for us,” Mammoth coach Bob Hamley said. “He was one of our high draft selections, and we were really looking for Ken to be one of our difference-makers this season.”
Clausen was a four-time All-American at the University of Virginia and was the 2010 recipient of the William C. Schmeisser Award, given to the NCAA’s most outstanding defenseman.
Kempter falls to 25th.
Former University of Denver golfer Katie Kempter shot a 2-over-par 74 at the LPGA Tour’s final qualifying tournament and dropped into a tie for 25th at 2-over 218 after the third round of five. The top 20 earn full exemptions for 2011.
Two other former Pioneers also are trying to earn cards. Kimberly Kim shot a 70 to move up 25 spots into a tie for 31st at 219. Stephanie Sherlock is in a tie for 53rd at 222. Alison Whitaker, a 24-year-old Australian who moved to Denver over the summer, also is at 222 after rebounding from Thursday’s 78 with a 72.
Former Buff Gregorak a finalist.
Former University of Colorado linebacker Ty Gregorak is one of two finalists to be the next coach at Montana Tech in Butte. Gregorak coached tight ends at Central Washington this past season after seven seasons at Montana.
Gregorak was briefly an assistant at UNLV but was fired after an incident outside a Boulder strip club in May, which resulted in theft charges against him. Those charges later were dropped.
Wristen bows out of running for UNC job.
Colorado State-Pueblo football coach John Wristen has removed himself from consideration for the head coaching job at Northern Colorado.
“We have something special going on here, and I’d like to finish what we started,” Wristen said in a statement. “This is a great place to be, and I plan on staying put for the foreseeable future.”
UNC’s Benson gets three-year contract extension.
Northern Colorado rewarded volleyball coach Lyndsey Benson for leading the Bears to a school-record 24 wins, giving her a three-year contract extension.
UNC athletic director Jay Hinrichs announced the extension after it was approved by the Board of Trustees. The new pact extends Benson’s contract until June 30, 2015.
