WV alums give boost to CWU soccer

ELLENSBURG -- With three players in its lineup fresh out of West Valley High, Central Washington University will open its 2008 women's soccer season at 4 p.m. Thursday against powerhouse University of California San Diego, a seven-time national champion which enters the season ranked 25th in Division I by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

"It'll be a good gauge for us to see where we're at and how high we need to go," said CWU coach Michael Farrand. "We want to see if we can compete."

The Wildcats will have three former West Valley Rams, all freshmen, in the lineup, with Hillary Franks thrust into the starting lineup at central defender after a season-ending knee injury to senior starter Shawna Chastain.

"Hillary has stepped in and assumed the role as starter," Farrand said. "She's done really well; there's a little bit of a learning curve there, but she's handled it well."

Another West Valley alum, Alex Jensen, has been playing off-and-on with the first team at offensive midfielder, while Brittany Franks has recovered enough from a broken collarbone suffered over the summer and has played well in each of the team's preseason scrimmages, Farrand said.

Admission is free to the game on the Wildcats' home field.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Wildcat trio tabbed All-American

The Central Washington University trio of quarterback Mike Reilly, tight end Jared Bronson and wide receiver Johnny Spevak has been named to the D2football.com Preseason All-American Team.

The Wildcats are ranked 11th in the D2football.com Preseason Poll, also released Tuesday. Central's season opener is Saturday at Dixie State College in Utah.