Notebook: Jacks to backtrack to throwbacks during 2013

Marcus Traxler Editor-in-Cheif

Each football season brings unknowns but it appears one thing is for sure for the 2013 Jackrabbits: They’ll bring back the throwbacks. 

SDSU wore a mid-1980s throwback uniform for its final home game of the season against South Dakota, where the Jacks romped the Coyotes, 31-8. In the following week, where the Jackrabbits played their first home playoff game in school history, the old uniforms returned once more, this time with SDSU claiming a larger margin of victory – 58-10 – over Eastern Illinois. 

Earlier this month, when the Jackrabbits dressed in their game uniforms for media day and their team photos, the throwbacks were out once again. 

Defensive lineman Chase Douglas said the team is comfortable in the historic uniforms. 

“We think we look pretty good and we had some success last season,” Douglas said. “I think we’ll probably break them out at some point.”

That wouldn’t be a problem with SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier, who indicated the uniform decisions aren’t his. 

“They can wear almost anything they want out there,” he said. “That’s not a real concern of mine and I leave [the captains] in charge of what uniforms we wear.”

 

Summit League tourney to expand

 

The SDSU volleyball team missed the Summit League conference tournament last year but their chances of making it that far this year improved over the summer. 

The Summit League decided to expand the volleyball season-ending tournament from the top four teams to the top six, extending the event from two days to three and giving more teams a crack at the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. 

SDSU coach Phil McDaniel said the decision was made by league officials after the Summit League demonstrated an adequate RPI ranking as a conference over the last five seasons. He said the league will invite six teams for each of the next five years, through 2017.

“It’s great that the conference is going to allow two more teams to participate and I think it says a lot about our league that we’re now playing at this level.” McDaniel said. 

Fort Wayne won the conference tournament a year ago but IUPUI will host the end of the season tournament after winning the Summit League’s regular season in 2012. The 2013 version of conference tournament is Nov. 22-24 in Indianapolis. SDSU was picked fifth in the conference’s eight-team preseason poll. 

It would provide SDSU’s squad another chance to recreate one of the Jacks first great moments after moving to Division I. The Jackrabbits’ volleyball program was the first team sport to qualify for a Division I NCAA tournament in 2007. 

 

 

New order in Summit soccer?

 

In recent years, the Summit League’s women’s soccer crown has changed hands a lot, with four schools winning the last five titles. 

But those days may be coming to an end with the arrival of Denver in the Summit League. The Pioneers went 17-3-4 in the Western Athletic Conference last year, returning two of their top scorers from a year ago and are ranked in the top 25 of two college soccer polls entering the season. Since 2006, the Pioneers have reached the NCAA tournament five times, including 2012, where DU beat No. 4 Maryland, 3-2 in overtime. 

SDSU women’s soccer coach Lang Wedemeyer called it somewhat “bittersweet” because Denver is in the Summit now. 

“They will raise the level of play in the conference immediately, but for us, that means it’s only going to be that much harder to win the conference and go to the NCAA tournament,” he said. “Everybody else is going to have to be that much better now.”