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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2018)
SPORTS THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS College Football Oregon AD Mullens new playoff selection committee chairman By RALPH D. RUSSO Assocaited Press Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens will become the new chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee starting next season, and three new Power Five ADs will join the 13-member panel. Mullens will be the third chairman, replacing Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt. Hocutt replaced Jeff Long, who held the position for the fi rst two seasons of the playoff. Mullens will serve a two-year term. College Football Playoff also announced the addi- tion of six new committee members, replacing those whose terms ended. Joining the committee in 2018 will be Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin, Georgia Tech AD Todd Stansbury, Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione, former Clemson and Rice coach Ken Hatfi eld; former Southern California star and Pro Foot- ball Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and former Arizona Republic sports columnist Paola Boivin. New members will serve three-year terms. The committee is made up of sitting athletic directors, former players, coaches and administrators and former media members who have covered college sports. Cycling off the committee were Hocutt, Long, Clemson AD Dan Radakovich, former Notre Dame, Stanford and Washington coach Tyrone Willingham, former NCAA executive vice president Tom Jernstedt and former USA Today college sports reporter Steve Wieberg. Mullens has been athletic director of Oregon since 2010 and is entering his third season on the committee. As chairman, Mullens will run the weekly meetings of the committee that produce rank- ings over the fi nal six weeks of the season, concluding with the selection of the four teams in the playoff. Mullens also becomes the face of the committee, appearing on ESPN’s weekly rankings show to answer questions about the committee’s deci- sions. The other holdovers on the committee are: former Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer; former Southern Mississippi coach Jeff Bower; former Central Michigan coach Herb Deromedi; Robert Morris University President and former Air Force football player Chris Howard; former Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson; and Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard via AP Ohio State athletic director In this Nov. 29, 2016, fi le photo, Oregon athletic direc- Gene Smith. tor Rob Mullens talks to the media in Eugene, Ore., after the fi ring NCAA college football head coach Mark Helfrich. Prep Wrestling Quarterback’s death permeates Bucks NCAA convention discussions sweep Eagles On the road, Pendleton picks up two victories at dual meet East Oregonian quarterback Ryan Leaf, who said he couldn’t stop crying. More than 2,000 miles away in Indianapolis, Hilinski’s name repeatedly came up during a previ- ously scheduled panel discussion on student well-being. The session on suicide prevention was full of emotion and concern. “Last night it was 11 p.m. and I was going to work out when my best friend from UCF texted me pictures of the tweets,” Student Athlete Advisory Committee representative Enna Selmanovic said, referring to the reaction about Hilinski. “And she said, ‘When is this going to end?’” HOOD RIVER — On Wednesday, Pendleton faced a familiar Columbia River Conference foe for a dual meet. The Buckaroos trav- eled to Hood River to face the Eagles, and handed them two losses — the second by over 12 points. First, 16 Bucks and Eagles were pitted against each other. Only three of Hood River’s wrestlers were able to win their bouts, as Pendleton went on to win the match 24-18. Josh Whaley (160) of Pendleton pinned Hood River’s Joseph Kahler in just 47 seconds. John Swaggart (170) and again Whaley, this time wrestling in the 170-pound weight class, won by fall over Benjamin Griggs (5:13) and Andrew McCreery (2:18), respectively. Two Bucks won by deci- sion: Matthew Robertson (138) against Victor Ortigoza (6-4) and Morgan Verdin (145) over Michael Virgen (15-8). For Hood River, Cody Durham (285) trapped Pendleton’s Jordan DeGeer in 1:29. Ortigoza, who also wrestling again at 138 pounds, got revenge on the Bucks and won by fall over Danner Hamilton in 5:50. In the second match of the night, the Bucks had an easier time defeating the Eagles as six of the 13 total bouts were won by forfeit. Pendleton’s Caleb Tremper (113), Blake Davis (145), Isaac Urbina (152), Ian Bannister (160), Aiden Henderson (195) and Max See HILINSKI/2B See WRESTLING/3B AP Photo/Young Kwak In this Sept. 17, 2016 fi le photo, Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski (3) runs onto the fi eld with his teammates before an NCAA college football game against Idaho in Pullman, Wash. Hilinski has died from an apparent self-infl icted gunshot wound. The 21-year-old Hilinski was discovered in his apartment after he didn’t show up for practice Tuesday. Police also looking for answers, interviewing friends of Hilinski By MICHAEL MAROT Assocaited Press When Dr. Brian Hainline learned about the apparent suicide of another college athlete, it hit hard. Again. No, he didn’t know Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski. But he’s heard such stories far too often. The NCAA’s fi rst chief medical offi cer has coped with friends, patients and other college students who took their own lives and when- ever it happens, the same emotions and questions come racing back. So Hainline has put together recom- mendations that may help college athletic departments understand how to help players. “What we’re trying to do is get every single campus to operation- alize this,” Hainline told The Asso- ciated Press on Wednesday, the fi rst day of the NCAA’s annual conven- tion. “The same problems regular students have with mental health are the same problems student-athletes have. They think they’re unique and they’re not.” The 21-year-old Hilinski was found in his Pullman, Washington, apartment on Tuesday after he didn’t show up for practice, dead from an apparent self-infl icted gunshot wound. Police also found a rifl e and a suicide note. Police Chief Gary Jenkins declined to reveal the contents of the note. Police were interviewing Hilins- ki’s friends and people who knew him to try to learn why the Cougars’ presumptive starting quarterback apparently took his life. “The missing piece here is why,” Jenkins said. Hilinski’s family in California issued a statement saying they were in “complete shock and disarray” over his death. They weren’t the only ones grieving. A makeshift memorial sprouted near the football stadium on the Pullman campus, next to a bronze statue of the team’s mascot. Social media were also fi lled with comments, including one from former Washington State star Sports shorts Timbers acquire winger Andy Polo from Liga MX club PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Timbers have acquired winger Andy Polo on loan from Liga MX club Monarcas Morelia for the upcoming season. The 23-year-old native of Peru played in 25 matches last year for Morelia and made six starts with two goals. He’s also World Cup-bound, having appeared in Peru’s two-legged playoff against New Zealand in November. Peru Polo won 2-0 on aggregate. Overall, he’s appeared with the Peruvian national team 15 times since his senior debut in 2016. The Timbers used targeted allocation money and have a purchase option. Polo’s arrival is pending a physical and receipt of a visa. He will occupy an international roster spot. “I literally was walking out on the court at the beginning of the game and turned to the trainer and said, `Can (Roach) play or not?’ And he winked at me. That’s how I found out.” — Shaka Smart The Texas Longhorns head coach said in regards to guard Kerwin Roach, who had already missed two games with a fractured left hand and was supposed to be on the bench for at least one more. Instead, he scored 20 as Texas beats No. 8 Texas Tech 67-58 on Wednesday. Football’s divisional round viewership down 16 percent NEW YORK (AP) — Critics of the National Football League have some new ammunition, with viewership of its four divisional round playoff games down 16 percent from last year. But there are a couple of compelling explanations. The Nielsen company said the weekend’s games averaged 30.43 million viewers. Last year’s comparable games averaged 36.22 million. Last year had a game between popular rivals Green Bay and Dallas that drew more than 48 million, far more than any divisional round game this year. Two of last year’s games were also in prime time, compared to one this year. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1976 — Pittsburgh wins the Super Bowl for the second straight year. Terry Bradshaw’s 64-yard touchdown pass to Lynn Swann and Glen Edwards’ interception on the last play of the game gives the Steelers a 21-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Swann, with four receptions for 161 yards, is the game’s MVP. 2003 — Michelle Kwan wins her sixth straight title, and seventh overall, at the U.S. Figure Skating Cham- pionships. Michael Weiss, despite splattering on his quad lutz, two-footing a quad toe and not doing a triple axel the entire competition, gets his third U.S. men’s title. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com