• Whitworth not asking what if
    February 15, 2018
    What if the refs had made a different call at the end of Whitworth's last-second loss to Whitman? What if the Pirates hadn't lost one of their best players to a season-ending injury? Don't bother asking Whitworth these questions because the Pirates are charting their course toward another NCAA Tournament.
  • Fifty isn't nifty enough for Superior
    February 08, 2018
    Ask the UW-Superior women's basketball team how many conference games they've won in a row, and the answer might surprise you. They don't know. That's because the Yellowjackets are more focused on the winning at least one game in the NCAA Tournament. Nathan Ford has more in Around the West.
  • Versatile Olmscheid pushes Augsburg forward
    February 01, 2018
    Good news, MIAC fans. Your Olmscheid induced terror is almost at an end. After four years of Darrin at Concordia-Moorhead, younger brother Collin is nearing the end of his time at Augsburg. But he's making one last push for a MIAC tournament title.
  • Baines goes coast to coast for Oxy
    January 25, 2018
    Entering his sophomore season at Middlebury, something besides warmer weather was pulling Zach Baines to the west coast. He transferred to Occidental where he's led the surprising Tigers to first place in the SCIAC. Nathan Ford has more in Around the West.
  • Who is Claire Marburger?
    January 18, 2018
    If you follow the IIAC, you might know her as Luther's All-American who transferred from Central. There is a lot more to her story that you probably don't know, including her battle with clinical depression. Claire has decided to tell that story to help others going through the same struggle.
  • Balanced Bruins ready for battle
    January 10, 2018
    If you’re a believer in recent history, the winner of Friday’s Whitman-George Fox game will win rest of its regular-season games. And if you're a George Fox fan, you're hoping the Bruins' balance carries the day. Nathan Ford has more in Around the West.
  • Hoping 2018 starts where 2017 ended
    January 03, 2018
    Many of us focus on what we can do differently when the calendar changes from one year to another. Some teams, like Central, Hamline and Augsburg, hope that 2018 picks up where 2017 left off. Nathan Ford explains in Around the West.
  • Oliver inspiring at SJU
    December 14, 2017
    Watch St. John's senior John Oliver closely and you may notice something about his play-- his tenacious defense, his energy, his vertical leaping ability. Then you may notice that he's doing it all with one hand and wonder how. Oliver explains to Nathan Ford in this week's Around the West column.
  • Previewing the best of the West
    November 30, 2017
    The West Region currently has four of the top 12 teams in Division III women's basketball and the top-ranked team in Division III men's basketball. How far will those teams go this season and who else will make waves in their conference races? Nathan Ford has the answers in Around the West.
  • The keys to unlocking a UMAC crown
    February 21, 2017
    Can anyone stop Northwestern from earning its seventh straight automatic NCAA tournament berth? What are the most important factors to winning a two-round conference tournament? Nathan Ford breaks it down with UMAC coaches in Around the West.
  • The Sound and the history
    February 14, 2017
    Puget Sound knocked off all of the top contenders in the NWC. By doing so, the Loggers clinched the program's first outright NWC title. Nathan Ford explains how they did it, plus guides us through all of the other conference races out West.
  • Count out Tommies at your own risk
    February 08, 2017
    St. Thomas stumbled early this season, but the defending men's champs are gaining momentum when it matters most. Meanwhile, the women's team is dominating, eager to avenge last season's disappointing finish. More in Around the West.
  • Weathering the storm
    January 31, 2017
    Missing the 2016 tournament? Losing one of his top running mates to injury? Michael Scarlett can handle that pressure. He's become a complete player for a deep Stags team intent on running the SCIAC table. More in Around the West.
  • The kind of player who can change a program
    January 24, 2017
    Laurie Kelly was the kind of player capable of succeeding at a higher level. Now, as a Division III head coach, she is tasked with recruiting her own game-changing players to Gustavus Adolphus. She found her first in Mikayla Miller. More in Around the West.
  • Heart of a champion
    January 17, 2017
    Josh Ruggles is a heart surgery survivor and a world record holder. Now, finally, the Loras sharpshooter once again holds a title he cherishes most: college basketball player. Nathan Ford has more in Around the West.
  • What's in the water in Walla Walla?
    January 11, 2017
    Whitman's men's and women's teams are a perfect 26-0 to start the season. You better learn their new nickname soon, as the newly-christened Blues are prepared to make their name known deep into March.
  • Resetting the West
    January 04, 2017
    The holiday season is over and conference play is in full swing. Nathan Ford resets the West Region conferences to prepare you for an exciting finish to the 2016-17 season.
  • Shooting to win with winners who shoot
    December 07, 2016
    When Peg Swadener took over a 1-24 Willamette program, she knew what kind of players she wanted to recruit. Now, her team's style and culture is translating to wins. More in Around the West.
  • Addition and subtraction at Cal Lutheran
    November 29, 2016
    The Kingsmen lost head coach Rich Rider when he retired abruptly just before the season started. They added transfer Wolfgang Wood, and elevated longtime assistant Geoff Dains to interim head coach. It's all added up to a 4-0 start. More in Around the West.
  • Prairie Wolves ready to run
    November 22, 2016
    Nebraska Wesleyan is officially a member of Division III and the IIAC. Their style might look familiar, but it aims to be one-of-a-kind. Nathan Ford has more in the first Around the West column of the season.
  • George Fox fights its way to 25-0
    February 24, 2016
    A little early-season adversity was just a minor hiccup for the George Fox women, as the Bruins learned what kind of fight they had and rolled from there.
  • Making room
    February 17, 2016
    The University of Dubuque has a problem, one the athletic department is ecstatic about. Behind one basket are massive banners representing the school's recent Iowa Conference championships that have the wall nearly covered.
  • Making connections across the country
    February 11, 2016
    Emily Sheldon spent part of last summer on an all-star tour of Brazil and now has former teammates from New York to Iowa to keep tabs on. Meanwhile, she's intent on leading Puget Sound back to the NCAA Tournament.
  • After 51 seasons, a new face
    February 03, 2016
    St. John's first new basketball coach in a half-century, Pat McKenzie, might not spend 51 years on the Johnnies sidelines the way his predecessor did. But he has to be pleased with how his first year as head coach has gone so far.
  • Fab freshman shows Chapman that Cam can
    January 27, 2016
    Cam Haslam has come in as a freshman and has done things nobody in Chapman athletics history has ever done, things his coach never saw coming. Plus, his game off the court is strong as well.
  • All in the family
    January 21, 2016
    Four members of the High family now compete in the same gym almost every weekend, whether wearing a uniform or patrolling the sidelines. But it didn't start out that way.
  • So who are these No. 1 Pirates, anyway?
    January 13, 2016
    Whitworth is a name you should be familiar with. But if you're not staying up until midnight Eastern to watch their games, here's a Pirates primer for you, in this week's Around the West.
  • Wartburg leads cast of young IIAC teams
    January 06, 2016
    The Knights have made the most noise, by far, in starting the season 10-1. But there are other Iowa Conference women's basketball teams who have the potential to grow quickly. More in Around the West.
  • It all comes together for one Knight
    December 09, 2015
    After a disappointing trip to California, Carleton comes back to Minnesota and knocks off MIAC powerhouse St. Thomas. Plus Bethel, Whitworth, Dubuque and St. Olaf items in the latest Around the West.
  • New league, same result?
    November 25, 2015
    UW-Superior left the WIAC with a conference championship. But even with the move to the UMAC, it might not be as easy to dominate after graduating one of the greatest players in program history.
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