Michael Herrick, NAU’s quarterback was injured, and the Lumberjacks fell, 21-14.

The Lumberjacks, coached by Jerome Souers, went 6-5 in 2009, and return quarterback Michael Herrick, who was picked as a preseason first team FBS All-American by Phil Steele’s College Football Preview. Herrick threw for 3,356 yards and 20 touchdowns for NAU last season.

Unfortunately, the games were listed as “AM” cutoffs instead of “PM”. We are very sorry, but glitches do happen. Feel honored that at least you will have two right!!!

This will also apply for the Survivor if you picked either of these four teams.

Again, we are sorry. And, we do take your top 12 weeks of the season!

Head coach Jerome Souers' Northern Arizona Lumberjacks are picked to finish fifth in the Big Sky Conference in '09. (Photo: Jacob Petersen/The Lumberjack)

NAU, coached by Jerome Souers, who is entering his 12th year at the helm of the Lumberjacks, finished 5th in last year’s conference pecking order with a 4-4 Big Sky record (6-5 overall). The ‘Jacks got off to a 6-1 start in ’08, but lost their last 4 games of the season.

The Lumberjacks open their 2009 campaign with a date against Fort Lewis on September 3rd at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff.

Big Sky Preseason Media Poll

1. Montana (27 first place votes)
2. Weber State (5)
3. Montana State
4. Eastern Washington
5. Northern Arizona
6. Portland State
7. Sacramento State
8. Northern Colorado
9. Idaho State

Big Sky Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Montana (7 first place votes)
2. Weber State (1)
3. Eastern Washington (1)
4. Montana State
5. Northern Arizona
6. Portland State
7. Sacramento State
8. Northern Colorado
9. Idaho State

Full Big Sky Press Release

Full NAU Press Release

OGDEN, Utah – For the second straight year, NAU women’s basketball’s Sade Cunningham has earned All-Big Sky Second Team honors. Cunningham, a senior, will lead the Lumberjacks this week as they head to their 14th consecutive Big Sky Conference Tournament.

Earlier this season, Cunningham became the 12th player in NAU women’s basketball history to score 1,000 points, and now ranks fifth all-time with 1,106 points. She is by far the all-time career assist leader at NAU with 627 (the previous career record was 441 by Kim Winkfield ‘07).

Cunningham’s 627 assists rank third all-time in the Big Sky Conference, but she is unlikely to move into second place (648 assists). She has already dished out 168 assists this season to set the single-season record at NAU, a list on which she also holds the second and third spots.

Her 5.8 assists per game currently rank 16th among all players in NCAA Division I.

In the quarterfinals of the tournament on March 12 against Montana State, Cunningham will set the NAU record for games played with 123. She is currently tied for the top spot at 122. Her 4,122 minutes played as a Lumberjack are 521 more than the next-closest player all-time, and she has played every minute of 12 games this season including three overtime contests.

Along with earning second team honors last year as a junior, Cunningham was an honorable mention All-Big Sky selection as a sophomore.

Mandy Morales of Montana is the unanimous MVP of the Big Sky this year as voted by the league’s nine head coaches, and is joined on the first team by teammate Sonya Rogers, Portland State’s Kelsey Kahle and Claire Faucher, Montana State’s Erica Perry and Idaho State’s Michelle Grohs.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Sade Cunningham scored a game-high 19 points in the final home game of her career to lead the Northern Arizona women’s basketball team to a 64-49 win against Northern Colorado in the Lumberjacks’ final regular season game. NAU got the win it needed as well as a Montana win over Eastern Washington, and will play in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Tournament as either the fifth or sixth seed.

Montana will play host to Portland State on Saturday afternoon, March 7, and the winner will host next week’s tournament from March 12-14. Other outcomes on Saturday will determine NAU’s seed, opponent and game time on March 12.

NAU finishes the regular season at 9-20 overall and 6-10 in Big Sky play. Northern Colorado is now 12-17 overall and 5-10 in the conference, and could still earn a tournament berth with a win at Sacramento State on Saturday.

Cunningham went 8-of-11 from the field en route to her 19 points, while also dishing out a game-high seven assists and recording a team-high three steals. Also scoring in double figures for the Lumberjacks was Tiffany Amos who chipped in 10 off the bench. Lauren Hoisington scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

Kate Kevorken led the Bears with 18 points and eight boards.

Northern Colorado’s only lead of the game was at 3-0, as NAU’s Caty Huntington answered back with a three-pointer and a jumper by Katie Schafer put the Lumberjacks up for good. NAU led by as many as 19, 29-10 with 6:22 remaining in the first half before taking a 32-20 lead into halftime.

The Bears cut the margin to eight points early in the second half, and trailed only by nine, 38-29 at 15:08 before a 19-6 NAU run gave the Lumberjacks their largest lead of 22 points with 8:34 left in the game.

NAU earned a 43-28 edge on the glass, out-shot Northern Colorado 46 percent to 34 percent from the field and went 14-of-18 from the charity stripe compared to 8-of-20 by the Bears.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The NAU women’s basketball team is one of over 1,250 schools and organizations participating in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Associations (WBCA) “Pink Zone” initiative this week when the Lumberjacks take on Sacramento State on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2:05 p.m. in the Walkup Skydome.

All fans are encouraged to wear pink shirts or hats in order to show support to breast cancer patients, survivors and family members. Coaches will be wearing pink and the NAU student-athletes will have pink headbands and socks as well as warm-up shooting shirts that are dedicated on the back to friends and family members who have been affected by the disease.

Breast cancer awareness announcements will be made throughout the game, which is going to be televised by NAU TV Services and shown live on Dish Network 9411 as well as tape-delayed by one hour (3:00 p.m.) on FSN Arizona.

“What a great opportunity to use the support of women’s basketball throughout the country to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer,” said NAU head coach Laurie Kelly. “Who better to show support for women than student-athletes and coaches who serve as great role models for girls and women. I’m very happy that our university is taking a step towards supporting the cause.”

The initiative, which officially began on February 13, is a global, unified effort for the WBCA’s nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.

“It has been nothing short of miraculous to watch teams and organizations across the nation rally behind the fight against breast cancer through the WBCA Pink Zone initiative,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “As our coaches constantly reiterate the concept of ‘teamwork’ to our student-athletes, it is personified and brought to life through this initiative.”

The NCAA has also joined the Pink Zone initiative by implementing the “Calling for a Cure” campaign. All women’s basketball officials will be blowing a pink whistle.

Saturday’s game is part of a doubleheader with the NAU men’s team, who will also play Sacramento State at 4:35 p.m. or a half hour after the conclusion of the women’s game.

Those looking for more information on the initiative or looking to make a contribution can visit www.wbca.org/pinkzone.asp.

Montana improves to 21-4 overall and 10-1 in Big Sky Conference play with the win, while NAU drops to 8-17 overall and 5-7 in league play. The Lumberjacks now stand in a tie for fourth place in the Big Sky with Eastern Washington, while Idaho State is a half game ahead at 5-6.

Sade Cunningham also scored in double digits for NAU with 10 points, and recorded three assists to now have exactly 600 assists in her career.

Mandy Morales led Montana with a game-high 19 points, while Lauren Beck and Sonya Rogers added 14 points apiece.

“They played zone for 40 minutes against us,” said head coach Laurie Kelly. “They’re the first team that’s done that, and we did not adjust well. I never thought our shot selection was very good.

NAU’s slow start led to Montana jumping out to a 18-4 lead midway through the first half, but the Lumberjacks made up some ground by halftime and trailed by nine, 37-28 at the break.

“As bad as the first half was, we were down by single digits going into the second half and I thought if we just came out and limited our mistakes and took better shots, we could come back, but we never did that,” said Kelly.

The Lady Griz led by as many as 23 in the second half, 56-33 with 12:24 left in the contest, and NAU was able to come within no fewer than 14 points down the stretch before Montana closed out the win with a 16-2 run.

The Lumberjacks shot just 26.7 percent from the field in the contest compared to 46.6 percent shooting by Montana. Turnovers also proved costly as NAU committed 17 to Montana’s 10, and the Lady Griz finished with a 22-10 edge in second chance points.

NAU will be back in action next Saturday, Feb. 21. The Lumberjack men and women are playing a home doubleheader against Sacramento State, starting with the women’s game at 2:05 p.m.

“We still feel in control of our fate and we are playing for that third seed in the Big Sky Tournament,” said Kelly

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Sade Cunningham led all players with 21 points as the NAU women’s basketball team pulled out a close, 70-68 win against visiting Eastern Washington on Saturday night. The win puts NAU in a four-way tie for third place in the Big Sky Conference with a league record of 4-6.

Overall, NAU is now 7-16. Eastern Washington drops to 9-14 overall and is also in the three-way tie with NAU at 4-6.

Cunningham’s running layup with 36 seconds remaining put NAU back on top after being down by one, and Katie Schafer made a free throw after being fouled to seal the deal. The Eagles had 11 seconds left on a final possession but were unable to send the game into overtime.

“It’s hard to remember the last time I felt this good,” said head coach Laurie Kelly. “Probably when we beat Montana State (on Jan. 10). When our seniors play this well we are a really tough team to beat. Sade was huge for us tonight.”

Cunningham needed three points to become the 12th player in NAU women’s basketball history to score 1,000 points, and easily surpassed the mark, going 9-of-12 from the field. She also dished out nine assists and grabbed five rebounds while playing all 40 minutes of the contest.

“I just found out earlier this week that I was even close (to 1,000 points),” said Cunningham. “It feels really good, but that’s really just because we won. If we would have lost it wouldn’t feel the same.”

Janelle Matthews scored 14 points including 2-of-2 from behind the arc, and Tiffany Amos came off the bench to score 10 for the Lumberjacks. Schafer finished with nine points including 7-of-8 at the line.

Nicole Scott led Eastern Washington with 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Julie Piper also scored in double figures for the Eagles with 10.

The first half was marked by six ties and 11 lead changes, and neither team led by more than five until the final four minutes when NAU went on a 14-6 run to close the half up by eight, 45-37. Although NAU shot an impressive 60 percent from the field in the first half (15-of-25), the Eagles stayed in the game by going 6-of-13 from three-point range (46.2 percent).

The offense did not come nearly as easily for the Lumberjacks in the second half, and both teams shot exactly 42.9 percent from the field.

Eastern Washington erased the halftime deficit at the 11:32 mark of the second half, tying the score at 54-54. The Eagles went on a 4-0 run at that point, but their lead was short-lived and the game was neck-and-neck for the final nine minutes.

The game’s ninth tie was 67-67 with 2:04 remaining, and the Eagles’ Nicole Scott made 1-of-2 at the free throw line before Cunningham came back down to hit what would prove to be the game-winner.

“It was a tale of two halves,” said Kelly, “but what won it for us was that we didn’t let up on defense even though we struggled offensively in the second half. Right now we feel very much in control of our destiny (in the Big Sky).”

NAU will play its final two road games of the regular season next weekend at Montana State and Montana before returning home for its final four conference games.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Northern Arizona men’s tennis returns to the hard court with three matches scheduled for this weekend in Las Cruces, N. M. on the campus of New Mexico State. NAU (0-4, 0-0 BSC) will play New Mexico State on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 1 p.m. and then play a doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 1 against Abilene Christian at 9 a.m. and Western New Mexico at 1 p.m. All matches will be played at the NMSU Tennis Center.

The Lumberjacks have played four matches this spring with their opponents posting a combined record of 9-3. NAU has shown improvement in each match with its last decision being a narrow 4-3 defeat to Nevada.

“We are going to see if these guys can tough it out,” said director of tennis Kim Bruno. “They had a pretty solid week of practice and we will see if they take to heart what they really need to do.”

NAU faces New Mexico State (0-0) on Saturday to open a full weekend of competition. The men are 4-18 all-time against the Aggies. Last spring, New Mexico State defeated NAU 7-0.

On Sunday, the Lumberjacks are set to play first-time opponent Abilene Christian (0-0) and Western New Mexico (0-0). NAU defeated Western New Mexico 6-1 last year in their first-ever matchup.

“They have to win this weekend regardless of their lineup,” Bruno said. These are must wins. “We play a good New Mexico State team and two top Division II teams who can definitely play with a lot of Division I teams. This is not an easy weekend for us. We will see how these guys react to the challenges they are up against. I am really looking to see a lot of players step up their games.”

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Northern Arizona women’s tennis travels to Arizona for an 11 a.m. match on Saturday, Jan. 31 at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center. The Lumberjacks opened the 2009 season last weekend at No. 21 Arizona State.

In last year’s match, NAU (0-1, 0-0 BSC) nearly pulled off a historic upset over the Wildcats, ranked No. 42 in the country at the time. The Lumberjacks dropped the doubles point, but defeated Arizona at four singles positions with another match decided in a tight three-set battle.

No. 42 Arizona was able to pull out three victories to earn the 4-3 win. NAU is 0-24 all-time against Arizona.

“Even though we had a very good season it could have been a lot better with that win,” said director of tennis Kim Bruno. “The girls seem hungry for a win this time. It looks like Arizona might be stronger than they were last year. They have some good recruits in. It is going to be a really tough match.”

The Lumberjacks opened play last weekend with a 7-0 loss to No. 21 Arizona State, but will look to build off last year’s success against the Wildcats in Saturday’s rematch.

“Tennis is about matchups,” Bruno said. “This being their second match I am not sure what kind of lineup they will throw together, but we just have to play our games. We need to play well and clinch our opportunities. That is what we need to focus on.”

DENVER, Colo. – Northern Arizona sophomore diver Megan Collier (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunnyslope) has been named the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Diver of the Week for the week of Jan. 19-25. The honor is the first for Collier and the fifth award for NAU this season.

Collier was the top diver over the weekend as she helped lead NAU over San Diego, 176-102. Collier won both the 1-meter and 3-meter events with scores of 285.90 and 286.65. Her 1-meter mark is a career-best.

One day prior to the dual meet vs. San Diego, Collier earned a third-place finish on the 1-meter board in a diving competition at USC with a score of 253.43.

DENVER, Colo. – Northern Arizona’s Renee Rother (Oregon City, Ore./Gladstone) has been named the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Swimming Athlete of the Week for the week of Jan. 12-18. Rother won two individual events and a relay as NAU swept Loyola Marymount in a home dual meet, 172.5-83.5.

Rother, a junior, won the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 1:05.63 (converted time of 58.80 for yards) and won the 200-meter butterfly in 2:25.33 (2:10.22 in yards). She also swam the butterfly leg of NAU’s winning 200-meter medley relay team that won with a season-best time (converted to yards) of 1:46.35.

This is the first Athlete of the Week honor for the Rother, and the fourth honor for the Lumberjacks this season.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland State’s Kelsey Kahle scored 29 points as the Vikings dominated the NAU women’s basketball team, earning an 87-58 win in the Stott Center on Sunday afternoon. Portland State improves to 9-5 overall and 2-0 in Big Sky Conference play, while NAU drops to 3-12 overall and 0-2 in league play.

Sade Cunningham led NAU with 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. Janelle Matthews scored 13 points and Katie Schafer added 11. Tiffany Amos came off the bench to grab a game-high eight rebounds.

Kahle was joined by three others who scored in double figures for Portland State, including Claire Faucher with 14 points and a game-high six assists.

With the score tied at 18-18 in the first half, the Vikings began to pull away. They got their first double-digit lead in the final minute of the half and took a 46-35 lead into the break.

Portland State kept up the intensity in the second half, outscoring NAU 41-23 and never letting the Lumberjacks come within striking distance.

The Vikings won the battle of the boards 39-28, and shot 55.7 percent from the field compared to 38 percent shooting by NAU.

The loss for NAU was its fourth straight, and the Lumberjacks have yet to win a road game this season. The 3-12 start is the worst for the program since the 1992-93 team finished the season at 2-24.

NAU will return home next weekend for two Big Sky contests, starting with a 6:35 p.m. game against Montana on Thursday, Jan. 8.

Sade Cunningham and Lauren Hoisington led NAU with 14 points apiece. Katie Schafer scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, and Jenna Galloway also scored in double figures with 10.

Nicole Scott led the Eagles with 18 points, while Piper finished with 13 points and a game-high eight boards.

NAU unfortunately continued its trend of slow starts, getting down 7-0 and then 10-2 early in the contest. But the eight-point lead would prove to tie the Eagles’ largest of the game, as the Lumberjacks used a 9-0 run to take an 11-10 lead at 11:14.

From that point, the first half finished with six lead changes and three ties, but it was NAU who took a 34-31 lead into the break. Cunningham scored with three seconds remaining, giving her a game-high 11 points at halftime.

The first 10 minutes of the second half saw six more lead changes as the teams battled back and forth. There were four ties, the final one at 48-48 with 10:48 left in the game. The Eagles earned their second eight-point lead of the contest after an 8-0 run, but NAU came right back with an 8-0 run of its own, and the game was once again tied at 56-56 with two minutes remaining.

Piper put her team up two with a jumper, but NAU’s Janelle Matthews hit a tough running jumper of her own and the game was again tied at 58-58.

Schafer made 2-of-2 at the line to put NAU up 60-58 with 40 seconds left but Piper saved the Eagles with a game-tying shot. The Lumberjacks had 13 seconds on their final possession of regulation but were unable to convert.

In overtime, the score was tied at 64-64 before Piper struck again with a two-pointer, and Eastern Washington sank 4-of-4 at the free throw line in the final 10 seconds to seal the victory.

Despite the loss, NAU shot a season-high 44.7 percent from the field. Free throws hurt the Lumberjacks, who made just 14-of-26 (53.8 percent). Eastern Washington shot 43.5 percent from the field and went 11-of-15 at the stripe (73.3 percent).

Next up for NAU is a 3:05 p.m. (MST) game at Portland State on Sunday, Jan. 4.