Best Sports

Best sport offered at Eastern

In an overwhelmingly one-sided race, football was crowned "Best Sport" at EWU, with both men's and women's basketball tied for second.

Head Coach Beau Baldwin said of the award, "I think it's huge. It means a lot that we're a sport that students enjoy and care about so much. I appreciate the students that do come out to games; it means a lot to the players [and] it means a lot to the whole atmosphere of the game."

The Eagles finished 6-5 overall in 2008-09, 5-3 in the Big Sky, narrowly missing the playoffs. Of Eastern's 14 sports, football was the most attended with a 6,719 average 2008-09 showing at home games.

Returning next season are 15 starters and 38 letter winners. "Our goal is to put a product on the field that [students] are extremely proud of and that they can take pride in," said Baldwin. "Hopefully we'll have even more students out next year and create a better Game Day atmosphere in Cheney."

Best sports moment this year

The Men's Hockey Team won the Best Sports Moment award for their three-fight home finale versus Canadian rival Simon Fraser University.

The game, nearly resulting in an international incident, beat out other sports moments like the football team almost beating the University of Colorado, The Men's Tennis Team advancing to the Big Sky Championship match and Paul Limpf advancing to the NCAA Cross-Country Championships for Best Moment honors.

"There are certain things that go on in games up there that people down here aren't really used to. Tempers start getting a little out of hand, and then guys drop their gloves and go at it a little bit," said head coach Gary Braun. "The crowd loves it."

"It's an honor really, said hockey center Mike Treux of winning the award. "It's an absolute blast and we love having everyone out there, because we're not just playing for ourselves, but we're playing for the school too."

Best former EWU athlete

Eastern students seem to think Rodney Stuckey is the school's "Best Former Athlete," with NFL All-Pro Titans lineman Michael Roos in a distant second place. In a January interview with The Easterner, Stuckey said, "I have great memories and I miss being around friends and campus… Without a doubt, I'm going to finish my [EWU] degree."

Stuckey averaged 15 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in the 2009 NBA playoffs as a Detroit Pistons starter. His No. 3 EWU jersey was retired in Cheney in January - the year he would have been an Eagle senior.

"Right now the only thing I'm doing is having fun, that's it," he said at the time. "I see basketball as just having fun; it's my life, I love doing it and I'm just having fun with it."

Best athlete this year

Junior track and field star and Easterner staff writer Krystal Deyo narrowly edged Benny Valentine for Best Athlete of the year. Deyo won the award after a record-breaking season.

On winning the award Deyo said, "I was really surprised to hear that, surprised people even know who I am, but I feel very honored to be named such an astounding position. It's really cool to know that people actually know who I am and appreciate what I'm doing."

During her indoor season Deyo surpassed the long jump, and 60 meter sprint records, while in outdoor she earned another long jump record. Deyo also qualified for the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in the 100 meters and the long jump, as well as qualifying for the NCAA West Regional meet in the long jump.

Valentine, a starting guard for Eastern Washington's Men's Basketball team, averaged 15.1 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds this season.