This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As the sands shift in college athletics, the Pac-12 — and by extension, Utah — is trying to maintain firm footing. This week, U. President David Pershing was among the Pac-12 leaders who signed a letter in support of the NCAA's proposal to grant autonomy to athletics' most prominent conferences, and Pac-12 Commissioner sat down with Big Ten counterpart Jim Delaney to talk future.
Baseball • The Utes wrapped up a disappointing 2014 campaign Sunday, losing twice in a doubleheader for a Stanford sweep. Now they'll wait to see what happens June 5 at the MLB draft. Utes coach Bill Kinneberg said Sunday he expects between two and five players to be selected, including junior hurler Mitch Watrous. The Tribune also caught up this week with former Ute C.J. Cron, who wasted no time making an impression with the Los Angeles Angels.
On deck: Season over.
Women's track and field • No action this week, but eight members of the U.'s track team qualified for preliminaries. Those include Rosalie Waller and Ali Esienbeiss (800 meters), Susannah Hurst and Rebekah Winterton (10K and 5K), Alyssa Johnson (qualified in 400m but will not compete due to injury), Aoife Hickey and Ilse Kaaja (hammer), and Nikkie Rudder (shot put).
On deck: NCAA preliminaries (May 29-31 in Fayetteville, Ark.)
Men's basketball • Although we're still awaiting the Runnin' Utes' full nonconference schedule, another school's tweet indicates you can bet they'll face UNLV on Dec. 20 at the MGM Grand. The list of known opponents also includes Kansas, Wichita State and BYU. We also know one team the Utes won't face: the Aggies. And before the season even starts, Larry Krystkowiak, Brandon Taylor, Jordan Loveridge and Jeremy Olsen will rack up some miles on a 10-day Pac-12 tour in China. The Tribune also acquired details of Krystkowiak's $8.3 million five-year contract.
On deck: Season over.
Football • A study revealed that while the Utes fared better than any other non-automatic qualifier except TCU, the BCS era resulted in a major financial advantage for schools in the largest conferences. Also this week, Ute defensive tackle L.T. Tuipulotu was signed to an undrafted free agent deal by the New England Patriots, and Keith McGill talked about his learning curve at corner in Oakland.
On deck: Season over.
— Matthew Piper
Twitter: @matthew_piper