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Former BYU tight end, Jonny Harline was one of 22 Cougar athletes named to the MWC Anniversary Team. (BYU Photo/Mark Philbrick)
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 23, 2008) -- In conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Mountain West Conference in 2008-09, the MWC has announced its fall All-Decade Teams, honoring the best athletes in the MWC since its formation in 1999.
BYU led all MWC schools, with 22 athletes named to the Anniversary Team. Colorado State followed with 11 athletes honored, along with Utah (9), UNLV (7), New Mexico (6), San Diego State (6), Wyoming (4), and TCU (2).
During the 2008-09 sports seasons, teams will be named for all 19 conference-sponsored sports. The athletic teams honored in this selection include football, women's volleyball, soccer and men and women's cross country.
A combined panel of media, institutional and conference personnel as well as an on-line fan poll determined the selections for the team. To be eligible for the team, players must have been an All-MWC First-Team selection at least once in their careers.
Football
Five former Cougars were named to the Anniversary Team. The BYU athletes were running back Luke Staley, tight end Jonny Harline, defensive lineman Brady Poppinga, linebacker Rob Morris and punter Matt Payne.
Luke Staley
In 2001, Doak Walker Award winner and All-American, Staley led the nation in scoring (15.5 points per game), yards per carry (8.1 yards per carry) and finished the season ranked third in the nation in rushing, averaging 143.8 yards per game. He helped pace the Cougars to a 12-2 record on the season, scoring a BYU single-season record of 28 touchdowns. Staley also racked up a BYU single-season record 1,582 yards rushing on the season.
Jonny Harline
An All-American in 2006, Harline led all BYU receivers in receiving yards (935) and touchdowns (12). Known for his consistency, Harline was on the receiving end of one of the most memorable plays in recent BYU football history--the last-second, game-winning touchdown catch in the Cougars' 2006 victory against Utah.
Brady Poppinga
Poppinga finished his BYU career with 193 tackles, 20 sacks and 39 tackles for a loss and garnered first-team All-MWC honors as a sophomore, junior and senior. After graduating in 2005, Poppinga went on to start for the Green Bay Packers.
Rob Morris
An all-conference selection in 1999, Morris racked up 345 career tackles, which ranks eighth all-time at BYU. He was a first round draft pick in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Morris was also a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker.
Matt Payne
Payne, an All-MWC First Team selection three times throughout his BYU career (2002-2004), was named AFCA and Sporting News First Team All-American and AP Second Team All-American as a punter in 2004. He led the nation with 51 punts for an average of 48.0 yards per punt while earning All-America honorable mention recognition in 2002.
Women's Volleyball
The MWC honored four former women's volleyball standouts. Those name to the team include middle blockers Nina Puikkonen (1997-2001) and Lindsy Hartsock (2002-06) along with setter Lauren Richards-Evans (2001-05) and outside hitter Chelsea Goodman (2004-07).
Nina Puikkonen
Puikkonen, a three-time All-American, is BYU's all-time leader in blocks per game (1.87) and career hitting percentage (.349). During her career as a Cougar, Puikkonen helped guide the team to two conference championships and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Lindsy Hartsock
Hartsock, a 2005 All-American and 2004 Blocker of the Year, finished her BYU career ranked fourth all-time in program history in career total blocks (595), career block assists (555) and career block average (1.43). She also holds the third- and sixth-best season hitting percentages in Cougar history.
Lauren Richards-Evans
Richards-Evans is a three-time All-MWC selection, Richards Evans finished her BYU career third all-time in career assists per game with 12.29 and fourth all-time in career assists with 4,056. She received honorable-mention All-America honors in addition to American Volleyball Coaches' Association All-Region honors as a senior.
Chelsea Goodman
Goodman, a two-time All-American and three-time All-MWC selection, finished her BYU career ranked seventh all-time in program history in career kills (1,493), fifth in career kills per game (3.92) and sixth in career digs (1,100).
Soccer
The BYU women's soccer team also had four players selected to the Anniversary Team. The selections include forwards Maren Hendershot and Katie Larkin and midfielders Aleisha Rose and Jamie Beck.
Maren Hendershot
Hendershot scored 52 goals over her career at BYU, tying her for second all-time in career goals scored with Sara Reading. As a senior, she was selected as the 1999 MWC player of the year and was named All-MWC First Team.
Katie Larkin
Larkin, currently a senior on the team, has scored 23 goals in her career. A three-time All-MWC First Team selection, she has totaled 68 points and has been the team's leading scorer for the past two years. She was named to All-America teams her sophomore and junior years.
Aleisha Rose
Now working as an assistant coach for the team, Aleisha Rose was a four-time All-MWC First Team and All-America Team member. Rose finished her career eighth all-time in goals scored with 28, fourth overall in points with 250, and first overall with 47 assists.
Jamie Beck
A two-time All-MWC First Team selection, Jamie Beck lead the conference in goals and assists as a junior in 2004. As a senior, she lead the conference in points, goals and game-winning goals. She was also named to three All-America teams her senior year.
Women's Cross Country
Kassi Anderson
In 2006 Anderson finished first at the MWC Championships, earning First-Team All-MWC and Runner of the Year honors. She went on to place sixth at the NCAA National Championships and received the third All-America honor of her career.
Heidi Magill
Magill claimed the 2005 MWC Championship title with a MWC Champioship record time of 20:42.4. That performance earned her First-Team All-MWC (the second of her career) and MWC Runner of the Year honors. Magill competed twice in the NCAA National Championships both her sophomore and freshman years, placing 39th and 58th respectively.
Michaela Mannova
Mannova competed as a Cougar for three years. During those years Mannova helped the women's cross country team win both the 2001 and 2002 MWC Title and an NCAA National Title in 2001. Mannova finished in fifth place at the 2001 National Championships to lead the BYU team.
Tara Rohatinsky-Northcutt
Rohatinsky-Northcutt was a two-time All-MWC first team member. She earned two All-America honors throughout her career, with an 18th-place finish at the 2000 NCAA Championships and a 17th-place finish at the 1999 NCAA Championships.
Breanne Sandberg
Sandberg was a two-time All-American and three-time All-MWC First Team member. She competed at the NCAA National Championships all four years she was a Cougar, placing 31st in 2003 and 41st in 2002.
Laura Heiner-Turner
After a fourth-place finish at the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Championships, Heiner-Turner earned All-America honors for the fourth straight year and became only the second cross country runner to earn four All-American citations at BYU. In addition she earned All-MWC First Team honors three times.
Men's Cross Country
Josh Rohatinsky
A three-time All-American, Rohatinsky became an NCAA National Champion his senior year. Along with the 2006 National title, Rohatinsky claimed the MWC Championship title two times and earned First-Team All-MWC honors. In addition, he was named Division I Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
Chandler Goodwin
A three-time All-MWC first-team member, Goodwin placed 46th at the 2007 NCAA National Championships and received All-America honors for his performance, the second of his career.
Kip Kangogo
A Kenya native, Kangogo, ran in the 2002 and 2003 NCAA National Championships for BYU.
