Sports Briefs

by Eddie Hughes

Freshman Swimmer Wins Mountain West, Hopes for Olympic Bid

Fresno State freshman swimmer Ugne Mazutaityte won the Mountain West Conference championship in the 200-yard backstoke on Feb. 20 in College Station, Texas, setting a new school record time of 1:54.47.

Mazutaityte, from Kaunas, Lithuania, was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year and went on to compete at the NCAA championships. Next up for the young standout — she’s hoping to represent her home country, and Fresno State, in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

50 Student-Athletes Named Academic All-Mountain West

For the third straight year, Fresno State had 50 or more student-athletes named to the fall Academic All-Mountain West team.

The Bulldogs volleyball team had 10 members selected, including Zana Bowens (pictured), second among all Mountain West programs in that sport. Women’s soccer had 13 selections and women’s and men’s cross country had four each. The football team had 19 selections, marking four straight years with 15 or more. Fresno

State and Boise State are the only two football programs that can make that claim.

To be eligible for selection, student-athletes must
have completed at least one academic term while maintaining a 3.0 GPA or better and must be starters or significant contributors on their teams.

All-time Bulldogs Greats Reunite in NFL

For the first time since their prolific Fresno State careers ended in 2013, quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Davante Adams on Dec. 20 shared the same football field — this time in the NFL.

Adams’ Green Bay Packers beat Carr’s host Oakland Raiders 30-20, but it didn’t thwart Carr’s big season, which ended with a Pro Bowl appearance alongside another former Bulldog, offensive lineman Logan Mankins. Carr finished the season with 3,987 yards and 32 touchdowns for the 7-9 Raiders, ranking among the best single seasons in Raiders history.

Adams missed multiple games with injuries but still caught 54 passes for 531 yards and two touchdowns for the 10-6 Packers.

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