Lawrence Rolls On While Redshirting At Minnesota

Jared Lawrence is spending his redshirt year at Minnesota the same way he spent most of his other years in wrestling: Undefeated.

Lawrence, competing unattached, has won two tournaments. The 141-pound Sandpoint High grad won the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D., and the Omaha Open in Nebraska.

He wrestled in the 20-and-under division in Omaha, so he didn’t face opponents from powerful Division I teams. His closest match was a 3-1 victory over a foe from North Dakota State in the Bison tourney.

“I could have gone to a third tournament, but I had finals,” said Lawrence, who is home for the holidays. “I need this redshirt year to get stronger and to get used to the college style of wrestling.”

Older brother, Brett, is a part-time starter at 133 pounds, Lawrence said.

Minnesota is stocked from top to bottom.

“The (practice) room is tough; everybody is tough,” said Lawrence, who was 133-0 in high school and won four state titles. “There is no easy spot. We’re three or four deep in nearly every weight.”

Panhandling

A rather incredible statistic:

Of 46 high school teams competing at the Tri-State Tournament in Christianson Gym last weekend, 10 were coached by former North Idaho College wrestlers. And eight former Cardinals attended the tourney as assistant coaches.

Former Idaho coach Julie Holt is the director of women’s basketball operations at Louisville. Under NCAA rules, Holt cannot coach. She sits behind the bench during games, which no doubt torments the excitable Holt.

She left Idaho after last season to join her husband, Nick, a former Vandals assistant football coach, who was hired by Louisville.

North Idaho College men’s basketball coach Hugh Watson has delayed a final decision on the status of point guard Rashaad Hines until he returns to Coeur d’Alene on Dec. 24. Watson, who was out of town last week, booted Hines for academic deficiencies and other undisclosed reasons.

The College of Southern Idaho men’s basketball team snapped its six-game losing streak by winning two games at its tournament last weekend in Twin Falls. However, the Golden Eagles lost in the championship game to Bossier Parish, of Bossier City, La. If that name sounds familiar it’s because NIC beat Bossier Parish at the NJCAA Tournament two years ago.

Former Vandals football player Ed Rifilato (1982-83) is the new head coach at New Mexico Highlands, an NCAA Division II school in Las Vegas, N.M. Rifilato, who was a linebacker, has been at New Mexico Highlands for three years as an assistant.

Grad school

Ex-Post Falls Trojans track and field star Ian Waltz might redshirt this season at Washington State. Waltz has been slowed by a finger injury, though it didn’t stop him from tossing around enormous amounts of weight at 24 Hour Fitness this week.

Waltz, who weighs 295, is a senior. He said he wouldn’t mind redshirting so he could make a serious run at the NCAA discus record the following year.

Front row

University of Idaho’s struggling men’s basketball team faces a difficult chore tonight. The Vandals visit Gonzaga (7-3) at 7 in Martin Centre. GU, which lost only once last year at home, received two votes in the latest Top 25 poll. The Bulldogs are trying to win the unofficial Palouse championship after defeating Eastern Washington and Washington State, not to mention Washington.

Rumor du jour

Idaho has all but signed an agreement to play football against Texas Christian next season. TCU, which will meet USC in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31, will afford UI a payday of $150,000-$200,000.

Idaho’s 1999 non-conference games will be against Washington State, Auburn, TCU, Wyoming and Montana.