Idaho's Bertram, Eck nominted

for Good Works Team

Senior safety Mathias Bertram and head coach Jason Eck have been nominated to the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team.

The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team was established in 1992 by the College Football Association, recognizing the extra efforts made by college football players and student support staff off the field. AFCA became the governing body of the award in 1997 and continues to honor college football players who go the extra mile for those in need. Allstate worked to present the award starting with the 2008 season.

Bertram, a native of Albuquerque, N.M., has looked for service opportunities since early on in his life, working to provide meals in homeless shelters. This summer, he went on a weeklong mission trip to Peru and also serves as the Vice President of Vandal Catholic at U of I.

His biggest challenge is Peter's Paycheck, a non-profit that he is working with his mother to get off the ground. Peter's paycheck is dedicated to showing the true potential of adults with developmental disabilities in the workplace. With a goal to advance their dignity, equality, and self-determination.

Bertram joins Montana State's Tommy Mellot as the only Big Sky Conference nominees. They are two of 136 total Good Works Team nominees. The team will be whittled down to 22 student-athletes and one coach who will be honored at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. A panel will determine the winners.

Joining Bertram as a nominee is Vandal Football head coach Jason Eck. Eck serves as a coaches council member for the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation, which helps increase bone marrow registry. In just two years of doing the registry, the Vandals have helped over 1,000 people register for the Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry.

Eck is also generous with his time in many other local charitable events and organizations. Eck is one of 21 coaches nominated for the team and the only one from the Big Sky.

WSU pitcher Hawkins signs

with New York Mets

Washington State pitcher Dakota Hawkins signed a free agent contract with the New York Mets Wednesday.

Hawkins closed his Cougar career earning All-Pac-12 Conference Honorable Mention this past season after tying for the team lead with five wins, was fifth in the Pac-12 in innings (73.0) and third in strikeouts (92), the ninth-most strikeouts in WSU single-season history. The Chehalis, Wash. native earned Collegiate Baseball National Pitcher of the Week honors after a 10-strikeout performance in a win over Oregon and against after a 12-strikeout win over Washington, tied for the fourth-most strikeouts in WSU single-game history and the second-most by a Cougar against UW in series history. In Pac-12 play, the righthander went 4-2 with 63 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.

In his three seasons at WSU, Hawkins appeared in 43 games, 22 as a starter, tallied 13 wins, one save and struck out 157 in 144.2 innings. Prior to Washington State, Hawkins pitched two seasons at Lower Columbia Community College.

Conference slate announced

for Washington State women

The Pac-12 Conference announced Washington State women's basketball's league opponents for the upcoming 2023-24 season.

The defending Pac-12 Tournament champions will play 18 conference games this season, with seven teams playing the Cougars in a home-and-away series while playing four schools just once. Specific dates, times, and television selections will be announced at a later date.

Washington State will face Arizona, Arizona state, California, Colorado, Stanford, Utah and Washington both at home and on the road this season. WSU will host both Oregon and Oregon State and play at USC and UCLA.

The Cougars won a program-record 23 games last season and captured the program's first-ever Pac-12 Tournament Championship. Ethridge guided WSU from the No. 7 seed in the tournament to claim the school's first Pac-12 title in a women's team sport by winning four games in five days in Sin City.