October 18, 2002
Contact: Mark Anderson (509-963-1493/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: andemark@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - As an indicator of mutual good will and
respect, presidents Jerilyn S. McIntyre, Central Washington University,
and Karen W. Morse, Western Washington University, have agreed to
exchange gifts during the 2002 Cascade Cup Saturday at Tomlinson
Stadium.
“I’ve known Karen a long time and regard her as a good
friend,” McIntyre said. “I look forward to these opportunities for
competition between our two schools. Even though the contests are
intense, the rivalry is friendly. Many of the athletes and students at
our respective schools were teammates and friends in high school.
This is a great opportunity for everyone to play hard during the game
and then shake hands and talk about old times afterward.”
CWU plans to present WWU with a basket of Kittitas County
apples during the showdown and Western intends to reciprocate with a
gift box of smoked salmon.
“My friendship with Jeri McIntyre spans more than 10 years
and transcends the decades-old competition between our two
institutions,” Morse said. “We are pleased that our teams meet on the
playing field. I hope that a well-played game and all related
activities will bring pride and credit to CWU and WWU, their players
and their fans.”
The Wildcats, 7-0 on the season, are ranked No. 1 in the NCAA
Division II West region poll. They are the first team in the nation at
the Division II level to record seven victories. Western, ranked No.
15 in last week’s American Football Coaches Association/NCAA Division
II Top 25, dropped five spots to No. 7 in this week’s West region
ranking after suffering its first loss of the season last Saturday,
23-19, at South Dakota State.
This game marks the teams’ 90th meeting. Central leads the
series 54-31-4, but Western has won the last three games, 36-14 at
Bellingham in 2001, 35-22 at Bellingham in 2000 and 27-7 at Ellensburg
in 1999.
Western’s win in 1999 ended a 10-game series losing streak at
Ellensburg that dated back 22 seasons (1977). The series began in 1922.
