Thursday, July 27, 2000 | 10:23 a.m.
After a wildly successful first year, the Community College of Southern Nevada's burgeoning athletic program heads into year two with even bigger plans.
A second intercollegiate sport, a revamped baseball park and even a new athletic conference could be in the cards for the Coyotes, according to athletic director Mike Meyer.
The new sport -- women's soccer -- is already up and running. Head coach Ric Grenell held his first practice last week. The team, which features a 19-player roster comprised entirely of local high school graduates, begins play Sept. 1 with a game at Utah's Dixie College.
With talented athletes such as goalkeepers Amanda Grange (Eldorado) and Kelly Smith (Centennial) and midfielder Angel Lewis (Valley) on the squad, Grenell has high expectations from his first-year team.
But, the Coyotes coach warns, trying to live up to the high mark set by the school's baseball team -- a squad that went 47-10 in 2000 -- could be a very dangerous proposition.
"We want to be competitive, but to say we're going to have the type of successful start like baseball might be a little overzealous," said Grenell, formerly the head women's coach at Gonzaga University. "We're just happy to be providing an opportunity for young ladies to go to school in their own hometown and play at the intercollegiate level."
Helping Grenell mold his new squad into form will be former UNLV women's coach Stacey Hendershott, who will serve as an assistant this season.
With a new soccer complex on CCSN's West Charleston campus planned for the 2001-2002 season, the Coyotes will spend their inaugural campaign playing home games at city parks, likely in Summerlin or Henderson, Grenell said.
The school's baseball team, meanwhile, will play at a remodeled Coyote Park (renamed Lied Park) that will feature a new fieldhouse (complete with locker rooms, coach's office, study hall and public restrooms), concession stands, a press box, bleachers and a picnic area down the left-field line. The Coyotes also hope to receive a permit to install lights.
"We're in line to have everything done by the time the season starts," Meyer said. "We're talking to all the neighbors and they're fine with (lights), so we're applying for a permit."
Fall baseball practice will begin Aug. 7 for newcomers, with returnees slated to begin Aug. 14. Head coach Tim Chambers expects to have 50 players competing for 28 roster spots.
"It's going to be tough," Chambers said. "Everyone that's coming is a good player."
CCSN will open its baseball season Jan. 27, with a home doubleheader against Arizona Western College from Yuma, Ariz.
As they did last year, the Coyotes will compete as an independent team this season. By September, though, the school may have a conference secured for the 2001-2002 season, with the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) expected to vote on whether to extend an invitation to the school by Sept. 8.
Meyer said that should CCSN become part of the ACCAC, the other conference members could have some influence over the Coyotes' next intercollegiate choice -- be it a men's soccer squad that went 18-5-1 as a club team last year, or a brand new sport.
"We're going to have to take a close look at what the conference wants, whether it's basketball, volleyball, golf or something else," Meyer said. "Once the conference vote is conducted, that will help us make a determination about several sports."
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