Former W.F. West standout Brandon Rinta just finished another successful season as the head coach at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, as his Wildcats reached the Division II Round of 32 for the second consecutive year.

As a No. 6 seed, Rinta’s Wildcats pulled off an overtime upset of No. 3 Chico State in the first round of the tournament before falling to No. 2 Cal State Dominguez Hills in the second round.

Rinta led CWU to the tournament after a phenomenal regular season, one where they went 14-4 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play to win their first regular season conference crown since 2011.

The Wildcats also made the GNAC Tournament Championship Game, where they fell to Seattle Pacific.

As a result of a fantastic season, the Wildcats were well-represented in the GNAC season awards. Four of Rinta’s players earned spots on the all-league teams, and Rinta was named the GNAC Coach of the Year 

His record with the Wildcats now sits at 105-76 through seven seasons in Ellensburg. 

CWU women advance to D-II Sweet Sixteen

The Central Washington University women’s basketball team also earned a spot in the Division II Tournament, and the Lady Wildcats are through to the Round of 16 after defeating No. 3 Point Loma 74-53 and No. 7 Chico St. 79-73.

The Wildcats played No. 1 Cal State Dominguez Hills on Monday for a spot in the D-II Elite Eight.