I imagine the women's soccer coach leaving for the same position at another school isn't news on most of SB Nation's college sites, but when that coach has taken the program to NCAA tournaments in three of four years -- at a school that has had precious little postseason success in most sports -- it causes even casual fans to take notice.

So it is that Matt Potter leaving WSU for Oklahoma is news today.

Potter led the Cougars to an 88-69-22 record in nine seasons at WSU, including three NCAA tournament appearances, all in the last four years. This season's run ended with a loss to Virginia in the second round.

Potter didn't give a specific reason for leaving WSU, but did say the following in the news release from Oklahoma:

"I want to express my sincere gratitude to my former athletic director, Jim Sterk, and his staff at Washington State. I will be forever grateful for the coaching opportunity and faith he showed in me. Also, I would not be here if it were not for all the players and staff who I have had the privilege of working with. I will miss the people behind the scenes and the town of Pullman, which we called ‘home’ for almost nine years. I will always cherish the memories."

Whatever Potter's reason, the move is a little curious in that next year's team could potentially be the best in school history; the Cougars' top three goal and point scorers -- Jocelyn Jeffers (sophomore to be), Brandi Vega (senior) and Eileen Maes (junior) -- all return, as does goal keeper Gurveen Clair (sophomore). Chances are very good Potter could have parlayed his success into another job just as easily next year.

Or maybe Potter just felt comfortable making the move now because the cupboard stocked for the next coach. And nine years is a long time for any coach to spend in one spot.

If Bill Moos decides to turn to the current staff, recruiting coordinator Jason Goodson would seem to be the most likely candidate. Although he has been under Potter for the last four years and oversaw the recruitment of the outstanding young talent on the team, he has no collegiate head coaching experience. Knowing Moos' M.O. the way we do, I'd be surprised if he doesn't go outside the university for a replacement.

In the aftermath of Paul Wulff's firing, we still have a scheduled press conference to deal with. What will be said? Athletic Director Bill Moos still needs to make a statement about the future of the program, and answer questions as to why Wulff was let go.

Come discuss the events of the press conference officially announcing Wulff's departure as head coach of the Washington State Cougar football team.

If you're near a TV, NWCN will be airing the press conference at 2pm. If you want to watch a live stream, we have two to choose from after the jump. All I know is this will be one weird open thread. Excited for the future, but sad and somber for a Coug being relieved of his duties.

If you've missed anything, you can read Brian's take here, here, or here.

Also, if you're expecting Moos to introduce a new coach, you're going to be disappointed.

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Although a lot of the attention has been on Connor Halliday, Marquess Wilson and the football team, the basketball season kicks off tonight with their game against Gonzaga. As such, we have our first basketball MMTQ.

Today's questions center on the fact we will all be streamin and threadin on a Monday. While Monday games are the norm for other conferences, the same is not the case among Pac-12 teams. Today we have three questions, each worth five points. Guesses will be accepted until 3 p.m. then I will start handing out points.

Q: Since 1980, how many Monday games has WSU won?

Q: Since 1980, what is WSU's winning percentage in Monday games?

Q: Who was the last team to beat WSU in a Monday game?

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The early National Letter of Intent signing period began yesterday and more than a few future WSU athletes sent in their paperwork. Jeff already covered the three basketball signees, but we have plenty more on the trio as well as a few others. 

Men's Basketball

Cougars sign recruits; may give DiIorio scholarship " Kitsap Sun
The Washington State men's and women's basketball teams received national letters of intent from several high-profile high school recruits on the first day of the new signing period Wednesday, and former Bainbridge High School star Will DiIorio might be next in line to receive a scholarship from the Cougars.

Shadle Park's Boese fulfills dream by signing with WSU - Spokesman.com - Nov. 9, 2011
PULLMAN – Brett Boese put his signature on his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, following in the footsteps of his uncle, Jim Meredith, who was on hand to watch the ceremony at Shadle Park High.

Other Sports | Washington State men's basketball signs three players | Seattle Times Newspaper
Brett Boese, DeMarquise "Que" Johnson, and Richard Longrus Jr. have signed National Letters of Intent to play for Washington State's men's basketball team next season.

WSU signs three, fourth expected - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Nov. 9, 2011
Not a lot to share today, as opposed to yesterday, but there is some, so read on if you like. We have basketball and football news.

Women's Basketball

Cougars Sign Six To National Letters of Intent - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State head women's basketball coach June Daugherty has announced the signing of Dawnyelle Awa and Emalia Galdeira out of Hawai'i, Whitney Tinjum from Minnesota, Taylor Edmondson out of New Mexico and Mariah Cooks and Alex Williamson from California to National Letters of Intent to join the Cougars next season.

Baseball

Enumclaw High School's Tyler Carlson Headed to Washington State University - Enumclaw, WA Patch
The quest for that elusive college athletic scholarship is usually stacked with pretty long odds, but Tyler Carlson took those odds out of the equation early by garnering the attention of the Washington State Cougar baseball coaching staff -- family ties to Wazzu didn't hurt either.

PREP BASEBALL: Ferndale's Schroeder signs to play for WSU - Prep Baseball - bellinghamherald.com
BELLINGHAM - Ever since it opened its doors as Extra Innings in 2006, the Inside Pitch Baseball and Softball Training Facility in Bellingham has done its best to develop young players - in spite of the rainy conditions in Northwest Washington - to move on to the next level.

Kennewick HS Baseball Player Headed to WSU
A standout Kennewick High School baseball player signed his letter of intent today to play baseball for Washington State University.

Women's Tennis

Cougar Tennis Signs Lize Leenknecht - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State University Head Coach Lisa Hart has signed Liza Leenknecht to National Letters of Intent for the 2012-13 season, it was announced Wednesday.

Men's Golf

Thailand Native Golfer Signs to Washington State - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
PULLMAN, Wash. - Bhurinat Songpaiboon has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete in men's golf at Washington State University, Cougar Head Coach Garrett Clegg announced, Wednesday.

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All this kid does is win races.

After taking home his third NCAA 400-meter hurdles title earlier this month, Jeshua Anderson has now done himself one better.  Earlier today he narrowly beat out defending US and former World Champion Bershawn Jackson to give himself another banner to hang in the trophy room (or is a trophy house now?).

Anderson set a personal record in the race with a time of 47.93.  He needed every inch of 6-2 frame to secure the victory as he lunged over the finish line.  Jackson closed on Anderson in the final straightaway, and had this been a 401 meter race, the results may have been different.

Anderson becomes the second Washington State Cougar to take home a title from the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, joining the machine that is Bernard Lagat.  As Nuss mentioned earlier today, Lagat won the 5000-meter race on Friday.

Anderson now qualifies for the World Championships later this summer.  Jeshua has proven he can run with the best as he works towards the 2012 Olympic qualifiers. Finally, we offer some video of today's race. Anderson's reaction after hearing he had won is priceless:

With his third consecutive NCAA Championship already in hand, Jeshua Anderson has his sights set on even bigger things today when he runs in the in the 400-meter hurdles final of the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Euguene, Ore.

You can watch the race live on NBC at 2:02 p.m. PDT.

Anderson owns the event's fastest time in the country this year at 48.13 seconds when he won his fourth consecutive Pac-10 title. He ran the top semifinal time yesterday at 48.99, and is one of the favorites heading into today's final heat.

This event is huge for Anderson for a couple of reasons. The first is obvious -- of course he wants to be a national champion. But the heat is also his gateway to the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, at the end of August. To advance, though, he's got to finish in the top three.

Feel free to use this post as your game thread if you're watching the race live.

In other Cougar-related action, WSU alumnus Bernard Lagat won the 5000-meter run on Friday, then placed second in the 1500-meter run just 19 hours later yesterday. Lagat finished just 0.33 of a second behind winner Matt Centrowitz of Oregon.

And finally, in the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Calgary, WSU high jumper Shawn Swartz finished ninth on Saturday after clearing 6 feet, 6 inches.

If you're looking for a little inspiration while you're waiting, here's Anderson's NCAA Championship one more time, just for funsies.

Not even the weather can slow down Jeshua Anderson, who despite a hour long weather delay and a wet track claimed his third NCAA title in the 400-meter hurdles.

Anderson won the race with a time of 48.56, over half a second faster than the second place finisher. It was the third time this season Anderson ran a sub 49.00 intermediate hurdle, the only NCAA athlete to do so. He becomes the third person to win the men's 400-meter hurdles three times.

Anderson dominated the race from the start, eating up the stagger quickly, holding strong through the middle of the race before pulling away over the final two hurdles. 

While it was Anderson's final race in a WSU uniform, it is far from the end of his track career. I would expect Anderson to turn pro shortly, with a medal at the 2012 Olympics the next goal in sight.

If you missed the race, or just want to re-watch Anderson dominate, I uploaded the video for your viewing pleasure.

In what was an actual welcome piece of off-the-field news for Washington State University athletics, the football and men's basketball teams both posted improved scores Tuesday in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate, with the WSU football team meeting the NCAA's minimum score of 925 for the first time in four years.

Basketball posted a score of 971, its highest score ever. Both scores mean neither program was subject to any kind of scholarship penalties. Women's cross country, with its 994, posted the highest score in the department for the fourth consecutive year.

The performance of football and basketball wasn't totally unexpected, as Vince Grippi had alluded to the fact that the athletic department expected to come out fine on APR. But for a fanbase that has been dealing with a fair amount of off-the-field embarrassment in the last 12 months, it's great to see that, overall, the school's two flagship programs are making strides in the classroom.

The APR is a four-year rolling score which measures how well individual teams do at retaining their student-athletes and keeping them on track towards graduation. Any team that dips below the threshold of 925 is in danger of losing scholarships, as the football team did in its nadir of 2006-07, when it posted a score of 916.

Here's a look at how the two programs have performed historically:

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