Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Lawrence swimmers to participate in “Hour of Power”

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University swimming teams will join thousands of athletes from other colleges, high schools and club teams across the country by participating in the 11th annual Ted Mullin “Leave it in the Pool” Hour of Power Relay for Sarcoma Research.

The Hour of Power event honors those who are fighting or have succumbed to cancer, including former Carleton swimmer Edward H. “Ted” Mullin, who passed away from synovial sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer, in September 2006. The annual swim relay has grown from 15 teams in its first year to more than 170 teams and more than 8,000 athletes in recent years.

Participating swim teams engage in continuous relays of any stroke for a full hour of all-out swimming. Dryland teams engage in their particular sport non-stop for a full hour.

In the event’s first 10 years, participating teams have raised more than $630,000 to support research at the University of Chicago into the causes and treatment of sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer.

The funds have been used for a variety of projects that evaluate the genetic basis of sarcomas, the identification of novel markers of disease diagnosis or progression, and the development of new small molecule and cell therapies for resistant disease. Each summer, the University of Chicago also hosts Ted Mullin Fund scholars, offering four Hour of Power participants an opportunity to advance their interest in science and cancer biology by spending 10 weeks in a laboratory under the mentorship of a pediatric cancer researcher within the Section of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, at the University of Chicago Medicine.

All teams are welcome to participate whether or not they fundraise.

As of today, 152 teams encompassing an estimated 7,200 athletes have registered for the 2016 Ted Mullin Hour of Power Relay.

 

Lawrence fencers open season with strong performances

MADISON, Wis. — The Lawrence University fencing teams opened the season with a strong performance at Saturday’s Badger Open at the University of Wisconsin.

The Lawrence women went 4-0 against fencing clubs from Big Ten institutions. Lawrence defeated Wisconsin 10-8, and the Vikings cruised to a 20-7 win over Minnesota, topped Iowa 16-2 and defeated Illinois 19-8.

Allison Kim and Natalie Hagopian were both unbeaten on the day. Kim went 12-0 in sabre, and Hagopian was 9-0 in foil. Annabelle Tsai and Lauren Phillips both went 8-1 in epee, and Carson Becker posted a 5-1 mark.

The Lawrence men went 4-1 on the day as the Vikings won a pair of tight duals. Lawrence edged Wisconsin 14-13 and topped Illinois 15-12. Lawrence also routed Iowa 25-2 and Minnesota 24-3. Northwestern stopped the Vikings 12-6.

Top records on the day went to Joe Davis, who went 13-2 in sabre, and Jakub Nowak, who was 10-2 in epee. Nathan Schlesinger was tops in foil with a 12-3. mark.

Team Scores

Men

Lawrence 14, Wisconsin 13 (Sabre 3-6, Foil 5-4, Epee 6-3); Lawrence 15, Illinois 12 (Sabre 4-5, Foil 5-4, Epee 6-3); Lawrence 25, Iowa 2 (Sabre 8-1, Foil 9-0, Epee 8-1); Lawrence 24, Minnesota 3 (Sabre 9-0, Foil 8-1, Epee 7-2); Northwestern 12, Larwence 6 (Sabre 7-2, Foil 5-4).

Women

Lawrence 10, Wisconsin 8 (Sabre 6-3, Foil 4-5); Lawrence 20, Minnesota 7 (Sabre 8-1, Foil 6-3, Epee 6-3); Lawrence 16, Iowa 2 (Sabre 8-1, Epee 8-1); Lawrence 19, Illinois 8 (Sabre 6-3, Foil 5-4, Epee 8-1).

Cline lifts Lawrence past Marian as Vikings claim Battle of Highway 41 trophy

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University hockey team came up winners twice on Saturday.

The Vikings topped Marian University 2-1 in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association game at the Appleton Family Ice Center to even the weekend Battle of Highway 41 series at a game apiece.

The Vikings and Sabres then went eight rounds in a shootout to determine who got possession of the traveling trophy, and Reed Gregory’s goal gave Lawrence (1-3-0, 1-1-0 NCHA) a 2-1 shootout victory.

Lawrence rookie goaltender Evan Cline made his collegiate debut and stole the show for the Vikings. Cline stopped 38 shots and secured the win despite Marian (1-3-0, 1-3-0) having an extra attacker on the ice for the final minute. Mike Baldwin made 20 saves and took the loss for the Sabres.

The Vikings grabbed the early 1-0 lead on Blake Roubos’ second goal of the season just 4:58 into the first period. Jake Drinkard and Josh Koepplinger both had assists for the Vikings.

Lawrence made it 2-0 with just 3:03 left in the second period when rookie Daniel Gysi scored his second goal of the season off an assist from Roubos.

Marian cut the lead in half just 1:18 into the third period when Derek Perl scored off assists from Gianni Mangone and Derek Thorogood. That was all Marian would get as Cline stopped the final 10 shots of the period from the Sabres.

Austin Frank got the shootout started for Lawrence with a goal, but Marian tied it to force extra shooters. The third extra shooter was Gregory, who beat Baldwin to bring the trophy back to Appleton.

The teams combined for 31 penalties, 18 against the Vikings and 13 against the Sabres. Marian went 0-for-10 on the power play, and Lawrence was 0-for-6.

Box score

Vikings’ rally comes up short at Knox

GALESBURG, Ill. — The Lawrence University football team’s rally came up short Saturday and Knox College held on for a 33-27 Midwest Conference victory in the Knosher Bowl.

Lawrence (3-6, 2-5 MWC) got a late touchdown to cut Knox’s lead to six, and the Vikings’ defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back. Knox intercepted a pass on the second play of the final drive to seal the victory.

Lawrence quarterback Philip Santiago went 17-for-33 passing for 170 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Santiago also carried the ball 16 times for 97 yards and a pair of scores. Cam Boerm caught six passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns for the Vikings.

Running back Braeden Westfall and quarterback Matt McCaffrey did all the damage for Knox (2-7, 2-5). Westfall had 29 carries for 176 yards, and McCaffrey ran 19 times for 52 yards. McCaffrey completed 17-of-25 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

Knox took control of the game by scoring 19 unanswered points to turn a 14-7 second-quarter deficit into a 26-14 lead in the final seconds of the third quarter.

Lawrence then moved 81 yards in 13 plays for a touchdown to get back into the game. Boerm caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to trim Knox’s lead to 26-21 with 11:12 left in the game.

The Prairie Fire answered with a 65-yard scoring drive of its own. Malik Hamilton caught a 15-yard pass from McCaffrey to push the lead back to 33-21 with 7:43 left.

Lawrence methodically marched down the field with another 13-play drive that went for 81 yards and a touchdown. Santiago did the honors with a one-yard plunge that trimmed the lead to 33-27.

After the Lawrence defense forced a punt, the Vikings got the ball back near midfield. A sack on the first play pushed the ball back to the 30-yard line, and Santiago was intercepted on the next play.

Lawrence jumped out to the early lead when Santiago hit Boerm with a 19-yard touchdown pass to cap an eight-play, 78-yard drive for a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Quinn Sharp then intercepted Santiago and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. Lawrence quickly grabbed the lead back when Santiago scored on a one-yard run on the first play of the second quarter to cap a 48-yard drive for a 14-7 edge.

Box score

 

 

 

Lawrence swimmers split with Beloit

APPLETON, Wis. — Danielle Millin and Paige Witter won two events apiece Saturday to lead the Lawrence University women’s swimming team to a 157-31 dual meet victory over Beloit College at Boldt Natatorium.

The Beloit men edged Lawrence 101-81.

Millin won the 100-yard backstroke in 1:04.80 and took the top spot in the 50 freestyle in 26.57 seconds. Witter won the 500 freestyle in 5:31.60 and grabbed first in the 100 butterfly in 1:02.46.

Other winners for the Vikings were: Elise Riggle (1,000 freestyle, 11:29.90), Emei Thompson (200 freestyle, 2:05.89), Sarah Schweickart (200 individual medley, 2:24.12), Lizzy Garcia Creighton (100 freestyle, 57.69 seconds), Emmi Zheng (100 breaststroke, 1:11.05)

The women’s 200 medley relay team of Millin, Witter, Zheng and Garcia Creighton won in 1:56.63, and the 200 freestyle relay team of Schweickart, Thompson, Riggle and Bridget Duero won in 1:49.61.

On the men’s side, Liam Wulfman won the 100 butterfly in 59.19 seconds, and Tom Goldberg took the top spot in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.37.

The 200 medley relay team of Wulfman, Goldberg, Max Stahl and Christian Bell won in 1:45.62, and the 200 freestyle relay team of Goldberg, Travis Charlow, Jakob Struble and Jordan Spalding were winners in 1:38.73.

Results

Marian tops Vikings in Battle of Highway 41 opener

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — A three-goal outburst in a three-minute span in the first period Friday was enough to lift Marian University to a 5-2 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association victory over Lawrence University at the Blue Line Ice Center.

The game was the opener of the Battle of Highway 41 series. Marian needs a win or tie on Saturday at the Appleton Family Ice Center to retain possession of the traveling trophy.

Lawrence (0-3-0, 0-1-0 NCHA) got on the board just 50 seconds into the game when Blake Roubos scored off assists from Jake Drinkard and Josh Koepplinger.

Marian then put together a three-goal flurry just two minutes later. Derek Thorogood then scored at the 3:08 and 4:25 marks to put the Sabres up 2-1. Braden Crone made it 3-1 with a Marian goal at the 5:10 mark.

Daniel Gysi trimmed the lead to 3-2 with his first career goal for Lawrence at the 12:12 mark. Roubos picked up the assist for the Vikings.

That was it for Lawrence as Marian added a goal in both the second and third periods to seal the victory.

Mike Gudmandson made 14 saves to pick up the win for Marian (1-2-0, 1-0-0). Mattias Soderqvist allowed all five goals and finished with 10 saves for Lawrence. Greg Procopio came on in relief and made nine saves for the Vikings.

Box score

 

Vikings fall to Cornell in semifinals of MWC Tournament

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa — The Lawrence University volleyball team saw its hopes of a Midwest Conference Tournament title dashed Friday after an impressive performance by defending league champion Cornell College.

The Rams defeated Lawrence 25-15, 25-15, 25-9 in the tournament semifinals.

League player of the year Diamond Boyd and Nicole Ciari paced Cornell (22-6) with nine kills apiece. The Rams hit .351 for the match and had just eight attack errors.

Freshman Rachel Barthel paced Lawrence (11-16) with seven kills, and Arianna Neumeyer added six kills and 10 digs. Sydney Nelson led Lawrence with 10 assists, and Barthel picked up seven digs and a pair of aces.

Cornell jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the opening set and gradually pulled away. In the second set, Lawrence led 14-13 after a kill by Barthel, but the Rams went on a 12-1 run to finish the set. Cornell raced to a 10-2 lead in the third set and quickly closed out the set and the match.

Box score

Neumeyer, Bammer earn All-MWC volleyball honors

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University volleyball standouts Arianna Neumeyer and Cyra Bammer have been chosen for the All-Midwest Conference team in a vote of league coaches.

Neumeyer (Manitowoc, Wis./Lutheran), a sophomore outside hitter, was named to the first team. Bammer (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville), the team’s libero, was a second-team pick.

Neumeyer, who was chosen for the second consecutive year, was the Vikings’ top hitter and a force on the serve and on defense.

Neumeyer piled up 258 kills for an average of 3.11 per set while posting a .140 hitting percentage. Neumeyer, who earned MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors during the season, also picked up 26 service aces.

Neumeyer was second on the team in digs only to Bammer and finished with 298 during the regular season for an average of 3.59 per set. Neumeyer also was second on the team with 27 blocks.

Bammer, who was twice named the MWC Defensive Player of the Week this season, led the team with 433 digs this season. Bammer, who passed 1,000 career digs this season, averaged 5.41 digs per set.

Bammer also contributed 19 aces, 34 kills and 48 assists.

Lawrence also won the Sportsmanship Award in a vote by the league’s coaches.

Vikings excited, ready for challenge of MWC Tournament

APPLETON, Wis. — It was the most important match of the season for the Lawrence University volleyball team, and it was one in which the Vikings weren’t playing.

When St. Norbert knocked off Ripon on Oct. 26, it vaulted Lawrence into the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Lawrence plays top seed Cornell Friday night in one semifinal, and St. Norbert faces Grinnell in the other. The winners meet Saturday in the title match with a NCAA Division III Tournament berth on the line.

“I was at home watching (the webcast), and I know the team got together and was watching,” Lawrence coach Matt Schoultz said. “We were texting back and forth. It’s a great step for our program and a great opportunity to represent Lawrence at the tournament.”

Lawrence (11-15) has been knocking on the door of the tournament since 2013 and narrowly missed making it last season.

“Knowing the players we had returning and how close we came last year to making it, it was something we felt was attainable this year,” Schoultz said. “We had some pretty high expectations, and that was our goal this year.”

The Vikings returned all-conference hitter Arianna Neumeyer, the setting duo of Lauren Ray and Sydney Nelson and defensive standout Cyra Bammer. A valuable new addition to the mix has been rookie outside hitter Rachel Barthel.

The Vikings stumbled out of the gate with an 0-2 conference mark, but then reeled off five straight conference wins.

“It was just staying the course,” Schoultz said of the win streak. “Just continuing to get better and staying more consistent. That started with how they approached practice. They never lost focus and got down on themselves. They stayed very positive and motivated.”

Road losses at Grinnell and Cornell to finish the league slate put their tournament berth in jeopardy before they got the assist from St. Norbert. It’s Lawrence’s first berth in the MWC Tournament since it went to its current four-team format in 2008.

“Setting that expectation and then realizing it — it changes the attitude of the entire program,” Schoultz said. “To say you’re in the top four and made it to the conference tournament finally, it’s a great builder for our returning players and for players looking to come here in the future.”

Just making the tournament isn’t enough for Schoultz and the Vikings. They would like to win a match or two, but the Vikings will have to knock off four-time defending champion Cornell to get to the title match. It would be a first for Lawrence volleyball, and Schoultz would like to add “2016” to the volleyball banner in Alexander Gymnasium.

“Every day we step in that gym and we have an empty banner up there. It’s hard not to think about that every day in practice,” Schoultz said.

“We are not just being satisfied with being at the tournament. They feel like they have the talent and ability to win a match. … I feel like we could be right there with (Cornell), and I think the team feels that way.”

Hockey series preview: Lawrence vs. Marian

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University hockey team squares off against Marian University in the annual Battle of Highway 41 series. The teams open the series Friday night at the Blue Line Ice Center in Fond du Lac, Wis., and the series wraps up with Lawrence’s home opener Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Appleton Family Ice Center. Lawrence is looking to regain possession of the Battle of Highway 41 trophy for the first time since 2011.

Preview