Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Brooks scores twice to lead Scots past Lawrence

APPLETON, Wis. — Darice Brooks scored a pair of goals Saturday to lead the Monmouth College women’s soccer team to a 2-0 Midwest Conference over Lawrence University on Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl.

Brooks scored unassisted at the 13:44 mark to stake Monmouth (6-8-2, 3-5-0 MWC) to a 1-0 lead. The Vikings nearly tied the game just a few minutes later but the Scots survived a scramble in front of the net after Lawrence’s Sarah Zaccarine was sent crashing to the turf.

Brooks then sealed the win with a goal off an assist from Kara-Jade Gordon in the 71st minute.

Nicole Neagle made four saves to pick up the shutout for Monmouth. Kori Looker stopped 15 shots for Lawrence (1-13-0, 0-7-0).

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Inside LU Athletics: Janusiak, Vikings living life in the fast lane

APPLETON, Wis. — With his shy smile and aw-shucks demeanor, Josh Janusiak has all the earmarks of the boy next door.

Make no mistake, the Lawrence University cross country star is no wallflower. Janusiak has proven to a fierce competitor and a thoroughbred who devours the miles, leaving the competition in his wake. He captured his third Midwest Conference Performer of the Week award of the season a few days ago and stands poised to challenge for the league title on Oct. 29.

“Given the training this year, the effort put in by everyone and the positivity, I think this year has been very close to perfect,” said Janusiak, a sophomore from South Milwaukee, Wis.

Janusiak holds the fastest time in the Midwest Conference over 8,000 meters at 25:47. He set the conference’s fast time back on Sept. 23 and bettered his own time on Oct. 8.

“He’s improved a lot,” Lawrence coach Jason Fast said of Janusiak. “With his training and competing last year to get that experience under his belt, he understands what he needs to do to be great. Last year he had an opportunity to win the conference championship, and going into the summer, it’s been his goal to bring home the individual conference title. It will be a big help in our team success.”

Janusiak posted the highest finish ever by a Lawrence freshman when he took fourth at the MWC Championships in 2015.

“I’m really excited for conference, especially after how this season has gone,” Janusiak said. “I’ve been pretty successful with my goals and what I wanted to do coming into the season.”

Along with setting the MWC’s top time, Janusiak captured his first individual title when he won Lawrence’s Gene Davis Invitational at Reid Golf Course on Oct. 8. While Janusiak has clearly upped his game, he quickly gives an assist to rookie teammate Joe Kortenhof. A freshman from Portland, Ore., Kortenhof holds the third-fastest time in the league this season at 26:08.

“I didn’t know Joe was going to be so close to me. It’s been really beneficial to be pushed by a teammate who is exactly at my level,” Janusiak said. “That and the whole team atmosphere, everything has been going really well.”

In addition to those two, the Vikings also have Appleton native and two-time all-conference runner Max Edwards, who was eighth in the league a season ago. Sophomore Ben Schaefer earned all-conference honors after finishing 14th as a rookie in 2015.

“Joe has been a great addition,” Fast said of Kortenhof. “He came from a very good high school program, and he’s adapted well to the level of training and racing that is expected of him at the collegiate level. Joe and Josh have been really great training partners. They have pushed each other to do better things than either thought they were capable of.”

With Janusiak leading a strong squad, the Vikings are looking to challenge favorite Grinnell College in a bid for Lawrence’s first league title since 2011. Could history could repeat itself when the MWC Championships are held at The Beloit Club on Oct. 29? When the Vikings won the title in 2011, Lawrence’s Sam Stevens was the individual winner.

“Most of what is in my mind when I’m thinking about the meet is team success,” Janusiak said. “During the races, I’ll think more about the individual possibilities.”

With Janusiak, Kortenhof, Edwards and Schaefer running near the front, the possibilities look good for the Vikings.

“We’ll definitely be in the mix for the title at the conference meet. A lot of it comes down to each person doing their part. Recognizing that even if Josh achieves his goal, we need four other guys to finish in quality positions,” Fast said.

“Our conference championship comes down to one day. It’s doing everything we can up until that day to be more ready than we’ve ever been.”

 

Foresters score TD in final 30 seconds to edge Lawrence

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Lake Forest College football team scored with 30 seconds left Saturday to pull out a 34-27 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University at Farwell Field.

The Vikings (2-5, 1-4 MWC) had scored just 26 seconds earlier to tie the game.

Joey Valdivia ran 25 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns to pace Lake Forest (6-2, 4-2). Quarterback Jagan Cleary completed 15-of-27 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown for the Foresters.

Lawrence quarterback Philip Santiago came on in relief and went 12-for-24 passing for 172 yards and a touchdown. He also ran 14 times for 54 yards. Donnel Haley lead the Vikings on the ground with 12 carries for 70 yards.

The Vikings trailed 27-17 heading to the fourth quarter, but Lawrence moved the ball from its own two-yard line all the way to the Lake Forest eight. The big play was a 57-yard pass from Santiago to Cam Boerm to the Foresters’ eight-yard line. Boerm finished with four catches for 85 yards.

The drive stalled there, and Pat O’Mahoney kicked a 25-yard field goal to trim the lead to 27-20.

The Foresters punted the ball back to Lawrence, and the Vikings took over at their own eight-yard line. Lawrence moved the ball methodically down the field, but the Vikings were facing a third-and-19 at the Lake Forest 41. Santiago broke away from the rush and scampered 19 yards for a first down.

After coming up inches short of a first down after a Wasonu Allen catch and run, Santiago plowed ahead on fourth down to give Lawrence a first down at the Lake Forest nine. Santiago then hit Cole Erickson for a touchdown two plays later, and the Vikings tied it at 27-27.

Lake Forest downed the ensuing kickoff at its own 31, and Cleary hit Max Sorby on a 48-yard pass two plays later for a first down at the Lawrence 12. Valdivia ran it in for the touchdown on the next play for the victory.

Special teams helped Lake Forest to take the lead in the first half.

Lawrence drew first blood when it moved 80 yards in 12 plays for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. Starting quarterback Ryan Butterfield hit Trevor Spina for 21 yards early in the drive, and Spina finished the drive with an 18-yard touchdown catch.

Alex Pasiewicz returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, but a missed extra point kept Lawrence ahead 7-6. Chris Edomwande then blocked a Lawrence punt early in the second quarter and covered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown and a 13-7 lead.

Lawrence bounced right back when Terrell Myers returned the kickoff 43 yards to the Lake Forest 49. The Vikings moved 49 yards in 10 plays with Butterfield running it in from two yards out for a 14-13 lead.

Butterfield then pinned Lake Forest deep with a punt downed at the Foresters’ two-yard line. Valdivia helped run the Foresters out of the hole, and Cleary connected with Edomwande for a 36-yard completion to the Lawrence 35. Valdivia ran it in from 32 yards out to give Lake Forest a 21-14 lead at the half.

Lawrence opened the second half with another long drive that ended with O’Mahoney’s 30-yard field goal to trim the lead to 21-17. Lake Forest countered with a 21-yard scoring pass from Cleary to Stanford Ellis to take a 27-17 advantage.

Box score

First-half burst allows Scots to edge Lawrence

APPLETON, Wis. — The Monmouth College men’s soccer team scored a pair of goals in a span of 2:51 in the first half Saturday and held on for a 2-1 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl.

Lawrence (5-9-1, 1-5-1 MWC) had grabbed a 1-0 lead at the 30:13 mark when Taylor Reifert rifled a ball into the upper right corner of the goal.

The Scots (5-9-1, 4-3-0) evened the score at 1-1 just 1:21 later when Justin Seeley’s bending ball got past Joe Krivit. Monmouth then took the lead at the 34:25 mark when Agustin Miranda scored off assists from Daniel Wells and Mario Sanchez.

Chase Stroud kept the Vikings off the board for the rest of the match and finished with five saves for Monmouth. Krivit stopped seven shots for Lawrence.

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Grinnell slips past Vikings

GRINNELL, Iowa — The Grinnell College volleyball team won a pair of tight opening sets Friday and went on to a 3-1 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University at Darby Gymnasium.

Grinnell won 25-23, 25-22, 15-25, 25-18.

Olivia Fromm led Grinnell (12-9, 4-2 MWC). with 15 kills, and Margaret Giles picked up 32 assists. Arianna Neumeyer paced all players with 16 kills for Lawrence (10-13, 5-3), and Rachel Barthel added 13.

Cyra Bammer led Lawrence with 37 digs, and Neumeyer picked up 21 digs and three aces. Sydney Nelson paced the Vikings with 16 assists.

The first set was tied at 22-22, but a Grinnell kill and a Lawrence error gave the Pioneers a two-point edge. Neumeyer countered with a kill for the Vikings, but Grinnell got a kill from Ariel Lepito to close out the set.

Lawrence trailed 21-12 in the second set before rallying. The Vikings went on a 10-2 run, capped by Lauren Ray’s ace, to cut the lead to 24-22. Emily Friedman countered with a kill to give Grinnell a 2-0 lead.

Lawrence dominated the third set and cruised to an easy victory, but Grinnell pulled away midway through the fourth set for a 17-10 lead. The Vikings bounced back and cut the margin to 24-18 before a Lawrence service error gave Grinnell the set and match.

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Early goals lift North Park over Lawrence

APPLETON, Wis. — The North Park University women’s soccer team scored two goals early in the first half Friday and added another insurance goal early in the second half en route to a 4-1 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl.

Maja Scharin scored 5:27 into the match and Delaney Kress added another goal just 51 seconds later for a 2-0 lead. Marina Barrios then scored 1:28 into the second half to give North Park (4-9-1) a 3-0 edge.

Lawrence (1-12-0) cut into the margin when Ryan Berkley scored an unassisted goal with 35:56 remaining. Berkley beat a pair of defenders in the corner and then rocketed a shot into the upper corner to trim the lead to 3-1.

North Park then sealed the win with a goal in the final two minutes.

Kori Looker made 15 saves for Lawrence, and Sydney Martinez stopped six shots for North Park.

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NCAA Division III Baseball Championships to leave Fox Cities after 2018

APPLETON, Wis. — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Baseball Championship will end its spectacular two-decade run in the Fox Cities following the 2018 tournament, hosts of the event announced on Thursday (Oct. 20).

A change in scheduling by the NCAA and the unavailability of a host facility starting with the 2019 championship has forced the partnership of Lawrence University, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau to bow out as hosts and prevent the three entities from bidding for future hosting opportunities.

“The Division III baseball championship will undergo a major structural change in 2019 and mirror a format that is currently used at the Division I and II levels of baseball and all levels of softball,” said UW-Oshkosh Sports Information Director Kennan Timm, co-chair of the event’s local organizing committee.

The championship, which currently runs over a five- to six-day period that begins the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, is being pushed back one week into June to accommodate another round of games (Super Regionals).

“The alteration,” Timm said, “prohibits the use of Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium for the eight-team finals as the tournament’s schedule is not compatible with the Timber Rattlers’ schedule and the facility’s prior commitments.”

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers President Rob Zerjav said hosting the NCAA Division III Championship into early and mid-June forces the Timber Rattlers to possibly be on the road for an extended period of time.

The Division III championship first came to Appleton in 2000 through the efforts of several people, including Timm, former UW-Oshkosh Director of Athletics Allen Ackerman, former UW-Oshkosh head baseball coach Tom Lechnir, Mike Birling of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Kevin Doyle of The Appleton Post-Crescent, Larry Trucco of the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, and Jay Olson and Valerie Wylie of the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“Hosting the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships in the Fox Cities has been a tremendous honor,” said Matt Ten Haken, Director of Sports Marketing for the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau and co-chair of the Local Organizing Committee. “This event has put our community on the map nationally as a baseball hotbed. We look forward to hosting two more great championships in 2017 and 2018 and then hosting other prestigious events in the years to come.”

In what has been an outstanding partnership of public and private colleges, Lawrence University became a co-host of the championship in 2003, and the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau became another host partner in 2008.

The three hosts have combined to make this one of the finest championships in all of NCAA Division III. Beginning with the efforts of the local organizing committee, the event continually added new pieces to improve the experience for student-athletes and fans.

“Over our 17 years of hosting, we have helped shape this championship event,” said Christyn Abaray, Lawrence University Director of Athletics and co-chair of the Local Organizing Committee. “We are extremely proud of our community – all of the organizations, companies and volunteers who make the championship as meaningful as it is. While a change of venue for the championship provides another great opportunity for Division III baseball, we are sad to see the event leave the Fox Cities.”

With support coming from local sponsors, including the J. J. Keller Foundation, Bergstrom Corporation, Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, Panther Baseball and The Appleton Post-Crescent, praise for the experience in Appleton is a common yearly occurrence.

Included in that experience is the use of the superlative practice facility at Appleton Legion Post 38 with legendary baseball man Don Hawkins interacting with visiting teams and grooming the field named in his honor.

The efforts of numerous local committee members, both former and present, have also made the event grow in prestige and popularity. The considerable contributions of former Local Organizing Committee chairs Gary Kilgas and Mike Szkodzinski; team hosts Dean Moede, Kathy Sagehorn and Mark Shropshire; Korey Krueger of Panther Baseball; Nancy Hollis and Jay Schumerth of the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel; Zerjav and Aaron Hahn of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers enhanced the championship tremendously.

All of these factors have made the phrase “The Road to Appleton” part of the Division III baseball lexicon.

“We have thoroughly enjoyed our relationship with the NCAA as host of the Division III Baseball Championship since 2000,” Abaray said. “It is a productive partnership in which we’ve been able to provide a quality and memorable experience for the participating student-athletes, coaches and patrons, all while showcasing what the Fox Cities have to offer.”

Appleton is the fifth location to host the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, and its 19-year run is by far the longest. Marietta, Ohio, hosted the first 10 championships, followed by Bristol, Conn. (two years) and Battle Creek, Mich., and Salem, Va., hosted for five years apiece. The 19-year run will be the fourth-longest tenure of an NCAA championship at one site. The Division I Baseball Championship has been in Omaha, Neb., since 1950, the Division I Softball Championship has been contested in Oklahoma City, Okla., since 1990 and the Division III football championship game (the Stagg Bowl) has been in Salem, Va., since 1993.

Fox Cities Stadium has seen the most well-attended game and finals in Division III baseball history. In 2003, the finals record of 29,543 and single-game mark of 3,868 (UW-Oshkosh vs. Chapman University) were set. Over the past 17 championships held in Appleton, 55 different schools have made an appearance at Fox Cities Stadium. The most frequent visitor is the State University of New York at Cortland, which has played in Appleton 10 times and won the title in 2015. Marietta College has won the most titles in Appleton by taking the crown three times (2006, 2011, 2012).

“We are all proud of what we have accomplished the past 17 years and look forward to embracing the championship with great enthusiasm in 2017 and 2018,” Timm said. “Our goal has always been to provide an extremely positive championship experience, an ever-lasting memory, and a favorable impression of the Fox Valley and the state of Wisconsin to our visitors.”

Lawrence volleyball sweeps MWC Player of the Week awards

Cyra Bammer
Cyra Bammer
Arianna Neumeyer
Arianna Neumeyer

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University volleyball team swept the Midwest Conference Player of the Week awards after winning a trio of league matches.

Sophomore outside hitter Arianna Neumeyer (Manitowoc, Wis./Lutheran) was named the Offensive Player of the Week, and junior defensive specialist Cyra Bammer (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) was named Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.

Lawrence was perfect on the week as the Vikings won at Beloit College and knocked off Lake Forest College and Ripon College at Alexander Gymnasium. The Vikings have now won five straight to improve to 5-2 in the league and 10-12 overall.

Neumeyer piled up 49 kills for the week as the Vikings topped Beloit in straight sets and defeated both Lake Forest and Ripon in four sets. Neumeyer had a .289 hitting percentage for the three matches in addition to collecting six aces, 40 digs and a pair of blocks.

Neumeyer started her week with a match-high nine kills and 11 digs as the Vikings rolled past Beloit. She then picked up 18 kills, two aces and 11 digs in Lawrence’s win over Lake Forest. Neumeyer finished the week by matching her career high with 22 kills to go along with four aces and 18 digs in a victory over Ripon.

Bammer collected 61 digs on her way to winning the weekly award for the second straight time. Bammer picked up 18 digs in the Vikings’ win over Beloit. She then had 15 digs against Lake Forest and finished the week with 28 digs against Ripon. For the week, Bammer and the Vikings limited the opposition to a .095 hitting percentage.

Lawrence returns to action this weekend for a pair of conference matches in Iowa. The Vikings play at Grinnell College on Friday before heading to Cornell College for a Saturday morning match.

Janusiak makes it a trio of MWC Performer of the Week awards

Josh Janusiak
Josh Janusiak

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University cross country star Josh Janusiak has been named Midwest Conference Performer of the Week for the third time this season.

Janusiak (South Milwaukee, Wis./South Milwaukee) has captured the award after each of his last three races.

Janusiak took this week’s award after finishing 55th at the massive Kollege Town Invitational at Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, Wis. Competing in a field of 550 runners, Janusiak covered the 8,000 meters in 26:11 to finish 19 seconds ahead of the next-closest runner from the Midwest Conference.

Janusiak also won the award after setting the league’s fastest time at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational in Rock Island, Ill. He took the honor again after bettering his mark for the conference’s best time on his way to winning Lawrence’s Gene Davis Invitational.

The Vikings are off this week and return to action at the Midwest Conference Championships in Beloit, Wis., on Oct. 29.