Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Strasser joins Lawrence women’s basketball staff

Morgan Strasser has joined the Lawrence University women’s basketball coaching staff, Director of Athletics Mike Szkodzinski announced today.

Strasser, a former standout player at Midwest Conference rival St. Norbert College, joins the staff of first-year head coach Tara Carr.

“Morgan is a tremendous addition to the Lawrence University women’s basketball program,” Carr said. “Her experience in the Midwest Conference and her talent as an all-conference performer will provide valuable basketball insight for our players. Morgan brings great attributes to the team, and we are fortunate that she will be able to begin her responsibilities immediately with recruiting and preparing for the upcoming season.”

A 2009 graduate of St. Norbert, Strasser was a three-time All-Midwest Conference selection. She earned first-team honors for both the 2007-08 season and the 2008-09 season and was a second-team pick in 2006-07. Strasser, who was St. Norbert’s Most Valuable Player for 2008-09, led the Green Knights to the 2008 Midwest Conference championship.

A native of Oshkosh, Wis., Strasser was a star player at Oshkosh West High School and led the Wildcats to the 2005 WIAA Division I State Tournament.

Strasser, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from St. Norbert, works as an inside sales representative at Eggers Industries in Neenah, Wis.

Lawrence opens its season Nov. 15 when it hosts UW-Oshkosh.

Sammons elevated to full-time status with Lawrence women’s soccer

Lawrence University women’s soccer coach Lisa Sammons has been elevated to full-time coaching status, Director of Athletics Mike Szkodzinski announced today.

Sammons, the 2010 Midwest Conference Coach of the Year, has been guiding the Vikings for the past three seasons as the Associate Head Women’s Soccer Coach. During that time, she was working with Director of Soccer Blake Johnson, who was coaching the men’s team and supervising the women’s program.

“Thanks to the support of President Jill Beck and our university administration, we are proud to announce that we have created a full-time head women’s soccer coach position beginning this fall,” Szkodzinski said. “Blake Johnson has done a great job over the past six years overseeing both soccer programs and will continue as the head men’s soccer coach. We believe that committing to a full-time person in each program is the next step to creating two powerful soccer programs.”

Sammons was named the associate head women’s soccer coach prior to the 2008 season and has compiled a 27-27-1 record over the past three seasons.

“Going to full-time status is exciting because we have had a taste of success in the past few seasons,” said Sammons, a 1993 graduate of the University of Minnesota. “Being able to work in this role year-round will enable me to really concentrate on recruiting and only serve to continue our success.”

Guided by Sammons, the Vikings returned to the Midwest Conference Tournament in 2010 after a nine-year absence from the event. Lawrence defeated both Lake Forest College and Carroll University to win its third MWC Tournament title in program history. The Vikings also played in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the third time.

“We have a good group of incoming student-athletes to complement the players we have coming back,” Sammons said. “I’m excited for continued success this fall.”

Szkodzinski said Sammons’ impact in the Department of Athletics will reach beyond women’s soccer.

“We are very thankful to have Lisa as our head women’s soccer coach,” Szkodzinski said. “She brings a tremendous amount of professionalism and leadership to the women’s soccer program and Lawrence University intercollegiate athletics. It will truly benefit the entire Department of Athletics to have Coach Sammons in a full-time capacity.”

Lawrence opens its 2011 season on Sept. 2 when it travels to Edgewood College.

Kaye chosen for all-region softball team

Lawrence University standout Cathy Kaye has been chosen for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Great Lakes Region team.

Kaye (Sturgeon Bay, Wis./Sevastopol), a sophomore outfielder, was a third-team selection. Kaye was honored on the all-region team for the first time and has been an All-Midwest Conference selection in each of her first two seasons at Lawrence.

Batting in the lead-off position, Kaye hit .356 with 29 runs scored, nine doubles, one triple, a team-high five homers and 18 runs batted in. Kaye also swiped 14 bases and committed only one error while recording a pair of outfield assists.

Kaye is off to an outstanding start for her career. In two seasons with the Vikings, she is hitting .378 with 20 doubles, three tirples, 11 homers and 35 RBIs. She also has 23 career stolen bases.

Kaye is the third Lawrence player to be chosen for the all-region team in the past two seasons. First baseman Alex Goodson and pitcher/infielder Shannon Murray were both chosen for the team in 2010.

Student-athletes receive awards at Honors Day

Twelve Lawrence University student-athletes were recently honored at the 2011 Honors Celebration.

The awards and winners are as follows.

The Ruth Bateman Award is given for excellence in scholarship, athletic ability and leadership by a female athlete. Senior Sarah Ehlinger (Wauwatosa, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) was a star on the women’s soccer squad for four years. A four-time All-Midwest Conference selection, Ehlinger ranks second in Lawrence history with 99 points and 38 assists and third with 23 goals. An Academic All-MWC selection, Ehlinger has a 3.92 grade point average and was an Academic All-District 5 selection.

The Iden Charles Champion Cup is given for excellence in scholarship, athletic ability, college spirit and loyalty. Senior Robert Rashid (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) was a four-year starter for the baseball team and an All-MWC and All-Central Region selection in the outfield. Among the nation’s leaders in stolen bases as a junior, Rashid hit .341 for his career. Rashid is a math major with a 3.4 grade point average and is an Academic All-MWC selection.

The Outstanding Freshman Athletic Award for Men is given the freshman man who has made the most outstanding contribution to Lawrence athletics. Luke Barthelmess (Dow, Ill./Principia) and William Thoren (Gothenburg, Sweden/Katrinelundsgymnasiet) shared the award.

Barthlemess was a starter in both football and baseball. As a quarterback on the gridiron, Barthelmess completed 91 of 168 passes for 1,044 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed 52 times for 151 yards and caught three passes for 49 yards and a score. The starting rightfielder on the baseball team, Barthelmess hit .258 on the season. Thoren was an All-Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association selection at defenseman. Also named to the MCHA All-Freshmen Team, Thoren had four goals and a team-high 16 assists for 20 points on the season.

The Outstanding Freshman Athletic Award for Women is given to the freshman woman who has made the most outstanding contribution to Lawrence athletics. Swimmer Hannah Gabriel (Elmhurst, Ill./York) won the 200-yard freestyle at the Midwest Conference Championships and set Lawrence and MWC Championships records in the process. She also took second in the 1,650 freestyle and second in the 500 freestyle. Gabriel also won a title at the Wisconsin Private College Championships and was named a MWC Swimmer of the Week.

The Ralph V. Landis Award was established by the Lettermen of Lawrence in honor of Dr. Landis, physician to Lawrence students from 1926-78, and is awarded for outstanding contributions to Lawrence athletics by a senior male athlete. Senior defenseman Jon Sheridan (Midland, Mich./Dow) was the hockey team captain and a member of the MCHA All-Academic Team. Sheridan also was chosen for the 2011 MCHA Harris Cup Team. Sheridan twice earned MCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors and also was chosen as the MCHA Player of the Week.

The Charles E. Pond Award for Men is given for all-around athletic ability by a senior man in two or more sports and for sportsmanship, school spirit and scholarship. Jon Mays (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) starred in both basketball and golf for the Vikings. A team captain in both sports, Mays was an All-MWC selection in basketball and led the basketball squad to two conference championships and a pair of NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.

The Charles E. Pond Award for Women is given for all-around athletic ability by a senior woman in two or more sports and for sportsmanship, school spirit, and scholarship. Annie Sullivan (Whitefish Bay, Wis./Whitefish Bay) earned 12 letters during her time at Lawrence, four apiece in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. Sullivan was one of the Vikings’ top distance runners throughout her career in both cross country and track.

The Marion Read Award is given for outstanding contributions to Lawrence athletics. Women’s soccer star Mallory Koula (Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) piled up 19 goals and finished with 42 points this past season and led the Vikings to the MWC Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament. An All-MWC selection in each of her two seasons at Lawrence, she led the league in points, points per game, goals and goals per game in 2010. Also a stellar student, Koula sports a 3.94 grade point average in biochemistry and is a member of the Academic All-MWC Team.

The Letterwinner Award is presented by the L Club to those outstanding seniors who have earned eight or more letters. The winners are:

Jon Mays (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson), basketball and golf;

Dan Moeller (Decorah, Iowa/Decorah), cross country and track and field;

Jesse Peterson (Monroe, Wis./Monroe), football and track and field;

Matt Eddy (South Deerfield, Mass./Deerfield Academy), cross country and track and field;

Annie Sullivan (Whitefish Bay, Wis./Whitefish Bay), cross country and track and field.

Pair of Vikings, Tatro honored on All-MWC softball squad

Two Lawrence University softball players and head coach Kim Tatro have been honored on the All-Midwest Conference team.

Tatro was named the North Division Coach of the Year for the sixth time, and senior shortstop Carli Gurholt (Scandinavia, Wis./Amherst) and sophomore outfielder Cathy Kaye (Sturgeon Bay, Wis./Sevastopol) were both named to the team.

Gurholt played through a painful arm injury but still managed to hit .409 in conference play. Gurholt, who was the North Division Player of the Year in 2009, had five doubles and drove in six runs. On the season, Gurholt hit .421 with 11 doubles, one triple, three homers and 24 RBI.

Despite missing parts of the last two seasons due to injury, Gurholt hit .386 for her career. She belted a school-record 22 home runs and finished second with 107 RBI for her career.

Kaye was selected for the all-conference team for the second consecutive season after hitting .367 in league play. Batting in the lead-off position, Kaye led the team with 12 runs scored. She also flexed her muscle with six extra base hits on three doubles, one triple and two home runs. She finished second on the team with seven RBI in conference play.

On the season, Kaye hit .356 with 29 runs scored, nine doubles, one triple, a team-high five homers and 18 RBI.

Tatro guided a very young Lawrence team to a 13-16 record, and the Vikings finished third in the division with a 6-7 mark. Tatro also was named North Division Coach of the Year in 2006, 2002, 1999, 1998 and 1997. In 18 seasons at Lawrence, Tatro has a career record of 291-259-1.

Stevens leads Vikings on final day of MWC Championships

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Lawrence University track and field standout Sam Stevens led the way for the Vikings on Saturday by placing in two events at the Midwest Conference Championships at Monmouth College.

Stevens, a sophomore from Suamico, Wis., grabbed second place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:35.06. Grinnell College’s Shyam Deshpande finished first in 9:32.38.

Stevens also raced to seventh place in the 800 meters in 1:57.87. Stevens also ran a leg on Lawrence’s 1,600 relay team, which placed eighth.

On Friday, Stevens grabbed third in the 1,500 meters and turned in his best performance of the season. He ran 4:04.55 after not running under 4:08 in the event all season. Ripon College’s Cory Zimmerman won the event in 4:02.50.

The Lawrence men finished in ninth place with 17 points. The Lawrence women were eighth with 10 points.

The women were paced by freshman Erica Schmidt, who took third in the discus with the best throw of her young career. Schmidt’s toss of 123 feet, 1 inch, easily eclipsed her best throw of the season, which was 117-4 back on April 9 at the Carroll Invitational. Monmouth’s Amanda Streeter won the event at 129-0.

Lawrence also picked up points on the women’s side when Rose Tepper took sixth in the high jump. Tepper, who was the defending champion in the event, had a jump of 4-11.75.

Results

Schmidt, Stevens pace Vikings on opening day of MWC Championships

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Erica Schmidt and Sam Stevens were the top finishers for the Lawrence University track and field team on the opening day of competition Friday at the Midwest Conference Championships at Monmouth College.

Schmidt, a freshman, took third in the discus with the best throw of her young career. Schmidt’s toss of 123 feet, 1 inch, easily eclipsed her best throw of the season, which was 117-4 back on April 9 at the Carroll Invitational. Monmouth’s Amanda Streeter won the event at 129-0.

Lawrence also picked up points on the women’s side when Rose Tepper took sixth in the high jump. Tepper, who was the defending champion in the event, had a jump of 4-11.75.

Sophomore Sam Stevens grabbed third in the 1,500 meters to lead the Lawrence men. Stevens also turned in his best performance of the season. He ran 4:04.55 after not running under 4:08 in the event all season. Ripon College’s Cory Zimmerman won the event in 4:02.50.

The men are in seventh place after the first day with six points, and the women are eighth with nine points.

Friday’s results

Inside LU Athletics: Track team looks to move up at MWC Championships

Thunderstorms and showers are the forecast for this weekend’s Midwest Conference Championships at Monmouth College, and that’s just another typical day for Lawrence University track and field coach Jason Fast and his Vikings.

In fact, it’s better than most days for the Vikings this spring.

“I’ve been telling our team the whole week that there shouldn’t be a set of weather conditions that will surprise us. We’ve seen it all,” Fast said with a laugh. “The only thing that would be surprising is if it’s a nice day.”

The Vikings head into this weekend’s championships looking to improve on last year’s ninth-place finishes.

“Going into it, everyone is really excited,” Fast said. “Last year at this time, there wasn’t a whole lot we could do. We’re looking at the men and women finishing higher up in the conference.”

The men are paced by a local athlete, sophomore Sam Stevens, who hails from nearby Suamico. Stevens ranks second in the conference in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, third in the 1,500 and eighth in the 800. Stevens also will run a leg on the 1,600 relay team.

“I expect him to score in all of those events,” Fast said of Stevens. “A large portion of our success will be determined on how well he can do because he could be scoring half to three-quarters of our team points. We need him to do well.”

Fast said he didn’t put that type of pressure on Stevens in 2010 because he was worn down after a year of competition. Fast didn’t hesitate in relying on Stevens this spring.

“Last year I didn’t wanted to put that on him because he was beaten down,” Fast said.

“This year it wasn’t even a question. He wanted to do all these events.

I was thinking the exact same thing, and it’s always nice when the coach and athlete are on the same page.”

Stevens’ running mate in the steeplechase will be senior David Zane. He ranks in the top eight in both the steeplechase and the 10,000. The Vikings also are looking for a strong performance in the 800 from freshman Dan Thoresen, who has been nipping at Stevens’ heels in that event.

“I’m hoping David ends his senior year on a positive note,” Fast said.

The 400 relay team got a recent boost with the additions of Tyler Mazur and Dyllan Eichhorst. They join Jon Bruehl and Sam Wagner to take a run at placing in some fast company.

“We’re looking for them to sneak in there and get us a couple of points,” Fast said.

Rose Tepper leads the women’s contingent and is looking to keep her season going beyond the conference championships. The sophomore from Mount Vernon, Iowa, is the defending champion in the high jump and led a 1-2 Lawrence sweep in that event in 2010.

Tepper missed the indoor championships because of a knee injury.

“It will help the team a lot to have Rose in there. She’s our leader and our leading point scorer,” Fast said. “The women’s high jump is the first event the first day. I expect her to start us off strong.”

Despite the knee injury during the indoor season, Tepper qualified for the NCAA Championships. She missed the meet after coming down with a case of food poisoning the day before she was scheduled to compete. Needless to say, Tepper would like to get back to nationals.

“With the rehab Rose had to do for her knee, it’s caused her to pick up some bad habits in her jumping technique. She has been working to iron those things out,” Fast said. “It seems like she has a lot of that taken care of.

Tepper’s best jump this spring is 5 feet, 4.25 inches, and Monmouth’s Emily Tysma is tops in the league at 5-5, which has her provisionally qualified for the NCAA meet.

“Rose’s first goal is to win,” Fast said. “There’s also another good jumper in our conference so she may have to qualify for nationals to win.”

The Vikings also have a pair of distance runners, Anne Sullivan and Anna Ratliff, who are looking to place in the 10,000. Freshman Erica Schmidt also has a shot to place in the discus.

Perish earns academic honor

Softball star Emily Perish has been chosen for the Capital One Academic All-District 5 team. Perish, a junior, was a third-team selection.

A pitcher/infielder, Perish has a 3.79 grade point average and is majoring in religious studies and government. Also an Academic All-Midwest Conference selection, Perish hit .354 on the season and posted a 6-6 record on the mound with a 4.17 earned run average.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a weekly notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.

Lawrence takes sixth at MWC Championships

MADISON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s tennis team finished in sixth place at the Midwest Conference Championships, which wrapped up Sunday with the doubles competition at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

Lawrence, which finished with 34 points, got its best performance of the day from No. 1 doubles team Jason Dunn and Max Zlevor. Dunn and Zlevor reached the semifinals but fell to eventual champions Juan Carlos Perez and Dmitriy Glumov of Grinnell College 6-4, 6-0.

The No. 2 doubles team of Caleb Ray and Jeremy Andereck lost in the quarterfinals, but then beat Jackson Vogel and Derrick Winterhack in the consolation semifinals. Ray and Andereck then lost to Matt Joost and John Silseth of Carroll University 8-6 in the consolation final.

The No. 3 team of Bile Ali and Roy Wimer beat Ripon’s Jeffrey Mehlert and Xia Xiong 6-0, 6-2 in the first round but were eliminated with a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Matt Lobeck and Josh Sweere of St. Norbert College in the quarterfinals.

Vikings wrap up season with doubleheader split against Carroll

The Lawrence University baseball team wrapped up its season with a Midwest Conference doubleheader split against Carroll University on Sunday at Whiting Field.

Lawrence (3-32, 1-15 MWC) won the opener 11-2, and Carroll (12-21, 6-10) took the nightcap 8-2.

In the opener, Lawrence got a complete-game performance from pitcher Eric Bohling. He allowed only six hits, struck out seven and walked six. Bohling also went 3-for-4 at the plate, drove in three runs and scored three times.

Robert Rashid and Chad Skaer both had two hits for the Vikings, and Skaer, Sam Kossow and Davide Harris all drove in two runs.

Lawrence led 1-0 when the Vikings scored three times in the third. Bohling and Skaer both had run-scoring singles in the inning.

The Vikings then started to pull away with three more runs in the seventh. Bohling had his third run-scoring single of the game, and a pair of errors and a walk helped the Vikings build a 7-0 lead.

Carroll struck back with two runs in the top of the eighth, but Lawrence put the game away with four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Harris smacked a run-scoring double in the inning, Skaer added a RBI single and Kossow picked up a sacrifice fly. The Vikings took advantage of three walks and a pair of wild pitches in the inning.

Cale Ross pitched the first seven innings, allowing six hits, striking out nine and walking five, and took the loss.

In the nightcap, Matt Buhrow pitched a complete game for the Pioneers and allowed five hits while striking out 10 and walking four.

The Pioneers pulled away late against Lawrence starter Andrew Wilt. He also went the distance, struck out six and walked seven.

Lawrence scored runs in the first and third to grab a 2-0 lead. Bohling had a a run-scoring double in the first, and the Vikings picked up an unearned run in the third.

Carroll got on the board in the fifth when Aaron Gendrich hit a solo homer to cut the lead in half. The Pioneers then took a 3-2 lead when George Simons and Gendrich both drew bases-loaded walks in the sixth.

After scoring once in the seventh, Carroll pulled away with four unearned runs in the eighth. Joe Klobukowski and Tyler Fitzsimmons both had run-scoring singles in the inning.

Gendrich and Klobukowski both had three hits for the Pioneers.

Game one box score

Game two box score