Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Lawrence hockey standout Moore signs with Macon Mayhem

Matt Moore signed to play with the Macon Mayhem of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

APPLETON, Wis. — Former Lawrence University hockey standout Matt Moore is headed back to the ice.

Moore has signed with the Macon Mayhem of the Southern Professional Hockey League, Lawrence coach Mike Szkodzinski announced today.

“I realized once my college career ended that I was not ready to give up the game that has been part of my life for so long,” said Moore, a forward who graduated in June with a degree in anthropology. “I am excited for the opportunity to keep playing the game I love. You never know what can happen unless you try.”

Moore proved to be incredibly valuable and durable during his Lawrence career. He played in all 107 games over the past four seasons and served as the team’s assistant captain for the past two seasons.

“We are very proud of Matt and his desire to continue playing,” Szkodzinski said. “He was one of the most dedicated players in our program — never missing a single game in all four years of his time at Lawrence. He has great work ethic and his speed will give him a legitimate shot to be solid pro hockey player.”

A native of Grosse Pointe Park, Mich., Moore scored seven goals and picked up two assists for nine points in 26 games during the 2015-16 season. Moore won the team’s Most Dedicated Player award after the season.

Moore, who picked up the game-winning goal vs. Marian University last season, finished his career with 21 goals and 17 assists for 38 points.

“Matt is the latest example of the type of players and people our program strives to produce,” Szkodzinski said. “We know he will represent himself and Lawrence University very well during his professional journey.”

Moore is the 11th Lawrence player to sign a pro contract during Szkodzinski’s 10-year tenure as the Vikings’ coach.

Lawrence men’s, women’s tennis honored again by ITA for academic achievement

APPLETON, Wis. — Both Lawrence University tennis teams and 14 players have claimed awards for academic achievement from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

The Vikings earned the ITA All-Academic Team award after the men posted a 3.34 grade point average and the women had a 3.32 GPA. A team needed a GPA of at least 3.20 for the 2015-16 academic year to be eligible for the award. This marks the third consecutive year the Vikings have earned both team awards, and that coincides with the tenure of Lawrence coach Steve Francour.

Seven members of each team earned ITA Scholar-Athlete awards. To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete status, a player needed a minimum 3.50 GPA for the 2015-16 academic year.

On the men’s side, seniors Adam Busch (Hales Corners, Wis./Greendale Martin Luther), Brian DeCorte (Southampton, Pa./William Tennent) and Ethan Perushek (Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s), junior David Jumes (Appleton, Wis./Xavier), sophomore Ben Tomhave (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet) and freshmen David Brooker (Appleton, Wis./North) and Kieran Laursen (Traverse City, Mich./West) all earned the Scholar-Athlete award.

Junior Katie Frankel (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield), sophomores Emma Arnesen (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South), Hailey Bomar (Menomonie, Wis./Menomonie) and Maralee Mindock (Kaukauna, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran) and freshmen El Goblirsch (Minneapolis, Minn./Holy Angels), Cassandra Li (Zhengzhou, China/No. 1 Middle School) and Katie Nottberg (Loveland, Colo./Loveland) all earned the Scholar-Athlete award.

The Lawrence men finished the 2016 season with a 12-10 record in dual matches, took fourth in the Midwest Conference and qualified for the four-team MWC Tournament. The Lawrence women posted a 10-8 record and took sixth in the conference.

Lawrence names Ayers as Athletic Performance Coach

APPLETON, Wis. — Tyler Ayers has been named the Athletic Performance Coach at Lawrence University, Director of Athletics Christyn Abaray announced today.

Ayers was hired after a national search to fill this position, which is new to the Department of Athletics.

“We are excited to have Tyler join our LU family as our first full-time Athletic Performance Coach,” Abaray said. “He comes from a knowledge-rich environment for the athletic performance industry so his credentials and experiences are impressive. Beyond this and even more striking was his ability to effectively communicate with all of the different people he encountered, including student-athletes. With him at the helm, I am confident that we will build upon where we are and make even more significant strides.”

Ayers was the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Webber International University in Babson Park, Fla. Ayers, a native of Daytona Beach, Fla., had served in that role since July 2015.

“I would like to thank the Lawrence University administration, search committee and Christyn for this opportunity,” Ayers said. “I believe my job is two-fold. Number one, it’s about impacting the lives of the student-athletes in a positive manner by taking what we learn in the weight room — hard work, determination, toughness, etc. — and applying it to daily life. This all translates into their life after athletics, molding them into great future employees, husbands and wives and mothers and fathers. Number two, it’s about increasing their athletic performance on and off the field while trying to keep them as healthy as possible. If I can do those two things, I will consider my time here successful at Lawrence University.”

Ayers served as the interim head strength and conditioning coach at Stetson University in 2015 before going back to Webber International. He had worked at Webber International as coaching assistant for strength and conditioning for a number of sports.

A 2014 graduate of Anderson (Ind.) University with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, Ayers also holds certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, USA Weightlifting and the American Red Cross. Ayers played football at Anderson and served as the team captain as a senior in 2013.

Lawrence opens the fall sports season on Sept. 1 when the men’s soccer team travels to Concordia University of Wisconsin. The Vikings’ first home contest is Sept. 7 when men’s soccer hosts MSOE in the Banta Bowl.

Two Lawrence men’s basketball players, team earn NABC academic honors

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s basketball team has again been honored with the Team Academic Excellence Award by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and two Vikings were named to the Honors Court.

This marks the third consecutive year Lawrence has picked up the team award and had student-athletes on the Honors Court. The Vikings posted a team grade point average of 3.13 for the 2015-16 academic year.

Senior guards Jamie Nikitas (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) and Troy Miller (Lake In The Hills, Ill./Huntley) were both chosen for the Honors Court for the second consecutive year.

Nikitas, who earned a degree in economics, was a first-team All-Midwest Conference selection and one of 10 national finalists for the Josten’s Trophy, given annually to the top player in NCAA Division III. Nikitas, who had a 3.46 GPA, finished in the top 10 in the nation in scoring at 25.1 points per game and broke Lawrence’s season scoring record with 577 points. He was the only player in the Midwest Conference to finish in the top seven in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. Nikitas was named the United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week, was chosen for the D3hoops.com Team of the Week and was twice named Midwest Conference Player of the Week.

Miller, who earned degrees in math and economics, was named a Midwest Conference Player of the Week during his career. He scored a career-high 27 points in his final game to lead Lawrence to a 96-89 overtime win at Monmouth College. Miller, who had a 3.80 GPA, hit eight 3-pointers in that game, and that ranks as the second-best game total in school history.

To be eligible for the team award, a team must have a minimum 3.0 GPA for the 2015-16 academic year. Individuals must have a minimum 3.2 grade point average and be a junior or senior to earn a place on the Honors Court.

More than 150 Vikings named to Academic All-Midwest Conference team

APPLETON, Wis. — More than 150 Lawrence University student-athletes have been selected for the Academic All-Midwest Conference team.

The Vikings had 158 student-athletes meet the requirements for inclusion on the academic all-conference team. To be eligible for the team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.33 grade point average during the 2015-16 academic year.

Six Lawrence teams hit double digits with more than 10 student-athletes being honored. The top Lawrence team was women’s swimming and diving, which had 19 student-athletes make the cut. The top men’s team was soccer, which had 16 student-athletes chosen.

The teams and student-athletes honored are:

Men’s cross country (6)

Max Edwards, Jr., Appleton, Wis./North; Mayan Essak, Fr., Milwaukee, Wis./Shorewood; Ethan Gniot, Jr., Ashwaubenon, Wis./Ashwaubenon; Josh Janusiak, Fr., South Milwaukee, Wis./South; Teddy Kortenhof, So., Portland, Ore./Lincoln; Alex Timpe, Fr., Lafayette, Colo./Dawson School.

Women’s cross country (14)

Kristen Bischel, Jr., Menomonie, Wis./Menomonie; Clare Bruning, Sr., Mondovi, Wis./Mondovi; Janey Degnan, So., Grosse Pointe, Mich./South; Molly Doruska, Fr., Ankeny, Iowa/Centennial; Margaret Huck, So., Kenosha, Wis./Tremper; Amy Hutchings, Jr., Ripon, Wis./Ripon; Kate Kilgus, Jr., Carmel, N.Y./Carmel; Hannah Kinzer, So., New Berlin, Wis./Eisenhower; Liz Landes, Sr., Westmont, Ill./Westmont; Sammi Jo Nixon, Fr., Wadsworth, Ill./Warren Township; Sierra Polzin, Sr., Denmark, Wis./Denmark; Isabella Schleisner, Sr., Hortonville, Wis./Hortonville; Erin Schrobilgen, So., Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest; Cora Williams, Sr., Brentwood, Calif./Liberty.

Football (4)

Ryan Butterfield, Fr., McDonough, Ga./Strong Rock Christian; Cole Erickson, So., Appleton, Wis./North; Jake Gostisha, So., Appleton, Wis./East; Mitch Ives, Jr., Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander.

Men’s soccer (16)

Santiago Alvarez, Sr., Lima, Peru/Franklin D. Roosevelt; Lewis Berger, So., Belchertown, Mass./Belchertown; Nathan Brase, So., Salem Ore./South Salem; Harry Broderick, Jr., St. Paul, Minn./Central; Mike Deremo, Jr., Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township; Robert Desotelle, So., Sturgeon Bay, Wis./Sturgeon Bay; Landon Edwards, So., Sturgeon Bay, Wis./Gibraltar; Nick Huth, Jr., Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly; Chris Kiehl, Jr., Sheboygan, Wis./North; Joe Krivit, Jr., St. Paul, Minn./Como Park; Ryan Leonard, Fr., Christchurch, England/St. Peter’s; Sean Salansky, Jr., Parker, Colo./Legend; Taylor Reifert, Fr., Chicago, Ill./St. Ignatius Prep; Alex Shahbazi, Jr., Marquette, Mich./Marquette; Aaron Sutton, Sr., Ona, W.V./Cabell Midland; Gabe Warshaw, Sr., New York, N.Y./Beacon School.

Women’s soccer (12)

Rebecca Bernheimer, Fr., Vancouver, Wash./Columbia River; Lucy Brown, Sr., St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall; Lara Frankson, So., Oregon, Wis./Oregon; Greta Fritz, Jr., Belle River, Ontario/L’Essor; Liza Girsova, Sr., Hong Kong/Busan (South Korea) International; Patsy Kealey, Sr., New Rochelle, N.Y./Ursuline; Anne Leung, Sr., Albuquerque, N.M./Albuquerque Academy; Casey Merkle, Jr., Tower Lakes, Ill./Barrington; Melissa Rooney, So., Racine, Wis./Prairie; Eva Tourangeau, So., Denver, Colo./George Washington; Perrin Tourangeau, Sr., Denver, Colo./George Washington; Sarah Zaccarine, Jr., Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich.

Women’s tennis (7)

Emma Arnesen, So., Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South; Katie Frankel, Jr., Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield; El Goblirsch, Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./Holy Angels; Annie Harincar, Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn; Lindsay Holsen, So., Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc; Shang Li, So., Tianjin, China/Elgin (Ill.) Academy; Katie Nottberg, Fr., Loveland, Colo./Loveland.

Volleyball (8)

Cyra Bammer, So., Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville; Megan Conley, Sr., Elroy, Wis./Royall; Sydney Nelson, So., Crystal Lake, Ill./Central; Lauren Ray, So., Hales Corners, Wis./Whitnall; Sara Schliesman, So., Juneau, Wis./Dodgeland; Terese Swords, Sr., Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township; Claire Vinopal, Fr., Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South; Nicole Witmer, Fr., Plainfield, Ill./Joliet Catholic.

Men’s basketball (4)

Troy Miller, Sr., Lake In The Hills, Ill./Huntley; Jamie Nikitas, Sr., Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South; Jeremy Stephani, So., Arlington Heights, Ill./Wheeling; Connor Weas, Jr., Whitefish Bay, Wis./Whitefish Bay.

Women’s basketball (5)

Lauren Deveikis, So., Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley; Patsy Kealey, Sr., New Rochelle, N.Y./Ursuline; Leah Reeves, Fr., Lisle, Ill./Lisle; Fanita Robins, So., Chicago, Ill./Providence St. Mel; Andrea Wilkinson, Sr., Racine, Wis./Lutheran.

Men’s indoor track (7)

Women’s indoor track (15)

Clare Bruning, Sr., Mondovi, Wis./Mondovi; Janey Degnan, So., Grosse Pointe, Mich./South; Molly Doruska, Fr., Ankeny, Iowa/Centennial; Sage Greenlee, So., Fort Collins, Colo./Poudre; Margaret Huck, So., Kenosha, Wis./Tremper; Amy Hutchings, Jr., Ripon, Wis./Ripon; Hannah Kinzer, So., New Berlin, Wis./Eisenhower; Liz Landes, Sr., Westmont, Ill./Westmont; Sammi Jo Nixon, Fr., Wadsworth, Ill./Warren Township; Margaret Norby, Fr., Appleton, Wis./East; Brenna Ori, Jr., Portland, Ore./Woodrow Wilson; Sierra Polzin, Sr., Denmark, Wis./Denmark; Isabella Schleisner, Sr., Hortonville, Wis./Hortonville; Erin Schrobilgen, So., Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest; Cora Williams, Sr., Brentwood, Calif./Liberty.

Men’s swimming and diving (3)

Christian Bell, Jr., Farmington, Minn./Farmington; Kaleb Cooperman, Sr., Warrenville, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South; Jordan Spalding, Fr., Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South.

Women’s swimming and diving (19)

Rosemary Bauer, So., Elm Grove, Wis./Brookfield East; Eryn Blagg, So., Omaha, Neb./Millard West; Hayley Cardinal, Sr., Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East; Natalie Cash, So., Gilberts, Ill./Hampshire; Emily Flack, Sr., Edina, Minn./Edina; Elizabeth Garcia Creighton, Fr., St. Paul, Minn.; Rachel Gregory, Jr., Richardson, Texas/Plano East; Shelby Hader, So., Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls; Abby Kosberg, Sr., Wildwood, Ill./Warren Township; Sarah Loepfe, Sr., La Crescent, Minn./La Crescent; Tahnee Marquardt, Sr., Greven, Germany; Danielle Millin, Jr., Monona, Wis./Monona Grove; Delaney Olsen, So., Plymouth, Wis./Plymouth; Rebecca Schachtman, Jr., St. Louis, Mo./Ladue Horton Watkins; Sarah Schweickart, Fr., Loveland, Colo./Loveland; Haedyn Smith., Sr., Antioch, Ill./Antioch; Anna Vogel, So., Oak Park, Ill./ Oak Park River Forest; Paige Witter, Jr., Denver, Colo./Washington; Emmi Zheng, Fr., St. Louis Park, Minn./St. Louis Park.

Baseball (6)

Kyle Duex, So., River Falls, Wis./River Falls; Cole Erickson, So., Appleton, Wis./North; Brandon Klar, Jr., University City, Mo./Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day; Adam McDonald, Jr., Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central; Anthony Ortiz, So., Bridgeview, Ill./Illinois Math and Science; Travis Weber, So., Evanston, Ill./Loyola Academy.

Golf (1)

Nigel Schuster, Jr., Dusseldorf, Germany.

Softball (4)

Jessica Demski, Sr., Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township; Tierney Duffy, Sr., North Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield; Maddie MacLean, Fr., Arlington, Wash./Arlington; Katie Schumacher, Sr., Little Chute, Wis./Little Chute.

Men’s tennis (7)

David Brooker, Fr., Appleton, Wis./North; Adam Busch, Sr., Hales Corners, Wis./Greendale Martin Luther; Brian DeCorte, Sr., Southampton, Pa./William Tennent; David Jumes, Jr., Appleton, Wis./Xavier; Ethan Perushek, Sr., Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s; Ben Tomhave, So., Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet.

Men’s outdoor track (7)

Women’s outdoor track (13)

Eryn Blagg, So., Omaha, Neb./Millard West; Clare Bruning, Sr., Mondovi, Wis./Mondovi; Hayley Cardinal, Sr., Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East; Janey Degnan, So., Grosse Pointe, Mich./South; Molly Doruska, Fr., Ankeny, Iowa/Centennial; Margaret Huck, So., Kenosha, Wis./Tremper; Amy Hutchings, Jr., Ripon, Wis./Ripon; Hannah Kinzer, So., New Berlin, Wis./Eisenhower; Liz Landes, Sr., Westmont, Ill./Westmont; Margaret Norby, Fr., Appleton, Wis./East; Isabella Schleisner, Sr., Hortonville, Wis./Hortonville; Erin Schrobilgen, So., Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest; Cora Williams, Sr., Brentwood, Calif./Liberty.

Cardinal among nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University swim standout Hayley Cardinal is among the nominees for the coveted NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Cardinal (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East), a senior who also runs track for the Vikings, is a senior who earned degrees in German and linguistics.

Cardinal, named to the Scholar All-America team by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America, was a three-time Midwest Conference champion in the pool. She was the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke in 2016 and took the the 100 breaststroke title in 2014.

Cardinal, who swam to multiple NCAA “B” cuts during her career, holds the Lawrence record in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and the 200 individual medley. A four-time Midwest Conference Swimmer of the Week in 2015-16, Cardinal also is part of the school record-setting 200 and 400 medley relay teams.

A swim team captain, Cardinal also is a member of the Academic All-Midwest Conference team. She also runs the hurdles and relays for the Lawrence track team. Cardinal also captured Lawrence’s Charles E. Pond Award for Women, which is given for all-around athletic ability by a senior woman in two or more sports and for sportsmanship, school spirit and scholarship.

Cardinal was among six Midwest Conference student-athletes nominated for the Woman of the Year award. A total of 169 Division III student-athletes were nominated.

The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.

Next, conferences assess their member school nominees and select up to two conference nominees. The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees, 10 from each division.

From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year.

The top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.

Cardinal earns Scholar All-America honors from swim coaches

Lawrence's Hayley Cardinal won the 100-yard breaststroke on Saturday at the Midwest Conference Championships. — Lawrence’s Hayley Cardinal received honorable mention on the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association Scholar All-America team.

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University swim star Hayley Cardinal has been named to the Scholar All-America team by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America.

Cardinal (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East), a German and linguistics major, received honorable mention on the team.

Cardinal was a three-time Midwest Conference champion in the pool. She was the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke in 2016 and took the the 100 breaststroke title in 2014.

This is the second consecutive year Lawrence has had a swimmer honored by the CSCAA. Lawrence’s Taylor Winter received honorable mention in 2015.

Lawrence women’s swimmers earn academic honor

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University women’s team has been honored for academic excellence by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America.

Lawrence was named a Scholar All-America Team after posting a 3.54 grade point average during the spring term. To be eligible for the award, a team must earn at least a 3.00 grade point average during the spring semester.

Lawrence posted the second-highest grade point average among the Midwest Conference schools to earn the honor. This marks the second consecutive season Lawrence has captured this award.

The Vikings finished third in the Midwest Conference Championships this past season, and standout swimmer Hayley Cardinal won league titles in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke.

Privatt selected as NCAA Division III FAR Fellow

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University Faculty Athletic Representative Kathy Privatt has been selected as a 2016 NCAA Division III FAR Fellow.

Privatt, the James G. and Ethel M. Barber Professor of Theatre and Drama and Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, will participate in a three-day professional development program at the NCAA national office in Indianapolis, Ind., from Oct. 14-16.

“I really appreciate the support from Midwest Conference Executive Director Heather Benning and Lawrence Director of Athletics Christyn Abaray in getting me accepted because I expect to learn a lot at this institute as well as make some valuable connections with other FARs,” Privatt said.

The components of the program provide a thorough examination of best practices and issues surrounding the role and responsibility of the FAR, help FAR Fellows develop the leadership skills necessary to carry out their responsibilities on campus and in their conference, and strengthen the network of FARs needed to serve on conference, divisional and association-wide committees. The Institute will conclude with FAR Fellows committing to taking action on at least one idea.

The FAR Fellows Institute was launched in 2010 and aims to increase the effectiveness of Division III FARs at the campus, conference and national levels.

Highlights from 2015 included:

Campus

Establish a Faculty Mentoring Program.
Share data on student-athlete academic success with faculty.
Develop athletic advisory board.
Increase FAR involvement with campus SAAC.

Conference

Attend conference meetings with ADs, Presidents and SAAC.
Contact other FARs in the conference to make introductions and share ideas.
Report to conference peers what was learned at the FAR Institute

National

Attend the FARA Annual Meeting and Symposium.
Nominate students for NCAA post-graduate scholarships.
Read the Division III monthly update.

Student-athletes receive awards at Honors Celebration

APPLETON, Wis. — More than a dozen Lawrence University student-athletes recently received awards at the 2016 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 softball player Tierney Duffy (North Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) won the award after finishing her career with a .347 batting average. A starting outfielder for four seasons, Duffy was an All-Midwest Conference and All-Great Lakes Region selection in 2016. The co-chair of Lawrence’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Duffy was a leader in organizing the inaugural BLUCrew Awards, helped raise $13,000 with the Special Olympics Polar Plunge and worked with the Kids Give program. Duffy has a 3.6 grade point average and is a member of the Academic All-Midwest Conference team.

The Iden Charles Champion Cup is given for excellence in scholarship, athletic ability, college spirit and loyalty. Senior hockey player Renato Engler (Davos, Switzerland) served as the team captain and was a two-time Northern Collegiate Hockey Association All-Academic team member. Engler led the team in 2015-16 with nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points and recently signed to play professional hockey in his native Switzerland.

The Outstanding Freshman Athletic Award for Men is given the freshman man who has made the most outstanding contribution to Lawrence athletics. Football player Ryan Butterfield (McDonough, Ga./Strong Rock Christian) was the team’s starting quarterback. He completed 85-of-164 passes for 967 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran 82 times for 549 yards and three touchdowns. Butterfield was named the Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week and was chosen as the USA College Football Rookie of the Week. He posted the first 200-plus yard rushing game for the Vikings since 2002 and posted the longest touchdown run (79 yards) by a quarterback in school history.

The Outstanding Freshman Athletic Award for Women is given to the freshman woman who has made the most outstanding contribution to Lawrence athletics. Outside hitter Arianna Neumeyer (Manitowoc, Wis./Lutheran) was an All-Midwest Conference selection for the Lawrence volleyball team. She led the team with 215 kills and at 2.42 kills per set. Neumeyer also finished second on the team with 25 aces and was third with 282 digs.

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 men’s basketball player Jamie Nikitas (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) was a first-team All-Midwest Conference selection and one of 10 national finalists for the Josten’s Trophy, given annually to the top player in NCAA Division III. Nikitas finished in the top 10 in the nation in scoring at 25.1 points per game and broke Lawrence’s season scoring record with 577 points. He was the only player in the Midwest Conference to finish in the top seven in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. Nikitas was named the United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week, was chosen for the D3hoops.com Team of the Week and was twice named Midwest Conference Player of the Week.

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. Swimmer and track athlete Hayley Cardinal (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) was a multiple Midwest Conference champion for the Vikings. In the pool, Cardinal won the 100-yard breaststroke in 2014 and took titles in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke in 2016. Cardinal, who made an NCAA “B” cut three times, holds the Lawrence records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and the 200 individual medley. She also is part of the 200 and 400 medley relay teams. Cardinal is a member of the Academic All-Midwest Conference team and served as the swim team captain. She also run the hurdles and relays for the Lawrence track team.

The Marion Read Award is given for outstanding contributions to Lawrence athletics. Softball shortstop Amanda Jaskolski (Shawano, Wis./Shawano) capped her career by earning first-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America honors. A two-team All-Great Lakes Region selection, Jaskolski was a career .439 hitter with 17 doubles, two triples, 19 homers and 76 runs batted in. She holds Lawrence season records for hits (54), RBIs (46), runs scored (37) and homers (13). Jaskolski was a two-time Midwest Conference Player of the Year and hit .462 with 13 homers and 46 RBIs as a senior.

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

Clare Bruning (Mondovi, Wis./Mondovi), cross country and track and field

Cam Davies (Grosse Point, Mich./South), cross country and track and field

Chris Fuelling (Saint Paul, Minn./Highland Park), cross country and track and field

Bjorn Gowdy-Jaehnig (Decorah, Iowa/Decorah), track and field

Liza Girsova (Busan, South Korea), soccer and track and field

Tyler Herman (Wadsworth, Ill./Warren Township), track and field

Liz Landes (Westmont, Ill./Westmont), cross country and track and field

Genna Matt (Mount Horeb, Wis./Mount Horeb), soccer and track and field

Isabella Schleisner (Hortonville, Wis./Hortonville), cross country and track and field

Cora Williams (Brentwood, Calif./Liberty), cross country and track and field

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