Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Nikitas earns first-team All-MWC honors

Lawrence's Jamie Nikitas (3) is a first-team All-MIdwest Conference selection.
Lawrence’s Jamie Nikitas (3) is a first-team All-MIdwest Conference selection.

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University men’s basketball star Jamie Nikitas has been named to the All-Midwest Conference first team in a vote of league coaches.

Nikitas (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) earned the honor after a record-breaking season with the Vikings. Nikitas was second in the league and ninth in all of NCAA Division III in scoring at 25.1 points per game.

Nikitas broke Lawrence’s season scoring average record by 3.6 points per game and scored 577 points, which shattered the school’s season scoring record of 494. Nikitas scored a career-high 40 points at Carroll University on Jan. 12 and had six 30-plus point games during the season. Nikitas also set Lawrence season records for free throws made (156) and attempted (222).

In addition to being second in the league in scoring, Nikitas finished first in steals at 2.6 per game, sixth in rebounding at 6.7 and seventh in assists at 3.4. In conference games only, Nikitas averaged 26.1 points (second in the MWC), 6.3 rebounds (ninth), 2.7 steals (first) and 3.6 assists (seventh).

A second-team all-conference selection a season ago, Nikitas was twice named the Midwest Conference Player of the Week this season. Nikitas also picked up two national honors as he was chosen as the United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week and selected for the D3hoops.com Team of the Week.

Nikitas ranks among the greatest players in Lawrence history and his name is all over the school’s record book. He finished fourth on the career scoring list with 1,406 points, trailing only All-Americans Chris Braier and Ryan Kroeger and Lawrence Hall of Famer Joel Dillingham.

Nikitas also ranked second in Lawrence history with 188 steals, sixth with 474 field goals, ninth with 120 3-pointers, 10th with 229 assists and 11th with 521 rebounds.

Big second period leads St. Scholastica over Vikings

DULUTH, Minn. — Fifteenth-ranked St. Scholastica scored four times in the second period Wednesday and went on to a 6-2 win over Lawrence University in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association quarterfinals.

Keegan Bruce had a hat trick for the Saints (15-8-3), who advance to the semifinal series Friday at second-ranked Adrian. Josh Koepplinger scored both goals for Lawrence (9-14-3).

The Saints led 2-0 after Bruce scored his second goal of the game just 1:43 into the second period. Koepplinger, a freshman forward, scored 14 seconds later off an assist from Ryan Eardley to slice the lead in half.

St. Scholastica then scored three times in a span of 3:48 to seize control of the game. Josh Hansen scored at the 11:15 mark, and Kristofer McKinzie then made it 4-1 at the 13:06 mark. A bad bounce off the boards gave McKinzie a breakaway two minutes later, and he was tripped up in front of the Lawrence net. He converted a penalty shot, the first against the Vikings since Jan. 13, 2012, to put the Saints up 5-1 at the 15:03 mark.

Koepplinger scored an unassisted goal 2:27 into the third period to cut the lead to 5-2 but that’s as close as the Vikings would get. Bruce added his second power-play goal of the game late in the third to complete the scoring.

Tyler Bruggeman made 27 saves to get the win for St. Scholastica, and Mattias Soderqvist made 31 saves for the Vikings.

Box score

 

NCHA quarterfinals playoff preview: Lawrence at No. 15 St. Scholastica

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University opens the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs with a quarterfinal game at No. 15 St. Scholastica on Wednesday. The game is set for 7 p.m. at Mars Lakeview Arena in Duluth, Minn. Lawrence enters the game coming off a 6-3 victory over Lake Forest College in a must-win game in the season finale, and St. Scholastica already owns two wins over the Vikings this season.

The winner of Wednesday’s game advances to a two-game semifinal series at either No. 1-ranked St. Norbert College or No. 2 ranked Adrian College on Friday and Saturday.

Preview

Webcast/Live Stats

Inside LU Athletics: Resilient Vikings find path to NCHA playoffs

Lawrence goaltender Mattias Soderqvist has a 2.69 goals against average and .929 save percentage in the second half of the season.
Lawrence goaltender Mattias Soderqvist has a 2.69 goals against average and .929 save percentage in the second half of the season.

APPLETON, Wis. — Desperation is a great motivator. Just ask the Lawrence University hockey team. Faced with being at the end of their rope, the Vikings tied a knot and held on.

Presented with a must-win game in the season finale, the Vikings did just that, win, and earned a spot in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs.

“This group has been extremely resilient,” Lawrence coach Mike Szkodzinski said. “There has been a lot of adversity to overcome over the past 10 to 12 months both on and off the ice. These guys have stuck together through thick and thin.”

Lawrence plays at St. Scholastica in a quarterfinal playoff game Wednesday, and the winner heads to either St. Norbert or Adrian for a two-game semifinal series this weekend.

The Vikings trailed MSOE by two points for the final playoff spot heading into the season finale last Saturday vs. Lake Forest. The Vikings rallied from two goals down to beat the Foresters 6-3 and kept alive Szkodzinski’s record of going to playoffs in every year of his Lawrence tenure.

“We’ve been building all year long,” said Szkodzinski, in his 10th season at Lawrence. “It took some time to find our identity. Since the break, the guys have really bought in to our team concept.”

It was like the Vikings turned the page after returning from the holiday break. Since restarting NCHA play in January, Lawrence is 6-5-3 against a tough league schedule despite missing multiple star players. Forwards Blake Roubos and Jake Kreutzer, the leading scorers from a season ago, have combined to play in eight games all season (all by Kreutzer). Stellar defenseman Brendan Vetter also has played in just eight games.

“It’s very easy to feel sorry for yourself when things don’t go your way,” said star forward Renato Engler, who leads the team with nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points. “However, (Szkodzinski) did a great job reminding us that we have to focus on what we can influence.”

No one has been more focused in the past two months than junior goaltender Mattias Soderqvist, who has been named the NCHA Defensive Player of the Week twice this month and three times this season. Soderqvist has posted a 2.69 goals against average and .929 save percentage in the past two months.

“Mattias is playing the best hockey of his career right now,” said Szkodzinski, an All-America goaltender in his playing days. “He is in control of his movements and seeing the puck real well. Part of that success is directly related to the D-corps and how consistent they have been over the past month.”

The Vikings are giving up 2.2 fewer goals per game during the second half of the season while scoring 0.6 more goals per game compared to the first half.

“I think we stepped up our game at the right time,” Engler said. “We kept getting better as the season progressed, and we are at our best going into the first round of the playoffs, which is what every team aims for.”

The Vikings’ offense has gotten a boost from its recent balance. Twenty-one players have registered a point in the second half, and 10 have at least five points. Freshman forward Nick Felan is second on the team in goals (7), assists (13) and points (20), with 14 of those points coming in the past two months. The Vikings also have gotten a nice boost from defenseman Brandon Boelter, who has nine assists in his last 14 games.

“They started believing more in themselves,” Szkodzinski said. “And that has translated into some real good hockey.”

Cardinal wins second title; Lawrence women third at MWC Championships

Hayley Cardinal
Hayley Cardinal

GRINNELL, Iowa — Lawrence University swimming star Hayley Cardinal won her second league title on Sunday by the narrowest of margins and led the Vikings to third place the Midwest Conference Championships at Grinnell College.

Cardinal, a senior from Lombard, Ill., won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:24.13, edging Grinnell’s Maddy Pesch (2:24.19) by 6/100ths of a second. Cardinal grabbed the title in the 100 breaststroke on Saturday in 1:04.96 and posted a NCAA “B” cut in the process.

Lawrence finished third in the team standings with 503 points, and Grinnell took the title with 946.5.

The Vikings had a host of other top finishes, paced by Emily Flack and Paige Witter. Flack was third in the 200 backstroke in 2:11.36, and teammate Danielle Millin was fifth in 2:12.90. Witter grabbed third in the 200 butterfly in 2:12.01, and Sarah Schweickart was eighth in 2:25.65.

Emei Thompson grabbed fourth in the 1,650 freestyle in 18:27.33, and Natalie Cash was eighth in 18:56.77. Emmi Zheng raced to fourth in the 200 breaststroke in 2:28.19. Lawrence’s 400 freestyle relay team of Flack, Millin, Lizzy Garcia Creighton and Eryn Blagg was fifth in 3:42.82.

On the men’s side, Lawrence finished eighth in the team standings with 148 points. Grinnell won the title with 904.5.

The top finisher for the Vikings was Max Stahl, who took seventh in the 200 backstroke in 1:58.82. The 400 freestyle relay team of Travis Charlow, Grant Wilkie, Kaleb Cooperman and Christian Bell was eighth in 3:26.34.

 

Results

Cardinal takes 100 breaststroke title, earns NCAA “B” cut

Lawrence's Hayley Cardinal won the 100-yard breaststroke on Saturday at the Midwest Conference Championships.
Lawrence’s Hayley Cardinal won the 100-yard breaststroke on Saturday at the Midwest Conference Championships.

GRINNELL, Iowa — Lawrence University swimming star Hayley Cardinal swam to victory in the 100-yard breaststroke on Saturday to pace the Vikings on day two of the Midwest Conference Championships at Grinnell College.

Cardinal took the second conference title of her career with a time of 1:04.96. She earned a NCAA “B” cut in the process and won by 1.36 seconds over Maddy Pesch of Grinnell. Lawrence’s Emmi Zheng grabbed third place in 1:06.88.

The Lawrence relays were outstanding as the 800 freestyle team of Emei Thompson, Eryn Blagg, Paige Witter and Emily Flack took second in 7:59.58. The 200 medley relay team of Cardinal, Flack, Witter and Danielle Millin was third in 1:49.97 and set a Lawrence record.

Witter also placed third in the 100 butterfly in 59.31 seconds and broke the Lawrence record. Witter’s time topped the record of 59.47 seconds, set by All-American Becky Wagenaar in 1994.

Millin placed in two individual events, taking fourth in the 100 backstroke in 1:00.40 and seventh in the 400 individual medley in 4:51.64. Flack took sixth in the 200 freestyle in 1:59.30 and was seventh in the 100 backstroke in 1:01.23.

The women moved up one spot in the team standings Saturday are are third with 330 points. The Vikings are only three points ahead of Lake Forest College.

On the men’s side, Lawrence is eighth with 105 points. Max Stahl paced the Vikings by taking fifth in the 100 backstroke in 53.98 seconds.

Results

Bruning, Landes go 1-2 for Vikings at Big Dog Invitational

STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Lawrence University track standouts Clare Bruning and Liz Landes finished 1-2 in the 5,000 meters to pace the Vikings at the Big Dog Invitational at UW-Stevens Point on Saturday.

Bruning won the event in 19:32.50, and Landes grabbed the No. 2 spot in 20:28.57. Lawrence’s Cora Williams was a top finisher in the mile as she ran to third place in 5:38.66.

Sage Greenlee placed sixth in the high jump with a height of 4 feet, 10.25 inches, and Sierra Polzin raced to seventh in the 800 in 2:31.39.

The Lawrence women were fourth in the team standings with 28.50 points.

On the men’s side, Josh Janusiak was the top finisher as he grabbed sixth in the 3,000 in 9:02.62. Lawrence’s other placewinner was Mayan Essek, who took eighth in the mile in 4:36.55.

The Lawrence men were 11th in with four points.

Results

Lawrence edged by Falcons

JACKSON, Wis. — The Concordia University of Wisconsin men’s tennis team won a pair of super-tiebreakers to edge Lawrence University 5-4 in a non-conference match on Saturday.

The Vikings led 2-1 after the doubles competition as David Jumes and Brian DeCorte won at No. 1 and Bill Schuman-Kline and David Brooker were victorious at No. 3.

Jumes was a 6-0, 6-2 winner at No. 1 singles, and DeCorte rolled to a 6-3, 6-1 victory at No. 2. After the Vikings (3-1) lost at No. 3 and No. 5 singles, it came down to two matches.

Trevor Budewitz of Concordia (4-1) rallied for a 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 win over Adam Busch at No. 4 with Budewitz winning the super-tiebreaker 10-3.

Robert Spiering then topped Ethan Perushek 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 1-0, taking the super-tiebreaker 10-8.

Concordia Wisconsin 5, Lawrence 4

Singles competition
1. David Jumes (LU) def. Nommensen, Benjamin (CUW) 6-0, 6-2
2. Brian DeCorte (LU) def. Guendel, Brad (CUW) 6-3, 6-1
3. Docter, Christian (CUW) def. Mitch Kasprzyk (LU) 6-2, 6-2
4. Budewitz, Trevor (CUW) def. Adam Busch (LU) 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-3)
5. Schaffner, Ceejay (CUW) def. Izaya Turenne (LU) 6-4, 6-1
6. Spiering, Robert (CUW) def. Ethan Perushek (LU) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 1-0 (10-8)

Doubles competition
1. David Jumes/Brian DeCorte (LU) def. Guendel, Brad/Docter, Christian (CUW) 8-5
2. Nommensen, Benjamin/Budewitz, Trevor (CUW) def. Mitch Kasprzyk/Adam Busch (LU) 8-3
3. Bill Schuman-Kline/David Brooker (LU) def. Schaffner, Ceejay/Spiering, Robert (CUW) 8-4

Vikings punch ticket to playoffs with win over Lake Forest

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University scored three times in the third period to power past Lake Forest College 6-3 in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association game at the Appleton Family Ice Center.

The win in the regular-season finale gave Lawrence a berth in the NCHA playoffs. The Vikings will play at St. Scholastica on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

The game was tied 3-3 heading to the third period, but the Vikings struck early. Rookie forward Nick Felan hammered in a rebound just 1:21 into the period to put the Vikings up 4-3.

After killing off a pair of penalties, Lawrence expanded its lead when Sean Reynolds scored off a rebound at the 12:34 mark for a 5-3 advantage.

The Foresters then pulled goalie Leo Podolsky with just under three minutes left, but Matt Montemurro sealed the win for Lawrence with a short-handed empty-net goal with 1:01 remaining.

Mattias Soderqvist stopped 40 shots to pick up the win for the Vikings (9-13-3, 8-9-3 NCHA). Podolsky made 47 saves for Lake Forest (10-15-0, 8-12-0).

Lake Forest grabbed the early lead on Ian Pichel’s goal with 3:31 left in the first period. The Vikings tied it when Felan raced through the Lake Forest defense and scored on the power play with 1:14 left in the opening period.

In a wild flurry early in the second period both team scored twice. Charlie Izaguirre and Davis DeKorte scored in a span of just 27 seconds to put Lake Forest up 3-1.

The Vikings struck back just as quickly as Steve Hughes and Renato Engler scored at the 3:34 and 3:58 mark to tie the game at 3-3.

Lawrence went 1-for-4 on the power play, and the Foresters were 0-for-7.

Box score

Scots hang on to down Lawrence

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Kelsey Walsberg scored 33 points and hit a school-record 10 3-pointers to lead the Monmouth College women’s basketball team to a 77-66 Midwest Conference victory on Saturday.

Walsberg went 10-for-21 from beyond the arc for the Scots (5-18, 4-14 MWC).

Andrea Wilkinson led four Vikings (0-23, 0-18) in double figures with 16 points. Patsy Kealey and Natalie Kramer scored 13 points apiece Lawrence, and Liz Arco had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Scots went on a 9-1 run over the final 2:15 of the second quarter to grab a 32-23 lead at the half. Monmouth then withstood a pair of second-half runs by the Vikings.

Monmouth led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, but the Vikings sliced into that advantage late in the third and early in the fourth. Jumpers by Kealey and Arco and a 3-pointer from Kramer trimmed the Monmouth lead to 52-46 with 8:58 left in the game.

The Vikings got as close as 54-49 after Olivia Hoesley buried a 3-pointer, but the Scots responded and pushed the lead to 68-53.

Lawrence chipped away at the lead and went on a 10-3 run, capped by a pair of Wilkinson free throws, to trim the margin to 71-63 with 1:18 left. Walsberg then hit back-to-back 3-pointers to snuff out the comeback.

Box score