Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Big first half leads Beloit past Vikings

BELOIT, Wis. — The Beloit College football team ran out to a big early lead and went on to a 49-34 Midwest Conference North Division victory over Lawrence University on Saturday.

Mason Dixon ran 19 times for 218 yards and three touchdowns, including a 77-yard scamper, to lead Beloit (2-1, 1-0 MWC). Beloit quarterback Danny May was 13-of-19 passing for 233 yards and four touchdowns.

Lawrence quarterback Ryan Butterfield was 12-of-17 for 140 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran five times for 54 yards.

Trevor Spina caught seven passes for 94 yards, and Jacob Berman had six catches for 88 yards. Spina, Berman and Cam Boerm all caught touchdown passes for the Vikings.

The Bucs scored three times in the first 8:43 to rush out to a 21-0 lead. Lawrence (1-2, 0-1) got on the board on Donnel Haley’s two-yard touchdown run in the second quarter but trailed 42-7 at the half.

The Vikings trailed 49-7 before putting up 27 points in the final quarter. Corey Fisher had a nine-yard scoring run, and Butterfield then threw touchdown passes of 25, 16 and 34 yards to complete the scoring.

Box score

Sixteenth-ranked Warhawks top Lawrence

MADISON, Wis. — The No. 16 UW-Whitewater volleyball team downed Lawrence University 3-0 in a nonconference match Saturday at Edgewood College.

The Warhawks (10-2) 25-16, 25-14, 25-21.

Arianna Nuemeyer picked up 10 kills for the Vikings (1-13), and Lauren Ray and Sydney Nelson combined for 15 assists.

Katie Kumbalek led Lawrence with 14 digs, and Ray added 10.

Box score

Inside LU Athletics: Gostisha making a big impact on defense

Jake Gostisha fully understands the old saying, if life gives you lemons …

Not only is the Lawrence University football standout making lemonade, Gostisha is doing it in stunningly fine fashion.

A high school quarterback at Appleton East, Gostisha is now playing defensive end, leading the Vikings in tackles and setting a great example for his Lawrence teammates.

“He works his tail off in everything he does. When we asked him to move to defense, he said, ‘That’s fine coach,’ ” Lawrence defensive coordinator Yon Boone said of Gostisha. “He’s exceeded our expectations this year already.”

Gostisha, a sophomore, leads Lawrence with 18 tackles, has a team-best 3.0 sacks and is second on the squad with 3.0 tackles for loss. He’s coming off a nine-tackle, 2.0-sack performance in Lawrence’s 51-6 win at Maranatha Baptist last Saturday.

“(The coaches) pretty much just asked me if I wanted to move to defensive end,” Gostisha said. “I played a little bit last year at D-end, but they thought it would be an easier transition for me than for other people.”

Losing the chance to be the team’s quarterback and exchanging it for battling in the trenches down after down might be viewed by some as a demotion. Gostisha has taken the opposite tack, especially given the fact the Vikings have a pair of talented freshmen quarterbacks on the roster.

“It’s actually a blast,” Gostisha said of playing defense. “It’s a lot more fun to deliver the hit than to get the hit.”

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Gostisha might lack the bulk of a typical defensive end, but offensive tackles rarely see his combination of speed and length in their defensive foes.

“Stish has great athleticism and length,” Boone said. “He uses his hands really well and he has a high motor. The sky is the limit for him. He’s developing this year.”

Gostisha understands that he may have some limitations against offensive linemen, but he also knows he has some great advantages.

“When it’s big on big and they’re coming straight at me, that’s pretty tough,” Gostisha said. “But in situations where I can use my speed, and I have more speed than a typical offensive lineman, I can work around them.”

The other resource Gostisha has is his brother, Mike, a 2010 Lawrence graduate and former All-Midwest Conference defensive end for the Vikings.

“He has helped me out a lot, and he’s been teaching me moves that worked for him,” Gostisha said of his brother.

To top things off, Gostisha also has taken on the role of long-snapper.

“He had never long-snapped a day in his life,” Boone said with a smile. “He embraced that and is one of the better long-snappers in the league. He’s one of those guys that whatever you give him, he’s going to do well.”

 

No. 24 UW-Oshkosh tops Lawrence

STEVENS POINT, Wis. — The No. 24 UW-Oshkosh volleyball team topped Lawrence University 3-0 in a nonconference match on Wednesday  at UW-Stevens Point.

The Titans won 25-12, 25-9, 25-15.

Shay Sullivan and Katelyn Malcheski had nine kills apiece to pace Oshkosh (12-3).

Arianna Neumeyer had five kills and Rachael Wuensch added four for the Vikings (1-12). Lauren Ray had seven assists and Sydney Nelson added six for Lawrence.

Box score

Fifth-ranked Pointers stop Lawrence

STEVENS POINT, Wis. — The fifth-ranked UW-Stevens Point volleyball team downed Lawrence University 3-0 in a nonconference match Wednesday at Berg Gymnasium.

The Pointers won 25-5, 25-11, 25-12.

Gabby Thomas led Stevens Point (9-0) with just seven kills as the Pointers’ balanced attack produced a .390 hitting percentage in the match.

Rachael Wuensch paced Lawrence (1-11) with four kills. Lauren Ray had six assists, and Katie Kumbalek picked up nine digs.

Box score

Berkley scores twice as Vikings shut out UW-Stevens Point

APPLETON, Wis. — Ryan Berkley scored twice in a span of less than six minutes, and Patsy Kealey was superb in net to lead the Lawrence University women’s soccer team to a 2-0 nonconference win over UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday.

Berkley gave the Vikings the lead midway through the second half and then added an insurance goal on Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl. Kealey made 11 saves to earn her second shutout of the season.

Lawrence (3-2-0) held off a strong attack by the Pointers in the first half, and the Vikings then struck in the 67th minute. Passes from Lucy Brown and Liza Girsova got the ball to Berkley, whose bending, dipping shot got over the head of Pointers goalkeeper Kristen Churkey and found the back of the net at 66:17.

Just a few minutes later, a ball was misplayed by a Stevens Point defender and ended up on the foot of Berkley. She hit a similar shot from about 25 yards out and beat Churkey again for a 2-0 lead at 71:52.

Churkey finished with three saves for the Pointers (2-4-0).

It was Lawrence’s first win over UW-Stevens Point since 1989 and snapped the Pointers’ six-game win streak in the rivalry. It was also Lawrence’s first win over a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team since a 3-1 victory over UW-Whitewater in 2001.

Box score

Deremo scores twice as Vikings shut out Lakeland

APPLETON, Wis. — Mike Deremo scored a pair of first-half goals, and the Lawrence University men’s soccer team cruised to a 2-0 nonconference win over Lakeland College on Tuesday night on Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl.

Deremo got the Vikings on the board with a penalty kick just 6:27 into the match. After a handball just inside the penalty box, Deremo converted the penalty kick for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.

Deremo scored again a little more than 10 minutes later for a 2-0 edge. Working a beautiful give-and-go with John Tsingas, Deremo beat goalkeeper Logan Massey at the 16:46 mark.

Lawrence goalkeeper Joe Krivit made five saves to record the shutout. Massey stopped two shots for the Muskies.

Box score

Duncan corrals MWC Defensive Player of the Week honor

Colt Duncan
Colt Duncan

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University’s Colt Duncan has been named the Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week in the wake of a big Vikings victory.

Duncan (Columbia, Tenn./Zion Christian) earned the honor after Lawrence’s 51-6 nonconference victory at Maranatha Baptist University.

A senior linebacker, Duncan finished with eight tackles, which included a career-high 2.5 sacks and a career-high 3.0 tackles for loss. Duncan also recovered a fumble and blocked a field goal.

It was the first weekly conference honor for Duncan, and the first time a Lawrence player has won since Patrick O’Mahoney was named the Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 15, 2014. It was the first time the Vikings have won the Defensive Player of the Week honor since defensive end Andy Paider did it on Oct. 7, 2013.

Lawrence is now 1-1 on the season and opens MWC North Division play when it travels to Beloit College on Saturday.

Ley finishes tied for seventh at Marian Invitational

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Lawrence University’s Nathan Ley carded the second-lowest round of the day on Sunday to grab a tie for seventh place at the Marian University Invitational.

Ley fired a 73 on Sunday at Rolling Meadows Golf Course to finish with a 36-hole total of 157. He shot 84 in Saturday’s opening round at Whispering Springs Golf Club.

Ryonen Faris of Marian won the title with a score of 145.

Lawrence finished seventh in the team standings with a score of 679. Marian took the title at 618.

Finishing out the scoring for Lawrence were Austin Frank (T28, 169), Ryan Clark (31st, 171), Ryan Eardley (38th, 182) and Natalie Galster (45th, 200).

Results