Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Gordon earns All-Central Region honors again

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University baseball standout Jake Gordon has been named to the D3baseball.com All-Central Region team.

Gordon (Winnetka, Ill./North Shore Country Day), who was chosen for the all-region team for the second consecutive season, earned a spot on the third team.

A senior center fielder, Gordon hit a team-high .364 with 10 doubles, four triples, three homers, 29 runs scored and 23 runs batted in. Gordon, who hit .349, scored 13 runs and drove in 13 during 16 Midwest Conference games, also earned all-conference first-team honors for the second straight season.

Gordon overcame an injury in the final few games of the season to break Lawrence’s career hits record in his final plate appearance. Gordon’s final hit gave him 155 for his career, moving him past Andrew Wong, who had 154 hits from 2003-06.

Gordon had 14 multi-hit games despite being limited to just 33 games this season. Gordon had seven games in which he had three or more hits. An outstanding defensive outfielder, Gordon also picked up seven outfield assists and compiled a .989 fielding percentage.

A four-year starter in the outfield, Gordon is a career .338 hitter and finished with 27 doubles, eight triples, five homers, 92 runs scored and 59 RBIs.

This marks the second consecutive season and the third time in the past six seasons that Lawrence has had an all-region selection.

Tatro takes home eighth MWC Coach of the Year award

Lawrence head coach Kim Tatro congratulates catcher Sam Belletini during the 2015 Midwest Conference Tournament. — Lawrence head coach Kim Tatro, left, congratulates catcher Sam Belletini during the 2015 Midwest Conference Tournament.

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University softball coach Kim Tatro has been named the Midwest Conference Coach of the Year for the eighth time.

In a vote of league coaches, Tatro won the award in the wake of her team finishing second in the Midwest Conference. Tatro just completed her 22nd season at Lawrence and also won Coach of the Year honors in 2013, 2011, 2006, 2002, 1999, 1998 and 1997.

“This is really recognition for our entire program,” Tatro said. “We have a tremendous group of people and everyone contributes to our success. Our coaching staff couldn’t be more proud of the outstanding women we get the opportunity to work with. They truly made this a very special year.”

Lawrence won the North Division for the first time since 2005 and qualified for the Midwest Conference Tournament for the third consecutive season. The Vikings hosted the MWC Tournament at Whiting Field and reached the title game before falling to Lake Forest College.

The Vikings compiled a record of 28-12, and that is the second-highest season win total in school history. The 1999 team set the record with 31 victories.

Lawrence put together separate five-, six- and seven-game win streaks during the 2015 season. The Vikings finished with a 10-4 record in conference play and an 18-8 mark in non-conference and post-season contests.

Tatro has won more MWC Coach of the Year honors than any coach in Lawrence history. Former men’s basketball coach John Tharp is next on the list with four conference Coach of the Year awards.

Tatro, who was inducted into Lawrence’s Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014, also has more victories than any coach in school history. Tatro’s softball teams have a record of 367-321-1, and her overall mark, which includes eight seasons of volleyball, is 458-442-1.

Lawrence also had several players honored after the season. Shortstop Amanda Jaskolski was named the MWC Player of the Year and was a first-team All-Great Lakes Region selection. Catcher Sam Belletini was a first-team all-conference pick and earned third-team all-region honors. Pitcher Liz Barthels was a second-team all-conference selection.

Kaeding named MFC Coach of the Year

Lawrence's Alex Kaeding was named the Midwest Fencing Conference Coach of the Year. — Lawrence’s Alex Kaeding, second from left, was named the Midwest Fencing Conference Coach of the Year.

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University’s Alex Kaeding has been named the Midwest Fencing Conference Coach of the Year.

Kaeding, who just completed his first season as the Vikings’ head coach, captured the award in the wake of the Vikings finishing fourth in the combined team standings at the MFC Championships.

Kaeding, a 2009 Lawrence graduate and former standout fencer for the Vikings, shared the award with Jim Vesper of the University of Michigan.

Lawrence enjoyed a banner season with top finishes at the MFC Championships and nine Vikings were chosen for the all-conference team.

The Lawrence men’s team won the title in sabre at the conference championships and picked up victories over Ohio State in the semifinals and Michigan in the final. The Vikings finished second on the men’s side and trailed champion Ohio State by just 35 points. In addition to winning the sabre championship, men’s foil took second place and epee was fifth.

On the women’s side, Kaeding’s Vikings finished fifth overall. Epee placed fifth, foil took seventh and sabre was ninth.

Other awards went to Laurie Schiller of Northwestern, who was named Varsity Coach of the Year, and Michigan, which won Club Team of the Year.

Jaskolski, Belletini earn All-Great Lakes Region honors

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University softball stars Amanda Jaskolski and Sam Belletini have been named to the All-Great Lakes Region team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Jaskolski (Shawano, Wis./Shawano) was named to the first team for the second consecutive season, and Belletini (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) was a third-team selection.

Jaskolski, who was the Midwest Conference Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015, hit .462 on the season with 37 runs scored, 13 home runs and 46 runs batted in. The senior shortstop led the Midwest Conference in on-base percentage at .573 and was first in RBIs, homers and walks (31) and finished second in hits, slugging percentage and runs scored.

Jaskolski decimated the Lawrence season records in 2015 by tying or setting six marks. Jaskolski’s 13 homers eclipsed the record of 12 set by Carli Gurholt in 2009, and her 46 RBIs topped Gurholt’s 2009 mark of 45. Jaskolski obliterated the total bases record with 104. The mark was 79, set by Jenny Burris in 2001 and matched by Gurholt in 2009.

Jaskolski’s 54 hits broke the record of 51 set by Burris in 2001, and she tied Burris’ record of 37 runs scored in 2001. Jaskolski also smashed the season walks record as teams consistently pitched around her. Jaskolski drew 31 walks, topping the mark of 22 set by Stephanie Ash in 1992.

Belletini, a sophomore catcher, was named to the all-region team for the first time.

Batting in the clean-up spot, Belletini hit .367 with 13 doubles, four homers and 24 RBIs. Belletini, who was a first-team All-Midwest Conference selection, tied the season doubles record set by Alex Goodson in 2009. A two-time conference Player of the Week in 2015, Belletini

also was very good defensively and threw out eight of 18 runners attempting to steal.

Belletini was especially good in conference play as she hit .551 with seven doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs. She had a .600 on-base percentage and a staggering .939 slugging percentage.

The Midwest Conference had 10 selections to the all-region team, including three first-team picks. Only league champion Lake Forest College had more selections than Lawrence with four.

Lawrence finished second in the Midwest Conference and compiled a 28-12 record. That is the second-highest season win total in school history.

Lawrence men, women ninth at MWC Championships

RIPON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s and women’s track teams both finished ninth as the Midwest Conference Championships wrapped up on Saturday at Ingalls Field.

The Lawrence women finished with 20.33 points to finish ninth, and St. Norbert College won the team title.

The top finisher for the Vikings was Anna Bolgrien, who took fifth in the 400-meters hurdles in 1:07.27. Other top individual finishers for the Vikings were Kassidy Rinehart (sixth, javelin), Erin Schrobilgen (seventh, steeplechase), Kendra Thomas (seventh, 100 meters), and Clare Bruning (eighth, 5,000 meters).

The 400 relay team placed sixth, and the 1,600 relay team was eighth.

On the men’s side, Cam Davies placed in his second event of the championships as he took fourth in the 3,000 steeplechase in 9:54.61. The other placewinner was Max Edwards, who was fifth in the 5,000 in 16:09.10.

The 400 relay team took eighth place in 47.03 seconds.

The Lawrence men were ninth with 13 points, and St. Norbert won the team title.

Results

Matt top finisher for Vikings on opening day of MWC Championships

RIPON, Wis. — Genna Matt posted the top finish for the Lawrence University track teams on Friday’s opening day of the Midwest Conference Championships at Ingalls Field.

Matt grabbed fifth place in the hammer throw with a toss of 145 feet, 1 inch. Lawrence’s other points came from Sage Greenlee, who tied for eighth in the high jump at 5-0.5. The Lawrence women are in ninth place with 4.33 points.

On the men’s side, Cam Davies was the top finisher as he placed sixth in the 1,500 meters in 4:08.63. The Lawrence men are in ninth place with three points.

Results

Baseball stars Gordon, Holliday named to All-MWC team

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University baseball standouts Jake Gordon and Matthew Holliday have been named to the All-Midwest Conference team.

Gordon (Winnetka, Ill./North Shore Country Day) and Holliday (Hong Kong/International) were both chosen for the North Division first team.

Gordon, a senior center fielder, completed a stellar career with his second consecutive all-conference selection. Gordon, who also earned D3baseball.com All-Central Region honors in 2014, hit a team-high .364 with 10 doubles, four triples, three homers and 23 runs batted in.

Gordon was second on the team with a .349 batting average in Lawrence’s 16 conference games. He had seven doubles, a triple, three homers and 13 RBIs in league play.

Holliday, a freshman third baseman, made a huge impact on the Vikings during his rookie season. He was second on the team with a .355 batting average, a school-record 16 doubles, one homer and a team-best 35 RBIs. Holliday’s 16 doubles broke the record of 14 Wong set in 2005.

In addition to the doubles mark, Holliday also posted the highest total of hits (50) and RBIs (35) by a Lawrence freshman. In conference play, Holliday led the team with a .375 batting average and finished with seven doubles and 13 RBIs.

Holliday is just the fifth Lawrence freshman to be a first-team selection in the last 15 years. He joins shortstop Jeremy Tollefson (2000), pitcher Aaron Sorenson (2003), catcher Doug Coe (2004) and pitcher Aaron Leitner (2009).

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings look to move up at MWC Championships

APPLETON, Wis. — The old expression says Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same is true for the Lawrence University track teams.

The Vikings and head coach Jason Fast have no allusions about this weekend’s Midwest Conference Championships at Ripon College’s Ingalls Field. The Vikings will not be title contenders, but that doesn’t mean Lawrence is not gunning for some hardware to take home.

“For the most part, we are swinging up. People are ready to go and feeling good about the conference championships,” Fast said. “Both teams have a chance to be in the top seven, top eight in the conference.

“We have a lot of people who are right on the border of scoring points. They are sitting in ninth through 13th in the conference. They are close to sneaking in there and scoring some points, and that would make a big difference for us.”

A few of those athletes finishing in the points could help Lawrence move up in the standings after the men took seventh and the women finished ninth in 2014.

“I’m proud of our teams this year,” Fast said. “We’ve overcome a lot of injuries and a lot of setbacks to bring things together. We’ve become a closer team and it’s been a lot of fun.”

One of Vikings aiming for a league title is junior Cam Davies, who has the fastest time in the league in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Davies was named the MWC Track Performer of the Week after running a 9:38.90 at the Hillsdale College Gina Relays last month.

“It’s been his goal since the indoor season to win the steeplechase,” Fast said of Davies, who took fourth in the event as a freshman in 2013. “It’s something he’s trained for and put himself in a good position to do.”

Davies will face stiff competition from Grinnell’s Anthony McLean and St. Norbert’s Hayden Hoffmann. Fast said strategic thinking plays a key role in winning the steeplechase.

“You have to constantly be able to refocus, and you have to be able to think on your feet for an extended period of time,” Fast said. “You need to constantly be able to process a lot of things while also staying competitive.”

Appleton native Max Edwards is shooting for a difficult double this weekend as he will run the 10,000 meters on Friday and then take a shot at the 5,000 on Saturday.

“Max is going to be doing the 10k for the first time, but I think he will have a shot to win,” Fast said. “It’s really hard, but most of the people he’s competing against are going to be doing a similar double. There’s no one who’s going to be in contention who is just running the 5k. I would be surprised if that were the case.”

Edwards’ time of 15:36.38 ranks second in the league in the 5,000, and he brings the credentials of being one of the league’s top cross country runners as well. Fast said how Edwards spends his time between the races is critical.

“I think it’s a matter of taking it one race at a time and taking the extra time in the recovery process,” Fast said. “It’s not only having a focused plan in your races but between your races.”

On the women’s side, Lawrence has record-breaking thrower Genna Matt. Matt has broken her own record in the hammer throw twice this season, the last time being this past Saturday’s Lawrence Invitational when she recorded a throw of 145 feet, 4 inches.

“Genna’s just been lights out in the hammer ring for the last two weeks in a row,” Fast said. “It seems like she’s in a really good rhythm right now. She sets aggressive goals for herself and she’s not intimidated by those things.”

Senior Anna Bolgrien has her sights set on a top finish in the 400 hurdles. The 2012 champion in the event, Bolgrien ranks fifth in the league with a time of 1:07.93.

“Anna’s had a couple of setbacks in the way of injuries, but these last few weeks she has looked really strong and has been competing well,” Fast said. “She’s a great competitor and is really good at sizing up her competition and performing her best.”

Jaskolski named Player of the Year; Belletini, Barthels honored

Lawrence's Amanda Jaskolski, right, gets a high-five from head coach Kim Tatro after belting a home run in the Midwest Conference Tournament. — Lawrence’s Amanda Jaskolski, right, gets a high-five from head coach Kim Tatro after belting a home run in the Midwest Conference Tournament.

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University softball star Amanda Jaskolski has been named the Midwest Conference Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Jaskolski (Shawano, Wis./Shawano), a senior shortstop, earned the honor after leading the conference in several offensive categories and helping Lawrence to the North Division title.

Sophomore catcher Sam Belletini (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) also was named to the first team, and senior pitcher Liz Barthels (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) was chosen for the second team.

Jaskolski, who was the North Division Player of the Year in 2014, hit .462 on the season with 37 runs scored, 13 home runs and 46 runs batted in. She led the league in on-base percentage at .573 and was first in RBIs, homers and walks (31) and finished second in hits, slugging percentage and runs scored.

Amanda Jaskolski was named the 2015 Midwest Conference Player of the Year.

Jaskolski decimated the Lawrence season records in 2015 by tying or setting six marks.

Jaskolski’s 13 homers eclipsed the record of 12 set by Carli Gurholt in 2009, and her 46 RBIs topped Gurholt’s 2009 mark of 45. Jaskolski obliterated the total bases record with 104. The mark was 79, set by Jenny Burris in 2001 and Gurholt in 2009.

In conference play, Jaskolski hit .439 with three doubles, three homers and 12 RBIs. Jaskolski also was walked 15 times, which helped her score a team-best 16 runs in league play.

Belletini had a tremendous season behind the plate for the Vikings and was named to the all-conference team for the first time. Batting in the clean-up spot, she hit .367 with 13 doubles, four homers and 24 RBIs. Belletini, who was named the conference Player of the Week twice in 2015, tied the season doubles record set by Alex Goodson in 2009. Belletini also was very good defensively and threw out eight of 18 runners attempting to steal.

In Lawrence’s 14 conference games, Belletini hit .551 with seven doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs. She had a .600 on-base percentage and a staggering .939 slugging percentage.

Barthels also was honored on the all-conference team for the first time. She went 13-6 with a 1.97 earned run average, the ninth-best season ERA in school history. In a team-high 117 innings pitched, Barthels struck out 44 and walked just 10, an average of 0.6 per seven innings.

Named the conference Pitcher of the Week once during 2015, Barthels tossed a pair of shutouts and picked up two saves. Barthels tossed a three-hit shutout in a 7-0 win over Knox College and allowed just five hits in an 8-0 shutout of Ripon College.

In conference action, Barthels posted a 5-2 record with a 2.13 ERA. In 42.2 innings, she struck out 20 and walked just four.

Lawrence won the North Division title for the first time since 2005 and finished second in the Midwest Conference Tournament. The Vikings finished with a 28-12 record to post the most wins by the team since setting the school record with 31 victories back in 1999.

Gordon breaks career hits record but Vikings fall to Carleton

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University baseball standout Jake Gordon broke the school’s career hits record in his final at-bat Sunday as the Vikings dropped a nonconference doubleheader to Carleton College.

Gordon, a senior outfielder, was injured in Saturday’s doubleheader sweep of Knox College and was limited to designated hitter duty on Sunday. Gordon rapped a single to right in the sixth inning of the nightcap to pick up career hit No. 155. He broke the record of Andrew Wong, who had 154 hits from 2003-06.

Lawrence's Jake Gordon connects on record-breaking career hit No. 155 vs. Carleton on Sunday at Fox Cities Stadium. — Lawrence’s Jake Gordon connects on record-breaking career hit No. 155 vs. Carleton on Sunday at Fox Cities Stadium.

In a rare day/night doubleheader, Carleton won the opener 14-6 at Whiting Field. The Knights then took the nightcap 21-0 at Fox Cities Stadium.

In the opener, Carleton (15-23) scored in each of the first six innings to pull out to an 11-5 lead. Nolan Baker and Jack Atterberry both had four hits for the Knights.

Luke Curtis pitched the first five innings to pick up the win. Atley Gay started and took the loss for the Vikings (12-24).

Davis Ogilvie had a pair of hits, including a homer, and Matthew Holliday and Tim Kinsella also had two hits apiece for the Vikings.

In the nightcap, the Knights scored 10 times in the second inning and pulled away from there.

Hayden Tsutsui went 4-for-6 with a pair of homers and four runs batted in for Carleton. Atterberry also had four hits for the Knights. Baker went the distance and allowed five hits to pick up the shutout.

Game one box score

Game two box score

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