homepage

Category: homepage

Used to identify posts that will show up on the LU homepage.

Bohling earns All-Midwest Conference honors

Lawrence University baseball standout Eric Bohling has been named to the All-Midwest Conference North Division team in a vote by league coaches.

Bohling (Salt Lake City, Utah/East), a senior third baseman, earned his first all-conference selection. Plagued by injury during his career, Bohling had a healthy and productive 2012.

Bohling hit .369 during Midwest Conference play with a .453 on-base percentage. Bohling had six doubles, one triple, one homer and 12 runs batted in in 16 league contests.

On the season, Bohling hit a team-high .366 with nine doubles and one triple. He tied for the team lead with three homers and drove in a team-best 30 runs.

Bohling led Lawrence to an 11-win improvement in 2012 as the Vikings finished with a 14-21 record.

Bolgrien races to victory in 400 hurdles at MWC Championships

DE PERE, Wis. — Anna Bolgrien won the 400-meter hurdles on Saturday to lead the performances for the Lawrence University track and field team at the Midwest Conference Championships.

Bolgrien, a freshman from Duluth, Minn., won the 400 hurdles in 1:05.60 at Schneider Stadium and narrowly missed Sarah Slivinski’s Lawrence record of 1:05.52. Bolgrien beat Monmouth College’s Haley Jones (1:06.67) by more than a second for her first conference title.

Led by Bolgrien, Lawrence finished seventh in the team standings with 30 points. The Lawrence men were sixth with 50 points.

Bolgrien also grabbed sixth place in the 100 hurdles in 16.36 seconds. Alyssa Herman also placed for the Vikings by taking eighth in the 3,000 steeplechase in 12:31.90.

Both of Lawrence’s relay teams took home sixth-place finishes. The 400 relay team finished in 51.93 seconds and the 1,600 relay posted a time of 4:17.08.

Sophomore Curran Carlile took home his second second-place finish of the championships by grabbing the runner-up spot in the 5,000 in 15:28.12. Carlile was second in the 10,000 on Friday. Teammate Kyle Dockery grabbed seventh in the 5,000 in 15:46.78.

Sam Stevens, who won the 1,500 on Friday, raced to third place in the 3,000 steeplechase on Saturday in 9:27.18.

Nick Kerkman broke his own school record in the hammer throw for the second time in as many weeks. Kerkman finished fourth in the hammer with a heave of 157 feet, 4 inches, shattering his record of 153-7.

Nick Craker grabbed fifth place in the discus with a throw of 134-3.

Lawrence’s 1,600 relay also picked up a seventh-place finish with a time of 3:32.65.

The sixth-place finish by the men’s team was its highest finish since the Vikings took fourth in 2005. The seventh-place finish by the women was their best since taking seventh in 2006.

Results

Stevens takes title on opening day of MWC Championships

DE PERE, Wis. — Sam Stevens ran to victory in the 1,500 meters to pace the Lawrence University track and field team on Friday’s opening day of the Midwest Conference Championships at Schneider Stadium.

Stevens, a junior from Suamico, Wis., raced to the first outdoor title of his track career with a winning time of 3:59.36. He edged Carroll University’s Joe Pliner, who finished second in 4:00.79.

Curran Carlile ran to a second-place finish in the 10,000 meters in 33:19.02, and teammate Kyle Dockery took eighth in the same event in 34:53.87.

The other point scorer for the men on Friday was freshman Nick Craker, who grabbed fifth in the shot put with a toss of 43 feet, 7 inches.

Rose Tepper vaulted herself to a third-place finish in the high jump with a leap of 5-3. Senior Emily Muhs grabbed fifth in the 10,000 in 41:51.79.

The Lawrence men have 23 points after the opening day, and the women have 10.

Results

Inside LU Athletics: Bolgrien running to top of Midwest Conference

Anna Bolgrien went from thinking about life in the fast lane to living life on the fast track.

The freshman from Duluth, Minn., was coming to Lawrence University last fall intent on swimming for the Vikings, but issues with her shoulders turned her to the track team.

“I was going to swim originally,” Bolgrien said. “My shoulders wouldn’t hold up so I decided to run, and I’m really, really glad I did. Once I talked to (head coach Jason) Fast … I knew it was a place I wanted to be.”

Fast is pretty pleased as well because Bolgrien is one of the Vikings’ top performers. She holds the top time of 1:06.63 in the league in the 400-meter hurdles heading into this weekend’s Midwest Conference Championships at St. Norbert College.

Bolgrien also ranks sixth in the league in the 100 hurdles (16.07 seconds) and will run on both the 400 and 1,600 relay teams.

“Based on Anna’s times from high school and knowing her training background, we anticipated she would be a contributor,” Fast said. “She’s definitely taken a step forward. Her times in high school would have placed her firmly in the top eight (in the conference). She’s taken her training and dedication to the sport to another level.”

Bolgrien credited the coaching staff with her improvement as she honed her technique and made the adjustment from the 300-meter hurdles in high school to the 400 hurdles at the collegiate level. She also has learned to win the mental battle in an event that features speed, technique, strength and flexibility.

“It’s really a race to the next hurdle,” Bolgrien said. “You’ve got to have something to distract yourself with. Can I beat that girl to the next hurdle? Can I cleanly hurdle this next one?”

No one’s been better in the league this season at clearing those mental and physical hurdles, and Bolgrien said her goal is to win the league title. Bolgrien, who is quickly closing in on Sarah Slivinski’s Lawrence record of 1:05.52, admits it is odd to be in the role of favorite.

“I’ve never really been put in that position so it’s exciting to see that I have the opportunity to (win a conference championship),” Bolgrien said. “I hope to drop a little time. If I can just PR that’s the best I can do.”

If past history is any indication, expect a big drop. At the MWC indoor championships in February, Bolgrien lowered her time in the 60 hurdles by a half-second and finished third.

“You saw her talent in how Anna worked every day, but you got a glimpse of how good she could be in the indoor conference meet,” Fast said. That’s when we knew she could be in for some big things.

“She definitely has the skill set to be competitive on the national level. When is that going to be, I don’t know. It could be as early as this year. She would need to take at least three seconds off her 400 hurdles time to get into the national meet.”

On the fast track

Both Lawrence track teams are looking to move up a notch or two at the MWC Championships. The women placed eighth last season and the men were ninth. Now in his third season as the head coach, Fast sees his teams getting deeper and more talented.

“I feel like last year towards the end of the season, because it was such a long winter, everyone was hanging on by a thread. You could tell because the men finished ninth and the women finished eighth,” Fast said.

“This year we have a full head of steam heading into the conference meet. Just about everyone on the team is performing at their best and ready to give a good effort.”

In addition to Bolgrien, the Vikings have several other women that could challenge for titles this weekend. Rose Tepper is a former champion in the high jump, and senior Emily Muhs is one of the league’s best in the 10,000 meters.

On the men’s side, Sam Stevens is one of the favorites in the steeplechase and also looks to place in both the 800 and 1,500. Freshman Nick Craker is ranked in the top eight in the league in both the shot put and discus, and senior Nick Kerkman is ranked fourth in the hammer throw. The Vikings could also do some damage in the 5,000 and 10,000 with the combination of Kyle Dockery and Curran Carlile.

Putting the hammer down

Kerkman broke his own school record in the hammer throw at the Viking Invitational last Saturday. Kerkman’s throw of 153 feet, 7 inches, broke his 2010 record of 145-1.

Big turnaround

With only Thursday’s doubleheader against Carroll University left, the Lawrence baseball team’s record stands at 14-19. That represents an 11-game improvement in the win column from 2011, and the most wins by the Vikings since the team won 14 games in 2006.

Lawrence needs two wins on Thursday to match the second-highest win total in school history. The 1979 team went 16-11, and the 1977 team went 21-10 to set the school record for victories.

Doares nabs pitching honor

Baseball standout Drew Doares has been named the Midwest Conference Pitcher of the Week.

The freshman from Holly Springs, N.C., earned the honor after tossing his second shutout of the season on May 5. In a 7-0 victory at Carroll University, Doares allowed only five hits, all singles.

The freshman pitcher struck out six and walked only one in a game that was completed in just one hour, 45 minutes. Doares allowed only two runners to advance as far as second base and none made it to third.

Doares, who also tossed a 1-0 shutout against Beloit College on April 21, improved to 4-5 on the season and lowered his earned run average to 5.20.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a 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.

Doares named MWC Pitcher of the Week

Lawrence University baseball standout Drew Doares has been named the Midwest Conference Pitcher of the Week.

Doares (Holly Springs, N.C./William G. Enloe) earned the honor after tossing his second shutout of the season on May 5. In a 7-0 victory at Carroll University, Doares allowed only five hits, all singles.

The freshman pitcher struck out six and walked only one in a game that was completed in just one hour, 45 minutes. Doares allowed only two runners to advance as far as second base and none made it to third.

Doares, who also tossed a 1-0 shutout against Beloit College on April 21, improved to 4-5 on the season and lowered his earned run average to 5.20.

This marks the second time this season a Lawrence pitcher has won the conference’s weekly honor. Atley Gay (Manitowoc, Wis./Roncalli) was named MWC Pitcher of the Week on April 16.

Lawrence wraps up its season when it hosts Carroll in a doubleheader at Whiting Field on Thursday at 1 p.m.

Doares’ shutout leads Vikings to doubleheader split with Carroll

WAUKESHA, Wis. — Freshman pitcher Drew Doares tossed his second shutout of the season to lead the Lawrence University baseball team to a Midwest Conference doubleheader split with Carroll University on Saturday at Frame Park.

Lawrence (14-19, 5-9 MWC) won the opener 7-0, and Carroll (13-19, 3-11) pulled away late to take the nightcap 14-8.

Doares improved to 4-5 on the season and earned his second shutout in impressive fashion. He allowed only five hits, struck out six and walked one. Doares allowed only two runners as far as second base and none made it to third.

Jake Gordon went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs for the Vikings, and Sam Kossow went 3-for-5. Gabe Henriques had a pair of hits for Lawrence, and Phil Wisniewski homered for the Vikings.

Lawrence led 2-0 and started to break the game open with three runs in the sixth. An error and a Kossow double put a pair of runners aboard, and Gordon followed with a two-run double. Gordon later scored on a wild pitch to give Lawrence a 5-0 lead.

The Vikings then completed the scoring with a pair of runs in the seventh on back-to-back RBI singles from Kossow and Gordon.

Matt Buhrow went the distance for Carroll, allowed 11 hits, and took the loss.

In the nightcap, Carroll scored six times in the eighth to break an 8-8 tie. The Pioneers scored six times in the eighth on five hits, and the big blow was Drew Volkmann’s three-run double. Volkmann went 4-for-6 and drove in seven runs.

Dan Taylor took the loss in relief for the Vikings, and Marcus Radue worked the final 2 2/3 innings to get the win.

Kossow, Alex Brewer and Eric Bohling all had two hits for the Vikings, and Wisniewski drove in three runs. Wisniewski hit a three-run homer as part of a four-run sixth inning that tied the game at 8-8.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Kerkman smashes record in hammer at Viking Invitational

It had been nine years almost to the day since Lawrence University hosted a track meet at Whiting Field, and Nick Kerkman marked a rebirth for Lawrence track by smashing a school record Saturday at the Viking Invitational.

Kerkman won the hammer throw with a toss of 46.83 meters to easily top his own school record. Kerkman’s throw, which converts to 153 feet, 7 inches, broke the old mark of 145-1.

The field events was where the Vikings posted a number of other first-place finishes. Nick Craker won the shot put with a throw of 45-3 and took second in the discus. On the women’s side, Rose Tepper won the high jump at 4-11.75 and Brielle Bartes took the shot put with a toss of 33-0.25.

Anna Bolgrien ran to victory in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:06.63 and she took second in the 100 hurdles in 16.07 seconds. Mike Mangian grabbed first in the 800 meters in 2:00.96.

Results

Registration open for Viking Bench Golf Outing

Registration is now open for the Lawrence University Viking Bench Golf Outing.

The outing is set for Monday, June 4, at Royal St. Patrick’s Golf Links in Wrightstown, Wis.

Registration is available online at http://www.lawrence.edu/athletics/golf/golfouting.shtml, or you can download a registration form at the same site.

The event begins with registration at 9 a.m., and it’s a 10 a.m. shotgun start. A buffet dinner is served at 4 p.m. Raffle opportunities and a silent auction are also taking place.

The cost is $100 per golfer and sponsorships opportunities ranging from $300 to $1,500 are available. A sponsorship form is available at http://www.lawrence.edu/athletics/golf/golfouting.shtml.

Funds raised through the Viking Bench Golf Outing go to support Lawrence’s 22 intercollegiate athletic teams.

 

Tatro gets career win No. 300 as Vikings end season on winning note

WAUKESHA, Wis. — Lawrence University softball coach Kim Tatro picked up career win No. 300 on Sunday as the Vikings split a Midwest Conference doubleheader with Carroll University.

Carroll took the opener 2-1, and the Vikings won the nightcap 8-5.

The victory in the second game gave Tatro her 300th win and improved her record to 300-281-1 over 19 seasons at Lawrence. Tatro has more victories (391 combined with softball and volleyball) than any coach in Lawrence history.

Lawrence (9-22, 2-6 MWC) trailed 2-0 in the nightcap before scoring three runs in the top of the third. Brielle Bartes led off the inning with her first homer of the season, and the Vikings then loaded the bases. Lawrence added two more runs on a ground out and Cory Paquette’s single to go up 3-2.

The Vikings added two more runs in the fourth without a hit as the Pioneers committed and error and threw a pair of wild pitches. Carroll (19-12, 5-3) cut the lead to 5-3 with a run in the bottom half of the inning, but Lawrence rallied again in the top of the fifth.

Coley LaChance and Shannon Murray started the inning with singles and moved to second and third on an error. Cathy Kaye lifted a sacrifice fly to score LaChance, and Kara Vance added a run-scoring single to give the Vikings a 7-3.

Lawrence added a run in the sixth on Alex Chiodo’s RBI single, but Carroll cut the lead to 8-5 with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Murray then a perfect seventh to seal the win.

Emily Perish, Chiodo, Paquette and Vance all had two hits to pace the Vikings in the nightcap. Murray went the distance to pick up the win.

In the opener, Carroll scored twice in the second, and all Lawrence could muster was a single run in the fifth.

Lawrence loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but Carroll pitcher Taylor Steinhilber got Alissa Geipel to ground out to end the game. Steinhilber went the distance to pick up the win, and Murray took the loss.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Olsson, Thoren pace Vikings at Lawrence Invitational

HORTONVILLE, Wis. — Anton Olsson shot 82 and William Thoren carded a career-low round on Saturday to pace the Lawrence University golf team at the Lawrence Invitational.

Olsson shot 82 and Thoren shot 84 to lead the Vikings to a team score of 344 on the par-72 layout at Eagle Creek Golf Club. Tyler Clark came in at 86 for the Vikings and Zach Joseph and Derek Brickan both shot 92 to round out the scoring.

Paul Zuke shot 97 and Evan Link carded a 109 for the Vikings as well.

St. Norbert College took the team title with a score of 308, and the Green Knights’ Nic Vrubley was the medalist with a 75. Lawrence took fourth in the team standings.

Results