homepage

Category: homepage

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

Vikings win two singles titles, one doubles crown at MWC Championships

MADISON, Wis. — Beth Larson won the No. 1 singles title and teamed with Jenni Roesch to win the No. 1 doubles title to lead the Lawrence University women’s tennis team at the Midwest Conference Championships this weekend.

Christina Schaupp took home the No.  4 singles title for the Vikings as well.

Larson capped a stellar career with her second title at No. 1 singles. She also took the crown back in 2008. Larson started with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Knox’s Megan Funk in the quarterfinals and she then defeated Grinnell’s Sadhana Athreya 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals.

Larson rolled to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Carroll’s Abigail Pellett in the championship match.

Schaupp, a freshman, didn’t drop a game en route to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Ripon’s Chloe Piepho in the quarterfinals at No. 4 singles. Schaupp followed that with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Carroll’s Erin Bowman in the semifinals. Schaupp then wrapped up her first conference title with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Clothilde Thirouin of Grinnell.

Larson and Roesch repeated as the conference’s No. 1 doubles title, and that marks the first time Lawrence has won back-to-back titles at No. 1 doubles since 1985-86.

Larson and Roesch opened with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Beloit’s Taylor Jones and Courtney Yates in the quarterfinals. Larson and Roesch then won a hard-fought battle over Carroll’s Alyssa Larson and Kate Rasmussen 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 in the semifinals.

Larson and Roesch posted an impressive 6-0, 6-4 win over Athreya and Laura Krull of Grinnell in the championship match.

Schaupp and Hannah Geoffrey reached the title match at No. 3 doubles but dropped a 6-4, 6-0 decision to Toby Cain and Shirlene Luk of Grinnell. At No. 2 doubles, Lawrence’s Polly Dalton and Carla Schmidt were eliminated in the semifinals.

Geoffrey posted a pair of victories to reach the championship match at No. 5 singles but dropped a tough 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 decision to Grinnell’s Hanna Feldman.

In the other singles flights, Roesch beat Dana Pierce of Knox to win the consolation final at No. 2, and Dalton defeated Ripon’s Olivia Wetzel in the consolation final at No. 6. Gayatri Malhotra lost in the consolation final at No. 3 singles.

Lawrence finished third in the team standings based on the Vikings’ finish at the team championship on Friday. The Vikings finished with 66 points during the singles and doubles competition, and that was second to Grinnell’s 96.

Vikings top Beloit in overtime thriller

David Caprile delivered the game-winning goal four minutes into overtime to lift the Lawrence University men’s soccer team to a 2-1 Midwest Conference victory over Beloit College on Saturday at Whiting Field West.

Caprile scored at 104:00 to lift Lawrence (5-9-0, 4-2-0 MWC) to the victory.

Lawrence played a cross into the box and Joe Cullen went up to attempt a shot. Cullen was knocked to the ground and the penalty kick was awarded. Caprile buried the ball low and right into the back of the net and is now 4-for-4 on penalty kicks this season.

Lawrence took a 1-0 lead when Cullen scored his first goal of the season off a pass from Hashim Allah-Morad in the 33rd minute. Beloit (5-6-1, 4-2-0) evened the score at 38:41 on Tom Slusher’s goal.

Steve Solomon made six saves to pick up the victory for Lawrence, and BJ Kiser made five saves in a losing effort.

Box score

Koula, Vikings break pair of NCAA records in victory over Beloit

It was a record-setting day for Lawrence University women’s soccer star Mallory Koula.

Koula set a NCAA Division III record for the three fastest consecutive goals and broke Lawrence’s career scoring record in the process as the Vikings defeated Beloit College 6-1 in a Midwest Conference match at Whiting Field West.

Koula, a senior forward from Kimberly, Wis., scored three consecutive goals in 42 seconds to shatter the NCAA mark. The record was 1:07 by Jamie Sims of Otterbein back in 2002. Lawrence also broke the team record for the fastest three goals. The team record of 52 seconds was set by Emory back in 1989.

Koula picked up a fourth goal later in the match and now has 56 during her Lawrence career. That breaks the mark of 55 set by former Midwest Conference Player of the Year Megan Tiemann from 1998-2001.

Lawrence (4-9-1, 2-3-1 MWC) got on the board early when Keli Muchowski took a pass from Natalie Jin and scored at the 16:18 mark. Jin then scored on a penalty kick at 20:56 to stake Lawrence to a 2-0 lead.

Koula then went on her record-setting binge. Koula scored off a pass from Cadence Peckham at 26:36 to put Lawrence up 3-0. Muchowski then fed Koula a through ball after the ensuing kickoff and Koula scored just 18 seconds later at 26:54. Koula completed the natural hat trick when she took another through ball from Muchowski and scored at 27:18, just 24 seconds after the second goal and 42 seconds after the first.

Koula added a fourth goal at 74:25 off a pass from Natalie Wolf. It marked the first time in Koula’s career that she has scored four times in a match.

Cassie Burke played all 90 minutes and picked up the win in goal for the Vikings.

Box score

Vikings roll to shutout win over Ripon

The Lawrence University volleyball team rolled to an impressive 3-0 Midwest Conference victory over Ripon College on Wednesday night at Alexander Gymnasium.

The Vikings (12-12, 5-1 MWC) won 25-11, 25-13, 25-14.

Clare Bohrer paced the Lawrence attack with 11 kills, and Shannon McLain added nine for the Vikings, who hit .270 for the match. Karlyle Wehner had six kills to lead Ripon (5-19, 1-4).

Kathleen Rowland piled up 19 digs for the Vikings and now has 1,000 for her career. She is the eighth player in Lawrence history to reach 1,000 digs. Sam Nimmer added 12 digs for the Vikings.

Diane McLeod piled up 34 assists on the evening for Lawrence, which got a pair of aces from both Emma Kane and Rowland.

Lawrence jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the opening set, and Ripon never got closer than six points after that. Lawrence led by as many as 15 points in the opening set.

The Vikings ripped off the first six points of the second set and never looked back. Lawrence would lead by as many as 12 points in the second set and that proved to be the winning margin.

Ripon got its first lead of the night in any set when it scored the first point of the third set. Lawrence pulled back to even at 5-5 and then steadily built the lead from that point.

Lawrence returns to action on Oct. 19 when it hosts St. Norbert College.

Box score

Vikings blank Ripon 2-0

RIPON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s soccer team got one goal just before the half and another on a penalty kick in the second half to beat Ripon College 2-0 on Wednesday in a Midwest Conference match at Prairie Field.

The Vikings grabbed a 1-0 lead on the first collegiate goal from sophomore Kelson Warner. He picked up a ball that had rebounded away from the goal and buried it in the back of the net with 2:25 left in the first half.

Lawrence made it 2-0 at 57:57 when David Caprile scored on a penalty kick after one of the Vikings was fouled hard in the box.

Freshman goalkeeper Taiju Oki made nine saves to earn his first collegiate shutout. Ripon goalkeeper Daniel Mikesell made six saves and took the loss.

Box score

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings gunning for MWC title

The Lawrence University women’s tennis team is going to have to do this the hard way.

The Vikings have been aiming for a Midwest Conference championship all season, and Lawrence will play in the four-team MWC Tournament on Friday in Rockford, Ill. The Vikings drew the tall task of facing defending champion and favorite Grinnell College in the semifinals. St. Norbert College faces Lake Forest College in the other semifinal.

Lawrence had hoped to be the top seed from the North Division and set up a potential championship showdown with the Pioneers. Instead, Lawrence finished second in the North after a 5-4 loss to St. Norbert last Sunday.

“It really doesn’t change our mentality,” Lawrence coach Kevin Girard said. “You have to beat everyone who’s there to win anyway.”

Lawrence hasn’t faced Grinnell this season, but the Pioneers already have an 8-1 victory over St. Norbert in the regular season.

“Grinnell is the favorite going in,” Girard said. “If we play really well, we can definitely beat them. If we come out strong in doubles and get some momentum going, that’s going to be one of the big keys for the match.”

Girard admitted his team did not play well in the loss to St. Norbert, but the defeat has had a positive effect on the Vikings.

“It’s refocused us,” Girard said. “One of the big things we preach is that whether you win or lose you learn something. We learned that you can’t drop your guard down and you have to stay intense.”

The championships then move to Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison for the weekend singles and doubles play. Lawrence’s Beth Larson and Jenni Roesch are the defending champions at No. 1 doubles.

Larson and Roesch are 11-3 overall and unbeaten against conference opponents this season.

“We haven’t played Grinnell, and they play doubles very fundamentally sound. If Beth and Jenni are on, that’s where I would put my money,” Girard said. “Beth and Jenni are very aggressive, and they move together very well. They’ve played together for three years now, and Beth can close her eyes and tell you where Jenni is on the court and vice versa.”

Freshmen Christina Schaupp and Hannah Geoffrey are 8-0 at No. 3 doubles but recently moved into the No. 2 doubles slot. Lawrence likely will play Polly Dalton and Gayatri Malhotra at No. 3 doubles.

Larson also is looking for her second conference title at No. 1 singles. Larson won the title back in 2008 and has finished second each of the last two years. Larson is 14-1 at No. 1 singles this season.

“Beth has played everyone but Grinnell’s No. 1, but tennis is a funny game,” Girard said. “She has to make sure she stays focused and does not look past her opponents. You don’t get to take matches off at 1 singles.”

Lawrence also has legitimate chances to earn a spot in the finals in every singles flight. Roesch has a 9-5 record at No. 2, Malhotra is 10-4 at No. 3, Schaupp is 12-2 at No. 4, Geoffrey is 10-4 at No. 5 and Dalton is 6-3 at No. 6.

“I think everyone on  our team will be seeded in some capacity,” Girard said. “Seeing anyone’s name in the consolation round will be a disappointment.”

Koula countdown

Lawrence women’s soccer star Mallory Koula is closing in on the school’s career goals record. Koula has nine goals this season and now has 52 for her career, and she is three goals shy of tying the record of 55, which was set by Megan Tiemann, a MWC Player of the Year, from 1998-2001.

Koula gets her first shot at tying the record on Saturday when Lawrence hosts Beloit at 1 p.m.

Closing in on a grand

Lawrence volleyball star Clare Bohrer is nearing 1,000 career kills. The senior middle hitter has 972 kills and is just 28 away from becoming the fifth player in Lawrence history with 1,000 kills.

Sophomore Kathleen Rowland is just 19 digs away from hitting 1,000. Rowland has 981 and is looking to become the eighth player in Lawrence history to reach 1,000 digs. Teammate Sam Nimmer did it earlier this season.

Update: Rowland got exactly 19 digs during Lawrence’s  3-0 win over Ripon on Wednesday and now has 1,000 for her career.

Blast from the past

Lawrence will host a spate of alumni games this weekend during Fall Festival. Volleyball will play its alumnae game at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Alexander Gymnasium, and men’s and women’s soccer, baseball and softball all host alumni games on Sunday at the Whiting Field complex.

The 2011 Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Friday night at honored at the football game on Saturday. The 1986 football team also returns to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its conference championship. That team also will be introduced at halftime of the football game.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a weekly 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.

Vikings roll past Illinois College

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The Lawrence University women’s volleyball team powered to a 3-1 Midwest Conference victory over Illinois College on Saturday at Sherman Gymnasium.

Lawrence won 25-12, 25-15, 22-25, 25-11.

Clare Bohrer hammered out 19 kills and hit .457 on the afternoon to pace the Vikings (11-12, 4-1 MWC). Shannon McLain added 11 kills and freshman Presley Neuman added nine for the Vikings.

Diane McLeod directed the Lawrence attack and picked up a match-high 42 assists. Kathleen Rowland led three Lawrence players in double figures with 19 digs.

Box score

Muhs grabs third, Stevens fifth to pace Vikings at Gene Davis Invitational

Emily Muhs ran to third place and Sam Stevens took fifth to pace the Lawrence University cross country teams on Saturday at the Gene Davis Invitational at Reid Golf Course.

Muhs covered the 6,000-meter course in 24:10. Led by Muhs, the Vikings placed fourth in the team standings with 83 points. UW-Whitewater won the team title with 23 points, and the Warhawks’ Alyssa Duncan was the champion in 23:52.

Rounding out the scoring for the Vikings were: Maggie Mahaffa (12th), Anna Ratliff (18th), Rosie Graber (20th) and Jacci Cuff (30th).

Stevens grabbed fifth place with a time of 26:54 on the 8,000-meter course. The Vikings placed fourth in the team standings with 76 points. UW-Whitewater won the meet with 22 points, and Whitewater’s Dan Machmueller was the winner in 26:27.

Curran Carlile came in 12th for the Vikings, and Sam Estrem was next in 13th. Completing the scoring for the Vikings were Tom Coben in 20th and Kyle Dockery in 26th.

Results

Vikings double up Carroll

The Lawrence University women’s tennis team picked up a 6-3 Midwest Conference victory over Carroll University on Thursday to remain unbeaten in league play.

The Vikings are now 3-0 in the North Division and a victory over St. Norbert on Sunday would give Lawrence the top seed from the division in the four-team conference tournament.

The Vikings (10-1 overall) swept the doubles from the Pioneers and took three singles matches. Beth Larson won at No. 1 singles, Gayatri Malhotra was victorious at No. 3, and Hannah Geoffrey won at No. 5.

Box score