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Vikings rally for doubleheader split with St. Norbert

The Lawrence University softball team rallied from a three-run deficit to take a 4-3 win in the nightcap and split a Midwest Conference doubleheader with St. Norbert College on Wednesday at Whiting Field. St. Norbert won the opener 8-0.

Gaelen Lombard-Knapp hit a three-run homer in the nightcap for Lawrence (11-14, 4-5 MWC), and Emily Perish pitched 3.2 innings of scoreless relief to get the win.

St. Norbert (15-14, 8-3) grabbed a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning of the second game. Abby Van Straten had a two-run single, and Jessica Kropp had a run-scoring double in the inning.

Lawrence then tied it in the bottom half of the fourth. Alissa Geipel started the inning with a double and Shannon Murray followed with a walk. After a fielder’s choice ground out, Lombard-Knapp blasted a three-run homer, her second of the season, to tie the game at 3-3.

Lawrence then grabbed the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Katie Simonsen started the rally with a one-out double. After a sacrifice bunt moved Simonsen to third, Geipel lined a single to right field to score Simonsen and give the Vikings a 4-3 lead.

Perish then worked around a single and an error in the sixth to keep the Green Knights from tying the game.

St. Norbert threatened again in the seventh when Brittany Narges hit a one-out triple. With the infield playing in, Kayla Krueger grounded to shortstop Cory Paquette, who threw home to cut down Narges trying to score. Lombard-Knapp then fired back to Diduch and tagged out Krueger, who was trying to advance to second, to end the game.

Geipel and Diduch both went 2-for-3 for the Vikings in the nightcap.

Krueger, who allowed six hits, struck out five and walked one in going the distance, took the loss for St. Norbert.

In the opener, the Green Knights got a great pitching performance from Kari Corbeille, who tossed a one-hit shutout. The only hit she allowed was was Cathy Kaye’s lead-off single in the bottom of the first.

Kropp went 2-for-4, homered and drove in three runs in the opener. Narges also went 2-for-4 and hit a home run, and Ashtin Schmechel was 2-for-3 with a homer and drove in two runs.

Murray went the distance and took the loss for Lawrence. She allowed 13 hits, struck out four and did not walk a batter.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Zane, Brisbois run to victories at UW-Oshkosh Invitational

OSHKOSH, Wis. — David Zane and Jamie Brisbois both ran to victories Friday at the UW-Oshkosh Invitational at Titan Stadium.

Zane raced to first in the 10,000 meters in 33:24.45 and teammate Dan Moeller finished fourth. Brisbois was tops in the 3,000 steeplechase in 11:28.72.

The Lawrence men finished fifth in the team standings. The Lawrence women took seventh place.

Leading the way for the women was high jumper Rose Tepper, who grabbed third place with a jump of 5 feet, 0.25 inches. Also posting a top finish for the women was Sam Luebke, who took fourth in the 200 meters.

Results

Inside LU Athletics: Gurholt continues to power Vikings

After Lawrence University shortstop Carli Gurholt blasted a foul ball out of the park last Sunday at the University of Chicago, Maroons coach Ruth Kmak breathed a noticeable sigh of relief.

The relief didn’t last long.

Two pitches later, Gurholt hit a grand slam that broke Lawrence’s career home run record. A native of tiny Scandinavia in central Wisconsin, Gurholt has battled through injury the past two seasons but the senior has become one of the most prolific hitters in Lawrence history.

“She threw me an off-speed inside pitch and I cranked it foul,” said Gurholt, who now has 22 career homers and 106 runs batted in.

“It was an 0-2 count. I was protecting the plate. I consider myself more of an aggressive hitter. If they screw up and pitch it to me, I’ll hit it.”

Gurholt, who has been hampered by an injury to her non-throwing arm, is leading the team with a .453 batting average to go along with 11 doubles, one triple, three homers and 23 RBI.

“I was going into the season thinking I was going to be a defensive player,” said Gurholt, who was hurt initially last season and decided to play through the pain this year.

“I didn’t have any offensive expectations of myself. It’s a huge surprise that I can play and hit.”

Lawrence coach Kim Tatro said she was concerned at how limited the 2009 Midwest Conference North Division Player of the Year was going to be this season.

“Am I surprised? Yes, but I’m thrilled. She’s far exceeded what we thought she was going to be able to do this year,” Tatro said.

“Early in the season, we went in with the mindset she wouldn’t hit at all.”

Tatro said the coaching staff has tried to be smart in how much Gurholt practices and even limiting her game time here and there. That’s tough for a player like Gurholt, who thrives on taking the field every day.

“Carli is a perfectionist and is the type of kid who loves practice and loves repetitions,” Tatro said.

“She doesn’t have a 75 percent switch. When she takes the field she goes all out. She’s going to dive for a ball in practice, and I can’t stop her from doing that.”

A career .392 hitter, Gurholt has learned from this experience that she can rely on all the work she has put in through the years.

“It makes me feel better if I practice and practice my swing. I just have to trust myself.  Those thousands of swings I’ve taken off the tee, I have to trust that,” Gurholt said.

“This injury has taught me to be more selective. I haven’t been able to see the ball quite this well before. I’ve been more disciplined. I think I’m using that to my benefit.”

“I’m really confident with her ability to have a quality at-bat,” Tatro said. “That’s plus for us and led to her success. It’s what makes her great.

She kind of thinks like a coach, and I’ve told her this before. She has a keen sense of awareness in many phases of the game that most college players don’t have.”

Gurholt has been pretty selective, drawing a team-high 15 walks in 23 games and has a sparkling .586 on-base percentage.

Gurholt knows patience, both for her and this pretty young Vikings team, will be a key as they drive toward a spot in the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament. She believes the team’s continued offensive improvement will be a key in the final weeks of the regular season.

“If we can focus on hitting good pitches and go up there ready to hit the ball, then we have a chance,” Gurholt said.

Wind knocks down Stevens

Sophomore Sam Stevens was on pace to post a provisional qualifying time for the NCAA Division III Championships in the 800 meters this past Sunday at the Wisconsin Lutheran Relays, and then he turned for home. Right into the teeth of a 25 mile per hour wind.

Stevens won the event but finished in 1:58.78, but needs to shave a little more than six seconds off that time to be a provisional qualifier.

Tepper tops the list

Sophomore Rose Tepper also won at the Wisconsin Lutheran Relays, taking first in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 4.25 inches. That is the best jump in the conference thus far this season.

Tepper, a NCAA Championships qualifier during the indoor season, needs a jump of 5-5 to provisionally qualify for the outdoor meet.

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.

Tepper, Stevens take individual titles at Wisconsin Lutheran Relays

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Rose Tepper and Sam Stevens both won events for the Lawrence University track and field team on Sunday at the Wisconsin Lutheran College Relays.

Tepper, a national qualifier indoors in 2011, won the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 4.25 inches. She also placed 11th in the javelin. The Lawrence women finished seventh in the team standings with 31 points.

Stevens grabbed first in the 800 meters with a time of 1:58.78. The Lawrence men also got top-five finishes from Dan Thoresen, who grabbed third in the 1,500, and M. Jay Bouska, who was fourth in the high jump.

The Lawrence men finished fourth in the team standings with 47 points. 

Results

Inside LU Athletics: Pechan striving to be the best

The average golfer would look at scores of 69 and 72 on the weekend and drop to his knees to praise the golf gods, but John Pechan is not your average player.

The Lawrence University freshman has quickly established himself as one of the Midwest Conference’s best golfers and really wasn’t pleased with his third-place finish at Ripon College Invitational on the Links Course at Lawsonia last weekend.

“I want to say I (played well) but I didn’t,” Pechan said. “I’m still not at the level I feel like I should be, but I’m progressing.”

If you think Pechan is being hard on himself, you’re right, but that’s only because he has some lofty aspirations for the remainder of the season.

“Winning the Midwest Conference is my biggest goal for the spring,” said Pechan, a native of the Seattle area. “That way I can get to nationals and take it from there.”

Pechan would like to join recent Lawrence players Jeff Henderson (2002) and All-American and Appleton native Joe Loehnis (2003) as individual conference champions.

Pechan also wants a trip to the NCAA Division III Championships, which has never happened for a Lawrence player. The last Lawrence golfers to play in the NCAA Championships were local legend Don Strutz, Carl Laumann and Dick Flicker, but that was back in 1949, well before the advent of Division III.

“John is such a great competitor,” Lawrence coach Kalle Larsson said. “You would want every Lawrence athlete to have that sort of competitive nature. His play on the course is a direct result of his work ethic and desire to be the best.”

Pechan’s achievements thus far this year are impressive. He won two of three events he played during the fall season, posting victories at the Ripon Fall Invitational at Mascoutin Golf Club and the Wisconsin Lutheran Invitational at Washington County Golf Course.

Pechan carded a Lawrence record score of 64 on the second day of the Wisconsin Lutheran Invitational, and it is believed that is the lowest score posted by a Division III player this season.

A good spring season, possibly coupled with a win at the MWC Championships, could mean a trip to the NCAAs. Before that happens, Pechan knows there is work to be done. He admits his strong suits are his accuracy and length off the tee, but he continues to work hard on his putting.

“I’m putting a lot of five-foot to 10-foot putts and being positive over the ball. If you don’t have confidence, you are not going to make the putt,” Pechan said. “That’s kind of what happened this weekend. Those are the times I do win tournaments, when my putting is on and I’m stroking it from that range.”

Friends of Jaclyn Day

The Lawrence softball team will take part in a Friends of Jaclyn Day when they play at the University of Chicago on Saturday.

The Vikings have “adopted” Emma Broeniman, a grade-schooler from Appleton who has a NF-1, a genetic disorder that causes brain tumors. Friends of Jaclyn is the organization that facilitated the relationship between Emma and the Vikings.

The University of Chicago also has adopted a child through Friends of Jaclyn, and the teams will raise some funds for the organization on Saturday. The teams played in 2010 in Appleton and had a Friends of Jaclyn Day at Whiting Field.

Taking on the big boys

The Lawrence baseball team faces its stiffest challenge of the season when it travels to Division I Butler University this weekend.

The Vikings are scheduled to play three games this weekend at Butler. It is the first meeting between the schools, and the first time Lawrence has played a NCAA Division I opponent since sweeping a doubleheader from Wisconsin in 1981.

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 sweep doubleheader from North Central

The Lawrence University softball team pounded out 23 hits in the doubleheader and got two solid pitching performances to sweep a nonconference doubleheader from North Central (Minn.) University on Wednesday at Whiting Field.

Lawrence (10-11) won the opener 8-0 and took the nightcap 17-3.

In the opener, Emily Perish went 4-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in, and Carli Gurholt was 2-for-2 and blasted a two-run homer for the Vikings. Alissa Geipel and Brielle Bartes, both freshmen, both hit their first career homers in the first game.

Shannon Murray went the distance, allowing three hits, striking out seven and walking none, to pick up the win. Danielle Anderson went the distance and took the loss.

Lawrence jumped on the Rams (9-8) in the bottom of the first with four runs. Gurholt hit a two-run homer in the inning and Perish picked up a run-scoring single.

Bartes led off the fourth with a homer, and the Vikings added another run in the fifth to lead 6-0. Lawrence put the game away with two more runs in the sixth. Geipel led off the inning with a homer, and Perish delivered a run-scoring single to end the game.

In the nightcap, Cathy Kaye went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs to pace the Lawrence offense. Murray was 2-for-4, homered and drove in three runs, and Alex Chiodo and Cory Paquette both went 2-for-2.

Perish went the distance to pick up the win. She allowed six hits, struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. Bethany Bostrom gave up 12 hits, struck out one and walked four to take the loss.

After giving up two runs in the top of the first, the Vikings struck back with four in the bottom half of the inning. Perish had a two-run single in the inning, and Chiodo picked up a run-scoring double.

Lawrence led 5-2 when it scored three times in the third with two runs scoring on Kaye’s single.

The Vikings then sealed the win with nine runs in the fourth. Kaye smacked a two-run double inside the bag at third, and Murray blasted a three-run homer to complete the scoring.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when it travels to the University of Chicago.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Carr to lead Lawrence women’s basketball program

Tara Carr

Tara Carr is the new head women’s basketball coach at Lawrence University.

Carr’s hiring was announced today by Director of Athletics Mike Szkodzinski.

“We are excited to announce the appointment of Tara Carr as the head women’s basketball coach at Lawrence University,” Szkodzinski said. “We believe Tara will be able to draw upon her past collegiate playing and coaching experience to lead our ladies. Her professionalism and attention to detail will certainly allow her to take our program to the next level.”

Carr becomes the ninth coach of the Vikings, whose first season of competition was 1975-76.

“I’m truly excited to be named the new head women’s basketball coach at Lawrence University,” said Carr, a native of Hoosick Falls, N.Y. “I feel honored to be a part of the Lawrence athletic department. I look forward to working with the department’s administration, Mike Szkodzinski and Kim Tatro, along with support from Provost David Burrows.”

Carr brings a history of playing and coaching experience to the job at Lawrence.

A three-sport standout in basketball, softball and field hockey at Hoosick Falls Central High School, Carr earned all-conference honors in both basketball and field hockey and her softball squad won a New York state championship. Carr starred at the State University of New York College at Oneonta in both field hockey and basketball and was a basketball standout at the University at Albany.

Carr, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University, started her basketball coaching career at Ohio Northern University. She then served as the assistant basketball coach at Saginaw Valley State University. She coached with the Cardinals from 2001-04 and helped turn that program around.

Carr, who has a masters of business administration from Saginaw Valley State, comes to Lawrence after working outside of coaching in recent years. She has served as the campus director and adjunct instructor in business management and human resource management at the Beloit campus of Concordia University of Wisconsin since April 2007.

“My goal is to be a part of the Lawrence family for a long time,” said Carr, who relishes the opportunity to guide Lawrence’s student-athletes. “I look forward to working with the returning players. Lawrence provides student-athletes with an excellent education in a competitive environment. The impressive academic reputation, globally diverse student body and Appleton community complete the Lawrence experience.”

Lawrence has enjoyed a history of success, including three conference championships and a NCAA Division III Tournament appearance, in its 35 seasons of women’s basketball. The Vikings have posted 23 seasons of .500 or better, but Lawrence has struggled in recent campaigns.

“It is a personal goal of mine and a goal of our department to revitalize Lawrence women’s basketball,” Szkodzinski said. “There has been tremendous success in the not-so-distant past, and we will continue to work to regain our status as an elite program within the Midwest Conference.”

Lawrence returns nine players from this past season’s team and opens nonconference play in November.

Vikings sweep doubles en route to victory over Knox

GALESBURG, Ill. — The Lawrence University men’s tennis team swept the doubles matches en route to a 6-3 nonconference victory over Knox College on Sunday.

Jason Dunn and Max Zlevor posted an 8-6 win at No. 1 doubles, Caleb Ray and Jeremy Andereck were 8-1 winners at No. 2 and Roy Wimer and Bile Ali posted an 8-4 victory at No. 3.

Ray and Andereck posted straight-set wins at Nos. 2 and 4 singles, respectively, and Dunn also rallied for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles.

Box score

Pechan grabs third at Ripon Invitational

GREEN LAKE, Wis. — Lawrence University golf standout John Pechan turned in two superb rounds this weekend and took third place at the Ripon College Invitational at the Golf Courses of Lawsonia.

Pechan, a freshman, followed up Saturday’s 3-under par 69 with an even-par 72 on Sunday for a 36-hole total of 141. Carthage College’s Donnie Langland fired a 65 on Sunday to finish first with a score of 136.

Lawrence finished 10th among the 16 teams with a score of 662. Carthage won the title at 558.

Jon Mays finished tied for 54th at 169, Nathan Fearing was tied for 60th at 174 and Zach Joseph was 66th at 178.

Results

Lawrence roughs up Prairie Fire

JANESVILLE, Wis. — The Lawrence University softball team got the Midwest Conference Classic off to a great start on Saturday with a 12-4 victory in five innings over Knox College.

Knox took the early lead with a pair of runs in the first inning, but the Vikings (6-9, 1-2) took command with six runs in the second. Lawrence, which pounded out 14 hits in only four innings, then added six more in the fourth to seal the victory.

Shannon Murray was one of five Vikings to pick up a pair of hits against the Prairie Fire. Murray went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three runs batted in.

Katie Simonsen went 2-for-3 and drove in a game-high four runs. Cathy Kaye and Alissa Geipel both went 2-for-4 with a double and Kaye knocked in two runs. Emily Perish also went 2-for-3.

Perish pitched all five innings to pick up the win. She struck out one and didn’t walk a batter.

Box score