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Pechan fires course, school record to win Wisconsin Lutheran Invitational

HARTFORD, Wis. – It was a tale of two nines for Lawrence University golfer John Pechan on Monday, and he finished with a storybook ending.

Pechan (Bothell, Wash./Bothell) fired a 64 to tie the course record and set the school record on the par-72 layout at Washington County Golf Course. Pechan played the back nine first and made the turn in even-par 36 but then carded an 8-under 28 on the front nine.

Pechan, who shot 77 on Sunday, won the tournament by six shots with a 36-hole score of 141.

“I wasn’t putting well on the back nine,” said Pechan, a freshman who won the Ripon Invitational in last start. “Once I got to the front nine I missed a five-foot putt for birdie on the first hole and then I didn’t make any mistakes.”

After a birdie at No. 2, Pechan hit a 4-iron to eight feet at the 535-yard par-5 third hole. He drained that putt for an eagle and then made a 30-footer for birdie on the fourth hole. Pechan then birdied the par-4 fifth hole before making a par at No. 6.

Pechan chipped in for birdie on the par-5 seventh hole. He then hit a wedge to less than a foot for a tap-in birdie on the par-4 eighth. Pechan finished his final nine with a chip-in birdie at the 450-yard par-4 ninth.

Pechan said breaking 30 for nine holes was definitely on his mind as the round progressed.

“When I was five under through five holes I started thinking about it,” Pechan said. “I’ve always wanted to get a 29 and that was definitely in the back of my mind.”

Pechan’s 64 ties the course record of former UW-Parkside standout Andy Hanson, who shot his score at a qualifier for the 2009 United States Amateur Public Links Championship. Officials at Washington County said Pechan’s 28 set a record for a nine-hole score at the course.

Pechan broke the Lawrence record of 67, which was set by All-American and Appleton native Joe Loehnis at the Wartburg College Invitational on April 8, 2006. Pechan’s previous low was 66, which he shot at his home course, Harbour Pointe Golf Club in Mukilteo, Wash.

Lawrence carded team scores of 336 and 316 to finish in 12th place with a score of 652. Aurora University won the team title.

Carlile, Stevens race to great finishes at Griak

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Freshman Curran Carlile and sophomore Sam Stevens raced to finishes in the top 30 to lead the Lawrence University cross country teams at the University of Minnesota Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday.

Carlile finished 19th in a time of 26:32.2 on the 8,000-meter course. It was the highest finish ever by a Lawrence runner at the Griak Invitational. Stevens was only eight seconds behind Carlile and finished 27th in 26:40.2.

Led by that duo, Lawrence finished 12th among the 30 teams.

On the women’s side, Lawrence was 23rd among the 32 teams. Emily Muhs paced the Vikings by finishing 40th on the 6,000-meter course in 24:02.8.

Men’s results

Women’s results

Lawrence, North Central battle to tie

The Lawrence University men’s soccer team battled to a 1-1 overtime tie with North Central College in a nonconference match on Saturday.

Lawrence (5-2-1) trailed 1-0 after Michael Lenzi’s goal in the 52nd minute, but the Vikings got the equalizer in the 68th minute. Cameron Pieper played a ball across the field to Jared Padway, who found Bennett Pang in the box. Pang then beat North Central goalkeeper Mike McEvoy to tie the match at 1-1.

The Cardinals (4-3-2) played a man down for the final 18-plus minutes of regulation and the 20 minutes of overtime after Jake Muszczynski received his second yellow card. Lawrence had several quality scoring chances, including one in the second overtime but could not convert.

Box score

PridGeon among NFF Scholar-Athlete finalists

Lawrence University football player Darvis PridGeon is among 31 finalists for the National Football

Darvis PridGeon

Foundation High School National Scholar-Athlete Awards.

PridGeon (Bellwood, Ill./Proviso East), a freshman defensive back, was one of six nominees from the Midwest Region. The award will honor one young man from each of the country’s five regions as the best and brightest for their accomplishments as athletes, scholars and citizens at the high school level.

The winners will be announced the week of Oct. 4.

PridGeon, who is a starting cornerback for the Vikings, was the valedictorian of his class at Proviso East High School. Named the Scholar Athlete of the Year by both the Chicago Tribune and Pioneer Press, PridGeon won the NFF Foundation Chicago Metro Scholar Athlete Award.

A member of the National Honor Society, PridGeon won the West Suburban Conference All-Academic Award and was named an Illinois State Scholar.

PridGeon and his Lawrence football teammates return to action Saturday when the Vikings travel to St. Norbert College.

Five to be inducted into Lawrence Hall of Fame

The Lawrence University Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame gets five new faces for 2010.

Damian LaCroix, class of 1991, Matt Miota ’91, Brian Murphy ’99, Sara Schye Sechen ’00 and Alyssa Bonine Summers ’00 will be inducted on Friday, Oct. 8, in a ceremony at the Warch Campus Center.

Here’s a brief look at all of the inductees.

Damian LaCroix ‘91

Defensive linemen aren’t supposed to do what Damian LaCroix did.

A two-time All-American, LaCroix piled up an amazing 407 career tackles from his defensive tackle position. That ranks second in Lawrence history and first among Vikings defensive linemen.

A team captain, LaCroix was a three-time first-team All-Midwest Conference selection (1988, 1989, 1990). He was honored on four different All-America teams during his career.

LaCroix was a first-team Pizza Hut All-American in 1989 and earned first-team honors from the Football News in 1990. He also was a third-team selection on the Champion U.S.A. All-America team in 1990. LaCroix also was a preseason All-America selection by College Football Preview magazine prior to the 1990 season.

The Fond du Lac, Wis., native posted a career-high 119 tackles in both the 1989 and 1990 seasons. A four-year starter, LaCroix added 5.0 sacks and three fumble recoveries during his career.

LaCroix earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Lawrence and is the superintendant of the Howard-Suamico School District. LaCroix, who holds a Master’s degree in educational administration and a special certificate in administrative leadership, lives with his wife, Melissa, in Suamico, Wis. The LaCroixs have four children, Max, Zach, Abe and Abbey.

Matt Miota ‘91

Matt Miota was a prolific scorer and perhaps the finest shooter in Lawrence basketball history.

Miota was third in career scoring with 1,246 points when he graduated, and he still ranks seventh on that list. The native of West Allis, Wis., averaged 14.5 points and 3.3 assists per game. Miota was a three-time All-Midwest Conference selection during his career, earning first-team honors in 1989-90 and was a second-team pick in both 1988-89 and 1990-91.

Miota’s name is all over the Lawrence record book, and he ranked first six categories when he graduated. Miota is still the career leader in 3-point shooting percentage at 45.2 percent (tied with Ryan Kroeger), the leader in season 3-point percentage at 61.1 percent in 1989-90 and season scoring average at 20.7 points per game in 1989-90.

Miota also ranked first in season points at 455, free throws made at 120 and career assists at 283.

A team captain, Miota had one of the most stunning seasons in Lawrence basketball history in 1989-90. On his way to setting school records for season points, scoring average and 3-point shooting percentage, Miota also led the nation in 3-point shooting at 61.1 percent.

More than just a perimeter scorer, Miota also got to the basket and the foul line. He still ranks second in career free throw percentage at 84.3 percent and was second with 339 free throws made when he graduated.

Miota also led Lawrence to three consecutive winning seasons from 1987-88 to 1989-90, which was the best stretch of Vikings basketball in the modern era. The Vikings compiled a record of 38-28 during that time.

Miota is a teacher in the Madison Metropolitan School District and the head boys’ basketball coach at Madison East High School. Miota and his wife, Katy, live in Madison, Wis., and have a son, Matteo.

Brian Murphy ‘99

Brian Murphy was a dominant sprinter during his career and helped usher in a tremendously successful period for Lawrence University men’s swimming.

A native of Sussex, Wis., Murphy was a nine-time Midwest Conference champion and led Lawrence to the 1996 league championship. With Murphy on the team, the Vikings never finished lower than second at the MWC Championships, and Lawrence won three Wisconsin Private College Championships crowns.

Murphy set Lawrence records in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and continues to hold the record in the latter at 47.78 seconds. He also was part of school record relay teams in the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay and 800 freestyle relay. Murphy’s relay records in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays are still the marks to beat today.

Murphy won three titles at the 1996 MWC Championships, which were held at Lawrence’s Boldt Natatorium. He took the titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. He also led Lawrence to the team title at the 1996 Private College Championships, winning titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle.

Murphy took conference titles in the 50 and 200 freestyle in 1997 and won the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle at the Private College Championships. He set a meet record of 49.15 seconds in the 100 freestyle at the Private College meet, and Lawrence won the team title. At the 1998 MWC Championships, Murphy took the title in the 100 freestyle.

Murphy finished strong as a senior, leading Lawrence to the title at the Private College Championships while winning the 50 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay. In his last shot the MWC Championships, Murphy won the 50 freestyle and was part of the winning 400 freestyle and 200 medley teams.

Murphy also was a relief pitcher for the baseball team and won four letters on the diamond.

Murphy, who earned a degree in biology at Lawrence, works as the business development manager at Cambridge Healthtech Associates, a biotechnology consulting firm in Needham, Mass. Murphy and his wife, Kathy, live in Cambridge, Mass.

Sara Schye Sechen ‘00

Sara Schye is the most dominant pitcher in Lawrence University softball history.

The fireballing left-hander was a three-time Midwest Conference North Division Player of the Year and a two-time first-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Great Lakes Region pick.

A native of Brookfield, Ill., Schye put together a record of 69-19 with a 1.40 earned run average and 576 strikeouts. Schye led Lawrence to MWC championships in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and NCAA Division III Tournament appearances in 1998 and 1999. During her four years with the Vikings, Lawrence had a stunning record of 101-37.

Schye fired 31 shutouts, nine one-hitters and 15 two-hitters, and all of those are Lawrence records. She also holds Lawrence records for wins (69), strikeouts (576), strikeouts per innings pitched (1.03) and winning percentage (.784).

Schye also holds season records for wins (22, 1999), ERA (1.03, 1999), strikeouts (183, 1999), strikeouts per innings pitched (1.20, 2000), fewest walks per innings pitched (0.095, 1999) and shutouts (11, 1999). She also struck out a school-record 14 batters vs. UW-River Falls in 1998.

Schye came up big in the conference tournament for three consecutive years. She fired a one-hitter in a 2-0 victory over Beloit College in the 1997 MWC championship game. Schye followed that with another one-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over Grinnell College in the 1998 MWC title contest. She finished that championship run with a four-hit shutout in Lawrence’s 7-0 victory over Monmouth College in the 1999 MWC title game.

Schye, who earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology at Lawrence, is a reading specialist at Monee Elementary School in Monee, Ill . She and her husband, Bill, live in Cedar Lake, Ind. The Sechens have a son, Kyan, and a yellow lab named Willie.

Alyssa Bonine Summers ‘00

No one, before or since, has been as fast in the pool as Alyssa Bonine.

Ten years after her graduation, Bonine continues to hold the school records in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. A prolific sprinter, Bonine won 12 Midwest Conference titles. She captured 10 individual crowns and was part of two championship relay teams.

Named the Most Outstanding Swimmer at the 1998 MWC Championships, Bonine set MWC and MWC Championships records in the 50 freestyle (24.15 seconds) and 100 freestyle (53.72 seconds). She also qualified for the 1999 NCAA Division III Championships in the 50 and 100 freestyle.

Bonine won the 50 and 100 freestyle at the 1997 MWC Championships and was part of the winning 200 freestyle relay team. She defended her titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle at the 1998 MWC Championships and added another crown in the 100 butterfly.

Bonine again won the 50 and 100 freestyle at the 1999 MWC Championships and picked up another title in the 100 breaststroke. She then won the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly at the 2000 MWC Championships and was part of the winning 200 freestyle relay team.

With Bonine leading the way, the Lawrence women finished second at the 2000 MWC Championships and took third in team standings in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

Bonine also won nine Wisconsin Private College Championships titles during her career. She took the 50 freestyle twice, won the 100 freestyle once, took the 100 breaststroke twice, won the 200 breaststroke once and was part of a winning 200 freestyle relay team.

Bonine, who earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and chemistry, led Lawrence to Private College Championships team titles in both 1999 and 2000.

Bonine earned her doctorate in cancer biology at Vanderbilt University, also did post-doctorate work in biochemistry. She is an assistant professor in molecular biology at the University of the South. Bonine and her husband, Richard, live in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and have a daughter, Anara.

Muhs runs to MWC cross country award

Lawrence University cross country standout Emily Muhs has been named the Midwest Conference

Emily Muhs

Cross Country Performer of the Week.

Muhs (Janesville, Wis./Craig) raced to a career-best fourth-place finish at the UW-Whitewater Invitational this past Saturday. Muhs ran to a time of 24 minutes, 17 seconds, on the difficult 6,000-meter course.

Led by Muhs, an All-Midwest Conference honoree last season, Lawrence took fourth place in the team standings.

This is the first time a Lawrence women’s runner has been named cross country performer of the week since Colleen Detjens took home the award on Oct. 11, 2005.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when it travels to the Roy Griak Invitational at the University of Minnesota.

Vikings travel to St. Norbert on Saturday

The Lawrence University football team travels to St. Norbert College on Saturday to take on the Green Knights in the inaugural season at Schneider Stadium.

Lawrence looks to bounce back after dropping a tough 30-25 decision to Monmouth College last Saturday. The Green Knights are coming off a 49-0 drubbing of Knox College.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Game preview

Pechan wins title at Ripon Invitational

BERLIN, Wis. – Lawrence University freshman John Pechan won the title at the Ripon College Invitational on Sunday at Mascoutin Golf Club.

Pechan, who earned his first career victory, carded scores of 79 on Saturday and 75 on Sunday on the par-72 layout. His score of 154 was three shots better than St. Norbert College’s Jacob Hebbard, who finished second at 157.

Senior Jon Mays finished fifth for Lawrence, which took second in the team standings.

Complete results