The Highlights

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Mazur leads five Lawrence selections to all-conference football team

Tyler Mazur led the Lawrence University football team’s five selections to the All-Midwest Conference team.

Mazur (Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg), a senior wide receiver, was selected for the first team. Senior running back Ben Hartman (Portage, Wis./Portage) was a second-team selection on special teams, and sophomore wide receiver Dominique Dirden (Lancaster, Calif./Eastside), senior linebacker Jon Hope (Eagle River, Wis./Northland Pines) and junior defensive back Sam Wagner (Salem, Wis./Burlington Catholic Central) all received honorable mention.

Mazur, an all-conference selection in 2011, caught 53 passes for 1,139 yards and 13 touchdowns. Mazur led the Midwest Conference at 113.9 receiving yards per game. He finished sixth at 5.3 catches per contest and averaged a league-best 21.5 yards per catch. Mazur was fourth in the conference in scoring at 8.0 points per game and was the top receiver in that category.

Mazur, who had two 200-yard receiving games this season, became the first Lawrence player to post 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Zach Michael did it back in 2003. Mazur finished his career with 2,253 receiving yards despite being a wide receiver for only two seasons.

Mazur finished his career ranked fourth in receiving yards, fifth in catches (130), fifth in touchdown catches (25), fourth in total touchdowns (37) and fifth in points (224).

Hartman was honored on the all-conference team for the first time. Hartman finished fourth in the conference by averaging 19.1 yards per kickoff return and had a season-long 46-yard return against Monmouth College. Hartman finished third in the conference at 130.0 all-purpose yards per game.

Hartman ran 104 times for 597 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged a hefty 5.7 yards per carry and finished 10th in the league at 59.7 rushing yards per game. Hartman also caught 19 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown.

Dirden also was chosen for the all-conference team for the first time. He led the team with 58 catches and finished with 624 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Dirden finished third in the conference at 5.8 catches per game and was ninth at 62.4 receiving yards per contest.

Hope, who earned his first all-conference recognition, led the Vikings with 92 tackles and finished fifth in the conference at 9.2 tackles per game. Hope recorded double figures in tackles in four games, including a career-high 14 tackles against both Illinois College and Monmouth. Hope, who had 4.0 tackles for loss, also had a team-best three interceptions.

Chosen for the all-conference team for the first time, Wagner played half the season with a broken hand. Wagner led the Vikings with 12 pass breakups and 14 passes defensed. He finished second in the league at 1.40 passes defensed per game. Wagner, who finished with 39 tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss, recorded two interceptions. Wagner also recovered a fumble, forced a fumble and blocked a kick.

Lawrence finished the season with a 2-8 record.

Inside LU Athletics: Lawrence cagers have lofty expectations

Joel DePagter doesn’t expect perfection from the Lawrence University men’s basketball team, but that is exactly what his players are shooting for.

The Lawrence head coach knows that winning every game in a season that starts Thursday when the Vikings host UW-Stevens Point is just about impossible. DePagter then quickly points out that his team’s leaders, swingman Chris Siebert, forward Conor Klusendorf and guard Brian Gryskiewicz, don’t think about anything other than winning.

“It’s a long season and we’re going to have some bumps in the road, but Conor, Brian and Chris don’t expect to lose any games and that’s a great mindset to have,” DePagter said. “For us to be great, we need those guys to do whatever it takes to win and not just score points.”

This team’s strength lies with its guards, depth and experience. It all starts with Siebert, an all-Midwest Conference selection last season and one of the league’s most versatile performers.

“To do great things, Chris Siebert has to have a great year,” DePagter said. “That doesn’t mean Chris needs to score 30 points a game, but he needs to lead the team, get rebounds and he’s doing those things in practice right now.”

Siebert led the team in scoring last season at 16.6 points per game and assists at 4.0 per contest. The junior from Baraboo also added 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest to his versatile floor game.

Gryskiewicz, also a junior, brings a gritty determination, and DePagter said he has had a great first month of practice. Klusendorf, one of only two seniors on the squad, brings an athletic impact to the frontcourt with dunks on offense and blocks on defense.

“We have an experienced group back,” DePagter said. “We lost an all-conference player (Tyler Crisman), but collectively we’re a more mature, seasoned group. Guys work on things in the off-season, but experience is one thing you can’t work on.”

Lawrence also returns the sizable presence of junior Davis DeWolfe in the paint. The 6-foot-7 junior from Green Bay averaged 10.4 points and a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game last year. The other starter figures to be sophomore guard Ryan DePouw, who showed flashes of brilliance in his sixth man role last season.

“Our starting five is a pretty balanced group,” DePagter said. “We have some guys who can shoot it. We have some toughness with our point guard. We’re a bigger, more physical team than we were last year.”

The Vikings also boast more depth and size off the bench than they’ve had in recent seasons. The Vikings can bring instant offense when junior guard Max Burgess checks in, and junior Tom Antosz also has valuable experience. Lawrence also has freshmen guards Jamie Nikitas and Troy Miller battling for playing time.

“Max is as good a shooter as you will ever see and he has experience,” DePagter said. “He has played key minutes in big games and proven he can play on the big stage.”

The Vikings also got an addition to the squad on Monday when junior swingman Tyler Mazur rejoined the team. Mazur, who just completed a 1,000-yard receiving season with the football team, averaged 4.7 points and shot 42.5 percent on 3-pointers last year.

The Vikings add to the athleticism up front with 6-5 junior Chase Nelson and a trio of freshmen, led by Appleton native Trace Sonnleitner and including Connor Weas and Zach Ricchiuto.

“Trace plays harder than most freshman play. To have another local player is exciting and it allows people to see him continue his career,” said DePagter, citing local players like Rob Nenahlo, Jason Holinbeck and Andy Hurley, who all starred for the Vikings in the last decade.

“Our talent level from top to bottom is improved from the past couple of years. Not only do we have numbers, we have quality in those numbers.”

The Vikings will get a huge test Thursday when they open with the Pointers, ranked 15th in the d3hoops.com preseason top 25.

“Goals don’t change, have never changed since I came back in 1999 to be the assistant,” DePagter said. “What changes is how likely it is to reach those goals. Being so young overall of the past few years we knew it was going to be challenging.”

Milestone for Mazur

Standout wide receiver Tyler Mazur had another huge game in the season finale against Ripon last Saturday. Mazur had six catches for 222 yards and three touchdowns. It was the third 200-yard receiving game of Mazur’s career and the second in three weeks for the Reedsburg, Wis., native.

Mazur finished the season with 53 catches for 1,139 yards and became the first Lawrence player to post 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Zach Michael did it back in 2003. Mazur finished his career with 2,253 receiving yards despite being a wide receiver for only two seasons.

Mazur finished his career ranked fourth in receiving yards, fifth in catches (130), fifth in touchdown catches (25), fourth in total touchdowns (37) and fifth in points (224).

Hartman finishes in style 

Senior running back Ben Hartman finished his football career with perhaps his finest day for Lawrence. The Portage, Wis., native ran 14 times for a career-high 125 yards and two touchdowns in the season finale against Ripon. Hartman finished the season with 104 carries for 597 yards for a hefty 5.7-yard average.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a notes package written by Lawrence University Director of Athletic Media Relations 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 rally for wild 8-6 win over Northland

ASHLAND, Wis. — The Lawrence University hockey team won a wild 8-6 Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association shootout with Northland College on Saturday at the Bay Area Civic Center.

Lawrence (2-2-0, 2-2-0 MCHA) trailed 3-0 early, rallied for a 6-3 lead and then needed a penalty shot and empty-net goal to seal the victory over the Lumberjacks (0-4-0, 0-4-0).

Erik Soderlund scored a pair of goals for the Vikings, and Logan Lemirande and Rudi Pino both had three points. Senior goaltender Michael Baldino came on in relief and made 16 saves to pick up the victory for Lawrence.

Lawrence trailed 3-0 until Lemirande scored on the power play at the 17:44 mark of the first period. That started a run of six consecutive goals by the Vikings as Soderlund scored twice and Gustav Lindgren, Phil Bushbacher and Brandon Boelter all added goals to give Lawrence a 6-3 lead with 6:22 left in the second period.

The Lumberjacks came back and scored a power-play goal to cut the lead to 6-4 after two periods. Northland was 2-for-6 on the power play and Lawrence was 3-for-4.

Kraig Wright and Louis Labbe both scored for Northland in the first 6:32 of the third period to tie the score at 6-6.

Lawrence then got a penalty shot goal from freshman Matt Moore at the 12:24 mark to grab a 7-6 edge. It was the first penalty shot goal for the Vikings since Jon Bellotti scored at Adrian College on Jan. 23, 2010.

The Lumberbacks pulled goaltender Vincent DiCarlo late, and Brad Scurfield scored an empty-netter with 13 seconds left to seal the victory. DiCarlo made 35 saves as the Vikings piled up a 43-33 advantage in shots.

Lawrence swept the weekend road series, winning Friday’s night’s game 10-1.

Box score

Gabriel, Flack lead Vikings in battle with Whitewater

Evan Flack and Hannah Gabriel both won a pair of events Saturday to lead the Lawrence University swim teams in their dual meet with UW-Whitewater.

The Warhawks won the women’s meet 132-61, and Whitewater took the men’s meet 118-76.

Flack swam to victory in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:54.82 and won the 100 freestyle in 50.33 seconds.

Gabriel took the top spot in the 200 freestyle in 2:02.91 and swam to victory in the 500 freestyle in 5:29.43. Gabriel also teamed with Taylor Winter, Emily Flack and Chelsea Hameister to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:46.76.

Results

Carlile, Bruning pace Vikings at Midwest Regional

WINNECONNE, Wis. — Curran Carlile and Clare Bruning were the top finishers for the Lawrence University cross country teams on Saturday at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championships at Lake Breeze Golf Course.

Carlile paced the Lawrence men by finishing 70th on the 8,000-meter course in 26:05.74. The Vikings finished 16th among the 39 teams.

Bruning finished 83rd to lead the Lawrence women. She completed the 6,000-meter course in 23:53.54. Lawrence finished 30th among the 40 teams.

Men’s results

Women’s results

Ripon edges Lawrence in wild football finale

In one of the wilder games in Lawrence University’s storied football rivalry with Ripon College, the Red Hawks pulled out a 56-55 Midwest Conference victory in the season finale in the Banta Bowl.

In the 112th meeting between the teams, Ripon (5-5, 5-4 MWC) scored a touchdown with 33 seconds left to rally from a 13-point deficit in the final 9:53.

Lawrence (2-8, 2-7) rolled up 583 yards of offense, and the Vikings were led by senior wide receiver Tyler Mazur and senior running back Ben Hartman. Mazur caught six passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns, and Hartman ran 14 times for 125 yards for a hefty 8.9-yard average and two touchdowns.

Max Herrmann paced Ripon with 21 carries for 140 yards, and quarterback Tom Sawyer had 22 carries for 107 yards.

Lawrence grabbed a 55-42 lead when quarterback Luke Barthelmess connected with Mazur for a 64-yard touchdown pass with 9:53 remaining in the game. The Lawrence defense then forced a three-and-out, but Dominique Dirden muffed Marshall Zahn’s punt and Ripon recovered at the Lawrence 10-yard line.

The Red Hawks scored two plays later on Michael Crusan’s six-yard run to trim the lead to 55-49 with 8:17 left.

After a penalty forced Lawrence to start at its own three-yard line on the ensuing drive, the Vikings moved to their own 26. Barthelmess then ripped off a 41-yard run but the play was called back by a holding penalty. Lawrence was forced to punt, and Ripon took over at its own 43.

Ripon moved 57 yards in 10 plays with Hermann plunging in from a yard out. Jacob Gahart added the extra point to give Ripon the 56-55 lead.

Lawrence got the ball back at its own 32 after the kickoff, but Ripon forced a fourth-down interception to end the game.

The Vikings scored on three of their four possessions in the opening quarter. Lawrence got a 59-yard touchdown catch from Mazur, a 21-yard scoring run from Hartman and a 17-yard touchdown run from Scott Vandeloo and led 20-7.

The teams then traded touchdowns as Mazur caught a 28-yard scoring pass, and Vandeloo added a five-yard touchdown run. Lawrence, which missed two consecutive extra points, went for two after Vandeloo’s touchdown as Mazur ran it in for a 34-21 lead at the half.

After a missed Ripon field goal, Lawrence took its opening possession of the second half and scored on Hartman’s five-yard touchdown run. The key play in the drive was Mazur’s 35-yard catch to the Ripon nine-yard line.

The teams then traded touchdowns as Dirden caught a 46-yard scoring pass, and Lawrence led 48-35 after three quarters.

Junior defensive end Andy Paider made a career-high 16 tackles, including a sack, for Lawrence. He also forced and recovered a fumble. Freshman defensive back Alex Opgenorth added 13 tackles and an interception for the Vikings.

The 111 combined points is the most in a game in Lawrence football history. The previous high was 105, which was done last week at Knox College.

Box score

Vikings explode for 10-1 win over Northland

ASHLAND, Wis. — The Lawrence University hockey team exploded for nine goals in the final two periods Friday night and rolled to a 10-1 Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association victory over Northland College.

Lawrence (1-2-0, 1-2-0 MCHA) got a pair of goals from both senior Brad Scurfield and freshman Rudi Pino. Peter Emery made 15 saves to pick up the win.

The game was tied 1-1 early in the second period when Phil Bushbacher scored on the power play to give Lawrence a 2-1 edge at the 5:38 mark.

Pino then got his first collegiate goal at the 10:04 mark, and the Vikings racked up three more goals in the next 5:34. Scurfield and Gustav Lindgren scored, and freshman Matt Moore capped the outburst with his first collegiate goal, a short-hander, at the 15:39 mark for a 6-1 lead.

Lawrence made it 7-1 on Derek Brickan’s first goal of the season early in the period, and Scurfield added a power-play goal midway through the period for an 8-1 edge.

The Vikings added goals from William Thoren and Pino in the final 5:06 to cap the scoring.

The 10 goals is the most for Lawrence since a 10-5 victory over Concordia (Wis.) University back on Jan. 19, 2008.

Mason Riley allowed all 10 goals, made 39 saves and took the loss for Northland (0-3-0, 0-3-0). Lawrence held a 49-16 edge in shots on goal.

Box score