The Highlights

Scores, news and more from Lawrence University Athletics

Hughes, Raymond earn All-MCHA honors

Matt Hughes and Jameson Raymond have been named to the All-Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Team in a vote by league coaches.

Hughes (Goodrich, Mich.), a senior forward, and Raymond (Flint, Mich.), a senior defenseman, were both chosen for the first time.

Lawrence also had six players chosen for the academic all-conference team.

Hughes led the team with 12 goals in MCHA play, and he added 10 assists for 22 points. Hughes in tied for fifth in the conference in goals per game. On the season, Hughes has 15 goals and 11 assists for 26 points heading into this weekend’s Harris Cup semifinals.

Hughes ranks fourth in Lawrence history with 46 goals and is sixth with 90 points.

Raymond, who was named to the All-MCHA Freshman Team back in 2009, finished second in the league among scoring by defensemen. Raymond picked up three goals and 14 assists for 17 points in MCHA play. On the season, Raymond has three goals and 15 assists for 18 points.  

Raymond ranks fifth in school history with 54 assists and is ninth with 72 points.

Senior defenseman Jesse Byam-Katzman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and senior forward Ben DiMarco (Galveston, Texas) were both honored on the academic all-conference team for the third time.

Junior goaltender Michael Baldino (Woburn, Mass.) was named to the team for the second time, and junior goaltender Kevin Aslett (Portland, Ore.), junior forward Phil Bushbacher (Glenview, Ill.) and sophomore defenseman William Thoren (Gothenburg, Sweden) were all chosen for the first time.

To be eligible for the academic all-conference team, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore and have a minimum 3.0 grade point average.

Siebert, Crisman earn All-MWC basketball honors

Lawrence University men’s basketball standouts Chris Siebert and Tyler Crisman have been named to the All-Midwest Conference team in a vote by league coaches.

Siebert (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) was selected for the second team, and Crisman (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) received honorable mention.

This was the first all-conference selection for Seibert, a sophomore guard. Siebert averaged 16.4 points per game and that ranked sixth in conference play. Siebert was fourth in the conference at 4.2 assists per game, and he also averaged 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest.

Siebert shot 90.4 percent from the foul line and that led the conference. He also ranked seventh in 3-point shooting at 41.7 percent.

On the season, Siebert averaged 16.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Siebert shot 43 percent from the floor, including 41.6 percent on 3-pointers, and 88 percent from the foul line.

Crisman, a senior guard, received honorable mention for the second consecutive season. Crisman finished seventh in the conference in scoring at 16.2 points per game.

One of the league’s top 3-point shooters, Crisman was third in the conference at 2.8 3-pointers per game and ranked ninth in 3-point shooting at 40.2 percent. Crisman also averaged 2.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds and had a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.

On the season, Crisman averaged 16.1 points, 2.6 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game. Crisman shot 45.3 percent from the floor, including 39.7 percent on 3-pointers.

This marks the 18th consecutive season Lawrence has had at least one player chosen for the all-conference team.

 

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings set for Harris Cup showdown

The Lawrence University hockey team has reached the point of the season where it’s one and done so the Vikings are clearly focusing on the one and not the done.

Lawrence heads to Adrian College this weekend for the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Harris Cup semifinals. The Vikings face the host school, Adrian, in one of Saturday’s semifinals, and MSOE takes on Marian University in the other.

The prize at the end of Sunday’s championship game is the Harris Cup and a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

“As has been the case all year, one game at a time,” Lawrence head coach Mike Szkodzinski said. “It may be cliché, but at this time of the year, clichés are real.”

Lawrence (13-10-4) has embraced a certain style of play and has seen results by winning eight of its last 10.

“The real challenge this time of year is staying focused on the task at hand,” said Szkodzinski, who has 21 freshmen or sophomores on the team. “Our team has bought into the idea of focusing on the plan, and the results will take care of themselves. We have lofty goals, but we can’t reach those goals without taking care of what’s directly in front of us.”

Standing in Lawrence’s path is MCHA champion Adrian (19-5-1), the 2011 national runner-up. The sixth-ranked Bulldogs aren’t quite the scoring juggernaut they have been in recent seasons, but Adrian remains a formidable foe.

Slowing down Adrian is the task for freshman goaltender Peter Emery and the Lawrence defensemen.

“Our total team defense has been very consistent over the past 10 games,” Szkodzinski said. “Peter has been there when we need him, especially in overtime last Saturday, but our defense has also been there for him as well. Our program is built on solid team defense and we think we have the talent to execute that philosophy.”

Emery is 12-8-3 on the season with a 2.39 goals against average and .924 save percentage. Over the last 10 games to which Szkodzinski referred, Emery has been even better with a 1.97 GAA and .937 save percentage.

“We have been fairly consistent since the beginning of January,” Szkodzinski said. “We have really done a good job limiting the ‘grade A’ chances against us, and Emery has made some big stops at key times. The confidence in the defense has led to our forwards being a bit more aggressive in the offensive zone as well.”

Lawrence has seen an uptick in its offense in the last 10 games with an average of 3.6 goals per game. Over the first 17 games, the Vikings averaged only 2.7 goals per contest. That extra one goal per game has helped Lawrence forge an 8-1-1 record in the last 10 contests.

Junior forward Brad Scurfield has scored six goals and handed out 10 assists for 16 points in the last 10 games. On the season, Scurfield has 12 goals and a team-high 19 assists for a team-leading 31 points. Scurfield’s linemates, Matt Hughes (15-11-26) and Phil Bushbacher (13-12-25), are second and third, respectively, on the team in scoring.

The other factor that really stood out in Lawrence’s MCHA quarterfinal playoff series win over Finlandia University last weekend was the Vikings’ physical play. Lawrence took it to the Lions with some bone-crunching hits, and that seemed to set the tone for the Vikings’ play all weekend.

“We try to play aggressively in all three zones and part of that means taking the body,” Szkodzinski said. “We talk about ‘separating and eliminating’ the opponents from the puck and the play. To do that, we need to be physical and compete at a high level.”

The Vikings will need to play at that high level to beat any of the three teams this weekend. In Lawrence’s eight total games this season with Adrian, MSOE and Marian, the goal differential stands at zero. Lawrence lost a pair of 3-2 games in its only meetings with Adrian this season.

“Our big players need to make big plays at key moments,” Szkodzinski said of matchup against Adrian. “Our role players need to do their jobs relentlessly. If we execute our game plan, this will be a very competitive game once again and hopefully we can get a big play at the right time.”

Making the grade

The Lawrence cross country teams were named United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Scholar Teams for the third consecutive year.

The Lawrence women had a 3.40 team grade point average, and the men were at 3.38. To be eligible for the award, a team must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.10 through the fall term.

Stevens takes title

Junior Sam Stevens continued his great year by taking a title at the Midwest Conference Indoor Championships this past weekend. Stevens, who won the individual title and led Lawrence to the conference cross country championship in the fall, won the 5,000 meters in 15:21.93.

Stevens also ran to a third-place finish in the 3,000 and anchored the second-place distance medley relay team.

Bolgrien runs to record

Freshman Anna Bolgrien finished third in the 60-meter hurdles at the MWC Championships this past weekend and set a school record with a time of 9.58 seconds.

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.

Cross country teams capture academic honor

The Lawrence University men’s and women’s cross country teams have been named a United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Scholar Team.

This marks the third consecutive year both Lawrence teams have been honored for their academic achievement by the USTFCCA. To be eligible for the award, the team must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.10 through the fall term.

The Lawrence men had a grade point average of 3.38, and the Vikings were one of four men’s teams from the Midwest Conference to be honored.

The Lawrence women had a grade point average of 3.40 and were one of six teams from the Midwest Conference to make the grade.

The Lawrence men won the Midwest Conference championship and Sam Stevens was the league’s individual champion in 2011. The Lawrence women moved up to fifth place in the team standings in 2011.

MCHA Harris Cup preview

The Lawrence University hockey team travels to Adrian, Mich., for the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Harris Cup this weekend. Lawrence takes on sixth-ranked Adrian College in one semifinal on Saturday, and No. 10 MSOE faces Marian University in the other semifinal. The semifinal winners meet Sunday for the championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Preview

Lawrence men, women finish seventh at MWC Championships

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The Lawrence University men’s and women’s track team both finished seventh as the Midwest Conference Indoor Championships wrapped up on Saturday at the Bruner Center.

The Lawrence men finished with 37 points, and the women had 20.

The distance medley relay team led the way for the men on Saturday by finishing second in 10:42.41. Sam Stevens, who won the title in the 5,000 meters on Friday, finished third in the 3,000 on Saturday in 8:53.38.

Nick Kerkman grabbed sixth in the weight throw with a toss of 45 feet, 8 inches, and Mike Mangian was seventh in the 800 in 2:00.63.

On the women’s side, freshman Anna Bolgrien was the top finisher for the Vikings by racing to third place in the 60-meter hurdles in 9.58 seconds, which set a school record. Senior Emily Muhs grabbed eighth in the 3,000 in 10:55.47.

Results

Vikings rout MSOE

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s tennis team picked up its second win of the season with a 7-2 nonconference victory of the Milwaukee School of Engineering at the Olson Indoor Courts.

The Vikings swept the three doubles matches, and Jason Dunn, Max Zlevor, Caleb Ray and Cooper Smith all had victories in the Nos. 1-4 singles match.

Box score

Vikings tie Finlandia; Lawrence advances to Harris Cup semifinals

Is this case, a tie was just as good as a win.

Lawrence University forged a hard-fought 2-2 overtime tie on Saturday with Finlandia University, and that was enough to allow the Vikings to win this weekend’s Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association quarterfinal playoff series at the Appleton Family Ice Center.

Lawrence (13-10-4) beat Finlandia (7-18-1) 5-1 on Friday night and won the series with a 1-0-1 record. Lawrence advances to the Harris Cup semifinals next Saturday, March 3, at Adrian College.

The Vikings had to rally from a pair of deficits to earn the tie.

Alex Heinonen gave Finlandia a 1-0 lead just 3:23 into the game. Lawrence then tied the game at 1-1 on Matt Hughes’ goal at the 12:33 mark of the first.

Finlandia’s Clancy MacNeil got sent off for holding at 15:40 of the first, but it was Finlandia that took advantage. Dmitry Antipin scored a short-handed goal at 16:06 to give the Lions a 2-1 edge.

The score stayed that way until the 7:34 mark of the second period. Phil Bushbacher took a faceoff for Lawrence to the right of Finlandia goalkeeper Mike Wuthrich. The draw went toward the net, and Bushbacher battled to the puck and beat Wuthrich to tie the game at 2-2.

Finlandia thought it had tied the game late in the third period, but a Lions skater had kicked the puck into the net with his skate and the goal was waived off by the referee.

The Lions had a great chance in the final minute when a shot was redirected in front of the net by Travis Armstrong, but Lawrence goaltender Peter Emery made a spectacular save with 21 seconds left to preserve the tie.

Both teams had five shots in the overtime, and Lawrence did a nice job of keeping the puck in the Finlandia zone late. The Lions were looking to pull Wuthrich to get the game-winning goal because Finlandia needed a win to force a decisive mini-game to determine who would win the series. Lawrence kept the puck in the Finlandia zone in the final minute and ran out the clock.

Emery made 30 saves for the Vikings, and Wuthrich stopped 48 shots for Finlandia.

Box score

Stevens takes title in 5,000 at MWC Championships

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Sam Stevens raced to the title in the 5,000 meters on Friday’s opening day of the Midwest Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Bruner Center.

Stevens, a junior from Suamico, Wis., won the 5,000 in 15:21.93, beating Monmouth’s Jacob Barr by more than a second. Lawrence freshman Kyle Dockery grabbed fourth place in 15:47.30.

The Lawrence men are in eighth place in the team standings with 16 points.

Rose Tepper paced the Lawrence women by finishing second in the high jump. Tepper, a former conference champion in the event, grabbed second with a jump of 5 feet, 2.25 inches. The other top finisher for the Vikings was Emily Muhs, who raced to sixth place in the 5,000 in 18:51.79.

The Lawrence women are in seventh place in the team standings with 12 points.

Results