Inside LU Athletics

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Inside LU Athletics: Vikings receive all-conference accolades

Three Lawrence University football players have been selected for the All-Midwest Conference team.

Quarterback Luke Barthelmess (Appleton, Wis./Principia) and defensive back Sam Wagner (Salem, Wis./Burlington Catholic Central) were both chosen for the second team, and wide receiver Dan Dubnicka (Slinger, Wis./Slinger) received honorable mention.

Wagner was chosen for the all-conference team for the second consecutive year after receiving honorable mention in 2012. Wagner led the squad with 89 tackles, including 8.0 tackles for loss. Wagner, who finished fifth in the conference in tackles per game, also had one interception and six passes defensed. A two-way player, Wagner saw significant action at wide receiver. Wagner finished with 23 catches for 435 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged an impressive 18.9 yards per catch.

Barthelmess was chosen for the all-conference team for the first time while completing a record-setting career at quarterback. Barthelmess completed 193 of 346 passes for 2,133 yards and 14 touchdowns. He finished second in the league at 213.3 passing yards per game.

Barthelmess also ran 177 times for 889 yards and two touchdowns. Barthelmess, who averaged 5.0 yards per carry, finished eighth in the conference at 88.9 yards per game. Barthelmess also finished first in the league in total offense at 302.2 yards per game. Barthelmess climbed to ninth in Lawrence history with 1,819 rushing yards.

Barthelmess, who is Lawrence’s career leader in a number of passing categories, completed 648 of 1,181 passes in his career. He finished fourth in conference history with 8,190 passing yards. Barthelmess’ 62 touchdown passes ranks seventh in league history.

Dubnicka was honored on the all-conference team for the first time. Dubnicka caught 49 passes for 662 yards and four touchdowns. He finished fourth in the conference at 4.9 catches per game and was fifth in the league at 66.2 receiving yards per game.

Deremo, Salansky picked

Men’s soccer standouts Stephen Salansky and Michael Deremo have been named to the All-MWC team.

Salansky (Parker, Colo./Legend), a junior defender, and Deremo (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township), a freshman forward, were both chosen for the second team.

Salansky has been selected for the all-conference team in both of his seasons at Lawrence. He was a first-team selection in 2012. Salansky picked up goals against both Beloit College and Monmouth College, which were both Lawrence victories, and had an assist in the Vikings’ win over Cornell College. He finished the season with five points.

Deremo led the Vikings in goals, assists and points during his rookie season. Deremo scored five goals and picked up seven assists for 17 points. Deremo’s seven assists is the second-highest season total in Lawrence history. James Kimball set the record of eight assists back in 1987.

M&M are all-conference

Women’s soccer standouts Keli Muchowski and Casey Merkle were both chosen for the All-MWC team.

Muchowski (Neenah, Wis./Neenah), a junior forward, was named to the second team, and Merkle (Barrington, Ill./Barrington), a freshman midfielder, received honorable mention.

Muchowski was named to the second team for the second consecutive season. She led Lawrence in goals and points. Muchowski scored nine goals and picked up one assist for 19 points and recorded her first career hat trick in Lawrence’s 3-1 victory at Knox College.

Merkle quickly became the team’s playmaker during her rookie season. She scored three goals and picked up a team-high five assists for 11 points.

Swimming power

The Lawrence swim teams recently took part in the Ted Mullin Hour of Power Relay. The Hour of Power is a cancer research fundraiser in which Lawrence participates every year.

Over the first seven years of this event, the Hour of Power has raised more than $410,000 to support research at the University of Chicago into the causes and treatment of sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer, in young people.

First started to honor former Carleton College swimmer Ted Mullin, who passed away in the fall of 2006 from sarcoma, the Hour of Power has grown from 15 teams in its first year to 171 teams in 2012 with 8,300 participating athletes.

Classroom stars

Both Lawrence soccer teams have again won a Team Academic Award for the 2012-13 academic year from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. To be eligible for the award, a team must have a grade point average of at least 3.0. The Lawrence women had a GPA of 3.41 and the men were at 3.29. This marks the ninth consecutive year both teams have won the award. It’s the 12th time since 2000 the Lawrence women have won it, and the 11th time for the men during the same period.

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.

Inside LU Athletics: Experienced Vikings ready for challenging season

Joel DePagter likes his team. It’s not that he simply likes how they play or the amount of talent they have. He genuinely likes his team, and that fact should make the upcoming season a lot of fun.

The Lawrence University men’s basketball coach and his Vikings open their season Friday when they host Wisconsin Lutheran College, and Lawrence then travels to No. 4 UW-Stevens Point on Saturday. The games this weekend are part of what DePagter hopes is an enjoyable next four months.

“It’s important that we enjoy the process. You can’t just go from point A to the conference tournament without enjoying getting there,” DePagter said. “I love these guys. It makes every day fun to be around them. They know they can do it, and I believe in this team. Now we just need to go and do what we do.”

Lawrence, which has its sights set on getting back to the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament, is built around its eight seniors, led by two-time All-Midwest Conference guard Chris Siebert. Siebert led the Vikings in scoring last season at 15.1 points per game and was tops on the squad at 3.9 assists per contest.

“Chris can put the team on his back every once in a while because of his talent,” said DePagter, who was quick to add, “we’re a better team when Chris is one of the guys and we’re not trying to do everything through him.”

In addition to Siebert, Lawrence has experienced and talented seniors in point guard Brian Gryszkiewicz, shooters Tyler Mazur and Max Burgess and big men Davis DeWolfe and Chase Nelson.

“Most importantly, a strength of ours has to be the experience with the number of guys and the minutes they’ve played,” DePagter said. “Being able to have all those guys back  is crucial. Expectations are high for these guys. They’ve been in a lot of situations, but it doesn’t change that we have to get better in some areas.”

Add to the senior class returning junior forward Ryan DePouw, who started every game last year and averaged 10.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest. The Vikings also bring back junior swingman Andrew Borresen and three sophomores, Jamie Nikitas, Trace Sonnleitner and Troy Miller, who all played big roles as rookies.

“My job, and it might be my hardest job, is to find out how to use our weapons the right way. That is something that will take some time in these nonconference games,” DePagter said.

“We need everybody to step up, not just the guys who are starting. There will be games where we play 12, 13, 14 guys, and that’s going to be tough to manage. Our strength is our numbers. We will bring some guys off the bench that could be guys who could easily start.”

Lawrence came close to reaching the tournament last season when the Vikings tied for fourth place and then lost out on a tiebreaker. The league is tough from top to bottom again this season, and St. Norbert College is definitely the favorite to repeat as champions.

“Being honest, (St. Norbert is) far and way the favorite. After that, I think there are four or five teams that could take second place. At the same time, those four or five teams could take sixth or seventh place,” DePagter said.

“We have a team, that if we do some things, we are going to be a tough team to beat. We learned the hard way last year in some ways. One game in November can cost you your season. The guys have been incredibly focused because of what happened last year, and the way we ended last season.”

Two straight for Barthelmess

Lawrence quarterback Luke Barthelmess earned his third Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor in the wake of the Vikings’ victory this past Saturday.

Barthelmess threw the game-winning touchdown pass on the game’s final play to give Lawrence a 23-20 victory over Knox  in the Banta Bowl. With three seconds left, Barthelmess took the snap, scrambled to his right and then completed a 17-yard touchdown pass to his younger brother, Issac, who made a beautiful diving catch near the pylon.

It was the 59th touchdown pass of his career, which ties Barthelmess with All-American Jim Petran for the Lawrence record. On the day, Barthelmess was 30 of 47 for 312 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 12 times for 81 yards and a touchdown. On the final drive, Barthelmess was 5-for-8 passing for 69 yards.

This is the third time this season and the second consecutive week that Barthelmess has been named a conference player of the week. Barthelmess earned the honor last week against Grinnell College and picked up the honor in the second week of the season for his performance against Lake Forest College.

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.

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings get fresh start with Wellman

The last few seasons have been rough for the Lawrence University women’s basketball team, but the Vikings get a fresh start for the upcoming campaign with a new leader.

Head coach Ashley Wellman took over this past April, and she is focused on the future, just not too far into the future.

“It is a one-game-at-a-time mentality,” said Wellman, who came to Lawrence after being the assistant at Alma College since 2008. “I don’t want our team focusing on a game in the future. We have to take it one game at a time and focus on these little goals in each game. If we do that, we will be surprised at our overall record at the end of the season.”

Wellman and the Vikings open the season on Nov. 16 when they host Eureka College at Alexander Gymnasium. As Lawrence jumped into practice last month, Wellman knew there was rebuilding to be done, and the Vikings have definitely rolled up their sleeves.

“We’ve been hitting it hard,” Wellman said. “We’re playing with a lot more grit and guts. We want them to fight hard for everything.

“I think it’s gone very well. The players have really helped me make the transition easier. They have stepped up in terms of leadership and helped bring the two new freshmen along. My assistants have helped me also. They have helped me get my feet wet. Coach (Megan) Rollo has helped me determine where we are in comparison to last year.”

The Vikings return five of their top six scorers from a season ago, but Lawrence’s improvement will hinge on how well senior guards Amber Lisowe and Alex Deshler play. Lisowe led the team in scoring last season, and Deshler was second in scoring and tops in rebounding.

“We need Amber and Alex to be better on both ends of the floor,” Wellman said. “First, they need to step up a little more in their roles, not necessarily scoring, but in their leadership roles, and we need them to step up defensively.”

Lisowe averaged 13.9 points per game last season and 5.6 rebounds. She hit a team-high 43 3-pointers and led the team at 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

“Amber just constantly works her butt off when she’s on the court,” Wellman said. “On both ends of the court, she will get something done.”

Deshler was at 10.5 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds per game last season. She tied Lisowe for the team lead at 1.7 steals per game and was second at 2.2 assists per contest.

“Alex really thrives under intensity. Alex is definitely a gamer,” Wellman said.

The Vikings also return a host of sophomores who will all play significant roles. Forwards Katie Schumacher and Patsy Kealey played big roles as freshmen, and Andrea Wilkinson, Jeannine Schulz and Margaret Johnson all saw serious action. Juniors Kassidy Rinehart and Beth Hoster are also back, and Rinehart started 20 games last season.

“One thing we have been harping on in practice is consistency,” Wellman said. “When you have a young team, it’s going to be a bit of rollercoaster.”

The Vikings got an unexpected addition to the team in freshman Kanae Nishitani, who is at Lawrence as part of an exchange program with Waseda University in Japan. Nishitani fills the point guard spot, which was a patchwork last year. The Vikings didn’t have a true point guard last year, and were hurt by too many turnovers with played forced into a difficult role.

“Our point guard spot is going to be better than it was last season, but we are not going to be very deep,” Wellman said. “Kanae has been handling the point guard spot well and she’s been our most surprising player thus far.”

Barthelmess honored

Senior quarterback Luke Barthelmess picked up a pair of honors this week. Barthelmess was named the Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week and then received honorable mention on the USA College Football national team of the week.

Barthelmess was chosen for the honor after rushing for more than 100 yards and throwing for more than 300 in Lawrence’s tough 24-21 loss to Grinnell College this past Saturday. Barthelmess, who recorded his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season, ran 17 times for a season-high 131 yards. He also completed 32 of 50 passes for a season-high 337 yards and three touchdowns. Barthelmess now has 57 career touchdown passes, just three shy of breaking Lawrence’s career record of 59, set by All-American Jim Petran.

It was the sixth 100-yard rushing game of Barthelmess’ career, and he was just one yard shy of tying his career high of 132 rushing yard, which he set in the 2012 season opener against Cornell College.

Seventh heaven

The Lawrence cross country teams ran away with seven All-Midwest Conference runners at last weekend’s MWC Championships.

Sophomore Clare Bruning led the four Lawrence women who made the all-conference team, which is the top-20 finishers at the league championships. Bruning finished sixth, freshman Amy Hutchings was ninth, sophomore Cora Williams was 19th and sophomore Liz Landes was 20th.

On the men’s side, Lawrence had three all-conference runners as Jamie Brisbois, Kyle Dockery and Jonah Laursen finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

The seven all-conference runners is the most for the Vikings under head coach Jason Fast and the most since 2011, when Lawrence had six (five men, one woman).

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.

 

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings set to take a run at some titles

The Lawrence University cross country program heads to the Midwest Conference Championships this weekend with both barrels loaded.

Both the Lawrence women’s and men’s teams are gunning for the title on Saturday at Oakland Acres Golf Club in Grinnell, Iowa.

“I think both teams have a shot to win,” said Lawrence coach Jason Fast, who saw his men finish second and the women take eighth place in 2012. “I’m more excited for this conference meet more than I have been for any other. To have both the men’s and women’s teams competing for conference titles isn’t something that happens every year. It has the potential to be a very special weekend.”

The Lawrence men figured to be near the top of the league, but it has been the women who are raising eyebrows across the conference. The Lawrence women won the title at the Concordia (Wis.) Falcon Invitational and helped win the combined team title at the Wisconsin Lutheran Invitational.

“Coming into the year I knew we were going to be a lot better,” Fast said of the women’s squad. “As the year went on it became obvious that our returners put in a lot of time over the summer to improve themselves. Combine that with some stellar performances from some freshmen, and that has really made the difference.”

Sophomore Clare Bruning was Lawrence’s lone returning all-conference runner after placing seventh, the top finish by a freshman, in the championships last season. Bruning is again in top form, but the Vikings have had numerous other runners take a step forward.

“Since last year the team has come so far as a whole,” Bruning said. “It’s not just me out front on my own anymore, now there’s a whole pack of us, pushing each other and encouraging each other. We’re really close, on the course in terms of running as well as our team dynamic off the course.”

Bruning is the only Lawrence runner with a top-10 time in the conference, but the Vikings have six runners in the top 20. Lawrence is the only team with that depth up front.

“This is probably one of the more competitive teams I’ve ever seen with regards to having such a tight one-to-seven spread,” Fast said. “We’ve had four different runners finish as our top runner.”

Bruning ranks 10th in the league with a season-best time over 6,000 meters of 23:27, and the rest of the Vikings are tightly bunched behind her. Freshman Amy Hutchings ranks 12th (23:47), sophomore Liz Landes is 13th (23:49), freshman Elin Karlsson is 17th (24:04), sophomore Cora Williams is 19th (24:06) and freshman Kristen Bischel is 20th (24:06).

“Whenever you place your team at or near the front, it’s going to be discouraging to other teams,” Fast said. “That’s definitely our plan, to pack up and push near the front and force teams to beat us or beat whoever we have to in the second half of the race.”

The Vikings’ top-five runners have been separated by as little as 28 seconds and just eight places during a meet this season. Bruning said this team is taking care of each other and they are running like a family.

“I feel like it’s all been building into a crescendo that’s going to culminate at the conference meet this weekend,” Bruning said. “We’re going into it with our eyes on the prize. We have a shot at the title, and we really want it. We’re heading to Grinnell with a goal, and hopefully we’ll return with a trophy.”

The Lawrence men are faced with trying to defeat a talented Grinnell team on its home course. The Vikings do have the firepower to do that, with returning all-conference runners Curran Carlile, Kyle Dockery and Jamie Brisbois and sophomore standout Jonah Laursen.

“On the guys side, we need to have our best race,” Fast said. “I would say our team this year has been a team of wild cards. We could be really good if we could get everybody together on the right day. We’re the only team in the conference that has the potential to beat Grinnell.”

Brisbois is leading the men’s pack right now and was just named the MWC Performer of the Week after turning in the sixth-fastest time in the conference at 8,000 meters (26:40).

“As a team, we have a lot of talent and a lot of as of yet unrealized potential,” Brisbois said. “To be a top-three team and give Grinnell a run for their money, we need our top group of runners to stay together and stay competitive during the tough middle miles of the race.  If we can accomplish this, I think we can do some damage this weekend.”

Swimmers sweep honors

Lawrence swept the conference’s first Swimmer of the Week awards. Hayley Cardinal won the women’s award, and Evan Flack took the men’s award. Cardinal won two events (100-yard breaststroke, 200 individual medley) and swam on a winning relay team (200 medley) as Lawrence opened its season with an impressive 143-54 dual meet victory over Beloit last Saturday. Flack also won two events (100 and 200 freestyle) and swam on a winning relay (200 freestyle) against the Bucs.

Climbing the list

Senior quarterback Luke Barthelmess continues to climb the conference’s career passing yards list and now ranks eighth in league history. Barthelmess passed former St. Norbert stars Cody Craig  (7,181) and Ryan Hartman (7,218) last Saturday and now has 7,256 passing yards heading into this weekend’s home game vs. Grinnell. He is just 65 yards from passing former Ripon star Paul Brandenburg (7,320) for seventh place and just 195 from another former Ripon standout, Eric Rich (7,450).

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.

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings embark on new era in revamped NCHA

This season will be like starting over for the Lawrence University hockey team, and that exactly what the Vikings needed.

Lawrence is now in the new-look Northern Collegiate Hockey Association and is attempting to rebound from a difficult 2012-13 campaign that saw the Vikings lose nine one-goal games.

“This group has a lot to prove,” said Lawrence coach Mike Szkdozinski, who enters his eighth season with the Vikings. “We simply let too many opportunities slip away last season. We need to take those experiences and learn from them. We return a lot of bodies, but that only matters if we apply the lessons we learned last year.”

The Vikings do return an impressive list of players, including seven of their top-10 scorers from a season ago and all six of the regular defensemen. While Lawrence was incredibly young last season, the Vikings are still young but vastly more experienced.

The offense lost all-conference forward Brad Scurfield to graduation, but the Vikings return leading scorer Logan Lemirande, who was named to the all-freshmen team last season. Lemriande had 27 points last season and is joined up front by sophomore forward Rudi Pino, who had 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points as a rookie.

“Logan Lemirande and Rudi Pino have a chance to be very, very good players at this level,” Szkodzinski said. “They both skate well and have good instincts. They will need to execute more consistently to reach their potential. As a whole, we feel we are as deep as we have been in our forward lines if everyone stays healthy.”

Throw in sophomores Renato Engler and Matt Moore to go with seniors like Paul Zuke and Huck Saunders and the Vikings have quality scorers on every line.

Sophomore Brandon Boelter, who was named captain this season, leads a talented group of defenseman. Boelter was named to both the all-conference and all-freshmen teams last season after scoring six goals and handing out 15 assists for 21 points. The Vikings also have former all-conference pick William Thoren back for his senior season and talented juniors Kevin Killian and Erik Soderlund.

“We didn’t lose anyone on the back end to graduation. That should help us,” Szkodzinski said. “William Thoren has something to prove after a below-average season last year. Brandon Boelter and Kevin Killian should be strong and physical. Again, if we can stay healthy, we like our group of 6 on the blue line.”

The big question mark comes in goal for the Vikings. Lawrence returns former starter Peter Emery, who had a spectacular rookie season in 2011-12, and fellow junior Anton Olsson. Szkodzinski said the competition for goaltending job is wide open.

“For the first time in several years, we have no idea who will be in the net on opening night,” Szkodzinski said. “That’s not a bad thing. It is a challenge for both Peter and Anton. We definitely need someone to step up and take control. To this point, the two are neck-and-neck. We need some one to prove that they want to be the guy. That is crucial to our success this year.”

The Vikings will need to step up their game if they want to have more success in the new NCHA, a product of the abandonment of the old league by the five Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schools. With the addition of national powerhouse St. Norbert College and perennial top-15 team St. Scholastica, the league is now arguably the best in all of Division III.

“Adding St. Scholastica and St. Norbert is tremendous for our conference,” Szkodzinski said. “It will raise the level of play just like Adrian did when they joined our conference. Our conference will feature great teams and each night will be a true battle. There will be zero gimmies in the NCHA.”

To have a successful season, Szkodzinski said his team will have to take care of the small things to create the bigger picture.

“We need to focus on details,” Szkodzinski said. “We need to finish every play. We need to be committed to doing things the right way on every single shift. We need to take the lessons learned and use them. We need to stop talking and prove that we are capable of finishing games this year.”

Brisbois honored

Cross country standout Jamie Brisbois has been named the Midwest Conference Performer of the Week.

Brisbois took the honor after a stellar performance at the UW-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational this past Saturday. Brisbois covered the 8,000-meter course at Lake Breeze Golf Club in 26:22.25, which was a personal record for the senior. Brisbois placed 102nd in a field of 566 runners and now owns the sixth-fastest time in the league this season.

Passing two grand

Libero Kathleen Rowland, already Lawrence’s career digs leader, recently passed 2,000 digs. Rowland, a senior from Champaign, Ill., now has 2,084 digs for her career. Rowland just moved ahead of former Lake Forest College standout Meghan Miller (2,083) for ninth place on the Midwest Conference’s career list.

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.

 

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings face critical stretch on volleyball court

This is a big week for the Lawrence University volleyball team.

With three Midwest Conference matches in five days, the next week will have a huge influence on whether the Vikings earn a berth in the four-team MWC Tournament.

“We have three matches in five days, and those three matches are going to have a significant bearing on whether we finish in the top four or not,” Lawrence coach Matt Schoultz said. “There’s a lot on those three matches.”

Lawrence enters this critical stretch of play with an 8-13 mark and a 3-2 record in the league. The Vikings have won three of their last four conference matches, with the only loss coming to No. 22 Cornell College, which is unbeaten at 6-0.

The Vikings host Lake Forest College (3-2 MWC) on Friday and then host Beloit College (1-3 MWC) on Saturday. Lawrence then entertains St. Norbert College (2-2 MWC) next Tuesday.

“They’re all winnable matches for us, but they are not going to be easy. It seems like anyone can beat anyone on any given night this year, with the exception of Cornell,” Schoultz said.

“We’re playing pretty well right now. The girls have some good confidence built up. Our tough nonconference schedule is beginning to pay dividends right now. It definitely prepared us for conference play.”

Lawrence put itself in this position by shutting out both Ripon College and Illinois College last week, and senior setter Diane McLeod was named the MWC Offensive Player of the Week. For the week, McLeod averaged 12.5 assists per set and helped the Vikings hit .281 as a team.

All that came as part of a difficult personal week for McLeod, who was grieving after the loss of her grandfather, who was an ardent Lawrence fan.

“She really surprised me. She was going through a lot with grandfather,” Schoultz said of McLeod. “I said to her after the Ripon match that her grandfather would have been proud.”

With McLeod directing the attack, Lawrence the Vikings have hit .178 as a team over the last five matches, as opposed to .128 over the first 16. Lawrence also continues to send a diverse attack at opponents with hitters Terese Swords, Megan Conley, Kayla Storm, Andrea Wilkinson and Betsy Sorensen giving the Vikings multiple options.

“We’ve had different people step up in different matches with kills,” Schoultz said. “It’s a lot harder to defend a team that can attack you in a lot of different ways. Over the past few weeks, we’ve had strong showings from different players in different matches.”

The defense has also progressively improved during the season. Opponents are hitting just .132 against Lawrence in the last five matches. The ringleader of the defensive effort is all-conference libero Kathleen Rowland.

“She’s a rock back there,” Schoultz said of Rowland. “She saves us a lot. Just the defensive mindset she brings to our team. The defense is a big part of why we are being successful.”

Couple the improving offense with the solid defense, and it gives the Vikings an opportunity to reach the league tournament.

“That’s definitely the goal,” Schoultz said of reaching the MWC Tournament. “We set that early in our season as one of the goals we want to achieve.”

Vikings at MWC meet

The Lawrence women’s tennis team heads to the MWC Championships this weekend in Madison.

Since Lawrence missed out on playing in the four-team tournament on Friday, the best the Vikings can finish is fifth place. Lawrence, which took seventh last season, is looking for its first singles or doubles title since 2011 when the Vikings won three titles.

The top records on the team belong to Hannah Geoffrey, who went 8-6 at No. 2 singles, and Melissa Heeren, who was 9-7 while playing anywhere from No. 4 to No. 6.

The top doubles mark on the squad belongs to Polly Dalton and Gayatri Malhotra, who were 8-7 at No. 2. Geoffrey and Ali Heiring were next with a 7-9 mark at No. 1.

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.

Inside LU Athletics: Barthelmess, Vikings running down football opponents

Lawrence University quarterback Luke Barthelmess is a pure passer. Right? Of course he is because the guy holds virtually every Lawrence passing record. Right?

While Barthelmess has put up prolific passing numbers in his first three seasons, he has shown during this campaign that passing isn’t his only talent. The senior signal-caller is one of the top runners in the Midwest Conference as well as being one of its best passers.

“Luke is an athlete who can throw,” said Lawrence coach Mike Barthelmess, who is Luke’s father. “Being a passer is not his greatest talent. He’s going to move the football, but I think he’s more comfortable moving the football with his legs.”

Coach Barthelmess knew entering this season that his team would have to run the football more effectively. Coach Barthelmess had lost record-setting receiver Tyler Mazur to graduation, and the Vikings have struggled defensively for the past few seasons.

“We knew we were going to have to run the football, No. 1 to keep the defense off the field and No. 2 because we don’t have a lot of speed at the receiver position,” coach Barthlemess said. “We’ve tailored our game plan, our play-calling to that.”

Using a variety of plays that call for Luke to read the defense, Lawrence ranks seventh in the conference at 166.0 rushing yards per game. With its top two running backs gone from last season, the Vikings are averaging 17.2 more rushing yards this year.

“Honestly, I think with my mentality as a football player, I’m probably more suited to play running back,” Luke said. “If I had a different body shape, I’d probably be playing running back. If I ran for a good amount of yards in the past it’s because I was scrambling off the pass.”

Luke is the top rushing quarterback in the league and ranks sixth in the conference at 108.5 yards per game. Luke has more rushing yards through four weeks of this season (434) than he had all of last season (423). He also is averaging a hefty 4.8 yards per carry.

Barthelmess also has completed 97 of 147 passes for 822 yards and ranks third in the league at 205.5 passing yards per game.

The offensive line of tackles Spencer Swick and Luke Zablocki, center Nic Bouressa and guards Nick Schubert and Patrick Pierson deserve a lot of the credit, Luke said.

“When we run the ball in games, we do a lot of read stuff so it requires our guys to be smart,” Luke said. “In general, there’s just more space to run. I don’t know how to explain it, but the offensive line is either thinking as one or selling out for each other. I don’t know, there’s something there.”

Luke also notes that he has become more comfortable over the years running the ball. He recalled a game back in high school where he took what the defense gave him and that was large chunks of yardage with him running the ball. From that point, Luke has just taken the ball and run with it, so to speak.

“From there it’s been a slow progression of running and getting better at it,” Luke said. “I’m just more comfortable having the ball in my hands and running. This summer, I did put in some work knowing I was going to have to run the ball. … I’m channeling my inner Eddie Lacy.”

While the Vikings have moved the ball effectively all season, they have had trouble finishing drives. Lawrence ranks second in the nation in time of possession at 38:22, but the Vikings are averaging only 13.5 points.

Coach Barthelmess said he needs to continue to take advantage of running the ball in the red zone to cash in on some more scoring chances. He admits he lapses into a pass-first mentality at times.

“Our strength right now is running the ball,” he said. “It’s been very much of a growing experience for me to realize as a good play caller you have be willing to take what the defense gives you and what your people are capable of.”

Paider honored

Lawrence football standout Andy Paider picked up a pair of honors this week in the wake of his performance last Saturday against Illinois College.

A senior linebacker from Denmark, Wis., Paider was named the Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week and was given honorable mention on the NCAA Division III team of the week selected by USA College Football.

Paider had a career-high 7.0 tackles for loss and had a season-best 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops. The 7.0 TFLs, which included 2.0 sacks, was a season high in the conference this season.

Paider now has 12.0 TFLs on the season and 30.0 for his career, and that ranks fifth on Lawrence’s career list.

More hardware

The Lawrence cross country teams picked up the huge traveling trophy for the combined team title at the Wisconsin Lutheran Invitational this past Saturday.

Both teams finished second and Lawrence posted a combined score of 185. NAIA school Trinity Christian from the Chicago suburbs was second at 207.

Lawrence is putting together a good season with three top-four finishes for both the men and women in four meets this season. The Vikings also won the team titles at the Concordia (Wis.) Invitational earlier this season.

Soccer MASH unit

Injuries continue to pile up for the men’s soccer team as the Vikings are now without three senior starters.

Defenders Dan O’Mahoney and Kelson Warner join forward Cam Pieper and midfielder Joe Cullen on the injury report. While Warner, Pieper and Cullen are out for the season, O’Mahoney may return late in the campaign.

The Vikings have been playing as many as nine first-year players at one time this season. The good news is Lawrence is holding its own with a 4-6-1 overall mark against a quality schedule of opponents. The Vikings are 2-2-0 and in the thick of the race for a berth in the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament.

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.

Inside LU Athletics: Five to be inducted into Lawrence Hall of Fame

APPLETON, Wis. — Five former Lawrence University athletic stars are set to be inducted into the school’s Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame next month.

Hans Hartwig ’35, John Bill ’79, Dan Dreyfus ’87, Maggie Phillips Reeve ’96 and Mark Smrecek ’00 will be inducted in a ceremony at the Warch Campus Center on Oct. 4 and be honored at halftime of the Hall of Fame football game vs. Illinois College the following afternoon.

Hans Hartwig ’35

In the era of ironman football, Hans Hartwig was one of the finest players of the 1930s for Lawrence University.

A native of Wauwatosa, Wis., Hartwig starred in the offensive backfield and linebacker during his career for Vikings. He played three seasons of football (freshmen couldn’t play on the varsity then) for head coach Percy O. Clapp.

Playing in the single-wing offense, Hartwig started at three positions in the backfield during his career. He starred at halfback, fullback and quarterback as a multiple threat with his ability to both run and throw the football.

Hartwig earned all-conference honors as both a junior and senior. In the days before the Midwest Conference selected a team, Hartwig was named to the All-Big Three team in 1933 and was selected for the All-Big Four team in 1934.

Led by Hartwig and fellow Lawrence Hall of Famer George Walter ’36, Lawrence won the mythical Wisconsin collegiate championship by defeating Carroll, Ripon and Beloit in 1934.

A proverbial big man on campus, Hartwig also was a campus champion in both boxing and wrestling.

Hartwig, who earned a degree in chemistry, remained in the Fox Valley after his graduation from Lawrence. He went on to found Crystal Print, Inc., which continues to operate in nearby Little Chute. Hartwig and his wife, Joan, had two children, Chris and Tina. Hartwig passed away in May 1976, and his wife died in 1995.

John Bill ’79

John Bill was the ace of the pitching staff of the best baseball teams in Lawrence University history.

Led by Bill’s powerful right arm, the Vikings won two Midwest Conference championships and made the only two NCAA Division III regional appearances in Lawrence baseball history.

A native of Kenosha, Wis., Bill put together a career record of 23-12, and he continues to be Lawrence’s career wins leader more than 30 years after his graduation. A two-time All-Midwest Conference selection, Bill was honored by the league in 1978 and 1979.

Bill threw a school-record 235.2 innings and set the school career record with 151 strikeouts. He also tossed a school-record 25 complete games, which included two shutouts. Bill also threw a school-record six three-hit games and compiled a 4.32 earned run average.

Bill went 21-8 over his final three seasons after going 4-4 as a freshman. He holds the school season record for wins with his 8-2 record in 1978 and his 7-3 mark in 1979 ranks second. He threw a school-record eight complete games in 1979 on his way to a school-record 70.1 innings pitched.

A two-year team captain, Bill also played in the outfield and served as the team’s designated hitter when he wasn’t on the mound. He enjoyed his best season at the plate in 1978 when he led the team with a .350 batting average.

Bill, who earned a degree in economics at Lawrence, was a first-team Academic All-American in 1979. Bill also played one season of football in 1975 and was the team’s starting punter on a conference championship squad.

Bill and his wife, Teri, own Manchester Investments and live in Greendale, Wis. The Bills have two adult children, Jacob and Sara.

Dan Dreyfus ’87

Dan Dreyfus made stopping the opposition an art form and became the most prolific goalkeeper in Lawrence University history.

Dreyfus holds virtually every Lawrence goalkeeping record and was a key player when the Vikings won the 1985 Midwest Conference championship.

A native of Bogota, Colombia, Dreyfus played his high school soccer in Tallahassee, Fla. Dreyfus earned all-conference honors in 1985 as Lawrence defeated Knox College 3-0 for the league championship. Dreyfus set school and conference season records in 1985 with eight shutouts, a 0.45 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. The save percentage mark still stands as the conference record.

During his three years as the starter in net (1984-86), Lawrence put together a 25-10-1 record. The Vikings finished first (1985), second (1984) and third (1986) in the conference during those seasons.

A team captain and team Most Valuable Player during his career, Dreyfus set the school and conference career records with 18 shutouts, a 1.07 goals against average and an .839 save percentage. The save percentage record still stands as the conference mark.

Dreyfus works at Accenture in Arlington, Va. Dreyfus and his wife, Laura, live in Fairfax, Va., and have a son, Bryan.

Maggie Phillips Reeve ’96

Maggie Phillips stepped to the top of the podium at the Midwest Conference Championships 12 times during her swimming career at Lawrence University. A native of Shorewood, Wis., Phillips won five individual conference championships and was part of seven winning relay teams, and she did it all in just three seasons.

Part of a 3/2 nursing program, Phillips competed for only three years and was part of the group that elevated the Lawrence women’s swim team to consistently be one of the top-three squads in the conference.

Phillips set five individual school records and was part of multiple relay teams to set school records. Phillips continues to hold the 400-yard individual medley record and is part of the team that holds the mark in the 400 freestyle relay.

Phillips started her career with a flash of brilliance at the 1993 MWC Championships. She won individual titles in the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 400 IM and was part of the winning 200 freestyle and 400 medley relay teams.

Phillips came back in 1994 to win the conference championship in the 500 freestyle and swim on the winning 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams. She then won the 200 IM at the 1995 MWC Championships and was part of the winning 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay teams.

Phillips also was a 10-time champion at the Wisconsin Private College Championships, and the Vikings won the team title in all three seasons in which she competed (1993, 1994, 1995).

Phillips works as a nurse at UW Hospital. She and her husband, Jamie Reeve ’95, live in Shorewood and have three children, Olivia, Max and Lily.

Mark Smrecek ’00

Mark Smrecek was the rock of the offensive line during his four seasons with the Lawrence football team.

An Appleton native, Smrecek was a two-time USA Football All-American and a four-time All-Midwest Conference selection. A stalwart at guard and tackle, it is believed the Smrecek played every offensive snap from scrimmage, including a few at fullback during his four years at Lawrence. Smrecek also was pressed into action on defense in his final two seasons and would play several series on the defensive line in each game.

An Appleton native, Smrecek also was a standout thrower on Lawrence’s track and field team.

Smrecek is one of just six Lawrence football players to be a four-time all-conference selection. He was a first-team selection in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and made the second team in 2000. A football team captain, Smrecek also received honorable mention on the USA Football All-America team in 1999 and 2000.

Smrecek also competed for three years in track and field and was consistently one of the conference’s best throwers. Smrecek, who set the school record in the weight throw, placed in the weight throw and shot put at the conference’s indoor championships in 2000. He also placed in the shot put at the league’s outdoor championships in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Smrecek works as a consulting actuary at Towers Watson. He and his wife, Lela, have two children, Rosemary and Hazel, and live in Deerfield, Ill.

Inside LU Athletics: Lawrence running at full throttle

Jason Fast is a man whose team is following his plan.

The Lawrence University cross country coach has honed how he trains his teams through years of exposure to some of the best coaches in the nation.

Fast has seen adherence to the plan pay off in spades early this season as both of his teams have won a title.

“Their success echoes their commitment to our plan and our program,” said Fast, who has one Midwest Conference championship to his credit in his first four seasons as the head coach. “If you look up and down the line, everyone has gotten so much faster. It’s not just our top runners, it’s everyone on the team.”

That is especially evident with the Lawrence women’s squad. The Vikings finished eighth at the Midwest Conference Championships last season, and had one all-conference runner in seventh-place finisher Clare Bruning.

Bruning, a sophomore, hasn’t finished better than third on her own team in two meets this season. Sophomore Liz Landes turned in the finest race of her career this past weekend at the Concordia (Wis.) Invitational to lead the Vikings. In the opening race of the season at St. Norbert, it was senior Anna Ratliff that led the Lawrence pack.

It has truly been a pack mentality for the Lawrence women, whose top five runners were separated by just seven places at St. Norbert and by just 13 places at Concordia.

“It’s been really fun to watch (the women) race so far. It’s a great feeling to see all seven of your runners together,” Fast said. “They have all managed to stay near each other regardless of how each of them is feeling. There is a strength to their pack. They pull each other along and encourage each other.”

In addition to Bruning, Landes and Ratliff, the Vikings are also seeing fast performances from senior Katherine Dannecker and a pair of rookies, Kristen Bischel and Amy Hutchings. With the strong start, Lawrence now finds itself in a position to be one of the contenders in the conference.

“I don’t see anything really slowing us down,” Fast said. “One of main goals for this next month is to stay healthy and train smart.”

Lawrence finished second in the conference on the men’s side last year, but the Vikings lost former league champion Sam Stevens to graduation. The Vikings did return all-conference runners in Curran Carlile, Jamie Brisbois and Kyle Dockery, and they are building on that foundation.

“All of our returners made big jumps over the summer and made big steps,” Fast said. “They knew they had to. They all took responsibility. I feel like we’re a better team than we were last year, even without Sam.”

Making a huge leap forward has been sophomore Jonah Laursen, who has been Lawrence’s top runner in each of the first two races. Laursen took second on the four-mile course at St. Norbert and then grabbed fourth at Concordia and led Lawrence to the team title. Sophomore Cam Davies also is a runner to watch as he improved on his personal-best 8K time by more than a minute last Saturday.

“Having seen them every day in workouts and what they’re doing, I’m not surprised by what they’re doing on the race course,” Fast said of his teams.

“Both teams have work to do, but we are definitely in position to do good things. We’re also ahead of where we last year at this time.”

Topping 100 again

Lawrence quarterback Luke Barthelmess was named the Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for more than 100 yards and passing for nearly 300 in the one-point loss to Lake Forest last Saturday.

Barthelmess also topped the 100-yard rushing mark in the opener against Cornell, and he is the first Lawrence back to rush for more than 100 yards in consecutive games since Craig Ebert did it in the final two games of the 2008 season.

Barthelmess ran 21 times for 124 yards, a 5.9-yard average, against the Foresters. He completed 24 of 36 passes for 284 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. The touchdown pass gave Barthelmess 50 for his career, tying him with Eric Aspenson for second place on Lawrence’s career list.

Swords selected

Sophomore outside hitter Terese Swords was named to the all-tournament team at the Associated Colleges of the Midwest Invitational last weekend at Luther College.

For the four matches, Swords hit .320 and piled up 41 kills, an average of 3.4 per set. She also picked up six blocks and 11 digs.

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.

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings enter new football season with fresh approach

This is Mike Barthelmess’ second season as the Lawrence University football coach, but it probably feels a lot like starting over again.

The Vikings lost nearly 20 seniors, almost all of which were major contributors, and the coaching staff is almost entirely new as only secondary coach Jeff Jansen returns. The turnover in the coaching staff also hurt recruiting, and the Vikings have only 14 new faces for 2013.

Despite what might seem like long odds for success, Barthelmess has confidence in his players and the coaching staff.

“I know there are people who think we won’t win a game. My expectations are higher than that,” Barthelmess said with a grin.

The Vikings went 2-8 a season ago, but included in that record was a one-point loss, a two-point loss and a four-point loss to conference champion Lake Forest College. With key players back all over the field, the Vikings are being cautiously optimistic.

The offense begins with senior quarterback Luke Barthelmess, the eldest son of the head coach. Luke Barthelmess owns nearly every Lawrence passing record and completed 162 of 304 passes for 2,292 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season.

While Luke Barthelmess is an accomplished passer with a Lawrence record 6,057 passing yards to his credit, it’s his feet that may make just as big a difference this season.

“It falls on his shoulders,” Mike Barthelmess said of Luke. “We’re going to probably depend more on his legs this year than we have in the past. We’re going to try to make use of his speed.”

Luke Barthelmess ran 125 times for 423 yards, an average of 3.4 yards per carry last season. With running back Ben Hartman lost to graduation, the Vikings are going to lean on new faces in the backfield, including Isaac Barthelmess, the former Appleton North High School standout and Luke’s younger brother.

“We have three strong running backs (Isaac Barthelmess, Dalton Sendelbach and Corey Fischer),” Mike Barthelmess said. “If we can continue to run the football, if we can split the running between Luke and the backfield, that’s going to help our passing game.”

The passing game also took a hit with the graduation of record-setting receiver Tyler Mazur. Lawrence does have experienced receivers in seniors Taylor Mandich and Dan Dubnicka to soften the blow, and the offensive line has three starters returning in tackles Spencer Swick of Kimberly and Luke Zablocki of Pulaski and center Nic Bouressa of Denmark.

While the offense was solid in 2012, the defense struggled and allowed 45.4 points per game. Mike Barthelmess believes the Vikings will improve on defense this season with a new coaching approach and an influx of talented newcomers.

“Everyone is really trying to work together on the defensive staff. I’m certain that we are going to be better on defense this season. That was a main focus going into this season,” Mike Barthelmess said. “The staff is great. I love my staff. It’s really, really fun going to work every day.”

The defense has All-Midwest Conference defensive back Sam Wagner in the secondary and talented linebackers Andy Paider of Denmark and Brandon Taylor. The defensive line will rotate returners Gabor Bukszar and Brady Busha with newcomers Jackson Straughn and Terrence Huff.

“We have a lot of experience coming back on defense,” Mike Barthlemess said. “We’re hoping that is going to be enough to beef up our defense.”

The key for the Vikings may come down to health. With just 39 players on the roster, Lawrence needs to keep its starters and key reserves on the field all season.

“Our whole philosophy from the beginning is we are going to be grateful for who we have,” said Mike Barthelmess, who said he has told the players to be fearless. “We have to make the best of what we have.”

Bushbacher inks deal with Chill

Former Lawrence University hockey standout Phil Bushbacher has signed a contract to play with the St. Charles (Mo.) Chill.

Bushbacher, a forward who graduated in June with a degree in government, becomes the ninth Lawrence player in the last five years to sign a pro contract.

In two seasons at Lawrence, Bushbacher played in 55 games and piled up 26 goals and 20 assists for 46 points. For his career, he played in 106 games with 42 goals and 33 assists for 75 points.

“He pretty much came into camp, and just dominated the camp,” Chill coach Jamie Rivers said. “He was physical, he put a lot of shots on goal, and he scored a lot of goals. He came in as an unknown, and he earned his spot in training camp.”

The Chill, which plays in the Central Hockey League, is one of 10 teams in that conference.

Laursen earns honor

Lawrence cross country standout Jonah Laursen has been named the Midwest Conference Performer of the Week.

Laursen (Traverse City, Mich./West), a sophomore, took second place at this past Saturday’s Tom Barry Invitational at St. Norbert College. Laursen covered the four-mile course at Colburn Park in Green Bay in 20:52.6. He ran nearly a minute faster than he did at the same meet as a freshman in 2012.

Led by Laursen, Lawrence finished fourth in the team standings with 111 points. This marks the first time in his career that Laursen has earned the conference’s weekly honor.

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.