Inside LU Athletics

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Inside LU Athletics: Vikings looking to take a step up on the track

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University track coach Jason Fast knows all about champions. He was one himself during his days of competition, and he’s coached countless conference and national champions.

When his Lawrence University track teams open competition on Friday at the Midwest Conference Championships in Beloit, Wis., Fast has several athletes fighting for individual titles. He also has dozens of other athletes competing for championships inside the championships, fighting to move up one place here or two places there to provide precious points for the Vikings.

“As a team it’s going to be a close competition for fifth to eighth place, and we see ourselves right in the middle of that,” Fast said of his men’s squad. “If we rise to the occasion as a team and have a couple of events go our way, then we will end up on the higher end of that spectrum. We have a good amount of entries that are currently ranked just outside the top eight who we believe will be able to step up and really help the team.”

The Lawrence men are paced by senior Sam Stevens, who is the defending champion in the 1,500 meters. Stevens will face stiff competition if he wants to repeat in the 1,500, and he also is a contender for two other titles Stevens is the top-ranked runner in the 3,000 steeplechase with a time of 9:28.57, and he has the second-fastest time in the league in the 5,000 at 15:14. 

The Vikings also will look to distance runners like Dan Thoresen and Jamie Brisbois to pick up points in a few events.

Freshman JP Ranumas is looking for a championship in the 110 hurdles and is tied for the second-fastest time in the league at 15.63 seconds. Ranumas also looks to pick up points for the Vikings in the triple jump.

Lawrence is led in the field events by sophomore Spencer Swick, who is ranked fourth in the shotput with a toss of 45 feet, 6 inches. Swick, Andy Paider and Nick Craker form the trio of throwers for Lawrence and could place in any of the throwing events.

Sophomore Anna Bolgrien is Lawrence’s returning champion on the women’s side after winning the 400 hurdles a season ago in 1:05.60. She enters the meet with the second-fastest time in the league at 1:05.75. The Vikings will be looking to place three athletes in the 400 hurdles because rookies Sofie Yang, ranked fifth in that event, and Hayley Cardinal, ranked 10th, give Lawrence a strong presence. 

Lawrence will need some strong performances throughout its lineup to move up from a seventh-place finish in 2012.

“We will be competing against Beloit and Knox for eighth place,” Fast said. “Our team has a lot more upside then those we are competing against, and we have some people in other events that are ready to step up and really turn some heads so that bodes well for us.”

Senior Rose Tepper looks to end her career with another conference championship in the high jump. Tepper is ranked fourth in the league at 5-3 and also is one of the top-eight runners in the league in the 200.

In addition to the 400 hurdles, Yang could pull down more points for the Vikings as she is ranked sixth in the pole vault and seventh in the 100 hurdles. Yang also has an outside shot at placing in the triple jump.

In the other field events, freshman Genna Matt set a school record recently in the hammer throw at 118-10 and also will try to place in the javelin.

Four honored in softball

In the wake of Lawrence’s second-place finish in the conference, three Vikings have been named to the all-conference softball squad and Kim Tatro earned North Division Coach of the Year honors.

Shannon Murray was selected as North Division Pitcher of the Year, and Cathy Kaye and Anna Wawiorka both were also chosen for the all-conference team.

Murray went 5-6 in conference play but posted an outstanding 2.17 earned run average. She struck out 39 and walked 12 in 67.2 innings. Murray also hit .513 in league play with four doubles and 11 runs batted in in 14 games.

Kaye hit .283 in league play and scored a team-high 10 runs. She also had two doubles, two homers and five RBIs. Wawiorka was second on the team with a .341 batting average in conference play with four doubles and five RBIs.

Tatro was honored as Coach of the Year for the seventh time in 20 seasons at Lawrence. Tatro, who has more wins than any coach in Lawrence history, led the team to 21 victories this season.

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 crash MWC championship party

Lawrence University softball star Cathy Kaye takes that old expression about running through a wall for her team pretty seriously. With Lawrence’s season hanging in the balance last weekend, Kaye went crashing into the fence at Ripon College to help her Vikings.

Faced with having to win all four league games this past Saturday and Sunday to earn a spot in the Midwest Conference Tournament, the Vikings swept Carroll University and Ripon College. It was Kaye’s catch against the Red Hawks that epitomized Lawrence’s go-for-broke attitude.

“Cathy made one of the best catches I’ve seen her make during her career, and she nearly got whiplash from crashing into the fence,” Lawrence coach Kim Tatro said. “She came in smiling with blood on her teeth.”

Lawrence earned its first MWC Tournament berth since 2006 by finishing second in the North Division. St. Norbert College won the North, and Lake Forest College won the South Division with Cornell College earning the other tournament berth.

The Vikings enter the tournament with a 19-13 record and take on Lake Forest (17-16) in the opening game at 10 a.m. on Friday at Mel Nicks Field in De Pere. Host school St. Norbert (19-13) takes on Cornell (18-14) in the other opening game. The double-elimination tournament concludes Saturday with the winner receiving an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

“It’s been a few years (since Lawrence played in the tournament), and we’ve been pretty close on different occasions. To actually accomplish it is a pretty good feeling,” Tatro said.

“It’s kind of like a fresh start in some ways. We’re getting some clutch hits. We’re getting good defense and pitching well enough to win.”

The Vikings went into last weekend’s must-win games without feeling the pressure. After all, no one really expected Lawrence to pull off a four-game sweep, did they?

“It’s one of those things that we didn’t talk about,” Tatro said. “Everyone knew for sure, the team looks at the standings and the web so I’m sure they were well aware of the task at hand. Our goal was to play relaxed and play loose. We seem to play much better when we’re in that mode. I think if you look at it as a hill you have to climb, it adds stress to your life.”

The Vikings got big performances from their three seniors, Kaye, pitcher Shannon Murray and catcher Gaelen Lombard-Knapp. In the four must-win games, Murray hit .583 with four runs batted in, and she went 2-0 with two saves and posted a 0.74 earned run average.

“You can’t say enough about Shannon with her pitching, hitting and coming in for saves. I think it’s really kind of magical for the seniors,” said Tatro, adding she’s had big contributions from the first-year players as well.

The Vikings are starting four freshmen, third baseman Anna Wawiorka (.320 batting average), designated player Taylor Dodson (.305), outfielder Tierney Duffy (.277) and outfielder Savanna Marsicek (.239).

‘”We had freshmen stepping up all over the place, and our seniors couldn’t have been better at Ripon,” Tatro said.

This past weekend is a microcosm of the Lawrence season. The Vikings seem to get knocked down time and again and always rise to meet the next challenge.

“I’ve said it before. they are very resilient, and they proved that this past weekend,” Tatro said. “It doesn’t get any better than that,” Tatro said.

“I give credit to all 19 players on the roster for their mentality and their contributions. I think we have to stick to the same approach. To get tight now would be foolish. It’s about being loose and relaxed, and we have a little bit of extra confidence.”

Golfers go for gold

The Lawrence golf team also is playing in the league championships, which start Thursday at Aldeen Golf Club in Rockford, Ill.

Lawrence, which finished seventh in the team standings in 2012, has two of the league’s top players in freshmen Rudi Pino and sophomore Anton Olsson.

Pino, who carded a career-low 68 this season, leads the league with a stroke average of 75.3 and Olsson isn’t far behind at 77.0. Both players will have a shot at the title but will have to contend with the likes of Carroll’s Cody Neu, Monmouth’s Britt Bothast and St. Norbert’s Joe Martin and Nic Vrubley.

The 54-hole tournament finishes up on Saturday.

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: Men’s tennis set for critical stretch of MWC play

The season, started so long ago last fall, boils down to the next five days for the Lawrence University men’s tennis team.

The Vikings have three Midwest Conference North Division matches in the next five days and that will determine if Lawrence gets to play for the league championship.

“We’ve got a lot of experience, and we are playing really well,” Lawrence coach Kevin Girard said. “We have to take it day-by-day, step-by-step. We want to win the North and win the whole thing. That’s the idea.”

Lawrence is currently 1-0 in the North Division (10-6 overall), and the top two teams from each division advance to the MWC Tournament. Those four teams then face off for the conference title. Lawrence is itching to get back into the tournament after just missing it the past two seasons.

“The team mantra or attitude is intensity and confidence,” Girard said. “Those are the key words we’ve been using. We instill that attitude for every single practice and every single match.”

Lawrence faces long-time rival Ripon College on Wednesday evening before traveling to Lake Forest College for another evening match on Friday. The Vikings then wrap up division play on Sunday against St. Norbert College, which is currently unbeaten in league play at 2-0, and the Green Knights have won four consecutive matches.

“St. Norbert, they always bring it against us,” Girard said. “They are a tough team. They have been playing really well.”

The Vikings bring a veteran presence to this quest to reach the conference tournament with seniors Cooper Smith, Jason Dunn and Max Zlevor playing Nos. 1-3 singles, respectively.

“It’s all about senior leadership, in my opinon,” Girard said. “They do a great job of keeping everyone in check but also letting the younger guys know when it’s time to get down to business. It’s what competition is all about.”

The rest of the lineup features sophomore Craig Sherwood, who was the MWC Player of the Week, at No. 4 singles, freshman Brian DeCorte at No. 5 and sophomore Jeremy Andereck at No. 6.

Lawrence’s leadership and talent was tested when the Vikings played five matches during spring break in Orlando, Fla., against some great competition. Girard believes the experience of those matches will now pay off. 

“It was basically to get us battle-tested for conference (play),” Girard said of the matches in Florida. “(The conference matches) are the matches that are the most important. We took some lumps down there, but it was getting us ready and knowing what you have to do to win a very important tennis match.”

Pro debut

Senior Phil Bushbacher made his professional hockey debut for the Louisana Ice Gators of the Southern Professional Hockey League earlier this month.

Bushbacher, a forward, played for the Ice Gators in their semifinal playoff series against the Huntsville Havoc.

Bushbacher is the ninth Lawrence player to play in the pro ranks in recent seasons. Matt Hughes, Jameson Raymond and Ben DiMarco all signed pro contracts after the 2011-12 season.

Schacht gets USTA honor

Former Lawrence tennis player Eric Schacht was recently honored by the United States Tennis Association. Schacht, who graduated in 1990 and played in the NCAA Division III Championships for Lawrence, won the Stanley Malless Award.

Now living in Champaign, Ill., Schacht won the award given to a volunteer for distinguished service in his or her district. Schacht led the formation of the Mahomet Community Tennis Association in 2009, and it has been a magnet for junior high and high school girls looking to play the game.

Schacht also has coached two girls’ high school teams and has been a volunteer women’s coach at the University of Illinois.

Pino wins golf award

Lawrence golf standout Rudi Pino was named the MWC Player of the Week after grabbed fourth place at the Marian Invitational. A freshman from Vancouver, Wash., Pino carded his collegiate-low round, a 4-under par 68, in the tournament’s first round at Morningstar Golfers Club in Waukesha, Wis. Pino followed that with a 75 for a 36-hole total of 143 to lead Lawrence to sixth place in the team standings.

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 put some bounce back in their game

It’s not often you open a season with a loss and hope that sets the tone for the campaign.

The Lawrence University softball team opened its season in Clermont, Fla., against the College of St. Scholastica, which won more than 30 games in 2012 and played in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The talented Saints blew out to a 6-0 lead, but the Vikings rallied and St. Scholastica had to hang on for a 6-5 win.

“To fight back — that kind of set the tone for the whole week,” said Lawrence coach Kim Tatro, now in her 20th season with the Vikings. “We can battle with anyone and that should be the goal. They kind of proved it all week. The consistency of their reslience is something we were pleased with. Hopefully, that sets us up for games up here with a different level of confidence.”

Lawrence finished its spring break trip with an 8-4 record, the best nonconference mark of any team in the Midwest Conference’s North Division. The Vikings won two games after trailing, including a 5-0 deficit to Geneseo State, and won two more games after being tied late.

“We played in a  lot of really close games, and in the past we probably would not have won half of those,” Tatro said. “Very resilient, battling. I felt like every game we were in we did battle back to win.”

That is a nice change from last season when the Vikings finished 9-22 and lost eight games by one or two runs.

“The biggest change I see, other than the talent level and the resilience, it’s a lot of the same people taking the next step to believe,” Tatro said. “That factor in and of itself can go a long way.”

The core of Lawrence’s team returned from last season and that group played well in Florida.

Senior pitcher/infielder Shannon Murray went 5-3 with three saves and a 2.47 earned run average despite dealing with an illness during the week. Murray, who hit .333, struck out 31 and walked only eight while allowing opponents to hit just .244. 

“Shannon was as solid as she’s been in her career,” Tatro said. “Not only was she winning game as a starter, but she came in in critical situations to save games.” 

Junior catcher Alex Chiodo led the team with a .393 batting average and tied with Murray and Cathy Kaye for the team lead with eight runs batted in. Kaye, a senior outfielder, hit .342 and smacked a team-high seven doubles. Sophomore pitcher Kara Vance went 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA and was part of two shutouts.

Lawrence also has a very talented freshmen class, and Tatro said many of the rookies played critical roles at different times and in different situations during that week. That is a great omen for the Vikings.

“We have a lot of options. A lot of people stepping up at different times,” Tatro said.

“When you have that ability, and people are actually stepping up and doing it, it just helps the team walk around with an air of confidence.”

The Vikings now have to wait for Mother Nature to cooperate so they can get back out on the field. The team spent several days clearing the field of snow, including drifts several feet deep.

“There is a lot of positive energy. We want to be outside and get back at it,” Tatro said. “There are a lot of things we can improve upon. We’re nowhere near where we can be on offense and defense. They are itching to get back out there to play. … It would be nice to get back at it with something other than a shovel.”

Lawrence is scheduled to play doubleheaders this weekend at the University of Chicago and Rockford College.

Big Benz

The Vikings knew they would have a hole in one spot in the lineup after the graduation of All-Midwest Conference third baseman Eric Bohling, but newcomer Aaron Benz has filled in quite nicely.

Benz, who is starting in the outfield, is currently on a team-best seven-game hitting streak. The junior, who transferred from UW-Oshkosh, is hitting .378 with a team-high 12 runs batted in. 

Sights set on big brother

Senior tennis player Jason Dunn picked up career singles win No. 51 when he won at No. 2 against Knox College last Saturday. Dunn, now in second place on Lawrence’s career list,  is just nine wins shy of tying his brother, Ryan, for the top spot.

The Vikings have seven scheduled matches remaining and the Midwest Conference Championships. Lawrence could play two additional dual matches if it qualifies for the MWC Team Tournament.

Inside LU Athletics: Pitching paces successful spring break trip

It didn’t take long for the Lawrence University baseball team to turn its season around.

After a traffic-filled, 30-hour bus ride to Fort Myers, Fla., the Vikings struggled out of the gate but earned a doubleheader split in their opening games with Lakeland College.

From that point, Lawrence’s pitching, offense and defense turned in a fine effort that allowed the Vikings to finish with a 6-3 spring break trip (the other two losses after the first day were both by one run). Lawrence currently has the best nonconference record among all Midwest Conference teams.

“If you take off the first game off the bus, we played pretty well,” Lawrence coach Jason Anderson said. “I was pretty pleased with the overall effort. We improved in every statistical category. The results look pretty good.”

The Vikings were led by their young pitching staff. In their final seven games in Florida, Lawrence pitchers put together a 2.87 earned run average. Lawrence pitchers also struck out 40 while walking only 14 in their final 53.1 innings. The Vikings allowed 28 hits and walked 25 on the opening day of the trip.

The Vikings have a core of three sophomore starters, Drew Doares, Atley Gay and Kelton Jenkins, leading the way.

“They looked like they were very experienced coming out,” Anderson said of that trio. “I wasn’t surprised when the games were happening, but when you look at the stats, those are surprising numbers.”

Jenkins made one start and tossed six shutout innings for a 0.00 ERA, and Gay went 1-0 in two starts (both Lawrence wins) with a 0.64 ERA. Doares went 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA and struck out 14 in 13 innings.

“The most positive thing that came from the trip, pitching-wise, was Alex Brewer solidified himself as the fourth starter, which is what we were missing last year,” Anderson said.

Brewer, a senior who started in right field last year and was a reliever, finished 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA in Florida.

“Our focus, in all honesty, was throwing two of the first three pitches for strikes and not walking anybody,” Anderson said. “Even with the tough first day, we walked 39 guys and struck out 52. It shows the guys have matured in the way we wanted them to.”

Anderson spreads the credit for that success to his three catchers, seniors Phil Wisniewski and Tanner DeBettencourt and junior Marc Linger.

“I have three excellent catchers who have taken over the pitch-calling duties,” Anderson said. “Not only do we work fast, but they see things that coaches can’t see from the dugout. Our pitch-calling has been top-notch since we got off the bus.”

While the pitching took a starring role on the trip, the Lawrence offense also posted some impressive numbers. The Vikings hit .354 for the nine games and also posted a rock solid .961 fielding percentage.

Senior outfielder Davide Harris led the Vikings with a .452 batting average and had an even better .575 on-base percentage after drawing a team-high nine walks. Senior shortstop Gabe Henriques wasn’t far behind with a .432 batting average with four doubles and 10 runs batted in and a team-high 12 runs scored.

Junior transfer Aaron Benz hit .382 with two doubles, a homer and a team-high 11 RBI. Wisniewski smacked a team-best eight doubles in nine games and hit .371.

“What we’ve been able to do this year is solidify our top six or seven guys immediately and put them out there and let them learn to play together,” Anderson said. “Our curve for winning games happened very fast. We had the same six or seven guys hitting in the same order.”

The Vikings will head to Iowa to face Central College this weekend since Whiting Field is still covered in snow. Lawrence is scheduled to play its home opener April 7 against Ripon College.

Home, sweet home

The Lawrence baseball, tennis and softball teams all had travel adventures returning home from their spring break trips in Florida.

The baseball team, which got caught in a massive traffic jam driving to Florida, narrowly missed a wreck with a semi-trailer in a snowstorm on the drive back. Fortunately, everyone arrived safely back in Appleton.

The men’s tennis team didn’t have any travel woes, but the Vikings had to hustle back from Orlando. Lawrence arrived back on campus just after 1 p.m. last Saturday and then went out to Fox Cities Racquet Club for a 4 p.m. match with Monmouth. Lawrence downed a talented Scots squad 6-3.

Softball was scheduled to fly out this past Sunday from Orlando but a nasty storm grounded the flight. Lawrence finally arrived back in Appleton late, late Sunday night. Just in time to get a few hours sleep and head to class on Monday morning.

Moving up

Senior tennis player Jason Dunn is closing in the No. 2 spot on Lawrence’s career wins list.

Dunn, who is 7-5 this season, won against Monmouth and now has 50 career victories. That puts him two wins shy of passing Caleb Ray for second place on the career list. Dunn could tie Ray with a win on Saturday against Knox College.

Dunn’s older brother, Ryan, is Lawrence’s career wins leader with 60.

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 finding the right mix on softball diamond

The Lawrence University softball team has yet to feel the warm sunshine on their faces, but coach Kim Tatro has seen enough to know her Vikings will be better this season.

“We’re definitely an improved squad. We can say that with complete confidence,” said Tatro, who enters her 20th season at Lawrence.

“It’s kind of a perfect storm of a good combination of returning talent supplemented with new talent. I always have to be cautiously optimistic, but I sure like where we are right now with as much as we can tell being in the gym.”

Lawrence finally gets outside when the Vikings begin play Friday at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. The Vikings are scheduled to play 12 games over eight days before returning home.

Lawrence, which went 9-22 last season, will rely on its mix of proven returning players and a host of stellar rookies. The Vikings have 20 players on the roster, making this the biggest squad Tatro has ever had.

“It’s nice to have a variety of potential lineups based on our roster size,” Tatro said. “That gives us some variables we haven’t had in the past.”

One thing that hasn’t changed from a season ago is the Vikings’ reliance on pitcher Shannon Murray. An All-Midwest Conference and All-Great Lakes Region selection last season, Murray will throw the bulk of the innings for the Vikings.

“Shannon looks terrific,” Tatro said. “Good leadership, quality performance, works as hard as anyone on the team. She’s a complete package.”

Murray went 8-14 a season ago with a 3.70 earned run average. She struck out 107 and walked only 19 last season in 143.2 innings. Murray also led the team with a .344 batting average and drove in a team-high 21 runs. She also led the team with nine doubles and two triples and she hit a pair of homers.

“We definitely need Shannon’s bat in the lineup,” Tatro said. “Whether it’s the DP (designated player) or at first base.”

The Vikings have more pitching options this season to support Murray. Sophomores Kara Vance and Liz Barthels are back, and the Vikings also have freshmen Katie Schumacher and Jessica Demski.

“I think they all have different strengths,” Tatro said of her pitching staff. “It’s nice to have options. We won’t know the answers until we play.”

The Vikings also have options behind the plate. After missing last season due to injury, senior Gaelen Lombard-Knapp is back. She was the starter behind the plate in 2011 when she hit .241 and drove in 13 runs. Junior Alex Chiodo started the bulk of the games behind the plate last season.

“Gaelen has done a nice job orchestrating the defense and calling things,” Tatro said. “The other person it’s nice to have back there is Alex Chiodo.”

The rest of the infield also has strong returning players. Junior Cory Paquette is back at second base after hitting .268 a season ago. Junior Alissa Geipel, who has started at third and in the outfield, has made a “really good” transition to shortstop, according to Tatro.

Murray, Schumacher and Chiodo could all see action at first depending on who is pitching. Freshman Anna Wawiorka looks to be manning the hot corner at third but could also fill in at catcher.

The outfield is anchored by senior Cathy Kaye, an all-conference and all-region selection during her career. Kaye hit .270 last season with seven doubles, a triple, a team-high four homers and 19 runs batted in. She also swiped 13 bases and was only caught once.

Kaye will be coupled with rookies Tierney Duffy and Savanna Marsicek in the outfield. The Vikings also have great depth in the outfield with returning players Mary Diduch and Brielle Bartes in the mix.

“The quickness, the arm strength of the two freshman (Duffy and Marsicek) and their abilities at the plate are outstanding,” Tatro said. “You couple those two with Anna and they could be the three fastest kids on the team.”

Tatro also is looking for a spot for freshman Taylor Dodson, who “right now she could be one of our most consistent hitters.”

“You don’t want to get so excited that you look past the fact that you have inexperience in the lineup, but when see their ability and what they do in practice day in and day out, you have to think that will transfer onto the field,” Tatro said. “I know we’re going to have some growing pains from time to time, but I like where we’re at right now.”

Tough trip

The Vikings will face some challenges when they begin play in Florida. Lawrence faces a host of teams that had success last season. Lawrence’s opponents in the Sunshine State averaged 20.5 wins last season and two of them had more than 30 victories.

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 build confidence in time for MCHA playoffs

The Lawrence University hockey team may have finally gotten over the proverbial hump.

After a season of dealing with close games and heart-wrenching losses, the Vikings won one close game and put together a gritty overtime tie last weekend to finish the regular season. Those three valuable points clinched home ice for this weekend’s Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs.

“Although we have lost close games and given away too many third-period leads, we improved in the third period this past weekend,” said Lawrence coach Mike Szkodzinski, who has seen his team lose nine one-goal games this season. “That will build confidence within the locker room. We were a young team at the beginning of the year and have learned to pay attention to the details more consistently as of late.”

The Vikings finished with a 7-15-3 record and took second in the MCHA’s Northern Division. Lawrence hosts Northland College (9-15-1) in a quarterfinal playoff series at the Appleton Family Ice Center. Friday’s game is at 7 p.m. and Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m.

Lawrence enters the playoffs coming off a pair of good performances against Lake Forest College, which travels to No. 15 MSOE in the other quarterfinal series. The Vikings needed that strong showing just to get into the playoffs and delivered.

“We have had a number of opportunities slip away from us this year and found ourselves fighting for a playoff spot,” Szkodzinski said. “Our guys didn’t blink. They battled and did what they needed to do this past weekend. We are proud of their resilience.  The trials they went through this year will only help us as we start the postseason.”

The Vikings enter the postseason with a goaltender coming off a pair of strong performances. Freshman Fabian Sivnert, a Swede who transferred at midseason from Bemidji State University, was in net for both games against Lake Forest. He posted a .961 save percentage and 1.44 goals against average and was named the MCHA Defensive Player of the Week.

“Every team needs a good goaltender to win come playoff time,” Szkodzinski said. “We feel that we have multiple good goaltenders, but Fabian is on top of his game right now. His play has given us confidence and allowed us to be more aggressive at every position. If he continues to play at the level he displayed this weekend, we have a much better chance to be successful.”

The Lawrence defense has been better over the last month, and the Vikings are allowing only 2.9 goals per game in their last eight contests. Part of that improvement comes from the penalty kill, where Lawrence is killing off power plays at an .875 clip in that same eight-game stretch.

On the flip side, Lawrence hasn’t been scoring as much recently despite averaging 40 shots per game in the last eight contests. The Vikings are averaging only 2.2 goals per game in that stretch.

“We are generating plenty of opportunities,” Szkodzinski said. “At this time of year, teams tend to stop the first shot, and it is the second opportunity that counts. We need to make sure we are shooting the puck and working to find the second chances. The only thing that needs to improve is our desire to get to the rebounds after the initial shot is taken.”

Lawrence has seniors and freshmen leading the team in scoring. Senior forward Phil Bushbacher is tops on the team with 13 goals and senior captain Brad Scurfield is next with 12. Three freshmen, Logan Lemirande (team-high 26 points), Rudi Pino (22 points) and Brandon Boelter (20 points) are in the top five on the squad in scoring.

“We are deeper up front than we have ever been, but at times, we have failed to stick to our d-first mentality,” Szkodzinski said. “We sometimes try to outscore opponents, and that has never been our strength.”

Szkodzinski commented after last Friday’s win that the game was won “in the Lawrence way.” The Vikings will need to continue that style in order to advance in the playoffs.

“This group knows what they are capable of when they are playing well,” Szkodzinski said. “They have also found out what can happen if they do not bring their best game or get distracted. Each year is a journey, and this year has been quite a ride.”

Klusendorf wins MWC honor

Senior forward Conor Klusendorf was named the MWC Player of the Week following a pair of Lawrence basketball wins last week.

For the week, Klusendorf averaged 21.0 points while shooting 65.4 percent (17-26) from the floor. He also averaged 6.5 rebounds per game and 1.0 blocks per contest.

In a 63-61 win at Lake Forest on Feb. 12, Klusendorf scored 21 points and grabbed five rebounds while hitting 8-of-13 shots from the floor. In a 114-106 overtime win over Grinnell College this past Saturday, Klusendorf again scored 21 points and hit 9-of-13 shots from the floor. He also grabbed eight rebounds.

Records fall

Lawrence swimmers broke seven school records at the Midwest Conference Championships last weekend.

Emily Flack set school records in the 100-yard backstroke (1:00.23) and 200 backstroke (2:10.12), and Hayley Cardinal set new marks in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.11) and 200 breaststroke (2:30.03).

Lawrence also set records in the 200 medley relay (1:53.20), 400 medley relay (4:06.51) and 800 freestyle relay (7:57.04).

Track headed to MWC meet

The Lawrence track teams are headed to the MWC Championships this weekend at Monmouth. Both Lawrence teams finished seventh a season ago, and the Vikings have several contenders for individual titles.

On the men’s side, senior Sam Stevens is a contender in both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters while freshman JP Ranumas is one of the top 60-meter hurdlers in the league.

Rose Tepper leads the women’s contingent and is looking for the title in the high jump. Freshman Clare Bruning could be a factor in the distance events and is coming off an all-conference cross country season.

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: No pain, no gain for Lawrence swimmers

 It all comes down to this.

After months of training, finding the limits of your endurance and punishing your body and mind, you finally get to go fast … really fast.

Lawrence University’s swimmers and divers look to reap the benefits of more than five months of hard labor at the weekend’s Midwest Conference Championships. The three-day meet begins Friday at Grinnell College.

“I expect some really strong performances, season bests, lifetime bests from top to bottom,” said Lawrence coach Drew Fleek, who saw both of his teams finish fourth at the championships a season ago.

The fast times that Fleek envisions are the direct result of the training regimen the Vikings follow.

“The main thing for these kids to be successful at the conference championships is months and months of progressive training,” Fleek said.

The Vikings start with building aerobic capacity and then seek to train their physiological system with repeats and threshold sets.

“We are trying to maximize their physical output and how much pain they can tolerate to get through the end of the race,” Fleek said. “My goal is to push them to the absolute limit so they can manage that pain mentally and physically.”

The brutal workouts resume when the Vikings return from winter break and continue through the dog days of January.

“It’s all an effort to get to this last part of the season. The first three or four weeks of the term we continue this difficult training,” Fleek said. “The overall goal is to break them down each afternoon workout so that they have just enough time to recover for the next day’s workout.”

Once the Vikings start closing in on the conference championships, they begin the taper in their training. The workouts get easier, and Fleek said the result is “it tricks the body.” That body has become accustomed to the punishing workouts and is still working with that in mind.

“When we get to the meet this weekend, the swimmers have the excess of energy. That’s why you’re able to see dramatic time drops at this time of the season,” Fleek said.

“The other thing is the championship atmosphere. All the pain and suffering and effort and all the morning practices … for this one three-day period where they just let it all out. That contributes a lot to the fast swims as well.”

Lawrence enters the league meet with a pair of returning champions on the women’s side. Junior Hannah Gabriel won the 200-yard freestyle in 2012, and sophomore Taylor Winter looks to defend her title in the 500 freestyle. Winter also has the top time in the league in the 1,650 freestyle.

Freshmen Emily Flack and Hayley Cardinal are also among the top swimmers in the league in multiple events. Flack is one the top backstrokers in the conference, and Cardinal is among the best in the breaststroke. The Vikings also bring top sprinter Julia Heller and Chelsea Hameister, one of the league’s best in the individual medley.

“All of those guys are doing to have some standout performances,” Fleek said. “Hayley, Emily Hannah and Taylor will all be competing for conference championships in their individual events as well.”

Depth is the big concern on the men’s side, but the Vikings have some individual standouts in Charlie Mann, Evan Flack, Jake Johnson, Nick Craker, Caleb Stellmach, Charlie Malchow, Tom Vogel, Patrick Vincent and Grant Wilkie.

“All the guys have a chance to score in at least one event,” Fleek said. “I think our freestyle relays are going to be very strong on the guys’ side.”

They’re baaaaack!

Lawrence wraps up its basketball season on Saturday when Grinnell College makes the visit to Alexander Gymnasium.

Apart from the entertainment value of Grinnell’s run-and-gun style, which has been toned down a bit (gone are the days of virtually uncontested layups against Grinnell’s defense), the game means a lot to the Pioneers.

A win against Lawrence would ensure that Grinnell would host the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament. Grinnell is currently tied with St. Norbert College for first place, and the Pioneers hold the tiebreaker.

Tip-off is set for 3 p.m., and admission to the game is free.

Playing for the playoffs

Lawrence hasn’t yet clinched a berth in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs heading into the final series of the regular season.

Lawrence faces Lake Forest College in a home-and-home series this weekend, with Friday’s game at the Appleton Family Ice Center. The Foresters are one of the league’s hottest teams (7-3-2 in their last 12 games), and the Vikings are on a season-worst five-game losing streak.

The top three teams from each of the MCHA’s two divisions make the playoffs, and the Vikings are tied with Northland College for third place in the Northern Division. Lawrence trails second-place Finlandia University by two points, but the Vikings hold the tiebreakers with both Northland and Finlandia.

While the Vikings have a tough test against Lake Forest, Finlandia has to travel to third-ranked Adrian College and Northland goes to No. 13 MSOE.

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: Talented trio of seniors lead strong tennis squad

The Lawrence University men’s tennis team finds itself in an enviable position as it prepares to open its season on Saturday.

While most teams would be happy to have one player capable of holding down the top spot in the singles lineup, Lawrence coach Kevin Girard has three that could get the job done.

The trio of seniors Jason Dunn, a Fond du Lac, Wis., native, Cooper Smith and Max Zlevor give the Vikings experience and talent at the top of the lineup. Lawrence opens its season with nonconference matches against UW-Oshkosh and Edgewood College this weekend.

“Jay, Max and Cooper are all very strong players, and depending on the day, any one of them could play (No. 1 singles),” said Girard, who enters his sixth season as the Vikings’ head coach.

“They’ve all got three seasons under their belts. They know what to expect. They all are very strong players, great leaders, and we’ve got a lot of depth with our younger guys.”

Dunn was the team’s No. 1 player a season ago and posted a 12-12 record. Zlevor played No. 2 and finished 10-16, and Smith played No. 4 and was 11-7.

Smith returned to campus playing some of the best tennis of his life and advanced to the third round of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Regional in the fall. Girard said challenge matches on the team will determine who plays where when the season begins, but there is a difference in this group of seniors.

“Max and Jay are more power players, and Cooper is more gritty, a great competitor,” Girard said. “We’ve got strength all through our lineup.”

In addition to the seniors at the top, the Vikings also return starters in junior Jeremy Andereck and sophomore Craig Sherwood. Andereck saw action at both Nos. 5 and 6 singles and posted an overall record of 7-12 last year. Sherwood went 9-15 during his rookie campaign and finished 9-15 playing mostly at No. 5.

“Jeremy and Cooper have shown the most improvement,” Girard said. “Jeremy is really playing well right now. He’s in late-season form a week in. He’s really confident and playing well. You can see it in his strokes and his body language.

“Craig is playing very well also. He has tons of talent. He needs to harness that and pick his spots of when to use his weapons because he has ton of them.”

The Vikings also have six newcomers to the roster, and at least one of them will step into a starter’s role.

“Brian DeCorte has stepped up as the freshman that is most likely to be in the lineup,” Girard said. “Very consistent, great ground strokes. He has to get some college tennis under his belt to see what it’s like.”

The Vikings return their top doubles team of Dunn and Zlevor, and Girard said Smith and Andereck will likely play No. 2 doubles and Sherwood and DeCorte should be the starters at No. 3.

With the strong lineup, the Vikings look like contenders in the revamped Midwest Conference North Division. With Cornell College joining the league, Lake Forest College is moving from the South Division to the North.

“I feel like we should definitely finish near the top of the conference,” Girard said. “The goal, as always, is to win the North, get in the (four-team conference) tournament and take it from there.”

Vikings picked for fourth

The Lawrence softball team has been picked to finish fourth in the North Division in a poll of Midwest Conference coaches.

Lawrence finished with a 9-22 record a season ago and brings back seven position starters and top pitcher Shannon Murray. The Vikings don’t begin play until March 15 with a series of 12 games in Clermont, Fla.

Carroll and St. Norbert were tied for first in the poll in the North Division, and newcomer Cornell was chosen to win the south.

Ranumas record

Freshman hurdler JP Ranumas broke the Lawrence record in the 60-meter hurdles this past Saturday at the UW-Stevens Point Invitational.

Ranumas, who hails from Winnetka, Ill., raced to a time of 8.76 seconds, breaking the mark of 8.78 that had stood since 1990.

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: Klusendorf takes his game to a new level

Conor Klusendorf is not your prototypical power forward.

Standing just about 6-foot-4, Klusendorf looks more like a high jumper than he does a guy mixing it up in the paint and doing basketball’s dirty work.

But that is exactly what Klusendorf has done this season as his game has grown from the perimeter to around and above the rim for the Lawrence University men’s basketball team.

“Plenty of times I’m going up against guys who outweigh me or are bigger, but if I can use my length and my athleticism, that levels the playing field,” said Klusendorf, a senior from Chicago.

Klusendorf is third on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game, but he ranks third in the Midwest Conference in field goal percentage at 60.9 percent. Klusendorf is taking more shots in the paint as he has seen his role expand closer to the basket.

“Conor thought of himself as a wing player coming in (to Lawrence), but his athletic ability is crazy for a Division III player. He can make up for stuff because of his athletic ability,” Lawrence coach Joel DePagter said. “With him playing in the post, he uses his quickness, and it makes other teams have to match up to us instead of the other way around.”

Klusendorf has turned up his production level since the Vikings returned from Christmas break. In his last four games, Klusendorf is averaging 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest. He attributes the improvement in his game to his work exclusively with the post players this season.

“I put up a nice little baby hook in practice, and from there it’s just really clicked,” Klusendorf said. “I know I can get ball in the post and be a threat down there.”

DePagter said he thinks of former Lawrence star Jon Mays, an all-conference selection in 2010-11, when he sees Klusendorf.

“I think you can draw some parallels with Jon Mays,” DePagter said. “Conor has put himself into a position where he went from being a role player to an all-conference player. Kids develop here and get better.”

Fans of the Vikings were used to Klusendorf turning in spectacular plays during his first three seasons at Lawrence. With tremendous leaping ability, Klusendorf was throwing down dunks on a regular basis.

“If it’s a steal and breakaway, I know I’m going up to dunk it,” Klusendorf said. “If it’s in the lane and it’s the Red Sea and totally opens up, then I know I can dunk it.”

“Our end-of-the-season banquet DVD wouldn’t be nearly as exciting without Conor Klusendorf in it,” DePagter said with a smile. “We’ve labeled him the human highlight reel.”

Klusendorf has worked hard to get to the point where he can rise up and make the crowd at Alexander Gymnasium gasp at another stunning dunk.

“The summer of my sophomore year (in high school) was the first year I dunked it. That was when I really started working on my legs and working out a lot. That really helped me out a lot,” Klusendorf said. “If you don’t work on it and don’t maintain it, you’re going to lose it. It’s not genetic. I’ve watched some of my Dad’s games (Dave Klusendorf was a standout at Loyola of Chicago in the mid-1980s) and he could probably dunk it. I wish I could say it was natural ability, but it’s taken a lot of hard work.”

Klusendorf isn’t just getting it done on the offensive end, he also has been a force on defense. Already Lawrence’s career blocks leader with 106, Klusendorf ranks fourth in the league at 1.4 per game. He also is sixth in the conference at 1.6 steals per game.

“The leaping ability has opened the door to get blocks. So much of it is timing and technique,” Klusendorf said. “It’s really nice because sometimes you see a guy going and see his eyes locked on the rim and he doesn’t see it coming. Especially at home, the reaction is just great. The crowd goes nuts.”

Klusendorf’s exuberance has been duly noted by the head coach, who has seen him take on new challenges with gusto.

“He’s kind of an Energizer bunny. If he doesn’t get in foul trouble, he can play 40 minutes,” DePagter said. “He’s done a great job. You couldn’t ask for anything more when he’s guarding 6-8 guys who have a hundred pounds on him. We have guys who are one-dimensional, but he has more than one dimension and that will make him tough to replace.”

Different year, same result

Junior guard Chris Siebert has made 17 of his last 18 free throws for a stellar 94.4 percent.

Siebert is up to 84.1 percent from the foul line this season, but he has a ways to go to break Jack Ehren’s school record of 90.9 percent set back in 1981-82. It was around this same time last season that Siebert hit 44 consecutive free throws.

National name

Freshman Logan Lemirande is near the top of the national statistics in NCAA Division III hockey.

The forward from Janesville is second in scoring by rookies at 1.27 points per game. He trails only Adrian College’s Shaquille Merasty, who is at 1.47. Lemirande also ranks fourth in the nation at 1.00 assists per game. Paul Rodrigues of Oswego State is first at 1.17.

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.