SWIMMERS PEAK IN FIRST HALF, NOW TAKE MONTH OFF

Two school records fell in the pool and numerous personal-bests were recorded as the men placed sixth and the women seventh at the DePauw Invitational held last weekend – the final swim meet before the holiday break.

“We were expecting to swim some of our best times of the season” said coach Dave Yez of the meet where his squad swam more than 50 season-bests. “We faced some of the toughest competition of the last four years Friday and Saturday.”

That competition brought out the best in the Scots, including freshman Krysta Sparks, who continued re-writing the record book in the breaststroke. She placed fifth in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke after setting the new school standard in the prelims of both events (1:09.89 and 2:32.45, respectively). She also placed sixth in the 200- individual medley after swimming a personal-best in the prelims (2:17.75). That mark is just four-tenths back of the school record.

Personal-bests were the rule of the weekend. Kendra Kuehl placed 14^th in the 200- backstroke and swam a personal-best in the prelims (2:25.16). She was 15^th in the 200- IM (2:17.75). Colleen Zumpf took 12^th in the 100- breaststroke after swimming a personal-best in the prelims (1:14.57). Rachel Buckham added two personal-bests, finishing 16^th in the 500- freestyle after posting a personal-best in the prelims (5:40.87) and placing 11^th in the 100- backstroke with a personal-best mark (1:05.38). Rachel Holm swam a personal-best to finish 10^th in the 100- butterfly (1:03.14). She also captured 15^th place in the 50- freestyle (26.83).

Monmouth’s women were consistent in the relays, placing seventh in four of their five events. Lauren Nelson and Jaime Schingoethe teamed with Zumpf and Buckham in the 800- freestyle relay to finish seventh (8:51.94). Sparks joined Buckham, Holm and Schingoethe in the 400- medley relay where they placed seventh (4:23.05). Kuehl, Holm, Sparks and Zumpf placed seventh in the 200- medley relay (1:58.80). Holm, Buckham, Zumpf and Schingoethe teamed to finish seventh in the 400- freestyle relay (3:56.92). Holm, Zumpf, Schingoethe and Nelson placed eighth in the 200- freestyle relay (1:48.98).

In the men’s pool, freshman Andrew Wright had the big weekend. Wright led the men with a team-best fourth place finish in the 1,650- freestyle while posting a personal-best time (17:33.44). He also recorded a personal-best in the 500- freestyle where he finished sixth (4:58.85) and he was 11^th in the 200- freestyle (1:50.94).

“Andrew has a legitimate shot at our school record in the 1,650,” reported Yez. “Harrison Heilman is very close to Dan Campione’s record in the 200- IM.”

Heilman made good on Yez’s claim, swimming a personal-best in the 200- IM (2:05.25) where he placed 12^th, just over one second back of the school record. He also finished eighth in the 400- IM with a personal-best swim (4:35.19). Steve Collins’ time in the 400- IM (4:35.77) was a personal-best to place him 12^th. Kevin Satler was eighth in the 200- breaststroke where he posted a personal-best in the prelims (2:21.55) and took 10^th in the 100- breaststroke (1:04.47).

Josh Dunn placed 12^th in the 200- freestyle while recording a personal-best (1:51.22). John Kaiser recorded a personal-best while placing 11^th in the 100- butterfly (54.90). He also picked up a 10^th place finish in the 200- butterfly (2:04.60) and was 15^th in the 200- IM (2:08.60). Josh Van Swol placed 12^th in the 200- backstroke (2:06.38).

Like the women, the men’s relays were consistent. Tom Pederson was joined by Dunn, Kaiser and Collins in the 200- freestyle relay to place sixth (1:32.10). Dunn, Kaiser, Satler and Pederson then took sixth in the 400- medley relay (3:46.85). Satler, Collins, Kaiser and Dunn took seventh in the 200- medley relay (1:43.33). Wright and Van Swol teamed with Jim Travnik and Joe Testolin to place seventh in the 800- freestyle relay (7:34.01). Testolin, Dunn, Collins and Kaiser wrapped up the meet with an eighth place finish in the 400- freestyle relay (3:22.16).

“The times we swam at DePauw should give us some excellent seed times for the conference meet in February,” claimed Yez. “We put them on a three-day drop taper to give their bodies time to recover and be fresh for the meet.”

The Scots normally swim morning and evening sessions three days a week. In preparation for the DePauw meet, Yez eliminated the morning sessions – and it paid big dividends.

“Some of our swimmers had eight second drops in their events,” said Yez. “I believe we’re way ahead of last year’s schedule.”

The Scots will leave for the semester break next Wednesday and won’t return to campus until Jan. 2. That presents a unique problem for Yez’s team.

“We try to make sure they get in a pool somewhere over the break,” said Yez. “Some of them just don’t have a pool available, so those swimmers we ask to do aerobic workouts of some kind, whether it’s a stationary bike or treadmill, just something to try and stay in shape.”

After the Scots return to campus, they will have just one week before they host Lindenwood on Jan. 10.

HONORS ROLL IN FOR SCOTS

Four players from Monmouth College’s Midwest Conference championship team have been named to the D3football.com All-West Region team after the Fighting Scots completed the most successful season in the school’s history.

Three offensive players – Alex Tanney (Lexington, Ill./Lexington), Josh Kotecki (Peru, Ill./LaSalle-Peru) and Dan Schwindenhammer (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame) – were named to the first team. Defensive back Willy Mason (Lansing, Ill./Thornton Fractional South) was named to the third team.

The Scots’ 11-1 record included the team’s second undefeated regular season and conference championship since 2005. Monmouth was rewarded with the third seed in the West Region and hosted the school’s first postseason football game, defeating Aurora University 42-13. The Scots were ranked No. 14 in the final American Football Coaches Association poll – their highest ranking of the season.

Juniors Kotecki, a guard, and Schwindenhammer, a tackle, helped the Scots’ offensive unit lead the nation in scoring (46.8 ppg) and roll up more than 460 yards per game. The ground game picked up more than 2,000 yards while the offensive line allowed Monmouth quarterbacks enough time to pass for a school-record 3,790 yards. The team also scored 25 rushing touchdowns and a school-record 50 via the pass.

Tanney, a sophomore quarterback, shattered nearly every MC season passing record. He leads in five categories, including yardage (3,624) and touchdowns (50). He is ranked eighth nationally with a 166.97 efficiency rating. In just two years, Tanney has already set the new career marks for completions (560) and games over 300 yards (14). He is just nine TDs shy of the career mark of 83 touchdown passes set by Rob Purlee from 2000-03.

Mason, a cornerback, became a feared pass defender. The speedy senior picked off a team-high seven passes after recording just one pick in his first three years. He finished two interceptions shy of the season record set by Al Hatfield in 1967. His 36 solo tackles were third on the team and his six pass breakups tied for the team high. Monmouth’s defensive unit yielded just over 100 rushing yards per game and held opponents to a mere 31 percent on third down conversions. The Scots were ranked second in the nation in turnover margin, averaging nearly two interceptions per game to go with 15 fumble recoveries.

Now in its fourth year, the D3football.com all-region teams are selected in balloting of sports information directors and the D3football.com staff. More than 700 players were nominated nationwide.

The D3football.com All-American team will be announced Dec. 20.

LIKE NIGHT AND DAY

What a difference a day made for Melissa Bittner’s team.

After falling by 20 to Ripon – picked seventh in the Midwest Conference coaches poll – last Friday, the Scots pushed defending league champion and MWC favorite St. Norbert to the brink Saturday afternoon.

“We were horrible Friday,” said Bittner of her team’s performance that saw the Red Hawks go on a 40-7 run in the first half of a 74-54 win over the Scots. “As bad as Friday was, we were just the opposite Saturday. I was VERY proud of the way we played against St. Norbert.”

About the only thing that went right for the Scots Friday night was senior guard Melissa Gorski’s 15 points, making her only the seventh woman in MC history to score 1,000 points.  At her current pace, she could move just behind her coach as the school’s fourth-leading scorer by season’s end.

      “She’s worked very hard over her four years to become more of an offensive threat,” praised Bittner. “You could see as a freshman she had that potential and came in with good fundamentals.”

      The Scots could have used some fundamentals in the Ripon game. A slow start became missed shots and turnovers that snowballed into a 44-15 halftime deficit.

“Outside of Mitt’s 1,000 points, there was nothing good about that game,” lamented Bittner. “We tried every defense we play in the first half. It went from bad to worse.”

After a timeout at the 10:29 mark and trailing 20-6, Bittner took another three minutes later after a 10-0 Ripon run. That helped a little as Tanesha Hughes’ ensuing free throw got the Scots off the nearly seven minute scoring drought. Hughes did finish with her fifth straight double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.

“The whole night started with a lid on the basket,” explained Bittner. “We got some good looks that didn’t go in, then we got frustrated and gave up some fast break layups.”

That’s about the time Bittner got frustrated.

“We have no excuse,” said Bittner. “We were well-fed, we had plenty of rest. I’m not sure why, but we just didn’t come ready to play.”

The Scots were certainly ready to play Saturday against the Green Knights. Monmouth nearly picked up their second win against St. Norbert in as many tries, but fell in DePere, Wis., 55-53.

St. Norbert was nursing a 25-17 halftime lead and upped their advantage to 12 early in the second half before the Scots came storming back. The Scots took their second lead of the game on a Lindsie Pettie free throw with 8:19 left. From that point on, it was nip-and-tuck.

“We closed the gap at the end,” said Bittner. “We were so close to a win, we could almost feel it.”

Unfortunately, this is basketball and “almost” only counts in horseshoes.

Trailing by six, 54-48 with 1:24 to play, sophomore guard Justine Boone drained a three. A St. Norbert turnover gave the Scots the ball. A Gorski putback cut the Green Knights’ lead to 54-53 with :37 left. Monmouth’s rebound of a missed St. Norbert layup gave the Scots the ball with :19 seconds remaining.

The Scots worked their half-court offense to near perfection. With the clock winding down, Boone is fouled while penetrating and is awarded a one-an-one.

This is it. Make them both – Scots win. Make one and it’s tied. Miss the first and it’s all over but the shouting.

Boone’s only free throw attempt of the game missed its mark. St. Norbert was awarded the loose ball rebound and then was fouled with no time remaining. The Green Knights made their last free throw of the game for the final margin.

The Green Knights, ranked No. 17 in the nation last week in the USA Today poll, have gone 4-1 over the Scots in the last five games. Their average winning margin? A mere 2.2 points.

“Our defense in the game was great,” said Bittner. “Tanesha was fantastic inside for us. They couldn’t stop her.”

Hughes didn’t get her sixth straight double-double, but poured in 16 points to go with Alison Andrews’ 12.

“Alison stepped up and showed her offensive ability,” said Bittner. “Lindsie (seven rebounds) did a nice job on the boards. You really couldn’t ask for more on the road in a situation like that.”

While free throws at the end sealed the Scots’ fate, Bittner was quick to point out, it was a complete journey to get to that point.

“Justine made a great play to get in that position,” praised Bittner. “She was a point guard who drove to the hole and created an opportunity. That’s what point guards are supposed to do. You can’t blame the free throw at the end. It’s the countless ‘little’ possessions throughout the game that make the difference.”

Take for instance the Scots’ four turnovers in the final seven minutes that the Green Knights turned into four points.

“We’re not out of the conference race by any means,” said Bittner. “If we come to play every game like we did against St. Norbert, that’s the key.”

The Scots now have until the end of the month to find their key. Monmouth’s next action will be a 2:00 p.m. home game with Cornell on December 30. Conference action resumes with a home game against Illinois College on January 5.

“We’ve approached it as a two-part season,” reported Bittner. “We got our basics in during the first half. This second half, we’ll add and fine tune.”

The Scoop is betting on the second half to include some victory tunes.

FULL HOUSE

It’s all about perspective, really.

The football team’s elimination from the playoffs meant the basketball team finally has its full compliment of players.

Don’t take that the wrong way. Mark Vershaw couldn’t be happier that the gridiron guys had a great season, but he’s equally happy to have returners Kyle Weyeneth and Alex Tanney, along with freshmen David Milroy and Cory Bishop able to be an active part of the team. Tanney, Weyeneth and Milroy saw action last week while Bishop is recovering from some football dings.

“Those are three 6-5 kids that can help us do some things,” said Vershaw of his additions. “Kyle brings a lot of energy into the post. Alex provides us with another outside shooter. As a taller guard he can also grab some rebounds. I’m anxious to see what David can do in the college game.”

In their first action – a 79-71 overtime loss to Ripon – Tanney poured in 17 points and Weyeneth added 10. Vershaw had planned to use his new additions sparingly, but it didn’t work out that way. Tanney logged 33 minutes and Weyeneth 24.

“I told Alex I just needed 10 minutes out of him,” reported Vershaw. “They only had two days of practice, but Alex is a competitor and kept telling me he was fine. They all did much more for us this weekend than I had hoped.”

The Scots were fine for much of the game – leading by as many as 11 with eight minutes to go. The Red Hawks battled back and forced overtime with a pair of free throws in the final minute. Ripon controlled the extra session and logged the school’s 1,000^th win.

Don’t worry Scots fans, Ripon is still more than 120 wins behind Monmouth.

Turnovers and missed free throws down the stretch spelled an overtime loss. While bothersome, Vershaw sees it as a fixable problem area.

“It’s not the first time that’s happened this season,” said Vershaw. “The good news is, this is something we can correct, and we will. When we get that part fixed, we’ll be a solid team. It was still a very disappointing game.”

The Scots experienced a residual effect Saturday in an 82-68 loss to St. Norbert. The Green Knights led by as much as 16 points in the first half. Monmouth played nearly even in the second half, but were unable to climb out of the first half hole.

You couldn’t blame the shooting. The Scots had the hot hand from beyond the arc, connecting on over 60 percent of their threes in the first half and 58 percent for the game. Scott Ubbenga was the near perfect example of the Scots’ long range threat. The junior sharp-shooter nailed four of his six treys and finished with a team-high 12 points. For the second day in a row, Robbie Hinkle added 11. It wasn’t only scoring points that impressed the coach in the case of Rhett Standard. In just six minutes, the 6-6 Standard pulled four rebounds and scored four points, including two-for-two from the free throw line.

“Rhett hadn’t gotten a lot of opportunities,” said Vershaw. “He got some chances against St. Norbert and did a very nice job. I was happy to see a player utilize an opportunity.”

Opportunity only knocked once last night in Pella, Iowa, where the Scots dropped a 78-62 decision to the Dutch. Monmouth jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the first three and a half minutes, but failed to score over the next four minutes, relinquishing the lead and never recovered.

The Scots used 16 players, but couldn't quite get the combination they wanted, hitting just 31 percent of their field goals and only three of their 17 three-point tries. The Dutch took a 36-22 halftime lead and maintained the edge over the last 20 minutes. Zach Ott paced Monmouth with 13 points but that wasn’t enough to offset a hot Central squad on their own court. The Dutch connected on more than half their shots to hand the Scots a loss in their final game before the holiday break.

“The long break coming up will be a good thing,” predicted Vershaw. “We’ll address some of our weaknesses. Having our football guys back for just a couple of days last week, it will take time to readjust our rotation. We’ll have a better sense of that after the first of the year. It’s a chance to restart our season.”

CLASSROOM EXCELLENCE

Twenty-six student-athletes at were recently named to the Midwest Conference All-Academic team for the fall semester. The MWC recognizes eight fall sports.

In order to be named to the MWC’s All-Academic team, a student-athlete must have completed at least one year at the institution, carry a cumulative GPA of 3.2 and earn a varsity letter in that sport.

The following student-athletes are Monmouth’s 2008-09 fall sports representatives:

      Football (9) – seniors Luke Sandrock (Deer Grove, Ill./Prophetstown) and Kyle Weyeneth (Metamora, Ill./Metamora); juniors Nick Dyson (Jacksonville, Ill./Jacksonville), Keegan Jones (Knoxville, Ill./Knoxville) and Kyle Tuor (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap); and sophomores Matt Morman (Manlius, Ill./Bureau Valley), Marcus Ruff (Avon, Ill./Bushnell-Prairie City), Alex Tanney (Lexington, Ill./Lexington) and Trey Winfrey (Peoria, Ill./Woodruff).

      Volleyball (5) – seniors Tanesha Hughes (Peoria, Ill./Woodruff), Rachel Leffelman (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) and Crystal Myers (Byron, Ill./Byron); and sophomores Heather Hull (Cambridge, Ill./Cambridge) and Alyson Schroeter (Woodruff, Wis./Lakeland Union).

      Men’s and Women’s Cross Country (5) – juniors Jayme Ayers (Normal, Ill./West), Briana Flynn (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley), Matt Peharda (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) and Clay Staley (Hanna City, Ill./Illini Bluffs); and sophomore Whitney Didier (Dixon, Ill./Dixon).

      Women’s Tennis (2) – seniors Maddy Ethington (Orland Hills, Ill./Andrew) and Cassie Frantz (Macomb, Ill./Macomb).

      Women’s Golf (2) – juniors Lynsey Barnard (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) and Kendra Catterton (Moline, Ill./Moline).

        Men’s Soccer (2) – senior Rob Ruglio (Midlothian, Ill./Oak Forest) and junior Patrick Blazer (Franklin Park, Ill./St. Patrick).

      Women’s Soccer (1) – junior Emily Caron (Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville).

Four seniors were named Academic All-Conference a maximum three times for the fall semester. Tanesha Hughes and Crystal Myers were named to the list three consecutive times in volleyball and Maddy Ethington and Cassie Frantz each picked up their third awards for women’s tennis.

THE WEEK AHEAD

All teams are off until Dec. 30.

Tues., Dec. 30
Women’s Basketball – hosts Cornell, 2:00 pm

SCOTSIVATIONAL

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” - unknown