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SCOTS SCOOP – Jan. 31, 2007 – Vol. 7, No. 26
POLE POSITION: TWO SCOTS VAULT TO NO. 1
Apparently, Monmouth’s pole vaulters did not get coach Roger Haynes’
message. After all, the first three meets of the indoor season were
supposed to be a lot more about training than about posting
national-qualifying marks.
While the Fighting Scots’ sprinters, hurdlers, distance runners and
throwers are working on a gradual buildup to the biggest meets of the year
in March, four pole vaulters are stealing the early season thunder.
Competing Saturday at Monmouth’s lone home meet of the indoor and outdoor
seasons, sophomore Jessica White (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) re-broke the
school record she set a week ago, clearing 11'10 to win the meet and move
up to fifth place in the national rankings. Teammate Megan McKenna
(Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) also posted a big number, as her PR of
11'6-1/4 was good for second place and a No. 9 spot nationally. McKenna
added a victory in the long jump, soaring 17'0-3/4.
Impressing Haynes as much as the height they cleared was the competition
they defeated, which included three 2006 national qualifiers. White beat
them all, including an All-American, and McKenna beat one and tied the
other two.
The men’s competition featured one brilliant vault after another for
juniors Peter Sprecher (Canton, Ill./Canton) and Jonny Henkins (Kewanee,
Ill./Kewanee). Together, they kept raising the bar, and when they both
cleared 16'6, they qualified automatically for the national indoor meet.
Neither had gone that high before, so the day was already a success when
they attempted to break Keenan King’s school record of 16'10-3/4. Although
neither could, they have more than a month to train for nationals, and
they are currently tied for first among all Division III vaulters.
“They were more ready than what we thought they were,” said Haynes, who
revealed that neither vaulter had a particularly strong week of practice.
Although they both possess “pretty good inherent physical ability” and
share a common personal best, their coach said they’ve arrived at that
height differently.
“Peter needs to get more technically sound with his run and his takeoff,”
said Haynes. “His strength is in the air. Jonny is the opposite. He’s
great at the end of his run and the jump-off but needs to do better when
he’s upside down.”
Another individual star at the meet was Jeff Rebholz (Henry, Ill./Henry),
who won the shot put (a personal-best 53'11-1/4) and weight throw
(56'6-1/2). Praised for his offseason workout habits, Rebholz, too,
appears ahead of the training curve and could be in for a very memorable
senior season. He is currently ranked fourth in the nation in both
throwing events, and Haynes called his performance at the meet
“outstanding.”
Senior triple jumper Alex Stuart (Kirkwood, Ill./Yorkwood) established a
new indoor school record while winning his specialty event with a leap of
46'4, and “that gets him in the hunt” for All-American honors, said
Haynes.
Monmouth’s other winner on the day was senior Kel Bond (Dixon,
Ill./Dixon), whose “dominant” time of 1:55.89 beat a talented field of
runners at the Midwest Invitational, which included Wartburg, Central,
Loras, Augustana, Illinois Wesleyan and Knox.
“He’s been training at longer distances, so he’s definitely on track to
run faster and get back to nationals,’ said Haynes. “He ran very fast for
this time of year.”
The competition was so strong that Monmouth did not win either meet. The
men’s 140 points placed third behind Augustana (194) and Wartburg (184),
while the women scored 80.83 points. Their meet was won by Wartburg with
223 points.
“That meet will be one of the best Division III meets in the country all
season,” said Haynes. “By my count, there were 18 NCAA qualifying
performances, including seven by our athletes. Four of those 18 qualifying
marks were also the best in the nation so far this season.”
Runner-up performances from the Scots came from sophomore Shannon Turczyn
(Peru, Ill./LaSalle-Peru) in the 55-meter hurdles (8.70), senior Kila Cox
(Granger, Ind./Hononegah) in the 400-meter dash (1:01.41), sophomore Luke
Reschke (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) in the 400-meter dash (50.79) and senior
Tim Frank (Farmington, Ill./Farmington) in the high jump (6'3-3/4).
Placing third were sophomore Megan Clennon (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora) in
the high jump (4'11-1/2) and freshman Clay Staley (Hanna City, Ill./Illini
Bluffs) in the 3000-meter run (8:55.50). Staley added a fourth-place
finish in the mile (4:30.78) to complete “an excellent day.”
Haynes was also impressed with freshman Ryan Hardman (Broadview, Ill./St.
Joseph’s) in the 400-meter dash (fourth-place, 52.40) and his performances
on two relays, and by freshman DeMarkco Butler (Rantoul, Ill./Rantoul),
who dropped his 55-meter hurdle time (8.67) by more than a second. The
4x400 squad of senior Dante Daniels (Waukegan, Ill./Gurnee-Warren), Luke
Reschke and seniors Josh Reschke (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) and Tyler Rundle
(Monmouth, Ill./Warren) edged closer to the provisional time of 3:21.30,
placing second in 3:21.68.
On the women’s side, Haynes praised his sprint and hurdle group, including
Turczyn, Cox and sophomore Ashley Widdop (Reynolds, Ill./Rockridge). That
trio ran together on the fourth-place 4x200 squad (1:50.04), and Cox and
Widdop were part of the 4x400 squad that placed seventh in 4:14.17.
The Scots will be back in action this Saturday at a meet at Illinois
Wesleyan.
A HALF TO REMEMBER IN WIN OVER PIONEERS
The last time Monmouth’s women played Grinnell, neither team took more
than a six-point lead in a contest the Pioneers eventually won 77-74 in
overtime. The teams appeared headed for a similar outcome Tuesday night at
Glennie Gym, but then the Fighting Scots displayed a dominating brand of
basketball on their way to a 79-63 victory.
Neither team held more than a five-point lead in the first half, but that
changed moments after intermission when the Scots went on an 11-0 run to
break a 36-36 tie. That started a stretch that saw the Scots make 15-of-17
field goals, including the final 10 in a row. When the dust had settled,
Monmouth led 73-54 with less than eight minutes to play.
“That’s probably the best … that is the best basketball we’ve played all
season,” said Monmouth coach Melissa Jones.
The second-half stars included point guards Lynsey Barnard (Pekin, Ill./Pekin)
and Mallory Mulvihill (Palatine, Ill./Palatine), who combined for 19 of
their 23 points, and freshman Elise Waldorf (Glasford, Ill./Canton), who
was all over the court as she scored 10 of her 13 points. Waldorf added
seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks on the night.
“Our point guards were great,” said Jones, whose team improved to 10-8 on
the year and 4-7 in the Midwest Conference. “I think they only missed one
shot between them all night. Their defense was playing us 30 feet out, so
we did exactly what we needed to do, which was penetrate. Crystal Myers
(Byron, Ill./Byron) was also a huge spark for us.”
Mulvihill was a perfect 6-for-6 as she matched her season high with 13
points overall. Myers made a pretty assist and scored a lay-up during the
scoring blitz.
“I pointed Elise out at halftime as a player we needed to get more out
of,” said Jones. “She really stepped up, even though she was guarded by
Hannah Wolf, who is probably their best defensive player. I think having
Elise do what she did to her kind of added to (Wolf’s) frustration.”
The prime source of that frustration was sophomore Melissa Gorski
(Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove), who hounded Wolf all night,
holding the league’s leading scorer 17 points below her season average.
“Holding Wolf that far below her average is an amazing accomplishment,”
said Jones. “It was pretty much just (Melissa guarding) her the whole
way.”
Senior Laura Jahn (Palos Park, Ill./Stagg) led Monmouth with 18 points,
and junior Ashley Yeast (Sciota, Ill./West Prairie), the nation's leading
rebounder, grabbed a career-best 18 boards.
“Ashley’s offense was off (five points), but from a rebounding standpoint,
she really helped us dominate,” said Jones. “You don’t out-rebound teams
by 30 (56-26) very often.”
Gorski failed to reach double figures for the first time in 14 games,
scoring eight, but she more than made up for it with her defense.
She might be asked to repeat it this weekend against Carroll’s Crystal
Hoewisch, the second-leading scorer in the conference, although Jahn
figures to open on the high-scoring guard, who is averaging 21.5 points
per game. It’s also important that Carroll post player Kim Wickert is kept
in check. Yeast, who scored 26 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in the
prior meeting with Carroll, will draw that assignment.
Against Lawrence the night before, Jones said the team will need to pass
the ball up the floor rather than the point guard try to beat her man off
the dribble. That’s because the Vikings’ Jenny Stoner excels at picking
guards’ pockets. She had eight steals against the Scots in a game last
season “and most of those were straight picks of the point guard,” said
Jones. “She dominated the game with her defense.”
Lawrence defeated the Scots 89-59 in the teams’ prior meeting in December,
with Stoner adding five more steals and 11 assists. The Vikings are
currently fourth in the MWC, so a Monmouth victory would give the Scots an
outside shot at the playoffs. Lawrence (7-3) still has a slew of tough
games against Lake Forest, Beloit, St. Norbert and Carroll.
“We’re looking to finish above .500,” said Jones. “We have the potential
to win out, because we play very well at home. We just need to play like
we did in the second half last night.”
SCOTS FALL 127-111 TO GRINNELL
Had the teams' free throw percentages been reversed, the Fighting Scots
might have had a chance against league-leading Grinnell Tuesday night at
Glennie Gym. But the Pioneers augmented their helter-skelter, three-point
attack with an outstanding 30-of-34 effort from the charity stripe en
route to a 127-111 victory.
The Scots, on the other hand, were a dreadful 10-of-24 on free throws in
the first half and settled for a 25-of-41 performance overall.
“I think if there was a downfall, probably it was our inability make free
throws,” coach Terry Glasgow told the Galesburg Register-Mail. “Our free
throw shooting was abysmal. Anybody knows that free throw shooting is
nothing but rhythm and concentration. And for whatever reason, we had no
concentration.”
That poor shooting allowed the Pioneers to take a 70-58 halftime lead,
which they quickly expanded to 19 points by opening the half with a 7-0
run. The Scots fought an uphill battle from there, getting within eight
points a few times, but no closer.
John Grotberg, the nation's second-leading scorer, did not disappoint,
scoring a game-high 43 points for the Pioneers. Bobby Long scored 22 and
David Arseneault and Trek Langenhan, who was 6-of-7 on treys, added 18
apiece.
For the Scots, junior Joe Terwelp (Quincy, Ill./Notre Dame) led four
players in double figures with 26 points. Senior Raun Singleton
(Roseville, Ill./Roseville) had 23, junior Andy Moore (Marseilles,
Ill./Ottawa) scored a career-high 20 and junior Blaise Rogers (Forest
City, Ill./Midwest Central) added 19. Terwelp also contributed 11 rebounds
and six assists.
“It was really a disappointment because I thought this team had a chance
to beat them tonight, but we didn’t do what we needed to do, and
consequently, it resulted in a loss,” said Glasgow after the game. “(There
was a) lack of consistency and a lack of leadership on the floor.”
The Scots (8-9, 4-7) still harbor playoff hopes, but they’ll have to win
out. There first two opportunities to do so come this Friday and Saturday
at Glennie Gym against Lawrence and Carroll.
SWIMMERS COMPETE IN FINAL PRE-MWC MEET
Whether the Fighting Scots beat Coe or not last Friday – the men did
and the women came oh-so close – the true test of Monmouth’s swim teams
will come at the Midwest Conference Championships Feb. 9-11.
As they now prepare for their biggest meet of the year, coach Keith
Crawford believes both squads are getting closer to where they want to be.
In both cases, his teams hope to jump at least two spots from their finish
a year ago, when the men took fifth place and the women were eighth.
The women are led by freshman Annie Lane (St. Louis, Mo./Kirkwood), and
she was strong again vs. Coe, breaking the school record in the 200-yard
freestyle while winning the event in 2:02.27. She also touched first in
the 100-yard butterfly (1:04.27).
Other women’s wins were posted by junior Megan Wentzlaff (Mokena,
Ill./Lincoln-Way East) in the 200-yard IM (2:26.39), junior Heather Plum
(Freeport, Ill./Freeport) in the 500-yard freestyle (5:46.09) and
sophomore Sarah Christensen (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) in the 100-yard
breaststroke (1:12.93). Christensen added a runner-up finish in the
50-yard freestyle with a PR of 26.68.
Entering the final event, the women had a chance to beat Coe, but the
Scots needed to win the 200-yard freestyle relay. Their chances improved
dramatically when the Kohawks’ “A” team was disqualified, but their “B”
group rallied from a deficit at the halfway mark to top Monmouth by two
seconds, giving Coe a narrow 97-92 victory.
“It was a closer meet than I expected, and I think the same holds true for
the Coe coach,” said Crawford.
The men came out on top 162-33, with junior Kurt Niemeier (Orland Park,
Ill.Sandburg) and freshman Matt Travnik (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way
Central) each winning twice. Niemeier touched first in the 200-yard
freestyle (1:49.46) and the 100-yard freestyle (49.77), while Travnik won
the 200-yard IM (a personal-best 2:09.59) and the 500-yard freestyle
(5:16.89).
Travnik was also part of one of the “feel good” moments of the meet as he
anchored the winning 200-yard freestyle relay. The team also featured the
Scots’ lone senior, Brian Kura (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South), and
freshman Joe Schwinger (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South), who made his
return to the pool for the first time since his family tragedy. Sophomore
Eric Pavlacka (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East), who also won the 1000-yard
freestyle (11:04.24) rounded out the quartet. Schwinger added a lifetime
best in the 100-year freestyle (53.66) while placing third.
Niemeier anchored the other winning relay, which also included junior Dan
Campione (Blue Island, Ill./St. Rita) and freshmen Jonathan Peterson
(Burlington, Iowa/Burlington) and John Kaiser (Hanover Park, Ill./Glenbard
North). The group won the 200-yard medley in 1:43.17.
Individually, Campione touched first in the 50-yard freestyle (23.19),
Kaiser won the 100-yard butterfly (57.18) and Peterson took first in the
100-yard breaststroke (1:03.29).
“As a whole, we swam pretty well on both sides again,” said Crawford.
GRIDDERS HAVE TWO NATIONAL ALL-AMERICANS
It’s been almost three full months since Joe Freitag (Springfield,
Ill./Sacred Heart-Griffin) created a running gap for Dante Daniels
(Waukegan, Ill./Gurnee-Warren), but that didn’t stop the two seniors from
making news again.
Don Hansen’s Football Gazette recently named its NCAA Division III
All-America teams, and Daniels, who rushed for a school-record 1,557, was
a second team selection.
Freitag earned All-American honors, and Daniels was also on the honorable
mention team as an all-purpose player.
SWEET HOME ALABAMA: TANNEY HEADED SOUTH
The professional football exploits of former Monmouth College great
Mitch Tanney will continue in 2007, and this time, he won’t have to travel
across the Atlantic to play.
Tanney is on the 35-man roster of the Birmingham Steeldogs, an arena
football team that plays in the same af2 league as the Quad City
Steamwheelers. He is one of three quarterbacks on the roster, which gets
almost half of its players from Alabama universities. Another 10 players
are from Mississippi or Tennessee.
Other quarterbacks on the team are Robert Kent (Jackson State) and Maurice
Mullins (Jacksonville State). Kent, who has previously been on the rosters
of the Tennessee Titans and the CFL’s Montreal Allouettes, threw for 1,361
yards and 24 touchdowns for the Steeldogs last season.
Seventeen of the Steeldogs, like Tanney, have former professional
experience, while the other 18 are rookies. Tanney is a second-year pro,
as he played for the Limhamn Griffins in Sweden last summer. He also had a
workout for the Philadelphia Eagles last fall.
That Eagles workout came about in part because of a connection between
Monmouth assistant coach Dave Ragone and Scott Cohen, the Eagles’ director
of pro personnel. Ragone and Cohen attended high school together and then
competed at rival colleges in Pennsylvania. Cohen, in turn, has
connections with the Steeldogs’ head coach, Ron Selesky.
“He knew the head coach down there and he knew I was looking for a place
to play,” said Tanney of Cohen.
It is not uncommon for talented Steeldog players to get a look from the
Eagles, and that possibility factored into Tanney’s decision.
“I’m hoping,” Tanney replied, when asked if the NFL was still a
possibility. “I had an opportunity to go overseas (France) again this
summer, but I decided not to go. I think the best way to keep advancing is
to stay in the States.”
Last year, the Steeldogs were 7-9 in the af2 and did not qualify for the
postseason. Although they are scheduled to play the Steamwheelers this
season, the game will be played in Birmingham. The road trip that will
bring them closest to Tanney’s alma mater is a May 26 game against the
Cincinnati Jungle Kats. Their 16-game regular season schedule starts March
30 and ends July 28. Tanney is scheduled to report on March 10, with
practice beginning March 12.
Tanney’s head coach at Monmouth, Steve Bell, was asked what challenges the
arena game will present for the talented quarterback.
“The quickness of the game,” was Bell’s reply. “It’s a shorter field and a
more congested field. The ball’s got to come out of there faster. Mitch is
going to have to get used to throwing to a spot on the field instead of a
person. In arena ball, sometimes the play doesn’t look like it’s going to
be there, but it will be.”
“Without question, it’s the speed of the game,” said Tanney of the major
difference. “When you’ve got guys that big running around the field in
close quarters, everything speeds up.”
To help prepare for the new experience, Tanney expects to receive some
game films from the Steeldogs. He is also hoping that a hometown
connection will give him a head start.
“Their offensive coordinator is Billy Dicken, who used to play for Purdue
and for the Steamwheelers,” said Tanney. “He actually went to high school
in Bloomington, which is only 15 miles from my home in Lexington, so I
plan to get in contact with him and work with him before I go down there.”
In his brilliant Monmouth career, which included a 10-0 regular season in
2005 and the Scots’ first-ever appearance in the NCAA playoffs, Tanney set
national game and season records for accuracy, going 21-of-23 for 405
yards against Knox and finishing the 2005 season 215-of-292 for 2,587
yards. His season completion percentage of 73.6 broke a 12-year-old
Division III record, and he threw just three interceptions as a senior and
just six in his two years with the Scots. He was named the Midwest
Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year as a senior.
“This is a typical next step for him,” added Bell. “You don’t just jump
directly from Division III to where you want to go. This is a chance for
Mitch to see where he stacks up against other great athletes. It’s a nice
bonus for someone from our program to have a shot at the professional
level.”
Tanney’s former teammate, Ryan Bast, is also playing pro ball as a
defensive back with the Springfield (Ill.) Stallions in the Continental
Indoor Football League.
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