SCOTS SCOOP 2007

SCOTS SCOOP – Feb. 14, 2007 – Vol. 7, No. 28

SWIM TEAMS MAKE HISTORY

Make no mistake – Keith Crawford is thrilled that his Monmouth College men’s swim team placed second at the Midwest Conference championships last weekend. The finish is Monmouth’s highest ever in the MWC in an on-again, off-again history that dates back beyond the first conference meet in 1936. For his efforts guiding the Fighting Scots, Crawford earned Men’s Coach of the Year honors at the meet.

But what really had Crawford smiling was a breakthrough meet for his women’s squad. In their two other appearances at the MWC Championships, the Scots placed eighth. But Monmouth leaped several teams, including Lake Forest by a single point, to finish fourth.

“We thought we could finish as high as fourth, but anywhere from fourth to sixth would have been realistic,” said Crawford of the women. “Considering Lake Forest has an All-American diver who was going to win both boards, we knew we’d be behind 52-0 before we even hit the water. I’m probably happier about overcoming that and finishing fourth than I am the men’s high finish.”

In each of the past three seasons, the men’s order of finish at the top was Grinnell, Lake Forest and Lawrence, but the Scots broke up that triumvirate in a big way, and a major reason was the team’s collective depth. Although the Foresters had nearly a dozen strong competitors, Monmouth’s No. 12-17 swimmers outscored their Lake Forest counterparts 95-8. That allowed MC to rack up 811 points and take second place by 51 points over the Foresters. Fourteen swimmers reached a “B” final or higher, and every team member scored in at least two swims, with the Scots scoring in 49 of 51 swims overall.

The men were led by junior Kurt Niemeier (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg), who won the 50-yard freestyle (21.90) and 100-yard freestyle (48.07) and placed third in the 200-yard freestyle. All three times set school records.

“He makes a huge difference for our team,” said Crawford. “He’s the sprint freestyler that we’ve never had before.”

When all was said and done, Niemeier walked away with seven medals and seven school records. As the third highest-scoring individual at the meet, he earned strong consideration for the prestigious Swimmer of the Meet honor.

Dan Campione (Blue Island, Ill./St. Rita) won the 100-yard backstroke (a school-record 55.20), placed second in the 200-yard backstroke and took fourth in the 200-yard IM.

“It was great to see him finally get an individual title,” said Crawford of the junior who is one of three swimmers to compete each of the last three years.

Freshman Matt Travnik (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) was second in the 400-yard IM and classmate Harrison Heilman (Downers Grove, Ill./North) placed sixth in that race. Also reaching “A” finals were sophomore Jim Travnik (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central), who placed fourth in the 1650-yard freestyle and freshmen Jonathan Peterson (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington), who was third in the 100-yard breaststroke, John Kaiser (Hanover Park, Ill./Glenbard North), who took fourth in the 100-yard butterfly and Josh Van Swol (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East), who was fourth in the 200-yard backstroke and sixth in the 100-yard backstroke.

Campione, Peterson, Kaiser and Niemeier teamed to set school records with runner-up finishes in both the 200-yard medley relay (1:40.45) and the 400-yard medley relay (3:39.18). Niemeier, Kaiser, Matt Travnik and Campione set school records with third-place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:28.70) and the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:19.25).

“We’d never been on the medal stand in any relay, but all five were in the top three this year,” said Crawford.

On the women’s side, freshman Annie Lane (St. Louis, Mo./Kirkwood) made “A” finals in all three of her individual events, placing third in the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard butterfly and fourth in the 500-yard freestyle. She set a school record of 5:27.59 in the preliminary round of the latter event.

“Annie gave us a major boost,” said Crawford. “It’s the first time at the women’s meet where we had someone we knew would place in the top three of four in her all events, and that’s exactly what she did.”

Sophomore Sarah Christensen (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) also made an “A” final, taking second in the 100-yard breaststroke in a school-record time of 1:11.51. She also set a new mark with her seventh-place time of 2:43.04 in the 200-yard breaststroke.

The quartet of freshman Laura Miller (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike), Christensen, Lane and junior Megan Wentzlaff (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) was second in the 200-yard medley relay (1:57.17), third in the 400-yard medley relay (4:20.19) and fourth in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:45.39). All three times set school records. Miller, Christensen and Lane were joined by junior Heather Plum (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) to set a new mark in the 400-yard freestyle. The group placed fourth in 3:55.35.

Miller’s midseason arrival helped the Scots in two big ways. First, it allowed Crawford to fine-tune his medley relay team, with Lane and Wentzlaff getting new stroke assignments that ultimately improved the squad considerably.

“That was definitely a spark heading into Saturday,” said Crawford of the 400-yard medley relay squad, which became Monmouth’s first-ever women’s relay to earn a top three MWC medal. Previously, no women’s relay had placed higher than sixth.

Second, after the Scots had seen some of their slim third-day cushion over the Foresters erased, Miller got it back with a clutch performance in the 100-yard freestyle. She trimmed more than two seconds off her preliminary time, and Monmouth grabbed a seven-point swing in relation to Lake Forest.

With the teams’ big finishes behind them, Crawford ventured a look into the program’s future.

“I’m not content with second place – we want to go after Grinnell,” he said. “What we have to decide now is what we’re going to do to get to the next level.”

Only one senior – Brian Kura (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South) – will be lost, and Crawford praised the “tremendous leadership” that he provided. Kura also scored in two of his three swims, helping the team by scoring in both backstroke events.

Besides recruiting, one assignment that Crawford will take on is the pursuit of a diving program. The Pepper Natatorium was not built for diving, so MC would have to train and compete off-site in that specialized competition.

FIRE AND IC(E): SCOTS BEAT ‘EM BOTH

As junior center Joe Terwelp (Quincy, Ill./Notre Dame), one of the nation’s most accurate shooters a year ago, muddled through a dismal 3-of-11 showing against Illinois College on Jan. 6, you could just tell something wasn’t right. Monmouth’s leading scorer netted a mere nine points in 33 minutes of action and the Fighting Scots, who also had a lack of production from the bench that afternoon, dropped an 84-71 decision.

It turned out that Terwelp, indeed, wasn’t right, and the practice he missed the following day was the start of a flu-related absence lasting longer than a week. In Monmouth’s first game without him, the Scots fell 70-63 at Knox.

A month later, Terwelp was back to his normal self, while Knox and Illinois College were both missing impact players. That addition and subtraction proved to be a winning formula for the Scots, who rode a combined 35 points from Terwelp to a 73-70 victory over Knox on Wednesday and an 82-70 win on Saturday at IC.

Basketball games don't get much closer than the one the Fighting Scots and Prairie Fire staged before a spirited crowd Wednesday night at Glennie Gym. The contest featured 15 ties and 24 lead changes, and in the second half, neither team held more than a two-point lead for a 16-minute stretch.

The Scots entered the half ahead 44-38 thanks to back-to-back three-pointers by Raun Singleton (Roseville, Ill./Roseville), but the Fire scored the half's first six points to begin the back-and-forth struggle.

For the second time in less than a week, Caleb Bennett (Avon, Ill./Avon) sank the game's biggest basket, swishing a three-pointer with 2:13 to play to break a 68-68 tie. Knox's Jason Maclin, who led all scorers with 21 points, answered with a lay-in and the Fire then shot for the lead on their next two trips.

Following the second miss, Bennett made a free throw with nine seconds to play to go with the single toss he had made at the 0:32 mark. Trailing by three, Knox went to Maclin to try to tie the game, but his contested three-pointer was off the mark, and Terwelp grabbed the defensive board.

Terwelp and junior Blaise Rogers (Forest City, Ill./Midwest Central) led five Scots in double figures with 13 points apiece and both players grabbed 11 rebounds. Seniors Singleton, Bennett and Josh Reschke (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) all added 10 points.

Monmouth controlled the glass 45-27, in part because the Fire were playing without post Grant Kluge, and IC was also missing a key player on Saturday. Pete Jennings was absent after posting a double-double of 30 points and 12 rebounds in the prior meeting.

Again, the Scots dominated in rebounds, holding a 45-34 edge. IC tried to stay in the game from the perimeter but made just 3-of-24 three-pointers.

Meanwhile, Monmouth shot well in all categories. Terwelp was 9-of-10 from the field and Rogers made 12-of-13 free throws en route to 16 points. Sophomore Corey Turner (Coal Valley, Ill./Moline) added nine points off the bench, including a pair of three-pointers, and Bennett hit two more big threes.

The victory in the 1 p.m. game allowed the Scots to extend their postseason chances, but they were knocked out about three hours later when Lawrence prevailed over Beloit.

Monmouth will take a record of 7-8 in the MWC and 11-10 overall into tonight’s season finale vs. Lake Forest.

A WEEK AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

With an eye on her team’s season finale tonight against Lake Forest, women’s basketball coach Melissa Jones cited a passage in the book “Basketball for Dummies.”

Under the heading “On the Rebound,” Jones found a nugget that noted the collegiate single-game rebounding records in both men’s and women’s basketball were set on Feb. 14 (51 by William and Mary’s Bill Chambers in 1953 and 40 by Delta State’s Deborah Temple in 1983).

Jones wished aloud that her own star rebounder, Ashley Yeast (Sciota, Ill./West Prairie), could break the school’s single-season record, and the Scots’ Feb. 14 game would be a logical possibility.

Yeast, however, got the job done early, making Feb. 7 a memorable night by breaking the school record in a dominant performance against Knox. She collected 21 rebounds and scored 13 points as the Fighting Scots won 71-55.

By halftime, Monmouth led 34-15, and Yeast had gathered a dozen boards, good enough to push her past her own single-season record of 275. The rebounds kept accumulating throughout the second half, and when Jones put Yeast back on the floor for one final stretch, the 6-foot-1 junior was three boards shy of the school record of 20. It didn’t take her long to get there, as she snared two defensive boards and converted two offensive rebounds into putbacks.

“The most amazing thing is that she got those 21 rebounds in 25 minutes,” said Jones. “She was getting a rebound every minute. The last time I put her in, I was going to give her a couple minutes to see what she could do. It only took her about a minute-and-a-half to get those last four rebounds. Ashley’s been eyeing that record for a long time. I’m glad to see her accomplish it. She’s going to re-write the rebounding record book before she’s through.”

The outcome vs. Knox was never in doubt, as Monmouth did not allow the Prairie Fire to score on its first 15 possessions, building an 11-0 lead in the process. Yeast's free throw with 4:55 remaining made the score 26-9.

Freshman Elise Waldorf (Canton, Ill./Canton) and senior Laura Jahn (Palos Park, Ill./Stagg) also scored 13 points in the win, freshman Lynsey Barnard (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) added 12 points and Jahn added five steals.

While the win over Knox featured two individual milestones for Yeast, Saturday’s 74-59 victory at Illinois College carried team ramifications. The Scots clinched their first winning season since 1999-2000, improving to 12-10.

Sophomore Melissa Gorski (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) was one off her collegiate-high with 21 points and classmate Katie Sheets (Princeville, Ill./Princeville) came off the bench to post her MC high, scoring 13.

“It was great to see Katie play well,” said Jones. “She hit a couple threes that were really big.”

Yeast was outstanding again, netting 19 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, sewing up the MWC’s Performer of the Week honor in the process.

Jones had been concerned about her team's three-point defense, but the Scots held the Lady Blues to 6-of-27 accuracy from beyond the arc, following up a solid performance against Knox, when the Fire hit just 1-of-14 treys.

Another area where Monmouth made strides was “situational basketball,” according to Jones,

“We’d been practicing it all week, and it was great to see them implement some of the things we’d been working,” said Jones. Examples, she said, included passing up decent looks at the basket early in the shot clock while the team was trying to kill time at the end of the game.

The Scots’ matchup tonight with nationally-ranked Lake Forest is “like a postseason game for us. If they win, they get to host the Midwest Conference tourney. We want to make it tough on them. Also, there’s a big difference between finishing 12-11 or 13-10. We want to set the tone for next season by beating one of the top teams, and you always want to win for your seniors (Jahn and Mallory Mulvihill) on Senior Night.”

She added, “Lake Forest is very deep. We need to stay fresh and stay smart. We hope to limit out turnovers and keep them off the boards. Not many teams have outrebounded us, but they did the last time we played (44-40).”

YEAST EARNS ALL-DISTRICT HONORS

For the second year in a row, Ashley Yeast has been honored for her athletic and academic excellence, being named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V College Division second team.

A four-time Dean’s List recipient, Yeast leads the nation in rebounding (13.8 per game). She also leads the Midwest Conference with 14 double-doubles this season. Her second selection is the first time in MC history that a basketball player has been named Academic All-District two times.

District V includes Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and two Canadian provinces. The team is voted on by sports information directors, and athletes must earn a minimum 3.20 cumulative GPA, have achieved at least sophomore status at their respective school and be a starter or key reserve in order to be nominated.

FEAT OF CLAY

Every meet, it seems like a different member of the MC track program steps into the spotlight.

It was Clay Staley’s turn Saturday at the DePauw Invitational in Greencastle, Ind., as the freshman distance runner contributed mightily to the Fighting Scots’ second-place finish out of 24 teams. Monmouth’s men scored 86 points, falling just seven points shy of first-place Missouri Baptist. The Scots’ high finish should not have been surprising, as the team recently landed the No. 2 national ranking in the first performance-based Division III track and field poll of the year.

Staley won the 3000-meter run in 8:43.42, and only teammate Zach Barr (Roseville, Ill./Roseville) has ever run a faster 3000-meter time at Monmouth. Staley also placed third in the mile (4:26.25).

“Clay ran a solid race and continued to drop his time lap after lap after lap,” said MC coach Roger Haynes of Staley’s 3000-meter run. “Compared to his high school 1600-meter time, his mile was also a personal best.”

Speaking of Barr, the former national champion placed fourth in the 5000-meter run with an indoor personal-best of 15:21.83.

“It’s indicative of what he’s been doing in his training,” said Haynes. “He’s been working at the longer distances and hasn’t done as much speed work.”

Monmouth’s other winner on the day was senior Jeff Rebholz (Henry, Ill./Henry), who placed first in the shot put (52'10-3/4) and added a sixth-place weight throw of 55'5-3/4.

Sprinter Dante Daniels (Waukegan, Ill./Gurnee-Warren) is gearing up for a serious run at national honors, and the senior edged closer to the times he’ll need to get there by placing second in the 200-meter dash (22.46) and sixth in the 55-meter dash (6.58).

“Dante was solid,” said Haynes. “I look for big things out of him in the next two weeks.”

One of those big things will hopefully be a strong run at a national-qualifying 4x400 time. Daniels and classmate Tyler Rundle (Monmouth, Ill./Warren) ran solid legs at DePauw, but freshman Ryan Hardman (Broadview, Ill./St. Joseph’s) was cut off and knocked down on the third leg. Haynes said that the team was headed for a strong finish, and it would have given them enough points to win the meet.

The 4x400 squad will get brothers Josh and Luke Reschke back from basketball this week and hope to show well at Friday’s Northern Iowa Open.

Like Daniels, senior Kel Bond (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) is nearing a national-qualifying time. In the 800-meter run, he placed second in 1:55.24. Only 10 competitors in the nation have run the provisional time of 1:55.

Junior Zach Wilson (Lacon, Ill./Midland) did best a provisional mark with his third-place shot of 51'4-1/4, and nationally-ranked pole vaulters Peter Sprecher (Canton, Ill./Canton) and Jonny Henkins (Kewanee, Ill./Kewanee) placed fourth and fifth, respectively, clearing 15'11 and 15'3.

Also scoring for the Scots were Rundle in the 400-meter dash (third, 51.45), senior Alex Stuart (Kirkwood, Ill./Yorkwood) in the triple jump (fifth, 45'0-1/4) and junior Aaron Etienne (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) in the 800-meter run (seventh, 2:00.27). The 4x200 squad of freshman Tony Bradford (Peoria, Ill./Manual), sophomore Aaron Daverin (Herscher, Ill./Herscher), junior Brad Gross (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) and Hardman placed third in 1:33.48.

Monmouth’s women were eighth out of 20 teams, scoring 36.5 points.

Junior Jenny Babos (Leland, Ill./Somonauk) starred for the Scots, breaking the school record in the weight throw with a runner-up toss of 50'11-1/2 that moved her up to 12th in the national rankings. She was also eighth in the shot put with a personal-best heave of 39'10-1/2.

“She’s really starting to show both consistency and quality,” said Haynes of Babos, who earned one of MWC Performer of the Week honors. “She’s been working on her consistency and has doing much better in that regard. Based on her training, she should still throw even better in the coming weeks.”

Another highlight came from junior Megan Clennon (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora). Her fourth-place high jump of 5'3 made her the first Fighting Scot woman to clear that height since All-American Melissa Jones accomplished the feat four years ago.

“She also had two good jumps at 5'5” said Haynes. “It was a very good weekend for her.”

Sophomore Jessica White (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) placed fourth in the pole vault (10'11-3/4) and junior Megan McKenna (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) was fifth (10'6). McKenna added a sixth-place finish in the triple jump (33'10-1/4) and took eighth in the long jump (16'5-3/4).

Also scoring for the Scots were sophomore Ashley Widdop (Reynolds, Ill./Rockrodge) in the 55-meter hurdles (third, 8.76) and senior Sara Ingersoll (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth) in the mile (eighth, 5:25.19).

The 4x400 squad of sophomore Katey Vaccarello (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West), Ingersoll, senior Jacquie Ouart (Kewanee, Ill./Kewanee) and Widdop placed seventh in 4:17.57.

Besides his scoring competitors, Haynes was also impressed by the men’s distance group, which had good performances across the board. Included in that were solid races by senior Darin VanNattan (Green Valley, Ill./Midwest Central) and freshman Brad Begyn (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island) in the 5000-meter run and junior Scott Heiar (Milan, Ill./Sherrard) in the mile and 3000-meter run.

“We’re getting to the point of the season where it’s time to start focusing on one specific race,” concluded Haynes. “We also don’t want to over-race and try to chase qualifying times. That’s the worst thing you can do at this point. We won’t take a full squad to Northern Iowa this weekend, because we want to get some of our athletes rested and make sure we’re healthy for our big meets at the end of the season.”

SCOTS SIT THIS ONE OUT

Coach Chad Braun was under the weather last weekend, so the men’s tennis team was forced to postpone a trip to Wisconsin to play Carthage and Concordia. A make-up date has not been scheduled.

Travel will not be a problem on Saturday, as MC hosts its home opener against Wheaton and Wartburg, starting at 9 a.m. in the Huff Athletic Center.