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SCOTS SCOOP – Aug. 1, 2007 – Vol. 8, No. 1
ETIENNE WINS CORN BOIL 5K
Aaron Etienne (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) will be counted on to be one of
the veteran leaders as Monmouth tries to defend its Midwest Conference
cross country title this fall. The senior will hit the ground running
when he reports back to campus later this month, as he’ll be fresh off a
victory in the Sugar Grove Corn Boil 5K.
Etienne dueled Elmhurst College runner Pat Austin last Saturday, beating
him by six seconds with a time of 15:54.
“I had a great time,” Etienne told the Kane County Chronicle. “This is
my first time winning the event after five years of participating.”
SCOTS HAVE SIX ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS
Six MC athletes were named to the U.S. Track and Field
and Cross Country Coaches Association’s all-academic team.
To qualify for the team, athletes must have a cumulative grade-point
average of 3.25 or higher and obtain an NCAA automatic or provisional
qualifying mark for the most recent outdoor championships.
Earning spots on the team were recent graduates Dante Daniels and Zach
Barr and current team members Megan Clennon (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora),
Tanesha Hughes (Peoria, Ill./Woodruff), Clay Staley (Hanna City,
Ill./Illini Bluffs) and Shannon Turczyn (Peru, Ill./LaSalle-Peru).
Daniels, Barr and Staley were all part of the Monmouth men’s team that
placed third in the nation. Barr earned All-American honors in the
steeplechase, while Daniels was part of the runner-up 4x400 relay squad.
Clennon and Turczyn earned All-American honors for the women in the high
jump and 100-meter hurdles, respectively.
“I feel that this award is a great honor,” said Monmouth track and field
coach Roger Haynes. “The fact that the athlete must maintain a high GPA
and produce a performance that qualifies for the NCAA meet puts them in
truly elite company.”
Haynes also owns a recent honor from the USTFCCCA, being named its
Division III Men’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year in March.
STATE CHAMP TO JOIN TRACK TEAM
Orion High School’s Logan Hohl, who won the 110-meter
hurdles at the 2007 Class A State Track and Field Meet in May, has
announced his plans to enroll at Monmouth College this fall and continue
his athletic career with the Fighting Scots.
“We are extremely happy that Logan has decided to attend Monmouth
College,” said coach Roger Haynes of Hohl, who also placed second in the
state in the 300-meter hurdles. “I am positive he will make an immediate
impact on our program with his great physical ability and strong work
ethic. We feel very fortunate to have added one of the top track
athletes at the 2007 Illinois state meet to our program.”
Hohl’s state championship time of 14.48 compares favorably to those of
previous MC hurdlers, including All-Americans Peter McNaughton, Scott
Stanton and Calvin Opgenorth. The Scots have also had two national
champions in the 400-meter hurdles – Charles Burton and Blake Boma.
The last high school state champion to join the MC track team was
sprinter Dante Daniels of Warren Township High School, who earned
All-American honors on two relay teams earlier this year. Farmington
High School hurdlers Dennis Staggs and Jill Hoops also came to Monmouth
in the 1990s after winning state titles, and Staggs now serves as an
assistant track coach for the Fighting Scots.
Hohl nearly won both hurdle events at state, as his runner-up 300-meter
time was a mere three-hundredths of a second behind the winner. Hohl did
win another state title of sorts by taking first in the 55-meter hurdles
at the 2007 Illinois Prep Top Times indoor meet. With a time of 14.15,
he was second at the Midwest Senior Spotlight All-Star Meet, which
features talented seniors from Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. He won the
400-meter hurdles there in 52.75.
GRIDIRON RECRUITING CLASS A STRONG ONE
Judging by the number of future Fighting Scots who played
in last month’s East-West Shrine Game, the incoming recruiting class for
the MC football team can again be considered a good one.
Four MC recruits suited up for the game, which tied the Scots with one
other college for the most future players participating. One of those
recruits, Lexington’s Alex Tanney, was named the Offensive MVP, while
the other three participants were Cambridge’s Casey Happach, Dixon’s
Payton Lumzy and Morrison’s Nick Vandermyde.
Tanney, Happach and Vandermyde all made All-State teams, as did
Pittsfield’s Matt Wassell. Additionally, in another postseason All-Star
game, Bushnell-Prairie City product Marcus Ruff earned the Defensive MVP
award.
“We’re very excited about our recruiting class, especially some of the
top end players,” said coach Steve Bell, who has a 50-21 record in seven
seasons at Monmouth. “We’ve got some very athletically talented kids,
and we definitely feel some of them can compete right now and help us
immediately.”
Ruff and Happach are just two of a long list of recruits who played
their high school football near Monmouth. Others include Shawn Betar
(Monmouth), Kramer Matzen (Orion), Anthony Retherford (Westmer) and Adam
Sovanski (Kewanee). Two local schools provided three recruits apiece, as
Matt Dever, Jordan Rader and Nick Wright are coming from Canton and
Nathan Parks, Michael Bogguess and Tyler Hannam attended AlWood. Parks
was the Galesburg Register-Mail Player of the Year.
Four Western Big 6 athletes are also on board, including Galesburg’s Tom
Danielson, East Moline’s Justin Clark, Moline’s Justin Hoskins and Rock
Island’s Adam Schnieder.
On the opposite extreme of the 59-member class are three players who
prepped out of state – Michael Blodgett and John Cavanaugh from
Wisconsin and Matt Shepherd from Florida.
The Fighting Scots would love nothing more than a trip to the NCAA
playoffs, which the 2005 team accomplished. Mitch Tanney and Justin
Zigler earned the Midwest Conference Offensive and Defensive Player of
the Year honors that season, and their younger brothers are both part of
the incoming class. Joining Alex Tanney is Prophetstown’s Nick Zigler.
WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM BRINGS IN 15
Coach Barry McNamara will welcome 15 new women’s soccer
players this month, and he’s hoping that the large influx of talent will
mesh with 12 returners to give the Fighting Scots a playoff-caliber
squad.
Leading the newcomers is IHSSCA All-Sectional stopper Becca Baur of
Jacksonville. The three-time first team all-conference selection helped
the Crimsons break single-season records last spring for victories,
goals, assists, shutouts and fewest goals allowed.
“The stopper position was one we really needed to address due to
graduation, and we expect Becca to jump right in and do an outstanding
job there for us,” said McNamara, who is 35-25-4 in four seasons at
Monmouth.
Another IHSSCA-honored player, Katie Zeter (Springfield Southeast), will
vie for playing time on defense along with Brittney Parker
(Gurnee-Warren), Hillary Broms (Richwoods), Berenice Martinez (Jones
Prep), Claire O’Brien (Oak Lawn) and Natalie Rotz (East Moline).
“I’m very pleased with the additions to our defense,” said McNamara.
“This is going to give us a lot of depth in our back four, and some of
these players can also help in other areas. Brittney Parker, for
instance, is a very versatile player who could move up to forward if
necessary.”
One recruit who should win a spot on offense is Niki Sue Williams
(Immaculate Conception). The Monmouth basketball recruit had a breakout
season on the soccer field this spring, scoring 32 goals.
“The buzz word these days in sports is talking about an athlete’s
‘motor,’” said McNamara. “It’s safe to say that Niki Sue has a great
motor, and I think she’s going to get some goals for us on effort
alone.”
Another player that falls into the strong motor category is York’s Megan
Meeke, who used to play club ball with Williams.
“Megan is a leading contender to win an outside mid spot for us,” said
McNamara. “If she does, I envision her playing right behind Niki Sue and
picking up on the chemistry they had together from their younger days.”
Williams' high school teammate, Kim Howard, is one of two new goalies on
the team. The other is Sarah Wintersteen (Normal University). Both
figure to compete for playing time between the posts.
Three transfers are also joining the program – twins Jessie Fetherling
and Lisa Fetherling (Manteno) and Ashley Swenson (Johnsburg). The three
athletic midfielders did not play at their previous colleges. Also new
to the roster is junior Kari Sippel, who is going out for the team for
the first time after a solid prep career at Peoria Central.
“A few of our recruits are returning to soccer after a layoff, and we’re
hoping for some pleasant surprises,” said McNamara. “If they come back
fit, they could find their way into our lineup.”
Concluded the coach, “This was one of the those seasons where we needed
both quality and quantity from our recruiting class, and we feel we have
both. I’m looking forward to the start of practice to see how it all
comes together.” RAGONE
RELOADS CONFERENCE CHAMPION TEAM The bad
news for men’s golf coach Dave Ragone is that four members of his
five-man team that competed at last spring’s NCAA Division III meet have
graduated. That quartet helped the Fighting Scots place 28th in the
nation.
The good news is that several strong players are waiting in the wings,
including a trio of recent high school graduates who make up a solid
recruiting class for the veteran coach.
“We added some good players this year,” said Ragone, who led the Scots
to their third Midwest Conference title in his seven years as head
coach. “I’m excited about the quality we have coming in. They will be a
great addition to the depth we already have.”
Two players with a stroke average of around 77 lead the way – Plano’s
Rodney Clayton and Joe Hoffman of Blue Valley Northwest High School in
Overland Park, Kansas. Clayton qualified for the Class A state meet last
fall, carding a 77 at Gibson Woods, which will be his new home course.
He bettered that score at a practice round there this spring with his
future teammates, shooting 75, and he followed that up with rounds of 75
and 76 at a tournament there in July.
“He’s going to be a good, consistent player for us,” said Ragone. “He
plays a lot of summer tournaments and is a very experienced golfer.”
Hoffman qualified for state in the largest class in Kansas, and Ragone
said the talented golfer must be sold on Monmouth after coming away with
a favorable impression of campus despite visiting on one of the worst
weather days of the past year.
“He and his parents drove six hours through snow and sleet, but that
didn’t discourage them,” said Ragone. “Joe’s a big, tall, strong player,
and he’s shown throughout his high school career that he’s a great
competitor.”
Rounding out the class is Joliet West’s Michael Freeburg, who sports a
79 average. “He’s a nice solid, player,” said Ragone of the left-handed
swinger. TANNEY LEADS
STEELDOGS TO PLAYOFFS Keyed by the best game
of his professional career, Mitch Tanney and the Alabama Steeldogs saw
their late-season playoff push rewarded with the franchise’s first
postseason appearance since 2004.
The Steeldogs secured the spot with a 51-21 victory Saturday night over
the Cincinnati Jungle Kats, coupled with a loss by playoff contender
Oklahoma City. Tanney was solid in the game, earning Offensive MVP
honors with 14-of-18 passing for 132 yards and four TDs.
But Tanney’s biggest game during the Steeldogs’ 2-0 finish came the week
before, when he was part of nine touchdowns in a 71-61 shootout against
the South Georgia Wildcats. He reached the end zone on four short runs
and also connected on five passing TDs while going 28-of-40 for 324
yards. For his big night, Tanney was honored as the af2’s Offensive
Player of the Week.
For the regular season, the former Midwest Conference Offensive Player
of the Year was 325-of-490 for 3,404 yards and 67 TDs, while throwing
only nine interceptions. He was ranked third in the 30-team league in
completion percentage (66.3) and his passer rating of 112.8 ranked
seventh.
With their 7-9 record, the Steeldogs knew they’d draw a tough
first-round foe. Their opponent this Sunday will be the Rio Grande
Valley Dorados, who finished the regular season with a 15-1 mark.
Tanney, who quarterbacked Monmouth to its first NCAA playoff berth in
2005, will be a part of Steve Bell’s coaching staff this fall.
COACH OLE MAKES UIU HALL OF FAME
Retired MC coach Mike “Ole” Olson will be inducted into
the Upper Iowa University Athletic Hall of Fame later this year.
Olson, who coached no fewer than seven sports at Monmouth, will be
inducted into the Fayette, Iowa, school’s hall of fame for his
accomplishments while serving as the Peacocks’ wrestling coach from
1966-71.
During his tenure at Upper Iowa, Olson’s teams posted a 69-6-1 dual meet
record and produced 15 All-Americans and five national champions. His
39-year coaching record in wrestling stands at an amazing 428-95-1 in
dual meets.
Induction ceremonies are scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 12-13. Olson
is already a member of the Jamestown College Hall of Fame and the NAIA
Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame.
Olson coached at Monmouth from 1990 until his retirement following the
2005 football season. His 1997 team posted the only Midwest Conference
wrestling title in school history.
DIAMOND DANDIES Besides Mitch
Tanney, at least two other MC graduates are currently playing
professional sports. Former diamond teammates Alan Betourne and Josh
Ragar are competing for independent baseball teams.
Betourne secured a roster spot with the Tarrant County Blue Thunder, a
Dallas-Ft. Worth area team that is one of four entries in the
Continental Baseball League. He got his first professional hit on June
2, going 1-for-2 in the first game of a doubleheader. In the nightcap,
he started at first base and made two run-saving plays.
For the season, Betourne is hitting .264 with eight homers and 17 runs
batted in. He has also walked 19 times, giving him an on-base percentage
of .416.
Besides Betourne, former Midwest Conference player Alan Servais
(Lawrence) also plays for the Blue Thunder, who lead the CBL with a
24-13 record.
Meanwhile, in Florida, Ragar has played in 22 games for the Pelicans and
has five hits and five RBIs while playing error-free ball. Pensacola has
posted a 26-36 record through the end of July.
The Web sites to follow Betourne and Ragar are tarrantproball.com and
www.pensacolapelicans.com.
RICHARDSON NAMED TOP COACH
M Club Hall of Famer Ross Richardson continues to add to
his impressive athletic résumé. Now the assistant track and field coach
at Purdue University, Richardson was honored as the region’s top women’s
throws coach by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country
Coaches Association. Two of his throwers won Big Ten titles and his
group broke four school records.
Richardson, who previously coached track at Western Illinois University,
earned three All-American throwing honors while competing for the
Fighting Scots, and he was also a rock on Monmouth’s offensive line in
football, helping the Scots post a 26-3 record in his three years as a
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