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SCOTS SCOOP
– Nov. 15, 2007
– Vol.
8, No. 15
SO CLOSE, AND YET, SO FAR
When Monmouth College cross country coach Roger Haynes took his teams
to the NCAA regional meet at Lake Breeze Golf Course just outside
Oshkosh, Wis., last Saturday, he knew this could be the year the Scots
returned a runner to the National Championships, what he didn’t know was
what teams would get an invitation to next week’s meet and where that
would leave his top runners.
The NCAA guarantees two teams automatic qualification for the
national event and can add up to three more teams as at-large team
entries. The top seven individuals, not part of an advancing team then
receive berths to the meet –
and that’s where the Scots’ chances faded.
Five men’s teams advanced, but that still left Monmouth sophomore
Clay Staley on the outside looking in, but it gave hope to freshman Mary
Kate Beyer. Unfortunately for Beyer, the women’s side did not select
their maximum five teams and Beyer missed the national meet by two
seconds, in the eighth position.
The Monmouth men finished 17th, down from 14th a year ago while the
women improved to 21st, gaining four spots from last fall. All things
considered, Haynes was happy with his teams’ overall performance. "Our
times were better than a year ago when we had a lot of senior men,"
Haynes said. "All 13 kids we took ran season bests, so it was an
outstanding weekend."
Staley’s 8K time of 25:01 was good for 24th and is the third-fastest
time by a Monmouth runner at a regional meet. Monmouth’s second
finisher, classmate Brad Begyn (26:20) finished 94th. The Scots other
runners were Damon Bautista 113th (26:46), Adam Rodriguez 116th (26:48),
Seth Leitner 118th (26:49), Derek Huff, who cut nearly a minute off his
best time to finish 142nd (27:24) and Matt Peharda 150th (27:33).
While Beyers’ bid to become the first Fighting Scot woman to advance
to the national meet fell short, her 20th place finish (22:19) set the
school record for a 6K race. Katie Staab in 79th position (23:33), Amy
Aghababian finished 159th (25:05), Jayme Ayers 169th (25:26), Briana
Flynn 180th (25:47) and Whitney Didier 195th (26:39) rounded out the
field.
Haynes was upbeat about his runners’ ability to compete at a
significant meet. "We tried to focus on the conference and regional
meets," he reported. "I couldn’t have been more pleased with how we
competed there. They handled the course and the situation extremely
well. It’s all I could have hoped for."
The veteran coach should be upbeat about the future, too. Only two
seniors will be lost on the men’s side
– Rodriguez and
Leitner – and
all of the women’s team will return for 2008, but Haynes knows team
success is a numbers game. "We would like to increase our numbers on
both sides," commented Haynes. "We don’t just want to add numbers, we
also need to add quality runners who can challenge for top seven and top
five spots. We’re solid now, we just need kids to challenge the top
five."
The freshman class has a lot of promise with Huff, Scott Sheller,
Craig Maher and Drew Peterson –
runners Haynes calls "unheralded" in their high school careers. Haynes
claims the women’s team also has room for improvement, but reports both
teams must continue their fitness training and work on their weaknesses
in order to improve for next season.
If Haynes and his staff can find a few good runners to supplement the
already quality group of returners for next season, he may need to
adjust his training schedule to include one more meet after the regional
competition.
SCOTS LEAVE OTHERS IN THEIR WAKE
Buoyed by some outstanding personal performances, the Monmouth
College men’s swim team posted a runaway victory in their own Monmouth
Invitational Saturday while the Scots women finished a strong third.
Kevin Raske’s performance in the 1,650-yard freestyle epitomized the
men’s dominance. His winning time of 16:58.70 set the new school and
pool records and was nearly two full minutes faster than the
second-place swimmer. The freshman also set a school and pool record
while winning the 200- butterfly (1:58.92) and was joined by John
Kaiser, Kurt Niemeier and Tom Pederson on the winning 200- freestyle
relay team. The relay team also set a new pool record with their time of
1:32.20. Raske rounded out his firsts with a win in the 100- backstroke
(56.39).
With such a large lead in the 1650 it might have been easy for Raske
to coast the final few lengths, but instead kept his winning margin
intact, something that impressed Scots coach Keith Crawford. "I can’t
recall having that large of a winning margin in that big of a meet,"
reported Crawford. "It certainly was a great performance by Kevin."
Other firsts for the Scots came from Josh Van Swol, Jon Peterson, Joe
Moran and Kevin Satler in the 200-yard medley relay (1:48.05), Satler in
the 400- IM (4:46.73) and Niemeier in the 100- freestyle (49.70).
Seconds came from Niemeier in the 50- freestyle (22.93), Peterson in the
100- breaststroke (1:04.25), Satler in the 200- breaststroke (2:23.68)
and Kaiser in the 100- butterfly (58.35).
The Scots’ victory margin of more than 200 points was not a complete
surprise to Crawford. "Going in, I felt our collective depth was far
superior," he commented.
The Monmouth women also turned in a strong performance, taking first
or second in four events. Sophomore Anne Lane led the way, winning the
100-yard butterfly (1:03.78) and the 200- freestyle (2:05.54) and
finishing second in the 400- IM (4:56.55). Swimming in her final home
meet, senior Heather Plum touched first in the 1,650- freestyle
(19:49.67).
The Scots picked up their first victory over conference member
Carroll College at the meet, a feat that was not lost on the Scots head
coach. "It was a pleasant surprise to see the women finish as high as
they did," Crawford said. "It bodes well to know we can compete with
them (Carroll). That means we can have a goal to move into the top three
at the conference meet this year."
After this Saturday’s Illinois Wesleyan Invitational, Crawford will
give his team next week off for the Thanksgiving break, but he expects
his team to come back ready for the next few weeks.
"I’ve done some training adjustments this year," said Crawford. Going
with "less volume and higher intensity" is a move he hopes will mean
peak performance at the conference meet in February.
While Crawford likes his team’s progress, there is a bit of concern
of peaking too early. "I want us to have room to progress and get better
during the last half of the season, and I feel like we’re on our way to
doing that," he said.
MEN’S HOOPSTERS IMPRESS NEW BOSS
For the first time in over three decades, the Monmouth men’s
basketball team will take the floor with someone other than Dr. Terry
Glasgow calling the shots.
Enter Mark Vershaw, a member of Wisconsin’s 2000 NCAA Final Four team
and the new head coach of the Fighting Scots. Vershaw did not find the
cupboard bare, in fact, he boasts eight seniors on his squad and some
talented newcomers he hopes will help the Scots become a contender
sooner rather than later.
"They’re buying into working hard and playing with a passion," claims
Vershaw. "They’re very eager to win, which includes buying in quickly.
We have guys who are in their last year and want to do well. The
freshmen are bringing a lot of energy and we have some really good
competition every day in practice."
That competition in practice includes "an interesting mix" of a large
number of seniors and freshmen battling for playing time mixed in with
smaller numbers in the sophomore and junior classes. The first-year
coach believes the everyday battle for game time will provide the Scots
with the level of play and desire which will bode well for the team this
year and in the future.
The Scots return leading scorer and rebounder, senior Joe Terwelp
(Quincy, Ill.) and his 16.7 points-per-game and 6.6 rebounds-per-game
and classmate Scott Scholten, who Vershaw compliments for his leadership
abilities. Vershaw expects junior Corey Turner (Coal Valley, Ill.) to be
an offensive threat despite limited playing time as a sophomore.
A broken bone will keep senior Blaise Rogers (Forest City, Ill.) out
of action until the first of the year. Vershaw hopes Rogers’ return will
give the Scots a boost heading into the heart of conference play. Other
seniors who saw action last season and could contribute are Andy Moore
(Marseilles, Ill.) and Jesse Haskett (Manito, Ill.). Moore played in 21
of the Scots’ 22 games last season and Haskett filled in for Terwelp for
an extended period when the center was recuperating from an illness.
The Scots, who started two freshman in their exhibition game against
Eastern Illinois University, will count on the newcomers to provide an
immediate spark. Eric Grant (Roseville, Ill.) and Corey Gruber
(Abingdon, Ill.) impressed their new coach with their play against EIU.
"I’ve been impressed with how hard they play," Vershaw said. "They’ve
done a very good job up to this point which is why they started (against
Eastern). Eric and Corey are not afraid to stick their nose in there and
that’s a very good sign."
You can excuse the new coach if he sounds a bit giddy when it comes
to a late addition. Alex Tanney (Lexington, Ill.) has joined the team
now that the football season is over.
"We’re very excited about the addition of our football player. You
can see how talented and athletic Tanney is," reported Vershaw.
"Tanney’s ability to shoot the ball is really going to help us. He’s a
guy with size at the guard spot and a very athletic athlete, he’s not
just a football player, but an athlete."
With some offensive threats, Vershaw says his offense is still a work
in progress. Ideally, he would like to run a motion offense, but
cautions –
"We’ll adjust to our personnel, we’re still in the learning process to
see exactly what we can do," he said. "We want to put kids where they
can be successful. We also need them to have the willingness to be
unselfish and that will benefit everyone."
A defensive-minded coach, Vershaw says fans will be able to tell if
his squad is having a bad night. "All man-to-man, if you see us in zone,
that’s because we’re not doing things right," joked Vershaw. "Well go in
whatever defensive mindset we need to win."
As a rookie coach, Vershaw says he is already drawing on his
experiences with successful coaches he has been around. He certainly has
had some good mentors, reaching the Final Four at Wisconsin under head
coach Dick Bennett and his most recent stop prior to Monmouth with Steve
Donahue at Cornell University. But don’t expect a carbon copy of either
program. Vershaw says he’ll adjust and put his own mark on the Scots
program.
"Coach Bennett won in a variety of ways, but he always strived for
quality basketball," said Vershaw. "Coach Donahue is the best competitor
I saw as a coach and how he got that to carry over to his players."
The Scots’ boss will get his chance to use his mentor’s advice when
Monmouth opens the season at Division II Central Missouri State. The
Mules have posted a 79-19 record over the past three seasons.
Mark Vershaw may begin the year as a rookie head coach, but then
again, the man he replaced was a rookie once, and he retired with the
most wins in Fighting Scots history.
COACHING DEBUT IS NO SWEAT
Alright class, let’s review what we’ve learned about Fighting Scots
men’s basketball –
· For the first time in 35 years Monmouth will have someone other
than Dr. Terry Glasgow roaming the sidelines.
· The Scots season opener against Central Missouri State will be the
2000th game in the history of the program.
· Mark Vershaw will make his head coaching debut against a Division
II team that has posted an .809 winning percentage over the last three
years.
With the historical significance of the Scots’ opener at Central
Missouri State, you might think Vershaw would be a bit nervous
– and you would be
wrong. "I feel no pressure, I’m pretty relaxed," he claimed. "By the
time the game rolls around, my job is done, and now
– other than a few
in-game adjustments –
it’s up to the players to make it happen."
That’s pretty profound stuff from a guy who was hired just weeks
before practice started in mid-October. Vershaw has had some good
mentors to help guide his thought process. Dick Bennett, who led Vershaw
and his teammates to a Final Four appearance while at Wisconsin, and his
former boss, Cornell University’s Steve Donahue, may be in the back of
Vershaw’s mind when his team takes the floor Saturday afternoon against
the Mules.
Like their coach, Vershaw’s team is definitely ready to get the
season underway. While happy with the progress the team is made, he
already sounds like a grizzled veteran. "Just going in there trying to
be in the game is not enough. I want to win it," he said. "We want to be
in the game with a chance to actually win it in the final four or five
minutes, but, we have to do a lot of things right in order to compete in
this game.
"If we just go in there and lay down and let the game get out of
hand, then that’s not a good sign for us."
Monmouth will bring some experienced players into the fray, but
Vershaw says he isn’t expecting one guy to carry the load. "We would
like a lot of guys to step up," chuckled Vershaw. "If we can get the
team defensive rebounds, effort and limit them to one shot, we will be
better served –
and keep the turnovers down."
The Scots skipper is well-stocked with eight players in the mix for
the season-opening start. Freshmen Eric Grant (Roseville, Ill.), Corey
Gruber (Abingdon, Ill.) and Alex Tanney (Lexington, Ill.), junior Corey
Turner (Coal Valley) and seniors Scott Scholten (Elk Grove Village,
Ill.), Joe Terwelp (Quincy, Ill.), Wes Wrage (Yates City, Ill.) and
Jesse Haskett (Manito, Ill.) are all in the mix for Saturday’s starting
five.
Regardless of what five get the start, the Scots will be slightly
undersized against the Mules who sport five players 6-7 or taller.
Vershaw is hoping his team’s scrappy defense will negate a team that has
competed well against Division I opponents, but like the coach said, it
all comes down to the players performing.
Saturday Vershaw will his first look to see if his preaching team
defense and offense during his first few weeks at the helm has taken
hold. Scots fans will see if the players have paid attention or have
dozed off during the sermon.
SCOTS READY TO BUTT HEADS WITH RAMS
Saying her team is looking "a lot better" than a couple of weeks ago,
you get the feeling Melissa Jones is anxious for her women’s basketball
team to take the court this Saturday.
The Scots travel to Mt. Vernon, Iowa, Saturday for their
season-opener against Cornell, a team the Scots defeated last year
68-65. Last year’s meeting at Glennie Gym was close throughout and
Monmouth had the ball and a one point lead with less than a minute
remaining. After a Scots timeout, Laura Jahn hit a jumper for her
game-high 18th point and Monmouth had a three point lead. The Rams then
had two tries at a game-tying three-pointer, but neither would fall.
Monmouth’s Ashley Yeast pulled down her game-high 18th rebound to seal
the win.
While Jones knows it’s nice to have the nation’s leading rebounder
back from last year, she also knows the Scots can’t rely solely on
Yeast’s rebounding skills. "They (Cornell) are very athletic and we
match up really well," said Jones. "However, we feel they don’t have a
post that can match up with our post."
Both teams lost their leading scorers from a year ago, but don’t
break out the crying towels for Jones just yet. "I’m excited to play
them in our first game," claims Jones. "I think it will be a good game.
It should be an uptempo game with their athletic kids and we want to
push the ball upcourt."
While the Rams have "athletic" players, don’t forget the Scots have a
couple of athletic additions with Yeast and Tanesha Hughes. The pair
just joined the team after a successful volleyball season. "Ashley and
Tanesha have been working extra after practice to get their rhythm and
develop their post moves to work on their shots," said Jones. "They’re
working really hard, but we need to get them game-ready in a hurry."
Jones has the luxury of eight players who could start. Any
combination of freshmen Justine Boone and Alison Andrews, sophomores
Lynsey Barnard and Elise Waldorf, juniors Hughes, Melissa Gorski and
Katie Sheets and Yeast, the Scots lone senior, could get the starting
nod against Cornell. While this could be the strongest group of players
one through eight, Jones warns not to discount the next few off the
bench who the coach praised as "coming on strong."
Although the Scots would like for the team to click quickly, they’re
looking at the long haul for improvements that could take them to the
conference tournament. Like Jones said, "We want to peak in February
rather than December."
SCOTS SPIKERS CONTINUE STREAK
For the ninth consecutive year, the Monmouth College volleyball team
has landed at least three members on the All-Midwest Conference team.
In a vote of the league’s coaches, senior middle hitter Kendra James
(Fulton, Ill./Fulton) and junior middle hitter Samantha Robinson (Milan,
Ill./Rockridge) were named to the first team. Senior setter Colleen
Wilkin (Fulton, Ill./Fulton) was named to the second team.
James led the Fighting Scots in kills (299) and kills-per-game
(2.65). She is the Scots’ career leader in block assists (343). Her
1,347 career kills and 457 total blocks ranks her second in school
history. She is third on the all-time list with 114 solo blocks.
Robinson led Monmouth in solo blocks (26), block assists (97) and
total blocks (123). Her total blocks ranks fourth on the Scots’ season
list.
Wilkin ends her career as the Fighting Scots’ record-holder for
career assists (3,659) and she led the team this season with 693
assists.
James picked up her fourth all-league honor. This was Wilkin’s third
selection and Robinson’s first.
The Fighting Scots finished the year 20-12, marking their seventh
consecutive winning season.
THIRTEEN IS ACTUALLY A LUCKY NUMBER
Monmouth College’s second-place finish in the Midwest Conference must
have impressed the league’s coaches. In a vote of the MWC’s coaches, 13
Scots were named to the All-Midwest Conference football squad.
Senior kicker/punter Nate Palkovic (Peoria, Ill./Woodruff) picked up
his fourth all-league selection. He was named to the offensive and
defensive first teams. Palkovic ended his Fighting Scots career as the
team’s leading scorer with 251 points and his 46-yard field goal this
season is the longest in school history.
Junior Wes Levy (Plano, Ill./Yorkville) was awarded his second
all-conference honor. He was named to the first team defensive unit as a
defensive lineman. He was second on the team in sacks and sixth in total
tackles. Classmate Marc Artozqui (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) joined Levy on
the defensive first team as a linebacker. Atrozqui led the Scots with
108 tackles, third on the team’s season honor roll. Rounding out the
first team was sophomore offensive lineman Josh Kotecki (Peru,
Ill./LaSalle-Peru).
Second teamers included sophomore Kyle Wantland (Fisher, Ill./Fisher)
at wide receiver. He was Monmouth’s leading receiver, catching 53 passes
for 557 yards. Defensively, Danny Weiden (Oglesby, Ill./LaSalle-Peru)
was selected at linebacker. The junior led the Scots in fumble
recoveries and his 83 tackles ranked second on the team. Sophomore
defensive back Sean Wells (Heyworth, Ill./Heyworth) garnered his first
All-MWC selection after leading Monmouth with five interceptions. His 77
tackles ranked him third.
Six Scots were named honorable mention. Senior Jess Miller (Monmouth,
Ill./Monmouth) was named at running back. He was an integral part of the
Scots offense, catching three TD passes as 12 different players scored
touchdowns for Monmouth this season. Junior wide receiver Bobby Gibbs
(Roseville, Ill./Roseville-Yorkwood) was the Scots second-leading
receiver. Freshmen Alex Tanney (Lexington, Ill./Lexington) and Matt
Shepherd (Leesburg, Fla./Leesburg) rounded out the offensive unit at
quarterback and return specialist, respectively. Tanney set the school
passing record with 2,678 yards. His mark is already fifth on the
all-time list. Shepherd averaged 31.3 yards per return while running
back a combined 14 punts and kickoffs. Two juniors were named to the
defensive squad –
linebacker T.C. Olsen (Amboy, Ill./Amboy) and defensive back Cole Norman
(Peoria, Ill./Richwoods). Olsen led the Scots in sacks and Norman had
four interceptions and broke up a team-high eight passes.
Monmouth finished the season with a 7-2 conference mark, their fifth
straight year with at least 7 league wins.
DEADLY DUO
Monmouth College men’s soccer team members Trevor Neff (Morris,
Ill./Coal City) and Danny Davis (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) tied for the
team lead in goals scored and were rewarded for their efforts. In a vote
of the league’s coaches, Neff and Davis were named to the All-Midwest
Conference second team.
Neff, a senior midfielder, and Davis, a sophomore midfielder, proved
to be a dangerous tandem for the Scots, combining to score over half of
Monmouth’s goals. Not only did they tie for the team lead in goals with
four each, they also tied for the team lead in points (19).
Neff, who picked up his second all-conference selection, ends his
Monmouth career in the top ten in career goals and in the top 15 in
points. Davis is a first-time all-conference selection.
WHAT(ER) A PERFORMANCE
Kevin Raske (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee-Crown) left his competitors in
his wake at last weekend’s Monmouth Invitational and was rewarded with
the Midwest Conference Performer of the Week honor in men’s swimming.
Raske set the pool and school record in the 1,650-yard freestyle
(16:58.70). The freshman also set the school and pool record in the 200-
butterfly with his winning time of 1:58.92 and he swam a personal-best
56.39 in the 100- backstroke. Raske wasn’t finished there. His leg in
the 200- freestyle relay helped the Fighting Scots set the new pool mark
at 1:32.20. He holds the conference’s top times in four different
events.
FINAL FOUR FEAST
The NCAA Final Four will be addressed by Monmouth College men’s
basketball coach Mark Vershaw at the November meeting of the Monmouth
Associates today at noon in the Whiteman-McMillan Highlander Room of the
college’s Stockdale Center.
In his talk titled "An Unexpected Tournament Run," Vershaw will
describe the 2000 NCAA "March Madness" experience of the University of
Wisconsin men’s basketball team, which came one game away from playing
for the national championship. Vershaw was the Badgers’ leading scorer
that year.
The Associates program is free; a buffet lunch costs $8.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Thurs., Nov 15
Monmouth Associates featuring Mark Vershaw
– Noon, Highlander
Room, Stockdale Center
Sat., Nov. 17
Swimming at Illinois Wesleyan Invitational
– 1:00 pm
Women’s Basketball at Cornell College
– 1:00 pm
Men’s Basketball at Central Missouri State
– 2:00 pm
SCOTSIVATIONAL
"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a
person's determination." - Tommy Lasorda |
