RAY STEVENS WOULD BE PROUD

In 1974, Ray Stevens released a hit single "The Streak." Thirty-four years later the Scots men’s basketball team is releasing their own version of "The Streak," but its subject matter is completely different than that of the smash hit.

The Scots’ "streak" is of the three-game winning streak variety, posting their first three-game winning streak since November of 2006. It hasn’t been easy. The Scots’ average winning margin has been just over two points per game.

Mark Vershaw’s team picked up a huge road win Saturday, handing Illinois College their first conference loss, 70-67. Trailing by 14 at the half, Vershaw knew something needed to change. "It all started on the defensive end," he said. "It wasn’t Xs and Os different, but we put Corey Gruber on their top scorer and he did an outstanding job. Blaise Rogers (25 points) had a ‘refuse to lose’ attitude. He made some key free throws and made an outstanding pass near the end to Joe (Terwelp) to put us up by four. The whole team was into it and we played a very solid final 20 minutes."

Vershaw experienced his first Monmouth-Knox game Tuesday and the outcome, a 55-52 win, did not disappoint the first-year coach, but the start of each half caused some concern. "It’s hard to predict our emotions, we looked tired and flat" Vershaw said of his team’s slow start. "We had a really bad offensive start. The only reason we were still in it at the half was we played really good defense."

The Scots were held scoreless for the first five minutes of the game and didn’t score through the first four minutes of the second half. Both times Versahw took timeouts and ignited the offense. "We were looking for a spark," he said. "Corey Turner hit some shots that kept us in the game. Alex (Tanney), Blaise and Joe had their offensive struggles, but we still found a way to win. It’s great to be in this kind of atmosphere and find ways to win."

Gruber, who had a key defensive performance against IC, was at it again battling the Prairie Fire. "We played him the entire second half," reported Vershaw. "He does an outstanding job on the defensive end and he’s solid offensively. The way he plays defense has a positive effect on the other four players on the floor. As a team, we’ve been pretty good defensively down the stretch and that has saved us the last couple of games."

Vershaw also praised the Scots’ unsung hero. "Kyle (Weyeneth) plays very hard every minute he’s out there," he said. "He pulled some key rebounds for us and scored some crucial baskets against Knox. It’s obvious to us, but maybe not so much to the fans, but he is a key for us. He’s not always going to do things that show up in the stat line, but he’s embraced his role and has done a great job."

The Scots could run their streak to five games with a pair of road wins this weekend at Beloit and Ripon. In an unusual circumstance, the Bucs and Red Hawks are both looking for their first conference wins, something Vershaw hopes doesn’t come at the hands of the Scots. "If we are going to compete in this conference, this is something we need to take care of," he said. "We need to put together two nights in a row of solid basketball. It’s very important that we have a good 40 minute effort both days against two very good and hungry teams."

Enough said.

GOOD FOR WHAT AILS YOU

The Scots women’s basketball team had a streak of their own going, but it wasn’t the kind of streak Melissa Jones was enjoying. Monmouth was stuck in a four game skid before routing Knox Tuesday 78-48.

Saturday, the Scots came roaring back from a 13 point deficit at Illinois College only to fall in overtime 88-77. A loss is a loss, but a silver lining can be found in the Scots’ second half surge. "Lynsey Barnard hit three 3s pretty close together early in the second half and that gave us a huge spark," praised Jones.

Of course, there are two sides to every story and the downside was the defense collapsed in the final minutes of regulation to allow the Lady Blues to nail a 3-pointer at the buzzer and force overtime. "IC played with a lot of urgency and we weren’t very aggressive," reported Jones. "Our defense was pretty good until the last three minutes when we got caught on our heals."

Melissa Gorski poured in 22 points and her two free throws with two seconds left gave the Scots a 71-68 lead before IC’s Carrie Walberg hit a desperation 3-pointer to send the game into OT. Ashley Yeast had fouled out in regulation and Tanesha Hughes collected her fifth foul early in the extra session, leaving the Scots with no post presence. IC took advantage and coasted through the overtime period.

The Scots made the return to Glennie Gym a good one with a convincing win over Knox Tuesday. Monmouth executed Jones’ game plan to perfection, effectively determining the outcome in the first few minutes. "We wanted to be the aggressor," Jones said. "It was important that we set the tone."

Monmouth surely set the tone, forcing 29 turnovers on 19 steals and leading by 11 midway though the first half. The Scots increased their lead to 42 late in the second half. "After the loss to IC, we went into the Knox game with a chip on our shoulder," said Jones.

Jones is also encouraged by the return of Elise Waldorf who had 14 points and six assists against Knox. "She’s getting better with her injured hand," said Jones. "She’s getting more confidence and had a good night. Justine Boone also did a nice job coming off the bench and getting four steals and a couple of baskets. All things considered, we had a very good team game against Knox."

Monmouth will need that team play this weekend with a couple of road games against Beloit and Ripon. Tuesday’s win should recharge the Scots’ confidence and they’ll need everything they can muster Friday night. "It’s imperative that we beat Beloit," said Jones whose team is in fifth place in the MWC behind Beloit and IC. "We’ve identified some of their players we need to control. We’ll turn around and host Beloit next weekend, so we want to play well against them at their place."

Now that the Scots are back in the win column, they hope to get a run going for the final 10 games of the regular season. "It was nice to pick up the win against Knox," said Jones. "But it was especially nice that we played well for 40 minutes and had a great all-around effort."

The Scots will control their own destiny from this point forward, with five games against teams above them in the standings and a rematch with Carroll in Waukesha, Wis., on Feb. 9. The Pioneers beat Monmouth in Glennie Gym 59-49 in November.

SCOTS SPLIT VIKINGS

The men’s swim team performed as expected, winning last Friday’s dual meet at Augustana College 146-56. Swimming the second straight meet with a shorthanded squad, the Scots women fell 107-60.

Coach Keith Crawford credited his team’s focus in what he called a "tough evening." A low number of Vikings men’s swimmers meant the Scots filled most of the lanes. "For the second week in a row, we were really racing against ourselves," he said. "We could have slacked off, but we didn’t. I was pretty happy with a number of our swims."

Monmouth’s men finished 1-2 in eight of the 11 events. The Scots got off to a fast start, taking first and second in the first event, the 200-yard medley relay. The Scots’ A Team of Kevin Raske, Jon Peterson, John Kaiser and Kurt Niemeier won with a time of 1:45.52 and the foursome of Harrison Hielman, Kevin Satler, Tom Pederson and Dan Campione logged a second place finish in 1:49.61. Other 1-2 finishes included the 1000- freestyle tandem of Raske (10:07.88) and Chad Rowland (a personal-best 10:50.30); the 200- freestyle with Niemeier (1:50.12) and Ed Novak (2:05.56); the 200- individual medley of Kaiser (2:11.02) and Heilman (2:13.27); Heilman and Niemeier in the 100- backstroke (1:01.56 and 1:01.85, respectively); Novak and Matt O’Rourke in the 500- freestyle (5:32.85 and 5:35.63, respectively); and the 100- breaststroke with Peterson (1:06.53) and Satler (1:06.88).

Pederson touched first in the 100- butterfly (1:00.96) and was second in the 50- freestyle (23.82). Other seconds were recorded by Steven Whittle in the 100- freestyle (53.76) and the 400- freestyle relay team of O’Rourke, Jim Travnik, Brant Furr and Ryan Bouwman (4:10.39).

Crawford heaped praise on a variety of swimmers. "Rowland had a personal best by 11 seconds in the 1000- free," said Crawford. "Pederson swam a very strong 100- fly on the front half. Whittle turned in a lifetime best in the 100- freestyle and it was nice to finally get Dan Campione back in the water. Dan swam a really nice split in the 400- freestyle relay."

The women were able to take first in four events. Anne Lane touched first in the 200-yard freestyle (2:04.27); Meaghan Gritzenbach in the 500- freestyle (6:04.71); Jessica DeMink in the 100- breaststroke (1:21.10); and the 400- freestyle relay of Gritzenbach, Lauren Nelson, Sally Thomas and DeMink (4:32.29).

Seconds came from the 200- medley relay team of Lane, DeMink, Gritzenbach and Nelson (2:11.50); Nelson in the 1000- freestyle (12:47.05) and the 500- freestyle (6:14.93); Lane in the 100- backstroke (1:08.88). Lane also recorded a personal best while swimming an exhibition 100- breaststroke (1:20.86).

"Anne Lane had a nice time in the 100- breaststroke," praised Crawford. "We have been working with her on the stroke to help her IM time, so it was nice to see an improvement there."

While the Scots men and women didn’t set any records, Crawford was impressed with his squad’s performance. "I was looking for a competitive effort," he said. "We got the 100-percent effort we were looking for and a great team attitude."

The Scots travel to the University of Chicago for an invitational Saturday and Crawford is anxious for his teams, especially the women, to get back in the pool. "We finally have all our women back for Saturday," said Crawford. "After missing some of our women over the break, it will be a big boost to have a full squad again."

While Crawford hopes his team performs well this weekend, he is also aware of the big picture. "We’re working hard and preparing for the conference meet next month," said the Scots coach. "With classes resuming this week, our workout schedule will be lighter and hopefully that will result in our athletes feeling a little bit fresher for the swims at Chicago."

SCOTS TEST TRACK

With a string of eight straight Midwest Conference men’s indoor track titles and six on the women’s side, one might think Monmouth College track coach Roger Haynes would be pretty confident as his team prepares for their first meet this weekend.

Guess again. Haynes, the 2007 Division III National Indoor Men’s Track Coach of the Year, is cautious but upbeat when describing the teams’ chances at a repeat. "We lost a lot of talent on both the men’s and women’s side due to graduation," said Haynes. "We have a number of spots where we have to fill in, but I’m confident that we will get where we need to be. At the same time, we really don’t know what the other teams will be bringing to the table."

On the men’s side, Haynes returns conference champions in six events and has a talented freshman class that could have an immediate impact. "We’ve got some solid people and good numbers to start," reported Haynes. Those "solid" athletes include a number of national qualifiers.

"Our seniors have been doing an excellent job of setting a high standard in practice," praised Haynes of his three senior All-Americans. "They have taken leadership roles and that’s what we’ve come to expect from our seniors. They have certainly been a good example for our younger kids."

Senior Brad Gross (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) and juniors Jacob Stott (Morris, Ill./Coal City) and Damon Bautista (Silvis, Ill./United Township) return from last year’s conference champion sprint medley relay team. Bautista is expected to provide some punch in the middle distance events while defending conference champion Gross should have an impact in the 400-meter hurdles.

A pair of Scots who took a year off will return. Junior Sheridan Ray (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) will compete in the long jump and triple jump, where he excelled as a freshman. Senior Adam Rodriguez (Amboy, Ill./Sterling) will give the Scots some scoring power in the middle distances.

A "solid" freshman group means the Scots should be able to continue their track dominance for years to come. The freshman recruits have it covered when it comes to both track and field events. Monmouth will have some thoroughbreds in the sprints, including a pair of high school All-Staters in Jared Cernansky (Sparta, Ill./Sparta) and Kyle Prout (Chillicothe, Ill./IVC). Haynes also reports Saidu Sesay (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) is expected to be among the group of talented young sprinters competing for the "A" list.

Another strong freshman group, figuratively and literally, should be the throwers. Haynes is high on newcomers Shawn Betar (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville), Sam Cokinos (St. Charles, Ill./East) and Peyton Lumzy (Dixon, Ill./Dixon). The Scots could get more field event points from Michael Blodgett (Appleton, Wis./North) in the long jump and triple jump, Tyler Hannam (Woodhull, Ill./AlWood) in the high jump, and Nick Bennett (East Peoria, Ill./Metamora) in the long jump and triple jump. Bennett is also expected to contribute in the long sprints.

Haynes’ other top recruits are high school state champion Logan Hohl (Orion, Ill./Orion), hurdles; Brock McAnally (Crystal Lake, Ill./South), pole vault; and Scott Sheller (Morton, Ill./Morton), distance.

The outlook for the Scots women is a bit cloudy in the early going. "In one regard, the women are a known quality because we have some solid women coming back," reported Haynes. "We have to do what the men are hoping to do, and fill in some spots that have come open due to graduation. We lost some key contributors from a year ago."

The Scots return six athletes who posted provisional qualifying marks for last year’s nationals, either indoor or outdoor. Seniors Jenny Babos (Leland, Ill./Somonauk), discus, shot put, weight throw; Megan Clennon (Aurora, Ill./West), high jump; Megan McKenna (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection), pole vault; and Jessica White (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg), pole vault; juniors Tanesha Hughes (Peoria, Ill./Woodruff), shot put, discus; and Shannon Turczyn (Peru, Ill./LaSalle-Peru), 55- meter hurdles, 100-meter hurdles will provide the base for what the Scots hope is another strong women’s team.

Monmouth isn’t hurting on the conference level, either. Turcyzn took MWC titles in the 55-meter hurdles, 100- hurdles and teamed with classmates Ashley Widdop (Reynolds, Ill./Rockridge) and Katey Vaccarello (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine Township) to capture the 4x200 relay. Vaccarello and Turczyn were also part of the championship 4x400 relay. Vaccarello also won the 400- hurdles. Fellow junior Lauren Firchau (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland)joined Turczyn to capture the 4x100 league title. Clennon returns as a two-time winner in the high jump. McKenna is the defending champion in the long jump and triple jump and White holds two pole vault titles. Babos is back to defend her weight throw title and Hughes is last season’s discus champion.

"We should be pretty strong in the field events," predicted Haynes. "I think our sprints and distance events will get better as the year goes on, but we’ll have our work cut out for us."

Joining a veteran group in the field events will be freshmen throwers Samantha Bleyaert (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island), Maureen Dewan (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest), and Allison Renfro (Rockford, Ill./Boylan). The Scots will add to their pole vault threat with last year’s high school state qualifier, freshman Whitney Didier (Dixon, Ill./Dixon). Rounding out the impressive freshman field event recruits are high jumpers Heather Hull (Cambridge, Ill./Cambridge) and Sarah Stinson (Kewanee, Ill./Wethersfield), and All-Stater Morgan Leffel (Viola, Ill./Sherrard), who will compete in the long jump and sprints.

Monmouth hopes a good cross country season will translate into a strong group of distance runners for the spring. Cross country all-conference runners, sophomore Katie Staab (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) and freshman Mary Kate Beyer (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) along with sophomores Sara Ditzler (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) and Amy Aghababian (St. Charles, Ill./Central), will anchor the group of distance runners.

Haynes expects veteran sprinters Vaccarello, Widdop and Turczyn will get help from Firchau and Leffel in the 200- and 400- meters. Freshmen Jae Moore (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame) and Michelle Nutting (St. Charles, Ill./Francis Howell) are being counted on to add depth and points in the middle sprints. "I feel good about the personnel we’ll have for the relays," said Haynes. "I hope someone becomes that standout leadoff runner or anchor that we’ve traditionally had. We’re pretty even in all of our relays right now, but we’d like someone to step to the front of that group and I think they will."

Haynes and his staff are ready to get the first meet under their collective belts and see exactly how the team is progressing. "We’re pretty solid in the hurdles, but we’re relatively untested as a group in the other track events," he said.

Untested as a whole they may be, but the Scots boast a roster with six All-Americans and 18 athletes with a conference tile. If that is any indication, look for the Scots’ men and women to pass the test with an "A" once the Midwest Conference meet rolls around in March.

BLAISE OF GLORY

Senior guard Blaise Rogers made certain everyone noticed his return to the lineup and earned the Midwest Conference Performer of the Week honor in men’s basketball.

Playing in just his third game after missing the first half of the season with an injury, Rogers lit up the competition as the Scots posted back-to-back conference wins. Last Tuesday, the senior scored 13 points while hitting 4-of-8 shots from 3-point range as the Scots held off Lake Forest 68-67 to post their first win of the season. Saturday, Rogers was at it again, pouring in a game-high 25 points as the Scots handed Illinois College their first league loss, 70-67. He helped the Scots hold off the Blueboys, hitting 11-of-13 free throws, including a critical 3-for-4 performance in the final 30 seconds. For the week, Rogers averaged 19 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

NO, REALLY?

- GO FIGURE PART I). At the time, the team was mired in an eight-game losing streak and was on the eve of facing their second Division II team of the season. The report detailed what may have been the toughest season-opening schedule in the history of the program.

Vershaw isn’t using the schedule as an excuse, but believes the team will be better because of the quality non-conference schedule. "It’s a testament to our guys and the quality of our opponents," he said of the ranking. "We’re not using it as an excuse, but the fact is we’ve played a very tough schedule. I think facing these top-caliber teams has made us better and it’s important for our guys and our fans to see that the national ratings confirm what we as a staff already knew. I’m sure it will pay off in the end."

Monmouth is now fully into their conference schedule and the Scots are already seeing the rewards, winning their last three games. No other Midwest Conference school had a strength of schedule rating higher than 119th.

The Massey ratings have been published since 1995 and rates the schedule based on the opponent’s record and the location of the games. The University of Texas at Tyler is ranked as having the toughest schedule in the nation.

A TIP OF THE CAP

THE WEEK AHEAD

SCOTSIVATIONAL