This Week in the UMAC: May 7, 2012
"This Week in the UMAC" is a weekly publication of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference that is normally distributed on Mondays throughout the academic year. It features standings, schedules, news and notes, as well as upcoming events from around the conference.
HEADLINES
UMAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field trophy heads back to Duluth
The St. Scholastica men's track & field team captured the UMAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Saturday for the first time since the 2009 season.
St. Scholastica makes it eight straight UMAC championships in Women's Outdoor Track & Field
The St. Scholastica women's track & field team accumulated 338 points on Saturday, outscoring the other four teams combined by 81 points to win its eighth straight UMAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field championship.
St. Scholastica cruises to fourth straight UMAC Softball Tournament title
Day 2 at the UMAC Softball Tournament did not have the suspense that Day 1 offered for the St. Scholastica softball team as it defeated the University of Minnesota Morris in the UMAC Softball Tournament championship game 9-0 in five innings on Saturday at Kenwood Field.
UMAC Men's Tennis Tournament trophy returns to St. Scholastica
The St. Scholastica men's tennis team fell by one point to Northwestern College in the flighted UMAC Men's Tennis Tournament a season ago, but would defeat the Eagles 5-4 at the Baseline Tennis Center Saturday morning in a dual to reclaim the title.
St. Scholastica claims 16th consecutive UMAC Women's Tennis Tournament championship
The St. Scholastica women's tennis team defeated Northwestern College 7-2 in the UMAC Women's Tennis Tournament championship on Saturday morning at the Baseline Tennis Center.
St. Scholastica wins UMAC baseball regular season title
The St. Scholastica baseball team defeated Northwestern College on Friday afternoon 8-2 to claim its 16th straight UMAC regular season championship.
NEWS & NOTES
Bethany Lutheran
Viking baseball pulled out a 7-6 win on Saturday against Minnesota-Morris. The teams got through nine innings on Friday tied at 6-6 before rain and lightening suspended the game. Play resumed Saturday with BLC scoring the winning run in the 11th inning. The Vikings and Cougars were unable to finish the final two games of the series due the weather.
With weather complicating matters, Bethany claimed the second seed in the UMAC Post-Season Tournament having the second best conference winning percentage. This is the eight consecutive year the baseball team has finished second in the UMAC regular season.
The Bethany men’s basketball team participated in the school’s Relay for Life event that raised $5,400 for the America Cancer Society. The Vikings put together a ‘BLC Hoops’ team captained by junior guard Pat Garvin. ‘BLC Hoops’ had roughly 15 to 20 members and raised over $600 in funds.
Martin Luther
John Wildauer finished first in the Javelin Throw at the UMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Saturday, despite never competing in the event at any meet this season. Fellow throwers Philip Loescher and Micah Foelske finished second and third, respectively, giving them top five finishes in the event for the second consecutive year.
The women's 4x400 meter relay team of Erin Kelly, Lauren Maertz, Julie Kent and Hannah Hackbarth set a new school record in the event with a time of 4:26.03 at the UMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Baseball pitcher Jake Ziel became the first MLC hurler since Zac Pudlo in 2009 to strike out 50 batters in a season. Ziel allowed just one run on four hits in seven innings Friday in a game against Presentation that was suspended due to rain, giving him four consecutive starts of at least seven innings where he has allowed three or fewer runs.
Minnesota Morris
Men’s track & field finished second at the UMAC Championships, ending their run of two straight outdoor titles. The Cougars won eight individual titles, with Leandro Dower winning his second straight Track Athlete of the Meet, with Ryan DeRoeck earning his first Field Athlete of the Meet.
As women’s track and field finished second at the UMAC Outdoor championships, Linda Keller led the way. The junior first won the 1500-meter, before setting a meet and school record while winning the 800-meter. At the end of the meet, she earned her first Track Athlete of the Meet award.
Cougars softball earned their first UMAC Tournament win over the weekend, before advancing to their first Tournament Championship game. After opening the tourney with a loss, they avoided elimination and scored their first win with a victory over Northland, and a day later advanced to their first title game with a win over Northland.
While making their run to the championship game, the Cougars also set a record for wins in a season. With their win over Northwestern, Morris scored its 19th of the season, break the record of 18 set just last year. In each of the last three seasons, the Cougars have set a new record for single season wins.
Northland
Northland Baseball saw a dramatic improvement in their second year under head coach Stein Rear. The team batting average jumped 52 points, slugging percentage climbed 113 points and the on-base percentage increased by 56 points. The Jacks also stole 41 more bases while drawing 64 more walks than in the previous season. Pitching-wise, the team ERA dropped by 1.26 runs per game as the team batting average against dropped 28 points. The Northland College overall record improved from 10-15 in 2011 to 16-23 this season with their UMAC record dramatically improving from 3-18 in 2011 to 9-12 this season.
Northwestern
Northwestern enters the 2012 UMAC Baseball Tournament with a 24-14 overall record, the program’s best regular season mark since 2007 when the Eagles went 31-15. In terms of winning percentage, 2012 is NWC’s second-best season under 17-year head coach Dave Hieb.
Freshman Willie Jones IV won the men's 400 meter dash at Saturday's UMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Jones scored points in both the 400 meter dash and the long jump event, where he finished second with a personal-best leap of 6.25 meters.
The Eagles had three softball players hit .500 or better in last week's UMAC Tournament in Duluth. Kristin Sigurdsen went 6-11 in the batter's box with a double and a home run and four runs scored for a .909 slugging percentage.
St. Scholastica
The baseball team finished unbeaten in conference play for the first time since 2006 and the sixth time overall. The Saints also recorded their 14th consecutive 30-win season.
The softball team finished 13-0 at home this season, matching the program record for home wins in a season (2010). The 32 wins this season are also the fourth-most in program history and the most since the 2006 season.
Men's Tennis set program record for team wins (18) and singles victories (98) in a season.
The women's track & field team is currently ranked fifth in the Central Region by the USTFCCCA and have four athletes ranked in the top 25 nationally. Men's Track & Field's Tom Lyscio is ranked 13th nationally in the hammer throw.
STANDINGS
Men's Tennis
| School |
UMAC |
Overall |
| St. Scholastica |
10-0 |
18-7 |
| Northwestern |
8-2 |
13-11 |
| Martin Luther |
6-4 |
6-9 |
| Minnesota Morris |
3-7 |
3-9 |
| Bethany Lutheran |
2-8 |
2-10 |
| North Central |
1-9 |
1-9 |
Women's Tennis
| School |
UMAC |
Overall |
| St. Scholastica |
10-0 |
16-6 |
| Northwestern |
8-2 |
12-13 |
| Minnesota Morris |
6-4 |
6-7 |
| Martin Luther |
4-6 |
4-11 |
| Bethany Lutheran |
2-8 |
2-10 |
| North Central |
0-10 |
0-10 |
Baseball
| School |
UMAC |
Overall |
| St. Scholastica |
21-0 |
30-9 |
| Bethany Lutheran |
14-5 |
21-15 |
| Northwestern |
15-6 |
24-14 |
| Northland |
9-12 |
16-23 |
| Presentation |
8-11 |
12-23 |
| Minnesota Morris |
6-13 |
6-30 |
| Martin Luther |
5-14 |
7-22 |
| Crown |
2-19 |
3-23 |
Softball
| School |
UMAC |
Overall |
| St. Scholastica |
20-1 |
32-10 |
| Minnesota Morris |
14-7 |
19-19 |
| Northwestern |
13-8 |
19-24 |
| Northland |
11-10 |
18-23 |
| Bethany Lutheran |
10-11 |
14-25 |
| Martin Luther |
8-13 |
9-21 |
| Presentation |
8-13 |
12-28 |
| Crown |
0-23 |
0-27 |
UMAC IN NATIONAL STATISTICS
Baseball (as of April 29)
Adam Geiger (BLC) - 6th in Doubles Per Game (0.56)
Kyle Flagstad (CSS) - 6th in Triples Per Game (0.23)
Kyle Flagstad (CSS) - 6th in Triples (7)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 8th in Slugging Percentage (.488)
Tommy Kramer (BLC) - 9th in On-Base Percentage (.551)
Bethany Lutheran (Team) - 9th in Scoring (8.6)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 9th in Triples Per Game (0.58)
Kyle Moody (CSS) - 10th in RBI Per Game (1.37)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 12th in Triples (21)
Nathan Brown (North) - 12th in Walks Per Game (0.91)
Jake Johnson (UMM) - 12th in Complete Games (7)
Kyle Moody (CSS) - 13th in RBI (48)
Kyle Flagstad (CSS) - 13th in Slugging percentage (.771)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 13th in Doubles Per Game (2.36)
Tommy Kramer (BLC) - 14th in Walks Per Game (0.86)
Nathan Brown (North) - 17th in Walks (29)
Bethany Lutheran (Team) - 17th in Slugging Percentage (.470)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 19th in Batting Average (.336)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 19th in Double Plays Per Game (1.03)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 22nd in Doubles (85)
Kyle Flagstad (CSS) - 22nd in On-Base Percentage (.521)
Kyle Flagstad (CSS) - 23rd in Batting Average (.438)
Garrett Benson (BLC) - 24th in Walks Allowed Per Nine Innings (1.06)
Andy Peterson (NWC) - 25th in Complete Games (6)
Softball (as of April 29)
Bonnie Kowalczyk (CSS) - 1st in RBI Per Game (1.58)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 3rd in Slugging Percentage (.553)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 4th in Scoring (8.16 runs per game)
Molly Olson (UMM) - 8th in Batting Average (.510)
Molly Olson (UMM) - 8th in Doubles Per Game (0.52)
Bonnie Kowalczyk (CSS) - 9th in Slugging Percentage (.895)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 9th in Batting Average (.361)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 9th in Triples Per Game (0.57)
Akina Zucarro (Crown) - 10th in Stolen Bases Per Game (0.96)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 10th in Stolen Bases Per Game (2.51)
Bonnie Kowalczyk (CSS) - 13th in Doubles Per Game (0.52)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 16th in Home Runs Per Game (0.81)
Molly Olson (UMM) - 16th in On-Base Percentage (.552)
St. Scholastica (Team) - 19th in Doubles Per Game (1.95)
Laura Miller (MLC) - 21st in Walks Allowed Per Seven Innings (0.87)
Michell Stratton (Pres) - 24th in RBI Per Game (1.24)
Merryssa Tiedeman (CSS) - 25th in Runs Per Game (1.19)
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Baseball
Tuesday, May 8
Gustavus Adolphus at Martin Luther, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 10 - UMAC Tournament, Day 1
Game 1 - 10 a.m. - #2 Bethany Lutheran vs. #3 Northwestern
Game 2 - 1 p.m. - #1 St. Scholastica vs. #4 Northland/Presentation
Game 3 - 4 p.m. - Losers of Games 1 & 2
Game 4 - 7 p.m. - Winners of Games 1 & 2
Friday, May 11 - UMAC Tournament, Day 2
Game 5 - 1 p.m. - Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4
Game 6 - 4 p.m. - Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5
Saturday, May 12 - UMAC Tournament, Day 3
Game 7 - Saturday, 1 p.m. - If Necessary Game
Softball
Friday, May 11
St. Scholastica at NCAA Regional Tournament vs. Luther, 10 a.m.
Men's & Women's Track & Field
Friday, May 11
Minnesota Morris, Northwestern, St. Scholastica at UW-La Crosse, 4 p.m.