SUMMER 2005
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T R I U M P H E
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S C O R E B O A R D
Women’s tennis tops MIAA; men’s track competes at nationals By Bobby Lee Albion College is a member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and NCAA Division III. Find Briton sports on the Web at: www.albion.edu/sports/ . For sports publications, call 517/629-0434.
Women’s tennis: After losing the MIAA title by a single point in 2004, fourth-year head coach Scott Frew and his four returning singles players resolved to leave little doubt of their championship credentials this spring. The Britons started by mowing through the league schedule in the regular season, winning all seven matches. Albion won two contests by 9-0 scores and another by an 8-1 count. Winning championships in six out of nine flights—including singles wins from junior Betsy Netherton, sophomore Emily Stocker, and first-year A.ESH PHOTO
Men’s tennis: Fourth-year head coach Scott Frew had the perfect mix of athletes on the roster to make a leap in the MIAA standings. The Britons had experience in senior Jason Ryan and a trio of sophomores and youthful enthusiasm in the form of freshmen Alex Galvin, Jon VandenBerg, David Manger, Andrew Lulek and Brandon Still. Boosted by an outstanding second-place performance in the league’s two-day tournament, Albion tied Calvin and Hope for second place in the MIAA’s final standings. Kalamazoo continued its hold on the league title. Ryan posted a 5-1 singles record against MIAA opponents during the regular season and advanced to the championship final in the first singles and doubles brackets to gain All-MIAA first-team honors for the first time in his career. He earned additional recognition as the winner of the league’s Stowe Sportsmanship Award. Sophomores Neil Forster and Nate Marshall were tabbed for second-team recognition in the league. Both players finished third in their respective singles brackets in the MIAA Tournament, and Forster served as Ryan’s doubles partner. The Britons have high expectations for the future, as freshman Brandon Still was the runner-up in the sixth-singles flight in the MIAA Tournament and classmates Andrew Lulek and Jon VandenBerg placed third in their respective flights. Men’s track and field: Sopho-
Junior Betsy Netherton was an All-MIAA first-team selection and the MIAA Tournament champion at second singles and third doubles. With championships in six out of nine flights, Albion rolled to the MIAA Tournament title by a 20-point margin over second-place Hope. players Vicky Seiter and Emily Gundersen—Albion rolled to the MIAA Tournament title by a 20-point margin over second-place Hope. Junior Katie Tornga, the runner-up at No. 1 singles and champion with Stocker at No. 1 doubles, achieved All-MIAA firstteam honors for the third consecutive year. Netherton was promoted to the All-MIAA first team after achieving second-team status in each of her first two seasons. Stocker earned a spot on the second team. Prior to the MIAA Tournament, Albion placed fifth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) Central Regional event. A 5-4 win over 24th-ranked Carthage College of Kenosha, Wis., propelled the Britons to a berth in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for the third consecutive year. Albion completed a 16-6 campaign with a loss to Denison University of Granville, Ohio, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Frew was honored as ITA Central Region Coach of the Year.
mores Jason Bowman and Jerry Krueger and freshman Michael Nyika gained individual titles and all-league status as Albion finished as a strong second-place team in the 140th Annual MIAA Field Day at Hope College May 5-6. The Britons, who also sprinted to victory in the 4x100-meter relay, racked up 191.5 points in the two-day meet. Calvin College posted 255 team points to win the league championship. Nyika and classmate Anthony Dunning
sprinted to a one-two finish in the 200 meters. Nyika’s winning time was 22.35 seconds, while Dunning was close behind at 22.62. Dunning solidified his at-large selection to the All-MIAA team when he joined Nyika, freshman Nick Kyriakopoulos and senior Ryan Williams to win the 4x100-meter relay in a time of 42.61 seconds. After winning the MIAA title in the 400, Krueger went on to lower the school record in the event to 47.99 seconds and earn a berth in the field at the NCAA Division III Championships. Bowman cleared the bar at 1.93 meters, or the equivalent of 6 feet, 4 inches, to win the high jump. He reached the NCAA Championship provisional qualifying standard when he posted a mark of 6 feet, 7 inches in a double dual meet against Hope and Olivet in early April. Senior Ivan Meiring, who achieved AllAmerica status the previous two years, was an at-large selection to the All-MIAA team after placing second in the shot put and third in the discus throw at the league meet. Meiring and junior Ross Plont, who threw the javelin more than 194 feet at a meet in May, were the Britons who joined Krueger at the NCAA Championships. Dave Egnatuk completed his 31st season as head coach.
Women’s track and field: At the MIAA Championships at Hope College May 5-6, sophomore Margot McGlothlin achieved All-MIAA status as she finished second in the 800 meters, and freshman Jenna Morse threw the discus 129 feet, 3 inches to place second. The Britons, who placed third overall, racked up 103 points in the two-day meet. Calvin College won the event with 327 points. McGlothlin completed the 800-meter race in a season-best time of 2:22.81. The 4x400 relay team turned in a second-place performance with a time of 4:11.80. McGlothlin ran the first leg, and then handed the race over to sophomore Amy Fry, senior Kaitlin Van Patten and sophomore Heather Johnston. Jacquelyn Williams enjoyed a good first year in the pole vault as she pushed the school record in the event to 10 feet, 2 B. LEE PHOTO inches. Prior to this season, a Briton woman had never cleared the bar above nine feet. Hayden Smith completed his fourth season as head coach. Softball:
Freshman Michael Nyika waits to receive the baton from senior Ryan Williams during the 4x100 relay run at Calvin College. The relay team won the league championship in that event at the MIAA Field Day. Nyika also took the league title in the 200 meters.
Albion enjoyed a successful spring break trip to Fort Myers, Fla., winning eight of 10 games, but the Britons could not keep that momentum going when they returned to the northern climate. Albion ended the season with an 18-18 overall record, 5-11 in the league.
Senior pitcher Michaela Adams completed her career as a four-time AllMIAA honoree when she gained a position on the second team. Adams ranked high in the MIAA this season in strikeouts, innings pitched and earned run average. She was first in the league with 64 1/3 innings pitched, third in strikeouts and ninth with a 2.61 earned run average. Adams also posted some impressive career numbers. She finished just shy of 400 strikeouts as she ended with 397 K’s in all games played. In MIAA play Adams closed out her career with 173 strikeouts, good enough for fourth place on the career strikeout list. She also finished tied for fifth place in most decisions as she compiled a 20-13 record in MIAA games. For her career Adams garnered a 1.81 ERA over 474 innings pitched. Seniors Katie Kelly and Jessica Possehn along with junior Jenelle Vlcek were other strong performers this season. Michelle Manning completed her first season as head coach.
Baseball: Albion believed it might be déjà vu all over again when it trailed MIAA-leading Adrian by one game in the league standings in mid-April. Instead of catching fire like they did en route to the MIAA title in 2004, the Britons struggled down the stretch and finished in a tie for fourth with a 10-11 league record. Adrian hung on to win the league championship. Albion placed three student-athletes on the All-MIAA squad, led by senior Dave Seales’ selection to the first team for the second consecutive year. Although listed as a pitcher, Seales was an offensive and defensive standout for the Britons. He posted a 3-3 record on the mound in MIAA contests. His 2.08 earned run average was the fifth lowest in the league. At the plate, Seales tied for third in the MIAA with six doubles, and his .507 slugging percentage was the seventhhighest figure in the league. For the season, Seales posted a 4-4 record on the mound with a 2.89 ERA in 62 1/3 innings of work. He was Albion’s second-leading hitter, posting a .360 batting average (50 hits in 139 at-bats) with 13 doubles, a triple, three homeruns and a team-high 23 runs batted in. Senior outfielder Chris Trott and firstyear pitcher John Fileccia received AllMIAA second-team recognition. Fileccia started the third game of every league series for the Britons in 2005. He was eighth in the league in ERA (3.19) and innings pitched (42 1/3). For the season, Fileccia notched a 5-4 record with a 3.88 ERA. In 62 2/3 innings of work, he allowed 37 runs on 74 hits and 19 walks with 41 strikeouts. Trott’s name appeared on the All-MIAA second team for the third consecutive year. He hit .333 (20 hits in 60 at-bats) in 18 league games with a double, a triple, two homeruns, 11 runs scored and eight RBI. Trott was Albion’s top hitter in 2005, posting a .363 average (45 hits in 124 atbats) with 10 doubles and 19 RBI. Scott Carden completed his second year as head coach of the baseball program.