Hatters Extra (January 2016) by Stetson University Athletics

HATTERS EXTRA • JANUARY 2016

Table of Contents

About the Magazine

Top Stories From 2015 . . . . . . . . . 3, 5, 7, 9 Men’s Basketball Season Update . 11, 13 Johanna McMillan Embracing Stetson 15, 17 Men’s Tennis Season Preview . . . . . . . 19 Women’s Tennis Season Preview . . . . 21 Stetson Softball a Second Home . . . . . 23 2015-16 Stetson Spring Schedules . . . 25

Hatters Extra is a publication of the Stetson University Athletics Department. All rights reserved. Designed and edited by the Stetson Marketing and Athletic Communications offices. Photography by Jim Hogue, Kristi Tyrrell, ASunPhotos. com, Stetson University, and Stetson Athletics. Printing by Independent Printing.

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TOP STETSON ATHLETICS STORIES IN 2015 Beach Volleyball

Fans of Stetson Athletics can look back on 2015 with fondness, as it was filled with exciting performances, both in competition and in the classroom. As a new year begins, here is a look back at some of the most memorable moments from the past 12 months, as voted on by the Senior Staff members of the Stetson Athletics Department. 1. Beach Volleyball – It was indeed a historic season on the sand of the Stetson beach-volleyball courts. Not only did the Hatters run through the regular season with an 18-2 overall record, but they also posted a perfect 8-0 mark in Atlantic Sun Conference play to earn the regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the A-Sun Championship. At the A-Sun Championship, the Hatters swept UNF before falling to Mercer. With their backs to the wall, the Stetson team rallied from the loss, and from an early 2-0 deficit to UNF, besting the Ospreys 3-2 before topping Mercer in a rematch for the title. It was the Hatters’ second consecutive league crown, earning the team a return

trip to the AVCA National Championship Tournament. At that event, after losing to eventual national champion USC, the Hatters posted a victory over Georgia State and fell just short of advancing to the Final Four in a 3-2 loss to FIU in what was the teams’ third match of the day. For their efforts, the Hatters finished the 2015 season ranked sixth in the nation. 2. Donald Payne – Over the past two seasons, the name Donald Payne has become synonymous with Stetson football. The junior capped the 2015 season by earning his second consecutive Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award. In addition, he earned first-team All-American honors for a second consecutive season, being named to the 2015 American Football Coaches Association All-America team. A native of Fayetteville, Georgia, Payne finished the 2015 season with 126 total tackles, including 96 solo stops. Both totals were tops in the PFL for a second straight year. His 16 tackles for loss tied for the PFL lead, and he tied for fifth in the league

TOP STETSON ATHLETICS STORIES IN 2015 Donald Payne

with 14 total passes defended. Payne was a near-consensus All-American in 2014 after leading all of college football with 185 tackles. He will enter his senior season in 2016 with 424 career tackles, good for third in all NCAA football. 3. Sandra Stetson Aquatic Center – In late August, it was announced that Sandra Stetson, the great-granddaughter of Stetson University’s namesake, John B. Stetson, would make a more than $6 million gift to the university for the construction of a new center on Lake Beresford to house a water research facility and provide a home for the university’s women’s and men’s crew teams. In addition, a botanical garden of native Florida plants will grace the new, cutting-edge facility. Once completed, the new center will do even more. It will become a destination for ecotourists as well as a place for public recreation. The gift to build the Aquatic Center was a perfect way for Stetson, who has long supported garden, wetland and environmental efforts, to combine several things that she loves. She has

also underwritten a partnership between Stetson and the Naples Botanical Garden so that Stetson students can engage with professional botanists, researchers and educators there through summer internships. Furthermore, some of her family have rowed crew, so she has a real connection to the sport of sculling. “Sandra is a donor who cares about both things,” Stetson University President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D., said. “Her gift allows us to put recreation and research together under one roof.” She also noted that the gift “strengthens our connection with the family that assured our continuation in the late 1800s.” 4. Joe Beery – For the second consecutive year, Stetson University junior Joe Beery was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Men’s Cross Country ScholarAthlete of the Year. Beery, a double major in philosophy and Russian studies, maintains a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA. He led the Hatters in all seven races this season, and he broke the all-time school-record for fastest 8K with a mark of 26:25.85 at

TOP STETSON ATHLETICS STORIES IN 2015 Jacob deGrom

the Atlantic Sun Championship. A CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree for 2014 (award was presented in 2015), Beery was also a unanimous selection on the Atlantic Sun Academic All-Conference team. It is the fourth consecutive year a Stetson runner has landed a spot on the A-Sun Academic All-Conference team. A native of Hillsboro, Ohio, Beery became just the second runner in conference history to win two-straight Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. 5. Jacob deGrom (tie) – Much like Donald Payne’s success over the past two years, former Stetson pitcher Jacob deGrom has enjoyed tremendous success over the same time period, but on a slightly larger stage. Following up on his 2014 National League Rookie of the Year award, deGrom earned his first MLB All-Star game appearance in Cincinnati in July and left a lasting mark on that game by setting a record that may never be matched. DeGrom pitched one inning, threw just 10 pitches, and

struck out Stephen Vogt, Jason Kipnis and Jose Iglesias. That success carried over to the postseason as he helped the New York Mets win the National League Championship and advance to the World Series. During the postseason ride to the series, deGrom bested three-time NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw in a headto-head matchup in Game 1 of the NLDS, tying Tom Seaver for the Mets’ postseason record with 13 strikeouts. He followed up with seven strikeout performances against the Dodgers in the series-clinching fifth game, besting Zack Greinke. His next start was against the Cubs in Game 3 of the NLCS, where he struck out seven more to give the Mets a 3-0 series lead. In the World Series, he faced Johnny Cueto of the Royals in game two, surrendering four runs in five innings to take the loss. He finished the postseason with 29 strikeouts in 25 innings of work. 5. Brianti Saunders (tie) – On the afternoon of Dec. 20, when junior Brianti Saunders was honored for becoming

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TOP STETSON ATHLETICS STORIES IN 2015 Brianti Saunders

the 22nd player in Stetson women’s basketball history with more than 1,000 career points, Saunders etched her name in the Hatters record book again by scoring a school-record 40 points in a victory over Georgia Southern. Saunders blew past her previous career-high of 33 points in setting the new record. Her final 2 points came on free throws in the last two minutes of play, besting the previous record of 39 points, which was set by Dieidre Hillery on Jan. 17, 1989. Saunders went 12-for-16 from the field, 4-for-6 from 3-point range, and 12-for-13 from the freethrow line to surpass the previous mark, which had stood for 842 games. “It was one of the best performances I have ever seen in women’s college basketball,” Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said. “It was absolutely outstanding. Some of the moves she had in the first half were incredible. Then she had eight rebounds on top of that. I am really proud of her.”

Here is a look at some of the other top stories from the past year. • The Hatters women’s basketball team recorded more than 20 wins in a season for the fifth consecutive year. The result of the team’s 23-win season was the first WNIT game at home in the Edmunds Center. • Freshman Alizee Michaud earned A-Sun Women’s Tennis Player of the Year in addition to league Freshman of the Year, and also earned a spot in the NCAA Championship. • Senior Lucas Diniz earned A-Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men’s soccer in addition to NSCAA All-Region and CoSIDA Academic All-District. • Sophomore Mitchell Jordan spent his summer playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League for the Orleans Firebirds, and did so well that he was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher in the league. Jordan finished the season with an 8-1 record and tied the league record for lowest ERA.

MEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON UPDATE Divine Myles

As Stetson men’s basketball reaches the halfway point of the season, the 201516 Hatters have turned themselves into one of the better offensive teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The improvement when compared to last season has been nothing short of stunning. Through 15 games, the Hatters rank 30th in the NCAA and second in the A-Sun at 83.0 points per game. Compare that with last year, when the Hatters ranked sixth in the conference at just 66.6 ppg. While often it’s the emergence of one or two players that leads to a dramatic scoring increase, the Hatters have used balance to become an offensive powerhouse. Four players average in double figures, led by freshman Derick Newton’s 14.9 points per game. Ten different players have scored in double figures, with six of those scoring 20 or more at least once. More evidence of Stetson’s offensive balance and depth is that no player has scored more than 24 points in any game. Sophomore Luke Doyle reached that figure in consecutive home wins against Florida Tech and Webber International.

Along with an increase in scoring comes better shooting as well. The Hatters enter conference play with a .463 field-goal percentage, a mark that not only ranks second in the conference but is a considerable improvement over Stetson’s .433 mark from the 2014-15 season. Three players – Brian Pegg, Divine Myles, and Newton – are shooting better than 48 percent from the field, led by Pegg’s conference-leading .570 mark. One reason for the Hatters’ offensive upswing is their newfound prowess from beyond the 3-point arc. Stetson has 133 3-pointers in its first 15 games, and at 8.9 made-3s per contest the 2015-16 Hatters are on pace to smash the current school record of 235 3-pointers in a season set back in 2008-09. Doyle and Newton have been Stetson’s most proficient long-range shooters. Newton leads the team and ranks sixth in the A-Sun in 3-point field-goal percentage at .447, while tying for second on the team with 21 treys. Doyle tied the school record by making eight 3-pointers in a Dec. 30 win over Florida Tech, and enters league 11

MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BASKETBALL SEASON UPDATE Brian Pegg

play with a team-high 32 3-pointers. Four Hatters rank among the A-Sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top 15 3-point shooters. As one might expect, all of this increase in offense has led to an increase in assists, and the Hatters have a pair of point guards more than capable of directing a highoctane offense. Myles and fellow sophomore Angel Rivera are tied for fourth in the conference with 4.5 assists per game. In a November victory over Bethune-Cookman, Myles became the first Hatter in over a decade to reach double figures in assists when he recorded 11 against the Wildcats. Rivera, meanwhile, has had seven or more assists three different times, including a high of nine against Albany State. Six times this season, Rivera has had more assists than points. Not to be overlooked is the play of Pegg. The undersized post man not only leads the conference in field-goal percentage, but also tops the league with 9.3 rebounds per game. He has eight

double-doubles this season and nine double-figure rebounding games. REMAINING SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Jan. 6 * North Florida 7:00 pm Jan. 9 * at Florida Gulf Coast 7:00 pm Jan. 14 * USC Upstate 7:00 pm Jan. 16 * NJIT 3:30 pm Jan. 21 * at Lipscomb 7:30 pm Jan. 23 * at Kennesaw State 4:30 pm Jan. 27 at Marquette 9:00 pm Jan. 30 * at Jacksonville 7:00 pm Feb. 1 * at North Florida 7:00 pm Feb. 6 * Jacksonville 3:30 pm Feb. 11 * at NJIT 7:00 pm Feb. 13 * at USC Upstate 2:00 pm Feb. 18 * Kennesaw State 7:00 pm Feb. 20 * Lipscomb 3:30 pm Feb. 22 Bethune-Cookman 8:00 pm Feb. 25 * Florida Gulf Coast 7:00 pm Mar. 1 Atlantic Sun Quarterfinals TBA Mar. 3 Atlantic Sun Semifinals TBA Mar. 6 Atlantic Sun Championship TBA * - Atlantic Sun Conference game All times Eastern and subject to change Home games in Green

JOHANNA MCMILLAN EMBRACING STETSON Johanna McMillan

Stetson women’s basketball redshirt junior Johanna McMillan has yet to play her first game in a Hatter uniform. She has, however, already played her first game at the Edmunds Center. Last season, as a sophomore at UNCW, McMillan came to DeLand with her Seahawk teammates to face Stetson in late December. The Hatters won the game 72-55, but the whole experience changed the course of McMillan’s future. “When we came down here to play, I saw the way (Stetson) played, and I kind of fell in love with it,” McMillan said. “I liked how they played, I liked how they were aggressive, and I thought, ’I feel like I can play for them.’” She was further impressed with the university’s beautiful campus. So when McMillan made her decision after the season to transfer, she actively pursued Stetson by sending emails and videos. The coaching staff, however, wanted to make sure she was going to be a good fit before offering her a scholarship. “What I really liked about her is she

picked us because of our offensive system,” Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said. “For her to remember and to notice takes a lot of thought. It shows she has studied the game. At that point, I knew that we should take a hard look at her.” Once Bria saw McMillan play, she felt she would be a good fit for the program. Likewise, McMillan says she is blessed that Stetson has been such a great fit for her. “I love it; it feels like home for me,” McMillan said. “I love coach Bria, and I love the atmosphere. It was something I really fell in love with when I came to visit. It was everything from the weight room to the classrooms, and on the court. It was just a winning environment, and I wanted to be a part of it. It will take you farther in life, not just here at Stetson, and not just on the court.” A native of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, McMillan is sitting out her mandated one season for NCAA four-year transfers. However, she isn’t just biding her time until she can take the court next year. She 15

JOHANNA MCMILLAN EMBRACING STETSON Lynn Bria

has clearly bought into trying to help the Hatters be successful this season. One of the ways she does so is by participating on the scout team in practice to help Stetson get prepared for its upcoming opponents. “I try to be the best scout person I can be,” McMillan said. “So whether that is being the best defensive player, or being the best offensive player, I will do that to the best of my abilities for them, so they know what to expect when they get to the game. “Also, supporting them through everything on the bench. To be able to be there and say, ‘Let’s go, guys, you are going to get it.’ Let them know while I am a redshirt, I am still part of the team. I am still a part of this family. My biggest thing is to let them know I am here, I want you guys to win, and I want what is best for the team.” Bria says McMillan is already having a positive impact on the team. “She is a very smart, bright player,” Bria said. “She is verbal in practice. She is taking a lot of interest in that and really staying locked in.”

Stetson (9-5 in nonconference play) will host seven Atlantic Sun Conference games before the start of postseason play. REMAINING SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Jan. 9 * at Florida Gulf Coast 4:00 pm Jan. 16 * NJIT 1:00 pm Jan. 18 * USC Upstate 7:00 pm Jan. 23 * at Kennesaw State 2:00 pm Jan. 25 * at Lipscomb 7:30 pm Jan. 30 * at Jacksonville 1:00 pm Feb. 4 * North Florida 7:00 pm Feb. 6 * Jacksonville 1:00 pm Feb. 10 * at North Florida 7:00 pm Feb. 13 * at USC Upstate 4:30 pm Feb. 15 * at NJIT 7:00 pm Feb. 20 * Lipscomb 1:00 pm Feb. 22 * Kennesaw State 5:30 pm Feb. 27 * Florida Gulf Coast 1:00 pm Mar. 4 Atlantic Sun Quarterfinals TBA Mar. 9 Atlantic Sun Semifinals TBA Mar. 13 Atlantic Sun Championship TBA * - Atlantic Sun Conference game All times Eastern and subject to change Home games in Green

MEN’S TENNIS SEASON PREVIEW Loic Blanco

Stetson men’s tennis opens its 2016 spring season on Jan. 17 at No. 25 Florida armed with high expectations and a new head coach. Christophe Noblet begins his first season as Stetson head coach, and he’ll face a schedule that features a strong mix of opponents for his veteran squad, including matches with four teams ranked in the top 75 by the ITA at the end of the fall season. “I cannot be more excited to be in this position,” he said. “I’ve been so blessed to be taught by (former head coach) Pierre Pilote for three years. He helped me a lot to learn how to prepare and be ambitious, but now it’s on me. I’m really looking forward to getting my team out there and to compete and see what we can achieve with my imprint on the team.” The Hatters enjoyed a solid season in 2015, reaching the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. Despite the successes of a year ago, Noblet says the Hatters have room for improvement.

“We have to get better in doubles,” he said. “We saw last year that despite losing the doubles point we were still pretty competitive in most matches. I’m anxious to see what happens if we actually do win the doubles point. It’s a mindset. Last year, we didn’t approach doubles with the right attitude. We are on the verge of making it so that we actually enjoy playing doubles. If you enjoy it, you’ll perform better.” Noblet is fortunate in many ways in his first season as head coach, not the least of which is the veteran roster he inherits. In addition to Laurynas Antropikas, Simon Julin and Gonzalo Arroyo, junior Graham Ball and sophomore Loic Blanco give Noblet and the Hatters a strong nucleus for the 2015-16 campaign. Julin is Stetson’s team captain for the year. Blanco was the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year, while Antropikas and Ball were second-team allconference selections in 2015. The 2016 A-Sun Tournament is scheduled for April 22-24 at USC Upstate in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

WOMEN’S TENNIS SEASON PREVIEW

Isabella Fernandez Stetson women’s tennis and head coach Kelly Anderson open the 2016 spring season on Jan. 24 when the Hatters host Troy at Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. Anderson, in her first season as head coach, has put together a challenging slate for a veteran squad that returns all but one letter-winner from a 2015 team that went 15-5 and finished second in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Stetson’s schedule features 14 home matches, all of which will be played at Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. Hired just a month before school began, it would be understandable if Anderson was a bit overwhelmed during the fall. But the affable Anderson has taken it all in stride. “It’s gone really smoothly, more so than I expected,” she said. “It’s been really good. The girls have been working hard on their conditioning, and on the court with me we’ve had very good sessions. We’re spending time getting the fundamentals down. I’m really happy with the way the girls have responded.”

The 2015-16 Hatters return five of their top six players from last season’s team, which went 15-5 overall and finished second in the A-Sun. Five of the top six singles players return, including senior Eveline Lepinay, juniors Isabella Fernandez, Carolina Meregalli and Maja Salibasic, and sophomores Ashley Dean and Arijana Korac. The roster is rounded out by seniors Anja Erwin and Alexandra Lyubimova, and junior Brittany Hill. Freshman Alexe Viaud is the lone newcomer. Anderson has a unique roster full of highly experienced veterans, a strong newcomer, and several upperclassmen who will spend the fall vying for more time in the rotation. “I’m really looking forward to seeing this group compete in the spring,” Anderson said. “Last year, these girls showed that they know how to get the job done. We’ve included some challenges in the schedule this year, as I know the girls believe they can compete with the best teams.”

STETSON SOFTBALL A SECOND HOME

There are a lot of new faces on the Hatter softball team this season. In all, eight first-year freshmen have come to Stetson University for the opportunity to get a quality education and to be an integral part of the fastpitch program. While their destination was the same, for freshmen Ashly Smith and Jazmynn Jesse, their journey to DeLand could not have been more different. “Home is about 25 minutes away,” said Smith, a native of nearby Port Orange, Florida. “It was a 43-hour drive,” said Jesse, who hails from the town of Moses Lake, Washington. “It took us about four, fourand-a-half days. We had to stop because being in a car that long is rough.” Jesse is one of three Hatter freshmen from out of state, while Smith is one of five Hatter freshmen who are native Floridians. Smith said proximity to home played a major factor in her decision to attend Stetson. “When I picked my schools (to consider), I picked the schools that were closest,” Smith said. “Then I fell in love with Stetson.

I really liked the softball team, and the field here. I like that my parents can come to all my games. They have always supported me, so I didn’t want to be too far away. This worked out perfectly.” Jesse, meanwhile, was looking for an opportunity to become more independent. “I wanted to be as far away from home as I could, which I succeeded,” Jesse said. “I wanted to grow up. I wanted to do things on my own, instead of relying on my parents to do them for me. It stinks that they are not here to watch games, but I am learning to be on my own.” Despite the stark contrast of how far away home is for Smith and Jesse, their softball teammates have quickly become a second family. “They were very welcoming,” Smith said. “They made us feel right at home.” “If I can’t go home (for a weekend), then someone on the team will take me with them,” Jesse said. “It is nice, especially being so far from home.” The Hatters will play 35 home games in 2016, beginning with a doubleheader vs. Akron on Feb. 12. 23

2016 SPRING SCHEDULES SCAN QR CODES FOR FULL SCHEDULES

BASEBALL

SOFTBALL

SEASON OPENER: FEB. 19 vs. DELAWARE

SEASON OPENER: FEB. 12 vs. AKRON

LACROSSE

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

MEN’S TENNIS

WOMEN’S TENNIS

SEASON OPENER: FEB. 12 AT FRESNO STATE

SEASON OPENER: MAR. 4 (HOME TOURNAMENT)

SEASON OPENER: JAN. 17 AT FLORIDA

SEASON OPENER: JAN. 24 vs. TROY

MEN’S GOLF

WOMEN’S GOLF

SEASON OPENER: FEB. 28 AT LAKE MARY

SEASON OPENER: FEB. 28 AT KIAWAH ISLAND

MEN’S ROWING

WOMEN’S ROWING

SEASON OPENER: MAR. 5 (STETSON SPRINTS)

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