USF women advance to NAIA DII nationals USF’s eighth-ranked and second-seeded women opened the NAIA Division II national tournament in Sioux City, Iowa, on March 9 against 25th-ranked and seventh-seeded Cedarville, but bowed out to the Yellow Jackets in a 73-58 loss. NAIA All-American 1st Team selection senior Julie Seiss closed out her outstanding USF career with 18 points. USF outscored CU 10-7 in the first nine minutes of the second half before CU regained a double-digit lead. The Lady Cougars again clawed back in contention to cut the deficit to four with 2:39 to play. Junior Amanda Pedro nailed two free throws, slicing CU’s advantage to 62-58. Bianca Woods nearly stole the ball, but couldn’t get control and CU regained possession around the 2:12 mark, leading by the same four-point margin. USF was forced to foul and the Yellow Jackets finished the game hitting their foul shots. The Cougars were a stronghold in the top-10 for the season, keyed by the scoring of Seiss, Pedro and leading USF scorer junior Kayla Mullins, along with skilled play from Woods, Stacia Shepherd, Vini Dawson and Meghan Prible. Newcomers Abby Kinder, Jenelle Wilson, Kali Ackison and Courtney Bolen also contributed to the successful season. On Feb. 28, the Cougars again reached the MCC Tournament finals but lost to Indiana Wesleyan at Marion, Ind.
Mascot Johnny Cougar has a new look, designed
specifically for USF, to show off for fall semester sports. While Old Johnny served USF well for a lot of years, he appeared a bit rumpled and the worse for wear. The newly designed Johnny is distinct to USF, with his look corresponding to the USF Athletics logo. The suit has a fan in the head and a belt to chill and wrap around the middle of students who literally step into the mascot persona. New Johnny is still the fighting cat about town, but he’s approachable, not scary, to kids. Decked out with USF-blue claws and paw print tattoo, he’s sure to add to the excitement of the USF athletics scene. Just tell any kids old enough to recognize he’s different that Johnny went to a spa for rejuvenation.
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saint francis magazine | fall 2011
! y n n h Jo ’s
H-e-e-e-r-r-e