JUDSON ATHLETICS Spring/Summer Sports Wrap-Up by Kristi Cirone
Lucas Mackey was a second team AllConference selection and Landin Baron, Philip Lindsay, and Frank Falcone were all named third team All-Conference.
Track and Field
Baseball
Softball
Men’s Lacrosse
Judson baseball finished the regular season at 40-15 and 25-4 in CCAC while winning the CCAC regular season championship. The Eagles then became the first conference school to win both the regular season title and the conference tournament title when they defeated Trinity Christian 13-3 in the conference championship game. Several individual milestones were set during the course of this historic season. Head Coach Rich Benjamin earned his 200th career win and was named CCAC Coach of the year. Senior outfielder Nick Norris set the Judson single season and career stolen bases record. Senior Catcher Johnny Amann set the NAIA career record for hit by pitches (87). Sophomore DH Cameron Balough led the NAIA in runs batted in (70). Sophomore Pitcher Andrew Bergmann was perfect at 6-0 on the season. Sophomore Pitcher Jordan Pemble became Judson’s all-time save leader with 16 saves. Judson qualified for the NAIA National tournament, which was held in Joliet, Ill., at Silver Cross Field. The Eagles 18-game win streak through the conference tournament was a new school record and at 46 wins was just shy of the program record 47 wins that was set by the 2012 team.
Head Coach Becky Stenning Pearl led her team to new heights during the 2013 season. Heading into the NCCAA Nationals, Judson Softball had an overall record of 37-17. They finished their conference season with a 13-7 record, which was good enough for third place in the CCAC conference. This season proved to be a success both as a team and individually. Judson’s 37 wins set the school record for most wins in a season. Five players were named to the CCAC All-Conference Teams. Senior Brianna DiGioia, junior Shannon Nevins, and senior standout pitcher, Sarah Boyer, who has dominated the record books at Judson, all received First Team All-CCAC honors. Senior Allison Catlett and freshman pitcher Brianna Tennyson received Second Team All-CCAC honors. Coach Stenning Pearl reached a milestone at Judson by earning her 200th win on March 26 in a 5-4 win against Trinity Christian. Currently, she has 225 wins for her career. Judson finished the season with a 39-19 record, and finished third in the NCCAA tournament, tying with Judson’s 2008 team for best finish in a NCCAA tournament.
Judson University men’s lacrosse continued building a winning tradition with a final regular season record of 11-2 and securing its first ever bid to the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC) tournament. The team was lead by third-year head coach A.J. Collier II who has a rich lacrosse background in the Chicago area, having started two high school programs, playing collegiately at Northern Illinois University, and helping start up both of the professional teams in Chicago. Judson is a part of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association and played in the GRLC in Division II. After an early season loss to Missouri Baptist, the Eagles then went on a 10-game winning streak. The streak included several lopsided victories including a shutout as well as a one-goal victory over eventual 2013 GRLC DII Champion DePaul University. Judson’s season ended in a three-way tie for the GRLC Northeast Division title and needed the votes of the rest of the GRLC to secure the final at-large bid into the postseason. With seven of 10 starters receiving GRLC All-Conference honors, the Eagles are in good shape to field a competitive squad for the 2013-14 campaign. Josh Elmore, Taylor Stark and Michael Wallace received first team All-Conference honors.
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The men’s and women’s track and field teams had an incredible 2013 season. In total, they had a program record six NAIA Indoor qualifiers including Alisha Barnaby, David Mellado, Gabby Nystrom, Sarah Miller, Marilyn McDougall and Tess Tyton. These athletes competed at the National Championships in Geneva, Ohio. There was also a record number of 25 NCCAA indoor qualifiers who competed at Marion, Ind. This stellar indoor season was followed by a similar outdoor season. Judson University had three NAIA National qualifiers: Sarah Miller for the 3000m steeplechase; Sarah Dede for the triple jump, and Meaghan Gard-Ciochon for the 1500m steeplechase. Judson hosted and competed in the Outdoor NCCAA National Championships. A program record of 26 NCCAA Qualifiers participated. The women’s track and field team finished the highest that they have ever place at the CCAC meet as they finished in third place. A total of 23 indoor and 15 outdoor records fell during the year for both teams. Coach Rich Weinhandl had this to say about his final season before retirement, “This was one of the most gratifying years I have ever had in my 47-year career. This team did more with less. They competed superbly against teams three and four times their size. I am so proud of their heart. They represented Judson University very well!”
Men’s Basketball Joel Cotton completed his first year as head coach of Judson’s men’s basketball program and the Eagles finished the season with a 6-24 record. This season marked the senior campaign for Anthony Ahlers, Jason Roy, Bobby McCarthy and Deon Thomas. Ahlers was named Most Valuable Player for the team as he led in both scoring and rebounding. He will leave Judson in third place on the all-time list for career field goal percentage and third place for career blocked shots. Some season highlights included
Judson going head-to-head with two Division I teams in Northern Illinois and IPFW. The graduating class went out with a bang on senior night, upsetting Roosevelt in the final home game of the season 70-60.
Women’s Basketball In Head Coach Kristi Cirone’s first year at the helm of the women’s basketball team, the foundation has been laid and the future is extremely bright. The team faced serious adversity in the 2012-2013 season, including torn ACLs for two starters, yet the girls continued to fight and improve on and off the court. Freshman Diamond Williams had a stellar start to her career that led her to the NCCAA North Central All-Region Team. With a season record of 9-22, the women’s basketball team is eager to take this program to new heights in the future.
Men’s and Women’s Tennis Judson’s tennis programs enjoyed a solid year under the direction of Art Steuber. The men’s team finished 3-2 in the CCAC to finish third in the conference standings. This year marked the final season for seniors Adam Westhauser and Dave Regus. The women’s team went 2-3 in the CCAC, which placed them in fourth at the end of the season. The Eagles were led by four seniors: Brittany Boelter, Kristen Dress, Angela Schultz and Alexa Williams. Both teams made it to the CCAC semi-final round before being knocked out of the conference tournament by nationally-ranked Olivet Nazarene.
Athletes of the Year The following students were honored for their excellence in athletics and academics this academic year. TJ Swank ’13 was named Male Athlete of the Year. A pitcher, Swank was 8-2 this season and ranks No. 43 in the NAIA in wins. In his career at Judson, he posted a record of 18-4 with seven saves, striking out 109 with an ERA of 2.97. Sarah Boyer and Jenna Schiller were named Co-Female Athletes of the Year. This season, Boyer led the Eagles to a third place finish in the NCCAA National Tournament. Boyer holds the school record for strikeouts, amassing 661 in her four years as an Eagle.
Women’s Soccer defender Jenna Schiller was an honorable mention NAIA AllAmerican (3-time), and honorable mention 2012 NCCAA All-American. In 2012, Schiller won the NCCAA Michelle Akers Award for excellence in academics, athletics and Christian service. She helped her team to a 19-6 record, 9-2 in conference and a trip to the NCCAA National Championships where they placed sixth. The Male Scholar Athlete of the Year is Cross Country’s Tim Ciochon. Ciochon graduated with a degree in Psychology in December with the highest GPA among the male athletes. He was a three-time recipient of the CCAC All-Academic Team, as well as a two-time winner of the NCCAA Scholar Athlete Award and the NAIA Scholar Athlete. Ciochon now works as an Admissions Representative and as the Head Coach of Men’s and Women’s Cross Country for Judson. Women’s Volleyball player Kirsten Kohlstedt was named Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, with the highest GPA among female athletes. A junior psychology major, Kohlstedt has twice been honored with the CCAC All-Academic Team Award and has also received NAIA Scholar Athlete and NCCAA Scholar Athlete.
Joel Cotton Named New Athletic Director Joel Cotton is Judson’s new Athletic Director. Prior to taking on this leadership role, Cotton served three years as Judson’s head coach for women’s cross country and track and field, as well as assistant basketball coach. Before coming to Judson, Cotton coached teams at Anderson University and Indiana University Purdue University-Fort Wayne (IPFW). Cotton graduated earned a degree in Sports Communication from Indiana University in 2003 and his master’s degree in Professional Communication from IPFW in 2005. He is originally from Huntington, Ind.
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