FALL 2019 SPORTS
COUGARS ON THE PROWL CROSS COUNTRY— MENTM Sophomore Justin Gephart led USF finishers with a 30thplace finish in the Crossroads League Championship. Sophomores Tyson Agnew finished 60th and Andy Kohrman 61st. Freshmen Camden Abernathy and Eduardo Santoscoy rounded out USF’s top finishers. Among the season highlights for the Cougars was a sixth-place team finish in the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge in Grand Rapids, Mich.
CROSS COUNTRY— WOMEN Freshman Alex Ebertino, who graduated from Bishop Dwenger High School, made USF women’s cross country history by being the first woman to compete in the NAIA Women’s National Championship. She finished 75th overall and was the 10th-fastest freshman in the field. During the season, Ebertino set a school record early in the season and later broke it with a best of 18 minutes, 51.7 seconds in finishing seventh in the Crossroads League Championship. USF was selected as one of 52 teams by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as an all-academic team, a first in USF cross country program history. “We had the 22nd-highest team GPA in the NAIA for women's cross country,” coach Corey Birchmeier said. Ebitino was also named an All-Academic Individual because of her performance at the national meet and her cumulative GPA. To qualify for All-Academic distinction, teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period, among other qualifiers. The Cougars posted a 3.5 team GPA.
by Matt Swartz that was recovered by Jack Givens, who scored the game-winning touchdown. Another exciting win came when the Cougars stopped Indiana Wesleyan’s two-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter to take a 31-30 victory. Senior defensive end James Jamicich was named to the 2019 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team. With 9.5 sacks in 2019, Jamicich became the first USF player to lead or tie or the lead in USF sacks in three consecutive seasons. He tied Stephen Whited for the USF career record of 27.5 sacks. Jamicich also led the Cougars with 12 tackles for loss in 2019. Junior quarterback Matt Crable threw for 1,805 yards and 22 touchdowns to lead the passing game while sophomore Martell Williams led USF rushers with 766 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior Dan Ricksy caught 53 passes for 791 yards and nine touchdowns and tied a single-game record with four touchdown receptions against Lawrence Tech. Senior Rocky James caught 32 passes for 538 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore Nick Lucas led USF with 96 tackles and Jamal Jackson was second with 63 tackles. Junior Jalen Moss led the Cougars with three interceptions.
FOOTBALL Another thrilling football season came to an end on the road as USF lost a 30-26 game at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Ky., in the first round of the NAIA playoffs. USF led 26-16 going into the fourth quarter but gave up two touchdowns in the final 15 minutes to fall short. The Cougars finished the season 7-3. The seniors on the team compiled a four-year record of 44-7 and were part of two NAIA national titles. The regular season featured some incredible wins, including a 34-27 win over Concordia that came on a blocked field goal 28
saint francis magazine | spring 2020
SOCCER — MEN The Cougars finished with a 7-12 record. Senior goalkeeper Braden Conn closed out his career with 391 saves in 61 matches. He had 94 saves in 2019. Junior midfielder Ethan Vigario led the Cougars with 16 goals.
