Walsh University Athletics | Ohio Catholic University

Athletics

Andrea DiNinno

Walsh University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and competes in the 19 member American Mideast Conference and the Mid-States Football Association.

Latest News

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

"McDonald Named AMC Player of Year; Schmidt Freshman of Year; Singleton Coach of Year; Three Others on All-Conference Teams"

Senior outside hitter, Megan McDonald (5-10, Sr., Kirkland, IL/Rockford Lutheran) has been named the American Mideast Conference Player of the Year and to the AMC First Team for the 2008 season. McDonald had a stellar senior season, finishing the regular season averaging 4.1 kills per set for a total of 548 kills. McDonald also added 280 digs (2.1 digs/set), 51 total blocks, 15 service aces, and hit .233. She earned AMC Player of the Week honors four times during the season and ranks 11th in the NAIA in kills per set.

Jessica Schmidt (5-8, Fr., Michigan City, IN/HS) earned the AMC Freshman of the Year honor. This is the third Freshman of the Year award under the direction of head coach, Krista Singleton. Schmidt is averaging 10.73 assists per set and has also added 27 service aces, 39 kills, 138 digs, and 35 total blocks. She was also named to the AMC Third Team.

Erica Parker (6-0, Sr., Concord, OH/Mentor) also joined McDonald on the AMC First Team. Parker is averaging 2.68 kills per set (362 total kills) and has also added a team-high 52 service aces and 106 total blocks, along with 115 digs. Her .320 hitting percentage for 2008 ranks 47th in the nation in the NAIA. Parker earned All-AMC Second Team honors in 2007 and 2006, All-AMC Honorable Mention and AMC Freshman of the Year in 2005.

Ashley Yuhas (5-9., So, Elyria, OH/HS) was named to the AMC Second Team and Caitlin Whealy (6-2, Sr., Avon Lake, OH/HS) earned AMC Honorable Mention. Yuhas has a total of 559 digs on the season, for an average of 4.23 digs per set. She has also added 21 service aces and a .955 passing percentage for 2008. Whealy has contributed 236 kills (1.98 kills/set), 30 assists, 43 digs, and 60 total blocks for the Cavaliers. This is the first honor for both Yuhas and Whealy in their careers at Walsh.

Head Coach, Krista Singleton, has been named the AMC Coach of the Year by her coaching peers. This is the second coach of the year honor for Singleton. She last earned the award in 2006. Singleton is currently 139-47 in her coaching career at Walsh University. She has led her team to a #21 NAIA National final ranking in 2008 and the Cavaliers first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament since Singleton took over the helm in 2004.

Singleton and the Cavalier host the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament this Saturday at 8pm in Alumni Arena. The Cavaliers face Lee University (29-9) out of Cleveland, Tennessee. The winner will move on to the final site of the NAIA National Tournament held in Sioux City, Iowa from December 2-6.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

"Cavs Fall Short in OT at Daemen"

(Amherst, NY) Joe Shardo's (6-5, Sr., Yorkshire, OH/Versailles) three-point attempt at the buzzer in overtime was wide left, sending Walsh (2-1) to a 101-99 loss at Daemen College (4-1) tonight. Joe's brother, Jeremy Shardo (6-3, So., Yorkshire, OH/Versailles), hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation to tie the game at 92-92 and send it to the extra period.

The game was filled with fouls (62) and free throws (81). Walsh led by as many 12 points in the first half, but trailed 43-42 at halftime. The Cavs built a five-point lead (85-80) in the final five minutes, before Daemen rallied to lead 92-89 in the final seconds, when Jeremy Shardo's three sent the game to OT.

Kyelce Cescato (6-10, Jr., Barra Bonita, Brazil, Colmeia Entec) had a career night for the Cavs, leading all scorers with 32 points. He also hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds. Jeremy Shardo added a career-high 28 points, with Lamar Skeeter (6-0, So., Dayton, OH/Kettering Fairmont) scoring 15 points and Greg Howard (6-4, So., Cincinnati, OH/Withrow/West Liberty) 11, all from the foul line.

Walsh is back in action on November 29 against Ohio-State Mansfield in Cavs' home opener.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

"Cavs Volleyball Team to Host Lee University (TN) in Opening Round NAIA National Tournament Match-Up"

NAIA TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS

NAIA No. 24 Walsh University (28-10, 13-1 AMC) will play host to Lee University (TN) (29-9) at Alumni Arena, on Saturday, November 22, in an opening round NAIA National Tournament match at 8 pm. There are 12 on-site matches.

Winners of each opening round match will advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa.The tournament will be held at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena from Dec. 2-6, 2008 in Sioux City.

Lee finished the regular season 29-9 and won the Southern States Athletic Conference. This will be their seventh trip to the National Tournament. The Flames are 5-18 all-time at nationals. They come into the tournament on a five-match win streak, which includes their victory over Shorter College in the Southern States Athletic Conference championship match.

Walsh won the American Mideast Conference championship and will be making their fourth national tournament appearance. The Cavs are 6-7 all-time at nationals, with their last appearance in 2003. The Cavs have won two straight matches and six of their last seven matches.

Ticket information will be announced later this week.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

"Poor Second Half Proves Costly for WBB at Georgetown"

(Georgetown, KY) Georgetown College (2-2) out scored Walsh (1-3) 46-26 in the second half, on their way to a 79-54 win in the final game of the Habitat for Humanity Tournament. Walsh trailed just 33-28 at halftime. Walsh shot only 35% (9-26) in the second half and 36% (16-45) for the game. The Cavs play their first home game of the season on Friday at 9 pm against Berea College in the Walsh Invitational.

Katie Berry (5-11, So., Cleveland, OH/St. Joseph's) was the only Cavalier to reach double figures; leading all scorers with 22 points. Berry shot 6-11 from the floor and connected on 10-15 from the foul line.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

"Pullen TD Wins Season Finale"

(Upland, IN) Walsh (3-8, 1-5) quarterback Marc Pullen (Sr., Akron, OH/Ellet) scored on a naked bootleg with 1:27 to play to give the Cavs a 24-17 come-from-behind win at Taylor University (3-8, 1-6) today. The win snapped the Cavs four-game losing streak and provided their first Mid-States Football Association Mideast win.

After a scoreless first quarter, Taylor scored 10 second quarter points and led 10-7 at the half. Walsh's only score came on a Pullen option run with 3:07 to play in the first half to tie the game at 7-7. Taylor took the halftime lead when Nick Davis kicked a 26-yard field goal with just 15 seconds left in the half.

Walsh tied the game with 2:47 to play in the third quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Eric Buchanan (So., Green Cove Springs, FL/Clay). Taylor would answer on the next possession to regain the lead at 17-10 on a 48-yard TD pass from Shaun Addison to Ryan Magnuson. The Cavs tied the game at 17-17, as Pullen hit freshman tight end Jared Suvak (Galena, OH/Big Walnut) for a 44-yard score with 10:14 to play. After Pullen's TD run for the go-ahead score, Taylor would drive to the Walsh 20-yard line in an attempt to tie the game in the final minute, but would turn the ball over on downs.

Pullen had a hand in all three scores, while passing for 189 yards on 11-22. Mike McGill (Jr., Akron, OH/Coventry) caught five passes for 89 yards. Jeff Tallman's (Jr., Canton, OH/Perry) bid for 1,000 yards fell short, as he was held to 69 yards on 35 carries, and finishes the season with 918 yards. Defensive back Brian Williams (Jr., Canton, OH/McKinley/Findlay) had 10 solo tackles, while linebacker Jason Stiel (So., Reynoldsburg, OH/HS) had six solo tackles and three tackle assists.

Friday, November 14, 2008

"Women's Basketball Drops to 1-2"

(Georgetown, KY) Walsh fell to 1-2 on the season, after losing 75-63 to Campbellsville University (2-1) in the first game of the Habitat for Humanity Tournament at Georgetown College. The Cavs meet host Georgetown at 5 pm tomorrow.

Walsh led 31-29 at the half, but poor shooting (12-33) and turnovers plagued them in the second half, as they were outscored 46-32. Kristi Yoder (6-1, Fr., Millersburg, OH/Hiland) paced the Cavs with 13 points and five rebounds. Yoder was 6-8 from the floor. Katie Berry (5-11, So., Cleveland, OH/St. Joseph's) was the only other Cavalier to reach double figures with 10 points. Cara Bedard (6-0, So., Randolph, OH/Waterloo) added nine points and Chelsea Chaffin (5-3, Fr., Shaker Heights, OH/HS) handed out six assists.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

"Ohio State Overpowers Cavs in Second Half"

(Columbus, OH) Ohio State outscored Walsh 45-31 in the second half, on their way to a 90-63 exhibition win over the Cavs in front of 12,426 fans at Value City Arena last night. Walsh returns to regular season action next Tuesday (11/18) at Daemen College (7 pm). The game will be broadcast live on AM 900 WCER and on the Internet at www.wcer.us.

Walsh hit 6-12 from three-point range in the first half, and trailed 45-32 at the half. The Cavs held early leads at 6-4 and 6-5. The Buckeyes held first half leads of 13 and 14 points. Walsh trailed 23-10, but rallied to cut the lead to 25-18 on a Kyelce Cescato (6-10, Jr., Barra Bonita, Brazil, Colmeia Entec) hook shot, and back-to-back three-pointers from Eric Love (6-2, Sr., Concord, NC/Mt. Pleasant). Ohio State then built the lead to 14 points (32-18) with 6:39 to play, when the Cavs rallied and twice trimmed the lead to nine points, the last time at 41-32 with 1:19 to play in the half. The second half was all Ohio State, as they turned a 13-point lead into a 20-point lead in less than three minutes.

Joe Shardo (6-5, Sr., Yorkshire, OH/Versailles) led the Cavs 14 points and six rebounds. Cescato was the only other double figure scorer with 12 points. Lamar Skeeter (6-0, So., Dayton, OH/Kettering Fairmont) had nine points, four assists and four rebounds. Walsh shot only 41% (21-52) from the field, but did shoot 44% (8-18) from three-point and 81% (13-16) from the foul line. Ohio State placed five players in double figures and shot 56% (34-61) from the floor.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

"Spence, Zanney Named 2nd Team All-AMC Women's Soccer, Four Others Named"

Leya Spence (M, Sr., Mansfield, OH/Madison) and Jill Zanney (GK, Fr., Brunswick, OH/HS) have been selected Second-Team All-American Mideast Conference. Walsh also placed two players on the third-team and two more honorable mention. The Cavs, who finished 9-9-2 overall and 7-5-1 in the AMC, qualified for the post season for the first time in two years.

Spence played in all 19 games and scored four goals, while handing out three assists for 11 points. She was named first-team All-AMC in 2007 and finishes her career with 19 goals (9th) and 12 assists (12th) for 50 points. Zanney played in 16 games and fashioned a 2.06 goals against average in goal, with two shutouts.

Amanda Patrick (F, Jr., Medina, OH/Cloverleaf) and Stacy Poliak (D, Parma, OH/Normandy) were named third-team. Patrick was a named honorable mention last year. This season, she led the Cavs with 20 points, on a team-leading 10 assists and five goals. Poliak played in all 19 games.

Rachel Naumann (M, So., Hinckley, OH/Highland) and Abbie Sullivan (M, Sr., Canton, OH/GlenOak) were each named honorable mention. Naumann scored five goals and finished with 10 points in 19 games. Sullivan led the Cavs with seven goals and was second in scoring with 17 points. She scored three goals in a single game twice.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

"Alex Birtcher Tabbed 2nd Team All-AMCMen's Soccer, Five Others Named Honorable Mention"

Walsh's Alex Birtcher (Sr., Napoleon, OH/HS) has been selected Second-Team All-American Mideast Conference. The talented forward put together a breakthrough year, leading the Cavs in scoring with 13 goals and 28 points. He was named All-AMC South honorable mention last year and finishes his career with 25 goals and 64 points.

The Cavs, who finished the season 6-11-1, had five players named honorable mention; Adam Birtcher (D, Sr., Napoleon, OH/HS), Dan Harlan (D, Sr., Uniontown, OH/Lake), Ben Latimer (M, So., Sunbury, OH/Big Walnut), keeper Ben Pflum (Sr., Napoleon, OH/HS) and Ben Truax (F, Fr., Mansfield, OH/St. Peters).

Birtcher, Latimer, and Truax are all receiving AMC honors for the first time. Truax finished second in scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 points. Harlan was named honorable mention in 2007 and Pflum was a first-team selection in 2006. Pflum compiled a 1.51 goals against average, with six shutouts in 18 games.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

"DiNinno Qualifies for NAIA National Championships"

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) released the qualifiers for the 29th Annual Women’s NAIA Cross Country National Championships, and Walsh's Andrea DiNinno (Sr., Harrison City, PA/Greensburg CC) is one of 112 individual qualifiers. DiNinno, who is making her first trip to the NAIA Championship Meet, finished 19th (20:14.4) at the American Mideast Conference Championships, held at Ursuline College on Saturday, earning All-AMC Honorable Mention recognition.

The race will be held at Dr. Wayne E. Dannehl Cross Country Course in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Saturday, November 22, 2008. The 5k women’s race will start at 10:30 a.m. (CST). This year’s women’s 5K race will feature 32 teams, including 25 conferences/independents/unaffiliated champions and seven at-large bids and 112 individual qualifiers.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

"Cavs Win Big, Skeeter Named Player of Tournament"

(Fort Kent, ME) NAIA No. 11 Walsh (2-0) cruised to a 111-56 win over St. Thomas College (2-6) in their final game at the Bengal Classic today, hosted by the University of Maine-Fort Kent. Lamar Skeeter (6-0, So., Dayton, OH/Kettering Fairmont) was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, receiving the Lowell "Ozzie" Osgood Award. Kyelce Cescato (6-10, Jr., Barra Bonita, Brazil, Colmeia Entec) and Jeremy Shardo (6-3, So., Yorkshire, OH/Versailles) were also named to the all-tournament team.

Walsh shot 62% (21-34) in the first half, and led 53-24 at halftime. In the second half, the Cavs connected on 23-31 (75%), to finish the game 44-65 (68%). Joe Shardo (6-5, Sr., Yorkshire, OH/Versailles) had the hot hand, connecting on 11-12 from the field, to lead all scorers with 22 points. He also contributed five assists and four steals. Five other Cavs reached double figures, led by Jeremy Shardo's 17 points (7-9 FG). Shardo dished out seven assists and had three steals. For the tournament, Shardo handed out 17 assists in the two games.

Brandon Speck (6-0, Jr., Mansfield, OH/St. Peter's), Greg Howard 6-4, So., Cincinnati, OH/Withrow/West Liberty State) and L.J. Sutton (6-4, Fr., Youngstown, OH/Cardinal Mooney) each contributed 12 points. Speck shot 3-4 from the floor, Howard 5-8 and Sutton 5-6. Howard and Sutton each had five rebounds. Lamar Skeeter added 10 points and Kyelce Cescato chipped in eight points and six rebounds.

Walsh plays an exhibition game at the Ohio State University on Thursday night (11/13) at 7 pm. The game will be broadcast live on AM 900 WCER and on the internet at www.wcer.us.

ATHLETICS