This Week in Walsh University Athletics
Monday, February 16, 2009
Tues. 17 Women’s Basketball at Malone University (Mayor's Cup) 5:30 pm (AM 900 WCER)
Fri. 20 Baseball vs. Siena Heights at Lindsey Wilson (KY) 10 am/at Lindsey Wilson 3 pm
Women’s Basketball (H) Daemen College 6 pm (AM 900 WCER)
Men’s Basketball (H) Daemen College 8 pm (AM 900 WCER)
Sat. 21 Women’s Basketball (A) Northwestern Ohio 5:30 pm (AM 900 WCER)
Men’s Basketball (A) Northwestern Ohio 7:30 pm (AM 900 WCER)
Men’s/Women’s Indoor Track at Kent State University
Baseball vs. Siena Heights at Campbellsville (KY) 12:30 pm/vs. Campbellsville 3 pm
MEN'S BASKETBALL: 5th Ranked Cavs (23-3, 10-1) Extend Win Streak to Eleven/Still Tied for AMC Lead
NAIA No. 5 (new ranking 2/16) Walsh (23-3, 10-1) stretched its season long winning streak to eleven games last week, with a non-conference win at Miami University-Middletown and an American Mideast Conference triumph over Notre Dame College. The Cavs are still tied for first place in the AMC with Cedarville University (10-1), with two conference games remaining. Should the Cavs and Yellow Jackets remain tied, the tie-breaker would go to Cedarville because of their victory over the Cavs on January 10 and the Cavs would fall into the AMC Tournament. This week, the Cavs close the regular season with two AMC games. Walsh will host Daemen College on Friday night (8 pm), and then travel to Northwestern Ohio on Saturday night (7:30 pm). Both games will be broadcast live on AM 900 WCER and on the Internet at www.wcer.us.
Walsh shot 53% from the floor and outscored Miami University-Middletown (21-6) 52-26 in the first half, on their way to an 88-66 non-conference road win last Tuesday night. The win was the tenth straight for the surging Cavs, who led by as many as 30 points. Brandon Speck (6-0, Jr., Mansfield, OH/St. Peter's) and Kyelce Cescato (6-10, Jr., Barra Bonita, Brazil, Colmeia Entec) scored 22 and 20 points respectively. Speck finished 7-13 from the floor and 5-9 from behind the arc. Cescato scored a double-double, as he also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, and was 10-14 from the floor. NAIA assist leader Jeremy Shardo (6-3, So., Yorkshire, OH/Versailles) handed out eight, to go with 12 points and eight rebounds. AMC Player of the Week Joe Shardo (6-5, Sr., Yorkshire, OH/Versailles) added 16 points and Eric Love (6-2, Sr., Concord, NC/Mt. Pleasant) added 11 points off the bench. Walsh out rebounded the ThunderHawks 52-28.
Walsh notched its 11th straight win, and remained perfect at home (11-0), with an 83-66 AMC win over visiting Notre Dame College (17-10, 6-5) at Alumni Arena on Saturday. Walsh shot 10-16 (.625) from behind the arc in the first half and led 46-34 at halftime. Joe Shardo scored 16 of his 24 points in the half, and Brandon Speck added 12 points on 4-5 from three-point. Jeremy Shardo dished out eight of his game-high 11 assists in the opening stanza. Walsh would hold a double digit throughout a majority of the second half. Notre Dame cut the lead to nine points (51-42) with 16:37 to play, but would get no closer. Joe Shardo led Walsh with 24 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Speck added 21 points on 7-8 from three-point range. Jeremy Shardo tallied 13 points and Kyelce Cescato added 12 points and seven rebounds. Walsh shot .558 (29-52) from the floor and .583 (14-24) from three-point, while holding the Falcons to just .441 (26-59) from the field.
Walsh and Daemen (19-8, 6-5) meet for the second time this season on Friday. Daemen handed the Cavs one of their three losses back on November 18th, 101-99 in overtime in New York. Kyelce Cescato scored a career-high 32 points in the non-conference loss, with Jeremy Shardo adding 28. Daemen is tied for fifth place in the AMC with Notre Dame. They have lost three of their last five games, including a 100-85 defeat against Rio Grande on Saturday. Walsh leads the all-time series 10-5.
The Cavs close the regular season at Northwestern Ohio (16-12, 8-3) on Saturday. The surging Racers have won six straight games and are tied with Mount Vernon Nazarene for third place in the AMC. They defeated Houghton 76-62 on Saturday and are 9-3 at home this season. They play at home against Wilberforce University on Tuesday. Walsh defeated the Racers 88-69 in a non-league game on December 4 at Alumni Arena. Lamar Skeeter (6-0, So., Dayton, OH/Kettering Fairmont) paced the Cavs with 21 points and seven rebounds. Walsh leads the all-time series 3-0.
The Cavs are averaging 88.4 points per game, tops in the AMC, with six players scoring in double figures. Joe Shardo leads the Cavs in scoring, with a 17.4 (3rd AMC) per game average. He is shooting .519 (5th AMC) from the field and .451 (3rd AMC) from three-point and .827 (2nd AMC) from the foul line. Shardo has reached double figures in each of the last eight games and is averaging 24.6 points per game over the period. He is also averaging 6.0 rebounds per contest. Jeremy Shardo is averaging 15.2 points and leads the AMC and NAIA with 209 assists for an 8.0 per game average. Shardo is shooting .498 from the field, .446 from three-point and .785 (3rd AMC) from the line. Kyelce Cescato is averaging 14.7 points per game, with a team-leading 8.4 rebounds. He also leads the team, and AMC in field goal percentage (.649/4th NAIA). Brandon Speck is averaging 12.5 points and leads the AMC in three-point shooting (.467). Speck was 12-17 from three-point in two games last week.
As a team, the Cavs lead the AMC and are among the NAIA leaders in numerous categories. In scoring; 88.4 (AMC 1st, NAIA 4th), scoring margin 22.5 (AMC 1st, NAIA 2nd), free throw percentage .737 (AMC 1st, NAIA 5th), field goal percentage .515 (AMC 1st, NAIA 2nd), 3-PT FG percentage .445 (AMC 1st, NAIA 1st), rebound margin 11.8 (AMC 1st, NAIA 2nd), assists per game 16.6 (AMC 1st), assist/turnover ratio 1.60 (AMC 1st, NAIA 1st).
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Cavs' (18-9, 11-2) One AMC Win Away from National Tournament
With two more American Mideast Conference wins last week, and 14 wins in their last 16 games, Walsh (18-9, 11-2) is one conference win away from an automatic berth in the NAIA National Tournament (3/11-17). Walsh is second in the AMC, ahead of third place Cedarville University (9-3 AMC) and fourth place Daemen College (9-4 AMC). If they should fall into third place, they would have to win the conference tournament to gain a berth to the national tournament. If they tie with Cedarville, Walsh wins the automatic berth due to the tie-breaker rule. Walsh wins the tie-breaker by having beaten Cedarville (74-70) earlier in the season. Walsh plays three games this week, starting with a non-conference match-up with rival Malone University in the annual Mayor's Cup game at Osborne Hall on Tuesday night (5:30 pm). This game has no bearing on the AMC standings, or Walsh clinching the automatic berth. The Cavs' first crack at clinching comes on Friday night at home against Daemen College at 6 pm. Walsh then closes the regular season at Northwestern Ohio on Saturday (5:30 pm). All three games will be broadcast live on AM 900 WCER and on the Internet at www.wcer.us.
Walsh trailed just twice, in winning their 10th AMC game, 76-63 over Ursuline College (14-11, 7-5) last Tuesday night in Pepper Pike, Ohio. After trailing 4-3, the Cavs went on a 15-0 run to lead 18-4 with 10:48 left in the first half. The Cavs would lead 47-20 at the break. Walsh would lead by as many as 29 points (53-24, 58-29) in the second half, before an Ursuline run would cut the lead to 15 points (65-50) with 5:20 to play. The final margin of 13 points would be as close as the Arrows would come in the second half. The Cavs' balanced attack was led by Leah Seaman (5-8, Jr., Louisville, OH/HS), who scored 13 points off the bench. Seaman was 4-8 from the floor and 2-4 from three-point. It was her second straight game in double figures off the bench. Cara Bedard (6-0, So., Randolph, OH/Waterloo) and Kristi Yoder (6-1, Fr., Millersburg, OH/Hiland) each added 12 points, with Bedard grabbing eight rebounds.
Walsh whittled their magic number one to one, with a 64-60 AMC win over Notre Dame College (17-1, 7-6) at Alumni Arena on Saturday. Walsh led by as many as nine points in the first half, and took a 35-28 lead into the locker room. The second half would turn into a dog fight. After the Cavs built an 11-point lead (39-28) early in the second half (19:20), the Falcons began to whittle away. With the help of a 13-2 run, Notre Dame cut the lead to 43-41 with 14:27 to play. The Falcons then outscored the Cavs 8-0, to take a 49-43 lead with 11:28 to play. The second half would produce five ties, the final one at 60 on a Chelsea Chaffin (Fr. 5-3, Mt. Sterling, OH/Madison Plains) free throw with 1:36 to play. Chaffin then hit the second free to give Walsh the lead for good at 61-60. Walsh's defense then produced two steals to seal the win. Cara Bedard came up with a steal, and Chaffin then scored to give the Cavs a 63-60 lead with 28 second to play. Chaffin then came up with the second steal with 11 seconds to play, was fouled, and made one free throw to give the Cavs their fourth straight win. Chaffin connected on 15-17 free throws and scored a game-high and career best 24 points. Katie Berry (So., Cleveland, OH/St. Joseph’s) added 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Walsh and Malone (6-19) meet in the 13th Annual Mayor's Cup game on Tuesday. Malone leads the Cup Series 7-5, but Walsh won 83-64 last year. Three consecutive wins in the designated game are required to retire The Cup. Tuesday's game is the second game played between the cross-town rivals this season. Walsh won the AMC contest, 74-51, on January 27 at Alumni Arena. Katie Berry scored 22 points and Kristi Yoder 21 in the win. Walsh can even-up the all-time series at 31 with a win on Tuesday. The Cavs have also won the last three games against the Pioneers.
Walsh travels to Lima, Ohio for their regular season finale against Northwestern Ohio (15-12, 8-5) on Saturday. The Racers have won two straight games and are 6th in the AMC, and fighting for a post season conference tournament berth. They host Wilberforce on Tuesday. Walsh leads the all-time series 1-0.
Katie Berry (So., Cleveland, OH/St. Joseph’s) leads the Cavs in scoring, and is averaging 14.3 points per game (AMC 9th). She is shooting .471 (AMC 5th) from the field and .786 from the line. Berry also leads the team with 93 assists (3.4). Cara Bedard is the only other player scoring in double figures, averaging 12.4 points and a team-leading 6.1 rebounds. Bedard is also shooting a team-leading .551 from the field, .804 (AMC 7th) from the foul line, and has recorded four double-doubles on the season. Freshman Chelsea Chaffin is averaging 8.1 points and is shooting .777 from the foul line.
As a team, the Cavs have eclipsed last season’s win total overall (13) and in the AMC (5). Walsh's 18 wins are the most since they finished 20-11under Theresa Berg in 2003-04.
MEN'S TENNIS: Cavs Fall at Mercyhurst/Mark Innes, Yung Win
Walsh (0-1) lost 6-3 in their season opener at Mercyhurst College (6-2) on Saturday. The Cavs recorded wins at third and fourth singles and second doubles. Mark Innes (Fr., Randburg, South Africa/Kings School Robin Hills) and Diego Yung (Fr., Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires) won at second doubles 9-8 (7-0) and at second and third singles respectively. Innes won 6-3, 6-2 and Yung won 6-2, 6-1.
WOMEN'S TENNIS: Mercyhurst Edges Cavs 5-4
Walsh (0-2) was edged 5-4 at Mercyhurst College (5-2) on Saturday. The Cavs notched two wins in doubles play and two in singles competition. Barbara Lewis (Fr., Westerville, OH/St. Frances DeSales) won 6-1, 6-3 at fourth singles and Madeline Lewis (Jr., Westerville, OH/St. Frances DeSales) won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 at sixth singles. The Cavs' number one doubles team of Jenamarie Ianni (Sr., North Canton, OH/Hoover) and Alison Rossi (Fr., Warren, OH/JFK) won 8-5, while Madeline Lewis and Julia Kole (So., Mississauga, ONT/St. Aloysius) won 9-8 (13-0) at third doubles.
MEN'S INDOOR TRACK: Track Fares Well at Kenyon
Walsh fared well at a non-scoring meet at Kenyon College on Friday. Brian Williams (So., Canton, OH/McKinley came away with a first place finish in the 55m hurdles (7.95) and Tyler Pierce (Jr., Salem, OH/HS) in the high jump (6-02.00). The Cavs compete at Kent State University on Saturday.
Jordan Johnson (Fr., Louisville, OH/HS0 took third in the mile (4:41.80) and Andrew Saris (Sr., Smithville, OH/HS) in the triple jump (39-07.75).
WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK: Cavs Shine at Kenyon
Walsh performed well at a non-scoring meet held at Kenyon College on Friday. The Cavs came away with four 1st place finishes and numerous second place finishes. The Cavs compete at Kent State University on Saturday.
Andrea DiNinno (Sr., Greensburg, PA/Central Catholic) came away with a win in the mile (5:26.37) for the second consecutive week. She took 1st at the Oberlin College Crimson and Gold Classic last week. Danielle Cofojohn (Jr., Diamond, OH/Southeast) came away with a 1st place finish in the shot put (40-08.25). The Cavs 4x200m relay team, comprised of Allie Simmons (Fr., Toledo, OH/Central Catholic), Elizabeth Emanuel (Fr., Hubbard, OH/Ursuline), Ashley Lewis (So., Louisville, OH/HS) and Lauren Ignazio (Fr., Austintown, OH/Ursuline) won in a time of 1:57.05. The Cavs 4x400m relay team also took first, with Megan Case (So., Louisville, OH/HS), Kristen Havens (So., Wadsworth, OH/HS), Ignazio and Lewis winning in a time of 4:25.35.
Jackie Misiak (Sr., North Royalton, OH/HS) took second place in the 55m hurdles (9.10), Erin Koppel (Sr., McDonald, OH/HS) in the 400m dash (1:05.14), Emma Heck (So., Canton, OH/Central Catholic) in the pole vault (9-11.75), Ashley Lewis in the long jump (15-01.25) and Holly Gospodinsky (So., Wadsworth, OH/HS) in the shot put (37-00.25)
Megan Case also took third in the 800m run (2:37.72) and Natalie Borland (So., Kent, OH/Roosevelt) in the triple jump (30-05.50).
BASEBALL: Cavs Open Season in Kentucky
Walsh opens a new season with four games in Kentucky this Friday and Saturday. The Cavs play two games at Lindsey Wilson College on Friday and two at Campbellsville University on Saturday. Walsh opens against Siena Heights, at Lindsey Wilson at 10 am on Friday, then play Lindsey Wilson at 3 pm. On Saturday, Walsh and Siena Heights play at Campbellsville at 12:30 pm, with the Cavs meeting Campbellsville at 3 pm. Walsh finished 22-20 last season.
