This Week in Walsh University Athletics
Monday, January 18, 2010
Tues. 19
Women's Basketball (H) Wilberforce University 6 pm
Men's Basketball (H) Wilberforce University 8 pm (AM 900 WCER, www.wcer.us )
Thurs. 21
Women's Basketball at Point Park University 5:30 pm
Men's Basketball (H) Point Park University 7:30 pm (AM 900 WCER, www.wcer.us )
Sat. 23
Women's Basketball at Carlow University 2 pm
Men's Basketball (H) Ohio Dominican University 7:30 pm (AM 900 WCER, www.wcer.us )
Indoor Track at Case Western Reserve University Spartan Relays 10 am
MEN'S BASKETBALL: NAIA No. 2 Cavs Face AMC Foes
NAIA No. 2 (new poll released today) Walsh (16-1, 6-0 AMC) remained atop, and unbeaten in the American Mideast Conference South Division winning two more conference games last week. Walsh is the only unbeaten team in the AMC South and lead the division. Last week, Walsh won (77-65) at Mount Vernon Nazarene University for the first time since 2004-05, then throttled (118-62) Shawnee State University at home on Friday night. Walsh has reached the 100-point mark seven times this season, one shy of the team record set in 1989-90. This week, the Cavs have their first three-game week of the season. The Cavs have AMC games on Tuesday (8 pm) at home against Wilberforce University, and on Thursday (7:30 pm) at Point Park University. On Saturday (7:30 pm), Walsh plays host to Ohio Dominican University in a non-conference game. All games will be broadcast live on AM 900 WCER (www.wcer.us).
Walsh won its fifth straight game with their 77-65 win at Mount Vernon Nazarene University last Tuesday. Walsh led 31-21 with 5:01 to play in the first half, when the Cougars rallied to take a 36-35 lead into the locker room. Ricky Jackson's (6-7, Sr., Chicago, IL/Canton McKinley/West Virginia State) stick-back cut the lead to one-point at the buzzer. The second half was all Cavs, or all Jeremy Shardo (6-3, Jr., Yorkshire, OH/Versailles), as Walsh outscored the Cougars 42-29. Shardo scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the half and put the Cavs ahead for good at 42-40 with a basket at the 17:01 mark. Walsh would eventually lead by as many as 14 points (66-52) with 8:03 to play. Shardo connected on 8-13 from the floor and 2-3 from three-point and added four assists and three steals in 36 minutes. Lamar Skeeter (6-0, Jr., Dayton, OH/Kettering Fairmount) was a perfect 12-12 from the foul line in chipping in 17 points. Jackson would add 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds. After shooting 59% in the first half, Walsh held MVNU to just 44% in the second half on 11-25. The Cavs also forced 16 turnovers.
Walsh won its sixth straight game, rolling over Shawnee State University 118-62 at Alumni Arena. Walsh led 46-24 at the half, as AMC Player of the Week Ricky Jackson scored 15 of his game-high 33 points in the first half. Jackson finished 13-15 from the field, 3-4 from three-point and 4-4 from the line. Walsh placed five others in double figures. Brandon Speck (6-0, Sr., Mansfield, OH/St. Peter's) sparked the Walsh bench with 15 points in 15 minutes. The Cavs bench outscored Shawnee's bench 50-23. Eric Schiele (6-0, Jr., Atwater, OH/Waterloo/Cleveland State) added 14 points off the bench and Isaac Knight (6-8, Sr., Detroit, MI/Crockett/Kent State) 10 points off the bench. L.J. Sutton (6-5, So., Youngstown, OH/Cardinal Mooney) added 12 points and seven rebounds, Lamar Skeeter 11 points and nine assists and Jeremy Shardo eight points, six rebounds and six assists. Walsh shot 68% (26-38) in the second half in outscoring the Bears 72-38. Walsh shot 61% (44-72) for the night. The Cavs also outrebounded Shawnee 51-27.
Walsh plays host to Wilberforce University (8-11, 2-5 AMC) on Tuesday. The Cavs downed the Bulldogs 72-57 at Wilberforce on January 15 and lead the all-time series 18-3. Walsh has won the last 11 meetings. The Bulldogs are coming off a 91-81 loss to Daemen College.
Walsh travels to Pittsburgh, PA to meet Point Park University (6-8, 2-3 AMC N) in a conference crossover game on Thursday. Point Park is coming off a 91-82 upset of AMC North leader Notre Dame College on Saturday. The Cavs lead the all-time series 17-14 and have won the last four meetings.
Walsh meets former AMC foe Ohio Dominican University (7-11) in an non-conference battle at Alumni Arena on Saturday night. The Panthers, an NAIA Independent, have lost five of their last six games. Walsh leads the all-time series 62-20 and has won the last 10 meetings.
Walsh's balanced attack has six players in double figures, led by Ricky Jackson's 23.2 ppg (2nd AMC, 9th NAIA). Jackson leads the AMC in FG% (.630) and is fourth in the NAIA. He is also averaging 8.1 rebounds per game. Lamar Skeeter (6-0, Jr., Dayton, OH/Kettering Fairmount) is averaging 12.6 points. He is shooting .535 from the field and is second from the free throw line in the AMC at .825 (52-63). Eric Schiele (6-0, Jr., Atwater, OH/Waterloo/Cleveland State) is averaging 10.8 points off the bench. Jeremy Shardo is averaging 10.6 points and leads the AMC in assists (7.1, 2nd-NAIA). He also leads team with 42 steals. Brandon Speck is averaging 10.5 points and is fifth in three-point shooting (.412). L.J. Sutton is scoring at a 10.1 clip and is shooting .531 from the field and is pulling down 6.3 rebounds. Kyelce Cescato is averaging 9.4 points, is shooting .625 from the field and is tied with Jackson for the team lead in rebounds 8.1.
The Cavs are averaging a NAIA best 98.6 points per game and are allowing just 62.1 ppg (1st-AMC, 4th-NAIA). Walsh also leads the NAIA in scoring margin (36.5), field goal percentage (.530), rebounds per game (50.2), rebound margin (20.5) and assists per game (21.1) and assist/turnover ratio (1.6). The Cavs lead the AMC in team field goal defense (.372), which is also good for second in the NAIA.
The Cavs and Oregon Tech own the NAIA Division II active streak for longest run in the Top 25 at 56 straight weeks -- the last time either was not ranked was Jan. 11, 2005. Walsh has won 29 straight home games and 50 of their last 51.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Cavs Take Aim at Top 25/Tied for AMC Lead
Walsh (13-5, 6-1 AMC, NAIA 29th new ranking today) takes aim at the NAIA top 25 after posting wins at Mount Vernon Nazarene University and at home against fourth ranked Shawnee State University last Friday. Walsh is tied for the AMC lead with Cedarville University at 6-1. The Cavs have posted wins against two top eight teams (Shawnee State, Cedarville) and number 14 Marian University. This week the Cavs place their five-game win streak on the line against three AMC foes. The Cavs host Wilberforce University on Tuesday (6 pm), travel to Pittsburgh, PA to meet Point Park University on Thursday (5:30 pm) and travel to Carlow University (PA) on Saturday (2 pm). The Cavs/Point Park game will be broadcast live on AM 900 WCER (www.wcer.us).
Walsh rallied from a 10-point road deficit to win 80-74 at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University last Tuesday night. Walsh trailed by as many as ten points twice (19-9, 33-23) in the first half and trailed 41-33 at the half. The second half was all Walsh, as they outscored the Cougars 47-33. Walsh whittled away at the lead in the final 20 minutes and finally took the lead for good at 52-21 on a Leah Seaman (5-8, Sr., Louisville, OH/HS) three-ball with 12:27 to play. The Cavs then used a 11-2 run to stretch the lead to 63-53 with 9:26 to play. The Cougars would close to with six points three times, but would get no closer. Jessie Miller (5-10, Sr., Strasburg, OH/HS) led the Cavs attack with 24 points and eight rebounds. Katie Berry (5-11, Jr., Cleveland, OH/St. Joseph's) came back after missing the University of NW Ohio game with flu to score 14 points off the bench. Ciera Burkes (Jr., 5-3, Shaker Heights, OH/HS) added 11 points and six rebounds and Cara Bedard (6-0, Jr., Randolph, OH)/Waterloo) scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds and recorded three blocked shots. Walsh shot 53% (16-30) in the second half, while holding the Cougars to just 39% (13-33) in the second half.
Walsh University gained a share of first place in the American Mideast Conference after upsetting NAIA No. 4 Shawnee State University 64-61 Friday night at Alumni Arena. The Cavs led from start to finish, with Shawnee State tying the game only once (2-2). After the two teams exchanged baskets to open the game, Walsh proceeded to go on a 10-0 run, capped off by two jumpers by Jessie Miller. She would make her presence known later in the half with three 3-point field goals, with the last giving the Cavs’ a 39-28 advantage before taking a 41-28 lead into the locker room at the break. Shawnee rallied in the second half and closed to within one-point at 52-51 with 7:25 left in the game. Walsh would respond with another 3-pointer by Miller, giving her four for the night. She finished the evening with 26 points and six assists, both game-highs. The Cavaliers had a strong presence underneath the basket as well, with Kayla Kovach (So., 6-0, Lakewood, OH/HS/IPFW) adding 19 points and six rebounds. Shawnee State would close to within one-point twice more, but strong foul shooting down the stretch by the Cavs preserved the upset. With Walsh leading 61-60 with 1:03 to play, Leah Seaman (5-8, Sr.,Louisville, OH/HS) nailed two free throws for a 63-60 advantage. Cara Bedard (6-0, Jr., Randolph, OH/Waterloo) then added a free throw with one second to play for the final margin.
Walsh meets Wilberforce (3-13, 1-8) at home on Tuesday. The Cavs won at Wilberforce 104-71 on December 5. The Bulldogs have dropped their last three games. Walsh leads the all-time series 13-5, with three straight wins.
Walsh travels to Point Park (8-6, 4-2), in Pittsburgh, PA on Thursday. The Pioneers dropped their last game, 70-66 to Notre Dame on Saturday. Walsh leads the all-times series 7-0.
The Cavs travel back to the Keystone State to meet Carlow University (6-12, 2-7) on Saturday. Carlow has dropped nine of its last ten games. Walsh leads the all-time series 6-1, with three straight wins.
Jessie Miller leads the team in scoring at 16.2 ppg. Miller is shooting .448 from the field and .766 from the line. Katie Berry is next at 14.8 ppg. Berry is shooting .485 from the field and .717 from the line. She leads the Cavs with 85 assists (5.0) and 42 steals. She is third in the AMC in both categories. Cara Bedard is averaging 13.7 ppg and a team-best 6.4 rebounds. Bedard is second in the AMC in field goal percentage (.607) and second in the AMC and third in the AMC in blocked shots (42). She is five behind all-time single season blocked shot leader Ann Alpeter. Kayla Kovach is averaging 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds and is second in the AMC in free throw percentage (.836) Kovach is shooting .500 from the floor. Ciera Burkes has come on strong since joining the team second semester. Burkes is averaging 8.2 points and is shooting .500 from the floor and .471 from three-point. She has 17 assist against only nine turnovers and eight steals.
INDOOR TRACK: Teams Do Well at Marietta
MEN: "Cavs 5th at Marietta Open, Capture Five First Place Finishes"
Walsh finished 5th at the Marietta Open, hosted by Marietta College, in their first meet of the indoor track season last Saturday. Walsh finished with 91 points, just two behind fourth place Frostburg State. Concord finished first with 150 points at the seven-team open. The Cavs are at Case Western Reserve University for the Spartan Relays on Saturday.
Dan Harsh (So., Perry, OH/HS) captured the high jump (6-00.75). Brad Schrecengost (Jr., Cortland, OH/Lakeview) won the weight throw with a toss of 44-09.75. Joe Morgan (Jr., Canton, OH/McKinley) won the long jump (20-11.25) and Brian Williams (Sr., Canton, OH/McKinley) the 55m hurdles (7.98). The Cavs also produced the winning 4x200m relay team. Harsh, Kevin Beichler (Jr., Smithville, OH/HS), John Sweinfurth (So., Medina, OH/HS) and Brad Ziegler (So., Stow, OH/HS) won in a time of 1:37.40). Chris Noussias (Fr., Canton, OH/GlenOak) finished second in the 500m in a time of 1:10.97), Sweinfurth third in the 200m (23.87), Joe Paulenich (So., Youngstown, OH/Cardinal Mooney) fourth in the shot (40-02.00) and sixth in the weight throw (39-01.25) and Tyler Pierce (Jr., Salem, OH/HS).
WOMEN: "Cavs Fourth at Marietta Open, Cofojohn, Martter, Havens Notch First Place Finishes"
Walsh's women finished fourth at the Marietta Open, hosted by Marietta College, in their first meet of the indoor track season. The Cavs finished fourth with 106 points, just 11 behind third place Concord College. Roanoke University placed first with 150 points. The Cavs are at Case Western Reserve University for the Spartan Relays on Saturday.
Freshman Sarah Martter (Peninsula, OH/Woodbridge) finished first in the 500m dash (1:29.51) and fourth in the long jump (15-04.00). She was also part of Walsh's second place teams in the 4x200m and 4x400m relays. Kristen Havens (Jr., Wadsworth, OH/HS) finished first in the 1000m (3:22.6) and Danielle Cofojohn (Sr., Diamond, OH/Southeast) in the shot (41-02.25). Stephanie Foster (Fr., Lodi, OH/Cloverleaf) placed second in the pole vault (10-00.00). Martter and teammates Denise Sahli (Sr., East Canton, OH/HS), Alysaa Akers (Fr., Twinsburg, OH/HS) and Allison Swarny (Fr., Bolivar, OH/Tusky Valley) earned a second place finish in the 4x400m relay (4:34.04). Joining Martter on the Cavs second place 4x200m team (1:56.76) were Swarny, Ruth Giles (Fr., Sandusky,OH/HS) and Elizabeth Emanuel (So., Hubbard, OH/Ursuline). Swarny also finished fourth in the 200m (28.15). Natalie Borland (Jr., Kent, OH/Roosevelt) finished third in the high jump (4-09.00) and Holly Gosdpodinsky (Jr., Wadsworth, OH/HS) fourth in the shot (36-07.75).
