A pair of Monmouth College track and field athletes know when to
peak, and as a result Monmouth College juniors Zach Barr (Roseville,
Ill./HS) and Albert Greene (Galesburg, Ill./HS) have been named this
week’s Midwest Conference Men’s Track and Field Performers of the
Week.
Barr, a distance runner, has run some great races in his Fighting
Scot track and cross country career, but his best effort may have
come Saturday at the Wisconsin Twilight in Madison. He shaved a
whopping 22 seconds off his top steeplechase time and now owns the
best time in the nation in that event.
The automatic qualifying time set a
school record and was fast enough to beat the three nearest
competitors -- all of whom came from large schools -- by 7.5 seconds
or more. Barr owns the best steeplechase time in the MWC by 35
seconds.
Greene, competing in the jumps,
soared a career-best 22’9-1/4 in the long jump at the Wisconsin
Twilight meet to place second to a competitor from the University of
Wisconsin. He was sixth in the triple jump in 44’2-1/2. His long
jump mark is tops in the conference by nearly a foot.
A physical education major, Barr is the son of Terry and Jeanne Barr
of Roseville.
Greene, a communication and theater arts major, is the son of
Albert, Jr. and Linda Greene of Galesburg.
Monmouth College’s Zach Barr
(Roseville, Ill./HS) continues to turn up the heat on track
competitors and has been named this week’s Midwest Conference Men’s
Track Performer of the Week.
Barr, a junior distance runner, ran the seventh-fastest steeplechase
time in the nation en route to an easy victory at the Dick Young
Classic at Grinnell College on Saturday. His provisional time of
9:18.64 was
35 seconds faster than the runner-up. In the 5000-meter run, he
placed second to the two-time national cross country champion. His
steeplechase time is ranked first in the MWC and his 5K time is
second.
A physical education major, Barr is the son of Terry and Jeanne Barr
of Roseville.
MC athletes picked up
weekly honors from the Midwest Conference in four of their five
spring sports as Fighting Scots athletes were selected as Performers
of the Week in baseball, track and field, tennis and golf.
Senior second baseman Tristan Reimolds (Monmouth, Ill./HS) received
the honor following the Scots’ 9-7, 3-2 sweep of Illinois College
last weekend. Reimolds went 4-for-6 in the twinbill with two homers,
a double, a single and a sacrifice bunt. He also collected four RBI
on the day.
Junior triple jumper Albert Greene (Galesburg, Ill./HS) soared
46’7-1/4 at the Lee Calhoun Invitational at Western Illinois
University, a mark that ranks fourth in Monmouth College history. It
was the best mark by a collegiate jumper at the meet and is the 10th
best in the nation this season.
Sophomore Jared Kunkle (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) helped Monmouth knock
off both Illinois College and Lake Forest on Saturday in MWC
divisional play. At number one singles, he edged out Illinois
College’s top player 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-7) and defeated Lake Forest’s
in more convincing fashion (6-2, 6-3). He also teamed with Kevin
Kamenjarin to win his third and fourth straight matches at number
one doubles by scores of 8-3 and 8-0.
Sophomore Jeff Denny (Atlanta, Ill./Olympia) had a good week on the
golf course, firing a one-over-par 73 Thursday at Soangetaha Country
Club in Galesburg to finish second. Playing on his home course at
Gibson Woods on Saturday, he carded a 75, good for seventh.
Greene picked up his second Performer of the Week honors during the
outdoor season. It was the season’s first POW award for Reimolds,
Kunkle and Denny.
In what is becoming a weekly
occurrence, two more Monmouth College track and field athletes have
been named Performer of the Week.
Junior jumper Albert Greene (Galesburg, Ill./HS) and sophomore
sprinter Kila Cox (Rockton, Ill./Hononegah) were honored after
stellar performances at last weekend’s Wartburg Select Meet in
Waverly, Iowa.
Greene came within inches of his personal records in both the long
jump and triple jump in two second-place efforts on Saturday. His
triple jump of 46’5-1/2 bettered the provisional-qualifying mark,
and he had a 22’5 long jump. Both performances are the best in the
MWC so far this season.
Cox placed sixth and recorded a personal-best time of 59.50 in the
400-meter dash. She was also part of a three-way tie for fourth in
the 200-meter dash with a clocking of 25.80, which was another PR.
Both times are ranked No. 1 in the MWC so far this season. Cox also
performed well on two relays, including a 58.4-second leadoff leg in
the 4x400.
A communication and theater arts major, Greene is the son of Albert,
Jr., and Linda Greene of Galesburg.
Cox, a business major, is the daughter of John and Robin Kloster
of Rockton.
Monmouth College pole vaulter Peter
Sprecher literally raised the bar at last weekend’s Washington
University Track and Field Invitational in St. Louis. The freshman
from Canton, Ill. (Canton), earned the latest Midwest Conference
Field Performer of the Week honor after taking second in the pole
vault.
Sprecher moved to third on the all-time honor roll at Monmouth by
clearing 15’. Only eight vaults by Fighting Scots athletes have been
higher, seven by All-American Keenan King. Monmouth’s men’s team
finished fourth in the field of 26.
Sprecher is the son of Rod and Jean Sprecher of Canton.
The awards just keep rolling in for Monmouth
College’s Brian Schutzbach. The freshman lefty, who has already been
honored as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
Division III and the Louisville Slugger College Baseball News
National Player of the Week, can now add Midwest Conference
Co-Performer of the Week to his résumé.
Schutzbach (New Lenox, Ill./Providence) pitched what is believed to
be only the fourth no-hitter in the 137-year history of Fighting
Scots baseball when he blanked Augustana (Ill.) College 2-0 on St.
Patrick’s Day at Monmouth’s Glasgow Field. He recorded strikeouts on
eight of the final nine outs on his way to 12 strikeouts in the
seven-inning game. The only other loss for Augustana had come in
Florida on March 11 when Schutzbach and the Fighting Scots beat them
5-2 in a nine-inning game. His current season stats are 2-1, 2.74
ERA, 23 innings, 29 strikeouts and 10 walks, Opponents are hitting
.190.
Schutzbach shares the MWC Performer of the Week honor with junior
infielder Sean Callaway of Illinois College.
A biology major, Schutzbach is the son of John and Doris Schutzbach
of New Lenox.
The Monmouth College track team showed
no signs of letting up as they began their outdoor season last
weekend at the Lynx Invitational at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.
The Fighting Scots took all four of the Midwest Conference Performer
of the Week awards.
Senior Blake Boma (Harrisburg, Ill./HS) and freshman Zach Wilson (Lacon,
Ill./Midland) were awarded Performer of the Week honors in men’s
track and field, respectively. Freshman Tiffanie York (Delavan,
Ill./HS) and junior Christina Reiner (Clarendon Hills, Ill./Hindale
Central) duplicated the feat in women’s track and field.
Boma has the best time in the nation in the 400-meter hurdles. He
was clocked in 52.90 while easily winning the event last weekend. He
was also a part of two strong relay finishes for Monmouth, running
on the 4x400 squad that placed first in 3:21.85 and anchoring the
4x100 team’s first-place effort of 42.35.
Wilson was strong in several weight events last weekend for the
Fighting Scots at the 13-team meet. Monmouth won the meet, and
Wilson contributed points in the discus (second, 137’9), shot put
(third, 43’9-3/4) and hammer (fifth, 126’4).
York set a new school-record in the 1500-meter run with a time of
4:57.22. She finished in second place in the 1500-meter run and was
also part of the Fighting Scots’ runner-up 4x400 team (4:11.17).
Not to be outdone, Reiner equaled the Monmouth College record in the
pole vault when she cleared 10 feet, 6 inches to win the event. She
also long jumped 17’1-1/2 to place fourth, and she tied for eighth
in the 100-meter dash (13.40).
A business major, Boma is the son of Dawn Boma of Harrisburg.
Wilson, a biology major, is the son of James and Robin Wilson of
Lacon.
A math major, York is the daughter of Anthony and Tracie York of
Delavan.
Reiner, an education major, is the daughter of Richard and Laura
Reiner of Clarendon Hills.
MC freshman pitcher Brian Schutzbach
has been named the National Division III Pitcher of the Week by the
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and a Louisville
Slugger’s National Player of the Week by College Baseball News.
The honors are a result of his brilliant seven-inning no-hitter
against Augustana College on St. Patrick’s Day, when the rookie
southpaw topped the 10-2 Vikings for the second time this season.
Schutzbach, who prepped at New Lenox (Providence), fanned 12 Viking
batters on the day, getting strikeouts on eight of the last nine
outs in Monmouth’s 2-0 win.
The honors mean that Schutzbach has nearly as many national player
of the week citations as he does career college starts (3).
Two more Monmouth College track
athletes can call themselves Midwest Conference Performer of the
Week.
Blake Boma (Harrisburg, Ill./HS) and Brenda Herrera (Kewanee,
Ill./Wethersfield) are the latest Fighting Scots athletes to receive
the honor. Both had outstanding days at the Karl Schlender
Invitational at UW-Whitewater last Saturday.
Boma, a senior All-American, ran national provisional qualifying
times in winning both the 55-meter dash (6.48) and the 55-meter
hurdles (7.71). The first time is one one-hundredth of a second off
the Monmouth College school record. Both times are the best posted
in the Midwest Conference this season.
Herrera turned in times of 7.55 in the 55-meter dash and 26.67 in
the 200-meter dash. The sophomore sprinter also ran two strong legs
on Monmouth’s 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams, which posted conference
best times of 1:48.08 and 4:07.45.
Business majors, Boma is the son of Dawn Boma of Harrisburg and
Herrera is the daughter of Consolacion and Odila Herrera of Kewanee.
The Fighting Scots, who have collected nearly half the track MWC
Performer of the Week honors, will compete in the conference meet
Friday and Saturday in Jacksonville.
For the second time in three
weeks a trio of Monmouth College athletes have been named Midwest Conference
Performer of the Week in indoor track and field.
The trio - Tyler Rundle (Monmouth, Ill./Warren), Dane Justice (Marseilles,
Ill./Seneca) and Tiffanie York (Delavan, Ill./HS) - earned the honor after
competing last weekend at the 15-team Fighting Scots Invitational at Monmouth.
Rundle ran the sixth-fastest 200-meter dash in the history of Monmouth’s
illustrious indoor track program, winning the event in 22.29, one of his three
first-place performances. He also ran a 49.3-second 400-meter leg on the first
place distance medley relay team which set a school record of 10:12.52 and
qualified provisionally for next month’s national meet with the ninth-fastest
time in the country. The sophomore sprinter was also part of the 4x200 squad,
which won in a school-record time of 1:29.40. He contributed a 22.2-second leg.
While Rundle ran his way to the POW honor, Justice vaulted his way to the award,
literally. The sophomore cleared 14’5 in the pole vault to place second at the
meet. His lifetime best mark is currently ranked third in the MWC.
On the women’s side, York finished second in the 3000-meter run last Saturday
with a time of 10:59.11. She also took third in the 800 meters. The freshman
also ran a leg on the Scots’ 4x400 relay team, which ran an MWC best time of
4:11.73.
Physical education majors, Rundle is the son of Bruce and Sherry Rundle of
Monmouth and Justice is the son of Mel and Deborah Reding and David Justice, all
of Seneca.
York, a math major, is the daughter of Anthony and Tracie York of Delavan.
MC junior Albert Greene has been named Midwest
Conference Performer of the Week in indoor track and field after nearly breaking
a school record in the triple jump.
Green’s leap of 45’10-3/4 at the Titan Open, hosted by Illinois Wesleyan
University, was just one inch shy of the Fighting Scots indoor record of
45’11-3/4. His mark is the best in the conference this year and was within two
feet of Monmouth’s outdoor school record of 47’7-3/4, set by John Weatherly in
1931.
Greene, a communication and theater arts major, is the son of Albert, Jr. and
Linda Greene of Galesburg.
In what might be a preview of things to come, a
trio of Monmouth College track performers shined at last week’s
Midwest Invitational at Monmouth and have been rewarded with Midwest
Conference Performer of the Week honors in indoor track and field.
Men’s junior distance runner Zach Barr (Roseville, Ill./HS) has
picked up where he left off from his All-American cross country
season. The junior topped an impressive 3000-meter field at the
Midwest Invitational on Saturday, winning in 8:44.33. He also helped
the Scots’ distance medley relay team break a school record by 13
seconds, running a 4:18 anchor leg. The week before, Barr kicked off
the season with victories in the 800- and 1500-meter run (2:02.42
and 4:04.19).
One week after breaking the school record in the weight throw,
sophomore Jeff Rebholz (Henry, Ill./Henry-Senachwine) shattered the
mark, unleashing a throw of 55'7 to win the event at the six-team
meet. Rebholz also added a victory in the shot put (50'2-3/4), and
he had won both events at the Fighting Scots’ season-opening meet
the week before. His mark in the weight throw is ranked ninth in the
nation.
Christina Reiner (Clarendon Hills, Ill./Hinsdale Central) has opened
the season with fine performances in the field for Monmouth. Reiner
placed second in the long jump with a distance of 16’4 and cleared
5’0-1/2 in the high jump to finish in a tie for fifth. She also
posted a height of 9’2-1/2 in Saturday’s pole vault after clearing
9’6 earlier in the season. She is ranked second in the MWC in the
long jump and high jump and third in the pole vault.
Physical education majors, Barr is the son of Terry and Jeanne Barr
of Roseville and Rebholz is the son of Jackie Miller and Jeff
Rebholz, both of Henry.
Reiner, an education major, is the daughter of Richard and Laura
Reiner of Clarendon Hills.
MC junior Anthony Beaird (Coal Valley,
IL/Moline) opened the season with back-to-back 30 point games and
has been named the season’s first Midwest Conference Performer of
the Week in men’s basketball.
The junior guard has come out firing this season, averaging 25.0
points per game in Monmouth’s first four contests. Beaird has done a
lot of his scoring beyond the arc and at the free throw line. He’s
made 19 three-pointers, including games of nine and seven, and he’s
made 19-of-23 free throws, including a 12-of-13 performance on
Saturday in a Fighting Scot win. His other numbers include 16
assists, 12 rebounds and three steals.
An accounting/business major, he is the son of Patrick Beaird and
Susan Engeman, both of Coal Valley.
Monmouth College freshman Erik Hoffer
(Palos Hills, Ill./Amos Alonzo Stagg) has made a splash for the
Fighting Scots men’s swim team and has been honored by the Midwest
Conference as the MWC Swimmer of the Week.
Competing last weekend at the DePauw Invitational in Greencastle,
Ind., Hoffer broke seven school records and finished second in the
500 yard freestyle (4:54.18) and the 1650 yard freestyle (17:19.07).
His 1000 yard split time for the 1650 was also a school record of
10:33.44. He finished seventh in the 400 yard IM with a time of
4:36.62 and swam a faster time of 4:32.95 in the preliminaries. He
was also part of two school record relay teams – the 800 yard
freestyle relay, which finished eighth (8:10.12) and the seventh
place 200 yard medley relay (1:47.27).
A biology major, Hoffer is the son of Mark and Dolly Hoffer of Palos
Hills.
MC’s high-octane offensive unit and
lethal special teams received Midwest Conference accolades this week
when sophomore receiver Evan Haffner (Canton, Ill./HS) and freshman
kicker Nathan Palkovic (Peoria, Ill./Woodruff) earned MWC Performer
of the Week honors.
Haffner, the Offensive Performer of the Week, put his name in the
Monmouth record books for several season categories after his huge
day against Knox on Saturday. The sophomore wide receiver hauled in
passes of 52, 75 and 38 yards among his five catches, with two of
those going for scores. He finished the day with 213 receiving
yards. Haffner set season records for receiving TDs (11), receiving
yards (911) and all-purpose yards (1,523).
Palkovic earned the special teams honor by putting his name in the
Monmouth record book for PATs (40) and kicking points (64) in a
season on Saturday. He booted four PATs to finish the year 40-of-42
in that department, and the freshman kicker also added a 34-yard
field goal in the Scots’ 45-0 win, his eighth three-pointer of the
year. For a change of pace, Palkovic also ran in a two-point
conversion vs. Knox and he punted five times for a 38.4-yard
average.
Haffner, an education/physical education major, is the son of Gerald
and Sharon Haffner of Canton.
Palkovic is the son of Michael and Donna Palkovic of Peoria.
Monmouth College senior hitter Molly
Pendergrass (Galesburg, Ill./HS) led the Fighting Scots to a 3-0
week and earned this week’s Midwest Conference Performer of the Week
honor in volleyball.
Pendergrass starred for Monmouth on the court, posting kill totals
of 13, 16 and 22 in wins over Augustana, Eureka and Lake Forest,
respectively. For the week, she hit .331and added five total blocks.
Monmouth’s victory over Lake Forest Saturday stretched the Scots’
win streak to six games and moved the team into a tie with the
Foresters for the top spot in the MWC South Division.
An accounting/business major, Pendergrass is the daughter of Mike
and Julie Pendergrass of Galesburg.
With just two weeks until the
Midwest Conference cross country meet Monmouth College’s Zach Barr
is running his best and was named the Midwest Conference Performer
of the Week in men’s cross country for his performance at Millikin
University Friday.
Barr, a junior from Roseville, Ill. (HS), won his third race of the
season last week turning in a conference-best 8K time of 25:01. Barr
trimmed 27 seconds off his previous 8K best.
A physical education major, Barr is the son of Terry and Jeanne Barr
of Roseville.
Monmouth
College junior midfielder Andrew Prewett (Cardiff, Wales) led the
Fighting Scots to their first conference win of the season with a
strong performance Saturday against Illinois College and was
rewarded for his efforts with the Midwest Conference Performer of
the Week honor in men’s soccer.
Prewett opened the scoring against the Blueboys in the game’s 12th
minute, and he gave the Scots an extra cushion with an assist nine
minutes later for a 2-0 lead. The Blueboys gained a level of
momentum by scoring just before halftime to cut their deficit to
4-1, and they controlled play early in the second half, but Prewett
sealed the victory with his second goal of the game in the 65th
minute. Monmouth went on to win 5-2.
A business major, Prewett is the son of Kevin and Roberta Prewett of
Cardiff, Wales.
Monmouth College sophomore Kacie Parge (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora)
has been named Midwest Conference Women’s Golf Performer of the
Week.
Parge shot the best round of her collegiate career on the second day
of the UW-Whitewater Invitational, vaulting her to second place
among MWC competitors to collect the first Performer of the Week
honor of her career. Within the six conference teams present, only
defending MWC champion Carey Cappel of Illinois College posted a
lower two-day total than Parge’s 91-86--177, which was good for 25th
place overall in the field of 101 golfers.
An English major, Parge is the daughter of Theodore and Kathy Parge
of Aurora.
A seven-point performance by
Monmouth College’s Amy Horneck in the Scots’ 6-0 win over Illinois
College was good enough to earn Midwest Conference Women’s Soccer
Performer of the Week honors on offense for the junior forward from
Hermiston, Ore.
Horneck tied her own Monmouth record for single-game assists with
three in the contest (on each of the Scots’ first three goals), and
she scored a pair of goals in the second half. Her seven-point
outburst lifted her career total to 85, breaking the school record
of 79.
A chemistry major, she is the daughter of Donald and Victoria
Horneck of Hermiston.
Amy Horneck
Men's Cross Country 9-15-2004 Monmouth College’s Zach Barr hasn’t
taken a day off in over a year and it’s paying dividends this fall.
The junior from Roseville, Ill. (Roseville
HS), was named the Midwest Conference Performer of the Week in men’s
cross country for his performance in Wisconsin Saturday.
Barr was the individual champion and led
Monmouth College to a third-place finish
at the Lawrence Invitational, completing the 8K course in 26:31.53,
18 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
The meet was held at the same course that
will host this year's MWC Championship Meet. Six of the 10 league
schools competed in the meet.
A physical education major, Barr is the son
of Terry and Jeanne Barr of Roseville.
Zach Barr
Women's Tennis
9-8-2004
MC freshman Shauna Skowronski (Peoria, IL/Notre Dame) is raising a
racket within the Midwest Conference tennis competition, literally.
Skowronski served notice that she could be
on her way to an outstanding tennis career at Monmouth, posting
victories in singles and doubles in her first-ever collegiate match
last week, earning the MWC Performer of the week honor in women’s
tennis.
She topped her Ripon foe in No. 1 singles
6-2-, 6-2 after teaming with Sara Yerks for an 8-3 victory at No. 1
doubles.
Skowronski is the daughter of Rick and Linda
Skowronski of Peoria.
