The waiting and wondering is over for the undefeated football team –
they’ll host 9-1 Aurora University in the first round of the NCAA
Division III playoffs Saturday at noon.
Projected scenarios had the Fighting Scots’ opening against either
St. John’s, Wartburg or UW-Whitewater. All that changed when the
pairings were announced Sunday afternoon and the Scots – Midwest
Conference champions – drew a home matchup against Aurora, champions of
the Northern Athletic Conference.
"After Wabash lost, that opened up some other doors," said Scots’
boss Steve Bell. "I don’t know if that’s true, but in my opinion, that
changed some of the scenarios we had been going through. The pairing
makes sense based on the geographical location. I didn’t anticipate we’d
play Aurora, but then again, it’s not a total surprise, either."
The Scots are making only their second playoff appearance – both
under Bell’s direction. The first appearance – in 2005 – put the Scots
on the road to Minnesota where they fell to St. John’s 62-3. The
Spartans are making their fourth playoff appearance having qualified in
1992, 2000 and 2004.
Much like the 2005 season, the Scots will face a first round opponent
they have never seen. The game preparation timetable stays the same, but
the Scots will have to start from scratch in preparing for the unknown.
"We’ll treat it like any game prep," said Bell. "We’ll try to keep
this as close to a normal game as we can. The difference is we don’t
have any previous games against Aurora to pull from our data base. The
players are relieved to finally find out who we’re playing. It didn’t
matter who, they were just anxious to find out. They’re ready to play
and get going this week."
While the home date makes for increased work for game management
personnel, the coaching staff gets a bit of a break from preparing for a
last-minute road trip.
"It’s nice to be at home," said Bell. "We don’t have to set up travel
plans – hotels, meals and finding practice fields. Now we can focus on
the job at hand."
Fans are reminded that the Scots’ offer of free admission to the
regular season home games expired after the final regular season game. A
nominal admission charge will be in effect for the Fighting Scots’
playoff games. Plans are also being made to offer free webcast coverage
of the game at April Zorn Memorial Stadium. Kickoff Saturday is set for
noon.
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Monmouth College students Louie Saccomando, a communication and
theater arts major, and Mike Diamond, a math major, handled the
play-by-play and color analysis during the regular season and will
continue those roles in the postseason. Biology major Jill Hennenfent
handles double duties as producer and camera operator.
Pregame for the Webcast is set for 11:45 a.m.
WHO ARE THESE GUYS? GETTING TO KNOW THE SPARTANS
The sign on football coach Steve Bell’s door lists "Get to the second
round of the playoffs" as the team’s No. 1 goal in 2008 – a reflection
of the team’s early exit from their first playoff experience in 2005.
In order to achieve their goal, the No. 15-ranked Fighting Scots will
have to shut down an Aurora University team they haven’t faced this
century. Monmouth and Aurora have met on the gridiron only once and most
of the current players weren’t even born when the Scots won that game
42-27 in 1987.
Unlike the regular season, the teams had no idea who they would play
next until Sunday afternoon. That short turnaround time didn’t affect
the Scots’ preparation.
"It’s no different than normal," said Bell of this week’s game prep.
"The only thing is, we didn’t know until Sunday who we would be playing,
so we obviously didn’t have the film exchange until Sunday night. We’re
really on the same schedule as any other week. The hard part was not
knowing."
The Scots and the Spartans had similar seasons, especially down the
stretch. Both teams posted blowout wins in their last three games –
Monmouth winning by an average score of 63-10, Aurora by a 46-6 margin.
They also share a common opponent as each defeated Lake Forest. Aurora
clipping the Foresters in the season-opener 35-13 and Monmouth rolled to
a 56-2 win over their conference opponent in Week 8.
Facing an unfamiliar opponent doesn’t mean the two teams are total
strangers. Spartans quarterback Nate Peterson was recruited by Bell.
Peterson’s brother, Tim, played for Bell when the Scots’ coach was an
assistant at MacMurray College in the ’90s. MacMurray also faced Aurora
while Bell was on the Highlanders’ staff.
"Aurora is just the way I remember them," reported Bell. "They’ve got
tough, physical kids and they create a lot of turnovers."
Those turnovers – 30 interceptions and recovering 10 of 20 opponent
fumbles – has the Spartans ranked No. 1nationally in turnover margin,
just ahead of Monmouth at No. 2. They’ve also recorded 30 quarterback
sacks and have held opponents to a low 26 percent conversion rate on
third down.
Monmouth’s top-ranked scoring offense will be tested by the Spartans’
"athletic" defensive unit, which is ranked No. 2 in the nation (Monmouth
is No. 4) and led by linebacker Mike Budzinski (67 tackles), defensive
back Matt Meyer (9 interceptions) and defensive lineman Pat Funk (7.5
sacks). That unit will have their hands full trying to stop the Scots’
impressive passing game. Forty-two of the Scots’ 68 touchdowns have come
through the air and four receivers have 30 catches or more. The Spartans
post impressive numbers against the pass and are ranked third nationally
in pass defense. However, more than 80 percent of the touchdowns Aurora
has yielded have been via the pass.
As far as the Scots defending the Spartans, MC’s staff is keenly
aware of Peterson’s abilities.
"He’s athletic enough to buy time when the protection breaks down,"
said Bell. "That puts pressure on our secondary and on our defensive
line. We’ll need to keep him contained."
The Spartans present the Scots with a "controlled" passing game, but
don’t be surprised if Aurora goes long. Ten of the Spartans receivers
have catches of at least 20 yards and three are over 40. Peterson’s
favorite target – Cory Cowan – has hauled in nearly twice as many passes
(31) as the next-closest receiver.
For their part, the Scots’ defense has been stingy against the pass,
recording 19 interceptions and 25 sacks. Monmouth’s biggest threats to
the Spartans’ passing game could be defensive end Anthony Goranson (10.5
sacks) and defensive back Willy Mason (6 interceptions). The Scots
aren’t bad against the run, either. Led by linebacker Marc Artozqui (89
tackles), the Scots have held opponents to an average of under 100 yards
per game on the ground.
Aurora’s ground attack has been potent and completes its one-two
punch, averaging nearly 200 yards per game compared with 162 passing
yards. That means the Scots need to prepare for both. That’s something
they have done well this season while yielding just 15 touchdowns, three
fewer than the Spartans.
"If we had to classify them, we’d say they’re a running team," said
Bell. "They’ve got some good backs that can run. That doesn’t mean they
can’t stretch the field with vertical passing, too. Peterson can
definitely get the ball out there. They’re a little different from what
we’ve seen because of how they present their offense with their
formations. We’ll approach it the same way we do every week – we’ll try
to get 11 guys on the ball."
Four of the current Scots were in the playoffs in 2005 and three saw
action. Goranson and defensive back Cole Norman recorded tackles in the
game at St. John’s, wide receiver and then-backup quarterback Steve
Zidow took some snaps late in the game and linebacker Danny Weiden also
made the trip to Minnesota. That experience has helped the Scots remain
focused and even-keeled heading into the weekend.
"We have great senior leadership," praised Bell. "You don’t just come
up with a magic formula to prepare for a week like this. This
preparation of how you handle a situation like this begins on Day 1."
The overall game plan for the Scots is simple – take care of the
ball, have great special teams, stop the run and get some explosive
plays on offense. The end result could be achieving their No. 1 goal.
RUNNING INTO HISTORY…AGAIN
The women’s cross country team continued to break new ground Saturday
at the Midwest Regional held at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island.
Record-setting performances placed the Fighting Scots women 15th in the
field of 43, and the men were 18th of 39.
"I was really pleased with our performance," said Roger Haynes. "I
told them this is exactly the group I wanted to have there. Our goals
were to be in the upper half of the field in both races. The men did
that without their No. 2 runner and the women in 15th surpassed that. I
think both teams will have much bigger goals a year from now. I hope the
women’s goals would include a Top 10 regional ranking next season."
Mary Kate Beyer (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) may have to move her
personal goal into the stratosphere. The sophomore became the first
Fighting Scot woman to qualify for the NCAA Division III National Meet,
running a school-record 6K time of 21:58.4 to finish seventh. She shaved
nearly a minute off her September time on the same course to advance to
next Saturday’s National Meet at Hanover, Ind.
Junior Katie Staab ran a personal-best 23:08.9 to place 43rd and
classmate Taryn Tang’s time of 24:45.2 was just 20 seconds off her
season-best. Tang placed 122nd, just one second ahead of teammate,
sophomore Whitney Didier. Amy Aghababian placed 129th in 24:55.5 and
Ashley Szabo rounded out the Scots’ women in 184th position with a time
of 26:14.5.
"In some regards you’re only as good as your No. 1 runner," said
Haynes. "The women found out the difference this year was their 3, 4 and
5 runners. It was pretty incredible for Taryn to come out as a junior
and be an all-conference runner her first year. Amy and Whitney made
huge strides to move from back in the conference to become
all-conference runners and get our team over the hump to win conference.
Our conference success wasn’t just Mary Kate and Katie."
On the men’s side, Clay Staley’s strong finish to the season led the
Scots’ men at the regional. The junior placed 47th with a season-best 8K
time of 25:57.1. Sophomore Geoff Bird clocked a season-best 26:56.6,
finishing 96th. Brad Begyn toured the Saukie course in 27:13.5 to finish
177th. Jon Welty placed 155th in 27:56.8. Alan Rosiquez and Tim Bentz
completed the Scots’ runners, placing 177th and 193rd, respectively with
times of 28:27.4 and 28:59.8.
"Geoff, Alan and Jon all did a great job this season," praised
Haynes. "Jon had never run cross country in high school. Alan had over a
two minute improvement from a year ago. I think the men will have the
same type of contribution from the 3,4 and 5 runners as the women did
this year."
With both teams running their best in the final portion of the
season, Haynes isn’t ready to rest on past successes.
"We hope to add some freshmen next year that will help us," said
Haynes. "Our goals were different this year and they exceeded some of
those goals. I hope we’re all a bit smarter next year in planning our
training. I have a lot to do on my part. We’ve got to have a good, solid
plan with talented kids and work hard enough to put all the pieces
together. Coaching distance runners has taught me patience. It takes a
very long time to develop them anywhere close to their maximum ability
level. It’s always a work in progress."
Don’t think Haynes plans to avoid work. His success over the last 25
years of building the track program into a national power is proof
enough that the cross country program may not be far behind.
RUNNING INTO HISTORY…PART 2
For the first time in the history of women’s cross country at
Monmouth College, the Fighting Scots will be represented at the NCAA
Division III National Meet.
Sophomore Mary Kate Beyer (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) earned a
berth in the meet at Hanover, Ind., with a seventh place finish at last
weekend’s Midwest Regional in Rock Island. Beyer set the school record
for a 6K race, clocking a 23:08.9, bettering her previous time on the
Saukie Golf Course by more than a minute.
"Mary Kate prepares herself well for big races," said coach Roger
Haynes. "She’s steadily gotten faster as the season progresses, so she’s
set herself up well for this weekend."
Named All-Region a year ago, Beyer would need to place in the top 35
of the 280-runner field at Hanover to become the Fighting Scots’ first
cross country All-American since Zach Barr finished third in 2004. The
talented runner enters the meet with increased foot speed, an asset
developed from her freshman to sophomore year.
"She’s done much better in her training," praised Haynes. "Her mile
time last weekend was the fastest she’s ever run. She was great in her
last mile, the best she’s ever been."
Beyer is expected to be better on the rolling national course than
she was in October. Beyer logged her slowest time of the season on that
course on a hot day in Indiana. That was the only time this season the
Scots ran on back-to-back weekends, contributing to her sub-par
performance. Beyer will compete on back-to-back weekends again this week
and will take the same training approach as last week.
"We’ll go at it in much the same way," said Haynes. "She’ll run a
hard workout Tuesday, a medium workout on Wednesday, then rest on
Thursday and Friday. ‘Rest’ for her means she’ll run five miles each
day, but at a slower pace."
At Beyer’s current pace, the Scots expect Beyer to make a few return
trips to the national meet and continue to etch her name in the record
books.
LEAVING THE OPPOSITION IN THEIR WAKE
The men’s swim team won their own Invitational in dramatic fashion
last weekend and the women placed second while breaking two school
records.
At Saturday’s Monmouth College Invitational, the men’s team clipped
Rose-Hulman, led by former Scots coach Keith Crawford, 510-482 with a
win in the final race.
"I could feel it all week," said coach Dave Yez of his team’s
eagerness to compete against their former coach. "The kids were very
focused and determined."
Yez put three goals up for the week: 1) improve everyone’s time in
all events, 2) win both the men’s and women’s team competition, and 3)
post quality times to attract a good field of high quality coaching
applicants.
We’ll give the Scots a 9.9 out of a possible 10.
The Scots’ 200-yard freestyle relay team of John Kaiser, Tom
Pederson, Steven Whittle and Josh Dunn touched first in 1:32.84,
propelling the Scots past their former coach’s team which had led the
meet with one event left to swim. Kaiser also picked up a first in the
200- butterfly in 2:07.32 and was second in the 100- butterfly with a
time of 57.12.
Monmouth’s men set the tone early. Kaiser and Dunn teamed with
Harrison Heilman and Kevin Satler to win the meet’s opening 200- medley
relay, swimming a 1:43.71. Satler also took first in the 100-
breaststroke in 1:04.30 and placed second in the 200- breaststroke,
swimming a 2:24.64. Heilman had a busy day, finishing second in the 200-
IM with a time of 2:08.68, third in the 400- IM in 4:43.61 and swimming
a personal-best 59.40 to take fourth in the 100- backstroke. Josh Van
Swol’s 2:11.75 placed him fourth in the 200- backstroke.
Andrew Wright logged three personal-bests, swimming a 5:06.10 to
place second in the 500- freestyle, finishing second in the 1,650-
freestyle with a time of 18:05.88 and recording a 1:52.35 while taking
fourth in the 200- freestyle.
The Fighting Scots women picked up five firsts and broke two records
while placing second in the meet.
Freshman Krysta Sparks picked up two firsts with record-setting
swims. Her time of 2:34.19 in the 200- breaststroke shattered the school
record by nine seconds and she logged a 1:10.94 in the 100- breaststroke
to break her own school record set in her first collegiate meet two
weeks ago. She also placed second in the 400- IM with a personal-best
5:04.29.
Three other freshman took the other three wins for the Scots. Kendra
Kuehl logged a personal-best 1:07.13 to win the 100- backstroke and was
third in the 200- IM in 2:30.80. Swimming in an outside lane, Jamie
Schingoethe’s personal-best 59.62 placed her first in the 100- freestyle
and Rachel Holm touched first in the 100- butterfly with a personal-best
1:04.30.
"Jamie had a seed time of 1:01," reported Yez. "I told her last week
she was going to swim a 59-something. She responded ‘I know.’"
Schingoethe’s confidence must have rubbed off on her teammates. Holm
also recorded two personal-bests, picking up seconds in the 50-
freestyle with a 26.50 and the 200- butterfly in 2:22.95.
Kuehl and Holm teamed with Colleen Zumpf and Rachel Buckham on the
200- medley relay in swimming to a second place finish in 2:01.20.
Buckham also swam a personal-best 200- freestyle time of 2:08.21 to
place second. Zumpf was fourth in the 200- breaststroke with a
personal-best time of 2:44.99.
Schingoethe, Sparks, Zumpf and Buckham formed the second place 200-
freestyle relay team, placing second in 1:50.53.
"It was a total team effort," said Yez of the Scots performances last
weekend.
The Scots host Augustana Friday night at 6:00 p.m. for a dual meet at
Monmouth’s Pepper Natatorium.
WINNING UGLY
The women’s basketball team’s season opener had a face only a mother
could love.
Despite shooting a mere 15 percent from the floor in the first half,
the Scots led Eureka 19-17 at intermission and went on to post a 60-53
win. Coach Melissa Bittner wasn’t overly worried about the first half.
"I knew we couldn’t shoot any worse," said Bittner. "Shooting can
have a snowball effect. It can be a good snowball effect, or a bad
snowball effect. Once we started missing a few, nothing went in."
The "snowball effect" became an avalanche and the Scots needed to
build a snow cave in their locker room at halftime. It’s amazing what a
few halftime adjustments can do, especially when three players – Alison
Andrews, Lindsie Pettie and Justine Boone – experienced their first
collegiate start.
"It may have been a little first-game jitters," said Bittner. "We
really turned up the defense in the second half and forced 31 turnovers.
There are going to be games where we don’t shoot well. That’s just
basketball. But you can make up for that with good defense."
The Scots used a full array of pressure defense to spark their
offense, but the game was still in doubt in the final seconds.
Melissa Gorski’s free throw with 1:26 left tied the game at 51-51.
Tanesha Hughes’ bucket in the paint put the Scots up 55-53 with less
than a minute left. After two missed free throws by the Red Devils,
junior guard Lynsey Barnard drained a three with :11 left and then
nailed two free throws to ice the game.
"That three was big for us," said Bittner of the last minute heroics.
"I feel like it iced the game. Tanesha got some clutch rebounds and we
were very good from the line."
That might be an understatement. The Scots hit over 80 percent of
their free throws and Gorski nailed 13-of-16 to finish with a game-high
19 points.
The Scots host Augustana Saturday at Glennie Gym, but they won’t have
to compete with the football team for fans. The football game kicks off
at noon, giving the basketball team plenty of time for their 5:00 p.m.
start.
"It will be nice to play at home," said Bittner. "We’re anxious to
play in our own environment."
That environment might also include some overflow energy from the
football field, and that would be just fine considering the Scots used a
high-energy defense to spark their offense in the season-opening win.
A TOUGH OPENING ACT
Men’s basketball coach Mark Vershaw didn’t schedule weak opponents at
the start of the season.
The Scots fell 102-50 in Saturday night’s opener at Minnesota State
in Mankato, Minn. Newcomer Eric Cogdill poured in 13 points, including
7-of-8 free throws. That was about the only bright spot Vershaw could
pinpoint.
"We faced an extremely good team," said Vershaw. "I was disappointed
we came out wide-eyed and didn’t compete very well. Last year we played
hard and competed well. This year we looked a bit shell-shocked. Eric
responded to the challenge in the second half. Their big players were
BIG and he stepped up and did a very nice job."
The Scots trailed 58-20 at the half and were able to get 17 players
on the court. The upside is Vershaw’s squad hit nearly 80 percent of
their free throws, an improvement over last year’s average of less than
70 percent.
It didn’t get much easier last night in a 80-47 loss to the
University of Central Missouri. The Division II Mules eased away from
Monmouth in the early part of the game and built a 54-20 lead at
halftime. Zach Ott hit two early buckets in the lane and Rhett Standard
added another at the start before the Scots went into a scoring drought.
Cogdill hit a pair of shots, including a three and Fletcher Morgan
nailed his first shot of the second period as the Scots came out blazing
in the second half. The Mules came back with six unanswered points and
build as much as a 38-point lead in handing the Scots their second loss
to a Division II school in as many games. The Scots had no player score
double figures, but got 28 bench points and 81 percent free throw
shooting.
After facing a pair of Division II teams, the Scots will play in
their own division this weekend at Cleveland, Ohio. The Scots face host
Case Western Friday night in a game Vershaw is anxious to play.
"We’ll work on getting back on track to be competitive," reported
Vershaw. "We play these tough games early because we have to do a lot of
things right to be competitive and ready for conference play."
Vershaw is hoping the tournament play will simulate the Midwest
Conference season – two tough games on back-to-back days.
"This format will represent what we’ll have to do in the league,"
said Vershaw. "I like the idea of a long road trip early in the season.
With so many new guys, this is an ideal way for us to get to know each
other better and is a good bonding experience."
FOUR ON THE FLOOR
The Fighting Scots volleyball team was pretty good with these four on
the floor.
Four members of the team were recently named All-Midwest Conference
in a vote of the league’s coaches, the most selections for the Fighting
Scots since 2002.
A pair of seniors was named to the first team. Middle hitter Samantha
Robinson (Milan, Ill./Rockridge) picked up her second all-league honor.
Robinson led the team in kills (259), kills per game (2.40), attack
percentage (.319), solo blocks (24) and total blocks (94). Crystal Myers
(Byron, Ill./Byron) earned her first all-MWC honor. A libero, she led
the team in digs (615) and digs per game (5.69) and set the school
record with 2,430 career digs, besting the old mark by nearly 600 digs.
Myers also led the team in service aces (36).
Senior Tanesha Hughes (Peoria, Ill./Woodruff) and sophomore Alyson
Schroeter (Woodruff, Wis./Lakeland Union) were named to the second team.
Hughes, an outside hitter, was second on the team in total blocks (58)
and third on the team in kills (217), kills per game (2.11) and attack
percentage (.255). Schroeter, also an outside hitter, was second on the
team in kills (233) and kills per game (2.18) and third in total blocks
(56).
Monmouth has had at least one player named all-conference every year
since 1993.
TWO NAMED MEN’S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE
For the 11th straight year, the Monmouth College men’s soccer team
has landed at least two members on the All-Midwest Conference team.
In a vote of the league’s coaches, junior goalkeeper Owen Robinson
(Bourbonnais, Ill./Bourbonnais) and sophomore defender Joe Howell (St.
Louis, Mo./Kirkwood) were named to the second team.
Robinson played every minute in goal for the Scots and posted two
shutouts. He turned aside nearly 75 percent of the shots he faced.
Howell led the Scots in scoring from his defender’s position. The
sophomore netted a team-high three goals and eight points. He also led
the team in shooting percentage, scoring on 33 percent of his shots.
The Scots played to three 1-1 double overtime ties this season.
SOMETHING FOR NOTHING…REALLY
Christmas has come early for Midwest Conference basketball fans in
the form of free Web access for this season’s games.
Midwest Conference commissioner Chris Graham informed the member
schools this week of Webcast provider Penn Atlantic’s decision to offer
free access to the conference’s men’s and women’s basketball games.
Previously, fans paid a nominal fee to watch their team on the Web.
"When we first entered into live video Webcasting two years ago, we
did so with the hope we could provide the service free of charge someday
to our families, alumni and loyal fans," said Graham. "While we are only
in the early stages of testing the response to free Webcasts, I am
confident that the results will allow us to continue the service
indefinitely. We are in the midst of an exciting time for the Midwest
Conference and media technology."
Game availability will include all league games, although
non-conference games may be available on a school-by-school basis.
Webcasts will include live video and audio feeds. Many Webcasts will be
staffed entirely by the host school’s students.
Monmouth’s first men’s and women’s league games are set for Dec. 5 at
Ripon. The Fighting Scots women open their home conference season on
Jan. 5 against Illinois College. The men host IC on Jan. 7.
Access to the games will be available by logging on to
