Sept. 2, 2008 issue
Summer athletics roundup: Men's athletics garners Reese Cup

By Ron Podell

 

For all practical purposes, late spring and summer was a good time for Eastern Michigan University athletics. The men's golf and baseball teams won Mid-American Conference titles and the success was capped off with the overall EMU men's athletic program winning the Reese Cup for the first time since 1995-96.

HEAD OF THE PACK: Derrick Gragg, Eastern Michigan University's athletic director, poses with the Reese Cup near Rynearson Stadium. The EMU men's athletics program won the Reese Cup for the first time since 1995-96.

"Eastern Michigan University has one of the most comprehensive athletic programs in the Mid-American Conference. Therefore, it takes a tremendous amount of time, effort and hard work to accomplish such a feat as winning the Reese Trophy," said Derrick Gragg, EMU's director of athletics. "I commend our coaches and student-athletes for this outstanding achievement."

"Our student-athletes excel in the classroom and in their chosen sport," said Don Loppnow, provost and executive vice president. "Winning the Reese Trophy is a wonderful endorsement of what they accomplish in both the academic and athletic arenas. I want to congratulate all of the student-athletes, coaches and support staff who brought this honor to EMU."

"News of this achievement only solidifies the continuing resurgence of our institution," EMU Regent James F. Stapleton said. "Our student-athletes are an important part of Eastern Michigan University and the success of our entire program clearly speaks for itself."

"On behalf of the Board of Regents, I would like to extend congratulations and appreciation for a job well done," EMU Regent Roy E. Wilbanks said of the men's program capturing the Reese Trophy for the fourth time. "The Eastern Michigan University athletics department, coaches, staff and student-athletes have certainly made the entire University community very proud."

When compiling Reese Trophy points, all MAC-sponsored sports receive points. An institution may count either indoor track or outdoor track and field, but not both. The sum of those total points is then divided by the number of sports sponsored by that school, resulting in an average point total. The school with the highest average is awarded the trophy. The Eagles won this year's Reese Trophy by averaging 9.625 points.

By a stroke

The men's golf team took the MAC title with a thrilling one-stroke victory over Kent State University at Longaberger Golf Club in Nashport, Ohio, May 4.

MAC CHAMPS: (above, from left) Bruce Cunningham, EMU's men's golf coach, and members of EMU's golf team, celebrate their second consecutive Mid-American Conference title. The Eagles outlasted Kent State, winning by one stroke at Longaberger Golf Club in Nashport, Ohio, May 4.

With Eastern trailing by one shot heading into the final threesome of the three-day, 72-hole tournament, the Eagles' Peter Sauerbrei completed his round with a par on the par four 18th. His Kent State opponent, David Ludlow, then missed a bogey putt and had to settle for a six to give Eastern Michigan the one-stroke victory, 1,171-1,172.

"I knew it was really tight coming into the last threesome," said EMU Men's Head Golf Coach Bruce Cunningham. "All we wanted Pete (Sauerbrei) to do was hit it to the middle of the green on the last hole and he did that, hitting it a little short of his target on the green. He had perfect pace and speed on the double-breaker putt, and he was able to get it close enough for the tap-in and put the pressure on the Kent State player to make his putt."

For Cunningham, it was the team's second consecutive MAC title and the second in school history for the Eagles. Cunningham also won the MAC Coach of the Year honor for the second straight season. By winning the MAC title, the Eagles advanced to their second straight NCAA Regional Tournament. The Eagles earned a bid to the NCAA Central Regional, which was played at Ohio State University's Scarlet Golf Course in Columbus, Ohio, May 15-17.

For their efforts, Cunningham was named MAC Coach of the Year while senior Graham Hill made First Team All-MAC and Christopher Ross was named to the second team. Sauerbrei was named to the MAC All-Tournament team.

Hill also was named to the Academic All-MAC team and a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

Fleet

For the second consecutive season, the EMU women's golf team equaled the school's best finish with a runner-up finish at the Mid-American Conference Women's Golf Championship April 27 at The Brickyard Crossing. The Eagles carded a three-day total of 1,228 (310-317-305-296) to finish second to Kent State, which rolled to its 10th consecutive championship with a 72-hole total of 1,177 (297-297-303-280).

EMU's second-place finish equaled the mark set by the 2003 and the 2007 squads. Junior Stephany Fleet finished in sixth place with a 302 and senior Catherine Fortin tied for seventh with a 304. For their efforts throughout the season, Fortin was named to the All-MAC First Team while Fleet garnered second team All-MAC honors. Fleet also was chosen to the five-person Academic All-MAC team.

Return to regionals

Kent State was the Eagles' victim again in the MAC Baseball Tournament. After starting the season with 17 straight losses, EMU's baseball team captured the Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship with a 12-4 handling of the No. 1 seed Kent State University Golden Flashes May 24.

HOME RUN TROT: Senior Steve Bradshaw receives congratulations from his teammates after hitting a home run against Bowling Green State University during the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Eagles defeated the Falcons 11-4 in the second round before eventually claiming the MAC title with wins over Ohio University in the semifinals and Kent State University in the finals.

The Eagles (25-32), the No. 2 tourney seed, hammered out 17 hits, including three home runs en route to their win at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.

To get to the tournament's final game, EMU beat Central Michigan 8-5 in the first round; Bowling Green State University 11-4 in the second round; and Ohio University 9-6 in the semifinals.

By virtue of their MAC Tournament title, the Eagles earned a berth in the NCAA Regionals. The Eagles had won the MAC West Division during the regular season.

The Eagles competed well, but came up short twice at the NCAA Regionals at the University of Michigan. The Eagles had leads in both games before falling 13-7 to the University of Arizona and 4-2 to Kentucky.

The Eagles' late-season success resulted in the loss of its head coach, Jake Boss Jr., who was lured away to take the top post at Michigan State University. Jay Alexander, who compiled a 162-148 record in six seasons at the helm at Wayne State University, became EMU's new head baseball coach Aug. 8. During 2007-2008, Alexander led the Warriors to a school-record 34 wins, and regular season and tournament titles in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference. His team made it to the final game of the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament.

Josh Ivan, a senior second baseman, was named First Team All-MAC while teammate Matt Shoemaker, a junior pitcher, was selected to the All-MAC Second Team.

Four EMU baseball players were recognized for their hard work in the classroom. In addition to Ivan and Shoemaker, seniors Steve Bradshaw and Dan Puls were members of the 19-man Academic All-MAC team.

Oh, so close

Eastern Michigan University's men's track and field team, a perennial power in the MAC, had a one-point reversal of fortune this year. While the Eagles squeaked by Kent State by one point to garner the 2007 MAC title, EMU fell one point short this year in a quest for a second consecutive outdoor title. The Eagles fell 183-182 to Akron University.

BREAKING BARRIERS: Senior Eric Alejandro led the Eagles to a second-place finish at the MAC Championships. He took firsts in the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles, and was a member of the winning 4 x 100 and 4 x 400-meter relays. Alejandro was named the MAC's Most Valuable Performer at the meet.

Senior Eric Alejandro led the Eagles, winning the 110 and 400-meter hurdles and winning as a member of the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays. For his efforts, he was named the MAC Most Valuable Performer, an award given to the athlete who accumulates the most points.

Sophomore Clint Allen was given the MAC Most Outstanding Track Performance award, after winning the 100-meter dash in a time of 10.21. His time ranks second in school history behind Hasely Crawford.

Sophomore Nate Blackwell claimed the 400 meters, winning with a time of 47.84. Ackeem Forde took fourth and Darrin Trammell finished sixth. Forde also finished third in the 200 meters.

Both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay teams won gold medals. Alejandro, Forde, Oliver Walther and Allen won the 4x100 with a season-best time of 40.80, while the quartet of Alejandro, Forde, Trammell and Blackwell won the 1,600-meter relay.

Rounding out the individual and relay MAC Champions was junior Josh Perrin who won the 10,000-meter crown. In the 5,000 meters, juniors Josh Karanja and Perrin finished third and seventh, respectively. Karanja also placed second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Tymell Dodd and Kevin Lanier both scored in the high and intermediate hurdles. In the 110-meter high hurdles, Dodd finished fourth and Lanier finished eighth, while Lanier finished fourth and Dodd was sixth in the 400-meter hurdles.

David Brent recorded a second-place finish in the 1,500 meters and was eighth in the 800 meters for the Eagles.

Off the track, several athletes recorded points for the Green and White. Gerald Gersham threw a two-foot personal-best in the shot put, going 59-02.25, to claim second and was just 1.25 inches out of first. Xavier Clais finished fourth in the high jump, clearing 6-10 3/4, while Kyle Holmes and Walther took third and fourth, respectively in the triple jump.

In the long jump, Walther moved from sixth to second place on his final attempt, going 23-3 1/4.

Phil Saffron recorded an eighth-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 15-1. In the decathlon, senior Brad Waidmann took fourth, while freshman Vinnie Tyle took seventh.

By virtue of finishing second in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Mideast Regionals, Alejandro advanced to the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, where he finished 20th out of 26 athletes.

For placing in the top eight in their respective events at the NCAA Mideast Regionals, Alejandro, Karanja and Clais were named to the NCAA Mideast Regional team.

Brent, Karanja and Walther made the Academic All-MAC Team.

Green

The women's track team improved over 2007, tying for ninth (35 points) out of 12 teams. Junior Janice Keppler had the highest individual finish for the Eagles, taking second in the pole vault with a height of 13-3 1/2. Freshman Beverly Elcock placed fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:13.45. Junior Melissa Green finished second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and came back to take fifth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:49.07. Senior Kalli Williams placed eighth in the 10,000 meters with a time of 37:09.46.

The 4x400-meter relay team of Dejaa Shearer, Brittany Lockhart, Jasmine Gates, and Elcock finished third in a time of 3:50.88.

In the 4x100-meter relay, the Eagle contingent of Shearer, Gates, Lockhart and Andrea Wheeler took eighth with a time of 48.38.

Green was named to the Academic All-MAC Team.

Frankowski highlights tennis season

Frankowski

The EMU women's tennis team may have only finished 9-13 overall and 5-4 in the MAC during the regular season and conference tournament, but they had a bright spot in Vanessa Frankowski. The senior, from Stuttgart, Germany, posted an overall record of 24-12, including a 15-6 dual match and 8-1 MAC mark (regular and postseason). Her efforts landed her on the All-MAC team. An international business major with a 3.83 GPA, Frankowski also was named Academic All-MAC and to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team.

Allison garners rowing honors

Sarah Allison, a member of EMU's women's rowing team, was named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association's (CRCA) All-Central Second Team.

Allison

"Sarah has worked very hard during her four years and it's nice to see her get recognition on the regional level," said Brad Holdren, EMU's head women's rowing coach. "She has helped this program grow in a positive direction through all of our recent setbacks and circumstances. If it weren't for Sarah's leadership during the last several years, this program might not be looking towards such an optimistic future."

Nine EMU rowers were named CRCA scholar-athletes. They were Heather Anderson, Maria Clary, Kate Dirks, Jackie Domin, Kristen Dunkin, Beth Logsdon, Neal McAuliffe, Becky Ohnmeiss and Alex Stoddart.

"It's very nice to have student-athletes who take academics as seriously as these ladies," Holdren said. "It's a testament to their hard work and also the hard work of the Student Athlete Support Services office."

New faces

Highlighted by Alexander being named the new head baseball coach, the EMU Athletic Department made a number of new hires this summer.

Denman

Nikki Denman, a former EMU softball standout, was hired as the assistant softball coach. Denman, who received her bachelor's degree in parks and recreation management from EMU in 2006, served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Eagles during 2008. She replaces Jennifer Teague, who became head softball coach at the University of Buffalo.

Denman, the only EMU softball player ever to hit three home runs in one game, ended her career with a .254 batting average and a 3.73 pitching ERA. Her 446.1 innings pitched puts her fifth on the all-time list, and her 259 strikeouts rank her sixth. Her career fielding percentage of .982 ranks her seventh. On the offensive side of the ball, Denman is tied for third on the career list with 19 home runs. She hit 25 doubles during her tenure, collecting 69 RBIs.

She was selected second team All-Mid-American Conference in both 2002 and 2004, along with being named to the All-Tournament team in 2006. A three-time Academic All-MAC selection, Denman earned third team National Fastpitch Coaches Association Academic All-American honors in 2003.

Moore

Andy Moore, director of basketball operations at EMU from 2000-2002, has returned to the basketball program as a full-time assistant coach. Moore replaces Dave Donnelly, who left to become the head men's basketball coach at Weatherford College in Weatherford, Texas. Moore most recently spent the 2007-08 season as a men's assistant basketball coach at Bowling Green State University and the previous five years as an assistant men's basketball coach at the University of Michigan. Moore received his bachelor's degree in speech and communications from Muskingum College in Ohio.

Taylor Stubblefield, a former Purdue University standout, joined the EMU football team in August as a graduate assistant coach. A 2005 graduate of Purdue, Stubblefield earned All-American and All-Big Ten honors. He was a four-year starter at wide receiver for the Boilermakers’ football team and completed his intercollegiate career as the NCAA’s all-time career leader in receptions with 316 and ranks second in Big Ten Conference history with 3,629 yards.

Stubblefield

Stubblefield was recently named to the Sun Bowl 75th anniversary team. While playing for Purdue, he started in three Sun Bowls for the Boilermakers. In the 2001 game, he tied a Sun Bowl record with nine receptions for a record 196 yards and two touchdowns while posting the most all-purpose yards in bowl history with 244.

After graduating from Purdue, Stubblefield went on to play professionally with the St. Louis Rams and the Carolina Panthers in the NFL and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League.

He spent the 2007-08 year as a wide receiver coach at Central Washington University.

Football picked to finish fifth in MAC West Division

The Eastern Michigan University football team was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference West Division by the MAC News Media Association. The annual preseason poll was released July 29 at the conference’s 2008 football media day, which took place at Ford Field.

The Eagles received 80 votes in the annual poll with Central Michigan selected first in the West Division with 207 points followed by Ball State (168), Western Michigan (143), Toledo (98), EMU (80) and Northern Illinois (60).

FACE OF THE EAGLES: Daniel Holtzclaw, a senior middle linebacker for EMU, has been named to three preseason award watch lists, including the Dick Butkus Award.

Bowling Green was chosen by the MAC News Media to win the East Division title with 206 points while Miami was a close second at 202. Buffalo was chosen third in the East with 145 points followed in order by Kent State (137), Temple (120), Ohio (119) and Akron (78).

Senior middle linebacker Daniel Holtzclaw has been selected to the Dick Butkus Award pre-season watch list as well as the Bronko Nagurski and the Rotary Lombardi watch lists. The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985, has been given annually to the top linebacker in college football.

The 6-foot-1, 246-pound Holtzclaw has started all 35 games at middle linebacker during his three-year EMU career. He has accumulated 330 tackles in his three seasons, good for 10th on the EMU career tackles list. He was a freshman All-American in 2005 and a first-team All-Mid-American Conference selection in 2007. Last year, he finished third in the MAC and tied for 21st in the nation with his 125 tackles.

The Eagles opened the 2008 season with a non-conference home game against Indiana State University Aug. 28. This year's home schedule at Rynearson Stadium includes: Toledo, Sept. 13, noon; Northern Illinois (Homecoming), Sept. 27, noon; Akron, Oct. 18, 1 p.m.; and Central Michigan, Nov. 28, 1 p.m.