NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana was among the leaders on the 2009-10 NAIA Champions of Character Scorecard released Thursday by Continue reading
Category Archives: college sports
TOP 25 POLL ONE-LINERS: OCT 26TH
As promised this week it’s D2 Football’s turn for One-Liners and as always links to the other Top 25 Polls will be at the end of this post. Next week I’ll move on to another sport.
NCAA Division 2 Football
1. GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS – 8-0 – The Lakers have been a D2 football power since before Notre Dame’s current Head Coach Brian Kelly Continue reading
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CONFERENCE CALL: THE NEW FORCE IN DIVISION 2 SPORTS TAKES SHAPE
The new NCAA Division 2 athletic conference being formed from teams that are leaving the Gulf South Conference and the Lone Star Conference has found its Commisioner.
Will Prewitt, an Associate Commisioner in D2’s West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has accepted an offer to serve as Commisioner for the as yet unnamed new conference. (Personally, I think they should call it Balladeer’s Conference just for the heck of it) Prewitt, a native of Williamsburg, KY, is leaving the WVIAC in December after 11 years with the conference.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to get (in) on the ground floor and be involved with every part of a league as it forms and grows,” Prewitt told the Charleston Daily Mail this week.
“Will brings a wealth of experience that will aid in formulating policy for the new conference,” said Harding University President David B Burks, the chairman of the search committee.
The 6 teams leaving the Gulf South Conference to join the new league are the UAM Boll Weevils, Arkansas Tech Wonderboys, Harding Bisons (they go by Bisons, not Bison), Henderson State Reddies, Ouachita Baptist Tigers and Southern Arkansas Muleriders.
The 3 teams leaving the Lone Star Conference to join are the East Central Tigers, Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm and Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs. Readers of Balladeer’s Blog will recognize 4 of my 20 Coolest-Named Teams In NCAA Division 2 in the new conference’s lineup.
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FLYING FLEET STAR “SASSY” MASSEY PILOTS ERSKINE PAST CONVERSE
The Erskine Flying Fleet volleyball team improved to 15-8 overall and 10-3 in Conference Carolinas play with a win over the Converse Valkyries. The Flying Fleet was led by Liz Massey, Official Balladeer’s Blog Nickname “Sassy Massey”, who had 10 kills, 15 digs and 2 blocks. Erskine snapped a 3-game losing streak and Sassy Massey chalked up her 1st double-double of the season.
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TOP 25 POLL ONE-LINERS OCT 19TH
This week as promised my one-liners will be about the NCAA Division 3 football Top 25. The links to the other Top 25 lists will be appended to the bottom of this post.
1. UWW WARHAWKS – 6-0 – The Warhawks just keep steam-rollering along, no doubt making some of their fans wish the post-season would hurry up and get here already.
2. MT UNION PURPLE RAIDERS – 6-0 – The NFL’s Pierre Garcon played his college ball at Mt Union and I remember watching him play in some of the Purple Raiders vs Warhawks Championship Games earlier this decade. Will this December make it 6 years in a row that these 2 teams have squared off in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl?
3. WESLEY WOLVERINES- 7-0 – The Wolverines have got to be fed up with playing excellent football but always being behind Wisconsin-Whitewater and Mt Union. Will this be the year they knock off one of those teams in the playoffs?
4. ST THOMAS TOMMIES – 7-0 – Anyone who doubts St Thomas can just poke their fingers into the hole in that “0” they have in the loss column!
5. MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR CRUSADERS – 6-0 – The Cru continue to play inspired football, no doubt spurred on by my including them in my 20 Coolest Helmets in D3 List. (I’m kidding!)
6. N CENTRAL CARDINALS – 6-0 – There are no Cardinals like North Central Cardinals, not even the Renegade Belgian Cardinal referred to in the classically bad film The Confessional!
7. WITTENBERG TIGERS – 7-0 – This lucky 7 team is a lucky 7-0 and hoping to win at least an unlucky 13 this year!
8. HARDIN-SIMMONS COWBOYS – 6-1 – I’m sure the Cowboys are glad they get to settle things on the field in the post-season, rather than have to age prematurely because they have a (gasp) regular season loss.
9. DELAWARE VALLEY AGGIES – 5-1 – Forget Texas A&M! This is one Aggies team that still knows how to rack up wins and compete for conference championships!
10. THOMAS MORE SAINTS – 6-0 – It was the Saints who finally sent the Road Warriors from Johns Hopkins home in last year’s playoffs and they look like they’ll do the same to plenty of other teams in this post-season.
11. OHIO NORTHERN POLAR BEARS – 5-1 – The Polar Bears are proof that a really cool nickname plus really cool helmets = wins = A high ranking!
12. LINFIELD WILDCATS – 4-1 – “Turn it up to 11” then add one with these Wildcats! Am I the only one who remembers when Meadowlark Lemon had family members playing for this team a few years ago?
13. WARTBURG KNIGHTS – 6-0 – The Knights are fresh off their upset of last week’s # 6 team, the Coe Kohawks, and are itching to rough up anyone who makes fun of the name “Wartburg”.
14. MONTCLAIR STATE REDHAWKS – 6-0 – The Redhawks have been having a lot of Montclair Moments lately (remember those commercials?), 6 of them to be precise.
15. TRINE THUNDER – 6-0 – Trine Thunder? Why not? You must come over and Trine mine sometime! (Sorry)
16. COE KOHAWKS – 5-1 – One measley loss will not keep down a team with such a cool name and a mascot who is really The Giant Claw in disguise. (I’m kidding!)
17. WHEATON THUNDER – 6-0 – Wheaton, of course, is the hometown of John Belushi and Bob Woodward. You’d think ONE team called Thunder in the Top 25 would be enough, “But NOOOOOOOO!”
18. CENTRAL DUTCH – 6-1 – You can keep your Eastern and Western Dutch, for D3 football fans the Central Dutch are the only way to go!
19. ST JOHN FISHER CARDINALS – 7-0 – Not to be confused with the St John’s Johnnies, also in D3, but LIKE the Johnnies, this St John’s team is virtually a fixture in the post-season.
20. BETHEL (MN) ROYALS – 6-0 – These blue-bloods have been a royal pain in the butt for their 1st 6 opponents this year.
21. HAMPDEN-SYDNEY TIGERS – 7-0 – Hampden-Sydney may sound like a law-firm but there’s nothing shady about the way the Tigers perform on the field!
22. PACIFIC LUTHERAN LUTES – 5-0 – Outside of Zithers and Piccolos I can’t think of more intimidating instruments than lutes! Many e-mailers have been asking when the Lutes will be one of my Cool-Named Teams Of The Day.
23. CAL LUTHERAN KINGSMEN – 4-1 – I’m telling you, if the Kingsmen would bring back their cool helmets with the knight logo they’d probably be ranked even higher!
24. URSINUS BEARS – 6-0 – I’ve been singing the praises of Ursinus since the preaseason and it’s good to see the rest of the country learning what the Centennial Conference has known for weeks!
25. WABASH LITTLE GIANTS – 5-1 – These boys are sure to move back up in the rankings by the time they play their end-of-season rivalry game against the Towering Dwarves.
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GOING GREENY: WARRIORS VOLLEYBALL COACH JEN GREENY NOTCHES HER 100TH WIN
Jen Greeny, Women’s Volleyball Coach for the Lewis-Clark State Warriors, recorded her 100th win to go 100-22 overall with the program. Yesterday the 9th-ranked Warriors defeated the 21st-ranked Rocky Mountain College Battlin’ Bears for their 11th win in a row and Greeny’s Centennial Milestone. Winning is a way of life for Coach Greeny, who has led her team to 3 straight Frontier Conference titles in just her 4th year at the helm.
“It’s been great,” said Greeny about the milestone. “The players we’ve had have been amazing, and they’ve really bought into the system. A lot of the credit goes to them. I thought we came out playing exceptionally well. Especially with our serving and defense we got them out of rhythm.”
The Warriors are now 19-1 overall and 9-0 in Frontier Conference play. Readers of Balladeer’s Blog are familiar with Greeny’s star players so let’s review their stats in this win along with their Official Balladeer’s Blog Nicknames.
Nicole “The Gray Seal” Graybeal had 13 kills, 3 aces and 2 block assists; “Killin'” Kelli Tikker logged 12 kills, 11 digs and an ace; Deddiy Alaimaleata, “The District Attorney“, had 11 kills, 1 solo block and 1 block assist. That brings us to the Warriors’ setters. Kim “Special K” Fong had 23 assists and Alyssa Wold, “Root Beer” herself (because her initials are A&W), recorded 22 assists. On defense “Cat Burglar” Katie Hinrichs had 13 digs while “J-Bird” Jenika Bird Jeppson contributed 5 block assists.
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TWENTY-THREE – SKIDOO!
At Washington and Lee, where the sports teams go by the incredibly cool and incredibly appropriate nickname The Generals, Athletic Director Jan Hathorn (Official Balladeer’s Blog Nickname: “The Hath” as in “Don’t hassle the Hath””) announced the rededication of the school’s Student Athlete Mentor group as an organization known simply as “23”. No it doesn’t have anything to do with Discordianism or The Law Of Fives, the group is called 23 because that’s how many varsity sports the university sponsors. Their motto is “Many sports, one team.” The mission of W&L’s “23” is to create and promote a united community of student-athletes. Their goals are to develop and strengthen a sense of responsibility and wellness through risk reduction and bystander intervention.
Lacrosse player Lauren Acker, Official Balladeer’s Blog Nickname, “L.A. Woman”, is the student chair of 23 and is outspoken about the group’s mission:
“Being a student-athlete at W&L is something that I am very proud of — it is a very important aspect of my identity on campus,” said Acker. “I am passionate about “23” and its mission because I believe it has the potential to greatly enhance a student-athlete’s experience at W&L. Our inspiration stemmed from the fact that we have 23 varsity sports on campus, yet there is little interaction and camaraderie amongst these sports. I feel that as student-athletes, we must all look out for each other, just as we would a teammate. It is important to transcend our teams’ boundaries to build an even larger support base as we pursue our athletic and academic goals at W&L.”
The idea for the rededication was born when Hathorn and Associate Athletic Director Shana Levine attended the APPLE Conference at the University of Virginia last January. The APPLE Conference offers teams of student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, administrators, and alcohol, tobacco and other drug (ATOD) prevention specialists an opportunity to evaluate the ATOD environment within their athletics departments, and to develop a specific action plan to enhance prevention efforts. After attending the conference, Hathorn and Levine began devising a way to re-energize the SAMS in order to achieve the mission for what has become “23”.
“At the Apple Conference last year, it became apparent that our student-athlete leaders have been seeking a new way to articulate their pride as an athlete, individually and collectively, on campus,” noted Hathorn. “Specifically, they wanted to become a more unified group, and they felt that focusing on bystander behavior would be a great stepping stone towards expressing their care, concert and support of one another. I am very pleased and proud of the efforts of ‘23’ and the work they have already accomplished. If the dedication and spirit that has been demonstrated so far continues, this organization is well on its way to creating a new spirit of unity among our student-athletes on campus.”
Already, “23” has organized the first-ever student-athlete picnic (Sept. 19) and they have printed T-Shirts intended to identify athletes as a group on campus. The group intends on continuing their mission throughout the school year in order to provide a sense of unity among the school’s teams and athletes.
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LINDSEY WILSON WOMEN’S SOCCER TAMES THE GEORGETOWN (KY) TIGERS
The following courtesy of Lindsey Wilson College Sports Information. The Blue Raiders are ranked 5th right now! The parenthetical comments are purely my fault. One of the perks (?) of being covered by Balladeer’s Blog is getting Official Balladeer’s Blog Nicknames, so here we go!
COLUMBIA, Ky. – Lindsey Wilson College and Georgetown (Ky.) College decided the 2009 Mid-South Conference Women’s Soccer Tournament Championship with penalty kicks in their last matchup, on Tuesday, the Blue Raiders skipped the drama in a 3-0 win at Walter S. Reuling Stadium.
Ida Gregersen (Official Balladeer’s Blog nickname: “Mighty Ida”) took a corner kick early in the second half that was played near the goal before being cleared just outside the box to a waiting Elisha (“Dangerous E”) Fry. Fry used one quick touch before firing the shot from 30 yards out for the game-winning score.
The goal was Fry’s eighth of the season, adding to her team lead in that category, while Blue Raider keeper Jordan (“The Deflector”) Morrison wrapped up her fourth shutout of the season.
Lindsey Wilson added to its lead in the 79th and 82nd minutes with a pair of goals by Gregersen to push the lead to 3-0.
Hanna (“Hawk Woman”) Jonsson and Diana (“The Huntress”) Da Rocha combined on the assists for Gregersen’s first score with two passes inside the box, while Mia Persson (“The MP” ) dished in the cross for the second goal to Gregersen as she rushed down the center of the box.
Lindsey Wilson led the game in shots 14-8, despite being knotted at 5-5 on shots at halftime. Georgetown held the advantage in corner kicks 4-2.
Tiger keeper Cathie Shaver made eight saves along with the three goals against, while Morrison finished with three saves to help secure the shutout.
The Blue Raiders return to action at 3:30 p.m. CT on Oct. 16 at St. Leo (Fla.) University. (St Leo’s teams are appropriately called the Lions.)
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XAVIER GOLD RUSH NEWS!
The following courtesy of Xavier (LA) Sports Information:
NEW ORLEANS — For the fourth time this season, Xavier University of Louisiana‘s Matt Pieri is the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runner of the Week in men’s cross country.
Pieri, a sophomore from New Orleans and a graduate of Brother Martin High School, ran 8,000 meters in a season-best 28 minutes, 15.31 seconds Friday to finish 18th out of 74 non-NCAA Division I runners in the Mississippi College/Watson Ford Invitational at Clinton, Miss. Overall he placed 36th out of 131 men.
Pieri is the second Gold Rush harrier to win the GCAC award four or more times in a season since its establishment in 2008. Mark Dotson won five times in 2009. Xavier has won all five GCAC men’s Runner of the Week awards this season — Ray Walston earned the other — and 12 of 14 since the start of the 2009 season.
Xavier’s next meet — its final one of the regular season — will be the Demon Invitational at Walter P. Ledet Track Complex in Natchitoches, La., on October 22. The women’s 6,000-meter race will start at 4 p.m., followed by the men’s 8,000-meter race at 4:30. Northwestern State is the host school.
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TOP 25 LISTS ONE-LINERS
TO LIVEN UP THIS WEEK’S TOP 25 LISTS I’M INCLUDING A BRIEF ONE-LINE COMMENT (AS OPPOSED TO A LENGTHY ONE-LINE COMMENT) ON EACH TEAM
NAIA FOOTBALL
1. SIOUX FALLS COUGARS – How many of you will just plain throw up if I use the word “threepeat” one more time about USF?
2. CC FIGHTING SAINTS – No, not the Attacking Amish, the Fighting Saints who had a bye last Saturday.
3. ST XAVIER COUGARS – Kicker Tom “Tommy the Linchpin” Lynch was the Association’s Special Teams Player Of The Week, but Anthony “Crop-Man” Kropp and Mike “M Squared” Maher are still part of this super-team.
4. MORNINGSIDE MUSTANGS – The Mustangs are champing at the bit to take on Sioux Falls in a battle of the unbeatens which will also be this Saturday’s Victory Sports Network Game Of The Week.
5. MNU PIONEERS – As long as this team has QB Sean “How Bad” Ransburg at the controls you just know nobody wants to face them in the playoffs. (Yes, 1A football fans, the divisions covered by Balladeer’s Blog settle it all on the field)
6. LINDENWOOD LIONS- Last year the Lions gave reigning champs Sioux Falls almost more than they could handle in the Championship Game. One of the toughest schedules in the country may be all that prevents them from returning to Rome. (Not that one! Rome, GA, site of the NAIA Championship Game)
7. MCPHERSON BULLDOGS – The Bulldogs are slugging their way through the KCAC, ready to gnaw on any playoff opponents they may face in the post-season.
8. ST FRANCIS (IN) COUGARS – Yes, it’s a little-known federal law that 72% of the teams in the NAIA have to be called the Cougars.
9. DICKINSON STATE BLUE HAWKS – These boys have been kicking butts and taking names since the Thursday night start of NAIA football back in August. Many people want to know why they haven’t been a Cool-Named Team Of The Day yet.
10. MO VALLEY COLLEGE VIKINGS – 100% Brett Favre-free! Which means they play like a team and nobody makes excuses by dramatically clutching their elbow every time something goes wrong! Watch out for these Vikes!
11. OTTAWA (KS) BRAVES – The Braves started the season with a win in the Rivalry Renewed Game against Baker in this season’s debut VSN Game Of The Week and have been fighting like Saints (I’m kidding!) all season long!
12. WILLIAM PENN STATESMEN – Before the season started very few were giving this team any respect but they’ve done it the old-fashioned way like Smith-Barney and EAAAAAARRRNED it!
13. WALSH CAVALIERS – Ohio’s oldest team called Cavaliers are a force to be reckoned with and were even on my Top 20 College Sports Logos list months ago!
14. KANSAS WESLEYAN COYOTES – Cool name, cool logo, cool performances on the field from our 3rd Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference team on the list!
15. S DAKOTA MINES AND TECHNOLOGY HARDROCKERS – The Hardrockers have been playing with style in their farewell year in the Dakota Athletic Conference!
16. CUMBERLAND BULLDOGS – Their coach may be Bland (rimshot) but you can always count on Cumberland teams to shine on the gridiron and the diamond and at Pavanapalooza Events!
17. NORTHWESTERN (IA) RED RAIDERS – The Red Raiders convinced any skeptics about their legitimacy when they nearly upset the Sioux Falls Cougars in their 1st game of the season.
18. MARIAN KNIGHTS – To toot my own horn I was dead-on in my pre-season predictions about how lethal this team would be this season!
19. MCKENDREE BEARCATS – Look for the Bearcats to draw motivation from being the latest victim of St Francis’ (IL) last-minute upsets last Saturday.
20. BENEDICTINE RAVENS – Balladeer’s Blog tagged them as a team to watch before they were ranked (Yes, I love patting myself on the back!) and you can just insert your own Poe joke here.
T21. MONTANA TECH OREDIGGERS – Anyone who thought they had the Frontier Conference figured out this year (beyond having the Fighting Saints in the driver’s seat) was quickly proven to be insane this season! Charley Oredigger is pleased to surprise anyone who doubted them!
T21. WEBBER INTERNATIONAL WARRIORS – The Warriors came out to plaaaaa-aaaaaayyyyy (bad movie buffs will get it), handing the mighty Azusa Pacific Cougars their 1st loss of the year and then taking down NCAA Division 2’s 17th-ranked UNC-Pembroke Braves in back-to-back weeks.
23. LANGSTON LIONS – If you like Langston Hughes you’ll LOVE the Langston Lions (fellow poetry geeks will get it) who are determined to roar their way into the post-season.
24. AZUSA PACIFIC COUGARS – The team with the coolest helmets on the West Coast may have had a rough couple of weekends but are likely to bounce back in a big way!
25. FRIENDS FALCONS – “…And countrymen!” (Sorry) It seems appropriate to end the Top 25 list with yet another Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference team, doesn’t it?
I’ll do one-liners for D3 football’s Top 25 list next week. Here are links to the other Top 25 polls.
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