Only six programs have won back-to-back titles in the 28 years of the Atlantic Sun Women’s Tennis Championship. On Sunday, North Florida joined that club as the Ospreys dispatched ETSU, 4-2, for the second-straight season on the Buccaneers’ turf.
Led by three All-Tournament honorees (Lorena Aviles, Melanie Aguirre and Simona Weymar), UNF won three singles points to clinch its spot in history, but it wasn’t easy as several matches saw tiebreakers, battles on the court and monumental comebacks.
Tournament MVP and A-Sun Player of the Year, Lorena Aviles lost to ETSU’s No. 1 singles player Antonia Kolovou in the regular season, but reveled in the opportunity to face the Bucs’ top player again as she captured a 6-3, 6-3 victory. Her point at No. 1 tied the match up at two as she handed the keys to Weymar and Aguirre to lock up the match.
UNF Head Coach Audra Cohen knows one of the keys to this year’s championship run was the will and attitude from her top player.
“Aviles has just really stepped it up since our loss to ETSU in the regular season and it has permeated down the lineup and helped us get to this point.”
Weymar utilized a win in the first set tiebreaker against the Bucs’ Lyn Yee Choo to propel herself to a straight-set win at No. 2 singles. Her win pushed the Ospreys into the lead at 3-2 and only one step away from the team’s second-straight A-Sun title. Since taking over as the UNF head coach in the fall of 2011 Cohen has preached to her team the necessity of being able to handle difficult situations.
“The number one thing I try to teach our team is to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations and dealing with pressure and how to deal with big moments. To see our team fulfill all of those items that we have worked on is fantastic.
The match-clinching point came from the Ospreys’ Melanie Aguirre vs. Sofia Espana (6-7, 6-4, 6-4). Aguirre and Espana needed a first-set tiebreaker that went to Espana. After Espana raced out to a four-game advantage in set three, Aguirre stormed back to win six-straight games and clinch the title for the Ospreys.
The comeback was anything but shocking for North Florida Head Coach Audra Cohen as her team thrives in high-pressure situations.
“We didn’t have any strong spots or any weak spots. We were just a team that was willing to work hard and come together to get the job done today.”
Aguirre, the team’s weathered senior, has been a member of the three of the Ospreys’ four title teams. She welcomes the pressure of the match-clinching points. As a freshman in 2010, Aguirre delivered the final point vs. ETSU to earn the Tournament MVP honors to give UNF the first of its three A-Sun titles in the past four seasons.
“It is a testament to how tough these girls are and how tough this program is,” Cohen added of her team’s fighting will. “We are a working-class program and are willing to put in the work in order to get the job done.”
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Stetson's Bob Weickel Hangs Up His Many Hats After 53 Years
Known throughout campus and DeLand as "Mr. Hatter", Bob Weickel begins his 53rd year in the Stetson athletic department, and his 33rd season as the men's golf coach. To say Weickel has done it all at Stetson would be a bit of an understatement.
Weickel has served Stetson in several different capacities, including assistant basketball coach (1960-74), assistant baseball coach (1960-64), head baseball coach (1965-68), intramural director (1962-84), professor of Sport Management (1962-2005), Physical Education Director (1973-93) and Assistant Athletic Director (1984-95).
Weickel is in the midst of his third turn as head golf coach, serving as head coach in 1971, 1973-84 and 1992-present. In his five decades with the Hatters, Weickel has coached his various teams to over 1000 victories. In his career, Weickel has had the pleasure of working with several of the top coaches in Stetson history, including basketball coach Dr. Glenn Wilkes and baseball coach Carl H. "Doc" Johnson.
"As a young man I had the pleasure and the opportunity to come into a situation where those who were preceding me had been there for 30-plus years," says Weickel. "They would share things and tell me stories, and that was a real advantage for me just getting started in my career. I think about things now that I am in the same situation they were in, and a lot of what they taught me really stuck with me."
Weickel's Hatters finished fifth in last year's men's golf championship and have finished as high as fourth under his direction. While Weickel has never had the privilege of taking his Stetson team to the NCAA Championships, he singles out as a highlight the opportunity to attend the 2012 NCAA regionals with his senior and 2012 A-Sun medalist Sam Ryder.
As a baseball coach, Weickel became the first collegiate coach in the state of Florida to integrate his program, adding the first African-American player, Jimmy Johnson, to the Hatters' roster in 1964. Johnson is one of many players with whom Weickel has kept in touch over the years. Weickel chuckles as recalls that while Johnson was a great athlete and solid player as a catcher, he eventually had to move him to first base because of the strength and often inaccuracy of his arm. "Arm strength wasn't his problem, he had a strong arm, but he would throw it into center field," Weickel laughs.
As a coach Weickel says he has no favorite sport, because as he points out, "they are all different. They allowed me to stay with golf and so that has been the one I coached the longest, but I have special memories from all of them."
Some of those memories include success with the Hatters' basketball teams that made appearances in the NAIA and NCAA Division II basketball championships.
And while the on-court success for Weickel has been an important part of his career, he is just as proud of the fact that in his 33 years as golf coach, only two players have failed to graduate. Just from last season, Ryder was selected as a Cleveland golf/Srixon All-America Scholar and a member of the A-Sun Academic All-Conference team. To be eligible for Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar status an individual must be a junior or senior academically, compete in at least three full years at the collegiate level, participate in 70-percent of his team’s competitive rounds or compete in the NCAA Championships, have a stroke-average under 76.0 in Division I, 78.0 in Division II, 77.0 in NAIA and 79.0 in Division III, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at his college or university.
"Academics were the biggest emphasis of the job when I first began, and is why ultimately we are here to help these young men. That continues to be a focus for our university, as it should be, and I am glad that we have been able to excel in that areas as well."
Weickel graduated from Springfield (Mass.) College in 1960 following an impressive athletic career. During his senior year at Springfield, he was captain of the basketball team and was selected to an All-New England All-Star team. He was also a standout on the baseball diamond where his pitching prowess earned him various honors.
Weickel earned his M.A. at Stetson.
He is a native of Huntington Station, N.Y., and he has a son, Kevin, a former letterwinner on the Stetson baseball team. Kevin is now the head golf pro at Disney World Golf and the chairman of the Disney PGA Tour event.
As if Mr. Hatter needed additional feathers in his cap, Weickel's commitment to and prolonged success with Stetson earned him the honor in November 2012 of induction into the Stetson Athletics Hall of Fame.
“It
does mean a lot to me,” Weickel said. “I've really spent my life here. I
feel proud that I'm being recognized and going into the Hall of Fame
along with a lot of other great coaches, some of whom I've worked with
like Glenn Wilkes, Doc Johnson and Brady Cowell. I'm really happy to be
part of that group.”
Weickel's Hatters are in seventh place after the first round of the 2013 Men's Golf Championship, with Michael Primavera and Andrew Peterson leading the team in a tie for 15th.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Familiar Foes, New Faces Highlight A-Sun Championship Finale
After Saturday sweeps of Stetson and USC Upstate, ETSU and
North Florida earned the right to face off for the fourth-straight year in the
Atlantic Sun Women’s Tennis Championship Final.
The Ospreys and Buccaneers are two familiar names for A-Sun
women’s tennis fans with UNF capturing two of the last three A-Sun titles
(2010, 2012) and the Bucs appearing in eight-straight A-Sun finals with three championships
during that span (2006, 2009 and 2011).
Last season’s championship final lasted over five hours as
the top-seeded Ospreys bested the No. 2 seed, ETSU, by a score of 4-2 at the
Bristol Raquet Club. Four members from
last year’s singles line-up returned
this season for the Ospreys including A-Sun Player of the Year, Lorena Aviles,
and fellow first team all-conference member Simona Weymar.
However, the Buccaneers saw a mass exodus from last year’s
singles starting line-up with the departure of four seniors; Paula Jaime, Karina
Kedzo, Marine Wieliczko and Diana Navrostska. Jaime, Wieliczko and Navrostska
all captured all-conference honors in their final year with the Bucs.
With a hole left in the lineup, ETSU Head Coach Yaser
Zaatini reloaded with several key players to this year’s team. Lyn Yee Choo,
who redshirted last season, filled right in as she was tabbed the A-Sun
Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Conference following a perfect
conference record. Fellow freshman and doubles partner, Ana Gerbasi, landed
second team honors.
An influx of transfers to Johnson City completed the ETSU
line-up with Antonia Kolovou (Stephen F. Austin), Sofia Espana (Ohio Dominican)
and Salma Dahbi (Georgia Perimeter) guiding the Bucs to an undefeated
conference record (8-0) and a 14-5 overall record.
North Florida’s starting line-up saw little change from last
year with four starters returning; however, the loss of Aline Berkenbrock – the
2010 and 2012 A-Sun Player of the Year – left a glaring absence at No. 1 singles
coupled with first team all-conference member, Danielle Day, completing her eligibility
with the Ospreys.
Luckily for the Ospreys, the return of seniors Aguirre, Aviles,
and Weymar coupled with the emergence of sophomores Taylor Hollander and Marina
Cunningham in the middle of the lineup steadied UNF to a 7-1 league record and
a 15-4 overall tally.
The annual championship rivals have squared off seven times
over the past four seasons with North Florida holding the 4-3 advantage;
however, both teams have won exactly 20 points in the seven matches as the Bucs
own two 4-0 sweeps.
With an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament on the line,
A-Sun tennis fans should prepare for top performances from both teams as each
team have been building for this title game since last year’s final.
Kaley Melville Counting on Big-Time Experience Making an Impact
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Stetson junior Kaley Melville is excited about the direction that sand volleyball is heading in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Playing in the no. 1 pair for the Hatters, Melville has been is some of the more exciting matches in the conference this season. Melville and partner Julie Bassett are 10-8 overall, but 2-3 in the A-Sun, and Melville attributes that in part to the ongoing improvement in the A-Sun’s talent and level of play.
Melville herself is a better player herself than a year ago, due to some degree by an experience she enjoyed last summer. Melville tried out and was hand-selected by USA Volleyball as one of just a few local athletes to travel to the West Coast for elite training at the USA Beach High Performance camp. For about six weeks, she spent eight hours a day practicing and competing on the beautiful California beaches with and against some of the top sand players in the country.
"It started with a tryout, similar to a combine in other sports when you have chance to show your skill set, they get a look at your height, your speed, and then you sit around and wait to get a call,” said Melville. “Then once you get there, each practice is a competition to choose one pair to play internationally. So you just keep training and competing.
"I was out there for a month and a half basically sleeping on someone’s couch, so it was definitely the beach volleyball life," Melville said. "It was just a blast."
In addition to training on courts adjacent to Misty-May Treanor, Melville said one of the most exciting moments was competing in a qualifier for the Jose Cuervo Pro Tour. Despite being one of the youngest pairings, Melville and her partner advanced past the first round against a team that had international experience.
"In the next round, it was kind of funny, it was a close game but we got beat out by two moms in their 30s," Melville said. "The competition is very different between the West Coast compared to the East Coast. In the tournaments we play in, Florida State cleans up a lot of the time. On the West Coast it is crazy to see how they play at such a higher level.
“You are killing yourself every day to make the squad, and it definitely gives you an idea of the level of competition out there. Getting the chance to play against the Pepperdines and to play with and against some phenomenal players really prepared me for what I want to accomplish in life."
Not bad for someone who just started playing sand volleyball a year ago. Sand competition came new to Kaley as the A-Sun became a leader in the NCAA’s newest emerging sport. The conference was the first in the NCAA to host a conference championship in sand volleyball, and this season the A-Sun will become the first to receive an automatic bid to the AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championship.
“I started playing last year when the A-Sun added sand, and I had never played competitively in sand before,” said Melville. “It is quite a challenge to make the transition between indoor and sand. I had always been trained with indoor technique, but I love outdoor because each player has more responsibility. It is either on your or your partner to make a play or not. It is about throwing your body around, getting your hand on the ball to keep it up and make a play.
“Plus, I am usually one of the taller girls when we play over here, but in California I am one of the smallest girls out there. I had to learn to play more defense really quickly, and it prepared me to play better defense and that experience has really benefited me this season.”
Melville hopes her summer experience pays dividends this weekend as she and the Hatters compete for the 2013 Atlantic Sun Conference Sand Volleyball Championship in Jacksonville, Fla. The second-seeded Hatters opened the double elimination tournament against host Jacksonville at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Dolphin Beach Volleyball Courts.
Playing the first complete A-Sun regular season schedule, Melville has played with Julie Bassett in the No. 1 pairing all season…until two weeks ago. That is when Head Coach Tim Loesch made significant changes to the lineups, and Melville is interested to see the new chemistry develop.
“I think he did that as a way to motivate us, and I like why he did that,” said Melville. “I think at first it freaked a lot of girls out, but we have had two weeks to adjust and I think it will be a good learning experience for all of us.”
One player in particular whose performance Melville is eager to watch this weekend is that of sophomore Savannah Byl. Paired with Katie DiGirolamo, Byl has a 2-0 record this season in dual match play and 5-1 in tournament pool play.
“Savannah was a five last year who never saw the spotlight and c didn’t really get a chance to show her ability,” said Melville. “This season she came from nowhere and has been battling for a chance to play in the No. 1 pairing. She proves herself every match and I am anxious to see what she can do this weekend.”
Playing in the No. 1 pairing in every match, Melville sees the best the A-Sun has to offer, and has enjoyed tremendous competition with the 2012 A-Sun Pair of the Year Budinska and Medina from North Florida and this season’s pair, Strausbaugh and Nyquist from Jacksonville.
“I have enjoyed playing in the No. 1 spot all season, because the competition has been excellent. North Florida’s Anna and Dagnija play really well together and we always have great matches. Now Jacksonville’s pair has come up and is destroying people, so there could really be some blood matches this weekend now that the automatic bid is on the line.”
Stetson junior Kaley Melville is excited about the direction that sand volleyball is heading in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Playing in the no. 1 pair for the Hatters, Melville has been is some of the more exciting matches in the conference this season. Melville and partner Julie Bassett are 10-8 overall, but 2-3 in the A-Sun, and Melville attributes that in part to the ongoing improvement in the A-Sun’s talent and level of play.
Melville herself is a better player herself than a year ago, due to some degree by an experience she enjoyed last summer. Melville tried out and was hand-selected by USA Volleyball as one of just a few local athletes to travel to the West Coast for elite training at the USA Beach High Performance camp. For about six weeks, she spent eight hours a day practicing and competing on the beautiful California beaches with and against some of the top sand players in the country.
"It started with a tryout, similar to a combine in other sports when you have chance to show your skill set, they get a look at your height, your speed, and then you sit around and wait to get a call,” said Melville. “Then once you get there, each practice is a competition to choose one pair to play internationally. So you just keep training and competing.
"I was out there for a month and a half basically sleeping on someone’s couch, so it was definitely the beach volleyball life," Melville said. "It was just a blast."
In addition to training on courts adjacent to Misty-May Treanor, Melville said one of the most exciting moments was competing in a qualifier for the Jose Cuervo Pro Tour. Despite being one of the youngest pairings, Melville and her partner advanced past the first round against a team that had international experience.
"In the next round, it was kind of funny, it was a close game but we got beat out by two moms in their 30s," Melville said. "The competition is very different between the West Coast compared to the East Coast. In the tournaments we play in, Florida State cleans up a lot of the time. On the West Coast it is crazy to see how they play at such a higher level.
“You are killing yourself every day to make the squad, and it definitely gives you an idea of the level of competition out there. Getting the chance to play against the Pepperdines and to play with and against some phenomenal players really prepared me for what I want to accomplish in life."
Not bad for someone who just started playing sand volleyball a year ago. Sand competition came new to Kaley as the A-Sun became a leader in the NCAA’s newest emerging sport. The conference was the first in the NCAA to host a conference championship in sand volleyball, and this season the A-Sun will become the first to receive an automatic bid to the AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championship.
“I started playing last year when the A-Sun added sand, and I had never played competitively in sand before,” said Melville. “It is quite a challenge to make the transition between indoor and sand. I had always been trained with indoor technique, but I love outdoor because each player has more responsibility. It is either on your or your partner to make a play or not. It is about throwing your body around, getting your hand on the ball to keep it up and make a play.
“Plus, I am usually one of the taller girls when we play over here, but in California I am one of the smallest girls out there. I had to learn to play more defense really quickly, and it prepared me to play better defense and that experience has really benefited me this season.”
Melville hopes her summer experience pays dividends this weekend as she and the Hatters compete for the 2013 Atlantic Sun Conference Sand Volleyball Championship in Jacksonville, Fla. The second-seeded Hatters opened the double elimination tournament against host Jacksonville at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Dolphin Beach Volleyball Courts.
Playing the first complete A-Sun regular season schedule, Melville has played with Julie Bassett in the No. 1 pairing all season…until two weeks ago. That is when Head Coach Tim Loesch made significant changes to the lineups, and Melville is interested to see the new chemistry develop.
“I think he did that as a way to motivate us, and I like why he did that,” said Melville. “I think at first it freaked a lot of girls out, but we have had two weeks to adjust and I think it will be a good learning experience for all of us.”
One player in particular whose performance Melville is eager to watch this weekend is that of sophomore Savannah Byl. Paired with Katie DiGirolamo, Byl has a 2-0 record this season in dual match play and 5-1 in tournament pool play.
“Savannah was a five last year who never saw the spotlight and c didn’t really get a chance to show her ability,” said Melville. “This season she came from nowhere and has been battling for a chance to play in the No. 1 pairing. She proves herself every match and I am anxious to see what she can do this weekend.”
Playing in the No. 1 pairing in every match, Melville sees the best the A-Sun has to offer, and has enjoyed tremendous competition with the 2012 A-Sun Pair of the Year Budinska and Medina from North Florida and this season’s pair, Strausbaugh and Nyquist from Jacksonville.
“I have enjoyed playing in the No. 1 spot all season, because the competition has been excellent. North Florida’s Anna and Dagnija play really well together and we always have great matches. Now Jacksonville’s pair has come up and is destroying people, so there could really be some blood matches this weekend now that the automatic bid is on the line.”
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Is A-Sun Final-Round Drama On the Horizon?
There has been quite a bit of action and excitement at the 2013 Atlantic Sun Women's Golf Championship, and it doesn't quite seem to be over.
On Monday, two players fired rounds of 67 to tie the championship record for a single round low, showing the field that they indeed can go low. Jessica Welch set a Jacksonville program record with her score, and ETSU's Sian Evans answered with one of her own, making her the second Buccaneer in as many years to open the A-Sun Championship with a 67.
ETSU's opening round of 287 also set the championship low for an opening round total. Then on Tuesday, FGCU shot a program best of 291 to move into second position, 11 strokes behind the championship-leading Bucs. While ETSU would seem to be in control with its double-digit lead, it was just three years ago that Stetson rallied from 12 strokes down to win its second consecutive A-Sun Championship.
Five strokes separate the championship's top 10 golfers, and the list is littered with players who can certainly put a round together to claim a title. ETSU and FGCU have ample representation, as three from each team have settled in among the conference's best for the final round.
Defending medalist Gabriella Wahl from ETSU has been steady, shooting rounds of 71 and 70 to move into a tie for first place with teammate Evans and JU's Welch. Buc freshman Vivienne Chin has provided depth in the ETSU roster that could propel them to an A-Sun championship and well into the NCAA Regionals. Chin has six Top-25 finishes and is among the top 10 in the conference in stroke average. She also posted an under-par round of 71 on Tuesday.
Then there is the A-Sun's highest ranked individual golfer, Kennesaw State's Ines Lescudier, who has posted three of the four lowest scores in the A-Sun this season, including a 67 of her own and a pair of 69s. Lescudier finished fifth individually last season and fired one of the two lowest scores in the final round of last year's championship as her Owls claimed the team title. She has been there and done that.
Like Lescudier, FGCU's Georgia Price has quietly made her way around Pine Lakes to the tune of even par (71-73) and into a tie for fourth. Price may not be in the top 10 of low rounds and stroke average, but she gets it done, as she did in her win the JU Courtyard Classic this season. Teammate Kristin Swindell has a pair of Top-25 finishes this season, and fellow Eagle Briana Carlson posted one of only five below-par rounds in Tuesday's windy conditions at Jekyll Island.
Mercer's Lacey Fears lost to Wahl in a two-hole playoff last year, but shot a personal best and school record of 213 in the championship. She fired a 71 in Tuesday's challenging conditions. Fears has a win and four Top-10 finishes this season, as well as owning the top stroke average in the A-Sun (74.65).
You don't have to look far, however, to see other threats lurking just outside of -2. At +3, KSU senior Ket Preamchuen is the only player in the field to have finished in the Top-10 of the A-Sun Championship at least twice. Stetson's Sammi Smith tallied a two-under-par 70 on Tuesday to sit at +5. She also has a win to her credit this season. Also at +5, Mercer's Mary Alice Murphy has six Top-25 finishes along with posting two of the lowest scores in the A-Sun this season.
For some the final round of the A-Sun Championship will be a chance to improve. For others, it will be a time to shine. Will experience win out? Or will it be someone who is coming into their own?
It is still hard to say, but it will be fun to watch.
On Monday, two players fired rounds of 67 to tie the championship record for a single round low, showing the field that they indeed can go low. Jessica Welch set a Jacksonville program record with her score, and ETSU's Sian Evans answered with one of her own, making her the second Buccaneer in as many years to open the A-Sun Championship with a 67.
ETSU's opening round of 287 also set the championship low for an opening round total. Then on Tuesday, FGCU shot a program best of 291 to move into second position, 11 strokes behind the championship-leading Bucs. While ETSU would seem to be in control with its double-digit lead, it was just three years ago that Stetson rallied from 12 strokes down to win its second consecutive A-Sun Championship.
Five strokes separate the championship's top 10 golfers, and the list is littered with players who can certainly put a round together to claim a title. ETSU and FGCU have ample representation, as three from each team have settled in among the conference's best for the final round.
Defending medalist Gabriella Wahl from ETSU has been steady, shooting rounds of 71 and 70 to move into a tie for first place with teammate Evans and JU's Welch. Buc freshman Vivienne Chin has provided depth in the ETSU roster that could propel them to an A-Sun championship and well into the NCAA Regionals. Chin has six Top-25 finishes and is among the top 10 in the conference in stroke average. She also posted an under-par round of 71 on Tuesday.
Then there is the A-Sun's highest ranked individual golfer, Kennesaw State's Ines Lescudier, who has posted three of the four lowest scores in the A-Sun this season, including a 67 of her own and a pair of 69s. Lescudier finished fifth individually last season and fired one of the two lowest scores in the final round of last year's championship as her Owls claimed the team title. She has been there and done that.
Like Lescudier, FGCU's Georgia Price has quietly made her way around Pine Lakes to the tune of even par (71-73) and into a tie for fourth. Price may not be in the top 10 of low rounds and stroke average, but she gets it done, as she did in her win the JU Courtyard Classic this season. Teammate Kristin Swindell has a pair of Top-25 finishes this season, and fellow Eagle Briana Carlson posted one of only five below-par rounds in Tuesday's windy conditions at Jekyll Island.
Mercer's Lacey Fears lost to Wahl in a two-hole playoff last year, but shot a personal best and school record of 213 in the championship. She fired a 71 in Tuesday's challenging conditions. Fears has a win and four Top-10 finishes this season, as well as owning the top stroke average in the A-Sun (74.65).
You don't have to look far, however, to see other threats lurking just outside of -2. At +3, KSU senior Ket Preamchuen is the only player in the field to have finished in the Top-10 of the A-Sun Championship at least twice. Stetson's Sammi Smith tallied a two-under-par 70 on Tuesday to sit at +5. She also has a win to her credit this season. Also at +5, Mercer's Mary Alice Murphy has six Top-25 finishes along with posting two of the lowest scores in the A-Sun this season.
For some the final round of the A-Sun Championship will be a chance to improve. For others, it will be a time to shine. Will experience win out? Or will it be someone who is coming into their own?
It is still hard to say, but it will be fun to watch.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Excellent First Day Exhibits How A-Sun Women's Golf Is Marching Forward
For
some time now the talk has begun to grow louder as to how the A-Sun and its
golf is getting better and better. Last year the record for the final team
score in the A-Sun Women's Golf Championship was broken, not once but three times, as each
of the top three finishers bested the previous high mark. This year ETSU’s
first-round score of 287 is three strokes better than its first round score in
last year’s championship, which was the best team round posted during the
entire tournament.
Individually,
18 of the top 25 scorers from last year’s championship also return to battle
again, including Jacksonville’s Jessica Welch and ETSU’s Sian Evans. Today the
duo both fired a 67 to match the championship’s low round. And let’s not forget
defending champ Gabriella Wahl (ETSU), who also shot a first-round 67 last
season and claimed the individual title as a freshman, scoring a birdie on the
third hole of a playoff with Mercer’s Lacey Fears. She has continued her solid
play for ETSU this season, as have many from last year’s championship.
Fifteen
of Monday’s Top-20 played in last year’s championship, and this year’s Top-5 is
comprised of players who also finished from first to 20th last year.
So
what list of accomplishments does this experienced group of 18 golfers bring into
the upcoming championship? To name a few:
• Two
individual tournament titles (Lacey Fears, Sammi Smith)
•
17 Top-10 finishes
• 47
Top-25 finishes
• 20
of the 27 low scores of 2012-13
• 19
under-par rounds, including a pair of 67s, the season low
• The
six lowest stroke averages
•
11 Golfer of the Week accolades
Outside
of the championship, A-Sun women’s golf has also begun to attract attention.
Three teams (ETSU, Kennesaw State, Mercer) have been ranked in the Top 100 by
GolfWeek and Golfstat all season. Plus, the conference has four team wins (ETSU,
Mercer -2 and Stetson) and three individual wins (Georgia Price – FGCU, Lacey
Fears – Mercer, and Sammi smith – Stetson) to its credit as well. And
Compare
last year’s results to the championship history, compare last year’s first
round action to this year’s and you can see that the A-Sun is growing and excelling
in the sports of women’s golf. With very few seniors on this year’s field, a
younger but experienced field is sure to bring more excitement as the 2013
A-Sun championship moves into round two on Tuesday.
Which of the following recorded the most notable performance in the A-Sun during the month of March?
Crons
sponsors the monthly "Achiever Award," which is presented to the
school recognized by a fan vote for the most notable achievement from
the month prior. Below are the descriptions of each submission, along
with the poll in the right-hand sidebar.
FGCU Men’s Basketball
In just its second year of postseason eligibility and second year under head coach Andy Enfield, FGCU’s historic run in the month of March started by posting three straight double-digit wins at the Atlantic Sun Tournament as the No. 2 seed. That culminated with an 88-75 win over No. 1 seed and host Mercer in the championship game to earn the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Just being at the tournament for the first time wasn’t good enough for the Eagles, as they defeated Big East member and South Region No. 2 Georgetown in the second round in Philadelphia, snapping an 11-game NCAA Tournament losing streak for the A-Sun.
FGCU clinched its place in NCAA history and established itself as the Cinderella of the tournament in the third round, as it became the first No. 15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the Sweet Sixteen with an 81-71 victory over No. 7 San Diego State.
The triumph over the Aztecs stretched the Green and Blue’s win streak to seven games – a program D1 record – and improved them to 6-0 in March while becoming the first team since the 1987 Florida club to win its first two NCAA Tournament contests.
Stetson Women’s Basketball
The Stetson women's basketball team capped off their most successful season in school history with an amazing run through the Atlantic Sun Conference championship.
In the quarterfinals, Stetson's three all-conference performers combined for 53 points as the second-seeded Hatters survived a hard-fought battle with seventh-seeded ETSU 66-55.
Stetson then advanced to its third straight Atlantic Sun Conference championship game by defeating tournament host Mercer, 67-52, in the A-Sun semifinals.
In the title game, Stetson rallied from a 15-point second half deficit to shock top-seed and previously undefeated FGCU, 70-64, capturing the conference championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Hatters were selected as a no. 14 seed and played third-seeded and 11th-ranked UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Championship in Columbus, Ohio. It was Stetson's third NCAA tournament appearance overall, and second in the last three years.
Stetson finished the season with a school-record 24 victories.
Britt Orashen, Jacksonville Women’s Lacrosse
Britt Orashen led the Jacksonville women’s lacrosse team to a dominating 5-1 record during the month of March.
Behind the play of Orashen, the Dolphins outscored the opposition an average of 17.33 to 7.17 per game. The junior attack played a large role accounting for 15 goals, three assists, 24 ground balls, 20 draw controls and six caused turnovers.
During the first ever A-Sun women’s lacrosse game on March 30 against Kennesaw State, she racked up four goals on five shot attempts while recording four ground balls and three draw controls.
Kristen Sturdivant, Lipscomb Softball
Sturdivant led the Lady Bisons in the month of March with a .419 batting average, which included five home runs and 13 runs batted in. She was pivotal in the three-game sweep of Florida Gulf Coast with her hitting and fielding.
For the month her slugging percentage was .837 and her on-base percentage was .510.
In the 7-5 win in the third game of the FGCU series, Sturdivant led all hitters with three hits, including a pair of solo home runs. She also led the Lady Bisons with three runs batted in.
Additionally, Sturdivant's nine total bases in the third game with FGCU on March 30 is the highest total base total in a conference game.
McKenzie Woody, Mercer Softball
Woody batted .453 in the month of March with 34 hits in 22 games to lead the Bears, and currently leads the nation in hits (69). McKenzie also leads the A-Sun in hits, runs scored (42) and triples (4).
Woody has recorded 24 multi-hit games out of a possible 46 outings, and she is currently riding a six-game hitting streak. She has also enjoyed a 13-game hitting streak.
As the Official Motivation and Apparel Brand of the Atlantic Sun Conference, Crons sponsors the monthly "Achiever Award" to recognize what A-Sun fans deem the most notable performance from each month.
The Crons Brand provides what it calls “high quality motivational apparel, merchandise, and accessories to inspire people to get better and constantly strive for their goals.” It also strives to reinforce positive messages to athletes about what it takes to be a winner and the importance of working harder than anyone else in order to reach their full potential.
Crons communicates this message through four separate product categories: Team Gear, Lifestyle Apparel, Nutritional Products, and School Programs. Crons is a national brand with its message-themed and motivational merchandise and apparel already in use by more than 500 schools and organizations in 25 states.
Crons perpetuates its message through its Achievers Program, designed to teach students the importance of setting and achieving goals. The program focuses on fostering skills that will help young people set smart, measurable goals now and in the future – leading to academic, personal and professional success.
FGCU Men’s Basketball
In just its second year of postseason eligibility and second year under head coach Andy Enfield, FGCU’s historic run in the month of March started by posting three straight double-digit wins at the Atlantic Sun Tournament as the No. 2 seed. That culminated with an 88-75 win over No. 1 seed and host Mercer in the championship game to earn the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Just being at the tournament for the first time wasn’t good enough for the Eagles, as they defeated Big East member and South Region No. 2 Georgetown in the second round in Philadelphia, snapping an 11-game NCAA Tournament losing streak for the A-Sun.
FGCU clinched its place in NCAA history and established itself as the Cinderella of the tournament in the third round, as it became the first No. 15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the Sweet Sixteen with an 81-71 victory over No. 7 San Diego State.
The triumph over the Aztecs stretched the Green and Blue’s win streak to seven games – a program D1 record – and improved them to 6-0 in March while becoming the first team since the 1987 Florida club to win its first two NCAA Tournament contests.
Stetson Women’s Basketball
The Stetson women's basketball team capped off their most successful season in school history with an amazing run through the Atlantic Sun Conference championship.
In the quarterfinals, Stetson's three all-conference performers combined for 53 points as the second-seeded Hatters survived a hard-fought battle with seventh-seeded ETSU 66-55.
Stetson then advanced to its third straight Atlantic Sun Conference championship game by defeating tournament host Mercer, 67-52, in the A-Sun semifinals.
In the title game, Stetson rallied from a 15-point second half deficit to shock top-seed and previously undefeated FGCU, 70-64, capturing the conference championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Hatters were selected as a no. 14 seed and played third-seeded and 11th-ranked UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Championship in Columbus, Ohio. It was Stetson's third NCAA tournament appearance overall, and second in the last three years.
Stetson finished the season with a school-record 24 victories.
Britt Orashen, Jacksonville Women’s Lacrosse
Britt Orashen led the Jacksonville women’s lacrosse team to a dominating 5-1 record during the month of March.
Behind the play of Orashen, the Dolphins outscored the opposition an average of 17.33 to 7.17 per game. The junior attack played a large role accounting for 15 goals, three assists, 24 ground balls, 20 draw controls and six caused turnovers.
During the first ever A-Sun women’s lacrosse game on March 30 against Kennesaw State, she racked up four goals on five shot attempts while recording four ground balls and three draw controls.
Kristen Sturdivant, Lipscomb Softball
Sturdivant led the Lady Bisons in the month of March with a .419 batting average, which included five home runs and 13 runs batted in. She was pivotal in the three-game sweep of Florida Gulf Coast with her hitting and fielding.
For the month her slugging percentage was .837 and her on-base percentage was .510.
In the 7-5 win in the third game of the FGCU series, Sturdivant led all hitters with three hits, including a pair of solo home runs. She also led the Lady Bisons with three runs batted in.
Additionally, Sturdivant's nine total bases in the third game with FGCU on March 30 is the highest total base total in a conference game.
McKenzie Woody, Mercer Softball
Woody batted .453 in the month of March with 34 hits in 22 games to lead the Bears, and currently leads the nation in hits (69). McKenzie also leads the A-Sun in hits, runs scored (42) and triples (4).
Woody has recorded 24 multi-hit games out of a possible 46 outings, and she is currently riding a six-game hitting streak. She has also enjoyed a 13-game hitting streak.
As the Official Motivation and Apparel Brand of the Atlantic Sun Conference, Crons sponsors the monthly "Achiever Award" to recognize what A-Sun fans deem the most notable performance from each month.
The Crons Brand provides what it calls “high quality motivational apparel, merchandise, and accessories to inspire people to get better and constantly strive for their goals.” It also strives to reinforce positive messages to athletes about what it takes to be a winner and the importance of working harder than anyone else in order to reach their full potential.
Crons communicates this message through four separate product categories: Team Gear, Lifestyle Apparel, Nutritional Products, and School Programs. Crons is a national brand with its message-themed and motivational merchandise and apparel already in use by more than 500 schools and organizations in 25 states.
Crons perpetuates its message through its Achievers Program, designed to teach students the importance of setting and achieving goals. The program focuses on fostering skills that will help young people set smart, measurable goals now and in the future – leading to academic, personal and professional success.
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