2007-08 NCU Athletics Year In-Review
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.--- 2007-08 was a year of success and growth throughout the three seasons of competition. NCU teams claimed two NCCAA National Championships, two regional championships, and four national championship appearances. Rams’ athletes claimed 12 All-Region Awards, seven first or second team or honorable mention NCCAA All-America awards and 11 National Scholar Athlete awards to compliment their strong team accomplishments. No successful team is able to prosper without great coaching and three NCU coaches proved that true by being named the regional coach of the year in their respective sport.
During the Fall semester the Rams continued what some might call a dynasty in Men’s & Women’s Cross Country and Women’s Volleyball. The Lady Runnin’ Rams claimed their third consecutive NCCAA Division II National Title with junior Stephanie Christensen (Flushing, Mich.) and freshman Amanda Trombley (Grand Rapids, Minn.) bringing home third and fourth place individual finishes and All-American honors. The Men’s Cross Country team brought home their second straight National title with sophomore Dan Bare (Portage, Wis.) leading the Rams as the national runner-up which earned him his second straight All-America award. Christensen, along with junior Katie Osterbauer (Osceola, Wis.) and Senior John Gieske (Sauk Center, Minn.), were named National Scholar athletes. The scholar athlete award is given to junior and senior athletes who have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Lady Rams Volleyball won the second of back-to-back NCCAA North Central Region titles in 2007 earning them consecutive trips to the national tournament. It was North Central’s turn in the regional host rotation and the Women used a raucous home crowd to claim a comeback win in the second game of a double elimination scenario in what was one of the most thrilling moments in Ram’s sports history. Juniors Emily Matson (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Jenna Moody (Gothenburg, Neb.) and sophomores Amanda Matson (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Keelie Solomon (Harve, Mont.) were named to the All-Region team and first year coach Jen Meyerson was named the Regional Coach of the Year. At the NCCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship the Rams placed fifth after going 2-2 in pool play. Emily Matson and junior Kelli Frankenstein (Howard, S.D.) were named National Scholar Athletes.
The Men’s Soccer program experienced growth and improvement playing well within the North Central Region and competing strongly against a difficult NCAA Division III schedule. The Rams were knocked out of the region tournament in the opening round by eventual Region Champion Providence College. Under the youthful leadership of sophomore captains Andrew Cameron (Brookfield, Wis.) and Bronson Gambale (Nokesville, Va.) the Rams played together as a unit and grew every game towards what could be a great 2008 campaign. Cameron and freshman Caleb Thomas (Skopje, Macedonia) were named to the All-Region Team.
The Women’s Soccer team raised its level of competiveness against the most ambitious schedule in school history. A young Lady Rams side hung tough in many contests against more experienced teams and played every minute of the season as if the game was on line. NCU fell to eventual National Champion Crown College in the opening round of the region tournament. A group of talented freshman and new players should fuse with the returners to make the 2008 Lady Rams team one to watch for next fall. Junior Goalkeeper Kasey Fitzgerald (Columbus, Wis.) was named to the All Region team and juniors Kalyn Maki (Saginaw, Mich.) and Nicole Silbernagel (Bismark, N.D.) were named National Scholar Athletes.
On the links in September NCU golfers made history by claiming their first ever tournament or dual match victory in the midst of their best season ever. On September 6 the Rams claimed a dual match win over Bethany Lutheran College (Mankato, Minn.) and duplicated that success a week later in a triangular match win on September 13 with a win over UM-Morris (Morris, Minn.) and Presentation College (Aberdeen, S.D.). Senior Phil Culham (Mason City, Iowa) and junior Tyler Adams (Hartland, Mich.) led NCU on the season and narrowly missed qualifying for the NCCAA National Golf Tournament.
The winter season was a hot one in the CLC gymnasium where the Lady Rams Basketball team swept through their regional slate undefeated and dominated the regional tournament earning their second straight championship and national tournament appearance. Senior Amy Sletten (Fergus Falls, Minn.) was named the Regional MVP and junior Naomi Sanon (Boston, Mass.) was named to the All-Region Team. Head Coach Shayla Yeackley was also recognized as the Regional Coach of the Year after a season where Sletten became the all-time leading scorer in Rams history and Sanon broke Yeackley’s own career rebounding record. Sanon also set the single-season and single-game rebounding mark with her 35 rebounds in a game verses Mt. Mary College (Milwaukee, Wis.) and nearly missed the NCAA Division III record of 38. The first triple double in NCU history (12 points, 10 blocks, and 35 boards) earned Sanon recognition in the Sports Illustrated “Faces in the Crowd” section for the week of February 24, 2008. Sletten was also named a first team All-American and Sanon was recognized as a second team member. Sletten and Emily Matson were named National Scholar athletes.
The Men’s Basketball team was led by first year coach Trent Emenecker and took on a ramped up NCAA Division III schedule that had the Rams playing difficult road games verses several NAIA and NCAA Division II schools. NCU finished second during the regular season in region. They used that spot to earn a place in the regional championship game before coming up just short verses regional rival Crown College. During 2007-08 NCU knocked off NCAA Division III foe St. Scholastica (Duluth, Minn.) for the first time in school history. Two weeks later they defeated eventual NCCAA DII National Champ Grace University (Omaha, Neb.). The CLC gym is regarded as one of the toughest home court advantages in the NCCAA and those two huge mid-winter victories reinforced that legend. Senior Dan Helstrom (Hibbing, Minn.) and junior Ryan Leak (Rockford, Ill.) were named to the All Region team and Helstrom was recognized as All-America honorable mention and earned a National Scholar Athlete award.
During the Spring NCU Softball braved a schedule racked by weather cancellations and make up dates. They earned the first victory in school history on April 4 in the second game of a double header verses Presentation College (Aberdeen, S.D.). The Lady Rams also went on to several more contests and claimed far and away the best season record in program annals.
The Baseball squad welcomed in new coach Tim Beasley and saw growth in skill and knowledge of the game in route to the team earning a second straight birth in the NCCAA Division II National Championship Tournament. Junior Josiah Urlaub (Hartland, Mich.) earned All-Region selection at third base and pitcher while Senior Tom Beilke (Elk Mound, Wis.) joined him on the All-Region pitching staff. Junior PJ Davis (McConnellsville, Pa. ) and sophomore Jed McGuire (Grand Rapids, Minn.) were also named to the All-Region team and Coach Beasley was recognized as the Region Coach of the Year. The Rams Hardballers finished sixth at the National Tournament and earned the Team Sportsmanship award. Beilke was also given the Unlimited Potential Outstanding Christian Leadership Award. This award goes to the senior player who possesses the greatest potential for Christian service and ministry through the game of baseball.
The Track season was also hampered by the weather but
the team still managed to perform well. Freshman Alex Farber (Little Falls, Wis.) claimed the meet championship in the Men’s Long Jump during the Sherman-Lukoski Invitational hosted by Ripon College (Ripon, Wis.). That win was the first in school history in that event. Junior Chris Hickox (Mobile, Ala.) continued a terrific 2007 season by winning his first three meets of the 2008 schedule in the Men’s High Jump before losing for the first time in two years at the Macalester Twilight meet. Hickox recorded an amazing 10 straight wins in the high jump during that streak. Farber and Hickox both earned a spot in the NCCAA National Championship meet with their NCU record setting seasons. Farber earned an All-American award for his third place finish in the Long Jump while Hickox finished fourth in the High Jump. With those two outstanding performances the NCU Tracksters earned a 10th place finish at the National Meet.
For the Women’s Track team, the record books were tested as freshman Amanda Trombley and Stephanie Lensert (Casper, Wyo.) pushed the bar in their respective events. Trombley ended up second on the career list in the women’s 3000m and third in the 1500m despite only getting three chances to compete with weather cancellations. Lensert overcame the weather and injury to place herself third on the All-Time list in the 100m Hurdles.
2007-08 was clearly a high mark in the level of competition for NCU athletics and with a young group of talent returning to the courts, fields, and courses in 2008-09 expectations are there for continued growth and progress as the Rams look to complete their final year of NCAA DIII provisional membership.