William Penn Athletics News–October 11
William Penn University Athletics
Major Records Broke Again as WPU Dominates at Home
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen women’s golf team never laid off the proverbial accelerator as it ran away from the field for the title at the William Penn Invitational Friday and Saturday.
#16 William Penn was first out of seven teams with a two-day tally of 615 (311-304) at the par-71 Edmundson Golf Course. The navy and gold’s 18-hole (304, old mark was 305) and 36-hole (615, old mark was 616) were both nipped by one stroke.
Maggie Yang (Sr., Chino, Calif., Biology) won the 41-player tournament with a pair of her own school records. She shot a 74 on the first day and then broke the 18-hole mark with a 71 (old record was 72) for a 36-hole mark of 145 (old record was 148).
“I want to thank Matt Sherlock and Jeff Smith for getting the course ready for us; it was in great condition both days,” Yang said. “Plus Coach Rule and Coach Latos did a good job setting up the whole tournament. I thought we had a great turnout this year with so many family, friends, volunteers, and school members coming out to support us. We really could not have done this without the support from everyone. It is amazing how far the program has come. The hard work this season has paid off and now all we have to work for is the national preview tournament.”
“Maggie and I worked hard this week on some swing alterations and she really bought into the changes and produced record-setting results,” Head Coach Nik Rule said. “Her work this week just shows that if you buy-in and are coachable, success will come.”
Demi Coertze (Jr., Johannesburg, South Africa, Digital Communication) was second overall at 154 (77-77), while Alexandria Eckenrod (Sr., Mason City, Iowa, Elementary Education) also notched a top-five finish (4th, 78-78–156).
Natalie Booton (Jr., Mount Pleasant, Elementary Education) was sixth (83-78–161) and Courtney Cunningham (So., Muskogee, Okla., Computer Science) was tenth (82-85–167) to wrap up the varsity’s scoring.
Ashley Manhnieo (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management) headlined the varsity reserve’s runner-up efforts as they held off Mount Mercy by one shot (344-336–680). Manhnieo was ninth at 163 (82-81).
Jodi Saito (So., Mililani, Hawaii, Education) (T-13th, 87-82–169), Alexi Rule (So., Idaho Falls, Idaho, Education) (T-17th, 88-85–173), Carly Schmalz (So., Buffalo Lake, Minn., American Government) (19th, 87-90–177), and Brooke Fletcher (Fr., Atlantic, Iowa, Business Management) (T-24th, 94-88–182) competed for the varsity reserve as well.
With a pair of 81’s (162 total), Jing Yang (So., Woodland Hills, Calif., Biology) led the individuals in a tie for seventh. Jordan Postma (Fr., Marion, Iowa, Biology) was 29th at 185 (87-98) and Aramina Flores (Corpus Christi, Texas, History/Government) was 36th at 197 (102-95)
“What a special weekend it was here in Oskaloosa,” Rule said. “We are so lucky to have such a great partnership with Edmundson Golf Course and we appreciate all their efforts to accommodate us all year. The girls played outstanding; they have worked so hard this fall and it has been a fun month and a half and a perfect segue as we sprint toward the end of the fall season.”
“It is great to have so many players on the all-tournament team and in the top-20,” Rule added. “It just shows how deep we are; it is such a joy watching them succeed.”
Next Up: William Penn is off two weeks before closing out the fall season on October 27-28 by traveling to Pooler, Ga. to compete in the NAIA Fall Preview at Savannah Quarters Country Club.
Record-Setting Performances Cap Fall Slate
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s golf team finished off an ever-improving fall season by breaking program marks as it hosted the William Penn Invitational Friday and Saturday.
The Statesmen were second out of 16 teams with a two-day tally of 578 (292-286) at the par-70 Edmundson Golf Course. WPU shot the lowest score of any team on Saturday, but could not make up enough grown to snag the team trophy from Central (278-287–565).
Saturday’s 286 is a new school record (old mark was 290) and the two-day score of 578 also broke the previous record of 590.
Frederik Lundsgaard (Fr., Jebjerg, Denmark, History/Government) had a solid first day score of 72, but his impressive 67 on Saturday helped him to the individual medalist honor in the 85-person event. The freshman’s 139 snapped the old program mark of 141. It is his second title of the year.
Gareth Sargent (Fr., Knysna, South Africa, Psychology) was also in the top ten, tying for seventh at 143 (71-72), while Brandon Dizon (So., San Leandro, Calif., Sociology) just missed the top club at 146 (75-71) to tie for 11th.
Tyler Lallier (Sr., Algona, Iowa, Business Management) tied for 21st 150 (74-76) and Justin Bothma (Fr., Boksburg, South Africa, Business Management) tied for 37th with a 155 (78-77) to complete the varsity scoring.
WPU’s second team placed tenth (309-311–620) and was led by Ben Roberts (Jr., Albia, Iowa, Industrial Technology) at 153 (75-78) in a tie for 29th. Jeremy Swink (Sr., Burlington, Iowa, Physical Education) (74-80) and Jeremy White (So., Baytown, Texas, Mechanical Engineering) (79-75) both finished at 154 to tie for 32nd.
Byron Lindeque (Sr., Boksburg, South Africa, General Accounting), in 60th at 162 (81-81), and Charlie Hayes (So., Whitesboro, Texas, History/Government), in a tie for 64th at 162 (81-81), finished off the second team’s scoring.
Kyle Hashimoto (So., Acampo, Calif., Undecided) was the top linkster for WPU’s third squad in a tie for 37th at 155 (77-78). Rory Schafer (Fr., Solwezi, Zambia, Mechanical Engineering) (T-61st, 81-80–161), Patric Benson (Fr., Tripoli, Iowa, Sociology) (69th, 85-78–163), Ethan Powers (Jr., Tipton, Iowa, Business Management) (74th, 83-84–167), and Terence Schafer (Jr., Solwezi, Zambia, Industrial Technology) (T-77th, 80-90–170) rounded out the third team’s scoring.
Individuals Cade Hartman (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management) (T-80th, 88-86–174) and Ian Harris (So., Marengo, Ill., Physical Education) (84th, 100-96–196) also competed at Edmundson.
Strong Outings for Harriers at St. Ambrose Invite
Bettendorf–The William Penn cross country teams continued their upward trend this fall at the St. Ambrose Invitational Saturday.
The Statesmen men were fifth out of 13 teams with 156 points, while North Iowa Area CC won the crown with 58 points. The champions also had the top runner in the field as Trey Simons led the 8K race in a time of 25:24. William Penn finished only 25 points behind St. Ambrose–a perennial Midwest Collegiate Conference power and this year’s preseason coaches’ poll favorite.
WPU’s women were ninth out of 13 squads with 246 points. #19 St. Ambrose won the team title with 22 points. Hannah Palmeter of North Iowa Area CC was the individual winner in 18:20.
Ochaung Akway (Sr., St. Paul, Minn., Physical Education) guided the William Penn men, placing ninth out of 120 runners in a time of 26:40. The time is the program’s best since November 3, 2012 (Yanni Gallagher, 26:20).
Yonas Desta (So., Salt Lake City, Utah, Biology) also broke the 27-minute barrier–just barely–with a time of 26:59 to finish 16th.
Saromo Mugisha (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Business Management) had a top-30 finish as well, taking 27th at 27:22.
Brenice Ndayizeye (Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Computer Science), in 58th (28:38), and Nick Thomas (Sr., Salmon, Idaho, Physical Education), in 65th (29:02), rounded out the varsity scoring.
Tyler Connelly (Fr., Trenton, Texas, Software Engineering) guided the also-ran group with a 29:21 finish (76th). Zach Johnson (Fr., Decatur, Ill., Mechanical Engineering) (85th, 29:34) and Garrett Heckman (Fr., New Virginia, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) (88th, 29:41) crossed the line under a half hour as well. Carlos Lizama (So., Victorville, Calif., Physical Education) finished the race in 106th in a time of 32:32.
“The men had an outstanding race,” Coach Sean Gosewisch said. “OC, Yonas, and Saromo all had breakout races and looked like dominant forces out there. The next pack of five guys were all within a minute of each other and well ahead of where they were last week.”
“The team raced well and the times are beginning to show the hard work they have put in this far,” Gosewisch added. “We stacked up nicely against other conference teams, so we are excited for the next four weeks.”
Addison Kepner (Jr., Cincinnati, Iowa, Biology) clocked in at 21:49 to finish 43rd out of 119 participants in the women’s competition. Deja Lewis (So., Spring, Texas, Psychology) was only six seconds behind her teammate at 21:55 in 47th place.
Guadalupe Gonzalez (Fr., Houston, Texas, Exercise Science) managed a 57th-place finish in 22:26, while Lilly Walters (So., Boerne, Texas, Exercise Science) (90th, 24:56) and Cindy Walker (Jr., New Sharon, Iowa, Public Accounting) (103rd, 26:00) finished off the team’s scoring.
“I like the way Addison, Deja, and Guadalupe worked as a unit throughout the race, while Lilly and Cindy also had great races for themselves,” Gosewisch said. “The women are racing at a solid level; now we just have to get the times to follow.”
“Both our men and women took a step in the right direction today,” Gosewisch said. “Almost everyone had a personal best for the year.”
Next Up: William Penn is off one week before returning to action by traveling to Grand Rapids, Mich. to compete in the Great Lakes Challenge on Saturday, October 25.
Statesmen Double Up V-Hawks 6-3
La Crosse, Wis.–A pair of goals by Santos Ortiz (Jr., Cocula, Mexico, Business Management) assisted the William Penn men’s soccer squad to a 6-3 win over Viterbo in Midwest Collegiate Conference action Saturday.
The Statesmen (7-6, 2-1 MCC), who topped the home team 19-11 in shots, got off to a quick start with a goal by Andrew Valett (Jr., Davenport, Iowa, Undecided) in the tenth minute. Yordan Rivera (Jr., Bothell, Wash., Physical Education) assisted on the opening score.
Just over ten minutes later, Jason Batek (Sr., Chillicothe, Ill., Business Management), assisted by Rivera again, made it 2-0. Santos Ortiz (Jr., Cocula, Mexico, Business Management) wrapped up the first-half tallying by finishing off a pass from Milo Bruce-Burgess (Sr., Brockenhurst, England, Physical Education) at 36:32.
The V-Hawks (1-12, 0-3 MCC) narrowed the margin to two goals in the 61st minute, but would get no closer. Ortiz pushed the advantage back to three in the 68th minute with the assist to Sergio Carro (Jr., London, England, Communications).
Trevor Neary (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa, Physical Education), with a penalty kick goal in the 83rd minute, and Santiago Coraglia (Fr., Salta, Argentina, Applied Mathematics and Industrial Technology), in the 86th minute (assist to Bruce-Burgess), capped off the scoring.
The half-dozen goals are the most for WPU since producing seven against York (Neb.) on August 30, 2009.
Pedro Pereira (So., Sao Paolo, Brazil, Communications) did not have a save in a scoreless first half, while Mason Bandy (Sr., Calgary, Alberta, Biology) posted one stop in the second stanza.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Des Moines Wednesday to face AIB in MCC action at 7 p.m.
WPU Falls 3-0 to Viterbo
La Crosse, Wis.–The Statesmen women’s soccer team was unable to locate the back of the net in a 3-0 loss to Viterbo in Midwest Collegiate Conference action Saturday.
William Penn (4-6-3, 1-1-1 MCC) was outshot 21-2, but kept the V-Hawks (11-2, 2-1 MCC) scoreless until the 35th minute. It was still a one-goal margin through halftime, but the home squad added goals at 49:43 and 65:28 to put the contest out of reach.
Kelly Button (Sr., Tucson, Ariz., Business Management) tallied six saves in nearly 80 minutes of keeper play and then recorded a shot as she re-entered as a field player. Alyce Correia (So., Perth, Australia, Elementary Education) had WPU’s other shot.
“I am disappointed for the girls given the result, but very proud on our attitude and effort today,” Head Coach Willie McGowan said. “Unfortunately, we had a number of key players having to miss out on making the trip this weekend and we had to make a lot of changes to compensate.”
“Viterbo is a solid team and deserved the win today,” McGowan added. “We have to regroup, get players on the mend, and look to finish the season the best we can.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Des Moines Wednesday to face AIB in MCC action at 5 p.m.
