William Penn Athletics News — December 18
William Penn University Athletics
Three Pick Up Scholar Awards from NSCAA
Oskaloosa–A trio of William Penn soccer stars were again honored for being strong in the classroom and on the pitch as they earned 2014 NSCAA College Division Scholar All-North/Central Region recognition.
Lauren Abbas (Jr., Adel, Iowa, Communications) paced the women’s team with a 3.85 Grade Point Average, while Linden Schulz (Sr., Pleasant Hill, Iowa, Psychology & Human Services) had a 3.57 mark entering this fall. Milo Bruce-Burgess (Sr., Brockenhurst, England, Physical Education) represented the men’s team with a 3.64 GPA.
To be eligible for the award given out by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, athletes must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or above on a 4.0 scale, have started more than 50% of their team’s games, and be a significant contributor.
For a complete list of the men’s all-North/Central Region, go to http://www.nscaa.com/news/2014/12/2014-nscaa-men-s-college-division-scholar-all-north-central-region
For a complete list of the women’s all-North/Central Region, go to http://www.nscaa.com/news/2014/12/2014-nscaa-women-s-college-division-scholar-all-north-central-region
Three Collect Scholar-Athlete Awards
Oskaloosa–Three Statesmen gridiron athletes were honored for their excellence in the classroom as they were named 2014 Daktronics-NAIA Football Scholar-Athletes Thursday.
Evan Ressler (Sr., Cascade, Iowa, Biology), with a 3.77 Grade Point Average entering this fall, guided the intellectual threesome, while Justin Lewis (Sr., Florence, Ala., Sociology) posted a 3.67 and Devin Verwers (Jr., Norwalk, Iowa, Industrial Technology) had a 3.51 mark. The accolade is the second for both Ressler and Lewis. A total of 319 football players from within the NAIA were awarded the laurel.
To be eligible for the award, athletes must be of at least junior academic standing, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale, and have attended the nominating institution for at least one full academic year.
For a complete list of all the NAIA Football Scholar-Athletes, go to http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/SportsInfo/scholar-athletes/2014/2014Football_SA.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=27900
Five Bring Home Additional Hardware
Oskaloosa–Some of William Penn’s best were honored Thursday as USA Football announced its All-America teams.
First-team nods were given to slot back Sam Tvedt (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Business Management), fullback Michael Thomas (Sr., Visalia, Calif., Undecided), left tackle Jake Adams (Sr., Park City, Utah, Psychology), and cornerback Freddy Griggs (Sr., Tallahassee, Fla., Business Management). Jatavius Stewart (Jr., Rock Hill, S.C., Biology) claimed an honorable mention.
The honors give William Penn 40 All-America awards in its history. All five players are being honored for the first time. Tvedt, Thomas, Adams, and Stewart were all first-team all-Midwest League choices, while Griggs notched a second-squad laurel.
Tvedt paced the Statesmen ground attack with 779 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Thomas was right behind him with 724 rushing yards and a team-best eight TDs.
Adams helped WPU rank second nationally with 335.9 rushing yards per game (402.5 total yards per game). The Statesmen had three outings with over 500 yards, highlighted by 631 against Saint Xavier (Ill.).
Griggs intercepted a team-high four passes and contributed 43 tackles (18 solos, 25 assists, 1.5 TFL) with eight pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.
Stewart was the navy and gold’s top weapon in the passing game, hauling in 13 catches for 337 yards and six scores.
Selections were determined by panels of NAIA Head Coaches, Sports Information Directors, National, Regional and Local Broadcast & Print Media, American Football Coaches Association, Regional Football Writers’ Associations, Professional Football Franchise Scouts and Certified Players’ Agents as well as the staff of USA Football Network, Inc.
All seniors, with no remaining football eligibility, are candidates to participate in the 21st Annual USA Football Bowl in Jackson, MS from January 16 to January 20, 2015.
For the complete list of All-Americans, go to http://www.usacollegefootball.org/14NAIAFBAA.htm
Turnovers Hurt Statesmen in Shootout Loss to Olivet Nazarene
Wisconsin Dells, Wis.–Janay Pritchett (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Biology) and Alyssa Phillips (So., Gurnee, Ill., Communications) both had big games, but it was not enough to lift William Penn past run-and-gun Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) in the opener of the Wisconsin Dells Tournament Wednesday.
The Statesmen (5-7) outshot the Tigers (10-4), who are receiving votes nationally and leading the nation in scoring at well over 100 points. Unfortunately, WPU’s 49.4%-39.8% edge could not make up for 29 turnovers.
WPU flew out to a 6-0 lead and was on top for a good chunk of the first period, but ONU closed out on a 15-7 run to lead 62-56 at the break.
The navy and gold remained within striking distance, narrowing the gap to six one final time with 5:58 to go. The Tigers were just too much on both ends, though scoring nine unanswered to cruise to the win. Olivet Nazarene converted William Penn’s mistakes into 35 points.
Pritchett scored 27 points, while Phillips was right behind with a double-double of 26 points and ten rebounds (eight offensive). The sophomore paced the board battle as WPU held a 66-48 mark. Both sides were strong on the offensive glass (29-28 ONU) with the Statesmen owning a 27-24 advantage in second-chance points.
The foes went at each other with differing game plans; the Tigers were 16-for-53 behind the arc, while William Penn tried just seven deep balls. ONU also got to the line frequently (26-for-43), while WPU was 19-for-31 at the charity stripe.
Vanessa Kieres (Jr., Chicago, Ill. Physical Education) was in double figures as well with 17 points, while Jessie Kreuser (Sr., Mendota Heights, Minn., Physical Education) added nine and Briana McRae (So., Racine, Wis., Undecided) finished with six points and two blocks.
“This was a really interesting game,” Head Coach Mike Brown said. “Olivet is a good team and tough to prepare for. It is my hope that we get to see them again in tourney play. Our kids really competed at a high level, but we continue to be plagued by some untimely mental lapses. In the end, we gave up too many three-pointers and had way too many turnovers. We are however making strides in becoming a very competitive team.”
“Vanessa was on point all day with big-effort plays as was Katie,” Brown added. “Jessie, Briana, and Alyssa are really coming along as well. Janay really made some good plays against constant harassment.”
Next Up: William Penn concludes the Wisconsin Dells Tournament Thursday by facing Ashford at 3:30 p.m.
