William Penn Athletics News–November 22
Wilson’s Double-Double Gets Statesmen to .500
Sterling, Kan.–Marc Wilson (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif.) tallied his second double-double in his short William Penn men’s basketball career to guide the Statesmen over Tabor (Kan.) 92-84 at the Sterling Classic Friday.
Wilson, who was 11-for-19 from the field (3-for-5 3-PT, 9-for-12 FT), scored 34 points with ten rebounds and three assists as WPU (4-4) got even on the year after an 0-4 start. All of this occurred in spite of the Statesmen traveling through icy roads to get to the Jayhawk State, playing without one of their starters, and then dealing with some uniform confusion (more on that later).
The navy and gold scored the day’s first ten points and led the entire first half, up 43-36 at intermission.
Tabor (3-2) rallied to capture its first lead at 47-46. The Bluejays kept the Statesmen in the proverbial red for a bit longer before WPU regained the edge at 61-59 and held it until the 7:34 mark. That is when TC went back up for just seconds at 76-75.
The rest of the contest belonged to William Penn 44.8%-41.0%, including a 16-12 margin in three-pointers made. A 47-34 rebounding advantage led to a 10-4 mark in second-chance points.
Kelly Madison (Jr., Des Moines, Iowa, Physical Education), with 12 points, and Tyler Stahle (So., Bountiful, Utah, Business Management), with ten, also reached double figures. Madison stole a team-high two passes as well.
Roberts Baltruns (So., Riga, Latvia, Business Management) managed nine points, while Logan Alexander (So., Eddyville, Iowa, Undecided) and Mike Aldeman (Jr., Iowa City, Iowa, Education) added six points apiece. Aldeman dished out four assists as well.
The Statesmen were without the services of Kevin Fay (Sr., Hennepin, Ill., Education), who stayed back in Oskaloosa to attend to academic requirements.
Back to the uniform issue: Head Coach John Henry and his staff had the understanding that their team was wearing its white ‘home’ jerseys. When the Statesmen reached the gym, though, they were informed that was not the case. Unfortunately, it was too late to go back to the hotel and get their navy ‘away’ jerseys. Fortunately, host Sterling volunteered their dark tops to a very gracious WPU squad.
“With a player missing, traveling through icy roads, and having a uniform issue, we are thrilled with winning this game,” Henry said. “The guys adapted very well to the situation and I am very proud of them.”
Next: William Penn meets host Sterling Saturday at 8 p.m. to cap the Classic.
William Penn Falls to Northwood (Mich.) in Exhibition
Quincy, Ill.–The Statesmen women’s basketball team nearly overcame playing without its best player as it fell short in a bid to take down NCAA Division II Northwood (Mich.) in an exhibition contest at the Quincy Tournament Friday.
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Hitting the court without leading scorer Janay Pritchett (Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Biology & Sociology) who was out with an injury, William Penn (3-4) actually outshot Northwood (2-1) 44.6%-41.7%, but still fell 95-86.
Unfortunately, deficits in turnovers and rebounds were overwhelming. WPU committed just 15 turnovers, but those mistakes were turned into 22 NU points. A 50-43 glass edge for the D-2 program was converted into a 34-16 mark in second-chance points.
The Statesmen made four more three-pointers (8-4), but were -11 in free throws (31-20).
Dani Stahle (Sr., South Weber, Utah, History/Government & Psychology) scored from all over, going 8-for-14 from the floor (2-for-4 3-PT, 6-for-8 FT) to tally a game-high 24 points. She was also one of three WPU players with three assists.
Jessie Kreuser (Jr., Mendota Heights, Minn., Physical Education) was equally, if not more, impressive with a double-double of 19 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. She also blocked four shots and stole a pair of passes.
Lauren McKinnis (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Sociology) managed 13 points off the bench, and Megan Evangelista (Sr., Chanhassen, Minn., Biology) poured in another 11. Brittany May (Sr., Gladstone, Ore., Biology) and Katie Golomski (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis., Psychology & Sociology) each notched nine points in the non-counting matchup.
“This was one heck of a game,” Head Coach Mike Brown said. “We played really hard and competed all night. Jessie has been fabulous as of late and tonight was another example of that. Dani was a bear in the second half. We had a chance late, but messed up on a routine play and it got away from us. I truly believe these D-2 games are making us much better.”
Next: William Penn meets Benedictine-Springfield (Ill.) Saturday at 2 p.m. to cap the tournament.
Wichelt Named Scholar-Athlete
Oskaloosa–Deane Wichelt (Jr., Durant, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) was honored for his excellence in the classroom as he was named a 2013 Daktronics-NAIA Men’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Friday.
Wichelt, who owns a 3.98 Grade Point Average, was one of 224 men’s cross country runners from within the NAIA to be 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.
Sisters Garner Scholar-Athlete Recognition
Oskaloosa–Two members of this fall’s WPU women’s harrier squad were honored for their excellence in the classroom as they were named 2013 Daktronics-NAIA Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athletes Friday.
Sisters Rosemary Bailey (Sr., Fayetteville, Ark., Communications) and Corrie Bailey (Sr., Fayetteville, Ark., Communication) were among a list of 295 women’s cross country runners from within the NAIA to be awarded the laurel.
Rosemary owns a 3.70 Grade Point Average, while Corrie has a 3.55 GPA.
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.
