EASTERN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS POINTS OF PRIDE May 3, 2015 Football Head Coach: Chris Creighton General • Teamwork. Focus. Execution. Those words are certainly attributes that help guide the Eastern Michigan University football coaching staff on the field, however, they took on a new meaning Thursday, April 30. The staff departed from its usual home inside "The Factory" at Rynearson Stadium and headed to Ford Lake for a morning on the water with the EMU women's rowing team. • The staff, which was split up into offensive and defensive teams, were briefed on the fundamentals of how to row before climbing into the eight-­‐man shells with some guidance from a coxswain from the rowing squad. The coaching staff practiced the art of sweeping or rowing with one 12-­‐foot-­‐long oar on one side of the boat. • After a few test runs on the lake, the challenge was laid down and the "Battle for the Staff Room" was on with the winning team gaining control of the team's staff meeting room in the Convocation Center. In the end, the offensive coaching staff prevailed in the race but it was not without a strong fight from the defensive side of the football. • Despite not hearing their names called in the National Football League's Draft, a pair of Eastern Michigan University football players earned professional football opportunities with invitations to Detroit Lions rookie mini-­‐camp. Tight end Tyreese Russell and quarterback Rob Bolden were each contacted following the draft and invited to come to the team's practice facilities next week in Allen Park, Mich. Baseball (18-­‐28, 8-­‐13 MAC) Head Coach: Mark Van Ameyde • The Eastern Michigan University baseball team traveled to East Lansing looking for its second-­‐straight victory over Michigan State University Wednesday afternoon, April 29, at McLane Baseball Stadium. However, the Spartans (27-­‐17) used six-­‐run and five-­‐run innings to pull away from the Eagles (17-­‐27) by a final score of 13-­‐4 and win their eighth game in the last nine. • Eastern collected eight hits in the contest, led by three-­‐hit performances from Jordan Peterson and John Rubino. Rubino's first inning single extended the senior's hitting streak to 12 straight games while also extending his reached base streak to 19 games. The three hits give Rubino 13 multiple hit games this season which is a team-­‐high. Michael Mioduszewski and Adam Dennison reached base via a base knock as well for the Eagles. Junior Mitchell McGeein did not record a hit, but extended his reached base streak to 19 games while also recording his team-­‐best 31st RBI. • Freshman Brent Mattson was saddled with the loss in his fourth start of the season. Mattson (1-­‐2) gave up seven runs on eight hits in just 2.1 innings pitched. Michael Marsinek and Austin Wilson each had scoreless appearances out of the bullpen for the Eagles and Head Coach Mark Van Ameyde, who returned to East Lansing for the first time since departing MSU to become the bench-­‐boss at EMU last summer. Freshman lefty Keegan Baar recorded his first collegiate victory for the Spartans. Baar (1-­‐0) did not allow a run on five hits in six innings while recording three strikeouts. • In its third extra-­‐inning contest of the season, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team plated a pair of unearned runs in the top of the 11th inning to beat Miami University, 3-­‐1, in the series opener Friday evening, May 1, at McKie Field at Hayden Park. The Eagles' (18-­‐27, 8-­‐11 MAC) extra-­‐inning victory snaps a seven-­‐game losing streak to the RedHawks (9-­‐34, 7-­‐12 MAC). • The Eagles collected six hits in the game, led by two-­‐hit performances from John Rubino and John Montgomery. Rubino extended his hitting streak to a career-­‐best 13 games and also reached base for the 20th consecutive game. Michael Mioduszewski and Tony DiLeo also reached base via a base knock for the Green and White. Montgomery recorded the lone Eagle RBI in the contest. Matt Honchel and Adam Yacek each went 2-­‐for-­‐5 to lead the RedHawks offense. EASTERN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS POINTS OF PRIDE May 3, 2015 •
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Senior Charlie Land was solid on the hill for the second consecutive game. Following his first career complete game last weekend, Land took a no decision in the contest after tossing six scoreless innings allowing just three hits and striking out two. Sophomore Sam Delaplane picked up the victory in relief for the Eagles. Delaplane (5-­‐2) allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts while pitching a career-­‐high five innings out of the bullpen. Will Schierholz (1-­‐3) was saddled with the loss for Miami. The Eastern Michigan University baseball team dropped a 17-­‐6 decision to Miami University in game two of the three-­‐game weekend MAC series Saturday, May 2, at McKie Field at Hayden Park. The RedHawks (10-­‐34, 8-­‐12 MAC) recorded season-­‐highs in both runs and hits to set up a rubber match against the Eagles (18-­‐28, 8-­‐
12 MAC) tomorrow afternoon. Eastern Michigan scored six runs on eight hits, led by two-­‐hit performances from Jordan Peterson, John Montgomery, and Austin Wilson. Peterson matched a season-­‐high with three RBI while David Lett finished 1-­‐
for-­‐3 with a pair of runs driven in for the Eagles. Wilson and Adam Dennison each scored two runs in the contest. Matt Honchel and Scott Slappey combined to drive in nine runs for the RedHawks while Jake Romano scored five times. Senior Ryan Lavoie took the loss on the mound for the Green and White. Lavoie (2-­‐5) lasted just 1.0+ innings, allowing five runs on six hits. Jacob Banks collected the victory for the RedHawks. Banks (3-­‐7) allowed four runs on four hits in 6.1 innings pitched while recording one strikeout. The Eastern Michigan University baseball team dropped a second-­‐straight decision to Miami University in the Mid-­‐American Conference series finale Sunday, May 3, by a final score of 13-­‐5 at McKie Field at Hayden Park. The loss drops the Eagles to 18-­‐29 overall and 8-­‐13 in MAC play while the victory improves the RedHawks to 11-­‐34 overall and 9-­‐12 in conference action this season. Eastern Michigan scored five runs on nine hits, led by a three-­‐hit performance from John Rubino. Rubino extended his reached base streak to 22-­‐games while also scoring twice and stealing four bases in the contest. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native now has 31 stolen bases this season which puts him just one behind the all-­‐time record of 32 stolen bases in a season which was set by Kyle Rhoad during the 2009 season. Jordan Peterson (2-­‐
for-­‐5), Mitchell McGeein (2-­‐for-­‐4), and Adam Dennison (2-­‐for-­‐4) also recorded multiple hits games for the Eagles. Peterson scored two runs and also drove in a run as well. Matt Honchel paced the RedHawks offense, going 4-­‐for-­‐5 at the plate with five RBI. Senior Jake Andrews was saddled with the loss on the mound for the Green and White. Andrews (2-­‐5) gave up five runs on just two hits while striking out four in 2.1 innings pitched. Matthew Beaton tossed a scoreless three innings with two strikeouts out of the bullpen for Head Coach Mark Van Ameyde and the Eagles. Ryan Powers was credited with the victory for the RedHawks. Powers (5-­‐7) went seven innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits with eight strikeouts. Men’s Golf (2-­‐0, 0-­‐0 MAC) Head Coach: Bruce Cunningham • Despite firing a final round 290, the Eastern Michigan University men's golf team could only move up one spot on the final day of the 2015 Mid-­‐American Conference Championship to finish in third-­‐place with a 72-­‐hole cumulative score of 1,174 (290-­‐294-­‐300-­‐290). Miami University captured its league title since 1996, finishing at eight-­‐over par 1,160 (287-­‐289-­‐294-­‐290) on the par 72, 7,245 yard Mayfield Sand Ridge Club – Sand Ridge course. • The showing was the best by Head Coach Bruce Cunningham's crew since 2011-­‐12 when the squad finished as the runner-­‐up. Additionally, it marked the ninth time in the last 11 years that EMU had recorded a top-­‐three league showing, a streak only equaled by Kent State University over that same time frame. • Freshman Nicholas Ross finished in a tie for eighth-­‐place with a three-­‐day total of 290 (71-­‐74-­‐77-­‐68) after equaling his career-­‐low with a four-­‐under 68. The tally was tied with Bowling Green State University's Joe Cooper for the lowest of the day. Coincidentally, Ross' finish is the best by an EMU freshman since his brother, Christopher Ross, tied for seventh with a 282 (74-­‐74-­‐70-­‐74) at the 2006 MAC Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. EASTERN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS POINTS OF PRIDE May 3, 2015 •
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Ball State's Johnny Watts claimed individual medalist honors with a one-­‐over 287 (76-­‐71-­‐67-­‐73) earning him a two shot victory over Kent State's Ian Holt and Miami's Scott Cahill. Senior Michael Blair placed 10th with a 291 (72-­‐74-­‐73-­‐72). The finish was Blair's third career top-­‐10 showing and the ninth by an Eagle this season. Sunday's round of 290 was a culmination of a convincing week which saw Miami win for the first time in 19 years. The RedHawks were followed by Toledo (1,168), Eastern Michigan (1,174) and Northern Illinois (1,179). While Kent State (1,187), Bowling Green (1,188), Ball State (1,189), Ohio (1,194) and Akron (1,201) rounded out the team standings. For the tournament, three of the five Eagles ranked in the top 15, including junior Brett White who finished 16th with a 295 (73-­‐71-­‐76-­‐75). Sophomore Kyle Rodes and junior Jared Multer rounded out the lineup in 29th and 31st place, respectively. Cunningham and the rest of the Eagles will now await the announcement of the teams that will participate in the six NCAA regional championships, May 15-­‐17. The 2015 regional sites are: Sagamore Club in Noblesville, Ind. (Ball State), UNC's Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, N.C. (UNC), the Farms Golf Club in San Diego, Calif. (UC San Diego), the Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas (Texas Tech), the Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash. (Washington) and the The Course at Yale (Yale). Women’s Golf Head Coach: Sandy Wagner • Eastern Michigan University women's golfer Essence Biggs will participate in next week's PGA Minority Golf Collegiate Championship held Friday-­‐Sunday, May 8-­‐10, at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. • Celebrating its 29th year, the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship originated in November 1986 and has elevated golf in minority colleges and universities by providing opportunities to more players to compete in a national championship. • Contestants must be students of a university or college, and who have met all the academic requirements of their respective institution governing participation in intercollegiate athletics. • Biggs redshirted in her first season at EMU after transferring from Seminole State College. Last year, the Beverly Hills, Mich. native finished seventh in the 2014 NJCAA National Championship at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. Rowing Head Coach: Kemp Savage • The Eagles will take a two-­‐week break before heading to the Colonial Athletic Association championships, May 17. Softball (15-­‐29, 4-­‐11 MAC) Head Coach: Melissa Gentile • The Eastern Michigan University softball team split its final non-­‐conference games of the 2015 season against the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland University Wednesday, April 29. The Eagles (16-­‐30) fell in a six-­‐inning mercy in game two before coming back to defeat the Horizon League leaders 4-­‐2 in game two. • Junior Abi Clark and sophomore Michelle Kriegshauser paced the Eagle offense with three hits apiece on the day, while Abby Davidson went 2-­‐for-­‐3 at the plate in game two. Kriegshauser brought in two of the Green and White’s four runs in game two and Brandice Olmos drove in the final run on a single through the right side of the field. Senior Lindsay Rich (9-­‐19) suffered the loss in game two, while Alyssa Huntley (4-­‐1) roared back to pitch a complete game victory for EMU in game two. • Sarah Harley an Courtnee Johnson each had three hits in game one with Johnson drving in four of the Golden Grizzlies’ eight runs. In game two, Marina Salinas and Jackie Kisman had two hits apiece for OU. • The Eastern Michigan University softball team used its second comeback win of the 2015 season to split with the Falcons of Bowling Green State University Friday, May 1. EASTERN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS POINTS OF PRIDE May 3, 2015 •
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The Eagles (17-­‐31, 5-­‐12 MAC) posted their most wins since the 2012 season, keeping their playoff hopes alive with its 4-­‐3 seventh inning win over Bowling Green (19-­‐27, 7-­‐13 MAC). The loss marked BGSU’s first seventh inning loss of the season as an Aoife Duffy fielder’s choice to second base brought in the winning runs for the Green and White. Michelle Kriegshauser, who had two multi-­‐hit games, led EMU, totaling five hits on the afternoon, while both Abi Clark and Abby Davidson posted two hits in game two for the Green and White. In the circle Alyssa Huntley suffered the loss in game one, making her second start in as many games, while Lindsay Rich picked up her 10th win of the season in the circle, pitching all seven innings with five hits an three strikeouts. For the Falcons, Aspen Searle notched three hits and five RBI on the afternoon, while Bowling Green totaled three home runs the 8-­‐2 game one victory. Eastern saw three pitchers in both games with Jamie Kertes earning both decisions after starting game one and closing game two. The Eastern Michigan University softball team dropped a single Mid-­‐American Conference game to the Rockets of the University of Toledo Saturday, May 2. With an 11-­‐run seventh inning from Toledo, the Eagles hopes of a conference tournament appearance were dashed, falling in an 18-­‐8 decision to UT. EMU (17-­‐32, 6-­‐13 MAC) broke the single season home runs record with Katy Wyman and Jenn Lucas blasting one apiece to tally the 39th and 40th homers of the 2015 campaign for the Green and White. Wyman laced a home run over the left field fence, while Lucas drove a three-­‐run round-­‐tripper in the bottom of the fifth inning. Along with the two home runs, Abi Clark and Lindsay Rich each had two hits on the day for the Eagles and drove in one run apiece. In the circle, Rich (10-­‐20) suffered the loss after tossing 4.1 innings of relief for Eastern Michigan The Eastern Michigan University softball team concluded its 2015 season with a victory over the University of Toledo, 3-­‐2, in a Mid-­‐American Conference Senior Day contest Sunday, May 3. The contest not only marked the end of the collegiate careers for Jenn Lucas and Lindsay Rich but also broke the all-­‐time attendance record at Varsity Field. The Eagles (18-­‐32, 6-­‐13) were paced by junior Abby Davidson, who went 3-­‐for-­‐3 at the dish, while Michelle Kriegshauser 2-­‐for-­‐3 at the plate with one RBI. In the circle, Rich pitched a complete game, giving up just six hits and two runs. The Rockets (24-­‐32, 7-­‐15) were led by Jessica Lemieux and Nichole Toven, who each notched two hits on the day, while Lemieux brought in one run for the Midnight Blue and Gold. Emily Anderson suffered the loss for UT, pitching six innings and giving up seven hits. The Eagles finished their season with an 18-­‐32 overall record and a 6-­‐13 MAC record, while breaking the Eastern Michigan single season home runs record with 41 round-­‐trippers on the season. Furthermore, the Green and White ranks second all-­‐time with 366 hits and fourth with 181 RBI. Men’s Track and Field Head Coach: John Goodridge • Eastern Michigan University's men's track and field team had a strong day in the opening portion of the Jesse Owens Track Classic, May 1, claiming three winning finishes throughout six events. • The first win of the day came on the field, when Travis Harris won the shot put by more than a foot with a throw of 17.06 meters/55 feet 11.75-­‐inches. • Also placing on the field for the day was Solomon Ijah, who took third in the javelin throw with a mark of 59.27 meters/194 feet 5-­‐inches, and was one of just six athletes to hit the qualifying mark to advance to the finals. • Eastern quickly picked up another victory in the opening event of the track session, with Nick Raymond winning his collegiate outdoor debut in the 5000m run in 14:41.75. Raymond kept pace with the lead pack throughout the entirety of the collegiate section, pulling into the top-­‐three in the final kilometer before making a push for his first ever EMU career win in the last lap. • The Eagles also had a thrilling race in the showcase section of the 5000m run. Warren Witchell claimed the victory thanks to a powerful burst down the back stretch to win in 14:21.86, while Hlynur Andresson claimed third in 14:24.25 and Dixon finished 11th in 15:25.13. EASTERN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS POINTS OF PRIDE May 3, 2015 •
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Eastern Michigan University's men's track and field team finished up the Jesse Owens Track Classic with an Eagle finishing in the top-­‐10 in every track event and most every field event Saturday, May 2. The first completed event for the Green and White was the 4x100m relay, in which the quartet of Kevin Snead, Cameron Bolton, Brandon Bolden and Tyler Brown took second behind home crowd favorite Ohio State in 40.32 seconds, trailing the Buckeyes by 11 hundredths of a second. The first three legs also competed in the 100m dash, in which Snead paced the Eagles with a fourth-­‐place finish in 10.66 seconds, followed by Bolton in 10.79 seconds for ninth and Bolden in 10th after crossing the line in 10.70. The highest individual finishes for the day came by way of the 400m hurdles, 800m, and long jump. In the 400m hurdles, Jeff Elam finished just three hundredths of a second off his career best, clocking a conference-­‐topping 51.71 to take runner-­‐up, while Mark Cooke ran the second sub-­‐55 of his EMU career and took fifth in 54.60 seconds and Bryce Lindsey claimed ninth in 55.72 seconds. Lindsey also competed in his specialty, nabbing another ninth-­‐place finish in the 110m hurdles in 14.67 seconds, paced by Solomon Ijah in 14.64 seconds for eighth. In the remaining field events, the pair of Ryan Brumfield and James O'Shea had matching marks of 2.01 meters/6 feet 7-­‐inches in the high jump. Brumfield snagged a fourth-­‐place finish on number of attempts, while O'Shea finished seventh in the event. A pair of Eagles also competed in the pole vault, led by Levi Selvig’s personal-­‐best clearance of 4.75 meters/15 feet 7-­‐inches, marking the first time the senior had surpassed 15 feet outdoors. The final event of the day saw the Eagles take second behind Ohio State once more, battling off Mid-­‐American Conference foe Central Michigan to claim a tight runner-­‐up finish in the 4x400m relay. Bolton, Wyanes, Brown, and Ervin teamed up for the event, with Ervin holding off the Chippewas by a slim .13 seconds to cross the line in 3:08.33. With the 2015 MAC Outdoor Championships less than a fortnight away, the Eagles will have just one more competition before taking on the conference en masse. Eastern will make the short trip to the Glass City Friday, May 8, for the Toledo Invitational in Toledo, Ohio. Women’s Track and Field Head Coach: Sue Parks • Eastern Michigan University's women's track and field team completed its first day of the Jesse Owens Track Classic, May 1, with three events held on Friday. • The final event of the day was the 1500m run, in which Victoria Voronko claimed third behind a pair of Big Ten competitors in a season-­‐best 4:22.29. • Eastern Michigan University's women's track and field team completed it final two-­‐day meet before it takes on the Mid-­‐American Conference, finishing up the Jesse Owens Track Classic, May 2. • The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the thrilling win in the high jump by Kate Wolanin, who took the title at the Jesse Owens Classic for the second consecutive year. Saturday's matchup pitted Wolanin against reigning MAC champion Dior Delophont of Kent State. Not only did Wolanin get the best of Delophont, but she set a personal record of 1.83 meters/6 feet to become just the second Eagle in program history to clear the six-­‐foot barrier and moved up to ninth in the NCAA East Region in the event. With the victory secured, Wolanin tried her hand at breaking Ellie Hayden's 33-­‐year-­‐old record of 1.85 meters/6 feet 1-­‐inch, but fell just short despite coming close to setting a new varsity standard. • Another top-­‐three finish came on the field courtesy of Natalie Uy who set a personal record of 4.05 meters/13 feet 5.50-­‐inches to claim third while Ellie Braidic notched a fourth-­‐place finish after vaulting 3.95 meters/12 feet 11.50-­‐inches. With her improvement, Uy's mark ties for the fourth-­‐highest pole vault in EMU laurels. • Eastern also saw success in the sprints, with Aaliyah McKinney, Danielle Clark and Jasmine Jones doubling up in the 100m and 200m. McKinney had her strongest finish of the day in the 100m dash, taking third in 12.12 seconds while Jones and Clark crossed the line in 12.44 and 12.57 seconds, respectively. Clark went on to lead the trio in the 200m dash, taking fifth in 24.43 seconds while Jones dipped below the 25-­‐second barrier for the first time as an Eagle, claiming eighth in 24.60 seconds. EASTERN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS POINTS OF PRIDE May 3, 2015 •
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One final individual top-­‐10 finish was recorded on the track after Maya Carter continues to edge her way closer to the one-­‐minute mark in the 400m hurdles. Carter set a personal record of 1:01.37 after breaking 1:02.00 last weekend, finishing eighth overall. The remainder of the field events saw a pair of sixth-­‐place finishes awarded to the Green and White. In the hammer throw championship, Helga Volgyi threw 56.57 meters/185 feet 7-­‐inches to finish sixth. Dace Dreimane took sixth with a mark of 5.82 meters/19 feet 1.25-­‐inches in the long jump. With the 2015 MAC Outdoor Championships less than a fortnight away, the Eagles will have just one more competition before taking on the conference en masse. Eastern will make the short trip to the Glass City Friday, May 8, for the Toledo Invitational in Toledo, Ohio. Wrestling Head Coach: David Bolyard • The Mid-­‐American Conference announced Thursday, April 30, that seven members of the Eastern Michigan University wrestling team have been named to the Academic All-­‐MAC team. The Eagles tied with Missouri in number of selections to lead the conference, followed by Ohio and Old Dominion, who each had five members, Central Michigan and Kent State, who each had four, Northern Iowa (2) and Buffalo (1). • The Academic All-­‐MAC honor is for a student-­‐athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-­‐athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. • The seven Eagles that earned the accolade included: Nicholas Barber, Blake Caudill, Mike Curby, Austin Geerlings, Vincent Pizzuto, Michael Shaw, and Brandon Zeerip. Eastern Michigan Upcoming Schedule Tuesday, May 5 Baseball at Oakland Rochester, Mich. 3 p.m. Friday, May 8 Baseball vs. Ohio Oestrike Stadium 6 p.m. Men’s Track and Field at Toledo Invitational Toledo, Ohio All Day Women’s Track and Field at Toledo Invitational Toledo, Ohio All Day Saturday, May 9 Baseball vs. Ohio Oestrike Stadium 3 p.m. Sunday, May 10 Baseball vs. Ohio Oestrike Stadium 1 p.m. ### EMUEagles.com ###