march 2015 - rambler report

ramblers head to the arch

ramblers enter arch madness with sixth seed, first round bye

march 2015

inside:

a day in the life of joe crisman

men’s volleyball extends winning streak to 40

loyola athletics monthly recaps

photo by sid hastings

Coffeyville ConnectionMontel James helps fellow Coffeyville

Community College transfer Earl Peterson to his feet after a driving layup against Southern Illinois. Montel James was named to the MVC All-Newcomer

Team this week, while Peterson has averaged 8.1 points per game.

NCAA Rematch is no matchThe Penn State men’s volleyball team returned to Gentile Arena for the first time since falling to the Ramblers 3-2 in the NCAA semifinals a year ago. Loyola defeated the Nittany Lions 25-16, 25-19, 20-25, 25-19, giving the Ramblers a season sweep of Penn State.

Ramblers persevere, earn sixth seed at arch madnessAfter a tough month of January that featured the loss of leading scorer Milton Doyle and a five-game losing streak, Loyola bounced back in a big way in February by going 5-3 and picking up steam heading into Arch Madness. No win was bigger, perhaps, than an 80-75 overtime triumph at Drake that clinched a sixth-place finish in the league and the all-important bye at the conference tournament.

A key for the Ramblers was senior Christian Thomas returning to form after missing time early in the month due to a concussion. Thomas was named the Missouri Valley Conference’s Player of the Week with a 20-point, 8-rebound performance in the pivotal Drake game followed by a 21-point, 12-rebound effort against Missouri State, his 11th double-double of his career. Thomas enters postseason play at 21st on Loyola’s all-time scoring chart.

A silver lining of the Doyle injury has been the emergence and development of Loyola’s new guards – freshman Ben Richardson and junior college transfer Earl Peterson. Peterson averaged 11.4 points per game in the last seven games of Doyle’s absence, while Richardson posted a 7.5 average during that stretch. Loyola’s increased backcourt depth has been a main contributor to the program’s turnaround this season. The Ramblers have also proven – with or without Doyle – they are a stout defensive team. Loyola is allowing only 60.5 points per game, which is third-best in the conference behind only Wichita State and Northern Iowa.

With an 18-12 regular season, the Ramblers posted the program’s highest win total since 2006-07 and just its sixth winning season since advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1985. In a year when it was picked to finish last in the preseason conference poll, Loyola posted an 8-10 conference record,

doubling its conference win total in just its second year in the Valley.

With the regular season complete, attention is now turned to the conference tournament in St. Louis. Beginning with the No. 3 seed Indiana State on Friday night, the Ramblers will need to go through the top three teams in the league in three straight days to claim a championship, assuming the seeds hold true. Loyola did not fare well against the top of the conference during the year, dropping all eight decisions against the top four teams. The Ramblers were able to take care of the rest of the league at an 8-2 clip.

Giving Loyola a boost in St. Louis will be the probable return of sophomore Milton Doyle to the lineup. Doyle missed 11 games due to a foot injury, a stretch when the Ramblers went only 4-7. The guard returned to action in the second half of the regular season finale against Missouri State and posted six points, four assists, three steals and a couple of rebounds in just nine minutes of play. His return sparked the Ramblers on an 11-1 run and turned a tight game into a 65-51 victory over the Bears.

The Ramblers made a splash at its first Arch Madness tournament last year with Doyle’s buzzer-beating shot to upset Bradley in the opening round. Fortunately for this year’s squad, it can rest and relax Thursday night with a bye to the tournament’s quarterfinals. Loyola opens the tournament Friday night at 8:30pm against Indiana State.

Men’s BasketBall Updates

Rambler Report • March 2015 •

Junior Peter HutzMen’s Indoor Track & Field team at the MVC Senior Christian Thomas

Junior Earl Peterson

put a ring on itMen’s BasketBall Updates

Thomas, James honored with missouri valley awardsLoyola’s frontcourt tandem of Christian Thomas and Montel James were both honored as the Missouri Valley announced its postseason awards this week. Thomas earned Honorable Mention All-MVC while James secured a spot on the MVC All-Newcomer Team. UNI’s Seth Tuttle earned the Larry Bird Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.

A stalwart in the Loyola lineup for four seasons, Thomas put together another solid campaign this season, leading the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) and tying for the team lead, with James, in rebounding (4.4 rpg) while shooting 55% from the floor. It was a season of personal milestones for Thomas, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark in November and enters Arch Madness as one of 11 players in school history to post 1,200 career points and 600 career rebounds. He has been playing some of his best

basketball down the stretch, earning MVC Player of the Week honors this week after putting up 20.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg in two Loyola wins last week.

James has proven to be a compatible partner up front and he earns the all-newcomer honor after a season in which he has averaged 9.0 ppg and 4.4 rpg on 53% field goal shooting through 29 games. One of two newcomers from Coffeyville Community College to make an immediate impact with the Ramblers this season, James overcame an ankle injury early in the Valley season to post seven double-digit scoring games in league play. He touched Illinois State for a season-high 22 points (10-15 FGs) and added 19 points and eight rebounds in a home win over Southern Illinois.


Junior Montel James

scoUting arch Madness


Wichita State (27-3, 17-1)After completing an unblemished 30-0 regular season a year ago, the 2014-15 campaign was slightly tougher sledding for the defending Missouri Valley champions - but not by much. The Shockers lone conference setback

was at Northern Iowa, a loss they would avenge in the final game of the season by beating the Panthers 74-60 to claim their second consecutive conference title. Wichita State is again led by strong guard play. Juniors Ron Baker, an Oscar Robertson award finalist, and

Fred Van Vleet lead the team in scoring at 15.2 and 12.5 points per game respectively. Van Vleet is the league’s most efficient guard with a conference-best 161 assists and a 3.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Results vs. Loyola:January 11 @Loyola, W 67-53January 28 @Wichita State, W 58-47

Northern Iowa (27-3, 16-2)The Panthers gave Wichita State company this year at the top of Missouri Valley standings, splitting the season series with the Shockers, but dropping an early season game at Evansville giving them the second seed at Arch Madness. Northern Iowa’s story starts with senior Seth Tuttle, who is averaging 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds a game and was named the Larry Bird Player of the Year in the conference this week. The Panthers have used the same starting lineup in all 30 games this season and are an extremely balanced and efficient team, leading the conference in field goal percentage. Northern Iowa is also the best defensive team in the conference, allowing only 54.6 points per game.

Results vs. Loyola:January 4 @UNI, W 67-58February 18 @Loyola, W 58-39

Indiana State (15-15, 11-7)It has been a tale of two seasons for Indiana State. After entering conference play with a disappointing 4-8 record, the Sycamores turned things around with an 11-7 ledger in the Valley and claimed the third seed at Arch Madness. Indiana State, the opening round foe for the Ramblers, features three players who average double-digits in scoring - juniors Khristian Smith (10.3 ppg) and Devonte Brown (12.3 ppg) and freshman Brenton Scott (11.6 ppg), who was named the MVC’s Freshman of the Year this week. The Sycamores are fourth in the conference in scoring offense, but tied with Drake for the worst scoring defense in the league.

Results vs. Loyola:January 24 @Indiana State, W 72-61February 7 @Loyola, W 79-65

Illinois State (19-11, 11-7)Consistency has been elusive for Illinois State this season, having battled multiple injuries throughout the year and never winning more than three games in a row until a four-game win streak to close the regular season. The Redbirds are led by senior guard Daishon Knight, who averages 13.9

points per game and is the only player to start all 30 contests for Illinois State. Newcomer DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell has been a spark plug for the Redbirds this year, averaging 13 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Results vs. Loyola:January 31 @Loyola, W 48-45February 21 @Illinois State, W 67-60

scoUting arch Madness


Evansville (19-11, 9-9)Evansville is a dangerous team in tournament play because it features two of the league’s top-10 scorers in juniors DJ Balentine and Egidiju Mockevicius. Balentine is the conference’s leading scorer at 19 points a game, while Mockevicius is ninth in the league in scoring at 12 points a game and nearly averages a double-double with a 9.9 rebound average. The Purple Aces are the second-highest scoring team in the conference at 69.4 points per contest.

Results vs. LoyolaJanuary 7 @Evansville, L 70-71January 21 @Loyola, W 65-56

Drake (9-21, 6-12)The Bulldogs showed steady improvement throughout a rebuilding season under second-year coach Ray

Giacolletti. At one point this season, Drake was 3-14 and winless in the conference before turning its fortunes around after an 84-78 victory over Indiana State and finishing the season with a respectable 6-7 record. Drake is dangerous behind the arc, shooting a league-best 41 percent from long-range. Freshman Reed

Timmer (11.6) and senior Gary Ricks (10.9) lead the Bulldogs in scoring.

Results vs. LoyolaJanuary 14 @Loyola, L 47-50February 25 @Drake, L 75-80 (OT)

Missouri State (11-19, 5-13)The Bears entered the season picked to finish third in the MVC preseason poll but did their season did not live up to those expectations. Missouri State struggled to find its way offensively, especially after the dismissal of leading scorer Marcus Marshall (19.5 ppg) in the middle of the season. No other Missouri

State player averages in double-digits. Junior forward Camyn Boone (8.6 ppg) and sophomore three-point specialist Austin Ruder (8.2 ppg) are the top threats for the Bears.

Results vs. LoyolaFebruary 4 @Missouri State, L 50-53February 28 @Loyola, L 51-65

Southern Illinois (11-20, 4-14)The Salukis, who have lost nine of their last 11, are a young team that features a starting lineup of two juniors, a pair of sophomores, and a freshman. Southern Illinois is led by junior

guard and prolific scorer Anthony Beane, the second-leading scorer in the conference at 16.5 points per game. Forward Jordan Caroline has had an impressive freshman campaign, averaging 9.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Results vs. LoyolaJanuary 18 @SIU, W 59-52February 11 @Loyola, L 62-66

Bradley (8-23, 3-15)The 2014-15 season was a struggle for Bradley, especially in games away from Peoria, where the Braves won only once in 15 tries. Bradley sits at the bottom of the conference in most offensive categories, but it is stingy on the defensive end of the floor, allowing only 61.5 points per game. The Braves are led by a pair of juniors in Warren Jones and Tramique Sutherland, who average 12.6 and 11.8 points per game respectively.

Results vs. LoyolaDecember 31 @Loyola, L 49-64February 15 @Bradley, L 53-58

stUdent-athlete spotlight


A Day In The Life:Joe CrismanBy Anna Gaynor

Not many students are as busy as Loyola senior Joe Crisman.

He’s a member of the Maroon and Gold Society, he’s the financial chairman for the Green Initiative Fund at the Institute of Environmental Sustainability, and he’s a standout student at the Quinlan School of Business, where he’s maintained a 3.65 GPA as a finance major. He even spent last summer as a neuro-oncology research intern at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

And he’s managed all of this while being a key member of the Loyola basketball team for the past four years. But it hasn’t come easy.

“Thursday nights in college, everyone’s heading out or trying to figure out what they’re going to do, and you’re just waving at them as you walk into the library,” Crisman said. “It takes discipline, that time management skill—just knowing that you are in a different boat.”

Crisman, who is debating between medical school and a career in finance after graduation, is proving that the old stereotype of athletes breezing through easy classes doesn’t hold up at Loyola. And he’s not alone on campus.

A Top 20 programThe University has the highest Graduation Success Rate of any school in the Missouri Valley Conference, according to a 2014 report by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The GSR was developed by the NCAA to better assess the academic success and graduation performance of student-athletes. At 96 percent, this year’s score places Loyola tied at No. 16 in the national rankings and 14 percentage points higher than the national average.

“We’re making sure that we’re doing all that we can to set the foundation for success in life for our students,” said Betsi Burns, associate athletics director and assistant dean for academic services. “We are looking at the holistic development of our students and making sure that mind, body, and spirit are being nurtured during their time with us.”

For Crisman, though, it all comes down to discipline. He usually gets up around 8 a.m., then it’s off to classes, the library, the cafeteria, the weight room, the training room, a film session, and then practice—or a game, which can take him as far away as Las Vegas or San Antonio, Texas. But even after that grueling schedule, Crisman’s day is far from over. He’ll often grab a quick bite to eat and then head back to the library to finish studying.

stUdent-athlete spotlight


Built for successHaving the Norville Center for Intercollegiate Athletics on campus is a huge help for Crisman and other Loyola athletes. The complex, which houses the sports medicine and training facilities, is also home to the student-athlete academic center.

“It’s connected to our gym where we practice,” said Crisman, who is a four-time winner of the Missouri Valley Conference’s Scholar Athlete of the Week award. “You take 10 steps, and you’re in your academic center with advisors and with computers in the study area. It’s definitely a very big help. It forces us to stay on top of things. Our advisors are always right there: ‘How’s your class? Did you talk to your professor?’ And everything like that.”

Burns, the associate athletics director, finds that the biggest obstacle facing student-athletes is time. With traveling for games and exhausting practices, students such as Crisman face a lot of emotional and physical demands. So the center makes sure students have access to the right resources by working with professors, advisors, and other Loyola staff.

“Just as we want all of our students to be successful, our student-athletes are representing Loyola, and we want to make sure that we are really valuing and putting into practice those commitments we make as an institution,” Burns said.

Looking backCrisman, who grew up in Munster, Ind., and competed on the prestigious Indiana High School All-Star Team, has been a steady contributor during his career at Loyola. He’s appeared in more than 100 games and has averaged 5.4 points per contest. He’s seen Loyola improve from just seven wins during his freshman season to 18 victories as a senior.

But for Crisman, juggling practice, classes, games, and homework is about to come to an end in a few short weeks as the end of his career approaches. In spite of all the hard work, Crisman has no regrets.

“After going through it for four years, that whole lifestyle—studying, playing basketball—I’d say I’m pretty accustomed to it right now so it’s going to be weird when it’s all over in a few weeks,” he said. “But it’s definitely something that I love and definitely something I wouldn’t change.”

Note: This story first appeared on the front page of Loyola University’s web site. To view the full interview with Crisman, visit www.luc.edu. Photos for this story were provided by Natalie Battaglia.

STUDY

GYM

CLASS

UP

SLEEP

PRA

CTI

CE

HOME

WORK

EAT

EAT

MIDNIGHT

NOON

TUE.THU. 6 AM6PM

SLEEP

UP

HOME

WORK

CLASS

STUDY

EAT

EAT

GYM

PRA

CTI

CE MON.

WED.FRI.

MIDNIGHT

NOON

6 AM6PM

You think your week is busy? Here’s a glimpse at what Rambler basketball player Joe Crisman’s

weekly schedule looks like. During the season, Crisman and his teammates also play about

two games a week against other Division 1 schools.

STUDY, TRAIN, PLAY ... REPEAT

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Men’s VolleyBall Updates

ramblers extend winning streak to 40The beat continues to roll on for the top-ranked Loyola men’s volleyball team, which completed a perfect 6-0 month of February to extend its winning streak to 40 matches, dating back to last year’s national title team. The month included two crucial 3-0 victories over conference foes IPFW and Ball State and a 3-1 triumph over perennial power Penn State.

The Ramblers are currently hitting a blistering .355 as a team, led by its top two attackmen junior Thomas Jaeschke and senior Cody Caldwell. Jaeschke has registered 3.81 kills per set, while Caldwell has posted a 3.32 average. After his performances against IPFW and Ball State, Jaeschke was named MIVA Offensive Player of the Week and AVCA National Player of the Week, the second time in his career he has earned the latter honor. Junior Peter Hutz continues to lead the nation with 11.05 assists per set, while freshman Ben Plaisted earned Freshman of the Week honors after firing 14 kills at a .407 attack percentage in the win over Penn State.

Loyola, the only unbeaten team in the nation, continues to hold the top spot in the AVCA Men’s Volleyball poll. The Ramblers will face perhaps its toughest task yet when they welcome No. 2 Lewis to Gentile Arena on Monday, March 9 before traveling to Columbus, Ohio to battle No. 11 Ohio State later in the week.

Upcoming Schedule:March 9 – vs. Lewis, 7pmMarch 14 - @Ohio State, 6pmMarch 18 – vs. Grand Canyon, 7pmMarch 19 – vs. Grand Canyon, 7pmMarch 26 – vs. IPFW, 7pmMarch 28 - @Ball State, 6:30pm

AVCA National RankingsRank School (First Place Votes) Points Record1 Loyola (16) 267 13-02 Lewis 238 14-13 UC Irvine (1) 232 16-34 BYU (1) 212 13-35 Pepperdine 202 13-26 Hawaii 192 13-37 USC 161 9-48 UC Santa Barbara 149 11-69 UCLA 124 9-610 Long Beach State 111 8-811 Ohio State 80 12-412 Ball State 68 9-713 IPFW 40 10-514 CSUN 35 5-1015 Penn State 19 6-9


Junior Peter Hutz

Winter sports Updates

three ramblers capture mvc track & field titlesSenior James McLachlan led the Loyola men’s track and field team to 108 points and a third-place finish at the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships last weekend. McLachlan, who was named the Most Valuable Male Athlete and the Most Outstanding Male Field Athlete by the conference, tallied an event title in the triple jump and runner-up finishes in the long jump and the 60m dash, where he broke the school record with a mark of 6.79.

Junior Jake Mazanke claimed an event title in the 800m race with a time of 1:53.84, while senior Sam Penzenstadler added to his legacy with a win in the mile. Mazanke and Penzenstadler were also both named MVC Track Athlete of the Week in February. The Rambler women left with a ninth-place finish and were led by a trio of juniors with Rebecca Stearns’ fourth-place finish in the 800m, Hannah Magnuson’s fifth-place finish in the mile and Breanna Walker’s sixth-place finish in the 60m dash.

The NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships are set for March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas before the Ramblers head outdoors for their spring season.

ramblers getting healthy at right time

The Loyola women’s basketball squad (5-22, 3-13 MVC) is getting healthy at the right time and results are beginning to show on the court. The Ramblers top three scorers – Taylor Manuel, Simone Law, and Taylor Johnson – are back on the court together for the first time all season, which produced a 3-4 record in the month of February.

Manuel was twice named MVC Newcomer of the Week in February and continues to have an impressive debut season for the Maroon and Gold. Last weekend, the sophomore scored 19 points to go along with nine rebounds in Loyola’s win over Illinois State before turning in a 36-point, 11-rebound performance in an overtime loss to Southern Illinois. The 36-point outburst was the third highest single-game scoring output in program history and was two points shy of Mary Schoenhoff’s single-game program record set in the 1980-81 season.

The Ramblers currently sit in ninth place in the Missouri Valley Conference and, now fully healthy, hope to be a tough out in the conference tournament in March.


Men’s Indoor Track & Field team at the MVC Indoor Championships at Northern Iowa

spring sports Updates

new faces holding softball steady

The Loyola softball team is off to a 6-8 start after winning two games in each of its first three non-conference tournaments. The Ramblers feature several new faces this season including first-year head coach Jeff Tylka, three freshman starters, and the first season in four years without standout pitcher Brittney Gardner toeing the rubber.

Junior Ashley Rogers and freshman Madison Hope have split pitching duties thus far and have posted similar numbers, sporting ERAs of 4.30 and 3.92 respectively. Three Ramblers are hitting over .350 including junior Hannah Jenkins (.389), freshman Ashley Parenti (.357) and junior Brie Pasquale (.351). Freshman shortstop Brooke Wyderski garnered MVC Newcomer of the Week honors this week after hitting .438 with two home runs and seven RBI last weekend in South Carolina. Wyderski leads the team with four home runs and 10 RBI on the young season.

Upcoming Schedule:Mar. 4 - @ Charleston Southern, TBAMar. 6-8 - @ Holy City Showdown, Charleston, SCMar. 14-15 - @ EvansvilleMar. 21-22 – vs. Northern IowaMar. 28-29 – vs. Bradley

golf programs open spring seasonsThe men’s golf team opened its spring season with a third-place finish at the Bronc Intercollegiate in Edinburg, Texas in February. Junior PJ Riner took home fifth-place overall, posting three consecutive rounds under 80 and earning MVC Golfer of the Week honors. He was joined in the top-10 by freshman Garret Buckley, who carded a 78 in the final round to finish 10th.

The women’s squad is in the middle of its season-opening event at the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate in South Carolina. As of this writing, the Ramblers sit 34th in the 40-team event. Senior Alexandra Meyers put together the best 18-hole round of her collegiate career, firing a one-under-par 71, to lead Loyola heading into the final round of action.

Upcoming Schedule:Mar. 13-15 – Pinehurst Intercollegiate, Pinehurst, NC (M)Mar. 22-24 – Middleburg Bank Intercollegiate, Williamsburg, VA (M)Mar. 30-31 – Georgetown Hoya Invitational, Washington DC (W)


Freshman Brooke Wyderski

Junior PJ Riner

meet me in st. charlesThe Loyola women’s basketball team heads to St. Charles, MO for the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on March 12-15. The Ramblers upset Bradley last year in the tournament and second-year head coach Sheryl Swoopes takes an improving squad into this year’s tournament.

march 2015 - rambler report

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