Local college sports briefs
Season ends for McKendree bass team
The McKendree University bass fishing team closed out its 2014-15 schedule at the FLW Central Conference Qualifier held on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis., over the weekend.
The Bearcats has two boats competing in the 62-boat field and brought home 18th and 29th place finishes. The pair of Jordan Ledbetter (Carlyle) and Brock Wilke (Mater Dei) finished in 18th place and were only two ounces shy of advancing to the next round with six fish weighing in at 12 pounds-one ounce. Shane Campbell (Highland) and Phillip Germagliotti (Highland) weighed in four fish at eight pounds-13 ounces to finish in 29th place.
McKendree will begin its 2015-16 season on Sept. 26 when it hosts the McKendree Fall Invitational on Carlyle Lake. Take-off will be at 7 a.m., from the Allen Branch boat ramp with weigh-in at 3 p.m.
SIUE’s Reynolds earns all-region honors
Incoming Southern Illinois University Edwardsville women’s soccer freshman Taylor Reynolds earned All-Great Plains Region honors by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
She was one of three defenders from the states of Kansas, Nebraska and North Dakota to receive the honor.
Reynolds currently is playing in the USYSA nationals with the KC Metro Dynamos. The Dynamos are playing in the national semifinals.
A defender, Reynolds won three state titles at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kan.
LU-Belleville men’s lacrosse signs Nichols
Lindenwood University Belleville heads men’s lacrosse coach Dan Mertzlufft has announced the signing of Chaz Nichols for the upcoming season.
Nichols comes to LU-Belleville after playing two seasons at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. A 6-foot-1, 275-pound attacker, Nichols will bring a new look for the Lynx offense.
“I’m really excited to see what Chaz brings to the table. You can’t teach size, and Chaz certainly has that,” said Mertzlufft. “More importantly, he brings two years of collegiate experience with him and that will certainly help our attack.”
Before lacrosse begins in the springs, Nichols will look to secure a spot on the football team in the fall. A defensive end, Nichols will look to be a two-sport athlete for the Lynx.
Originally from the Bronx, New York, he will major in sports management while at LU-Belleville.
Bearcats add three to men’s volleyball team
McKendree University men’s volleyball Nickie Sanlin has announced the signing of three players who will join the Bearcats’ program for the 2016 season.
The trio that will be joining the McKendree squad are: Will Frank, of Moro; Zachary Bohmann, of Big Bend, Wis.; and Zach Thompson, of Defiance, Mo. All three will be part of the Bearcats’ third season of competition after the program first took the court in 2014.
“I am extremely pleased to welcome Zach Bohmann, Will Frank and Zach Thompson into the McKendree program,” said Sanlin. “They have each enjoyed success at both the high school and club level. Zach Bohmann and Zach Thompson are both strong liberos who will bring our defensive arsenal the strength and depth needed to be successful in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA). Will Frank is a local product who will be a strong piece in the foundation we are building for our program. These three young men will help strengthen us on many facets and will bring a level of competitiveness to the gym that will propel us to even bigger things in the future.”
The McKendree men’s volleyball team closed out the 2015 season with an overall record of 11-19. The Bearcats were 1-17 in their inaugural season as members of the MIVA, which is one of the top NCAA Division I/II volleyball leagues in the country.
Bohmann, libero, was a four-year starter at Nathan Hale High School. He recorded 623 assists as a senior while serving as the Huskies’ setter and he also posted 46 digs with 26 service aces and 25 blocks
Frank was an outside hitter for Edwardsville High. He registered team-leading totals of 286 kills and 58 service aces as a senior. and he also led the Tigers with 282 attacks and 60 aces as a junior… He was a three-time All-Conference honoree, including first-team accolades as a junior and senior
Thompson, a libero, had 276 digs as a senior at Francis Howell High School. He also added 42 assists and nine service aces for the Vikings and set a school record with 332 digs as a junior.
SIUE men’s, women’s tennis teams honored
Four Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men’s tennis players were honored by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) as ITA Scholar-Athlete award winners.
Jack Desse, Matthew Hutchinson, Nicolas Vincent, and Patrick Gaffigan were SIUE’s honorees.
SIUE also was one of 69 NCAA Division I men’s tennis programs to be named a 2015 ITA All-Academic team.
Four SIUE women’s tennis players were honored by the ITA as well.
Haley Ilcewicz, Kali Donner, Mia Frogner, and Sierra Halverson were SIUE’s honorees.
SIUE also was one of 117 NCAA Division I women’s tennis programs to be named a 2015 ITA All-Academic team.
The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any member program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). All eligible student-athletes whose names appear on the NCAA eligibility form and have competed in one or more varsity matches must average into the GPA for the current academic year (including fall 2014 and spring 2015).
The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any member program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). All eligible student-athletes whose names appear on the NCAA eligibility form and have competed in one or more varsity matches must average into the GPA for the current academic year (including fall 2014 and spring 2015).
This story was originally published July 29, 2015 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Local college sports briefs."