Angola Stuns Wawasee In Regional First Round
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
DUNLAP -ÊGoing into the Concord Regional Tuesday night, the Wawasee Warriors had a 12-6 record. Their opponent, Angola, was 8-8. On paper it looked as though Wawasee had the advantage.
However, matches are not played on paper, and Angola edged the Warriors 3-2 on the court.
"I've got to give Angola credit," said Wawasee coach Phil Mishler. "They wanted it more than we did tonight. They were fired up and ready to play. They finished their matches.
"Our guys, for whatever reason, didn't start well, or if they did, they didn't finish well."
After Cole Twitchell defeated Scott Beasley at the No. 1 singles slot to give Angola a 1-0 lead, Wawasee's Evan Gerard evened the score at 1-all by defeating Andrew Miller 6-0, 6-1.
"Evan Gerard at No. 3 singles got the job done," said Mishler. "The rest of the guys, I don't know. Maybe it was lack of experience, maybe it was nerves. Or maybe we just did not respect Angola enough."
Then Angola surprised Wawasee's No. 1 doubles team. Kyle Dygert and Clint Jackson teamed up to defeat Wawasee's Mickey Ashpole and Logan Pilcher 6-2, 6-2.
With Angola up 2-1, the last two matches became critcal for Wawasee. At No. 2 singles, Josh Abrams was battling with Hornet Phil Blomeke, while Seth Beer and Rosten Trobaugh were competing with Angola's Chris Deucenay and Eric Yoder.
In the No. 2 singles match, Angola won the first set 7-5, but Beer and Trobaugh won the first set of the doubles match 6-3.
In the second set of both matches, things started to look up for Wawasee. Abrams took a 3-0 lead over Blomeke, and Beer and Trobaugh went up 4-1 over their opponents.
However, things took a downward path when both of the Angola positions started to make a surge. Blomeke came back to tie the score at 4-4, while his teammates Delucenay and Yoder tied the doubles match at 5-all.
Blomeke went on to win the next two matches to defeat Abrams 6-4. The win also gave Angola its third point of the team competition and a victory in the regional.
Although Wawasee had lost the overall competition, Beer and Trobaugh continued to battle. Angola won the second set 7-5, forcing a third set.
With their teammates looking on, Beer and Trobaugh defeated Delucenay and Yoder 6-3 in the third set.
But the final score still stood at 3-2 in Angola's favor, ending Wawasee's hopes of advancing to the regional final.
The Warriors finish the season 12-7. With only one senior graduating from this year's squad, Mishler is already looking to next season.
"Hopefully they will use the lesson they learned today next year," said Mishler.
Concord Boys Tennis Regional
ELKHART CENTRAL 3, FAIRFIELD 2
Singles
No. 1 -ÊMatt Fox (F) def. Peter Lee 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 -ÊBenjamin Weiss (E) def. Steve Huber 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
No. 3 -ÊJohn Walter (E) def. Anthony Flora 6-3, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -ÊCody Hawkins/Matthew Tyhach def. Conrad Schrock/Justin Stutzman 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 -ÊBen Grossman/Loren Bontrager (F) def. Michael Hartnett/Justin Shreiner 6-1, 6-4
ANGOLA 3, WAWASEE 2
Singles
No. 1 -ÊCole Twitchell (A) def. Scott Beasley 6-0, 6-1
No. 2 -ÊPhil Blomeke (A) def. Josh Abrams 7-5, 6-4
No. 3 -ÊEvan Gerard (W) def. Andrew Miller 6-0, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -ÊKyle Dygert/Clint Jackson (A) def. Mickey Ashpole/Logan Pilcher 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 -ÊSeth Beer/Rosten Trobaugh (W) def. Chris Delucenay/Eric Yoder 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
TALENTED GRACE CROSS COUNTRY TEAM CLIMBS RANKINGS
By Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Sports Editor
WINONA LAKE - The sign in Grace College's cafeteria boasted that the No. 2 men's cross country team in the NCCAA was being served there.
Two students who saw the sign said they did not know Grace College had a good cross country team. That wasn't as bad as another girl who said she was not aware the school had a cross country team.
Five years ago, you couldn't have blamed them for these comments. Cross country left club sport status and became an official sport at Grace College four years ago.
Make no mistake about it, Grace has a cross country team.
Last year's team, led by Kenyan James Kennedy, cracked the polls at No. 25 in the NAIA and No. 6 in the NCCAA.
This year's team, minus James Kennedy but featuring two Kenyans and no seniors, is 48-10, ranked No. 12 in the NAIA and No. 3 (after climbing to No. 2) in the NCCAA.
The order of finish for the Lancers at most races is as follows: One, Kenyan freshman Daniel Njenga; two, Worthington, Ohio, junior Tim Sprankle; three, Syracuse, Ind., freshman Jerid Stoffel; four, Kenyan freshman Michael Kamami; and five, Lima, Ohio, freshman Art Woodruff. Paul Paschal, a sophomore from Ponca City, Okla., who has had knee surgery, also figures in the mix.
"It makes it exciting when you think about what you could have two years down the road," Grace coach Kirk Heng said, "if you keep everyone."
The Lancers recently competed in a 27-team meet featuring Indiana schools, including Division I programs. Grace, an NAIA school, finished ahead of Division I programs like Valparaiso and DePauw.
"When they started writing the names down, we thought they forgot us," Heng said. "But out of 27 schools, we finished sixth. The only things in front of us were Division I schools. We finished right below the University of Indianapolis, who is in the top 10 in Division II."
Like last year, Grace's success is fueled by its Kenyan connection. The Lancers have had three Kenyans, Kennedy, Njenga and Kamami, on their 1999 and 2000 teams. Kennedy hoped to compete in the Olympics, but his sponsorship fell through. He then decided to transfer to Life College, considered the top NAIA cross country school, but after a miserable time there, he hopes to transfer back to Grace and begin classes in the spring.
The 21-year-old Njenga arrived Sept. 5. Before he arrived, Sprankle led the Lancers. Once Njenga joined the team, the Lancers had their ace.
"I knew at the beginning of the season, we had a strong team," Sprankle said. "Daniel completed us."
Said Heng: "Daniel showed up, and he was the missing piece we needed. He and Tim Sprankle gave us two guys in the 24 (minutes). You need two guys in the 24s and three in the 25s to win conference and go to nationals."
Heng could fill countless notebooks with Sprankle stories. Last year Sprankle told Heng what his time would be at a national meet. The time was 25 to 30 seconds faster than Sprankle had run at any previous race.
"He ran it to the very second," Heng said.
Sprankle had written the time down on his hand.
"It was more the grace of God's humor than anything," Sprankle, a biblical studies major, said.
The story doesn't surprise, not when you find out Sprankle's background. The man who is one of Grace's fastest runners and its team leader didn't run cross country or track in high school.
He joined the team only after taking a jogging fitness class at Grace. The students had to run a 12-minute time test. Two cross country members were in the class. Sprankle beat them both.
"I ran more laps than they did," he said. "They suggested I try out."
He did, and now he's so important Heng wishes he could have two more Tim Sprankles.
"Where do we lack?" Heng said. "Leadership from upperclassmen. We have Sprankle, who's mentally tough and a leader by word and example. We would just like to have two more of him."
The Lancer harriers ran 40 to 60 miles per week during the summer. That his athletes did this indicated to Heng he may have a special team this year.
"I got an inkling in the summer, when the guys started reporting how much practice they were putting in," Heng said. "Jerid Stoffel dropped a full minute. In the preseason week, I saw guys who never questioned anything we did in practice."
Said Sprankle: "It's not that we're a bunch of star athletes. We're a group of average people. It's about having the proper focus."
The Lancers originally wanted to finish among the top two in the MCC; now they want to win the conference title. They figure winning the conference is the only sure way to get an invitation to the NAIA Nationals at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. The first-place team in the MCC receives an automatic bid to the meet; after that, three teams are invited based on rankings.
Grace was not invited last year.
"With our worst meet last year," Heng said, "we would have finished no lower than 14th at the national meet. We would have destroyed the three ranked teams they invited to the meet."
The Lancers have two other goals, to be the top academic team in the nation and to finish in the top three at the Christian Collegiate Nationals. The Lancers have a GPA of 3.45, which puts them in the top five.
Heng knows how good Grace is now. He wonders how good they could have been had Kennedy not transferred and had he landed some recruits.
"The amazing thing is the way the team shaped up when you consider who we would have had," he said. "We had three recruits decide not to come in, whether it be for financial reasons, they decided not to attend school, they decided to attend a different school, whatever.
"I have a bunch of overachievers. I don't have any high school stars. We run two-a-days every day except Fridays. That's with school schedules and work schedules. What I have is men with discipline in their lives."
As good as the year has been for his team, it hasn't always been that way personally for Heng.
In mid-September, he was walking across the field in practice when "everything started spinning in 12 different directions." Heng couldn't drop to the ground because he "didn't know which way was down."
The doctors have determined it's not a heart problem, but they still don't know the cause. They suspect high blood pressure or an inner ear problem may have triggered the dizzy spell.
"It's cut down on my energy level, because I'm used to running 100 miles per hour," Heng said. "Now I have to stand at mile markers."
You won't find his team standing still. Five years ago, cross country was a club sport at Grace. Now the Lancers find themselves in the top 10 of polls.
"Before, we just needed to find seven bodies to put out there," Heng said.
"It was like, 'You want to run? Great.'
"Now we're to the point where we can look at their ability, look at their walk with the Lord and look at their academic standing. Will they be a contributor to the team or a taker? We have a team full of contributors."
Maybe before the season's over, everyone at Grace College will know the school has a cross country program. Once they find that out, they will discover just how good their team is.
Kirk Heng's Scouting Report
Recent Grace records
2000 - 48-10 (No. 3 NCCAA, No. 12 NAIA)
1999 - 65-43 (No. 6 NCCAA, No. 25 NAIA)
Daniel Njenga (Freshman from Nairobi, Kenya) - "He just arrived three weeks ago. He maintains a steady pace throughout the race. He was actually recruited as an 800 runner for our track team. He doesn't understand American races, so that means he always has to follow someone. The only two people who have beaten him were sixth and seventh in the NAIA Nationals last year."
Tim Sprankle (Junior from Worthington, Ohio) - "Tim's in his third year this year, and he made All-Conference last year. He never ran high school track or cross country. He runs the first two miles hard, puts himself at the front and stays there. He does not have a kick. He's very mentally tough . Last year he predicted a time for the conference meet and ran it to the very second. It was his best time of the year."
Jerid Stoffel (Freshman from Syracuse, Ind.) -Ê"He's from Wawasee. He put in miles this summer and shown incredible improvement. His body is just starting to improve. He will be an amazing runnner. As he puts it, he's the best freshman, other than the Kenyans. He picks up speed as he goes on. The last part of the race is his best part of the race. He needs to work on his first two miles."
Michael Kamami (Freshman from Nairobi, Kenya) - "He's a 400, 800 runner who's working hard to turn into a cross country runner. He has a kick at the end. The best part of his race is being able to pass people the last half-mile."
Paul Paschal (Sophomore from Ponca City, Okla.) - "There was a piece of cartilage in his knee thhat kept moving around, and they could never find it. They went in there, did some cutting and scraping. It meant no training in the summer. If he had been healthy, he would have been switching off between three and four. A gutsy runner."
Art Woodruff (Fresman from Lima, Ohio) -Ê"He ran track in high school but not cross country. He's learning what five miles is. He's improving 20 to 25 seconds each race. He will be a player come conference time."
Tim Robertson (Sophomore from Stephens City, Va.) - "He did not miss a single day of running all summer. He cannot stand to be passed in a race."
Grace To Close Kenyan Pipeline
By Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Sports Editor
WINONA LAKE -ÊLast year Grace College's James Kennedy was one of the top three NAIA runners in the country, so talented he planned on being in the Olympics.
But his sponsorship fell through, so he stayed in the United States. Instead of returning to Grace, he decided to transfer to Life (Ga.) College, considered the top NAIA cross country school. Kennedy thought he would receive better coaching, but life was miserable at Life.
He returned to Grace after living in South Bend with a group of Kenyans.
Now he hopes to begin classes at Grace in the spring.
Kennedy was the first of three Kenyans to join Grace College's cross country teams. This year's team has freshmen Daniel Njenga and Michael Kamami, both from Nairobi. Njenga typically finishes first for Grace, while Kamami, who some believe could be a Division I runner in track events like the 400 and 800, is usually fourth.
As good as the Kenyans have been for the Grace program, the connection will close. Heng has a contact with an official at a Nairobi track club, but trying to get the athletes to Grace has become nearly impossible. The process of getting the 21-year-old Njenga to Grace began two years ago.
Njenga arrived Sept. 5.
Asked to compare Njenga to Kennedy, Heng said: "Daniel's not as fast as James, but he can be and will be. He has the work ethic, but he has to adjust to things, the food, people ... his body is getting used to the adjustments.
"He's more of a pure 800 runner."
Heng didn't mind the countless times he arrived at the college at 2 a.m. to fax information to Kenya, something he had to do because this is when it was daytime there. To him, it was worth it.
But the roadblocks on the other end led him to say enough's enough. Grace no longer will try to recruit Kenyan athletes for cross country.
"We've been trying to get Kenyan athletes here, and we keep getting shut down at the American Embassy," Heng said. "They believe they won't return to Kenya."
Warsaw Downs H. North
Times-Union Staff Report
Warsaw's volleyball team upped its record to 19-5 with a 15-9, 8-15, 15-5 Tuesday win over Huntington North.
Kara Kesler led Warsaw in kills with 11 and added four blocks and two aces. Abby Sumpter led Warsaw with 38 assists. Nicole DeFord led in digs with 14, and Myra Sells led in blocks with six.
Warsaw, 4-1 in the NLC, hosts Concord on Thursday.
WARSAW DEF. H. NOTH 15-9, 8-15, 15-5
Warsaw leaders
Kills -ÊKara Kesler 11, Kristen DeGeeter 9, Myra Sells 7
Assists - Abby Sumpter 38
Digs - Nicole DeFord 14, Amie Poling 12, Mechelle Henderson 12
Blocks - Sells 6, Lindsay Woods 5, Kesler 4
Aces - Sumpter 3, Kesler 2, DeFord 1
Warsaw records -Ê19-5-1, 4-1 NLC
JV: WARSAW DEF. HUNTINGTON NORTH 15-5, 15-8
Warsaw leaders
Kills -ÊKrystan Klotz 4, Jaclyn Leininger 4, Michelle DeGeeter 3
Assists - Heather Barrett 10
Digs - Jessica Davis 5, Cassie Harding 4, Klotz 4
Blocks - DeGeeter 7, Leininger 2
Points - Harding 11 (1 ace), Klotz 10 (5 aces)
Warsaw records - 18-2, 6-0 NLC
WAWASEE DEF. WEST NOBLE 15-7, 15-12
Tuesday in Ligonier
Wawasee's varsity volleyball team topped host West Noble 15-7, 15-12 Tuesday night. The win improves the Warriors' overall season record to 21-8. Candice Brown tallied 11 digs and 15 assists in the win. Wawasee will be in action again Thursday at Northern Lakes Conference rival NorthWood.
Wawasee leaders
Digs - Candice Brown 11, Kathy Likens 8, Staci VanLue 5
Blocks - Erica Auker 2, Jessica Leach 1
Kills - VanLue 5, Leach 4, Kim Likens 2, Ka. Likens 2
Assists - Brown 15
JV - Wawasee def. West Noble
15-7, 13-15, 15-5
Digs - Schmucker 6
Blocks - Higginbotham 4
Aces - Schmucker 3
Kills - Cole 6
Assists - Weybright 15
LCA DEF. CHRISTIAN CENTER 15-12, 15-1
Tuesday
Lakeland Christian Academy's varsity volleyball team defeated Christian Center 15-12, 15-1 Tuesday night, upping its record to 8-3. The Cougars will be in action again Oct. 7 at Warsaw Christian School when they host Frankfort.
LCA leaders - Erin Silveus 10 of 10 serves, 2 aces, 12 of 12 spikes, 6 kills; Kristin Paulus 1 assist, 8 kills; Courtney Lavender 2 assists, 4 kills; Karmen Bushen 4 aces, 1 kill; Ashley Addair 10 assists, 1 kill
BOYS SOCCER
CONCORD 5, WAWASEE 1
Tuesday in Syracuse
Matt Klaassen scored off a direct kick from Alex Hernandez to move Wawasee's varsity boys soccer team into a 1-1 tie with Northern Lakes Conference rival Concord Tuesday, but Concord went on to score four more goals and win 5-1. The loss drops the Warriors' overall season record to 7-5-3. Wawasee will play at West Noble Thursday.
Wawasee goal - Matt Klaassen
Wawasee assist - Alex Hernandez
Warsaw 2, Plymouth 2
Tuesday in Plymouth
Warsaw's boys soccer team wrapped up its Northern Lakes Conference season by finishing in a 2-2 tie with Plymouth.
Tim Zentz scored a Warsaw goal on an assist from Peter Lucht, and Craig Becknell added a goal on an assist from Ben Stephens.
Warsaw, 5-6-4 overall and 0-5-1 in the NLC, is at Huntington North on Thursday.
Warsaw goals
Tim Zentz (Peter Lucht assist)
Craig Becknell (Ben Stephens assist)
Shots on goal -ÊPlymouth 14, Warsaw 10
Corner kicks - Plymouth 3, Warsaw 2
Warsaw record -Ê5-6-4 overall, 0-5-1 NLC
LCA 7, CHRISTIAN CENTER 1
Tuesday in Winona Lake
Lakeland Christian Academy's varsity boys soccer team celebrated senior night Tuesday with a 7-1 win over Christian Center. The Cougars outshot Christian Center 36-8. Patrick Lee led the Cougars with two goals. LCA will host Bethany Christian Thursday.
LCA goals - Patrick Lee 2, Dan Findley 1, John Franklin 1, Andre Virgilio 1, Derek Findley 1, Brian Walker 1
LCA assists - Dan Clemens, Dan Findley, Chad Pletcher, Virgilio
GIRLS SOCCER
WAWASEE 0, NORTHWOOD 0
Tuesday in Nappanee
Wawasee's varsity girls soccer team scored two goals Tuesday at Northern Lakes Conference rival NorthWood, but both were called back for off side penalties. The game ended up in a 0-0 tie. The Warriors are now 1-12-3 and will play West Noble Monday in the Goshen Sectional.
Wawasee record - 1-12-3 [[In-content Ad]]
DUNLAP -ÊGoing into the Concord Regional Tuesday night, the Wawasee Warriors had a 12-6 record. Their opponent, Angola, was 8-8. On paper it looked as though Wawasee had the advantage.
However, matches are not played on paper, and Angola edged the Warriors 3-2 on the court.
"I've got to give Angola credit," said Wawasee coach Phil Mishler. "They wanted it more than we did tonight. They were fired up and ready to play. They finished their matches.
"Our guys, for whatever reason, didn't start well, or if they did, they didn't finish well."
After Cole Twitchell defeated Scott Beasley at the No. 1 singles slot to give Angola a 1-0 lead, Wawasee's Evan Gerard evened the score at 1-all by defeating Andrew Miller 6-0, 6-1.
"Evan Gerard at No. 3 singles got the job done," said Mishler. "The rest of the guys, I don't know. Maybe it was lack of experience, maybe it was nerves. Or maybe we just did not respect Angola enough."
Then Angola surprised Wawasee's No. 1 doubles team. Kyle Dygert and Clint Jackson teamed up to defeat Wawasee's Mickey Ashpole and Logan Pilcher 6-2, 6-2.
With Angola up 2-1, the last two matches became critcal for Wawasee. At No. 2 singles, Josh Abrams was battling with Hornet Phil Blomeke, while Seth Beer and Rosten Trobaugh were competing with Angola's Chris Deucenay and Eric Yoder.
In the No. 2 singles match, Angola won the first set 7-5, but Beer and Trobaugh won the first set of the doubles match 6-3.
In the second set of both matches, things started to look up for Wawasee. Abrams took a 3-0 lead over Blomeke, and Beer and Trobaugh went up 4-1 over their opponents.
However, things took a downward path when both of the Angola positions started to make a surge. Blomeke came back to tie the score at 4-4, while his teammates Delucenay and Yoder tied the doubles match at 5-all.
Blomeke went on to win the next two matches to defeat Abrams 6-4. The win also gave Angola its third point of the team competition and a victory in the regional.
Although Wawasee had lost the overall competition, Beer and Trobaugh continued to battle. Angola won the second set 7-5, forcing a third set.
With their teammates looking on, Beer and Trobaugh defeated Delucenay and Yoder 6-3 in the third set.
But the final score still stood at 3-2 in Angola's favor, ending Wawasee's hopes of advancing to the regional final.
The Warriors finish the season 12-7. With only one senior graduating from this year's squad, Mishler is already looking to next season.
"Hopefully they will use the lesson they learned today next year," said Mishler.
Concord Boys Tennis Regional
ELKHART CENTRAL 3, FAIRFIELD 2
Singles
No. 1 -ÊMatt Fox (F) def. Peter Lee 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 -ÊBenjamin Weiss (E) def. Steve Huber 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
No. 3 -ÊJohn Walter (E) def. Anthony Flora 6-3, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -ÊCody Hawkins/Matthew Tyhach def. Conrad Schrock/Justin Stutzman 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 -ÊBen Grossman/Loren Bontrager (F) def. Michael Hartnett/Justin Shreiner 6-1, 6-4
ANGOLA 3, WAWASEE 2
Singles
No. 1 -ÊCole Twitchell (A) def. Scott Beasley 6-0, 6-1
No. 2 -ÊPhil Blomeke (A) def. Josh Abrams 7-5, 6-4
No. 3 -ÊEvan Gerard (W) def. Andrew Miller 6-0, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -ÊKyle Dygert/Clint Jackson (A) def. Mickey Ashpole/Logan Pilcher 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 -ÊSeth Beer/Rosten Trobaugh (W) def. Chris Delucenay/Eric Yoder 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
TALENTED GRACE CROSS COUNTRY TEAM CLIMBS RANKINGS
By Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Sports Editor
WINONA LAKE - The sign in Grace College's cafeteria boasted that the No. 2 men's cross country team in the NCCAA was being served there.
Two students who saw the sign said they did not know Grace College had a good cross country team. That wasn't as bad as another girl who said she was not aware the school had a cross country team.
Five years ago, you couldn't have blamed them for these comments. Cross country left club sport status and became an official sport at Grace College four years ago.
Make no mistake about it, Grace has a cross country team.
Last year's team, led by Kenyan James Kennedy, cracked the polls at No. 25 in the NAIA and No. 6 in the NCCAA.
This year's team, minus James Kennedy but featuring two Kenyans and no seniors, is 48-10, ranked No. 12 in the NAIA and No. 3 (after climbing to No. 2) in the NCCAA.
The order of finish for the Lancers at most races is as follows: One, Kenyan freshman Daniel Njenga; two, Worthington, Ohio, junior Tim Sprankle; three, Syracuse, Ind., freshman Jerid Stoffel; four, Kenyan freshman Michael Kamami; and five, Lima, Ohio, freshman Art Woodruff. Paul Paschal, a sophomore from Ponca City, Okla., who has had knee surgery, also figures in the mix.
"It makes it exciting when you think about what you could have two years down the road," Grace coach Kirk Heng said, "if you keep everyone."
The Lancers recently competed in a 27-team meet featuring Indiana schools, including Division I programs. Grace, an NAIA school, finished ahead of Division I programs like Valparaiso and DePauw.
"When they started writing the names down, we thought they forgot us," Heng said. "But out of 27 schools, we finished sixth. The only things in front of us were Division I schools. We finished right below the University of Indianapolis, who is in the top 10 in Division II."
Like last year, Grace's success is fueled by its Kenyan connection. The Lancers have had three Kenyans, Kennedy, Njenga and Kamami, on their 1999 and 2000 teams. Kennedy hoped to compete in the Olympics, but his sponsorship fell through. He then decided to transfer to Life College, considered the top NAIA cross country school, but after a miserable time there, he hopes to transfer back to Grace and begin classes in the spring.
The 21-year-old Njenga arrived Sept. 5. Before he arrived, Sprankle led the Lancers. Once Njenga joined the team, the Lancers had their ace.
"I knew at the beginning of the season, we had a strong team," Sprankle said. "Daniel completed us."
Said Heng: "Daniel showed up, and he was the missing piece we needed. He and Tim Sprankle gave us two guys in the 24 (minutes). You need two guys in the 24s and three in the 25s to win conference and go to nationals."
Heng could fill countless notebooks with Sprankle stories. Last year Sprankle told Heng what his time would be at a national meet. The time was 25 to 30 seconds faster than Sprankle had run at any previous race.
"He ran it to the very second," Heng said.
Sprankle had written the time down on his hand.
"It was more the grace of God's humor than anything," Sprankle, a biblical studies major, said.
The story doesn't surprise, not when you find out Sprankle's background. The man who is one of Grace's fastest runners and its team leader didn't run cross country or track in high school.
He joined the team only after taking a jogging fitness class at Grace. The students had to run a 12-minute time test. Two cross country members were in the class. Sprankle beat them both.
"I ran more laps than they did," he said. "They suggested I try out."
He did, and now he's so important Heng wishes he could have two more Tim Sprankles.
"Where do we lack?" Heng said. "Leadership from upperclassmen. We have Sprankle, who's mentally tough and a leader by word and example. We would just like to have two more of him."
The Lancer harriers ran 40 to 60 miles per week during the summer. That his athletes did this indicated to Heng he may have a special team this year.
"I got an inkling in the summer, when the guys started reporting how much practice they were putting in," Heng said. "Jerid Stoffel dropped a full minute. In the preseason week, I saw guys who never questioned anything we did in practice."
Said Sprankle: "It's not that we're a bunch of star athletes. We're a group of average people. It's about having the proper focus."
The Lancers originally wanted to finish among the top two in the MCC; now they want to win the conference title. They figure winning the conference is the only sure way to get an invitation to the NAIA Nationals at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. The first-place team in the MCC receives an automatic bid to the meet; after that, three teams are invited based on rankings.
Grace was not invited last year.
"With our worst meet last year," Heng said, "we would have finished no lower than 14th at the national meet. We would have destroyed the three ranked teams they invited to the meet."
The Lancers have two other goals, to be the top academic team in the nation and to finish in the top three at the Christian Collegiate Nationals. The Lancers have a GPA of 3.45, which puts them in the top five.
Heng knows how good Grace is now. He wonders how good they could have been had Kennedy not transferred and had he landed some recruits.
"The amazing thing is the way the team shaped up when you consider who we would have had," he said. "We had three recruits decide not to come in, whether it be for financial reasons, they decided not to attend school, they decided to attend a different school, whatever.
"I have a bunch of overachievers. I don't have any high school stars. We run two-a-days every day except Fridays. That's with school schedules and work schedules. What I have is men with discipline in their lives."
As good as the year has been for his team, it hasn't always been that way personally for Heng.
In mid-September, he was walking across the field in practice when "everything started spinning in 12 different directions." Heng couldn't drop to the ground because he "didn't know which way was down."
The doctors have determined it's not a heart problem, but they still don't know the cause. They suspect high blood pressure or an inner ear problem may have triggered the dizzy spell.
"It's cut down on my energy level, because I'm used to running 100 miles per hour," Heng said. "Now I have to stand at mile markers."
You won't find his team standing still. Five years ago, cross country was a club sport at Grace. Now the Lancers find themselves in the top 10 of polls.
"Before, we just needed to find seven bodies to put out there," Heng said.
"It was like, 'You want to run? Great.'
"Now we're to the point where we can look at their ability, look at their walk with the Lord and look at their academic standing. Will they be a contributor to the team or a taker? We have a team full of contributors."
Maybe before the season's over, everyone at Grace College will know the school has a cross country program. Once they find that out, they will discover just how good their team is.
Kirk Heng's Scouting Report
Recent Grace records
2000 - 48-10 (No. 3 NCCAA, No. 12 NAIA)
1999 - 65-43 (No. 6 NCCAA, No. 25 NAIA)
Daniel Njenga (Freshman from Nairobi, Kenya) - "He just arrived three weeks ago. He maintains a steady pace throughout the race. He was actually recruited as an 800 runner for our track team. He doesn't understand American races, so that means he always has to follow someone. The only two people who have beaten him were sixth and seventh in the NAIA Nationals last year."
Tim Sprankle (Junior from Worthington, Ohio) - "Tim's in his third year this year, and he made All-Conference last year. He never ran high school track or cross country. He runs the first two miles hard, puts himself at the front and stays there. He does not have a kick. He's very mentally tough . Last year he predicted a time for the conference meet and ran it to the very second. It was his best time of the year."
Jerid Stoffel (Freshman from Syracuse, Ind.) -Ê"He's from Wawasee. He put in miles this summer and shown incredible improvement. His body is just starting to improve. He will be an amazing runnner. As he puts it, he's the best freshman, other than the Kenyans. He picks up speed as he goes on. The last part of the race is his best part of the race. He needs to work on his first two miles."
Michael Kamami (Freshman from Nairobi, Kenya) - "He's a 400, 800 runner who's working hard to turn into a cross country runner. He has a kick at the end. The best part of his race is being able to pass people the last half-mile."
Paul Paschal (Sophomore from Ponca City, Okla.) - "There was a piece of cartilage in his knee thhat kept moving around, and they could never find it. They went in there, did some cutting and scraping. It meant no training in the summer. If he had been healthy, he would have been switching off between three and four. A gutsy runner."
Art Woodruff (Fresman from Lima, Ohio) -Ê"He ran track in high school but not cross country. He's learning what five miles is. He's improving 20 to 25 seconds each race. He will be a player come conference time."
Tim Robertson (Sophomore from Stephens City, Va.) - "He did not miss a single day of running all summer. He cannot stand to be passed in a race."
Grace To Close Kenyan Pipeline
By Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Sports Editor
WINONA LAKE -ÊLast year Grace College's James Kennedy was one of the top three NAIA runners in the country, so talented he planned on being in the Olympics.
But his sponsorship fell through, so he stayed in the United States. Instead of returning to Grace, he decided to transfer to Life (Ga.) College, considered the top NAIA cross country school. Kennedy thought he would receive better coaching, but life was miserable at Life.
He returned to Grace after living in South Bend with a group of Kenyans.
Now he hopes to begin classes at Grace in the spring.
Kennedy was the first of three Kenyans to join Grace College's cross country teams. This year's team has freshmen Daniel Njenga and Michael Kamami, both from Nairobi. Njenga typically finishes first for Grace, while Kamami, who some believe could be a Division I runner in track events like the 400 and 800, is usually fourth.
As good as the Kenyans have been for the Grace program, the connection will close. Heng has a contact with an official at a Nairobi track club, but trying to get the athletes to Grace has become nearly impossible. The process of getting the 21-year-old Njenga to Grace began two years ago.
Njenga arrived Sept. 5.
Asked to compare Njenga to Kennedy, Heng said: "Daniel's not as fast as James, but he can be and will be. He has the work ethic, but he has to adjust to things, the food, people ... his body is getting used to the adjustments.
"He's more of a pure 800 runner."
Heng didn't mind the countless times he arrived at the college at 2 a.m. to fax information to Kenya, something he had to do because this is when it was daytime there. To him, it was worth it.
But the roadblocks on the other end led him to say enough's enough. Grace no longer will try to recruit Kenyan athletes for cross country.
"We've been trying to get Kenyan athletes here, and we keep getting shut down at the American Embassy," Heng said. "They believe they won't return to Kenya."
Warsaw Downs H. North
Times-Union Staff Report
Warsaw's volleyball team upped its record to 19-5 with a 15-9, 8-15, 15-5 Tuesday win over Huntington North.
Kara Kesler led Warsaw in kills with 11 and added four blocks and two aces. Abby Sumpter led Warsaw with 38 assists. Nicole DeFord led in digs with 14, and Myra Sells led in blocks with six.
Warsaw, 4-1 in the NLC, hosts Concord on Thursday.
WARSAW DEF. H. NOTH 15-9, 8-15, 15-5
Warsaw leaders
Kills -ÊKara Kesler 11, Kristen DeGeeter 9, Myra Sells 7
Assists - Abby Sumpter 38
Digs - Nicole DeFord 14, Amie Poling 12, Mechelle Henderson 12
Blocks - Sells 6, Lindsay Woods 5, Kesler 4
Aces - Sumpter 3, Kesler 2, DeFord 1
Warsaw records -Ê19-5-1, 4-1 NLC
JV: WARSAW DEF. HUNTINGTON NORTH 15-5, 15-8
Warsaw leaders
Kills -ÊKrystan Klotz 4, Jaclyn Leininger 4, Michelle DeGeeter 3
Assists - Heather Barrett 10
Digs - Jessica Davis 5, Cassie Harding 4, Klotz 4
Blocks - DeGeeter 7, Leininger 2
Points - Harding 11 (1 ace), Klotz 10 (5 aces)
Warsaw records - 18-2, 6-0 NLC
WAWASEE DEF. WEST NOBLE 15-7, 15-12
Tuesday in Ligonier
Wawasee's varsity volleyball team topped host West Noble 15-7, 15-12 Tuesday night. The win improves the Warriors' overall season record to 21-8. Candice Brown tallied 11 digs and 15 assists in the win. Wawasee will be in action again Thursday at Northern Lakes Conference rival NorthWood.
Wawasee leaders
Digs - Candice Brown 11, Kathy Likens 8, Staci VanLue 5
Blocks - Erica Auker 2, Jessica Leach 1
Kills - VanLue 5, Leach 4, Kim Likens 2, Ka. Likens 2
Assists - Brown 15
JV - Wawasee def. West Noble
15-7, 13-15, 15-5
Digs - Schmucker 6
Blocks - Higginbotham 4
Aces - Schmucker 3
Kills - Cole 6
Assists - Weybright 15
LCA DEF. CHRISTIAN CENTER 15-12, 15-1
Tuesday
Lakeland Christian Academy's varsity volleyball team defeated Christian Center 15-12, 15-1 Tuesday night, upping its record to 8-3. The Cougars will be in action again Oct. 7 at Warsaw Christian School when they host Frankfort.
LCA leaders - Erin Silveus 10 of 10 serves, 2 aces, 12 of 12 spikes, 6 kills; Kristin Paulus 1 assist, 8 kills; Courtney Lavender 2 assists, 4 kills; Karmen Bushen 4 aces, 1 kill; Ashley Addair 10 assists, 1 kill
BOYS SOCCER
CONCORD 5, WAWASEE 1
Tuesday in Syracuse
Matt Klaassen scored off a direct kick from Alex Hernandez to move Wawasee's varsity boys soccer team into a 1-1 tie with Northern Lakes Conference rival Concord Tuesday, but Concord went on to score four more goals and win 5-1. The loss drops the Warriors' overall season record to 7-5-3. Wawasee will play at West Noble Thursday.
Wawasee goal - Matt Klaassen
Wawasee assist - Alex Hernandez
Warsaw 2, Plymouth 2
Tuesday in Plymouth
Warsaw's boys soccer team wrapped up its Northern Lakes Conference season by finishing in a 2-2 tie with Plymouth.
Tim Zentz scored a Warsaw goal on an assist from Peter Lucht, and Craig Becknell added a goal on an assist from Ben Stephens.
Warsaw, 5-6-4 overall and 0-5-1 in the NLC, is at Huntington North on Thursday.
Warsaw goals
Tim Zentz (Peter Lucht assist)
Craig Becknell (Ben Stephens assist)
Shots on goal -ÊPlymouth 14, Warsaw 10
Corner kicks - Plymouth 3, Warsaw 2
Warsaw record -Ê5-6-4 overall, 0-5-1 NLC
LCA 7, CHRISTIAN CENTER 1
Tuesday in Winona Lake
Lakeland Christian Academy's varsity boys soccer team celebrated senior night Tuesday with a 7-1 win over Christian Center. The Cougars outshot Christian Center 36-8. Patrick Lee led the Cougars with two goals. LCA will host Bethany Christian Thursday.
LCA goals - Patrick Lee 2, Dan Findley 1, John Franklin 1, Andre Virgilio 1, Derek Findley 1, Brian Walker 1
LCA assists - Dan Clemens, Dan Findley, Chad Pletcher, Virgilio
GIRLS SOCCER
WAWASEE 0, NORTHWOOD 0
Tuesday in Nappanee
Wawasee's varsity girls soccer team scored two goals Tuesday at Northern Lakes Conference rival NorthWood, but both were called back for off side penalties. The game ended up in a 0-0 tie. The Warriors are now 1-12-3 and will play West Noble Monday in the Goshen Sectional.
Wawasee record - 1-12-3 [[In-content Ad]]