NORTH MANCHESTER – A white-knuckling ride for a crowd of nearly 400 fans at Stauffer-Wolfe Arena went down to the final moments Saturday. The host Spartans of Manchester University and visiting Rose-Hulman went back and forth throughout the evening in a critical Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference match-up for both sides. The Black and Gold (11-12 overall, 8-8 HCAC) rallied from as large as a nine-point deficit midway through the second half and had a possession with just 12 seconds remaining to tie the game up. However, a pair of inside shot looks rimmed out with the buzzer sounding in a hard-fought 77-75 decision for the Fightin’ Engineers (14-9 overall, 11-5 HCAC). While few may remember senior guard Brady Dolezal’s second basket of the contest, it made program history, as he became the 28th member of the 1,000-point club during an afternoon when he contributed 17 points, three rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot. “I’m really proud of (Brady) being able to reach that level,” Coach Gerad Good said. “Overall, the team fought hard. I wouldn’t have changed anything to the game plan we put together.” Freshman guard Adrian Johnson, continuing a string of four successive double-figure scoring games and five of the last six outings in which he’s tallied 19-points-or-more, was the squad’s point leader (23) to go with six assists and three rebounds. Junior guard Chase Casteel added his name to the double-digit category with 12 points, thanks to two three-pointers, as part of a line that included two blocked shots, a steal, two assists and three rebounds. Senior forward Matt Brown, joining Dolezal and guard Keith Berry in appearing in their final regular season home tilt, was just off the pace, tallying nine points to go with a team-high six rebounds and co-team high two steals, while freshman forward/center Evan Romie (Ana, Ohio) continued his impressive recent play with eight points on a perfect performance from the field overall (three-for-three) and beyond the arc (two-for-two). MU moves into the final week of the 2015-16 conference campaign just a game out of the top six slots needed to qualify for the postseason tournament. A two-game road trip begins Wednesday, Feb. 17, with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at Defiance College. NOTES: Dolezal is the first Spartans’ player since Jamaal Wade (2004-08) to reach quadruple career digits … Johnson’s statistical importance doesn’t stop in the scoring column. He’s got a run of four successive outings of five-or-more assists, too … Romie’s seen his season points shoot up nine-tenths (2.1-3) over the last three games. He’s averaging better than seven points per appearance in the span.
Gritty Effort Highlights Start Of Final WBB Homestand NORTH MANCHESTER – Rebounding from a tough start over the opening 20-minutes-plus, Manchester University nearly came up with a key Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory Saturday, Feb. 13. Battling through an opening half in which they shot under 25 percent from the field and less than 15 percent from outside the arc in route to a 35-18 deficit to visiting Rose-Hulman early in the second half, the Spartans (6-17 overall, 4-12 HCAC) ebbed away at the co-HCAC leading Fightin’ Engineers over the final 16:30. After a pair of charity tosses were converted by senior guard Justine Kruger (Francesville, Ind.) with less than 1:30 to play, MU found itself down only 48-45 due to a 27-13 roll. However, Rose-Hulman (20-3 overall, 14-2 HCAC) kept itself in a tie with Bluffton University for first going into the final week of play, going five for six at the free throw line down the stretch to close a 55-50 final. Kruger and fellow senior guards Katie Arterburn and Kelcey Daugherty were honored prior to tipoff in Senior Day festivities. They all contributed statistical support for the home team, too, as Daugherty was recognized in a poignant display of sportsmanship by both sides by being put in the contest to score the game’s first points for the Spartans; Kruger compiled eight points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals; and Arterburn ended with six points, due to a perfect three-of-three effort at the free throw line, and a blocked shot. Sophomore forward Samantha Bolen tallied 14 points to lead all scorers. She hit four-of-seven from the field and six-of-eight from the charity stripe to make up the total. Going into the regular season’s final week, the Spartans remain only a game out of the top six designation for a postseason tournament slot. They host Defiance College who, along with Hanover College, is just a game ahead of them in sixth in a crucial conference match-up Wednesday. Tip-off time is 7:30 p.m. at Stauffer-Wolfe Arena. NOTES: Bolen tallied her 10th double-digit effort of the year and second in the last three contests … Kruger’s stalwart rebounding, assist and steal totals have become commonplace of late. She’s registered five-or-more boards five times in the last six contests; dished out multiple assists in three successive and four of the last five games played and picked off multiple steals in seven of her last eight appearances.
Spartans Sparkle In Pre-HCAC Tune-Up DEFIANCE, Ohio – Manchester University compiled four event titles among eight top five finishes Friday, Feb. 12, at Defiance College’s Invitational. The Spartans, picked by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference coaches to win the 2016 team championship, gave early warning of that possibility inside the George M. Smart Athletic Center, the same venue which hosts the HCAC meet Saturday, Feb. 20. The junior tandem of distance runner Mariah Jordan (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and thrower Shay Aator (West Lafayette, Ind.) ended atop the awards podium in the mile run and 20-pound weight throw, respectively. Jordan clocked a 5:17.99, defeating the field by nearly 20 full seconds, and Aator launched a toss of 16.88 meters in the weight throw. Joining the junior standouts were the 4x200 (1:54.91) and 4x400 meter (4:19.91) relay squads as event winners. MU’s beat didn’t stop there. Senior jumps specialist Allison Rowe placed second in the high and triple jumps as part of a strong field event presence. Sophomores Paige Keller and Whitney White added third-place marks in the pole vault and shot put, respectively, for a total of five of a possible six events turning in top three placings. The remaining top five slot went to the middle distances, as freshman Samina Qureshi was fourth in the 800. NOTES: Aator and Jordan wound up as event titlists in the same meet for the second successive weekend and third time this season … Freshman sprinter Dasia Beck, sophomore sprinter Olivia Jenks, Jordan (mile), the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays; Jenks in the triple jump; and White and fellow sophomore thrower Kara Breuckman (shot put – White and weight throw – Breuckman) improved earlier marks and their standing on the conference’s performance list. Beck, already in the top five of the 60 meters, climbed into a similar range in the 200; Jordan stayed second in the mile but had a season-best mark; the 4x200 jumped into fifth and the 4x400 moved to sixth; Jenks leapt into fifth in the triple jump; and White improved to third and Breuckman climbed into the top 12 in the shot put.
Performances In Field Events Guide MU DEFIANCE, OHIO – Senior jumps specialist Tanner Odle, junior jumps specialist Ramsen Bet-Nimrod and junior thrower Cole Sellers from North Manchester gathered a combined six top five placings for Manchester University at the Defiance College Invitational Friday, Feb. 12. Odle, continuing a theme of personal success at DC’s George H. Smart Center, placed second in the high jump and third each in the long and triple jumps. He’s compiled six such marks at the venue over the past two seasons. Sellers added top five endings in the shot put and 20-pound weight throw as did Bet-Nimrod in the triple jump (fourth). Senior sprinter/hurdler Jordan Crosby contributed the final such effort, taking fifth in the 60-meter hurdles. Several student-athletes saw improvements on the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference performance lists. Freshman sprinter Austin Coughlin moved into the top 10 of the 60 meter dash; Odle and Bet-Nimrod each jumped into the top five of the high jump with Odle tied for the best effort (six feet, four inches); Sellers made a strong increase into the top 10 of the shot put (No. 7) and weight throw (No. 4) while junior Drew Foster (Seymour, Ind.) joined a similar area in the weight throw. The Spartans take aim at team and individual honors at the 2016 HCAC Championships Saturday, Feb. 20.
Spartans Record Top-Five Team Finish At MidStates ADA, Ohio – Fueled by individual top three finishes from the lower weight trio of junior 125-pounder Alan Mock, senior 133-pounder Kalib Jackson and sophomore 141-pounder Chase Wilson, Manchester University compiled a strong 76-point team score at the 2016 MidStates Conference Championships Saturday. Jackson, reaching double digit wins for the third time in his collegiate career, weaved his way through the bracket. It started with a 9-3 win over Wabash College’s Allen Betts in the quarterfinals and was followed by overturning an earlier loss to highly-regarded Caleb Maddox of Trine in the semifinals behind a 7-5 overtime decision. In the finals, the senior toppled Adrian College of Michigan’s Austin Eldred 4-1. Wilson nearly joined his senior teammate on the top of the awards podium. Taking the second seed and running with it, he rolled up a fall, major decision and 23 points in the semifinals to reach the championship round. Wabash College’s Michael Venezia stopped him short of the individual title, claiming a technical fall victory. Mock rounded out the top three efforts, placing third. He rebounded from a close-knit 8-5 loss to Wabash College’s Robbie Carter in the quarterfinals, picking up a fall, major decisions and two decisions to claim the consolation championship. Looking further into the road to MU’s fifth-place team finish, senior 149-pounder Josh Juarez took fourth at 149 pounds, and sophomore 165-pounder Tristan Wilson reached the semifinals on the championship side before ending fifth. Coach Kevin Lake’s squad breaks from competition to prepare for the 2016 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championships Saturday, Feb. 27. A scheduled dual meet at Mt. St. Joseph University, set for Thursday, has been cancelled.
