Saints to raise cancer awareness

Posted on January 27, 2010 by college

I’ve attached our sports briefs that are running in today’s paper. It was a full lineup on Wednesday night. I’ve moved Saints basketball up to make it my featured item (it isn’t in the print edition), which is in line with my blog, but check out the other briefs. We had a little of everything coming in on Tuesday, many of these I wrote up.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Saints game to raise cancer awareness
St. Scholastica coach David Staniger and Northland coach Rob Robinson will wear sneakers on Saturday for their Upper Midwest Athletic Conference men’s game at Reif Gym as part of the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Weekend.
The weekend is a collaborative effort between the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society to raise cancer awareness, detection and prevention efforts.
The Saints-Northland game tips off at 5 p.m.

BASEBALL
Twins Caravan hits Duluth
The Minnesota Twins Winter Caravan makes an annual stop today in Duluth from 6-9 p.m. at Grandma’s Sports Garden at 425 S. Lake Ave. in Canal Park.
Outfielder Jason Kubel, pitcher Jesse Crain, general manager Bill Smith, announcer Dan Gladden and mascot T.C. are scheduled to attend. Tickets are $5 and include an autograph session and program.
For more information, call the Sports Garden at (218) 722-4724.
Saints ranked 22nd in preseason poll
St. Scholastica is ranked 22nd in the D3baseball.com preseason poll, released Tuesday.
The Saints were 15th in the 2009 preseason poll and climbed to a program-best No. 3 ranking. St. Scholastica made a fifth straight NCAA Division III tournament appearance, falling to eventual champion St. Thomas and Wisconsin-Stevens Point in regional play.

SNOCROSS
LePage running strong entering X Games
Hermantown native Bobby LePage won the Pro Super Stock title and finished fourth in Pro Open last weekend at the Rock Maple Racing series stop in Belmont, N.H.
LePage, who leads the series points standings in Pro Super Stock and is second in Pro Open, will compete at the Winter X Games 14 on Thursday through Sunday in Aspen, Colo. Snocross racing is Sunday, with the final set for 2 p.m. on ESPN.
* Eight-time Amsoil Duluth National Snocross champion Tucker Hibbert of Goodridge, Minn., swept the Pro Open and Pro Super Stock titles last weekend at the U.S. Air Force National at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn. Hibbert rallied from eighth position to beat Ross Martin in the Open final
Matt Judnick finished ninth in the Open final and 10th in the Pro Super Stock final, one spot ahead of fellow Duluth rider Carl Schubitzke. Judnick and Schubitzke have also qualified for the X Games from the Amsoil Championship Snocross Series.

FIGURE SKATING
Skaters to help relief effort
The Duluth Figure Skating Club’s 29th Northland Figure Skating Competition has an added twist this week as skaters will be collecting donations for the relief effort in Haiti.
Skaters will be using their skate boot as a “collection plate” in order to help the earthquake victims in Haiti. More than 500 skaters from Minnesota and Wisconsin are expected at the free event, which runs Thursday through Sunday at the DECC.
For more information, contact Becky Hall at 525-5532.

CURLING
Brorson on unbeaten rink
Alexandra Carlson’s rink, including Sophie Brorson of Duluth, picked up its fifth win Tuesday to remain undefeated at the 2010 U.S. Junior Championships in Bemidji, Minn.
Carlson of Wayzata, Minn., and teammates Tabitha Peterson (Eagan, Minn.), Tara Peterson (Eagan) and Brorson defeated Alaska’s Vicky Persinger rink, 6-4.
The round-robin competition continues through Thursday with the top four teams advancing to Friday’s playoffs. Finals are 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday with the winning teams moving on to represent the U.S. at the World Junior Championships March 6-13 in Flims, Switzerland.

BOXING
Kolle to fight Coleman
Andy “Kaos” Kolle will fight Pat “The Cat” Coleman on Feb. 5 at First Avenue night club in Minneapolis, the main event of a card dubbed “Fight Night at First Avenue.”
Kolle (19-2, 14 KOs), a Minnesota middleweight champion from Horton’s Gym in Duluth, is coming off a technical knockout of Anthony Shuler in June at Grandma’s Sports Garden. The 27-year-old has won 10 of his past 11 bouts.
Coleman (29-15, 20 KOs), of San Diego, is coming off a fifth-round technical knockout loss to Rudy Cisneros in December. The 39-year-old has lost seven straight and hasn’t won since 2002.

HOCKEY
Gustavus edges UWS women
Meagan Wanecke scored with 7:45 to play Tuesday night as No. 8 Gustavus Adolphus defeated No. 9 Wisconsin-Superior 2-1 in a nonconference college women’s game in St. Peter, Minn.
Superior’s Ashlee Olson tied the game 1-1 on a power-play goal 20 seconds before Wanecke’s score.
Gustauvus (9-3-2) outshot Superior 35-15. UWS (9-5-2) got 33 saves from Melissa Kunzelman.

NEWS TRIBUNE

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UMD men stumble, women roll on

Posted on January 24, 2010 by college

The Minnesota Duluth men’s basketball team lost a tough one last night while the Bulldog women continue to roll (see below). Jheri Booker, the Georgia native who transferred to UMD from Tennessee State before last season, is looking like a very strong candidate for NSIC player of the year.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UMD men fold down the stretch
Bemidji State scored the final 13 points to overcome an 11-point deficit in the final 5:08 and beat Minnesota Duluth 71-69 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men’s game Saturday in Bemidji, Minn.
Lance Rongstad’s layup with 12 seconds left broke a 69-69 tie and gave the Beavers (7-10 overall, 4-7 NSIC) the come-from-behind win.
Ron White’s 3-point attempt missed at the buzzer as UMD (7-11, 4-7) missed its final seven field-goal attempts.
“We didn’t play very smart at the end of the game,” UMD coach Gary Holquist said. “It was a combination of us not making shots and not playing smart.”
* Jheri Booker had 23 points, 15 rebounds and five steals to lead the UMD women to a 69-56 NSIC victory over host Bemidji State on Saturday.
Monica Mayry and Lindsay Miller added 10 points each for the Bulldogs (13-5, 8-3), who have won three straight and six of their past seven. Katie Pettit scored 12 points to pace Bemidji State (10-8, 4-7).
Saints women top Bethany Lutheran
Freshman Bri Allen scored 18 points as St. Scholastica rebounded from a poor showing on Friday night to beat Bethany Lutheran 73-55 on Saturday in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference game at Reif Gym.
Kirsten Haukom and Katie Christensen contributed 14 points apiece for the Saints (8-10 overall, 3-4 UMAC), who broke from an early deadlock to take control in the second half.
Nicole Jones had 20 points to lead Bethany Lutheran (6-11, 2-5).
* Bethany Lutheran outscored St. Scholastica 39-20 in the second half on Saturday en route to a 78-65 UMAC men’s victory at Reif Gym.
Stephone Frederick, Trevor Bartelt and Patrick Garvin had 15 points each for Bethany Lutheran (4-13, 4-3).
Chris Hamers had 20 points to lead the Saints (6-12, 3-4) but was held scoreless in the second half. Teammate Brett Tester added 17 points and six rebounds while former Duluth East player Max Dibrell added 11 points and six assists.
UWS men defeat Platteville
* Jake Smith had 19 points and nine rebounds as Wisconsin-Superior pulled away in the second half for a 78-65 victory over Wisconsin-Platteville in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men’s game on Saturday at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.
Marcus Helland (18), Dwight Hill (17) and Dan Culy (15) were also in double figures in scoring for the Yellowjackets (10-7, 4-5).
Curt Hanson had 19 points and Eric Wall added 18 to lead Platteville (10-8, 4-5).
* Charity Stotmeister’s layup with 20 seconds remaining lifted visiting Wisconsin-Platteville to an 80-77 WIAC women’s victory on Saturday over Wisconsin-Superior.
Stacia Nemitz had a team-high 20 points for Platteville (10-8, 3-6), while Stotmeister added 17 points.
Hailey Hart had 25 points and five rebounds in a losing effort for the Yellowjackets (6-11, 2-7).

 

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Saints split with Knights

Posted on January 23, 2010 by college

The St. Scholastica men’s basketball team came up with a big win Friday night and have now won four of their last five, but the loss for the Saints women is a bit of a head scratcher (see the sports briefs below). The Saints will be looking to rebound today when they host Bethany Lutheran, with the women’s game at 3 p.m. and the men at 5 p.m.

Minnesota Duluth and Wisconsin-Superior were off Friday.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Hamers leads Saints past Knights
Junior Chris Hamers scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead St. Scholastica to a 73-57 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference victory over Martin Luther on Friday at Reif Gym.
Freshman Brett Tester had 19 points and junior Danny Schmitz added 12 for the Saints (6-11 overall, 3-3 UMAC), who outscored the Knights 35-22 in the second half.
Greg Holzhueter, the conference’s leading scorer, had 22 points to lead Martin Luther (2-11, 0-6).
* Erica Babinec scored 34 points to lead Martin Luther to a 64-56 UMAC victory in the early game Friday at Reif Gym. Senior Kirsten Haukom and freshman Bri Allen scored 11 points each to lead the Saints (7-10, 2-4), who led 31-27 at halftime before the Knights (4-10, 2-4) took control in the second half and then held on down the stretch with free throws.
 

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College hoops back on tap

Posted on January 22, 2010 by college

The local college basketball teams are well into their conference schedules, with most games taking place on the weekends. This weekend is no exception as Minnesota Duluth, St. Scholastica and Wisconsin-Superior will all be in action.

Unlike most weekends, UMD only has one Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchup this weekend, with the Bulldogs playing at Bemidji State on Saturday (women at 6 p.m; men at 8 p.m.). The UMD men are just looking to play better, while the UMD women are strong contenders for a playoff berth but will need to be teams like Bemidji to strengthen their position.

The St. Scholastica women and men are home to Martin Luther today (5:30/7:30) and Bethany Lutheran on Saturday (3:00/5:00) in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action, while UWS hosts Platteville on Saturday (1:00/3:00) in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader.

 

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UWS drops 2, ‘Jungle Boy’ to be honored

Posted on January 21, 2010 by college

I’ve attached a couple basketball briefs below, as well as a brief about boxer Zach "Jungle Boy" Walters, a former Minnesota Duluth student. They are running in a condensed version in today’s paper.

The Wisconsin-Superior men’s basketball team lost a tough one Wednesday night, and the Yellowjackets will need to start winning those close ones, especially against middle of pack teams, to make the WIAC playoffs. With the UWS women, who knows what happened to them in the second half. After a tight game, it turned into a buzz saw.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Blue Devils edge ’Jackets
Eric Host scored 18 points and Wisconsin-Stout made three free throws in the closing seconds to beat Wisconsin-Superior 70-66 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men’s game on Wednesday in Menomonie, Wis.
Jerrod Buchholtz added 15 points as Stout (8-8 overall, 3-5 WIAC) had four players score in double figures.
Dan Culy’s layup pulled UWS to 67-66 with 54 seconds remaining before Buchholtz made two free throws with 22 seconds left to regain the cushion. Erik Olson added another free throw with 11 seconds remaining as UWS misfired down the stretch.
Jake Smith scored 24 points while Marcus Helland added 12 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Yellowjackets (9-4, 3-5), who shot just 38.7 percent from the field, including 35.3 percent in the second half.
Huge second half lifts Stout
Julia Hirssig had 21 points and 10 rebounds as Wisconsin-Stout broke from a 43-43 halftime tie with a huge second half to beat Wisconsin-Superior 92-61 in a WIAC women’s game on Wednesday in Superior.
Danielle DeWitt added 13 points as five players were in double figures in scoring for the Blue Devils (10-7, 5-3), who outscored UWS 49-18 in the second half.
Katie Zavodny (12), Kelsey Thingvold (10) and Hailey Hart (10) were in double figures for the Yellowjackets (6-10, 1-7), who shot just 21.9 percent in the second half.

BOXING
Event to honor ‘Jungle Boy’
A Golden Gloves amateur card tonight at Grandma’s Sports Garden will honor Duluth’s Zach “Jungle Boy” Walters.
“Jungle Day” will celebrate the career of the recently retired boxer with a special tribute. The gates open at 5 p.m. and bouts begin at 7 p.m.
As an amateur, Walters was second at the Silver Gloves nationals and won the Upper Midwest Golden Gloves title twice. As a professional, he won the Minnesota light heavyweight title, the North American Boxing Association-U.S. title and the World Boxing Council-African Boxing Union title. Walters was as high as 12th in the WBC world rankings.
Tickets for tonight’s card are $12 in advance and $15 at the door, while children under 5 are free. For more information, call Horton’s Gym at (218) 310-5200.

 

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UMD wins in OT

Posted on January 17, 2010 by college

I’ve attached our college basketball briefs below. The Minnesota Duluth women got a tough contest but held in OT. It doesn’t matter how close the game was, at the end of the day (and season), it counts as another key regional win for the Bulldogs.

Wisconsin-Superior dropped a pair of close contests to Wisconsin-Stevens Point (59-55 for the women; 55-53 for the men), but unfortunately, the UWS athletic department failed to get us the box scores. That would have been a huge victory for both the Yellowjackets men and women, in particular the men as Stevens Point is ranked second in the country.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
UMD wins in OT
Jheri Booker and Lindsay Miller combined for 40 points as Minnesota Duluth edged Northern State 67-63 in overtime Saturday before 472 spectators at Romano Gym for the Bulldogs’ fifth Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory in the past six games.
Booker scored 21 on 9-for-19 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, while Miller was 7-for-14 for 19 points and also had eight rebounds. Kelsey Hewitt added 12 points and made a pair of late field goals to force overtime. Monica Mayry nailed two free throws with 5 seconds left in the extra session to guarantee victory and move the Bulldogs (12-5 overall, 7-3 NSIC) into third place in the league.
Emily Becken led the Wolves (8-8, 4-5) with 17 points and Krista Rabenberg added 16.
* Northland College held St. Scholastica to 21 points in the second half and 33 percent shooting for the game in a 60-48 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference victory Saturday at Ashland.
Lindsey Hamm scored 19 points for the Lumberjills (9-5, 5-0), who pulled away from a four-point halftime lead to stay atop the UMAC. Kirsten Haukom was the lone member of the Saints to reach double figures with 13 points.

COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL
Northern State routs UMD
Northern State’s Derek Hoellein and Marko Filipovic each scored 15 points and the Wolves dominated UMD in rebounding to post a 71-48 NSIC victory Saturday before 586 fans at Romano Gym.
The Wolves (7-10, 3-7) owned a 40-23 edge on the glass and shot 55 percent from the field. The Bulldogs (8-10, 5-6) shot just 32.1 percent from the field.
“We just got destroyed physically, mentally and emotionally,” UMD coach Gary Holquist said. “We were dominated in every aspect of the game.”
Ryan Rasmussen was the lone UMD player in double figures with 15 points.
* Ryan Cannata scored 22 points and Northland College shot 46 percent from 3-point range to edge St. Scholastica 67-64 in a UMAC game at Ashland.
Cannata was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and scored 14 points in the second half as the Lumberjacks (4-11, 2-3) held off the Saints (5-11, 2-3).
Danny Schmitz scored 17 points and Chris Hamers had 16 for St. Scholastica.
 

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Bulldogs sweep Marauders

Posted on January 16, 2010 by college

Below is a longer version of the UMD men’s basketball game stories running in today’s News Tribune. One of the nice things with the Web, of course, is the unlimited space, space that just isn’t as readily available in today’s print world.

The Bulldog men really needed a win after getting throttled in back-to-back games, and they looked pretty awful for most of the first half on Friday. As UMD coach Gary Holquist told me after, "We’re young, and when this team starts to bleed, there’s no way for me to stop it. We found a way to stop it [Friday night]."

UMD certainly got more physical on the defensive end, but Mary simply couldn’t get shots to fall, and Holquist knew it. But he also knew his team was due to catch a few breaks. Such it is with sports.

Look for a college basketball story in the News Tribune sometime mid-week after the first regional rankings come out.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: UMD rallies to beat Mary.

Jon Nowacki
jnowacki@duluthnews.com
Gary Holquist didn’t know what else to do.
The Minnesota Duluth men’s basketball coach tinkered with his offense, tried different player combinations and even went to a zone defense for the first time in his 12 years as head coach, anything to eke out a win.
It finally worked.
UMD rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to beat the University of Mary 74-69 in the second game of a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader on Friday before 397 at Romano Gymnasium, capping a Bulldogs sweep.
“I told the guys this week: ‘I’m trying to figure out a way for us to do what? Win a game.’ I tried everything,” Holquist said. “We just got our butts kicked two games in a row, and I wanted to find something for those guys to hang their hat on. They finally found it.”
Buoyed by the return sophomore shooting guard Ryan Rasmussen, UMD (7-9 overall, 4-5 NSIC) appeared headed to its third straight lopsided defeat before mounting a rally just before the half to cut Mary’s lead to 37-31 at the break.
That momentum carried into the second half as the Bulldogs methodically got back into the game as Mary (9-6, 5-3) shot just 28.6 percent in the second half.
“Duluth got real physical with us defensively in the second half,” Mary coach Randall Herbst said. “We just didn’t have a good finish, but give them credit for taking us out of some things.”
Anthony Moody slashed his way to the basket for 24 points for Mary.
Rasmussen had 18 points to lead UMD in his first game back after missing five games while he cleared up an academic issue. Ron White added 15 points and 13 rebounds, and forward Dylan Rodriguez had the key basket for the Bulldogs, a 3-pointer from 25 feet as the shot clock expired with 3:24 to play.
It was only the fifth 3-pointer made this season by Rodriguez, one of three freshman to start for the Bulldogs, and he held up his index finger in a No. 1 celebration.
“We were on a roll there, and I was just caught up in the moment,” Rodriguez said. “I knew the shot clock was winding down, and my teammate, Cash [Craig], found me with the ball. I just took a step back and let it ride.”

MARY (69)
Anthony Moody 10-22 3-6 24, Jordan Wilhelm 1-11 2-4 5, Cameron Lee 4-7 4-5 14, Eric Erdmann 4-11 2-2 13, Danny Sandvig 0-6 1-4 1, Mark Bakkum 2-3 0-0 4, UT Udo 2-4 2-2 6, Baley Johnson 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 24-66 14-23 69.

MINNESOTA DULUTH (74)
Ryan Rasmussen 5-9 5-6 18, Ron White 4-12 7-11 15, Jake Hottenstine 0-4 0-0 0, Dylan Rodriguez 4-9 1-2 11, Cashton Craig 2-3 0-0 5, Jordan Schade 2-3 0-0 5, Rhett McDonald 4-5 0-0 11, Steve Duncan 3-5 1-2 7, Ivan Franklin 1-1 0-0 2, Totals 25-51 14-21 74.
 

Halftime — Mary 37, UMD 31. 3-point goals — Mary 7-24 (Moody 1-6, Wilhelm 1-8, Lee 2-3, Erdmann 3-5, Sandvig 0-1, Bakkum 0-1), UMD 10-19 (Rasmussen 3-7, Hottenstine 0-1, Rodriguez 2-3, Craig 1-1, Schade 1-2, McDonald 3-4, Duncan 0-1). Rebounds — Mary 40 (Lee 10), UMD 37 (White 13). Assists — Mary 7 (Moody 2), UMD 14 (White 4). Turnovers — Mary 12 (Moody, Erdmann 3), UMD 17 (Rasmussen 6). Fouls — Mary 19, UMD 20.
 

COLLEGE WOMEN
MINNESOTA DULUTH 75,
MARY 59
UMD took control with a 27-7 run to close out the first half, and then used a 15-4 run early in the second to turn it into a snoozer as the Bulldogs emptied their bench.
Senior forward Jheri Booker led the way for the Bulldogs (11-5, 6-3) with 16 of her 20 points in the first half. She displayed nice touch on her turnaround jumper and added a game-high 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season before coming out with nearly 13 minutes remaining.
“I’m seeing double and triple teams, so I’m trying to do a better job of knowing when to shoot, when to drive, when to kick it out to my teammates,” Booker said.
Shelly Stemper (14) and Lindsay Miller (12) were also in double figures in scoring for UMD, which never trailed and led by as many as 31 in the second half.
“We just couldn’t get in any flow offensively,” said Mary coach Fred Fridley. “And on defense, we just played the percentages. Booker is obviously the best player in the league, so you have to account for her, but then other players made big shots for them.”
Shaunna Knife paced Mary with 17 points, but the Marauders (5-10, 1-7) couldn’t overcome 23 turnovers and 41 percent shooting as UMD’s defensive pressure helped forced them out of their offensive rhythm. The Bulldogs were 16-for-19 at the line compared to 6-for-12 for Mary.
“We saw how Mary has played the top teams in the conference tight, so we knew this game was going to be a fight,” UMD coach Annette Wiles said. “But that’s OK. That’s why we’re glad we’re Bulldogs. We like fights.”
The Bulldogs play Northern State (8-7, 4-4) at home at 6 p.m. today, with the men at 8 p.m., before beginning a three-game road trip on Jan. 23 at Bemidji State (9-7, 3-6).
The first regional rankings come out next week, with teams vying for the top eight in each region.
The UMD women are hoping to make the NCAA playoffs for the first time in five years after just missing last season. The Bulldogs will need to beat teams in the bottom half of the conference to strengthen their place among the top teams in the region. Friday was a good start.
“We can’t wait until February where we scramble to try to get wins in,” Wiles said. “We’ve got to take care of business now.”

MARY (59)
Taylor Luke 3-14 4-9 10, Abby Bratlien 3-5 0-0 6, Laura Petersen 1-6 0-0 2, Maria Weigelt 1-4 0-0 2, Rachel Zillmer 1-2 0-0 2, Kayla Rogers 2-4 0-0 6, Shaunna Knife 7-11 0-0 17, Marlee Finley 0-1 0-0 0, Liz Sipma 6-11 2-3 14. Totals 24-58 6-12 59.

MINNESOTA DULUTH (75)
Jheri Booker 10-17 0-0 20, Shelly Stemper 2-3 9-10 14, Monica Mayry 2-5 0-0 4, Lindsay Miller 4-13 3-3 12, Kelsey Hewitt 4-7 0-0 9, Carri Roline 0-1 1-2 1, Courtney Doucette 1-3 0-0 3, Ella Olson 1-3 0-0 3, Kylee Smith 0-3 0-0 0, Kaiya Sygulla 2-4 1-2 5, Jordanne Even 0-3 2-2 2, Emma Van Winkle 1-5 0-0 2, Totals 27-67 16-19 75.
 

Halftime — UMD 52, Mary 28. 3-point goals — Mary 5-15 (Luke 0-2, Petersen 0-1, Weigelt 0-2, Rogers 2-3, Knige 3-6, Finley 0-1), UMD 5-13 (Stemper 1-2, Mayry 0-1, Miller 1-2, Hewitt 1-1, Doucette 1-2, Olson 1-3, Smith 0-1, Even 0-1). Rebounds — Mary 35 (Simpa 6), UMD 41 (Booker 11). Assists — Mary 11 (Petersen, Weigelt 3), UMD 12 (Sygulla 5). Turnovers — Mary 23 (Weigelt 5), UMD 15 (Sygulla 5). Fouls — Mary 18, UMD 15.

 

 

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Duluth native to play football in Europe

Posted on January 15, 2010 by college

Former Denfeld and Augustana football player Matt Lien will head to Spain to play football (see story below). Lien won’t make a fortune doing this, but what a great experience for a young person. I’ll be doing a similar story in the coming weeks about basketball players with Northland ties playing pro across the globe. Look for it in a coming edition of the News Tribune.

PRO FOOTBALL: Former Denfeld star Matt Lien is ready to tackle Europe.

JON NOWACKI
jnowacki@duluthnews.com
Former Duluth Denfeld star athlete Matt Lien will celebrate his 24th birthday on Saturday by embarking on the trip of a lifetime.
Lien, a standout football, basketball and baseball player for the Hunters before graduating in 2004, is heading to Barcelona, Spain, to play professional football for the L’Hospitalet Pioners of the European Football League.
Lien didn’t want to discuss the specifics of his contract, but said his food, housing, cell phone and transportation will be covered.
“It’s enough money to have fun while experiencing the culture, that’s for sure,” Lien said. “I took Spanish for a couple years in high school and college, so I’ll be able to communicate, but one of my goals in going over there is to absorb myself in the culture.”
Lien has never shied away from adventure. He turned down offers closer to home to attend Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., where the safety was third on the team in tackles his last two seasons. As a Vikings senior captain in 2008, he had 90 tackles, three quarterback sacks, four interceptions and four pass breakups.
Lien graduated in January 2009 with a degree in sports administration before getting his first professional football stint as a safety for the Sioux Falls Storm of the Indoor Football League.
The IFL largely consists of NCAA Division II and I-AA players, but also has featured former DI and NFL players such as Oregon State quarterback Terrance Bryant, Florida State wide receiver Peter Warrick and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Ben Nelson. Lien started nine of the Storm’s 15 games.
“The Storm have had a lot of success with Division II players from around here, and Matt is a good example of that,” Augustana coach Brad Salem said. “He’ll be a standout in Europe.”
Salem would know. He coached football in Paris in 1993.
European teams mandate a certain number of homegrown players per squad, and big things are expected of the Americans who are brought in. Football is America’s game, so U.S. players are considered ringers. Lien’s signing, for instance, is being featured prominently on the team’s Web site, www.pioners.org, which declares him the “polivalencia” of the defense. Basically, Mr. Versatility.
“I told Matt to stay for a few weeks after the season and enjoy it,” Salem said. “That’s something I never did and kind of regret because you might never get back there. It goes fast.”
With the help of his older brother, Pete, who served as his unofficial sports agent, Matt Lien looked at teams in Italy and France for two weeks in July but went with the Pioners because they would let the 6-foot-3, 230-pounder play safety instead of linebacker. His first game is Jan. 23.
Lien is interested into going into law school like his father, Duluth lawyer Mike Lien, but said that can wait.
“This is a new opportunity,” Lien said. “The thing I’m most excited about is having the chance to live and become part of a new culture. To continue to play football is just a bonus.”
 

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Smith leads ‘Jackets to big win

Posted on January 14, 2010 by college

Wisconsin-Superior scored a big win Wednesday night in college basketball (see below). Led by forward Jake Smith, UWS has a strong class of juniors who showed promise two years ago as freshman before stumbling last season. This year, however, the Yellowjackets appear to have one of their best squads in years. The addition of Marcus Helland, a transfer from Minnesota Duluth, can’t hurt. Helland overcame a bout with the flu earlier this year but could be a major factor at that level once he gets healthy and more accustomed to his new teammates.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Smith, ’Jackets hold off Eau Claire
Jake Smith scored 28 points and Wisconsin-Superior made 18 of 22 free throws to hold off Wisconsin-Eau Claire 85-80 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men’s game on Wednesday at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.
Guard Dwight Hill added 19 points while forward Marcus Helland had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Yellowjackets (9-5 overall, 3-3 WIAC). UWS shots 51.7 percent for the game, including 61.5 percent in the second half, and outrebounded the Blugolds 35-26.
Amadou Fofana was one of four players in double figures in scoring with 18 points for Eau Claire (9-5, 2-4).
Mesick leads Blugolds past Yellowjackets
Hannah Mesick scored a career-high 28 points and added nine rebounds to lead Wisconsin-Eau Claire to a 57-33 WIAC women’s victory over Wisconsin-Superior on Wednesday in Eau Claire, Wis.
Sarah Bingea added a career-high 14 points for Eau Claire (5-10, 4-2), which never trailed and built a double digit lead late in the first half.
UWS (6-8, 1-5), which got 15 points and 10 rebounds from Hailey Hart, was never able to cut the gap back to single digits as the Yellowjackets shot just 21.7 percent in the second half.
 

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Saints sweep in basketball, win in hockey

Posted on January 13, 2010 by college

Tuesday was a very busy night on the college scene, with St. Scholastica having a great sports night (I’ve attached the local briefs running in today’s paper).

After taking some time off over the holidays, I’m looking forward to delving back into the college hoops world. I have some stories coming up on the docket that should be pretty good. I’m hoping to get out to UMD’s basketball doubleacher on Friday night at Romano against the University of Mary, so look for a story and photos in Saturday’s News Tribune.

COLLEGE HOCKEY
Saints top Northland
St. Scholastica broke from a first-period tie Tuesday night on the way to a 13-1 nonconference men’s hockey victory over Northland College in Ashland.
Kraig Wright gave Northland a 1-0 lead 2:58 into the game and St. Scholastica’s Brett Corcoran made it 1-1 after 20 minutes.
The No. 5-ranked Saints (11-2-2) outshot Northland 48-14 led by Jeremy Dawes with three goals, and Corcoran, Carter Davis and Jeff Gagnon with two each. St. Scholastica, with five straight wins, scored nine goals in the third period. Northland is 2-11.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Saints roll past Finlandia
Katie Christensen scored 17 points to lead St. Scholastica to an 80-53 nonconference women’s victory over Finlandia University (Mich.) on Tuesday at Reif Gym.
Guard Kirsten Haukom added 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Saints (7-8), who held the Lions to 36 percent shooting while outrebounding them 48-35 and forcing 21 turnovers.
Jodi Riutta scored 16 points to pace Finlandia (3-12).
Saints rally past Lions
Danny Schmitz scored 28 points as St. Scholastica used a big second half to beat Finlandia 88-82 in a nonconference men’s game on Tuesday at Reif Gym.
Brett Tester added a career-high 22 points for the Saints (5-10), who shot 63 percent in the second half to overcome a 40-37 deficit at the break. Chris Hamers (14) and Derek Anderson (10) were also in double figures as St. Scholastica scored a season-high 88 points in improving to 6-1 all-time against the Lions (5-9).
Tyler Gordon scored 25 points and Mario Cooper added 18 for Finlandia.
St. Scholastica will play an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday in Ashland against Northland, with the women’s game at 3 p.m. and the men at 5 p.m.

CURLING
Two Duluthians advance to nationals
Tyler George and Joe Polo of Duluth and Shawn Rojeski of Chisholm, members of Pete Fenson’s rink, earned a berth in the USA Curling National Championships by finishing third over the weekend in a qualifier at Mankato, Minn.
John Shuster’s Olympic team, which includes Jeff Isaacson of Gilbert and Chris Plys of Duluth, earned an automatic spot in the championships in March in Kalamazoo, Mich.

RUNNING
Grandma’s registration to open
Registration for the 2010 Grandma’s Marathon begins at 12:01 a.m. Thursday at GrandmasMarathon.com.
The 34th running of the 26.2-mile race from Two Harbors to Duluth is set for 7:30 a.m. Saturday, June 19. Registration is limited to the first 9,500 participants. Nearly 1,500 runners signed up during the marathon’s early registration period last summer, so about 8,000 spots will be available when general registration opens.
Registration for the 20th annual Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and the 17th annual William A. Irvin 5K begins in February and March, respectively.
For more information, visit GrandmasMarathon.com or call (218) 727-0947.

SNOCROSS
Hibbert’s streak snapped
Canadian rider Tim Tremblay took first in the Pro Open final at the Western Nationals on Saturday before more than 9,000 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Idaho, snapping Tucker Hibbert’s victory streak.
Hibbert, who swept the professional titles at the Amsoil Duluth National Snocross the past two seasons, hadn’t lost a race since the 2007-08 season but fell in the Pro Open final and finished seventh. Hibbert, of Goodridge, Minn., did manage to take the Pro Super Stock title earlier on Saturday.
Duluth rider Matt Judnick advanced to both finals and finished 12th in Pro Open and 14th in Pro Super Stock, while teammate Ross Martin continued to ride strong, with a second and fifth, respectively.
The pro circuit is off this weekend before resuming with the Air Force National on Jan. 22-23 at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn.

NEWS TRIBUNE

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