Dunn Notches Two Wins in Singles Qualifying at ITA Midwest Regional
Senior Kyle Dunn (Fond du Lac, Wis. / Fond du Lac) won two matches to lead the competing Crusaders in the qualifying round of the ITA Midwest Regional in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday. All four Crusaders won their first-round qualifying matches.
How It Happened
- Dunn played two tightly-contested sets against Northern Illinois’s Eric Marbauch and came out on top 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of singles qualifying. He completed a 2-0 day with a 6-3, 7-5 win over UIC’s Marcelo Dib in the second round.
- Freshman Brandon Ancona (Belvidere, Ill. / Rockford Christian) rolled to a first round victory over Chicago State’s Rohan Wattley 6-1, 6-2. However, he dropped his second-round match to Andreas Boers of Illinois State 6-4, 7-5.
- Freshman Daniel Langston (Ponca City, Okla. / Ponca City) prevailed 6-2, 6-1 over a conference opponent as he faced off with UIC’s Christian San Andres in the first round. He later dropped a tight match with Northern Illinois’s Bor Muzar 7-5, 5-7, 6-1.
- Junior Garrett Gardner (Poland, Ohio / Poland) claimed a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Northern Illinois’s Tom Hjertonsson in the first round. In Round 2, he took the opening set 6-2, but then lost the match as Chicago State’s Gonzalo Martinez won Set 2 6-3 and the decisive set 6-4.
Next Up
The third round of qualifying will take place on Friday as Kyle Dunn squares off with Notre Dame’s Brendon Kempin. Later in the day, the first round of the main draw and the first round of doubles will get underway. Charlie Emhardt, Jeffrey Schorsch, Chad Kissell and Dave Bacalla are all part of the main draw. In addition, Kissell and Bacalla will team up for doubles, while Emhardt and Schorsch will also represent the Crusaders in doubles competition on a busy Friday at the ITA Regional Championships.
Hebble’s First-Round Win Highlights Day 1 of Women’s ITA Midwest Regional
Valparaiso University women’s tennis senior Kathleen Hebble (Sellersburg, Ind. Silver Creek) represented the Crusaders well at the ITA Midwest Regional in East Lansing, Mich. on Thursday, claiming a first-round win in the event. Hebble was one of three Crusaders in action.
How It Happened
- Hebble captured a first-round victory over Chicago State’s Lorea Gamboa 6-3, 6-1. Later in the day, Milwaukee’s Eszter Zador got the better of Hebble, 6-1, 6-3 in second-round action.
- Freshman Dao Sysouvanh (Sun Prairie, Wis. / Sun Prairie) fell to DePaul’s Milica Tesic 6-2, 6-1 in first-round qualifying action.
- Senior Paige Heuer (Munster, Ind. / Munster) fell in straight sets to Western Michigan’s Olivia Myers 6-0, 6-0.
Next Up
The Crusaders will continue competition at the ITA Regional Championships in East Lansing, Mich. on Friday. Valpo has a pair of doubles tandems set to participate as Hebble and Heuer form one team, while Sysouvanh and Meg Modesto create the other.
Bowling Announces 2016-17 Schedule
The #21 Valparaiso University bowling team announced its complete schedule for the upcoming 2016-17 season on Thursday, highlighted by a pair of events the Crusaders will host – including this weekend’s Crusader Challenge at Inman’s.
Following this weekend’s season-opening tournament, Valpo will head to tournaments hosted by Fairleigh Dickinson (Oct. 28-30), UW-Whitewater (Nov. 11-13) and Tulane (Dec. 2-4) to complete the fall portion of its schedule.
After a break for the holidays, the Crusaders return to action at Arkansas State Jan. 13-15 and then head to Kutztown Jan. 20-22. Valpo will then host its second tournament of the year, welcoming teams to Lakewood Bowl in Richton Park, Ill. for the Crusader Classic Feb. 17-19.
The regular season will conclude for Valpo with tournaments at Nebraska (Mar. 2-4) and Vanderbilt (Mar. 17-19). The Southland Bowling League Championship will be contested Mar. 24-26 in Jonesboro, Ark., while the 2017 NCAA Bowling Championship is slated for Apr. 13-15 in Baton Rouge, La.
Weiler Joins Athletic Staff; Anthony Earns Promotion
Valparaiso University Director of Athletics Mark LaBarbera announced today Erik Weiler has been hired as associate director of athletics for facilities. In addition, LaBarbera announced Stephen Anthony has been promoted to senior associate director of athletics for finance and administration.
Weiler joins the Valpo Athletics team following an 11-year stay at Loyola (Ill.), where he was the Ramblers’ assistant director of athletics for facilities as well as the director of Gentile Arena. At Loyola, Weiler was responsible for managing scheduling and maintenance of Gentile Arena, the former Alumni Gym, and Hoyne Athletic Field, as well as supervising Loyola game management staff.
In his role as associate director of athletics for facilities at Valpo, Weiler will be responsible for the management and scheduling of the Athletics facilities. This includes working with Facilities Management on the cleaning, upkeep and maintenance of the Athletics-Recreation Center, Brown Field and all other Athletics facilities on campus. He is also responsible for setting up and preparing the Athletics facilities for competitions and practices.
“Establishing a position with sole responsibility for the oversight and management of our facilities is an important step forward for Valpo Athletics,” said LaBarbera. “Being able to fill this important position with a professional with Erik’s background and experience is a home run.”
Anthony is in his ninth year as a member of the athletic department’s administrative staff and his 19th year overall with Valparaiso University athletics. After spending 10 years as the Crusader women’s soccer head coach, Anthony transitioned into administration in January 2008 as the associate director of athletics for business services.
In his role, Anthony will be responsible for the creation and management of the department’s budget. He is also responsible for the areas of human resources, information technology and ticket operations. Anthony will also take on additional responsibilities in the area of Athletics strategic planning.
“Stephen has served in a number of administrative areas over the past 11 years,” said LaBarbera. “His understanding of our department is extensive and is important to achieving our goals. The combination of organizational changes and the recent addition of experienced staff better positions Valpo Athletics to support all of our coaches and student-athletes.”
