Valparaiso University Sports Update, February 24, 2017

By: Valparaiso University Last Updated: February 24, 2017

VU-Valpo-Swimmers-Continue-HL-Championships-WednesdayValpo Swimmers Continue HL Championships Wednesday
The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming teams competed on day two of the Horizon League Championships in Chicago on Thursday. Three individual races and one relay captured the attention of the swimmers today and sealed several top times in Crusader history.

How It Happened

  • For the men, three swimmers in the 500-yard freestyle landed on the all-time top-ten list for Valpo. Sophomore Dylan Kirar (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) swam a 4:42.54 to land in fourth, passing his previous PR in the event by three seconds. Freshman Dylan Ogle (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin) hit the wall at 4:44.48 to move into sixth, and sophomore Bob Bretl (Wauwatosa, Wis./Marquette University H.S.) earned a time of 4:45.32 to slide into seventh.
  • Freshman Peyton Stambeck (Bartlesville, Okla./Bartlesville) moves into seventh all-time in the 50-yard freestyle (21.54).
  • Freshman Brendon Johnson (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) paved the way for the Crusaders in the 200-yard individual medley.
  • In the 200-yard freestyle relay, the team of junior Max Penn (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep.), freshman Harrison Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany), freshman Spenser Shaffer (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) and Stambeck received 26 points for their time of 1:26.60, which ties for ninth all-time in team history.
  • Senior Rachel Law (Wayne, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) led the women in the 500-yard freestyle by receiving a time of 5:13.91, the second-best effort of her career in the event.
  • Freshman Erica Martins (Hartland, Wis./Lake County Lutheran) swam a 24.64 in the 50-yard freestyle to place eighth in program history for the event.
  • Freshman Tara Lawson (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) moved in ninth all-time after completing the 200-yard individual medley in 2:15.49.
  • Earning 22 points for the women, the 200-yard freestyle relay of senior Emily Trimpe (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine), freshman Paige Wright (Surprise, Ariz./Paradise Honor), junior Amanda Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) and Martins swam a 1:38.20, landing in fourth place all-time in the Crusader record book.
  • The men are up to 74 points and the women doubled their previous amount and have 44 after the second day of competition.

Next Up
The Crusaders resume swimming tomorrow at the Championships, Friday, Feb. 24 inside the Flames Natatorium. Prelims begin at the same time, 10 a.m. CT, with the finals starting at 5:30 p.m. CT.

Crusaders Open Horizon League Championships Wednesday
The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming teams took part in day one of the Horizon League Championships at UIC on Wednesday. Young relay squads posted some of the top times in program history as both teams participated in two events each.

How It Happened

  • In the men’s 800-yard freestyle relay, the freshmen duo of Dylan Ogle (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin) and Peyton Stambeck (Bartlesville, Okla./Bartlesville), along with sophomores Dylan Kirar (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) and Bob Bretl (Wauwatosa, Wis./Marquette University H.S.), swam the program’s second-fastest time in history with a mark of 6:56.73. The quartet bested last year’s top time of 6:58.32, while only coming up short of the 2009 team’s record-setting time of 6:52.57.
  • Adding another top-ten time to the record book, the 200-medley relay team of junior Max Penn (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep.), freshman Harrison Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/Sycamore), Ogle and Stambeck landed in sixth in Crusader history with a time of 1:34.79.
  • The women made history of their own in the water, moving into third place in Valpo program history in the 200-yard medley relay. Freshmen Tara Lawson (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein), Erica Martins (Hartland, Wis./Lake County Lutheran) and Paige Wright (Surprise, Ariz./Paradise Honor) and lone senior Emily Trimpe (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine) swam a 1:47.10 in the event to climb up the charts, just missing out on second place on the all-time chart by a mere tenth of a second.
  • The Crusader men totaled 48 points on the first day of competition to end the day in seventh place, while the women tallied 22 points.

Next Up
The Crusaders continue action in the Horizon League Championships tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 23 at UIC, held at the Flames Natatorium. Prelims begin at 10 a.m. CT and the finals will start at 5:30 p.m. CT.

Webb Posts Day’s Best Round as Crusaders Close Out Season’s First Event
The Valparaiso University men’s golf team played the final 18 holes of the season’s first meet at Savannah Harbor Golf Course in Savannah, Ga. on Tuesday. Peter Webb (Madison, Wis. / James Madison Memorial) had the best Round 3 of any Crusader, while Nick Seitz (Xenia, Ohio / Carroll) garnered Valpo’s top finish in the event.

How It Happened

  • Webb trimmed five strokes off his Round 2 performance on Tuesday, finishing Round 3 with a 74. That score allowed him to finish in a tie for 62nd overall at 233 (+17).
  • Seitz was the lone Crusader to crack the Top 50, finishing in a tie for 46th. After a strong opening day, he posted a 79 in the final round.
  • Mitchell Wittmann (Kaukauna, Wis. / Kaukauna) put together another quality round, following his 74 in Round 2 with a 75 in Round 3. He finished in a tie for 54th overall at 230 (+14).
  • After Zach Cutler (O’Fallon, Mo. / Timberland) and Ross Lazar (Okemos, Mich. / Okemos) had identical scores in the first two rounds, the two were separated by one stroke on Tuesday. Lazar posted a 78 to finish 74th at 243 (+27), followed closely by Cutler in 75th after stroking a 79 to finish at 244 (+28).
  • The Crusaders placed 14th as a team in the 14-team field. They did have their best round of the event at 306 on Tuesday to finish at 934 (+70), but Brown decreased its Round 2 score by 18 strokes to overtake the Crusaders for 13th.
  • William & Mary won the event at 852 (-12), while South Carolina Beaufort was second at 863 (-1).

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring
"Our scores improved today and it was good to finish the tournament on a more positive note. We still have a ways to go in getting ourselves in a better position to play well in the early season tournaments."

"The attitudes were great and the guys are going to keep working hard in our practices over the next two weeks prior to our next tournament. We know what we need to work on and we are ready to get after that. Competition always brings to light what work needs to be done."

Next Up
The Crusaders next competition will come on Monday, March 13 and Tuesday, March 14 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. at The Surf Golf & Beach Club. Links to live scoring will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.

Seitz Leads Crusaders in First Meet Back From Injury
The Valparaiso University men’s golf team busted out the clubs for the start of spring competition on Monday at Savannah Harbor Golf Course in Savannah, Ga. Nick Seitz (Xenia, Ohio / Carroll) provided the most compelling storyline of the day, as he led the Crusaders in his return after missing the entire fall with a back injury.

How It Happened

  • Seitz carded a team-best 75 over the first 18 holes of his return to the course. He continued a strong day by making a one-stroke improvement in Round 2. Seitz’s two-round score of 149 (+5) is tied for 34th overall.
  • Mitchell Wittmann (Kaukauna, Wis. / Kaukauna) bounced back from a wobbly first round with a quality performance in the second. He stroked an 81 in the first 18, then carded a 74 in Round 2. Wittmann’s two-round score of 155 (+11) put him in 56th place.
  • Peter Webb (Madison, Wis. / James Madison Memorial) also made improvement from one round to the next, following his Round 1 score of 80 with a 79 in Round 2. Webb is currently in 68th at 159 (+15).
  • Zach Cutler (O’Fallon, Mo. / Timberland) and Ross Lazar (Okemos, Mich. / Okemos) had identical days, as both posted an 82 in Round 1 and an 83 in Round 2. They are tied for 75th overall at 165 (+21).

Inside the Rounds

  • The Crusaders sit in 13th of 14 in the team standings with a score of 628 (+52). They made an eight-stroke improvement from Round 1 (318) to Round 2 (310).
  • Valpo is two strokes ahead of Brown for 13th and 17 strokes in back of Florida A&M for 12th.
  • William & Mary leads the event with a 567 (-9), while Belmont is second at 574 (-2).
  • The Crusaders had 15 birdies on the day.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring
"When we make the transition from our fall to our spring season, we typically have some rust to knock off, with four months of no competition. While the guys have worked diligently this off-season, we struggled as a team with both consistency and in our short games."

"We have never played a tournament in the month of February, so it felt great to get our spring season underway and start playing against some good competition on a quality golf course. We had some positives to take away from the 36 holes today and we can start building on those as we compete in seven events this spring."

"Nick had played one tournament for us in the past sixteen months, so it was terrific to have him back in the lineup and providing some consistent scoring for our team. He has worked very diligently in recovering from his back injury and he stepped right up to the challenge of walking and playing 36 holes for us today."

Next Up
The third round of the event will be played on Tuesday in Savannah, Ga. A link to live stats is available on ValpoAthletics.com.