Wilmington University Fall Sports News for 2018

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SUBJECT: Volleyball Falls to North Division Regular Season Champs Post, 3-0, in CACC Tournament First Round

DATE: November 6, 2018
djl

WATERBURY, Conn. - - Despite leading late in the first and third sets, the Wilmington University volleyball team fell to Post, 3-0, in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Tournament First Round matchup in the Drubner Center on Tuesday night.

Set scores for the match were 25-23, 25-11, and 27-15.

The Wildcats were the fourth seed in the CACC South Division, ending their season with a 19-14 overall record. The North Division’s top seed, the Eagles (17-14) move onto the CACC Tournament Semifinal on Saturday at Georgian Court. They will also play Georgian Court in the next round.

The Eagles jumped out to an early lead in the fist set, taking an 8-5 lead. But Mandy Behiels started a 4-0 run with a kill, getting an ace from Jenna Brown and another Behiels kill to take a 9-8 lead. The lead went back and forth as Post tied the set with a kill, 16-16. Angel Oliver put down another kill to start a 5-0 run, including two points out of a Post timeout. Behiels put the Wildcats up, 21-16, with a kill. Rebecca Rawlinson put down another termination to give the Wildcats a 23-20 advantage, but the offense would stall from there. Post picked up three straight kills before an ace gave the Eagles set points, 24-23. An attack error gave the set to the Eagles, 25-23.

The Eagles carried that momentum into the second set, scoring the first five points en route to an 11-1 start. The lead ballooned out to 12 at 17-5, and to 13 points as the Eagles led 20-7. The Wildcats could only trade points with the Eagles, getting to as close as 21-10 and 22-11 before the Eagles closed out the game, 25-11.

The Wildcats looked to erase the 2-0 deficit and get into the contest with a strong start in the third, scoring six of the first nine points to lead, 6-3. After Post tied the set, 6-6, the Wildcats rattled off six straight points, getting a kill from Angel Oliver, an ace from Brittany Ford, a kill from Mandy Behiels, and a block from Oliver and Bailey Andrews to lead 12-6. The Eagles answered back with five straight points of their own and the teams went back and forth until late into the game.

With the game tied, 22-22, Bailey Andres put down a kill before Mandy Behiels added a kill for set points, 24-22. But the Eagles held off two set points and earned a set piece of their own, 25-24. A service error tied the set, 25-25, but the Eagles picked up back-to-back kills to take the set, 27-25, and the match, 3-0.

Freshman Angel Oliver put down eight kills with only one error on 11 swings, adding up to a .636 attack percentage for the match. Mandy Behiels put down eight kills as well while Rebecca Rawlinson added six kills. Jill Braunsberg dished out 19 assists while senior Jenna Brown led the team with 23 digs.

Senior Miranda Shaw added seven assists, six digs, and three kills while fellow senior Brittany Ford chipped in with three kills, three aces, and 11 digs.

The Eagles finished with nine service aces while out-blocking the Wildcats, 5-2.

 

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SUBJECT: Upset Bid Halted by #9 and Top Seed Adelphi, 2-1, in NCAA Second Round

DATE: November 10, 2018
djl

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - - The Second Round upset bid came up just short for the Wilmington University men’s soccer team, 2-1, as top seed and nationally No. 9 ranked Adelphi snuck out with the victory on Sunday afternoon at Ted Grant Field on the campus of Le Moyne College.

Battling uphill from the second minute, the fifth seeded Wildcats (15-3-4) tied the game in the 40th minute and played evenly with the nationally ranked Panthers. But an own goal in the 84th minute was the deal breaker, as the Panthers advanced to the Third Round and East Regional Tournament Final later in the week. Adelphi will play second seeded LIU Post for the Regional Championship.

The game didn’t start as planned for the Wildcats, even as they took the opening whistle with the ball. Adelphi quickly gained control of the ball and went the other way. Off a quick restart into the corner, a low cross to the front of the goalmouth was one-touched home by the Panthers just 1:11 into the contest.

The Wildcats seemed to settle down following the goal, gaining possession and getting back to their normal game. They answered with a Tom Garratt header and back-to-back shots by Ben Jordan and Sam Jester.

Wilmington finally broke through with their fourth corner of the half, coming on back-to-back chances in the 40th minute. Fredrik Bentdal bent a ball to the near post and Sam Jester was able to deflect it towards the back post, knotting the contest, 1-1, at the 39:04 mark.

The second half possession was more evenly spread between the two teams, with Adelphi picking up their first three corners of the game in the early going. Sam Jester got the Wildcats first shot of the second half off in the 65th minute but the ensuing corner was cleared from danger by the Panthers.

Off a goal kick, the Panthers got in on the right side and into the right corner. The cross came to the near post and Daniel Loyo came sliding in looking to clear it away. But the ball deflected off Loyo and into the back of the net to give the Panthers the 2-1 lead with 6:29 left in regulation.

The Wildcats best chance came at the 87:06 mark, as a cross from the left side came into the box but Davion Wedderburn’s header was redirected left of the goal and over the end line. The Wildcats also had a corner kick in the 89th minute, but their sixth and final corner of the day was again cleared without getting a shot off.

The Wildcats outshot the Panthers, 4-3, in the second half, tying the Panther, 9-9, for the game. The Wildcats earned more corners, 6-5, in the contest. Vinny Tasca made three saves for the Wildcats while the Adelphi keeper Matt Apicella recorded one stop.

 

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SUBJECT: Daniel Loyo and Dimitrios Topouzlis Named to 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District I Men’s Soccer Team

DATE: November 13, 2018
MKR

NEWARK, Del. - The 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District Men’s Soccer Teams have been announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes who preform both on the field and in the classroom.

Wilmington University men’s soccer team had two student-athletes, including senior defender Daniel Loyo and junior midfielder Dimitrios Topouzlis who were named to the 2018 Academic All-District I Team. Loyo has a 3.96 cumulative grade point average, while studying marketing, as Topouzlis carries a 3.98 cumulative GPA while studying finance.

This is the second year in a row that Daniel Loyo has been named to the Academic All-District I Team. Loyo scored two goals this season, including the first goal in the Wildcats 2-1 win over Holy Family, and connected off a header off a corner kick in Wilmington’s 3-0 win over Chestnut Hill. He was also named Second Team All-CACC for the 2018 season.

Dimitrios Topouzlis started in the first 18 contests for the Wildcats, before going down with an ankle injury in the Wildcats quarterfinal game against Chestnut Hill in the postseason. Topouzlis had two goals and one assist throughout the season, including a goal in the Wildcats 3-2 win over NYIT and a goal in WilmU’s 6-0 win over Chestnut Hill.

In a combined 35 starts, both Loyo and Topouzlis helped the Wildcats to six straight wins. WilmU went 15-3-4 throughout the regular season and post season, advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA East Regional Tournament.

The 2018 Academic All-District I Men’s Soccer Team had two other Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference student-athletes. The Academic All-District Team is automatically nominated for the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America Team, which will be announced in early December.

2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District I Men’s Soccer Team

F – Yannik Felber – Franklin Pierce – So – 4.00 GPA – Management
F – Aasmund Joedahl – Merrimack – Jr. – 3.90 GPA – International Studies
F – Lukas Ostermann – LIU Post – Gr. – 3.37 GPA – MBA
M – Chahin Aghrim – Goldey-Beacom – Sr. – 3.75 GPA – Information Tech/International Business
M – Bradley Anair – St. Michael’s – Sr. – 3.93 GPA – Biology
M – Dimitrios Topouzlis – Wilmington – Jr. – 3.98 GPA – Finance
D – Quentin Bouly – Georgian Court – Sr. – 3.83 GPA – Business Administration
D – Niklas Breunung – Le Moyne – Gr. – 3.89 GPA – MBA
D – Daniel Loyo – Wilmington – Sr. – 3.96 GPA – Marketing
D – Chaney Nash-Gibney – Southern New Hampshire – Jr. – 3.96 GPA – Finance & Economics
GK – Jack Nicholson – St. Thomas Aquinas – Sr. – 3.53 GPA – Business Management

 

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UBJECT: Wildcat Quartet Adds 2018 United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Honors to Resume

DATE: November 26, 2018
djl

NEWARK, Del. - - Continuing its string of postseason awards, the Wilmington University men’s soccer team placed four student-athletes on the 2018 United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Teams, as voted on by the region’s head coaches.

Senior goalkeeper Vinny Tasca and senior midfielder Will Stone were named to the First Team, junior forward Tom Garratt was named to the Second Team, and junior defender Elliott Johnson was named to Third Team All-Region.

The quartet led the Wildcat to the Second Round of the NCAA East Regional Tournament, defeating Le Moyne, 4-1, before falling to nationally #9 and top seeded Adelphi, 2-1. They finished the season with an overall record of 15-3-4.

Tasca was the anchor for the defense, leading the way to a team goals against average of 0.91 for the season. He made all 22 starts for the Wildcats, leading the CACC with seven shutouts, 15 wins, and a 0.92 GAA. He only allowed 21 goals on the year, making 59 saves for a 0.738 overall save percentage. He recorded a season high six saves in the Wildcats’ contest at Jefferson. He will leave as the program’s all-time leader in shutouts with 18.

Stone also started all 22 games for the Wildcats this year, being the playmaker in the middle of the field. He tied for the team lead with 12 goals and 14 assists, accumulating 38 points on the year. Stone secured his lone hat trick in the final regular season game of the year, scoring three goals to go with two assists, which tied him for the program record with eight points in a single game.

Garratt finished the season tied for the team lead with Stone with 12 goals on the year, dishing out 13 assists for 37 points, third most in the CACC. The junior forward played in all 22 games, making 19 starts. He converted all five of his penalty kicks this year, and secured a hat trick against Nyack. He led the CACC with six game-winning goals this season.

Johnson, who was also the CACC Defensive Player of the Year, played and started in 21 games this season. He started as a center back before injuries to the team forced him outside to fill the need, stepping in with no transition. He helped anchor the defense to seven shutouts this year and a miniscule 0.91 GAA. He collected an assist in the Wildcats’ victory over Felician on September 15.

The First Team members are automatically nominated to be voted on the United Soccer Coaches All-American ballot, which will be announced at a later date.

AGATE

2018 United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Teams

First Team:

Pos. – Player – Class – School – Hometown

GK – Vinny Tasca – Sr. – Wilmington University – Audubon, Pa.
D – Niklas Breunung – Sr. – Le Moyne College – Fulda, Germany
D – Mikro Nufi – Jr. – Merrimack College – Crema, Italy
D – Gaston Rozenblum – Jr. – Mercy College – Buenos Aires, Argentina
M – Manuel Achondo – Jr. – Mercy College – Santiago, Chile
M – Salar Faryar – Jr. – Le Moyne College – Frankfurt, Germany
M – Patrick Guier – Sr. – Adelphi University – Moenchengladbach, Germany
M – Will Stone Sr. – Wilmington University – Littlehampton, England
F – Lukas Ostermann – Sr. – LIU Post – Brookville, N.Y.
F – Alex Satrustegui – Sr. – Southern New Hampshire University – Pamplona, Spain
F – Marek Weber – Sr. – Le Moyne College – Fulda, Germany

Second Team

Pos. – Player – Class – School – Hometown

GK – Tyler Packett – Sr. – Merrimack College – Eastham, Mass.
D – Alessandro Corti – Jr. – Adelphi University – Milan, Italy
D – Brad Neal – Sr. – St. Thomas Aquinas College – Hampshire, England
D – Collyns Laokandi – Sr. – Southern New Hampshire University – Paris, France
M – Sergio Diaz – So. – Post University – Madrid, Spain
M – Tom Marriott – So. – Southern New Hampshire Univ. – Nottingham, England
M – Lars Sund – Sr. – Merrimack College – Stavanger, Norway
F – Tom Garratt – Jr. – Wilmington University – Kingswinford, England
F – Maximiliano Rebolledo-Camus – Jr. – Mercy College – Santiago, Chile
F – Benrd Schluter – Sr. – New York Institute Of Technology – Everswinkel, Germany
F – James Thristino – Sr. – Adelphi University – Jefferson Station, N.Y.

Third Team

Pos. – Player – Class – School – Hometown

GK – Jordan Williams – So. – Mercy College – Newton, N.J.
D – Michael Agboola – Sr. – University of the District of Columbia – London, England
D – Jonathan Firmino – Jr. – Georgian Court University – Union, N.J.
D – Elliott Johnson – Jr. – Wilmington University – Essex, England
M – Kiko Hernandez – So. – Southern New Hampshire University – Madrid, Spain
M – Noam Kolakofsky – Jr. – Franklin Pierce University – Achziv, Israel
M – Jason Rocha – Sr. – Jefferson University – Philadelphia, Pa.
M – Louis Silva – So. – Georgian Court University – Union, N.J.
F – Jason Lages – Jr. – Assumption College – Edgatown, Mass.
F – Ignacio Mangada – Jr. – Mercy College – Alicante, Spain
F – Alvaro Sanchez – So. – Post University – Madrid, Spain

 

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SUBJECT: Vinny Tasca Makes Men’s Soccer History With First Team United Soccer Coaches All-American Honors

DATE: November 28, 2018
djl

NEWARK, Del. - - Senior goalkeeper Vinny Tasca makes Wilmington University men’s soccer program history as he was named the 2018 United Soccer Coaches Division II First Team All-American goalkeeper on Wednesday, as voted on by the nation’s head coaches.

Formerly known at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), the United Soccer Coaches All-American Teams were named ahead of the National Tournament Semifinals and Championship this weekend in Pittsburgh.

Vinny Tasca (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) becomes just the third First Team All-American in program history, but the first ever to be named to the First Team in the coaches’ organization. Clifford Nwechefom is the only other Wildcat to earn All-American in the coaches’ organization, being named Second Team NSCAA All-American in 2015.

Tasca was the anchor for the defense, leading the way to a team goals against average of 0.91 for the season. He made all 22 starts for the Wildcats, leading the CACC with seven shutouts, 15 wins, and a 0.92 GAA. He only allowed 21 goals on the year, making 59 saves for a 0.738 overall save percentage. He recorded a season high six saves in the Wildcats' contest at Jefferson. He will leave as the program's all-time leader in shutouts with 18.

He was also named the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team All-CACC, First Team United Soccer Coaches All-East Region, and First Team D2CCA All-East Region honors this season.

Fellow members of from the East Region named United Soccer Coaches All-American include First Team honoree Marek Weber (Le Moyne), Second Team honorees Manuel Achondo (Mercy) and Lukas Ostermann (LIU Post), and Third Team honorees Salar Faryar (Le Moyne), and Alex Satrustegui (Southern New Hampshire)

For a full list of the 2018 United Soccer Coaches All-American Teams, please click here.

AGATE:

2018 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Men’s All-America Team

First Team:

Position-Name-Class-School-Hometown

GK-Vinny Tasca-Sr.-Wilmington University-Audubon, Pa.
D-Willilams N'dah-Jr.-University of Charleston-Rome, Italy
D-Juan Sanchez*-Sr.-Palm Beach Atlantic University-Madrid, Spain
D-Jordan Skelton*-Jr.-Lander University-Newcastle, England
M-Gabriel Costa-Fr.-Azusa Pacific University-Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
M-Carlos Gomez-Sr.-Young Harris College-Algete, Spain
M-Alex Lipinski-Jr.-Spring Hill College-Krefeld, Germany
M-Matteo Polisi-So.-Simon Fraser University-Coquitlam, B.C.
F-Mamadi Camara-Sr.-Simon Fraser University-Montreal, Que.
F-Mikie Rowe-Sr.-Young Harris College-Wexford, Ireland
F-Marek Weber-Sr.-Le Moyne College-Fulda, Germany

* - repeat selection

 

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SUBJECT: Mark Corrigan Competes for a Cross Country National Championship, Finishes 144th on Biggest Stage

DATE: December 1, 2018
djl

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - - Running on the final day of the NCAA Division II season is what every student-athlete strives to accomplish when the first day of preseason begins. Wilmington University cross country senior Mark Corrigan accomplished that goal and finished 144th overall at the NCAA Division II National Championship in Schenly Park on Saturday morning.

Competing against 261 runners on a muddy, sloppy, and hilly course in Pittsburgh, the senior ran the 10K race in 35:09.4 to finish 144th overall. It is the third best finish in a National Championship race in Wilmington men’s cross country history, trailing Richie Mitten’s 115th place finish and Jesus Amezquita’s 134th place finish at the 2013 National Championship.

The event started at 11:00 a.m., but only got about 100 yards into the race before being called back for a second start. Once started, again, the conditions began to show as a spill in the middle of the pack within the first mile caused a stir to start the race. Then all 261 runners were forced into a bottleneck section, again slowing the pace and setting the stage for the rest of the event.

Corrigan was in 102nd at the second split, getting to the 1.7K mark in 5:36.9. Halfway though the race, Corrigan slipped to 135th overall, reaching the 4.8K split in 16:33.2. The senior hung around the 135th place slot through the 7.8K split, and finished the 10K even in 35:09.4 and in 144th place.

CSU-Pueblo senior Marcelo Laguera won the individual National Championship with a time of 31:46.4, nearly seven seconds ahead of Grand Valley State’s Zach Panning who finished runner-up for the second year in a row. But Panning helped lead his Grand Valley State team to a National Championship, as the Lakers scored 89 points to defeat Colorado Mines by 10 points. Western Colorado rounded out the team podium in third place with 117 points.

In the women’s 6K event, Grand Valley State’s Sarah Berger won the individual National Championship with a time of 22:07.7, beating the field by nearly five seconds. She helped lead her Grand Valley State team to a National Championship as well with 41 points. The University of Mary finished second overall with 83 points while Adams State finished third with 90 points.

Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference mate Kendall Fitzgerald (Post University) finished 50th overall in the women’s event with a time of 23:45.4.

 

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BJECT: Bowling Hosts 2nd Annual Wildcat DII/DIII Invite, Finish Sixth After Bracket Play

DATE: December 1, 2018
djl

NEW CASTLE, Del. - - Hosting the Second Annual Wildcat DII/DIII Invitational, the Wilmington University bowling team went into Sunday’s bracket play with a shot at third place overall, finishing sixth after three days of action at Bowlerama.

The weekend got off to a strong start for the Wildcats, winning four of the five Baker contests on Friday. They were in third place after the five Baker matches, knocking down 4,414 pins for a 176.6 average. They defeated Penn State-Altoona, Bloomfield, Molloy, and Kutztown on Friday, only falling to LIU Post.

They set a new program best team score in a Baker match on Friday, scoring 953 in a 953-900 victory over Molloy in the fourth match. They also defeated Kutztown, 941-919, to close out the afternoon.

Saturday was a different story for the Wildcats, as they couldn’t seem to get in a rhythm in five Traditional Matches. They defeated Medaille in a tiebreaker, 69-63, and finished the day with a win over New Jersey City, 885-839, but dropped matches to Chestnut Hill, Caldwell, and Adelphi.

Sophomore Bailey Peters led the Wildcats with a 183.50 average in four matches, knocking down a total of 734 pins. She had a day’s best 201 in the loss to Adelphi. She finished 34th overall in the individual standings.

Sophomore Rachel Hirst placed 37th overall with a 176.25 average score in four matches on Saturday. She set a new personal record with a 228 game against Caldwell in the third match of the day. She knocked down 705 pins in four matches.

Sophomore Malia Stout finished 40th overall on the day, knocking down 672 pins for a 168 average in four matches. She collected a day’s best 215 in the team’s fourth match against Adelphi.

Freshman Jocelyn Hood had her second best match of her young career with a 214 in the final match of the day, helping the Wildcats to a victory over New Jersey City. She finished in 42nd overall with a 656 total, bowling in four matches for a 164 average.

Sophomore Clare Shaffer also bowled in four matches on Saturday, finishing in 50th overall with a 519 total and a 129.75 match average. She had a day’s high 148 against Medaille in the second match of the afternoon.

Junior Sinoda Cook appeared in three matches on Saturday, knocking down 477 pins for a 159 average. Her 164 in her first match of against Medaille proved to be her day’s best.

Sophomore Leah Henry rounded out the Wildcats in the standings, bowling in two matches while knocking down 289 pins for a 144.50 average. She had a 154 match against Medaille and a 135 game against Caldwell.

The Wildcats headed into Sunday’s Best of 7 Baker Matches in sixth place, but three wins would give the Wildcats a third place finish. In their first match against LIU Post, the Wildcats evened the best of seven, 1-1, with a 184-158 win in the second game, but the Pioneers rattled off the final three games to take the match, 4-1.

The Wildcats then squared off against Kutztown and busted out of the gates with the first three games, 198-173, 225-224, and 195-171. Kutztown fought all the way back to tie the match, 3-3, and force a seventh game, but the Wildcats collected themselves and won the match, 171-157.

Playing for fifth place, the Wildcats fell to Molloy, 4-1, to round out their tournament in sixth place. The Wildcats closed the gap to 2-1, but Molloy won the final two games to take the victory and fifth place.

Chestnut Hill won three matches on Sunday to claim the tournament, defeating Caldwell, 4-3, for the Championship. New Jersey City’s Autumn Fortunato won the individual honors and Tournament MVP with a 989 total pinfall, averaging 197.80 per game. St. Vincent’s Jessica Guesman was second with 988 total pinfall, averaging 197.60 per game.

The Wildcats are away form action until January when they head back to Kutztown to compete in the three-day KU Invitational at the Limerick Bowl starting on Friday, January 18.

Friday Baker Results:

Penn State-Altoona – W – 804-607
Bloomfield – W – 881-756
LIU Post – L – 921-835
Molloy – W – 953-900
Kutztown – W – 941-919

Saturday Traditional Results:

Chestnut Hill – L – 869-737
Medaille – W – 738-738 (69-63)
Caldwell – L – 936-800
Adelphi – L – 900-892
New Jersey City – W – 885-839

Sunday Baker Bracket Results:

LIU Post – L – 4-1
Kutztown – W – 4-3
Molloy – L – 4-1