Miserable and Memorable

**I just realized that this blog was never posted...so here ya go!**

A recent practice reminded me of a blog I have been meaning to write. I have spent a great deal of time exploring the memorable experiences of Bellarmine teams outside of their actual participation in their sport. However, I want to touch on an aspect of practice that can also be a very team-bonding experience: the worst practices.

Anyone who is an athlete or is a former athlete can easily tell you about a miserable practice which he/she and their teammates suffered through, most likely cursing the coaches the entire way through and repeatedly asking themselves why in the world they do this “for fun.” In the end, however, these are the practices we all remember most, and share stories about later. In the end, these are the practices I am actually most proud of.

Last Thursday in the midst of running 250-meter repeats, there came a slight trickle that, in a matter of minutes, became nothing short of a downpour. The teammate I was working out with looked at me and we sort of just shrugged and stepped back up to the line and took off. We could see nothing but gray in front of us and the track had suddenly become the spitting image of a creek bed. In that “short” 250-meters everything I was wearing was soaked through and through.

This is not actually the miserable practice which I first referred to. In fact, this practice was not all too miserable as the rain only lasted about five minute (long enough to drench us) and the practice was nearly over when it did hit.

It did bring flashbacks to a rainy practice about a month prior, though. With storm clouds lurking above, my group of about five mid-distance/sprint girls stepped up to the line to begin a workout that would consist of a 1,000-meter, 800, 300, 300 and a 400. Dreading the workout, one of my comrades muttered, “I wish it would just downpour right now!” Little did she know that a downpour would have no effects on our workout.

No more than 50 meters into that first 1,000 meters did the clouds burst open. I ran on, in the back of my mind thinking that the rain would have to lessen or we would take cover at least when we finished this portion of the practice.

Finishing the 1,000 breathless and my shoes feeling pretty soggy, the rain just continued. My coach came to us after an extremely short break and asked if we were ready for the 800 and to “toe the line.” The rain began to come down harder and I watched as teammates from the other workout groups ran for cover in the equipment supply building nearby. So…we weren’t stopping—yet.

The rain only picked up through the next 800. The inside lane of the track became one giant puddle of standing water at least two inches deep. My feet seemed to suction to the ground in every step, making it nearly impossible to pick up my knees and actually run—not to mention I couldn’t see a thing due to the heavy rain and the steams of water rushing down my face.

The rain only continued just as heavily so we only continued just as hard. Not only had we all become at least ten pounds heavier due to the amount of water absorbed in our shoes and clothing, but the distances we’d been running had taken its toll as well. By the time we reached the second 300, no one in the group even cared about the rain or our condition anymore—what were we going to do about it at this point? We ran on as our teammates stood watching and cheering from the dry quarters of the storage building.

It would be that by the time we had finished that last 400 the rain had tapered off and everyone else had made their way back to the track. Practice was winding down—thank goodness! I was exhausted!

Miserable and slightly insane? Indeed it was. But what do you think the five of us talked about the rest of the night and how many people do you think we shared our story with? Suddenly we found ourselves very proud of the fact that not only had we made it through the practice, but also that we had been put through such a practice.

Do I remember the practices where my teammates and I went on a 30 or 40 minute run? Do I remember the practices where we did that same workout under sunny skies? No, not really—and if I do they are never spoken of due to their lack of meaning. However, now that the misery of that rainy day’s practice is well over, my teammates and I constantly look back on it with a smile and think, “Yeah, we did that.”

Low Strokes, High Grades

They’ve been anticipating it all season, but perhaps a little scared to get their hopes too high, but finally the men’s golf team can brag. After finishing fourth at the Great Lakes Regional last week, their overall place in the region should earn them a the needed recommendation for an invitation to the NCAA Super Regional Tournament in May.

The men’s golf team is experiencing a successful year both on and off the green. The team finished fourth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) match a week prior to the recent fourth place finish. In the mean time, the men are scoring high in the classroom, while carrying a 3.52 cumulative GPA.

“We’ve done a really good job of finishing well,” said senior Chris York of the team’s play in tournaments. “We’ve just had a tough time winning one.”

The Great Lakes Region was a two-day tournament in which sophomore Kyle Leach and freshman Brooks Herrick led the team to fourth by tying for eighth with a three-over-par.

The men finished fourth among the 13 teams competing in the GLVC Championship held over a three day period at Otter Creek Golf Club. The team was only 24 strokes behind the winning Northern Kentucky team with their final tally of 910. Of the top eight schools, they were the only team not to break 300 on a single day, as their scores were 301-302-307.

Herrick was again the Knights’ leader as he tied for 14th with 226, 11-over-par. Leach tied for 17th with 227 and York finished in a three-way tie for 22nd with 228.

“Brooks has played really, really well, (this season)” said York on the freshman. “He kind of surprised everyone.”
Previously, the Knights were third in the Great Lakes Region Spring Invitational, shooting 11-over-par, six shots behind the winner. Leach led the team and was only one shot away from earning medalist honors with his three-under-par.

The men also hosted a home invitational at Persimmon Ridge Golf Club at the end of March.

“The problem is Persimmon Ridge is a pretty tough course,” said York. He said it is sometimes hard to convince
teams to compete in their tournament due to the difficulty of the course.

The men finished third out of the twelve teams at the two-day tournament. All five Knights finished in the top 22. Freshman Doug Wilkinson and Herrick led the team who came in third and fourth respectively.

In the school realm, the team has a chance to post four Academic All-American Scholars this season. It is rare for a team to post more than two All-Americans in one season. To qualify, an athlete must have a stroke average below 77 and a GPA of 3.2. According to York, two of the Knights should qualify for sure while the play in their final tournaments will determine whether the other two qualify.

The men’s 3.52 GPA was also the highest cumulative GPA of all Bellarmine athletic teams as of last semester.
Now, with their regular season complete, the men await word on the Super Regional. The NCAA Super Regional selection is based off of points earned by teams over three particular tournaments, including this one. The Knights were tied for first with five points while being ranked third in the region prior to the Great Lakes Regional. The top six teams from each region are invited to compete.

Good luck to the Knights for an extended season—and for finals and those high GPAs!

Oh, and by the way, these guys do take time to just relax between studying the books and swinging their clubs, they're big on playing cards during their travels to matches.

Upcoming Events

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4/25/2007 - 12:00 & 2:30
University of Southern Indiana
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4/26/2007 - 2:00 & 4:00
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BU Hosts Annual Sports Banquet

On April 23, 2007 Bellarmine University Athletics Department hosted its annual Athletics Banquet in Frazier Hall.

Teams that were recognized consisted of Men's and Women's cross country, soccer, basketball, golf, tennis, and track teams. Also giving awards to players were the softball, baseball, volleyball, field hockey, and lacrosse teams.



The ceremony was started with a prayer by lacrosse jr. Adam Gardner. After the meal radio personality Terry Meiners spoke to the crowd and was followed by the presentation of awards.

A few recognitions of note were Fall 2006 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Freshmen of the Year Ben Draper of the Men's Cross Country team. Also recieveing player of the week honors for the GLVC were Jaime Halas (Women's Soccer), Ashley Elmore (Women's Basketball), Brandon Clifford and Adam Brames (Men's Basketball), and Denasha Mondy (Women's Track and Field).

Lindsay Scheer of the Women's Soccer team also recieved academic honors from ESPN The Magazine. She was named to the Academic All-American second team, as well as District IV All-Academic first team.

Congrats to all those honored.

Tennis standouts deserve a spotlight

In the past two and a half years, the worst part about being sports editor for The Concord is picking a choosing the articles. During the winter there is not much choice as basketball is the only sport really taking place; however, fall is busy with two soccer teams, volleyball, field hockey, cross country, as well as some tennis and golf play. Spring is just as bad if not worse with both tennis teams and both golf teams, baseball, softball, track and lacrosse. With only two pages for sports and a very limited writing staff, I often feel guilty about the level of coverage certain teams end up receiving.

Two of the teams who have not been given an adequate amount of coverage this season are the tennis teams. The men's team did receive some coverage but the women have not received much at all so here is my attempt to make up for that.

In conclusion of their season, the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) has named their All-Conference team and Bellarmine freshman Sarah Roebker was named two awards. She was not only named to the All-Conference team, but also named the Freshman of the Year.

During her debut season, Roebker posted a 9-6 singles record while playing as Bellarmine's primary No. 1 position. She also spent the season teaming with Elizabeth Bohnert as the Lady Knight's No. 1 doubles team where they picked up six wins.

Also receiving GLVC honors was head coach John Mican. He lead the team to a 14-6 record this season and went 4-1 in the GLVC. Earlier this year Mican was named the United States Tennis Association Kentucky Co-Coach of the year.

The team concluded their season last weekend with the GLVC tournament where the ladies went down in the first round against Southern Indiana, 5-1. Roebker picked up the team's only win as she won the in the No. 1 singles match, 6-1, 6-0.

Hats off to both Sarah and Coach Mican for a successful season. With such young talent on the courts for the Knights, there is no reason not to believe there are several more successful seasons in the near future!

Coach Smith's Still Successful (Part 2)

Outside the Court

“With myself being such a young coach straight out of college, it’s been a learning process to be under someone with so much experience and success,” stated Peetz. “It’s making me better.” And that’s what Smith prides himself with the most.

“The most rewarding thing about being a coach is watching the girls in years to come having successful careers. They come in just out of high school, and we help mold them into who they become,” states Smith.

Trisha Bennett, a current player, states, “He is a remarkable coach that a player can not take lightly. He is one of the best coaches in NCAA history and I feel that I am learning from him every single day. He is the type of person that will always have an influence in my life.” In most cases, anyone who has played an organized sport can relate to how the experience has helped them with their careers. Smith is someone that if a person pays attention too, he can teach him/her a life lesson that the person can carry with them forever.

Smith’s Future

Coach Smith starts a tradition with every basketball team that he takes over. He believes he has found home with the Bellarmine Knights. “The only way I will coach at a Division I level is if Bellarmine goes D1. I wouldn’t want to coach at D1 level just to say I did it,” said Smith. “I would rather be at a school with tradition that is competing with the best schools around the country rather than at a struggling D1 program.

Smith has many things to look forward to in the upcoming season, 2007-2008, considering he lost only two seniors. He should look forward to the awards and recognition that will be coming to him throughout the rest of his career.

Coach Smith's Still Successful (Part 1)

Life Before Bellarmine

Before David Smith's name was ever mentioned in the same sentence as Bellarmine, he was making a name for himself elsewhere. "When I first started, I didn't think about what was going to happen the next 20 years," stated Smith. "The goal is to just win the next game." And that he did.

Smith started his college-coaching career at Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Ind., where he founded the first women's basketball team in school history in 1976. Not only was he the founder, but he also led the Pumas to three GLVC crowns and two
Regional titles. He was well rewarded for his efforts by being named GLVC Coach of the Year three times during his reign at Saint Joseph's.

Smith moved from Saint Joseph's to Pennsylvania to start another basketball empire at Shippensburg University. "I’d say the main goal is to win a national championship," said Smith. "We go out every year with the possibility at arms reach."

Although he has not won a national championship, he did lead four of his teams to the Big Dance, with his 1996 team being the national runner-up while his 1998 team made it to the Elite Eight. Along the way, Smith's team grabbed three PSAC championships, while he achieved personal success with three PSAC Coach of the Year awards.

Bellarmine Achievements

"He is very intense and passionate about his job. The things he does and says only make people better because he demands success," stated Lindsey Peetz, a current assistant under Smith. His record and accolades show evidence that his demands are being met.

Coach Smith's career record is 499-205. One win away from a record making 500 wins could be a disappointing scenario to end a season with. Although, Coach Smith is still very optimistic stating, "My 500th win is just a number. If it was my last year then I could see why I would be a little disappointed. But I have many years to come and hope to reach my 600th and 700th win."

Coach Smith’s most recent honor is making the list of the best women’s coaches in the NCAA. “It’s just a list. I go out everyday just to win the next game,” replied Smith about receiving the honor.

The list includes many prestigious coaches including Tennessee’s Pat Summit, and Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma. There were five different categories that NCAA coaches could have made the list through. Smith made the list because his career winning percent is 70.9, .9% higher then it had to be.