Softball season is up and running on Bellarmines’ campus as of last Sunday when the Knights had their first home game. During the perfect weather we had over the weekend the Knights took on University Wisconsin-Parkside for their GLVC opener.

The Knights wasted no time on scoring with a double to left field in the first inning by Anna Mehr from Lousiville. Clean-up batter Kim Locke from Avon, Indiana then followed up with a single to right, scoring Mehr for what would be the Knights lone run of the game.

In the fourth UW-Parkside evened things up with a narrowly avoided tag at the plate to tally the Rangers’ first run.

The game was even until the top of the sixth when a misfortune for the Knights happened. Two outs, and a runner on first, Ranger catcher Allison Wodziak hit a grounder to short passing freshman Emily O’Bryan from Evansville, Indiana. Then UW-Parkside’s, Katrina Homa, launched a three-run homer over the left field wall bringing in the game-winning run.

In the second game was a lot closer, the scored was knotted at 0-0 until the eighth. Stephanie Polio from Louisville and Sharon Brill from Louisville led off the eighth with back-to-back singles. The Bellarmine centerfielder lined a shot up the middle, which grazed off Shimkus’ glove, driving in Polio for the victory.

Two losses against No. 23 Lewis University are bittersweet to some Knights.
Bellarmine junior Claire Horstman f rom Westerville, Ohio established a new strikeout mark in the second game as she fanned eight Lewis batters. Horstman now has 322 career strikeouts, surpassing Jamie Robinson on the Bellarmine list.

In the first game against Lewis, both teams failed to score a run until the top of the sixth. The Flyers added an insurance run in the seventh on Beth Shelus’ RBI single. Bellarmine never got a runner past first base in the game.


In the second outing, Lewis scored the only run of the game on a suicide squeeze play in the first inning.

Jorie Doll from Battle Ground, Indiana broke up Lewis starter Jenna Howard’s no-hitter in the fifth with a single down the right field line, but failed to advance past first.

The Knights had a chance finally when Anna Mehr from Louisville was hit by a pitch. Kim Locke from Avon, Indiana was the only BU player to get multiple hits on the day, followed up with a single to right. Mehr turned second hard and tried to move to third base but was gunned down by Lewis’ Lisa Gartland.

Look at her go

Bellarmine junior Denasha Mondy from Louisville was named the GLVC female track and field athlete of the week by league officials today. Denasha Mondy also known for her great abililties on the basketball court for the Lady Knights, shattered records, in record time this Track season. Running in her first collegiate track meet ever, she won both the 100 and 200 meter sprints in the Gerald England Invitational hosted by the University of Indianapolis.

In both the 100 at 12.07 seconds and 200 at 24.66 seconds were BU records. In fact,she shaved a second off the previous Bellarmine top 100 meter time of 13.02, set by Maisah Edwards during the 2005 season.

In addition, both of Mondy’s times met the provisional standard for the NCAA national outdoor meet this year. Currently Mondy is ranked first in both the 100 and 200. She has ran the 200 in 24.66 seconds with the next fastest time at 25.79; in the 100 she ran in 12.07 seconds with the next fastest time at 12.64. In track to be running ahead by a tenth of a second is doing quite well.

Mondy a graduate from Ballard High School was a three-time Kentucky High School Gatorade Athlete of the Year and won 10 individual state titles. She elected to play basketball in college, however, and has been the Knights starting point guard the last two seasons after playing her freshman year at the University of Evansville.

If you want to check out Mondy in action or the rest of the BU track team they will be back in action this weekend at the Cumberland Invitational.

Click here for more information on women's track from this season.

Bellarmine Men's Assistant Coach to take Job at U of L

On Easter sunday the University of Louisville announced the recent expansion of their coaching staff. Eric Scott, former assistant coach to Scott Daventport and the Bellarmine Knights will now be director of basketball operations for Rick Pitino and the Unversity of Louisville.

Before coming to Bellarmine Scott was program assistant for U of L from 2003 to 2005. He also had a two year stint in the NBA in international basketball operations, where he tracted progress of american players overseas, helped players obtain visas as well as having a hand in USA basketball representative selections.

Scott graduated from Penn. University with a bachelors degree in U.S. History in 1998. He later recieved his MBA in sports management from Seton Hall University in 2003.

Coach Scott will be greatly missed by the players and coaching staff here at Bellarmine, and we wish him the greatest of success in his future!

Upcoming Events



Lacrosse Team
4/13/2007 - 7:00
University of Denver
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Baseball Team
4/14/2007 - 2:30
Drury University
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Women's Tennis Team
4/14/2007 - 2:00
Union College
Barbourville, Ky.



Baseball Team
4/14/2007 - 12:00
Drury University
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Women's Track Team
4/14/2007 -
Boston-Moon Classic
Nashville, Tenn. (Hosted by Tennessee State)



Softball Team
4/14/2007 - 12:00
Rockhurst University
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Guys and Dolls

The men’s basketball team lost a special friend last fall whom they are not sure will ever be replaced: Diva.

Diva is a four-foot doll dressed in a pair of jeans and a cute little shirt with her name written across the front.

“We actually bought it on a road trip,” said junior Jamie Jackson. “We were at a truck stop and our bus driver was getting gas.” Jackson said there was a large rack full of the dolls inside the station and when they saw Diva, a purchase was necessary and would be a perfect tool for freshmen orientation.

“We didn’t really know what we were going to do but we had to get it,” said Jackson.

Devising a plan did not take long.

“We decided that when you come in as a freshman, each freshman has to carry Diva with him for a week at a time and if you leave Diva unattended and one of the upperclassmen got her, you had to do the Diva Run.” The Diva Run consisted of running the length of the court with Diva in hand.

Freshmen were required to carry Diva with them to classes, keep her in their room and were even told they had to bring her to the showers. “The only place Diva cannot be taken by one of the upperclassmen was in the gym,” Jackson said, referring to it as “base.”

Diva would take a step back from the team’s scene and return to her assigned corner, properly named “Diva’s Corner,” when official practice began every season.

Unfortunately, Diva was misplaced at the end of her season this past fall. “I’m hoping she’ll show up in the gym somewhere,” said Jackson. However, he also said that if she does not, there will be no replacing Diva and a new freshmen orientation ritual will begin. “It won’t be as fun as having Diva with the guys...because, basically, it was grown men walking around with a four foot doll.”

For the men’s basketball team, when Diva went to her corner at the beginning of the season, it meant it was time to get serious all around. The team spends countless hours together in the gym, on the bus and at the games. Jackson did say that the guys do have an appreciation for needing time beyond that to have fun together that does not pertain to basketball.

“We went bowling (as a team) for the first time as a team last year,” Jackson said. “Were on a losing streak—four games in a row—and to relieve some of our stress and to get us together—to bond us—Coach D got all the coaching staff and players tog ether and made it mandatory to go…so instead of practice we went bowling.”

This past season the team never had any mandatory outings, but according to Jackson, there were multiple times when quite a few team members carried on the bowling tradition.

Road trips for the basketball team typically do not have planned excitement; however, the guys have found themselves in some trouble due to wintry weather at times.

**Adam Brames, Jamie Jackson and Matt Otte (pictured), of the men's basketball team, live together along with Matt Pait**

Last season a snow storm hit as the team traveled to Indianapolis causing one of their coldest adventures.

"For some reason a mile away from an exit our bus driver decides he needs to pull off and wipe off the windshield,” Jackson said, explaining that the road could not be seen and the bus ended up out of the emergency lane and into the grass where the bus ended up stuck.

“We had to get out of bus and walk mile in a blizzard to a truck stop—then the truck stop kicks us out because we’re not going to eat in the restaurant.” The guys ended up walking to a McDonalds where they all bought cheap Happy Meals while they thawed out. They never made it to the game that day.

The team spends countless hours together, whether it be on the court, in the locker room, on the bus or in the snow. And when they aren’t with one another, one of them may be lucky enough to have the company of a lovely lady named Diva.

**Photos by Michael Mahlbacher and Marisa Larkin**

Laughs, Snacks, and Goals

“Secret Santas” tend to be a popular game around the holiday season, but for the Bellarmine softball team, it was after the Christmas season that their “secret pal” system began.

The softball’s spring season consists of a lot of road trips and the girls have a system that enables them to give each other a little boost for both the long rides, and the games ahead. The ladies exchange names prior to the season’s beginning and for the entire season they randomly buy gifts for that person. (team, above, at Daytona Beach while competing in Spring tournament.)

“We started when we got back from Christmas,” said senior catcher Adrienne Price. “We don’t do it for every game, but we usually do it for away games.” Price said the gifts can range from snacks and goodies to gag gifts relating to certain inside jokes within the team and sometimes they even get festive. “We just did Easter baskets,” she said.

“It’s a fun little thing,” Price said, adding with a laugh, “It’s a girl thing. The baseball team doesn’t do it.”

Aside from their secret exchanges, Price said the team tries to have get-togethers when there is time. “Sometimes in the fall we’ll have days like Fridays that are ‘fun days’,” she said. These “fun days” tend to be chances for the girls to put up their typical balls and bats and try their hand at another sport, like volleyball or basketball.

The Lady Knights have found a way of contributing to their play by use of their off-the-field closeness. Price said that before each game every class of girls (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors) creates a list of goals for that particular game they hope to accomplish.

The team is currently struggling through a tough season, as they are ranked last in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). Their closeness, however, is one thing that is helping the girls continue to have fun, no matter their rank.

“We don’t point fingers at each other,” said Price.

Price is one of five seniors (photo to right)—all of whom have been starting since their freshman year—and the team is very meaningful to them all. “We get along so well. It helps when we can take that on the field.”

So, despite the disappointments of losses, the girls still have their own goals they are accomplishing, while continuously sharing laughs, snacks or whatever surprise gift may come from a secret pal.

**photos provided by Kimberly Locke, Katie Wolsiefer, and Abigail Hardy**

Bellarmine Track and Cross Country Star Prevailing Despite Setbacks (pt. 3)

Katie Hickey's success and leadership are not easily replaced, as the team found it hard to rebound without her.

“During cross country losing (Katie) was a big impact because she was our number one runner,” Horton said, “ but she still lead and handled (the injury) well. Others stepped up, but to replace someone like her it is a team effort.”

Hickey also praised some of her teammates for stepping up during her absence.

“A lot of freshmen have stepped up and done well.” Hickey said, “Stephanie Clouser has been doing well and should be stellar in the future. Cristin Samuels has also been doing well. With all our other runners stepping up we should be alright.”

(here you see freshmen Cristin Samuels)

There is hope on the horizon however, as she is starting to get back into shape, and could possibly compete at the end of this outdoor track season.

“She is just starting back to running,” Horton stated, “she wont do any indoor track meets, but we won’t rush her either, she has an outside chance of competing in nationals.”

These sentiments were also echoed by Hickey.

“Today was my first time running and I was really excited.” Hickey said,” (Running) is great, I’m addicted! I might try and come back for out door, but we will have to wait and see, the coaches tell me not to rush anything.”

While taking time off from running, Hickey has also taken a big part in the Bellarmine Pep Club., where she holds the title of president. From this spot she has assembled many great activities to further strengthen the student support of Bellarmine athletics.

Some of the activities she helped to organize can be seen in these links:

http://www.bellarmine.edu/athletics/news.asp?id=649

http://www.bellarmine.edu/athletics/news.asp?id=550