November 2018 proved to be a fruitful month for the Emory women’s volleyball team. The Eagles posted nine victories without a loss, concluded their season with a 30-6 record and carried away the Division III championship — their second after also winning in 2008. A 3-0 upset victory over No. 1-ranked Calvin wrapped up the national title Nov. 17 in Pittsburgh.
Emory’s Mady Arles was named Most Outstanding Player in the finals after posting 35 assists, five kills, three service aces and five digs against Calvin. Karissa Dzurik led Emory with 13 kills, her 23rd double-figure performance of the season. Sydney Leimbach had seven kills and six blocks. Elyse Thompson registered 24 digs.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Calvin def. Wis.-Eau Claire, 23-25, 25-22, 25-17, 20-25, 15-13; Emory def. Juniata, 25-21, 25-21, 28-26
CHAMPIONSHIP: Emory def. Calvin, 25-22, 25-16, 25-12
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Julia Wood, Aurora
North Carolina’s return to the national championship podium in field hockey required nine years, but the trip culminated in magnificent and memorable fashion. The 2018 Tar Heels went unbeaten en route to national title No. 7 — all under 38th-year coach Karen Shelton. They led the nation in scoring and scoring margin, registering 103 goals to 16 for their 23 opponents. They were top-ranked from mid-September on.
North Carolina’s 2-0 victory over second-ranked Maryland on Nov. 18 in Louisville, Kentucky, locked up the Division I crown. Megan DuVernois scored the first goal; Erin Matson contributed the second. Goalkeeper Amanda Hendry made five saves. Ashley Hoffman was named Most Outstanding Player at the finals.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: North Carolina 4, Wake Forest 1; Maryland 1, Princeton 0 (ot)
CHAMPIONSHIP: North Carolina 2, Maryland 0
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Hannah Bond, Maryland
Erin Nicholas, Middlebury’s leading goal producer for the season, scored twice and the defense generated a robust performance as the Panthers collected their second consecutive Division III field hockey title with a 2-0 victory over Tufts. The triumph Nov. 18 in Manheim, Pennsylvania, gave the champions a program-best 21-1 record.
Nicholas’ goals were her 16th and 17th of the season. The Middlebury defense, led by goalkeeper Megan Collins, recorded its 11th shutout in 22 games. Fourth-rated Tufts finished its season with a 19-3 record — with all three losses coming against second-ranked Middlebury. Both are members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Tufts 3, Johns Hopkins 1; Middlebury 4, Rowan 2
CHAMPIONSHIP: Middlebury 2, Tufts 0
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Casey Wagner, Rowan
North Central (Illinois) runners finished first, second, eighth and 11th overall, powering a surge that delivered the program’s third consecutive Division III men’s cross country title and 19th altogether. The top-ranked Cardinals’ latest national crown came Nov. 17 in Winneconne, Wisconsin, as their winning total of 43 points was the best in the event since 2006.
North Central’s Dhruvil Patel captured the individual title after a third-place finish in 2017. Following close behind were Cardinals teammates Al Baldonado, Chris Buechner and Matt Osmulski. Zach Hird was 33rd among all runners to add another All-American for the Cardinals. Al Carius has coached all 19 champion cross country teams at North Central.
RESULTS
TEAM:
1st: North Central (IL), 43; 2nd: Washington-St. Louis, 110; 3rd: Wis.-La Crosse, 127
INDIVIDUAL:
1st: Dhruvil Patel, North Central (IL), 24:24.5; 2nd: Al Baldonado, North Central (IL), 24:29.7; 3rd: Andy Reischling, Pomona-Pitzer, 24:32.9
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Thomas Schultz, Wis.-La Crosse
Paige Lawler became the Washington U. in St. Louis cross country program’s first individual champion Nov. 17 in Winneconne, Wisconsin, providing momentum for the Bears women to capture the Division III team title as well. It was the Bears’ second team crown — accompanying one from 2011 — and it came by 1 point over second-place Johns Hopkins, which had won two straight titles and five of the past six.
Lawler, a junior who finished 15th in the national meet a year earlier, produced a strong stretch run for the 2018 victory. Also gaining All-American status for the Bears were Aly Wayne in seventh place, Sophie Watterson in 13th, and Lisa Gorham in 29th.
RESULTS
TEAM RESULTS
1st: Washington-St. Louis, 98; 2nd: Johns Hopkins, 99; 3rd: MIT, 247
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1st: Paige Lawler, Washington-St. Louis, 20:55.0; 2nd: Claire Lamb, Otterbein, 20:58.7; 3rd: Annie Rodenfels, Centre, 20:58.9
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Marissa Mount, Whitworth
Northern Arizona’s men exhibited their enduring strength once again. The Lumberjacks’ deep roster went to work and won the Division I cross country crown for a third consecutive time Nov. 17 in Madison, Wisconsin. It marked the first threepeat in Division I men’s cross country since Arkansas accomplished it in 1998 to 2000.
Tyler Day (sixth), Matt Baxter (15th) and Luis Grijalva (23rd) led the way for top-ranked Northern Arizona, which reigned by 33 points over second-place Brigham Young. Wisconsin’s Morgan McDonald, a native of Australia, staged a strong finish to capture the individual title on his home course.
RESULTS
TEAM RESULTS
1st: Northern Ariz., 83; 2nd: BYU, 116; 3rd: Portland, 160
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1st: Morgan McDonald, Wisconsin, 29:08.3; 2nd: Grant Fisher, Stanford, 29:08.8; 3rd: Edwin Kurgat, Iowa St., 29:09.0
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Christopher Henry, Wyoming
Colorado senior Dani Jones closed her standout college career in spectacular fashion, winning the 2018 Division I women’s cross country individual title and leading the Buffaloes to their first NCAA team championship in the sport since 2004.
Jones spearheaded a Colorado performance that saw five Buffs finish in the top 24 individuals. Makena Morley took eighth, Tabor Scholl 15th, Sage Hurta 22nd and Tayler Tuttle 24th. Colorado entered the championship meet Nov. 17 in Madison, Wisconsin, with the nation’s No. 3 ranking and captured a 38-point victory over No. 1-rated New Mexico, which had won the Division I crown in 2015 and 2017.
RESULTS
TEAM RESULTS
1st: Colorado, 65; 2nd: New Mexico, 103; 3rd: Oregon, 160
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1st: Dani Jones, Colorado, 19:42.8; 2nd: Weini Kelati, New Mexico, 19:45.3; 3rd: Jessica Hull, Oregon, 19:50.4
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Taylor Knibb, Cornell
In a championship matchup of men’s soccer programs pursuing their first Division II crown, Barry forged a come-from-behind effort that enabled the Buccaneers to move past West Chester 2-1 on Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh. Over a six-minute stretch late in the game, James Kirkham scored a header goal and Stephen Kosmala netted a free kick for Barry, which had trailed since Jason Pixley scored for West Chester in the first half.
Goalkeeper Marco Sordi played a big role in getting Barry to the title game, making seven saves during play and three in a shootout in the Buccaneers’ penalty-kick advancement over Fort Hays State in the semifinals. In the final, Barry outshot West Chester 20-5. Barry finished 16-4-3 while West Chester was 16-3-5.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Barry 0, Fort Hays St. 0 (advanced on penalty kicks, 5-4); West Chester 2, Cal Poly Pomona 1 (ot)
CHAMPIONSHIP: Barry 2, West Chester 1
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Stefano Cammarota, Barry
Bridgeport’s Nara DaCosta provided timely offense, heading in a rebound with 12 minutes to play. Teammate Jennifer Wendelius led the Purple Knights’ robust defense, making six saves in goal. And at the end of a tense Division II women’s soccer title game Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh, Bridgeport enjoyed a 1-0 triumph over top-ranked Grand Valley State.
The outcome brought Bridgeport its first team national title and kept Grand Valley State’s women from capturing the soccer crown for the sixth time in 10 years. The game winner was only the ninth goal allowed all season by Grand Valley State, which compiled a 25-1-1 record. Bridgeport finished 20-4-1 and recorded shutouts in four of its six NCAA tournament games.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Bridgeport 2, UC San Diego 0; Grand Valley St. 3, Lee 0
CHAMPIONSHIP: Bridgeport 1, Grand Valley St. 0
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Jennifer Wendelius, Bridgeport
Just over a minute into overtime, the Shippensburg Raiders wrapped up another field hockey championship in Division II — their third straight and fourth in six seasons. Sophomore Emily Stauffer, assisted by freshman Adrienne McGarrigle, scored the game winner in a 1-0 victory over East Stroudsburg.
But it wasn’t only Shippensburg’s young players showing their mettle in the Dec. 2 final in Pittsburgh. Goalkeeper Ally Mooney, the Raiders’ only senior, led the defense to its ninth shutout of the season. Mooney and the defense surrendered only one goal in three NCAA tournament games. Shippensburg finished 19-4 while East Stroudsburg, which like Shippensburg plays in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, was 16-5.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Shippensburg 4, West Chester 0; East Stroudsburg 3, Pace 0
CHAMPIONSHIP: Shippensburg 1, East Stroudsburg 0 (ot)
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Lexi Hartmann, East Stroudsburg
Two strong teams, each with an edge: The Tampa Spartans had some history on their side as they pursued their third Division II women’s volleyball title. The Western Washington Vikings owned momentum with 30 consecutive victories in 2018 after a 0-3 start.
In a tightly contested match Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh, the Spartans collected that third crown after rallying from a seven-point deficit in the fourth set and capturing the last two sets in a 3-2 outcome. Tampa’s Sammy Mueller, with 46 assists and 11 digs in the final, was named Most Outstanding Player. She was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Taylor Fosler, Alexandra Misca and Katie McKiel.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Tampa def. Washburn, 25-23, 25-19, 25-15; Western Wash. def. Lewis, 21-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-16
CHAMPIONSHIP: Tampa def. Western Wash., 21-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-23, 15-11
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Kenzie Schroer, Wheeling Jesuit
Sturdy defense fortified Tufts throughout the Division III men’s soccer tournament, and little changed in the final. The Jumbos, who held five national tourney foes to a total of two goals while scoring 13 themselves, edged Calvin 2-1 in the championship game Dec. 1 in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was Tufts’ third title in five years.
Tufts goalkeeper Conner Mieth totaled four saves. The Jumbos produced both of their goals in the first half as Calvin Aroh netted the first and Zach Lane scored on a header for the second. Hunter Olson scored for Calvin, which outshot Tufts 13-7. Tufts finished 18-0-3 while Calvin was 22-2.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Calvin 4, Chicago 1; Tufts 3, Rochester (NY) 1
CHAMPIONSHIP: Tufts 2, Calvin 1
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Nik Angyal, Rochester (NY)
Senior Olivia Barnhill made the final play of her Williams soccer career a memorable one. Barnhill, the Ephs goalkeeper, turned in a diving save on Middlebury’s last penalty kick to give her team the Division III championship Dec. 1 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The 3-2 penalty-kick outcome after a 1-1 double-overtime tie garnered Williams’ second consecutive title and third in four years.
Aspen Pierson scored Williams’ regulation goal while Middlebury got its goal when an Ephs defender, trying to clear the ball, deflected it off Barnhill and into the net. In the penalty-kick session, Victoria Laino, Pierson and Rain Condie made boots for Williams. Sara DiCenso and Cate Shellenback hit for Middlebury. Williams finished 19-1-4, and Middlebury was 19-2-3.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Middlebury 1, WashU 0; Williams 2, Chris. Newport 0
CHAMPIONSHIP: Williams 1, Middlebury 1 (won on penalty kicks, 3-2)
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Carson Pokorny, Chris. Newport
When the 2018 postseason kicked in, a strong Florida State team became even tougher. First came a three-game victory march through the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Then, in the Division I women’s soccer tournament, Florida State just kept advancing — all the way to a 1-0 victory over North Carolina and the program’s second national title Dec. 2 in Cary, North Carolina.
In the championship game’s 60th minute, Dallas Dorosy scored the lone goal, finishing with a slide, after a pass from Deyna Castellanos. It was Dorosy’s fifth goal of the Florida State postseason run. To reach the NCAA title game against the Tar Heels, Florida State survived meetings with the previous three champions — Southern California (2016), Penn State (2015) and Stanford (2017).
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Florida St. 2, Stanford 0; North Carolina 1, Georgetown 0 (2 ot)
CHAMPIONSHIP: Florida St. 1, North Carolina 0
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Gabby Carle, Florida St.
Southern California bolted to an early 6-0 lead. The relentless Trojans held a seven-goal advantage heading into the fourth period. Stanford refused to wither and staged a late rally, but when the National Collegiate Men’s Water Polo Championship ended Dec. 2 in Palo Alto, California, the Trojans celebrated another title with a 14-12 outcome.
It marked the Trojans’ 10th crown in men’s water polo — but first since 2013 when their run of six straight ended. Southern California’s Jacob Mercep was named Most Outstanding Player after a five-score performance in the final. Trojans Marco Vavic and Hannes Daube joined Mercep on the all-tournament first team.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Stanford 16, UC San Diego 7; Southern California 8, UCLA 7
CHAMPIONSHIP: Southern California 14, Stanford 12
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Blake Parrish, Stanford
After finishing as team runner-up four times since 2013, Grand Valley State broke through in 2018. The Lakers won the Division II men’s cross country title Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh on the strength of placing four runners among the top 28 individuals.
Zach Panning led the way for Grand Valley State with a No. 2 individual finish for the second consecutive year. Enael Woldemichael was sixth, Tanner Chada 21st and Josh Steible 28th as the Lakers took a 10-point victory over second-place Colorado School of Mines. In winning the program’s first Division II cross country crown, the Grand Valley State men joined the Lakers women’s team as 2018 national champions.
RESULTS
TEAM: 1st: Grand Valley St., 89; 2nd: Colo. Sch. of Mines, 99; 3rd: Western Colo., 117
INDIVIDUAL: 1st: Marcelo Laguera, Colorado St.-Pueblo, 31:46.4; 2nd: Zach Panning, Grand Valley St., 31:53.6; 3rd: Elias Gedyon, Adams St., 32:05.1
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Tyler Jones, Western Ore.
With the best score posted by a team champion since 2004, Grand Valley State totaled 41 points and captured the Division II Women’s Cross Country Championships on Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh. Senior Sarah Berger led the Lakers’ formidable showing by taking the individual crown. She was followed by four teammates in the top 26 overall — Allie Ludge (fifth), Hanna Groeber (sixth), Gina Patterson (ninth) and Madison Goen (26th).
The team title was No. 6 for the Lakers women — all since 2010 and all with coach Jerry Baltes at the helm. Baltes also led the Grand Valley State men’s cross country team to the Division II championship in 2018, its first national title.
RESULTS
TEAM: 1st: Grand Valley St., 41; 2nd: Mary, 83; 3rd: Adams St., 90
INDIVIDUAL: 1st: Sarah Berger, Grand Valley St., 22:07.7; 2nd: Eilish Flanagan, Adams St., 22:12.4; 3rd: Emily Roberts, Mary, 22:15.5
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Alexa Shindruk, Central Wash.
Five Division I men’s soccer tournament games, five shutouts by the Maryland back line. That’s how the Terrapins put their stamp on the 2018 national championship. They capped their impressive defensive run Dec. 9 in Santa Barbara, California, with a 1-0 outcome over Akron in the College Cup final.
Maryland goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair spearheaded the push with 16 saves in five tournament games. The Terrapins collected the finale’s only goal when Amar Sejdic scored on a penalty kick in the 57th minute. The 2018 crown marked the fourth for the Maryland program, with three coming since 2005 under coach Sasho Cirovski.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Akron 5, Michigan St. 1; Maryland 2, Indiana 0
CHAMPIONSHIP: Maryland 1, Akron 0
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Matthew Di Rosa, Maryland
The Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders never trailed in a 2018 football game until Mount Union took leads of 3 and 10 points early in the Division III championship game Dec. 14 in Shenandoah, Texas. But the Crusaders were unflinching. They rallied, gained the lead just before halftime and forged a 24-16 victory to collect their second national title in three seasons.
Mary Hardin-Baylor’s T.J. Josey was named Most Outstanding Player with five receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown and 21 rushing yards. Jase Hammack passed for 147 yards and two TDs and rushed for 44 yards. Markeith Miller rushed for 90 yards and a score. The Crusaders, who finished the year at 15-0, ended Mount Union’s 29-game winning streak, which included the 2017 championship victory over Mary-Hardin Baylor.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Mary Hardin-Baylor 31, Wis.-Whitewater 14; Mount Union 28, Johns Hopkins 20
CHAMPIONSHIP: Mary Hardin-Baylor 24, Mount Union 16
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Domenico Valdespino, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Ferris State accumulated 449 yards of offense against Valdosta State in the Division II football championship game Dec. 15 in McKinney, Texas. In the end, though, Ferris State needed three more. Down 49-47 after scoring a touchdown with 40 seconds left, the Bulldogs ran a trick play in hopes of securing those three yards — and two points — that would have likely sent the game into overtime, but the resultant pass fell incomplete.
Valdosta State sophomore quarterback Rogan Wells led the Blazers’ potent attack, throwing for 349 yards and five touchdowns. Plus, he caught a 25-yard score from freshman Ivory Durham early in the fourth quarter, which proved to be the game’s decisive score.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Valdosta St. 30, Notre Dame (OH) 24; Ferris St. 42, Minnesota St. 25
CHAMPIONSHIP: Valdosta St. 49, Ferris St. 47
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Travis Russell, Ferris St.
With the 2018 championship in hand, Stanford ascended to sole leadership of Division I women’s volleyball titles with eight, one more than Penn State. But the final stage of winning that eighth Dec. 15 in Minneapolis didn’t play out easily. In a match of high drama and memorable plays, the Cardinal battled five sets against Nebraska before Meghan McClure’s kill wrapped up Stanford’s second title in three years.
Stanford’s Kathryn Plummer, with 19 kills and 10 digs, and Morgan Hentz, with a career-high 32 digs, shared Most Outstanding Player honors. Freshman Holly Campbell had a career-high 15 kills. For Nebraska, Mikaela Foecke and Lauren Stivrins had 27 and 19 kills, respectively. Stanford finished 34-1, winning its last 32 in a row. Nebraska was 29-7.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: Stanford def. BYU, 25-15, 25-15, 25-18; Nebraska def. Illinois, 22-25, 16-25, 25-23, 25-20, 15-11
CHAMPIONSHIP
Stanford def. Nebraska, 28-26, 22-25, 25-16, 15-25, 15-12
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Michaela Keefe, Stanford
North Dakota State’s run of dominance continues. The undefeated Bison captured their seventh Football Championship Subdivision title in eight years Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas. Impressive performances by quarterback Easton Stick and wide receiver Darrius Shepherd, accompanied by the team’s hefty advantage in time of possession, highlighted a 38-24 championship victory over Eastern Washington.
Stick had a hand in five touchdowns, running for three and throwing for two. Shepherd, named the Most Outstanding Player, totaled five catches for 125 yards and two scores. The Bison ran 73 plays to 59 for the Eagles and were on offense for nearly two-thirds of the game while converting 11 of 17 third downs. Stick completed his Bison career with a 49-3 record — the most victories ever for an FCS starting quarterback.
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS: North Dakota St. 44, South Dakota St. 21; Eastern Wash. 50, Maine 19
CHAMPIONSHIP: North Dakota St. 38, Eastern Wash. 24
ELITE 90 HONOREE: Ben Ellefson, North Dakota St.