My Championship Experience - Men's Soccer Edition

My Championship Experience is a diary blog written by Summit League student-athletes detailing their experiences at each of the 19 Championships.

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Western Illinois senior Husref Jupic writes about his experience at the 2013 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship:

Thursday, November 14

I woke up and attended class at 11 a.m. just as I’ve done each and every Thursday all semester long, but there was something different about that day. It was tourney time! I sat there in class trying to be attentive, but there were other things on my mind. Attaining a third straight Summit League title was all that I could think about. After class I took my daily nap and headed out to the field for training. The team was buzzing with excitement for the ever-impending Summit League tournament game. We had a solid training session and headed back to get ready for the Summit League banquet.

I was proud to be a part of Western Illinois Athletics because they did a great job of hosting the dinner. My teammates and I maxed out on pasta and breadsticks to gain the carbohydrates necessary for our match against Oral Roberts. Next it was time for the awards to be given out. I was fortunate enough to be named to the First Team All-Summit League. It was a little awkward taking the First Team picture, as I was the only player not from Denver on the squad. After the banquet we had a quick team meeting and I headed back to my apartment to get a good night’s sleep for the game ahead.

Friday, November 15

Friday was game day. It was the beginning of our journey to win our third straight Summit League title and we could not have been more ready. We had been preparing all year long for this moment and my teammates and I were anxious to get on the field and showcase our abilities. We had lost to Oral Roberts earlier in the season 2-0 after giving up two early goals, so we were also ecstatic for the opportunity to redeem ourselves in the tournament. We had a team breakfast at 10 a.m. and began to mentally prepare ourselves for the task at hand. Denver and IUPUI played before us and when we learned that Denver won the game 5-0 we had extra motivation to win our game against Oral Roberts so we could play Denver, who had beaten us 2-1 in the regular season.

Like many games throughout the year, we gave up an early goal to ORU in the first half but we responded well and never put our heads down. We were able to get a goal back by half time and ended the first 45 minutes tied at 1-1. We started off very strong in the second half and scored two goals in a span of five minutes to go up 3-1. In the dying minutes of the game there was a bit of a wrestling match between the two squads but that stuff happens from time to time with emotions running high and everything on the line. From there our fans got behind us and willed us to a 3-1 victory. We were pleased with our performance and excited to be one step closer to our third straight Summit League title.

Saturday, November 16

On Saturday we met for a light training session that was moved indoors due to inclement weather. We had a nice little jog and stretch, got some touches on the ball, and talked about how we would play against Denver in the Summit League Final. We were well aware of the challenge that lied ahead but we were coming together as a team at the right time as we tend to do each year come tourney time. We knew that we would have a full fan base behind us on our home field and I was overjoyed at the thought of playing my last home game wearing the Western Illinois soccer jersey.

Sunday, November 17

We had gotten word that there might be some severe weather come game time but severe might have been an understatement. I’ve heard rumors that on our walk from the locker room to the field that one of the smaller freshman was nearly swept away by a strong gust of wind. Whoever dubbed Chicago as the “Windy City” clearly has never visited Macomb, Illinois. Because of the wind and lightning there was a 45 minute delay to the game but nothing could deter or focus on the prize ahead of us. We paid no mind to the elements, had a solid warm up, and took the field for kickoff.

The first half was fairly even, both teams having decent looks at goal, but we entered halftime knotted at zeros. We were pleased with the first half because our Achilles heel all season long had been giving up an early goal and having to overcome a deficit. Coach Johnson gave us a good talking to at halftime, encouraging each player to lift their play higher than they had all season long. The second half was a lot like the first, in that both teams had their chances. Unfortunately for us, Denver went up in the 51st minute on a good cross and better finish. We applied pressure for the remainder of the game, hitting the wrong side of the post in the 70th minute, but couldn’t get a goal past Denver’s stingy defense.

The loss was an especially difficult one to swallow for myself as well as the other three seniors on the squad. Watching another team lift the Summit League trophy on our home field was one of the worst feelings in the world. After awards were handed out to individuals and teams I sat there in disbelief that my career had just come to an end. I was consoled by my teammates who met me with gratitude for all of the blood, sweat, and tears I have put into the program. I couldn’t be prouder to have played four years for Western Illinois. Coach Johnson let all the seniors know, as he does each year, that once you’re a Leatherneck you’re always a Leatherneck.

On behalf of Western Illinois and the rest of The Summit League I wish nothing but the best for Denver in the NCAA tournament.

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Don’t forget to check out the next edition of My Championship Experience as it follows the Volleyball Championship, Nov. 22-23 and throughout the 2013-14 season for coverage at each of The Summit League Championships.

SDSU's Bongard Featured by Argus Leader

The Argus Leader featured South Dakota State men's cross country runner and veteran Anthony Bongard's journey over the last seven years.

Anthony Bongard is coming to the end of the road as a South Dakota State runner. It’s taken seven years.

That’s not an indictment of his ability to quickly traverse long distances. To the contrary, the super senior has helped the Jackrabbits build the best men’s cross country program in the Summit League as evident by four conference titles in five years. Rather, Bongard’s extended experience has been rife with obstacles: Military deployment, academic struggles, untimely injury and illness.

He has cleared all of them, prepared this week to run what’s likely to be the last race of his college career – the NCAA Division I Midwest Region meet Friday at Iowa State – and expected next semester to earn a degree in math. Bongard will be the first in his family to graduate from college and he’ll have done so without giving up the sport he loves.

Denver's Mackenzie Receives Engineering Scholarship for Second-Straight Year

Former president of IEEE PES, Wanda Reder and Doug Mackenzie

Denver senior swimmer Doug Mackenzie (Silver Spring, Md.) received the IEEE PES Scholarship for his studies and work in power and energy.  
 
This is the second year in a row that Mackenzie has been awarded the scholarship and he attributes much of his success in the power and energy field to Dr. Wenzhong Gao, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Denver.

My Championship Experience – Women’s Soccer Edition

My Championship Experience is a diary blog written by Summit League student-athletes detailing their experiences at each of the 19 Championships.

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Denver senior Shannen Johnson writes about her experience at the 2013 Summit League Women's Soccer Championship:

Welcome to the 2013 Summit League Women’s Soccer Championships! My name is Shannen Johnson and I am honored to be recording my daily occurrences of the tournament. To give some background information on where my thoughts and opinions are coming from you should know that I am a senior midfielder playing for the University of Denver and have attended the conference tournament three out of the four times my team has gone due to a red-shirt sophomore year. Overall, this will be our third conference we have played in as a senior class.

This year at the tournament my team will be joined by North Dakota State, South Dakota State and host Fort Wayne, who my teammates and I would like to thank ahead of time for hosting us!
 

11/7/2013

Rising bright and early, we all congregated in the locker room packing and chatting excitedly as we rushed to be on the bus by 7:15 a.m., otherwise we wouldn’t be traveling. The team was ready to go and hopefully bring home a tournament win, something that hasn’t been done in four years. Heading to the Denver International Airport (DIA) many girls devoured their Breugger Bagels and promptly headed back to sleep. After the usual checking in and getting through security we were on the plane. Landing before we knew it, we boarded the bus and began the one-movie long (or 2 hour) bus ride that stretched out ahead of us, no one seemed to mind the journey as the tunes of Footloose blared through the bus speakers. As the movie ended and we pulled up and it was time to change clothes and head to dinner. Dinner was at a fabulous steakhouse where we managed to rack up quite the bill and headed to the hotel. It was time for bed and we all tried to get some rest before our tournament training began.

11/8/2013

With a good hotel breakfast in our stomachs, we headed to IPFW for the first practice of the tournament. We played the traditional game of “screw” and finished off with running plays, then we were off to eat again. With the choice of Chipotle, Panera or East Coast Subs we were satisfied and headed back to the hotel to sleep and for the ambitious few, to do homework. Tonight was the night of the banquet and what a good one it turned out to be. The team enjoyed the speeches given, especially the one concerning how much heart being a collegiate takes, both metaphorically and literally. After a great dinner and awards show, all teams headed to their respective hotels to get a good night sleep before the game. Congratulations to every player who received an award and to those who didn’t, they couldn’t have done it without you! Good luck to everyone!

11/9/2013

 GAME DAY at IPFW!! This morning my team and I awoke with an anxious energy as we prepared for our first match against IPFW. Our preparations included a good lunch at Panera, a film session, rolling out and lots of naps and downtime. As we headed to the field, each player became lost in their music and pregame rituals before we entered the stadium. Upon entering the stadium, the team came alive and we were ready to play. Hanging out in the locker room as we get our gear on, we discussed how it was all or nothing at this point and we wanted the league championship that no one in this group had won yet. Receiving the lineup, we ran through our usual warm up and braced ourselves for the game ahead. We knew IPFW was not going to be easy to beat, especially on their home field and re-entered the locker room 1-0 at halftime. As the second half continued, we managed to battle against their unique formation and came out with a 4-0 win. We were on to the finals!!

IPFW was a tough competitor and really proved to us that every game was going to be a battle, we needed to bring 100 percent to if we wanted to win overall.
 

The game after us between North Dakota State and South Dakota State ended up with North Dakota State winning 2-1. I can only imagine the battle that ensued between the two teams as both were difficult competitors in regular season play. 

11/10/2013

Waking up sore and tired from the game the night before, we enjoyed another delicious breakfast at the hotel and once again continued onto another practice over at IPFW. This practice was a bit more enjoyable seeing as we played small sided continuous versus running routes as we did on Thursday. After the goalies somehow managed to win the penalty kick competition, the seniors quickly redeemed themselves with a win in horseshoe.

With practice over, we were soon on our way to our three favorite lunch places again, (Chipotle, Panera and East Coast Subs) where we ended up eating with the opposition, North Dakota State, making for a crowded restaurant. 

After lunch, it was more downtime, which again included more naps then homework and ending with dinner at an Italian Restaurant and early bed for everyone. 

11/11/2013

CHAMPIONSHIP DAY!

The team met for an early breakfast in the hotel and all morning the lounge was filled with people yelling, “We’re going to the ‘ship!” An excited feeling took over all of us as we rolled out and began to prepare for the game against North Dakota State later in the day.  Bags packed and the bus boarded, we head to IPFW for the last time of the weekend. 

Arriving at the fields, we ran through warm ups and began the final.

Within 11 minutes, we were up 2-1. By half it was 5-1 but North Dakota State was still coming at us with the force they started with. 

Talking at half, we knew that they were still creating chances and we could not let them back into the game.
 

As the whistle blew, it was an amazing feeling to have not only won the league championship but to end the game with every single senior playing on the field. After a quick but delightful ceremony, we were once again grabbing Chipotle (fan favorite!) and bussing to the airport. Heading home with the league win felt fantastic. We are all anxious to see what the NCAA Tournament selection show will bring us tomorrow afternoon, while sad to be back to the reality of school.

            Coming off of a successful weekend, we must thank IPFW for hosting such a wonderful tournament and graciously hosting us at their campus along with the other teams in the conference who challenged us every single step of the way! We hope to make The Summit League proud as we take on the NCAA’s!

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Don’t forget to check out the next edition of My Championship Experience as it follows the Men’s Soccer Championship, Nov. 15/17 and throughout the 2013-14 season for coverage at each of The Summit League Championships.

Men's Basketball Exhibition Scoreboard (Nov. 5)

WIU's Garret Covington

Western Illinois defeated Knox College, 97-54, in exhibition action Tuesday night. Freshman newcomer Garret Covington led the way for WIU with 24 points. Four other Fighting Leathernecks finished in double-figure scoring on the evening: Mohamed Conde tallied 14 points, Remy Roberts-Burnett finished with 13 points, Tate Stensgaard notched 12 points and Jordan Foster had 10 points. WIU opens the regular season Saturday, Nov. 9 at Idaho.

My Championship Experience – 2013 Men’s Cross Country Edition

My Championship Experience is a diary blog written by Summit League student-athletes detailing their experiences at each of the 19 Championships.

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South Dakota State senior Christian Karels writes about his experience at the 2013 Summit League Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships:

Thursday, October 31^st

My roommates and I woke up at 5:30 a.m. in order to eat some breakfast to prepare for the long trip to Fort Wayne, Ind. The trip there would consist of driving to Omaha, Neb., to catch a one-hour flight that would take us to Chicago, Ill., and then travel the rest of the way in two 15-passenger vans. We got to the HPER at 6:00 a.m. to load and board Frank the Tank (a single-axle people mover that has just enough room for the 22 runners and coaches plus our bags) for our trip down to Omaha.  As we began our three and a half-hour drive to Omaha, I put my headphones on and listened to some music to drown out the sound of what seemed like a wind tunnel as Frank the Tank cruised south on I-29. I fell asleep without too much trouble because we had gotten up so early and it would be dark out for another hour and a half.

We arrived at the Omaha airport around 10 a.m. while making one stop along the way for a bathroom break and fuel for the bus. We were flying Southwest Airlines and the flight was scheduled for departure at 11:15 a.m. so we had to check in and get through security without too much delay. Once everyone was through security, we found our gate and sat down to wait until the boarding process started. I was getting hungry so I grabbed a personal pan pizza from one of the shops. Soon enough, it was time to board. Our team took up the rear of the plane. Once in the air, the flight attendants served everyone a beverage and some roasted peanuts. As we came into Chicago to land, there was some turbulence, which made it a little rough. After getting off the plane, we made our way to the baggage claim to collect our luggage. Waiting for us at the airport were two 15-passenger vans, which we would be taking the rest of the way to Fort Wayne.

We left the Chicago airport to go get our run in for the day. I only had to go 5 miles because I front-loaded my mileage for the week. We started our run at Soldier Field and ran along the Lakefront trail, which followed Lake Michigan. It was a rainy day so the run left us nothing short of soaked. Nevertheless, we still had fun on the run trying to chase the friendly geese that would come up close to the path. It was a nice area to run and I would like to do it again when the weather is a little more cooperative.

After we changed out of our soaked running clothes, we got back on the road to Fort Wayne. Getting out of Chicago took a little while because it was around 5:00 p.m., which meant rush hour. Also, we had to stop at a few tollbooths on the way out. Trying to fall asleep in the van was not working out for me, as it was near impossible to get into a comfortable enough position to sleep in with the amount of room that was available. After driving for a while, we stopped in Valparaiso, Ind., to get supper. A few of us went to Qdoba, while others went to Five Guys Burgers and Fries. After eating, we still had about 100 miles to go plus a time zone change where we would lose an hour. Once we arrived at the hotel and got our room assignments, I unpacked some things, checked my email and a few things that were posted online regarding my classes. Finally, after a long day of traveling, I went to bed a little before 11:00 p.m.

Friday, November 1^st

Drew [Kraft] and I woke up at 8 a.m. and went down to eat some breakfast. A few of the guys were also down there. My meal consisted of orange juice, milk, french toast, fruit, yogurt, and a donut, which was all very delicious. After eating, I went back to the room and watched some TV until it was time to go and run the course for our pre-meet.

At noon, we left for the course. It was a decent day outside, partly cloudy and 50 degrees with a little wind, which by looking at the forecast, was nicer than it was supposed to be on race day. The course was pretty wet due to an inch of rain that had fallen the day before, leaving the grass parts of the course muddy with standing water in other areas. While running the course, we included some one-minute surges throughout the run to serve as some strides. The course had quite a few turns along with one loop that went into a wooded area with a gravel trail. I wasn’t quite sure what my plans were regarding spikes in that area as of yet. It would be a tough choice to change out the longer spikes for shorter ones especially with all the turns and the grass portion of the course being muddy and soft. The course was marked very well which should make it easy to know where I’m at during the race tomorrow. After doing our myrtle and some stretching, we headed out for lunch. We went to an area of town that had Panera Bread and a Subway nearby. I went to the Subway with most of the guys, while the girls chose Panera. After eating, we left to search out a Wal-Mart in order to get some Gatorade and snacks.

We got back to the hotel around 3 p.m. I had to do some ironing work on my dress clothes so they would be ready for the banquet later that night, because I had to pack them in my bag instead of having them on a hanger for the trip, they were slightly wrinkled. After finishing with that, I worked on some homework and looked at other conference results that had already taken place throughout the nation until it was time to get ready for the banquet. We left for the banquet at 5:30 p.m. and ended up being the first ones there. It didn’t take long to find out that it wasn’t supposed to start until 6:30 p.m., which made us really early. We then proceeded to take about a thousand pictures since we had a lot of free time. When the other teams showed up, the banquet started and the speakers kept their speeches short and to the point, which was a little surprising, but it meant that we were able to eat sooner. The food was very delicious, as they had prepared a few different main courses along with cheesecake and carrot cake for desert. After the banquet, we headed back to the hotel for team meetings before heading to bed. Our coach gave us a pretty good rundown of what we had to do tomorrow and how we should approach it. He left us with a lot to think about as we headed to bed.

Saturday, November 2^nd

 Drew and I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to go and do a two-mile shakeout run with Trent [Lusignan]. After the short run, we went and ate a light breakfast. The men’s team was going to leave for the course at 9:30 a.m. so we had a couple of free hours. I used them to shower and get my bag packed, as we were not coming back to the hotel after the race because we were going to be rushed for time to make our flight out of Chicago back to Omaha. We dressed and prepared for the worst conditions during race time. There was a 40 percent chance of rain during race time with 10 mph winds and temperatures in the low 40s. Since the course was going to be muddy and wet, we planned on wrapping our spikes with tape to keep them from coming untied and possibly getting stepped on and coming off during the race. When we arrived at the course, I went to look at the areas where we would be running to see what they were like. Since yesterday when we did our pre-meet, the course seemed to have dried off quite a bit and the areas with water disappeared a little. We started our warm-up a little after 10 a.m. I tried to keep myself from getting nervous or worried about the race. Before I knew it, it was time to spike up and head over to the starting line for our last stride outs, final words from our coach, and our team huddle. At this point, I was getting excited and anxious to get going. Once the gun went off and we were on our way I was purely focused on the race and giving it my best effort. I finished the race with a respectable time in my mind but was more concerned on how our team did. Talking with coach and our graduate assistant, it was going to be close with USD if we were going to defend our 2012 title. We were trying to add the points up in our head but it was too close to call without seeing the results on paper. Just as we were about to leave for our cool down, the results came over and we edged out USD by just one point (41-42). Everyone was instantly relieved and happy. Then we went to start our cool down and cheer on the girl’s team. They ran really well and ended up placing second behind NDSU.

After the awards, we had to load up the vans and head out if we were going to make out flight out of Chicago on time. Both teams left the course with a lot of accolades. On the men’s side, Trent Lusignan captured the Individual Championship, was named to the All-League First Team, and was the Championship MVP of the race. Brendan Sage was named the Newcomer of the Championship and to the All-League Second Team.  Two Jackrabbits were named to the All-League First Team and three were named to All-League Second Team and coach Rod DeHaven was awarded Coach of the Year. The women’s team placed second to NDSU with Cheyanne Bowers taking second place in the meet. Just like the men, they also had two runners make the All-League First Team and three make the All-League Second Team.

The ride to the Chicago airport was pretty quiet as everyone was exhausted from the meet. We ended up making it to our gate with time to spare before our plane was scheduled for departure. The plane ride to Omaha was short and relaxing because there were not very many people on our flight. After getting our luggage it was time to board Frank the Tank again for our final stretch of driving back to Brookings, S.D. We made a quick stop for supper in Missouri Valley, Iowa, and got back to Brookings around 11 p.m. Due to daylight savings time ending, we would get an extra hour of sleep tonight, which was much needed after the long weekend.

I enjoyed my championship experience to the fullest extent and am very glad I was able to share it with my teammates. I will forever remember all of the memories and events that took place over the weekend. Now that The Summit League Championships is in the books, it is time to start thinking about what our teams can do at the Midwest Regional.

Thanks for reading,

Christian Karels

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Don’t forget to check out the next edition of My Championship Experience as it follows the Women’s Soccer Championship, Nov. 8/10 and throughout the 2013-14 season for coverage at each of The Summit League Championships.

Women's Basketball Exhibition Scoreboard (Nov. 4)

IUPUI 86, Manchester 28
Eleven players scored, including four in double figures, leading the IUPUI women'sbasketball team to an 86-28 exhibition win over Manchester University Monday evening at The Jungle.

Akilah Sims led the Jags with 13 points and added 11 rebounds, while Nicole Rogers followed with 12 – all of which came in the final five minutes of the first half. Shanika Maddox and Dawn Luster rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points and 10 points, respectively.