Fall athletic previews

By Alex Conover
Sports Editor


[These Fall previews are exclusive online content, since our first issue of The Cardinal is released on the 19th. Look for a revamped Sports section, with a monthly column written by myself and a few other additions.]

The sport I'm looking to for a lot of success this Fall is volleyball; plenty of returning talent from the sophomore class and key upperclassmen will make this unit very effective. I also really like the chances of the women's soccer team, with leading scorer Amy Sibik returning. Seniors Bethany Kaufmann and Melissa Paulson also are back, and will continue to move the ball efficiently. The most improved squad should be men's soccer; I am a big believer in Coach Dembiec, and his excellent recruiting these last two years will begin to produce wins very soon.
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One last note - I did the web broadcast for the women's soccer game against UW-Superior the other afternoon. This was the first home game for the newly renovated soccer field, and I was very impressed with how nice it looks. I've heard from several players that the turf is great to play on as well. There isn't another home game until late September, but make sure to catch a match sometime this Fall. Once completed, this field could ultimately be the best playing surface in the MIAC conference.

Men's CC

2007 Place in MIAC: 10th
Key Returners: John Vallez, Jared Brandenburg, Quentin Moore, Marty Howard,
Key Newcomers: David Feather, Michael Mockler, Robbie McGuire
Coach's Statement: "The men's team has been on a steady upward progression over the past three years and this year is no exception. The main goal for this team is to make the move to the next tier of competition at the MIAC championships." - Coach Berndt

Women's CC

2007 Place in MIAC: 11th
Key Returners: Anne Shutte, Emily Dee, Brittany Kuehn
Key Newcomers: Rachel Folan, Jill Spitzmueller, Regina Quandt
Coach's Statement: "The biggest thing for this group is going to be consistency, patience, and progression. They have already shown that they are much further ahead this year than they were last year; we will be much faster and have more depth as a team." - Coach Berndt

Men's Golf

2007 Place in MIAC: 5th
Key Returners: Tony Hynes, Josh Wendell, Erik LaRock, Andy Roberts, Rob Klein
Key Newcomers: D.J. Borgen
Coach's Statement: "Hynes and Wendell were strong, consistent performers last year, and we look forward to more. We have some other upperclassmen we'll look to for steady contributions" - Coach Stangl

Women's Golf

2007 Place in MIAC: 9th
Key Returners: Katelyn Rizzi, Gia Puch, Brittney Nielsen
Key Newcomers: Abby Leach, Amy Hagen, Lauren Ulbarich, Colleen Norwell, Kristine Froseth
Coach's Statement: "We’re going to be a pretty young squad, but, hopefully, we can put together a combination of players who can play consistent golf. If we can do that, we’ll do all right.” - Coach Stangl

Men's Soccer

2007 Record: 4-13-1 (0-10)
2007 Place in MIAC: 11th
Key Returners: Steve Boussie, Jon Szafranski, Lucas Volini, Jaden Chance, Adam Lindsay, Jermaine Walker, Jovenel D'Haiti, Ryan Rademacher, Andy Adair, Cristian Reyes
Key Newcomers: Bryan Neu, Bobby Gas, Zach Palokangas, Andrew List
Coach's Statement: “Our approach to the season is simple: Give ourselves an opportunity to win. And to do that, we have to do a better job on the offensive end. We’ve got the tools to make a little noise (in the conference) — I think we’re going to surprise some people.” - Coach Dembiec

Women's Soccer

2007 Record: 10-7-1 (4-6-1)
2007 Place in MIAC: 7th
Key Returners: Amy Sibik, Mariana Sanchez, Keirra Metcalfe, Dana Winkler, Lauren Mazzuca, Melissa Paulson, Bethany Kaufmann, Steph Marnocha, Emily Berg
Key Newcomers: Amanda Rahman, Caitlyn Cole, Emily Mateling, Ashley Gernes, Rachel Gates-Vickery
Coach's Statement: "Due to a combination of talented newcomers, skillful returners, and strong leadership, we should look to improve upon our overall record and conference record from last year." - Coach Zimmerman

Volleyball

2007 Record: 17-12
2007 Place in MIAC: 10th
Key Returners: Rachel Monterastelli, Theresa Perrini, Sarah Gardner, Jessica Mate, Racquel Reker
Key Newcomers: Erika Hurley, Amy Kujak
Coach's Statement: "“On paper, we look like a young team, and, in a way, we are a young team. But our youth is in name only — we’ve got nine sophomores who saw a ton of playing time last year. We’re young, but we’re experienced. This may be the most balanced team I’ve had since the 2000 season, when we made it to the (NCAA) tournament.” - Coach Lester