Xavier Nation - The Official Magazine for Xavier Athletics - Spring 2017

BODY INK

STORIES BEHIND EIGHT STUDENT-ATHLETES’ TATTOOS

TEAM EFFORT

THE SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY FOR XAVIER MEN’S BASKETBALL

LAW AND ORDER

XAVIER’S CROSS COUNTRY COACH WAS A REAL-LIFE LAWMAN

XavierNation

ELITE EFFORT QUENTIN GOODIN GROWS UP IN A HURRY

CY A G E L G IN G N A H C A GAME

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G N I K A M E H T N I

TriHealth and Xavier are continuing to change the game for years to come.

TriHealth.com | 513 569 5400

#TriHealthGameChangers

PHOTOGRAPH BY TK

After working with Xavier University for more than 20 years, TriHealth is proud to announce a new long-term affiliation that has the ability to deliver a full breadth of wellness to student-athletes, students, faculty, staff and alumni. Together, TriHealth and Xavier will continue to invest in the University by building a state-of-the-art Recreation and Wellness Center on campus and, with the support of Beacon Orthopaedics, embark on a major renovation of the Sports Medicine and Training Center.

This new affiliation will give Xavier University game-changing care far into the future.

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Contents X AV I E R N AT I O N

SPRING 2017

26 | Stepping Up Their Game Freshman Quentin Goodin had to grow up in a hurry when he took over as starting point guard of the Xavier basketball team following Edmond Sumner’s season-ending injury.

33 | Altered State Chris Mack and his coaching staff make several key adjustments to turn around Xavier’s basketball season.

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Xavier student-athletes and coaches are among the honored at the second annual XSPYs.

16 Story Time

The Musketeers’ new golf coach has some fun anecdotes to share (one even includes a certain former high-flying North Carolina basketball player).

18 People Person

Eric Thompson says his power wheelchair is easier to recall than his name. He also knows that can be an advantage as XU’s athletic ticket sales manager.

P H O T O G R A P H S (F R O M T O P) B Y G R E G R U S T / G R E G R U S T / DAV I D W E G I E L J R . / G L E N N H A R T O N G / G L E N N H A R T O N G / E R I C S U C A R

20 Part of the Team

34 | Ready to Rebuild After a season that did not go as planned, coach Brian Neal is looking forward to a promising future.

The Angel Moms are at games for their sons—and each other— providing support, comfort, and sometimes live updates.

22 Hall of Fame

Xavier’s Hall includes the results of the 2001 Atlantic 10 golf championship. Here’s why.

24 Cintas Center

38 | Skin Game Eight student-athletes shared stories behind their tattoos— and they were candid and quite personal.

Can you say: Kohlhepp Family Court?

COOL DOWN 54 Team Player

Xavier basketball players see head athletic trainer David Fluker as a mentor, confidant, and friend.

46 | Social Engineering An entire team mans the BarrackX during XU men’s basketball games to execute a social media plan that engages thousands of fans.

50 | Born to Run Before he was a cross country coach, Ryan Orner was a Maryland state police officer who was once in a car chase featured on America’s Most Wanted.

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56 Where Are They Now? Former point guard Michael Hawkins helped his own children improve their basketball skills; now he’s training others in the Houston area. Long before her nephew Andrew was creating his own legacy with the Boston Red Sox, Kelly Benintendi-Misleh was making her mark at Xavier.

58 Recap

A look at all 18 Musketeer teams.

64 Post Game Interview Xavier grad Tom DeCorte went from editor of the Newswire to a dream job at ESPN.

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XavierNation T H E O F F I C I A L M AG A Z I N E FO R X AV I E R AT H L E T I C S

PUBLISHED & PRODUCED BY Cincinnati Magazine (Ivy Bayer, Publisher) Vehr Communications (Nick Vehr, President) Xavier University (Greg Christopher, Athletic Director)

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Perry (Vehr Communications)

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

(ma i l box)

Dan Guttridge (Vehr Communications) Kara Renee Hagerman (Cincinnati Magazine) Amanda Boyd Walters (Cincinnati Magazine) Mikayla Williams (Vehr Communications)

ART DIRECTOR Danielle Johnson (Cincinnati Magazine)

REPORTERS Ryan Clark, John Fox, Rory Glynn, Matt Koesters, Tabari McCoy, Rodney McKissic, Michael Perry, Shannon Russell

PHOTOGRAPHERS

(i nbox)

Doug Cochran, Glenn Hartong (photo editor), Malinda Hartong, Cliff Jenkins (Xavier University), Greg Rust (Xavier University), Bob Stevens, Eric Sucar, David Wegiel Jr., Steve Woltmann

SPECIAL THANKS Brendan Bergen (Xavier University) Tom Eiser (Xavier University) Brian Hicks (Xavier University) Greg Lautzenheiser (Xavier University) Mario Mercurio (Xavier University) Hayley Schletker (Xavier University)

ART & PRODUCTION MANAGER Julie Whitaker (Cincinnati Magazine)

Visit our home page to subscribe to our email newsletter and get the latest content from CincinnatiMagazine.com delivered straight to your inbox.

Call 1.800.846.4333 or visit cincinnatimagazine.com

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OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Missy Beiting (Cincinnati Magazine)

BUSINESS COORDINATOR Erica Birkle (Cincinnati Magazine)

XAVIER NATION MAGAZINE 700 Walnut St., Suite 450, Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.381.8347 • www.XavierNationMagazine.com

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FROM THE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS RYAN CLARK

“BODY INK” ISSUE

Former reporter at The Cincinnati Enquirer and now senior digital content strategist at Xavier University.

Author of six sports books. @rhinoKSR

JOHN FOX

In the fall, we asked for stories from fans that we planned to share in this issue. But honestly, we want more. And so rather than rush it, we decided to ask again. We’re looking for fantastic fan stories that are touching, inspirational, funny, meaningful.

Consider: • Why are YOU a Xavier fan?

• What does it mean to YOU to be a Xavier fan?

• What’s your favorite story about YOU and Xavier sports?

The story you submit should be fewer than 200 words. Send stories to musketeers@ xaviernationmagazine.com.

Sincerely,

RORY GLYNN Former Xavier beat reporter and former assistant sports editor of The Cincinnati Enquirer. Also worked at Cleveland Plain Dealer and Atlanta Journal Constitution.

MATT KOESTERS Former reporter at The Cincinnati Enquirer and past contributor to the Cincinnati Business Courier and WCPO.com. @mattkoesters

TABARI McCOY Former CinWeekly arts, entertainment, and news reporter.

A professional stand-up comedian.

Also worked at Community Press papers and was a Bengals intern. @tabarimccoy

RODNEY McKISSIC Former Xavier beat reporter for The Cincinnati Post and former sports reporter for the Buffalo News and The News Tribune in Tacoma, Washington. @rodneymckissic

MICHAEL PERRY Former Xavier beat reporter and former sports editor of The Cincinnati Enquirer. Author and publisher of Xavier Tales: Great Stories from Musketeers Basketball (2008). @mdperry14

SHANNON RUSSELL Michael Perry, Editor-in-Chief musketeers@xaviernationmagazine.com

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Former Xavier beat reporter for The Cincinnati Enquirer for eight years. Also covered the Western & Southern Open tennis tournaments. Now writes for WCPO.com. @slrussell

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P H O T O GR A P H C O U R T E S Y V E H R CO M M U N I C AT I O N S

HEN XAVIER NATION MAGAZINE LAUNCHED IN 2014, our goal was to provide information you wouldn’t find elsewhere.

I am not sure at the time we were thinking specifically about a Tattoo issue. But here it is.

Two things you should take note of as you flip through the inside spread: 1) Appreciate the striking photography of Glenn Hartong, a long-time award-winning photographer and videographer who spent decades at The Cincinnati Enquirer.

2) Appreciate the stories behind the tattoos as shared by the student-athletes. They were candid, touching and personal.

You may or may not notice the reporter who collected those stories was none other than Shannon Russell, who covered Xavier sports, primarily basketball, for The Enquirer for eight years. After she parted with The Enquirer last fall, just weeks before the regular season started, Shannon soon began writing for WCPO.com.

We called quickly to see if she would be interested in writing for Xavier Nation.

She was.

We’re happy to have her. Her byline appears in this issue more than once.

Former editor and co-publisher of Cincinnati CityBeat and former managing editor of Soapbox Media.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY TK

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LET’S GET FIRED UP SENIOR GUARD RAESHAUN GAFFNEY RALLIES THE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM AS IT PREPARES TO FACE BIG EAST RIVAL BUTLER UNIVERSITY AT HINKLE FIELDHOUSE IN INDIANAPOLIS.

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LEADING THE WAY // Gaffney

totaled 13 points and 11 rebounds— and was 8-of-8 from the foul line— in the Musketeers’ 53–43 victory over the Bulldogs on Feb. 4.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID WEIGEL JR.

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VERY SWEET // The Musketeers, the No. 11 seed, bounced secondseeded Arizona 73–71 in San Jose, California. The Wildcats, led by former XU coach Sean Miller, knocked Xavier out of the NCAA Tournament in 2015.

PHOTOGRAPH BY GREG RUST

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ONE TEAM; ONE THANK YOU XAVIER PLAYERS, COACHES, SUPPORT STAFF, AND FAMILY MEMBERS JOIN TOGETHER IN PRAYER IN THE TEAM LOCKER ROOM AFTER THE MUSKETEERS UPSET ARIZONA TO ADVANCE TO THE ELITE EIGHT OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT.

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TENT CITY AT XU MORE THAN 500 STUDENTS CAMPED OUT TO TRY TO GET TICKETS FOR XAVIER’S FEB. 11 GAME AGAINST DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPION VILLANOVA AT CINTAS CENTER.

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AIN’T TECHNOLOGY GRAND? // This photo was taken with a

drone, operated by Xavier video manager Cliff Jenkins.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CLIFF JENKINS

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PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG COCHRAN

XSPYS PHOTOS PG. 14

GOLF COACH STORIES PG. 16

TICKET MASTER PG. 18

JUST TO GET YOU STARTED

ANGEL MOMS PG. 20

and MORE

ALL SMILES // D’Artagnan and the Blue Blob welcome women’s track and field student-athlete Vanessa Johnson, center left, and women’s basketball manager Rhea Elcock to the XSPYS red carpet April 25.

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CAMERA READY

XSPY AWARDS // XAVIER HONORS STUDENTATHLETES, TEAMS WITH SECOND ANNUAL HONORS CEREMONY MODELED AFTER ESPN’S ESPY AWARDS.

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1 MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Derrick

Otim, freshman men’s soccer player from Nottingham, England, accepts his award.

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2 GRAND ENTRANCE Women’s tennis

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seniors Sydney Liggins, left, and Cristina Di Lorenzo walk the red carpet.

3 ALL FOR ONE Cross country and track

and field athletes Grant Parrelli, Haley Jerabek, Rachael Sollman, Tori Chiller, and Carter Macey pose on the red carpet prior to the XSPYS. 4 GROUP HUG Women’s volleyball

players Audrey Adam and Madi Kutruff with track and field athlete Claire Hathaway on the red carpet.

5 CONGRATS Senior women’s tennis

player Cristina Di Lorenzo accepts the Medal of Honor from Director of Athletics Greg Christopher. Senior men’s swimmer Rodrigo Suriano also received the honor, given each year to one male and one female studentathlete from the athletic director.

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6 SAY “CHEESE” The women’s tennis

team squeezes in for a selfie before the start of the XPSYs.

8 MULTI-TALENTED Rachel Johnson,

senior women’s golfer, performs on the flute during the awards ceremony.

9 MASTERS OF CEREMONY Men’s swim-

mers Tony Miller and David Bunnell serve as emcees for the evening.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY TK

Gellenbeck accepts the award for his catch diving into the dugout during the 2016 NCAA baseball tournament.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DOUG COCHRAN

7 BEST PLAY Senior outfielder Joe

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2017 XSPYS WINNERS BEST PLAY: Joe Gellenbeck (Baseball)

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BEST UPSET: Men’s Basketball BEST ACTION SHOT: Jeremy Schneider (Men’s Tennis)

BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE: Dan Rizzie (Baseball)

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE: Matt Dyer (Swimming)

BEST CELEBRATION SHOT: Men’s Basketball

FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Emily Conners (Swimming)

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MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Derrick Otim (Men’s Soccer) BEST RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE: Knox Hitt (Swimming) BEST SINGLE GAME PERFORMANCE: Trevon Bluiett (Men’s Basketball)

COACH OF THE YEAR: Scott Googins (Baseball) and Chris Mack (Men’s Basketball) FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Abbey Bessler (Volleyball) MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Andre Jernigan (Baseball)

TEAM OF THE YEAR: Men’s Basketball MUSKETEER MAGIS: Tori Doss (Women’s Soccer) MUSKETEER MEDAL OF HONOR: Rodrigo Suriano (Swimming), Cristina Di Lorenzo (Women’s Tennis)

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STORY TIME

TEE IT UP

// BRIAN McCANTS, XU’S NEW MEN’S GOLF COACH, TALKS BASEBALL, BASKETBALL, AND HIS PINEHURST MARRIAGE PROPOSAL.

RIAN McCANTS, HIRED LAST JULY AS XAVIER’S NEW GOLF coach, is a great storyteller. Xavier Nation asked him to share a few of his more entertaining tales.

“I’ve been a Cubs fan since the summer of 1982, when I was 11. I was an Atlanta Braves fan until then, like my entire neighborhood. Every summer my family would visit my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins in Southern Illinois for at least three weeks. In the summer of 1982, I flew there by myself and spent six weeks. That’s when I started paying attention to Cubs games on WGN with Harry Caray. Each afternoon, my grandparents and I would watch the games on WGN; Harry made the games so much fun. When I got back home, I announced to my friends that I no longer liked the Braves; I was now a Cubs fan. I’ve never looked back. My grandparents were the first people I thought of when the Cubs advanced to the World Series and then won against the Indians. I still have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that my grandmother lived to 94 and my grandfather 92, and they both died the year the Cubs won the World Series and didn’t get to see them win.”

“Also when I was 11, I got to see North Carolina play basketball in person for the first time, in February 1983. Back then, Carolina would play at least one game a season at the Greensboro [North Carolina] Coliseum. It was impossible for regular folks like me and my dad to get tickets to Carolina’s home gym, Carmichael Auditorium. Games in Greensboro gave us a fighting chance. As luck would have it, the Georgia Tech game that my dad and I went to happened to be the game that Michael Jordan had his UNC career-best 39 points. Like every other kid, I wanted to go to school that next Monday and say that I got MJ’s autograph. I was standing in line getting

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“Pinehurst, North Carolina, is the place for me. On top of my memories caddying there and playing too many rounds to count in the Pinehurst area, I proposed to my wife on the bench behind the first tee of Course No. 2. The bench is still there, because I saw it on television in 2014 when the U.S. Open returned to Pinehurst. My wife was an avid golfer, too. She had an accomplished career in junior golf and went on to play at Yale University. I thought proposing to her at a golf course was the perfect place—and for me, there was no other place to do it than Pinehurst. I remembered that bench behind the first tee at No. 2 and made arrangements for us to spend a weekend at Pinehurst in November 2009. She and I were both coaching at Newberry College back then—that’s how we met—so we drove up to Pinehurst that weekend. By the time we got to the course, the sun was setting. So I kind of hurried up and led her over to the bench behind the first tee. I got down on one knee and started my proposal speech. To hear Lauren tell it, she says all she heard me say was: ‘As the first hole begins the journey of that day’s round, so does this ring begin the journey of our lives together.’ After that, it was blah blah blah.”

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PHOTOGRAPH BY MALINDA HARTONG

Sam Perkins’s autograph when I noticed MJ heading for the busses. Perkins was closer, so I get his autograph and then go around the back side of the bus that MJ is getting on. I have my pen and program in my outstretched arms and catch Jordan as he has one foot on the bus and one on the ground. He looks at me and says, ‘Sorry kid, no more autographs today.’ Since that day, I’ve maintained that the only autograph I’ll get is Michael Jordan’s. He loves golf, so perhaps our paths will cross; if they do I’ll tell this story to him and ask him for his picture and signature.”

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PEOPLE PERSON

MAYOR OF XAVIER // ERIC THOMPSON IS MORE THAN THE TICKET GUY. HE’S THE UNOFFICAL REPRESENTATIVE OF XAVIER NATION. — M A T T K O E S T E R S

LTHOUGH XAVIER FANS COME TO CINTAS CENTER TO CHEER ON the Musketeers to victory, Eric Thompson, Xavier’s athletic ticket sales manager, may just be the most popular guy in the building.

Thompson is known around campus as the Mayor of Xavier, and he seems to know everyone. It’s not an official title, but watching Thompson in action makes it easy to understand how he came by it.

As he checks IDs and hands out tickets to guests at the team pass gate, a steady stream of Xavier fans stop to greet Thompson.

Some give him a friendly pat on the shoulder. Some stop to shake his hand.

“This role has given me the opportunity to connect with a lot of people on a day-to-day basis,” Thompson says. “We’ve got a lot of great supporters here that I’ve gotten to know both on a work level and a personal level. A lot of them have become close friends that I see more than just at Xavier games.”

Thompson dismissively chalks up his popularity to being “the ticket guy,” but there’s obviously more to it than that. “Eric is a terrific guy,” says Brett Sanders, XU’s assistant athletic director for ticket sales. “He’s a natural salesperson, and he loves Xavier as much as anyone I’ve ever met.”

Muscular dystrophy took away Thompson’s ability to walk nearly two decades

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ago, but it hasn’t stopped him from playing a key role in the success of Xavier University athletics.

As a student, Thompson worked under coach Chris Mack as a manager and as an intern in athletic communications. When XU brought its outbound sales efforts in-house three years ago, Thompson was the first person Sanders hired. Since then, Thompson has built a huge book of business, growing ticket sales every year.

Thompson says that people who meet him for the first time typically remember his power wheelchair more easily than his name. That doesn’t bother Thompson, though; after all, being memorable works to his advantage as a salesperson. Those who know him, though, know that on Xavier men’s basketball game days, that wheelchair might as well be a throne.

“It’s a pleasure to come to work every day,” Thompson says. “You get to sell Xavier basketball—life could be a lot worse.”

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PHOTOGRAPH BY GLENN HARTONG

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ALL FOR ONE FUND SPOTLIGHT: STEPHANIE SISAK

While STEPHANIE SISAK was working on her MBA at Xavier, she was a graduate assistant for the Accounting Department with regular lab hours for undergrads. She also had her first opportunity to teach a class. It was during that time she started following the men’s basketball team and “got hooked.” She received her master’s in 1997 and now is a teaching professor in the Department of Finance.

WHAT MADE YOU REMAIN ENGAGED WITH XAVIER AFTER YOU GOT YOUR DEGREE?

When I was a full-time graduate student and was on campus seven days a week trying to keep up with classes, lab hours and an internship, I lived on a shoestring budget. Several times each week, one of my professors would invite me out to lunch or dinner because they knew I was either skipping meals or eating

very little. They cared about me outside the classroom in a way I had never experienced before. Coming here and getting my degree literally changed the course of my life. I have always felt that I need to “pay that forward” as often as I can.

WHY ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT XAVIER?

When you are a part of the Xavier family, you can’t help but get involved in students’ lives in and out of the classroom. Everyone here genuinely cares about the students’ well-being and wants to open as many doors as they can to help them succeed and “set the world on fire.”

The connections created have lasted long after graduation and have been the joy of my life.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT AS A XAVIER STUDENT? Graduation – and completely

jumping out of my skin as the confetti canons went off in the arena!

YOU TEACH FINANCIAL LIFE SKILLS. WHY SHOULD SOMEONE GIVE BACK TO THEIR UNIVERSITY? I personally feel it’s important

to donate once you’re able to contribute. Coming here opened so many doors for me that I wouldn’t have had otherwise, and I want to give that same chance to other students. Even small donations matter and add up over time. I can’t imagine a higher return on my investment than seeing our students succeed.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING XAVIER ATHLETICS? I love

seeing our teams win the BIG EAST Conference tournaments or reach the Elite Eight during March Madness. It makes me proud to wear my Xavier gear and have others flash the “X” as we pass each other in the airport. Folks around the country wouldn’t really know who we are as a university without our sports teams, and that’s good for all alumni.

Visit GoXavier.com/AFO or call 513-745-3223

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PART OF THE TEAM

MOTHER KNOWS BEST (from left) Xavier moms Sue Ann Macura (J.P.), Lisa Carter (RaShid Gaston), Felicia Sumner with son Brody on lap (Edmond), LaQuita Goodin (Quentin) and Mariam Bluiett with granddaughter Braelynn (Trevon) react during Xavier’s 97-82 victory over St. John’s at Cintas Center on Jan. 7. Karen Bergen (Alex) is in the back in plaid.

// THE XAVIER ANGEL MOMS TAKE THEIR SUPPORT OF THE TEAM TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. — R Y A N C L A R K

W

HEN NECIA GATES SAT DOWN IN CINTAS CENTER TO watch Xavier take on Northern Iowa in November, she wondered if her son Kaiser would be ready to suit up and play.

Kaiser Gates, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward from Alpharetta, Georgia, had surgery on his left knee last October, and he was scheduled to miss at least a month while recovering. Even though coach Chris Mack told the media Kaiser might play against Northern Iowa, Necia wasn’t sure it would happen. No one knew if he was ready just yet.

Then she saw Kaiser come out, dressed in his warm-ups.

And then he checked in at the scorer’s table.

“That’s when we knew he was playing,” she says.

And that’s when all the other Xavier mothers knew, too. Necia started texting— and the network started texting her back. “The moms were sending well wishes and

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THEIR OWN BRAND It started at the beginning of the 2015– 2016 season, when the mothers had a cookout on Xavier’s campus and all the parents and athletes came through.

There was ziti and baked chicken and string beans.

Then, in November, Felicia Sumner (Edmond’s mom) came up with this bit of branding genius: “You guys are all so sweet,” she told the group. “You’re Angel Moms.”

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PHOTOGRAPH BY GLENN HARTONG

MOMS KNOW BEST

‘Welcome back, Kaiser’ text messages,” she says.

It’s just another example of how these self-proclaimed Xavier Angel Moms operate. They are connected through the Internet and cell phones, spanning multiple states. They make sure they know everything that goes on with this team.

equates to an unusually close-knit team led by an unusually close-knit group of moms.

Necia says there is an Angel Mom stationed at almost every game. “If one can’t make it, then someone else can,” she says. “Home games are typically the most loaded.”

And even as players and Moms leave or graduate, the group seems to keep it together.

“I think the key to staying connected through the changing of players/moms is just focusing on the team as a whole,” Necia says. “Of course, the energy changes as people come and go but the spirit of love, support, protection, and winning remains.”

CONTINUITY IS KEY

And the name caught on, with an addition: They would be Xavier Angel Moms. Later that month, a GroupMe text-messaging group was created with the same name, and that’s how the lines of communication were born.

By December 2015, Felicia Sumner had made Christmas ornaments for the group. And when her son took a nasty spill at the end of that calendar year against Villanova, she knew he was OK when her fellow moms told her so. It was then that the group’s special bond was cemented.

As that successful basketball season surged on, Necia had T-shirts made for everyone. They feature a basketball with angel wings, the group name, along with their son’s names and numbers.

This season, Sue Ann Macura (J.P.’s mother) made sure to add the mothers of the new players to their group. It all

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All agree it was Sue Ann Macura who kept the spirit going from last season.

“It is wonderful to have all of us connect before and after each game,” Sue Ann says. “Someone usually starts out with a prayer for our guys before each game and throughout the game we text one another. It’s such awesome support!”

It can be especially comforting for newcomers, says Kerry Schrand-Rawe, mother of freshman walk-on Leighton Schrand.

“From the beginning the Angel Moms have been wonderful,” she says.

“Our common bond is our boys and the love and support that we have for them and XU.” On a recent gameday, Lisa Carter (RaShid Gaston’s mom) sent out a prayer. “Lord, I’m praying for my boy today,” it said. “Please keep him safe.

Help him make wise choices. I commit this young man to You.” LaQuita Goodin (freshman guard Quentin Goodin’s mom) says the group has become a sisterhood.

“As a mother of a freshman, I can honestly say that Xavier University is truly a family,” she says. “In the few short months that I have known these ladies, there is no doubt in my mind that if Quentin ever needed any of them, they would be there for him without hesitation. And I would do the same for any of their sons. That’s family—and I’m so happy and proud to be a part.”

“OUR COMMON BOND IS OUR BOYS AND THE LOVE AND SUPPORT THAT WE HAVE FOR THEM AND XU.” — KERRY SCHRAND-RAWE, MOTHER OF FRESHMAN WALK-ON LEIGHTON SCHRAND

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HALL OF FAME

2001 GOLF SCORE CARD

// TIM DONOVAN JR. LED XAVIER GOLF TO AN A-10 TITLE AND ITS FIRST NCAA APPEARANCE. — T A B A R I M c C O Y HE SCENE, FOUND IN THE SEMINAL GOLF COMEDY CADDYSHACK, is well known: The Bishop is having the best round of golf of his life “in the zone,” only to miss a putt and be struck by lightning.

Fortunately for the Xavier Musketeers men’s golf team, the weekend of April 2001 not only saw senior co-captain Timothy Donovan Jr. (pictured) play the best three rounds of golf of his life, but it guaranteed the team’s first NCAA Tournament berth, too. And no lightning struck.

Donovan and his teammates set several records at Penn National Golf Club on the way to winning the 2001 Atlantic 10 Championship.

His performance that weekend, however, was one for the ages—which is why the scorecard documenting his achievement sits on display in the P. Douglas O’Keefe Athletics Hall of Fame on the west concourse of Cintas Center.

A two-time Academic All American, Donovan turned in rounds of 67–64–66, his

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197 total coming in at a recordbreaking 19 under par. Donovan says the second round—which saw him make five birdies in a row—was when he knew Xavier had a chance to do something special. “It was the first year that we played at that course, so it was sort of a new beginning for all of us,” Donovan, 37, says.

Despite his individual achievement—which he admits he checks on during tournament season— Donovan says sharing the championship with his teammates remains his favorite thing about the weekend.

“We were standing on the last tee box and the outcome, it was decided,” he says. “We all knew that in the back of our minds, but all five of us kind of stayed in the moment until that very last hole, realizing we had accomplished [a feat] for the fi rst time in Xavier golf history.”

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P H O T O G R A P H S ( T O P) C O U R T E S Y X AV I E R AT H L E T I C CO M M U N I C AT I O N S / (B O T T O M) B Y G L E N N H A R T O N G

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CINTAS CENTER

UNIQUE HONOR // XAVIER INTRODUCES THE KOHLHEPP FAMILY COURT

T’S NOT UNUSUAL FOR A COLLEGE BASKETBALL COURT TO BE NAMED FOR A former player or coach. It is unique, however, to name it for a local business icon.

Bob Kohlhepp’s impact on Xavier University and its athletic programs is indeed unique. Which is why on May 3, Xavier named the Cintas Center floor the Kohlhepp Family Court in honor of the former Chairman and CEO of Cintas and his family.

“You can’t overstate the positive influence and generosity of Bob and his family,” says Michael J. Graham, S.J., president of Xavier University. “His leadership and passion have been making a dramatic difference at Xavier for the past 30 years. Cintas Center is certainly a visible example of that but is not the only lasting impact he’s made on this campus.”

Kohlhepp’s personal generosity and relentless drive helped make the creation of Cintas Center a reality. Xavier’s “front porch” has served as a gateway for thousands of events on campus and provided its athletic programs with an important home court advantage.

“If not for Father Hoff, our former president, and Bob, I am not sure Cintas Center would have ever been anything but a dream,” says Mike Conaton, Xavier board chair when ground was broken on the building in February 1998. “Quite simply, they are the biggest reasons we have that fantastic facility.”

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Cintas Center, which opened in 2000, is in the midst of a multi-year $30-million renovation that is touching all areas of the building. The current construction projects will impact seating and hospitality areas and adjust the official capacity to 10,224.

Kohlhepp received his MBA from Xavier in 1971. Completing his 28th year as a member of Xavier’s Board of Trustees, he began his service in September 1989 and was chairman of the board from 2009 to 2014. He currently chairs the Xavier Athletics Leadership Advisory Committee.

“Bob is a special man,” Director of Athletics Greg Christopher says. “He’ll never tell you the depth of his support.

He’d prefer to deflect attention and credit.

He and Linda and their entire family have had a remarkable impact on Xavier. We are so fortunate to have someone like Bob as part of our Xavier family.”

The Sr. Rose Ann Fleming Endowment for Student-Athlete Academic Ad-

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vising and the Kohlhepp Family Auxiliary Gym in Cintas Center are a few of the lasting reminders of the mark he has left on athletics.

“I’m the one who is grateful,” Kohlhepp says. “Xavier University has been wonderful to me and my family through several decades. I have a very meaningful relationship with the people, the place and the mission. If I have played any tiny role in the transformation of the university, then I am happy to have contributed to that.”

Kohlhepp started at Cintas in 1967, serving in various executive capacities including Vice President - Finance until 1979 when he became Executive Vice President.

On Oct. 23, 1984, he was elected President, a position he held until July 1997.

Kohlhepp became Chief Executive Officer on Aug. 1, 1995, and served in that capacity until he became Vice Chairman of the Board in July 2003. He took over as Chairman of the Board in 2009 and held that position until his retirement in September 2016.

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SPECIAL DAY (Clockwise from left) Bob and Linda Kohlhepp react to the new name for Xavier’s court during a May 3 announcement. Athletic Director Greg Christopher, left, and Xavier President Michael J. Graham, S.J., unveil the new look for the floor. Above, in February 1998, Kohlhepp, front right, participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for Cintas Center. Then-Board Chair Mike Conaton is front left, and former university president James Hoff is front center.

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[ GAME 1: XAVIER V S MARYLAND ]

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[ 2016–2017 SEASON REVIEW ]

STEPPING UP THEIR GAME _____________________

A FRESHMAN POINT GUARD AND SAVVY VETERANS LEAD A SURPRISING RUN TO THE ELITE EIGHT.

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B Y R O R Y G LY N N // P H O T O G R A P H S B Y G R E G R U S T

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[ GAME 2: XAVIER V S FLORIDA STATE ]

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ERHAPS ONE OF THE SIGNIFICANT PLAYS along Xavier’s unexpected road to the Elite Eight didn’t take place in any of the three NCAA Tournament victories over betterseeded teams. It didn’t take place in the BIG EAST Championship, or the victory over DePaul that snapped a six-game losing streak, or even anytime in the regular season.

Maybe this impactful play took place in the first practice of the season, when standout point guard Edmond Sumner’s step-back jumper left callow newcomer Quentin Goodin sprawled on the floor.

Goodin explains: “I was playing like a freshman, trying to make a big-time play for my team, and I gambled on defense. Ed got the ball and took it into the lane, and when he stepped back, I fell. And that’s when I realized, Ed’s good.”

Says Travis Steele, XU’s associate head coach: “It was, Welcome to Division I basketball.”

But it was also then that Goodin realized how much he needed to do to develop into a player who could be counted on at both ends of the floor. He would soak up everything coaches had to say and teammates could show him. He’d watch film with Steele. And he’d emulate Sumner.

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So by the time Sumner was lost for the season to a knee injury in January, Goodin, the 6-foot-4 freshman from tiny Campbellsville, Kentucky, had laid the groundwork for a bigger role. He learned on the fly, took his lumps and became a big reason why the Musketeers could weather a midseason swoon to mount their first Elite Eight run in head coach Chris Mack’s tenure.

Maybe Xavier was able to get back up in part because Goodin did.

“There were some early practices where Edmond went at Quentin pretty good and crushed him a little bit,” Steele recalls. “But I think that opened his eyes.

“Quentin went to a small school. He played against guys who just played basketball for fun. I told him this is a completely different level, and if he’s not ready, mentally, every single day, then he’s got no chance.”

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“HOLY COW, THIS KID IS REALLY GETTING BETTER” As the season unfolded, Goodin played mostly when Sumner didn’t. He had some nice moments—11 points and four assists vs. Buffalo, six assists vs. Eastern Washington—but was inconsistent, like many freshmen. The Crosstown Shootout was a big step forward. XU lost, but Goodin finished with seven points and six assists in 15 minutes in a performance less about the numbers than about not shrinking from the moment.

“In the Crosstown, you never know what you’re getting with a freshman; you can have a great freshman and they can be awful in that setting,” Steele says. “But Q was incredible. He was getting into the teeth of the defense and making great decisions. We were like, ‘Holy cow, this kid is really getting better.’ I remember us think-

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ing we might play those two [Sumner and Goodin] a little more together.”

Three days later, in a victory at St. John’s, that idea was quashed. Sumner blew out his knee. Suddenly, Goodin wasn’t just running the offense; he was more or less a one-man show.

“He had to know from us that it was OK to miss a shot or make a mistake,” Mack says. “But what wasn’t going to be acceptable was to put your head down or feel sorry for yourself after those mistakes.

Because we didn’t have that luxury anymore.”

Says Goodin: “After Ed got hurt, RaShid [Gaston] and Malcolm [Bernard] were like, ‘It’s time to take over. We’re all looking at you when something goes wrong.’ I had no other option but to become that player.”

MOVING ON (This spread, clockwise from left) Quentin Goodin (3) and Malcolm Bernard (11) start celebrating with the rest of the Xavier bench toward the end of a 91–66 blowout of third-seeded Florida State that sends XU to the Sweet 16. Goodin averaged 6.5 points and 5.5 assists during four NCAA Tournament games.

The Xavier bench celebrates. Tyrique Jones goes in for a dunk against Florida State for two of his 13 points. Bernard and Trevon Bluiett (5) celebrate.

(Previous spread, clockwise from left) Trevon Bluiett finishes with a team-high 21 points and four steals in the Musketeers’ 76–65 victory over Maryland in their first NCAA Tournament game. Sean O’Mara tallies 18 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes vs. the Terrapins. Kaiser Gates comes off the bench for 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Bill Murray, whose son Luke is a Xavier assistant coach, cheers on the Musketeers against Maryland, as he did throughout the tournament. Malcolm Bernard and RaShid Gaston walk off the court together.

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[ GAME 3: XAVIER V S ARIZONA ]

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AMONG THE CHALLENGES: • Goodin had to develop the stamina to multiply his minutes while maintaining his effectiveness. “He went from playing 14 minutes a game to 35,” Mack says.

Adds Steele: “It’s hard to play hard for that many minutes against the level of competition in the BIG EAST.” Starting XU’s final 17 games, Goodin averaged 35.5 minutes, including 39 four times and 40 once. Steele says the XU staff got in the habit of giving Goodin a rest at around the 14-minute mark of both halves, to give him two minutes of game time and the 12-minute TV timeout as a break. XU also used more zone (see sidebar) to give Goodin rest and protect him from difficult man-to-man matchups, and ran some offense through leading scorer Trevon Bluiett.

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• He had to have complete mastery of what XU ran—not only his functions, but everyone else’s—and find the voice that would enable him to become the kind of leader a point guard needs to be. “It’s the hardest position to learn for a freshman,” Steele says. “I always wondered if the older guys would listen to me, respect what I had to say,” Goodin sayd. “And they did.

If I saw something and I was trying to help, they would listen.” One example: After Gaston didn’t like a foul call, it was Goodin who got in his ear and calmed him down and told him he’d find him on Xavier’s next possession. It resulted in a dunk for Gaston.

• And, he needed to learn to still run the team effectively even when he wasn’t playing his best. “He can be really hard on himself. That’s one thing if you’re

playing 12 minutes; the coach can pull you and you can be hard on yourself on the bench,” Mack says. “But it’s another thing if you turn the ball over against the press, and you know you’re getting the ball right back the next time. You’ve got to break it. You can’t run and hide. It was good to see him be able to do that.”

SWEET VICTORY (Clockwise from left) Tyrique Jones looks for a pass on the baseline.

Trevon Bluiett scores a team-high 25 points in Xavier’s 73–71 upset victory over No. 2 seed Arizona in the Sweet 16. Former Xavier great David West, left, talks with Musketeers Athletic Director Greg Christopher before the Arizona game. Sean O’Mara totals eight points and four rebounds vs. Arizona. Former Musketeers coach Sean Miller, now Arizona’s coach, congratulates Xavier guard J.P. Macura after the game. A Xavier fan gives the “X” sign.

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[ GAME 4: XAVIER V S GONZAGA ]

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Turnover-prone early in the season, Goodin ranked second in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio (2.2 to 1) and fourth in assists (3.8) in conference games. Though not the scorer Sumner was, he trailed only Bluiett and J.P. Macura in scoring over three games at the BIG EAST Tournament.

And in the NCAA Tournament, where No. 11 seed XU beat teams seeded sixth (Maryland), third (Florida State) and second (Arizona), Goodin matched a program record with nine assists vs. FSU. During the West Regional, Sumner said of Goodin, “I just try to keep him up, keep his spirits up, keep his confidence high and let him know there’s going to be ups and downs … if he’s calm and collected, everybody else follows.”

Goodin roomed with Sumner during the tournament. They would watch other games on off days, and Sumner would offer

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commentary on anything he saw that he thought might help.

“Ed’s big time,” Goodin says. “Ed made me the player that I am. He texted me all the time during the BIG EAST tournament.

When he was healthy, if he’d do something and score in practice, he’d teach me how he did it. Me and him are similar type players, except he’s 6-6 and crazy athletic. We both want to shoot the ball better.”

That’s on Goodin’s to-do list for the summer: developing a more consistent jump shot. He hit .350 from the field, .255 from 3-point range, as a freshman, and admitted to tinkering frequently. “Every time I miss a shot, I change my shot,” Goodin says. “I feel like when I change it, something good’s going to happen.”

Steele says the staff wants to work with Goodin on a consistent, repeatable release and then call an end to the tinkering.

“We did that with Trevon as well after his freshman year,” Steele says. “We moved it over to the right side of his body. That’s what Quentin needs to do, so it’s the same shot every time. We want to raise it as well, because he’s 6-4; he shoots like a 5-10 kid.

He should have a high release point. I think he’s going to be very good shooter in time.”

Goodin has already proven that he can improve in time.

“We feel great about his future,” Steele says. “He should feel great about it as well.”

ELITE EIGHT (Clockwise from left) J.P. Macura scores a team-high 18 points in Xavier’s 83-59 loss to Gonzaga. From left, Tyrique Jones, Trevon Bluiett, Kaiser Gates, and Macura. Malcolm Bernard pushes the ball up the floor. Jones defends against Gonzaga’s Jeremy Jones.

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allow him to play through that, because when he was on the floor, our team was better.”

One way to do that was to play more zone, and not just XU’s usual 1-3-1. XU employed a 2-3 as well to help protect Goodin. It also helped keep him and others fresh. Mack also juggled the configuration of the 1-3-1. “We always used to have a big man underneath the basket. That became a guard for a little bit,” Mack says. “Then we went back to a big guy when we didn’t have as many perimeter players.” One wrinkle that didn’t stick was a tempo press 1-2-2, Mack said: “It seemed like every time we were in that, it was bang! A 3 for them. We probably only used that a game or two.”

TEMPO

A LT E R E D STAT E MACK AND STAFF MAKE KEY ADJUSTMENTS.

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X

AVIER’S PREGAME DRY-ERASE BOARD PROBABLY looks like most programs’, with game-specific items of emphasis scrawled upon it. But the upper-right hand corner of the board is always reserved for bigger-picture thinking: BIG EAST standings. “Roadkill” victories. And the NCAA Tournament.

“That’s usually the first thing, because the reality is every game gets you closer—or doesn’t—to the NCAA Tournament,” Xavier coach Chris Mack says. “I never thought the NCAA Tournament wasn’t real for us. Even as the losing streak grew, we were still [projected as] an eighth seed, ninth seed. We weren’t playing well, and we faced some challenges, but the bigger picture was still very attainable.”

A season is a lifetime, one of Mack’s mentors, the late Skip Prosser, was fond of saying. And this one certainly was.

In October, XU was ranked No. 7 in the preseason Associated Press poll, its highest-ever initial ranking. On Selection Sunday, the Musketeers were an 11 seed and the last name read in the field of 68.

In between came injuries to star guards Edmond Sumner and Trevon Bluiett and a six-game losing streak in February and March that tested the ink in the Musketeers’ markers and the creativity of the men holding them.

“You’re in a situation where you don’t have your regular point guard. You don’t have your best scorer,” Mack says. “You can’t change a ton of your plays, because we knew losing Trevon would be a temporary thing. But in the meantime, you have to figure out a way to score enough points to win.

“Certainly, it was frustrating, but at the same time you’re not dwelling on how you’re feeling. You’re trying to figure it out with your coaching staff daily, hourly, trying to put yourself in the best position to win.”

Here’s what Mack and his staff tinkered with to adapt to the changing personnel and help pull XU out of its late-season skid:

ZONE DEFENSE Absent Sumner, freshman Quentin Goodin was the only healthy point guard. “If he had two fouls in the first half and we had eight minutes left, we didn’t have the luxury of sitting him,” Mack says. “We had to

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The Musketeers moved more deliberately by design when Goodin first took over, then picked up the pace as he grew more comfortable running the offense.

“I would say the big adjustment I wish we would’ve done is push the ball initially,” associate head coach Travis Steele says. “We were just so concerned with guys’ wind and conditioning once Edmond went down, especially Q.” Bluiett injured his ankle Feb. 11 vs. Villanova, the first of four losses in which XU scored 57, 63, 61 and 64 points. The Feb. 26 game vs. Butler was a fifth straight loss (88–79), but played at a more promising pace.

“We started pushing the ball, and man, did it make a world of difference,” Steele says. “Once we started pushing the ball more, after both misses and makes, that helped him out a lot.”

BALL SCREENS One way the XU staff took advantage of Goodin’s skill set was by setting more ball screens to help him initiate the offense.

“That alleviated some pressure and allowed Quentin to be able to attack downhill,” Steele says. “We felt comfortable putting the ball in his hands off a ball screen because he showed he could find guys. He finds guys maybe better, more naturally, than Ed, although he’s not as good of a scorer. But doing that was a way to get Trevon and J.P. [Macura] and Malcolm [Bernard] and Kaiser [Gates] looks at threes.”

XU also played more through the veteran Bluiett than it had all season.

TAILORED GAME PLANS All teams scout opponents to inform their game plans. But XU started making more game-specific adjustments. One example is how the Musketeers defended ball screens.

“Some games we switched everything,” Mack says. “Some games we told the guard to go over the screen, sometimes under. Sometimes the big guys wouldn’t come out to hedge. We really based it more on scouting the other team than we ever had.

“I know that sounds like, ‘Why wouldn’t you just do that all the time?’ But the more scenarios you give your kids each game, the more difficult it becomes over the long haul. What habits are you building?

You want to sort of practice a basic way.”

Mack praised his staff for their creativity and diligence, but wouldn’t say whether the season that ended in his first Elite Eight trip was his own best coaching job. “I’ll let others worry about that,” he says.

Mack said he learned something along the way.

“To never quit believing in your kids,” he says. “I didn’t, and I don’t think my personality would ever allow that. I’ve been a part of seasons before that maybe weren’t going the way we wanted, and we rallied and had an awesome finish.

“Even if our season wouldn’t have played out the way it did, that wouldn’t have changed my opinion for next year’s team of the following year’s team. I always feel like there’s a way out. There’s always a way your team can play its best basketball at the end of the year.” — R . G .

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[ 2016–2017 SEASON REVIEW ]

READY TO REBUILD _____________________

AFTER AN UNSATISFYING SEASON, THE XAVIER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM LOOKS TOWARD THE FUTURE.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TK

BY SHANNON RUSSELL

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BIG EAST Tournament, Xavier women’s basketball coach Brian Neal took a break from recruiting duties to analyze why victories were so difficult to acquire during the season.

The struggle had troubled Neal for months.

The Musketeers raced to a promising start but slumped during the BIG EAST portion of their schedule and bowed out early in the conference tournament. They finished 12–18 (4–14 BIG EAST).

“I thought by the end of the year we would be clicking and we would be more successful,” Neal says. “I told the players, ‘I’m really proud of the fact that our effort was really good. We actually progressed and got better in certain aspects of our team and we were running our offense better and we were playing better together. But we were missing something that allowed us to get over the competitive hurdle.’ ” The elusive catalyst contributed to Xavier’s first losing season since 2013–2014.

Victories in the first six games were eclipsed by a seven-game losing streak and a 68–66 loss to No. 10–seed Butler in the BIG EAST Tournament in Milwaukee. Butler hit the go-ahead shot with seven seconds left and seventh-seeded Xavier missed an ensuing attempt.

The Musketeers’ offense was slightly more efficient than in 2015–2016, but their defense was less so. Opponents averaged 3.7 more points per game in 2016–2017.

Still, Xavier exceeded its preseason prognostication. BIG EAST coaches picked it to place ninth in the 10-team league and it finished two rungs higher.

“The players worked hard,” Neal says. “Several of them tried very hard to prove certain things, to understand things better. We just could not get it to add up at the same time.”

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Injuries affected Xavier somewhat, but no more than what opponents faced, Neal says.

Marquia Turner sprained her ankle during the Puerto Rico Classic in Las Vegas in December, and Leah Schaefer did the same January 15 in a game at No. 20 DePaul.

Turner (9.8 points, 3.8 assists), Kindell Fincher (7.9 points, 3.1 rebounds), and Imani Partlow (7.6 points, 4.5 rebounds) navigated new roles as first-time starters. Their accelerated workloads led to growing pains but also provided crucial experience.

In the end, losses in close BIG EAST games—from overtime defeats by Butler and Georgetown to a double-overtime heartbreaker by Villanova—denied Xavier the momentum it sought.

Senior guard Raeshaun Gaffney led the Musketeers in scoring (14.3 ppg) and averaged 4.5 rebounds. The Fairfield native racked up a career-high 33 points in a January 4 win over Seton Hall at Cintas Center, and ultimately earned a spot on the six-player All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention Team.

Earlier in the season, Gaffney says she envisioned a successful record based on frank discussions within the team regarding a sevengame skid that capped 2015–2016.

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P H O T O G R A P H S B Y (P R E V I O U S S P R E A D, L E F T ) DAV I D W E G I E L J R . / (P R E V I O U S S P R E A D, R I G H T ) D O U G CO C H R A N / ( T H I S PA G E , C L O C K W I S E F R O M L E F T ) D O U G CO C H R A N / D O U G CO C H R A N / S T E V E WO LT M A N N

AYS AFTER A SEASON-ENDING LOSS IN THE

P H O T O G R A P H S B Y (F R O M L E F T ) D O U G CO C H R A N / S T E V E WO LT M A N N

The funk was underscored by some players’ lack of focus. That wasn’t the case this year, Neal says.

“With this team and the staff, I don’t think anybody ever lost faith, ever started pointing fingers, ever slacked on their effort. It was just we could not put it all together and complete games, complete stretches. But I never felt like we fell apart as a team,” Neal says.

One of Xavier’s highlights was a 61–58 victory over Michigan at Cintas Center.

The Wolverines entered the December 5 outing averaging the NCAA’s eighth-best scoring offense (86.4 points per game) and were receiving votes in both major polls.

Xavier limited them to 33.9 percent shooting and the 58 points. No opponent held Michigan to a lower total the rest of the regular season.

Xavier retained city bragging rights by winning a third straight Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout, defeating Cincinnati 72–61 on December 11 at Fifth Third Arena.

The Musketeers rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Providence 54–51 in a BIG EAST opener and closed the regular-season league schedule with a win over the Friars,

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too. Gaffney scored a team-best 16 points and Maddison Blackwell added a teamhigh 10 rebounds in a 67–57 Senior Day finale at Cintas Center.

The BIG EAST Tournament loss was the last Xavier game for seniors Gaffney, Schaefer, and Blackwell. Red-shirt junior Martha Thompson also finished her degree and elected not to use her final year of eligibility.

The future, however, is bright for the program’s robust incoming class. Six players signed National Letters of Intent in November: 5-foot-10 guard/forward Jordyn Dawson (Huntington, West Virginia), 5-foot-4 guard Aaliyah Dunham (South Charleston, West Virginia), 6-foot forward A’riana Gray (Cleveland), 5-foot-11 guard Alyson Rieff (South Whitley, Indiana), 6-foot forward Deja Ross (Providence, Rhode Island), and 5-foot-9 guard Princess Stewart (Frankfort, Kentucky).

Neal plans to round out the roster with transfers and will use all 15 scholarships.

The newcomers, he says, have a special mission.

“This class is coming here with the idea of rebuilding Xavier, and it’s not

just coming to play basketball. They are very competitive, gym-rat-like, and very focused,” Neal says. “I just think this is a talented, competitive group of young people, and that’s what we need to change the culture.”

SOME SEASON HIGHLIGHTS (Opposite page, clockwise from left) The Musketeers pose with the Kendle Cup after defeating Cincinnati 72–61 in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. Sophomore guard Kindell Fincher started all 30 games, averaging 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Senior guard Raeshaun Gaffney accepts her plaque for earning All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention honors. (This page, from left) Coach Brian Neal led the Musketeers to the team’s third straight win over the Bearcats. Anniina Äijänen averaged 3.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 29 games off the bench.

(Previous spread, clockwise from left) Junior guard Jada Byrd (12) came off the bench in all 30 games, averaging 15.4 minutes per game and 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. The team stands together for the national anthem before Xavier’s BIG EAST Tournament game against Butler in Milwaukee, Wis. Sophomore Imani Partlow (45) averaged 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while ranking sixth in the BIG EAST in field-goal percentage (.497). Freshman guard Na’Teshia Owens (20) averaged 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds while playing in all 30 games.

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SKIN GAME

THESE STUDENTATHLETES HAVE CHOSEN TO MARK THEMSELVES WITH REMINDERS, TRIBUTES, AND INSPIRATIONS. WE GET THE STORIES BEHIND THEIR INK.

BY SHANNON RUSSELL PHOTOGRAPHS BY GLENN HARTONG

MATT BISHOP SPORT: Tennis HOMETOWN: Ellicott City, Maryland NUMBER OF TATTOOS: 3 PERMANENT RECORD Bishop led a charmed high

school existence as an undefeated varsity tennis player. He was the last person many expected to be busted for possession of marijuana on school property, but that’s exactly what happened after he started hanging with the wrong crowd. Bishop was suspended for a semester and forced to homeschool. “I disappointed a lot of people—my family, friends, and teachers. It changed the trajectory of my life,” he says. Every night before sleep, he’d repeat a Winston Churchill quote that summed up his journey: “To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.”

IAN VICARS SPORT: Soccer HOMETOWN: Liverpool, England NUMBER OF TATTOOS: full sleeve on arm MEMORY CARE It took three sittings at six hours a pop for a tattoo artist to complete the masterpiece that is Vicars’s right arm, but the Xavier soccer player says the tribute to his grandfather, who succembed to Alzheimer’s disease, was worth it. A Xavier freshman at the time of his grandfather’s passing, Vicars was deeply disappointed that he missed the last days. “I really didn’t have a way to show how much he meant to me,” Vicars says. “He passed away when I was in America and my whole family was there, other than me, so I didn’t really get to say goodbye.” He dedicated part of his body to his grandfather as a result.

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CORY BROWN SPORT: Soccer HOMETOWN: Nelson, New Zealand NUMBER OF TATTOOS: 2 PRIDE AND PAIN The New Zealand native was motivated to sit for his first tattoo, an image of his country, before coming to the United States in 2014. “I got it just because I was leaving, and for my family,” Brown says. He initially wanted a simple outline of New Zealand but discovered an image of the country with a silver fern, a national emblem, and asked for his artwork to include the plant. The tattoo on Brown’s bicep is harder to see by virtue of its placement, and it’s also immensely personal. It’s a memorial for Brown’s friend, Wynter Levi Emerson, who passed away three years ago. Emerson disappeared in Seattle after a music festival. “He just went missing,” says Brown, who’d gone to school for years with Emerson. “They found his body a couple days later. No one really knows what happened. They just found him. He’d drowned in a lake.”

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ALEXIS NEWSOME SPORT: Volleyball HOMETOWN: Reynoldsburg, Ohio NUMBER OF TATTOOS: 2

STAYING STRONG The demons of depression swirled around Newsome the summer before her senior year of high school and became so oppressive that she wanted out of this life. She was home alone when she noticed a bottle of Ibuprofen. Newsome knocked back 40 tablets, closed her eyes and waited for the overdose to end her struggles in a final restful sleep. Call it divine intervention or amazingly good luck. Less than five minutes after Newsome fell asleep, a friend’s parents stopped by the house and jarred her awake. Looking back now, Newsome can’t believe she tried to end her life. “I think why I did it was pretty stupid and selfish,” says the 6-foot-1 middle blocker on Xavier’s volleyball team. “Obviously, I’m a completely different person now. I have a ton more confidence in myself. I feel a lot happier and I’m in a much better place.” Newsome regards her first tattoo (which says “malosi,” Samoan for strong) as a reminder of the hardships she endured and her resilience. She recently added a second tattoo, a triangle on her right wrist that means faith, selfexpression, and enthusiasm. And she has already chosen her next tattoo: Alofa, the Samoan word for love.

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TORI CHILLER SPORT: Cross Country, Track & Field HOMETOWN: Mantua, Ohio NUMBER OF TATTOOS: 5 MOVING MOUNTAINS The script on Chiller’s hip (“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves”) is a lesson in adversity. “It was right after my freshman year here and I didn’t have the track season I wanted at all. So, I was kind of down in the dumps,” Chiller says. “I was like, ‘OK, I’m making a change. I need to get better.’ ” The former sprinter switched to longer distances and excelled. Chiller’s wrist tattoo, “With love,” is in her mother’s handwriting, and the “I love you” symbol in American Sign Language on her heel pays homage to her great-grandmother, who was deaf.

Chiller wants at least one more tattoo: the coordinates of her childhood home in the handwriting of her father, who built it. She might have it etched on the back of her neck.

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TYRIQUE JONES SPORT: Basketball HOMETOWN: Bloomfield, Connecticut NUMBER OF TATTOOS: 6

HONOR THY FATHER When Jones sat for his first tattoo at age 16, there was no question that the design would begin with 88 and heavenly wings. “Eighty-eight” was the nickname he was given by his father, Lester, in reference to his birth weight of 8 pounds, 8 ounces. Tyrique Jones didn’t have many years with his dad, who drowned in an accident 15 years ago. He strengthened the memorial with tattoos of stars (because his dad called Tyrique’s older brother, 23-year-old Dajoun, a “young star”), a basketball, and his dad’s jersey. While that collection of images is easily visible, the tattoo on Jones’s back is less so.

The sentiment—“I’m my brother’s keeper”—is for Dajoun, a senior at Eastern Connecticut University. Says Jones: “I never told my brother this but ever since my father passed away, I’ve looked up to him. He’s always been the father figure to keep me in line. I feel like because of him, I am who I am today.”

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GARRETT KNAPIK SPORT: Cross Country, Track & Field HOMETOWN: Hilliard, Ohio NUMBER OF TATTOOS: 1 FAST FAITH Knapik attended a public high school but always was fascinated with the Latin phrase “ad majorem Dei gloriam” (“for the great glory of God”). As a Xavier freshman, he seized the chance to tattoo the initials A.M.D.G. on his right thigh within a winged track shoe. “I was like, ‘Well, I’m at a Jesuit college now, I might as well get the Jesuit saying.’

It’s ironic because a lot of people here actually don’t know what it means,” Knapik says. His parents said they would pay for his tattoo as long as it was religious, providing him with another incentive. A third inspiration was Knapik’s love of the TV show Ink Master, which pits tattoo artists against one another. After Knapik chose the tattoo he wanted—making sure to include his seven-year devotion to running—it took 90 minutes to complete.

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KATIE KERR SPORT: Swimming HOMETOWN: Cincinnati NUMBER OF TATTOOS: 1

STAYING AFLOAT Since Kerr’s life has been indelibly shaped by her involvement in swimming, she liked the idea of having a tattoo symbolizing the sport’s role in her growth. She made good on the plan last summer, with a graphic of a heartbeat with a wave in the middle. Says Kerr: “The wave obviously represents swimming. The heartbeat represents how much it has impacted my life. I’ve been swimming for 13 years and it’s crazy how it’s made me stronger, mentally tougher, and into the elite student-athlete that I am today. It hammered time management into my brain.” One of her biggest quandaries was where to have the tattoo placed. Based on friends’ recommendations—and because she wanted the tattoo to age gracefully—Kerr chose her right foot.

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Social

If you think it’s stressful managing your own Facebook and Twitter feeds, imagine what the crew in The BarrackX must go through. by SHANNON RUSSELL

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XAVIER’S MEN’S BASKETBALL team is 20 minutes from tipoff against DePaul at Cintas Center and there’s palpable energy in the Musketeers’ social media press box, The BarrackX. Scant sightings of Edmond Sumner have followed his season-ending ACL tear, but word has it that he’s watching warm-ups courtside.

“See if you can find Edmond and take a picture of him, maybe throwing up an ‘X,’ ” says Brendan Bergen, Xavier’s athletic communications coordinator.

Bergen is the general of The BarrackX. He has a fleet of undergraduates, and five per game execute social media initiatives for the Musketeers’ Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.

Two crew members immediately leave to find Sumner. They stay down on the court after that, using their phones

to capture and transmit crowd color and video, like a Tyrique Jones dunk or halftime show highlights.

The other students assume specific jobs in The BarrackX. A “listener” watches multiple social media feeds to see what people are saying about the game and issues “favorites” and retweets to the best of the lot. Another student works with the listener to compile tweets for Storify, the social media recap Xavier posts after each game.

Still another student posts FOX ingame clips through a program called SnappyTV. Bergen oversees it all. He posts tweets to the @XavierGameday account, like “Tre’s Trey Tracker.” It’s a GIF, or graphic with animated features, signifying the three-pointers made by junior Trevon Bluiett. Other times he employs the hashtag “#CookingWithTre” in his

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Engineering

tweets, replete with Bluiett in chef’s garb, for when the guard scores in bunches.

As he’s monitoring the game and minding Twitter, Bergen learns the students on the floor have tracked down Sumner. The result? A tweet of smiling Sumner, posing with his forearms crossed. The post features emojis of hands waving and the message, “Look who we found! Get well soon, @EdmondSumner.”

The tweet generates 46 retweets and 231 likes. There’s no time for the team to savor those stats—high-level, by the way, for a lone post—because there’s so much more to do. The night is just beginning.

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HARNESSING MOMENTUM As social media has grown in recent years, so too has Xavier Athletics’ presence on it. Athletic director Greg Christopher is a proponent of reaching as many people as possible with the best stories and messaging, and staffs led by associate athletic directors Tom Eiser (communications) and Brian Hicks (marketing) have collaborated to execute the vision.

Xavier’s Twitter handle, for example, used to be @VictoryParkway. When the decision was made for the men’s basketball handle to change to @XavierMBB, Eiser had to find a squatter who had taken the handle and convince that person to abandon it. And it was Hicks’s idea to model The BarrackX after similar hubs at the University of Oregon and UC Irvine.

When a position on Eiser’s staff opened, Bergen was an ideal fit. He was qualified to serve as the primary contact for men’s soccer, baseball, and men’s and women’s golf, but his master’s degree in new media studies from DePaul provided Xavier with a valuable resource for its video and social media efforts.

“The philosophy that we’ve established at Xavier is that engagement is the No. 1 thing,” Bergen says. “There are all these vanity metrics out there where it’s, ‘We have so many followers’ or ‘We post so much.’ Our thing is, did we grab people’s attention? Did we cause them to want to share Xavier content? It’s nice to be able to brag about having the most

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followers, but creating conversation and amplifying the brand is much more important.”Xavier’s men’s basketball Twitter account had 1,725 followers when Bergen started three years ago.

The following has now surpassed 21,500 due to his efforts and those of others.

The number of @XavierMBB followers grew exponentially last spring in particular. The basketball team’s recordbreaking season fueled interest, as did Twitter’s decision to make Xavier a featured school. The latter distinction led to Bergen’s visit to Twitter headquarters in New York City during the BIG EAST Championship, where he was given a Twitter mirror for the program to use.

The mirror essentially was an iPad in a plastic case. It was awarded to a dozen or so schools for March Madness and pre-loaded with programs like Periscope for live video streams. Xavier used it for a Selection Sunday team selfie, a view of the locker room after defeating Weber State in the NCAA tournament, and a Q&A with forward James Farr.

With the help of the mirror, @XavierMBB gained 9,000 followers and reached nearly 800,000 people in a two-week span.

“The philosophy that we’ve established at Xavier is that engagement is the No. 1 thing.”

A VALUABLE RESOURCE Xavier’s social media strategy involves a cross section of the athletics staff, but Mario Mercurio, the men’s basketball team’s director of administration, is most hands-on with @XavierMBB. He created the #GamedayGuide that coach Chris Mack tweets before each game. The infographic, built in Adobe Illustrator, is jam-packed with information like game date, time, location, and TV. It includes stats, the series record with the opponent, and the game-day uniform.

The guides have generated immense feedback, with how-to inquiries from the NCAA and other schools. Moeller High School, for example, has a similar guide for its varsity basketball team.

Ditto for outsiders’ interest in Xavier’s National Signing Day splash on social media, which boasted cartoon likenesses of players who signed National Letters of Intent. The 49-second GIF of class of 2017 commit Jared Ridder, for example, dis-

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GAME PLANS

(Clockwise from left) Xavier junior Connor Backman, a BarrackX intern, captures video during a game. The view of the court from the BarrackX. From left, Connor Killian, Maddie Craigo, and Jenn Talken get assigned roles for the game by Brendan Bergen, athletic communications coordinator. Bergen, left, talks with Backman and Mike Karpinski about getting a photo of injured guard Edmond Sumner.

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with direct knowledge of the program to relay unique and creatively packaged information.

Mercurio said The BarrackX initiatives are a huge part of that puzzle. On the night of the Seton Hall win on February 1, Mercurio talked about the way social media can heighten a single home game.

“The bigger you can make game night feel, the better,” Mercurio says. “And it is big. There are almost 11,000 people here and you’re on national TV. You’ve got a high-stakes game. Being able to project that to 15-, 16-, 17-year-olds who don’t necessarily have that information at the tip of their fingers—they’re from Atlanta.

They’re from Chicago. They’re not as familiar with Xavier as we are. To sneak into their timeline and just give them a quick glimpse of any of those little pieces—like our throwback jerseys—can, over the course of a year-long or 18-month recruitment, swerve into their mind a little bit and just clear up the picture of who we are to them.”

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER There’s another part of Xavier’s social media team, and that’s Patrick Dillon.

The Musketeers’ director for marketing views social media as an opportunity to ramp up exposure for sponsorship partners.

Like everything else in social media, he says change has abounded.

“Four years ago, we were posting on Twitter: ‘Like this if you recycled today.

Brought to you by Rumpke.’ Obviously, that would never fly today,” Dillon says.

“But that’s kind of where our sales team was four, five, six years ago. And we said, ‘How do we provide value for our fans through that?’ ” If tweets, say, can encompass value for fans and sponsors, that’s ideal. A postvictory image and score with a United Dairy Farmers logo in the top corner is a win-win.

Dillon says the program Xavier uses to measure social media analytics, RivalIQ,

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played information like his current school and AAU team, his player ranking on recruiting sites, and a quote from ESPN. Mercurio said social media has evolved into an immense resource for recruiting. It allows Xavier to separate from other programs and strengthen its brand.

“Every kid that we touch from a recruiting perspective is on social media. It’s the easiest avenue,” Mercurio says. “In a lot of ways it has replaced the mail-out, it has replaced text messages, it has replaced e-mail blasts. It’s up-to-the-second. It’s colorful.

It’s interactive. And for us, we actually get a pretty good barometer from kids in terms of who follows us. If we really are interested in a young man and look and see he’s not following us, and he’s following several other programs, it really tells a story for you.”

That story is something Xavier can control. The men’s basketball team’s message can be conveyed directly from the department—instead of relying on the opinions of outsiders—which allows those

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7 IMPRESSIVE STATS

also allows the university to compare itself with its peers. Bergen spoke specifically about how Xavier stacks up in the BIG EAST. “For pure followers, we’re slightly above the middle of the pack, but other metrics show us to be a leader in our conference when it comes to consistently engaging with our fans,” he says. “Being a smaller school in terms of enrollment, there are some challenges in measuring success just based off follower counts, but I think Xavier fans are extremely passionate and I think that shows in how they choose to interact with our accounts.”Xavier’s cross-channel social media engagement—which includes stats like shares, retweets, likes, and favorites— has consistently been a BIG EAST frontrunner since the school began tracking those stats during the 2014–2015 season.

From August 1, 2016, to February 13, 2017, the most recent analytics show Xavier’s primary Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts (@XUAthletics on

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Instagram and Twitter, Xavier Musketeers on Facebook) in first place in the league with more than 251,000 engagements on all three platforms.

Only Georgetown (234,000) is in the same ballpark as Xavier, and no other league school has more than 153,000 engagements this academic year.

Xavier’s vision is to keep growing, to continue building audience engagement, and to find new and catchy ways to present information.

“I think any sports team, whether it’s college, pro, or high school, you expect a couple basic things,” Christopher says.

“One would be the brass tacks: What happened in a game? What are the statistics?

The basic building blocks of sports. But then you also want to be connected. You want to be connected to your coaches, you want to be connected to your teams, you want to be connected to the student-athletes. And that’s kind of the secret sauce in what we’re putting together. I don’t know that there is a perfect formula for it that

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@XavierMBB and @XavierGameday had a combined 4 million impressions on Twitter March 16-25.

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@XavierGameday had 538,520 impressions from the Sweet 16 victory over Arizona (an average game results in 80,000 to 120,000 impressions).

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The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament produced nearly 4 million impressions on Xavier’s Facebook page, nearly 75% coming from viral sharing.

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Nearly 60,000 people watched Facebook live footage of Xavier’s locker room after the victory over Arizona. The post reached over 234,000 and produced nearly 10,000 “reactions.”

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@XavierMBB Twitter following has grown 1,269% from 1,725 followers to 23,630 since 2014.

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XU’s Facebook audience has grown 81% over same time period.

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@XavierGameday produced 200,000 impressions during the 2017 Crosstown Shootout, largely because of Trevon Bluiett’s 40-point performance. Nine tweets from “Tre’s Trey Tracker” produced nearly 40,000 impressions and 2,000 engagements.

anybody’s got. So it’s, ‘How do we connect our alumni to our university, to their university, and connect them to our student-athletes, to our coaches, and to some of the great work that they’re doing?’ ” A microcosm of that connection unfolds in The BarrackX, where senior Mike Karpinksi has interned for four years.

Karpinski is a finance major who thought tweeting during hoops games would be fun. It is fun, he says, but with a purpose.

Members of TheBarrackX also contribute to a blog (fromthebarrackx. wordpress.com). The 2016–2017 undergrad team members are Karpinski, Connor Killian, Connor Backman, Paul Fritschner, Will Ponds, Maddie Craigo, Rose Fantozzi, and Jenn Talken.

Karpinski recently marveled at the robust state of Xavier’s social media presence.

“Seeing it grow from freshman year to senior year has been really rewarding,” he says.

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WARMUP

NAVIGATION HERE

BORN TO

RYAN ORNER NAVIGATED A FEW TWISTS AND TURNS IN HIS CAREER BEFORE HE LANDED AT THE HEAD OF XAVIER’S TRACK AND CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAMS.

BY JOHN FOX

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RUN

T

HROUGH CHILDHOOD, RYAN ORNER’S ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT SEEMED TO GLIDE DOWN A SMOOTH, MANICURED TRACK. DESTINED TO RUN, HE BECAME A LEADER ON HIS HIGH SCHOOL’S CHAMPIONSHIP TRACK TEAM COACHED BY A LONGTIME FAMILY FRIEND. THEN LIFE TURNED INTO A HILLY, SWERVING CROSS COUNTRY COURSE FOR ORNER, HEAD COACH OF XAVIER’S TRACK AND CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS.

After running in college on a scholarship, he went into law enforcement, with his eyes on an FBI career, and ended up re-enacting his highest-profile case on national TV for America’s Most Wanted. He worked undercover tracking drug dealers and gangs while serving as running coach at a girls’ prep school.

Finally, after two work-related injuries and coaching at a Division III college, Orner found himself at a career crossroads when his girlfriend (now wife) transferred to Procter & Gamble’s headquarters in Cincinnati.

After taking an assistant coaching position at the University of Cincinnati for one season, Orner was named Xavier head coach in 2012. He understands how some might see his current situation as preordained—given the fact that he’s one of 20 former runners from his hometown serving as high school or college coaches—but there were multiple detours along the way.

“It’s funny, but in most sports, like football and basketball, running is used as punishment,” Orner says. “To me, running is all about a mental battle and selfmotivation, which always fit my personality. A few years into my time with the Maryland State Police, I missed running and being part of a program. Coaching took over more of my life than police work, so I changed my career plans.”

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CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT Orner was born into a competitive family. His mother and father ran half-marathons, and his grandfather played professional soccer, including appearances with West Germany’s national team.

He and his brother Dan played every sport growing up in Warwick, New York, about 50 miles from New York City.

Dan gravitated to soccer and kicking for the high school football team. He signed a scholarship offer from Michigan State University, transferred to North Carolina, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, where he spent two years on the roster behind NFL Hall of Fame kicker Morten Andersen.

Orner took up running like his parents. He ran his first race at age 6, his first 5K at age 8.

“Every day at recess when I was 7 or 8 years old I’d run laps around the playground while the other kids played games,” he remembers. “The teachers got concerned and called my mom to say something might be wrong. I just liked to run. Slowly other kids joined in, and after a while we had a group of us running laps.”

It’s not hard to understand why he ran. His father’s best friend was Tim St.

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Lawrence, who coached Warwick Valley High School track and cross country for 33 years, and the families often spent summer vacations together.

Orner enrolled in St. Lawrence’s summer track program at age 10, his first exposure to competitive running, and he was hooked. He began running varsity cross country for Warwick while still in the eighth grade.

“Coach Saint,” as St. Lawrence is known, was a self-taught coach who didn’t spend a lot of time on the technical aspects of running and who busted the myth that distance running is a lonely, solitary pursuit.

“Coaching in high school isn’t very scientific like it is in college, with all of our nutrition focus and specific training exercises,” Orner says. “With Coach Saint it was about everything but running—setting high standards, establishing a culture of winning, pushing us to our limits and slightly beyond.”

St. Lawrence made the running program so fun that as many as 70–90 boys would join the cross country team each fall just to be around him and each other. Only the top five finishers for each school count toward team points in high school meets.

St. Lawrence, who retired from Warwick Valley High School in 2007, remembers those years and his runners fondly.

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“We kept things fun and blended it in with hard work,” he says. “Everyone looked out for each other and everyone contributed, whether you were a freshman or on the JV team. We built our program on character development, with the idea that winning wasn’t the main thing—but the winning happened.”

Warwick captured the 1994 New York state championship in cross country in Orner’s senior season and would win it again the following year. In all, the school took five team state championships under St. Lawrence.

Orner says St. Lawrence used the running program to teach life lessons and expose his small-town students to the larger world. The school sent a contingent each spring to the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia, where Orner ran the 4x800 relay in his junior and senior years.

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“Coach Saint would take us to Penn Relays because he said there were very few times in your life when you could run in front of 50,000 people other than the Olympics,” he says. “They’d have high school, college, and pro athletes all competing, and it was very inspiring.

Carl Lewis ran one of the years I did, which really made an impression on me. I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll keep running and see where it takes me.’ ” Orner was recruited to Towson University in Baltimore on a track scholarship, and he captained the cross country team his senior year. Then a different set of family connections emerged.

Orner’s uncle served in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and a family friend was an FBI agent, and he started thinking of law enforcement as a career.

He graduated from Towson in 1999 with a psychology degree.

“My plan, such as it was, was to join the Maryland State Police for four or five years and then go into the FBI or DEA,” Orner says.

LAYING DOWN THE LAW Just three years into his police career, Orner took part in a high-speed chase that would change his life.

He was investigating two men who’d recently broken out of federal prison, and when he and another officer encountered them in a stolen car, they drove off. A high-speed nighttime chase ensued on winding rural roads.

During the chase Orner clipped the back of the stolen car with his cruiser’s front bumper, sending it into a spin. Orner

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CAREER PATH (Clockwise from above) Ryan Orner huddles with his men’s team at the BIG EAST cross country championships. A young Orner runs a 5K with his mother, Virginia Burke. Orner in his Warwick High School uniform. Orner at his Maryland State Trooper graduation with his mother.

then rammed his cruiser broadside into their car.

The suspects got out and ran into nearby woods. Orner and the other officer gave chase on foot but quickly lost them. Fingerprints found in the stolen car identified the two men, who were elevated to the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list.

The television show America’s Most Wanted decided to feature the car chase in a new episode and asked Orner to participate. The show re-enacted the highspeed pursuit and crash with Orner and the other officer playing themselves and actors portraying the suspects and other characters.

“We went over all details of the chase and crash with the show’s producer, and they whittled down the events to the basics of the story,” Orner says. “They pretty much stuck to the facts but shortened the whole thing to just a couple minutes. I got to do the chase again in my uniform and a police car, though we didn’t actually wreck another cruiser. We just pretended.”

The episode aired on November 1, 2003, and repeated several times later that season. One suspect was soon captured in Washington, D.C., while the other, Terrence Washington, was found in Ohio.

Orner remembers Washington for two reasons. He broke out of jail a second time, triggering America’s Most Wanted to re-edit and re-run his episode with updates about the armed-and-dangerous suspect being on the loose again. Orner’s episode aired a total of 16 times between the two runs.

When Washington was finally caught again and brought to trial, Orner testified to help convict him. He vividly remembers Washington looking at him in the courtroom and mouthing the words: “I’m going to kill you.”

“I kept tabs on him for a few years and saw that he was still in prison,” Orner says. “I really haven’t checked in a while.”

Unfortunately, the car chase and wreck also reaggravated a back injury Orner had suffered on the job a few years before.

“I remember climbing out of my cruiser and chasing those guys into the woods, with a lot of adrenaline from the car chase,” he says. “Then afterwards I noticed my feet were numb, and the pain in my back hit me. I was flown to the hospital by a trauma helicopter, standard procedure when an officer is

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injured. I never had surgery, but I still see a chiropractor regularly.”

Orner served with the Maryland State Police until 2012, but his back problems would force him to give up competitive running and realize that he’d likely never qualify to become an FBI or DEA field agent.

Orner went on to specialize in undercover police work, often staking out urban locations to keep tabs on drug dealers, gang activity, and police informants. But not being able to run and compete drove him crazy.

After serving as cross country coach at a Baltimore-area girls academy, Oldfields School, Orner became an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s track and cross country teams at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, serving for five years. He coached 14 NCAA Division III All-Americans and was named 2011 Mideast Indoor Track and Field Assistant Coach of the Year.

Some of those years were straight out of a Jekyll and Hyde story.

“Those students never knew that during the days I’d be undercover working a drug case or watching gang members, then in the late afternoons I’d be coaching some of the best and brightest college student-athletes in the country,” Orner says. “But it kept me sane.”

Orner obtained a master’s degree in exercise science during that time and decided he was ready to follow his mentor’s footsteps into running a track program. He never imagined his big opportunity was waiting in Cincinnati.

CULTURE OF VALUES AT XAVIER Orner’s “season” as Xavier head coach has little down time, running from midAugust through early June. Cross country is a fall sport, followed by indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring.

Men and women track and field athletes train during the fall with and around the cross country runners, who compete in the distance events at indoor and outdoor track meets. Practice is six days a week— including workouts on Withrow High School’s track, weight room sessions, and team meals—leaving Orner to squeeze in time each night to recruit.

Xavier has 55 athletes in the track and

cross country program and has become competitive in the BIG EAST, which features two of the sports’ historically successful programs, Providence and Villanova. Orner has had 29 all-BIG EAST honorees, including five individual conference champions in track.

Orner is the program’s only full-time coach, but he’s added two part-time assistants lately, including Jesse Fuca, a more recent graduate of Warwick Valley High School. Fuca says the way Orner runs the Xavier program reminds him a lot of their high school coaching legend.

“Ryan runs this program with a real family environment, which feels like home to me,” Fuca says. “He learned from Coach Saint how to be genuine and be himself. Our big theme at Xavier is ‘values,’ and that’s how we used to do things in high school.”

Orner says he’s not purposefully modeling Xavier’s program on his high school experience, though he does like to focus on personal and team development over scores and results.

“Xavier’s goals and values fit me and my outlook on life,” Orner says. “Recruits come here because they find the campus the right fit and they get a great education.

We’re in the BIG EAST, so a major conference, but there’s less competition for spots on the team and less pressure.

We all have an underdog mentality, which I really like.”

St. Lawrence keeps up with Orner, Fuca, and his other former students who’ve become coaches, saying he’s especially proud that they’re continuing a legacy of molding young minds as well as bodies.

“Lots of coaches know the Xs and Os of distance running, but Ryan’s kids know he cares,” St. Lawrence says. “He has a passion for them and for the team. You want kids who will run through a wall for you, and Ryan brings that out in his kids.

“Back in high school Ryan was humble, gentle, very respected. He was a leader without realizing he was a leader and without the other kids realizing he was a leader. I always thought the measure of a runner was how he dealt with success and defeat, not the time on the board, and I’m happy to know Ryan shares that belief.”

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TEAM PLAYER

David Fluker, center, sits on the Xavier bench between Matt Jennings, head strength and conditioning coach, left, and Mario Mercurio, director of basketball administration.

CAN THE BENCH AT ANY XAVIER MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME AND YOU’LL

sense the seamless teamwork among coaches, players, trainers, and support staff. Right in the middle of everything, unassuming and businesslike, you’ll find head trainer David Fluker.

He might just be the most vital cog in the Xavier basketball machine, but you’d never hear that from him.

Fluker doesn’t have to say anything. His actions as associate head athletic trainer, confidante to coaches, mentor and big brother to players, keeper of the XU basketball flame, father, and husband speak for themselves.

In a world where the word unique gets overused, Fluker holds a truly unique position on Xavier’s athletic staff. He joined the training team in 1996 under Skip Prosser and treasures his connections to him and to the players who first pushed the program onto the national stage. He left for seven years to work on Bob Huggins’s staff at the University of Cincinnati and (gasp!) was welcomed back to Xavier in 2010.

Fluker has led Xavier’s embrace of the sports medicine, nutrition, and training advancements sweeping across intercollegiate athletics. His job and role—along with just about everything in college sports—have shifted dramatically in 20 years.

Yet Fluker says he still relies on two old-fashioned tools more than any others: his hands and his ears.

“I feel like the biggest healing tools I have are my hands,” he says in his office at Cintas Center’s training facilities. “There are athletes who never get a genuine healing touch in their lives. They’re taught to act like tough guys and avoid interaction. Physical touch really

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breaks down a lot of barriers.”

And that’s when Fluker’s ears take over.

While massaging a player’s sore shoulder or helping bend and stretch a surgically repaired knee, Fluker listens. He never knows what an athlete will want to talk about—often they just need to make a connection.

“When they see me for injury, they’re vulnerable,” he says. “But they can get things off their chest with me and know I’ll keep it confidential. Sometimes there are things they don’t even want their teammates to know.”

Fluker relishes his opportunities to connect, mentor, and advise, especially as an African-American family man working with young African-American athletes who are often away from home for the first time. He was a “big brother” to players like Darnell Williams, Gary Lumpkin, and Lenny Brown because he wasn’t much older than them back in the late 1990s;

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PHOTOGRAPH BY GLENN HARTONG

IN GOOD HANDS

// DAVID FLUKER IS MORE THAN AN ATHLETIC TRAINER. PLAYERS ALSO SEE HIM AS A MENTOR AND FRIEND. —J O H N F O X

with graying hair now, Fluker laughs as he admits that maybe he’s more of a “father figure” to the current team.

“Dave was a mentor to me,” Williams says. “We could talk about anything. He’s just a very genuine person, and everything he says and does is from the heart.”

“I’ve been pretty close with Dave since my freshman year,” says Dee Davis, whose final XU season was 2014–2015. “There weren’t too many times we were in the same room when we weren’t singing an old-school R&B song together, groups like the O’Jays, Earth Wind and Fire. I saw him as someone I could look to for wisdom or advice on life.”

BECOMING A PROSSER PROTÉGÉ Fluker got his first taste of collegiate sports medicine when he hurt his knee playing football at Wilmington College. While his athletic career ended early, he was intrigued by the athletic training processes and pursued a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine, graduating in 1986.

He later earned a master’s degree in health education and human performance at Michigan State, where he worked as a graduate assistant athletic trainer with the football team under coach George Perles and interacted with standout players like Lorenzo White, Tony Mandarich, and Mark Ingram Sr. A Cincinnati native and Sycamore High School graduate, Fluker returned to town to work in the sports medicine and rehabilitation field. His wife Crystal is also in the medical field, receiving a nursing degree from Xavier and currently working at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

They have six children, the youngest of whom is a high school senior. One daughter is a sophomore at Xavier.

Fluker’s family was young, however, when Prosser hired him in 1996. Working in a small program on a tight budget, the assistant trainer position came with other duties—like arranging the basketball team’s travel.

“The very first road trip under my direction was to Los Angeles to play Loyola Marymount,” Fluker says. “We show up at the hotel, and there are tarps hanging all around the lobby because of construction.

I had to explain it to Coach Prosser, who wasn’t happy.”

Williams remembers that, even then,

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Fluker was unflappable.

“Yes, that Loyola Marymount trip when the hotel was under construction,” he says, laughing. “Dave had to figure out where we could stay so the noise wouldn’t bother us, so we moved to the other side of the hotel. He handled everything for us back then.”

Xavier beat LMU by 16.

The challenges of transforming XU’s basketball program into a national power in the late ’90s forged bonds that remain strong today.

“Dave had a chip on his shoulder at Xavier in those days, as we all did,” Williams says. “He wanted us to stay healthy and win, and we all wanted to prove ourselves. We’d often practice late, and Dave would stay with us and provide treatment afterwards. We’d tell him to go home to his wife and kids, but he always stayed. We knew we were building something with the program, and none of us wanted to cut any corners.”

Fluker calls his early Xavier teams “the group that built the Cintas Center.”

“I am excited to welcome them whenever they come back to visit Xavier,” Fluker says. “For many, I might really be the only familiar face here. The Cintas Center wasn’t around when they played for Xavier, but I want them to feel like it’s their home court, too. I always welcome them with open arms and help them if they ever need anything.”

Fluker rattles off the names of former stars he’s hosted in recent visits, including David West and James Posey. There are dozens of others he stays in touch with on a regular basis.

“My father had knee replacement surgery, and Dave would call and tell me how to take care of him afterwards,” Williams says. “He always has checked up on me since our days at Xavier. He called me once at 3 a.m. when his son was born.”

“I DO FEEL THAT I’M A BEACON” Fast-forwarding to today’s Xavier athletes, Fluker says the technology of sports medicine has changed rapidly but relationships remain at the core of his role.

“I feel like a counselor to the players, especially the young men,” he says. “The players like direction and encouragement.

They want to be told the truth.”

So do coaches, teammates, fans, and the media. The competing interests revolv-

ing around a star player’s injury can—and often do—place Fluker in difficult situations, but he said he feels his experience has served him well in defining the difference between “hurt” and “injured.”

“I’ve been around long enough to know when to keep something players tell me confidential and what needs to be shared with the coaching staff,” he says. “I never hide injuries from the coaches, and the players know that. I’m interested in their long-term care and health, so I want them to be honest with me—but since injuries affect their playing time, sometimes they’re hesitant to be honest.”

A typical day during basketball season finds Fluker arriving at the Cintas Center at 9 a.m. for rehab work with XU athletes across all sports, followed by individual checkups with visiting team physicians.

Then there’s basketball practice, with preand post-practice treatment. Fluker usually heads home when the team study hall begins at 7 p.m.

For Xavier home games, Fluker’s day might start a little later, but he won’t leave the Cintas Center until 10 or 11 p.m.

He travels with the team to all away games, which he says he enjoys because he gets to spend more time with players without classes or the usual campus distractions. And probably talk about everything but basketball.

“I do feel that I’m a beacon of sorts for all student-athletes who come through Xavier,” Fluker says. “I try to be a guide for them through my words and my life.”

“Within the team and the coaching staff, Dave was an outlet for me to talk about whatever I wanted,” Davis says. “I’ll always be grateful to have had a chance to be around a trainer, mentor, and friend like him.”

FLUKER’S TOP 5 XU BASKETBALL MOMENTS 1

Beating No. 1-ranked UC during my first season at Xavier (1996–1997)

2 Dave West scoring 47 against Dayton in the 2002–2003 season 3 Going to my first Sweet 16 in the 2011– 2012 season 4 Opening Cintas Center in 2000 5 Xavier joining the BIG EAST Conference in 2013

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

THE HAWK’S NEST

// AFTER TIME IN THE NBA AND OVERSEAS, MICHAEL HAWKINS HELPS THE NEXT GENERATION OF PLAYERS SUCCEED. — R O D N E Y M C K I S S I C

IGHT DAYS. THAT’S HOW MANY DAYS STAND BETWEEN MICHAEL

Hawkins and an NBA pension, about the amount of time it takes to binge watch Luke Cage on Netflix. Hawkins, who played for Xavier from 1991 to 1995 and spent 75 games in the NBA with Boston, Sacramento, Charlotte, and Cleveland, is credited for two seasons. He’s eight days short of the required three years for a full pension.

During the 2000–2001 season, his final year in the NBA, Hawkins played briefly for the Cavaliers before they released him two days before Christmas in December 2001. He then went to play overseas, not realizing the long-term repercussions.

“I called the NBA office and tried to get a 10-day contract but this was years after I found out that I was short,” says Hawkins, a jazzy 6-foot point guard out of Canton, Ohio. “No such luck.”

But Hawkins found good fortune as a part-time basketball trainer for the last 10 years, and he now runs a company called Up One Basketball in Houston. Hawkins is in the process of creating a girls and boys AAU program, starting with 15-U boys and 16-U girls, called the Center Court Hawks.

“We go back to the fundamentals,” Hawkins says. “We do a lot of ball handling for point guards and a lot of two-ball dribbling. We do a lot of change of direction and changing of hands. We emphasize their weaker hand like brushing their teeth with their left hand or combing their hair with the left. We focus on the little things they can do to get better.”

Hawkins played overseas in Greece, Spain, Poland, Belgium, Syria, and the Canary Islands.

After ending his career in 2005, he landed a position at Kroger in Houston. He wanted to spend

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Michael Hawkins works with an Up One Basketball client in Houston. He’s also in the process of starting an AAU program, first for 15-U boys, then expanding to 16-U girls.

more time with his kids, so he started training them in basketball. Hawkins and his wife, Sharicia, have four children: sons Nigel, 16, Mike, 13, and Destin, 4 and daughter Taylor, 2. Nigel—Greater Houston’s player of the year—just led Cypress Falls High School to a 35–3 record and the Texas Class 6A state championship.

Others observed Nigel and Mike grow as players and took notice. “People started coming up to me saying, ‘Oh, you train kids all the time?’ ’’ says Hawkins, who works full-time as a sales rep for G&K Services, a uniform company. “Man, it just took off and I started training other kids. Now we’re up to 25–30 clients.”

And you’re never too old to jump into the Hawks Nest. “I have a 40-year-old client,” he says. “We do a lot of conditioning and movement without the ball, getting into his shot, penetrating and taking one dribble up to the basket. He wants to do a lot of cardio and he just loves it.”

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P H O T O G R A P H S ( T H I S PA G E ) B Y J U S T I N L E W I S / (O P P O S I T E ) C O U R T E S Y K E L LY B E N I N T E N D I - M I S L E H

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Kelly BenitendiMisleh says she loves her work as a dental surgical assistant: “For me, it’s very stimulating, and I’ve learned a lot. Every day is something different.”

GROWING A DYNASTY

// THE BENINTENDIS HAVE A FEW STAR ATHLETES IN THE FAMILY. FORMER BASKETBALL PLAYER KELLY BENINTENDI-MISLEH WAS THE FIRST. — R O D N E Y M C K I S S I C

O

NE OF THESE DAYS, PERHAPS AROUND THE HOLIDAYS AT THE DINNER

table, the Benintendis will decide just who is the best athlete in the family.

It could be Luke Spencer, who starred for the Xavier men’s soccer team from 2009 to 2012 and now plays for Louisville City in the United Soccer League. Maybe it’s Andrew Benintendi, the home-run robbing Boston Red Sox outfielder. And let’s not forget Kelly Benintendi-Misleh, Andrew’s proud aunt, and the Musketeers’ leading scorer in basketball for two seasons in 1987–1988 and 1988–1989.

While former Xavier power forward Brian Grant may be the most recognizable athlete from Georgetown, Ohio, Misleh is the first star.

Her 2,366 points were the most in Georgetown High School history—male or female— until the record was broken in 2015 by Beau Justice.

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“Kelly was a very good shooter and a great ball-handler,” says Cincinnati resident Maurice Gallagher, who graduated with Misleh from Georgetown High in 1984. “Kelly was a very good individual player and a good teammate as well.”

She started 41 games at Michigan over two seasons before transferring to Xavier after the 1985–1986 season.

Misleh is one of several players listed in the school record book for highest free-throw percentage in a game when she connected on all 10 of her free throw attempts against IUPUI on February 27, 1988.

After graduation, Misleh taught for a few years before returning to Xavier to complete her master’s degree in education administration. She returned to teaching, then got married in 1994 to her husband, Mike, and took a 10-year break to raise her two children, Michael and Sarah. Mike, who along with his siblings owns six Skyline Chili locations on the city’s east side, is a 1983 Xavier graduate and one-time member of the school’s athletic board, while Michael is a junior at Xavier and a men’s basketball team manager.

For the last 11 years, Misleh has been a surgical assistant for Ft. Thomas, Kentucky–based Frederick Steinbeck, D.D.S., M.D., who specializes in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

“I can be supporting the airway, administering drugs per doctor’s orders, assisting the sergeant with instrument suctioning; I recover the patient and I transport the patient,” says Misleh, who holds certifications in oral maxillofacial surgery and use of radiation in a dental practice. “Whatever needs to be done.”

Misleh also dabbled in coaching, first when Michael and Sarah were young and then some AAU and at St. Ursula Academy, where she was a varsity assistant and junior varsity head coach.

When Sarah started at St. Ursula, Misleh decided to give up coaching.

“I didn’t want that pressure to be on her in case people talked favoritism, and it was just better for me not to be involved,” Misleh says.

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SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

BASEBALL AND TRACK AND FIELD ARE STILL COMPETING, BUT XAVIER’S OTHER SPORTS ARE DONE FOR THE 2016–17 ACADEMIC YEAR. HERE IS AN UPDATE ON EACH TEAM.

BASEBALL IN SEASON

COACH: Scott Googins (Ohio Wesleyan ’92), 12th season 2016–17: Looking to repeat as BIG EAST Champions, XU is already off to a nice start with 20 wins under their belt as of April 17. Following last year’s title, Dan Rizzie (13th round, New York Mets) and Andre Jernigan (14th round, Minnesota Twins) were selected in the MLB First

Year Player Draft, marking the first time XU has had two players drafted since 2008.

Prior to the 2017 season, senior Joe Gellenbeck was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and the team was selected to finish first in the league—both program firsts.

Overall, seven Musketeers were selected to the preseason All-BIG EAST Team, marking a program record. In March, the Musketeers swept Ohio State in a three game

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non-conference series, marking the first time OSU had been swept by an in-state opponent since 1975.

NOTEWORTHY: Junior ace Zac Lowther is off to a great start in 2017, ranking among the nation’s top strikeout artists. Lowther was recently named to the Baseball America Top 100 MLB Draft Prospect List, becoming the first Musketeer ever listed. As of April 17, Lowther was 2-2 with a 3.60

ERA in eight starts. In 40 innings, he’s allowed just 21 hits and struck out 62 while limiting opponents to a .157 batting average. At that point, Lowther ranked No. 7 nationally with 4.73 hits allowed per nine.

BASKETBALL MEN’S COACH: Chris Mack (Xavier ’92), eighth season 2016–17: Xavier won the 2016

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Junior third baseman Rylan Bannon celebrates a double against Penn State at the USA Baseball Training Facility in Cary, N.C.

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Tire Pros Invitational in November in Florida, XU’s fourth regular-season tournament championship in 10 years. Junior Trevon Bluiett was named Tournament MVP and junior teammate J.P. Macura joined him on the All-Tournament Team. But it’s the postseason success that really stood out for the Musketeers. Xavier made its third NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, defeating Big Ten runner-up Maryland, ACC runner-up Florida State and PAC-12 Champion Arizona to reach the West Regional semifinal. Xavier has made it to at least the Sweet 16 six times in the last 10 years, one of only nine schools that have been to at least six since 2008. Xavier played in its fourth straight NCAA Tournament and its 11th in the last 12 years; only eight schools have been to at least

11 of the last 12 tournaments.

NOTEWORTHY: Bluiett and Macura were named to the 2017 five-member All-West Regional Team, while Bluiett also earned First-Team All-BIG EAST, All-BIG EAST Tournament and NABC First Team All-District honors. Bluiett and Macura joined the 1,000-Point Club. Bluiett is now No. 15 on XU’s all-time scoring list with 1,585 points, while Macura is No. 48 with 1,054 points.

point field-goal percentage defense (.307). The Musketeers won their first six games, capped by a 61–58 win over Michigan. The 58 points were the fewest points scored in a game last season by the Wolverines.

NOTEWORTHY: Raeshaun Gaffney earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention Team honors. The senior guard averaged 14.4 points per game to rank No. 8 in the BIG EAST. She finished her career with 1,159 points.

WOMEN’S COACH: Brian Neal (Northern Kentucky ’91), fourth season 2016–17: Xavier continued to be one of the better defensive teams in the BIG EAST, ranking third in field-goal percentage defense (.388) and three-

CROSS COUNTRY MEN’S COACH: Ryan Orner (Towson ’99), fifth season 2016: The men finished eighth at the BIG EAST Cham-

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pionships, paced by Grant Parrelli who placed 34th in the 8K in 26:08.50. Garrett Knapik was the next Xavier runner to cross the finish line as the junior placed 44th (26:25.00).

NOTEWORTHY: Knapik posted a 10K time of 32:54.30 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, the No. 19-ranked time in school history.

WOMEN’S COACH: Ryan Orner (Towson ’99), fifth season 2016: Xavier placed sixth at the BIG EAST Championships, paced by Madeline Britton who finished 23rd in the 6K in 22:12.30. Delainey Burnett was the next Xavier runner to cross the finish line as the senior placed 29th (22:36.90).

NOTEWORTHY: Britton placed 32nd at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in a 6K time of 20:48.70, the sixthfastest time in school history.

GOLF MEN’S COACH: Brian McCants (Ferris State ’94), first season

PHOTOGRAPH BY GREG RUST

2016–17: McCants has his team getting a lot of experience before the BIG EAST Championship in the beginning of May. The Musketeers had two tournaments in March and are scheduled to travel to three more tournaments in April; going to Arkansas, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. The Musketeers will look to improve upon a second-place finish at last years BIG EAST Championship, which returns to Callawassie Island, S.C.

Tyrique Jones, left, reacts to an and-one opportunity against the University of Cincinnati. Jones scored and was fouled during the Crosstown Shootout. He finished with six points and five rebounds in 12 minutes.

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NOTEWORTHY: Seniors Matt Wetterich and Fox Morrissey lead the team in overall stroke average, Wetterich at 75.85 and Morrissey 76.17. Promising underclassmen Hunter Roberts and Eduardo Rivera Nicholls have seen action in every tournament but one this season.

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Knox Hitt celebrates after repeating as BIG EAST Champion in the 100 butterfly, breaking his own school record and setting an NCAA B-Cut time of 47.65 at the conference championship meet in February.

2017: Mikayla Fitzpatrick was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team and was selected BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. The Musketeers started April with a fifth-place team finish in Florida, which saw three Musketeers finish in the top 15. The Musketeers finished fourth at the 2017 BIG EAST Championships last year at Callawassie Island, S.C. NOTEWORTHY: Two weeks in a row the Musketeers captured BIG EAST Women’s Golfer of the Week awards, Mikayla Fitzpatrick and Rachel Johnson

each earned the award after separate top-10 finishes.

SOCCER MEN’S COACH: Andy Fleming (Marist ’97), seventh season 2016: XU finished the 2016 season in fifth place in the BIG EAST, qualifying for the league tournament for the fourth time in four years. Cory Brown was named the 2016 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, giving the program a fifth straight season with a major award winner. Brown and fellow defender Matt Nance were selected All-BIG EAST.

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Following the season, Jalen Brown became the third XU player drafted in the last six years when he was selected No. 38 overall by New York City FC. NOTEWORTHY: Nick Hagglund, a 2013 alum, made history by becoming the first XU soccer grad to play in the MLS Cup Championship for Toronto FC. The Lakota West grad had the go-ahead goal to send Toronto FC to the final in December 2016.

WOMEN’S COACH: TBD 2016: Former U.S. Women’s National Team member Kacey

White took over as head coach of the women’s soccer program in December 2016 but resigned in April to work for USA Soccer. A national search restarted after her departure.

NOTEWORTHY: Senior Tori Doss was named one of four candidates nationally for the Wooden Citizenship Cup, an award presented by Athletes for a Better World for character and leadership on and off the field and for contributions to sport and society. Doss, who has worked extensively in the community promoting STEM education in underserved communities, has earned acceptance to medical school,

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P H O T O G R A P H B Y K O S TA S LY M P E R O P O U L O S

WOMEN’S COACH: Breanna Patz (Xavier ’13), second season

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but has a year of eligibility remaining due to a redshirt and might return to the pitch for the Musketeers in 2017.

SWIMMING MEN’S COACH: Brent MacDonald (Valparaiso ’03), eighth season 2016–17: Ten Musketeers were named All-BIG EAST after Xavier collected six event championships during the conference meet in February. Knox Hitt repeated as BIG EAST Champion in the 100 fly and Sam Johanns took the top spot in the 100 back, leading three Musketeers in the top three of the event.

Matthew Dyer also swept the breaststroke events, winning the 100 and 200 breast championships. Xavier’s men won the 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay, with Johanns, Dyer, and Hitt taking part in both, and Tony Miller swimming in 200 medley relay and Nathan Runyon competing in the 400 medley relay.

Gaernter also placed second in the 100 back.

Paxtyn Drew earned AllBIG EAST for a third straight year, earning the honor in a pair of individual events, finishing third in the 100 and 200 back. Emily Conners placed third and set a school record in the 50 free and 100 free during her first BIG EAST championship.

Gaertner, Drew, and Conners each took part in multiple relays, as the Musketeers finished in the top three in all five relay events.

NOTEWORTHY: Gaertner became the second woman in program history to post an NCAA B-cut time during the 2016–17 season. Gaertner first hit the mark in the 100 back with a time of 55.00 during

the Cleveland State Magnus Cup in December, joining Drew as the only women to do so in Xavier history.

During the BIG EAST Championship, Gaertner improved her time in the 100 back to 54.43. Gaertner hit the NCAA B-Cut standard in a second event during the championship meet, touching the wall in 53.72 in the 100 fly on her way to the BIG EAST Championship.

TENNIS MEN’S COACH: Doug Matthews (Xavier ’09), third season 2016–17: Xavier won two consecutive non-conference matches against instate

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competition and then started recorded big wins over Georgetown and Marquette in BIG EAST play.

NOTEWORTHY: Senior Matt Bishop received BIG EAST tennis student-athlete of the week in March for his dual match victories against Georgetown and William & Mary.

WOMEN’S COACH: Doug Matthews (Xavier ’09), third season 2016–17: Xavier reached the semifinals of the 2017 BIG EAST Championship before falling 4-3 to No. 1 seed St. John’s. Junior Lauren Ghidotti and freshmen Rachael Reichenbach and

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NOTEWORTHY: Two Musketeers set NCAA B-Cut times during the BIG EAST Championships. Hitt’s repeat performance in the 100 fly, upped his school record with a B-Cut time of 47.65. Dyer posted an NCAA B-Cut time in his championship performances, finishing the 100 breast in 54.91.

WOMEN’S COACH: Brent MacDonald (Valparaiso ’03), eighth season 2016–17: Xavier placed nine women on the All-BIG EAST Team, led by a trio of Musketeers who earned the honor in six events each. Caroline Gaertner finished the four-day event with a BIG EAST championship as well as a pair of school records. Gaernter won the conference title in the 100 fly, one of only three individual championships not to be won by powerhouse Villanova.

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From left, Xavier Athletics administrator Susan Cross Lipnickey, women’s soccer player Tori Doss, and tennis player Sydney Liggins were honored at the annual Cincinnati Women’s Sport Association awards banquet April 24.

The banquet honors the best local female athletes, coaches, and advocates at the club, high school, college and masters levels. Doss earned the 2017 Inspirational Story of the Year, Liggins was named the Collegiate Player of the Year in Tennis, and Lipnickey was named the Huisman Administrator of the Year.

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Senior Russell Platt earned three medals on Feb. 25 on the final day of the 2017 BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Championships.

The Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, native won the 60- and 200-meter dashes and placed second in the high jump.

The senior standout collected 28 points and was tabbed the BIG EAST Men’s High Point Performer of the Meet.

NOTEWORTHY: Seniors Sydney Liggins and Cristina Di Lorenzo graduated among the top players in program history in overall wins as well as in singles and doubles. The duo also raised XU’s program to new heights, including the team’s first-ever BIG EAST Championship and first-ever NCAA Championship berth in 2017.

TRACK AND FIELD (INDOOR & OUTDOOR)

Track and Field Championships saw the team record 10 top-10 finishes and establish three school records. Xavier also had three individual champions at the meet. The Musketeers competed at the outdoor conference championships May 13-14 in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

NOTEWORTHY: Russell Platt was tabbed the BIG EAST “Men’s High Point Performer of the Meet” at the indoor championships as he collected 28 points. He won both the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes, while placing second in the high jump. Zachary Polk also won the long jump and placed third in the 60-meter dash.

top-10 finishes at the BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Musketeers also posted four school records at the meet. The Musketeers competed at the outdoor conference championships May 13-14 in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

NOTEWORTHY: Sophomore Kara Robinson placed third at the BIG EAST Championships in the 60-meter hurdles in a school-record time of 8.81.

Senior Victoria Chiller qualified for the finals in the 800-meter run for the first time in her career. In her final indoor championships, Chiller set a school record with a time of 2:14.04 to place seventh overall.

IN SEASON

MEN’S

WOMEN’S

COACH: Ryan Orner (Towson ’99), fifth season

COACH: Ryan Orner (Towson ’99), fifth season

2016–17: The BIG EAST Indoor

2016–17: Xavier had eight

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VOLLEYBALL COACH: Christy Pfeffenberger (Dayton ’05), second season

2016: Xavier finished 20-13 overall, 13-5 in BIG EAST play to finish second in the conference standings. The Musketeers advanced to the BIG EAST Tournament title match before falling to nationally ranked Creighton in three sets. Xavier has won 20 or more matches in a season 21 times.

NOTEWORTHY: Seniors Abbey Bessler and Sofia Peterson earned AVCA East Region First-Team honors and All-BIG EAST First-Team honors. Bessler was also tabbed to the AVCA AllAmerican honorable mention team for the second time her career (2013, 2016). Bessler finished her career as the all-time leader at Xavier in attack attempts (5,094) and points (2,010), while ranking second in kills (1,774) and fifth in digs (1,392).

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PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIC SUCAR

Vanina Iordanova each won singles matches vs. SJU. In fact, Reichenbach went 2-0 in championship singles that weekend.

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RECAP

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POST GAME INTERVIEW

THE PRODUCER

XAVIER GRADUATE TOM DeCORTE LANDED A DREAM JOB AT ESPN.

Value of your Newswire experience? Being editor my senior year was a crash course in management that no business course could ever compare to. It remains one of the toughest jobs I’ve had in my career. Trying to manage your peers while executing the vision of the publication taught me at a young age how much work being an effective leader requires.

Memorable moment as a student reporter? Covering the Atlantic 10 tournament at the old Spectrum in Philadelphia. James Posey loves the history of the game. I was standing at shoot-around, and he was talking about his favorite Dr. J dunk over Michael Cooper. He then took a ball and did his best Dr. J impression. Too bad we didn’t have smartphones yet.

That would have been a great viral video.

Favorite Xavier coach of all time? Pete Gillen.

Though I came to Xavier in Skip Prosser’s first year as head coach, it was clear how influential Pete was in building what Xavier basketball was when I was on campus and what it has become since.

Most memorable game you attended? November 26, 1996. Lenny Brown. Few Xavier fans were in the Shoe that night. Brad Johansen, my boss at Channel 12 at the time, gave me one of the few credentials the station had for the game. That shot is still one of my great sports memories in any sport.

Best thing about it? Every day is an opportunity to create a new, distinctive hour. If things didn’t go right the day before, there’s no time to dwell on it; there’s another chance the next day to be better.

Worst thing about it? Working late nights reduces the time spent with my family and friends. But over the years I’ve learned to be creative. For instance, I can easily go read with my daughter’s kindergarten class in the morning because I don’t have to work until later.

Favorite ESPN personality? I’ve learned so much from Scott Van Pelt, Bob Ley, Chris Berman, Dan Patrick, Hannah Storm, etc. But the person who challenged me the most was Stuart Scott. He was a unique voice and an amazing person to know. He was so much more than his on-air persona. He was a man who loved all forms of entertainment and sports, but most of all he loved his two daughters. More than anyone else, he showed me how to be a better producer by listening to different points of view.

Xavier gradua te Tom DeCorte , left, participat es in a production meetin g with ESPN personality Sc ott Van Pelt.

Game you wish you attended? Xavier beating St. Joe’s to give them their first loss in the A-10 tournament in 2004. I was sitting in the ESPN screening room watching on a small TV. Would have been a great game to witness in person.

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PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY ESPN

How did you get your current job? I was producing the 11 p.m. hour of SportsCenter when Scott Van Pelt and ESPN management approached me about a potential opportunity to develop a new show at midnight. I jumped at the chance because Scott is one of the most talented people I have had the privilege of working with.

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NAVIGATION HERE

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What’s your Healthy

–FACTOR?

This partnership is one of the ways Interact for Health is building healthy communities for everyone. We serve as a catalyst for health and wellness, by promoting healthy living through grants, education, research, policy and engagement. Our vision is to make the Greater Cincinnati region the healthiest in the country.

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Interact for Health is proud to partner with the Xavier Musketeers to inspire area kids to be active and eat healthy foods. Together we are challenging thousands of school-aged children to make healthy choices in their everyday lives and find their Healthy X-Factor.