L E T T E R F R O M T H E AT H L E T I C D I R E C T O R
Marquette University’s fourth season in the BIG EAST Conference included a number of team and individual accomplishments, continuing a tradition long-ago established by MU student-athletes. Three programs (men’s basketball, women’s basketball and women’s soccer) claimed postseason appearances, representing the Blue & Gold on the national level. The men’s basketball squad claimed 25 victories for the second-straight year and the women’s soccer team made its seventh NCAA Championship trip. The women’s basketball team earned a trip to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament for the second time in as many campaigns. Team success was easy to find in 2008-09, but the level of individual excellence on display throughout the course of the year will be difficult to match in the future. Golden Eagle fans were provided the opportunity to watch three of MU’s all-time best – Krystal Ellis, Jerel McNeal and Mike Van Sickle – put the finishing touches on their respective standout careers. Ellis and McNeal are now without peers on the school’s all-time scoring lists and Van Sickle’s All-America caliber results earned him recognition at the international level. While accomplishments in competition garner a majority of the spotlight, the efforts of our student-athletes in the classrooms across campus should not be overlooked. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of MU’s performers, the collective grade-point-average of 3.11 for the Spring semester marked the highest since 2002. Marquette’s student-athletes and staff were once again very visible in the community, participating in several service projects. Highlights included “Pink Out” in support of the fight against breast cancer by the women’s basketball team and the founding of “Buzz’s Bunch,” which creates opportunities for special needs children. For the first-time ever, MU presented its Intercollegiate Athletics Alumni Awards and the three recipients couldn’t be more deserving of the accolades. Jim and Ginny Wheeler received the Friend of Marquette Athletics Award, John Madden claimed the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award and Robert Gansler earned the Lifetime Achievement Award. Each of the award winners has played an important role in our development and served as a great ambassador for the program. Go Marquette!
Steve Cottingham Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
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ACADEMICS BY THE NUMBERS SPRING SEMESTER The following student-athletes earned 4.0 GPAs:
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Marquette’s average team GPA of 3.11 in the Spring semester was the highest since 2002.
Peter Bolgert Brice Cleland Nick Szczech Amanda Beggs Olivia Johnson Eric Matuszewski Kelli Debarge Kelsey Lynch Kelly Wepking Maggie Wilson
Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Men’s Track & Field Women’s Soccer Women’s Soccer Women’s Soccer Women’s Tennis
121 of 194 student-athletes on spring squad lists had GPAs of over 3.0 for the term (62%). 102 of the 194 (53%) maintained cumulative GPAs of over 3.0.
Average student-athlete GPA 3.11
A C A D E M I C A L L- A M E R I C A N S Year
Name
Sport
1976-77
Bill Neary
Men’s Basketball
1976-77
Gary Rosenberger
Men’s Basketball
1981-82
Marc Marotta
Men’s Basketball
1982-83
Marc Marotta
Men’s Basketball
1982-83
Laurie Hottinger
Women’s Cross Country
1983-84
Marc Marotta
Men’s Basketball
1983-84
Laurie Hottinger
Women’s Cross Country
1984-85
Keith Hanson
Men’sTrack & Field
1985-86
Keith Hanson
Men’sTrack & Field
1985-86
Beth Ayers
Women’s Basketball
1991-92
Erica Larson
Women’sTrack & Field
1991-92
Kristen Maskala
Women’s Basketball
1992-93
Erica Larson
Women’sTrack & Field
1992-93
Kristen Maskala
Women’s Basketball
1993-94
Kristen Maskala
Women’s Basketball
1995-96
Kirk Davies
Men’sTennis
1995-96
Scott Ziemba
Men’s Soccer
1996-97
Scott Ziemba
Men’s Soccer
1996-97
Amy Erickson
Women’sTrack & Field
1996-97
Christy Rice
Women’s Cross Country
1996-97
Martha Meyer
Volleyball
1997-98
Amy Erickson
Women’s Cross Country
1997-98
Amy Erickson
Women’sTrack & Field
1997-98
NickiTaggart
Women’s Basketball
1999-00
Lisa Oldenburg
Women’s Basketball
1999-00
Kate Loughran
Women’s Soccer
1999-00
Kelly Roethe
Women’s Soccer
2001-02
Diana Detrie
Women’s Soccer
2001-02
Diana Detrie
Women’s Soccer
2001-02
Erin Maysent
Women’s Soccer
2002-03
Diana Detrie
Women’s Soccer
2004-05
Carolyn Kieger
Women’s Basketball
2005-06
JulieThompson
Women’s Soccer
2005-06
Heather Goranson
Women’s Soccer
2007-08
Christy Zwolski
Women’s Soccer
2007-08
Laura Boyer
Women’s Soccer
FALL SEMESTER The following student-athletes earned 4.0 GPAs: Dan Addis Michael Alfano Kelli Debarge Allison McBride Christina Feldman Katie Miller Kelly Wepking Olivia Johnson Maureen Keane Danielle Owen Brice Cleland Andrew Craig Peter Bolgert Tom Lynn
Men’s Soccer Men’s Soccer Women’s Soccer Women’s Soccer Women’s Track & Field Women’s Soccer Women’s Soccer Women’s Cross Country Women’s Cross Country Women’s Cross Country Men’s Cross Country Men’s Cross Country Men’s Cross Country Men’s Soccer
116 of 212 student-athletes on fall squad lists had GPA’s of over 3.0 for the term (55%). 123 of the 212 (58%) maintained cumulative GPA’s of over 3.0.
Average student-athlete GPA 3.01
Peter Bolgert (men’s track) and Kelli Debarge (women’s soccer) were two of three student-athletes to earn a 4.0 GPA both semesters in 2008-09. Bolgert has posted a 4.0 each of his four semesters at Marquette.
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2 0 0 8 - 0 9 TEAM 2008-09 TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Jerel McNeal (men’s basketball) broke the school’s all-time scoring record, previously held by George Thompson for 40 years.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
TRACK & FIELD
The Golden Eagles finished 25-10 overall and 12-6 in the BIG EAST Conference under first-year head coach Buzz Williams. MU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight campaign.
During the indoor season, the track & field squad had 13 BIG EAST qualifiers on the men's side and 12 on the women's. At the 2009 BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field Championships the women placed 15th, while the men managed a 13th-place finish. Sophomore Tyler O'Brien broke his own school record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.87 seconds at the Alex Wilson Invitational on March 6. Also surpassing MU records were junior Sarah Verdoliva in the 800 meters with a time of 2:12.38 and Erynn James with a leap of 5 feet, 9.25 inches in the high jump.
Senior guard Jerel McNeal was named an Associated Press Second Team All-American, the highest honor received by an MU men’s basketball player since Dwyane Wade in 2003. McNeal was also featured on Dick Vitale’s All-America Special, one of seven players selected. Marquette finished 10th in the nation in average attendance (16,200), the program’s highest-ever final ranking. MU has finished among the top-25 teams in each of the past eight campaigns and is the only non-football school to rank in the top-20 since 2003.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The Marquette women's basketball team finished the season 17-16 overall, 7-9 in BIG EAST Conference play. Marquette earned a berth in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) for the second consecutive season. The WNIT appearance marked the team's seventh-straight postseason appearance, 14th in program history and 11th since head coach Terri Mitchell began her tenure at Marquette in 1996. Marquette had three players named to All-BIG EAST Teams. Sophomore guard Angel Robinson was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team, senior guard Krystal Ellis earned All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention honors and freshman Jessica Pachko was selected to the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team.
Angel Robinson (women’s basketball) earned SecondTeam All-BIG EAST accolades as a sophomore in 2008-09.
Attendance Highlights The Golden Eagles ranked 10th in the nation in average attendance, the highest final ranking in school history
MEN’S GOLF Marquette finished second at the 2009 BIG EAST Conference Championship, placing four individuals in the top-15. Freshman Matt Haase closed with a final-round 64, a tournament record, and senior Mike Van Sickle tied for second place. Van Sickle was named 2009 BIG EAST Player of the Year. He posted 11 collegiate victories during his career as a Golden Eagle, including five wins this season en route to earning PING All-America First Team honors and the Byron Nelson Award. Classmate Dustin Schwab joined Van Sickle on the All-BIG EAST
MU averaged 16,200 fans per game
T O P 10 M A R Q U E T T E C R O W D S I N THE BR AD L EY C E NTE R
The largest crowd ever to see a college basketball game in the state of Wisconsin was 19,144 versus Syracuse
Attendance
Opponent
Date
Result
1. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
SYRACUSE Connecticut Georgetown Georgetown DePaul Pittsburgh Wisconsin Pittsburgh Pittsburgh DePaul
MAR. 7, 2009 Feb. 25, 2009 Mar. 1, 2008 Jan. 31, 2009 Jan. 26, 2008 Mar. 3, 2007 Dec. 9, 2006 Feb. 15, 2008 Feb. 18, 2006 Jan. 24, 2009
L L L W W W L W W W
The 18-game home schedule featured six sellouts The Bradley Center topped 19,000 fans on three occasions
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The outdoor season saw a number of high points for the squad, including a men's and women's dual meet victory over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Individually, MU had three qualifiers compete in the 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional in Louisville, Ky. Senior Jessica Ehlen finished off her career with a 10th-place finish in the hammer throw (186-09) at the regional, barely missing the NCAA Championship-qualifying mark, and placed 21st in the discus (144-06). Meanwhile, junior Jayne Grebinski finished 11th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:49.06) and Erynn James placed ninth in the high jump (5-08.5). Ehlen leaves MU in second place in the hammer throw with a distance of 188 feet and Grebinski goes into next year with the second spot on the steeplechase list with a time of 10:34.15.
19,144 19,091 19,085 19,041 19,037 19,021 19,020 19,011 19,007 18,949
86-79 93-82 70-68 94-82 79-71 75-71 70-66 72-54 84-82 91-82
HIGHLIGHTS squad and also ranks among MU's career leaders in several statistical categories. Additionally, Marquette's team scoring average of 290.03 ranked 12th nationally, and was an all-time low for the Golden Eagles under Tim Grogan, who completed his 18th season as head coach.
WOMEN’S TENNIS Marquette finished the season 17-10 overall on the season, 5-2 in BIG EAST play. The 17 wins were the most since the 1998-99 season. The Golden Eagles jumped into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings on Feb. 10 at No. 73. It was the first time since the 1999-2000 season MU was nationally ranked. Marquette earned a season-high No. 69 ranking on March 24. Five players posted winning singles records, while three had winning records with 10 or more wins. Freshman Olga Fischer finished her rookie season with 16 wins (16-10), including a 12-7 mark at No. 2, while senior Robin Metzler posted a career-best 17-9 mark and freshman Gillian Hush went 14-8.
MEN’S TENNIS The Golden Eagles finished in sixth place at the 2009 BIG EAST Conference Championship. MU finished with an overall record of 17-9, including an impressive 11-1 mark at the Helfaer Tennis Stadium. Seniors Trent Hagan and Stephen Shao concluded their respective careers ranked among the program’s all-time best. Shao finished third all-time with 70 career singles victories and Hagan was right behind in fourth with 68 winning decisions. Hagan and junior Dusan Medan were both tabbed all-conference, marking MU’s first honors since joining the BIG EAST Conference.
CROSS COUNTRY Earning Athlete of the Year awards were Anna Weber and Kyle Saginus. Weber led the women at the BIG EAST Championships and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional with 35th and 25th place finishes, respectively. Saginus became the first Marquette male runner to earn All-BIG EAST honors with a 12th place finish, and narrowly missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships with a 15th place finish at the Great Lakes Regional. Both runners earned All-Great Lakes Region honors for their performances at the Regional.
VOLLEYBALL The Golden Eagles finished 2008 with an 11-18 record and a 5-9 BIG EAST mark, which included a win over reigning BIG EAST Champion St. John’s (one of only two conference losses for the Red Storm on the year). New head coach Bond Shymansky joined MU in December after seven highly successful seasons at the helm of Georgia Tech. Shymansky soon added Michaela Franklin and Craig Dyer as assistant coaches.
WOMEN'S SOCCER The 2008 women's soccer season culminated with a trip to the NCAA tournament, where the Golden Eagles dropped a heartbreaker to Minnesota, 2-1. It was the program's seventh NCAA bid.
Trent Hagan (men’s tennis) an All-BIG EAST performer, finished his career among the program’s all-time leaders in singles wins and total victories.
Marquette finished with an overall record of 11-8-3 and 6-3-2 in the BIG EAST Conference. Led by senior defender Katie Kelly, a number of individuals garnered postseason awards. Kelly was a fourth team All-America selection by Soccer Buzz and was named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Third Team. She was named Second Team All-BIG EAST and was a member of the the BIG EAST Conference All-Tournament team. Katie Miller and Michelle Compty earned third team NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-Central Region Team honors and Allison McBride earned honorable mention distinction.
MEN’S SOCCER The Marquette men's soccer team ended the 2008 season with a 3-10-4 overall record (1-8-2 in BIG EAST play).
Kyle Saginus (cross country) finished 12th at the league championship and was Marquette’s firstever men’s All-BIG EAST selection.
The season was highlighted by taking back the Milwaukee Cup with a 2-0 victory against UWMilwaukee. The Golden Eagles tallied wins against Bryant and Milwaukee, along with conference opponent Cincinnati. Junior goalkeeper Matt Pyzdrowski was recognized as BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week and named to the College Soccer News National Team the week on Sept. 29. Both Pyzdrowski and sophomore midfielder/forward Hector Navarro were named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll in Sept. and Nov., respectively. Katie Kelly earned all-region honors from the NSCAA and was also a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection.
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COMMUNIT Y S E RV I C E COMMUNIT Y SERVICE
Through both our academic and co-curricular programs,
Marquette strives to develop men and women who will dedicate their lives to the service of others, actively entering into the struggle for a more just society. We expect all members of the Marquette community, whatever their faith tradition, to give concrete expression to their beliefs by giving of themselves in service to those in need.
Men’s Basketball BUZZ’S BUNCH
Women’s Soccer KICKS AGAINST BREAST CANCER
“Buzz’s Bunch“ provides the opportunity for special needs children to experience a Marquette men’s basketball game, meet the team with exclusive behind-the-scenes access and the opportunity to attend a special end-of-the-year banquet.
The women’s soccer team participated in the Kicks against Breast Cancer event at Soldier Field in Chicago. The team raised an event-high $5,200 in support of breast cancer awareness, research and treatment.
Women’s Basketball PINK OUT For the fourth consecutive season, the Marquette women's basketball hosted a successful "Pink Out" on Sunday, Feb. 15 in conjunction with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) Pink Zone initiative in support of breast cancer awareness. Through various donations including a 3-point Attack Against Cancer, pink t-shirt sales and Chuck-A-Duck, the Golden Eagles raised $7,405. Men’s Golf BLOOD-DRIVE Members of the Marquette men’s golf team participated in an on-campus blood drive this past offseason to benefit the BloodCenter of Wisconsin.
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Men’s Soccer FAN FEST Marquette celebrated the start of the 2008 men’s and women’s soccer seasons with its annual “Fan Fest” at Valley Fields. Food, activities, autographs and prizes highlight this free event every August.
S TA N D O U T S G O L D E N E A G L E S TA N D O U T S
Mike Van Sickle (men’s golf) capped-off his senior year at Marquette with 5 wins, earning him the 2009 BIG EAST Player of the year award
MIKE VAN SICKLE Mike Van Sickle was named recipient of the 2009 Byron Nelson Award presented by Cleveland Golf/ Srixon, announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Van Sickle, a two-time all-American who was also a unanimous selection as 2009 BIG EAST Player of the Year, is Marquette's all-time leader in career scoring average (71.69), tournament victories (11) and career rounds of par-or-better (86). He has posted 24 top-five finishes in his career as a Golden Eagle and his five wins this season led the nation at the end of the regular season. A three-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star, Van Sickle graduated in May with a 3.3 grade point average and a degree in electronic and broadcast communications. A Nelson Award candidate must be a graduating senior and the selection committee considers equally a nominee's entire collegiate academic and golf career and his character and integrity while in college. Particular consideration will be given to a nominee's good citizenship, as portrayed by legendary golfer Byron Nelson.
VAN SICKLE, ELLIS NAMED RALPH H. METCALFE SENIOR OUTSTANDING ATHLETES Golfer Mike Van Sickle and women's basketball player Krystal Ellis were named the 2009 Ralph H. Metcalfe Senior Outstanding Athletes Friday evening at the Senior Athletics Awards Banquet held at Marquette's Alumni Memorial Union. Van Sickle, one of the top-ranked amateur players in the world, re-wrote the career record books at Marquette. His 11 collegiate victories are the most in school history and his five wins in 2008-09 lead NCAA Division I.
Arguably the most decorated player in Marquette women's basketball history, Ellis graduated from Marquette as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,940 career points and near the top of many other statistical categories; field goals made (669, 3rd), 3-point field goals made (214, 2nd), 3-point field goals attempted (624, 2nd), free throws made (388, 4th), free throws attempted (476, 5th), assists (390, 6th), steals (240, 3rd), and games played (129, 4th). She is the only player in program history to record over 1,800 points, 350 assists and 200 steals.
LAURA BOYER RECEIVED THE 62ND ANNUAL ROBERT L. AND WILLIAM P. MCCAHILL AWARD The postgraduate award is based on achievement in athletics, scholarship and service to the university. Established in 1946, it has been given each year to a student-athlete who has graduated, and demonstrated the highest performance in scholarship, leadership and athletics. Boyer compiled a 41-14-10 record over three seasons at Marquette and completed her career ranking near the top of every goalkeeping statistical category. While helping the Golden Eagles to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2005 and 2006 and a firstever berth in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, Boyer finished first all-time in career goals against average (0.82), second all-time in save percentage (81.5), career victories (41), career shutouts (23) and minutes played (6050:46). She also holds the single season saves record with 112 for the 2005 season.
WADE, FINAL FOUR SQUAD HIGHLIGHT 2009 HALL OF FAME CLASS Marquette University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced the addition of Jim Allen, Bill Cords, Kate (Gordon) McGeeney, Lisa (Oldenburg) Kanning, Dwyane Wade and the 2002-03 Men's Basketball Team to the Marquette M Club Hall of Fame.
Krystal Ellis (women’s basketball) graduates from Marquette as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,940 career points
Laura Boyer (women’s soccer) received the McCahill Award for demonstrating the highest performance in scholarship, leadership and athletics.
The M Club Class of 2009 will join 66 other former Marquette honorees on the Walk of Champions at the Al McGuire Center.
2003 Final Four Team (men’s basketball) join the M Club Hall of Fame Class of 2009
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A L U M N I AWA R D S I N T E R C O L L E G I AT E AT H L E T I C S A L U M N I AWA R D S
The inaugural Intercollegiate Athletics Alumni Awards were presented in April 2009. Those selected to receive the first awards were:
FRIEND OF MARQUETTE ATHLETICS AWARD Jim and Ginny Wheeler have been active supporters of Marquette for close to 30 years, and their devotion to the university, particularly athletics has had an enormous impact. In 1989, they helped lay the groundwork for the Blue & Gold Fund to support athletic scholarships and have been active leaders of it since. They also have been generous benefactors of the Al McGuire Center and established the Rev. Albert J. DiUlio Athletic Scholarship Fund for varsity sports, which is the largest endowed athletic fund at MU. In 2008, the Wheelers established the James and Virginia Wheeler Endowed Basketball Scholarships, which will be fully funded through their estate plans. Both men’s and women’s basketball will be beneficiaries.
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR AWARD John Madden, Bus Ad, 56, who was a tackle on the football team, has devoted his life to helping others, especially youth. He spent 47 years volunteering at Maryville Academy, a Chicago school serving abused and neglected youth, including 30 years as chairman of its board. He spent four years chairing the advisory board of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and is a board member of Chicago Catholic Charities. In 1990, he was one of three people on Chicago’s archdiocese Commission on Clerical Misconduct with Minors in the wake of a church sexual abuse scandal establishing guidelines and review procedures. John is also an emeritus trustee of Marquette University.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
BLUE & GOLD FUND 1999-2009
Robert Gansler, Arts ’64, Grad ’68, earned international recognition in the sport of soccer as a player and coach. As one of the premier players in the US, Gansler earned a spot on the US Olympic team as an MU student. He played 25 games with the Olympic and US National squads and captained the Olympic team twice. He also was a two-time selection to the US Pan-American team. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Marquette and went on to be head coach at the high school, collegiate, amateur and professional ranks winning numerous championships. Among his highlights was coaching the US National U-20 Team to a fourth place finish in the world, the highest-ever finish for a US team and the US National Team to its first World Cup appearance in 40 years, a feat only achieved twice.
Growth of Blue & Gold Fund – providing current-use athletic scholarships. The goal for fully funding athletic scholarships is
$4.4 million.