SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

FALL COMPETITIONS SUSPENDED The Midwest Conference suspended league competition through Dec. 31 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ryan Kane, athletic director and head coach of men’s basketball, says, “Our athletics staff will shift its focus and energies toward building an experience that will still provide our student-athletes the physical and mental challenges they desire. We are committed to working with our student-athletes to define a ‘meaningful experience’ and working with each team to execute that experience.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL The team won the MWC Tournament with an 84-71 win at #18 St. Norbert, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last four years and the 14th time in program history. Ripon’s 2,174 points were the most in a single season in program history.

Trent Jones ’20 was named Second Team All-Region and First Team All-District, and MWC Player of the Year. He ranked 45th in Division III and second in the MWC in scoring with 20.7 points per game. He is just the 16th player in Ripon history to score at least 500 points in a season. Jones led the MWC in steals with 2.0 per game and ranked second in the MWC in field goal percentage.

The team earned 2019-20 NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards from the National Association of Basketball Coaches, one of just three MWC teams to earn the honor. Jones and Connor Kuhn ’21 were named to the NABC Honors Court, based on varsity play and grade-point averages.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The team won the MWC Championship for the third consecutive season. The Red Hawks set a school record for 3-pointers (134) and free throws made (377) in a single season. They finished the year with a 20-7 record, a tie for the second-most victories in a single season, just two shy of the school record.

Ripon’s Lauren Busalacchi was named MWC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season, leading the Red Hawks to a 15-3 record in the MWC and 20-7 overall.

Receiving All-Conference selections were Alyassa Burgess ’20, Alison Leslie ’23 and Bonnie Jensen ’23. Leslie also was named Central Region Rookie of the Year and MWC Newcomer of the Year. Her 385 total points broke Ripon’s freshman scoring record, while ranking seventh for a single season in program history. She also set new school records for single season 3-pointers (73) and 3-point percentage, leading the MWC in both categories.

WOMEN’S SOCCER Kayla Furlano ’20 won the Ruth Peterson Award for the MWC female student-athlete who posted the highest grade-point average during her junior year. Furlano is the fifth Ripon student-athlete to win the award in its 34 years of existence. A psychology major from West Bend, Wisconsin, Furlano is a three-time Academic AllConference performer.

TRACK AND FIELD Callista DeCramer ’20 and Ben Fisher ’23 qualified for the NCAA Indoor National Championships: DeCramer in pentathlon, marking her fourth qualification for Nationals; and Fisher in high jump. The Division III indoor championships were cancelled because of COVID-19.

SWIMMING AND DIVING The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association selected Ripon’s men’s and women’s teams for Scholar All-American honors for the spring semester, based on grade-point averages.

MIDWEST CONFERENCE Academic All-Conference honorees for the 2019-20 academic year included 172 student-athletes from Ripon, based on grade-point averages and lettering in a conference sport.