Intramural Sports and Club Teams

Mike Major

Jennifer Boehm

Andy Rishmawi

Cale Wasserman

was replaced by 2003 SVSU graduate and former player Jenn Boehm, who led the team to an 8-6 GLIAC record (13-10 overall) in 2012-2013, the program’s first winning conference season in more than a decade. This resulted in a No. 9 ranking in the Midwest Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the first such regional ranking in memory. The top player of this era was Yunjiao Shangguan, an international student from China, who was named first team All-GLIAC all four years of her career, 2009-2012.

By the end of the 2000s, both the men’s and the women’s soccer teams had developed winning programs.

The university appointed former soccer standout and 2007 alumnus Cale Wasserman as head coach prior to the 2009 season, and the men’s team rose quickly to national prominence. He replaced Andy Rishmawi, whose men’s team went winless in the GLIAC in 2006 before rebounding for a winning record the following season; they dropped to 2-6 in the conference in 2008. Wasserman’s initial season was rough, with the Cardinals winning only one game in the conference. Then, in 2010 the Cardinals finished the season with an overall winning record, finishing just below .500 in the GLIAC. In 2011 the team went 12-5-3 and won their first GLIAC title. They played in the postseason NCAA Division II super regional tournament where they lost to top-seeded Rockhurst University, 1-0. Junior defender Zach Myers was named GLIAC “Defensive Player of the Year” and coach Wasserman the GLIAC “Coach of the Year.”

The 2012 season performance was superior. The Cardinals went 18-3-4 (9-2-2 in the GLIAC) and advanced all the way to the NCAA Division II national championship game on Dec. 1, 2012. Despite a frenetic comeback at the end of its game against Lynn University, the Cardinals lost 3-2. Coach Wasserman took home yet another honor: National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division II National Coach of the Year, and Myers was named the association’s national Player of the Year.19

Keeping up with their fellow soccer players, the women’s team rattled off five winning seasons between 2007 and 2012, reaching the NCAA Division II postseason tournament for the first time in 2009. That season the Cardinals went a remarkable 10-1-2 in the GLIAC and finished second in the conference to Grand Valley State, losing both years to the Lakers in the tournament championship game. The Cardinals lost to Quincy University in the first round of the NCAA tournament and coach Dumbovic was GLIAC Women’s Soccer “Coach of the Year.”20

Intramural Sports and Club Teams

Outside the varsity teams, several SVSU club sports would claim national championships. Men’s club hockey skated to back-to-back American Collegiate Hockey Association Division III National Championships in 2009 and 2010.21 The club dodgeball team hosted the national championships at SVSU in 2012 and emerged from the 16-team field with a national title of its own. In 1997, a women’s club basketball team also won a national championship.

Some might say that intramural and club sports teams define the true student-athlete. Participation at SVSU has increased markedly, with more than 1,750 students signing up for intramural competition in 2012-13. As of that year, 19 club teams were active at SVSU, in-

cluding swimming, volleyball, tennis, wrestling, rugby, lacrosse, soccer and hockey. While the university provides some funding, recreation team members typically depend on fundraisers, donations or dues. Athletes attend meetings and practices, help plan road trips, write constitutions, market their teams, promote games and get their teams into conferences so they can play against other schools’ club teams.

In 2007, Campus Recreation Coordinator K. J. Foster noted that club sports athletes “have jobs on or off campus, all pay dues to play and they receive no athletic scholarships … however, they sweat, bleed and cry for their sport — that’s a true student-athlete.” Club swim team member Marie Molinik said club sports are attractive because they offer all of the thrills of competition without the stress of varsity sports. “It’s more laid back; the team designs the rules, and the athletes don’t have as much weight on their shoulders because they’re competing for the fun of the sport,” Molinik said, adding that “people actually want to be at practice and team events because they come on their own terms.”22

All students are welcome to participate in club sports, regardless of athletic ability. Sarah Kitchen, a 2010 graduate who hailed from Marlette, recalled telling people she had joined

Sarah Kitchen’s participation in SVSU’s club swim team transformed her “awkward, flailing-about motion” into something that “actually started to resemble the real thing.”

the SVSU club swim team. “She doesn’t know how to swim!” friends and family incredulously exclaimed, many of them laughing. Kitchen acknowledges that the news came as a shock, but for her it was an important step in becoming part of the SVSU community. “I welcomed the exercise, and I wanted to be involved with an activity on campus,” Kitchen said. The other team members welcomed her and taught her to swim, at least to the degree that her “awkward, flailing-about motion … actually started to resemble the real thing.” Other than learning a new skill, Kitchen says that the best part of joining the team was that “I was getting out of my dorm room, getting the exercise I desired and meeting many new people through my experiences.” Club sports can also help students in their careers. “We know that when students become involved in something outside the classroom, they significantly improve their chances of succeeding in college, both socially and academically,” noted Gilbertson in explaining the university’s support of club sports.23

Watson’s biggest accomplishment, he said, was emphasizing academic performance among student athletes and pressing for increased graduation rates. Many directors, he noted, have forgotten the original purpose of university athletics: to allow men and women

Among the sports that provide non-varsity student athletes with opportunities to compete at the club level are dodgeball, lacrosse, equestrian, rugby and hockey.

to compete against each other while earning a degree. SVSU student-athlete graduation rates had lagged behind other successful programs. In 2012, Watson noted, for instance, that the graduation rate for student-athletes at his former school, Miami of Ohio, was at 84 percent, and his goal was to get SVSU to that same level. SVSU’s rate was approximately 20 points lower than that.

The Athletic Department rewards student athletes for academic success with profiles on a “4.0 GPA Wall” that also contains photographs of every graduating athlete. The Athletic Department encourages coaches and athletes to volunteer in the community. Through outreach enterprises such as “Cards Who Care,” Cardinal athletes regularly visit patients at hospitals and medical care centers. Cardinal Kids Club, the Cardinal Cabaret Auction, Breast Cancer Survivor events and Community Youth Days all raise money for charity and bring students into contact with the broader community.

The so-called “father of SVSU athletics,” Bob Becker, likely would appreciate that traditions and values instilled from the earliest days remain and that the Cardinal athletic program continues to “coach kids.”24

Between 2000 and 2003, the baseball team won two GLIAC regular season championships and another postseason conference tournament title. During this span, the Cardinals went a remarkable 83-28-1 in the GLIAC, enjoying the team’s first and, as of 2013, only 40-win season in 2000. Infielder Jason Valenzuela, (inset), batted .448 and slugged .583 to lead the Cardinals into the NCAA regional playoffs. Valenzuela set a team record for hits in a season with 86, getting on base half of the time he came to the plate. He also finished the season with 23 stolen bases in 25 attempts.

The men’s bowling team has enjoyed tremendous success, beginning with the 1991 U. S. Bowling Congress (USBC) collegiate national championship. Coach Dan Dorian led the team to a runner-up finish in 1996 followed by the team’s second national championship the next year. Led by Bill “The Real Deal” O’Neill (bottom photo), who would go on to become the 2005-2006 Professional Bowling Association Rookie of the Year and the 2009-2010 U. S. Open Champion, the bowling team embarked on a remarkable run in 2004 when it finished as national runners-up. In 2006, SVSU bowlers became national champions once again, repeating in 2007 and finishing in second place in 2009.

Since 1989, SVSU has had five head basketball coaches who each coached the Cardinals for more than one season: Robert Pratt (1973-1997), Dean Lockwood (1998-2004), Jamie Matthews (2004-2007), Frankie Smith (2007-2012) and (in full-page photo) Randy Baruth (2012-present).

Guard Chris Webb was named 2010 “Freshman of the Year” and would go on to a stellar career, being named first team all-GLIAC following his senior season (2012-13).

The SVSU women’s basketball team has been coached since 1989 by (in left column, from top) Claudette Charney (1985-1995), Suzy Merchant (1995-1998), Lori Flaherty (1998-2000), Angela Jackson (20002001); (in right column, from top) Kim Chandler (2001-2004), Vonnie Kilmer (2004-2008), Shannon Baugh (2008-2011) and Jamie Pewinski (2011-present).

Center Emily Wendling combined strong post play with uncommon perimeter skills, leading to her selection as 2013 Freshman of the Year and a first team all-GLIAC performer.

In 2009 the university’s cheerleading team qualified for the National Cheerleaders Association collegiate nationals for the first time.

Brian Eggleston Casey Hocquard

Golfers who achieved recognition as collegians include Dave Tokarsky, a 2000 NCAA All-American, and Brian Eggleston, a 1998 NCAA All-American. Casey Hocquard — who in 2009 set the single season low score average (73.2) — was named to the All Region team and was SVSU’s MVP in 2008 and 2009.

The starting lines of a men’s and women’s cross country meet are a mix of brightly-colored uniformed runners who typically complete the 5-8K race route in approximately 18-30 minutes.

Starting with the 2011 season, SVSU played its football games in Wickes Memorial Stadium at night.

In 1997 and 1998, Coach Kill’s teams flourished behind two junior college transfers who terrorized opposing offenses. One was Paul Spicer (right), a junior defensive end who transferred to SVSU in 1996 from the College of DuPage. In the 11 games that season, Spicer recorded 16½ sacks, shattering the team single-season record and helping earn him Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference “Player of the Year” honors. On the other side of the defensive line from Spicer in 1997 was Lamar King (left), another junior college transfer who in his first season with the Cardinals finished with 15½ sacks. Spicer signed as an undrafted free agent with Seattle Seahawks following the 1998 draft; King was taken by the Seahawks in the first round of the NFL draft the following season — a rare feat for an NCAA Division II player.

Former head coaches Jerry Kill, George Ihler, Jim Larkin and Muddy Waters posed for a photo at the football program’s annual golf outing. Randy Awrey coached the football team from 1999 through 2007.

During the 2013 season, the Cardinals had abundant opportunities for endzone celebrations, thanks to the record-setting performances by quarterback Jon Jennings (No. 11) and wide receiver Jeff Janis (No. 82). Records broken by Jennings include: passing attempts (1,237), completions (799), passing yards (10,710), passing TDs (96), total career offense (12,055) and total offense per game (280.4); he also is ranked second among career leaders in total offense per play (280.4) and passing completion percentage (64.6). At 6-foot-

3-inches and 219 pounds, Janis was a top 2014 NFL Combine performer in both the bench press and the three-cone drill; he ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash and had a 37.5-inch vertical jump. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Green Bay Packers. At SVSU, Janis holds the career records for receiving yards (4,305), pass receptions (246), reception TDs (46), receptions per game (5.45) and TDs scored (49); and he finished his collegiate career ranked second in total points (294).

Cardinal football fans through the years have come to expect quality high-energy half-time presentations staged by dance teams who put in hours of practice to choreograph their performances.

Led by GLIAC “Defensive Player of the Year” Zach Myers, the 2012 men’s soccer team went 18-3-4 (9-22 in the GLIAC) and advanced all the way to the NCAA Division II national championship game. In his senior year, Myers was named an NCAA Academic All-American and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division II National Player of the Year.

The women’s team rattled off five winning seasons between 2007 and 2012, reaching the NCAA Division II postseason tournament for the first time in 2009.

In 2011, the Cardinal softball team won 42 games and made it to the NCAA Division II World Series, finishing the year ranked No. 6 in the nation.

The tennis team achieved an 8-6 GLIAC record (13-10 overall) in 2012-13, the program’s first winning conference season in more than a decade. This resulted in a No. 9 ranking in the Midwest Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the first such regional ranking in memory. The top player of this era was Yunjiao Shangguan (inset), an international student from China who was named first team All-GLIAC all four years of her career (2009-12).

In 2010, runner Tony Filipek was the Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year after finishing fourth in the nation in the 800-meter at the NCAA Division II indoor championships.

The women’s outdoor track team placed in the top three every year from 1993-1998, winning the conference in 1997 and 1998. It also placed in the NCAA regional meet every year from 1989-1996, earning a sixth place finish in 1989 and a 10th place finish in both 1991 and 1995.

After years of scuffling in the GLIAC cellar, Coach Will Stanton’s (inset) volleyball team in 2009 finished 12-4 in the conference (22-10 overall) and earned a share of GLIAC title — the program’s first.

The “Cards Who Care” program, which was launched in 2009 in conjunction with Convenant Hospital of Saginaw, allows SVSU student-athletes to visit with patients and their families in the hospital with the hope of brightening up their stay.

The Athletics Department’s signature fundraising event, Cardinal Cabaret, features live music, cash bar and raffles, along with silent and live auctions. The night’s events support the future successes of Cardinal athletes.

From 2009 through 2013, the Athletics Department raised nearly $20,000 for the fight against breast cancer. In February, breast cancer survivors are recognized during a basketball game.

SVSU annually hosts some 700 young athletes for “Community Youth Days” — the children interact with Cardinal athletes from all sports and have fun learning skills, along with having a chance to win prizes.

Cardinal Kids Club, which was launched in 2009, brings the families with young children in the Great Lakes Bay Region to the campus of SVSU to engage in the Cardinal athletics experience. Members are exposed not only to athletic contests and discounts on camps, but also to opportunities to directly interact with athletes, coaches and the Cardinal mascot.

The university’s campus recreation staff organize some 25 “sports” — from badminton and billiards to sand volleyball and wiffleball — that allow students to continue their participation in organized sporting activities in college.

David Swenson was SVSU’s first endowed professor — the H. H. Dow Chair in Chemistry.