A little magic on campus...

On Valentine's Day, Mount Marty College had a magical visitor who wowed the audience in the Cyber Cafe.

Tony Lazarowicz assists in a death-defying juggling act.

Kylie Koch is a little more brave than we all realized!

Photos by Theresa Condon.

Lancers Win Seventh Straight Game

BY SCOTT MORRISON

Just a few short weeks ago the Mount Marty College Lady Lancers had lost three of their last four games and, at 2-7 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, things were looking down.

Now, with their 83-61 victory over Midland Lutheran College on Saturday, the Lancers are winners of seven straight games and back on track.

“Obviously we are excited and (our streak) is good. Our girls are good at keeping things in perspective so they can move forward,” Iverson said.

With only two games remaining in the regular season, the Lancers (15-10, 9-7 GPAC) could not have picked a better time in which to get hot.

During their recent winning steak the Lady Lancers have not only found their way back in the GPAC hunt, but now have aspirations for a return to the NAIA National Tournament.

Starting with their 74-64 win over Dakota Wesleyan University on January 26, the Lancers have clamped down on defense and have limited their opponents to 58.8 points per game during the streak.

This number is an improvement over their 66.8 points per game average so far this season.

“We have gotten more confident as the streak has gone on. This is a natural tendency when a team is performing well,” Iverson said

Yet on the offensive side, it has been a different girl each night who has stepped up for the Lancers.

Against DWU junior guard Katelynn Kunz scored 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds.

Senior shooting guard Emily Witte shot 3-for-3 free beyond the three point arc for 16 points against the University of Sioux Falls in a 75-59 win.

Senior point guar Tevan Wenbourne went 9-for-13 from the free-throw line in a 77-54 win against Dana College.

Wenbourne leads all defenders in the GPAC with 3.20 steals per game.

“Though Tevan isn’t scoring as much as she did last season, she is still contributing in other ways. This is seen on offense where she continues to create open looks for other players,” Iverson said.

Junior forward Amber Marsden has made an impact on the Lancers recent success from a point production standpoint.

Among the leading scrorers during the streak, Marsden scored in double figures in five out of the seven games. She is averaging 13.1 points a game in the streak.

Coach Iverson believes that Marsden’s success is yet another example of contributions that are apparent up and down the roster.

“Contributions from people coming off the bench has helped us tremendously. Each player brings different positive things to the table,” Iverson said.

In their most recent victory against Midland Lutheran, sophomore guard Michelle Amundson (11.4 ppg) scored a game high 16 points.

Amundson shot 6-for-6 from the field in just 15 minutes; this including a 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.

Amundson, who is second in the GPAC with a 50.8 three point percentage, provides the Lancers with a tremendous outside threat who can penetrate when necessary.

“Michelle is a very good basketball player. She is shooting very well and when she gets an open look she is going to knock it down,” Iverson said.

With the return of senior forward Carrie Ahlers from injury, the Lancers look to have everything in the right direction.

With their last two conference games against USF (5-11) and Doane College (9-7 GPAC) still remaining on the schedule, the Lancers will look to finish out their season continuing their streak.

“We need to keep rolling and improving from one game to the next. We can’t look to far back in the past just like we can’t look to forward in the future,” Iverson added.

The Lancers play host to USF on Wednesday, February 20 at 6:00 p.m..

“Every time that we play USF our team expects a rivalry type game. We defeated them at home and we expect they will be looking to return the favor,” Iverson said.

They finish the regular season at home on Saturday against Doane College at 2:00 p.m.

Four Lancers Earn Scholar Status

BY SCOTT MORRISON
sports@yankton.net

In collegiate athletics the measurement of achievement in a given sport appears not only through success on the playing field, but through academics as well.

Four Mount Marty College volleyball athletes received recognition for their hard work off the court and were named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes for academic accomplishment.

Laura Starman, Tara Adamson, Lindsay Beacom, and Megan Finnegan each earned the scholar status after maintaining a grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.

Each Lancer received a nomination from head coach Tracy Grotenhuis before their selection to the honor that boasts only 272 volleyball athletes.

“These girls embody the type of student-athletes at Mount Marty College,” Grotenhuis said.

“They have to be intellegent as well as physically talanted in order to succeed while being an athlete and a student.”

Laura Starman, a native of Elgin, Neb., was the Lancers only senior to be named to the honor.

Entering 2007 with high expectations for her final season in the Lancer program, Starman had difficulty with injuries and moved from middle-hitter to outside hitter.

She provided her team with veteran leadership and the Lancers missed her presence when injuries prevented her from playing.

Starman made this up in large part on the academic side.

“Laura struggled to stay healthy on the athletic side of things, but she stayed positive throughout her difficulties,” Grotenhuis said.

Graduating this upcoming May with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Pre-Optometry, Starman provided here team with a strong example of leadership and discipline throughout her career.

The same applies to outside hitter Tara Adamson who followed Starman on the list. The native of Centerville earned the honor in her first season with the Lancers.

Adamson, who joined the Lancers squad in the fall, filled a major on the offensive side of the ball that was created when Starman fell to injuries.

Though she remains a junior as far as athletic eligibility goes, Adamson will graduate MMC with a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design in May.

Arguably the best scholar on the Lancers squad, Lindsay Beacom’s recognition on the scholar list came without question.

Up through the fall 2007 semester, the resident of Lyons, Neb. prioritized her academics through the first two and a half years of college.

Her hard work has not only paid off with recognition, but has helped to give coach Grotenhuis one more reason to get her experience on the court.

Beacom moved from a sophomore who received little varsity experience to a junior with a starting spot at an outside hitter position.

“Lindsay is a phenomenal student who earned a starting position near the end of the season,” Grotenhuis said.

“Lindsay’s play picked up tremendously on the defensive side. She has become more consistent as a player throughout her career.”

Beacom, who seeks an undergraduate degree in secondary education, has a lot to look forward to in her upcoming senior season.

Junior Megan Zimmerman finished the list of Lancers receiving recognition for excellent academic performance.

A native of Newcastle, Neb. Zimmerman proved to be the epitome of a team player in the 2007 season.

Though she received only limited time as a defensive specialist, Zimmerman’s academic dedication proved beneficial to underclassmen looking to make the transition in college athletics.

“It’s very important for our team to have someone in which the younger girls look up to. Megan is a great role model for our team,” Grotenhuis said.

With two of the four Lancer NAIA scholars graduating, Grotenhuis’s team will need to have a couple girls step up to take their place.

“We have a young team and these girls have been great examples on how to be a successful student-athlete,” Grotenhuis added.

MMC Recieves the Christopherson Award

On February 6th, 2008, Corey Westra, the Commissioner of the Great Plains Athletic Conference, presented Mount Marty College with its 2nd Christopherson All-Academic Award.

Beginning with the 2005-2006 school year, the GPAC started awarding the Christopherson All-Academic Award. The award is a traveling trophy to be presented annually to the GPAC institution with the best academic performance by its student-athletes in all sports. The award is named in honor of Dr. Myrvin Christopherson, who recently retired as President of Dana College. Christopherson had served as the first chair of the GPAC Council of Presidents.

This is one of the most prestigious awards an institution can receive from the conference and Mount Marty is the award winner for the second straight year as the result of the hard work and dedication of our student-athletes, coaching staff and faculty.

Homecoming Royalty Crowned

Alan Hough and Rachel Moser were crowned as MMC's Lord and Lady Marben for 2008 during Friday night's coronation ceremony.

The 2008 Homecoming Court included (back row, left to right) Chris Filsinger, Cesar Juarez, Tony Lazarowicz, Joseph Manyang, Mark Van Gerpen, (front row, left to right) Carrie Ahlers, Emily Witte, Alan Hough (Lord Marben), Rachel Moser (Lady Marben), Shelly Searls, and Laura Starman.

Photos by Theresa Condon

Homecoming Hypnotist a Hit!

These unlucky participants have just been hypnotized to believe that the hypnotist himself is naked...ewww! Obviously not a very pleasant site!

Who knew we had so many experienced 'big wheel' drivers on the MMC campus...

Evidently Alan Hough needs a little more practice shaving...

Photos by Theresa Condon