Chatting With the Coaches: Volleyball

BY SCOTT MORRISON

Lancers Face Difficult Weekend

The Lancers volleyball team is in for a big home weekend against some difficult Great Plains Athletic Competition.

This starts Friday, October 3 against Hastings College and on Saturday, October 4 against Concordia University.

The Lancers (9-10, 1-3 GPAC) need to do well if they plan on being competitive for the rest of the GPAC season.

They come into the weekend tenth in the GPAC and are hoping to make their way up the standings to get into contention for a possible opportunity to get into the conference tournament.

However this is not going to be easy as Hastings is the top seeded team in the GPAC with a 4-0 conference record and a 22-3 over record.

Although Concordia (3-13, 0-3 GPAC) is anticipated to be an easier opponent, the Lancers can’t take them for granted. They need at least one match victory over the weekend.

Sophomore McDonald Fights for Time

So far in her career with the Lancers, sophomore setter Kerry McDonald has seen limited action. And this is granted due to the fact the senior setter Abby Haiar was the only returner who received GPAC recognition.

It’s been difficult for coach Tracy Grotenhuis to get McDonald, the Parker native, into games to get experience. But when she has got out on the court, she has done exceptionally well.

McDonald has performed best from the serving line. At one point in the Lancers 3-0 win over York College, McDonald had three ace serves. She also had numerous kills from the floor.

As the season continues, it is clear that McDonald will continue to play a role on the team.

Chatting With The Coaches: Men's Soccer

BY SCOTT MORRISON

The Lancers soccer team has had a solid start to their young season. Despite their youth, they have shown potential in the short time they’ve been together.

With a 2-3, 0-1 GPAC record, there is still hope for the Lancers to be a conference contender. However it’s not going to be easy.

Proof of this came Wednesday, September 17 when the Lancers hosted their conference opener against the University of Sioux Falls in a 4-1 loss.

Through 72 minutes, the Lancers had held the USF lead to just one goal. Coach Dan Hendricks elected to put more pressure on the offensive end in order to get a goal, but USF capitalized with two more goals to make it 3-0.

“We tried to throw some numbers at them to get that goal back, but they scored a couple of quick goals,” Hendricks said.

Both teams exchanged goals near the end to make it 4-1.

On Sunday, September 21 the Lancers had a strong game against non-conference opponent Jamestown College (N.D.).

The Lancers won the match 2-0 thanks to stellar defense and goals from senior Angel Duran and freshman Santos Campos-Gonzales.

Now the Lancers have three games in five days. They face GPAC opponent Dordt on Tuesday, September 23; Buena Vista on Wednesday, September 24; and Midland Lutheran University on Saturday, September 27.

Cartune Xprez

Cartune Xprez performed at Mount Marty on September 12. Their show included animation, fast movement dancing, and playing instruments, such as the keyboard, a recorder, and electric guitar, as shown here.

Photo by Theresa Condon

Fine Arts Picnic

Andy Henrickson, Leonard Risinger, and Nelson Stone watched over the hot dogs and hamburgers at the Fine Arts Picnic.

There were pontoon rides offered throughtout the picnic. Here, Dr. Vogt helps Melissa Cihal onto the pontoon.

The pontoon riders stopped at a small beach and climbed up a cliff for this picture. Melissa Cihal, Gina Emanuel, Steph Schultz, Isaac Beeck, Mitchell Zenk, and Brittany Riles enjoyed the view from up top.

Photos by Theresa Condon

Open Mic Night at Mount Marty

Kalib Heeren, Tyler Vela, Lantz Kulp, Joey Stahl, Isaac Beeck, and Jordan Foos sang "Too Late to Apologize" with Adrian O'Brien accompanying on piano.

Here they are again, with Tyler Vela stepping out for a solo during the performance.

Photos by Theresa Condon

Lancers of the Month: September

Male Athlete of the Month:

Titus Kosgei
Cross Country
Sophomore
Eldoret, Kenya

Kosgei finished fourth in his first ever collegiate cross country race. He finished the Don Baker Invitational with a time of 27:12.41. Kosgei is expected to be a frontrunner for the Lancers all season.

Female Athlete of the Month:

Lauren Donlin
Soccer
Junior
South Auburn, WA

Donlin continues to add to career scoring record with three goals in the Lancers first four games of the season. Donlin is expected to be a leader during conference play.

Students Help Out at Ribfest

A few Mount Marty students from S.W.A.T. volunteered at the RibFest. Here, Jordan Foos supervised the kids entering and exiting the playhouse.

Kalib Heeren also helped out by making sure the kids got down the slide safely.

Photos by Theresa Condon

Cary Judd Visits Mount Marty

Cary Judd performed in the Cyber Cafe on September 8. He sang original songs from his older CD's and also from his newest CD, due to come out in December. To hear his music or for more information, visit his website.

Photos by Theresa Condon

Chatting with the Coaches: Cross Country

Hoping for a solid beginning this year, the Lancers cross country team kicked of their season at the Don Baker Invitational that was put on by the University of South Dakota in Vermillion on Saturday, September 6.

Although the Lancers didn’t finish first on either the men’s or women’s sides, they did have some impressive performances from a number of individuals.

Starting on the men’s side, all five Lancers ran their first ever collegiate races. And the results were encouraging.

Two Lancer runners earned top ten performances. These were sophomore Titus Kosgey and freshman Tyler Smit.

Kosgey finished fourth in the race running a 27:12.41 in his first cross country experience. Smit ran the course in 27:37.54 in his first ever collegiate experience.

“Both Titus and Tyler manned excellent on Saturday. They were our leaders from the start. They were in the thick of things from the start,” Coach Randy Fischer said.

As for the remaining Lancers Brandon Phizacklea, Kalib Heeren, and Lantz Kulp all participated. They earned 33rd, 34th, and 35th place respectively.

“We were very pleased with our performances this weekend. We think that we have a tremendous amount of potential,” Fischer said.

On the women’s side, the Lancers saw the highly anticipated debut of freshman and Yankton native Jade Steinberg.

Steinberg proved to be the Lancers leader by finishing ahead of the rest of the Mount Marty squad. Steinberg finished in 17th place with a 21.28.42 on the course.

“Jade is going to get a lot better as she gets more and more comfortable with running in college. We are excited about what she can do,” Fischer said.

Sophomore Megan O’Grady also had a solid performance. She ran a 21.41.58 which was good enough to get her a 21st place finish.

“Megan came in second for our team. She had a very good race. We hope they she can have another solid year for us,” Fischer said.

Brittany Fischer came in third for the Lancers with a 22:07.35. She finished in 26th place overall.

As a team the Lancers finished in third place just behind Morningside College and the University of South Dakota.

Chatting with the Coaches: Lancer Volleyball

The Lancers volleyball program is already reaping the benefits of experience thus far in the young season. They have displayed improvements from last year throughout their recent success.

Last year it took until September 14 for the Lancers to get their second win, but this year they earned the multiple win mark before the end of August and could very well have three wins by now.

The Lancers (2-5) have been busy in their first couple weeks of action, but think that they have a firm grasp on opportunity going into Great Plains Athletic Conference Play.

It didn’t take long for the Lancers to earn their first match victory. They defeated Dakota State University in the Triangular held at MMC. They beat the Trojans by scoring 21-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-20, 15-8.

“DSU is an all-around tough team. It was a battle from the start. We were very excited to open the season with a win,” Lancer coach Tracy Grotenhuis said.

The Lancers narrowly missed out on starting 2-0, but lost to Waldorf College 14-25, 20-25, 25-21, 14-25.

“We played inconsistently and made a lot of service errors. It was a winnable match and we were a little disappointed that we couldn’t get a win,” Grotenhuis said.

After the Lancers finished their triangular, they headed to California where they participated in the Seaside Invitational hosted by Point Loma Nazarene University.

At the tournament the Lancers were surprised to find out that three out of their four opponents were ranked in the top ten in NAIA volleyball.

This started with loses to the College of Idaho (16-25, 18-25, 6-25) and to Madonna University (11-25, 17-25, 15-25).

“It was a tough first day in the tournament. We saw the two toughest teams we will face all year in one day. It was definitely a waking experience for some of the girls,” Grotenhuis said.

Day two of the tournament turned out to be a bittersweet day for the Lancers. They split matches with Ashford College and hosting Point Loma Nazarene.

The Lancers defeated Ashford in five games by scoring 25-19, 17-25, 25-18, 12-25, 15-10 in the match.

“We showed a lot of character coming out and beating Ashford. Our girls rebounded well and beat a tough team.

The Lancers ended the tournament on a sour note as they lost to Point Loma Nazarene12-25, 14-25, 17-25.

Now the Lancers are scheduled to participate in the University of Sioux Falls Tournament in Sioux Falls this weekend (September 5-7).

Their first game is a rematch against DSU from the opening game of the season.

Lancers Look For Strong Season

BY SCOTT MORRISON

Despite coming off a difficult season and having only seven returners back this year, the Lancers are optimistic about what could materialize into a strong 2008 season.

There’s no doubt that they are a young team, but with youth the Lancers have the fire to have a successful season.

The Lancers (2-14-1(0-12 GPAC)) have three seniors that plan to lead the Lancers throughout the year.

Of these seniors brothers Angel and Rogelio Duran are the only two have been with the team for their entire four year careers.

Angel Duran is an outside midfielder/defender who has earned team captainship status through his examples.

“Angel is a team captain and a four year starter who knows how to play. We are really looking forward to his experience this year,” Second year coach Dan Hendricks said.

The other Lancer senior is forward Josh Christenson. Christenson, how had never played soccer before last season, hopes to be a big part of the Lancer offense.

Christensen’s work in the off-season has helped to motivate other players for the oncoming season. He hopes it can make a difference on the field.

Redshirt Junior Mario Briseno, who played for the Lancers in both his freshman and sophomore year, is expected to make a solid difference for the Lancers.

“Mario is one of the most experienced and talented players on the team. We hope that he can step up and be a leader for the team,” Hendricks said.

He is joined by redshirt freshman and team captain Dave Mueller. Mueller’s strength comes with his leadership and his defensive play.

“Dave is a positive leader. The fact that he was voted as a team captain without playing a minute on the field says a lot about him. I can’t say enough about Mueller,” Hendricks said.

Junior Moises Vasques and sophomore Chris Sullivan also return.

The Lancers have a host of incoming players including a new goaltender and numerous quality athletes.

Junior College transfer Derek Oten takes over as the team’s goaltender. Coach Hendricks expects him to make a difference in net.

“Derek is an amazing talent who fits the goalie mold. He is confident and demands 100% out of his teammates,” Hendricks said.
The Lancers have eight incoming freshman this year. These players should also make a difference for the Lancers.

This starts with John Lillie, Nick Karnes, Jose Briseno, Santos Gonzales, Angel De Lao, Zach Walsh, Chandler Olmo, and Brandon Fry.

With over half of the Lancers being freshman, it may be difficult for them in the beginning part of the season.

Once these players start to learn their way around NAIA soccer, they have a solid approach.

“We have a lot of young players, and sometimes that is very evident. We are a talented team, but we still need to learn,” Hendricks said.

“We are going to have to learn how to win. We may win a game or to because we don’t know any better, but it will be a learning process.”

Nearing the end of the year, the Lancers would like to be in position to earn a spot in the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament.

To make this a reality, the Lancers are going to have to finish in the top nine at the very least.

“This is a very achievable goal. If we stay healthy and positive we should do well,” Hendricks added.

Lady Lancers Return Solid Core

BY SCOTT MORRISON

Although their record doesn’t do them justice, the Mount Marty Women’s Soccer team (2-15(0-12 GPAC) made strides in their improvement last year.

Coach Dan Hendricks, who enters his second year as head coach, thinks that this year could be a solid season for his girls.

“It was tough as a first year coach to implement my system and get to know the girls, but now that we have spent a year together, it should be easier,” Hendricks said.

It should help that the Lancers have one of their most solid groups of returning players in school history.

This starts with team leader and junior striker Lauren Donlin. Throughout her short two-year career at Mount Marty College, Donlin has surprised everyone.

As a freshman Donlin set the school record for goals in a single season with 12. Last year she improved on that by scoring 16 goals in her sophomore campaign.

Donlin holds Mount Marty records for most points in a season, most goals in a career, and most points in a career.

“Lauren is an outstanding talent. It is possible that she is one of the top ten players in the (Great Plains Athletic Conference),” Hendricks said.

Donlin is expected to spearhead an offensive attack that is expected to be more powerful this season.

Complementing Donlin is sophomore striker Abby Hunhoff. Hunhoff, who scored six goals last year, is a physical presence who always has her mind on getting the ball on net.

“Abby is the second leading scorer returning to our team. She is physical player who goes after the ball and doesn’t stop,” Hendricks said.

Sophome April Dolezal is expected to play a key role on the defensive side of the ball. She is a team leader who should anchor the ball movement in the Lancer’s zone.

“April is one of our team captains who leads with her play. She is perhaps best at winning headers and clearing the ball out of our own end,” Hendricks said.

Standing behind Dolezal is first year goalie Abby Dickes. Dickes is going to have to play well for the Lancers to have success.

“This is Abby’s first year and we are excited about what she offers the team. She is doing very well so far.

Among the remaining returners juniors Theresa Condon and Sara Haase have both helped the Lancers on and off the field.

Condon is an outside midfielder and Haase is a center midfielder. Both girls earned NAIA Academic All-American honors.

Stephanie Schultz, Jennifer Bautista, and Betsy Tucker are also returning.

The Lancers have a number of freshman who will play a important role on the team throughout the year.

Because the GPAC has expanded the number of teams entering the conference tournament from six to eight, it is not unrealistic to say that the Lancers could earn a berth.

In fact making the tournament is the Lancers ultimate goal for the season.

They are participating in a grueling schedule that includes a number of quality non-conference teams and the usual difficulty that is in the GPAC.

Among one of their most important goals, the Lancers hope to continue improving throughout the year.