Year in and year out the Kingsmen face some of the toughest teams in the country before Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play gets under way and 2013 is no different.

“We open every season with many of the highest level teams in the nation, especially Division I teams,” head coach Craig Rond explained. “We are always able to use those games as teaching and learning experiences since we want to reach our peak entering the SCIAC schedule late in the fall.”

CLU will travel quite a bit this year and the Kingsmen waste no time jumping into action. Opening weekend will take place at the UC San Diego Invitational for four games over two days though opponents are yet to be determined.

The weekend of Sept. 13-15, Cal Lutheran makes a cross-country trip to Brown in Providence, RI where the Violet and Gold will open with a Division III match-up against Connecticut College. CLU follows with a trio of Division I teams in Brown, St. Francis (NY) and Navy before capping the weekend off against Division III powerhouse MIT. Two games will take place on both Friday and Saturday with the final contest of the journey on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. (PST).

When the Kingsmen return to the west coast, they will hit the road again to play a pair of games at the Cal Baptist Invitational on Friday, Sept. 20.

Cal Lutheran will host their season opener inside the friendly confines of the Samuelson Aquatics Center for a double-header on Thursday, Sept. 26. They face Concordia (Irvine) at 2:00 p.m. and Cerritos CC at 5:00 p.m. after CUI and CCC face off for a neutral site game at 11:00 a.m. to start the day.

A quick turnaround puts the Kingsmen back in the pool on Friday, Sept. 27 when they welcome Division I UC Santa Barbara to Cal Lutheran for a clash at noon.

One final tune-up before SCIAC play is set for Oct. 4-5 at the Gary Troyer Invitational hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. While the head-to-head schedule for the event is not available at the date of release it is sure to feature stiff competition as that is annually one of the largest men’s water polo tournaments in the nation at any level.

League play is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Oct. 9 when Occidental travels to Thousand Oaks for a 4:00 p.m. first sprint. CLU has a week off before heading to Pomona-Pitzer on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

The final non-conference game of the season is the second of a split double-header on Saturday, Oct. 19. In the morning, Cal Lutheran travels to Chapman prior to making a pit-stop in Los Angeles to face Division I USC in the afternoon. Game times are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.

Continuing SCIAC play, the Kingsmen will host back-to-back home games on Wednesday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 26. Wednesday will pit CLU against Whittier with the Saturday showdown scheduled against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Road games will take the Violet and Gold to Caltech on Wednesday, Oct. 30 and Redlands on Saturday, Nov. 2. The final home contest of the season at the SAC is against La Verne on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The senior class will be recognized prior to the ball dropping.

For the first time since joining the league, Chapman will host the SCIAC Championships Nov. 15-17. Times and opponents will be released following the completion of the first round of play by all teams.

Cal Lutheran is chasing the first SCIAC title in the 10-year history of the program, which dates back to 2003.

Release: 2013 Schedule
Facebook: www.facebook.com/clusports

Serving as CLU’s No. 1 golfer throughout the season, McGinn led the Kingsmen to team titles at the Master’s Invitational and the Texas Lutheran University Concan Invitational. The junior also led the Kingsmen in stroke average with a 73.5. His individual title at the Master’s Invitational came in dramatic fashion as McGinn sank an eight-foot birdie putt during the first playoff hole and sealed the championship.

McGinn also guided CLU to a fourth place team finish at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic (SCIAC) Championships and earned First-Team All-SCIAC honors as individual, shooting 68 (4-under par) during the final round to put him in a tie for fourth.

The Kingsmen also made a return trip to the NCAA Tournament where they finished 25th as team. McGinn was the top overall individual finisher for CLU, shooting 80-73 to finish 64th in the 210-player field. 

Joining McGinn on the Second Team was fellow SCIAC golfer Bobby Holden of Redlands.  Brad Shigezawa of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps earned First Team All-America honors after winning the DIII Individual National Title. John McCord and Derek Zachman rounded out the SCIAC golfers as each earned Third Team honors.

Release: PING All-American Team
Facebook: www.facebook.com/clusports

Cal Lutheran, a team that finished No. 16 in the final D3football.com poll of 2012, has a rigorous start to the schedule with three Lindy’s preseason Top-25 teams and two ranked by the Sporting News on their slate this fall. Three of the first four games of the season for CLU pit the Violet and Gold against 2012 playoff teams. The Kingsmen are currently ranked No. 14 by the Sporting News. The D3football.com preseason polls have yet to be released.

Returning to campus later than normal, the Kingsmen will not suit up for the first time until Saturday, Sept. 14 when Cal Lutheran hosts its sister school in Pacific Lutheran. PLU finished one spot behind CLU last fall in the D3football.com standings and enters the 2013 season ranked No. 11 by the Sporting News. In 2012 CLU defeated PLU 37-23 in Washington.

A week later, on Saturday, Sept. 21, the squad travels to Linfield (Ore.) for a 12:30 p.m. showdown with the Sporting News preseason No. 1 ranked Wildcats. The rivalry between the two teams has grown in the last few years and will certainly produce another battle on the gridiron this season. CLU trails the series 6-2 and lost a heartbreaking 33-30 decision on a last second field goal by LC last September on Cal Lutheran turf.

“We have made a conscience effort to schedule aggressively with regard to our non-conference schedule since I have been here,” head coach Ben McEnroe went on, “And it has prepared us well for league play.”

Following a bye week on Sept. 28, Cal Lutheran will open Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play on the road at Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1:00 p.m.

The CLU home opener features a rematch of the Inaugural game at William Rolland Stadium against Redlands. In 2011, the Kingsmen erased a 24-0 halftime deficit to christen the stadium with a 28-24 victory over a league rival. There is more on the line against the Bulldogs again this year after the introduction of the Smudge Pot last fall. CLU will also host their annual Blackout game against UR this fall.

“The conference rotation is such that the Smudge Pot [Redlands] game has come early in the season the last couple years, which compounds the degree of difficulty.” McEnroe went on, “Our focus is not on the schedule, it is on our preparation because that is all we can control.  We know there are good teams on the schedule and we have to prepare to play at a high level.”

On Saturday, Oct. 19 the Kingsmen will have an opportunity to perform before the annual Homecoming crowd on what is also denoted as the Breast Cancer Awareness game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m., marking the only day game at home for CLU in 2013.

The Kingsmen hit the road on Saturday, Oct. 26 to play Occidental at 7:00 p.m. before returning to Rolland Stadium for the final regular season game of the season. Prior to a 7:00 p.m. game time against Whittier on Saturday, Nov. 2 Cal Lutheran will host Senior night.

A pair of road games cap off the season at La Verne and Chapman on Nov. 9 at 7:00 p.m. and 16 at 1:00 p.m. respectively.

Cal Lutheran has not lost a SCIAC game since Nov. 1, 2008. With the expectation of continuing that streak, the Kingsmen will await their Playoff fate on Monday, Nov. 11 as First Round games are scheduled to take place at locations yet to be determined on Saturday, Nov. 16.  The Stagg Bowl, featuring the two best teams in Division III Football is slated for Saturday, Nov. 30.

Admission to home contests in the regular season this year is free for fans.

Release: 2013 Schedule
Facebook: www.facebook.com/clusports

In the ITA’s West Region rankings, Cal Lutheran was second in the poll just behind National Runner-Up Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

CLU also had two individual players ranked in the year end poll with Nicholas Ballou finishing as the No. 3 player in the country. Teammate Ray Worley was 28th and together the pair finished the season as the No. 3 doubles team in the nation.

It was a banner year for the Kingsmen, navigating a difficult schedule and ending with a 19-5 record including 8-2 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). The 19 wins tied for the most in a single season dating back to 1992. More impressive, the Kingsmen scored 11 victories over ranked opponents including a 5-4 upset of eventual National Champion Williams (Mass.) in late March.

During the SCIAC Championships, Cal Lutheran reached the finals for the second consecutive year before narrowly falling to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 6-3.

As a result of the challenging regular season schedule, Cal Lutheran was able to earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Championships where they avenged a regular season loss to UC Santa Cruz in the second round, defeating the Banana Slugs 5-2. With the win, the Kingsmen advanced to the West Regional Final against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who this time ended CLU’s season with a 5-1 victory.

Williams finished atop the poll after winning its first national championship since 2002. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who fell to the Ephs 5-2 in the finals, came in second while Amherst, who CLU also defeated during the regular season, finished third. Rounding out the top five was Washington University St. Louis in fourth and Kenyon in fifth.

Release: 2013 ITA Final Division III Poll
Facebook: www.facebook.com/clusports

“This should be a very exciting year,” head coach Matt Lea expressed. “We will look to the upperclassmen and leaders on the team to take charge as we look forward to Regional and National appearances as a team.”

The seasons get under way at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Asics/UC Irvine Invitational. Last year Melissa Skiba set the tone for her standout inaugural year by winning the “B” section of the UCI race at ARC Fields and leading the Regals to a second place showing.

Two weeks later on Saturday, Sept. 21, Cal Lutheran harriers will trek to Santa Clarita to run in the Mustang Challenge, hosted by The Master’s College, at Central Park in a race that CLU will participate for the first time. Competition is set to begin at 10:00 a.m.

Traveling to more familiar territory, the Kingsmen and Regals will participate in the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7:45 a.m. where runners will weave their way through and around the campus before finishing on the PP track.

After meeting many league foes in early October, the first official Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) race is set for Friday, Oct. 18 at La Mirada Park. Teams will toe the line for the SCIAC Multi-Dual at 4:30 p.m.

The most important meet of the regular season is slated for Saturday, Nov. 2 at Prado Park in Chino, Calif. All nine conference teams will gather for the 2013 edition of the SCIAC Championships, which are scheduled for a 9:00 a.m. start. A combination of points earned at the Multi-Duals and Championships will determine a SCIAC champion.  

Qualifiers will advance to compete at the NCAA Division III Cross Country West Regionals and NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 23, respectively. Regionals will be held close to home as Pomona-Pitzer hosts the event that will begin at 11:00 a.m. with the top runners from each region traveling to compete with the best in the country at the Division III level.

The final race of the year will take place in Hanover, Ind. with national bragging rights on the line. Runners will step up to the start line at 9:00 a.m.

All start times listed as Pacific Standard Time.

Cal Lutheran will host their annual team time trials during the pre-season before competition kicks off.

Release: 2013 Women’s Schedule
Release: 2013 Men’s Schedule
Facebook: www.facebook.com/clusports

Smith, who produced the best season of his four-year collegiate career this spring, is no stranger to the realm of professional baseball as he grew up with his father, Steve, managing and coaching in both the minor and major leagues.

The Cal Lutheran second baseman earned Second Team All-SCIAC and Third Team ABCA/Rawlings All-West Region accolades after a stellar senior season. He started 40 games at second base and appeared in 43 total contests this year. Defensively, Smith was part of 16 double-plays with 78 putouts and 100 assists.

Offensively he was primarily the number nine batter and hit at a .350 clip with 50 hits, including eight doubles, three triples and two homeruns, driving in 43 runs for the Kingsmen. Smith reached base 70 total times with 12 walks as he was hit by eight pitches. Once aboard, he was a threat on the bases, going 9-for-11 in stolen base attempts and came around to score 34 runs for the Violet and Gold.

During the season he strung together a 13-game hit streak and at one point reached base safely in 18 straight. Smith finished with 13 multi-hit games and turned in 12 multi-RBI performances. Smith was an integral part of the 2013 SCIAC championship and SCIAC Post Season Tournament title as the Kingsmen finished 35-9-1 after competing in the West Regionals in Austin, Tex.

Smith is the fourth CLU second baseman drafted, joining David Iden (2009), Brian Skaug (2003) and the first Kingsmen player to be drafted into MLB, Robert Fulewider (1969). He is the second player to come out of Cal Lutheran and be selected by the Cleveland Indians, following the footsteps of right handed pitcher Tom Canale (’00) who went in the 10^th round that year.

Also slated to play baseball with a major league organization in the immediate future is Spencer Trygg (’12) who recently signed a contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after a stint playing independent ball with the Callan Thunder (Tex.) last year. Trygg was a three-year letter winner for the Kingsmen and threw 47.0 innings in 37 appearances for a 4-2 record with one save. He struck out 35 batters in three seasons.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports

“We begin the season with a game against our sister program in Pacific Lutheran and play some tough early games before opening league play,” Kuntz shared. “Our success on the field last year and our diligence in the offseason will hopefully pay dividends for our team this year.”

CLU starts off the home schedule for all teams when they host the Inaugural Kingsmen Kickoff Classic on Friday, Aug. 30 and Sunday, Sept. 1 at William Rolland Stadium. The year gets underway on the turf with a neutral site game between Occidental and UC Santa Cruz at 5:00 p.m. followed by a showdown between Cal Lutheran and Pacific Lutheran at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday the teams will reconvene at Rolland Stadium with the PLU Lutes and Oxy Tigers facing off at 11:00 a.m. and the Kingsmen hosting the UCSC Banana Slugs in a nightcap at 7:30 p.m.

A week later on Saturday, Sept. 7 Cal Lutheran welcomes George Fox (Ore.) to Thousand Oaks at 6:30 p.m. for the final pre-season game on the schedule for the Violet and Gold.

Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play is set to start on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at Chapman with kickoff slated for 4:00 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 the Kingsmen return home for their SCIAC home opener against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 7:00 p.m.

The second meeting between the Panthers and Kingsmen, on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m., is the final event of the 2013 Cal Lutheran Homecoming festivities.

A majority of the CLU games will take place at 7:00 p.m. with the exception of road games at Caltech (Sept. 28) and Pomona-Pitzer (Oct. 23), which will begin at 4:00 p.m. and an away contest at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Oct. 14) for the only day game of the season at 1:00 p.m.

This year Cal Lutheran will play 11 of the 19 games on their schedule within the friendly confines of Rolland Stadium.

Release: 2013 Schedule
Facebook: www.facebook.com/clusports

The announcement to the CLU community came at the Scholar Athlete Induction on May 11, but the complete league office release is now available.

Both student-athletes were four-year letter winners in their respective sports and made indelible contributions to the institution between 2009-13. Each was selected by the CLU Faculty Athletic Policies Committee.

Jordan, a Liberal Studies major, was not only a collegiate athlete while at Cal Lutheran, but she is a two-time Paralympian competing in Beijing (2008) and London (2012) and is an S7 American Record Holder in 17 events, 11 of which were set while swimming for the Regals.

Never thinking she would be able to participate in swimming at the college level, Jordan, born with cerebral palsy, described her experience as “an honor to have been a member of the swim team.” Not only was she a member, but she was voted as a team captain and made some of her best friends as part of the program. Jordan expanded her involvement at CLU beyond the pool. She was a Student Director at the Writing Center, a member of numerous clubs, including the triathlon club, Club Teach, MyLife, Phi Alpha Theta, History Club and has volunteered much time to working in the local elementary schools and coaching young swimmers. Immediately following graduation, Jordan will be relocating and training in Colorado Springs at the US Olympic Training Center for the Paralympic World Championships in Canada this summer. She has also signed on as a US Paralympic ambassador for the US Olympic Committee with the main goal of spreading awareness of the opportunities for disabled athletes. Once her professional career comes to a close, Jordan aspires to become a teacher.

At the induction ceremony, Jordan addressed those inside the Gilbert Arena for one of her first speeches by talking to the following four points:

1. The gift of being in the moment.
2. Passion for what you are doing.
3. Focusing on teammates and how others will remember you and how you can make others feel good.
4. Never-Ever giving up!

During her speech she also touched on the notion of cherishing differences, respecting others, assuming responsibility and having no regrets.

While Jordan was at the podium, Kimmelshue was in Florida competing at the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships for the second consecutive year.

Though Kimmelshue initially had his sights set on trying to obtain a scholarship to a Division I or II school, he credits his choice to attend CLU and become a Kingsmen golfer to be, “the best decision I could have made.” Choosing a college and career path is a hard decision and juggling the rigorous academic programs and participate in a time consuming sport makes the accomplishment all that much more rewarding.

Kimmelshue turned his focus to being able to play golf for the love of the game while also working closely with his professors to accomplish success in both facets. Surely student-athletes want to win and bring home a championship, but he described not having to worry about the pressures of losing a scholarship by saying, “I believe that frees us up as athletes, to play as well as we can and feel satisfied with having given it out best shot without having to look over our shoulder all the time.”

Kimmelshue took it upon himself to perform the best he could in both areas. His professors have worked closely with him and also encouraged his athletic endeavors. He proved that he was not just passing classes, but learning the materials and applying it. On the course, he was spending extra time at the driving range and putting greens to assure himself he was able to compete at the highest level. Because of the number of hours that go into his sport and his studies, Kimmelshue was forced to learn time management skills, as all student-athletes are. “As I worried about whether I would be able to fit everything into my schedule, it always seemed to work with the help of both Coach [Jeff] Lindgren and my professors,” he said.

Not only did he participate in athletics at CLU, but he was a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) with whom he volunteered reading to local elementary school children, at the Ventura County Rescue Mission and cooking and serving food to the homeless. On campus he was part of the Intramural Sports program as well. Off campus, he has spent countless hours teaching golf to young golfers and his family is very active at the Faith Lutheran Church in Chino where he has volunteered at a pair of homeless shelters, the Jesus Center and Torres Shelter, for as long as he can remember.  

A Bioengineering major, Kimmelshue, who grew up on a farm in Northern California would like to apply his degree to either the agricultural or medical field. Because of the time he spent focusing on academics and athletics at Cal Lutheran, he plans to obtain an internship after graduation to get some more hands on and real-world experience before settling on a graduate school in the coming years. When he looks to the future, however, he shared that, “Ultimately I am fascinated by the possibility of enhancing production agriculture through bioengineering or working to make life easier for human beings through medical technology.”

The quality and diversity of students that Cal Lutheran attracts is unique. A large portion of the student body doubles as athletes each year. The passion, drive and commitment of those student-athletes make the Kingsmen and Regals who represent CLU, the SCIAC and Division III on a whole a successful and honorable group.

SCIAC Scholar Athletes: 2013 SCIAC Scholar Athletes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports

The water polo, soccer, volleyball and football camps were developed by CLU coaches and will be run with the assistance of Olympians and student-athletes in the university’s new sports facilities. All camps are open to both boys and girls.

Sessions of the All-American Water Polo Camp for youths 12 to 17 will run from June 19 through 23 and July 10 through 14 in Samuelson Aquatics Center. Day and overnight options are available. Terry Schroeder, a four-time Olympic water polo player and the USA Men’s Olympic Team head coach from 2006 to 2012, will lead the camps alongside Olympians Merrill Moses and Kelly Rulon and CLU head water polo coach and three-time Division III National Coach of the Year Craig Rond.

Sessions of the Soccer Camp for youths aged 5 to 13 will run from 9 a.m. to noon June 24 through 28 and July 29 through Aug. 2 in William Rolland Stadium. The co-directors are CLU head men’s soccer coach Dan Kuntz and head women’s soccer coach Frank Marino. Kuntz, also CLU’s director of athletics, led the men’s soccer team to seven Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) titles and the women’s team to eight straight SCIAC titles. In his four years at CLU, Marino has led the Regals to three consecutive SCIAC regular season championships and three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) postseason competitions.

The Volleyball Camp for sixth- through ninth-grade students will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. July 15 through 19 in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center under the direction of CLU volleyball coach Kellee Roesel. One of the top Division III coaches in the country, Roesel was named the DIII American Volleyball Coaches Association West Region Coach of the Year for the second time in 2012 after guiding CLU to its third-straight SCIAC championship and its second consecutive NCAA Tournament as the top West Region seed.

The Football FUNdamentals Camp for kids aged 5 to 12 will run from 8:30 to noon July 22 through 26 in William Rolland Stadium under the direction of CLU head football coach Ben McEnroe. Since McEnroe took the helm at his alma mater six years ago, the Kingsmen have won five SCIAC championships and made four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III championships. Co-director Anthony Lugo is entering his sixth season on the Kingsmen’s defensive coaching staff.

For more information and registration, visit http://clusports.com/camps

“Our schedule is set up much like in past years with the toughest opponents we can find in the preseason” Roesel said. “We have six teams on the schedule that were ranked in the top-10 last season including Puget Sound, Christopher-Newport and Emory.”

During the pre-season Cal Lutheran will compete in three tournaments and overall face four nationally ranked teams from the final poll a year ago as well as two NCAA Playoff teams in Benedictine (Ill.) and Southwestern. This fall, CLU plays at home 13 times with 29 total contests scheduled.

The Regals begin their 2013 campaign on Friday, August 30 when they take on Whitworth (Wash.) and Benedictine at the Pacific Coast Classic on the campus of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

When the Regals return to the Gilbert Arena they are set to host the Sixth Annual Posada-Royale Cal-Lu Fornia Invitational, which features 15 teams from across the country, but mainly the west and south, on Friday, Sept. 6-7.

On Friday, Cal Lutheran opens against UT-Dallas at 3:00 p.m. followed by a rematch of the 2012 NCAA West Regional Final when they face Puget Sound (Wash.) at 7:00 p.m. CLU concludes the tournament on Saturday, Sept. 7 against Linfield (Ore.) and Texas Lutheran at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., respectively.

CLU will deviate from NCAA play to face NAIA powerhouse Westmont on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 7:00 p.m. Last year Westmont, a scholarship school, was ranked as high as No. 11 in the NAIA polls.

Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14 the Regals will be in Atlanta, Ga. to compete in the Emory Invitational. Cal Lutheran opens with 2012 NCAA West Regional First Round opponent Southwestern (Tex.) on Friday before taking on Christopher-Newport (Va.) in the night cap. The Regals round out the weekend on Saturday with games against Millsaps (Miss.) and host Emory.

A quest for a fourth consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title begins on Friday, Sept. 20 when CLU welcomes Whittier to campus at 7:30 p.m. The Regals follow with matches against Pomona-Pitzer, Occidental and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Chapman, the lone SCIAC team to defeat Cal Lutheran a year ago, travels to Thousand Oaks on Friday, Oct. 4 with the first serve slated for 7:30 p.m. The Regals conclude the first round of play against Caltech and La Verne before facing Whittier again.

On Saturday, Oct. 19, CLU will play a road doubleheader. Cal Lutheran will face Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.) in non-conference action before playing a league match with Pomona-Pitzer later in the evening. Both events will be played at the Rains Center in Claremont, Calif. on the campus of PP.

After hosting Occidental on Tuesday, Oct. 22 and traveling to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday, Oct. 25, the Regals host a doubleheader on Saturday, Oct. 26, playing UC Santa Cruz at 3:00 p.m. and Redlands at 6:00 p.m.

Cal Lutheran closes out its regular season with away games at Chapman and La Verne. The final home match of the year will be on Friday, Nov. 1, against Caltech at 7:30 p.m.

All SCIAC games on Tuesdays and Fridays will be played at 7:30 p.m. while Saturday games are set for 6:00 p.m.

The SCIAC Postseason Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 7-9 at a site yet to be determined and the NCAA West Regionals will be held Nov. 15-17, again at a location not yet known. The NCAA Division III Volleyball National Championship will be held in Holland, Mich. from Nov. 21-23.

Release: 2013 Schedule
Facebook: www.facebook.com/clusports

Junior pitcher and outfielder Jake Petersen was named as one of two First Team utility players. Both senior Nick Boggan and junior Aaron Roth took home Second Team honors as a first baseman and pitcher, respectively.

In his first season for the Kingsmen, Petersen made an immediate impact and became a multi-faceted player when he took over as the third outfielder and leadoff batter early in the season.  The junior southpaw posted a 7-2 record after tossing a team-leading 91.2 innings, striking out 73 with a 3.04 ERA. At the plate, he led the squad with a CLU single-season record average of .444. He collected 71 hits, which included 17 doubles, four triples and a homerun, to drive in 39 runs. Petersen swiped nine bags and came in to score 57 times for the Violet and Gold. His overall fielding percentage of .970 came from a combined effort on the mound and in the outfield.

The final season for Boggan was a memorable one after hitting at a .412 clip and collecting 73 hits, one shy of the CLU single-season record. Of those hits, he had 16 doubles, two triples and 13 homeruns to tally 132 total bases for third all-time in one season at Cal Lutheran. He set a single-season Kingsmen record with 67 RBIs. Additionally, the clean-up batter stole five bases and scored 41 times for Cal Lutheran. At first base he finished with a fielding percentage of .995 in 403 touches.  Boggan becomes a two-time ABCA All-American after being named to the Third Team in 2011.

A stellar season out of the Kingsmen bullpen for Roth saw him enter 29 games, for a single-season record at CLU. The righty finished the season with a 6-1 record and 12 saves with a 1.18 ERA. In 68.2 innings of work he struck out 73 batters and walked just five. During his junior campaign, Roth held the opposition to a .200 batting average against as the CLU closer. He was nationally ranked in WHIP for majority of the spring.

Combined, the First, Second and Third teams feature 51 players with Tucker White from the University of Southern Maine being named the 2013 Player of the Year.

Cal Lutheran was ranked as high as No. 5 this spring by the ABCA.

Release: 2013 ABCA All-America Teams
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports

Among the Kingsmen selected was the entire CLU infield as well as a pair of pitchers and a utility player in Jake Petersen. Landing on the First Team were Petersen, Nick Boggan, Nicho DellaValle, Trevor Koons and Aaron Roth while Garrett Smith and Scott Peters took home Third Team accolades.

Petersen was one of the most successful multi-faceted players in the country this year. The SCIAC Player and Newcomer of the Year was the number one starter for the Violet and Gold all year and took over the leadoff spot in the order in mid-March. Proving to be a difference maker, the Kingsmen went 21-3 with him batting first. Petersen finished the regular season ranked fifth in the nation in batting average (.466) and runs (56) and finished the year at .444 with 57 runs. On the hill, he went 7-1 in the regular season with a 3.35 ERA in 83.1 innings with 72 strike outs.

As a senior, Boggan bounced back from an injury laden junior campaign to lead the nation after the regular season in RBIs (65), total bases (122) and homeruns (12) entering the playoffs. The first baseman became a two-time First Team All-SCIAC selection in 2013 after launching a league-leading seven homeruns. Overall he collected 69 hits with 13 doubles, two triples and a dozen HRs. In 42 games, all but one at first base, he finished with a fielding percentage of .997 for the Kingsmen. Boggan was named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week (Feb. 25-Mar. 3).

At shortstop, Koons becomes a two-time First Team All-West Region selection. He batted third in each of the 42 games he played at shortstop in the regular season. He accumulated a .365 average with 65 hits, including a team-high 18 doubles with 39 RBIs and 42 runs scored. His 18-game hit-streak was the longest on the squad in 2013 and he reached base in 35 consecutive games. A vocal leader, Koons was part of 18 double-plays and finished with 68 putouts and 133 assists. He is now the CLU leader in career hits (199) and doubles (54) in the most at-bats (562) of any Kingsmen baseball player in school history.

Junior third baseman DellaValle had a standout year, starting all 41 games he played at the hot corner and batted primarily in the number two spot. He produced a .401 average with 63 hits including seven doubles and six triples, which ranked him nationally, while drawing 20 walks. DellaValle scored 48 times and drove in 42 runs. In the regular season he contributed with 22 multi-hit games and finished with 13 multi-RBI games. DellaValle was named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week (April 1-7).

After being honored as the SCIAC Pitcher of the Year, Roth added All-West Region accolades to his slate this spring. The SCIAC Post Season Tournament MVP finished the regular season third in the nation in WHIP (.75) and strike-out-to-walk ratio (14.0), fourth in ERA (.99), seventh in saves (10) and eighth in walks allowed per nine innings (.71). He threw 63.2 innings, striking out 70 and holding the opposition to a .195 batting average through the first 42 games of the year. In SCIAC play, he boasted a .65 ERA. He now owns the record for most appearances in a single-season with 29. Roth was named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week (April 15-21).

Rounding out the infield for the Kingsmen was Smith who became a first-time Third Team All-West Region selection during his senior season. Smith started 37 games at second base where he was part of 16 double-plays. He finished with 75 putouts and 98 assists. Offensively, Smith batted .361 with eight double, three triples and a pair of homeruns to tally 43 RBIs, second on the team. At one point this spring he reached safely in 18 consecutive games. He produced a 13-game hit streak and had 13 multi-hit games with 12 multi-RBI showings. Additionally, Smith stole 9-for-10 bases during his final season.

For the first time in his career, Peters was named All-SCIAC and followed up with regional recognition on the Third Team. The sophomore southpaw was undefeated during the regular season with an 8-0 record in 11 starts. He totaled 64.1 innings of work, striking out 39. His uncanny ability to kept hitters off balance was apparent as opponents hit just .232 against him and he posted a 2.52 ERA. Peters also picked off seven runners. He finished with a perfect fielding percentage as well, with four putouts and 28 assists.

Cal Lutheran advanced to the 2013 NCAA Division III Baseball West Regional Tournament where they went 1-2 with a pair of tough one-run losses to be eliminated in mid-May.

Release: 2013 ABCA All-West Region Teams
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports

Junior Melissa Skiba, who was named the West Region Distance Track Athlete of the Year became a two-time All-American this year after earning recognition in the fall for cross country. A pair of freshmen in Allie Hadley and Amanda Hamilton also excelled during her first track and field national meet.

After running at the front of the field for the majority of the 5,000m race, during the third to final lap Skibafell out of the lead and into third place, the position she held until the end. Taylor Berg (St. Thomas), who entered the race as the top-seed, paced the pack until there was half a lap to go at which points Christy Cazzola (Wisconsin-Oshkosh) took off, outkicking the competition for her third individual national championship. As one of six runners to break the previous stadium record, Cazzola finished in a best time of 16:31.17, breaking the record by more than 11 seconds, edging Berg who ran a 16:33.15.  Skiba placed third with a personal-best and CLU record time of 16:40.91.

Entering the meet, Hadleywas the national leader in the Javelin. Today she dipped to seventh, but threw a distance of 42.16m (138-04) in her third attempt to advance to the finals. By advancing as one of the top-8 throwers, Hadley earned All-America status at her first NCAA Championship meet. Her second throw went for 42.14m, her second best mark of the day.

Hamilton triple jumped her way to ninth place with a mark of 11.86m (38-11.00). As a straight final, the Triple Jump field was narrowed to nine after the opening three jumps. Hamilton used her third attempt of the day for the best mark of her collegiate career, to improve her school record. On her fifth chance she nearly matched her longest leap of the day by recording an 11.51m jump.

The three Regals who competed today combined for eight points to tie for 33^rd place as a team.

Results: 2013 NCAA Women’s Track & Field Championships
Schedule: 2013 NCAA Women’s Track & Field Championships Schedule
Meet Information: Wisconsin-La Crosse Website
NCAA Championships: 2013 NCAA Website
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports

They have been through ups and downs, injuries and such, but the teammates bound together over the last two seasons to prove themselves as one of the toughest teams in the country to face. A year ago Ballou and Worley were doubles Quarterfinalists, earning All-America status, and will have to settle for the same this spring after being one of the final four teams playing.

Today began with a tough match against Elliot Kalher and Ian Wagner from Emory. As per the announcers on the live video feed, the men’s Semifinal match between the teams was the most quality match taking place today.

The display of power, speed and quickness exhibited by everyone on the court had each competitor playing out points, which ended in numerous exchanges with all four men at the net showing quick reflexes.

After CLU lead early, Emory pulled even and broke CLU to go up 6-5. Serving, the Eagles looked to have taken set-point, but after a discussion between the Cal Lutheran players and the officials the point went to the Kingsmen for a 40-15 game score. Emory was forced to re-serve and ultimately earned final point of the set to put the Violet and Gold at an early deficit.

In the second set, Ballou and Worley took another early lead at 3-2 and 5-4, but the Eagles did not back down, tying the teams at 5-5 before taking a 6-5 advantage. Again with Emory serving, Worley spiked the volley to give CLU a 15-0 lead in the final game. A shot outside the lines put the Kingsmen up 30-love. A scrappy Emory showing followed by a perfect drop-shot volley from Wagner made it 30-30. Flashing the reflexes again, CLU regained the advantage, but it was Emory in the end after the Eagles tied it and the final CLU shot went just long to end the set, match and season for a pair of phenomenal Cal Lutheran student-athletes.

An excellence battle was won by Emory, who will face the NC Wesleyan duo of Robert Kjellberg and Artsion Prostak later today in the Finals. Kjellberg and Prostak ended the season of Michael Holt and Taylor Shamshiri (Washington & Lee) in the other Semifinal match with a 6-3, 7-6 victory.

To start the tournament, CLU defeated Matthew Heinrich and Chris Rosensteel of the Stevens Institute of Technology (N.J) 7-6 (4), 6-3 on Thursday. Friday the pair eliminated Amrik Donkena and Mya Smith-Dennis from Gustavus Adolphus with scores of 6-2, 7-5.

Ballou and Worley have played doubles together during the last three seasons. Overall, they have accumulated an overall doubles record of 54-10 going 3-2, 25-5 and 26-3 in 2011, ‘12 and ‘13, respectively. They are each two-time NCAA Division III All-Americans in doubles action.

Results: Doubles Results
Bracket: 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Doubles Bracket
Website: NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships
Schedule: Detailed Schedule of Events
Live Results: Live Results
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports

Back at the originally scheduled location of Stowe Stadium, Ballou and Worley fended off a late surge from Amrik Donkena and Mya Smith-Dennis from Gustavus Adolphus. The first set was controlled by the Kingsmen who won 6-2. The GAU team made things close in the second set, but again it was the CLU duo that finished on top by a score of 7-5 to win and advance to the Semifinals.

Yesterday Ballou and Donkena met in the opening round of singles play, with Ballou earning a 6-1, 6-0 victory.

To open the tournament in the Round of 16 doubles play, the CLU pair defeated Matthew Heinrich and Chris Rosensteel of the Stevens Institute of Technology (N.J) 7-6 (4), 6-3 to advance to play today.  

Ballou and Worley’s record is now 26-2 this season.

Tomorrow they will play Elliot Kalher and Ian Wagner from Emory. The other Semifinal match will feature Robert Kjellberg and Artsion Prostak from NC Wesleyan against Michael Holt and Taylor Shamshiri from Washington & Lee.

Semifinal and Final matches will both take place tomorrow, Saturday, May 25 beginning at 8:00 a.m. (PST) at Stowe Stadium. The CLU tandem is two wins away from a national title.

Results: Doubles Results
Bracket: 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Singles Bracket
Bracket: 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Doubles Bracket
Website: NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships
Schedule: Detailed Schedule of Events
Video: NCAA Video Streaming Site
Live Results: Live Results
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports

The meet began with the 4x100m Relay team of Kendall Sauter, Lauren Rohach, Amanda Hamilton and Amy Galipeau maintaining 15^th place by running a combined 48.31. CLU entered tied with Texas Lutheran, who leapfrogged the Regals to finish 14^th while Emory dropped below Cal Lutheran. Winning the event in a new stadium record time of 45.97 was host Wisconsin-La Crosse.

In addition to the relay, Rohach and Sauter took to the Long Jump runway. Sauter improved her seed distance (5.60m) by .02 to finish the spring 11^th with a season-best jump of 5.62m (18-05.25) on her third and final attempt. She was two spots from becoming an All-American after climbing nine spots in the overall standings and will have another shot next year. Rohach placed 14^th with a first jump mark of 5.43m (17-09.75), finishing one spot behind where she came into the meet.

Today on the track Ashley Frese ran the 1,500m race in 4:45.07, dropping three positions from her 17^th-seed, to finish 20^th in the nation as a junior harrier.

On Saturday in the field, Allie Hadley will look to maintain her top-seed in the Javelin and Hamilton will compete in the Triple Jump. Melissa Skiba will run the 5K with hopes of becoming a two-sport All-American by equaling or improving on her fifth-seed going into the race. 

All points earned by individuals relays and will also go towards the team total. The top-9 finishers in each event will earn All-America recognition.

Entries: 2013 NCAA Women’s Track & Field Championships
Schedule: 2013 NCAA Women’s Track & Field Championships Schedule
Meet Information: Wisconsin-La Crosse Website
NCAA Championships: 2013 NCAA Website
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports

Before a large crowd at Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex on the campus of Wisconsin-La Crosse this afternoon, the team of Conor Finfrock, Matthew Hamlett, Tristan Baer and Justin Reeves entered the meet as the 12^th ranked team.

An opportunity to improve in the standings went by the wayside when a miscue during a handoff saw the baton to hit the track, ultimately preventing the Kingsmen from finishing the race.

Coming into the meet, CLU held a clocking of 41.63, which ranks them sixth all-time at CLU.

Cal Lutheran was one of four Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) teams to run today.

Earning the top-seed for Saturday was league rival Whittier. The Poets quartet held the top time in the nation during points of the season and improved from their second-seed into the first slot after running a 40.71. Redlands came into the meet as the 10^th-seed and moved up five places to run the finals on Saturday after combining for a time of 41.01.

Occidental also did not finish the race.

Today was the final competition for Baer, Hamlett and Reeves.

Results: 2013 NCAA Men’s Track & Field Championships Results
Schedule: 2013 NCAA Men’s Track & Field Championships Schedule
Meet Information: Wisconsin-La Crosse Website
NCAA Championships: 2013 NCAA Website
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports

Dealing with inclement weather, the first day of competition was forced indoors. Competition was relocated from to dual locations of Kalamazoo’s Stowe Stadium and Western Michigan University’s Sorensen Courts to three sites. Cal Lutheran players were at the West Hills Athletic Club.

Though the start times were delayed, Ballou came out and quickly took down Amrik Donkena of Gustavus Adolphus by 6-1, 6-0 margins to advance to the Round of 16. Unfortunately, his quest for a national title ended at the hands of Amherst’s Mark Kahan when his 27-match win-streak was broken with a 6-4, 6-0 loss to eliminate the Cal Lutheran Co-Athlete of the Year. Ballou finishes his senior season with a 27-1 singles record.

In other singles action, Worley fell behind early, dropping the first set 4-6, but battled back to a 6-3 second set to pull even with Kevin Caulfield from Haverford. It was Caulfield who got the upper hand in the third set, winning 6-3 to end Worley’s 2013 singles season with a 21-5 overall record, concluding his collegiate individual career.

Forced to put the losses in the rearview mirror, Ballou and Worley were able to refocus for doubles play. The No. 1 ranked Kingsmen played a close match with Matthew Heinrich and Chris Rosensteel of the Stevens Institute of Technology (N.J), coming up with a 7-6, 6-3 victory to advance to the Quarterfinals on Friday afternoon.

The CLU pair improves to 25-2 in 2013 and with the victory become Men’s Tennis Doubles All-Americans for the second consecutive year. Ballou and Worley will meet Donkena and Mya Smith-Dennis tomorrow for the Quarterfinals after the Gustavus Adolphus team defeated Tanner Brown and Erik Lim of Johns Hopkins by scored of 6-2, 6-3.  

Play has been pushed back an hour from the originally scheduled time to 2:30 p.m. (PST) on Friday, May 24. Semifinal and Final matches will both take place on Saturday, May 25.

Results: Singles Results
Results: Doubles Results
Bracket: 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Singles Bracket
Bracket: 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Doubles Bracket
Website: NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships
Schedule: Detailed Schedule of Events
Video: NCAA Video Streaming Site
Live Results: Live Results
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports

Selected from those players earning Regional recognition, a First, Second, Third and Honorable Mention team were chosen with Nick Boggan, Jake Petersen and Aaron Roth each getting the nod. All three were named to the First Team All-West Region.

After a standout year, first baseman Boggan capped off his collegiate career as a D3baseball.com First Team All-American. The senior hit .412 with 73 hits, including 16 doubles, two triples and 13 homeruns. He drove in 67 RBIs, stole five bases and scored 41 times for the Violet and Gold. Defensively he posted a .995 fielding percentage.

Landing on the D3baseball.com Third Team All-America was junior righty Roth who appeared in 29 games, a single-season record at Cal Lutheran. Roth (6-1) finished with 12 saves and a 1.18 ERA. He logged 68.2 innings, striking out 73 batters and walking just five. His opponents hit just .200 against the Kingsmen closer.

A stellar inaugural season at Cal Lutheran saw Petersen, a junior southpaw and leadoff batter, earn D3baseball.com All-America Honorable Mention utility status. In 14 starts on the hill he produced a 7-2 record, dropping a heartbreaking 1-0 decision, on an unearned run, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III West Regionals. Petersen threw 91.2 innings, striking out 73 while earning a 3.04 ERA. Offensively, he led the Kingsmen with a .444 average, which is a school record for a single-season. He connected for 71 hits with 17 doubles, four triples and a homerun to drive in 39 RBIs. Petersen swiped nine bags and came in to score 57 times for CLU. Additionally, while not pitching he roamed the outfield and overall produced a .970 fielding percentage.

The 2013 Player of the Year, Tucker White from Southern Maine, and Pitcher of the Year, Chris Haddeland from Linfield, led their respective teams to berths at the Division III College World Series this week. Earning Rookie of the Year honors was Hayden Tsutsui from Carleton. The Coach of the Year will be announced following the World Series.

Yet to be announced for 2013 are the American Baseball Coaches Association(ABCA)/Rawlings Division III All-American and Gold Glove teams that should be released later this week in conjunction with the World Series.

Release: 2013 All-America Teams
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports

Two weeks ago the field was set for the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Individual and Doubles Championships to be played at the conclusion of the team competition, from May 23-25, at Kalamazoo’s Stowe Stadium and Western Michigan University’s Sorensen Courts and today the brackets were released.   

In the Round of 32 Ballou opens against Amrik Donkena from Gustavus Adolphus. Worley is set to face off with Kevin Caulfield from Haverford in his first match. Neither Kingsmen player has competed against his scheduled opponent this year. First serve of both matches is set for Thursday, May 23 at 7:00 a.m. (PST). The winning players advance to the Round of 16 scheduled for 10:30 a.m. (PST) at Stowe.

The afternoon will feature the No. 1 duo serving up to Matthew Heinrich and Chris Rosensteel, a freshman, senior team from Stevens Institute of Technology (N.J). Play will get under way at 1:00 p.m. (PST) in the doubles Round of 16. Ballou and Worley are 24-2 this season and Heinrich and Rosensteel are 21-3.

Competition continues on Friday, May 24 with the singles and doubles Quarterfinals and the individual Semifinals. Play gets underway at 6:00 a.m. (PST) with Quarterfinals singles action followed by Semifinals at 11:00 a.m. (PST). Doubles Quarterfinals will take place at 1:00 p.m. (PST).

Championship matches for singles are scheduled for Saturday, May 25 at 6:00 a.m. (PST) with award presentations immediately after a decision is made.

Doubles Semifinal and Finals will take place on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. (PST) and 10:00 a.m. (PST), respectively with a doubles championship team crowned in an awards presentation immediately following to conclusion of play.

Ballou and Worley have an opportunity to repeat as All-Americans after advancing to the Quarterfinals a year ago. The pair would become the second NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Doubles Champions if they can maintain their No. 1 seed throughout the week and win the title joining Mark Ellis and Jenia Karminov who won in 1997.

In singles play, Ballou has the chance to become the second NCAA Division III Singles champion in school history, following Ellis, the 1996 champion.

Kalamazoo last hosted an NCAA Division III National Championship tournament in 2005 for the women and in 2000 for the men. Overall, KC has hosted 12 national championships (women-7, men-5).

Bracket: 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Singles Bracket
Bracket: 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Doubles Bracket
Website: NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships
Schedule: Detailed Schedule of Events
Video: NCAA Video Streaming Site
Live Results: Live Results
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports