Thursday, December 9, 2010

Men's Golf 2010 Recap: Gary Oftedahl

Head men's golf coach Gary Otedahl reviews the Eagles 2010 Northern Athletics Conference championship season:








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Monday, December 6, 2010

Softball team raffle!

Get your tickets now for the Edgewood College softball program raffle. The Eagles have four fantastic prizes to win...

- Panasonic Viera 50" 3D Plasma HDTV w/ Model SC-BTT350 3D Home Theater System

- Apple iPad (Model MB292LL/A)

- Microsoft Xbox 360 with Kinect

- Amazon Kindle

Tickets are $10 apiece and can be purchased from any Eagle softball player or coach. The final drawing will take place on February 5, 2011 at Jam the Gym. Winners need not be present.

(License # R0023008A-02011)

(Linked images are representative and not intended to show the exact item)

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Monday, November 29, 2010

Women's Golf 2010 Recap: Gary Oftedahl

Edgewood College women's golf coach Gary Oftedahl discusses the Eagles' 2010 season, which saw the entire roster earn first team All-Northern Athletics Conference recognition.








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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Alumni update: John Fahey, Golden State Warriors

John Fahey, an Edgewood College men's basketball alumni, checked in with us about his new job in the NBA as the Assistant Video Coordinator for the Golden State Warriors. Fahey, a 2008 graduate with a B.A. in Marketing, was the Eagles' team captain in 2007-08 and played in 94 games for Edgewood College...

"To start the 2010-2011 season I accepted the Assistant Video Coordinator position with the Golden State Warriors. As Video Coordinators, our main focus is on opponent game preparation so we will break down games of our upcoming opponents into individual possessions, put in their specific play call so our players/coaching staff are aware as well as put together shoot around/pre game edits for film sessions. On top of that we are actively involved in day to day activities such as coaches meetings, practices, and assisting in individual player workouts.

I got my foot in the door last season in the NBA as I interned in LA for the Los Angeles Clippers. At that time, Seth Cooper (former Edgewood College Basketball teammate & alum) was the Assistant Video Coordinator for the Clippers and spoke with me about the career path so I'm very grateful of everything that Seth has done for me to help advance my career. I lived in LA for almost two years before moving up to San Francisco just over a month ago. I've been lucky enough to spend some quality time in California but there is no place like home and the Midwest that's for sure!

I'm always keeping up with what's going on with the Eagles and still talk to a few guys left from my playing days, and I know Coach Adrian will have them ready to go again this season so hopefully The NEST keeps the Edgedome rocking and they can bring home another NAC Championship!"

John

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Women's Tennis Fall 2010 Recap: Ben Oestreich

Head women's tennis coach Ben Oestreich discusses the Eagles' third straight Northern Athletics Conference title as he recaps the fall portion of the 2010-11 women's tennis season:







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Friday, November 5, 2010

Edgewood College celebrates pivotal season

CatholicSports.net has filed this story on the resurgence of the Edgewood College volleyball program...

Edgewood College celebrates pivotal season (by Sarah Menefee, CatholicSports.net)

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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

NAC Volleyball Tournament - White Out! Food Drive!

It's a huge night for the Eagles. The Edgewood College volleyball team is hosting their first postseason match since 1995 and you have the chance to make a difference to the team, your community and yourself!

NAC Volleyball Tournament - White Out Night!

For the team: It's a White Out! Dress in as much white as you can to show your unified support of the Eagle volleyball team.

For the community: Particiapte in the NAC's "Cans Across the Conference" food drive by bringing non-perishable food items to the match. Help stock local food pantries and show the Edgewood College cares about their community.

For yourself: The Edgewood College student who brings the MOST Non-Perishable food items will WIN FREE TOPPER STIX courtesy of Toppers Pizza on Regent Street. You bring food, you win food. That simple.

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

PULL!

The Edgewood College atheltics staff held their monthly meeting at the Waunakee Gun Club, for a staff activity. Even those coaches who had never shot a gun before got the hang of it and had a blast (pun intended) breaking clay pigeons. Here's the whole group...

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Stampfl Field infield renovation

The Chuck is getting a new look! Stampfl Field, the home of the Edgewood College Eagles baseball team, is pulling up the troublesome dirt on the base paths, in favor of grass. It should make for a smoother surface to play and run on.

Before:










In Progress:

Friday, October 15, 2010

Women's Basketball: Hard Work Never Sleeps

The Edgewood College women's basketball team began preseason practice at midnight on October 15, 2010 with a conditioning run around campus. Pay no attention to the tall player in the beak and feathers. I don't think he's going to make the team....

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Swansby featured on CatholicSportsNet.com

Edgewood College freshman volleyball player Lindsey Swansby was featured in the "20 Questions" segment on CatholicSportsNet.com. Read about Lindsey's college decision and what she likes do in Madison. (Just don't look for advice on smartphone apps.)

"20 Questions" with Lindsey Swansby (by Chris Jung, CatholicSportsNet.com)

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Monday, September 27, 2010

Svjose tallies first goal in nine years

MADISON, Wis. - Talk about a lengthy scoring drought. Edgewood College women’s soccer player Erica Sjvose scored her first goal for the Eagles in nine years, when she tallied a first half goal against Concordia University Chicago on Saturday. She last scored as a freshman during the 2001 season.

Svjose, a Madison native and 2001 graduate of LaFollette High School, played for Edgewood College in 2001, scoring eight goals as the Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. She left school after that season and spent the next seven years working on a career, but the soccer bug never completely left her.

In 2009, Svjose (pronounced sa-VOICE) contacted head coach Tim Alexander and said she wanted to return to school. She told him she would come to Edgewood College if she could have the chance to play soccer again. Coach Alexander agreed and Svjose was back on the team in 2009 after eight years away from the school. Sjvose, now 27 years old, played in 15 games in 2009 and three this season, but never found the back of the net until Saturday.

In the 41st minute against the Cougars, Eagle freshman Sophie Rodriguez (who just turned 19 years old earlier this month) fired a shot that was knocked down on the goal line by a Cougar defender. The rebound landed on the foot of Svjose, who fired it home for her first goal in 3,264 days. She last scored on October 19, 2001 against MSOE. Svjose later added two assists to give her three for the season.

Svjose and the Eagles will return to action on Wednesday afternoon, with a non-conference match at Lawrence University in Appleton.

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Five Questions: Kristin Manske

Here's a Five Questions first! The first interview that had to be edited to cut out uncontrollable nervous laughter. Thanks for being a pioneer, Kristin...


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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

2010 Edgewood College Student-Athlete BBQ

The competition gets fierce when there's food on the line! Edgewood College student-athetes competed to see who got to eat first in a series orf contests at the annual student-athlete BBQ and pig roast. You've never seen so many college students so excited over an egg in your life.

PHOTO GALLERY: Edgewood College Student-Athlete BBQ


Monday, September 13, 2010

Eagle Basketball teams assist at Ironman aid station

The Edgewood College men's and women's basketball team volunteered for duty at the 2010 Ford Ironman Wisconsin triathlon in Madison. The Eagles served water and provided assistance to the triathletes until the late hours of Sunday night. They also found a little down time to get in some bags and touch football.

Photo Gallery: Eagle basketball teams manning an aid station at the Ironman Wisconsin

Eagles in charge of aid station:


Eagles find a little free time at the Ironman:

IronEagle! Oestreich completes first Ironman Triathlon

Edgewood College men's and women's tennis coach Ben Oestreich competed and completed his first Ironman Triathlon on September 12, 2010 in Madison. Oestreich stopped to talk for a few moments when he was just 15 minutes or so from the finish line.



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Eddy and the Eagles at the FitKids Fun Run

For the fourth consecutive year, Eddy the Eagle and large group of Edgewood College student-athletes were on hand for the FitKids Fun Run. The run is part of the festivities surrounding the Ford Ironman Wisconsin race. After Eddy led the kids in a warmup, the student-athletes sent them off from the start line and encouraged them home to the finish.




Thursday, September 9, 2010

Alexander milestone noted by Soccer America

Soccer America which publishes the College Soccer Reporter newsletter made special mention of Edgewood College head men's and women's soccer coach Tim Alexander for earning his 200th men's soccer victory.

Alexander joins 200-200 coaching club (courtesy of SoccerAmerica.com)

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Alumni Soccer Games Photo Galleries

Huge photo gallery from the Alumni Soccer Games on August 28...

http://www.edgewoodcollegeeagles.com/photo_gallery.aspx?gallery=61

Enjoy!

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Saturday, September 4, 2010

Eat your heart out, Curt Schilling

Playing collegiate tennis demands that student-athlete sacrifice blood, sweat and tears. Well, in this case, mostly blood. Brittany Storhoff didn't let a little (OK, a lot) of blood coming from her foot stand in the way of a victory at the Warhawk Invitational.

Ewwwwww.

Friday, September 3, 2010

What I did on my summer vacation...

Edgewood College sports information graduate assistant Travis Chell loves baseball. He played at another NAC school whose mascot is a giant fish. He still plays for his local hometown team in the summer. So when Travis got the chance to particiapte in a halftime contest at the Madison Mallards game, he was ready to go. He certainly could run from home plate to third base in a respectable time, right? If only he had been wearing cleats, he might have....

(Make sure the volume is up. You don't want to miss hearing the crowd reaction.)



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Thursday, September 2, 2010

Five Questions: Zach Miller

Men's soccer player Zach Miller became the most recent victim of Five Questions when he was caught hanging around during picture day. What does Zach think of teammate Greg Dezell? We think he's kidding (isn't he?).



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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Eagle Soccer to be featured on NBC-15

Catch the sports broadcast on NBC-15 (WMTV) at 6:00 and 10:00 on Tuesday night for a feature story on the Edgewood College men's and women's soccer teams and their head coach Tim Alexander. Coach Alexander needs one more men's soccer victory to become only the fifth head coach in NCAA history (all divisions) to win 200 men's games and 200 women's games.

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Friday, August 27, 2010

Women's soccer getting ready to go!

The Edgewood College women's soccer team runs through a drill in preparation for their season opener on September 1, 2010.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Five Questions: Kelsey Beck

I know it's been a while, but Five Questions returns with a surprise attack on women's soccer player Kelsey Beck...

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Old Edgedome scoreboards come down!

The old center hanging scoreboard in the Edgedome has been taken down. In its place, brand new wall-mounted boards from All-American Scoreboards. They look awesome!

New Scoreboards in Edgedome photo gallery

Also, here's a short video of the old board being taken down...



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Friday, July 30, 2010

Brewster lends hand to National Transplant Games

Beginning Saturday, the Madison are will be the host for a very different kind of athletic event. The U.S. Transplant Games are sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation is a national, Olympic-style event presented every two years. The Games unite thousands of people across the country who have been touched by the organ donation and transplant process.

Edgewood College head track and cross country coach Bethany Brewster will serve as the meet director for the track and field competition which takes place on Monday morning at the University of Wisconsin McClimon Track and Soccer Complex. Competitiors will compete in a variety of events in age groups ranging from four to over 70.

Sports Information Director David Petroff will also be on hand serving as the public address announcer.

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Schlomer leading Badger Region teams to medal rounds

Edgewood College head volleyball coach Paul Schlomer fills another role in the summer months. Schlomer is the chair of the women's high performance teams of the Badger Region Volleyball Association which is the governing body for club volleyball teams in the state of Wisconsin.

This week four Badger Region teams have been competing at the USA High Performance Volleyball Championships at Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Organized by USA Volleyball, the HP Championships seek to bring together the top players from all corners of the United States and top foreign teams. Heading into Thursday's play the Badger Region has the opportunity to place an unprecedented three teams in gold medal matches.

Coach Schlomer has personally guided the Badger Region's entry in the Girls' International Youth division (18 and under) to a 5-0 record thus far. With a win in their final Division 1 pool play match today at 9:45 a.m. against Chile, Schlomer's team will advance to the Gold Medal Match at 3:30 p.m. (UPDATE: Coach Schlomer's Badger Region team defeated Chile , but fell to Florida and settled for the silver medal.)

In the Girls National Select division (14 and under), the Badger Region is also 5-0. That team, coached by Christine Paciero, meets Iowa in the final pool play game at 9:45 a.m. Thursday morning. The winner of that match will advance to the Gold Medal Match at 1:30 p.m. today. Victoria Brisack, the daughter of Edgewood College director of athletics and head baseball coach Al Brisack, is a member of this squad. (UPDATE: Badger Region defeated Iowa to advance to the Gold Medal Match and then topped Southern California to claim gold.)

The Badger Region's team in the Boys' National Youth Division (18 and under) has already clinched a spot in today's Gold Medal Match. Head coach Chad Schreiber's team is 7-0 with one pool play match remaining. They will meet Ohio Valley at 3:30 p.m. today. (UPDATE: Badger Region scored a come-from-behind victory over Ohio Valley in the Gold Medal Match)


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Monday, June 21, 2010

Brewster wins Lighthouse four-mile run

Edgewood College head track and cross country coach Bethany Brewster won her second title in two tries in the four-mile event at the Lighthouse Run in Racine. She also won in 2008, but her time this year of 23:09 was the third fastest time since the four-mile event made it's debut in 1990. Be sure to read the story and watch the interview....

LIGHTHOUSE RUN FOUR-MILE RUN: Brewster practices what she preaches (by Peter Jackel courtesy of the Racine Journal Times

VIDEO: Interview with Bethany Brewster (courtesy of the Racine Journal Times)

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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Listen to Coach Alexander on the Big 1070

Edgewood College head men's and women's soccer coach Tim Alexander will be appearing on the "Mike Heller Show" on Friday on the Big 1070 (1070 AM) and the Big1070.com. Host Mike Heller along with Jon Arias and Phil Dawson will talk to Coach Alexander to get his preview of the 2010 World Cup which begins Friday. Tim is scheduled to appear on Friday, June 11 at 5:25 p.m. If you don't live in the Madison area, you can listen on-line at the link below....

Friday, June 4, 2010

Palmer Q&A from Inside Wisconsin Sports

Edgewood College volleyball student-athlete Mallory Palmer is featured in the current edition of Inside Wisconsin Sports magazine. Palmer answers some questions from editor Mike Beacom about the upcoming volleyball season. Be sure to visit the front page of Inside Wisconsin Sports as well for a cool shot of Mallory in action.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

"Strike Out Cancer" raises nearly $700

"Strike Out Cancer" Awareness Day, a joint charity event sponsored by the Edgewood College baseball team and the Verona Area High School baseball team raised $697 for the Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation.

Baseball: "Strike Out Cancer" event raises $697 (from Madison.com)

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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Coach Oestreich serves up new singles player!

Head tennis coach Ben Oestriech and his wife Stephanie are happy to introduce his first women's tennis recruit in the Class of 2032. Hard to tell from the pictures, but those shoulders would indicate a strong backhand and quick reflexes at the net.

Here's Coach Oestriech's announcement in his very typical style....

"Meet 7 lb, 2oz, 20" long Olivia Claire Oestreich. Born 7:37 pm on Friday, May 28th, "OO" was quickly named cutest baby of all time. That win pushes a Utah baby born in 1996 to number six, leaving an all Oestreich top five.

Her hobbies include sleeping, eating, and looking at people with one eye open."

Congratulations Coach! Welcome to the world of not sleeping. Ever.
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Monday, May 24, 2010

2009-10 SEASON IS COMPLETE

There are no more games to be played, races to be run, or meets to win. The Edgewood College athletics program has wrapped up a very successful 2009-10 season, so this will be the final Talon Newsletter until next August. Here are a few highlights that we will recall from the past year, while we enjoy the summer:

- A school record seven Edgewood College student-athletes earn Academic All-District awards, while two, Tyler Duellman (First Team) and Jerrid Dokey (Second Team), earn Academic All-American honors
- NAC championships in Men’s Cross Country, Women’s Tennis and Baseball
- Women’s Tennis makes their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance
- Josh Williams becomes the first Eagle cross county athlete to compete at the NCAA Championships
- Josh Williams (MXC) and Mallory Palmer (VB) win NAC All-Freshman of the Year award
- 21 First Team All-Northern Athletics Conference awards
- Eight Second Team All-Northern Athletics Conference awards
- Eight All-Northern Athletics Conference Honorable Mention awards
- Seven Northern Athletics Conference All-Freshman Team awards
- Bethany Brewster wins NAC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year award
- Kristina Santaga becomes the first Eagle track athlete to earn a NAC Athlete of the Year award
- Aaron Gavin wins medalist honors in both the fall and spring portions of the NAC Men’s Golf Championships
- Jessica Spitzer wins First Team All-NAC in two sports, women’s golf and softball
- Josh Williams wins Northern Athletics Conference Indoor Track Freshman of the Meet award

Friday, May 21, 2010

Miota gets head coaching job at Madison East HS

Edgewood College men's basketball assistant coach Matt Miota has been named the new head boys basketball coach at Madison East High School. He replaces longtime coach Rich Cleveland who retired at the end of last season. Congratulations, Matt!

Prep basketball: Miota takes over at East (courtesy of Madison.com Sports)
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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

"Strike Out Cancer" Photo Gallery

Check out the Photo Gallery from the "Strike Out Cancer" Awareness Day:

http://www.edgewoodcollegeeagles.com/photo_gallery.aspx?gallery=58

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Sidearm Scoop: All good things...

The end to our magical season finally came Saturday night against Aurora. We ran into a team that was playing very good baseball at the right time of the year and ultimately we didn't have an answer for them. We accomplished a ton this year but it is still hard to keep that in perspective after your season is ended.

I wanted to take the opportunity to recognize some of the people on this team who really stood out when you take a look back at our season. The first person on that list is Ken Spangenberg. We were a team that was supposed to be built around our starting pitching and an opportunistic offense. Coach Spang changed all of that and deserves a lot of credit for Steve Binder hitting .405, Erik Massey turning into a .300 hitter, Jimy Landwehr breaking almost every offensive record in the book, Tim Barry setting the home run record, and the entire offense overall stepping up and performing above all expectations.

Secondly, I have to recognize our two senior starting pitchers who did a tremendous job this year. Matt Krueger was the epitome of an ace this year. Every time he took the ball you felt like you were going to win and he would throw all nine innings. He only lost one game this year and really stepped up every time we needed him to this year. Scott Winters was a guy who kind of got overlooked this year but this team would not of been nearly as good without him. He set the tone for our season at the beginning of the year by absolutely dominating UW-Oshkosh and finished the year by closing out our last conference game and throwing a very good game against Aurora in the first round of the tournament. Scott was the kind of guy you love to have as a coach because he simply does whatever it takes to help his team win. We are really going to miss those two.

Finally, I just want to recognize how great a group of guys this years senior class really was. Erik Massey was the heart and soul of Eagle baseball and always kept the dugout alive no matter what the score was. Steve Binder, in my opinion, was our MVP this year and was exactly the kind of captain this team needed. Brad DeVault was one of the best friends I had at Edgewood and was the kind of guy who serves as a role model for underclassmen about what it means to truly compete. I could continue to go on and on about these guys but would rather just sum it up by saying they will be missed dearly and I know each and everyone of them with go on to do something special someday.

Well that's about all I've got for now, so until next year, this is The Sidearm Scoop signing off.

- Blake Hunt
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Pink Bat Raffle Winner

Eryn McDonald of Verona won the commemorative pink bat which was raffled off as part of the "Strike Out Cancer" Awareness event to benefit the Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation.

Congratulations!

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Thursday, May 13, 2010

Eagle Baseball featured on WKOW-27

The Edgewood College baseball team was the subject of a story on WKOW-27. The Eagles open the Northern Athletics Conference Baseball Tournament on Friday. If the video doesn't appear below click on the headline.



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2010 NAC Baseball Tournament Promo Video

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Fiene featured on WKOW-27's Medical Minute

Edgewood College women's basketball student-athlete Amber Fiene was featured in a WKOW-27 news story on Sport & Spine Clinic's anti-gravity treadmill rehabilitation machine. Fiene injured her knee playing for the Eagles and has been using the machine in her efforts to return to the court. Click the headline to see the full video.



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Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Catch the Eagle baseball team on WKOW-27 News at 10

UPDATE: This story will run on WKOW-27 on Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. and on Fox 47 at 9:00 p.m.

The WKOW-TV27 sports team will be running a feature on the Edgewood College baseball team during their 6:00 broadcast. Sports anchor Matt Zahn will be speaking to some of the Eagles about their special relationship with a Matt Wright. Matt was an Eagle baseball recruit who tragically never got to play for the Eagles. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer and passed away on October 5, 2009.

Many members of the team got to know Matt well and Matt served as the inspiration for the Eagles' "Strike Out Cancer" Awareness Day last Sunday.

Also, catch the WKOW news at 5:00 to see Eagle women's basketball player Amber Fiene in a feature on new rehabilitation equipment at Sport & Spine Clinic.

(Pictured: Matt Wright)

Sidearm Scoop: Tournament Time!

Edgewood College pitcher Blake Hunt's continuing diary of the Eagles' championship season....

I must say this is the most excited I have been to write a blog entry (mostly because I am looking for any excuse to stop studying for exams). As I am sure you all know by now we clinched a share of the Northern Athletics Conference regular season title last night against Lakeland. I have never had the opportunity to win a conference championship so this was an extremely special night for me and one that I won't soon forget. It was awesome to see a pair of seniors (Matt Krueger and Scott Winters) pitch the best they have all season and absolutely baffle Lakeland hitters. Steve Binder continued to rip the ball and Treye Dennison kept finding ways to get on base and come up with clutch hits. Everything is clicking for us right now and I am excited to see just how far we can go.

While winning conference certainly was exhilarating, we also hosted a "Strike Out Cancer" event that supported a cause that is way more important than baseball will ever be. We honored one of our teammates who succumbed to testicular cancer before the game and it reminded all of us how lucky we are to be doing what we do and what an inspiration he is for so many of our players. Cancer has touched our team in way to many ways so it was great to raise money for such a worthwhile cause.

We will continue our season in Loves Park this weekend at the NAC tournament and would encourage you all to come out and enjoy a great weekend of baseball. I think we are all anxious to dump another cooler on Coach Brisack's head so hopefully that can inspire us enough to win three in a row this weekend, move on to regionals, and extend my tenure here writing The Sidearm Scoop!

Finally, I would just like to send a shout out The Eagle Blog's biggest supporter in former coach Josh Verb. It is great to know that Eagle fever is alive and well out in Pennsylvania.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Brisack to be on 1310 WIBA radio Thursday morning

Edgewood College's head baseball coach Al Brisack will be a guest on 1310 WIBA radio on Thursday morning, May 6. Coach Brisack will be a guest on "Madison in the Morning" hosted by Dick Alpert, discussing Saturday's "Strike Out Cancer" Awareness Day for the benefit of the Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation.

Saturday's "Strike Out Cancer" Awareness Day features a pair of doubleheaders with Verona H.S. vs. Madison East H.S. at 10:30 a.m. followed by Edgewood College vs. Lakeland College at 4:00 p.m. The teams will be wearing special pink insignia and Stampfl Field will be decorated with Survivor Flags. T-shirts will be for sale and donations collected with all proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation.



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Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Sidearm Scoop: The Tarpaulin Love-Hate Relationship

The regular season is coming to a close and we have a chance to do something I haven't had the opportunity to do since I came here: Play in the NAC Tournament. We are currently in second place and three wins away from securing a bid to the tournament. I wish I could name every person in here who has stepped up for our team but it really as been a total team effort. Jimy Landwehr has been hovering around .500 all year and freshman Blake O'Brien went 21 straight innings without giving up a run. Mike Selvaggi has been on an absolute tear lately and even Treye Dennison hit his first home run the other day. (Editor's Note: I didn't see that one coming either.) This team is unlike any we've had the last two years and I am excited to see how the rest of the year plays out.

The greatest blessing, and curse, to happen to our program was when we got our tarp my freshman year. Rain is a common occurrence this time of year and the tarp has saved us from being rained out numerous times. This weekend was one of those times. When we arrived at the field Saturday morning I could not believe the amount of rain that was on the tarp. We pooled all of the water into one corner and used buckets to haul hundreds of gallons of water off the field. It ended up being a beautiful day to play baseball and without the tarp we would probably still be waiting for our field to dry. As much as I hate getting Coach's text messages at eight in the morning to put the tarp on it is way better than being rained out for several days.

My favorite part about the baseball season is the bus rides and finding ways to pass the time. Lately I have taken to engaging in intense chess matches with Eric Massey. I am a very conservative player who likes to make low risk moves while he is more of a daredevil who likes to get his queen out early and wreak havoc on the board. The wise old man has been getting the best of me lately winning about every three out of four games, but I picked up a few chess strategy guides this weekend and feel confident my luck will change on the trip to Platteville tomorrow.

That's about all I have right now but would encourage all of you to come out and watch us wrap up the regular season this Saturday against Lakeland. It should be two good games and we are planning a little surprise for all the mothers in attendance for Mother's Day.

- Blake Hunt

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Monday, April 26, 2010

Photo Gallery: Eagle Baseball in Florida

Here are the best 251 of the 1,777 pictures we received from the Eagles' trip to the Sunshine State. Whew!

Photo Gallery: Edgewood College baseball in Florida 2010

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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Dan Oryall: USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals #6

This is the final entry in Dan Oryall's blog at the USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals. Click here for part one, part two, part three, part four and part five.

On Saturday, I woke up and it was again raining, which was nothing new. The temp outside was fairly chilly (low 60's) but I figured it would heat up as the day progressed. I threw a few more dry long items into my bag in case it didn't get warmer. When we arrived at the park there was already a long line of cars waiting to park and unload. We finally got parked and I started to unload, constantly checking my watch to make sure I was still on time.

I started walking down the road towards transition when I saw a large group of athletes starting to pile up. As I walked closer I noticed that the water in the lake had risen high enough to overflow the road that lead to the transition area. Athletes had to take off their shoes, roll up their pants, and brave the cold water to get across with their bike on their back. I waded across the frigid water and started towards the transition area. When I arrived there, announcers where saying that water temps were 54 degrees. In USAT speak, this meant that wetsuits were mandatory, and no one would be allowed to swim without one. Also, they said that the swim would be cut in half. I had mixed emotions about that. First, I excel at the swim portion and I make up a bit of time there and second, once I get wet I don't really want to get out. I set up my transition area and added a few extra warm items that I would never really consider wearing in the summer.

I warmed up like normal, and with emotions on high I donned my wetsuit, cap, and goggles and headed for the beach. The start was simple, run from the beach, into the water and get to the turn bouy fast. Usually I would be one of the top swimmers to the bouy, but I had to contend with collegiate swimmers. The gun went off and we rushed into the water. The natural washing machine effect took hold of me (this is a feeling that triathletes feel when they start a mass swim start.) With many arms, legs, and bodies thrashing around it feels like you are trapped in a washing machine and can't get out. I struggled to get into my groove being trapped in the middle of the pack. The wind was blowing waves in my mouth disrupting my breathing and being stuck in the pack wasn't helping. I finally got into open space and started to move. By the time I saw the swim exit I could tell that my feet and hands were cold. Dreading getting out I braced for the impact of the rocky swim exit.

I got out of the water and stumbled to my transition area with cold feet. I arrived there with many other athletes all who were putting on necessary cold gear. The wind by this time was gusting from 20-30 mph. I grabbed my bike and talked to the big man upstairs asking him to keep me upright and safe for the next 25 miles. The wind was so bad I didn't have the opportunity to take my hands off the handlebars for fear of tipping over. I passed and was passed by many. At the halfway point I was sick of the wind, and had to go the next 6 miles with it hitting me in the face. At one point I could have ran faster than I was biking. I finally finished the bike and with numb feet started my run.

My body was so sore from struggling and gripping my bike so tight for the last 40K that my run felt more like a hang on and finish. At this point I was focused on one thing...finishing. My body ached and it screamed to my brain to stop. Cold, tired, and way beyond sore I pushed on until I came across the finish line. My goal for this was sub (under) 2 hours 20 minutes (2:20:00). I came in at 2 hours 16 minutes. Even though I swam half the distance I would have normally, I was happy that I had achieved my goal.

With all of this being said, I am proud that I represented Edgewood College well at the event. I was 217th overall out of over 600 athletes, and 156th out of 380 total undergraduate males.

Thanks,
Dan
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Friday, April 16, 2010

Dan Oryall: USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals #5

Part five of Dan Oryall's blog at the USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals. Click here for part one, part two, part three and part four.

UPDATE: Dan is also metioned in this article on USATriathlon.org. Excellent read!

Another "wonderful" day in Lubbock. I woke up to another day on rain, and increased winds. I stuck to my normal race day routine and went out for a short 20 minute run. Again the roads were filled with water, and not just a little water...6 lane roads were filled. I got into my car in the late morning and decided to go and drive to the transition area. When I got there the park was filled with many teams already. The wind had picked up so much out in the courtry that there were white caps on the water. Good thing I have my wetsuit...I won't drown or freeze.

I got on my bike and tried riding one of the 4 very technical hills on the course. Going up the hill was not a problem, and I climbed it with a small amount of huffing and puffing. After climbing I turned around and braved going down it. Normally I would fly down this hill with lightly tapping my brakes, today was another story. I clamped down hard on my brakes and rode down the hill like a scared two year old. Once finished I turned around and did it again. 2nd time was the charm, I didn't need to grip the brakes as much. The wind pushed me around a bit, and coupled with the rain I found my bike to be leaning to the side, with my body frantically trying to tug it back under my body. Hopefully tomorrow will bring lighter winds and a small sprinkle not gale force winds and pounding rain.

I went to the required meetings later in the afternoon. They are changin the run course becasue the water is soo high it is causing flooding on the run course. The bike course is also flooded in areas, so there are some major changes to how anyone would ride. There are 3 areas where the water is crossing the road and it is mandatory for riders to get off their bike, cross the water, and get back on. Talk about a mental break in the race. This could really hinder a lot of riders. So hopefully Texas can take a page out of the Wisconsin weather's playbook and we can see just a drier day.

Tomorrow is race day...

Thanks,
Dan

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Softball photo gallery posted

Check out our huge photo gallery from the Eagles' softball doubleheader against Maranatha Baptist.

Eagle softball vs. Maranatha Baptist Photo gallery (April 10, 2010)

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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Dan Oryall: USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals #4

Part four of Dan Oryall's blog at the USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals. Click here for part one, part two and part three.

Another day down, another day closer to race day. Today has been filled with a few ups and downs. Like I said in my earlier blog, the morning's bike ride was fairly decent, and I feel more comfortable on my bike and wheels. I went to the local Wal-mart to get some spoons and knives so that I could eat the food I brought with me for lunch. I looked at my bike and noticed that my back tire was flat. I tried pumping it up, and I could hear the sound no bike rider wants to hear, the hiss of air leaving my tube. I had my momentary freak out, and took the tire off and checked the tube. I found a piece of broken glass from a beer bottle stuck in my tire. I raced over to a local bike shop and fixed my tire. Problem solved. I am having mixed feelings about the rain, since it rained all day and the roundabout outside the hotel got collectively deeper and deeper as the day went on. I went for a quick run in the late afternoon and had to channel all the steeplechase skills that I possessed. While runnining and driving around Lubbock I noticed there isn't really much to this town. No offense to anyone who loves the Red Raiders or anything, but unless you are on the campus there isn't much to this place. Maybe I am just off on the wrong side of town, but outside of rundown businesses and open space there isn't much but the campus.

I drove the bike course later, pretty decent there are three very big hills that I will hate climbing but love going down. Well, I would love going down them if there wasn't water on the road, and rain creating large puddles on them. I feel my streak of going crash free has the possibility of coming to an abrupt end. After the course, I got my packet and picked up all the free stuff they gave me. I am in the first wave of males, number 58. I shopped around for a little while with the few vendors that were there. Then, a USA Triathlon gentleman asked me if I was a first time athlete, I said I was. He asked if he could interview me because he was doing a story on first time athletes and wanted to know my story. I answered his questions about creating a club at Edgewood, and why I wanted to come to nationals. After a quick interview I headed out to the Olive Garden for dinner.

Now, I am sitting in my room, getting my race gear together. Tomorrow is going to be a busy and emotional day so I figure I should get as much done now while I am clam. Until tomrrow...

Thanks,
Dan

Dan Oryall: USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals #3

Here is Dan Oryall's third entry as he prepares for Saturday's USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals in Lubbock, Texas. You can also read #1 and #2 here.

Today is my first day in Lubbock. I rolled over in my amazingly comfortable bed and was tempted to never get out. As I peeled back the curtains I saw the one thing that I didn't want to see...rain. The rain was fairly light, but the wind was pushing it around pretty steady. I again braved the cold rain and went out for another short bike ride to get my legs under me. I figured that if it rains on Saturday I will have to be prepared for the worst. Again, my little side note is that race wheels aren't really too big of fans of the rain. I saddled up and launched into the rain just as a pack of USA Triathlon officials were coming out of the hotel. They passed and wished me luck on my ride, while passing I noticed a nice patch on the back of their backpacks. Beijing 2008, USA Triathlete. So a little giddy that I was wished luck by what I assumed was part of the USA Olympic Triathlon team, or their entourage, I pushed off into the rain. Outside of the coldness factor and the fact that the rain smeared the lenses of my sunglasses, the rain didn't really suck too much. My wheels behaved, and I was back before you knew it.

When I returned to my hotel room, I had to remove my wheels to emtpy all of the water that had collected in the wheel. It has been raining so much here that the roundabout outside my hotel is almost under water. I plan on doing some homework for the remainder of the day, and hanging out. I will pick up my packet later tonight, this will tell me what wave I will be in, and all the other raceday goodies.

until tonight...

Thanks,
Dan
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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Dan Oryall: USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals #2

Edgewood College senior Dan Oryall is in Lubbock, Texas to compete in the USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals, which will be run on Saturday. He is blogging about his experience for the Eagle Blog. His first entry can be found with this link.

I have finally arrived in Texas! The trip took me the expected 18 hours and I traveled the 1186.3 miles that I had to go. I didn't write yesterday because I got kind of a later start than I originally intended. I had always heard that Iowa was fairly flat, however I found it to be filled with rolling hills. I ventured into Missouri for a short time and was into Kansas before I knew it. I stayed overnight in Emporia, Kansas at the Holiday Inn Express. The commericals were right; it was a great room and the bed was very comfortable. I left Emporia at about 8 a.m. this morning and drove another 9 hours and made it into Lubbock around 5:30. The weather had been great the entire trip, although it was fairly windy. About an hour outside Lubbock it started to rain. Upset that my bike was getting poured on I pressed into Lubbock and frantically unloaded my car. As I was moving the bag into my room the rain let up...go figure. I am staying at the Overton Hotel, which is where all the event information is being held. Again, the room was amazing and I look right across the street to Texas Tech University.

Since the rain had let up, and I didn't get a workout in yesterday I scrambled into my bike clothes eager to go out and explore Lubbock and the Texas Tech Campus. Little side note: my little racing bike tires don't like rain...or standing water for that matter. I got out on the road and realized there was NO bike lane. Obviously the students at TTU don't bike too much on the roads. I crossed the road and started to bike around the campus. Every building was intriging and interesting, but they were all the same color and shape. So about 10 minutes in I found myself all turned around, searching for the massive height of my hotel from across the street. I rode back to the hotel and kind of chalked it up as a bust. Tomorrow it is suppossed to be warmer and dryer so I hope I can get a better indication of what riding will be like.

For dinner I went to Ruby Tequila's Mexican Kitchen, which turned out to be the college hang out...so there was Texas Tech shirts and hats galore. I walked in with my Wisconsin gear and definately stood out like a sore thumb. After a excellent dinner I headed home to clean up my bike, stretch, and call back home.

until tomorrow...

Thanks,
Dan

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Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Dan Oryall: USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals #1

Edgewood College senior Dan Oryall (Madison, Wis./Verona Area HS) has dedicated much of his senior year to training for the USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals to be held on Saturday, April 17 in Lubbock, Texas. The race consists of a 1,500 meter swim, a 40 km bike ride and a 10 km run. Dan has been instrumental in establishing the Edgewood College Triathlon Club and gaining membership in the Midwest Collegiate Triathlon Conference, so that Edgewood College could be represented at this event.

Dan will be submitting journal entries to the Eagle Blog, so we can all follow his progress at Nationals. His first entry is below...

As I sit here with my car packed up I am filled with mixed emotions. Just 18 hours down the road awaits Lubbock, Texas where I will soon be competing with the top 1,200 Collegiate triathletes in the USA. My head tells my body that I have worked hard enough and my stomach is filled with anxiety and anticipation. This whole process has been a big waiting game. It's funny to say, but it's almost movie worthy. It always seems cliche and cooler when it happens to someone else, but it is downplayed in your own life. I was able to gain a spot over the summer for this elite triathlon, but while out on a victory shake out run the next day I tripped in a pothole while it was raining. With a small tear in my meniscus I wasn't able to recover quickly enough and join my teammates on the cross country team. I regret not being able to help them out all season, but it appears that they didn't need it, and I was a spectator to the first men's cross country conference championship in school history. Next I decided I would forgo my track season to train completely for this triathlon. The months dragged by as I swam, biked and ran. Now that the race is less than a week away, I am finally ready. Ready to show my teammates what made me absent, ready to prove to myself I trained hard enough and ready to show the rest of the triathlon world what an Edgewood College athlete can do.

Now all that awaits me is the starting gun...

Thanks,

Dan

Wish Dan luck on his Facebook page


USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals promotional video


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Friday, April 9, 2010

Sidearm Scoop: The Karaoke and Lizard Hunting edition

We are finally back from our spring trip and it was an up and down trip to say the least. It had its highs, (three wins in which we scored 17 or more runs) and lows (a three game losing streak) but overall it was a trip in which a lot of good things happened. We went up against the current #1 ranked team in Division III and saw that when all is said and done we are a few mental errors away from being at that elite level.

One of my favorite things about baseball is the players who fly under the radar and step up when their number is finally called. We all knew Jimy Landwehr and Tim Barry would be the heart of our offense and Matt Krueger would lead our pitching rotation, but it has been great to see all the people who step up around them. If I told you that Erik Massey would be hitting second in our lineup and that Jack Lowry would lace two doubles to help win our first conference game you would of told me I was crazy, but that is exactly what has happened. Everyone on this team knows their role and is not afraid to step when needed.

The road trip provided several entertaining moments including such things as karaoke, catching lizards and almost spending a week in maximum security prison for playing football in the pool. The karaoke contest was pathetic this year so I will not give any more details other than to say Patrick Clerkin won, Blake O'Brien got people to laugh once, Brevin was better than all of them, James Bertakis should retire, and Jason Towns was just downright embarrassing. A truly poor display by the newcomers and hopefully we can recruit some real talent for next year's trip.

One of my personal favorites about Florida is the chance to let out my inner Steve Irwin and start hunting for the ever elusive Florida Anole. I have long dominated the human vs. lizard match up but during our first game against SUNY-Purchase I met a lizard who put my skills to the test. During the second inning of the game Billy Devault spotted one of the biggest lizards I have ever seen. As I began to move in for the capture the lizard outsmarted me and scurried into a near by pole where he thought he was safe. The lizard won round one but I was determined not to let him get the best of me. I began stuffing all of the exits with paper cups so there was only one exit and then the waiting game began. During the fifth inning he finally poked his head out of the pole and I knew the time had arrived for our final showdown. He looked me right in the eyes and said "catch me if you can" then made his move and tried to escape. However, the lizard underestimated my quickness and I pounced on him and made him my prisoner. Only a pitcher would have this much free time to capture a lizard.

It was a great trip overall and I would just like to leave you all with some last tidbits I took away from the trip......

1. PG and under movies are nowhere near as a good as they used to be.
2. Patrick Clerkin snores so loud you can hear him with noise cancelling headphones on and your ipod turned all the way up.
3. You know it's been a long trip when someone asks "Is Easter on Sunday or Monday?"

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Thursday, April 1, 2010

Sausage Race!!

Five members of the Edgewood College softball program got the chance of a lifetime during their spring trip to Arizona. Emily Monson (#1 Brat), Hannah Grossen (#2 Polish), Kristen Salvatore (#3 Italian), Rachel Elliott (#4 Hot Dog), and Coach Mike Metcalf (#5 Chorizo) ran in the sausage race at the Milwaukee Brewers spring training game against the San Francisco Giants on March 29, 2010. Thanks to Rick Monson and Rachel Elliott for these pictures!


Words can't express how jealous the Edgewood College SID is...

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