By Joe Vanden Acker
Lawrence Today magazine, Summer 2004
Men’s Basketball
The Vikings enjoyed an unprecedented season, highlighted
by winning the Midwest Conference (MWC) championship and advancing to the Elite
Eight of the NCAA Division
III Championship. Lawrence finished 24-5 and became
the first team from the Midwest Conference to advance to that level.
The Vikings hosted a first-round NCAA tournament game and trounced Lakeland
College 86-51 before winning a difficult game at Buena Vista University,
72-66, in the second round. The Vikings then traveled to Tacoma, Wash., and
produced
a remarkable comeback, rallying from 18 points down in the final 12 minutes
to defeat Sul Ross State University of Texas 86-79 in the Sweet 16. Lawrence’s
magical run ended, however, when the
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point pulled out an 82-81 overtime
victory to advance to the
Final Four.
Forward Chris Braier, ’06, became the first player in Lawrence history
to earn All-America honors in basketball, when he was named to the d3hoops.com third team. The Wauwautosa native was a first-team All-Midwest Region selection
and was chosen as the conference Player of the Year. John Tharp was named
MWC and Midwest Region Coach of the Year.
Forward Chris MacGillis, ’04, was a second-team all-conference selection,
and guard Rob Nenahlo, ’04, earned honorable mention.
Women’s Basketball
Lawrence finished fifth in the MWC and posted an
11-11 overall record.
Standout guard Claire Getzoff, ’06, was a first-team All-MWC and All-Central
Region selection. The Evanston, Ill., native led the league in scoring for
the second straight year, at 18.1 points per game, and is only 21 points away
from cracking the school’s top ten in career scoring.
Forward Felice Porrata, ’05, was honored by the conference for the
third consecutive season, and this was her initial first-team selection.
Wrestling
Nick Morphew, ’04, and Ben Dictus, ’06, both earned
berths in the NCAA Division III Championships.
Dictus, wrestling at 184, opened with a 4-3 win over Mike Troutman of Ursinus.
Top seed Denny Gaul of Montclair State then beat Dictus 16-0 in the quarterfinals.
Cortland State’s Ben Locke eliminated Dictus with a 3-2 victory in the
consolation bracket.
Morphew, wrestling at 133, lost to Brian Boland of Ursinus 5-4 in his opening
match and then was pinned in 3:39 by Dan Jacobs of Williams in a consolation
match.
Morphew finished his career with a record of 103-47 and became only the fifth
wrestler in school history to pass the 100-win plateau.
Ric Scannell, ’04, who missed the final month of the season with a broken
leg, also reached 100 wins and is fourth on the career wins list with a record
of 104-41.
Lawrence finished last among the seven teams in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference Championships.
Swimming
The Lawrence men finished second, and the women took fourth in the MWC
Championships, which were held in the Boldt Natatorium on the Lawrence campus.
The Vikings were paced by Meggin Brittain, ’07, who won championships in
the 100-yard and 200 backstroke. Jodie Primus, ’04, won the title in
the 100 breaststroke.
On the men’s side, Adam Kolb, ’06, captured the 500 freestyle,
Chris Perry, ’05, won the 100 butterfly, and
Paul Schook, ’04, won the 1,650 freestyle. The 800 freestyle relay team
of Schook, Perry, Kolb, and Steve VanderNaalt, ’06, was also
victorious.
Hockey
The Vikings struggled to a 4-23-1 record. Lawrence’s biggest win
of the season was a 1-0 victory over Marian College on December 12 — Lawrence’s
first shutout since November 21, 1998, and one of only two Midwest Collegiate
Hockey Association losses for the eventual champion Sabres all season.
Goalie Andrew Isaac, ’07, of Mississauga, Ontario, was the lone Lawrence
player selected for the all-conference team. Isaac had a sparkling .923 save
percentage and a 3.07 goals against average while compiling a 3-7-1 record
in conference play.
Forward David Olynyk, ’07, was chosen for the MCHA All-Freshman Team, and
forward Pete Mossberg, ’06, was Lawrence’s representative on the
MCHA All-Tournament team.
Indoor Track Two Lawrence athletes were honored at the MWC Indoor Championships
at Knox College.
Kolade Agbaje-Williams, ’06, won the triple jump with a leap of 45 feet,
9.75 inches, and was second in the long jump at 22-5. He was named the Men’s
Outstanding Field Performer. The Lawrence men finished seventh with 43 points.
Courtney Miller, ’04, won the 800 meters in 2 minutes, 18.94 seconds,
and won the 1,500 in 4:47.70 to earn Women’s
Outstanding Track Performer honors. She also took third in the 3,000 in 10:38.70.
The Lawrence women were eighth with 39 points.