ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
Four former Doane athletes were inducted into the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame Jan. 19. The designation recognizes athletic achievements while in college and honors and preserves the memory of outstanding athletes, teams and coaches.
This year’s recipients were Frank J. Kobes, Jr. ’36, deceased; Gene A. Velloff ’62 of Bartlett, Tenn.; Raphael F. Chrastil ’74 of Dorchester; and Cindy Peterson Williams ’92 of Overland Park, Kan.
Read more about these honored alums.
To nominate someone for the Athletic Hall of Fame, contact the Alumni Office or make your nomination at www.doane.edu/nominate
NAIA INDUCTS TRIO
Photo courtesy of Rick Schmuecker
The NAIA inducted three Doane College alums into the Hall-of-Fame at this year’s Track & Field Championships. Inducted were John Baumann ’90, David Symonsbergen ’93 and Greg Ray ’00.
Bauman and Ray were 10-time All-Americans while Symonsbergen was an eight-time All-American.
NEW COACHES
New Coaches Starting Careers at Doane
Over the past few months, Doane Athletic Director Greg Heier has brought in five new faces. Amber Gilliam ’06 was hired to coach women’s tennis this past spring. In December, football and soccer received new coaches. Matt Franzen ’94 took over the football program while Greg Jarosik ’01 took over men’s soccer and Duane Johnson took over women’s soccer. In June, Jeremy Jorgensen was named as the head baseball coach.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Men’s Basketball Post Solid Record The Tigers jumped out to a 7-1 start but faced some difficult losses in conference play and ended the season 16-12. Doane posted a 10-8 GPAC record, their fourth consecutive .500+ winning percentage in league play. Five of the Tigers conference losses were by six points or less.
Leading the way was Second Team All-American Brent Cole. Cole averaged 23 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He was also named CoSIDA/ESPN District 7 Second Team Academic All-American and NAIA Scholar-Athlete. Wade Janssen was also named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete for the Tigers.
Dane Cruz earned Second Team All-GPAC honors after posting 14.4 points and 2.9 assists. Todd Kraus earned honorable mention All-GPAC 8.1 points and 4.0 rebounds. He was regarded by many around the conference as the Tigers top defender.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Women’s Basketball Falls Short of Goal
The Tigers finished 20-10 this season but fell short of their goal to reach the NAIA National Tournament for a third straight year. A late season loss proved costly as Doane missed the postseason tournament by three slots. The Tigers finished fifth in the conference, just one game out of first place. Leading the way was Second Team All-American Lindsay Anderson. She posted 16.6 points and 4.2 rebounds. Also earning All-American status was honorable mention nominee Ashley Howard. Howard posted 13.9 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Tigers and scored a career-high 32 points against then No. 20 Berea College.
Earning honorable mention All-GPAC was Ashley Sullwold and Alissa Holland. Sullwold averaged 7.3 points and 5.1 rebounds while Holland posted 11.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Sullwold joined Rudi Molet as NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
TRACK AND FIELD
Two Champions Crowned during Indoors
Katie Kosmos and Forrest Gregory brought home individual national championships during the indoor track and field season as the Tigers posted Top 5 finishes in Johnson City, Tenn. The women finished fourth, just eight points out of first place, while the men finished fifth overall.
Kosmos came away with a victory in the pentathlon as she set the school record. She was also one of nine females to bring home All-American honors. Kosmos was named the GPAC Female Athlete-of-the-Year for the indoor season. Ellie Windle also earned All-American honors and set two school records in her senior campaign. Windle set the 600m record at the Prairie Wolf Invite and teamed up with Ashley Noel, Elizabeth Prigge and Kym Bennett to set the Distance Medley Relay record at the NAIA meet.
Gregory won the inaugural heptathlon with 4,921 points. He was one of 12 men to come home with All-American honors. The men’s 1600m relay team broke the school record twice at the NAIA meet including a 3:11.11 in the finals to place fourth. Less than two seconds separated the top four teams.
Although the Tigers had an excellent showing at the NAIA meet, nothing tops their performance at the GPAC Championships where both the men and women came away victorious. The women won their 17th consecutive title while the men snapped Nebraska Wesleyan’s run of five straight, winning by 19.5 points. In all, 56 athletes earned All-Conference honors for placing in the Top 8 of an event.
Landerfield Highlights Outdoor Season
It’s not often that one run sets the tone for an entire meet, but Adam Landerfield did just that at the NAIA National Championships. On the second day, Landerfield posted a time of 14.17 in the 110m hurdles to win an individual national championship. He came into the race with the fourth best time but when it was done, he was No. 1. His run propelled the Tiger men into a fifth place finish overall as 13 men were All-Americans. The 3200m relay team of Lance Foster, Matt Hollman, Mike Pivarnick and Ben DeLay set the school record as they brought home a runner-up finish.
On the women’s side, Katie Kosmos, the GPAC Female Athlete-of-the-Year for the outdoor season, walked away with the heptathlon national title. Kosmos went back and forth with the lead but took a strong hold prior to the last event, the 800m run. She left no doubt who the national champion was as she won the final event to clinch the victory. The women’s 3200m relay team also broke the school record, once in the trials and again in the finals as they finished fourth. The team members were Ellie Windle, Kym Bennett, Ashley Noel and Megan Kinney. Seven women earned All-American honors.
The women also won their ninth straight outdoor title at the GPAC Championship. The Tigers won seven events and scored points in 18 of 21. Doane did not have participants in two of the events. Windle set the GPAC meet record in the 800m run with a time of 2:11.81, topping the mark previously held by Doane alum Suzanne Weeder.
The men’s title came down to 0.02 seconds, the difference between first place and runner-up. Hastings edged Doane by the margin above in the 1600m relay as the Tigers came up 1.5 points short of knocking off NWU. Despite the loss, several athletes had outstanding performances. D’Artagnan Dai’re won the 100m and 200m dashes and was a member of the winning 4x100 relay. Matt Hollman won the 800m run in a record time 1:51.01, topping Doane alum Greg Larson’s mark.
BASEBALL
Baseball Starts Rebuilding Process
A year removed from a season-ending 18-game losing streak, the Tigers showed grit as they put together a strong season. Despite the record, 7-26 overall and 6-16 in the GPAC, the team has a youthful base built for next season. At season’s end, only one senior manned a starting position.
Despite the youth, the Tigers lost some senior leadership. Six seniors graduated and two were named All-Conference. Mitch Vernon earned First Team All-GPAC honors as an outfi elder and also served as designated hitter towards the latter part of the season. Vernon hit .351 with 10 home runs and 28 runs batted in. Choc Bowen earned Second Team All-GPAC at second base. Bowen hit .381 and led the team with 37 hits.
Doane does return two All-GPAC members. First Team all-conference pitcher Bryan Dutcher posted a GPAC best 1.14 earned run average (ERA), finishing second in the nation. Chris Williams, an honorable mention selection, hit .298 and posted a .986 fielding percentage at first base.
SOFTBALL
Softball Falls Short of Expectations
It’s tough to follow a record-breaking season with another one, but the Tiger softball program made a strong run in the effort. Doane finished the season 22-22, six wins shy of the school record set the previous season. Injuries eventually caught up to the Tigers late in the season when the team needed to make a run.
Still, many strong performances came out of this year. Second Team All-GPAC member Stephanie Mosley ended the season on a 16-game hitting streak. Jennifer Montoya was named Second Team All-GPAC as the designated player. Catcher Alyssa Ledon and infielders Skyler Rowe and Amber Remmers were named honorable mention. Rowe led the team with a .358 batting average while Remmers led with 86 defensive assists. Two pitchers had a solid season. Joy Vasa posted a 3.01 earned run average (ERA) and six wins. She was key in the Tigers early success as she threw 17.1 scoreless innings. Megan Steele posted a team best 11 victories, picking up double-digit wins in consecutive season.
TENNIS
Tennis Teams Built on Youth
The Tiger men’s and women’s tennis teams have built a foundation for success thanks to head coaches Pete Fiumefreddo and Amber Gilliam.
The men’s team finished the season 2-8 overall and 1-6 in the GPAC. The Tigers snapped a long losing streak that dated back at least seven years. Freshman Josh Siske posted four wins from his No. 1 singles position while four other Tigers posted at least two wins at their singles position.
The women finished with a 0-11 record and 0-8 in the GPAC. The Tigers had only four players most of the season, thus putting them in a 0-3 hole opening each match. Still, the team had some success as two players were named honorable mention All-GPAC. Freshmen Morgan Dietrich and Jenna Monter each posted 4-7 overall records in singles play. They also teamed up to go 2-5 in doubles action.
GOLF
Men’s Golf has Strong Finish
The men’s golf team may not have finished where they hoped, but several golfers had strong seasons this year. Leading the way was freshman Jason Cornelius who was named All-GPAC. Cornelius posted a 79.2 average per 18 holes during the fall and spring seasons. Matt Sexton, Brandon Wehenkel, Brent Cole and Mark Steskal made up the remainder of the team that brought home second place in the Blue River Shootout and third place in the Southeast CC Invitational. The Tigers season ended with a tenth place finish at the GPAC Championships.
Sports action photos courtesy of Andy McCallister