2008-09 Weekly News and Notes | Oct. 27, 2008
LAST WEEK----------------------------------------------
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22
Men's Soccer St. Thomas 3, St. Olaf 0 | Box
Women's Soccer Gustavus 1, St. Olaf 0 | Box
Volleyball St. Olaf def. Macalester 3-0 | Box
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24
Volleyball St. Olaf def. Bethel 3-0 | Box | Video | Pr | Ph
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25
Football SJU 20, St. Olaf 14 (OT) | Box | V | A | Pr | GN | Ph
Men's Soccer St. Olaf 3, Hamline 3 | Box | Pr
Women's Soccer St. Olaf 6, Hamline 3 | Box
THIS WEEK----------------------------------------------
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28
Men's Soccer @ Bethany Lutheran College, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29
Women's Soccer vs. University of Saint Thomas, 3:30 p.m.
Volleyball vs. Hamline University, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31
Men's Hockey vs. Lake Forest College, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1
M Swimming/Diving Northfield Relays, 11 a.m. (@ Carleton)
W Swimming/Diving Northfield Relays, 11 a.m. (@ Carleton)
Football @ Concordia College-Moorhead, 1 p.m.
Men's Soccer @ Carleton College, 1 p.m.
Women's Soccer vs. Carleton College, 1 p.m.
Men's Hockey vs. St. Norbert College, 2 p.m.
W Cross Country @ MIAC's, 3 p.m. (Como Park, St. Paul, Minn.)
M Cross Country @ MIAC's, 2 p.m. (Como Park, St. Paul, Minn.)
Volleyball @ Carleton College, 7 p.m.
NEWS/NOTES----------------------------------------------
Men's Cross Country
- The St. Olaf men's cross country team, idle last week in preparation for this weekend's MIAC Championships, jumped eight spots to 27th in the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Top 35, released Wednesday... Only one MIAC and Central Region foe, St. Thomas at 26th, is ahead of St. Olaf.
- St. Olaf has won the MIAC cross country championships twice, most recently in 2004... Any hopes for a title this fall will be helped in large part by Dubuol Ruon... Ruon, a sophomore in his first season of collegiate cross country, has been the Oles' top runner this season earning wins at the St. Olaf Invitational and Wis.-Eau Claire's BluGold Invite... Ruon's 8k time of 24:52 at the BluGold Invite is the third-best ever run by a St. Olaf cross country athlete.
- Cullen O'Neill and David Green, both seniors, have consistently been St. Olaf's second and third runners this season... O'Neill has finished in the top 15 in all but one race this year, while teammate Green has carried over successes in last years' track season to the cross country course. O’Neill and Green were the Oles' number three and five runners, respectively, at last years MIAC championships.
- Jon Lambert, another Ole sophomore, will also be a factor for the team in the championship race... Lambert was the Oles' second runner at the 2007 MIAC's, and has been the team’s number three or four runner in each race this season.
Women's Cross Country
- The St. Olaf women's cross country team, off last week to get rested for Saturday's MIAC Championships, moved up two spots to 27th in Wednesday's United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Poll... The team is sixth among Central Region teams and third of MIAC schools in the poll.
- St. Olaf, which was third at the 2007 MIAC Championships, has won the event eight times - most recently in 2002.
- Seniors Annie Knutson and Jenna Carlson have been the Oles' top runners this season, always scoring as the team's first two runners... Knutson, who was fifth on the team and 25th overall at last year's MIAC Championships, has had a standout season, finishing 18th or better in each race she competed in... She was also named MIAC athlete of the week the week of September 22 following a fourth place finish at the St. Olaf Invitational.
- Carlson is the Oles' top returning runner, following up a fourth place finish at last year's championships... She has finished in the top-20 in all but one race she has competed in this season, and ran her best time of the season at La Crosse's Tori Neubauer Invitational, where she finished 29th overall with a time of 22:45.
- The key to the team's success will lie with the efforts of the remaining scorers...A combination of juniors Michaela McLaughlin, Abby Smith, and Nellie Adams, senior Katie Duwell, and first year Hannah Dennis could all be contenders to score for the team, which has seen a variety combinations in positions three through five this season.
Football
- St. Olaf (3-4, 1-4 MIAC) dropped a 20-14 overtime game to Saint John's University on Saturday, despite holding the visiting Johnnies to 201 yards of total offense and 11 first downs.
- The Johnnies 20 points against St. Olaf were the second-least in the series since 1986, only outdone by the Ole defense's 2004 effort in a 21-19 St. Olaf win when SJU committed eight turnovers on a rain-soaked Manitou Field.
- The Oles, who have lost four in a row after starting 3-0, had a chance to win the game in regulation but had a low-lining 22-yard field goal blocked in the final seconds... St. Olaf completed a pass on its first play of overtime, but fumbled inside the 10-yard line and SJU recovered.
- St. Olaf plays at Concordia College-Moorhead on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Men's Hockey
- The St. Olaf men's hockey team opens its 2008-09 schedule this weekend with a pair of non-conference home games at the updated Northfield Ice Arena... Friday, the Oles host Lake Forest College at 7 p.m. before a 2 p.m. Saturday game against perennial power St. Norbert College.
Men's Soccer
- The St. Olaf men's soccer (9-6-1, 4-4-1 MIAC) lost a key game at St. Thomas on Wednesday before playing Hamline to a 3-3 tie on Saturday.
- The Oles have been eliminated from the four-team MIAC playoffs, a year removed from making the tournament final.
- Phil Kennedy put the Oles up 3-2 with 8:29 to play in regulation in Saturday's tie, but a late Hamline goal sent the game to overtime... St. Olaf is now 2-0-1 in overtime games this season.
- St. Olaf has two games left, a non-conference game at Bethany Lutheran on Tuesday and the MIAC finale at nationally-ranked Carleton on Saturday... With a win in either game, St. Olaf would reach at least ten for the tenth time in the career of 21st-year head coach Kurt Anderson.
Women's Soccer
- The St. Olaf women's soccer team (7-6-1, 4-2-1 MIAC) went 1-1-0 this week, losing a 1-0 game at Gustavus on Tuesday before a 6-3 win at Hamline on Saturday.
- Catie Christoffel had three goals and two assists to lead the Oles to the win over host Hamline... Christoffel's eight points rank as the most in an MIAC game this season and are the second-most for any player from the league in any game... Christoffel is second on the team in goals (7), assists (3-t) and points (17) behind fellow first year Lindsay Howard.
- The team's top four and six of its top eight scorers are first years.
- The Oles, who have an outside chance of making the four-team MIAC playoffs, host the University of St. Thomas on Wednesday and Carleton College on Saturday to close the regular season.
Volleyball
- The St. Olaf volleyball team (19-10, 5-4 MIAC) won both its matches in straight sets this week, at Macalester on Wednesday and at home against Bethel on Friday night... With two matches left, the Oles are in fifth place in search of a berth to the six-team MIAC Playoffs... St. Olaf, which has made eight NCAA appearances, last made the MIAC postseason in 2005 and the NCAA field in 2002.
- Jess Levin had 11 and 12 kills in the wins this week to extend her streak to 25 matches with at least nine... She's had at least ten 23 times and hit at least .357 11 times during the stretch.
- Setter Kelly Prunty went over 1,100 set assists in the wins and has 1,152 this season... The total ranks 12th all-time at St. Olaf.
- The Oles close the regular season with a Wednesday home match against Hamline before a Saturday match at Carleton.
LAST WEEK----------------------------------------------
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22
Men's Soccer St. Thomas 3, St. Olaf 0 | Box
Women's Soccer Gustavus 1, St. Olaf 0 | Box
Volleyball St. Olaf def. Macalester 3-0 | Box
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24
Volleyball St. Olaf def. Bethel 3-0 | Box | Video | Pr | Ph
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25
Football SJU 20, St. Olaf 14 (OT) | Box | V | A | Pr | GN | Ph
Men's Soccer St. Olaf 3, Hamline 3 | Box | Pr
Women's Soccer St. Olaf 6, Hamline 3 | Box
THIS WEEK----------------------------------------------
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28
Men's Soccer @ Bethany Lutheran College, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29
Women's Soccer vs. University of Saint Thomas, 3:30 p.m.
Volleyball vs. Hamline University, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31
Men's Hockey vs. Lake Forest College, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1
M Swimming/Diving Northfield Relays, 11 a.m. (@ Carleton)
W Swimming/Diving Northfield Relays, 11 a.m. (@ Carleton)
Football @ Concordia College-Moorhead, 1 p.m.
Men's Soccer @ Carleton College, 1 p.m.
Women's Soccer vs. Carleton College, 1 p.m.
Men's Hockey vs. St. Norbert College, 2 p.m.
W Cross Country @ MIAC's, 3 p.m. (Como Park, St. Paul, Minn.)
M Cross Country @ MIAC's, 2 p.m. (Como Park, St. Paul, Minn.)
Volleyball @ Carleton College, 7 p.m.
NEWS/NOTES----------------------------------------------
Men's Cross Country
- The St. Olaf men's cross country team, idle last week in preparation for this weekend's MIAC Championships, jumped eight spots to 27th in the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Top 35, released Wednesday... Only one MIAC and Central Region foe, St. Thomas at 26th, is ahead of St. Olaf.
- St. Olaf has won the MIAC cross country championships twice, most recently in 2004... Any hopes for a title this fall will be helped in large part by Dubuol Ruon... Ruon, a sophomore in his first season of collegiate cross country, has been the Oles' top runner this season earning wins at the St. Olaf Invitational and Wis.-Eau Claire's BluGold Invite... Ruon's 8k time of 24:52 at the BluGold Invite is the third-best ever run by a St. Olaf cross country athlete.
- Cullen O'Neill and David Green, both seniors, have consistently been St. Olaf's second and third runners this season... O'Neill has finished in the top 15 in all but one race this year, while teammate Green has carried over successes in last years' track season to the cross country course. O’Neill and Green were the Oles' number three and five runners, respectively, at last years MIAC championships.
- Jon Lambert, another Ole sophomore, will also be a factor for the team in the championship race... Lambert was the Oles' second runner at the 2007 MIAC's, and has been the team’s number three or four runner in each race this season.
Women's Cross Country
- The St. Olaf women's cross country team, off last week to get rested for Saturday's MIAC Championships, moved up two spots to 27th in Wednesday's United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Poll... The team is sixth among Central Region teams and third of MIAC schools in the poll.
- St. Olaf, which was third at the 2007 MIAC Championships, has won the event eight times - most recently in 2002.
- Seniors Annie Knutson and Jenna Carlson have been the Oles' top runners this season, always scoring as the team's first two runners... Knutson, who was fifth on the team and 25th overall at last year's MIAC Championships, has had a standout season, finishing 18th or better in each race she competed in... She was also named MIAC athlete of the week the week of September 22 following a fourth place finish at the St. Olaf Invitational.
- Carlson is the Oles' top returning runner, following up a fourth place finish at last year's championships... She has finished in the top-20 in all but one race she has competed in this season, and ran her best time of the season at La Crosse's Tori Neubauer Invitational, where she finished 29th overall with a time of 22:45.
- The key to the team's success will lie with the efforts of the remaining scorers...A combination of juniors Michaela McLaughlin, Abby Smith, and Nellie Adams, senior Katie Duwell, and first year Hannah Dennis could all be contenders to score for the team, which has seen a variety combinations in positions three through five this season.
Football
- St. Olaf (3-4, 1-4 MIAC) dropped a 20-14 overtime game to Saint John's University on Saturday, despite holding the visiting Johnnies to 201 yards of total offense and 11 first downs.
- The Johnnies 20 points against St. Olaf were the second-least in the series since 1986, only outdone by the Ole defense's 2004 effort in a 21-19 St. Olaf win when SJU committed eight turnovers on a rain-soaked Manitou Field.
- The Oles, who have lost four in a row after starting 3-0, had a chance to win the game in regulation but had a low-lining 22-yard field goal blocked in the final seconds... St. Olaf completed a pass on its first play of overtime, but fumbled inside the 10-yard line and SJU recovered.
- St. Olaf plays at Concordia College-Moorhead on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Men's Hockey
- The St. Olaf men's hockey team opens its 2008-09 schedule this weekend with a pair of non-conference home games at the updated Northfield Ice Arena... Friday, the Oles host Lake Forest College at 7 p.m. before a 2 p.m. Saturday game against perennial power St. Norbert College.
Men's Soccer
- The St. Olaf men's soccer (9-6-1, 4-4-1 MIAC) lost a key game at St. Thomas on Wednesday before playing Hamline to a 3-3 tie on Saturday.
- The Oles have been eliminated from the four-team MIAC playoffs, a year removed from making the tournament final.
- Phil Kennedy put the Oles up 3-2 with 8:29 to play in regulation in Saturday's tie, but a late Hamline goal sent the game to overtime... St. Olaf is now 2-0-1 in overtime games this season.
- St. Olaf has two games left, a non-conference game at Bethany Lutheran on Tuesday and the MIAC finale at nationally-ranked Carleton on Saturday... With a win in either game, St. Olaf would reach at least ten for the tenth time in the career of 21st-year head coach Kurt Anderson.
Women's Soccer
- The St. Olaf women's soccer team (7-6-1, 4-2-1 MIAC) went 1-1-0 this week, losing a 1-0 game at Gustavus on Tuesday before a 6-3 win at Hamline on Saturday.
- Catie Christoffel had three goals and two assists to lead the Oles to the win over host Hamline... Christoffel's eight points rank as the most in an MIAC game this season and are the second-most for any player from the league in any game... Christoffel is second on the team in goals (7), assists (3-t) and points (17) behind fellow first year Lindsay Howard.
- The team's top four and six of its top eight scorers are first years.
- The Oles, who have an outside chance of making the four-team MIAC playoffs, host the University of St. Thomas on Wednesday and Carleton College on Saturday to close the regular season.
Volleyball
- The St. Olaf volleyball team (19-10, 5-4 MIAC) won both its matches in straight sets this week, at Macalester on Wednesday and at home against Bethel on Friday night... With two matches left, the Oles are in fifth place in search of a berth to the six-team MIAC Playoffs... St. Olaf, which has made eight NCAA appearances, last made the MIAC postseason in 2005 and the NCAA field in 2002.
- Jess Levin had 11 and 12 kills in the wins this week to extend her streak to 25 matches with at least nine... She's had at least ten 23 times and hit at least .357 11 times during the stretch.
- Setter Kelly Prunty went over 1,100 set assists in the wins and has 1,152 this season... The total ranks 12th all-time at St. Olaf.
- The Oles close the regular season with a Wednesday home match against Hamline before a Saturday match at Carleton.
