Saints Have Nine Scholar-Teams

Nine SHU teams were honored as NAIA Scholar-Teams for their efforts in the 2017-18 academic year. With the fourth highest grade point average in the NAIA, the women’s golf team led the Saints as it sported a 3.84 GPA. The dance team earned a 3.62 GPA, followed closely by the softball team with a 3.59 GPA. Other teams honored by the NAIA include women’s volleyball (3.50), women’s soccer (3.44), women’s lacrosse (3.40), men’s golf (3.26), baseball (3.13) and cheer (3.04). For a team to be considered for the award, it must have a minimum 3.0-grade point average. The team grade point average includes all eligible varsity student-athletes.

Student-Athletes Excel in the Classroom (Again)

A total of 522 SHU student-athletes earned a 3.15 grade point average in the 2018 winter semester. Leading the way in the classroom was the women’s golf team with a 3.86 GPA, followed by softball (3.62), women’s soccer (3.53), women’s volleyball (3.52) and women’s cross country (3.51). All 11 of the women’s teams earned a 3.0 GPA or higher, with an aggregate of 3.41 for the women. On the men’s side, the men’s bowling team led the way with a 3.18 GPA, followed by the baseball team (3.16), men’s golf (3.13), men’s soccer (3.03) and men’s cross country and men’s volleyball (3.0). The men’s aggregate GPA for the semester was 2.95.

The Saints’ 610 student-athletes had a cumulative 2.94 grade point average for the fall 2019 semester. The women’s volleyball team led the way with a 3.54 GPA, with women’s soccer second (3.49) and softball third (3.46). The top men’s team was cross country with a 3.05 GPA.

Baseball

Senior Brendan Green and junior Logan Nolff were each named to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference second team to lead the Saints’ honorees. Green also received the conference’s Gold Glove Award for the third time in four years as a first baseman. Earning all-academic honors were seniors Green, Brenden Baker, Reid Olmstead, Landon Lumbrezer and Snyder Torres, juniors Delver Freites and Michael Jones and sophomore Jaden Payne. Senior Trevor Willis was the team’s Champions of Character recipient. Green was also named to the academic all-district team and later earned second team Academic All-American honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America. The Saints finished 20-22 overall, 10-12 in the conference.

Saints Again Earn Team Academic Excellence Award

The Saints were awarded the 2017-18 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award for the third consecutive year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. The team had a team GPA of 3.16 for the academic year. The Saints were one of 14 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) member schools to receive the award this year, and join the University of Jamestown (N.D.) as one of two NAIA teams to be granted the award every year since its inception in 2015-16.

Kolasinski Named President of ABCA

Head baseball coach John Kolasinski became the president of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) on Jan. 4. He oversees the more than 10,000 member organization that includes baseball coaches from NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, high school and youth. He will also represent the ABCA at the 2019 MLB All-Star Game in Cleveland this year as well at the 2019 MLB World Series. Kolasinski becomes just the sixth NAIA coach named ABCA president.

Softball

The Saints defeated Cleary, Indiana Tech and Northwestern Ohio to claim the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament championship. SHU received an automatic berth to the NAIA National Tournament as it claimed its first conference championship since 1996. Senior infielder Ashley Helmink was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Player of the Year to lead the Saints’ all-conference honors. She also earned a spot on the first team as well as the all-defensive and all-academic teams. Helmink was later named first team All-Region and a first team All American by both the NAIA and National Fastpitch Coaches Association after batting .462 with 10 home runs, nine triples, 25 doubles and a whopping 60 runs batted in. Senior Racquel Ward was named first team all-conference as a pitcher, going 19-10 with 2.62 earned run average and 22 complete games. Freshmen outfielder Sam Hill and pitcher Kelsey Uhl were each tabbed to the all conference second team. Also earning all-conference academic honors were Ward, Ashley Bearden, Jordan Bianchi, Kayla Boland and Erika Schwartz, with Kristi Carlson receiving the team’s Champions of Character Award. The Saints had six players earn NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition, including Boland, Helmink, Bearden, Ward, Bianchi and Schwartz. Helmink and Boland were also each named to the academic all-district team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Both advanced to the national ballot. The Saints finished 35-16 on the season, 16-6 in the conference.

Helmink Named NAIA First Team All-American

Recent Siena Heights graduate Ashley Helmink was among 60 student-athletes named to the 2019 NAIA All-America teams. Helmink was one of the 20 best NAIA softball players on the All-America first team. Helmink led the Saints in many categories and had a season batting average of .462 among hitters with more than 10 at-bats. She broke single-season records for runs, doubles, triples, and RBIs. Her .462 batting average is the second-highest season total in program history as are her 80 hits and her 10 home runs for 2019. The North Ridgeville, Ohio native is the lone representative in the state of Michigan and is the only member from the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) to be named All-American. The second baseman adds this honor to a phenomenal season in which she accumulated several awards including 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-America First Team, NFCA All-Region, Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, WHAC Player of the Year, first team All-WHAC, All-WHAC defensive, and Academic All-WHAC.

Saints A Top 10 NAIA Academic Team

The Saints were fourth in the NAIA in academic performance according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Siena Heights had a team GPA of 3.591 during the 2017-18 academic year. It is the fourth straight year the Saints have earned a top 10 distinction. In addition, the Saints had a NAIA-best 17 student-athletes honored as Scholar Athletes.

eSports

Rocket League Finishes Season Strong

SHU’s Rocket League team finished ranked sixth in the North America Tespa ladder to finish its season. The Saints finished in the round of 16 at a tournament, losing to North Carolina by one goal in overtime. In the CSL Fall 4 tournament, SHU made it to the final four for the third time this season and was the top NAIA school finisher.

eSports Adds FIFA, Madden and NBA2K

SHU was the first college or university in the U.S. to offer scholarships to play FIFA, Madden NFL and NBA2K. SHU will compete in the National Association of Collegiate eSports (NACE), the Collegiate Starleague (CSL) and in other local tournaments with these games this fall.

Soccer

Women: Senior Taylor Mulder was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American College Division first team, the first Saint women’s soccer player to earn the honor. Mulder had 17 goals last fall and is a biology major with a 4.0 grade point average. The teams consist of the 22 best NAIA student-athletes. Mulder was also named to the NAIA District 1 All-Academic Team by CoSIDA. Junior Julia Stancato was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the year to lead the Saints. The first team all-conference honoree scored six goals last season. Mulder also earned first team status for the second time in her career. Earning second team was senior Paige Rachut, with Kelsey Cheaney, Kathryn Gordon, Madeline Reau and Madison Tedora receiving academic all-conference honors. Cheaney, Mulder, Reau and Gordon were each named NAIA Scholar-Athletes. In order to make the list, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average. The Saints finished 13-6 overall, 6-5 in conference play.

Men: The Saints had 10 student-athletes honored by the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. Sophomore Justin Gray was named second team all-conference after scoring six goals this season. Making the WHAC All-Academic Team were seniors Elmedin Celovic, Matt Lentine, Brent Rodden and Matt Wilkie and juniors Kiah Finley, Leo Hisamatsu, Austin Siterlet, Brayden Stephan and Tim Van Landedham. The Saints had a conference-best seven honored as NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Earning the honor included seniors Rodden, Lentine, Wilkie and Celovic and juniors Stephan, Siterlet and Hisamatsu. In order to make the list, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average.

Cross Country

Women: The Saints placed fifth at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championships in Grand Rapids. Freshman Casie Nadasky was 15th overall in a time of 19 minutes, 15.1 seconds. Sophomore Andrea Crowe was 30th in 19:55.7. Nadasky earned an individual bid to run in the NAIA National Championships Nov. 16 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She finished 182nd overall in a time of 19:20. Michayla Miller was named a NAIA Scholar-Athlete for the Saints.

Men: The Saints finished fourth at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championships in Grand Rapids. Senior Esrom Woldemichael led the way, finishing 11th in a time of 26 minutes, 25.8 seconds. Nicholas Barth was 21st in 26:43.5. Woldemichael was named second team all-conference, with junior Shane Skelcy earning the team’s Champions of Character award. The Saints finished 28th in the nation at the NAIA National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The top individual finisher for SHU was Woldemichael, who was 42nd in 25:27. Jareb Duggan was 122nd in 26:06.

Volleyball

Women: Senior Christine Tylutki earned a spot on the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference first team. Tylutki led SHU with 301 kills and was second in digs (386). She also was the recipient of the team’s Champions of Character Award. Senior Ashleigh Slay was named all-conference second team, with Janel Ruhlman earning a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Earning all-academic honors were Tylutki, Shay, Rebekah Collier, Taylor Felver, Madison Sitter and Anna Tartarian. Felver, Tylutki, Collier and Tartarian were each named NAIA Scholar-Athletes. To earn the honor, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average. The Saints (17-15) were eliminated by top seed Aquinas in the opening round of the WHAC Tournament.

Men: The Saints (18-10) were eliminated by Aquinas 3-0 in the semifinals of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament. The Saints had four players earn honors from the WHAC. Junior Emilier De Jesus was named the Libero of the Year in earning second team all-conference honors. He led the Saints in digs (323) and aces (37). Junior setter Keegan Crawford and sophomore hitter Alex Garavalia were also named to the second team. Evan Cashen earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team, with Garavalia receiving the team’s Champions of Character Award.

Football

The 20th-ranked Saints finished 7-3 overall, 3-3 in the Mid-States Football Association Mideast Division. The seven wins was the most in program history, and Siena Heights finished in the NAIA top 25 national poll for the first time. Senior tailback D’aries Davis rushed for 1,093 yards for the season, and finished with a program-best 2,729 for his career. Senior defensive lineman Malik Edwards and junior cornerback Trevon Claybourne were each named to the MSFA Mideast first team. Edwards finished with 8 1/2 quarterback sacks and 10 1/2 tackles for loss. Claybourne had a team-high four interceptions and eight pass breakups. Earning second team honors were Davis, senior wide receiver Damon Wright, junior tight end Will Walker, senior guard Ryan Carlson, junior center Stanley Fink, senior defensive linemen Izayah Newsom and DeVonte Collins-Anderson, junior linebacker Griffin Sobol and sophomore linebacker Nick Stalworth. Senior receiver Adam Glanders, senior linebacker E.J. Shaah and freshman Jax Gasaway each earned honorable mention. Claybourne was also named NAIA All-American honorable mention. Glanders, Newsom and placekicker Brady Tanguay were each named to the NAIA District 1 All-Academic Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The Saints had 10 student-athletes named to the Mid-States Football Association All-Academic Team. Those honored included Tanguay, Newsom, Glanders, Jerrold King, Brock Quinlan, Jarrad Whited, Justin Carrabino, Andrew Loria, Shaah and Austin Krider. Newsom was also named a first team NAIA Academic All-American by CoSIDA.

Indoor Track and Field

Women: The Saints finished third at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championships in Grand Rapids. Leading the way were Mildranae Young-Brooks, who claimed first place in the 60 hurdles in a time of 8.6 seconds. Other conference champions were Haley Hudson in the shot put (46 feet, 11.5 inches) and Rachel O’Neill in the weight throw (52-2.5). Placing second were Kierra Rice in the 60 hurdles, the 4×400 relay of Madisyn Kleinschmidt, Delaney Stersic, Emily Hill and Young-Brooks, Hannah Cain in the pole vault and Courtney Taylor in the shot put. Young Brooks and Hudson each earned All-American honors at the NAIA Championships in South Dakota. Young-Brooks was third in the 60 hurdles in a time of 8.73 seconds. She competed in three other events. Hudson was fifth in the shot put (14.19m) to also achieve All-American status.

Men: The Saints placed fifth at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championships in Grand Rapids. Earning conference championships were Brent Rodden in the 800 (1:56.45) and Robert Drew in the weight throw (54-10.75). Placing second was the 4×400 relay of Jordan Parkinson, Matt Lentine, William Jackson and Rodden. Rodden finished third in the 800 run to earn All-American honors at the NAIA Championships in South Dakota. He ran a time of 1:52.9.

Basketball

Women: The Saints (23-8) had their season end as Lawrence Tech pulled off a 68-63 overtime victory in the opening round of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament. Senior Alyssa Larson was named first team All-Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference after leading the Saints in points (11.4) and rebounds (6.5) per game this season. Junior Demi Russell earned second team All-WHAC with Peyton Banks receiving a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Named to the WHAC all-academic team were Haley Hoffman, Maria Repichowski, Addyson Tomczak, Clara Waidley and Larson. Larson was also the team’s Champions of Character recipient. Tomczak, a junior, and Hoffman, a senior, were also named NAIA Scholar-Athletes. To make the list, student athletes must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average.

Men: The Saints (17-13) were eliminated from the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament as top seed Cornerstone claimed an 84-66 victory. Junior Keith Jordan Jr. was named first team All-Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference after leading the Saints in scoring (17.6) and rebounding (6.4) per game. He also earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team after averaging 1.4 blocks per contest. Jordan was also named to the NAIA All-American honorable mention team. Junior DeMarco Dickerson was named second team All-WHAC, while junior Jon Hovermale made the all-academic squad. Junior Kevin Smith was the team’s Champions of Character recipient. Hovermale was also named a NAIA Scholar-Athlete. To make the list, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average.

Cheer

The Saints placed fourth at the Wolver-ine-Hoosier Athletic Conference champi-onships. Juniors Cassandra Smith and Samantha Wright were named to the academic all-conference team, with Megan Serin the recipient of the team’s Champions of Character award. The Saints had their best showing of the season in placing ninth at the NAIA Northeast Regional.

Dance

The Saints placed third at the NAIA Northeast Regional. Siena Heights (82.19 points) finished only behind St. Ambrose (91.71) and Point Park (88.54). That effort earned them an at-large bid in the 12-team NAIA National Championships in Davenport, Iowa. There, the Saints finished seventh. Jenna Stahl and Sydney Bramlett were each named NAIA All-America honorable mention. Juniors Haleigh Ouellette and Stahl were each named NAIA Scholar-Athletes. To earn the honor, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average.

Bowling

Women: The Saints placed fifth at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championships. Aquinas topped the Saints in the semis. Coach Charles Cain was named the WHAC Champions of Character Coach, while Olivia Cabildo and Cassandra Costello were each honored on the WHAC all-academic team. Cabildo was also the recipient of the team’s Champions of Character award.

Men: The Saints placed seventh at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championships. Keith Reid was selected as the team’s Champions of Character recipient.

Lacrosse

Women: Senior Samantha Pawlowski and sophomore Jenna Sommerville were each named first team All-Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference performers. Pawlowski scored 43 goals and added 10 assists, while Sommerville had 56 goals and nine assists. Katherine Tapia, Alexis Nicole, Kristin Delclos and Mackenzie Fisette were each named to the second team, with Danielle LaPointe, Casey Rappuhn, Natalie Williams, Fisette and Tapia earning spots on the all-academic team. Pawlowski received the team’s Champions of Character Award. LaPointe, Fisette and Williams were each named NAIA Scholar-Athletes. To receive the honor, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average. The Saints finished 8-10 on the season. After the season, head coach Cindy Hill announced her retirement. She was the program’s first coach, building the Saints into a national power as the sport was eventually added to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. She was named the WHAC Coach of the Year in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons. During the 2018 season, the Saints finished 13-5 and made their first appearance in the NAIA Invitational. She served as chair of the WHAC Women’s Lacrosse Committee for three years and also served on the NAIA Hall of Fame Committee.

Men: Freshman Jake Gallaher earned a spot on the All-Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference first team. He led the Saints with 37 goals and 29 assists as well as 81 ground balls. Earning all-academic honors were Nolan Lyons, Nolan Mince and Parker Richards, with Alex Gilbert receiving the team’s Champions of Character Award. Lyons and Richards were each named NAIA Scholar-Athletes. To receive the honor, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average. The Saints finished 7-7 on the season.

Golf

Women: The Saints finished fourth at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championships. Dakota Spears finished in eighth place overall with a 238, with Madisyn Reed 11th (244) and Amy Nordstrom 19th (252). Reed, a junior, garnered a spot on the all-conference second team, while Gabby Anderson, Allison Barron, Nordstrom and Reed earned spots on the all-academic team. Nordstrom received the team’s Champions of Character Award.

Men: The Saints finished eighth in the final team standings of the Woverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championship. James Monteith finished 19th individually with a two-day total of 232. Aaron Bitz tied for 21st with a 235. Bitz also earned a spot on the conference all-academic team and received the team’s Champions of Character Award.

Outdoor Track and Field

Women: The Saints won six events en route to a second place finish at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championships. Delaney Stersic broke the conference record by winning the 400 in a time of 56.37. Also winning events were Asia Gardner in the 100 (12.06), Haley Hudson in the shot put (46 feet, 6.75 inches), Tina Miller in the discus (131-2), Rachel O’Neill in the hammer throw (160-7), and Jaymz Gibson in the javelin (113-4). Earning seconds were Kierra Rice in the 100 hurdles, the 4×100 relay of Madisyn Kleinschmit, Mildranae Young-Brooks, Emily Hill and Gardner, the 4×400 relay of Young-Brooks, Casie Nadasky, Gardner and Stersic, Courtney Taylor in the hammer throw and Christine Tylutki in the javelin. The Saints also finished seventh as a team at the NAIA Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala. Hudson completed her collegiate career by finishing second in the shot put. Her All-American effort of 49 feet, 8.25 inches set a new school record as well as a U.S. Paralympics record for the hearing impaired. Others earning All-American honors were Julia Forbes in the long jump (19-4.75, third), Rice in the 100 hurdles (third, 14.02), Young-Brooks in the 100 hurdles (fourth, 14.02), the 4×100 relay of Kleinschmit, Gardner, Young-Brooks and Forbes (fourth, 46.43) and O’Neill in the hammer throw (eighth, 165-10). The Saints had five student-athletes named NAIA Scholar-Athletes, including Hill, Hudson, Gibson, Michayla Miller and O’Neill. To make the list, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average.

Men: The Saints placed second at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Championships. Keith Jordan was named the Most Outstanding Performance after winning the high jump in a school record effort of 7 feet, .75 inches. Also taking firsts were Brent Rodden in the 800 (1:52.56), the 4×800 relay of William Jackson, Jareb Duggan, Rodden and Jordan Parkinson (7:48.47), Robert Drew in the discus (166-8) and Zachary Kunst in the hammer throw (168-11). Earning second were Drew in the shot put, Kunst in the discus, the 4×400 relay of Naythan Haslam, Garret Young, Rodden and Robert Milton and Rees Nemeth in the pole vault. Tim Bauer was named the WHAC’s Champions of Character Coach. The Saints had five student-athletes earn NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, including Austin Siterlet, Rodden, Young, Matt Lentine and Michael March. To make the list, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average.