Wrapping up spring sports

Mia Riese

SPORTS EDITOR

Emma Nelson

SPORTS WRITER

Women’s Track and Field

Mia Riese

The women’s track and field team had an incredibly young roster, with 30 of 34 athletes being freshmen or sophomores.

The team started their season off at multiple indoor meets. Elmhurst College placed 3rd at the North Central College Opener, 6th at the Carthage College Metzger Invite, 2nd at the UW-Parkside Classic, 3rd at the Ripon College Invite, 3rd at the Chicago Margaret Bradley Invite, and 8th at the CCIW Indoor Championships.

Freshman Briana Rapsy (high jump) and senior Jami Lessila (800m) received All-CCIW Honors in indoor events. Sophomore Ali Mondrella (indoor pentathlon), senior Yasmin Chavez (indoor 60m dash), and freshman Amanda Lams (indoor triple jump) all set new indoor school records.

“We had our first CCIW Individual Conference Champion in five years when (sophomore) Emily Gilligan won the indoor mile, and we had more All-CCIW Honors than we’ve had in over ten years,” shared head coach Jordan Bartolazzi.

After the indoor portion of the season, the team went straight into the outdoor portion of their season, placing 4th at the Hanover Invitational during spring break.

During the outdoor portion, the team placed 7th at the Wheaton College Invitational, 5th at the Benedictine Eagle Invitational, 6th at the Don Church Twilight Meet, and 8th at the CCIW Outdoor Championship.

Emily Gilligan took 2nd in the 1500m at the Outdoor CCIW Conference Championships. Outdoor 4x100m relay of Yasmin Chavez, freshman Stacia Landry, freshman Sabrina Urban, and freshman Jenna Rapp set a new school record.

Briana Raysby (high jump), freshman Mallory Burke (high jump), freshman Natalia Hernandez (steeplechase), and Yasmin Chavez (100m) earned All-CCIW Honors in outdoor events.

Emily Gilligan earned Elmhurst College Female Athlete of the 2018-2019 (XC and Track/Field) season.

Men’s Track and Field

Mia Riese

The Bluejays started off their 2019 season placing 4th at the NCC Cardinal Opener. The indoor season continued with the Bluejays placing 9th at the Carthage College Metzger Invite, 3rd at the UW-Parkside Classic, 4th at the Ripon College Invite, 5th at the Chicago Margaret Bradley Invite, and 9th at the CCIW Indoor Championships.

Senior Jacob Mammosser earned a 1st place finish three separate times in the javelin at the Benedictine University Relays, Wheaton College's Don Church Twilight Meet, and the Wheaton College Invitational.

The Bluejays struggled in the outdoor portion; the highest placing was at their first outdoor meet of the season, where they placed 6th at the Hanover Invitational.

In the last four meets of the season, the team placed 9th at the Wheaton Invitational, 17th at the Benedictine Eagle Invitational, 10th at Wheaton College's Don Church Twilight Meet, and 9th at the CCIW Outdoor Championship.

“Our teams, men and women, are making strides to recruit more and become more of an actual track team,” explained Mammosser. “Our team is young, but should have many more All-Conference runners in the near future.”

Jacob Mammosser (javelin), Jim Robley (javelin), and Matt Toblin (pole vault) earned All-CCIW Honors in Outdoor Track.

Baseball

Mia Riese

The EC baseball team faced a rough 2019 season with a 11-27 overall record and 5-19 CCIW record.

The team traveled to Florida for spring break at the beginning of their season and were 3-4 on the trip.

“We weren’t anywhere near 100-percent healthy this season,” explained head coach Joel Southern. “We are obviously looking forward to our players getting healthy and being ready to compete at a high level next year.”

Freshman Drew Raspolich lead the team with a .339 batting avg. and junior Jordan Scrimpsher was right behind him with a .334 batting avg.

Junior Alex Kielion led the Bluejays on the mound as the top pitcher in conference play, pitching every week. Kielion posted a 4.60 ERA during the season.

Scrimpscher was voted First-Team All-CCIW for the 2019 season.

Softball

Emma Nelson

It is the final season for head coach Mike Paulo. He has been with the program for the last 13 years, but he has been in the head coach position for the last seven.

EC softball had a rough season going 9-24 overall and 2-14 in conference play. The Bluejays started their season in Florida where they played a total of nine games and walked away with a winning record of 5-4.

After Florida, the team struggled to find their groove. EC was able to split the conference doubleheaders with Millikin University and North Park University after coming up short on the first games of the series.

EC was able to end their season on a high note by winning the second game, 8-5, of their last game at Kalamazoo College.

Freshman Mia Tran and sophomore Veronica Zahn were selected to the CCIW All-Conference softball team.

Men’s Lacrosse

Mia Riese

Men’s lacrosse had another great season going 11-6 overall, 5-1 in conference, and making an appearance in the 2019 CCIW Championship game. This was the first championship appearance in program history.

Senior Mac Harden surpassed 200 goals, becoming the first Bluejay in EC men’s lacrosse history to do so.

Harden also earned CCIW Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and Elmhurst Male Co-Athlete of the year.

“We had a bunch of guys really find their game this year, so it was a good year for a lot of individuals,” explained Harden.

Senior Eric Langston earned First-Team All-CCIW Honors. Sophomore Marcus Yandall and sophomore Andrew Frerich earned Second-Team All-CCIW Honors.

Women’s Lacrosse

Mia Riese

The Bluejays collected one win over Olivet College (18-2) in the 2019 season. The women’s lacrosse team posted a 1-13 overall record and went 0-7 in conference play.

Sophomore Kalie Miller lead the team’s stats with 17 goals, 3 assists, and 20 points in the 2019 season.

Men’s Tennis

Mia Riese

The men’s tennis team ended the 2019 season with a 7-13 overall record and 2-5 in conference play.

The season started off with a 6-3 win over Lake Forest College. However, the team lost its mojo, losing three straight before gaining another win.

The Bluejays fought back and took big wins over Illinois Wesleyan University (5-4), Dominican University (8-0), and Simpson College (5-4).

The season ended with the team taking 6th at the CCIW Championships.

CCIW Semi Final Men's Lacrosse vs Carthage

Mia Riese

SPORTS EDITOR

The Elmhurst College men’s lacrosse team cruised passed Carthage College, 21-9, at Langhorst Field, for the CCIW semi-final championship win Wednesday night, May 1.

The Bluejays came out hot scoring the first five goals of the game and held Carthage scoreless until the 1:26 mark in the 1st quarter. Freshman Andrew Frerich added two goals, sophomore Ty Funderburk added three goals, and junior Dan O’Connell added a goal to put EC up 6-1 at the end of the 1st.

Frerich and sophomore Marcus Yandall scored early in the 2nd quarter to push the lead up to 8-1. Funderburk scored again at 9:19 to increase the lead to 9-1 over Carthage.

The Bluejays held off the Red Men until 6:30 in the 2nd quarter, but the Red Men fought back by scoring three straight goals. EC added another goal before the end of the quarter, but Carthage countered a goal with 14 seconds left in the half. The score was 11-6 going into halftime.

EC and CC went back and forth for the first nine minutes of the 3rd quarter until O’Connell scored at 2:54 to put the Bluejays up 15-8. Within the last 15 seconds of the quarter EC scored two goals. Funderburk snagged a Carthage pass and assisted a behind the shoulder goal by senior Mac Harden. Funderburk then added another goal to put the Bluejays up 16-8 at the end of the 3rd.

“Staying attentive to the task at hand and not getting carried away with emotions ensures our play will beat their [Carthage’s] play, plain and simple,” explained Harden.

The Bluejays’ rally continued into the 4th quarter as Harden and freshman Cullen Nordeman upped the score to 18-8. Carthage only scored one goal in the remaining quarter of the game. EC kept their foot on the gas and added three more goals to the scoreboard.

“Our goal is to make a statement to the rest of the conference that we are a true threat and hungry for a championship and will be for years to come,” said Funderburk.

The 21-9 victory earned the men’s lacrosse team a trip to the CCIW Championship against Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday, May 4. This is the first appearance in the CCIW Men’s Lacrosse Championship in EC’s men’s lacrosse program history.

Spotlight: Jake McMillan leads Bluejays by example

Mia Riese

SPORTS EDITOR

Senior Jake McMillan, captain on the Elmhurst College baseball team, had his eyes set on playing infield his freshman year. However, that changed his sophomore year when head coach Joel Southern put him in the outfield. McMillan has been the starting center/left fielder for the Bluejays for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

“We didn’t really know where he would end up playing, but he is a guy that has self-adjusted with his swing and fielding,” said Coach Southern.

McMillan is currently third on the team in batting posting a .289 avg, second on the team in RBIs with 18, and 6-6 on stolen bases this season.

In the Bluejays 14-12 loss against Carroll University on April 20, McMillan went 2 for 5, had one RBI, and three runs scored.

McMillan delivered again for the Bluejays on May 1 against Augustana University going 1-3 at the plate, had one RBI, and one run scored. Unfortunately, the team took a 15-3 loss against Auggie.

On May 3, McMillan went 1-4 and had two RBIs, helping the Bluejays secure a 5-1 win over North Park University.

“There have been a lot of frustrating moments this season that I could have negatively reacted to, but I have realized keeping my cool and controlling what I can control is the best way to deal with them,” McMillan said about the 2019 season.

McMillan earned first-team All-Conference Honors in the 2018 season, along with being a key defensive and offensive player for the Bluejays this season. However, perhaps his biggest impact has been the leadership he has brought to the team.

“He leads by example, is vocal when he needs to be, and you tell him something once and he does it,” explained Coach Southern.

McMillan and the Bluejays will wrap up the 2019 season at North Park University, Saturday May 4.

Player spotlight: Marcus Yandell steers ahead in lacrosse

Mia Riese

SPORTS EDITOR

Sophomore Marcus Yandall, a stand out player for the EC men’s lacrosse team this season, earned the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Offensive Player of the Week award.

The athlete received the recognition after shining in Bluejay victories over Albion College on April 4, and Carroll University on April 6.

In the game against Albion, Yandall scored five goals and had four assists in the 24-12 win. He scored five goals and totaled four assistants again later in the week against Carroll University. The Jays shut out Carroll University 24-0.

“I think I have improved significantly in terms of having confidence with my shooting,” said Yandall. “I’ve always had more of a pass-first mentality, but this year I have raised my number of goals scored.”

Into the next week, Yandall stayed on a hot streak with five goals and one assist in the team’s 24-1 win over the University of Dubuque.

Yandall was awarded CCIW second-team all-conference in 2018 as a freshman. This season, he ranks second on the team with 28 goals, leads the team with 26 assists, and ranks second in points with 54.

The men’s lacrosse team will host Carthage College on Wednesday, April 24 for a CCIW match up.

Softball suffers loss against Carthage

Emma Nelson

SPORTS WRITER

The Elmhurst College softball team suffered two hard conference losses to Carthage College on Saturday, April 6th at their home field.

In the first game of the day the Bluejays lost 3-0. The game was scoreless for three innings until Carthage scored one in the fourth by two hits before the Bluejays were able to get three outs.

“Coming into the game, I knew it was going to be a tough team, so I had to give it all I had, and leave it all out on the field”  explained freshman pitcher Sydni Gizynsk. “Throughout the game, my strategy was to just make sure I was staying on top of my pitches and working just as had as I was coming into the game.”

Again, in the sixth, Carthage scored twice, starting with a walk to the lead off batter and a double by the third batter of the inning which gave way to a RBI and later scored.

In the second game of the day, the Bluejays were losing 1-0 until the top of the fifth inning when senior Rebecca Ondracek hit a double into left field which scored senior Juilanna Bauer who was standing on third and sophomore Veronica Zahn who was standing on second making the score 2-1.

However, in the bottom of the fifth Carthage came out hot and Elmhurst was not able to contain them. Carthage scored six, making the score 2-10 Carthage. Elmhurst was unable to answer in the top of the seventh leaving them with a 2-10 loss to Carthage.

The Elmhurst softball team is back in conference play action Sunday, April 7th, at Millikin University.

Men's lacrosse takes hit against Depauw

Mia Riese

SPORTS EDITOR

The Elmhurst College men’s lacrosse team took a rough 8-4 loss Tuesday, March 12th against the Depauw University Tigers.

The Bluejays gave up three goals in the first quarter of the game and could not match the intensity of Depauw’s offense. The Tigers continued to put the pressure on in the second quarter, making the score 4-0 at 14:24.

“When Depauw went up 4-0, I just kept telling our younger guys to keep plucking away,” explained senior Dan O’Connell. “We’ve been in similar situations before, and come out on top, but unfortunately we weren’t able to recover this time.”

With nine minutes left in the second quarter, freshman Marcus Yandall scored the first goal of the game for EC, making the score 4-1. Depauw countered back scoring another goal with only 27 seconds left in the half.

Depauw was up 5-1 going into the second half. EC then rallied in the third quarter with a goal by senior Dan O’Connell and another goal by junior Mac Harden.

The Bluejays came in within two and held Tigers off until the final seconds of the third quarter. With 1:48 left in the quarter, Depauw scored, and pushed their lead to 6-3.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers scored again, putting them up by four. EC fought back with a goal by Harden with 11:45 left in the game.

With one minute left in the fourth quarter, Depauw scored the final goal of the game to seal a 8-4 win over the Bluejays.

The men’s lacrosse team heads to California to face Whittier College on March 23.

Bluejays lend a hand for athletes with disabilities

Emma Nelson
Staff Writer

A few Elmhurst College basketball players teamed up with the non-profit Access Sports this season to coach basketball for kids and teenagers with disabilities.

After reaching out to Bluejays basketball coach John Baines for interest in the job, Dena Seidenfuss, the director of the local organization aiming to provide kids with disabilities access to team sports, hired five players to coach the teams every Sunday for seven weeks.

“Elmhurst players raised the bar for what Access Sports athletes could achieve,” said Seidenfuss. “They are committed to helping our athletes grow, learn, and have fun.”

Access Sports athletes have basketball practice for one hour every Sunday, which begins with an active warm-up of stretches like skipping, backpedaling, and bear crawling led by the EC players and York High School volunteers.

Then the coaches teach the athletes basketball skills and drills, that include dribbling, passing, rebounding, and shooting.

At the end, perhaps the favorite part for everyone, the teams scrimmage each other for the remainder of the practice.

“My favorite part is laughing with them and seeing the excitement they have for completing a task successfully, for example when they make a basket in a scrimmage,” said EC women’s basketball player Gina Offerman. “Their celebrations are priceless.”

Other Access Sports basketball coaches for the 2018-2019 season that are from EC are men’s basketball player Jay Militello, women’s basketball players Mia Riese, Maggie Grady, and Kourtney Schuetz, and men’s basketball assistant coach Peyton Wyatt.

Spring 2019 sports preview

Mia Riese and Shalyn Brady
Sports Editor and Sports Reporter

Men’s Baseball

After a successful 2018 season, which saw the team go 22-17 overall and 11-12 in the CCIW conference, the BlueJays are looking to get their season started off on the right foot when they travel south to Jacksonville, Ill., and Anderson, Ind., for a nine game tournament on February 23 to open the 2019 campaign.

The team will not see CCIW action until March 30 when they take on Carthage College on their home field. They will play teams from the CCIW 16 times this season, with 14 coming from out of conference play.

Trey Compton, Jacob McMillan, and Alec Berry make up the senior class, with the rest of the roster filled out by 12 freshman, five sophomore, and 14 junior players. Head coach Joel Southern will begin his 13th season as the team’s leader.

Compton comes into this season after leading the BlueJays in batting average, with a .344 average in 157 at-bats. Berry owns the best record of current pitchers, with a 4-1 record and 3.71 ERA.

Women’s Softball

In what could be seen as a tough season, the women’s softball team are ready to open the 2019 season on a fresh start. Going 16-19 overall and 6-10 in the CCIW conference, the BlueJays will play two games at home before traveling to Clermont, Fla. for spring break (opponents, dates, and times have yet to be announced).

CCIW matchups begin on April 6 when, like the men’s baseball team, the BlueJays host Carthage College. In a bit of a shorter season than baseball, the women will face CCIW teams eight times, with out of conference games taking up over seven games.

A senior-heavy team will look to veteran experience to help right the ship in 2019. Eight seniors makeup a roster of 23 women, with nine freshman, three sophomore, and three junior players. Mike Paulo, the women’s head coach, is entering his seventh year at Elmhurst College.

Young outfielder Veronica Zahn leads the team with 115 at-bats and a .426 average in 2018. Senior Stefania Passarelli had a 4-3 record, while junior Emily Despain collected an impressive 3.25 ERA.

Women’s Golf

With just two tournaments during the spring season, the women’s golf team are hoping to find success right from the tee off. Both tournaments fall in the beginning of April, just one week apart: The Judson University Invitational (April 8) in West Dundee and The EC BlueJays Spring Invitational (April 16) on their home course in Oak Brook.

Nine women, in which only two are upperclassmen, shape the roster, with Todd Scheuerman entering his 13th season as the women’s golf head coach.

Sydney Roberts had the lowest round of the fall season, shooting an 82 through two events and finishing in the top 10 two times. Roberts is a returner on this season’s squad, a freshman from Buford, Ga.

Men’s Tennis

Despite a tough start to the 2019 season, the men’s tennis team seeks to bounce back when they continue play on February 23 against Wabash College.

Opening 2019 with a 6-3 win over Lake Forest College, the Bluejays dropped their next two against Wartburg College (4-5) and Loras College (3-6). Saturday’s game will be their fourth of 17 this spring.

EC plays their first CCIW match on March 2, and from April 14 - 27, the BlueJays will only face conference teams. The team failed to pick up a match against a conference team in the 2018 season, going 0-7.

Seniors David Demoll and Chris Wallace hope to lead this BlueJays team back to success, with Jason Foreman continuing his rookie season as head coach. Foreman was a member of the men’s tennis team from 2009-12 and has become a tennis coach at all levels of the sport.

Women’s Lacrosse

The Elmhurst College women’s lacrosse team had a rough 2018 season, earning a overall record of 5-10, and a CCIW record of 0-6.

Putting the past behind them, the women’s lacrosse team looks to take on the 2019 season with help from key returners, Yaziria Cisneros, Larissa Arvanites, Tessa Sellentin, and Theresa Marcello.

Head coach Allison Brady believes the team has “doubled offensive production and rebounding after a tough season with a very young team” and “expects that with the returning players and our new additions we will be even more competitive in our schedule.”

The Bluejays 2019 home opener vs. Wartburg has been postponed due to inclement weather. Now, they will open up the season vs. Cornell College at home on February 23.

Women’s Track and Field

The EC women’s track team enters the 2019 season with only one senior. However, only four meets into their indoor season, the young team has added 24 performances to the EC All-Time Ten Indoor Performance List.

Top performers for indoor 2019 so far have included sophomore Emily Gilligan (800/1500), freshman Briana Raysby (high jump), sophomore Yasmin Chavez (100/200), freshman Stacia Landry (200/400), senior Jami Lessila (800), sophomore Elita Spadlowski (5K/10K), and sophomore Ali Mondrella (heptathlon).

Head coach Jordan Bartolazzi believes the team is “still in a rebuilding phase, but there are several athletes who will give themselves good shots at earning All-CCIW Honors and competing for spots on the National Performance List.”

The women’s track team will finish their indoor season at the Carthage Final Qualifier and the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The outdoor season will open up at Hanover College on March 30.

Men’s Track and Field

The Bluejays only finished in the top five twice in the 2018 season. However, the men’s track team returns many strong All-CCIW Honorees.

The majority of strength this year, like last, comes from the team’s throwers. Last season, senior Jim Robley took 3rd in the Javelin, followed by senior Jacob Mammosser in 5th place. Senior Dave Michaels also earned All-CCIW Honors in the Shot Put by placing 5th place.

Sprints are led by juniors Jake Taheney and Chris Griffith. Seniors Juan Castaneda and Joe Rivas look to earn All-CCIW Honors in the 1500 and lead the team in distance.

Even though the majority of the team is comprised of upperclassmen, the Bluejays look to add depth with freshmen Justin Parbs, Brandon Godfrey, and Matt Tobin in Pole Vault.

Head Coach James Akita is excited about the 2019 season, and says the team’s “goal each year is to improve as a team and have every member improve as people and as athletes,” and “We have a great squad working hard, so I am confident this will happen.”

The men’s track team will finish their indoor season at the Carthage Final Qualifier and the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The outdoor season will open up at Hanover College on March 30.

Men’s Lacrosse

The men’s lacrosse team had an incredible 2018 season, taking a 13-3 overall record and 5-1 CCIW record.

In the 2018 season, the Bluejays outscored their opponents with goals by period (236 to 211), took more shots by period (681 to 479), and took more shots on goal by period (438-271).

For the 2019 season, the Bluejays will be led by key returners senior Mac Harden, junior Ty Funderburk, sophomore Marcus Yandall, and sophomore Andrew Frerich.

The team rolled into the 2019 season with the same energy. They opened up their season with a 12-10 road win over Ohio Northern University on February 16.

The Bluejays are back in action February 23, hosting Hope College for their home opener.  

Bluejay women play close game against Millikin

Shalyn Brady
Sports Reporter

Photo courtesy of elmhurstbluejays.com

Coming off a loss on Wednesday, January 23, the Elmhurst College women’s basketball team dropped a tight game at home, 79-72, to Millikin University on Saturday, January 26. The team now sits with eight wins and 11 losses on the season, with four wins and six losses in CCIW conference play.

After starting off slow, the BlueJays finished off the first quarter trailing by six points, Millikin playing disciplined in their own zone. At the end of the half, the BlueJays stormed back to lead the Big Blue 44-33, with Millikin only scoring 11 points in the second quarter.

EC did not drop the lead throughout the entire third quarter, ahead 60-52 with 10 minutes left to play. With the BlueJays hitting 42.9% of their field goals, they were able to stay committed to clean play and hold on to a commanding lead through 20 minutes of play.

But in the fourth quarter, the Big Blue took a three-point lead, 68-65, with under four minutes left. The BlueJays took 11 personal fouls in the fourth quarter alone, never once hitting double digits in fouls through the first three quarters. With much of Millikin's points coming from the free throw line, the Big Blue were able to hang on late and beat the BlueJays in a comeback win, 79-72.

Senior Kellee Clay lead the team with a 66.7% field goal percentage, and sophomore Kelly Weyhrich had six assists and two rebounds to help the team expand on their lead throughout the middle of the game. Despite the loss, the BlueJays hung in with the Big Blue in almost every category and played a solid all-around game.

EC will take on Augustana College in Rock Island on Thursday, January 31, and are back home in Faganel Hall Saturday, February 2, to face Wheaton College.

Theresa Hutto leads bowling team one strike at a time

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

Theresa Hutto. Photo from ecbluejays.com

The Elmhurst College women’s bowling team has had a rough start to their season going 4th of eight teams, 19th of 27 teams, 8th of 10 teams, 15th of 18 teams, and 18th of 24 teams in their past five contests.

Head coach Mike Nape shares that “the struggle comes from having a young team, which is a problem we have faced before,” and “the lanes have been very difficult this year.”

Despite the trials for the team that is comprised of mostly freshmen, there is one bowler that has made her mark. Captain Theresa Hutto has kept the team alive this season.

Her top performances this season in scoring were a 204 against Stephen F. Austin, a 203 against Sam Houston State, and a 200 against Mt. Mercy. Hutto is currently the second highest scorer on the team with a 165 average.

Not to mention, last season she earned honorable mention All-Conference awards from the MIAA and posted eight games of 200 or higher. She also scored a season high 267, which made her top four of all time scoring in a single game at EC women’s bowling history.

However, it is not just what her scores have been that put her in the spotlight. It is her team player attitude.

Hutto was described by coach Nape as “exactly what a coach wants in a college athlete” and “the nicest person” who “always has a great attitude and takes on any task you ask of her.”

The hottest players to look out for in the upcoming MLB season

Shalyn Brady
Sports Reporter

Bryce Harper. Picture from NBC Sports

The MLB offseason is just starting to heat up, and for Chicago baseball fans, that means rumors glore. Who is going where? Who is an early lock for the World Series? It is a fun time to be a fan because this year’s free agent market is glorious.

While the Cubs made a push towards the postseason at the end of 2018, the White Sox are still in full rebuild mode. Each organization has young talent waiting in the pipeline for their moment to shine, but patience is key when developing baseball players.

The winter meetings, a gathering each December of executives and personnel from each organization, is poised to be full of trades and signings. And for fans following along at home, it can be hard to determine what your team is looking for. We are here to give you some information to keep your eyes on as the offseason rolls on.

For Cubs fans, look for general manager and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein to make a move for either a strong starting pitcher or big outfield bat. Names like Patrick Corbin, Dallas Keuchel, and Nathan Eovaldi could be affordable and strong options. Bryce Harper, the biggest free agent on the market, has been linked to the Cubs on multiple occasions already, so look for him as a possible big ticket item on the North Side.

As for the White Sox, pitching is going to be where they need to focus as well. They have money, and they have plans to spend big this winter. J.A. Happ is another strong candidate, as well as Lance Lynn. Do not be surprised if they go after young stud Sonny Gray, a phenom early in his career with Oakland, but struggled in the New York market with the Yankees this past season.

As mentioned earlier, Bryce Harper, as well as Manny Machado, are the biggest names on the market in terms of position players. Both are asking for north of $200 million (in Harper’s case, it is rumored he is looking for $300 million minimum), and it could be a tall order to get them signed long term. But, if either the Cubs or the White Sox could work it out, it would be a franchise-altering move.

Harper is going into his age 26 season, with a .279 career batting average and 27.4 career WAR (wins above replacement, essentially a statistic that measures how valuable a player is to his team. The higher, the better). Machado is also entering his age 26 season, with a .282 career batting average and a 33.8 career WAR. Both provide depth in the batting order and are both regarded as reliable veteran players, despite little playoff experience.

Keep your eyes on the hot stove, because as the calendar moves into December, it is only going to get hotter—despite the snow outside.

Bluejays wrestling off to a strong start with Wheaton win

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

Courtesy of ecbluejays.com

The Elmhurst College wrestling team opened the 2018-2019 season with 30-22 win over CCIW opponent Wheaton College.

A rocky start for the Bluejays, Wheaton’s Carlos Fuentz pinned EC’s Antonio Bess at 125 pound weight class, resulting in the Bluejays trailing 6-0.

New to the EC team, transfer Zach McCullough, evened the score by pinning Wheaton’s Ethan Harsted at 4:26.

Jimmy McAuliffe took the Bluejays ahead 12-6 by quickly pinning Cameron Calabrese at 1:52. Christian Komitas, a freshman, scored a 22-7 technical fall against Andy Harrell in the 149 pound weight class. Komitas improved the Bluejays’ score to 16-6.

At the 157 pound weight class, Keone Derain scored 9-1 over Caele Manley, bumping the Bluejays score to 21-6.

Wheaton’s Jonavan Huggins battled back at the 165 pound weight class with a last minute pin over Howie Olson. With the score at 21-12, EC’s Nevian Brittain pinned Wheaton’s Jacob Murrie at the 174 pound weight class.

Then a tough decision was made by the coaching staff to forfeit the 184 pound weight class. The forfeit brought the score 24-18, but the Bluejays still held the lead.

Head coach Steve Marianetti explained, “We had a strategic plan to move Mark Miller up a weight, and he had to adapt to the last minute change to wrestle at 197.”

The move was the right decision, as Miller got the pin over Wheaton’s Max Gierke.

Wheaton’s Darien Miller took the 285 pound weight class pin over EC’s Karim Fuentes in the last match of the dual.

The Bluejays took a 30-22 victory over Wheaton. The wrestling team returns to action December 1 at the MSOE Invitational.  

Bluejays men's basketball gains victory over BU

Shalyn Brady
Sports Reporter

In their first game of the 2018-19 season, Elmhurst College men’s basketball team made a statement, defeating the Benedictine University Eagles 83-76 at home in Faganel Hall on Saturday night, November 17.

Sophomore Jake Rhode led the way, shooting 8-for-16, grabbing 10 rebounds and going 8-for-11 on free-throws. Senior Jeremy Ireland was on the court for 35 of the total 48 minutes, shooting 3-for-8 and securing 9 rebounds for the Bluejays.

Though Benedictine made a late push in the 2nd half after struggling with possession in the 1st half, the Bluejays were able to fend off the Eagles and secure a victory. In a game that saw chances flying on both ends of the court, consistency in the offense was key. While the defense struggled with turnovers, especially late in the game, the scoring was enough to hold on for the win.

EC is coming off an average season last winter, ending the 2017-18 run with a 13-12 overall record, and a 6-10 record within the CCIW conference play. After losing just one senior in Brandon Auker last season, the team has five graduating seniors to part with after this season. With a young team ready to win, the Bluejays got off on the right foot Saturday.

The Bluejays will host Blackburn College on Tuesday, November 20 and then hit the road for a two game trip to Buena Vista University and Wabash College. They will be back in action on Saturday, December 1 in Faganel Hall as they take on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

2018 fall sports recap

Mia Riese and Shalyn Brady
Sports Editor and Sports Reporter

Women’s XC

With a heavily dominated sophomore team, the women’s cross country team came out hot by placing second at their first meet of the 2018 season, the Earlybird Invite.

At the second meet of the season, the Aurora Invite, the Bluejays captured a first place title. Top runners at the Aurora Invite were Emily Gilligan, Elita Spadlowski, Isabella Wolke, and Alisandra Mondrella.

Emily Gilligan was the top finisher for the Bluejays for Earlybird and Aurora Invitationals. Gilligan finished second at the Earlybird Invite and sixth at the Aurora Invite, resulting in her receiving CCIW Athlete of the Week.

The women’s XC team kept the 2018 season rolling with a fifth place finish at the Augustana Invite.

Becky Garcia was the Bluejays top finisher at the Benedictine Eagle. The team finished 11th without the majority of their regular top runners.

At the final invite of the season, the Pre-National Invitational at University Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Gilligan, Wolke, and Spadlowski led the Bluejays to a 33rd place finish.

Emily Gilligan and Elita Spadlowksi earned All-CCIW Honors.

Men’s XC

Graduating five seniors last year, the men’s cross country team had to rely on the freshmen class and a few seniors to carry them through the 2018 season.

The Bluejays opened up the season with a fourth place finish at the Earlybird Invitational. The team was led by Ashith Chirayath placing 30th and Juan Castaneda placing 32nd.

As the season continued, Castaneda and Chirayath were the top finishers for the Bluejays as the team finished 12th at the Aurora Invitational and 17th at the Augustana Invitational.

The Bluejays competed at the CCIW Championships, earning an eighth place team finish out of nine teams.

However, head coach James Akita explained the eighth place finish by saying, “We competed, and with 3 top 25 teams in the country in our conference, it can be tough to place high. On top of that, our number 5 runner, Armando Alvarez dropped out due to injury, which hurt our team score.”

Juan Castaneda placed 23rd at the CCIW Championships, being just three places shy of receiving All-CCIW honors.

Women’s Tennis

The Bluejays welcomed new head coach Tadd Matlby and assistant coach Terry Maltby to their coaching staff for the 2018 season.

The new coaching staff led the women’s tennis team to a 7-4 overall record and a 4-4 conference record.

The women’s tennis team cruised passed many of their opponents—only taking losses to North Central, Augustana, Carthage, and Wheaton.

Captain Rachel Rettger commented on the success of the team, “It was the team’s first winning season in 10 years, so that was something we were all proud of.”

The Bluejays wrapped up the 2018 season with a huge 9-0 conference win over North Park University. Doubles Kathryn Wheeler and Rachel Rettger, Chiara Guidio and Ysabel Gonzaga, Sarah Paist and Maddy Freeman swept all three double matches. The team also easily took all six single matches.

The women’s tennis team will be back in action for the 2019 spring season.

Football

The football team started the season off with a great 21-20 win over Aurora University. However, it stopped there.

After the first game of the 2018 season, the Bluejays struggled to get another win under their belt. The Bluejays lost all 5 of their home games and also lost on the road to Carthage, Illinois Wesleyan, and North Central.

Despite the team struggles, defensive player Brandon Greer earned CCIW Player of the Week two times this season. Kicker Blake Bailey also earned a CCIW Player of the Week honor.

The Bluejays wrap up their season Saturday, November 10 at Wheaton College.

Women’s Golf

The women’s golf team, made up of primarily freshmen and sophomores, struggled to stay afloat this season.

Three of the five tournaments the Bluejays finished in last place—one of those being the 2018 Women’s Golf CCIW Invitational.

However, the Bluejays earned a third place finish out of five teams at their home Invitational at Oak Brook Golf Course. Freshman Sydney Roberts led the way for the Bluejays at their home tournament shooting 82, which made her tie for second place. Sophomore Eva Toon shot 86 for a ninth place finish, and freshman Julia Shaver shot 99 for a 23rd place finish.

The women’s golf team has two spring 2019 Intiationals, April 8 and 16.

Women’s Volleyball

The women’s volleyball team finished the year with a 12-19 record, which falls just below the average for a .387 win percentage. From that 12-19, they only came away with two wins in conference play, losing six for a .250 win percentage in the CCIW. They dropped five of those 19 at home, winning only three matches in their home gym.

Despite the difficulty of finding success for this young and growing team, the Bluejays finished the season with back-to-back wins against Benedictine University and Lincoln College.

Junior right side hitter Bailey Brouwer led all attackers with a 3.05 kill per set average, racking up a total of 338 kills on the season, while junior setter Kelly Townsend led the charge all season long, accumulating 626 assists and a 5.91 assist per set average. Freshman defensive specialist Valerie Thomas finished her rookie season strong with 432 digs, a 4.32 dig per set average.

The women’s volleyball team is one of the youngest, with ten players currently on the roster who still have three more years left at EC.

Women’s Soccer

After falling to Wheaton College in the CCIW semifinals on October 31, the women’s soccer team wrapped up its season with a successful 9-6-2 record for a .588 win percentage. They went an even 4-4-0 in conference play, won five matches on home turf, and went 4-4-1 on the road.

Freshman MJ Lessila came onto the team and dominated from the start: she finished the season first in goals with six, second in points with 13, and fifth in assists with one. She also had a team-high three game-winning goals. Senior Sidney O’Keeffe contributed 14 points, three goals, a team-leading eight assists, and one game-winning goal in what was a strong final season.

After starting the season on a hot 5-0-1 streak, they surrendered their first loss on September 18, 19 days into their season. With losing ten seniors this spring, they welcomed in five freshman, all of who performed well in their first seasons on the team.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team dropped their final game of the season on October 27, a 1-4 loss to Illinois Wesleyan University. They ended the year with a 4-14 record and a .222 win percentage.

The team won just 2 at home and dropped 8, while going 2-8 on the road. In the process, the team fell to a 2-5 record in CCIW play.

Senior Keegan Thompson was stellar throughout the season, leading the team in every single category. 11 points, 4 goals, and 3 assists.

Men’s Tennis

In their first season under new head coach Jason Foreman, the men’s tennis team had a final record of 0-19. They won 14 of 149 total sets played, winning with just a .009 percentage.

The team of seven players will be losing two in Chris Wallace and David Demoll come springtime.

Men’s Golf

Playing in seven tournaments this fall, the team finished in top the five three different times, including one first overall victory.

Four players led the way in rounds played with 11, and two of those four had team lows of 68. Senior Curtis Geiger had one first place finish in the Judson Fall Invite—the same tournament in which the team came away with first place—and freshman Ethan Green ranked second overall in just his second tournament of the year, the Aurora University Invitational. At their annual Elmhurst College Fall Invitational, the Bluejays captured third place with an overall score of 302.

Soccer loses to Auggie

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

Homecoming weekend at Elmhurst College finished with the women’s soccer team (9-4-1) taking a 4-0 CCIW loss on a penalty kick by Augustana at Langhorst Field Saturday night, October 20.

EC’s key defensive player and captain Kennedy Irmen tore her ACL Wednesday, October 17 against North Central, and the Bluejays had to reorganize their back line for the Auggie game.

Auggie attacked early in the first half with header into the back of the net by Karissa Gottardo, assisted by Jordyn Sundberg.

The Bluejays went into halftime only trailing 1-0, but the Vikings came out with full force in the second half.

Anna Fank, for the Vikings, scored off of Abby Wendell’s corner kick 13 minutes into the second half. Then Andria Seria added another goal, increasing the lead to 2-0 for Auggie.

The Vikings went on to score another goal when Wendell sent a corner kick into the box, and then Seria scored off of an assist by Fank.

The Bluejays shuffled defense could not keep up with Auggie’s offensive pressure. Now, the Vikings had quite the opposite effect on the Bluejays’ offense.

“Auggie had a really solid back line, and that made it hard for us to penetrate and get into the box in order to get some dangerous attempts on goal,” explained senior MF Jami Lessila.

The Bluejays only had 6 shots on goal compared to Auggie’s 12.

In the final moments of the game, Auggie scored again when Fank converted on a penalty kick, resulting in Auggie cruising away with the 4-0 win over EC.

The Bluejays travel to Kalamazoo College Tuesday, October 23 for a non-conference matchup.  

Bluejays fall short at homecoming game

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

It was a bitter ending to the Homecoming game Saturday, October 20 when the Bluejays lost in the last six minutes after leading since the kick off.

The Bluejays’ offense came alive for the overflowing crowd in the first quarter when Jim Robley scored on an 18 yard pass from Jake Tahnaey. The drive took 5 plays for 82 yards. Kaiden Triniger kicked the extra point.

Millikin evened out the score in the second quarter with Jazontae Howard’s 6 yard touchdown run. The drive took 15 plays for 93 yards, and Raibley secured the extra point.

Later in the second quarter, EC broke the 7-7 tie with a 28 yard field goal by Kaiden Triniger. The drive was completed in 11 plays for 51 yards.

In the third quarter, EC stretched their lead to 13-7 after driving 54 yards in 11 plays to score with a 27 yard field goal by Triniger.

The Bluejays’ defense held off Millikin in the third quarter when Romaine Richards sacked quarterback Cal Pohrte on the 40 yard line on 4th down giving EC back the ball. Brandon Greer also helped the Bluejays’ defense in the third quarter with an interception in the end zone, which kept Millikin from scoring.

EC failed to get a first down on their next possession, and Millikin took the ball at midfield after the EC punt. In the middle of the fourth quarter, Pohrte found Tyrice Hines for a 33 yard touchdown pass, giving Millikin a 14-13 lead.

“With 5 minutes left on the clock, the hope was to drive down the field to get into field goal position [range],” said head coach Ron Planz’s about his strategy when Millikin took the lead.

However, at Millikin’s 45 yard line, EC turned the ball over with one minute left. This allowed Millikin to run out the clock and steal this year’s EC Homecoming football game.

The Bluejays travel to North Central College next Saturday, October 27 for another CCIW match up.

Bluejay volleyball defeated by Aurora

Shalyn Brady
Sports Reporter

After splitting a tough day on Friday, October 19 with a straight set loss to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a 3-2 hard-fought win over University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the Bluejays fell in 3 sets to the Spartans of Aurora University on Saturday afternoon, October 20—their second straight set loss in two days.

Though comebacks would be had throughout the contest, the Spartans, led by outside hitter Karli Chambers, overpowered in almost every aspect of the game.

With a total of 49 kills, 2 aces, 7 blocks, 46 and 52 digs, the Spartans cruised through the 1st set, winning 25-17. The closest the score ever got was 15-12 when the Bluejays closed within three.

The 2nd set was a much closer game, with the Spartans barely escaping with a 26-24 win. The Bluejays stormed back from a tough 10-6 start, using a 6-1 stretch to bring the game to 23-21. But yet again, the Spartans rallied and closed it out in extra points. The 3rd sounded much like the middle set, with the Bluejays closing in on a win with a 20-19 lead. But the Bluejays ran out of gas, and the Spartans grabbed the 25-20 win, closing out the weekend with a sweep over the home team.

Though the Bluejays had a tough weekend at home, head coach Julie Hall had some positive things to say about her squad.

“Our team is super young, super inexperienced, and the goal for us is to get better every day, so even though we took a couple steps back, I think overall, we got better as the weekend went on.”

Junior right-side hitter Bailey Brouwer hung toe-to-toe with Chambers, notching 14 kills, while fellow junior setter Kelly Townsend had 37 assists to match Aurora’s 40 from setter Emily Lines. They currently hold a 10-17 record on the season.

The Bluejays have one more home game of the season against North Park on Wednesday October 24, and then they close out the season with a road game at University of Chicago on Friday, October 26, and with two against Lincoln College and Benedictine at Benedictine University on Saturday, October 27.

Bluejays rally against North Central

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

After graduating all six of their starting positions, the EC volleyball team had to started scratch. Still, the young team consisting of sophomores and freshmen rallied past CCIW opponent, the North Central Cardinals, on October 2 at R.A. Faganel Hall.

The first set went back and forth and was tied 9-9 until sophomores Taylor Zurliene and Kaye Lesure led a 4-0 run for EC. However, North Central countered back coming within 1 point of EC. Again, the Bluejays pulled away with a 5-1 run. The Cardinals trailed behind the Bluejays the rest of the set. The Bluejays won the first set 25-20.

The Bluejays came out hot in the second quarter, leading the scoring 12-5. The Cardinals could not keep up with EC’s pressure, and came no closer than 3 points the rest of the set, thus resulting in a 25-18 victory for the Bluejays.

In the third set, the Bluejays kept rolling and got an early 10-6 lead. The Bluejays then upped the score to 22-13, and North Central could not keep up. EC took the win in three sets.

“Even though they are young, they have experience,” said head volleyball coach Julie Hall on the team’s success. “They also have a willingness to get better, are coachable, and take it personal when things don’t go well.”

The volleyball team is back in action, Wednesday, October 10 at Carthage College.

Emily Gilligan is a force to be reckoned with

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

Sophomore Emily Gilligan, the top female cross country runner for the Bluejays this season, never ran a XC meet in her life until this season. After seeing her times and places this season, no one would believe that for a second.

Gilligan came as a sprinter for the track team, but that changed when head coach Jordan Bartolazzi noticed her voluntarily running with the team last fall.

“Emily was setting the pace for our long runs, and she wasn’t even on the team,” said Coach Bartolazzi. “Now, she is 10 seconds away from being with the top 10 runners in Elmhurst College history.”

Gilligan placed 2nd at the Earlybird Invite, which was her first XC meet ever. She then went on to place 6th at the Aurora Invite, 9th at the Augustana Invite, and 6th at the Minnesota Invite. At each of these invites, she was the top finisher for the women’s XC team.

Not to mention she was named CCIW Athlete of the Week for women’s cross country after running in the second XC meet of her career.

“I didn’t run my freshman year because I had never planned on running cross country, but I couldn’t be happier with how everything unfolded last year when I realized that I liked long distance,” Gilligan explained.

Gilligan’s PR is a 22:46 for a 6k, and that puts her in the running to be CCIW All Conference this season.

Bluejays lose yet again

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

The Elmhurst College football team took a gut wrenching loss against Carroll University on Saturday at Langhorst Stadium.

The Bluejays went into the game without their starting quarterback, Orlando Hernandez, because of an ankle injury.

“Anyone would get nervous when the starter goes down, but luckily our coaching staff did a good job preparing us for this situation,” explained substitute QB Chase Hankins.

However, the team lost 16-14.

The Bluejays offense came out strong in the second quarter. They drove 85 yards down the field with 10 plays. They resulted in a touchdown run by WR Jawan Gaines to put them on the board 7-0. The extra point was good by Blake Bailey.

Carroll then countered in the third quarter by driving 80 yards down the field with 9 plays. They resulted in a touchdown run by QB Colton Bahling to put the Pioneers on the leaderboard.

Going into the fourth quarter, the game was tied 7-7. Carroll drove 12 yards with 6 plays, without a touchdown, resulting in a 28 yard field goal. The Pioneers go up 10-7, but the Bluejays battle back with an interception by CB Brandon Greer, leading to a QB Ryan Summers 3 yard run touchdown putting the Bluejays up 14 to 10.

The Bluejays almost pulled off the win without starting QB Orlando Hernandez. However, with 6 seconds left in the game, Carroll’s WB Parker Zitzke received a pass from QB Colton Bahling resulting in a game winning touchdown for the Pioneers. The Pioneers drove 73 yards with 17 plays in a heartbreaking loss for the Bluejays.

The Bluejays will be back in action, Saturday, September 29, at Carthage College.