Goshen College Athletics 2007-08 Year In Review

The Transition Game (Pg. 28)Another NAIA Region Championship appearance (Pg. 14)Harnish’s Outstanding Season (Pg. 25)

Turning a New Leaf (Pg. 22)

CREDITS: The Maple Leaf 2007-08 Year in Review was designed, produced and written by the Goshen College Sports Information Department. Photography: Organized through the Goshen College Sports Information Department, photography was taken by Cory Furman, Tera Furman, Brian Steiner, and Josh Gleason. Printing: The Year In Review was printing by Goshen College Printing and Mailing Services. Additional assistance on the project was provided by the Goshen College Public Relations Department.

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS 2007-08

2007-08 YEAR IN REVIEW

FeaturesInside6 THE YEAR’S BEST

12 END OF AN ERATony Janzen hangs up his cleats after a pair of All American awards.

Philosophyof

athletics“Our intercollegiate athletics program is

an important facet of the total educational program at Goshen College.

A quality athletic program provides opportunities for the physical,

intellectual, emotional and spiritual development of its participants, players, and coaches. Quality includes a chance

to succeed athletically. It also means fidelity to our college mission, fairness

in opportunity for women and men, support for the academic aspirations of athletes, good sportsmanship and

attractive facilities. Athletes have the op-portunity to learn the important life skills

of wise time management, leadership and teamwork. Such life skills contribute

positively to students performance on the playing field, in the classrooms and in residence life. Athletic teams have numerous opportunities to model a

Christian lifestyle.”

10 TENNIS REVIEW

14 TRADITIONMen’s soccer reaches another NAIA Regional championship game.

17 FAN BASEThe Goshen College soccer complex is one of the hardest places to play in the MCC.

18 CLASS ACTWomen’s soccer excells on and off the field.

22LEAF TURNINGNew talent leads way.

24PATCH WORKA rebuilt women’s cross country team stands firm.

21 ACAYO: FAR FROM HOME

26PACK MENTALITYMen’s cross country stays close on the race track.

28 TRANSITIONMen’s basketball starts season 10-1 under first-year head coach.

30 HARTMAN: THE SPOTLIGHT

32SOWERS: NO REGRETS

34 GROWING UPWith eight underclass-men, the women’s basket-ball team makes strides.

36 NATIONAL STAGEPeters defends title.

40 STEP AHEADRecord-setting year.

42 INCHES AWAYBaseball Season Review.

46 THE FUTURESoftball looks to the future to repair the past.

38 NO WALK IN THE PARK

48 38 SENIORSA tribute to the class of 08.

51 NEWEST LEAFTim Demant named newAthletic Director.

44CNN ROUND TABLE

50 ALUMNI DEVELOPMENTSA look back to see how Goshen has shaped the lives of alumni.

Racewalker Tina Peters is racking up the national titles at Goshen.

Right: 2007 NAIA Region VIII Runner-Ups

20GOLF REVIEW

6THINGS

YOUSHOULD

KNOWABOUT

THEGOSHEN COLLEGE

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

1. WE BELIEVE IN THE IDEA OF A STUDENT-ATHLETE. Goshen College student-athletes are students first, participating in first-class and rigorous academic programs. We are proud to have featured 24 Daktronics NAIA All American Scholar-Athletes in the 2007-08 school year.

3. WE ARE PROUD TO BE A CHARACTER PROGRAM. As part of the NAIA’s Champions of Character program, we strive to support the goals and mission of the NAIA and Goshen College by representing our faith through good sportsmanship.

4. WE WANT TO WIN. Our athletes and coaching staff work tireless hours improving their skills so they are better prepared for the competition. In 2007-08, the Maple Leafs racked up 21 All Mid-Central Conference honors as well as 6 NAIA All American recognitions.

5. WE RELY ON OTHERS. With budgets tight around the country, we could not survive without the generosity of the Maple Leafs Athletic Club and others. To learn how you can help contact Doug Yoder at (574)535-7495.

6. WWW.GOLEAFS.NET WILL KEEP YOU UP TO DATE. To keep up to speed with the latest scores, highlights, recruiting news, and features on Goshen College athletics, please visit us online at www.GoLeafs.net.

2. TEAMWORK IS PART OF EVERYTHING WE DO. Student-athletes learn how to lead, fol-low and work as a team, lessons that will extend to different areas of their futures. As an athletic staff, we strive to give opportunities on and off the field for this type of social development.

4 Goshen College Athletics

BOMBS AWAY (right): Laurelyn Foderaro prepares to serve on way to MCC runner-up honors in No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.

SEEING IT THROUGH (bottom right): The men’s golf team posted their lowest overall score in four years at the MCC Champi-onships.

SUPPORT (left): Some of the largest and loudest crowds in the MCC are at the Goshen College Soccer Complex.

ON THE PITCH (below): Shane Kurtz pitches for the Maple Leafs.

PHOTOSTHE YEAR IN

5www.GoLeafs.net

I CAN’T REACH (far left): Wom-en’s cross country team members gather to stretch before a meet.

DOWN THE LINE (top right): A view from the top of a deep and young Maple Leafs’ women’s basketball team.

STANDING OUT (Bottom right): Laura Harnish’s outstanding junior season stood out even in the midst of bushes and trees.

OUT OF THE BLOCKS (right): Abri Houser (third from right) starts her race. The junior set a new school, track, and MCC record in the 100-meter hurdles at the MCC championships.

GLOWING (below): The women’s soccer team shined bright on and off the soccer pitch.

MOVING ON (top right): After seven years as the Goshen College Athletic Director, Ken Pletcher has moved to a role in the development office at Goshen.

SWEET SWING (bottom right): Straight from Uganda, Peni Acayo pounded out kill after kill on way to being named MCC and Region VIII Freshman of the Year.

TOP 10STORIES OF 2007-08

PLETCHER RESIGNSKen Pletcher moves to job in develop-ment after seven years as athletic director for the Maple Leafs.

PETERS DEFENDS TITLESophomore Tina Peters wins third-straight 3000-meter racewalk national championship.

FRESHMAN OF YEARPeni Acayo receives Mid-Central and NAIA Region VIII recognition in volleyball.

REGIONAL POWERThe Men’s Soccer team reaches their second consecutive Region VIII Championship game.

KRONK SETS RECORDDeanna Kronk named All American after breaking school record in weight throw.

SOFTBALL POSTPONED2008 softball season does not take place due to a lack of student-athletes.

PAIR OF ALL-AMERICANSTony Janzen and Kyle Stiffney named NAIA All Americans in men’s soccer.

FURMAN LEAVES POSTSix-year SID leaves for Messiah College (Pa).

BIG WIN FOR WOMENSoccer beats Taylor for just second time in 17 years.

Tavi Mounsithiraj

Men’s soccer coach Thavisak Mounsithiraj has been named Coach of the Year by his col-leagues in the Goshen Col-lege athletic department. Moun-sithiraj’s team entered the season ranked #16 in the NAIA polls, the highest preseason ranking in the 49-year history of the program. After start-ing a disapointing 0-3-1, Coach Mounsithiraj led the Maple Leafs through a series of injuries – in-cluding the loss of their

starting goalkeeper – to a third-place finish (5-3) in the Mid-Central Confer-ence regular season. With wins in the quar-

terfinals and semifinals of the MCC Tournament, Mounsithiraj led Gos-hen to its fourth MCC Tournament Champion-ship game in five years. Despite a loss, Moun-sithiraj took his squad into the

NAIA Region VIII and won on the road to send them to their second-straight Region Champi-onship game.

Coach of the Year


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B-BALL STARTS STRONGMen start 10-1, women win 10th straight opener.

7www.GoLeafs.net

TEAM OF THE YEAR

After a shaky 0-3-1 start, the Goshen College men’s soccer team rebounded, winning nine of its next twelve to reach its second-straight NAIA Region VIII Championship game and earned Team of the Year Honors as voted on by athletic staff. The Maple Leafs got an emo-tional boost on September 15th when they faced off against sister school Eastern Mennonite University in front of over 2,500 fans, alumni, students, and family in Pennsylvania. Goshen breezed past its Mennonite rival 4-1 sparking a run through Mid-Central Conference play. At 5-2 in league, the Maple Leafs hosted Indiana

Wesleyan with a chance for a share of their third-straight MCC regular-season championship. A 1-0 loss was only a temporary setback as a pair of wins in the

MCC Tournament sent them into the Region VIII Tournament. A 2-0 semifinal win on the road at Aquinas College put the Maple Leafs back to the region champion-ship game with a trip to their second-straight NAIA national tournament on the line. Again the Maple Leafs fell just short with a 1-0 loss to Madonna

University, but the team finished the season with a 12-8-2 record overall and 5-3 in the MCC.

Tony JanzenSoccer

Senior forward led team with 14 goals and 33 points to be named First-Team All Mid-Central Conference, First-Team NAIA Region VIII, and All American Honorable Mention. Janzen fin-ished career #6 in goals scored at Goshen with 44.

MALE

Peni AcayoVolleyball & Track

The Kampala, Uganda native was named Mid-Central Conference and NAIA Region VIII Fresh-man of the Year after averaging 4.59 kills a game (20th in the nation). On the track, Acayo earned All MCC honors after winning the high jump.

FEMALE


2007-08 GOSHEN COLLEGE YEAR IN REVIEW

2007-08 Year In Review Twenty-four Daktronics-NAIA All Amer-ican Scholar Athletes. Twenty-one All-Mid-Central Conference performers. Six NAIA All Americans. The Mid-Central Conference and NAIA Region VIII Freshman of the Year in volleyball. The Mid-Central Conference Defensive Player of the Year in men’s soccer. The numbers speak for themselves. It has been another outstanding year for the Goshen College Athletics Department. Like any other year, 2007-08 had its dis-appointments, but it also had some fantastic achievements. Those accomplishments for the 14 intercollegiate athletic teams and 186 student-athletes at Goshen College are what they will remember for the rest of their lives. They are the moments where real develop-ment begins. The moments that separate a mere game from a real-life lesson to be used no matter what the future holds. Hold on tight as we travel back through the year that was Goshen College Athletics 2007-08. SEPTEMBER: Volleyball’s win over Spring Arbor was the first MCC-opening win for the program since 2003...In front a huge crowd of friends, family, and alumni, the men’s soccer team displayed their talent in beating sister school Eastern Mennonite 4-1 – their first win against EMU in 20-plus years...At the Bethel Invitational, the men’s

cross country team won its first event in nearly a decade. OCTOBER: Athletic Director Ken Pletcher announced his resignation to take a position in development... The women’s soc-cer team holds on for a 1-0 win over Taylor – its first over the Trojans in ten years...Sashi Sabanathan and Beakel Girma combine for a MCC Championship title in No. 1 doubles...head cross country coach Doug Yoder takes over as Interim Athletic Director. NOVEMBER: A 2-0 win at Aquinas College sent the men’s soccer team to their second-straight NAIA Region VIII Champi-onship game...After trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, the Lady Leafs basketball team went on a run that culminat-ed with freshman Cassie Greives turnaround jumper at the buzzer to give Goshen a 59-58 win on the road. DECEMBER: The month got off to a fantastic start as the men’s basketball team threw a wrench into the MCC pre-season poll as they upset NAIA No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan behind Errick McCollum’s 34 points. The win gave the Leafs an incredible 10-1 start under first-year head coach Gary Chupp. JANUARY: Senior Brice Hartman put the men’s basketball team on his shoulders as he scored 16 points in the final seven

SEPT 5 – Win over Spring Arbor was the first MCC-opening win since 2003 for volleyball program.

SEPT. 15 – Men’s soccer defeats Eastern Men-nonite for first time since 1969 in 4-1 fashion.

SEPT 28 – Men’s cross country wins Bethel Invite for first team win in a decade.

OCT 11-13 – Sabanathan and Girma win first MCC doubles title since tourna-ment shifted formats in 2000.

OCT 25 – Yoder named Interim AD after Ken Pletcher resigns post.

9www.GoLeafs.net

2007-08 Year In Reviewminutes of regulation. His run brought the Leafs back from 20 points down as they went on to win 77-75 in overtime. FEBRUARY: Junior Deanna Kronk broke the school record in the weight throw three times on her way to All American honors in the event...Both basketball teams hold on for late wins over Grace giving each a chance to finish in the middle of the crowded MCC standings. MARCH: On a trip to Florida, the baseball team took 2-of-3 from sister school Eastern Mennonite on the strength of grand slams in back-to-back innings...At the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Nationals, sophomore Tina Peters easily defended her national title in the 3K race walk earning her third championship in a year and a half as a Maple Leaf. APRIL: The track program contin-ued to display its depth and talent as the women’s squad took third – its high-est finish ever – and the men placed

fifth at the MCC Championships hosted by Goshen...at the two-day event, the Maple Leafs shattered ten school, track, and meet records...despite struggling through the MCC schedule, the base-ball team got a complete game one-hit shutout – a sixth inning infield single – from Aaron Coy to overtake Grace College in the regular-season standing. MAY: An incredible eight, five women and three men, qualified for NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Nation-als held in late May in St. Louis...Soph-omore sensation Tina Peters walked her way to her fourth All American honor in two years as she took third in the 3000-meter racewalk.

What a year it was indeed! Con-tinue on through this year in review to hear more about these successes as well as others and how they have developed Maple Leaf student-athletes.

NOV 16 – Cassie Greives hits buzzer-beater as Leafs win on the road at Judson College.

FEB 16 – Deanna Kronk breaks weight throw record for second of three times this year on way to All American honors.

MAR 1-2 – Baseball hits grand slams in back-to-back innings as they win series over Eastern Mennonite.

MAR 7-8 – Tina Peters defends NAIA Indoor

National Title in the 3000-meter

racewalk.

JAN 23 – Brice Hart-man scored 16 in final seven-plus to bring Goshen back from 20-down in OT win over Marian.

By the NUMBERS...24 Daktronics-NAIA All American Scholar-Athletes

21 All Mid-Central Conference Selections6 NAIA All Americans

82 Maple Leaf Victories (9 sports with records)10 Overtime/ Extra-Inning Contests

189 Student-Athletes13 International Student-Athletes

11 U.S. States Competed At In 2007-0826 Senior Student-Athletes Graduated In April

Step In The RightDirectionA fourth-place finish in the MCC was a step up from 2006

Ninth-year head coach Stan King expected an improvement over a sixth-place finish at the 2006 MCC Cham-pionships. What he may not have predicted was a fourth-place finish – the program’s highest since equaling that finish in 2003 – coupled with a doubles title. After posting a 4-2 regular-season record at the No. 1 doubles spot, Senior Beakel Girma teamed with first-year Sashi Sabanathan for Goshen’s first championship since the tournament moved to a flighted format in 2000. The pair made quick work of Grace College in a 8-3 win in the opening round before knocking off the second-seeded Bethel College tandem of Kiko Cortez and Jered Shriner 8-6. The win put them in the final with fourth-seeded Ben Bischoff and Micah May, which they won by a 8-4 count. Sabanathan and Girma led the Maple Leafs all season as Goshen went 4-6 overall and 2-5 in MCC play and the pair were both named to the All Confer-ence team. Sabanathan also reached the cham-pionship round at No. 2 singles before

falling to Jorge Brumicky of Taylor University 6-2, 6-3. Girma (No. 1 sin-gles), freshman Alex Dominguez (No. 3 singles) and sophomore Joel King (No. 4 singles) all picked up points for Gos-hen at the weekend’s tournament. “I am pleased that we were a much improved and more competitive team in 2007 than in any of the previous three years,” explained King. “Through our MCC round robin record was the same in 2006, our 2007 losses were extreme-ly close.” In fact, those five losses came by just a combined 11 team points, includ-ing 4-5 decisions against Marian Col-lege and Indiana Wesleyan University. The Maple Leafs certainly made the most of their wins, taking a 9-0 victory over Grace College and 8-1 decisions over Anderson University and Indiana University-Southeast. Expectations now shift to the 2008 season. While King has lost a two-time All MCC performer in Girma, his num-bers two through six from a year ago were all underclassmen. “I am expect-ing a strong group of returning players, and am hoping that our new recruits will be able to fill gaps,” added King.10 Goshen College Athletics

Men’s Tennis

It was the second-straight All Mid-Central Confer-ence selection for senior Beakel Girms (top) as he teamed with freshman Sashi Sabanathan to win the program’s first MCC title since the tourna-ment went to the flighted format in 2000.

11www.GoLeafs.net

Point Of No ReturnSenior dominated team moves up the MCC ranks

Women’s Tennis

Behind seniors Dianna Diaz and Laurelyn Foderaro, the Goshen College women’s tennis team finished 2008 a slot above a year ago with a seventh-place finish at the MCC Tournament in Fort Wayne. After a disapointing 2007 tournament ended with first-round losses in both singles and doubles, Foderaro, from Harrleysville, Penn-sylvania, regrouped and made a spectacular run which finished with runner-up honors in both fields. Teaming with fellow senior Diaz in No. 1 doubles, the pair took out Spring Arbor in the opening round before knocking off top-seeded Kristin Goeke and Katie Marsh of Taylor in the semifinal. The tandem would eventually lose 9-8 (8-6) in the championship match against a gritty Huntington pair. At No. 2 singles, Foderaro started strong, losing just one game in her first two matches, propelling herself into the finals. Foderaro would fall just short of her first MCC title once again as she dropped a 3-6, 3-6 decision to Taylor’s Kristine Bolinger immediately following her doubles championship match. The Lady Maple Leafs finished the regular season with a 4-7 overall record and 1-7 in MCC play, but that told only part of the story. “We were competitive in all of them (conference matches),” said head coach Sarah Yoder of her team, which scored at least three points in 7-of-8 matches. “But we struggled to win third sets and tiebreakers all year.” Goshen’s lone conference win came in a 7-2 thrashing of St. Francis.

“As a team we have to improve on how we deal with pressure situations. It was never an issue of not working hard enough,” said the third-year leader Yoder. “This comes from playing lots and lots of competitive tennis all year round.” All four of Goshen’s points at the MCC Champion-ships were off the racquets of seniors Diaz and Foderaro leaving a gaping hole for 2008. “We will greatly miss all three of our seniors in Diana, Laurelyn and Janie (Beck),” Yoder said following the MCC tournament. “Already our younger players are talking about ways to work on our game in the off-season and I think they see how we will need everyone to step up next year and take on larger roles on the team.”

Diana Diaz (left) earned her third-straight All Mid-Central Conference honor, while Laurelyn Foderaro (right and top right) earned her second in her two years at Goshen after finishing as the runner-up in No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles at the MCC Championships in Fort Wayne.


The end of an eraOne of the deadliest strikers in Goshen history,Janzen credits teammates & looks to the future

Despite being the target of con-stant double teams, fouls, and various other strategies to hold him down, Tony Janzen still managed to find the back of the net 14 times in 2007, moving him into sixth place all-time on Goshen College’s career goal-scoring chart with 44 goals. While understanding that his successes on the field as an indi-vidual and a team have made him somewhat of a campus celebrity, Janzen downplays the status say-ing, “Maybe its just because I have been around so long.” Rather he would give credit to his teammates explaining, “The whole team works so hard passing the ball around and looking for openings. I am so often just the last step, get to finish it off and get the credit. I guess it just comes with the position.” His theory has some merit as most of the recognizable names in international soccer are the typi-cal goal-scorers. Some would say that is the safe or politically correct answer, but dig a little bit deeper and go back a ways and you will understand his sincerity. A standout midfielder at lo-cal Elkhart Central High School, Janzen made a big move his senior season. With his team desperate for some help on the defensive side of the ball, Janzen moved into a cen-tral defensive role.

“I was better suited at that time to contribute to the team in that role,” explained Janzen, who was named his team’s MVP following that senior season. Playing mostly as an outside midfielder in his freshman season at Goshen, Janzen made another move to help the team. “I realized that we were losing a few guys up top and did not have a lot coming up at that position,” says Janzen of his move to striker, where he had limited experience. “It was about being flexible,” explained Janzen, adding, “There were definitely growing pains. It takes a major change in mentalities and getting rid of habits from differ-ent positions.” He could have fooled the fans at the Goshen College Soccer Com-plex. Janzen went on to score 30 goals in his first three seasons as a Maple Leaf and was a huge part of the 2006 squad that earned the programs first berth into the NAIA National Championship since 1977. Following that magical 2006 season, Janzen was called into a leadership role as a captain for his senior season. Again, Janzen did not want much of the credit for a 2007 team that reached the Region VIII championship game for the second-consecutive year, “I like to lead, but I learned at times I needed to follow at times too.”

Tony JanzenFull Name: Anthony Robert JanzenBorn: November 14th, 1985Hometown: Elkhart, Ind.Position: ForwardMajor: Physical Education

Career highlights:NOV. 10, 2004

As a freshman, scored tying goal in NAIA Region semifinal at Madonna University.

NOV. 14-15, 2006The junior helped lead Goshen to its first NAIA National Tournament appearance since 1977.

SEPT. 15, 2007Second career hat-trick to lead Goshen past Eastern Mennonite for first time since 1969.

Tony Janzen found the back of the net 14

times as a senior to finish his career with

44 goals, good for sixth all-time at Goshen.

13www.GoLeafs.net

The end of an eraOne of the deadliest strikers in Goshen history,Janzen credits teammates & looks to the future

While Janzen and his fellow seniors were disappointed to not reach another NAIA National Tournament, Janzen has learned to move to the next phase of his life. “It (soccer at Goshen) was one part of my life and I really enjoyed it,” said Janzen, who hopes to get a chance to be just a fan next year. “I will probably stand there by my-self, just watching. It will be good to see what happens from a fans standpoint.”

Janzen signed with Goshen Head Coach Tavi Mounsithiraj as a high school senior

at Elkhart Central. Pictured with father Dave and mother Cindy, avid fans.

Community FeelingA few things were near a certainty in Janzen’s career: the forward would find himself scoring chances and Dave and Cindy Janzen would be in the stands. Citing its proxim-ity to his family and its close-knit community, Janzen chose Goshen for its relationship focus. Find-ing relationships on and off the field has been a big part of Jan-zen’s experience in his four years at Goshen and he hopes to remain focused on that in years to come. A physical education major, Janzen plans to student-teach next year, while also serving as an assistant coach at Goshen High School. Us-ing that as a barometer of sorts for a future career in the pair of voca-tions, Janzen is most concerned with doing something where he can relate to people and have meaning-ful interactions with them. Just call it increasing his community or family.

Tradition

MEN’S SOCCERWinning


Following a magical 2006 season that saw the Maple Leafs reach the NAIA National Tournament for the first time since 1977, it was hard to keep expectations from being sky-high. But the realist would recognize that Goshen had lost significant pieces to graduation, including one of the best players to ever wear a Maple Leaf uniform in three-time MCC Defensive Player of the Year Joel Miller. “I was not quite sure what to expect after a run at nationals and losing several key players,” said seventh-season head coach Tavi Mounsithiraj. “No one expected us to finish the way we did.”

Despite a pre-season NAIA ranking of 16th in the nation – the program’s highest preseason rank-ing in its 49-year history – Moun-sithiraj and others were unsure of how the team would respond to such an emotional run a year earlier. Things got off to a little bit of a shaky start for the Maple Leafs as they begun the season 0-3-1, often outplaying their opponents, but having difficulties finding the back of the net at key times. Goshen would rebound – despite sev-eral key injuries, including losing freshman goalkeeper Trent Moody for the season – to go 9-2-1 over their next twelve games.

A slow start followed by A strong finish; A pair of All Americans;A second-straight trip to the Region Championship;All things that fans are starting to expect to see from the Goshen College men’s soccer program

15www.GoLeafs.net

The Maple Leafs’ run set up a regular-season finale with Indiana Wesleyen where a win would give Goshen a share of the MCC regu-lar-season championship for the third straight season. Over 1,500 fans were witness to a spectacular defensive struggle. Even though the Maple Leafs had the better of the first-half chances – forcing four saves, including several on a scramble in the box – the Wildcats used a direct free kick to take a 1-0 lead, which they would never relinquish. The Maple Leafs did not let the lack of a regular-season title deter them, as they pulled off a thrilling double-overtime vic-tory over St. Francis in the opening round of the MCC Tournament. Having wasted an early 2-0 lead and playing a man down after a late red card, Tony Janzen put Goshen through with one of the most im-portant goals of his storied career. Goshen would roll past Marian 2-0 in the semifinals before drop-ping another one-goal decision to Indiana Wesleyan in the finals.

However, their second-place finish in the tournament still booked them a place in the Region VIII for the second-straight season.

Managing to find the net twice on the road, the Maple Leafs upset Aquinas – while Madonna knocked off Indiana Wesleyan – giving Gos-hen a surprise opportunity to host the Region Championship game with a trip to nationals on the line. Madonna forward Doran Drai caused early problems for the Maple Leafs with his speed and made Goshen pay just eleven min-utes in when he struck from a sharp angle to put the Crusaders up 1-0. The Maple Leafs would manage

just two shots on goal, with their best chance coming in the waning moments as a Kyle Stiffney header struck off the woodwork effectively

ending the season and the career of eight Gos-hen seniors. While it wasn’t the storybook ending ev-eryone desired, Moun-sithiraj was upbeat about the year saying, “I was quite pleased with how the team came together all season long with injuries. I had no idea how we would stack up against our opponents, but we did rise to the challenge and competed

well.” The awards again came falling on the Maple Leafs as Stiffney, Janzen, and Rusty Emery all were named to the All Conference teams. Stiffney and Janzen were also recognized as All Region and NAIA All American Honorable Mention. For Janzen, his 14 goals gave him 44 for his career, ranking him sixth all-time at Goshen. Stiffney con-tinued a four-year stretch for the Maple Leafs by being named the MCC Defensive Player of the Year,

“Overall our program is moving in the right direction and improving year after year,” added Mounsithiraj. “Our goal is to continue to challenge for the MCC Championship and now that we have a taste for what it is to play at the national tourna-ment, we will continue to work hard for that ultimate prize. In the mean time, the guys will con-tinue to work hard to improve on and off the field.”

All Americans Kyle Stiffney and Tony Janzen


FANBASE

The Goshen Soccer Complex is one of

the most feared places to play

in the MCC, and not just because

the teams that play there. The fans strike fear into

opponents.

“Maple Leafs rock, Maple Leafs rock, Maple Leafs rock the house,” sings the student section at the Goshen College Soccer Complex. One of their numerous chants, the Maple Leafs’ fans have one for nearly every situation. From rhymes letting their displeasure with officials being known, to a song based on the Goshen College core values, to trying to entice substitutes to display their dancing ability – or lack thereof – the student section is loud and proud all game long. “We probably have the best fan sup-port ever in the small college soccer scene in the state of Indiana, if not the country,” said Goshen men’s soccer head coach Tavi Mounsithiraj of the Maple Leaf faithful, who stand for the entire 90-minute game. “These fans are amaz-ing.” From painted faces, a fan dressed as maple leaf run-ning into the field, and even an unfortunate instance of a streaker, Mounsithiraj said, “With that we know we are a big-time soccer program.” The fans have proven to be beneficial to the players on the field as well. Most would readily admit that playing in front of a large and boisterous crowd makes it easier to stir up the competitive instincts in a player. The stats do not lie. In the past six years, the Goshen College men’s soccer team is an incredible 40-10-8 in the friendly con-fines of the Goshen College Soccer Complex. “The fans do play a role on our success as a program,” explains Mounsithiraj. “I just can not thank them enough

for what their support means to our players and coaching staff.” Senior forward Tony Janzen chose to play for the Ma-ple Leafs in part because he recognized the fan base and the special tradition with soccer fans at Goshen, saying “It makes for a fun environment to play in. It definitely motivates you a little more.”

“Coming from a program that would have maybe a few hundred at best at soccer games, it is one of the things that excited me most about Goshen,” explains new Sports Information Director Josh Gleason. “Fans have a passion, but also strong knowledge about the sport. When I haven’t been at games, I have heard the fans from inside my apartment a mile away.”

One of the more infamous chants coming from the student section involves pressuring substitutes to display their dancing skills before entering the game. While the crowd cheers the “sprinkler”, an Irish line dance, or even slow dancing with a fellow substitute, they greet a uninterested player with a chorus of boos. The Maple Leafs know how to play to a crowd, but visiting players are often caught off guard and spend more time and energ trying to ignore the crowd’s unique greeting than on what their job is on the field. “You would be surprised at what you can hear on the field,” said Janzen. “I would say well over half of the (home and visiting) players look over to see what kind of dance the player will be doing.”

17www.GoLeafs.net

CLASSAct>>WOMEN’S SOCCER

Led by Head Coach Thavisith Mounsithiraj, the Lady Maple Leafs take care of business

on the field and in the classroom

the right way.

A


For Women’s Soccer Head Coach Thavisith Mounsithiraj, or “Coach T” for short, results matter. Those results have come in various forms in Coach T’s six-year tenure at Goshen. On the field his Maple Leaf squad struggled at times to get the desired results throughout a 4-10-3 (2-4-2 MCC) 2007 campaign. But don’t let the record fool you. The results were closer than they seemed. “Our win-loss columns say oth-erwise, but I am very encouraged,” said Mounsithiraj of the Leafs, who lost six games by two goals or less. “There is reason to be optimistic. First of all, we had a strong showing in our conference play.” The Maple Leafs brutal Mid-Central Conference schedule included a 1-0 loss to Spring Arbor University, an overtime loss at Huntington Uni-versity, and ties against Marian Col-lege and Grace College. “Basically we had three or four well-contested matches in conference play that could have put us at 5-3 or even 6-2 in this very tough confer-ence,” added Mounsithiraj. While the Maple Leafs will lose graduating seniors Sara Groff and All Mid-Central Conference selection Lucy Roth, Goshen will return nine starters in 2008. “It is anticipated that we will have the most skilled and experienced group returning since I have been here,” said Coach T as he prepares for next season. “The atmosphere at our weekly training sessions this off-season are both intense and competitive in antici-pation for the coming season.” With six newcomers headed to Goshen, Mounsithiraj “can only imagine the possibilities should everything fall

into place.” While Mounsithiraj is excited about the possibility of improving on-field results, what really gets him excited is his team’s off the field re-sults. “More importantly to me, as a coach and an educator, is our achieve-ment in the classroom,” explained Mounsithiraj. For the fifth consecutive year, the Goshen College women’s soccer team

was recognized by the National Soc-cer Coaches Asso-ciation of America (NSCAA) as earn-ing a NSCAA Team

Academic award. In 2007, 302 women’s college and university teams from across the country earned the honor. The teams represent all levels of collegiate competition, from NCAA Division I through the NAIA. Of these 302 teams, Goshen posted the second-highest team grade point average in the nation, at any level, with a cumu-lative mark of 3.63. In addition to their team recognition, the Maple Leafs had four players honored as Daktronics- NAIA Aca-demic All- Americans. The award is bestowed on junior or senior student-athletes who have maintained a mini-mum of a 3.5 grade point average. “I am very certain we will continue

with this tradition,” said Mounsithiraj, who has coached approximately 24 Academic All Americans in his six years. “It is expected.” Mounsithiraj takes things a step further as he not only expects results on the field and in the classroom, but

Coach T looks for success as he develops leaders. Each year, Coach T and

his captains work through a book on leadership in a small group setting, giving them a unique opportunity to learn skills that will equip them no matter what “field” they choose to pursue.

19www.GoLeafs.net

Goshen posted the second-highest team G.P.A. in the nation, at any level,

with a cumulative 3.63.

“It is expected.”- Coach T

In head coach Cory Furman’s fourth and final season at the helm of the Goshen College golf team, the program made several improvements. “Our goal every year has been to improve both indi-vidually and collectively, and we were able to do that in a multitude of ways this season,” Furman said. The Maple Leafs’ displayed the improvement as they bested several team marks during Fur-man’s tenure. In 2007, Goshen had its best overall scoring average (354), Mid-Central Conference Championship average (359.3) and the lowest round away from home (337). The lowest away-round came on September 27th as the Leafs played at the Grace College Invitational at the Rozella Ford Golf Course. Just a week before the MCC Conference Champion-ships, Goshen swept past Purdue University-North Central 354-383. In doing so, they improved their mark at Briar Leaf Golf Club from the previous year by 38 strokes. The Maple Leafs took ninth-place at the MCC Champi-onships held at Noble Hawk Golf Links in Kendalville on October 1-2nd. Player’s roughed out 36 holes on Monday

before playing a final 18 on Tuesday at the

par-71 course. The weather was unfriendly as wet and windy conditions made Noble Hawk an even tougher course than usual. Freshman Taylor TenHarmsel led the Leafs in two of the three rounds as he tallied a 85 in round one before fir-ing a 81 on Tuesday. TenHarmsel’s 81 was the low score

for Goshen in any round at the event. “Taylor really came on strong for us this

year and he showed some signs of big prom-ise,” said Furman. Shawn Martz led the Maple Leafs in the

second round of the Championships as he shot a 83. “Shawn really surprised a lot of people in the first two rounds. He had an 89, 83 on

Monday, and that was not an easy day at all to play. Walk-ing 36 is tough, and Shawn played his game brilliantly,” added Furman. Indiana Wesleyan took the team title at Noble Hawk as they edged out defending champions Bethel College 890-892. Just eight strokes separated the top four teams, a sign that Mid-Central Conference officials said made for the most competitive championship event in league history. “Overall, it was a great year,” Furman said. “We had a great guys who really enjoy being a part of this and in turn, made it really fun for me.”

On The Links


2008 GOLf

adapt. While she was successful in high school in Uganda, Acayo had seen videos of Goshen and other MCC schools and was impressed by the talent level. Now the rest of the MCC is impressed with her. The awards followed, although Acayo had trouble attaching much value to them because she really wasn’t familiar with them at first. She has since been honored, but is more worried about the future of her team. She sees a bright future ahead for the team and herself and is using the track season to keep in shape and further train her body. Competing in the jumping events (long, high, and triple jump) can only add to her skills at the net. In her very first outdoor event, Acayo broke a decade-old school record in the triple jump. Then, at the MCC Championships, the freshman won the high jump to earn all-conference honors in her second sport in just her first year at Goshen.

21www.GoLeafs.net

Far From Home

Peni acayo adjusts to LiFe in a new scHooL, country, and PLaying styLe

Few fans outside the Roman Gingerich Rec-Fitness Center know just how far Peni Acayo has come. Just a few years ago, the

freshman outside hitter didn’t even know Indiana existed. The Kampala, Uganda native

was greeting neighbors, going to school, pre-paring meals, having evening tea, and practic-ing her sport on the outdoor courts in the east African country she calls home. Less than a year after coming to the States, Acayo has adjusted to a new country, style of volleyball, teammates, and culture. She was certainly a quick study, being named First Team All Mid-Central Conference, as well asMCC and NAIA Region VIII Freshman of the Year. After a friend introduced Acayo to Indiana and the MCC, she eventually chose Goshen

for its Christian values and educational oppor-tunities. Accustomed to the warm weather of Uganda – with a yearly average temperature in the 60s – Acayo came to Goshen with a fleece as her heaviest article of clothing. The weather and food have been a shock to Acayo, but her teammates and coaches have made the adjust-ment much easier. While teammates showed her the ropes – including what foods go togeth-er in the dining hall – her coaches helped her psychologically beat the cold winter. The adjustment has been just as big on the court, although you wouldn’t know by the stats. With different play sets, signals, and even players arrangements on the court, Acayo had to quickly learn a new way to play. The first to downplay her own success and deflect it onto her teammates, Acayo came to Goshen with nerves about how she would

ProFiLe

Exactly twenty-three months past between Mid-Central Conference wins for the Gos-hen College volleyball program. In one of the most talent-rich conferences in the nation, wins simply do not come easy. A 30-24, 25-30, 30-21, 30-28 home victory over Spring Arbor on September 5th brought the nearly two-year long streak to a halt. The win was also the first conference-opening

triumph for the Maple Leafs since the 2003

season. What looked like a simple

number in the win column was so much more. It signified a change in the program and a start of something new. Head Coach Jewel Lehman is excited about what the year brought exclaiming “What a year this was! The energy in our program is building as we begin to see what these fine young athletes can do.” Lehman and the rest of the MCC certainly recognized

quickly that Goshen was young, but also very talented. Three different Maple Leafs were honored by the Mid-Central Confer-ence coaches at the end of the season, and all three were underclassmen.

Local sophomore’s Allison Hawkins (Middlebury, Ind.) and Brittany Hersch-berger (Goshen, Ind.) were both named honorable mention All MCC, while the biggest impact came from well outside the state lines. All the way from Kampala, Uganda, Peni Acayo blasted her way to First-Team All Conference honors. In leading the conference with 4.59 kills a game, the outside hitter was named MCC and NAIA Region VIII Freshman of the Year. “We have a lot of talent and there is a strong competitive spirit in our volleyball program right now,” said Lehman. “Per-haps the most remarkable aspect is that we have quite a few young players who are coming on strong and will no doubt move into the top of the conference statistical categories in the future.” While the one win definitely set the

tone, it was far from a one-and-done season. The Maple Leafs placed second at the competi-tive University of Michi-gan Dearborn Collegiate Challenge in late Sep-tember, where Acayo was named to the All Tournament Team.

After dropping four consecutive con-ference matches, the team made it an extra-special senior night for graduating teammates Jessica Buller and Stephanie Kennell. After dropping the opening game


“The energy in our program is build-ing as we begin

to see what these fine young ath-letes can do.”

VOLLEYBALL

23www.GoLeafs.net

19-30, the Maple Leafs responded by winning the next two and battled for a 19-30, 30-27, 30-24, 23-30, 11-15 win over the University of St. Fran-cis. It marked the first time in the last decade that Goshen knocked off the Cougars. With a final record of 15-14 (2-6 MCC), the Maple Leafs won more games than the last two seasons combined (5-23 in 2006 and 6-25 in 2005). In four of the losses in 2007, Goshen took the opponent to five games. What is even more impressive is that in three of those matches, the Maple Leafs actually outscored the opponent in total points: University of Michigan Dearborn (Sept. 28), Hun-tington University (Oct 5), and Grace College (Oct 9). “While we are not completely satis-fied with our overall record, we are pleased with our progress and an-

ticipate much success in the future,” explained Lehman. The fourth-year head coach adds, “We are playing much more competitively than in the past two years with this group of strong and tal-ented athletes. It is ex-citing to see the growth of these young players throughout the year.” While the losses of Kennell and Buller are significant, Lehman will have a lot to work with for years to come. In addition to leading the conference in kills, reigning Freshman of the Year Acayo ranked sixth in hitting percentage and eighth in service aces. Sophomore setter Allison Hawkins

tallied 1,106 assists in 2007. Her 10.5 per game was the second-highest total

in the MCC, while classmate Herschberg-er was in the top 15 in the MCC in digs with 3.6 per game. Yet an-other sophomore, Ash-ley Janssen, finished in the top 20 with 0.6 blocks a game. With the addition of recruits Katelyn Yoder (Mason, Mich.) and Indigo Miller (Colo-rado Springs, Colo.), the future is definitely bright. A single win snapped a long-streak,

but a squad full of talent is looking to turn over a new leaf and re-write the story of Goshen volleyball.

Sophomore OHBrittany Herschberger

MCC Honorable Mention

Patch Work Head Coach Doug Yoder and his 2007 Maple Leaf team had to deal with a lot more adversity than most years. Having graduated All-Amer-ican Petrana Petkova and NAIA Na-tional Championship participant Lau-ra Herr, it was safe to say that 2007 was a rebuilding year. Add to that injuries and athletes having to miss events for academics and a ninth-place finish at the NAIA Region VIII meet seems like a an extraordinary patch job by Yoder and his team. Even when junior Laura Harnish qualified for her second-straight NAIA Nationals appearance, her event was cut short due to injury. “The women’s team went through a rebuilding year,” explained Yoder. “Many of the runners were first-time members and needed to get a feel for the collegiate level of training and competition.” Despite the odds seemingly stacked against them, the Maple Leafs came firing out of the gate, taking second in the first two events of the

season. At the Hokum Karem Relays hosted by Goshen, Harnish and Tina Peters combined for the top spot – the unique format calls for teammates to alternate mile-long stretches until each has completed five miles. A week later, Harnish took her first

collegiate individual title at Defiance College. Her time of 18:58.72 led three Goshen runners in the top 15, which led the Leafs to second place. “There was enough of a mix of returnees and new runners to provide a balance,” added Yoder. “With a year of experience we will be able to build and push our goals to finish higher in the MCC.” After a chance to run against the highest level of collegiate competi-tion – the Indiana Intercollegiate meet featuring NCAA DI, DII, DII and NAIA institutions – the Maple Leafs

found a way to finish sixth at the Cedarville University Cross Country Open despite missing two of their top five runners. Two weeks later, Goshen was in the same predicament, but finished fifth at Benedictine with just five runners,

the minimum for team scor-ing. In between the two events, Harnish won her second event of the season as she finished in 19:08.87 and led the Leafs to a fourth-place finish at Bethel. Following another sixth-

place mark at the Manchester College Invitational, the Leafs headed into the MCC Championships. Again, it was Harnish who led the way – the junior finished in the top spot for Goshen in each of its eight races – as the Leafs battled for seventh place. At the Region VIII meet in Grand Rapids, Mich. Harnish placed seventh – good to qualify for nationals – while Rachael Baker finished just two spots back of joining Harnish with a 21st-place finish of 19:17.99. Goshen had four runners finish in the top 100 as they took ninth overall.

“Many of the runners were first-time team members and needed to get a feel for the collegiate level of training and

competition.” - Doug Yoder


Women’s Cross Country

Patch Work

25www.GoLeafs.net

Standing (L to R): Assistant Coach Mark Furkis, Assistant Coach Lyle Miller, Alex Lo Po-Man, Tina Peters, Head Coach Doug Yoder, Marie Shank, Rachael Baker, Assistant Coach Rustin Nyce, Assistant Coach Petrana Petkova...Kneeling (L to R): Michelle Miller, Laura Har-nish, Laura Stoesz, Bekah DePry, Bethany Loberg, Maria Byler, Tessa Horst, Renee Miller.

In one of the finest seasons in history, ju-nior Laura Harnish finished in the top spot for Goshen in each of the team’s eight races. The Flanagan, Illinois native also won a pair of races as she took the title at the Bethel College Invita-tional and the Defiance College Invitational. At the Mid-Central Conference meet, Harnish ran to a time of 19:11.32 and finished fourth, earning her All MCC recognition. Two weeks later at the NAIA Region VIII meet, Harnish raced to a time of 18:50.52 to finish seventh – a finish that would book her second-consecutive trip to the NAIA National Championships. “Laura had an outstanding season and worked very hard to earn her spot at the NAIA National Meet,” said Head Coach Doug Yoder. It was in Kenosha, Wisc. – at NAIA Nationals – where her season ended unexpectantly. Just a mile in, Harnish turned her left foot and forcing the junior to end the race and her historic sea-son a little early. “It was disappointing to end up with a footfracture in the race but those are things that happen that you accept and move on,” said Yoder. “I am sure her goals are even higher for this coming season.” Harnish will have one last year to repeat her success and make a story-book ending to an outstanding career.

Harnish’s Historic Season

PackMENTaLITY

Showing an uncanny ability to stick close together – much like a pack – the Goshen College men’s cross coun-try team finished fourth in the Mid-Central Conference. The Maple Leafs bunched up, often placing their top runners mere minutes from each other. The pattern repeated throughout the season as the top three runners changed on any given day. At the MCC Championships in India-napolis, the Maple Leafs top six runners all finished within two and half minutes of each other. Leading the way was sophomore Ben Bouwman, who finished the 10K race in 26:56.25. “A fourth-place finish is a great ac-complishment in a very tough confer-ence,” said head coach Doug Yoder. The accomplishment becomes even greater with the fact that the Maple Leafs had not finished as high as fourth in the MCC since 1992, over a decade ago. After earning the top-finishing spot for Goshen in

5-of-8 of the Maple Leafs traditional races – including the MCC Championships – Bouwman was named to the MCC All Conference Team.

“Ben being all conference was well-deserved,” said Yoder. “He has worked hard all season and has gained a lot of confidence in his running. He is not intimidated by anyone.” With a roster of 16, the Maple Leafs charged into the season-opening Hokum Karem Championships in Goshen. In a unique format, runners are paired with a teammates and take turns running one-mile increments. The total time is the mark for the pair after each runner totals five miles. The result for Goshen was a co-championship with Huntington – the Maple Leafs first-ever win in the event – as both the Maple Leafs and the Forrest-ers tallied eleven points.

As the season shifted to the road, Goshen was able to display its depth and pack mentality. After a third-place


Ben Bouwman

MENTaLITY

27www.GoLeafs.net

finish at Defiance, the Maple Leafs top three runners finished within 25 seconds of each other at the Intercol-legiate Championships at Purdue. Goshen continued to stick close together as the top five finished within two minutes at the Cedarville Open before the team depth really started to pay off at the Bethel Invitation-al. Maple Leafs finished first, second, and fifth as Goshen won its first event title in the past ten years. Bouwman again led the Maple Leafs, posting a time of 27:05. 30, while Goshen had three runners under 28 minutes, seven under the 29-minute mark, and nine finish in less than thirty. A week later, the Maple Leafs had six athletes finish within three minutes of each other as they placed third in the 21-team Benedictine University Eagle Invitational in Lisle, Illinois. Goshen finished the regular season with the Man-chester College Invitational where the Leafs again dis-

played their depth. Ten Goshen runners finished in less than twenty-nine minutes as the Leafs took third again. After the historic finish at the MCC Championships, the Maple Leafs went in search for some more history at the NAIA Region VIII Championships in Grand Rap-

ids, Mich. Goshen certainly found it after twelve of the Leafs 14 runners finished in under thirty minutes for the first time in their history. The Maple Leafs say goodbye to seniors Jake Gillette, Nick

Adkins, and Randy Keener, who have been anchors on both the cross country and the track teams during their careers at Goshen. “They have provided leadership in competition as well as at practice,” Yoder said. “They have provided a model for our younger runners in athletics as well as in non-ath-letic settings. They will be hard to replace and the hope is that some of our younger runners will step up and take the challenge.”

“Our seniors will be missed...They provided a model for our younger runners in athletics as well as in non-athletic settings.” -Doug Yoder

THE MEN’S cROSS cOUNTRY TEaM RELIED ON STRENGTH IN

NUMBERS IN 2007

TheTransition

GameThe Quick

Adjustment to a new Head Coach led to

one of the most successful seasons in

school history.


Men’s Basketball

Expectations were not exactly what you would call significant com-ing into the 2007-08 season. In fact, the Goshen College men’s basketball team was picked to finish dead last in the Mid-Central Conference. Truth is, for the out-sider anyway, there was not much of a reason to expect anything. After all, they were less than a year removed from a 12-18 campaign that saw them miss the season-ending confer-ence tournament. They had a new coach who was hired very late in the recruiting process. How could they make much of an impact? Someone forgot to tell the Maple Leafs. Or perhaps, too many people told them they weren’t supposed to win. Either way, the Leafs did some-thing about it. Nineteen wins later, including four against NAIA Top 25 teams, and doubters have come to realize their mistake in judgment. Typically it takes players some time to adjust to a new coach and system. However, this team was hun-gry for success and had more experi-ence than in years past. They quickly took off as they won ten of their first eleven while taking the championship in both the Anderson University Sam Pierce Classic and the Sienna Heights Maple City Classic. Their only de-feat in that stretch was a 62-65 loss in the championship game of Goshen’s Maple City Hoopfest to Aquinas Col-lege, who was ranked in the NAIA Top 25 all year and finished the sea-son in the Elite Eight. With a 9-1 record at the start of the MCC season there were still doubters within the conference ranks. That came to a screeching halt on December 1st when the Maple Leafs hosted the No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan

University Cougars. Errick McCol-lum scored a game-high 34 points

as Goshen overcame a four-point halftime deficit to shock the then undefeated Cougars. The win put Goshen back on the map as they received votes in the weekly NAIA rank-ings, which they would repeat two more times during the season. The Maple Leafs would not lose two consecutive games until mid-January as they faced Top 15 Bethel College and Grace Col-lege in back-to-back

contests. However, as the conference season moved on, Goshen would begin to struggle with consistency. “We showed this season that we could play at a very high level, but there is such a fine line in terms of having success in the MCC,” ex-plained first-year head coach Gary Chupp. The Maple Leafs were able to de-feat No. 20 University of St. Francis by 30 points on the road, but had trouble holding onto halftime leads at home against Spring Arbor, Hunting-ton, and Bethel. Goshen knocked off

#20 Taylor University and #14 Grace, but needed a miraculous performance by senior Brice Hartman to survive against struggling Marian College at home. Hartman scored 16 points in the final seven-plus minutes of regulation – including the tying shot with four seconds remaining – as the Maple Leafs came from 20 down. They would win 77-75 in overtime. The lack of consistency hurt Goshen as they lost their final two games of the regular season to slip to seventh, which forced a road game against Grace to open the MCC Tournament. A 68-83 loss ended the Maple Leafs’ season. “I feel good about what we were able to accomplish, but am disap-pointed with how the season ended. We were in the hunt to host a playoff game until the final week of the sea-son. However, it was disappointing having three chances to get twenty wins, and coming away empty,” added Chupp. It wasn’t all for lost as the Leafs finished just one win short of the twenty-win plateau, reached just twice in program history. While they will lose second-leading scorer Brice Hartman, they return a strong nucle-us, including First Team All MCC and NAIA All American Honorable Mention selection Errick McCollum.

29www.GoLeafs.net

First-year Head Coach Gary Chupp

Brice Hartman Alters Goshen Record Book in Senior Season


A coaching change before the final season of a col-legiate career is far from an ideal situation, but that is exactly the situation senior Brice Hartman was facing this past summer after the resignation of Goshen College Head Coach Stan Daugherty. Growing up just twenty minutes down the road in Elkhart, Hartman knew little about Goshen College or Mennonites in general before coming to campus. What he did know was basketball. The 6’6” forward averaged 16 points and 4.3 rebounds a game while leading basketball crazed Elkhart Central High School to a 31-16 record over his junior and senior seasons. Wanting to stay close to home and have an opportunity to contribute right away, Hartman decided to continue his academic and athletic career in a Maple Leaf uniform. Having visited other college campuses throughout the final years of high school it took little time to notice the

difference in Goshen College. “With the college being Mennonite, I had no real basis of what that meant,” explains Hartman. “The atmosphere is completely different.” While admitting that it took some time to get used to, Hartman now appreciates the change and positive environment. Hartman recognizes “How people act and are is different than those I was used to be-ing around.” Hartman wasted little time making an impact on the

court, playing in 59 of Goshen’s 62 games in his freshman and sopho-more years. In just his second career game, the forward hit 7-of-11 from the field, scoring fifteen

points and grabbing seven rebounds in a win over Indiana University-East. Two years later as a junior, Hartman was a vital part of the Maple Leaf offense. In November of 2006, he rattled off four straight games of 20-plus points leading Goshen to three wins. Set to once again be a major factor for Gos-hen as a senior, Hartman heard the news of Daugherty’s

“How people act and are, is different than those I was

used to being around.”

31www.GoLeafs.net

departure. “I was disappointed at first,” Hart-man said, especially with the timing being before his senior year. “I did go through a period of time where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play, but being the competitor that I am, I had to finish it out.” Hartman, along with his teammates, were part of the interview process for a new head coach. They were immedi-ately impressed by the confidence and win-now attitude of Gary Chupp, who was eventually hired in May. “We felt we were good enough,” Hartman said of his teammates. “We thought this could be a good year for us and we wanted a coach that was on the same page as us.” After a full season under Chupp’s direction, which at first seemed so different, Hartman now sees a lot of similarities between his two coaches at Goshen. Both coaches pride them-selves on the defensive side of the floor first, something Hartman has worked hard on throughout his career and Chupp immediately pushed Hartman to im-prove. “I can’t say enough about what Hartman has meant to this team this year,” said Chupp. “I knew from day one when I got the job last summer that he was going to be the key for what kind of year we would have. Brice was put into a tough position, being the only senior, and having a coaching change going into his final season.

He had every excuse not to buy into what we were trying to accomplish, but he chose instead to work his tail off and go out with an outstanding senior season.”

Un-der the direc-tion of the first-year coach, the Maple Leafs

got off to 10-1 start and finished the season just one win short of the 20-win plateau, which has been reached just twice in the 54-year history of the program. About the teams rapid improvement on a 12-18 season a year ago, Hartman explains, “I think continuity had a lot to do with it. A lot of players were freshman last year. After a year in the league and playing together we understand how to play together.”

Hartman’s career was a historic one. He finished ranked in the top

ten in Goshen his-tory in six offensive categories, includ-ing eighth in career points with 1,412. “I hope people remem-ber me as a good all-around basketball player who always had a good attitude and kept his compo-sure on the court,” added Hartman. “He will certainly be difficult to replace because he can score in so many different ways. There were several times this year where he put the team on his back, and

refused to let us lose,” said Chupp. One such case was a January 23rd home contest against Marian, which saw the Maple Leafs down 20 points with just seven minutes to play. Hartman would score sixteen points down the stretch, including a tough jumper to tie the game with four sec-onds to play. Goshen would eventu-

ally go on to win in overtime. Moving into the future, Hartman, a physical educa-tion major, hopes to stay in the local community to teach and eventual begin a coach-ing career. His four years at Goshen have taught him what it takes to study rigorously while balancing athletics and studies, much of which he at-tributes to physical education professors Jewel Lehman and Val Hershberger.

Brice HartmanElkhart, IN

Major: Physical EducationPositions: Guard/ ForwardHeight: 6’6”

“I did go through a period where I wasn’t sure if I

wanted to play, but being the competi-tor that I am, I had

to finish it out”

College basketball has helped Katie Sowers define herself outside of basketball

NO REGRETS

PROFILE


NO REGRETS

While preparing to play in her final home game in a Goshen College uniform, senior Katie Sowers looked back on her two-years as a Maple Leaf with no regrets. Despite growing up in Kansas, Sowers has had a lifetime con-nection with Goshen College and Men-nonite culture. Both of Katie’s parents are Goshen alumni, along with several other members of her ex-tended family. After playing two-years at sister school Hesston College, where her mom now works, it seemed natural for Katie to join the fam-ily line and attend Goshen. While little about Goshen caught her off guard, what surprised her was how much she would miss home. “I didn’t expect to miss it so much. It was the first time I was away from my twin sis-ter,” said Sowers about sister Liz who played with her at Hesston, but now is a senior at Oakland University (Rochester, MI). “It was really good for me to get away, branch out a little bit, and meet new people on my own.” The Sowers sisters were nearly unstoppable in high school, losing just four league games in four years at Hesston High School. While her collegiate career has been less suc-cessful on the court – a combined 54-67 – Katie says that has helped her grow as a person. “I classified my-self as a basketball player,” explains

Sowers of her high school career. “In college I started to realize that basket-ball doesn’t make you who you are. I started to define myself outside of basketball.”

Part of that defini-tion for Sowers is as a leader. She was the lone senior on a Maple Leafs team that is jam-packed with under-classmen – eight to just three upperclassmen. “It’s been interesting, but I don’t see myself as any more of a leader than I would have tried to be,” explains Sow-ers. “I really enjoy being a leader and while being a senior has forced that on me, I would have tried to take that role anyway.” “She is a natural leader and teacher who

has been a tremendous role model and influence on our younger players as a true student-athlete,” said Goshen head coach Steve Wiktorowski. Ac-cording to Sowers, the 2007-08 Maple Leafs team was the closest of any she has ever played on. Some of her best

memories of Goshen will be the bus rides, overnight stays, and

casual time spent with the team. Sowers has been a leader on the court as well. Three times this season, the guard/ forward equaled her career-high 16 points, including a sixteen point, fourteen rebound performance on December 15th against Warner Southern. “She is a great competi-tor who brings so much spirit and a positive attitude to every practice and game,” adds Wiktorowski. “She really developed offensively her senior year

and has been a major reason why we have been a much more competitive team overall compared to last year.” Late in the season, Sowers and her teammates still had a lot to prove. “We wanted to look past moral vic-tories,” explains Sowers. “Pushing ourselves to be the best team we can be. We all know the talent that we do have and I think we can prove it when the tournament comes.” After her business on the court was complete, Sowers turned her attention to finishing her physical education degree with eventual plans to com-bine it with a masters degree in social work. “I tell recruits to come because Goshen College is not only going to help you grow as a person but also as a student athlete, who has more than just athletic abilities.” “Katie has done a great job in her two years here,” said Wiktorowski. “She will be difficult to replace and very much missed next year. My only regret about Katie is that we only had her here for two years instead of all four.” While Coach Wik and Maple Leafs fans might regret only getting to see her in action for two years, Sowers has little regrets about her time at Goshen. “I have enjoyed basketball a lot more than I thought I would and enjoyed school related to basketball more too,” concluded Sowers, who was named a Daktronics- NAIA All American Scholar-Athlete in 2007-08.

Katie SowersHesston, KS

Major: Physical EducationPositions: Guard/ ForwardHeight: 5’8”

“Basketball doesn’t make you who you are. I started to define myself outside of

basketball”

33www.GoLeafs.net

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL


Adjusting from the high school game to the collegiate level play – in any sport – takes some time. Despite the recent increase in the number of so-called “freshman phe-noms,” it is much more realistic to allow newcomers time to grow into the college game. Unfortunately, or fortunately in this case, the Goshen College women’s basketball team has had to learn quick-ly. Saying that this team was young is an understatement considering that six first-year players and only one senior were on the roster. Adding to the difficulty for a young team was one of the tougher schedules in the nation. “Over half the games on our schedule this year were against teams who were nationally ranked or honorable mention (NAIA DII) some-time this season,” said Head Coach Steve Wiktorowski. With the odds seemingly stacked against them, the Maple Leafs shrugged off the situation and went to work. After falling 60-72 at Trinity Christian to start the season, Goshen busted out to a 32-17 halftime advantage as they knocked off Indiana Tech 66-50 for their 10th consecutive home-opening win. Just three games later, the Maple Leafs rallied for a late win on the road against Judson College. After trailing

by as many as thirteen in the second half, Goshen pulled within one be-fore freshman Cassie Greives nailed a turn-around jumper as the final buzzer sounded. The basket gave the Maple Leafs a 59-58 win and a 3-2 record five games into the season. The end of the 2007 calendar year provided the typical ups and downs for a young team. The Leafs defeated a tough Madonna University squad 67-

60, but followed it with consecutive two-point losses against Warner Southern and Trin-ity International. “There were

a couple close nonconference games early in the season where I wish we could have played better,” Wiktorowski explained. He added, “It took a little while to find our roles and confidence in each other with that much youth.” Goshen would move into the bulk of their Mid-Central Conference campaign with a 6-9 record. The Maple Leafs would be thrown into the fire immedi-ately as two of their first four confer-ence games were against squads ranked in the top 15 in the nation. After picking up just one win in the brutal MCC a year ago, Goshen rallied for five in 2007-08. A pair of outstand-ing team defensive efforts at home gave the Maple Leafs a 67-52 win over Grace College and a 81-64 decision over Spring Arbor University. Goshen was also able to snatch wins in the final

GROWINGUP IN A HURRY

“There were a lot of positives from this season and I saw a ton of growth

and development.”

35www.GoLeafs.net

GROWING

OppOsite page (tOp): Cassie Greives fights for a basket

against St. Francis. Greives led Goshen with 12.7 points a game.

OppOsite page (Middle): Sophomore Ashley Hummer was

second on the team in assists, 3-point percentage, and free

throw percentage. OppOsite page (BOttOM):

Kimmie Hummer shoots a free throw. Hummer led the Maple

Leafs with 74 assists. Right: The 2007-08 Goshen

women’s basketball team poses for a little fun.

minutes twice on the road with a 66-65 win at Grace and a 70-67 victory at Marian College. “I thought our biggest improve-ment really showed at the end of the season when we were so much more competitive overall against teams in our conference than a year ago,” added Wiktorowski. Going into the final week of the regular season, the Maple Leafs found themselves in a very crowded middle of the pack in the MCC stand-ings. A pair of wins would have put them as high as fifth place going into the conference tournament. Instead, Goshen dropped a highly-competitive game to Huntington University before getting bruised up in a physical 65-62 loss to Marian. The losses pushed the Maple Leafs to eighth-place and forced a match up at top-seeded Bethel College. It was in Mishawaka where the season would end as Goshen fell in the first round to eventual NAIA national quarterfi-

nalist Bethel. “I think the season as a whole was satisfying from an overall com-petitive and realis-tic standpoint,” said Wiktorowki of his team that nearly doubled its win total from a season ago. “There were a lot of positives to this season and I saw a ton of growth and develop-ment.” Goshen (11-19, 5-11 MCC) showed incred-ible balance as only one Maple Leafs averaged double-digits in scor-ing, while seven tallied more than six a game. Despite the balance and the time it takes most to adjust to the college game, Goshen did have their own “freshman phenom.” Six-foot center Cassie Greieves led Goshen with 12.73 points a night.

She shot an incredible 54% from the field, which ranked in the top 15 in the country. The freshman also

grabbed a team-high 220 rebounds (7.33 a game), which is the seventh highest single-season total in Goshen history. On way to be-ing selected to the MCC All Newcomer Team, Greives registered seven double-doubles – tied for the most in the MCC. In her final col-legiate season, lone senior Katie Sowers also grabbed a pair of honors. The guard/foward from Hesston,

Kansas was recognized for her work off the court as she was named to the MCC All Academic Team and selected as a Daktronics- NAIA All American Scholar-Athlete.

Mid-Central ConferenceAll Newcomer Team

Cassie Greives

BOttOM left: The Maple Leafs were one of over 1,100 teams that celebrated Think Pink Day, raising awareness and funds for breast cancer researchBOttOM Middle: Junior Krys-tal Duensing flies down the court against St. Francis.BOttOM Right: Lindsay Gangloff provided spark off the bench, pictured here driving around a Grace College player.

The Goshen College Track and

Field Team has made a name for

themselves at the NAIA Indoor

National Championships in the past few years.

Indoor Track&Field

Tina Peters

Deanna Kronk

Abri Houser


Continuing the recent surge of championships by the Goshen Col-lege women’s track and field team, Tina Peters defended her 2007 title with another historic win March 7-8 at the NAIA Indoor National Cham-pionships in Johnson City Tennessee. The 2007 indoor and outdoor national champion in the 3000-meter racewalk again “ran” away from the competition with a time of 15:22.42. While the time was ten seconds over her top-seeded qualifying time of 15:12.09, the sophomore still easily cruised by the field finishing nearly a minute and a half in front of second place (16:43.49). “Tina did a real nice job,” ex-plained Head Coach Rick Clark of the three-time All American. “She did exactly what she had to do.” Peter’s becomes the holder of three of the seven national champion-ships in the history of Goshen Col-lege athletics. As just a sophomore, Peter’s becomes the first Maple Leaf to hold three national titles. With an excellent chance at winning another at the outdoor championships in St. Louis, Peter’s could add a fourth national title in just two years. “It is always nice to have someone on the awards stand,” added Clark. “You don’t ever want to get used to that.” Junior Deanna Kronk also made waves on the national stage as she earned All-American honors in the weight throw. The NorthWood High School product came into the cham-pionships ranked ninth in the field of twenty-four.

Having already broken her own school record twice this year – by a total of over three feet – Kronk again shattered her mark with a throw of 52’6 3/4” on her second attempt. Adding another foot and a half to her school record, Kronk moved into the finals of the 20-pound weight throw in fourth place. In her second career trip to the

NAIA Indoor National Champion-ships, Kronk finished the finals in fifth place earn-ing her first All American honors (the top six finish-ers receive All American recognition). Kronk nar-

rowly missed out on All American honors in the hammer throw at the 2007 Outdoor National Champion-ships in Fresno, California. “Despite battling a cold, she (Kronk) really stepped up and performed well,” explained Clark. “She is our first ever All American in the weight throw. The interesting thing about track and field is that we can keep knocking off different events.” The junior also participated in the shot put, where she came in ranked 17th. Having fouled on her first two attempts, Kronk pulled off a monster throw in her final throw only to be called for another foul, disqualifying her from the event.

“It easily would have been her personal best,” said Clark. “From where we were, we couldn’t see a foul, but she knew exactly what she did as she just did step on the ring.” Also competing in Tennessee was Abri Houser. It was the third trip to indoor national for the junior from Newton, Kansas. In the 2007 cham-pionships, Houser grabbed the final spot in the semi-finals of the 60-me-ter hurdles. Coming in ranked 18th in a field of 31, Houser finished second in her preliminary heat with a time of 9.27. Having ran the third heat – of six overall – Houser would have to wait to see if her time would qualify her for her second-straight semi-finals. It looked promising for Houser until a fast final heat moved Houser into 13th – one spot out of the next round – by a mere two-hundredths of a second. “Abri ran a good race,” said Clark. “She ran nice through the hurdles and actually got second in her heat, but she got squeezed out at the end.” After the final team results were

tallied, the Maple Leafs wrapped up a 16th place fin-ish. It is the third straight year that Goshen finished in the top 20 in the nation. “Having two All-Americans and a National Cham-pion always feels real good,” added Clark. “Obviously Tina defending her title is nice, but Deanna and Abri both moved up

from their qualifying rankings. They all stepped up and performed well.”

No Walk In the ParkTina Peters has come a long way to win championship after championship as a Maple Leaf

While it is still well over four years away, don’t be surprised if you see Tina Peters on a London track for the 2012 Olympic Games. Halfway through her sophomore year, the Goshen College standout already boasted three NAIA National Championships in three attempts – two indoor and one outdoor. At the most recent indoor championships, Peters blew away the field, winning by a minute and a half. At the end of March, Tina competed in her first 20-kilometer event – the distance for Olympic competition. Finishing in 14th with a time of 1:52:21.7, Peters was mere minutes off qualifying for the United State Olympic Trials – for Beijing. The top competitors in the Salem, Oregon event included former Olympians and a Pan American Games medalist. It all seems a little bit like a fairytale. An athlete in a relatively obscure sport, from a small Ohio town, compet-ing at a NAIA school – not known for prolific Olympic-level race walking – has big dreams of competing at the international level.

Rewind about 15 years ago and you will learn how a very young Tina and the Peters’ family first latched onto the sport they love. Vince, Tina’s father, was a track and field coach at Yellow Spring High School when he came across a young man who had some physical difficulties, but wanted to be a part of the track team. Vince turned to racewalking and turned the athlete into an All American, while building up his ailing body. After Vince became the racewalking coach at nearby Cedarville University, Tina had her chance to catch onto the sport. Tagging along with her dad, Tina used the op-portunity to develop in the sport, which most don’t realize is an Olympic event. “It’s as difficult, if not more, than running,” Peters said, explaining the two basic rules, “One foot must be touching the ground at all times and the leg that is touch-

No Walk In the Parking the ground must stay straight until it’s directly under the walker.” Tina was part of the junior Olym-pic program from the time she was seven until she turned 18. Taking part in USA Track and Field clinics, traveling to meets, and constant coaching from her father – now chairman of the USATF’s National Race Walk com-mittee – have be-come an everyday part of an Olympic hopeful. So how does a highly competitive race walker end up at Goshen Col-lege, which had never fielded a com-petitor in the event before Peters? It starts with that fact that the NCAA does not field official events in the sport. Peters wanted an opportunity to compete collegiately, while pursu-ing a strong physics program. In Peters’ junior year of high school, she was allowed entry into the 3K event– NAIA race distance – at Findlay University (Ohio). At the meet was Goshen College assistant coach Doug Yoder, who was imme-diately impressed. As some would say, the rest is history. Peters added that, “Doug and Rick (Clark, Head Track and Field Coach at Goshen) were very enthusiastic about the idea.” Peters would go on to win the 2006 Nation-al High School championship before heading to Goshen. It certainly did not take Peters long to make an impact on the NAIA national stage for herself and the Maple Leafs team. Her very first collegiate meet brought her right

back to Findlay. The freshman eas-ily won the 3K race again and shat-tered the qualifying mark for NAIA

Nationals by three minutes. Just a week later, Peters took a break from typi-cal collegiate competition to take part in the One Mile Race Walk National Indoor Cham-pionship at the Millrose Games. Tina placed fifth (7:18.54) on the big stage of Madison Square Gar-den. “Rick

and Doug have been really support-ive and flexible,” said Peters of her coaches willingness to allow her to travel and compete in non-collegiate events. In some ways that willingness has paid off for the coaches and the Gos-hen College track and field program as a whole. At the 2007 NAIA In-door National Championships, Peters teamed with Petrana Petkova to win a pair of national titles and propel the Maple Leafs to a then program-record eleventh-place finish. Just two months later, Pe-ters took her first outdoor title as she walked to another na-tional championship in Fresno, California. This time, Peters and her teammates rallied for an eighth-place finish, which marked the first time Goshen had ever finished in the top ten in at any national event. “My teammates are the best motivation for me,” said

Peters, who expected to compete at a national level as a freshman, but not necessarily win so early and often. “It is impossible (to be successful) if you try and do it by yourself. Your teammates are there to cheer you on and help pick you up when you have a rough day.” Those rough days have been few and far between for Peters on the track. Now a sophomore, Peters headed back to Findlay and added another title at the Findlay Indoor Classic to her trophy case. In do-ing so, she qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Championships. In early March, Peters made it look easy as she defended her Indoor National Championship by nearly a minute and half for her third NAIA title. She became the first Goshen College athlete to hold three national titles, while helping the Maple Leafs to their third straight top-20 finish at the national event. Peters’ collegiate career is far from over. Despite missing out on her fourth title at the outdoor cham-pionships in May, Peters she still has two more years to continue to shatter records. After that, look to London. You might just see something that resem-bles a fairytale.

39www.GoLeafs.net

The Mid-Central Conference Champi-onships on April 25-26 was a weekend to remember for Abri Houser and the Goshen College track and field team. A combined – between school, track, and meet – ten records fell at the hands of the Maple Leafs while Houser, a junior hurdler, accounted for five as Goshen hosted the event. Meanwhile, the depth of the Goshen teams were on full display as the women placed third overall – their highest finish in program history – with 92 points, while the men rallied for 59.5 points and fifth place. After cruising through the prelims to earn the top seed in Saturday’s 100-meter hurdle finals, Houser set her eyes on history. The Newton, Kansas native blew past the field finishing in a time of 14.81 seconds – three-quarters of a second in front of second place. With the time, Houser broke her own Gos-hen College and MCC Championship time of 14.98 set a year ago. The time also shattered her Eigsti Track record of 15.44 seconds. Houser was not done, as just an hour later,

the junior found herself in a highly competi-tive 400-meter event. Behind coming around the final turn, Houser kicked it into high gear in the final 100 meters to pass and hold off In-diana Wesleyan’s Katelin Morgan for another MCC individual title. Houser’s winning time of 1:04.43 broke her own Goshen College record and bested the 2000 track mark set by a Carthage College runner. The time also hit the automatic quali-fying mark for NAIA Nationals in the event. Houser has also qualified in the 100 meters for the May 22-24 nationals in St. Louis. While Houser’s five new records all came on Saturday, the Maple Leafs made an early impression as the meet opened on Friday. With headwinds of 20-30 miles per hour, it seemed like it would be a poor day for the throwing events. Senior Justin Hochstetler (Orrville, Ohio) proved otherwise. His throw of 153-feet, 6-inches set a new Goshen Col-lege record in the discus. With the mark, the senior qualified for his first NAIA National Championships.

The Leafs madehuge strides at theMCC Championshipsbefore taking eightto St. Louis for theNAIA OutdoorNational Meet.

OutdoorTrack and Field


Also on opening day, freshman sensation Peni Acayo took top honors in the high jump. The MCC and NAIA Region VIII Freshman of the Year in volleyball used her jumping ability to clear 5’2”. Learning new jumping styles has appeared to paid off quickly for the Kampala, Uganda na-tive, who earlier in the outdoor season broke a ten-year old school record in the triple jump. Meanwhile, junior Deanna Kronk battled the wind and qualified for NAIAs with a throw of 151’7” in the hammer throw. The NorthWood high school product narrowly missed All American honors in the event a year ago, but earned All American status in the weight throw during this year’s indoor season. Saturday’s competition started with a race walking exhibition, which turned into quite a show for fans. Three-time NAIA National Champion Tina Peters easily won the race and qualified for a chance for her fourth title. Things turned from good to better as Laura Stoesz (Jr., Indianapolis) turned in a fast final lap as the crowd cheered her on to a personal-best 18:11.00. Much to her surprise, Stoesz also hit the qualifying mark for NAIA nationals. It is the first time that Goshen has had two race walkers compete in a national event. As if those records were not enough, senior Katie Sowers ended Saturday by smashing the school, track, and MCC Conference marks in the javelin with a throw of 129-feet, 2-inches. In the first meet of the season, Sowers

broke a nearly twenty-year-old school mark in the event. All this came in Sowers first year competing in track and field since high school – after concentrating on basketball throughout college. With individual event wins,

Sowers, Houser, and Acayo – Pe-ters’ win in the 3K race walk was not an

official MCC event – the trio of women were named to the All Mid-Central Con-

ference team. Led by the trio, the Lady Leafs

tallied 92 points to finish third – their highest ever. Freshman Cassie Greives was also a big contributor as she placed in

each of her three throwing events (7th in hammer, 8th in shot put and discuss), while Goshen also received

fourth-place efforts from both the 4x100 and 4x800 relay teams.

On the men’s side, the field and hurdle events are where the Leafs excelled. In addition to Hochstetler’s discus marks, Goshen scored in high jump, long jump,

pole vault, hammer throw, and javelin. Kyle Laker jumped 6’2” to take fourth in the high jump, while Luis Robledo was fourth in the pole vault after clearing 12’9”. On the track it was all about the hurdles as Jon Miller (3rd, 56.54) and Tyler Keller (5th, 57.38) placed in the 400 meters, while Sam Bold-man (6th, 16.61) and David Horst (8th, 17.55) grabbed points in the 110 meters. The outdoor season ended as eight Goshen athletes qualified for NAIA Nationals May 22-24 in St. Louis: Junior Abri Houser (100 hurdles, 400 hurdles), Junior Deanna Kronk (hammer throw, shot put), Senior Katie Sowers (javelin), Sophomore Tina Peters (3K race walk), Junior Laura Stoesz (3K race walk), Senior Justin Hochstetler (discus), Junior Kyle Laker (high jump), and Senior Jake Gilette (marathon). Peters was the lone Maple Leafs to turn in an All American performance as she finished third in the 3K racewalk in a time of 15:20.21. Kronk took 12th in the hammer throw (148’2”), while Sowers placed 15th with a mark of 117-feet, 11-inches. For the men, Laker cleared 6’5” to take 22nd, while Hochstetler (142’9”) took 18th.

Maple Leafs claim ten new records at the 2008 Mid-Central Conference Championships

41www.GoLeafs.net

In a sport where you can be successful just 30 per-cent of the time and be considered successful, the line between a win and a loss is extremely fine. It didn’t take long for the Goshen College baseball team to figure that fact out firsthand. A young Maple Leafs squad – just seven upper-classmen on the roster of 23 – started the season with a 5-14 mark. However, nine of those fourteen losses were by three runs or less, including five by just a single run. Goshen was literally inches away from a handful of additional wins. Perhaps it was never truer as when the Leafs faced off against NCAA DII Eckerd Col-lege in Florida. Down 7-1 early in the game, Goshen battled back and rallied to get back into the game. Already having scored five runs in the eighth inning, Tom McDowell doubled home what Goshen thought to be the tying run. However, the tying run turned into the final out of the inning as the base runner was called out for missing third base and Goshen eventu-ally fell 9-8.

The Leafs did not take long to respond from the adversity, though, as the very next day they split a double header with sister school Eastern Mennonite University. The two schools, along with Bluffton Uni-versity, gathered together in Florida to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the tragic bus accident that took six lives from the Bluffton Baseball family. Despite losing the first game of the three-game series in extra innings, Goshen responded with two straight to take the series and bragging rights. In the finale, the Maple Leafs hit grand slams in back-to-back innings as they powered past the Royals 12-5. After twelve games out of the state of Indiana – primarily against southern teams who had played up to 20 games at the time of the competition – the Leafs finally got their home opener on March 15th when they hosted Alma College. It turned out to be well worth the wait as senior Ian Swartz threw a complete-game shutout as Goshen won the opener 5-0. The Maple Leafs would use a solid start by Aaron Coy to complete the sweep with a 9-2 win in the nightcap.

The Leafs learned quickly that in baseball, little separates winning from losing


A week later, the season shifted towards conference play. With a new conference scheduling format and weather make-up rules, Gos-hen was forced to play ten games in five days on two occasions and the pitching staff was often worn thin by the constant changes in the schedule. The depth and experience of the rest of the MCC showed as the Maple Leafs struggled to find con-sistency and their complete game. One game, Goshen would get a solid pitching performance only to have its own bats go quiet. The

next game it would be the opposite and with such a fine line between winning and losing – especially with the talent and depth of the MCC – you have to be on top of all aspects of your game. The Maple Leafs took advan-tage of some non-conference opponents during some tough stretches of the season. Fresh-man Josh Yates and Sophomore Matt Fyfe combined for a no-hitter as Goshen swept away first-year program Great Lakes Christian and the Leafs outscored Indiana University Northwest 23-2 in a

doubleheader sweep. Goshen also used a three-run home run by Zach Reed to hold on for an 8-7 win over Calumet College of St. Joseph, which took its non-conference record to 10-12. In their final MCC series of the season, the Maple Leafs finally cracked the conference win col-umn. In the series opener against Grace, sophomore Aaron Coy gave up just one hit – an infield single in the sixth – in a com-plete game 4-0 shutout. Goshen swept the doubleheader as they outlasted the Lancers 22-11 in a slugfest, which featured 12 extra-base hits. With an extra-innings vic-

tory at Grace, the Leafs claimed the seven seed heading into the conference tournament play-in series. Unfortunately, Goshen had to travel to Indiana Wesleyan where its season would end with a pair of losses. Swartz and junior Brad Elam were selected as All Mid-Central Conference Honorable Mention. Swartz led the Maple Leafs with a .344 average, while setting a new Goshen College single-season record with 18 doubles. Elam, a junior relief pitcher, notched a team-high three wins out of the bullpen, while pitching 37 innings and appearing in 27 ballgames.

BELOW: Senior Ian Swartz led the Leafs in batting (.344), third in RBIs (25), and set a new Goshen College single-season record with 18 doubles.

ABOVE: Sophomore Kraig Miller takes a swing. Miller was second on the team in batting average (.323), while leading the Maple Leafs with six home runs and 39 runs batted in. RIGHT: Freshman Zach Reed was congratulated by teammates after hit-ting one of his four home runs. Reed batted .323 in conference play.

43www.GoLeafs.net

On The AirMaple Leaf athlete’s Sheldon Good and Peter Koontz get a unique chance to share their faith and how it impacts their politics on a national stage with CNN What often gets misunderstood in the bustle of competition and the countless hours of training in inter-collegiate athletics is the develop-ment of the entire student-athlete. At a Christian liberal arts in-stitution – with athletics as a vital contributor – Goshen College is committed to developing young people academically, socially, and spiritually. Recently, a pair of Maple Leaf athletes got a rare chance to display their developments to a nation-wide audience. Part of a student panel of seven, Sheldon Good (Jr., Telford, Pa., tennis) and Peter Koontz (Sr.,

Goshen, Ind., soccer) discussed how their faith impacts their politi-cal views with CNN anchor Rick Sanchez. With an unprecedented focus on the political views of young people in America – coupled with the importance of Indiana in the prima-ries – CNN contacted Goshen about their interest in having a round-table discussion with first-time voters who were Mennonite. As part of a series titled, “The League of First-Time Voters,” CNN had already aired similar conversations with stu-dents from a Jesuit institution and a historically black college.

The segment with Goshen Col-lege students will air on CNN’s American Morning as well as pos-sible other shows and on CNN’s website. “As a communication student, I’m often very critical of our na-tional media, but the folks from CNN were very professional,” said Good, who is a junior on the Maple Leaf tennis team. “It was amaz-ing to watch their reactions as we discussed our perspectives. Rick Sanchez told us afterwards that we not only represented our college and our denomination well, but all ‘youth across America,’ which was


humbling to say the least.” Sanchez’s views were echoed by Goshen College President Jim Brenneman and the local media that covered the story on campus. Good, Koontz, and their fel-low students discussed the Iraq war, immigration, the economy, leadership qualities, and other hot-topic political issues. “It was cool to hear how the notion of thinking globally became our backdrop for all these issues,” said Good. “I think it’s an important perspective for much of America to hear. To think about how our decisions and policies can and do affect not only us here, but people around the world, that’s a powerful image.” Good, who traveled to Cambodia as part of Gos-hen’s Study-Service Term, said that his time outside of the country has “provided me with a way to frame

global thinking. Before coming to Goshen, I don’t think I had a specific way of articulating this idea of being global citizens. It was something that I assumed

I valued, but had never put it into words or actions.” While Goshen’s SST pro-gram and focus on global citizenship – one of Goshen College’s core values – Good’s athletic career also has been a major contributor to his views both politically and socially. “Tennis has taught me how to function as individual who is part of a team,” said Good, who

was a four-year high school tennis player and finished his third season at Goshen in the fall. “Tennis is an individual sport and life is an indi-vidual experience,” added Goode. “But as a member of a tennis team, you have to realize that every match counts towards a team score, no matter the fact that

“To think about how our decisions and policies can and do affect not only us here in America, but people around the

world, that’s a powerful image.” -Sheldon Good

“Teamwork is not just an idea to be practiced in athletics or in the classroom but something that must be lived out in our daily lives, as we consider how to be faithful, Christ-centered

stewards in this game of life.” -Sheldon Goodyou’re out there on the court alone.” Most coaches preach teamwork from the first day of practice. However, few under-stand the importance of it immediately, learn-ing through experience its value on and off the court. “As global citizens, we must think about how our individual actions influence and impact not just ourselves,” Good explains. “In this way, teamwork is not just an idea to be practiced in athletics or in the classroom, but something that must be lived out in our daily lives, as we consider how to be faithful, Christ-centered stewards in this game of life.” While not every student-athlete will get such a unique opportunity to share their development, Goshen College and its athletic department strives for each of its student-ath-letes to understand athletics and development as synonymous.

45www.GoLeafs.net

Peter Koontz (left)and Sheldon Good

A Whole New Field of DreamsA Whole New Field of Dreams

Goshen Has Hired Lee Mast To Start The Rebuilding Process Lee Mast, the head softball coach at Goshen High School for the past four seasons, has been selected as the new head softball coach at Goshen College, In-terim Athletic Director Doug Yoder announced in late May. “Lee will bring stability and experience to the Goshen College softball program,” said Yoder. “He is enthusiastic about what he does and that will spill over into the program.” At Goshen High School, Mast took over a strug-gling softball program, which had not reached twelve wins in well over a decade. Mast led the Redskins to a 12-15 record in 2008, including 5-9 in the Northern Lakes Confer-ence. Their 12 wins – a total the Redskins reached twice in Mast’s four-year tenure – is one win short of the single-season school record. “This opportunity (to coach at Goshen College) was not something I was looking for, but it is a nice

challenge,” said Mast. “I love building programs up. From meeting with players, the excitement is definite-ly there to build on and get the program back up and running in the right direction.” In late February the college announced that the 2008 softball season would not take place due to a lack of student-athletes. Administration has remained committed to the long-term success of the softball program and its student-athletes and the hiring of Lee Mast is the next step in the process of renewing the

program to its past which included a Mid-Central Conference Championship in 2001. “With the returnees from a season ago, three athletes already signed and more on the way, we will

have a revived program and Lee will help move things upward,” explained Yoder. Mast will try to pick up a few more pieces late in the recruiting season before making long-term plans for the future of the program.

“I love building programs up. From meeting with players, the excitement is definitely

there to build on and get the program back up and running in

the right direction.”


A Whole New Field of DreamsA Whole New Field of Dreams

Goshen Has Hired Lee Mast To Start The Rebuilding Process He has already put together his coaching staff, which will include former Maple Leaf players Rachel Solmos and Faith Borrell. Solmos, a All MCC and All NAIA Region VIII selection in 2003 – a season where she won 15 games, struck out 109, and posted a 2.03 earned run average – is the Goshen Col-lege career record holder in nearly every pitching category. Borell, primarily an outfielder, was part of Maple Leaf teams from 2005-2007. “My goal is to have consistency with 18 players every season,” said Mast. “There is a lot of local talent within a 50-100 mile radius that gets looked over. They have the ability to play at this level while getting an outstanding education.” Before his four-year stint at the helm of the Redskin softball program, Mast held various other

coaching positions at the local high school, including junior varsity softball, junior varsity baseball, and freshman basketball. He has also coached basketball and softball, been a youth sponsor and director, and the district athletic director for Bren-neman Missionary Church in Goshen. As of late May, the program had already signed outfielder Danae Nafziger of Nap-pannee, Anne Lehman of Berne, Ind., and all-state performer Stormy Holder of Ander-son, who will also play basketball. Despite not having the numbers

in 2008, the Maple Leafs did have some talent, including All Mid-Central Conference Tournament Team (2007) shortstop Amy Clem.

Clem, who will be a senior in 2009, hopes to be a major part of the rebuilding process. “What happened was unfortunate, but it is done and cannot be changed,” said Clem. “The only thing left to do is think about the future and rebuild the program.” Clem added, “I look forward to my last

year of collegiate softball and look forward to the things to come.”

47www.GoLeafs.net

2008 SeniorsSun Sets on 38 Collegiate CareersWhile the coming of the spring means warmer weather, it also brings the inevitability of saying farewell to

another crop of seniors. The hardest, yet most rewarding part of working in a collegiate athletic department is seeing student-athletes develop and

then move on to the next phase of their lives. The 2007-08 school year marks the final stages of 38 collegiate careers.


2008 SeniorsWhile the Goshen College Athletic Department says good-bye to 38 seniors, they also recognize the accomplishments of this extraodinary group on the playing field, court, and/or track. The senior Class of 2008 has certainly got things down on and off the play-ing surface, racking up 23 Daktronics-NAIA All American Scholar-Athlete awards,

15 All Mid-Central Conference honors, a pair of NAIA All Region VIII selections and two NAIA All American

honors. Tony Janzen will go out ranked 6th all-time in scor-ing for men’s soccer, while Brice Hartman places eighth on the men’s basketball scoring charts and in the

Top10 in several other offensive categories.

49www.GoLeafs.net

23 Academic All Americans15 All Mid-Central

Conference Recipients


“Community is what Goshen is all about and it is why I love what I do on a daily basis. “

Krysten Parson never thought she would stay in Goshen after she finished her storied softball career. But, it is six years later and she finds herself just a mile down the road teaching and coaching at Bethany Christian High School. A catcher for the Maple Leafs softbal team from 1999-2002, Parson was named All Mid-Central Conference and All NAIA Region VIII in her final three seasons. She has several school records and is in the top 10 in nearly every Goshen College career offensive category. “What initially drew me to Goshen was the community,” said Parson, who was part of the 2001 squad that won the conference tournament. The team was picked

to finish 5th in the MCC, but rattled off a Goshen record 24 wins during their historic run. Through softball – and basketball – Parson learned the importance of sticking together as a team. “Sports will end one day for everyone, then what do you have,” said Parson. What Parson has now – while it isn’t what she expected – is the opportunity to work with girls in a community. “The most rewarding aspect of coaching is the mentoring relationships.” Parson didn’t plan on still be-ing just a mile down the road, but has learned, “Community is what Goshen is all about and it is why I love what I do on a daily basis,” concluded Parson.

2002 GradKrysten Parson

1986 GradSally Hunsberger

“Being part of a team helps you navigate the relationship and keeps you on the same page.”

Sally Hunsberger still remembers each point of her 1985 MCC Cham-pionship doubles match as a senior on the Maple Leaf tennis team. Maybe she even remembered that when she and the group from Chris-tian Peacemaker Teams she was with were attacked by masked men with guns on the West Bank. More importantly, she remembers some of the lessons she learned from being part of a team. “Clearly there will be conflict when you are so close to each other,” said Hunsberg-er. “Being part of a team teaches you how to navigate the relationship and keeps you on the same page.” Hunsberger, who still ranks in the top five in career wins at Goshen College, also points to athletics and

the ability to stick with it. “You have to believe it is going to get bet-ter.” Hunsberger who loved prac-tices because it is an opportunity to improve, relates it to her volunteer work with CPT. “You can’t always see the improvement in conditions, but you know you are doing the right thing.” Having gone on trips with CPT for four years running, Hunsberger will return to Palestine in Novem-ber. CPT’s mission is to “stand with groups who are oppressed” and “putting their lives on the line as Jesus did,” Hunsberger sees it as a “concrete outlet for her beliefs.” Still an avid athlete herself, Hunsberger is using lessons from tennis to impact the world.

51www.GoLeafs.net

Q A& With the newest member of the

Maple Leaf Athletics staff.

On May 2nd, Tim Demant, an athletic administrator, coach, and physical education instructor from Abbotsford, British Columbia was named as the athletic director for Goshen College athletics. “Tim brings a dedication to the advancement and development of our students and the athletic department that will take our program to the next level,” said Interim Athletic Director Doug Yoder. “He has an understand-ing of our core values and how they are implemented in all that we do. He is committed and expects excellence in all our athletic programs.” “I am very excited about this great opportunity to be a part of the athletic department at Goshen, while continuing to use and develop my skills as a leader,” said Demant. “I was very pleased with the coaches and staff in the interview process and am excited to begin working on building on their past successes.” “Goshen has had success, but there is room to grow,” said Demant. “In my 10 years at Columbia, we built an athletic departments and I am proud of what we accomplished. Now, I am excited to bring that experience to Gos-hen.” Q: What’s your reaction to being offered the position of athletic director of Goshen College athletics? A: I am very excited. It is a great opportunity to be a part of a growing department and continue to grow in my leadership skills. Q: What is it about Goshen and Maple Leaf athletics that impressed you? A: I was impressed with the coaches and the staff and their passion to suc-ceed. I think there is a lot of room for growth and they are ready to build on the successes they have already had. Q: What are your initial goals as athletic director? A: The first thing I need to do is get an understanding of the history and culture of the school and the athletic department. I really want to get con-nected with the student-athletes and find out what motivates them. Then, I want to see how we can get involved and get our athletes involved in the community and in turn get the community involved in what we are doing here. Q: What about Goshen College’s core values resonates with you? How does that play into your philosophy of athletics? A: Goshen College is able to combine academic, athletic, and spiritual components. Those are all things that I value and are instrumental in who I am. The concept of integrating academics and athletics and using athletics as a tool to help in the classroom is something I strongly believe in. The value of servant leadership also is part of who I am. I want to be out in the commu-nity and see our athletes giving their time back to the community. Q: Outside of talking about your experiences, what should people know about you as a person and as a leader? A: I obviously have a passion for athletics. I am quite easy-going, laid back, and trusting. I am a team player and would rather not take the credit.

Tim Demant Athletic DirectorEducation: Bachelor’s degree, double-major in physical education and history, Trinity Western University (Langley, Brit-ish Columbia); master’s degree, bioen-ergetics, University of British Columbia (Vancouver) Occupation: Director of Athletics and Recreation at Columbia Bible College (Abbotsford, British Columbia) Previous positions: Head Men’s Vol-leyball Coach, Columbia Bible College; sessional instructor, Columbia Bible College; faculty, instructor in physical education department, Trinity Western University; men’s volleyball coach, Trinity Western University. Leadership positions: President, British Columbia Colleges’ Athletics Association (BCCAA); team member, Athlete Assis-tance Program Task Team; administrator and coach, Fraser Valley Volleyball Club; Technical Vice President, BCCAA. Accomplishments: BCCAA Coach of the Year, 2002-03 and 2003-04 in men’s volleyball; Two-time Academic All Cana-dian (1994 and 1995); Two-time Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association All Cana-dian (1993 and 1995); Four-time BCCAA All-Conference Team (1991-1995); NCCP Level III Certification in volleyball; NCCP Level I Technical certification in basket-ball.

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21 All Mid-Central Conference Members

6 NAIA All Americans

24 NAIA Academic All Americans

MAPLE LEAF ATHLETICS 2007-08

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Documents

Goshen College Athletics 2007-08 Year In Review