rambler report - april 2016

swoopes elected to hallAPRIL 2016

inside: men’s soccer travels to peru • spring sports updates

three-time wnba mvp, gold medalist to be inducted in september

home sweet homeThe Loyola softball team opened its home schedule last week in ringing fashion with a 9-6 win against Northern Illinois followed by a doubleheader sweep of Missouri State over the weekend. The Ramblers sit at 18-12 on the season, having already surpassed their win total from 2015. First-place Drake visits Loyola Softball Park this weekend for a key conference series beginning Saturday.

ramblers in peruThe Loyola men’s soccer team spent its spring break on a service-learning trip to Peru. The student-athletes were enrolled in a course this semester designed to immerse them in the culture and history of South America. The capstone experience was the trip to Peru, where they toured cultural sites, played soccer and participated in a number of service activities. See more photos and read blog excerpts on page 12. Full blogs can be found on LoyolaRamblers.com.

Down the home stretchThe Loyola men’s volleyball team wraps up the regular season this weekend with a homestand against IPFW and Ball State. The MIVA tournament begins next weekend, with the winner earning the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Ramblers are attempting to become only the second school in tournament history to win three consecutive NCAA titles.

Rambler Report • April 2016 •

Sheryl SwoopeS

Loyola head women’s basketball coach Sheryl Swoopes has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Swoopes will join Allen Iverson, Tom Izzo, Yao Ming, Shaquille O’Neal and Jerry Reinsdorf in the Class of 2016, which will be enshrined during festivities, Sept. 8-10, in Springfield, Mass.

“On behalf of Loyola University Chicago and all our Rambler fans I would like to extend a big congratulations to Sheryl on being a part of the 2016 Naismith Hall of Fame class,” Loyola Director of Athletics Steve Watson said. “It’s an amazing honor and a well-deserved tribute to one of basketball’s great champions and pioneers.”

credentials include CHAMPIONSHIPS, GOLD MEDALS, MVP AWARDSSwoopes’ credentials at every level of her playing career are certainly Hall of Fame worthy. Following a two-year stint at South Plains Junior College in Texas, Swoopes rewrote the record books at Texas Tech as she led the Red Raiders to the 1993 NCAA National Championship and was named the Naismith National Player of the Year. The Brownfield, Texas native set an NCAA Championship game record in Texas Tech’s 84-82 victory over Ohio State, pouring in 47 points en route to being named the Final Four’s Most Valuable Player.

Following a stint overseas to begin her professional career, Swoopes found her way back stateside in

1997 when she was assigned to the Houston Comets in the first player allocations for the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Her 10-year stay with the Comets, who she helped lead to four WNBA Championships, is one of legends.

Named the league’s Most Valuable Player on three separate occasions (2000, 2002, 2003), Swoopes was honored as a WNBA All-Star six times and posted career marks of 15.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game during a 12-year playing career that also included stops with the Seattle Storm and Tulsa Shock.

Swoopes has also had the opportunity to represent her country as part of Team USA on numerous occasions. Most notably, she was a member of the gold medal winning USA Olympic Teams in 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney) and 2004 (Athens).

Fourteen finalists were eligible for this year’s induction. A finalist needed 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

QUOTABLE“Today marks a very special moment in my life as well as my family’s,” Swoopes commented. “I could not be more excited and honored to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Class of 2016. Thank you to everyone who has helped me accomplish all of my goals and dreams along the way. God has blessed me tremendously and I am so grateful to be joining such an amazing group of people that I can call family.”

swoopes elected to basketball hallloyola head coach part of 2016 class that includes o'neal, iverson, ming, izzo

Rambler Report • April 2016 • Page 8

Sheryl SwoopeS Softball Update


Loyola already Surpasses 2015 win totalThe Ramblers began their 2016 home schedule last week with a victory over Northern Illinois and a doubleheader sweep of Missouri State to give Loyola 18 wins on the year, three more than the entire 2015 season.

Loyola has improved nearly every aspect of its game over last season. The Ramblers are hitting a league-best .319 thus far after finishing last in the conference with a .255 average in 2015. The top two hitters in the entire conference are junior Erica Nagel (.505) and sophomore Brooke Wyderski (.448). Nagel’s average ranks fourth in the country and Wyderski, named MVC Player of the Week on Monday, is the squad’s most prolific power source with a team-high 9 home runs, 8 doubles and 31 RBIs.

The pitching staff is also deeper and has been more productive than last year. Madison Hope and Ashley Rogers combined to finish the season with a 4.70 ERA a year ago. Newcomers Kiley Jones and Keenan Dolezel have joined Hope and Rogers in 2016 and the quartet have dropped the team ERA by a run and a half to 3.20.

former rambler moore named assistant coachAfter assistant coach Brittany Cervantes signed a professional contract in Japan before the season began, head coach Jeff Tylka tabbed former Rambler Lauren Moore to return to Rogers Park as an assistant coach.

Moore is just two years removed from an illustrious playing career, graduating as Loyola’s all-time leader in RBIs (124), second in program history in hits (188) and doubles (38) and third in home runs (29).

March ResultsMar. 4 - vs. Campbell, W 3-0Mar. 5 - vs. Appalachian State, W 9-0 (5)Mar. 5 - vs. Marshall, L 1-2Mar. 6 - vs. Appalachian State, W 1-0Mar. 8 - @ Campbell, W 11-8Mar. 11 - vs. Northern Illinois, L 6-10Mar. 11 - vs. NC State, L 0-8 (5)Mar. 12 - vs. Delaware State, W 3-2Mar. 12 - vs. NC State, W 7-3Mar. 13 - vs. Northern Illinois, L 2-6Mar. 19 - @ Southern Illinois, L 3-4 (8)Mar. 19 - @ Southern Illinois, L 0-5Mar. 25 - @ Wichita State, L 0-5Mar. 25 - @ Wichita State, L 2-7Mar. 26 - @ Wichita State, L 0-8 (5)Mar. 30 - vs. Northern Illinois, W 9-6Apr. 3 - vs. Missouri State, W 4-0Apr. 3 - vs. Missouri State, W 9-1 (6)

upcoming scheduleApr. 6 - @ UIC, 5 pmApr. 8-9 - vs. Drake, 12 pmApr. 12 - @ DePaul, 4 pmApr. 16-17 - @ Northern Iowa, 12 pmApr. 20 - @ Indiana State, 1 pmApr. 23-24 - vs. Illinois State, 12 pmApr. 26 - vs. Indiana State, 4 pmApr. 27 - @ Northwestern, 4 pm

mvc standings School Conf. OverallDrake 9-0 19-11

Wichita State 6-3 20-13Bradley 6-3 11-18

Southern Illinois 5-3 20-11Northern Iowa 4-4 24-11Indiana State 3-5 9-24

Loyola 2-5 18-12Missouri State 2-5 13-18Illinois State 2-6 10-23Evansville 2-7 14-18

Senior Hannah Jenkins

Spring SportS Update


six titles, pair of school records to start outdoor seasonThe Ramblers opened its first full-squad meet of the outdoor season last month at the Black and Gold Invitational in Nashville, where it took down a pair of school records and took home three event titles.

Sophomore Emma Hatch won the 5,000m title with a personal-best time of 17:04.39, the tenth-fastest time in school history, 40 seconds faster than her previous personal-best. Senior Peter Archibald picked up where he left off during the indoor season, winning the 800m title after clocking a personal-best 1:49.75.

“Peter looked really good running away from the field in the 800m today,” said Hasenbank. “I feel confident that his time has earned him a spot at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in May. He can just focus a little more on training and less on racing.”

Senior Mitch Baum then made program history en route to winning the 2,000m steeplechase, breaking the previous school record by 11 seconds to clock a personal-best time of 5:50.76 in the event. Junior Hannah Lies took her place in the school record book in the event as well, breaking the program’s record in the 2,000m steeplechase with a time of 7:19.85, good for ninth in the event.

The Ramblers battled tough weather conditions last weekend at Eastern Illinois’ Big Blue Classic with a pair of event titles. Junior Jake Brown impressed winning the 10,000m with a time of 31:15.75. The Ramblers also got a first-place finish from the men’s 4x800m relay, as the quartet of Nicholas Prajka, Jake Mazanke, Elijah Olige and Brady McCue clocked a facility record time of 7:44.49.

upcoming scheduleApr. 8-9 - Gibson Invitational, Terre Haute, INApr. 15-16 - Redbird Invitational, Normal, ILApr. 23 - Illinois Twilight, Champaign, ILApr. 28-30 - Drake Relays, Des Moines, IAApr. 29 - Valparaiso Invitational, Valparaiso, IN

women 's golf takes second at bradley invitationalSenior Olivia Lindsley recorded her second top-ten finish in as many events as Loyola earned a runner-up finish at the Bradley Spring Invitational last weekend.

The Ramblers final-round 315, the second-lowest round of the afternoon, helped the team earn sole-possession of second place with a 36-hole total of 642 (327-315) and finish in front of four Valley rivals on the final team leaderboard.

Lindsley was fantastic on Sunday as she continued her solid run of form this spring. The Green Bay, Wis. native shaved eight strokes off her first-round score as she fired an impressive 75 to earn a share of seventh place on the individual leaderboard with a 158 (83-75).

It was the second consecutive event the Ramblers were paced by Lindsley, who turned in her top finish of her career the previous weekend with a 155 (81-74) at the Butler Spring Invitational. The Ramblers surged into fourth place after a strong final-round team score of 318 on the event’s final day.

upcoming Women's scheduleApr. 10-11 - Ind. St. Spring Invitational, Terre Haute, INApr. 17-19 - MVC Championships, Chicago, IL

upcoming men's scheduleApr. 10-11 - Bradley Spring Invitational, Peoria, IL Apr. 15-16 - Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational, Muncie, IN Apr. 25-26 - MVC Championships, Hutchinson, KS

loyola to host mvc championshipLoyola is gearing up to host the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Golf Championship Apr. 17-19 at Harborside International Golf Center, marking the first Valley championship Loyola will host since entering the league. Harborside features two courses that have both been named as the “Best Courses to Play in Illinois” by Golfweek Magazine.

Olivia Lindsley

Emma Hatch

ramblerS abroad

soccer takes service-learning trip for spring break The Loyola men’s soccer team spent its spring break traveling through Peru on an educational, cultural and service-learning trip. The experience began with a course on Loyola’s campus designed to immerse the student-athletes in the history and culture of South America. The capstone for the course was the trip to Peru, where the team toured cultural sites, played soccer and participated in service activities. Below are excerpts from blogs written by student-athletes while on the trip.


“Children started running towards the court from all directions. It is pretty unreal how the sound of laughter and a soccer ball be-ing kicked around attracts these children. Even with a language barrier it was so easy to communicate with these kids.” -Elliot Collier

“The memories from this last week will be with me the rest of my life. A big thank you to everyone at Loyola who helped put this trip together, and an even bigger thank you must be said for all the donations that helped get us here.” -Ryan Walker

“What stuck out most about the school was the teacher and staff passion for educating the children. Not only do these children learn about basic sub-jects, but they also learn about Spanish culture as well as skills such as ceramics, woodworking and painting.” -Adem Dzananovic

“It was a great experience for the team. Both sets of coaches said the compe-tition was good for all parties involved. For us, it was cool to play against a first division team and feel like we could hang with them.” -Blake Bieg

“It is not an understatement when people say that South Americans live and breathe football. The kids couldn’t have been hap-pier to be out on that dusty, concrete-hard pitch. ” -Jordan Valentic-Holden


men’S Volleyball Update

loyola gears up for miva tournamentWith the Ramblers considered a longshot for an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament, Loyola heads into the final weekend of the regular season knowing its path to defend its back-to-back national championships will be through the conference tournament’s automatic berth. The Ramblers will look to build momentum for the MIVA tournament, which begins next Saturday, when it welcomes IPFW and Ball State to Gentile Arena this weekend for the final regular season matches of the year.

The Ramblers have won three of their last four including victories over Penn State and Lewis, completing the season sweep of both programs. Sophomore Ben Plaisted has stepped in for an injured Ricky Gevis over the last month and performed admirably, winning the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week award two weeks ago.

Plaisted notched career highs in blocks (6) and digs (10) to go along with 12 kills against St. Francis, the first double-double of his career. The following night, Plaisted helped Loyola down Penn State, this time with a career-high in kills (22). Fellow sophomore Jeff Jendryk has posted a team-best 211 kills from the middle this season with a .429 hitting percentage.

MIVA standings School Conf. Overall

Ohio State 13-1 22-3Ball State 12-2 20-6

Loyola 10-4 17-7Lewis 8-6 15-12

Grand Canyon 8-8 15-11Quincy 4-10 18-20

McKendree 4-10 9-12IPFW 3-11 10-16

Lindenwood 2-12 4-16

march resultsMar. 4 - @ Ohio State, L 0-3Mar. 14 - vs. Princeton, W 3-0Mar. 18 - vs. Lindenwood, W 3-0Mar. 19 - vs. Quincy, W 3-1Mar. 25 - @ St. Francis (PA), L 2-3Mar. 26 - @ Penn State, W 3-2Mar. 29 - vs. Lewis, W 3-2Apr. 1 - @ Grand Canyon, W 3-1Apr. 2 - @ Grand Canyon, L 2-3

upcoming scheduleApr. 8 - vs. IPFW, 7 pmApr. 9 - vs. Ball State, 7 pmApr. 16-23 - MIVA Tournament

avca national pollRank School Points Overall

1 BYU (9) 289 21-32 Ohio State (7) 273 22-33 Stanford (3) 263 19-34 UCLA (1) 254 21-55 Long Beach State 220 21-66 Pepperdine 193 13-87 UCSB 182 17-98 Ball State 148 20-69 Hawaii 145 14-1110 CSUN 120 13-1411 Penn State 109 16-712 Loyola 77 17-7

Sophomore Ben Plaisted

student-athlete summer employmentAs we wrap up the end of the 2015-16 academic year, many student-athletes will be seeking summer employment to earn income while training and attending summer school. The Office of Compliance offers the following reminders to donors and alumni to ensure student-athletes are maintaining NCAA eligibility guidelines regarding summer employment.

According to NCAA bylaw 12.4.1, student-athletes may be paid:

• ONLY for work actually performed;• At a rate that is equal to that of a non-student-

athlete employee performing the same task and at a rate in that locality for similar services;

• Student-athletes may not be employed because of publicity they may bring the employer, their reputation, or fame;

• Student-athletes may not receive benefits not available to all employees; and

• Student-athletes may not be paid in advance of work performed.

According to NCAA bylaw 12.4.3, student-athletes employed by an institutional camp or clinic must meet the following criteria:

• Student-athletes must be paid only for work actually performed;

• At a rate that is equal to that of a non-student-athlete employee performing the same task and at a rate in that locality for similar services; and

• Student-athletes may not be employed because of publicity they may bring the employer, their reputation, or fame.

ncaa progress toward degree standardsWith the end of the Spring 2016 semester upon us, the following is a reminder of the Progress Toward Degree requirements all student-athletes must meet to remain eligible:

• 6 Credit Rule – Must pass a minimum of six credit hours in previous term in order to be eligible for up-coming term. This requirement must be met each term.

• 18 Credit Rule – Must earn a minimum of eighteen credits combined in the Fall and Spring semesters every year, including first year.

• 24 Credit Rule (Freshmen Only) – Must earn a minimum of twenty-four credit hours before the third semester.

Percentage of Degree Completion Requirements: • Prior to 5th semester – 40% • Prior to 7th semester – 60% • Prior to 9th semester – 80%

Cumulative GPA- Must be met after each term: • Entering 2nd Year – 1.80 • Entering 3rd Year – 1.90 • Entering 4th Year - 2.00 • Entering 5th Year – 2.00

Student-athletes must choose and declare a major that leads to a specific undergraduate degree by the beginning of their third year (fifth semester) of enrollment.

The Office of Compliance reminds you to Ask Before You Act! Please contact Jay Malcolm, Associate AD for Compliance, at 773.508.2894 or [email protected] with any questions.


ComplianCe Corner


baSketball reCap

ramblers take wichita to the brink, fall in mvc quartersWith under four minutes to play in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament quarterfinals, Loyola had top-seeded Wichita State on the ropes with a four-point lead and momentum. The Shockers rallied behind 25 points from First-Team All-MVC selection Ron Baker to escape with a 66-58 victory and end the Ramblers’ season at 15-17.

It also marked the final game in Loyola uniforms for four seniors – Devon Turk, Jeff White, Montel James, and Earl Peterson. James capped his Rambler career with a fine senior season, averaging a team-high 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and garnering Second-Team All-MVC honors. Turk graduates as Loyola’s all-time leading three-point shooter with 259 made from behind the arc and leaves with 1,189 career points, which ranks 25th in school history.

Despite a slow start to MVC play, the Ramblers had several quality wins on the year including a non-conference victory against Creighton, a season sweep of MVC tournament champion Northern Iowa, and a road win against a tough Southern Illinois squad.

Around the mvcThe MVC acquitted itself well in the NCAA tournament, with Wichita State and Northern Iowa combining on a 3-2 record. The Shockers defeated Vanderbilt and Arizona before falling to Miami, while the Panthers downed Texas on a half-court buzzer-beater before dropping a heartbreaker to Texas A&M in the second round.

Wichita State senior Fred Van Vleet was selected as one of 10 Senior Class Award All-Americans. Van Vleet joined teammate Ron Baker and Evansville senior Egidijus Mockevicius in the Division I College All-Star game held at the Final Four.

loyola finishes season with 8-win improvement After a six-win season in the 2014-15 season, the Ramblers were picked to finish eighth in the preseason MVC poll. Loyola was one of the conference’s surprises, however, ending the season with 14 wins and a fifth-place finish in the Valley. The Ramblers even flirted with the top spot in the conference throughout the season, before falling in five of its last seven contests to drop out of contention.

Juniors Taylor Johnson and Taylor Manuel turned in fabulous seasons and both were rewarded with First-Team All-MVC honors. Johnson scored 15.1 points per game, while leading the team in assists (120) and steals (79). Manuel led the team in scoring (15.2 ppg), rebounding (7.8), blocked shots (51) and was just behind Johnson with 94 total assists. Both benefited from the emergence of transfer Nieka Wheeler, who was third on the team in scoring (10.4 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.7 rpg).

The Ramblers turned in the Valley’s best non-conference win with a victory over DePaul in December, their first over their city rival since the 1993-94 season. Loyola finished the season with 10 conference victories, including impressive wins over Northern Iowa and a regular-season sweep of Southern Illinois.

around the mvcMissouri State won the MVC tournament championship and earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where the Bears fell to fourth-seeded Texas A&M 74-65 in the first round. Northern Iowa and Drake both made runs in the WNIT, with the Panthers reaching the third round.

Senior Montel James

rambler report - april 2016

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