The 2008 spring season of UW-Stevens Point athletics brought numerous individual achievements and even a national championship. The women's golf team competed at the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championships for the first time in program history and finished 12th. Jessica Urban became the first golfer in Pointer history to be named an All-American and head golf coach Matt Interbartolo was named the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Central Region Coach of the Year for the second straight season. The Pointer men's 1600-meter relay team became the first 4x400 team to win a national championship in school history and it was the first national champion for men's track since 1988. Kyle Steiner was named Division III's Field Athlete of the Year and head men's track & field coach Rick Witt was named WIAC Coach of the year. The UW-Stevens Point baseball team won its fourth straight WIAC Tournament title and catcher Doug Coe was named a first team All-American, the fifth All-American in the last four years.
Coe Named ABCA First Team All-American; Seven Make All-Region
UW-Stevens Point senior catcher Doug Coe (Sr.-Appleton/North) was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-American First Team and seven Pointers were ABCA All-Midwest Region selections it was announced recently.
Coe becomes the fifth Pointer to be named an All-American in the last four years and the third Pointer to be named a first team All-American joining Steve Wiczak in 2005 and Paul Molitor in 2002. Coe was the only Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) player to be named to one of the three All-American teams.
Coe led the WIAC with a .438 batting average, 59 RBIs, 124 total bases, a .542 on-base percentage, and a .810 slugging percentage. He was second in the league with 15 home runs, fourth-most in program history. He hit 29 home runs in his three years for the Pointers, which puts him fifth on the school list. His 59 RBIs are tied for third-most in a season in school history and his 124 total bases rank him fifth. Coe was named the WIAC Position Player of the Year and a D3baseball.com Second Team All-American.
Coe was also a first team ABCA All-Midwest Region selection. He was a second team all-region choice in 2006. Four Pointers made second team all-region. Brandon Scheidler (Sr.-Chippewa Falls/McDonell) was a second team choice for the second straight season. Scheidler finished second in the WIAC with 70 hits and had a 20-game hit streak, which was tied for the third-longest in school history.
Justin Bushong (Sr.-Rhinelander), Travis Kempf (Sr.-Kewaskum), and Mike Thrun (Sr.-Franklin) all made second team all-region for the first time. Bushing was fourth in the conference with 50 RBIs and fifth with nine home runs and 101 total bases. Kempf went 6-0 this year and opponents batted just .218 against him. Thrun went 5-3 this year and was the only pitcher in the WIAC to throw two shutouts.
Jared Surman (Fr.-Kimberly) and Jeff Zielke (Jr.-Watertown) made third team All-Midwest Region. In his freshman campaign Surman was sixth in the league with a .385 batting average and fourth with a .615 slugging percentage. Zielke had a career year in relief for Stevens Point. Zielke set a program record with eight saves this year, which also led the WIAC. Zielke also had a league-high 21 appearances.
1600-Meter Relay Team Captures National Title
The UW-Stevens Point men’s 4x400-meter relay team captured the National Championship today on the final day of the 2008 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The 1600-meter relay team of Brad Koback (Jr.-Amherst), Nicholas Ver Duin (Sr.-Howards Grove), Kyle Steiner (Sr.-Grafton), and Pat Leonard (Sr.-Chicago, IL/Brother Rice) becomes the first 4x400 team to win a national title in program history and is the first champion for the Pointers since the 1988 season. The quartet ran a Division III season-best time of 3:12.09 seconds to capture the crown.
The 4x100-meter relay team of Koback, Leonard, Ver Duin, and Keith Ingram (Fr.-Milwaukee/Riverside University) finished seventh with a time of 41.23 seconds to earn All-American honors.
The Pointers finished tied for 11th place with 20 points. McMurray University won the national team title with 35 points. SUNY-Cortland was second with 33 points. In third was Whitworth University with 31 points and fourth was Mount Union with 27 points.
Steiner Named National Field Athlete of the Year
After being named the Midwest Region’s Men’s Field Athlete of the Year, UW-Stevens Point senior Kyle Steiner (Sr.-Grafton) has been named the Division III National Men’s Field Athlete of the Year; it was announced by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Steiner won his second straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) decathlon title this season and finished second at the 2008 Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend for the second consecutive year. Steiner was also part of the 4x400-meter relay team that captured the national title, the first 1600-meter relay team to win a national championship in Pointer history.
Steiner is a four-time outdoor All-American and a three-time indoor All-American.
Witt Named WIAC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year
UW-Stevens Point Men’s Track and Field Head Coach Rick Witt has been named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men’s Outdoor Coach of the Year, it was announced today.
Witt guided the Pointers to a second place finish at this past weekend’s WIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The second place finish was the highest since 2002 when they were also second. Stevens Point won three individual championships and one relay title over the weekend.
Pointers Finish 12th at NCAA Division III Championships
The UW-Stevens Point golf team had a final round score of 320 (+32) today to finish in 12th place overall at the 2008 NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championships at Centennial Oaks Golf Club.
Stevens Point had a total score of 1304 (+152). The Pointers finished one stroke ahead of Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) rival UW-Eau Claire who ended in 13th place. Methodist University won its 11th consecutive NCAA Championship with an overall score of 1219 (+67). DePauw University finished in second with a score of 1258 (+106). Southwestern University was third with an overall total of 1263 (+111). Susan Martin of Methodist won the individual title with a score of 294 (+6).
Jessica Urban (So.-Hartland/Arrowhead) had her second best round of the tournament as she shot a 75 (+3) to finish at 305 (+17) overall and in 12th place. Urban finished with two birdies today and nine birdies for the tournament. Michelle Pascavis (Fr.-Waukesha/South) had her best round of the tournament as she posted a score of 77 (+5) to finish at 322 (+34) and in 38th place. Pascavis had three birdies on the day.
Sarah Mosher (Sr.-Evansville) finished in 67th place after a final round score of 81 (+9) for an overall score of 330 (+42). Katie Kautz (Sr.-Des Plaines, IL/St. Viator) shot an 87 (+15) today to finish in 97th place with an overall score of 351 (+63). Amanda Dlugopolski (Jr.-Appleton/East) shot a 92 (+20) to finish with an overall score of 358 (+70) and in 101st place.
Urban Named Second Team All-American; Interbartolo Regional Coach of the Year Again
UW-Stevens Point sophomore Jessica Urban (So.-Hartland/Arrowhead) was named a second team All-American and Head coach Matt Interbartolo was named the Central Region’s Coach of the Year for second consecutive year; it was announced by the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA).
Urban earned All-American honors for the first time and was named to the All-Central Region Team for the second time. She becomes the first UW-Stevens Point golfer to be named an All-American. Urban was a first team All-WIAC selection and took medalist honors at UW-Whitewater in the fall and at the Jekyll Island Collegiate Invite down in Georgia in March. Urban was selected as an individual for last year’s NCAA Division III Championships down in Florida and placed 45th.
Joining Urban on the all-region team was freshman Michelle Pascavis (Fr.-Waukesha/South). Pascavis was the first player in program history to earn the conference player of the year award and the second freshman in the conference archives to claim the prize, joining UW-Oshkosh’s Jennifer Young in 2003. She took medalist honors at two meets and finished in the top 10 in every event in the fall. This spring Pascavis took medalist honors at UW-Oshkosh.
Matt Interbartolo was named the Central Region’s Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Interbartolo was also named National Coach of the Year last season and guided the Pointers to their first conference championship since the 1997 season in the fall.