MVNU used a couple of huge innings to avoid Crossroads League tournament elimination with a 12-0 win over Spring Arbor in five innings on Thursday, May 6, at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.
Sheridan Sullivan was dominant against Spring Arbor, giving up only one hit all game long while striking out seven.
MVNU put up five runs in the top of the second inning and added five more in the fourth to back Sullivan.
Kaylee Myers drove in a run with an RBI single to break the scoreless tie. Kaycee Ollis hit a two-run home run — for the second consecutive day — to increase the lead to 5-0 after two innings.
Ollis had a fantastic first game. She finished a perfect 3-for-3 with two home runs (now six on the season) and a single with five RBIs and two runs scored.
MVNU defeated Saint Francis but fell to host Indiana Wesleyan on the first day of the Crossroads League tournament on Wednesday, May 5, in Marion, Indiana.
Strong defense and timely hitting have been the story of the season for MVNU, and it was again in the Cougar’s 6-1 win over Saint Francis in the opener.
Sullivan shut down the sixth-seeded Saint Francis offense, allowing only one run on six hits.
MVNU, seeded third, took the lead in the bottom of the second inning as Kaylee Myers came up huge with a three-run double. Saint Francis was able to push across a run in the top of the fifth, but MVNU added three more in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single from Maddison Ruhl and a two-run homer from Ollis.
In the second game of the day, second-seeded Indiana Wesleyan rallied for five runs in the fifth inning to win 5-2.
MVNU pounced early, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the third on an Ollis single that scored Matern and Myers.
IWU took control in the bottom of the fifth. A two-out grand slam by Hannah Miller gave the Wildcats a 4-2 lead. IWU was able to tack on one more run on an Aubrie Eckert RBI single a few batters later to complete the big frame.
WOMEN’S GOLF
MVNU finished sixth out of nine teams with a score of 1008 (328, 326, 354) after three rounds of play at the Crossroads League tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 3–4, at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Taylor (913) finished first, while Indiana Wesleyan (951) and Bethel (954) rounded out the top three.
The Cougars were led by Peyton Broce, who finished with a final score of 234 (78, 73, 83). Individually, Broce finished sixth overall, which was good enough to be named to the All-Tournament team.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
MVNU’S Alexa Skal and Sarah Guipe each received NAIA All-American Honorable Mention recognition for their play during the 2020–21 season.
Skal, who is a senior out of Mount Vernon High School, scored 20 goals this season on 69 shots, 52 of which were on goal. Those 20 goals helped her move into fifth place all-time in goals scored for MVNU. She also added three assists on the season.
Guipe, who hails from Danville, Indiana, was dominant this season on the backline for the Cougars. The sophomore was the anchor of the defense but was also able to contribute on offense, scoring two goals.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Kenyon’s Maya Fair and Alex Tiatia were named to the All-North Coast Athletic Conference women’s lacrosse teams, the league reported on Wednesday, May 5.
This season, the All-NCAC format was modified in order to accommodate the two divisions the seven participating teams played within. Each division was awarded one team of honorees. In a typical year, the NCAC votes its student-athletes from all nine institutions onto first and second teams.
The past season, Kenyon was a part of the NCAC East Division, along with Allegheny and Wooster. The Ladies played both teams twice and ended with a record of 1-3.
Fair, a junior attack, played in all four of those games and piled up nine goals and two assists. Her final goal of the season held up as the game-winner in a 14-13 decision against Allegheny. Fair, a first-time All-NCAC selection, also tallied five ground balls this season.
Tiatia, a first-year midfielder, started all four Kenyon games and scored seven goals to go along with one assist. She also amassed 11 draw controls, eight ground balls and eight caused turnovers. She was the only first-year player named to the All-NCAC East Division team.
