|
 Millikin and Elmhurst were tied for first place heading into the
game, but the Big Blue were not to be stopped winning 25-17, 25-22
and 27-25. The victory earns Millikin the right to host the CCIW
Tournament to be held November 6-7. The Big Blue can earn the CCIW
Championship outright with a victory on November 3 at Wheaton
College. Millikin is now 5-1 in the conference while Elmhurst falls
to 4-2.
Erin Syversen (Pewaukee, Wisconsin, Waukesha West H.S.) was the
offensive leader for Millikin with 21 kills and a .447 attacking
percentage. She added 10 digs and two service aces. Cortney Bohn
(Mahomet, Mahomet Seymour H.S.) had 10 kills. Alora Goodey (Lincoln,
H.S.) added nine kills and one block. Kelsey Talkington (North
Aurora, Aurora Central Catholic H.S.) had six kills and two aces.
Millikin setter Emily Mihalkanin (Willowbrook, Hinsdale South H.S.)
had 48 assists and led the Big Blue to a .307 team attacking
percentage. Cassidy Kingery (Heyworth, H.S.) had a team high 15
digs.
Millikin picked up two wins in tournament play at Benedictine
University in Lisle, Illinois on October 31.
In its first match, Millikin defeated Milwaukee School of
Engineering 3-0 (25-7, 25-13, 25-13). Syversen and Talkington led
the offensive attack for Millikin. Syversen had 11 kills, two
service aces and six digs. Talkington had 11 kills and two blocks.
Mihalkanin had 32 set assists, three aces and nine digs. Kingery had
a team high 15 digs for the Big Blue.
Millikin defeated Benedictine 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-8). Syversen was
dominant for the Big Blue with 20 kills and 11 digs. Talkington had
eight kills and a team high six blocks. Mihalkanin had 32 assists,
11 digs and two service aces. Geena Mancuso (Naperville, Waubonsie
Valley H.S.) had three service aces and nine digs.
Millikin will host the CCIW Tournament on November 6-7 with the Big
Blue playing at 7 p.m.
Bradley Wins CCIW Championships
Millikin University’s Sarah Bradley (Decatur, MacArthur H.S.) won
the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Women’s
Championship race held at the Wayne E. Dannehl Cross Country Cross
at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
It was a cold and rainy day in Kenosha, but that didn’t slow down
Bradley who won in a time of 21:42.7. Bradley finished 16 seconds
ahead of second place Megan Constanzo of North Central. Bradley is
Millikin’s first female CCIW Champion in Cross Country.
The Millikin women finished in fourth place in the team standings.
Jamie Michl (Newton, H.S.) and Rachel Sapp (Decatur, Meridian H.S.)
had Top 25 finishes for the Big Blue with Michl finishing in 22nd
place in 23:45.0 and Sapp coming home in 25th spot in 23:52.40.
Sapp’s time moved her up to the ninth spot on the Millikin Cross
Country performance list.
The Millikin men finished in seventh place. Freshman Alexander
Erickson (Waterford, Wisconsin, Muskego H.S.) was the Big Blue’s top
finisher in 21st place in 26:49.1. Jacob Griffith (Villa Grove, H.S.)
finished in 46th in a time of 28:10.7.
Big Blue Football Falls at Carthage
The Millikin football team lost at Carthage College 36-17 on October
31 at a rainy and cold Art Keller Field in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Millikin played a solid first half and took a 17-16 lead into
halftime.
Millikin’s first touchdown was a 27 yard pass from senior
quarterback Nick Pippin (Bourbonnais, Bradley Bourbonnais H.S.) to
senior Taylor Sanders (Marshall, H.S.).
Millikin would then take the lead early in the second quarter when
Pippin hit senior wide receiver Brady Cufaude (Pekin, H.S.) on an 18
yard pass to make it 14-6.
After Carthage took a 16-14 lead with 1:05 left in the first half,
the Big Blue quickly moved down the field and regained the advantage
on a 33 yard field goal from Chayce Volpert (Chatham, Chatham
Glenwood H.S.) to make it 17-16 with five seconds left in the half.
Carthage broke open the game with two third quarter touchdown runs.
The Carthage rushing attack was the difference in the game
especially in the second half when the Red Men controlled the clock.
Carthage rushed for 346 yards including gaining 182 yards in each
half.
Pippin was 13-31-1 for 156 yard and two scores. Cufaude had four
catches for 55 yards.
Millikin is now 2-6, 1-4 while Carthage goes to 4-4, 3-2. The Big
Blue travel to Elmhurst College on Nov. 7 for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
[to top of second column] |
Big Blue Women’s Soccer Ties Cardinals
The Millikin women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 tie with North
Central College in double overtime on a cold and rainy night at
Frank M. Lindsay Field in Decatur, Illinois on October 28.
Trailing 1-0, Millikin tied the game in the second period when
Taylor Hartman (Saint Anne, Herscher H.S.) scored.
Anna Benvenuto (West Allis, Wisconsin, PIUS XI H.S.) had eight saves
for Millikin in goal.
The Millikin women’s soccer team lost its final game of the season
1-0 at Augustana College on October 31 in Rock Island, Illinois.
Millikin finishes the season at 6-10-1 while Augustana end the
regular season at 15-3-1, 5-1-1.
Augustana, which finished in second place in the CCIW, controlled
the game out shooting Millikin 22-1.
Benvenuto stood strong in goal for Millikin against the Viking
attack recording 11 saves.
Millikin Men’s Soccer Drops Final Two Games
The Millikin men’s soccer team lost to North Central College 1-0 on
October 28 at Frank M. Lindsay Field.
After a scoreless battle, the game’s only goal came in the 73rd
minute. After Millikin got called for a foul in front of its net,
North Central’s Chandler Olah converted the penalty kick for the
game winning goal.
Daniel Sinclair (Peoria, Richwoods H.S.) had six saves in goal for
Millikin.
Millikin dropped the final game of its 2015 season falling 4-3 at
Augustana College on October 31 in Rock Island, Illinois.
Augustana jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but Millikin tied the game in
the 21st minute when Oliver Czopek (Oswego, Oswego East H.S.) scored
on an assist from Hunter Somers (Heyworth, University H.S.). One
minute later, the Big Blue would take the lead when Zach Solorio
(Elk Grove Village, Elk Grove H.S.) scored on an assist from Ben
Spelman (Sligo, Ireland, Grange PPS).
Trailing 4-2, Solorio and Spelman teamed up again in the second
period for the Big Blue’s final goal.
Millikin finishes the season at 10-7 overall and 1-6 in conference
play.
Big Blue Swimming Competes in Halloween Meet
The Millikin men’s and women’s swimming team competed at the
Illinois Wesleyan Halloween Meet on October 31 in Bloomington,
Illinois.
The Millikin women finished in third place and the Big Blue men were
fourth.
The meet features a number of relay events with the Big Blue women
performing well in the relays. Millikin’s Shelby Kobs (Byron, H.S.),
Sami Battle (Odell, Pontiac H.S.), Caroline Lodovisi (Crown Point,
Indiana, H.S.) and Felicity Speirs (Lake Stevens, Washington, H.S.)
finished in second in the 500 Freestyle Relay in 5:10.36. Millikin
was second in the Women’s 300 Butterfly Relay with Lodovisi, Emily
Vana (Elmhurst, York H.S.) and Speirs swimming legs in 3:28.30. The
Millikin women’s team of Emily Nieslen (Evergreen Park, H.S.), Kobs,
Lodovisi and Battle finished second in the 200 Medley Relay in
2:00.45. Millikin was second in the 300 Yard Medley Relay in 3:29.36
with Kobs, Battle and Randi Mehrmann (Millstadt, Belleville West H.S.)
competing. Nielsen, Kobs, Lodovisi and Battle were second in the 200
Freestyle Relay in 1:49.85.
New this season to NCAA swimming is the 100 Individual Medley event.
Millikin turned in times in this event for the first time in school
history during the 300 Medley Relay (3x100 IM). Kobs and Matthew
Vangunten (East Peoria, H.S.) turned in the fastest Millikin times
over the 100 Yards giving them the first Big Blue record in the
event. In the women’s event, Kobs swam a time of 1:07.47. In the
men’s race, Vangunten swam the 100 Yards in 1:04.42.
Millikin will have its first home meet of the year on Friday,
November 6 at 7 p.m. when the Big Blue host Lincoln College and
Quincy University.
[Bryan Marshall, Millikin University] |
