May 12 -- The Aquinas College Men's tennis team enters the NAIA National Championships riding a twelve match winning streak. The Saints (20-2) will play Berry College (10-9) in round one of the tournament championships which start today in Mobile, Alabama.

Aquinas is fresh off a Region Eight Championship in which the Saints defeated Indiana Wesleyan (8-1) and Taylor (5-4).

Follow the Saints at the NAIA Tennis Championships at www.naia.org.

May 5 -- With the conclusion of the spring sports season this past weekend, the Aquinas College Saints held onto the top spot to claim this year's WHAC All-Sports Trophy. This marks the ninth time in the last eleven years that Aquinas has finished in the first position.

The Saints claimed championships in men's cross country, men's basketball, women's soccer and women's golf to propel them to the highest honor in WHAC Athletics.

Final Standings:

1) Aquinas 40 points

2) Madonna 38.5 points

3) Cornerstone 35.5 points

4) Indiana Tech 31.5 points

5) Siena Heights 27.5 points

5) Davenport 27.5 points

7) Concordia 19.5 points

8) UM- Dearborn 12.5 points

Congratulations to all of the Aquinas College student-athletes and to all of the coaches and thank you for all the time and effort that is put forth on a daily basis.

IT'S GREAT TO BE A SAINT!!!

Devin Tarrant led the way for the Saints scoring 29 points at the WHAC Championships. Tarrent placed in the high jump, shot put, discus and hammer throw.

May 5 -- After a three year break from the WHAC Outdoor Track Championships -- the rivalries and intensity of this championship were still apparent this past Friday night at Houseman Field as Aquinas College took home the men's and women's team titles. 

The Saints won the men's championship by 45 points over Siena Heights and the Aquinas women defeated Cornerstone by one point in a highly competitive battle. 

The Saints were led by many All-WHAC performances, including:

Emily Popma - 10,000 Meters, Nate Poirier - 10,000 Meters, Serak Haile- 4x100 Meter Relay, Dustin Johnson - 4x100 Meter Relay/Long Jump, Josh Kornoely 4x100 Meter Relay, Rumeal McKinney - 4x100 Meter Relay/100 Meters/200 Meters, Amanda Strouse - 4x800 Meter Relay/1500 Meters, Chris Leikert - 1500 Meters, Nicole Parker - 100 Meters, Siobhan Martin - Discus/Shot Put, Devin Tarrant - Discus, Heather Becker - Hammer Throw/Javelin, Kyle Kramer - Hammer Throw

Jesse Lord Wilder - 4x800 Meter Relay, Chaney Robinson - 4x800 Meter Relay, Alicia Boynton - 4x800 Meter Relay.

Highlighting the meet were the all around performances of Cornerstone's Nicole Daniels and Siena Heights' Caden Conley, both of whom were named the meets most valuable performers for their contributions to the team score. The duo of Alissa McKaig and Rod Waters of Indiana Tech were honored with the meets most outstanding performance (the performance that ranked the highest within the national rankings).

Team Rankings for Women after the 21 Events Scored

1) Aquinas 197 2) Cornerstone 196 3) Siena Heights 156

4) Indiana Tech 79 5) Davenport 6 

Team Rankings for Men after the 21 Events Scored

1) Aquinas 244 2) Siena Heights 199 3) Cornerstone 99

4) Indiana Tech 91 5) Davenport 1 

For an event by event breakdown go to: www.aquinas.edu/athletics/whacchamps.htm

May 5 -- An offensive explosion lifted the Saints to a victory during their first game on day two of the WHAC tournament. The Saints scored 12 runs and knocked out 14 hits in a 12-4 victory (4 innings) over Indiana Tech. Aquinas was led at the plate by Ashley Aspinall who went 2-for-4 with three RBI's and Lisa Mulder who was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI's. Chelsea Hazzard picked up her ninth victory of the year allowing one run in 4 2/3 innings.

Aquinas' victory over Indiana Tech advanced the Saints to the championship game versus #1 seeded Madonna.

With the tournament championship on the line, Madonna turned to their ace, Jessica Irwin (21-5). The Saints could only muster one run on three hits against the strong arm of Irwin. The Crusaders went onto victory by the score of 7-1.

Aquinas will know gear up for the Regional Championship which will be hosted by Bethel College starting tomorrow. The Saints will do battle with Huntington in the first game of regional play starting at 12:00 p.m.

Amanda Strouse

Cross Country/Track

Jeff Wierzbicki

Basketball

Todd Peters

Baseball

May 5 -- The Joseph Baker and Helen Louise Brogger Awards are given annually to a male and female senior student athlete who meets the three requirements established by the alumni board. These requirements are: academic strength, service to others and athletic involvement and success. This year's recipients are exemplary in meeting these requirements.

HELEN LOUISR BROGGER AWARD -- Amanda Strouse

Amanda is a senior from Williamston, Michigan. Strouse has received three All-American honors in track and one in cross country. Amanda has also achieved Academic All-American status two times each in both cross country and track. This past fall Strouse was named the WHAC and Regional Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Academically, she has maintained a 3.98 gpa while studying Spanish and elementary education. Amanda has been involved in a number of extracurricular activities such as being a student ambassador for three years, and working in bilingual programs in local elementary schools.

JOSEPH BAKER AWARD -- Jeff Wierzbicki & Todd Peters

Jeff was a four year letterwinner at Aquinas in basketball, captaining the squad the past two years. Wierzbicki was the backbone of two WHAC championship teams who made appearances at the NAIA national tournament. This year's squad also won the GRSHOF tournament for the first time defeating Hope & Calvin on consecutive nights. Jeff was an outstanding competitor and also an outstanding representative of the College.

Wierzbicki held a 3.45 gpa in elementary education and language arts. Jeff has worked numerous camps, been a math tutor in the GR Public Schools system, and a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Board.

Todd is the son of Drew and Ann Peters. Peters was a graduate of West Catholic High School and was a four year letterwinner on the Saints baseball team. Todd was a member of the the baseball team that made school history by playing in the NAIA world series.

Peters has held a 3.5 gpa while majoring in business/communications and minoring in marketing. Todd is two-time Academic All-American as well as a member of the local Youth Mentor/Big Brother Program. Peters has also been a three year member of the Student Athletic Advisory Board.

May 5 -- Aquinas College defeated Siena Heights University 17-7 this year in the on-going "Saints Cup" competition.

The "Saints Cup" is named in honor of the late Aquinas College Chaplain Father Charles Santoro who passed away on August 3, 2004. Father Charles Santoro was a sports' enthusiast and a vocal supporter at Aquinas College athletic events. He was proud of the rich Dominican Catholic tradition that Aquinas College and Siena Heights University share and he took special interest whenever the two schools competed. Since both schools are nicknamed the "Saints", a cup in his memory will be presented at the end of every school year to the school that accumulates the most points throughout the year.

Jackie Plough's walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth advances Aquinas to day two of the WHAC tournament.

May 1 -- The Saints arrived in Livonia yesterday as the number two seed in the WHAC tournament. The math was easy; win one game on day one and advance onto day two. After the conclusion of day one, Coach Laska and the Saints would agree that nothing came easy, but they did advance and at this point of the season that's all that matters.

In game one against Indiana Tech the Saints fell behind after one inning 3-0 and then trailed 5-1 after three. Aquinas responded with four in the fourth to tie it up, but that would be as close as they got to the Warriors as Tech came back with five in the fifth to put the game out of reach. Indiana Tech won the game 10-6 despite committing 11 errors. Sam Kendall had three hits for the Saints and Amanda Heuvelman added two RBI's.

With their season on the brink the Saints came back in game two to defeat UM Dearborn 5-4. With Aquinas down 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Ashley Aspinall singled home Sam Kendall to send it to extra innings. In the top half of the extra inning Chelsea Hazzard got the Wolves' Kady Cooper to foul out to end the inning with runners on second and third. The first batter up for the Saints in the bottom of the eighth was Jackie Plough who ended the game with one swing of the bat.

Aquinas will play Indiana Tech at 12:00 p.m. to decide who will face Madonna later today for the WHAC tournament championship.

April 30 -- The Aquinas Saints Men's Baseball team was well represented when they announced the WHAC All-Conference performers today.

Saints who were recognized on the All-WHAC team:

Drew Oosterhouse - All-Conference First Team

Corey Gross - All Conference First Team

Michael Giddings - All Conference First Team/

Gold Glove Award (P)/Academic All-WHAC

Aaron Gowell - All-Conference Honorable Mention

Kennen Less - All-Conference Honorable Mention

Brent Serba - All-Conference Honorable Mention/Gold Glove Award (RF)

Todd Peters - Champions of Character/Academic All-WHAC

Chris Atkin - Academic All-WHAC

Will Eberle - Academic All-WHAC

Earl Clover - Academic All-WHAC

Dan Salvati- Academic All-WHAC

Brandon Marrs - Academic All-WHAC

Kevin Scholten - Academic All-WHAC

April 30 -- In a vote by the seven conference coaches, Aquinas College's Ashley Aspinall has been named the 2008 WHAC Player of the Year. Aspinall, a junior from Middleville lead the Saints to a second place finish in the WHAC. Ashley finished the regular season hitting .440

(44-for-100) with 11 doubles, a triple and four home runs. Aspinall also recorded 38 RBI's while posting a .496 on base percentage. Ashley was also honored with the status of Academic All-WHAC.

Other Saints recognized on the All-WHAC Team:

Courtney Miles - All-Conference First Team

Marnie Spitzley - All-Conference First Team

Kristi Labinski - All-Conference Honorable Mention/Academic All-WHAC

Alyssa Fleser - All-Conference Honorable Mention

Mallory Schrauben- Academic All-WHAC

Katie Faucher - Champions of Character

April 29 -- A junior from Middleville High School, Ashley had a monster week in four league victories for the Saints. Aspinall hit .786 (11-for-14) with three doubles, four RBI's and seven runs scored. Ashley, who also received the WHAC Player of the Week Award, was instrumental in Aquinas finishing second in the WHAC as she and the rest of the Saints rattled off 16 wins in their last 18 contests.

Aquinas will take part in the WHAC Conference Tournament which will start on Wednesday, April 30 in Livonia.

Senior

Drew Oosterhouse was named the WHAC Player of the Week

April 29 -- A senior from Grandville High School, Drew was a major factor in the Saints taking three of four from WHAC runner-up, Indiana Tech this past weekend. During a ten game period in which the Saints went 5-5, Oosterhouse hit .438 (14-for-32) with five doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI's while scoring four runs and slugging .781. Drew was honored with the WHAC Player of the Week Award for his accomplishments.

The Saints conclude their season today by hosting Calvin and Alma at Fifth Third Ball Park starting at 2:00 p.m.

April 17 -- After a rough start to the week, the Saints dropped three of four to Siena Heights; Aquinas took out some of their frustration in a two game sweep of Rochester College.

In game one, Brandon Marrs and Even Singleton combined to shut down the Warriors allowing just one run on four hits. The Saints offense found its groove as they scored eleven runs on twelve hits. Leading the attack for Aquinas was Jake VanderKolk and Paul Nieves, both who hit home runs. The Nieves blast signaled the end of the game as the Saints had taken an 11-1 lead in the fifth inning. Aquinas' Kennen Less also had a big day with two hits and two RBI's.

In the second half of the double dip the trio of Mike Keron, Mike Kaiser and Earl Clover scattered nine hits, but only allowed one run. Chris Atkin and Corey Gross paced the Saints offensively as both collected two hits and combined to knock in seven runs. Aquinas defeated Rochester in game two 8-1.

The victories move the Saints overall record to 13-20. Aquinas will return to league play on Saturday as the Saints host Madonna at 1:00 p.m. Aquinas will travel to Livonia on Sunday to tangle with the Crusaders in the back end of the home and home.

April 17 -- As the weather heats up, so to does the Aquinas College Softball team. Winners of seven of their last eight games, the Saints continue to climb toward the top of the WHAC standings thanks in part to their doubleheader sweep of Indiana Tech last night.

In game one the Saints received a solid one run, five hit complete game from Whitney Hudson. Ashley Aspinall had a big day at the plate connecting on a single, double and a triple while Courtney Miles knocked in two Saints.

The second game of the double header was almost a carbon copy of game one. Alyssa Fleser picked up right where Whitney Hudson left off in the first game. Fleser scattered three hits en route to a complete game shutout. Courtney Miles went 3-3 including a RBI and Jill Wagner hit the first home run of her career.

The victories push the Saints to an overall record of 19-9 and 10-6 in league play. Aquinas will continue its drive for a WHAC Championship by traveling to Cornerstone on Saturday and then hosting Madonna at home on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

April 17 -- Mark your calenders for the annual Aquinas College Athletic Department Golf Outing. This year's event will be held at Scott Lake Country Club on August 9th.

The event will follow a four person scramble format with a shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. Included in this year's event will be 18 holes/cart, coffee & sweet roll, two hot dogs/chips at the turn and a lunch of burgers & chicken breasts, potato salad, coleslaw and baked beans. Three drink tickets for your favorite beverage will also be provided.

More information will be sent out soon. If you have any questions feel free to call the athletic department at 632-2474.

Kristi Labinski

powered the Saints to a game one victory with 3 RBI's.

April 15 -- The Aquinas College women's softball team continues to gain momentum as the Saints have now won four consecutive games. The Saints used some solid pitching and some timely hitting to take two from the Saints from Siena Heights last night.

The Saints took an early advantage in game one as Aquinas put a quick four spot on the board after the first inning. In that inning the Saints did all their damage with the first two batters going down in order. Aquinas struck for two more in the second and scored four in the fourth. The game was called in the fifth inning with the Saints up 10-1. Kristi Labinski went 2-3 with three RBI's in the game and Cortney Miles also went 2-3 with two runs scored. Chlesea Hazzard picked up the victory by only allowing three hits and striking out six.

In game two the Saints received a solid pitching performance from Alyssa Fleser who scattered two runs and four hits over seven innings. Flesser who is now (5-3) also struck out nine. The Saints received just enough run support as Sam Kendall and Jillian Wagner both drove in runs. Ashley Aspinall provided the game winner with a two out single in the fifth to drive in Amanda Heuvelman and Amanda Barrons.

The Saints are now 16-8 overall and 7-5 in the WHAC. Aquinas travels to UM Dearborn today to battle the Wolves at 3 p.m.

April 14 -- For the second week in a row an Aquinas pitcher has been honored with the WHAC Pitcher of the Week award.

This week Dave Ottenwess, a senior from Grand Rapids West Catholic, went 1-0, defeating league leading Indiana Tech with a complete game, five hitter. Ottenwess struck out five and allowed one run in the contest.

Dave was also honored with the Region VIII Pitcher of the Week award.

The Saints are currently 10-17 overall and 4-6 in WHAC play. Dave and his teammates have a busy week as they will compete in five doubleheaders in the next seven days.

April 14 -- The Saints did not let a little rain stop them from having one of their best performances in recent memory. Both the Aquinas men and women competed well at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational. The Saints recorded many personal bests and had numerous national qualifying marks set.

Outstanding Performances Included:

Amanda Strouse - 1st place - 1500 - 4:39.19 - #2 All-Time - Automatic

Scott Assenmacher - 1st place - 5000 - 14:55.71 - Automatic

Kyle Kramer - 5th place - Hammer - 171-1.5 - #3 All-Time - Automatic

Siobhan Martin - 2nd place - Discus - 143-2 - Automatic

Men's 4x100 - 1st place - 42.10 - Provisional

Rob Veldman - 3rd place - 5000 - 15:06.23 - Provisional

Emily Popma - 9th place - 5000 - 18:19.82 - #4 All-Time - Provisional

Rumeal McKinney - 2nd place - 100 - 11:09

The Saints return to the track on Saturday to compete at the Eastern Michigan University Invitational.

CAMPS SCHEDULED

- Volleyball                     9:00am - 4:00pm        July 28- Aug 1, 2008   Girls Grades 9-12

- Girls Basketball            9:00am - 4:00pm         July 21-25, 2008         ages 11-16         

- Boys Basketball            9:00am - 4:00pm        June 23-26, 2008            ages 10-17             

- Softball                       9:00am – 4:00pm      July 14-16, 2008            Grades 3-9

*click here for printable registration form*

April 10 -- After a slow start to the conference portion of their schedule, the Saints earned a much needed two game sweep of Concordia yesterday in Ann Arbor.

In game one Aquinas received a great pitching performance from Alyssa Fleser (4-3) who struck out ten and scattered three hits over five innings. The Saints offensively produced eleven runs on ten hits. Leading the power surge for Aquinas was Amanda Heuvelman, Sam Kendall and Ashley Aspinall all who contributed multi-hit performances. The game was called in the fifth after the Saints had built an 11-0 lead.

The Aquinas bats stayed hot in the second as the Saints came out of the box scoring six runs in the first two innings. A two run inside the park homerun from Sam Kendall followed by a traditional home run blast to center by Ashley Aspinall highlighted the scoring outburst. Aquinas built an 8-2 lead before Concordia rallied to tighten the score at 8-6 in the seventh. Whitney Hudson slammed the door on Concordia by retiring the two batters she faced and stranding the potential tying runs on base.

The Saints are now 13-8 overall and 5-5 in the WHAC. Aquinas travels down the road to play Calvin today and returns home for a doubleheader with Siena Heights on Saturday starting at 1 pm.

Michael Giddings

was honored with both the WHAC and Region VIII

Pitcher of the Week Award.

April 9 -- Michael, a senior from Muskegon, was named the WHAC Pitcher of the Week after posting a pair of shut out conference victories on the mound for the Saints.

Giddings recorded complete games in both, striking out five each time in victories over Madonna and Concordia. Michael finished the week with a 2-0 record, with just six hits allowed over 14 innings of work with a perfect 0.00 ERA.

For his play Michael was also honored with the Region VIII Pitcher of the Week award.

The Saints are currently 3-5 in WHAC play and 9-16 overall. Aquinas will host Indiana Tech today at 1:30pm before returning to the field with a home and home series with Siena Heights this weekend.

March 4 -- The Aquinas College Men's Tennis teams continue to play at a high level as they posted a 9-0 shutout of Hope College this week. The Saints led by two-time All-American, Patrick Bruining, are currently 14-2 and ranked #1 regionally and #23 nationally. Bruining is closing in on a very rare feat as he is approaching his 200th career victory as a Saint.

In match play the Saints record is 158-28 (singles and doubles).

Breakdown by player

Patrick Bruining 29-3

Jason Beydoun 27-3

Tuan-ahn Tran 27-5

Jordan O'Neil 25-5

John Telfer 25-6

Dan Doerrfield 25-6

Come out and support the Saints in their upcoming home matches:

April 8 vs. Olivet Nazarene 2:00 p.m.

April 11 vs. St. Francis 4:00 p.m.

April 12 vs. Wayne State 2:00 p.m.

April 4 -- Coach Laska and Aquinas College are pleased to announce that Sarah Doss from Hamilton High School has choosen Aquinas College to continue her softball career.

Sarah has been the starting catcher for Hamilton High School the last four years. Doss has received both All-Conference and All-Area honors for her play behind the plate. Sarah's high school coach, Carrie Balk, describes Doss as someone "with a strong arm and her quick thinking makes her very valuable". "Offensively, she has quick hands and a strong swing. Sarah is able to pick out the best pitch to hit and remains patient until it is thrown."

April 3 -- This past Saturday the Aquinas Saints men's and women's track teams kicked off the outdoor portion of their schedule by hosting the Grand Rapids Open at Houseman Field. The Saints turned in many fine performances and set many personal bests along the way.

Notable accomplishments and finishes by the Saints:

Amanda Strouse - 2nd place - 800 meters - 2:16.26* - 2nd All-Time

Kyle Kramer - 6th place - Hammer Throw - 165-8* - 4th All-Time

Emily Popma - 10th place - 3000 meters - 10:47 - 2nd All-Time

* - Provisional Qualifying Mark

Nicole Parker - 1st place - 100 meters - 12.55

Rumeal McKinney - 1st place - 100 meters - 11:04

Scott Assenmacher - 1st place - 3000 meters - 8:28.84

Chris Leikert - 1st place - 800 meters - 1:58.01

Scott Plude - 1st place - 400 meter hurdles - 59.45

Women's 4x100 meter relay - 1st place - 49.66

Joordn Hall - 2nd place - 100 meters - 13.06

Jairo Calvo - 2nd place - long jump - 21-5

Jairo Calvo - 2nd place - triple jump - 41-8

Caleb Uecker-Herman - 2nd place - 400 meter hurldes - 59.92

Victor Ramirez - 2nd place - 800 meters - 1:58.34

Men's 4x100 meter relay - 2nd place - 42.72

The Saints will be in action next at Ferris State on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

April 3 -- Back on March 4, the Aquinas Saints women's basketball team was busy cutting down the nets as they were celebrating a WHAC conference tournament championship. The Saints defeated Madonna 84-79 on that night to earn the automatic berth into the National Tournament.

Lost in all the excitement was the milestone that sophomore Joslyn Narber experienced that evening. Narber eclipsed the 1,000 point mark by scoring 20 points. The great news for Coach Nash and the rest of the Saints is that Joslyn is only a sophomore. Narber will have two more years to build on her already 1,016 points.

Congratulations Joslyn!!!

April 3 -- After weeks of cold, rain and snow the Aquinas College Softball team finally had the opportunity to host a home softball game at their field. The Saints were matched up against Cornerstone in an absolute great day for softball.

Aquinas started off quickly in game one by opening up a 2-0 lead after the first inning. An Ashley Aspinall single down the right field line drove in two. The Golden Eagles responded with one run in the third and then took over the lead in the fifth on a three run blast from Melanie Creger. The Saints scored single runs in both the fifth and seventh to send them game into extra innings. Aquinas' Kristi Labinski then scored the winning run in the eighth on a two out single by Alyssa Fleser. Chelsea Hazzard picked up the win by shutting down Cornerstone for the final 3 innings.

In the second game the Saints fell to Cornerstone 3-2. Aquinas' lone scoring output came on a two run homer by Jackie Plough in the bottom of the seventh.

The Saints (12-6 overall, 3-3 WHAC) will return to action on Saturday with a doubleheader at Madonna starting at 1:00 p.m.

Members of the Saints baseball and softball teams spend some time with students at Holy Name Catholic School.

March 27 -- Coach Bocian and members of the Saints baseball and softball teams spent the morning reading and mentoring the students at Holy Name Catholic School.

The reading time was followed by a question and answer session in which students were encouraged to participate in exchange for Aquinas College t-shirts. One brave student asked Coach Bocian, "Did Holy Name have electricity when he was a student at the school." Coach Bo replied, "We had electricity and running water, but no colored television.".

The young students then received media guides and autographs of the players.

Junior

Pedja Lazic

3rd Team All-American

March 20 -- The NAIA has announced the 2007-2008 Men's and Women's Basketball All-American teams. Aquinas College is pleased to announce that three student athletes were selected.

Pedja Lazic was named to the 3rd team. Pedja, a junior from Forest Hills Northern, averaged 14.2 points and 7.1 rebounds for the season. Lazic shot 56% from the field (17th in the NAIA) and 75% from the free throw line.

John Lierman was named to the honorable mention team. John, a sophomore from Holt, averaged 16.1 points and 6.9 rebounds. Lierman shot 47% from the field and 82% from the free throw line. Lierman also shot 46% from the 3 point line which ranked him 13th in the NAIA.

Claire Hogan was also named to the honorable mention team. Claire, a senior from Lansing Catholic Central, averaged 13.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Hogan shot 41% from the field and 88% from the free throw line.

Congratulations to these three and to the entire men's and women's basketball teams for a very successful season.

March 14 -- The second round of the national tournament paired the Aquinas Saints with the tournament's top seeded team, Bellevue University.

After falling behind early, 29-17, the Saints closed the deficit to six points heading into the halftime break. Aquinas scored the first six points of the second half to tie the score at 31. The remainder of the game was back and forth between the two teams, neither giving into the opposition.

With the game tied at 61, Bellevue's John Gray hit a jumper with the shot clock winding down to go ahead 63-61. The Saints attempted to tie the score, but Pedja Lazic's shot was blocked by Klaye Rowe. Bellevue hit a pair of free throws to put the game out of reach. In a hard fought game the Saints fell

65-61.

In his final game in an Aquinas uniform, Jeff Wierzbicki led the Saints with 21 points. John Lierman posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Saints conclude their season with a record of 25-9, a WHAC regular season championship and their first ever victory in Branson.

March 13 -- After finishing the season on a seven game winning streak, the Aquinas Saints were looking to carry that momentum with them as they traveled to Sioux City, Iowa to compete at the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championships.

The Saints were matched up against Benedictine College (28-5) in the first round of the tournament which began yesterday.

In today's action the Raven's took an early 11-2 lead and never looked back as they defeated Aquians 79-55. Alicia McCarthy led the way for the Saints with 22 points and five rebounds. Aquinas finishes the season with a record of 25-8.

March 12 -- The Aquinas College men's basketball team defeated Dakota Wesleyan to advance to the second round of the NAIA national tournament. The 91-66 victory marks the first victory at nationals for the men's progam ever.

The Saints held a slight 38-36 advantage at the halftime break and then broke the game wide open on pinpoint accurate shooting from everywhere on the court. For the game the Saints connected on 33-55 field goals (60%), 15-22 3-point field goals (68%) and 10-11 free throws (91%). The Saints were led by James Telman and John Lierman who scored 30 and 26 points respectively.

The Saints will be in action next on Friday at 11:15 a.m. versus

Bellevue (30-3).

March 10 -- Both the Aquinas College men's and women's basketball teams will be taking part in the NAIA National Tournament later this week. The men received an at-large berth into the tournament based off winning the regular season WHAC title and compiling a record of 24-8. The women received an automatic bid by defeating Madonna 84-79 in the WHAC tournament championship game last week.

The men open play with a contest versus Dakota Wesleyan (24-8) at

11:15 a.m. on Wednesday. The men's tournament is being contested at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, MO. The women will play

Benedictine (28-5) on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. The women's tournament is being held in Sioux City, Iowa.

The NAIA National Basketball Tournament is being webcasted so you can catch all of the action from the comfort of your own home or office.

Here's the link to the webcast -- www.naia.org.

March 10 -- The women’s distance medley relay team of Jesse Lord Wilder, Allison Strouse, Chaney Robinson and Amanda Strouse earned All American honors with a 4th place finish (12:15.94) on the final day of competition at the NAIA Indoor Championships. Their performance is the fourth fastest time in school history. Amanda Strouse earlier placed 6th in the mile (4:57.44) to earn All-American honors. Her time in the mile established a new school record.

Siobhan Martin claimed two 7th place finishes for the Saints in the shot put (45-2 1/4) and the weight throw (51-5 1/2). Her throw in the shot is a new school record and her throw in the weight fell just one inch short of the school record. Aquinas also received 7th place performances by Nicole Parker in the 60m (7.70) and Chris Robertz in the 3000m (8:38). Kyle Kramer also set a personal best in the weight throw with a toss of 53-3, putting Kramer fourth on the Saints all time list.

Both Nicole Parker and Tyler Bischoff were honored as Champions of Character for Aquinas College.

March 3 -- About a month ago the women's basketball team was fighting to stay in the upper half of the WHAC standings. Know after six straight wins, the Saints find themselves in a position to play for the WHAC Championship and earn a trip to the NAIA National Championships. As Aquinas was defeating Cornerstone 62-53, the Crusaders from Madonna were pulling the upset of highly ranked Davenport, 67-64. With the top two seeds falling on Saturday, Aquinas will host the championship on Tuesday night at 7:30pm versus Madonna. (It must be March.)

After falling in their first two meetings against Cornerstone, the Saints proved the third times the charm as they marched one step closer to a national championship invitation. Aquinas was led by Joslyn Narber's 25 points and 11 rebounds. Carrie Abdo also continued her strong play of late as she posted a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Both Joslyn and Carrie missed extended amounts of time during the middle of the season due to injuries. The time off may have been a blessing in disguise as both seem fresh for a post season run.

The Saints ran their record to 24-7 with the victory. A brief ceremony will follow Tuesday night's game to honor the All WHAC performers from this past season.

On the flip side the men's team fell to Cornerstone in a very physical and intense game, 84-79. The victory moves the Golden Eagles on to play Indiana Tech for the automatic bid to the National Championships from the WHAC. The Saints will have to wait to see if they will receive one of the at-large berths into the tournament.

The Saints were led by John Lierman's 19 points and James Telman's 17 points. Aquinas' record now sits at 24-8.

February 29 -- In all sports it's about peaking to perform your best at the end of the season. Currently, the Aquinas College women's basketball team is riding a five game win streak, including their 81-64 victory over Siena Heights in the first round of the WHAC tournament last night.

The victory was highlighted by the career high by Joslyn Narber, who scored 33 points, 27 of those points coming in the first half. The Saints also received solid play from Courtney Banks who scored 13 points and Carrie Abdo who posted a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds.

Aquinas will play Cornerstone on Saturday at Caledonia High School at 1pm in the semifinal of the WHAC tournament. The Saints (23-7) will look to avenge to early season losses to the Golden Eagles (24-7) in which Cornerstone won by four and three points respectively.

Directions to Caledonia High School are linked here:

www2.caledonia.k12.mi.us/athletic/chsareamap.html

February 28 -- The 2007-08 Aquinas Men's Basketball entered the history books last night as they broke the school record for victories in a season with 24.

The Saints, who are currently ranked 14th in the nation, defeated UM Dearborn 64-44. The win wasn't pretty, but it was a win and Aquinas will advance to play host to Cornerstone in the WHAC semifinal Saturday afternoon at 3pm. Indiana Tech and Madonna will square off in the other semifinal.

Jeff Wierzbicki contributed 15 points and six rebounds, while Pedja Lazic recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. The win pushes the Saints overall record to 24-7.

CLINIC DATES
April 17 and 18 (only 1 date is required)
5:30-7:30, both days
LOCATION- Aquinas College Fieldhouse

TRY-OUT DATE
April 19
9am-12pm (this will include a MANDATORY team meeting following the announcement of the team)
LOCATION- Aquinas College Fieldhouse

Please wear athletic shorts, a fitted shirt, cheer shoes, hair back, no jewelry

You will be taught and evaluated on:

10 count precision drill
1 cheer/crowd response
Stunting capabilities
1 toe touch
1 jump of choice (R or L herkie, R or L hurdler, pike, or double 9)
Any gymnastics skills- higher than a back walkover

Any questions please contact Head Coach, Emma Powell at powelemm@aquinas.edu or check out www.aquinas/athletics/womens_cheer.html.

Claire Hogan

All-WHAC

First Team

February 27 -- The Aquinas College Women's Basketball team was well represented on the All-WHAC selections that were released this morning. The All-WHAC teams are voted on by the eight conference coaches. Headlining the list for the Saints is senior, Claire Hogan. Hogan was honored by being named to the All-WHAC first team. In conference play Claire averaged 14.8 points per game and 3.0 assists per game.

Other Saints recognized on the All-WHAC teams:

All WHAC Second Team: Alicia McCarthy, Whitney Marsh

All WHAC Defensive Team: Whitney Marsh

Champion of Character: Carrie Abdo

Academic All-WHAC: Claire Hogan, Alicia McCarthy, Carrie Abdo

For a complete list of the All-WHAC Men's Basketball Teams check out www.whac.net.

February 26 -- Coach Dave Hammer is happy to announce that John Oostema will continue his basketball career at Aquinas College. Oostema, a 6-1 senior guard, led the Eagles to an 18-2 regular season record and a

11-1 record in the City league.

GR Christian began post season play last night with a victory over Ottawa Hills 78-72, Oostema led the Eagles with 23 points. GR Christian will be in action next on Wednesday night as they host Caledonia.

Coach Dave Hammer is very excited about the additions of John Oostema, Pete VanOosten and Mitchell Briggs. Proven winners, these three will help the Aquinas College Men's Basketball tradition continue to grow and excel in the coming years.

Pedja Lazic

2007-2008 WHAC
Player of the Year

February 26 -- In a vote of the eight conference coaches, Aquinas College's Pedja Lazic has been named the 2007-2008 WHAC Men's Baketball Player of the Year. Lazic, a junior forward from Kentwood, averaged 14.5 points and seven rebounds a game for the Saints. Pedja connected on 58% of his field goals and his free throw percentage was 76%. The league also announced that Dave Hammer was selected the WHAC Coach of the Year.

Other Saints recognized on the All-WHAC teams:

All-WHAC First Team: Pedja Lazic, John Lierman

All-WHAC Third Team: Jordan Torres

All-WHAC Defensive Team: Jeff Wierzbicki, Jordan Torres

Champion of Character: Jeff Wierzbicki

Academic All-WHAC: Jeff Wierzbicki

For a complete list of the All-WHAC Men's Basketball Teams check out www.whac.net.

Senior Alicia McCarthy continues her late season heroics as she paced the Saints with 22 points on 10-13 shooting.

February 25 -- The women's basketball team continues to surge as the post season draws near. The Saints have now won five of their last six games and seemed poised to make some noise in the upcoming WHAC tournament which begins this Thursday.

After honoring seniors, Whitney Marsh, Alicia McCarthy and Claire Hogan, who were playing their last home game, the Saints took to the floor and defeated Concordia 68-49. Senior Alicia McCarthy, who has been on an absolute tear lately, supplied much of the offense as she dropped in 22 points on 10-13 shooting. Carrie Abdo also made big contributions as she scored 15 points, snared nine rebounds and blocked four shots.

The Saints (22-7 overall and 9-5 WHAC) look to continue their strong play as they host a first round tournament game on Thursday versus Siena Heights at 7:30pm.

The men's basketball secured their second out right WHAC championship in the past three years as they defeated Concordia 63-38. John Lierman and Jordan Torres paced the Saints with 13 points apiece. Once again, Jeff Wierzbicki played an all around solid game with nine points, ten rebounds and four steals.

By winning the conference championship, Aquinas (23-7 overall and 11-3 WHAC) will get the #1 seed in the WHAC tournament. The Saints open tournament play at home on Wednesday at 7:30pm versus UM Dearborn.

February 25 -- Saturday night marked the rebirth of the WHAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Saints along with conference foes Cornerstone, Davenport, Indiana Tech and Siena Heights renewed the old rivalries and brought out the very best in each other.

The Aquinas Saints used many seasonal and personal bests to place third overall in both the men's and women's meet. The coaches were especially proud of how each and every team member competed with pride and purpose.

All WHAC Performers (placed first in their respective event)

Siobhan Martin - Women's Weight Throw (15.56m) and Shot Put (13.32m)

Nicole Parker - Women's 60 Meter Dash (7.68)

Jesse Lord Wilder - Women's 1000 Meter Dash (3:01.43)

Chris Leikert - Men's Mile Run (4:21.91)

Victor Ramirez - Men's 800 Meter Run (1:56.67)

Kyle Kramer - Men's Weight Throw (15.55m)

Top Scores for the Saints

Women

1. Amanda Strouse 24 points

2. Siobhan Martin 20 points

3. Jesse Lord Wilder 16 points

4. Nicole Parker 16 points

5. Heather Becker 12 points

6. Amanda Graves 7.5 points

Men

1. Devin Tarrant 18 points

2. Kyle Kramer 14 points

3. Victor Ramirez 11 points

4. Justin Marquardt 10 points

5. Chris Leikert 10 points

6. Jairo Clavo 9 points

Many of the Saints will conclude their indoor season in two weeks at the NAIA National Championships in Johnson City, Tennessee.

February 21 -- The evening started out with an emotional honoring of senior Jeff Wierzbicki before the start of the game. A loving embrace between Jeff and his parents at center court made even the most stoic among us shed a tear. Following the ceremony the Saints got down to business and played an inspired and passionate basketball game.

The Saints jumped out to an early 12-0 lead and never looked backed as they put on the most prolific display of three point shooting ever by an Aquinas team. After the smoked had cleared, the Saints rained in 20 out of 37 attempts from beyond the three point arc. The Saints barrage was led by John Lierman's nine three pointers, which ties the record of the great Paul Lauer who accomplished the feat three times back in the 88-89 season. Jason Fox, a red shirt freshman, played his best game in an Aquinas uniform by scoring a career high 17 points, including five three pointers.

The 97-58 victory secured the Saints at least a share of the regular season WHAC title and a number one seed in the upcoming WHAC tournament. Aquinas, currently ranked 16th nationally, ran its record to 22-7 overall and

10-3 in league play. The Saints conclude the regular season with a contest at Concordia on Saturday.

The Aquinas College women's basketball team continued their impressive late season run as they posted their fourth victory in their last five games. The Saints 79-55 victory of UM Dearborn secures Aquinas with a third place finish in the WHAC and a first round home game in the WHAC tournament, which begins next Thursday. The Saints, ranked 25th in the latest national poll, improved their record to 20-8 overall and 8-5 in WHAC play.

Alicia McCarthy, who has averaged 17 points a game over her last six games, led a balanced attack with 20 points. Claire Hogan and Joslyn Narber both added 16 points apiece. The Saints conclude the regular season portion of their schedule with a home contest on Saturday against Concordia at 1pm. Seniors Claire Hogan, Whitney Marsh and Alicia McCarthy will be honored before the start of the game for their contributions to the Aquinas women's basketball program over the last four years.

February 19 -- At a time when the college and athletic department is busy recruiting future student athletes, the Aquinas College community may have had their biggest signing in today's announcement that brings Greg Meyer to Aquinas College.

Meyer will join the college staff on March 1st as Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement. Meyer's experience in business and fundraising will play a major role as Greg will lead the upcoming $11 million campaign for a proposed Sports and Fitness Center.

Meyer attended West Catholic High School and then went on to achieve tremendous success as a long distance runner at the University of Michigan. Since winning the Boston Marathon in 1983, Meyer has been inducted into every running hall of fame of note and was named All American Cross Country and Track teams four times.

"Aquinas is very fortunate to have someone with Greg's experience join our team," said Aquinas College President C. Edward Balog. "His professional background, his world class athletic accomplishments and his warm personal qualities make him a perfect fit with our Dominican Catholic mission."

February 18 -- After falling to Siena Heights on a last second shot a month ago, the Aquinas Saints put together a complete ballgame to defeat the Saints from Siena, 83-50.

During a nine minute stretch in the first half the Saints tickled the twine 13 consecutive times, the last seven coming from behind the three point arc. During the offensive explosion the Saints went from a 6-2 deficit to a 38-14 lead. Aquinas finished the first half shooting 61% from the field, including 8 of 13 from long range.

The Saints balanced attack was paced by John Lierman's 17. Also scoring in double figures for Aquinas was Pedja Lazic and James Telman who chipped in 13 points apiece. Jeff Wierzbicki and Jason Fox both had ten points respectively for the Saints.

The Saints (21-7 overall, 9-3 WHAC) look to close out the regular season this week with contests against UM Dearborn and Concordia. Two victories will give the Saints the #1 seed and home court advantage in the upcoming WHAC tournament.

In women's action on Saturday the Saints remained hot as they posted their third victory in their last four games. Aquinas stymied Siena Heights holding them to a season low 39 points on 21% shooting. The win for the Saints puts their record at 19-8, 7-5 in league play. The victory also puts the Saints alone in third place in the WHAC, almost assuring them a home game in the first round of the WHAC tournament.

Offensively the Saints were led by Claire Hogan's 17 points. Whitney Marsh, Joslyn Narber and Carrie Abdo all scored ten points for Aquinas. Abdo also grabbed 13 rebounds.

The Saints are finally healthy and seem to be peaking at just the right time. Aquinas will conclude the regular season with home games this week versus UM Dearborn and Concordia.

February 18 -- This past weekend the Aquinas College Men's Tennis team started the season by defending their title at the West Michigan Tournament. The Saints defeated Calvin, Hope and GRCC to achieve their tenth straight victory at this event.

The Saints who are currently ranked 17th in the NAIA received victories in singles by Pat Bruining, Jordan O'Neil, John Telfer, Jason Beydoun and Dan Douerrfield. In doubles action the combinations of Tran/O'Neil and Telfer/Beydoun both came out with wins.

Final Team Results:

Aquinas College 18 points

Calvin College 10 points

Hope College 9 points

GRCC 1 point

The Saints return to action this Wednesday as they host Albion at 2pm.

February 14 -- In their quest to stay in the upper tier of the WHAC standings, the women's basketball team earned a big road victory last night against Indiana Tech, 68-49. The Saints remain a half a game behind Madonna for the race for the third seed in the WHAC tournament coming up in two weeks.

The Saints used a 16-4 run over the first eight minutes of the game to put some distance between them and the Warriors. The lead was cut to five later in the first half, but that would be as close as Indiana Tech would get as Aquinas went into the halftime break up, 38-23. The Saints kept the double digit lead throughout the second half in part to a very balanced scoring attack led by Joslyn Narber's 19 points. Aquinas also receivied solid performances from Whitney Marsh, who scored 15, and Alicia McCarthy and Claire Hogan who both chipped in with 13 points apiece.

Aquinas (18-8 overall, 6-5 WHAC) will travel to Siena Heights on Saturday to tangle with the Saints in a 1pm start.

The men's team was defeated by Indiana Tech, once again causing a log jam atop of the WHAC standings. Currently four teams are separated by only one game. Aquinas is still in the driver seat, but will need to close the regular season with victories in order to hold the home court advantage in the WHAC tournament starting on Wednesday, February 27.

The Saints started off quickly by building an early eight point lead halfway through the first half. Indiana Tech worked their way back into the game and went into the locker rooms with 38-34 halftime lead. During the first ten minutes of the second half the Saints and Warriors went back and forth with neither team buil