MAC Bites

Senior captain Jason McDonald will part of a number of collegiate laxers to blog all season for LacrossePlayground.com. Here is his first installment.

Jason McDonald - Sr. - #33 - Defense
Lacrosse Blog #1

We ended last season with a bitter taste in our mouths after a loss in the MAAC championship. The feeling following the buzzer signaling the end of the 4th quarter is one that we, as a team, have vowed never to forget. We have prided ourselves since the start of this young program to be “The Hardest Working” team in the country and this year more than any, we’re willing and ready to make that a reality.

Last year had a feeling of awe; we were on a great trip, just enjoying the ride. The idea of a conference postseason was new to us, something that none of us had ever experienced before. Yet, we stuck together and knew what we were playing for - we wanted a championship. Unfortunately the problem with wanting is…you don’t always get it.

This year however we are no longer in the back seat enjoying the ride, we are now in the driver’s seat leading the pack. The entire offseason was spent tirelessly working on what we needed to fix in order to be successful. We have lost players, but gained some new ones; lost a coach and gained two more and we will continuously improve and outwork any opponent we face. That is the ethic that has been instilled in us here at Detroit.

Fall ball like all others is extremely tiring, but crucial to sort out those ready to play in the spring and those in need of more refining. Ours continued as it normally does with grueling days of practice and intense strength and conditioning sessions. We also implemented the “Titan House Cup” which split our team up into six different squads in which we competed in several different sports such as racket ball, flag football, basketball, and even competitive eating. Another team builder was the 8.7-mile run to the famous Spirit of Detroit Statue and Fist as well as the one million push-up promise to raise money and awareness for the Headstrong Foundation.

All the while never losing focus of our ultimate goal, to bring home a championship. We returned to campus January 9th in great spirits ready to get our first day of practice going after being apart for three weeks. Being a senior, I’ve seen the after effects of a long winter break making it very difficult to get back into playing shape in the short time we have until our first game usually in February.

This year however, we look different, more excited and in better shape returning then I have seen in prior years. It’s exciting to see the team come together so quickly after a lengthy break. This year, like last, our first game is in early February against Delaware who had a promising 2011 campaign, followed up by Ohio State next Thursday.

A normal week will consist of practice Monday through Saturday with lifting and conditioning Monday through Thursday. Sprinkle a few individual sessions as well as film and meetings and that is what these past few weeks have consisted of. The hype has been building since we have returned and everyone is excited to kick off our most promising season yet. The physical requirement will start to taper off this week as we prepare for the Blue Hens, but the intensity will continue to rise until Saturday. We are very excited for what lies ahead and we will not disappoint or fall short of our goals. We will continue to work and it will be nice to see how we stack up against a top-tier program right from the start.

Welcome to Detroit

Senior David Stabley

By David Stabley - Men's Tennis
Jan. 25, 2011

This past weekend the men’s tennis schedule continued with a road trip to Illinois and back-to-back home matches at the Franklin Athletic Club. It was a long weekend, starting with 12+ total hours of quality time in the van going to and from the Fighting Illini’s home courts. It was an exhausting trip, but the experience of playing a high caliber team like that is well worth it, especially when everyone on our squad competes well and we gain respect of their team. Even though the drive home had a striking resemblance to the climate on Hoth, we were all glad to compete against them. The trip back went by pretty slow and caffeine was utilized in order to make it straight through without stopping for a hotel.

On Saturday we made our way to Franklin to play Duquesne after a less than satisfactory night of sleep. Everyone was tired, but we took a long warm-up and did the best we could to get our bodies ready to go. There’s always a lot of pressure on the first home match of the season and this one was no different. Duquesne is a solid team, and they came out loud in an attempt to swing the momentum in their direction early on. With the help of some rowdy fans (and parents) we fought back and took the doubles point which gave us an early 1-0 lead going into singles. It was a good start, but this team wasn’t going away until the match was over. From the start of singles it was apparent our work was cut out for us. One by one the matches came off until it was tied 3-3 with Mike left to win it for us. It’s an opportunity like this that every college player only dreams of until it actually happens. At that point it’s all about keeping your breathing down and sticking to what has been working. Mike fought through the nerves and outperformed his opponent in the third set to give us the 4-3 win. After rushing the court we celebrated the victory over dinner and got a good night’s sleep for our last match of the weekend against IPFW.

At 11:30am on Sunday we started up with another good warm-up and set our sights on getting another victory on the home courts. After a rough start in doubles, IPFW had the lead going into the singles matches. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but I felt confident in our line-up to still pull out the match. After an annoying amount of drama it came right down to the wire with the score at 3-2 Detroit and two matches left.  Nick and Alex had everyone’s attention as they battled to put us over the edge. It was awesome to see both guys outlast the other team. Nick clinched it to give us the win and Alex pushed to win the last match and put our final score at 5-2, giving us back-to-back wins at our home courts. In the words of Mike, “That’s what I’d call a weekend”.

Women’s Basketball: Know Your Foe - Part II

We have reached Horizon League play for the Detroit women’s basketball team. The Titans went 4-8 in the non-conference portion of their schedule, with wins over Ball State, IPFW, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan. Detroit lost some close games early on, but the red, white and blue have persevered and improved, heading into the conference slate on a three-game winning streak as well as winning four of its last six. With just HL games left on the docket, let’s see how the rest of the league is doing.

Butler (4-7) – The Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll and split their first two games before going on a six-game losing streak. Butler has recovered though and will open HL play in Calihan Hall having won three in a row. Freshman Haley Howard leads the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game, while senior Terra Burns is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 ppg., but she has played in only five games due to injury. Butler is averaging 58.0 points per game, while allowing 59.6. The Bulldogs also played four common opponents with the Titans losing on the road at IPFW (68-60), at Bowling Green (71-61) and at Indiana State (49-46), while defeating Ball State at home, 55-43.

Cleveland State (4-6) – Cleveland State was picked to finish second in the preseason poll, but the Vikings have been hovering at the .500 mark in non-conference play. CSU started the year with a win over Tennessee State, but then lost two straight before downing Western Michigan in overtime. Another two-game losing streak followed before they defeated Ohio and, most recently, Cleveland State split a pair of games at the Magnolia Classic, beating Murray State in overtime before falling to host Mississippi. CSU has four players in double figures in scoring, led by senior Destinee Blue’s 14.2 ppg., seventh in the Horizon League. Junior Shalonda Winton is tallying 12.3 ppg., while senior Takima Keane and junior Honesty King are averaging 12.1 and 10.7, respectively.

Green Bay (10-0) – Green Bay made the Sweet 16 last season and despite losing two senior starters, the Phoenix have picked up right where it left off. Green Bay went undefeated in non-conference play with wins over Illinois, No. 25 Georgia Tech, Marquette and Wisconsin. Green Bay is currently ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press Poll and 14 in the Coaches Poll, and that is after being named the preseason favorite to win the league. Senior Julie Wojta leads the team in scoring (20.7, second in the HL) and rebounding (10.1, tops in the HL), while junior Lydia Bauer is tallying 14.0 ppg. As a team, the Phoenix is averaging 75.7 points and giving up just 57.4.

Loyola (5-6) – Loyola has a three-game winning and losing streak so far and is one game under .500 in non-conference play. The Ramblers started the year with wins over Chicago State, Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois. LU has played well in some tough setbacks losing to Eastern Michigan by eight, 63-55, at No. 22/21 DePaul, 70-65, and at Northwestern, 72-67. Four players are in double figures in scoring for the Ramblers, with three in the top 13 in the Horizon League. Junior Monica Albano tops the team and is sixth in the conference in scoring at 14.3 ppg., while junior Patrice King is ninth in the league at 14.1 ppg. Freshman Simone Law is third on the team and 13^th in the league at 12.3 ppg., while placing second on the team in rebounding at 6.5 per night. Loyola – who was picked to place eighth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll - is third in the conference in offense posting 65.3 points per game.

Milwaukee (4-6) – The Panthers went 4-6 in their first 10 non-conference games, with a pair of three-game losing streaks and two-game winning streaks. Milwaukee has faced two common opponents with Detroit losing to Michigan State at home, 70-57, and at Western Michigan, 69-63. The Panthers have also faced two top-ranked teams falling to No. 1 Baylor, 72-41, and No. 24/23 Oklahoma, 72-50. Sophomore Courtney Lindfors leads the team in scoring at 13.7 per night, while junior Sami Tucker is tallying 11.4 ppg., and a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game. Milwaukee was tabbed to finish sixth in the league’s preseason poll.

UIC (7-4) – Under first-year coach Regina Miller, UIC – picked to finish fifth in the HL Preseason Poll - started the year with three-straight wins and is currently on a three-game winning streak as it enters league play. UIC has the Horizon League’s leading scorer in Jasmine Bailey, who is averaging 21.2 points per game to go with a conference-best 4.5 assists and 10.0 rebounds per contest, second in the HL. Another senior, Shamiea Green just returned from an injury and is tallying 11.0 ppg., while a third senior Kiara Strickland is posting 11.8 ppg. The Flames are averaging 61.4 points and allowing 56.9 points per game.

Valparaiso (4-7) – The Crusaders opened the year by losing five straight, but have turned it around winning four of their last six games. VU has won two in a row entering Horizon League play, with a match-up at Detroit to close out the year in a New Year’s Eve showdown. Valparaiso has faced two common opponents with UDM recording wins over IPFW (64-43) and Ball State (67-53). The Crusaders have faced some major injury issues so far as only three players have appeared in all 11 games. Senior Betsy Adams – a preseason second team All-League selection - and sophomore Maegan Callaway have played in just one game, while sophomore Stefanie Lang has not appeared in any game. Sophomore Tabitha Gerardot tops the team in scoring at 11.9 ppg., while senior Ashley Varner is tallying 11.4 ppg., and a team-best 9.5 rebounds per game.

Wright State (7-5) – The Raiders were tabbed to finish third in the Horizon League’s Preseason Poll and have a nice combination of experience and youth leading them so far. Freshman Kim Demmings leads the team and all Horizon League freshmen in scoring at 15.3 points per game, while senior Molly Fox is averaging 14.1 points and 9.9 rebounds, third in the conference. Wright State began the year with three-straight wins and has won two of its last three as HL play opens up this week. WSU is second in the league in scoring at 68.9 points, with five games posting 70 or more points.

Youngstown State (6-4) – Youngstown State was picked to finish last in the Horizon League’s Preseason Poll, but the Penguins have played well already matching last year’s win total. Dating back to last season, YSU has won 9 of its last 17 games and 8 of its last 13, but prior to that, the Penguins had won just 7 of its last 85 games. Detroit and Youngstown State have three common non-conference opponents as the Penguins downed IPFW and Western Michigan, while falling to Bowling Green. Junior Brandi Brown – a first team preseason selection and a candidate for HL Player of the Year – leads the team in scoring (15.4) and rebounding (9.6), while freshman Heidi Schlegel is second on the team averaging 11.4 points per game.

For the complete schedule, click here

Fencers Walk Away With Hardware in Season Opener at Wayne State

Junior Clint Mikek Won a Bronze Medal at Wayne State

Dec. 7, 2011

By Clint Mikek

It was a welcomed feeling to be back on the fencing strip this past weekend at the Istvan Danosi Open hosted by Wayne State. Having picked up a number of new fencers this year after intramurals, it has been a long journey to get them up to speed for this first open competition of the year. This hard work showed as bouts were won against fencers that have been practicing for years. 

I was particularly impressed working with our new epeeists. It is always a challenge to learn a new sport and in terms of being able to adapt to changes in technique mid bout, I was very impressed. They were able to listen to coaching and respond appropriately. 

Our returning fencers and experienced walk-ons had an even better day. Five medals were taken home by UDM Students; Three in sabre, by Kurt (Hilton), Nick (Tobianski), and Eva (Berndt); One in foil by Mike (Purdy-Sachs), and I received one in epee. It was rather exciting to see our team do so well early on in the season. Our next competition, the UDM Invitational will be held in Calihan Hall on January 15^th. I strongly encourage everyone to come out and cheer the Titans to victory!

Business Or Pleasure?

Every year, college basketball teams hit the road for various regular-season tournaments. Some destinations are close by in the case of the Titan men’s basketball team, which opened the CBE Classic at Notre Dame before playing three subregional games at Bowling Green.

For the women’s basketball team, preseason tournaments have taken the Titans to Indiana State and Akron for the Preseason WNIT. UDM now finds itself in Texas for the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio.

The opportunity to travel is always a perk for coaches, student-athletes and administrators, but head coach Autumn Rademacher has made it clear that this Holiday weekend is “A Business Trip”.

The Titans got into San Antonio on Wednesday night after their normal practice routine at Calihan Hall. The work continued on Thanksgiving as after the Titans had the morning and a little of the afternoon to sight see, they practiced from 4-6 at the UTSA Convocation Center. For two hours, Detroit put the Holiday out of its’ mind and went to work in preparation for this weekend’s games against Utah and host UTSA.

After practice, it was time for celebration as the squad got together for Thanksgiving Dinner on the famed Riverwalk. The journey to the restaurant gave everyone a chance to check out one of San Antonio’s biggest attractions, while spreading the word that the Titans are here. So many spectators came up asking the team what school it was and surprisingly, there were quite a few Michigan transplants here in the Lone Star State.

After dinner, the team decided to get on the Riverwalk boat for a tour of the famous waterway that really brings out downtown San Antonio.

Now as game day is here, it is back to work for the Titans and while everyone had fun playing the “tourist role”, Detroit is ready because while traveling is fun, this is after all “A BUSINESS TRIP”.

GO TITANS!!!!

Women's Soccer Keeps Eyes on the Prize

Junior Sarah Dzuris

Nov. 11, 2011
By Sarah Dzuris 

The 2011 season didn’t exactly end the way we wanted it to, but looking back at the whole season, I am so proud of the things we have accomplished this year. We were ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Regional Poll for the first time, we placed second in our league, finished with 44 goals during the regular season, competed with teams like Michigan State and Milwaukee, and there were numerous girls who won Horizon League honors. Despite our loss in the semifinal round, we still have a very good soccer team and have become very good friends.

With the season just ending, for now we are getting some rest and girls are getting treatment for their injuries. Offseason training, consisting of weight training, conditioning and futsal are coming up pretty soon. We are going to stay in shape, get stronger, technically better and work on whatever things we need since we have the time. Along with going to classes, getting good grades and working out, we are doing something more this year. We are going to help the people in our community who are less fortunate than we are. We are going to get closer to God and our team will become even closer and stronger than it was before (if that’s possible).

With all of this being said, we are staying busy with numerous things during the offseason. We are going to keep working throughout the winter, spring, and during the summer months in order to prepare for next season and become the best soccer team we can be. With all the effort we have and will be giving combined with the team we have, I KNOW that next year we are going to be ready to have an amazing year. WAC!

Women's Basketball Live Chat - Nov. 11, 2011 at Indiana State