Aug. 5, 2005

Milwaukee, Wis. - Former University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer players Chad Dombrowski and Tighe Dombrowski were busy making news again, this time as part of a Cinderella story in the U.S. Open Cup. They helped the Minnesota Thunder to their second straight upset of an MLS team, defeating the Colorado Rapids 4-1 on Wednesday evening in the fourth round of the event. The Thunder, a team in the United Soccer Leagues First Division, punched their ticket to this game by defeating Real Salt Lake by a final score of 6-4 back on July 13.

Chad (1999-2002), who will again serve as a volunteer assistant coach for UWM this fall, was in the starting line-up for the Thunder, playing the entire game as part of a defense that allowed just one goal to their MLS opponent. Tighe (2000-03) came on in the 71st minute, replacing Godfrey Tenoff in the midfield in the 4-1 victory.

The Thunder will advance to the quarterfinals of the event, where they will take on the defending cup champion Kansas City Wizards. The Wizards are led by Bob Gansler, the MLS Coach of the Year in 2000 and the UWM head coach from 1984-88. That contest will be played in Kansas City on Aug. 24.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is open to all affiliated amateur and professional teams in the United States. The tournament dates back over 90 years, making it the oldest annual team tournament in the U.S.

Aug. 1, 2005

The 2006 Horizon League Golf Championships will be contested at Plum Creek Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, the Horizon League office announced Monday (Aug. 1).


Seven men's teams and five women's teams will compete for their respective League titles on May 1 and 2 with the men's champion earning the League's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Championships. Five-player teams from each institution will play 36 holes on Monday, followed by the final 18 on Tuesday morning.


Opened in 1997, Plum Creek's 18-hole, par-72 championship course was designed by Pete Dye and was the site of the 2003 Indiana State Open. Its most notable features are its subtle-breaking greens and strong par threes, according to John Pielemeier, Plum Creek's Director of Golf.


"The course is playable for all skill levels, and now it will be able to test the skills of some top-flight players during the Horizon League Championships," said Pielemeier. "There are a lot of scoring opportunities and risk-reward shots, and we can tailor the course to make it a nice yardage for both the men and the women."

July 29, 2005

Chicago, Ill. - Majak Kou, a junior guard at Loyola University Chicago, scored six points and added two rebounds, a pair of assists and a block to help the U21 Canadian National Team to a 100-80 victory over Australia in the gold medal game of the Jack Donohue International Classic in Mississauga, Ontario last night. Canada finished the tournament with an unblemished 4-0 record.

At the half, Canada held a 44-41 lead and then built that advantage to 69-61 after three quarters of play before pulling away in the final period. Canada was a hot-shooting club, burying 13 of 25 shot from beyond the arc for the night.

Kou and the Canadian team depart Monday for Argentina to compete in the FIBA Young Men's World Championship (U21), where they will play their first game against Greece on Aug. 5.

Story Provided by Bill Behrns

July 27, 2005

Indianapolis, Ind. - Butler men's tennis players Adam Bordow (senior; Fairfield, Iowa) and Evan West (sophomore; Greenwood, Ind.) and women's players Kristen Haider (junior; O'Fallon, Ill.), Kim Jenson (freshman; Green Bay, Wis.) and Jessica Kirkpatrick (freshman; Cincinnati, Ohio) have been named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar-Athlete Team for the 2004-05 season. The awards, which cover both semesters of the 2004-05 academic year, were announced by the ITA last week.

All five players were recognized on the Butler Athletic Director's Academic Honor Roll, while Bordow, West and Haider also received Horizon League Academic Honor Roll accolades. The Horizon League only recognizes student-athletes of sophomore status or higher. Jenson and Kirkpatrick both just completed their freshman campaigns.

The honor is yet another for West, who was selected to the 2005 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA District V All-Academic at-large team May 26. The sophomore was among 10 student-athletes selected to the first team, which represents Division I schools from Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario and Manitoba. The men's at-large category includes nominees from 12 sports. West also was named to the Horizon League's "All-Academic Team" following the 2005 season, joining teammate Andy Bartish.

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must meet the following criteria: 1) be a varsity letter winner, 2) have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year, and 3) have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters. This award honors freshmen through seniors.

July 26, 2005

Loyola University Chicago junior guard Majak Kou has earned a roster spot on the Canadian U21 National Team that began play at the Jack Donohue International Classic Monday in Mississauga, Ontario. The four-team field features Canada, Greece, China and Australia with games running through July 28.




The Jack Donohue Classic is a preparation for Canada's appearance at the U21 FIBA World Championships in Argentina, Aug. 5-14. Kou is one of eight NCAA players on the Canadian squad, joining Levon Kendall of Pittsburgh and Pierre Cespedes of Gonzaga, among others. Canada faces Australia tonight to kick off the tournament.

July 26, 2005

Former University of Illinois at Chicago outfielder Curtis Granderson made his presence felt immediately upon being recalled to the Detroit Tigers late last week, batting .429 (6-for-14) with two homers, four RBI and three runs scored, to help the Tigers take 3-of-5 from the Minnesota Twins over the weekend.


The highlight of Granderson's weekend came on Saturday afternoon, as the former Toledo Mudhens farmhand broke a 1-all tie in the bottom of the seventh inning with his first career home run off Minnesota starter Carlos Silva, to give the Tigers the 2-1 triumph over the Twins.


Granderson capped off his weekend with another fine performance against the Twins on Sunday, batting 2-for-3, including his second homer in as many days, with two RBI and a run scored to help Detroit to the 5-2 win.

July 25, 2005

Milwaukee, Wis. - Sophomore Lindsay Caldwell of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming and diving team was named an Academic All-American by the College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), head coach Dave Clark announced today.

While Caldwell was named to the honorable mention squad, both the UWM men's and women's swimming and diving teams were named Academic All-American, each extending established streaks.

Caldwell finished her second season for Milwaukee in grand fashion, earning Horizon League Outstanding Performer of the Meet honors at the league championships in February. The West Bend native set league records in three events, while winning three individual and two relay championships. Out of the pool, she excelled as well, boasting a 3.67 grade point average as a journalism major.

The Panther men finished the Spring semester with a team GPA of 3.10, placing them 19th on the list of Division I All-American teams. The highest Horizon League team to make the list, the men have now been honored eight-straight semesters. Milwaukee's women's team made it 32-straight semesters, finishing 30th among Division I schools. Trailing just one league school, UWM finished with a team GPA of 3.23.

July 25, 2005

Indianapolis, Ind. - Butler cross country and track coach Joe Franklin is asking for the community's help in aiding cancer patients at the Indiana University Cancer Center in downtown Indianapolis. Franklin spent the summer of 2003 fighting Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) at the center. With the help of Dr. Larry Cripe and the rest of the staff, Franklin beat the disease and returned to lead the Bulldogs to the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Championships and earned "National Coach of the Year" honors.

As a way of giving back to the Indiana University Cancer Center, Franklin orchestrated a unique fund-raising effort. Many of the patients that are fighting cancer have long and grueling stays in the hospital. Franklin's goal was to outfit every room in the center with a DVD/VCR unit to help make patients' daily fight a little more tolerable. That goal has been met.

Now, Franklin is hoping to supply a library of DVDs for patients to check out from the nurses' station at the center. With the goal of a library approaching 400 DVDs, donations of new or used DVDs are being sought. Those can be dropped off in the cross country and track office in Hinkle Fieldhouse (317-940-9921).

On behalf of coach Franklin and his student-athletes at Butler, thank you for your interest in helping improve the lives of cancer patients

July 20, 2005

Kye Pattrick, one of Loyola University Chicago's men's basketball recruits for 2005-06, has been selected to compete for his native Australia at the World University Games in Ismir, Turkey, Aug. 11-21. A product of Ellsworth Community College in Iowa and a native of Balnarring, Australia, the 6-foot-9 post player will be joined on the team by former University of Oregon player Ian Crosswhite, among others.


Australia is one of 32 teams competing at the World University Games, and is slotted to compete in preliminary round play with Lithuania, Great Britain and Lebanon in Group G. Last season at Ellsworth Community College, Pattrick contributed 12.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 1.4 apg, while connecting on 65 percent of his field-goal attempts, en route to first team all-region accolades.


Pattrick is the second Rambler to participate in international competition this summer as sophomore Pierre Parker recently completed a stint for France at the U20 European Championship in Russia. Parker helped France to a sixth-place showing at the tournament.

July 13, 2005

Chicago, Ill. - Nicole Puch, a recent graduate of Loyola University Chicago, was one of 199 collegiate women golfers named to the National Golf Coaches Association Division I All-American Scholar Team, it was announced today. In order to qualify for the award, student-athletes must own a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade point average and compete in at least 66 percent of their team's scheduled competitions.

A math and computer science major, Puch helped the Ramblers to a third-place overall finish at the 2005 Horizon League Championships in May. She fired a three-round score of 242 (82-83-77), which was good for second place. Puch, who posted a team-best 80.5 average this season, also earned All-Horizon League accolades for the second consecutive campaign.