Student Life Archives

Faces

Kelly Manning
Senior
Women’s basketball

Manning led her fifth-ranked Washington University women’s basketball team to a 91-46 rout over Blackburn College on Wednesday, Dec. 6. Manning posted a team-high 26 points in the effort, despite playing for only six minutes in the second half. She shot 10-for-16 from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point range, as well as recording three rebounds and two blocks.

Michael Slavik
Senior
Swimming and Diving

Slavik’s standout performances at last weekend’s Wheaton Invitational in Illinois helped guide the men’s swim team to victory. Slavik atomatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in five events and helped the Bears break multiple school records. He earned NCAA “A” cuts in the 50- (20.52), 100- (44.49) and 200-yard freestyles (1:39.77). In addition, Slavik helped the Bears’ 200-free relay (1:22.34) and 800-free relay (6:47.42) teams to automatic qualifying times and school records.

Mike Grunst
Senior
Men’s Basketball

Grunst posted a double-double in the University’s 68-50 win over Blackburn College on Wednesday. He led the team with 11 rebounds, and contributed 14 points to the effort, good for second best on the team. In 28 minutes of play, the center also led the team with two blocks and helped the strong Bear defense hold Blackburn to 50 points on the night.

Meredith Nordbrock
Sophomore
Swimming and Diving

Nordbrock led the women’s swim team to a third-place finish at the Wheaton Invitational. She automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in two events and provisionally qualified in five others, earning NCAA “A” cuts in the 100-yard backstroke (58.31) and the 800-free relay (7:40.73), a school record-breaking time. Nordbrock also provisionally qualified in the 200-yard back (2:06.12) and 200 IM (2:09.22), as well as the 200-medley relay (1:47.76), 400-medley relay (3:56.48) and the 400-free relay (3:34.76).

It happened last Sunday night. It was my first truly out-of-body experience. In the seconds leading up to it, I was overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety, anticipation, even fear. Fortunately, this fear only lasted for those few seconds – 1.6 seconds, to be exact.

And then this feeling of pure elation came over me. I was suddenly uncontrollably shaking, and yelling “Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!” And suddenly, I reached this point where I couldn’t even yell anymore. I couldn’t relax my face. I was unconditionally stuck with this wide-open-mouthed smile that wouldn’t go away, my eyes bulging out of my head. I was frozen from the neck up. And yet, I could’ve sworn the rapid pounding of my heart and trembling of my hands would never go away.

Luckily, I got the feeling back in my face and the convulsing shenanigans eventually came to a halt. But those 1.6 seconds, and the 10 or so minutes that followed them, will be with me forever. And all because of one little sound: “Swish.”

I swore I’d hold off on writing about Duke at least until second semester, but I had to make an exception. And if you saw that Duke-Virginia Tech game Sunday night, you have no choice but to forgive me. Besides, this isn’t about the greatness and superiority of my precious Dukies, but rather about the greatness and superiority of college basketball, as a whole, in the realm of competitive sports.

For those of you who missed the game, it was college basketball at its best. Only in college basketball does an unranked team like the Virginia Tech Hokies actually pose a threat to a No. 1 team like the Duke Blue Devils when they’re visitors at a place like Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Sure, there are upsets in every sport, but in college basketball – particularly in the ACC – no game can ever be approached lightly or overconfidently. In this conference season-opener for both the Blue Devils and the Hokies, the teams faced 19 lead changes and 12 ties. Finally, with a little over four minutes to go, Duke had built an 11-point lead (74-63) and all of us Duke fans could relax a little. They had it.

Or so we thought. Before I knew it, those “a little over four minutes” had passed and Virginia Tech’s Coleman Collins’ tip-in had just finished off Tech’s 12-0 run. That’s right: 1.6 seconds to go and Duke’s down (75-74). After a timeout (and not to mention some debate over the amount of time left and some difficulty getting that amount of time on the scoreboard accurately), Blue Devil rookie Josh McRoberts had the ball at the baseline. He passed it roughly 47 feet to Sean Dockery at half-court. Dockery had no choice but to shoot. And that’s when I heard it: “Swish!”

There was no way that shot wasn’t going in. 1.6 seconds have never gone by so slowly. That ball just flew, almost as if in slow motion, directly to the basket. And then it gracefully fell through the exact center of the hoop. No rim. No backboard. Just “swish.” Buzzer. Game. Perfection. Duke wins 77-75.

Now, that’s college basketball for you. No other sport could generate what went through the minds, bodies, hearts and souls of every person watching that game Sunday night. College basketball, from a fan’s standpoint, is an emotional roller coaster. I find myself so overwhelmingly affected by wins, by losses, and especially by specific single shots, steals, rebounds – you name it. And whether or not there’s a game on or it’s even college basketball season, it distracts me from “real” life, from what I should probably be thinking about or doing instead. But moments like Dockery’s half-court shot to win Sunday’s nights game for Duke make it all worth it.

Washington University has a top 20 nationally ranked water polo team. Unknown to most of the University population, the team has quietly gained a national spotlight from old-fashioned hard work and high school recruiting.

“Our connections to our high schools are the main form of recruitment. Many of our players come from the same high schools throughout the country,” said senior Dan Kozlov, the team’s co-president.

Despite its ability to recruit talented athletes devoted to the game, a club sport like water polo must always deal with the issue of money. In order to stay above the water line (no pun intended), the squad maintains a strict budget and receives a “good” amount of money from Student Union. How much they are given is often correlated with how successful the team is.

Despite Student Union funding, team members still have to pay between $100-$250 dollars a season to keep the team afloat, an amount with which they are willing to part for the team’s success. The final amount each member has to pay depends on the number of trips the team takes.

“Six years ago we didn’t get much funding and we weren’t good. However, Student Union has stepped up the funding and they have seen results,” said Kozlov.

Now in its sixth year of competition, the team is considered an underdog in the Division I world. Facing many “uneven” standards, the team is nonetheless very efficient at winning when it counts.

Starting off the season sluggishly, the team ultimately found itself at a record of 3-5. Being a major underdog and the fourth seed out of five in the Missouri Valley Conference, however, the team rattled off some timely victories against Lindenwood University’s “B” Team and rival Western Illinois to find itself facing Lindenwood’s “A” Team in the Conference Finals. Even though the team lost 19-7, members found themselves in second place in the conference. Lindenwood decided to take a bid to the Division III National Championships, opening up the Missouri Valley Conference spot to the Bears.

“It is very hard to compete with Lindenwood and other teams in the league for various factors, such as time commitment and scholarships,” said Kozlov.

Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Mo., is about the same size as Washington University. Lindenwood is known for favoring its sports and scholarships over its academics, though.

“Lindenwood is giving out scholarships all the way up to full rides. We cannot compete with that because we are a club team and we cater to a different student,” said Kozlov.

Another factor regarding the Missouri Valley Conference that is disadvantageous to the Bears is the type of schools in the conference. Unlike the University Athletic Association (UAA), which includes several schools that have similar academics to Wash. U., the Missouri Conference is made up of Lindenwood, Northern Illinois, and Western Illinois. With the exception of Lindenwood, these teams have between 1,200 to 12,000 more students than the University, creating a potentially larger and more talented pool.

Nevertheless, the Bears stood up to the challenges they faced and have taken the water polo world by storm. This season, the team was led by seniors Andrew Killips, who had seven out of the nine goals in the National Championships, Matt Weber, who was a three-year veteran on the squad, and goalkeeper Kozlov.

Referring to reasons behind the team’s overall 3-5 record, Kozlov noted, “We were playing very unorganized at the start of the season because we didn’t have a coach. Another problem is that many guys didn’t really come to practices often.”

The team, which practices three times a week, racking up 15-20 total hours per week, finally found a coach. In doing so, the team gained the motivation it needed and found itself the 14th seed in the Division I National Club Championships, which were held Nov. 18.

Due to the timing of the Club Championships, six out of the 10 starters didn’t make the trip for academic reasons. This gave the opportunity for many freshmen to step up and fill in during their first year.

In the Championships, the Bears faced off against Michigan State University in the first game of the tournament, but was outmatched by the much bigger Spartan team, losing 21-1. The Spartans ended up losing in the Championship game and taking home second place.

In the second game the squad faced Big 12 powerhouse Iowa State. Playing a very poor first half, the Bears went into halftime down 10-1. Better defense and six goals from Andrew Killips narrowed the gap to 18-8, however, before the Bears finally lost and ended their season.

The team looks to rebuild and reload for next season, with an already strong foundation in place to build a “great” team.

“We have so many freshmen and many of them have National Championship experience. There is no reason why this club shouldn’t be great in the years to come,” said Kozlov.

The club is set up like a corporation, according to Kozlov. The team puts juniors and underclassmen in roles on the board to prepare how to run the club. Junior Alex Mueller will be looked to as one of the new leaders for next year.

“The club is a lot like a business. We have to allocate money, set up travel, manage people, and hopefully win some games along the way,” said Kozlov.

The team has been invited to three off-season tournaments in Iowa, Colorado, and New Orleans for the rest of this season.

Faces

As an ode to the departing senior fall athletes, Student Life asked the stars of our fall sports about their experiences at the University, what they’ve learned, what they’re walking away with and everything in between. In a group discussion format, seniors Brennan Bonner (cross country), Brad Duesing (football), Kara Liefer (volleyball), and Andrea Moreland (cross country) took a stroll down memory lane.

The Athletes:

Brennan Bonner: of Baltimore, Md., a biomedical engineering major, was the No. 1 runner for the men’s cross country team. Bonner was named to the all-Midwest region in 2004 and 2005, first team all-UAA for the past three years, and helped lead the Bears to the University Athletic Association (UAA) title in 2003 with a personal best 8K time of 24:52.00.

Brad Duesing: of Cincinnati, Ohio, a political science major, was twice named UAA offensive player of the year and was a four-time first team all-UAA honoree. Duesing, a team captain, had a school-record 75 catches for 1,136 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2005. He eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth-consecutive season, becoming only the second player in NCAA history (Division I, II or III) to record four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He ranks first in school history in pass receptions and receiving yards, third in Division III history in receptions (287) and sixth in receiving yards (4,249).

Kara Liefer: of Red Bud, Ill., a mathematics major and the setter and co-captain for the women’s volleyball team, was a three-time AVCA All-America selection (including two first-team nods), and led the UAA in assists per game (11.92) in 2005. Liefer was a two-time team captain and ranks third on the Bears’ career assists list (4,461). Liefer also tallied eight career triple-doubles and helped lead her squad to a 35-2 record in 2005 and a national championship in 2003.

Andrea Moreland: of Rochester, Mich., a French and economics major, was a senior runner for the girl’s cross country team and a three-time all-UAA athlete. Moreland helped the women’s team win four consecutive UAA titles and four consecutive national top 10 finishes.

What was your favorite sports memory at Washington University?

Liefer: Mine would have to be winning the national championship my sophomore year. We beat La Verne in the semifinals and the championship game was held at La Verne. It was nice to beat them on their own court, because the atmosphere there was like a 10. It was a really packed area with a lot of fans screaming and yelling at us that kind of gave us some power behind our win. We did end up beating one of our conference rivals in the finals (NYU), which was nice, too. Also, we had not won a national championship for so long and it was nice to bring that back to Wash. U. after so many years of drought.

Moreland: My favorite moment would have to be my freshman year when we found out we got fourth place at Nationals. It was a really special moment because we had really exceeded expectations of what we could do and we just really came together as a team to accomplish what we did.

Duesing: I would have to say that it was my last game against Greenville, at least for me personally, ’cause I had a really good game; but also, the team rallying after falling behind early and then to come back and score 35 unanswered points and just really end the season on a good note after starting out 1-3. To end on four straight wins definitely builds the confidence for the guys coming back next year to work hard in the off-season.

Bonner: My favorite moment would have to be indoor conference championships last year when I won the 3K and set a school record by beating the school record. My teammate Kevin Gale also broke the school record.

Did you ever wonder what it would be like if you had gone to a bigger school?

Liefer: Well, when I was choosing where I would go to school I was recruited by a lot of smaller D-I and D-II schools in Illinois. I live really close to St. Louis, so I knew a lot about Wash. U. Wash U. had pretty much the complete package with academics, as well as a chance to compete and win a national championship every year, so really I have no regrets.

Moreland: I chose Wash. U. because I realized they take athletics seriously, but also that I could also have a chance at the full college experience. I am really glad I chose to come here.

Duesing:: I never really had too many other options to play football, but I definitely wanted to continue playing football, and Wash. U. had great academics that gave me a chance here.

Bonner:: When I was looking at colleges I knew I wanted to go into engineering and I knew that I wanted to keep running, and I just narrowed it down to about four schools. Coming to Wash.U., I just felt really comfortable with the situation here.

Looking back at your four years here do you have any regrets?

Liefer: I didn’t necessarily have any regrets. Sometimes you wonder what it would be like, but with the athletics here and the academics, it’s really the best of both worlds. With the volleyball team in particular we’ve been really successful every year I have been here. So I really don’t have any regrets because I’ve had a great time, playing on a sports team, and doing well on a competitive team and academically.

Moreland: No regrets.

Duesing:: I don’t have any regrets. If I had gone D-I, I would have had to walk on and I would have had to have been on the scout team for four years and maybe gotten a chance to see the field like one or two games. The best part about playing a sport here is actually being in the games. At Wash. U. I got an opportunity to play and I am happy for that.

Bonner:: You sometimes wonder what it would be like. I mean, now I guess it’s different with running, because with cross country we actually got to race a lot of D-I schools and you realize that you’re actually better than a lot of D-I runners. So I have no regrets because I really wasn’t missing out.

Did you have any role models or people you would like to thank?

Bonner:: I would say this guy who was a junior my freshman year and captain two times, Matt Foley. He was an okay runner in high school but he was a crazy example of hard work. He would do all the smaller things to a “T.” I guess coming in, since I only ran two years in high school (played soccer two years), he helped me really mature as a runner and I was really thankful for his help.

Duesing: I would say Coach Kindbom because he has been coaching me for four years. Also there was an offensive coordinator, Coach Keene, who recruited me in high school. I guess he saw something in my tapes that he really liked that no other coaches saw and then once I got here he kind of stuck his neck out on the line and told Coach Kindbom to start me as a freshman, which was kind of unheard of here at Wash. U., so I am really thankful for him as well.

Moreland: I don’t think I have any real role models but I really appreciated that Coach Stiles has always really believed in me even when I wasn’t having a great season. When I was going through a rough time he always knew that I would bounce back. It was really encouraging when you’re having harder times, to have someone keep encouraging you.

Liefer: When I was a sophomore, Katie Quinn was a senior, and that was the year that I started for the first time. We won the national championship that year, but she was really positive all the time, never complained, and was such a hard worker. I was young and she really helped me out and told me what to do in certain situations. Also, Coach Luenemann, because he took extra time for me to give me extra help because setters need to go in for additional practices like a quarterback that needs extra throws with his receivers. Lastly, my senior teammates Megan Houck and Nicole Hodgman, who have been there for me no matter how tough the times were for me or the team, and I really appreciate them for always being great friends.

Are there any words of advice you want to leave your teammates after four years of experience?

Bonner:: Every year at the end of the year there is a cross country banquet and seniors always say that it goes by so fast, and that’s probably what I am going to end up saying. I mean, it really does go by really fast, and it’s a great time.

Duesing: I’d probably say the same thing. Even when you are by yourself doing your last rep, you still get to play college football. I mean, look at all the people that are done after their senior year in high school. You still get to play four more years. Just cherish every moment.every game.every snap.

Moreland: I would tell them to remember that every time you go out there that this could be the last time you ever get to do something that you love everyday with 20 or 30 other people your age that love it, too. Just really appreciate that you are part of a team.

Liefer: I agree with all of these things, but to add to it, just to make the best of it, try your hardest. be competitive. like you all said, it’s going to be over when you graduate, unless you go play professional somewhere, which doesn’t happen very often. So just have fun.

What are your plans after graduation?

Liefer: Well, I’m doing an internship in St. Louis at a consultant firm, Millman Inc., and they actually offered me a job, so that is what I plan on doing. I haven’t taken exams yet, but I took the job. So after I finish the exams, I will be working there.

Moreland: I was just offered a job in Washington, D.C. at the Corporate Executive Board of research analysts and I’m pretty sure I am going to take it.

Duesing: I’m still searching right now, but I am going to take the LSAT in the spring, and probably take a year off and then probably go to law school.

Bonner: It’s still up in the air what I do next year. I am really interested in doing Teach for America, but I am not sure.

Jordan Katz:

Once a cross-state rivalry, this week’s game essentially means nothing, other than another minor obstacle to the Bengals, who will clinch the AFC North for the first time since the first Bush administration. Carson Palmer will perform like he always does – efficiently and accurately, and Chad Johnson will send the Browns scrambling for the Pepto-Bismol. Cleveland’s rookie starting QB, Charlie Frye, will play decently but won’t put up numbers big enough to get the ‘W.’ Rueben Droughns, Cleveland’s first 1000-yard RB since the year “Back to the Future” came out, will put up a solid game against a weak Bengal front line, but the Browns will need about one point twenty one giga-watts of effort from the whole team to even have a chance at this one. It pains me to say this, but the Browns will lose again.

Cincinnati 26, Cleveland 16

Alex Schwartz:

This week’s spotlight will focus on the bitter NFC East division rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Football Giants. To put it simply, however, this is not likely to be the Giants’ most difficult game of the season. The Eagles are missing WR Terrell Owens, RB Brian Westbrook, and QB Donovan McNabb. Can they still win? Well, would you want to go see The Beatles perform without Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison? It was called Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, and history has learned to pretend it never happened. Lining up across from the cast of misfits on the Eagles offense will be the suddenly staunch and sophisticated Giant defense, which has stifled and stymied the opposition in recent games. Expect the Giants to defend their lead atop the NFC East as they roll to another victory against the Eagles.

New York 30, Philadelphia 13