Softball Signs Streetsboro Standout Powell -- Friday, April 20 2007
CLEVELAND - Streetsboro High School senior catcher Amy Powell has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Cleveland State and play softball beginning in the fall of 2007. CSU head coach Angie Nicholson made the announcement on Thursday.

"Amy is going to bring a great deal of power to our line-up as well as a cannon arm behind the plate," Nicholson said. "We are very excited to add some much-needed power to compliment all of the speed on our roster. I believe that Amy is still learning and growing as a player and will only continue to improve here at Cleveland State."

A Gatorade All-American and a first team all-conference pick, Powell hit .404 as a junior with 34 RBI, a .688 slugging percentage and a .582 on-base percentage. The owner of the school season records for batting average (.491), hits (28), doubles (11), RBI (34), slugging percentage (.746) and on-base percentage (.582), she is a two-time second team all-league honoree as well as twice being named to the Record Publishing all-area first team.

A two-time team MVP, Powell plays for Ohio Explosion during the summer. In addition, she serves as a disc jockey at 88.9 WSTB FM -- a high school-run station in Akron.

With the addition of Powell, CSU's incoming freshman class for 2007-08 grows to six. This past fall, Brittany Bate (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.), Katelyn Ciminelli (St. Clair Shores, Mich.), Jaci Messmer (Forest, Ohio), Andrea Nagy (Elyria, Ohio) and Christina Stoffer (Cincinnati, Ohio) each signed with the Vikings.

Cleveland State (19-9, 2-3 HL) hosts league-leading Loyola (13-15, 8-2 HL) on Saturday and Sunday (April 21-22) in its final home weekend series of the year. The Vikings are also hosting the Horizon League Championship on May 10-12 at Viking Field.

Errors Costly As CSU Falls At Pittsburgh -- Friday, April 20 2007
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Cleveland State committed seven errors and fell victim to an eight-run outburst in the seventh and eighth innings as Pittsburgh defeated the Vikings, 12-5, at Trees Field Wednesday night.

With the Vikings leading 5-4, Pitt's Gary Bucuren led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to tie the game. Later in the inning, Dan Lopez hit an RBI single and Sean Conley added a two-run single to put the Panthers ahead 8-5. A pair of CSU errors would lead to two more Pittsburgh runs a 10-5 deficit for the Vikings.

"We fell apart defensively at the end of the game," head coach Kevin Kocks said. "We must have good pitching and good defense for us to compete."

Pittsburgh would tack on a pair of unearned runs off senior Pat McKitrick in the bottom of the eighth to put the game away.

Senior Rich Ranells went 3-for-5 with a double, drove in a run and scored a run and junior Josh Geric went 3-for-5 with an RBI to lead Cleveland State. Sophomore Matt Madrid added a solo home run in the sixth.

With the Vikings trailing, 3-1, junior Bobby Cash singled to lead off the fifth as the first four CSU batters reached base. Cash scored on a Ranells single and junior Josh Geric added an RBI single to tie the game 3-3. Ranells would score the go-ahead run on an RBI groundout by sophomore Ryan Baechel. Madrid's blast to left gave CSU a 5-3 lead.

CSU (9-24) got on the board in the top of the third when Westra walked and scored when Geric reached on an error.

Sophomore Dylan Henry allowed two earned runs over 5.1 solid innings, striking out four with no walks. Sophomore Jeremy Hartman took the loss for the Vikings, allowing five runs-four earned in 1.1 innings in relief of Henry.

Pittsburgh (16-16) jumped on Henry for three runs in the bottom of the first before Henry settled down and CSU rallied.

The Vikings begin a three-game home series versus UW-Milwaukee Friday at 5:15 p.m. The game is the dedication game for Pipe Yard Stadium, with the first 500 fans to receive commemorative seat cushions and a fireworks show is slated for after the game. Tickets are $5 for adults and CSU students with valid ID are admitted free.

Offense Held In Check In 3-1 Loss At Kent State -- Friday, April 20 2007
KENT, Ohio - In a game that didn't feature a single earned run, three Kent State pitchers held Cleveland State to just one hit as the Vikings suffered a 3-1 setback at the Diamond at Dix on a crisp, cool Wednesday afternoon. CSU drops to 19-9 with the loss, while the Golden Flashes improve to 21-14.

Kent jumped out to a 2-0 lead in its first at-bat, taking advantage of an error to lead off the frame with three consecutive hits. The Flashes tacked on their final run of the game in their next time up when the Vikings threw away a potential double-play ball.

CSU got on the board in the third when junior Whitney Willard reached on an error, stole second and came around to score on anther miscue.

Brittany Robinson (9-8), Gabrielle Burns and Kylie Reynolds combined to handcuff CSU, surrendering just a Willard single leading off the game while walking three and striking out seven.

Freshman Amanda Macenko (15-6) was the hard-luck loser, giving up five hits -- none after the second inning -- and no earned runs.

"We hit a couple of balls hard today with runners on, but they were both right at people," CSU head coach Angie Nicholson said. "We need to clean things up in the field and keep being aggressive at the plate and we will be fine. Amanda pitched great and really settled down after the first couple of innings."

Cleveland State returns home this weekend to host Horizon League-leading Loyola for a three-game set. The teams will play a twin bill on Saturday (April 21) followed by a single game on Sunday at noon that will feature Senior Day ceremonies honoring Sarah Milosek and Michele Penney.

Four Viking Swimmers Named League All-Academic Team Members -- Friday, April 20 2007
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland State men's swimmers Joe Badziong, Bjorn Schnatz, Nedim Nisic and Stef Potgieter have been named to the Horizon League All-Academic team. Each of the four swimmers, who keyed CSU's second place finish at the league championships, was among the 18 men's swimmers honored. The league made the announcement on Tuesday (April 17).

"I'm always proud when our swimmers and divers combine athletic excellence with a great performance in the classroom," head swim coach Wally Morton said. "All four of these student-athletes are not only great students, but they are among the best swimmers in our conference."

Badziong, a senior accounting major with a 3.32 GPA, was one of the team's co-captains and was named the John McClendon Award winner at Cleveland State's Athletic Academic Honors Luncheon last Thursday. The Parma, Ohio native notched a fifth place finish in the 200 back while finishing 11th in the 1,000 and 12th in the 500 freestyles at the league championships.

Schantz, a senior who owns a 3.89 GPA in international business, was among the Horizon League's top freestyle swimmers during his four-year career at CSU, claiming 2006 Athlete of the Year honors after leading the Vikings to the title as a junior. The Loddekopinge, Sweden native posted second place finishes in the 200 and 500 freestyles at the league championships while adding a third place swim in the 1,000 free and swimming the lead leg of the 800 free relay. Schantz was named Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week five times during the course of the season, the highest total in the league.

Nisic, an international business major with a 3.4 GPA, was one of the top backstroke and butterfly swimmers in the league, placing second in both the 100 fly and 100 back at the league championships while also swimming the league leg of CSU's championships 200 and 400 medley relay teams. The sophomore from Tuzia, Bosnia and Herzegovina native also added a sixth place swim in the 200 fly.

Potigieter, a sophomore communication major who owns a 3.33 GPA, swam to second place finishes in the 100 and 200 breast and ninth in the 200 IM. The Sasolborg, South Africa native was the league leader in both breaststroke events all throughout the fall until the Vikings added freshman Jakub Dobies in January, who set two league records en route to a 28th place finish at the NCAA Swim Championships.

A total of 82 student-athletes from six sports (men's and women's basketball, men's and women's swimming and men's and women's indoor track & field) were honored in balloting by each of the nine league schools' faculty athletic representatives and sports information offices.

Women's Golf Wraps Up Regular Season Play -- Friday, April 20 2007
MUNDELEIN, Ill. - Sophomore Mallory Wyderka posted her second top 10 finish of the season as Cleveland State finished in fifth place at the Loyola Invitational. Northern Illinois easily claimed the team title at the par 72, 6,010-yard Pine Meadow Golf Course.

The Huskies posted consecutive rounds of 319 to finish at 638, outdistancing runner-up IPFW by 13 strokes. The Vikings finished at 675.

Butler's Niki Garden carded her second straight 73 to claim medalist honors by 10 strokes over Northern Illinois' Abbie Many. Wyderka turned in a 79 to finish in a tie for sixth at 162.

"We played better today as a team, but we still gave away some shots," CSU head coach Brian Varsey said. "It was nice for Mallory to finish in the top 10. Now we have a couple of weeks to get ready for the league championship."

With the regular season now complete, the Vikings are off until the Horizon League Championship on April 30 - May 1 at Shaker Run Golf Club in Lebanon, Ohio.

Team Results
1. Northern Illinois 319-319--638
2. IPFW 333-318--651
3. Butler 326-329--655
4. Loyola 333-332--665
5. Cleveland State 342-333--675

Individual Leaders
1. Niki Garden, Butler 73-73--146
2. Abbie Many, Northern Illinois 79-77--156
T3. Kim Hunley, Northern Illinois 77-81--158
T3. Lisa Bailey, Northern Illinois 78-80--158

Cleveland State Individuals
T6. Mallory Wyderka 83-79--162
T12. Katie Broere 84-82--166
23. Laren Beese 91-84--175
T26. Ashley Davidson 89-88--177
28. Kim Dulski 86-92--178

Vikings Dalman Qualifies For NCAA Diving Championships -- Saturday, March 3 2007
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - For the first time in 32 years, Cleveland State will have a diver compete at the NCAA Championships as senior Chris Dalman placed third in the one-meter dive at the Zone C Diving Championships at the University of Michigan on Friday (March 2) to earn a berth in the national tournament.

Dalman, who was named Horizon League Diver of the Year after winning both diving events last week at the league championships, scored a 323.25 over six dives in the preliminary round and then added a score of 319.70 in the finals, totaling 642.95 points. The only two divers ahead of him were Kellen Harkness (645.80) and Hugh Showe (644.50) from Ohio State.

"Chris competed extremely well against some of the best divers in the nation," diving coach Rich Karban said. "He had a solid meet, and what's amazing is that he can do even better than that."

The last CSU divers to qualify for the NCAA Championships were Ron Barrick and Jim Fedor in 1975.

The only other competitor representing the Horizon League, UW-Green Bay's Phillip Zumstein, placed 12th at 561.85.

Dalman will continue his postseason run with the three-meter dive on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at Michigan. The Zone C Championships will run through the weekend and the NCAA Championships are set for March 15-17 at the University of Minnesota.

Singles Play Leads CSU To 5-2 Win Over Dayton -- Saturday, March 3 2007
CLEVELAND, Ohio - After losing the doubles point, Cleveland State won five of six singles matches to defeat visiting Dayton, 5-2, Friday at River Oaks Racquet Club. The Vikings are now 7-5 on the season.



The Flyers (1-10) controlled doubles play, winning at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles to take a 1-0 lead before junior Jenn Myers and sophomore Kristin Chamberlain took an 8-5 win at No. 3 doubles.



Singles play was a different story. The Vikings won five of the six singles contests, each in straight sets. Myers and Chamberlain led the way with decisive wins, with Myers winning 6-0, 6-0 over Mackenzie Hoops at No. 5 singles and Chamberlain winning 6-1, 6-1 over Erin Wilkie in the sixth spot.

"The bottom of our lineup is playing very strong," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "Dayton had some good players, but we played better from top to bottom."

Senior Sarah Galon won the clinching point with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win over Kate Mellion at No. 1 singles. Freshman Charlotte Gibbons and junior Lindsay Sellers also were victorious for CSU.

The only match Dayton won was at No. 2 singles, where Alyssa Detroy edged freshman Denisa Muntean in three sets, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.

The Vikings continue their busy weekend with home matches against Oakland and Chicago State on Saturday at River Oaks Racquet Club. First serve is set for noon.



DOUBLES RESULTS
Mellion/Detroy (UD) def. Galon/Muntean - 8-4
Hoops/Dzubay (UD) def. Gibbons/Sellers - 8-4
Myers/Chamberlain def. Gray/Wilkie (UD) - 8-5


SINGLES RESULTS
Sarah Galon def. Kate Mellion (UD) - 6-3, 7-6 (3)
Allysa Detroy (UD) def. Denisa Muntean - 6-1, 2-6, 6-3
Charlotte Gibbons def. Megan Gray (UD) - 6-4, 6-0
Lindsay Sellers def. Nicole Dzubay (UD) - 6-2, 6-3
Jenn Myers def. Mackenzie Hoops (UD) - 6-0, 6-0
Kristin Chamberlain def. Erin Wilkie (UD) - 6-1, 6-1


EXHIBITION
Christine Vogelgesang def. Maggie Ernst (UD) - 8-3
Maggie Ernst (UD) def. Nina Ali - 8-1

Galon Named Horizon League Athlete Of The Week -- Saturday, March 3 2007
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Senior Sarah Galon capped an undefeated month of February by being named Horizon League Athlete of the Week. She has won the weekly honor twice this season. The league office made the announcement on Thursday (March 1).

Galon, who is 17-6 at No. 1 singles after going 6-0 during the month, won both of her matches in straight sets last weekend. The Waianae, Hawaii native defeated Youngstown State's Gina Peretti 6-0, 7-5 to lead the Vikings to a 4-3 win over the Penguins on Feb. 23 and then followed that performance with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Kali Delorie of Robert Morris in a 7-0 CSU win on Feb. 25.

"Sarah continues to have a great season," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "She's our general on the court and she is playing like a senior should."

Teamed with freshman Denisa Muntean, Galon also won at No. 1 doubles in both matches.

The Vikings (6-5) have three matches at home this weekend, starting with a 6:00 p.m. contest against Dayton on Friday at River Oaks Racquet Club in Rocky River. CSU then hosts Chicago State and Oakland on Saturday beginning at noon.

Season Ends For Vikings At Green Bay, 78-59 -- Thursday, March 1 2007
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin- Troy Cotton led four Phoenix players in double figures with 19 points and Cleveland State couldn't come back from a four-point halftime deficit as UW-Green Bay pulled away for a 78-59 win in then opening round of the Horizon League Championship.

The loss ends the 2006-07 season for Cleveland State (10-21) while UW-Green Bay advances to face No. 5 seed Youngstown State on Friday night in a second round match-up at Wright State.

The Vikings played the game without senior Victor Morris, who suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee during practice on Sunday. Although the injury usually calls for a 2-4 week rehabilitation period, Morris did special drills on Monday and Tuesday in hopes of playing and wore a brace during pre-game drills but was unable to move well enough to get into the contest.

"I couldn't be prouder of the young men on my team," head coach Gary Waters said. "They have been out-manned and out-gunned all season long yet they fought through all of the adversity and gave everything that they had. Tonight was a great example of that spirit because we came into the game with only eight players and just lost one of our team leaders (Morris) yet we fought hard and were in it until late in the second half.

"This team could have given up on a number of occasions this year, but it tells you the kind of spirit that they have had to continue to work hard and fight.

"I want to thank my seniors for their leadership, especially Raheem, Victor and Patrick. When the program eventually accomplishes what it is capable of doing, it will be on the backs of these three guys who toiled so hard and for so long."

Bahaadaar Russell led CSU with 14 points while J'Nathan Bullock add 12 and Patrick Tatham and Raheem Moss had 11 each. Ryan Evanochko added 16 points for the Phoenix with Mike Schachtner and Terry Evans adding 12 points each.

UW-Green Bay had a shooting advantage, making 27-of-49 field goal attempts (.551), including a six-for-12 effort from three-point. CSU could manage just .360 shooting (18-50), including a six-for-25 performance in the second half.

Cleveland State jumped out quickly, scoring on a Joe Davis three-pointer just18 seconds into the con test.

The lead would grow to 7-2 with 17:19 left on back-to-back baskets from Bullock and Patrick Tatham.

The Phoenix would pull to within 9-7 on a Cotton three-pointer but a baseline jumper from Moss and a Tatham slam off a coast-to-coast run following his own steal pushed the Viking advantage to 13-7 with 15:50 left.

The lead would remain at six (18-12, 13:42) on a Moss three-pointer before UW-Green Bay ran off eight straight points to take its first lead, 20-18 with 8:36 left. Four different Phoenix players would score during the run with the last two baskets coming from Evanochko.

CSU would tie the game at 20 and 22, but another Cotton trey - his third of the half - gave UWGB a 25-22 advantage.

The Phoenix would lead by as many as eight in the opening stanza, 34-26 with 3:10 left, but a pair of free throws from Bullock and a pair of three-pointers by Russell pulled CSU to within 36-34 with 1:03 left.

A pair of Schachtner free throws with 24 seconds left gave UW-Green Bay a 38-34 halftime lead.

CSU would close to within 40-37 on a three-pointer by Moss with 18:40 left, but the Phoenix countered with a 7-0 run the extended the margin to 47-40 with 15:00 left.

After Russell knocked down a trey with 13:39 left, the bad luck of the Viking showed on the next three baskets.

On the first, Bullock appeared to have made a steal and was preparing to advance the ball to an all alone Russell, only to trip and loose control of the ball. Evanochko came up with it, finding an open Terry Evans going to the basket for an easy layup.

On UWGB's next possession, Russell appeared to have a steal made, only to loose the handle on the pass. Evanochko again intercepted it, firing to the left corner to a wide-open Cotton who knocked down a three-pointer.

The Vikings then advanced the ball over mid-court but Russell mishandled a short pass and Evanochko stole it, cruising in for an easy lay-up that put the Phoenix ahead, 54-43 with 12:56 left.

CSU answered with five straight points on a three-pointer from Russell and a basket inside by Tatham, but the Phoenix ran off six straight to push the lead back to 60-45 with 7:57 left but the Vikings would come no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

Vikings Sweep Horizon League Softball Weekly Honors -- Thursday, March 1 2007
CLVELAND - Cleveland State sophomore third baseman Amanda Houchin and freshman pitcher Amanda Macenko were named the Horizon League's Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for their roles in leading the Vikings to the Longwood Spring Classic on Saturday (Feb. 24). The honor is the first for both players. The league office made the announcement on Monday.

Houchin went 4-for-10 with a double, two home runs and three RBI to help the Vikings to a perfect 3-0 mark at the Longwood Spring Classic. She launched her first career home run to knot the score at 1-1 against Canisius and then drilled another bomb to extend CSU's lead to 2-0 versus Longwood. The Lima, Ohio native added a double against the Lancers for her first career two-hit game, helping raise her slugging percentage to 1.100 on the weekend. Houchin also played a flawless third base, fielding all 13 chances cleanly.

Macenko allowed no runs and just one hit while fanning six in 9.2 innings of work to earn a pair of victories in her collegiate debut. Her first career victory came against Canisius, as she tossed 2.2 hitless innings in relief. Later the same day, the Brunswick, Ohio native hurled a one-hitter against Longwood, striking out five with one walk while giving up just a clean infield single in the fourth inning.

Off to its first 3-0 start since 1997, Cleveland State is off for two weeks before heading to the Rebel Spring Games, where the Vikings will play 10 games from March 11-15 in Kissimmee, Fla.