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Senior inspires young tennis team to improve during season

Posted by :jprokop On : April 18, 2013
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With one more match to go, the Linfield men’s tennis team has struggled through the season, posting a 0-12 record. This record can be attributed to a young team, with only two seniors, including Zach Lyons.

Lyons has played for four years at Linfield College and has been with the team through thick and thin. His freshman year, the team placed second in conference with an overall record of 13-7.

“I had always played a little tennis off and on when I was a kid, but I got serious about it when I started high school,” Lyons said. “It was a good choice for me because I was too small to play football, and I was tired of all the running in soccer. So, I figured hitting the crap out of some tennis balls would be fun.”

Each successive year the team has performed worse, dropping to a 6-8 record in 2011, 2-17 record in 2012 and now posting a 0-12 record.

Despite the losing trend, Lyons has done well, earning all league honorable mentions as a junior.

“My favorite memory was probably last year during our fall tournament where my doubles partner and I were playing a tough team, tensions were pretty high, but we were able to beat them,” Lyons said. “For the very last point, I hit one of our opponents in the face to end the match. It was purely accidental, but it was an epic way to end the match.”

Now as a senior, Lyons has a different role. As the team’s number one singles player for the majority of the matches and a member of the number one doubles duo, Lyons is forced to play the top competition in the conference, while leading by example for the young team. Senior Kadin Hashimoto also stands as a role model for the young team, but only has one year of experience.

“It’s different, though, that it’s just Kadin and I because I was on the team when there were five seniors who all started at the same time and graduated together,” Lyons said. “Since I’m the only one who has been on the team for all four years, I don’t get to experience that.”

Lyons currently posts a 1-10 singles record and a 5-7 doubles record.

Lyons looks to improve on his season marks April 28, while the team looks for its first win of the season in Pasadena, Calf., against Cal Tech.

This will be the last match for the senior and the last match of the year for the Wildcats’ tennis team. The competition starts at 1 p.m.

“Some of my best friends have come from this team,” Lyons said. “You learn a lot of things in team sports, and I think I learned many lessons that can be applied on and off the court.”

 

Chris Haddeland/Senior reporter

Chris Haddeland can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

 

Men’s tennis fails to gain win in final conference match

Posted by :jprokop On : April 18, 2013
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Sophomore Lukas Kleinman hits the ball back to his opponent during the match against Willamette University on April 12. Kleinman won his singles match, 10-7. Photo courtesy of Sports Information

Sophomore Lukas Kleinman hits the ball back to his opponent during the match against Willamette University on April 12. Kleinman won his singles match, 10-7.
Photo courtesy of Sports Information

The Linfield men’s tennis team ended its conference season in familiar fashion, losing 7-2 to Willamette on April 12.

Sophomore Micah Roos and freshman Tim Hawkins collected a doubles victory for the ‘Cats with a score of 8-5. This was the third victory of the year for Roos and Hawkins as a duo.

“Tim and I both do a good job of motivating each other and not letting the other person get down,” Roos said.

In singles play, the Willamette No.’s 1-5 dispatched their Linfield adversaries with ease. Linfield No. 6 sophomore Lukas Kleinman did score a 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-7) victory to help the ‘Cats avoid a clean singles sweep.

When asked about his response after dropping the first set, Kleinman said, “This was the first time I have ever lost the first set and come back to win so I had to battle through the thoughts of another comeback cut short.”

“Honestly, I struggled…the entire match, I’d beat him earlier this year so I knew I could beat him…When it came down to the tiebreak, my serve was unstoppable,” he added.

With the loss, the team’s record fell to 0-12 for the year.

The only remaining game on the schedule is against Cal Tech on April 28 in Pasadena, Calif.

With his thoughts on next season, Kleinman said, “We know that nothing is going to come easy. Next season starts April 29, the day after our last match.”

Linfield will lose its No. 1, senior Zach Lyons, to graduation, and sophomore Joel Trousdale will not play next year as he goes to Spain to study abroad. Everyone else on the roster, barring injuries or transfers, should return next season.

“We all had quality wins this season and instead of focusing on our overall record, we should build off what we did accomplish. We all know we have potential,” Roos said.

Kleinman echoed similar sentiments.

“The effort has been there all year…We have a lot of high character guys who have the skill set to be very solid players in this conference, and we definitely have the coaching, he said.

“There will be no excuses for not improving next year.”

 

Tyler Bradley/Sports columnist

Tyler Bradley can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

 

 

Golf teams take first place spots for 
individual standings in Willamette Cup

Posted by :jprokop On : April 18, 2013
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Men’s and women’s golf took the top spots in the Willamette Cup tournament April 14.

The women’s team was not able to finish the tournament for team results.

Senior Brinn Hovde tied for first with Willamette’s Mckenzie Weinhold. Both players completed the course in 86 strokes, 14 strokes above par.

Freshman Alexandria Smith came in sixth with 89 strokes.

Freshman Maggie Harlow was one stroke behind in seventh, with 90 strokes.

The men’s team finished first out of three teams at the Willamette Cup on April 14, with 295.

Host team Willamette University got second with 313 strokes.

Freshman Adam Ruben held the top spot for the Wildcats, taking first in the tournament. Ruben completed the course in 68 strokes, four below par.

Sophomore Taylor Klopp, freshman Kyle Hargave and junior Tommy Schmitz finished consecutively in third through fifth place.

Klopp finished with 74 strokes, while Hargave was one stroke behind with 75. Schmitz had one of his best finishes of the year with 78 strokes, just six above par.

Both teams will next compete at the Northwest Conference Championships on  April 20 and 21, which will determine who will get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The men’s team will be fighting to defend its title.

 

Ivanna Tucker/Sports editor

Ivanna Tucker can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

 

Men’s head basketball coach retires after 26 seasons

Posted by :jprokop On : April 8, 2013
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Larry Doty

Larry Doty

The men’s basketball team held senior night Feb. 16 for all players leaving the team to say their good-byes and receive honors from the program. However, one person was left out on this night. Head coach Larry Doty, or “Dotes” as players and other students know him as, is retiring after 26 seasons of coaching the Wildcats.

“It’s the fastest 26 years I have been through,” Doty said.

The tenured coach has held his position the longest in program history. He also recorded the most victories in program history with 330.

He was the last full-time faculty and head coach hired by the school.

Doty attended West Linn High School, then Linfield for his undergraduate and master’s degrees, during which, he was a three-sport athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball.

“I had a great experience here as an athlete,” Doty said.

During his senior year playing basketball, coached by Ted Wilson, the team had the program’s all-time best scoring record with 2,676 points in 28 games. The team’s average was 95.6 points per game.

After having positive experiences with basketball in both high school and college, Doty stepped into coaching himself.

He coached the West Linn Lions men’s basketball team. The team took fourth in the state during his final year of coaching.

As soon as he saw an opening for head coach at Linfield, Doty quickly applied for the position.

During his time as head coach, Doty made sure the men that went through his program had positive experiences.

In addition to the 100 hours spent to prepare for about 26 games a season, the team spends time bonding through fundraising events, volunteering and team trips.

“We end up doing those kinds of things because we spend a lot of time together,” Doty said.

His players know him for all of the stories that he shares with them, which helps him standout as a lively individual.

“[Doty] is somebody who teaches his players much more than just the game of basketball. He is constantly teaching his players life lessons as well,” senior Dakotah Pine said.

Doty’s son Dominic Doty is also a member of the basketball staff. He has served as an assistant coach for the past six years, in addition to his four years as head coach for women’s soccer.

“I think every son grows up wanting to be like their father. I was just lucky enough to be a part of his legacy, Dominic said in an email.

“I can’t begin to tell you all the things he has taught me or all the ways he has impacted my experience as a coach today. I wouldn’t know where to start. But what I can say is that I am what I am as a coach and a person today because of him.”

Doty’s family was constantly sitting in the stands cheering him and Dominic Doty on at home games.

Doty also helped lead game management for the soccer games so he could support his son.

“When you are a coach, your family makes sacrifices,” Doty said. “It’s been a family affair.”

After leading two teams to conference championships in 1999 and 2001, Doty said he is now ready to try new things in his life.

He will continue to teach classes for the Human Health and Athletic Performance Department and also oversee internships for students.

Doty has helped find opportunities for players to get involved on campus and is now helping other students receive the same opportunities.

“The things that I will take with me are the experiences with the student athletes,” Doty said.

Former players from all over, including ones from Iceland and England, remain in contact with him, following their college careers. Reconnecting with players and seeing how they are following their college careers is something that Doty enjoys.

“He has devoted as much time, energy, and effort into the Linfield men’s basketball program as he possibly could,” Pine said. “When you drive past the HHPA, it doesn’t matter if it’s a weekday or weekend, 6 a.m. or midnight, there is a good chance you will see his car parked in front of Cook Hall.”

Although Doty has completed his time with the men’s basketball program, this does not mean he is done impacting students’ lives at Linfield.

“It just seemed like the right time for me, my wife, my family and the right time for the basketball program,” Doty said.

 Ivanna Tucker / Sports Editor

Men’s golf takes top spot, women’s team sinks

Posted by :jprokop On : March 27, 2013
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The Wildcat golf teams got off to their second tournament of the year, participating in the Pacific Spring Invitational at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club’s South Course on March 9 and 10.

The men’s team, coming off a rough final round at Callaway Gardens Intercollegiate, posted the third lowest round March 9, the first day of competition at the Pacific Spring Invitational.

The team was led by junior A.J. Taylor, who shot a 75, and was placed in fifth overall with one day left.

“Our team is solid and performing well,” Taylor said. “There is good competition, however, which means we need to perform and show up to each and every tournament if we want to win.”

The Wildcats took control of the invitational on March 10.

Led by sophomore Taylor Klopp’s 73, the Wildcats won the tournament with an overall score of 612.

Klopp shot the lowest two rounds for the team, placing third overall in the tournament with a 150.

Sophomore Taylor Pirnke finished in 10th with a 154.

Freshman Adam Ruben shot the third lowest score for the ’Cats with a 155, finishing in 11th.

Sophomore Ryan Nolan and Taylor both shot 158, leaving them tied for 17th.

The Wildcats fielded a second team, finishing fifth in the tournament with a score of 640. This group of five finished ahead of conference foes Willamette University, Pacific University and Lewis and Clark University.

The women’s team had a different experience at the Pacific Spring Invitational.

After taking the top two individual places at the Pacific Lutheran Invitational on March 3, the Wildcats fared differently.

The ’Cats placed seventh at the seven-team Pacific Spring Invitational, shooting an 816.

Junior Alexandria Smith was a standout for the Wildcats, as she placed seventh overall, shooting an 167 on the weekend, the top finish by any athlete not from George Fox.

Senior Brinn Hovde was right behind Smith, shooting a 168, tying for eighth.

The women’s next tournament is the George Fox Spring Preview on March 24 at the Oregon Golf Association Golf Course. The men hit the greens March 25 at the West Cup at Goose Creek Golf Club.

Chris Haddeland/Senior reporter

Chris Haddeland can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Men’s tennis faces two more losses, 6-3

Posted by :jprokop On : March 21, 2013
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Sophomore Micah Roos swings at the ball during a match against Puget Sound University on March 15. Roos won his double match with freshman Tim Hawkins, 9-8. Tyson Takeuchi/Senior photographer

Sophomore Micah Roos swings at the ball during a match against Puget Sound University on March 15. Roos won his double match with freshman Tim Hawkins, 9-8.
Tyson Takeuchi/Senior photographer

The Linfield men’s tennis team remained winless during the weekend, losing 6-3 to Puget Sound University and George Fox University on March 15 and 16.

The two losses dropped Linfield’s record to 0-9 for the season with just three conference games remaining.

The battle with Puget Sound did produce positive results from freshman Tim Hawkins. Hawkins dispatched Puget Sound’s Jake Peterson 6-4, 6-4 and also teamed up with sophomore Micah Roos for a 9-8 doubles victory. The two victories were the first of Hawkins’ collegiate singles and doubles career.

“It was an amazing feeling. It was a huge sigh of relief to finally win a doubles and singles match,” said Hawkins about his first collegiate victories.

Hawkins said his first serve was particularly effective in his doubles match, which helped set up Roos for simple finishes. In his singles match, Hawkins said his forehand was in good shape and it helped dictate the points.

Roos, the Linfield No. 2, provided the other victory against Puget Sound, winning 5-7, 7-5 and 10-8. Puget Sound’s Michael Cutter beat Linfield senior No. 1 Zach Lyons in a three set match, 1-6, 6-3 and 6-4.

With the victory, Puget Sound collected its first NWC victory of the season, which leaves Linfield as the only NWC team with a zero in the win column this season.

When asked about the overall team loss, Hawkins said, “We were pretty disappointed…we all want to win overall. I think that loss will act as motivation to continue working hard to get our first win of the season.”

Saturday’s tussle with George Fox saw Linfield win two of the three doubles matches. Roos and Hawkins teamed up again for an 8-4 victory against George Fox’s Justin McClain and Matt Deming. In the No. 1 doubles slot, Lyons and sophomore Lukas Kleinman rebounded from their 9-7 doubles on Friday and defeated their Saturday adversaries, 8-6. Kleinman continued his success against George Fox with a 6-3, 6-4 singles victory in the No. 4 slot against Chace Stalcup.

The tennis team does not have a match next week because of spring break. Its  next match is April 5, and it sends the team to Portland to play Lewis & Clark (3-7, 3-5 NWC). Linfield played Lewis & Clark earlier this year and lost 7-2. Linfield has different doubles partnerships (Roos/Hawkins, Lyons/Kleinman) this time around so Lewis & Clark will see a different Linfield squad. Hawkins is confident Linfield can beat them this next time around.

“We are going to win,” Hawkins said. “We went into our first meeting with them expecting an easy match. Now we know what to expect. We are more experienced now as a team, and we really want a win so I think that we have a good shot at beating them.”

Tyler Bradley

Sports columnist

Tyler Bradley can be reached at

linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

 

Men’s tennis struggles for better record during weekend, but still last in conference

Posted by :jprokop On : March 10, 2013
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The Linfield men’s tennis team continued its rough start to the season, losing 9-0 to Pacific University and 6-3 to Willamette University. This dropped Linfield’s Northwest Conference record to 0-6.

The match against Pacific was particularly brutal. Pacific won the three doubles matches 8-3, 8-2 and 8-1, and it won the six singles matches without dropping a set.

Sophomore Lukas Kleinman returns a ball to Pacific’s Kolin Wong on March 1. Kleinman lost the match against Wong 6-4, 7-5 (12-10). Tyson Takeuchi/Senior photographer

Sophomore Lukas Kleinman returns a ball to Pacific’s Kolin Wong on March 1. Kleinman lost the match against Wong 6-4, 7-5 (12-10).
Tyson Takeuchi/Senior photograp

The closest Linfield player to taking a set was sophomore Lukas Kleinman, who lost his singles match 6-4, 7-5 (12-10).

A good sign for the tennis team stems from the three matches it took on Saturday against Willamette. Kleinman continued his positive weekend with a singles victory, 6-4, 6-2. He also teamed up with Linfield’s No. 1, Zach Lyons, to deliver a 8-6 second flight doubles victory.

Lyons also won his singles match 6-4, 6-2 against Willamette’s No. 2. This was the first time Kleinman and Lyons had paired up this year in doubles.

When asked about his success this weekend, Kleinman said, “I just told myself that I couldn’t keep letting my team down and that I had to step up and try to give the team some positive energy heading into the second half of the season.”

As for the different doubles pairing, Lyons said, “It is a partnership that I want to continue. Luke is a great doubles player and we have a good foundation to build on.”

Lyons reflected on the losses as a way to get better.

“It was a tough weekend, especially Friday, but every loss is a learning experience…it’s a team effort and we will continue to build on what we’ve learned and continue to push ourselves,” he said.

Kleinman echoed similar sentiments when discussing the outlook for the rest of the season.

“If we keep fighting and show a little more intensity, I see us showing a lot more fight the rest of the year,” he said.

Lyons remains the only senior on the roster—the rest of the roster consists of freshmen and sophomores—and they still await a clash with three of the top four teams in the conference.

“I really like our chances of improving. We are all trying to prove ourselves and fight through some adversity,” Kleinman said.

Wins are bound to come from the rest of the team. Sophomores Micah Roos, Joel Trousdale and Ben Brewer all recorded victories last year. Roos and freshman Alex Mangan have already picked up victories this season.

The team will look to pick up its first NWC victory on March 8 in Spokane, Wash., against Whitworth University. Whitworth has a 3-2 NWC record after defeating the University of Puget Sound 9-0 during the weekend.

 

Tyler Bradley/ Sports columnist

Tyler Bradley can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

 

Baseball team has opportunity to finish high in final standings

Posted by :jprokop On : March 10, 2013
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This Linfield baseball team is going to contend for the Northwest Conference title this year. In fact, they look like they can win it.
Picked to finish third in the NWC this year by the coaches, it’s obvious that their ceiling is much higher than third place if you watch the team.
Except you wouldn’t have known this if you judged them by their first game of the season.
When starting a baseball season, winning a game 6-0 is definitely an ideal outcome. If you are on the losing side of the coin, however, the taste in a team’s mouth is sour—not Sour Patch Kids style—and unwelcome.
Unfortunately for the Linfield baseball team, it started the 2013 season on the losing side of the coin down at a tournament in Arizona. La Verne College was the team who scored six runs. Linfield stranded 12 men on base including five men on third.
This was definitely not the way to start the season, especially considering the disappointing end to 2012. Last year’s team was ranked as high as number two in the country, but fell out of the rankings completely later in the season and finished a pedestrian fourth place in the NWC.
Luckily, Linfield righted the ship in a huge way by eviscerating Redlands University, 15-3. The team hasn’t looked back since then and has dominated in every facet of the game.
In the six games following Redlands, the pitching staff has fired three shutouts and given up a total of three earned runs. That’s a team Earned Run Average (ERA) of .5 with a strikeout per nine-inning rate of 7.32 and a walks per nine-inning rate of 1.97. That’s incredible.
The staff is due for some ERA regression—.5 is not sustainable—but a six game stretch of dominance like that with a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.71/1 means the NWC should be afraid: the pitching staff is a force to be reckoned with.
Good pitching goes hand-in-hand with good defense, and during this weekend, the defense only made two errors and both occurred in the same game. A play that was indicative of the stellar defense by the team was a diving snag by senior third baseman Michael Hopp on Feb. 24 against Oregon Institute of Technology.
The hitting has been outstanding. Even by including the La Verne game, the team has a slash line of .338/.404/.463 and the team was hitting .462 with runners in scoring position and less than two outs entering the game against Oregon Tech on Sunday.
“The way last season ended made us all work harder in the offseason…we are definitely using the disappointment as motivation and we want to be the best,” junior Jake Wiley said. “The team is playing really well right now…the chemistry we have together is amazing.”
Wylie himself launched an absolute moonshot over the left field fence in the fourth inning on Sunday, easily traveling more than 400 feet.
If this seven-game stretch is indicative of the potential of this team, they can travel like Wylie’s moonshot. It seems as if La Verne and last season are in the rear view, and the coaches probably made a mistake when putting Linfield in third place.

Tyler Bradley/ Sports columnist

Tyler Bradley can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.