Fall 1997

Baseball finishes 23-12

Rose-Hulman completed its seventh consecutive winning season in 1997, by finishing the year with an impressive 23-12 overall record. The Engineers’ total of 23 wins was the fourth-highest in the school’s history, as Head Coach Jeff Jenkins’ squad compiled the highest overall winning percentage of teams in the Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference (.657).

Senior Eric Tryon and junior Jimmy Costa were named to the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American and All-District teams. Tryon and Costa were also named to the first team all-conference squad, along with freshman third baseman Marc McCullough. Junior Matt Sims made the honorable mention all-league squad as a pitcher.

Men’s track finishes third in ICAC

Junior pole vaulter Ryan Loftus followed up his national championship performance in the NCAA III Indoor Track & Field Championships by earning All-American honors at the outdoor NCAA III Championship. Loftus finished eighth with a vault of 15’-7. Freshman Phil Reksel also qualified for the NCAA III Championships in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing 19th with a time of 54.06 in his first NCAA meet.

The Engineers finished third at the ICAC Champion-ships, capturing five first-place finishes.

Overman wins conference crown in women’s track & field

The Engineers captured fifth place, and senior Nikki Overman became the first Rose-Hulman female athlete to capture a conference championship in any sport by winning the hammer throw with a conference record toss of 126’ 7. Overman also finished third in the shot put and fourth in the discus. Freshman Kate Buchanan finished second in the 800-meters with a school record time of 2:27.92, and was fourth in the 1500-meter run. Overman and Buchanan won the team awards for top performers of the year.

Tennis team receives national honor

Rose-Hulman was just 1-5 in dual matches versus Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents heading into the 1997 ICAC Men’s Tennis Champion-ships. But Head Coach Dan Hopkins’ squad rose to the occasion, to capture third place at the seven-team meet finishing behind only DePauw University and Hanover College.

Rose-Hulman’s 1996 tennis team was one of 13 NCAA Division III teams in the nation to be honored as a Division III All-Academic Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The Engineers posted a team grade point average of 3.46 to corral the honor.

Miller & Nicoson lead men’s golf

Rose-Hulman finished fifth at the 1997 Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference Golf Championships, led by the play of sophomore Joe Miller and freshman Zach Nicoson who earned all-ICAC honors. Miller, the defending champion and league Most Valuable Golfer, finished fourth with a 36-hole score of 155 at the Legends Golf Course in Franklin, Ind. Nicoson tied for seventh with a score of 161, good for all-league honors.