Summer 2004
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Summer 2004 |
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The Rose-Hulman baseball team recorder its best season in school history with a 36-8 record, capped by a memorable trip to Kanazawa and Kyoto, Japan. The Engineers won their second consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Eastern Division championship and shattered the previous school record of 30 wins set in 1999. Rose-Hulman recorded the third-most regular season victories in all of NCAA Division III this spring. Rose-Hulman placed five players on the all-SCAC team as a result of the team's efforts. Senior Matt Moore graduated as the all-time home run leader at Rose-Hulman with 24, and he established seven career school records. Senior Mike Tranter finished a perfect 7-0 on the mound with a 3.04 ERA. Junior Scott Tourville batted .441 with 20 doubles and a school-record tying eight home runs. Senior Drew Furry batted .337 with nine doubles and 20 RBIs in his first year as a starter behind the plate. Finally, junior Nathan Soyer finished 81 with a 3.34 ERA and a team-high 46 strikeouts. In addition, senior Cort Severns established career school records for hits (186) ad doubles (48), while freshman Matt Salisbury batted .373 with 17 doubles and tied a single-season Rose-Hulman record with five saves. Coach Jeff Jenkins' squad capped the season with a six-day trip to Japan. On the field, Rose-Hulman defeated Kanazawa Institute of Technology 17-3 before falling to a Division I All-Star ad Kanzai University in two subsequent games. Off the field, Rose-Hulman's baseball team enjoyed two days of tourism in Kanazawa and Kyoto. In Kanazawa, the team visited the world renowned Castle of Kanazawa, the former home of the city's major university. In addition, the Engineers toured the city and visited several other well-known castles. In Kyoto, a city of more than one-million residents, the team visited several shrines and temples which included the oldest wooden structure in Japan. Farmer, Tarr Claim Top Honors At Senior Honors Banquet The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology athletic department presented Ruel Fox Burns Blankets to seniors Jessica Farmer and Dylan Tarr to highlight the 2004 Athletic Honors and Awards Banquet. The Ruel Fox Burns Blanket, presented to the department's top senior male and female athletes as voted by the coaching staff, has been awarded to outstanding Engineer student-athletes since 1968. Farmer earned Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Year honors and all-district recognition as part of the Engineers 13-4-2 squad in 2003. Tarr earned three consecutive SCAC championships in the discus throw to highlight his track and field career. Farmer and baseball pitcher Eric Clemetoni earned the John Logan Award for compiling the highest female and male grade-point-averages among four-year letter winners. The Samuel Hulbert Award is presented to the male and female senior athletes who contribute the most in terms of team spirit, sportsmanship and a determination to succeed. Baseball infielder Cort Severns and softball outfielder Lynsey Hart claimed the award for reinforcing winning attitudes and creating a positive atmosphere for their respective teams. Samuel Hulbert received the John Mutchner Award, presented to the man who has unselfishly given his time and support to the athletic department. Joy Hulbert earned the Rosie Award, presented to the woman who has contributed to the success of the athletic department through her tireless dedication and commitment. The Jess Lucas Spirit Award is presented annually to an individual or group whose support of the Rose-Hulman athletic department moves above and beyond the norm. Kevin Lanke, sports information director, received the 2004 award. Softball Team Turns Program Around The Rose-Hulman softball team improved by 19 victories in a 21-18 season that featured the second-most wins in the five-year history of the program. Second-year coach Brian Shearer helped lift the team to its second Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Eastern Division championship and a third-place finish in the league standings. Senior Lynsey Hart earned her third consecutive first-team all-SCAC honor after leading the conference with a .441 average, 16 doubles and five triples. Other all-conference honorees included junior Janae Chaney, with a .298 average and a leaguebest 14 stolen bases, and junior Lauren Clark, who finished 13-11 on the mound with 109 strikeouts. Tennis, Golf Teams Enjoy Modest Success The Engineer tennis and golf teams continued their development with ninth place finishes at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Sports Festival in April. The men’s tennis team recorded its fifth consecutive non-losing season with a 13-13 record, led by sophomore Alex Hayes with a 16-11 mark. The women earned four victories, highlighted by No. 1 player Megan Lafferty. Sophomore Cory Wright earned second-team Academic All-District honors to lead the golf squad. Track & Field Teams Show Improvement The track and field teams recorded their best finishes in six years of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference competition with a fifth-place men’s finish and a seventh-place women’s placement, under first-year head coach Larry Cole. Senior Dylan Tarr won the discus and shot put competitions at the league championship, while freshman Ryan Schipper claimed the pole vault title. For the women, freshman Ashley Bernal became the first all-SCAC female athlete in school history with a third-place finish in the 200- and 400-meter dashes. Rose-Hulman Set to Induct Six Into Hall of Fame Six new members were added to the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Athletic Hall of Fame during the team’s first football home game on September 4. Bob Bright, a 1957 chemical engineering graduate, led the basketball team to its best season in school history as a senior and held the school’s career scoring record at the time of his graduation. Jim Gidcumb, a 1976 chemical engineering graduate, became the second player in school history to snag 100 pass receptions in a career. Todd Holthaus, a 1994 electrical engineering graduate, earned firstteam All-America and Academic All- American honors as the placekicking national champion as a junior. Kurt Kelso, a 1987 mechanical engineering graduate, still holds four school records and six top-five honors for his efforts on the track and field squad. Basketball alumnus Jim Pettee, a 1968 chemical engineering graduate, scored over 900 points and earned two team Most Valuable Player honors under John Mutchner. The sixth honoree is Bob Thompson, who mentored Chris Trapp to three national titles in the javelin and coached 10 All-American honorees as the track and football head coach. Matt Moore sets home run record Athletic Hall of Fame Receives Major Upgrade Rose-Hulman Institute has added a seven-panel timeline of the college's athletic history and a large wall display featuring its All-Americans and Academic All-Americans to the Sports and Recreation Center. The seven-panel timeline depicts Rose-Hulman's history of intercollegiate athletic success, both in the classroom and on the playing field. Each panel covers a historical time period, containing both facts and photos depicting the accomplishments of the era. The All-American and Academic All-American wall displays the name and accomplishment of each honoree. The three-panel wall covers national champions and players of the year, All-American honorees and Academic All-American recipients. Historical visual upgrades have also been made within the Sports and Recreation Center lobby and athletic department. A wall displaying the current all-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference honorees has been placed within the athletic department. The Athletic Hall of Fame area features a new title board, along with backgrounds for each grouping of plaques earned by inductees. Finally, new trophy cases have been purchased to display significantly more memorabilia earned by Rose-Hulman student-athletes. Future additions to the Athletic Hall of Fame will include a kiosk featuring photos and memorabilia from various eras of the college's athletic history.
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