Tag: College Sports

‘Mount Lax’ Takes Center Stage, Defeats Baldwin Wallace 12-9 to Advance to OAC Championship 

Alliance, OH- Entering play tonight, only four women’s lacrosse teams remained in contention for the Ohio Athletic Conference title—Mount Union, John Carroll, Capital, and Baldwin Wallace. At Kehres Stadium, the Purple Raiders took care of the Yellow Jackets 12-9. This was a game of redemption for UMU as they lost 15-12 in Berea on April 2. 

As expected, Mount Union came out with a vengeance. Graduate student Eden Kessler opened the scoring 85 seconds in. Next up, Katie Clark made it 2-0 with 9:49 left in the first quarter. Emily Funk made it 3-0 minutes later while UMU was up a player. Halfway through the first quarter, the Purple Raiders had complete control of the match. Claire Alic put BW on the board with 6:28 on the clock in the first. Ella Nejad capped off the scoring for UMU in the first with a goal of her own. With the score sitting at 4-1, Lily Tope beat the buzzer with a last-second goal, making the score 4-2 after 15 minutes. 

Nejad became the first repeat goal scorer of the day as she put Mount Union’s first of four second-quarter goals into the back of the net. Kessler and Clark backed up Ella soon after with strikes of their own. With 12:48 on the clock in the first half, it was all UMU 7-2. From there, Alic would complete her hat trick with two unassisted goals in the following seven minutes. Nejad finished what she started with 1:47 remaining in the first half as she scored the Purple Raiders’ eighth goal of the game. At halftime, UMU comfortably led 8-4. 

The second half had a slow start. Both teams had opportunities to advance, but no one was able to get the opening blow. Then, Mariana Melgoza delivered the first blow of the third quarter after a good battle near the crease. Alic continued her solo success by scoring twice, making it 8-7. Then, the equalizer. Taylor Miklos—assisted by Melgoza—tied the game up at 8 with a masterful goal. With 15 minutes left to play, everything was still to play for. 

It has been well known this season that Mount Union women’s lacrosse has a strong New York backbone. The likes of Abby Lindkvist, Reese Fuenfstueck, Makenzie Kolstad, and Mae Pawlikowski have led many great plays this season. Tonight, that was no different. 53 seconds into the fourth, Fuenfstueck found the breakthrough. Next, Pawlikowski backed up her assist with a goal of her own. Finally, Funk scored for the second time, assisted by Fuenfstueck. Exactly one minute after that goal, Annette Doren brought the Yellow Jackets back within two. After 10 minutes of back-and-forth defense, the game was all but over. However, Pawlikowski added the cherry on top with a last-second goal. As the final buzzer sounded in Alliance, it was Mount Union victorious 12-9.  

While the team celebrated on the field afterwards, this win was a stepping stone to something greater. The next step? An OAC championship victory. Last year, they fell short in Columbus against Capital 22-9. Mount Union is ready to get back to their 2010s dominance, which saw them win six consecutive OAC tournament championships from 2014-2019. The team in their way this time out–John Carroll. The Blue Streaks won their first 14 games before the Purple Raiders had their number 16-10 in Alliance on April 23.  

The OAC championship game is Saturday at 1 PM at Kehres Stadium. The game can be streamed on OAC TV with Nathan Smee on the call.  

The ‘Tops Continue to Roll, Putting JUCO on the Map 

Parma, OH- I don’t know about you, but Tri-C baseball is feeling 22—win 22 in a row. On Friday, the Triceratops took down Clark State 17-2 and 20-6 in two games. The defending OCCAC champions from a year ago are undefeated in conference and 23-5 overall.  

Looking back to February, Tri-C was in a completely different spot. After starting off 1-0, four losses against Cleveland Community College and one against Macomb Community College saw the Triceratops sit at 1-5. Then, the winning started. A hard-fought 7-6 win over the Monarchs, Tri-C sat at 2-6. Lorain County Community College was next—16-6 and 7-2 wins followed. After the Commodores, SUNY Broome was downed 20-4 and 5-2. Following this sweep, John Carroll’s JV squad was the next barrier. After 22-12 and 6-3 wins over the Blue Streaks, Tri-C sat with a record of 8-5.  

From there, Cuyahoga Community College dominated. Wins over LCCC, Point Park, Terra State, JCU, Lakeland Community College, Walsh, and Clark State see them with a record of 23-5. Now, a big question arises—how did this run happen? The answer is simple: hard work. In talking to Brock Miller, Joey Lehner, and Brendan Hazuda, SmeeSports learned about just how hard practices are at Tri-C.  

Tri-C Head Coach Kyle Stahlberg said, “I love what our coaching staff has done with them and what they require of them every day. Every single day, these guys show up and answer that call.” 

Lehner echoed this sentiment as he said, “Nobody works harder than us…It’s the long nights in the Winter that really define who we are.” 

In the latest win, 37 runs were scored by the Triceratops across 8 innings off offense. In other words, Tri-C averaged 4.63 runs per inning in the doubleheader. With this much dominance, the standard has been redefined. 

Hazuda told us, “It is going to get to a point where this is what we’re going to expect out of this ball club.” 

Tri-C has become more well-known over the past few years. Coach Stahlberg has gained a positive reputation for producing elite ball players. Last year alone, seven Triceratops went on to play for a Division One program.  

Miller told prospective prospects to, “Bet on yourself and take that risk.” 

Tri-C looks to complete a season sweep of Clark State on April 6th on the road. With two more wins, the Triceratops will be winners of 24 straight games. After the games against the Eagles, 14 games remain. In 2024, Tri-C went 31-15. Not only do they have a chance to improve upon that record while winning the OCCAC again, but they could also finish the regular season on a 36-game winning streak. If they do so, regionals would be destined to land at Ron Mottl Field.  

Times of change for college athletics are upon us. With NIL, the transfer portal, and JUCO eligibility adding new aspects to the game, there are so many uncertainties. Still, Cuyahoga Community College has found a way to be a consistent source of top transfer prospects. Many four-year institutions will be picking up their phones to call Coach Stahlberg about this group, a group that has their sights set upon not only an OCCAC championship but a national championship.  

Mount Union MVB Wins the 2025 MCVL Regular Season Crown

Alliance, OH- For the first time since the 2023 season, Mount Union has won the MCVL regular season title. Today, they took down rivals Baldwin Wallace 3-2 on the road to ensure a solo title.

The last time the Purple Raiders won the conference, they went 7-1 with their loss coming against #3 Wittenberg. Before the season began, the Purple Raiders were slated to finish third in the conference behind the Tigers and the Yellow Jackets.

In the regular season finale, Mount Union got out to an early 7-0 lead in set 1. BW fought back as much as they could, getting as close as 2 points. Still, it was UMU taking home the opening frame 25-19. The Purple Raiders kept cruising in the second set, establishing a cushion from the jump. In the end, Mount Union left set 2 with a 25-20 victory.

Baldwin Wallace started their comeback in the third frame. With a 20-16 lead in the third, the game looked destined to head to a fourth set. However, a 7-1 run from the Purple Raiders saw them lead 23-21. With their backs against the wall, the Yellow Jackets rallied off 4 points in a row to win the third set 25-23. BW turned around after the third to control the fourth set, winning 25-20. Unlike the third set, Baldwin Wallace controlled the tempo.

Heading into the final set, momentum was with the Yellow Jackets. Still, Mount Union got to work and battled. A 3-0 run from the Purple Raiders set UMU up to succeed. In the middle of the fifth, a 6-0 run put the dagger in BW’s valiant comeback. Jacob Nussdorfer’s 10th and final kill sealed the 15-7 win in set 5.

Looking at the stat sheet, it was the senior duo of Jack McClure and Will Heeney who led the charge. McClure posted 19 kills while Heeney recorded 41 assists. As for digs, it was a balanced effort. Peyton Koszelak had 10 digs while Aaron Armour and Beckham Heller had 9.

For the Yellow Jackets, Daniel Latham led the way with a game-high 22 kills. Evan Herbst ran the BW offense with a total of 38 assists. In the back line, it was Daniel Abercrombie who ran the show with 13 digs.

The stage is now set for the MCVL Tournament. Mount Union will host as the #1 seed. Wittenberg will be the #2 seed with Baldwin Wallace sitting as the #3 seed. Finally, Trine makes the tournament as the 4th and final seed. On Friday, April 11, the Purple Raiders will play the Thunder while the Yellow Jackets look for redemption against the Tigers. The championship game will be played the following afternoon. While the times are not confirmed, the games are rumored to be played at 4PM and 7PM on Friday and 4PM on Saturday.

Picture Credit: Payton Berkley (PB30photos on Instagram)