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UW-Oshkosh names Lewis full-time head basketball coach

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Matt Lewis

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh has officially removed the interim tag and named Matt Lewis the schools permanent head men’s basketball coach on Wednesday.

Lewis guided the Titans to their first NCAA Division 3 men’s basketball championship in March, knocking off Swarthmore College (Pa.) in the national title game.

Lewis led the Titans to a 29-3 record, claiming their first outright Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title since 1978 before going on to win six NCAA postseason games en route to the national title.  The Titans averaged 93.7 points in its six Division III Championship victories and set the school’s NCAA postseason scoring record with its 108-point performance against University of Northwestern (Minn.) during the second round.

Lewis was elevated to interim head coach after previous UW-Oshkosh head coach Pat Juckem accepted the lead position of the Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) men’s basketball program.

Lewis is just the fifth UW-Oshkosh head men’s basketball coach since the 11964-65 season and the 14th overall.

Lewis named NABC D-3 Coach of the Year

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Matt Lewis

UW-Oshkosh head men’s basketball coach Matt Lewis was named the NCAA Division III Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) after leading the Titans to the program’s first national title.

Lewis, in his first season at the helm of the Titans, led UW-Oshkosh to a 96-82 victory over Swarthmore College (Pa.) during the Division III title game on March 16 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Lewis was previously tabbed national Coach of the Year by D3hoops.com and SNA Sports/D III News.

Lewis took over the Titans program on an interim basis in May after six seasons as the team’s top assistant coach.  His .906 winning percentage is the best among all 1,099 active NCAA men’s basketball coaches.

Under Lewis’ direction UW-Oshkosh produced a school-record 21-game winning streak from Nov. 20 through Feb. 9.  The fourth longest winning streak in WIAC history included 12 straight victories to open WIAC play as the Titans went on to claim their first outright league title since 1978.

 

Wisconsin women’s hockey captures WCHA tournament title

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The Wisconsin women’s hockey team earned the top overall seed in the 2019 NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Championship and will host Syracuse in a tournament quarterfinal on Saturday at LaBahn Arena.

The Badgers captured the WCHA Tournament Championship earlier in the day on Sunday, knocking off the Minnesota Golden Gophers 3-1 at Ridder Arena.

Sophomore Caitlin Schneider, freshman Britta Curl and senior Annie Pankowski all scored for the Badgers (32-4-2, 18-4-2-0 WCHA) in Sunday’s contest to lead UW to its eighth WCHA tournament title, the most of any school in the league.

Wisconsin now has won 17 of its last 18 WCHA postseason games and holds a 51-15-0 all-time record in conference playoff games.

The Badgers, who have the country’s best record of 32-4-2, enter the quarterfinal looking to advance to the NCAA Frozen Four for the sixth-straight year.

Syracuse is making its first NCAA tournament appearance after winning the 2019 CHA Tournament, winning three games in three days to claim its first conference title.

Titans advance to NCAA D-3 Final Four

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The UW-Oshkosh Titans are back in the NCAA Division III Final Four for the second straight season.  The Titans got 26 points from Adam Fravert on Saturday night in a 82-79 win over Guilford College.

Fravert hit 10 of 11 from the field, including 6 of 7 three-pointers and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Titans to a spot in the national semifinals against Wheaton College (Illinois) on Friday.

Oshkosh (27-3) committed 17 turnovers but shot 50.9% from the field.  The Titans reached the national championship game last season.

Platteville captures WIAC tournament title

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The UW-Platteville men’s basketball team knocked off UW-Stevens Point 70-57 Saturday night to win the WIAC Men’s Basketball tournament title for the second time in program history.  The victory earns the Pioneers an automatic NCAA tournament bid.

It’s the first WIAC tournament title for the Pioneers since 1999.  That year (1998-99), the Pioneers beat UW-Stout 90-88 in the title game and went on to secure the program’s fourth national title.

The Pointers took a 55-54 lead on a Drew Fredrickson 3-pointer with 4:25 left to play.  That’s when Platteville senior Robert Duax responded by scoring nine unanswered points to give the Pioneers a 63-55 lead.  Platteville finished the game on a 16-2 run to seal the victory.  Duax had 20 points to lead the Pioneers.

Senior Clay Gerds scored 16 points going 6 of 6 from the field, 2 of 2 from 3-point range and 2 of 2 from the free throw line.Junior Ethan Bublitz had a team high 15 points for the Pointers.

The Pioneers will find out who they’ll face in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament with the NCAA Selection Show on Monday morning.

Badger volleyball team advances to NCAA Sweet 16

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For the sixth-straight season, the 8th ranked Wisconsin women’s volleyball team has advanced to NCAA Regional play.  The sixth-seeded Badgers advanced by knocking off Pepperdine 25-16, 25-12, 15-25, 25-13 on Friday night at the UW Fieldhouse.

Sophomore Sydney Hilley recorded her seventh double-double in the last eight matches with 48 assists and 19 digs, which ties her career best.

Senior Tionna Williams led all players with a season-high 14 kills while hitting .458 (14 kills – 3 errors – 24 attempts).

Wisconsin advances to regional play on Dec. 7-8 at a location to be determined.  The highest remaining seed will host the regional tournament.

 

Oshkosh, Whitewater earn spots in NCAA D-3 Baseball Tournament Field

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For the 12th straight season, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) will be represented by multiple teams in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship after University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater received bids into this year’s championship.

The teams earned two of the 18 at-large spots into the 58-team field.  UW-Oshkosh (31-8) will compete in a regional hosted by College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.  The Titans, who are making their league-leading 25th NCAA appearance, and first since 2008, will open against Bethel University (Minn.) (32-9).  Oshkosh won national titles in 1985 and 1994.

UW-Whitewater (31-6) is making its 11th straight appearance and 21st overall with national championships in 2005 and 2014.  The Warhawks will participate in a regional hosted by the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in Sauget, Illinois.  The Warhawks will face Monmouth College (Illinois) (28-12-2) in their first game.

Both regionals follow a double-elimination format and begin on May 17.  Winners of the eight regional tournaments will qualify for the NCAA D-3 Championship at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, May 25-30.

The 2018 Championships mark the final season that the event will be held at Fox Cities Stadium.

 

Wisconsin slips to 10th in NCAA Women’s Golf Regional

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Wisconsin’s Gabby Curtis (File Photo)

The Wisconsin Badger women’s golf team slipped from sixth to tenth after two rounds of the NCAA Regional at University Ridge golf course in Madison.  The Badgers are six shots behind sixth place Illinois heading into Wednesday’s final round.

The top six teams advance to the National Championship later this month.

First round co-leader Gabby Curtis shot a 2-over-74 and shares seventh place individually at three-under par.  Lexi Harkins fired a three-under 69 and is tied for ninth at two-under.

Rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast for today.

The top six teams from the regional advance to the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City.

In addition, the top three players not on advancing teams also advance.

Wisconsin’s Curtis tied for the lead at NCAA women’s golf regional

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Senior Gabby Curtis fired a career-low 67 and is tied for first after day one of the NCAA Madison women’s golf Regional at University Ridge Golf Course.  As a team, the Wisconsin Badgers finished at +2, good for sixth place in the 18-team field.

Curtis made six birdies over her last 10 holes.  Her 67 is the second-lowest round by a Badger in NCAA Regional competition and the second lowest by a UW women’s golfer at University Ridge.

Seniors Lexi Harkins and Becky Klongland both shot 1-over par 73’s and are tied for 26th place.

Wisconsin’s 290 was the best score for a Big Ten team, two shots ahead of Illinois, three up on Ohio State and four ahead of Northwestern.

Round two tees off at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning.  Wisconsin tees off on the first hole starting at 8:54 a.m.

 

UW basketball players discussed NCAA boycott

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Nigel Hayes

Former Wisconsin men’s basketball player Nigel Hayes said he and his teammates discussed boycotting a game early in the 2016-’17 season to protest the NCAA’s limits on what athletes can receive while playing college sports.

According to USA Today Sports, Hayes told the story of the boycott discussion while appearing on a panel at an Aspen Institute event in Washington, D.C., titled “Future of College Sports: Reimagining Athlete Pay.”  The idea behind the program was for participants to discuss what the implications would be if the NCAA’s schools either chose or were forced to allow athletes to receive compensation for the use of their names, images and likenesses under a system modeled on how Olympic athletes are allowed to be paid.

During Hayes’ senior season, he reportedly proposed to his teammates, by way of group chat, that they refuse to play in a game against Syracuse that was part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and being televised on ESPN.

Hayes said he proceeded with the caveat that if even one member of the team was against the idea, it would be abandoned.

Hayes told USA Today Sports after the panel discussion, “I new 90% of the guys were on board from the get-go, before I asked the question.”  “But I let them know that if one of you guys says no, we won’t do it because, obviously, we’re a team and we’re going to stick together.

Hayes predicted that if the NCAA’s current limits are not changed, a player-boycott eventually will occur.

Hayes is among the named plaintiffs in one of two ongoing lawsuits challenging the NCAA’s current system, under which athletes basically can receive tuition, fees, room, board, books and money to cover certain incidental costs of attending college.