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Porath, Fischer honored by WBCA

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Leah Porath & Brad Fischer – Photo Courtesy of WIAC & WBCA

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh‘s Leah Porath and Brad Fischer have been selected the NCAA Division III Public School Women’s Player of the Year and NCAA Division II-III Women’s Coach of the Year, respectively, by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) for the 2019-20 season.

Porath is the second straight Titan to capture WBCA Division III Public Schools Player of the Year laurels, joining 2019 winner Isabella Samuels.  The WIAC Player of the Year, Porath led the conference in scoring at 17.5 points a game, as well as three-point field goal percentage at .408.

Fischer guided UW-Oshkosh to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Championship and the WIAC Championship title.  The Titans compiled a 20-10 record and finished the season on a six-game winning streak.  Fischer wrapped up his eighth season as head coach of the Titans and receives WBCA Women’s Division III Coach of the Year for the fourth time (2013, 2017, 2019, 2020).

UW-Green Bay’s Frankie Wurtz was named the NCAA Division I Player of the Year, while Marquette coach Megan Duffy was named the 2020 WBCA Division I Coach of the Year.

 

WIAC cancels spring sports season

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The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) announced on Monday that it is canceling the spring sports season, effective immediately, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

That includes the suspension of all sports-related practices.  All in-person athletic recruiting activities, on or off campus, are suspended indefinitely.  All in-person conference meetings are to be transitioned to telephone conference calls until further notice as well.

The Horizon League, which includes a pair of state schools, Green Bay and Milwaukee, is also canceling spring sports.

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.

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.

Titans clinch share of WIAC men’s title

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Third-ranked UW-Oshkosh clinched at least a share of its first WIAC men’s basketball title in 17 years, knocking off UW-Platteville 83-81 in overtime on Wednesday.

The Pioneers Carter Voelker recorded a steal and drained a three-pointer to force overtime, tied at 73.  They led by as many as six points in the overtime before Oshkosh came back to win.

The Titans (21-1, 11-0 WIAC) clinched at least a share of its 13th league title and first since sharing the championship during the 2001-02 season.  Oshkosh opened up a three-game lead in the WIAC standings with three games left to play after second place La Crosse fell 60-58 to River Falls on Wednesday night. [Read more…]

Titans extend win streak to 16 games

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Jack Flynn – Photo courtesy of UW-Oshkosh Athletics

Jack Flynn scored a career-high 28 points and matched his career best with 15 rebounds to lead 4th ranked UW-Oshkosh to a 85-63 win over UW-Eau Claire on Wednesday night at the Kolf Sports Center in Oshkosh.

The Titans’ (17-1, 7-0 WIAC) 17 wins in their first 18 games marks the best start in the program’s 121-year history.  Oshkosh also extended its school-record winning streak to 16 games, the 11th longest in WIAC history.  They also improved to 7-0 in league play for the first time since winning a program-best nine in a row to start the 1967-68 conference season.

Flynn made 12 of 17 field goals and 4 of 7 free throws.  He notched his 13th career double-double and scored in double figures for the 20th straight game, dating back to last season. [Read more…]

Whitewater captures 2018 WIAC Football title

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Fifth ranked UW-Whitewater rolled to a 30-10 win on Saturday to wrap up the WIAC regular season championship and secure the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III playoffs.

The Warhawks (8-0, 5-0) clinched the title after UW-Oshkosh fell to UW-Stevens Point 27-21 on Saturday.  The Pointers pulled off the upset after Sam Shafer took an interception back 42-yards for a score.

Whitewater claimed the school’s 36th WIAC championship.

Division 3 Scoreboard

River Falls 42, Eau Claire 24
La Crosse 35, Platteville 28
St. Norbert 17, Macalester 15
Lawrence 32, Beloit 27
Chicago 35, Ripon 6
Eureka 48, Concordia (Wis.) 45
Aurora 43, Wisconsin Lutheran 0
Lakeland 52, Benedictine 42
Carthage 33, North Park 20
Wheaton 58 Carroll 0

 

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.

 

NCAA D-3 basketball tournament is down to 16-teams

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The NCAA Division 3 men’s basketball tournament has strong representation in the Sweet 16.  Three teams remain, including Platteville, which will host a four-team sectional on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Pioneers (24-4) will host Nebraska Wesleyan (26-3) (7:30 p.m.) in the second of two games, while fellow WIAC member Stevens Point (21-8) will meet top-ranked Whitman (28-1).  The Pointers captured the WIAC Conference tournament.

Oshkosh (22-7) will face Emory (23-4) of Atlanta in a sectional semifinal in Rock Island, Illinois.

Friday night winners will advance to the finals on Saturday for the right to play in the NCAA Final Four.

The Pioneers are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 after finishing last in the WIAC (1-13) a year ago.

 

La Crosse’s Koelbl resigns

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Ken Koelbl – Photo Courtesy of UW-La Crosse Athletics

UW-La Crosse head men’s basketball coach Ken Koelbl has resigned to pursue a full-time position in the University’s Admissions Office.  Koelbl just completed his 14th season as the Eagles’ head coach in 2016-17.

The University will hire an interim coach for the upcoming 2017-18 season and conduct a national search for a full-time replacement at the end of the upcoming season.

Koelbl led UW-La Crosse to nine overall winning seasons in the last 12 years.  The Eagles advanced to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament Semifinals six times (2006, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2-16, 2017) under Koelbl, including three of the last four seasons.

Koelbl was named the 2015-16 WIAC Coach of the Year after leading UW-La Crosse to its 12th regular-season conference title in school history and first since 1965.  The Eagles finished 16-10 overall and 10-4 in the WIAC in 2015-16.

Koelbl compiled an overall record of 201-161 (.555) and 105-113 (.482) in the WIAC at UW-La Crosse.  He ranks second in school history in victories (201).  Burt McDonald is the all-time leader (263).