Carroll senior guard Nate Drury (right) was named a third team All-American by D3Hoops.com. Drury led the Pioneers to the first MWC Tournament title in school history, a second consecutive NCAA tourney berth and an appearance in the Sweet 16 during the 2006-07 season. He finished second in the MWC in scoring (19.7 ppg), while also ranking among the conference’s best in rebounding (4.7 rpg), assists (130), free throw percentage (.805), steals (43) and made three-pointers (80).

Drury was a fourth-team pick on D3Hoops.com’s Preseason All-American Team this season.

D3Hoops.com All-American Teams

A trio of Midwest Conference men’s basketball players were selected to the 2007 D3Hoops.com All-Midwest Region Team. Carroll senior guard Nate Drury (right), the 2006-07 MWC Player of the Year, was a first-team selection, while Grinnell sophomore guard John Grotberg and Ripon senior center Brian Schmitting were selected to the second team. Drury will be placed on the ballot for the DHoops.com All-American Team.

Grotberg led the MWC in scoring for the second season in a row and finished third in NCAA Division III with a 28.1 point per game clip. Schmitting led the MWC in rebounding (10.0 rpg) and field-goal percentage (.647), while ranking fifth in the league in scoring (17.7 ppg).

D3Hoops.com All-Midwest Region Team

The Carroll men’s basketball teams NCAA Tournament run came to an end on Friday evening (March 9) in Stevens Point, Wis., as the Pioneers fell to No. 10 Hope 89-77 in the Sweet 16.

Senior forward Adam Ligocki and junior center Ryan Mueller led Carroll with 23 points apiece, while senior guard Nate Drury added 17 points.

Carroll shot well in the early going and led 29-19 with 9:08 remaining in the first half, but Hope managed to close the first half on a 19-4 run, taking a 44-36 lead into intermission. Hope continued its stellar play in the second half and the Flying Dutchmen would lead by as many 20 points.

Carroll’s men’s basketball team plays for a berth in the Elite Eight round of the 2007 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament tonight (March 9) at Stevens Point, Wis. The Pioneers will face No. 10 Hope at 6 p.m. following upset road victories over No. 7 Augustana (March 1) and No. 5 St. Thomas (March 3) last week. The winner of the Carroll vs. Hope game will face the winner of the No. 8 Washington (MO) at No. 1UW-Stevens Point contest at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 10 with a trip to the Final Four in Salem, Va., on the line.

Carroll’s campus radio station, WCCX, will webcast the game live. Due to bandwidth issues, MWCTV will simulcast the radio broadcast, providing audio only free of charge, as no video feed will be available. Log-on to www.midwestconference.tv to listen.

Lawrence is the only MWC school to make an Elite Eight appearance under the modern-day NCAA tourney format, advancing with an 86-79 overtime victory over Sul Ross State in 2004. The Vikings fell to eventual National Champion UW-Stevens Point in the round of eight that season. Lawrence fell to eventual Final Four squad Illinois Wesleyan in the Sweet 16 last season in the only other Sweet 16 appearance by an MWC school.

Due to bandwidth issues, MWCTV (www.midwestconference.tv) will carry the live audio stream of WCCX’s broadcast of Carroll and Hope’s Sweet 16 matchup at UW-Stevens Point on Friday, March 9 at 6 p.m. WCCX is the official campus radio station of Carroll College. MWCTV will carry the audio feed only, as there is no video feed available for this contest.

Listeners are encouraged to log-on to www.midwestconference.tv and click on the free webcast (audio only) to avoid any buffering issues that may come from pulling the stream directly from WCCX’s website.

Carroll’s (18-8) men’s basketball team was arguably dealt the toughest first and second round matchups among the entire 2007 NCAA Division III Tournament field, but the Pioneers will be appearing in the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history next week. Carroll followed Thursday’s (March 1) win at No. 7 Augustana with Saturday’s (March 3) 86-80 win over No. 5 St. Thomas (24-4) on the Tommies home court in St. Paul, Minn.

The Pioneers controlled the pace in the first half and managed to take a nine-point lead midway through the frame, before going into halftime with a 36-33 advantage. Two straight buckets out of the locker room gave the Tommies the lead and started a second half seesaw battle that featured 22 lead changes and 10 ties. Carroll took the lead for good on Buck Colomy’s three-pointer inside four minutes that made the score 73-72. Adam Ligocki added a pair of free throws and Nate Drury (right) scored on a layup on the next two Carroll possessions and St. Thomas never got closer than four points the rest of the way.

Sophomore guard Wes Ladwig was 4-of-8 from three-point range en route to a team-high 25 points, while Drury (17 points), Ligocki (17 points) and Colomy (15 points) all had strong games.

Carroll will have a chance to topple a third consecutive top 10 team on Friday when they face No. 10 Hope (25-4), who should move up in Tuesday’s polls thanks in part to Carroll’s victories, at a sectional site yet to be determined.

NCAA Tournament Bracket

The Carroll (17-8) men’s basketball teams first-ever NCAA Tournament victory was one to remember, as the Pioneers went on the road and defeated CCIW champion Augustana (22-6), ranked seventh in the country by D3Hoops.com, 73-69 on Thursday (March 1).

Pioneer senior guard Nate Drury (right), the 2006-07 MWC Player of the Year, scored a game-high 32 points on 12-22 shooting, including 4-9 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Wes Ladwig added 10 points and a game-high seven rebounds, while senior forward Buck Colomy chipped in with nine points and five assists. Drury passed 1,500 points for this career in the win and is 27 tallies shy of becoming the Pioneers all-time scoring leader.

Carroll took a 33-29 lead into halftime after forcing 13 first half turnovers and only turning the ball over once themselves in the first 20 minutes. The turnover situation began to even out in the second half, but Drury was the X-factor, scoring 22 points in the second frame.

Augustana started a 17-5 run near the 15-minute mark in the second half and took a 52-44 lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the contest. Carroll responded over the course of the next three minutes, as Ladwig followed the first of three straight made jumpers from Drury with a three-pointer and the Pioneers retook the lead 53-52. After a Colomy free throw gave Carroll a two-point advantage, Drury hit his fourth in a row, this time from long distance, giving Carroll a five-point advantage that would never shrink below three during the remainder of the game.

Carroll travels to St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday, March 3 to face MIAC champion St. Thomas (24-3), who is currently ranked fifth in the nation. Lawrence downed the Tommies 63-59 in Appleton last season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

NCAA Tournament Bracket

Days after leading his team to the 2007 Midwest Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Title, Carroll senior guard Nathan Drury (right) was named the 2006-07 MWC Player of the Year. Drury was a first teamer for the second consecutive season, while the other four members, including a pair of guards from MWC champion Grinnell, received first-team honors for the first times in their career.

Lake Forest head coach Chris Conger (left) was the MWC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career after leading the Foresters to the MWC Tournament and an upset of top seed and host Grinnell in the tourney semifinals.

Click here for 2006-07 MWC All-Conference Teams

Cecil Youngblood (right), Beloit’s head men’s basketball coach for the past decade, head men’s golf coach and assistant director of athletics, will step down from his athletic duties to take on new responsibilities at the school. College President John Burris made the announcement February 28, a week after the conclusion of the Buccaneers men’s basketball season.

Youngblood will become Beloit’s Director of the Multicultural Program and assistant dean of students. As a member of the student affairs staff, the director will advise the vice president for student affairs and dean of students on student life issues which affect the campus climate for all Beloit students. He will serve as an advisor, mediator and counselor for students and assist in the planning and goal setting process for the College’s diversity initiatives.

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The ice storms that knocked out power at Grinnell College and Monmouth College had little effect on the Carroll men’s basketball team’s shooting, as the Pioneers knocked down 10-of-18 three-pointers and shot 58.8 percent from the field en route to an 80-71 victory over Lake Forest in the 2007 Midwest Conference Tournament title game. The No. 2 seed Pioneers and No. 4 Foresters were originally scheduled to play the tourney finals at Grinnell on Saturday, before the power outage forced the game to be moved to Monmouth on Sunday. When day broke, Monmouth was without power and the contest was moved to Knox College in Galesburg, Ill.

The win marks the first MWC tourney title for Carroll in school history and the squad receives the conference’s automatic berth to the 2007 NCAA Division III Tournament. Carroll made its first NCAA Tournament appearance ever last season as an at-large team. NCAA brackets will be revealed on Monday, February 26.

Ripon senior Brian Schmitting (right) surpassed 1,000 points for his career in his final collegiate game on February 23. Facing Carroll in the semifinals of the 2007 Midwest Conference Tournament, the 6-7 center scored a career-high 32 points en route to 1,003 tallies in his career. Despite Schmitting’s effort, the Red Hawks fell the Pioneers 92-79.

The 2007 Midwest Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament will unfold on the campus of Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa on Friday and Saturday, February 23-24. The winner of the tournament receives the conference’s automatic berth to the 2007 NCAA Division III Tournament. Grinnell, the tourney’s top seed and host, captured the sixth MWC Championship in school history with a 13-3 mark in league play during the 2006-07 regular-season and now seeks the third MWC Tournament title in school history. The Pioneers enter with a 13-game winning streak overall and are the first team in league history to earn tourney hosting rights after a 1-3 start in conference play.

Click here for MWC Tournament Preview

The Grinnell men’s basketball team won the 2006-07 Midwest Conference Men’s Basketball Championship outright on Saturday, February 17 with a 109-86 victory at home over Illinois College. The Pioneers have now won six conference crowns overall, including four (1995-96, 2001-02, 2002-03) under current head coach Dave Arseneault. Grinnell will be the top seed and host at the 2007 MWC Men’s Basketball Tournament on Friday and Saturday, February 23-24. No. 2 seed Carroll meets No. 3 Ripon at 5 p.m. on Friday, with No. 4 Lake Forest challenging Grinnell at 7 p.m. Saturday’s championship game, which rewards the winner with an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, will tip-off at 3 p.m.

The men's tournament is available live on MWCTV

The Grinnell men have clinched at least a share of their sixth MWC Championship in school history, but Carroll can still steal a share of the title and hosting rights for the MWC Tournament. Meanwhile, Lake Forest and Lawrence will be playing for the fourth and final tourney spot this Saturday.

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Grinnell men’s basketball player David Arseneault (right) is one of 17 finalists for this year’s Bob Cousy Award presented by the Hartford, an honor presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate point guard. Arseneault is just one of two finalists from NCAA Division III.

A pool of more than 50 top candidates from Divisions I, II, and III were narrowed down to the final 17 by screening committees comprised of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) representing all three divisions.  This year marked the tightest vote in the awards history which led to a tie among the Finalists, resulting in one more selection than the expected 16. 

Arseneault, who leads all of Division III this season by dishing out of 8.4 assists per contest, is also scoring 19.2 points per game.  He broke the school’s single-season assist record in his first sseason, finishing with 198 assists.

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Lawrence head coach John Tharp (right) recorded his 200 th career victory in the Vikings 79-67 win over Illinois College at home on January 19. Tharp, who is in 13 th season leading the Vikings, has accumulated a record of 200-104 during that time. Tharp has guided Lawrence to the four Midwest Conference Championships, including titles in each of the past three seasons.

MWCTV men’s and women’s basketball single-team season passes ($34.95) and league-wide packages ($44.95) are now available for purchase on the MWCTV website or by clicking here. Team season passes and league-wide packages both include the respective men’s or women’s 2007 MWC Tournament games on February 23rd and 24th free of charge.

Viewers should be aware that play-by-play may not be available at all venues this weekend, but is expected to featured conference-wide in the coming weeks.

Illinois College’s home MWC contests will be available before their next home games on January 27.

MWCTV (www.midwestconference.tv) debuted on Friday and Saturday (Jan. 12-13) with the live internet webcasts of eight men’s and eight women’s Midwest Conference basketball contests. Seven of the 16 total contests were decided by three points or less and viewers were treated to plenty of late-game heroics, including Paul Wise’s buzzer-beater that lifted Ripon to a 73-72 win over Lake Forest, Nicole Rivera’s lay-up with four seconds on the clock that pushed Lake Forest past St Norbert 70-68 and John Grotberg’s three-pointer as time expired that forced overtime en route to a 142-130 Grinnell victory over Lawrence.

This Friday and Saturday (Jan. 19-20) offer a second consecutive weekend with a full slate of league doubleheaders, as action shifts to the MWC North schools.

Click here for MWCTV Pricing Flier

Grinnell sophomore guard John Grotberg eclipsed the 1,000-point career mark in a 123-105 loss at UW-Oshkosh on January 4. It took Grotberg, who finished second in scoring in NCAA Division III a year ago (31.4 ppg), just 32 career games to reach the mark.

The Midwest Conference is pleased to announce that the league will offer, in conjunction with media technology firm Penn Atlantic, live internet broadcasts of all men’s and women’s conference basketball games during the remainder of the 2006-07 season beginning January 12th. The pay-per-view broadcasts will feature live video and audio and will be available at www.midwestconference.tv when it launches next week.

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Ripon senior forward Bo Johnson (right) scored the 1,000th point of his career in the Red Hawks 90-76 loss at UW-Stevens Point on November 21.

Johnson is the 25th men’s basketball player in Red Hawk history to reach the 1,000 point plateau. Johnson also stands just six three-pointers away from moving into third on Ripon’s all-time list for three-pointers made.

A pair of Midwest Conference men’s basketball players were selected as Preseason All-Americans by D3hoops.com. Carroll senior guard Nathan Drury was a fourth-team selection, while Grinnell sophomore guard John Grotberg was named to the Honorable Mention squad.

Drury (right), the lone returning first-team all-conference pick in the MWC this season, finished fourth in the conference in scoring last year after averaging 18.8 points per game. The 6-2 senior guard also led the conference in free throw percentage (.868) and ranked in the top six in the league in assists (124) and steals (44).

Grotberg (left) keyed the Pioneers system attack as a freshman last year, scoring 30 points or more 13 times en route to leading the MWC in scoring (31.4 ppg). The 6-2 sophomore guard also recorded 48 steals, 70 assists and pulled down three rebounds per game while making a league-best 120 three-pointers.

Click here for complete Preseason AA Teams

Lawrence and Carroll, the top two squads in the 2006-07 Midwest Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, were both ranked in the D3hoops.com 2006-07 Preseason Top 25 Poll. Lawrence, who achieved the nation’s No. 1 ranking in the same poll a year ago, came in ranked 13th. The Pioneers start the season four spots behind the Vikings at 17th. Lawrence and Carroll ended last season ranked 5th and 21st, respectively, in the D3hoops.com poll.

This year’s poll marks the first time in its eight-year history that two MWC teams have started the season in the top 25.

Click here for complete poll

Lawrence, the three-time defending Midwest Conference Men's Basketball Champion, was picked as the favorite for a fourth consecutive title in the 2006-07 MWC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vikings received half of the ten possible first-place votes in the poll, while Carroll finished second despite receiving one less first-place nod (2) then third-place Ripon (3).

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Carroll, who posted a 22-5 overall record and a 13-3 mark in MWC play a year ago, is ranked tenth in the DIII News poll. Kris Jacobsen’s (right) Lady Pioneer club edged St. Norbert 57-56 for the school’s first-ever conference title in women’s basketball, before upsetting No. 14 Calvin 64-57 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Carroll is expected to return four starters this season, including an All-MWC first teamer in junior guard Crystal Hoewisch (15.9 ppg, 102 assists, 49 steals).

Lawrence head coach John Tharp (left) guided the Vikings to magical 25-0 start last season, as the Vikings earned their third consecutive conference crown en route to the nation’s #1 ranking. Lawrence, who eventually fell in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, enters the 2006-07 season ranked No. 17 in the DIII News Top 25 Poll. The Vikings are scheduled to return two starters, along with standout bench player Ryan Kroeger (10.5 ppg, 48 assists), a sophomore guard.

DIII News Top 25 Poll - Men - Women

Tharp led the Vikings to a 25-1 record, a No. 1 ranking, a third consecutive Midwest Conference championship, and to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2005-06. Tharp, who has coached the Vikings for 12 seasons, has a sterling record of 191-92, a .675 winning percentage. Over the past four seasons, the Vikings are 87-18 for an even more impressive .829 winning percentage.

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The two-time D3Hoops.com All-American rewrote the Buccaneer record book during his senior season and throughout his stellar, four-year career. During his career, Hinz set Bucs records with 1,915 points, 713 field goals, 438 free throws, and 834 rebounds He averaged 20.8 points and 9.1 rebounds during his four years, scored 50 or more points twice, 40 or more points three times, and netted 30 or more points 15 times.

Hinz was featured on ESPN’s national morning show “Cold Piza” last year after a 50-point, 36-rebound effort against Grinnell that tied the NCAA Division III single-game record for rebounds.

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The league begins play in early October and the regular season runs into March, with the league playoffs to follow. Amager reached the semifinals of the league playoffs last season.

The 6-foot-5 Braier is the most decorated player in Lawrence basketball history. He won the 2006 Jostens Trophy, which is given to the top NCAA Division III player based on basketball ability, academic excellence, and community service. He was a two-time Midwest Conference Player of the Year and was named first-team all-conference all four years.

He is the only player in MWC history to compile 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Braier is also Lawrence's career leader in scoring (1,565) and rebounding (1,267). During the 2005-06 season, he led the Vikings at 15.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. He also paced the team at 4.3 assists per game and was second at 1.9 steals per contest.

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The Badgers enter the 2006-2007 season ranked in the top 10 of several preseason polls, including seventh by Foxsports.com and ninth according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com.

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Kevin Walden (right), sports information director and assistant men’s basketball coach at Knox, has accepted a position as an assistant coach at St. Ambrose University, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II school in Davenport, Iowa. He will serve as the assistant varsity and head junior varsity men’s basketball coach while also pursuing his master’s degree in Organizational Leadership.

A native of Peoria, Ill., Walden earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Knox in 2001 following a standout career on the men’s basketball team. He was hired by his alma mater in the fall of 2001 to serve as the assistant varsity and head junior varsity men’s basketball coach and in the summer of 2002 as the Sports Information Director.

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Lawrence’s Chris Braier (right) worked out as a tight end for Green Bay Packers months after leading Lawrence to a historic season on the hardwood. Braier was the Midwest Conference men’s basketball Player of the Year after winning his fourth consecutive rebounding crown and leading the Vikings in scoring, assists and double-doubles as a senior during the 2005-06 season. The top-ranked Vikings recorded a perfect regular-season and improved to 25-0 before falling in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.

Click here for Appleton Post-Crescent article

In three seasons at Lakeland, Grzesk compiled a 51-31 record. The Muskies won the Lake Michigan Conference championship in 2006 and also captured the LMC Tournament title in 2004. Lakeland also appeared in the 2004 NCAA Division III Tournament. The Muskies, who fashioned an 11-game winning streak this past season, were ranked as high as sixth in the NCAA Division III’s Midwest Region before finishing 21-6. His first two teams at Lakeland finished 16-13 and 14-12, respectively.

Grzesk spent the 2002-03 season as an assistant at UW-Green Bay , his alma mater. Prior to returning to Green Bay , Grzesk was an assistant at Youngstown State ( Ohio ) University for six seasons from 1996-97 to 2001-02. A 1996 graduate of UW-Green Bay , Grzesk was a four-year letterwinner for the Phoenix . He earned the team’s Defensive Player of the Year award four times, helping Green Bay to three NCAA Tournament appearances.

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