Lindenwood Magazine - Fall / Winter 2019

16 | FALL/WINTER 2019-20 LIONS ALUMNI MAKE WAVES Nationally, Internationally by Phil Vida Lindenwood SPORTS 10 Former Roller Hockey Players Earn Gold Medals Three former roller hockey players won the gold medal with the Senior Men’s USA Team at the 2019 World Skate Roller Games in Barcelona, Spain, in early July. Cody Kettler and Kevin Dwyer each played, and Greg Thompson was an assistant coach for the United States squad that defeated Canada, the Czech Republic, and Italy in pool play before stopping Switzerland in the quarterfinals, France in the semifinals, and the Czech Republic again in the finals. The World Skate Roller Games take place every two years. The next event is planned for 2021 in the United States at a yet to be determined location. Kettler scored a goal and earned two assists throughout the tournament.  He previously won three medals with Team USA, taking the gold in 2013, bronze in 2014, and gold again in 2017. Dwyer played between the pipes for one period of each game at the international event, except the final, and allowed five goals total, saving 28 of the 33 shots he faced for an .848 save percentage. He and Kettler each won D1 National Championships with the Lions in 2013 and 2014. n Victoria Francis-Weiss Finishes Fifth at World Championships Lions wrestling alumna Victoria Francis-Weiss finished fifth in the 72kg class at the World Wrestling Championships Sept. 18 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, marking the best finish ever for a Lindenwood athlete at the event. Francis-Weiss put herself into position for a medal run on Tuesday when she defeated Dejah Slater from Canada by pin at 2:30 in her first match. She lost in the quarterfinal, drew back into the bracket, and lost a close final match for her fifth-place finish. Francis-Weiss previously earned a bronze medal at the 2014 Junior World Championships and won titles for Lindenwood University at WCWA Nationals in 2015 and 2016. She wrestled four seasons for the Lions from 2012 to 2016 and earned degrees in mathematics and computer science from Lindenwood in 2016. n Former Lindenwood Bowlers Win Professional Doubles Title Together Former Lindenwood bowlers Amanda Greene and Kyle Sherman teamed up to win the PBA/PWBA Storm Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles event July 28 at Copperfield Bowl in Houston, Texas. It was Sherman’s first Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) title and Greene’s second Professional Women’s Bowlers Association (PWBA) title after she won the Lincoln Open in Lincoln, Neb., in August 2015. The event is a fundraiser to fight breast cancer and those affected by the disease, founded by Donna Conners in honor of her friend, Luci Bonneau, who died from breast cancer. As a result, the tournament is known as “The Luci.” The 2019 event included 168 pairs of bowlers. For more information about this year’s event, visit the PBA website or the tournament website. Greene bowled four seasons for Lindenwood from 2009 to 2013 and earned an undergraduate degree in criminal justice. She continued her education for an additional two years as a graduate assistant coach for the Lions. Sherman also bowled four years from 2012 to 2016 and earned a degree in accounting. He was a member of the squad that won the Intercollegiate Team Championship national title in 2014. n Photo left to right: Kevin Dwyer, Cody Kettler, and Greg Thompson Photo credit: PBA, LLC INDENWOOD UNIVERSITY– BELLEVILLE HEAD MEN’S SOCCER COACH DAN HOGAN has been nominated for the inaugural class of the American Midwest Conference Hall of Fame. The American Midwest Conference announced in August that it was initiating the annual hall of fame induction ceremony available to head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, and assistant coaches, starting in the 2019-20 academic year. Hogan, in his 11th year as the head coach of the Lynx soccer program, currently holds an overall record with the Lynx 99-67-14 and a career mark of 279-252-33. As of Nov. 4, Hogan was just five wins shy of his 100th career victory in the American Midwest Conference. The 2014 season was a record-breaking one for Hogan and the Lynx as they participated in the American Midwest Conference for the first time. During the 2014 campaign, the Lynx went undefeated through the AMC and won the conference tournament, earning an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament. Prior to his tenure at Lindenwood-Belleville, Hogan coached at Columbia College in the AMC. In 2011, Hogan was inducted into the Columbia College Hall of Fame for his coaching from 1991 to 1999. He guided the Cougars to three conference championships and nine regional tournament appearances and was named conference coach of the year five times while at Columbia. In addition to his previous achievements, Hogan’s team was a 2018-19 College Team Academic Award winner. For a team to be considered for the award, it must have a composite team grade point average of at least 3.0 for all team members who appear on the official roster forms for the fall season. All players on the roster must be included in the calculation of the team GPA, and the nomination form must be signed by a college or university official. “Coach Hogan has always recruited student-athletes who academically perform at a high level,” Athletic Director Ryan Kaiser said. “His teams over the years consistently post a 3.3 GPA, and this award again solidifies their commitment to academic excellence.” The Lynx soccer team posted a 3.40 team GPA in 2018-19 while recording an 8-8-2 regular season record and a trip to the American Midwest Conference Tournament. The Lynx returned once again to the AMC tournament earlier this month. n SOCCER COACH HOGAN NOMINATED for Conference Hall of Fame by Charlie Mager 10 Lindenwood-Belleville SPORTS L FALL/WINTER 2019-20 | 17