EYE ON THE EAGLES | William Rassat leads Ashland U tennis G-MAC postseason award winners
The following is a roundup of recent happenings in Ashland University sports.
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS
The Great Midwest Athletic Conference men's and women's tennis postseason awards were announced on April 22.
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Ashland’s William Rassat was named the G-MAC men's Freshman of the Year. Senior Stuart Brdicka was a first-team selection.
For the AU women, senior Gabriella Hudec was a second-team choice.
WOMEN’S GOLF
Ashland finished fifth at the G-MAC Championship April 19 in Lexington, Kentucky.
AU's team finish was its best in a conference tournament since taking fourth in the 2017 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference event.
The Eagles, whose final team score was 338-329-337—1,004, were paced by freshmen Samantha Webb and Emma Conway, who tied for 14th. Webb finished at 86-81-82—249, while Conway ended at 82-80-87—249.
Freshman Grace Grant tied for 24th at 89-82-86—257.
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
Ashland’s Rachel Miller improved upon her previous season-best and nationals provisional mark in the women's 400-meter hurdles April 22 at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Classic.
The senior’s second-place finish in 59.66 seconds improved her provisional mark for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. That mark also moved her into the No. 3 spot in the country.
The AU men’s team earned two provos — sophomore Noah Koch in the shot put (17.00 meters/55-feet-9¼) and the 4x400 relay (third place, 3:11.26).
At the Otterbein Twilight, Ashland senior Brent Fairbanks won the men’s hammer throw with a toss of 59.91/196-6. Senior Nate Stout finished second (55.56/182-3), while freshman Brock Janowicz placed third (49.95/163-10).
Stout also won the shot put with a throw of 16.51/54-2.
On the women’s side, freshman Kelsey Kinsley won the hammer throw with a mark of 52.69/172-10. Freshman Kaylyn Barnette placed second (46.95/154-0), and sophomore Kira Tavanello finished third (46.56/152-9).
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STUNT
Ashland’s first full season ended with an 18-4 win at Muskingum on April 20.
AU (9-3) finished the season with nine wins in its last 10 matches.
Four Eagles moved to at least 100 routines performed this season during the win — sophomore flyer/tumbler Lily Boldman (110 routines), junior base/tumbler Kayla Pitts (107), junior tumbler/flyer/base Kaylee Reed (104) and freshman flyer/base/tumbler Alyssa McLaughlin (102).
McLaughlin (38 points) and Pitts (36) were Ashland’s top performers.
SOFTBALL
Ashland lost 10-1 and 3-2 to Hillsdale in G-MAC play April 23 at Brookside Park.
Junior designated player Hailey Struckman had a solo homer to lead the Eagles (8-19, 2-12) in the first game.
Junior left fielder Lauren McMillin had an RBI groundout in the second game, and Struckman walked with the bases loaded.
Senior Hannah Fricke (1-4) took the tough-luck loss, going the distance on a six-hitter. She allowed three runs (one earned) and struck out three.
On April 22, Ashland topped G-MAC foe Lake Erie 4-2 and 4-3 in 12 innings at Brookside Park.
Freshman first baseman Lily Rockwell and senior third baseman Alexis Lavdis both had two RBIs in the first game. Sophomore catcher Jordyn Severns added two hits and scored a run. Junior pitcher Josie Duncan (7-14) went the distance to earn the win in the circle.
In the second game, McMillin’s two-run triple in the bottom of the 12th inning gave AU the doubleheader sweep. She finished 3 for 6 with a triple and three RBIs. Senior center fielder Jamie Rutherford added two hits, while Duncan picked up the win in relief.
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BASEBALL
Ashland split a G-MAC doubleheader at Ohio Dominican for the second day in a row, winning 7-3 and losing 8-6 on April 24.
Senior shortstop Austin Eifrid smacked a grand slam to lead the Eagles (25-14, 16-8) in the first game, while freshman second baseman Ian Sanders and senior right fielder Dillan Smith each had two hits. Sophomore right-hander Justin Dyksma (5-2) earned the victory, striking out four in six innings.
Sophomore third baseman Devin Hukill paced AU with a home run and three RBIs in the second game. Senior center fielder Sebastian Fabik drove in two runs, and senior designated hitter Micah Allen and Sanders both had two hits.
On April 23, Ashland won 14-4 and lost 9-1 at Ohio Dominican.
Senior catcher/left fielder Seth Schroeder went 4 for 6 with a double, three runs scored and two RBIs to lead Ashland in the first game. Senior designated hitter Tim Zeller went 4 for 5 with an RBI, while Allen went 3 for 4 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. Smith went 3 for 5 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs, and Hukill finished 3 for 4 with an RBI.
Junior right-hander Josh Meyer (4-2) continued his strong outings of late, striking out four in seven innings to earn the win.
Ashland split a doubleheader at Mercyhurst on April 20, losing 8-1 and winning 6-4.
Allen went 3 for 3 with two home runs, four RBIs and three runs scored to pace the Eagles in the second game. Senior right-hander Joel Ciccarelli (4-0) earned his fourth relief victory, striking out four in 1⅓ scoreless innings. Senior righty Perry Bewley tossed two scoreless innings with five strikeouts to record his fifth save.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Ashland lost 13-11 to Findlay in a G-MAC matchup April 24 at Ferguson Field.
Junior midfielder Cassady Becker led the Eagles (6-9, 5-4) with five goals and an assist, while junior midfielder Natalie Sonntag added three goals. Junior midfielder Madie Gash had a goal and two assists, and junior attacker Emily Jewell dished out three assists. Sophomore goalie Jillian Rekulak made nine saves.
On April 22, Ashland lost 13-10 at Findlay in G-MAC action.
Becker had a hat trick and an assist, while Sonntag added a goal and an assist. Rekulak finished with 10 saves.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Ashland added two more freshmen — Derrick James and Adan Gregory — to its 2022-23 recruiting class.
James, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound point guard from Canal Winchester High School, averaged 19 points, six assists, four rebounds and 2.6 steals as a senior.
Gregory, a 6-6, 180-pound wing from Midview High School, averaged 22.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a senior.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland's William Rassat earns top G-MAC men's tennis award
