Creighton athletics had another successful season across the board, and 42 seniors from 12 teams led the way.
Men’s Soccer
Coming off a College Cup finish in 2012, five seniors led the 2013 men’s soccer squad, guiding the Jays to a 9-9-2 record and 4-4-1 conference win-loss total in their first season of Big East play.
“Interestingly enough, every single one was a transfer student,” head coach Elmar Bolowich said of the senior class.
North Carolina transfer midfielder/forward Bruno Castro led all seniors with seven points from three goals and one assist this season. He was the lone senior to play more than two seasons at Creighton. Castro played under head coach Elmar Bolowich for one season with the Tar Heels and decided to follow his coach after Bolowich announced his acceptance of the Creighton job before the 2011 season.
Forward Carlos McCrary also made the trip to Omaha from Chapel Hill, N.C. After being part of the 2011 National Champion North Carolina squad, McCrary joined his former coach and teammate. McCrary appeared in 30 games for Creighton during his two-year stint.
Defenseman Benito Amaral played his first two years at San Jacinto College before becoming a part of the Creighton program in the fall of 2012. Amaral scored his first career goal at Creighton while giving the Jays a 3-2 overtime victory over Princeton during the 2012 season.
London, England native midfielder Sonny Makh played in 10 games during the 2013 schedule. Makh recorded his lone goal in a Bluejay uniform against Seattle University is his final game. The midfielder spent one year playing for Belmont Abbey in Belmont, N.C., and was second in the nation with 26 goals while competing with Louisburg College in 2011.
Zach Barnes started all 20 games in his second season as a Bluejay and was a key cog in the midfield. He was named to the All-Big East First Team this year. Barnes started his career at SMU before transferring to Omaha before his junior season.
“Certainly these guys have contributed immensely to the success of our program,” Bolowich said. “They were also the first ones who were hit with the transition into the Big East so they had to endure all the travels and adjust to that kind of style … but nevertheless I was very happy to see them succeed, not only on the field, but also in the classroom and get their degree and move on. “
Women’s Soccer
Two seniors carried the women’s soccer team into their first season of the Big East. The team finished with a 9-8-1 (2-6-1 Big East) record, and fell short of the conference tournament.
Forward Lauren Cingoranelli saw her her career come to a premature end after tearing her ACL against Montana on September 15, 2013, but still managed to notch three goals and four assists in eight games played in her final year as a Bluejay.
She wasted no time making an impact in her career as a Bluejay, as her three assists and game-winning penalty kick against Missouri State clinched the MVC Tournament title and earned her tournament MVP honors. She scored eight goals as a freshman, finished with six assists in each of her first two years and earned All-MVC Honorable Mention honors in both her sophomore and junior seasons.
“Lauren was one of the most dedicated players we’ve had in this program; her work ethic and determination set the standard for our squad,” head coach Bruce Erickson said.
Before coming to Creighton, defender Kelsey O’Donnell earned All-Big Sky Honorable Mention during her freshman year at Sacramento State. After two years with the Hornets and a redshirt year in 2011, O’Donnell debuted as a Bluejay in 2012. Appearing in 19 games, she notched two goals and earned All-MVC Honorable Mention. In 2013, she finished second on the Jays in minutes played, contributing in all 18 matches. She recorded four goals and an assist in her first and final season in the Big East.
“Kelsey developed into an all-around leader; she came in as a talented player, but she blossomed into a leader over her final two seasons,” Erickson said.
Volleyball
The Creighton volleyball had a terrific season, finishing 23-9 and making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and they did so with only one senior on the entire roster.
Savannah Smith was a rotational player throughout her career. She played three years (sitting out 2011 while recovering from injury) and played in 17 matches as a senior and 50 in her career. The 6-foot-2-inch middle blocker recorded 73 kills and 70 blocks as a Bluejay.
“Savannah is a coach’s dream,” head volleyball coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said. “She arrived at practice with a smile each day, ready to work her hardest day in and day out. Her mood and work ethic was never determined by playing time, as it was always great no matter her role. She was ready to play at any given time to help her team. Off the court, she was a diligent and successful student who has incredible character. Savannah epitomizes what we want a Creighton student-athlete to embody.”
Men’s Basketball
Much has been written about this senior class for the men’s basketball program. Together, Doug McDermott, Grant Gibbs, Ethan Wragge and Jahenns Manigat racked up a 107-38 record over the past four years and accounted for 5,964 points, 2,250 rebounds, 1,062 assists and 872 3-pointers.
For a full breakdown of the senior class, see the March 27 and April 3 editions of The Creightonian or search Creightonian.com.
Women’s basketball
The six-player women’s basketball senior class has accomplished a lot over the past four years: 83 victories, a Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship, back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 2012 and 2013, and the Bluejays’ first NCAA tournament win since 1994.
Omaha native forward Sarah Nelson closed out her incredible year with a strong senior season, averaging 13.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists as the focal point for the Jays on both ends of the court.
She started nine games as a freshman and averaged seven points, then took over the starting job full-time and average 12 points as a sophomore. She elevated her play as a junior and was named to both the All-MVC First Team and the the MVC All-Defensive Team.
Nelson ranks in the top 10 in Creighton history in five different statistical categories: first in blocks with 157, third in rebounds with 920, ninth in field goals made (554) and assists (351) and 10th in points with 1,472.
“She is one of the steadiest, most versatile players that we have ever had,” head coach Jim Flanery said. “She is the prototype of what we would like to recruit in a post player because she can impact the game in so many ways.”
Guard McKenzie Fujan blossomed into a go-to scorer as a senior, using her athleticism and pull-up jumper to put up 12.1 points per game and provide a dynamic second perimeter option behind Big East Player of the Year sophomore Marissa Janning.
Her career got off to a bit of a slow start, but she got better and better every year. She started as a sophomore and put forth her best effort in the biggest game of the year, scoring a season-high 12 points in the MVC Championship game. Fujan stepped up when the team needed her the most again as a junior against Syracuse, scoring 24 points in the team’s first NCAA Tournament win since 1994. This year, Fujan exploded for 38 points in a win over DePaul on Jan. 4.
Nelson was a talented player in the post, but she was a bit undersized, especially in the Big East. That’s where 6-foot-3-inch center Alyssa Kamphaus came into play. Though Kamphaus did not put up big numbers, she started every game of her junior and senior seasons and provided a big presence in the middle.
“She probably went unappreciated in some respects because she didn’t ever score the ball very much,” Flanery said. “She provided us a presence on defense that we are going to miss.”
At 5 feet 5 inches, Jordan Garrison has been a 3-point specialist and a valuable rotation player and sharp-shooter off the bench throughout her career. She made four 3-pointers as a freshman, 33 as a sophomore, 39 as a junior, and 24 as a senior.
Carli Tritz was one of the most-dynamic players in Creighton history in her first two seasons. She was named the MVC Freshman of the Year as a freshman as well as All-MVC First Team and MVC Tournament MVP as a sophomore and was the preseason MVC Player of the Year as a junior. However, after playing with chronic knee pain, she decided to retire in between her junior and senior seasons.
“She was on track through two years to be one of the best players that we have ever had,” Flanery said. “She was dynamic at both ends and a very good leader.”
Riley Norman had her Creighton career end before it really had a chance to begin. Multiple ACL tears sidelined Norman and prevented her from ever suiting up — until senior night at D.J. Sokol Arena were she played the final minute and recorded one assist.
Baseball
The leadership of six seniors helped the baseball team to the top of the Big East Conference standings past the midway point of conference play with a record of 27-15-1 (12-3 Big East). A thrilling walk-off win over Seton Hall on Senior Day earned the team a berth in the conference tournament.
Centerfielder Mike Gerber has been a regular in the starting lineup since arriving at Creighton as a freshman.
From being named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American to MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2012 and the 2014 Preseason Big East Player of the Year, Gerber has had a decorated career as a Bluejay. This year he leads the team in RBIs, driving in 44 to go with a .274 batting average, 27 runs and team-leading eight home runs and 85 total bases.
Flanking Gerber in the outfield is Brad McKewon. A local product out of Millard South High School, McKewon has been the Jays’ regular leadoff hitter this season. In his sophomore and junior season he finished fifth on the team in batting average, hitting .256 and .308 respectively. In his junior year he led the team in runs scored with 42 and tied for the lead with stolen bases, swiping eight in 10 attempts. This year he is second on the team with eight stolen bases, and once again ranks in the top five on the team in batting average, hitting .284.
Fellow outfielder Ben Lahn transferred to Creighton for his junior season. During his first year as a Bluejay, Lahn hit .185 and appeared in 17 games. This season, Lahn is hitting .167 in 17 appearances.
Also transferring to Creighton for his junior season was Omaha native catcher Cody Kottich. Kottich has appeared in 22 games this season, and has recorded four runs, four walks and a .178 batting average.
Jerry Mitchell has also spent time behind the plate for the Jays. This season, Mitchell has appeared in 15 games with a .118 batting average, and as a junior he hit .250 with five RBIs, seven runs and four walks in 21 games.
Relief pitcher Bryan Sova, another Omaha native out of Creighton Prep, also transferred to Creighton for his junior year from Scottsdale Community College. A standout closer in the junior college ranks, Sova stepped into the same role for the Jays. In his first year at Creighton, Sova finished second on the team in ERA, posting a 2.34 to go with four saves and 21 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings. This season, Sova is 4-1 and is third on the team in ERA, posting a 2.09 to go with seven saves and 25 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings.
“If you wanna have a good team, you’ve gotta have some help from those seniors,” Servais said. “This isn’t a freshman’s team; it’s those seniors’ team.”
Softball
During the 2014 campaign, the Bluejay softball team compiled a 29-23 regular-season record, including 10 wins in 20 Big East conference games. Over their four years, the six seniors in the Class of 2014 led the Jays to 111 victories.
“This senior class now has been playing and has been a real instrumental part of our program for four years and it’s hard to put into words what they’ve meant from an on-the-field standpoint and from a program standpoint, because of the type of people they are off the field,” head coach Brent Vigness said.
Pitcher Becca Changstrom earned career win number 74 in the Jays’ 5-0 victory over Providence in the final game of the regular season that earned the Jays the fourth and final seed in the conference tournament. Her win total before postseason play ranked third in school history.
Changstrom was one of three Jays to be named to the All-Big East First Team this season.
Outfielder Ellen Homan led the Jays in batting average three out of four years while starting 197 of 198 career games at Creighton. Homan ranks in the top 10 of Creighton’s all-time list for career batting average and total number of hits.
Utility player Blair Lowe played a variety of positions in a Bluejay uniform. The Dumbfries, Va. product was featured at nearly every position, with the exception of pitcher and catcher, while starting 132 games in a Bluejay uniform.
“It’s been a wild ride at Creighton,” Lowe said. “We’ve definitely had some crazy things happen, like we saw the transition to the Big East and all this new stuff, but it’s been amazing.”
Lowe earned Second Team All-Big East honors for her senior season.
In three years as a regular starter for the Jays, Alexis Cantu both pitched and played in field, while starting in all but one of her 153 games in three seasons at Creighton. Cantu earned First-Team All-Big East honors for her 2014 performance. She was also the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2012.
Pitcher Brittany Telecky gave the Jays a change-of-pace pitcher to counter the attack of Changstrom and Cantu. Telecky appeared in 68 games while playing all four seasons.
Outfielder MaKenzie Michael battled as a contributor, while playing in over 25 games each season.
Tennis
Both the men’s and tennis teams were led by one senior this year.
After breaking his foot last year and missing almost all of the spring season, it appeared as if Billy Paluch’s career was over. However, that changed when Paluch received a medical redshirt and was able to return to the court this season to cap off his standout career.
Paluch was Creighton’s top option in both singles and doubles, and holds the school records for total wins with 149 and doubles wins with 76. He went 11-5 this year at the No. 1 singles spot and was named the the All-Big East First Team. Paluch was also named to the All-MVC Select Team as a junior.
For the women’s team, Analese Snyder finished her career with 94 total wins — 47 of which came on the doubles court, good for ninth all time at Creighton. This year, she played primarily at the No. 2 singles spot, amassing a record of 8-11 and winning seven matches in a row from March 10 through April 6.
Rowing
This year’s rowing team includes seven seniors: Lauren Click, Haley Pilcher, Nicole Kamada, Katie Dougherty, Laura-Jo Washle, Hallie Dusselier, Whitney Jenich.
Cross Country
The men’s cross country team included only one senior this year. Danny Diaz is a Sacramento, Calif. native and accounting and financial analysis whose best 8,000 meter time was 27:05.
Golf
The men’s golf team also features just one senior in Daniel McKernan. McKernan golfed 60 rounds in his career, and had his best season as a junior, where he put forth his lowest round of 69 and recorded the only two rounds of par or better in his career. McKernan is 10th in school history with a 78.95 scoring average.