Reflections Magazine Issue #76 - Spring 2012 | Page 10

Athletics News

saints highlights
New Men’s Basketball
Coach Hired at SHU
Joe Pechota was recently
named the new men’s
basketball coach. Pechota
(left) was the head coach
for seven seasons at Brescia
University, an NAIA school
in Owensboro, Ky. Pechota
led the Bearcats to appearances in the last two
Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
finals. Prior to coaching at Brescia, Pechota was
an assistant at NCAA Division I Indiana-Purdue
Fort Wayne for six seasons, and also was an
assistant at Ferris State and Alma. Pechota
was an all-conference player at Concordia,
graduating in 1995 with a degree in physical
education. He earned his master’s degree in
sport administration from Central Michigan
University in 2001.

Competitive Cheer and
Dance Begins in 2012
Siena Heights announced the addition of a
competitive cheer and dance team to its athletic department. The new squads will start in
the 2012-13 academic year, bringing the university’s total number of athletic teams to 20.
The Saints named Angie
Sword (left) as their first
cheer and dance coach.
Sword was most recently
the coach at Adrian College
from 2008-12. Sword brings
a strong background to the
Saints’ new program. She is a certified member
of the American Association of Cheerleading
Coaches and Administrators. The NAIA has
identified cheer and dance as an emerging
sport. A total of 93 NAIA teams are competing in 2011-12.
Along with competing, Sword will have the
program involved in projects both on campus
and in the community. “On campus, we want
to promote school spirit,” she said. “We want
to help keep people on campus and get more
fan support. We want to keep that spirit and
energy level up. We’d also like to get out there
and do things in the community and work
with different interest groups. We want to

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Reflections Spring ’12

get people out to sporting events and get more
exposure for Siena Heights in general.”
Sword graduated from Purdue University in
1991 with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary
Education. As a Boilermaker, she was the Girlin-Black—one of two twirling positions in
the Purdue Marching Band.
Football
The Saints (8-1) under head coach Jim Lyall
finished their inaugural season by defeating
Robert Morris (Ill.) 14-3 at O’Laughlin Stadium.
SHU played primarily a club and junior varsity
schedule, outscored its opponents 348-99 and
allowed just 212 yards per game on defense.
However, a highlight was an impressive 28-26
victory at NCAA Division II
Kentucky Wesleyan. Travis
Damron (left) led a very
balanced Saints rushing
attack with 420 yards and
eight touchdowns, while
quarterback Matt King
threw for 704 yards and seven touchdowns.
On defense, the Saints were led by Chris Vann,
who had 9 ½ sacks and two interceptions as a
defensive end. Derek Head had a team-best 31
½ tackles, while SHU intercepted 13 passes and
recovered 10 fumbles. Next fall, the Saints will
compete in the Mid-States Football Association,
one of the top NAIA conferences in the nation.
Soccer
Women: Alessia Vagnini (below) scored the
game-winning goal with 1:38 remaining to
lift Siena Heights to a 2-1 upset win of host
Aquinas and claim its third consecutive Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament
title. The Saints (13-8) advanced to the NAIA
national tournament for the fourth time in six
years, falling to 10th-ranked Spring Arbor 1-0.

Juniors Alessia Vagnini and Hannah Ulrich were
named to the All-Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic
Conference first team. Vagnini had eight goals
and 19 points and Ulrich seven goals for the
Saints. Junior Daniela Dedvukaj and senior
Katelyn Hawarny were named second team as
defenders, while freshman Crystal Wilcoxen was
named at keeper. Mackenzy Hickner and Carlee
Pallett were tabbed to the honorable mention
team, while earning academic all-conference
were Ulrich, Vagnini, Katelyn Combs, Hickner,
Alyssa Hoff and Amanda Martino. Martino
was also the team’s Champions of Character
recipient. Ulrich, a midfielder, was named an
NAIA honorable mention All-American.
Men: Senior Doug Dawson
was named second team
All-Wolverine-Hoosier
Athletic Conference after a
vote of the coaches. Dawson
leads the Saints with six
goals and 15 points. He also
was named to the all-academic team. Senior
Joe Deneweth was tabbed to the honorable
mention squad, while junior Nana Ampong
and seniors Darrell Gudenau and John Faraj
also earned spots on the all-academic team.
Ampong, a native of Ghana, was