La Crosse, Wis. – Redshirt sophomore Izac Sheforgen (St. Francis, Minn.) scored a career high 26 points but it was not enough as Viterbo University fell 73-65 to William Penn University in Midwest Collegiate Conference action.

The V-Hawks of Viterbo University jumped on the Statesmen early in the game and built a quick 13-6 lead just four minutes into the game.  Junior Alex Koeller (Marshall, Wis.) got the V-Hawks going early as he hit his first two three-pointers. Viterbo would extend their lead to 20-12 as Sheforgen hit his first two three-pointers. The Statesmen would regain the lead at 26-25 by going on a 14-5 run which was sparked by three three-pointers by Taylor Stoutner. The lead would be short lived as the V-Hawks regained the lead and led 35-32 at the half.

William Penn came out on a mission in the second half as they outscored Viterbo 25-8 over the first 12 minutes of the second half to take its largest lead of the game at 58-43. Arman Rasul scored 14 of the Statesmen 25 points to spark the run. Sheforgen and the V-Hawks would not go away quietly through as they slowly chipped away at their deficit. The V-Hawks would get as close as six (69-63) with just under a minute to play but the Statesmen would seal the game at the free throw line.

Sheforgen scored his career high by going 11-17 from the floor including 3-5 from the three-point line. He also added six rebounds. Joining Sheforgen in double digits was Cole Lewis (So. – Prairie du Chien, Wis.) with 18 points and Matt Turba (Jr./So. – Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) with 13 points. Stoutner led the Statesmen with 20 points and 8 rebounds. As a team, the V-Hawks finished 24-60 (40.0%) from the floor including 8-18 (44.4%) from long distance range. The Statesmen shot a stellar 15-25 (62.5%) from the floor in the second half and finished 27-59 (45.8%) for the game. The Statesmen also finished with a 39-32 advantage on the boards.

The loss drops the V-Hawks to 10-15 overall and 5-8 in MCC action while the Statesmen are now 14-11 overall and 9-4 in the MCC. Viterbo will be back in action next when they travel to Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday to face the Eagles of AIB College of Business. Game time is scheduled for 3:00 pm.   

La Crosse, Wis. – The Viterbo University women's basketball team dug themselves a big hole and made a last minute surge but it was not enough as they fell 48-45 to William Penn University in Midwest Collegiate Conference action.

The V-Hawks trailed by double digits for most of the second half and trailed by 12 points (44-32) with just over six minutes remaining. Junior Dani Templin (Richland Center, Wis.) would rally her teammates around and make a legitimate run that saw the V-Hawks cut their deficit to one (46-45) with just over a minute to play. Templin helped spark a 13-2 run by scoring 10 points including eight straight free-throws. William Penn would get a jumper from Katie Golomski to give them a 48-45 lead with 47 seconds left but would miss three straight free throws to give the V-Hawks a chance to tie the game. Viterbo would get the ball back with 5 seconds on the clock but freshman Jenna Engh's (Westby, Wis.) three-pointer came up short at the buzzer.

Both teams would struggle to find their offensive rhythm over the first 10 minutes of the game. Viterbo led for most of the first half but it was William Penn that put a run together to close out the opening period. Viterbo took a 15-12 lead with 10 minutes remaining but William Penn held them to just four points the rest of the first half. As their defense was putting the pressure on, their offense was finding a momentum. The Statesmen closed the first half on a 14-4 run to lead 26-19 at the half.

Individually, the V-Hawks got a game high 19 points and 11 rebounds from Templin. She also added 4 assists and was 9-10 from the free throw line. Orielle Thomas led the lady Statesmen with 16 points and 10 rebounds. As a team, the V-Hawks finished just 15-56 (26.8%) from the floor including 2-13 (15.4%) from the three-point line. William Penn finished 19-57 (33.3%) from the floor. Viterbo did have a slight 45-43 edge on the boards including 18 offensive rebounds.

The loss drops the V-Hawks to 9-16 overall and 7-6 in MCC action while the Statesmen improve to 9-15 overall and 7-6 in the MCC. Viterbo will be back in action next when they travel to Des Moines, Iowa to play AIB College of Business on Saturday. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 pm.

La Crosse, Wis. – Viterbo University women's soccer head coach, Scott Pirnstill, announced the beginning of his 2012 recruiting class. Coach Pirnstill welcomes nine new recruits that spans across four Midwest states.

"The 2012 class will add a new dynamic to our squad for the upcoming season," commented Coach Pirnstill. "We really looked to add student athletes with quality and experience. Several of the recruits have high level club experience in the MRL, and Olympic Development Programs.  This recruiting class will also open up the door for more offensive options in the 2012 season."

This year's class includes: Forward Marcella Albuquerque (Lake South, Ill, Sockers FC Chicago), Defensemen Samantha Duerr (Medford, Wis.), Forward Molly Machometa (McHenry, Ill./ McHenry Vipers), Forward Kelly Manzko (Huntley, Ill./ Crystal Lake Force), Midfielder Kelly Melhorn (Rochester, Minn./ Euro Futball Club), Midfielder Courtney Morgan (Appleton, Wis./ Appleton North/ASC-FC Green Bay), Midfielder Kallie Reinke (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis./ Wisconsin Rapids Kickers/), Midfielder Jennifer Schlimgen (West Salem, Wis.), GK Alicia Seachord (Lincoln, Neb./CSA-Ambush).

"The academic distinction and the quality programs Viterbo offers greatly contributed to the success we have recruiting across the region," said Pirnstill. 

The 2012 class will add depth to the already experienced freshman and sophomore class that returns for the V-Hawks.  The lady V-Hawks loose only one Senior this year to graduation.

La Crosse, Wis. – The Viterbo University men's and women's bowling teams had a strong second day at the V-Hawk Invitational as they both advanced to the championship round and finished second overall. Individually, the V-Hawks did have the women's individual champion as junior Rachel Schalow (Marshfield, Wis.) won the women's title.

On the women's side, the Lady V-Hawks advanced to the final four bracket tournament after finishing first in the qualifying portion of the tournament. The qualifying round included five individual games and 10 baker games. The V-Hawks finished with a team total of 6,583 which was 201 pins better than Ashford University A team. Viterbo faced Mount Mercy University in the semifinals and advanced to the finals with a 2-0 win. St. Ambrose University defeated Ashford in the semifinal round to face Viterbo in the finals. SAU won the first game but Viterbo tied the series up at 1 apiece. In a thriller match of two great teams, St. Ambrose won the championship with a win in the third and decisive game.

Schalow led the V-Hawks and the tournament from the start as she was the only player to break the 1,000 pin mark. She finished 54 pins ahead of Camryn Simmons of Ashford University. Ashford had the next two individuals as well as Tricia Zimmerman finished third and Brandi Underwood finished fourth. Joining Schalow on the all-tournament as one of the top 5 finishers was teammate Danielle Weyker (Fr. – Plymouth, Wis.). Just missing out on all-tournament honors for the V-Hawks was Sam Willingmyre (Jr. – Gurnee, Ill.) who finished sixth overall.

On the men's side, the V-Hawks advanced to the final four bracket after finishing second in the qualifying portion of the tournament. The men played the exact same format as the women as Viterbo finished second behind St. Ambrose University. As the #2 seed, the V-Hawks faced the #3 seed, St. Ambrose University B team. After losing the first game of the semifinal (199-179), the V-Hawks bounced back with a 191-184 win in game two. The V-Hawks then bowled a great third game (268-209) to advance to the finals. Viterbo then faced Ashford University in the championship match. Unfortunately for the V-Hawks, they could not finish the deal as they lost a thriller to the Saints of Ashford University.

Individually, Kyle Anderson of St. Ambrose University won the individual title with a pin total of 1121. Just 18 pins behind him in second place was teammate Bryan Thompson. Finishing third was Calvin Kramer of St. Ambrose while Winona State's Grant Person finished fourth. Rounding out the all-tournament team as one of the top five individuals was Viterbo's Greg Pizl (Jr. – Antigo, Wis.) who finished fifth. Not too far behind Pizl was teammates Jermaine Dumond (Fr. – Pawtucket, Wis.) and Matt Krueger (Jr. – Green Bay, Wis.) who finished 7th and 8th overall.

This was the first ever tournament hosted by the V-Hawks as it is in just its third season as a varsity program. The V-Hawks will be back in action next when they travel to Dubuque, Iowa on February 11thand 12th for the Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships.

Men's Individual Standings     Men's Team Standings     Women's Individual Standings     Women's Team Standings
La Crosse, Wis. – The Viterbo University men's and women's bowling teams made history today by hosting the first annual Viterbo Invitational and they wasted no time making sure their guests knew they were in V-Hawk land. Both the men's and women's teams sit in first place after day one of the V-Hawk invitational.

On the women's side, the V-Hawks bowled a team total 2886 to put them 183 pins ahead of Ashford University. Just 14 pins behind Ashford is St. Ambrose University B with a pin total of 2689. Sitting in fourth place is Mount Mercy University with a team score of 2686 and in fifth place is Saint Ambrose's A team with a score of 2580. Leading the way individually is Brandi Underwood of Ashford University with a score of 653. Just 12 pins back is Viterbo's Rachel Schalow (Jr. – Marshfield, Wis.). Ashford's Camryn Simmons is in third place with a 596 followed by Viterbo's Danielle Weyker (Fr. – Plymouth, Wis.) with a 580 and Mount Mercy's Hillary Prokop with a 577.

On the men's side, the V-Hawks bowled a team total of 2993 to put them 70 pins ahead of St. Ambrose's A team. SAU's B team is in third place with a score of 2817 followed by Winona State University with a 2796. Rounding out the top five was Ashford University with a 2793. Individually, Grant Peterson of Winona State University sits atop the leaderboard with a 663. In second place is Calvin Kramer of St. Ambrose with a 655 followed by his teammates Kyle Anderson and Evan Olson with scores of 652 and 629, respectively. Tied for fifth place is Viterbo's Rob Warren (So. – Antigo, Wis.) and Germaine Dumond (Fr. – Pawtucket, Wis.) with a 628.

Day one of the V-Hawk invitational consisted of three individual games for both the men and women. They will then bowl two more individual games on Sunday followed by 10 baker games. The top five individual finishers will be named to the all-tournament team while the top four teams will advance to a tournament style bracket with the #1 seed playing the #4 seed and the #2 seed playing the #3 seed. The women will start at 7:30 am on Sunday and the men will follow at approximately at 12:30 pm.

Menomonie, Wis. – The young Viterbo University Track and Field teams continued their inaugural season on the right foot at the Warren Bowlus Open at UW-Stout. Senior Bea Foley (Greenville, Wis.) earned the V-Hawks their best finish of the night in the women's 3000 meter run, winning in 10:46.09. Teammate Cindy Leuck (Sr. – Cashton, Wis.) continued her strong beginning to the track season running a personal best time in the 800 meter run to finish second overall in 2:24.11.

Competing in his first college meet, freshman Daivid Hale (Pearland, Texas) led a young group of Viterbo sprinters as his 60 meter dash time of 7.332 seconds missed making the finals by a mere .02 of a second.

No team scores were kept in the eleven team meet, with competition from Augsburg, UM-Duluth, UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, Macalester, Northwestern (MN), Saint Mary's, St. Scholastica, UW-Stout, and UW-Superior.

La Crosse, Wis. – Redshirt sophomore Matt Turba (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) scored a game high 23 points to lead Viterbo University to a 71-56 win over Iowa Wesleyan College today in Midwest Collegiate Conference action.

The game was back and forth for the first 11 minutes as neither team led by more than six points. With the game tied at 22, Viterbo scored the next five points on a three pointer by Turba and two free throws from Cole Lewis (So. – Prairie du Chien, Wis.). The Tigers then tied the game at 31 on a jumper by Davis Warner but the V-Hawks scored the final five points of the first half to lead 36-33 at the break. Turba scored 13 points in the opening period and Viterbo turned 10 Iowa Wesleyan Tiger turnovers into 18 points.

The V-Hawks came out on a mission in the second half and they quickly turned a three point lead into a 15 point lead as they went on a 13-1 run. The Tigers would cut their deficit to 9 points but that would be as close as they would get the rest of the way as the V-Hawks quickly extended their lead back to 56-40 with 9:07 remaining. Sophomore Alex Brooks (Stoughton, Wis.) scored eight of his career high thirteen points in the second half to spark the V-Hawk offense.

Viterbo had a very balanced offensive attack as they finished with four guys in double figures. Joining Turba and Brooks in double digits was Izac Sheforgen (Jr./So. – St. Francis, Minn.) with 18 points and Lewis with 10 points. Brooks also grabbed a team high six rebounds while Turba had a game high 9 steals. Shakka Eke led the Tigers with 18 points and 9 rebounds.

As a team, the V-Hawks finished 26-54 (48.1%) from the floor including 7-15 (46.7%) from behind the three-point line. Iowa Wesleyan was 20-47 (42.6%) from the floor but converted just 4 of 19 (21.1%) shots from long range. The difference in the game may have came in the turnover category as the V-Hawks forced 20 turnovers while committing just 12 themselves. Viterbo capitalized on the turnovers as they outscored Iowa Wesleyan College 27-8 off of turnovers.

The win improves the V-Hawks to 10-14 overall and 5-7 in MCC action while the Tigers are now 10-9 overall and 5-7 in conference play. Viterbo will be in action next when they host William Penn University on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm.

La Crosse, Wis. – The Viterbo University women's basketball team struggled to score over the final four minutes of the game and Iowa Wesleyan College took advantage as they pulled away to win 64-58.

After Viterbo tied the game (53-53) on a three-pointer by Dani Templin (Jr. – Richland Center, Wis.) with 3:31 left, the Tigers held the V-Hawks to just five points as they closed the game with an 11-5 run. Anna Jones sparked the run with 6 of the 11 points including a three-pointer that put the Tigers up 5. Viterbo cut their deficit to 60-56 with 37 seconds left on the clock but the Tigers hit four of their final six free throws to seal the game.  

The first half was a back and forth affair as there was four ties and ten lead changes. The Tigers of Iowa Wesleyan sat in a 2-3 zone for the whole first half and forced Viterbo to shoot from downtown. Viterbo shot 15 three-pointers converting just four of them. Freshman Jenna Engh (Westby, Wis.) provided the offensive spark in the first half as she hit three three-pointers and scored 12 points in the opening period.

As a team, the V-Hawks finished 17-51 (33.3%) from the floor and just 8-26 (30.8%) from the three point line. They did finish 16-23 (69.6%) from the free throw line but were out rebounded 32-31. Iowa Wesleyan much more efficient from the floor as they finished 19-40 (47.5%) and was 23-29 (79.3%) from the free throw line. Individually, Engh led Viterbo with 14 points while Laquita Becker (Jr. – Caledonia, Minn.) added 11 points and a team high 7 rebounds. Jones led the Tigers with 21 points and a game high 9 rebounds.

The loss drops Viterbo to 9-15 overall and 7-5 in Midwest Collegiate Conference play while the Tigers are now 12-9 overall and 8-4. Viterbo will be in action next when they host William Penn University on Wednesday night at 5:30 pm.  

La Crosse, Wis. – Viterbo University made history three years ago when they announced they were starting an intercollegiate men's and women's bowling program. Fast forward to this weekend, the V-Hawks will once again make history as they will host their first ever home tournament. Viterbo will host the first annual V-Hawk Invitational this Saturday and Sunday at Pla Mor Lanes.

"This is a very exciting time for our program and we are looking forward to hosting about a dozen teams from the Midwest," commented Head Coach Jim Socha. "Pla Mor Lanes is an excellent facility for us to host a tournament and we hope the La Crosse community will come check out what a collegiate bowling tournament is like. I really think fans will enjoy this event and see firsthand how bowling is rapidly growing."

Day one of the tournament will start at 12:30 pm on Saturday with the women's teams bowling first followed by the men's teams. They will bowl three individual games on Saturday and then bowl another two individual games on Sunday. They will then play 10 baker games and the top four teams (based on total team scores individual and baker) will advance to a bracket tournament. Sunday's action starts with the women bowling at 7:45 am and the men following at about 12:30 pm.

"Our competition field this weekend is pretty strong and it should be a lot of fun to see some high quality bowling," stated Coach Socha. "On the women's side we have played really well this year and I believe we should be right in the mix. On the men's side, we have been improving a lot and I also believe they should find themselves competing all the way to the end on Sunday."

The Lady V-Hawks are ranked 15^th in the latest United States Bowling Congress polls and will be the highest ranked team in the field this weekend. So far this season, the V-Hawks have been led by freshman Danielle Weyker (Plymouth, Wis.) and junior Rachel Schalow (Marshfield, Wis.). Weyker has averaged a 183.2 through 34 games while Schalow has averaged a 181.2 through 35 games. On the men's side, the V-Hawks have been led by sophomore TJ York (Norridgewock, Maine) and sophomore Chris Fish (West Salem, Wis.) through six tournaments. York is averaging a 192 and Fish is averaging a 191 so far this season.

Menomonie, Wis. – Viterbo's Cindy Leuck (Sr. – Cashton, Wis.) and Sandy Gebhart (So. –  New Holstein, Wis.) finished first in their respective races, the women's mile and the women's 5000 meter run, at the UW-Stout Open on Saturday.

Saturday's competition was this first for the V-Hawk's Track and Field team in their inaugural season. Leuck took first place in the mile event in 5:29.81. Gebhart finished first overall in the 5000 in 20:02.60.

Senior Bea Foley (Greenville, Wis.) captured second place in the women's 3000 meter run in 10:43.89 and freshman Quinton Peters (Onalaska, Wis.) made the finals of the men's long jump competition with a jump of 5.63 meters in the prelims.

No team scores were kept in the six team meet with competition from Concordia (St. Paul), UW-La Crosse, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout, and Winona State.

The V-Hawks will return to the track on Saturday, January 28^th at the Warren Bowlus Open.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Last Saturday, the Viterbo University women's basketball team flirted with an upset bid of a nationally ranked opponent but was unable to pull it off. Today was a different story as they defeated #8 Mount Mercy University 54-51 in Midwest Collegiate Conference action.

Mount Mercy would take a 18-12 lead with just over 10 minutes to play in the opening period but Viterbo would only allow them to score five points the rest of the first half. Viterbo would turn that defense into offense as they outscored Mount Mercy 19-5 over the final ten minutes. Viterbo shot 11-24 from the floor in the opening half including hitting six three pointers. Senior Brook Anderson (Iola, Wis.) led the V-Hawks in the first half with nine points all from behind the three-point line. Fellow senior, Paige Babiash (West Salem, Wis.) also added nine points in the opening period.

Viterbo remained in control to start the second half as they expanded their lead to 12 (37-25) on a three-pointer by Babiash. Viterbo would lead 44-37 at the midway point of the second half before Mount Mercy would make a run. The Mustangs used a 14-5 run to take a 51-49 lead with two minutes to go in regulation. But that would be the final points the Mustangs would score as the V-Hawks got a three-pointer by Anderson and two free throws to close out the scoring.

Babiash led all scorers in the game as she finished with 15 points while Anderson chipped in 13 points. Junior Laquita Becker (Caledonia, Minn.) was the top rebounder for the V-Hawks as she pulled down 8. Micha Mims led the Mustangs with 12 points and 7 rebounds. As a team, the V-Hawks finished 18-49 (36.7%) from the floor including 11-29 (37.9%) from behind the three point line. Mount Mercy finished 17-52 (32.7%) from the floor and finished with a 37-35 edge on the boards.

The win moves the V-Hawks to 9-12 overall and 7-2 in MCC action; the Mustangs fall to 15-6 overall and 7-2 in conference play. Viterbo remains a game back of first place in the MCC as Grand View University improved to 8-1 with a win today. Viterbo will be in action next when they travel to Dubuque, Iowa on Monday night to face the Crusaders of Clarke University. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 pm.

La Crosse, Wis. – The Viterbo University women's soccer team was recently honored for their performance in the classroom. The National Soccer Coaches Association recently honored the V-Hawks with their Team Academic Award.

To be selected by the NSCA to receive this award, a team must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all team members of who appeared on the fall roster. As a team, the V-Hawks had a cumulative GPA for the 2010-2011 academic year of 3.17.

Leading the way for the V-Hawks academically is junior Lauren Neet (Plover, Wis.) who also recently received an academic award. Neet was selected by the NAIA as a Scholar Athlete. To be named a scholar athlete, students must have a 3.5 or higher GPA as well as a junior academically. Neet is pursuing a degree is Viterbo's top academic program, Nursing.

La Crosse, Wis. – The Viterbo University men's basketball team found themselves in overtime for the second straight game but this time they were unable to pull off the heroics. The V-Hawks fell 70-69 in overtime to St. Ambrose University.

Trailing 60-50 with just under three minutes remaining in regulation, the V-Hawks of Viterbo University turned up the defense. Redshirt sophomore Matt Turba (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) hit a jumper to cut it to 60-52 and the V-Hawks would force turnovers on the Bees next two possessions. Izac Sheforgen (Jr./So. – St. Francis, Minn.) turned one of the turnovers into a jumper and Cole Lewis  (So. – Prairie du Chien) would hit two free throws on the next turnover. Viterbo then got another defensive stop and Lewis cut the deficit to 60-58 with 1:02 left in regulation. St. Ambrose would hit 4 of their next 6 free throws as they took a 64-60 lead with 11 seconds left. Sheforgen would hit a quick three-pointer with seven seconds left and Justin Blondell would hit two free throws for the Bees as they led 66-63 with four seconds left. After a Viterbo timeout, the V-Hawks had one magical shot left as redshirt freshman Jordan Laufenberg (Sparta, Wis.) hit a game tying three-pointer from 10 feet behind the three-point line to force overtime.

In the extra period, neither team was really able to get any offensive scoring chances. The Bees scored on their opening possession and then added another bucket with 2:42 left in the game. Junior Alex Koeller (Marshall, Wis.) cut the deficit to two with 2:22 left. Sheforgen would then have a chance to tie the game at 70 but would hit only 1 of 2 free throws with 1:04 on the clock. Chris Donnelly then missed two free throws with 33 seconds left to leave the door open. The V-Hawks would hold the ball until taking a timeout with 5 seconds left. Sheforgen would take the inbounds pass at half court and drive the lane and take an off balance jumper that was blocked by Donnelly to end the game.

Sheforgen led the offense for the V-Hawks as he finished with a game high 21 points. Lewis and Laufenberg joined Sheforgen in double figures with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Turba had an impressive all around game as well for the V-Hawks as he finished with 8 points, 8 assists, and 5 steals. Mike Kennedy led the Bees with 17 points and 9 rebounds.

After shooting just 10-30 (33.3%) from the floor in the first half, the V-Hawks shot much better in the second half (15-27) to finish 26-61 (42.6%). St. Ambrose finished the game 23-44 (52.3%) and had a 37-27 advantage on the boards. The V-Hawk defense did however force 23 turnovers which they were able to turn into 25 points.

The loss drops the V-Hawks to 8-12 overall and 3-5 in Midwest Collegiate Conference action. The Bees improve to 12-8 overall and 6-2 in conference play. Viterbo will be in action next when they travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Saturday to play the Mustangs of Mount Mercy University. Game time is scheduled for 3:00 pm.

La Crosse, Wis. – Prior to tonight, the Viterbo University women's basketball team had not beaten St. Ambrose University over the last 12 meetings which dated back to January 29, 2005. That streak came to an end tonight as the V-Hawks defeated the Bees 75-60 in Midwest Collegiate Conference action.

The V-Hawks scored on their opening possession of the game and built an early 20-8 lead with 10:46 remaining in the first half. St. Ambrose would stop the run with a three-pointer by Annie Smith but nine points would be the closest they would get in the opening half. Viterbo quickly expanded their lead to 17 (30-13) and took a 37-24 lead into the intermission. Freshman Jenna Engh (Westby, Wis.) continued her hot scoring streak as she scored 11 points in the first half on 4-6 shooting including three three-pointers.

St. Ambrose would find a little offensive rhythm early in the second half as they chipped away at their deficit and cut it to 46-36 with 14:11 remaining. But that would be as close as the Bees would get as Viterbo would hit three three-pointers on three of its next four possessions to help extend their lead to 59-39 with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Junior Dani Templin (Richland Center, Wis.) led the way offensively for the V-Hawks as she finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Engh added a fourth three-pointer in the second half to finish with 14 points while junior Laquita Becker (Caledonia, Minn.) chipped in 13 points and 8 rebounds. Smith and Mollie Yeargle each had 14 points to lead the Bees.

As a team, the V-Hawks shot fairly well from the floor as they finished 28-60 (46.7%) including 8-24 from behind the three-point line. They did however struggle from the free throw line as they were just 11-19 (57.9%). Viterbo did finish with a 38-35 edge in rebounding and combined for 17 assists in the game.

The win improves the V-Hawks to 8-12 overall and 6-2 in MCC action while the Bees fall to 7-10 overall and 3-5 in conference play. Viterbo moves to just a game back of first place as undefeated Mount Mercy University lost tonight. Viterbo will have a chance to put themselves in a possible tie for first place as they travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Saturday to play the Mustangs of Mount Mercy University. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 pm.

La Crosse, Wis. – Viterbo University men's basketball coach Wayne Wagner announced today that Tyler Kastenschmidt (West Salem, Wis.) has signed a letter of intent to play for the V-Hawks in 2012.

"We are very excited to add Tyler to the mix here at Viterbo University," commented Coach Wagner. "He is not only a great athlete, but he is a tremendous individual with great character and leadership and comes from a great background and upbringing.He brings not only a physical presence from the guard spot, but Tyler also has great ball skills and toughness that makes him a solid player on both ends of the court."

"I chose Viterbo Men's basketball because Coach Wagner has built a strong, successful program and a winning attitude and I want to be a part of something like that," stated Kastenschmidt. "I also chose Viterbo academically because they had the major I wanted to go into and the small class sizes which will help with my learning environment, and what stood out to me was that everything is close and accessible to me."

Kastenschmidt will join the V-Hawks after having a great athletic career at West Salem High School.  Kastenschmidt, a 6'1 guard, made his presence known for the Panthers football team, basketball team and track team. So far this season on the hardwood, Kastenschmidt is averaging 12.2 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game and 1.3 assists per game. Through 12 games, the Panthers are 6-6 overall and 2-4 in the Coulee Conference. He was also selected as a senior to watch in the state of Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook. As a junior, Kastenschmidt was named to the Coulee Conference Honorable Mention team. He averaged 11.2 ppg and 3.5 rpg as a junior.

Panther's Head Coach Chad Hayes had this to say about Kastenschmidt when asked what he has meant to his team; "One of the hardest working and most coachable kids I have ever had. His work ethic and leadership are going to be hard to replace next year."

When asked what he was most looking forward to Kastenschmidt had this to say: "school-wise I am looking forward to doing well in my classes and being the best person I can possibly be for Viterbo. Basketball-wise I look forward to playing with guys that all want to win and win a conference championship."

Outside of basketball, Kastenschmidt had plenty of success on the football field where he was one of the top wide receivers in the Coulee Region. He finished his senior season with 22 receptions, 556 yards and 10 touchdowns to help his team finish 8-4 overall.

"Tyler has built himself up as a multi-sport athlete that really has the physical attributes to compete at the next level, stated Coach Wagner. "It is especially exciting having him as a local student-athlete that will be able to get involved early with our programming."

The National Honor Society student, Kastenschmidt will pursue a degree in Management Information Systems during his time at Viterbo University.

Interview with Head Coach Wayne Wagner
La Crosse, Wis. – Sophomore Jasper Duberry (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) hit one of two free throws with 4 seconds left in overtime to help Viterbo earn a 60-58 upset win over #24 Grand View University.

After Viterbo fell behind 49-44 with 4:38 left in regulation, the V-Hawks scored the next seven points to take a 51-49 lead with one minute remaining. Redshirt sophomore Izac Sheforgen (St. Francis, Minn.) sparked the run with back-back jumpers while junior Alex Koeller (Marshall, Wis.) hit a three pointer. Kevin Smith of Grand View would then tie the game on a jumper with 28 seconds. Matt Turba (Jr./So. – Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) would give the V-Hawks a 53-51 lead with 3 seconds left but the V-Hawks could not hold on. Grand View's Allen Clark drove the length of the court and hit a lay-up as time expired to send the game into overtime.

The extra period was back and forth as neither team led by more than two points. Viterbo took a 59-57 lead on a jumper by Sheforgen with a minute remaining. Kody Ingle would then hit 1-2 free throws for the Vikings with 35 seconds on the clock. Koeller would then miss two free throws for the V-Hawks leaving the door open for the Vikings. However, Viterbo's defense would force a travel and Duberry was fouled on the inbounds. He would hit one free throw to give the V-Hawks a 60-58 lead and the Vikings would not get off a shot before time expired.

Viterbo led for most of the first half including taking its largest lead of the game at 27-16 with 2:40 left before the break. Viterbo used an 18-6 run to build that lead which included seven points from Sheforgen. Grand View was able to cut their deficit to six (27-21) at the break and eventually took the lead early in the second half. Ingle helped the Vikings get the lead back as he hit three three-pointers to open the second half.

Sheforgen led the way for the V-Hawks offensively as he scored 19 points off the bench while Duberry added 11 points and Turba chipped in 10 points. Duberry also had 8 rebounds to lead the V-Hawks. Ingle and Smith each had 14 points to lead the Vikings. As a team, the V-Hawks finished 21-50 (42%) from the floor while Grand View was 20-50 (40%). Grand View did have a 38-28 edge on the boards but Viterbo did have six less turnovers than the Vikings (17).

The win improves the V-Hawks to 8-11 overall and 3-4 in Midwest Collegiate Conference action. The loss drops the Vikings to 4-3 in league play and 10-5 overall. Things do not get any easier for the V-Hawks as they host #25 St. Ambrose University on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm.

La Crosse, Wis. – 15^th ranked Grand View University hit 12 of their 14 free throws in the second overtime of a thriller to escape the upset bid by Viterbo University 78-74 in double overtime.

With the score 51-49 with 27 seconds left in regulation, Viterbo's Laquita Becker (Jr. – Caledonia, Minn.) had a chance to give the V-Hawks a four point lead but she was unsuccessful twice at the free throw line leaving the door open for the Vikings. Grand View's Morgan Hammer than hit a jumper with 10 seconds left to tie the game and force the extra time. Grand View would take an early three point lead in the first overtime before Viterbo was able to take a 57-56 lead with just under three minutes left. Jennifer Jorgensen would then give the Vikings a 58-57 lead with 38 seconds left. After a Viterbo timeout, freshman Jenna Engh (Westby, Wis.) would then nail her third three-pointer of the game to give the V-Hawks a 60-58 lead with 18 seconds left. Jorgensen, the leading scorer in Division II of the NAIA, would then tie the game on a lay-up with 9 seconds to go to force the second overtime.

Viterbo would struggle to score in the final period as Grand View opened a 72-62 lead with 1:04 left on the clock. They built its largest lead of the game (10 points) by making eight straight at the charity strip. Viterbo was never able to recover as Engh hit her fourth three-pointer of the game at the buzzer to make the final score 78-74.

In the opening period, the Vikings built a 19-11 lead with just over 7 minutes left in the half before Viterbo made a run. The V-Hawks outscored the Vikings 13-4 over the final seven minutes to take a 24-23 lead at the half. The second half was back and forth the whole way as there were 8 ties and four lead changes and neither team led by more than five.

Engh scored a career high 21 points to lead the V-Hawks as she was 4-5 from behind the arc and 7-10 from the floor. Joining her in double figures was Becker with 16 points and Dani Templin (Jr. – Richland Center, Wis.) with 11 points. Templin also grabbed a team high 9 rebounds. Jorgensen led the Vikings with 32 points and 12 rebounds. As a team, the V-Hawks finished 26-73 (35.6%) from the floor while the Vikings were 27-64 (42.2%). Viterbo did have a 49-43 edge on the boards but did turn the ball over 21 times.

The loss drops the V-Hawks into a tie for third place in the MCC as they are now 5-2 in conference play and 7-12 overall. Grand View improves to 14-5 overall and 6-1 in conference action. Viterbo will be in action next when they host St. Ambrose University on Wednesday night at 5:30 pm.

La Crosse, Wis. – The Viterbo University men's basketball team opened its game with AIB College of Business (2-15, 1-4) with a 22-5 run and would not relinquish the lead as they went on to win 57-44. The win snaps a four game losing streak for the V-Hawks as they are now 7-10 overall and 2-3 in Midwest Collegiate Conference action.

Redshirt sophomore Matt Turba (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) got the V-Hawks on the board first with back-back jumpers and Viterbo was off and running as they held the Eagles to just 5 points over the first nine minutes. Viterbo would extend its lead to 22 (34-12) with 7:07 left in the opening period before the Eagles would find a little offense. Brandon Eley scored five straight points to help the Eagles chip away slowly at their deficit as they trailed 40-21 at the half. Viterbo shot an impressive 17-27 (63%) from the field in the opening half as they had four players with seven points.

The second half was not much different as Viterbo remained in control for the most part. After AIB cut their deficit to 16 (43-27), Viterbo quickly took the lead back to 22 (51-29) with 11:07 remaining. Viterbo's offense would finally cool off as the Eagles held them to 6 points over the final 11 minutes of the game. AIB would finally get some offense going but it was not quite enough as they would only get as close as 11 (55-44) with 48 seconds remaining.

After shooting so well in the first half, the V-Hawks struggled a bit in the second half (5-25, 20%) as they finished 22-52 (42.3%) from the floor for the game. The Eagles finished 16-43 (37.2%) from the floor and had a 31-30 edge on the boards. Viterbo's defense did force 22 AIB turnovers and their offense turned that into 28 points. Sophomore Jasper Duberry (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) led the V-Hawks with a season high 15 points for his third straight game in double figures. Joining him in double digits was redshirt freshman Jordan Laufenberg (Sparta, Wis.) with 11 points. Brandon Eley led the Eagles with 12 points.

Viterbo will be in action next when they travel to Clinton, Iowa to play MCC foe Ashford University on Wednesday night. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.  

La Crosse, Wis. – The Viterbo University women's basketball team used a career game by junior Laquita Becker (Caledonia, Minn.) as she recorded her first double-double in her V-Hawk career to help lead them to a 63-61 win over Midwest Collegiate Conference foe AIB College of Business (7-10 0-5). Becker scored a career high 21 points and pulled down a career high 10 rebounds to help the V-Hawks remain just one game back in the MCC standings at 4-1 (6-11 overall).

The first half was anybody's game as there was six ties and six lead changes over the first 20 minutes. Viterbo led 27-24 at the break as they got a three-pointer from Anderson with just five seconds left in the opening period. The Eagles would come out firing to start the second half as they outscored the V-Hawks 18-7 over the first six minutes to take its largest lead of the game at 42-34. Becker would then take control for the V-Hawks as she helped them go on a 20-5 run by scoring nine points to give Viterbo a 54-47 lead with 7:55 remaining. The V-Hawks would not trail the rest of the way although the Eagles did have one final push.

After Viterbo took a 63-57 lead with 1:15 left in the game, the Eagles of AIB got a lay-up from India Shivers and a jumper by Ashley Vratny to trim their deficit to two with 9 second left. Viterbo would then turn the ball over on the inbounds pass and AIB would have one last shot to either tie the game or take the lead. Megan Howard would take a jump shot from the left elbow with 4 seconds left but it bounced off the front end of the rim and V-Hawk senior Brooke Anderson (Iola, Wis.) secured the rebound and the win for Viterbo.

After struggling offensively last time out, Viterbo improved today as they finished 23-57 (40.4%) from the floor while the Eagles finished 24-66 (36.4%). A big key to the game may have come on the glass as Viterbo out rebounded AIB 49-34. Viterbo did turn the ball over 21 times and struggled from the line as they went 10-21 (47.6%). Joining Becker in double figures was Paige Babiash (Sr. – West Salem, Wis.) who finished with 14 points while Dani Templin (Jr. – Richland Center, Wis.) chipped in 8 points to go along with 8 rebounds. Katira Young led the Eagles with 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Viterbo will be back in action next when they travel to Clinton, Iowa on Wednesday night to play the Saints of Ashford University. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 pm.

La Crosse, Wis. – Viterbo University junior Dani Templin (Richland Center, Wis.) recently put her name in the V-Hawk record book as she became the 17th player in school history to surpass the 1,000 point milestone.

Templin joined the elite group back on December 17th when she scored 14 points in the V-Hawks 58-39 loss to Spring Arbor University. Templin eclipsed the mark in the first half as she needed just six points to break the mark. Since that game, Templin has recorded back-back double-doubles by averaging 12.5 points per game and 11 rebounds per game.

"Since Dani joined our program, she has had a positive impact," commented Head Coach Bobbi Vandenberg. "It has always been a matter of not if, but when she would reach this milestone. To reach 1,000 points less than halfway through her junior season shows her consistency in terms of scoring. Dani means so much more than scoring; however, as she is a complete player in terms of her ability to handle the ball, rebound, defend and lead. She takes great pride in working to be the best she can be in all facets of the game. Since I've been at Viterbo, she is the only player who has played every position on the floor and she has been effective no matter where we need her. She is a true team player."

Templin has played in 75 games since joining the V-Hawks as a freshman in 2009. So far in her career, Templin has been the leading scorer since stepping on the court. As a freshman, Templin scored 431 points (13.5 ppg) and then added another 448 points (14.9 ppg) as a sophomore. So far this season, Templin has scored 155 points. Scoring is not the only thing Templin does for the V-Hawks as she has also been one of the top rebounders. For her career, Templin is averaging 13.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg.

Templin and the V-Hawks finish up their tough non-conference schedule this week as they travel to Orange City, Iowa to play in the Northwestern College Holiday Tournament. The V-Hawks open up the two day classic style tournament by playing #20 ranked Northwestern College on Wednesday night at 6:00 pm. They will then play Dordt College on Thursday at 2:00 pm. Viterbo will then have the holiday weekend off and will get back to Midwest Collegiate Conference play next Wednesday when they travel to Oskaloosa, Iowa to play William Penn University. They will then be back at home when they host AIB College of Business on January 7th.