Top-Five DePauw Athletics Moments For The 2012-13 Season
May 28, 2013
The 2012-13 season was a successful one for DePauw Athletics, over 100 all-North Coast Athletic Conference citations were received by DePauw student-athletes, seven programs brought home either regular season or conference tournament championships and the season was filled with moments both on and off the field.
With the help of 2013 graduate Michael Appelgate (@Mappelgate206), the DePauw Athletics Department has put together a list of the top-five moments from the 2012-13 school year, with five additional honorable mention candidates.
Feel free to let us know your thoughts on the list by communicating with us through twitter at @DePauwAthletics.
Number One
Midwest, Best-West
(Skip to 7:38 for moment)
November 11, 2012
The Tigers had no business being there.
Or so the pundits said.
After earning a NCAA Division III first round bye, the DePauw field hockey team downed Utica College, 3-2, by an overtime goal by Chelsea Cutler. But then came the real test. A test many believed would be too steep to overcome. Facing the No. 1 seeded team in the tournament, Middlebury College, it was doubtful a team from Indiana could defeat an entrenched field hockey program on the East Coast.
The Tigers got one goal in regulation on a goal by sophomore Maggie Campbell, and the game moved to overtime. After five minutes, Paige Henry corralled the ball off the left wing of the scoring circle. She noticed her defender sagging off her, and thought to let it rip. Her shot caught the goalkeeper out of position and the ball slammed into the back of the net to erupt the DePauw bench.
East Coast domination? — not any more.
Number Two
Second Time Is The Sweetest
March 16, 2013
Months later, you can still find confetti that tracked back with you from Holland, Mich.
It’s a simple reminder of a magical season that will be with DePauw forever.
The DePauw women’s basketball program claimed its second national title in perfect fashion, setting the Division III record for most wins in a season all while captivating Tigers fans with their high powered offense, and efficacious smiles. DePauw capped a 34-0 season with a 69-51 win over Wisconsin-Whitewater on the campus of Hope College.
When the game was over confetti enveloped the court. A symphony of colors descended to obscure a celebrating Tigers team. But when you looked close, you could see them. The smiles of 19 players who did it for their head coach, Kris Huffman, were clear to see.
They’d done what no one said they could. And they made it look easy. But there was nothing easy about what they accomplished, and a trophy doesn’t tell the story of Alex Gasaway playing with a torn ACL, nor does it describe Ellie Pearson’s effort despite a broken finger to earn the tournament MVP award.
What we’ll have are memories of disbelief and joy — and some confetti.
Number Three
Desmarais’ Strike
(Skip to 2:35:19 for moment)
November 3, 2012
Since the Tigers joined the North Coast Athletic Conference for the first time in 2011, a rivalry between a soccer juggernaut, Ohio Wesleyan, and an up-and-coming squad from Greencastle (Ind.) was born.
After defeating the Battling Bishops in the NCAC Championship in 2011, Ohio Wesleyan went on to win the NCAA title.
The rivalry was renewed in 2012 as the Tigers defeated the Battling Bishops in the regular season, 3-2 in overtime. It was only fate that brought these two programs together for yet another memorable NCAC Championship match.
After 120 scoreless minutes, the two squads were sent into penalty kicks.
With all-NCAC performer, Tony Halterman in net, the Tigers jumped out to an early lead after a brilliant diving save to the right stopped the Ohio Wesleyan strike. Tiger after Tiger sent their shot to pay dirt as fifth-year senior Andrew Desmarais walked the lonely walk from midfield to the penalty mark. With the Tigers up 3-2, and each squad with just one shot to go, a Desmarais tally would send the Title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship back to Greencastle. Desmarais set the ball down, lined up his shot, and the dog pile would ensue.
Number Four
DePauw Delivers The Payne
January 23, 2013
The drama started in the closing seconds of regulation as Wittenberg took a 55-53 lead with 16 seconds left when Scott Masin scored on a layin off of a nice pass from Steven Newell. Following a Wittenberg timeout, Payne drove the lane but was stuffed by Wittenberg's Sam Collins. Payne got the rebound and flipped the ball to Barry Flynn who was fouled with one second left.
Flynn hit the first charity toss before Wittenberg called timeout. The DePauw senior calmly nailed the second and knotted the score at 55-55. Wittenberg's Zack Leahy got off a deep three-pointer, but it didn't reach the rim.
In the extra session, DePauw led by as many as five at 66-61 after Michael Wilkison's three-point play with 1:07 left. Masin rebounded his own miss with 49 seconds left and cut the margin to three.
On its next trip down the floor, DePauw was able to run the shot clock down before Mark Johnson was fouled with 11.9 seconds left after rebounding Wilkison's miss. Johnson, however, couldn't convert on either free throw.
Alex Fultz grabbed the rebound off the second miss, got the ball to Newell who dribbled across the time line. Newell then found Fultz on the left wing and he quickly buried the game-tying three.
DePauw immediately called time to set up the game-winning play.
Alex Payne took Pat Haggin's inbounds pass with 4.8 seconds left in the first overtime, drove the length of the court and dropped a running jumper from the right side of the lane off the glass and through the cylinder as the clock reached zeroes and gave DePauw a 68-66 North Coast Athletic Conference win over visiting Wittenberg.
Number Five
Two Strikes Or The Season’s Done
October 27, 2012
Needing a victory on the final day of the regular season, the DePauw women’s soccer squad trailed Allegheny in the trailing moments. Because of a prior result, the Tigers needed the victory to gain berth into the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
With under four minutes left in the match, Angela Cotherman set up a free kick for the Tigers from around 25-yards away. Head coach John Carter yelled to her from across the pitch to send the ball on net, looking for a rebound or a goal off the strike. What came next was a perfectly placed shot in the upper-corner of the net to tie the match at one and send the game to overtime.
Just three minutes into the first sudden-victory session, the Tigers were once again awarded a free kick, this time from 28-yards away. Coach Carter once again bellowed to Cotherman to send the ball on net. Lightning struck twice that day on Boswell Field as Cotherman’s attempt once again found the allusive upper-90, sending DePauw to the NCAC Tournament for the first time.
The importance of these two goals cannot be understated, without one, none of what happened could have been possible. DePauw, the number-four seed in the conference tournament would defeat the top-seed in the opening round before winning it all and a berth in the NCAA Championship. The two goals by Cotherman were the catalyst to the Tigers’ season ending on October 27 or extending another two weeks, bringing home an NCAC trophy.
Honorable Mentions
(Honorable Mentions are listed in chronological order)
• Volleyball Team Streaks To 17-Straight
September 2 - October 9, 2012
The 2012 edition of DePauw Volleyball had strong senior leadership combined with a young freshman class, so predicting how the season would play out would be difficult. What happened, not many people saw coming.
After dropping the first two matches of the season, winning only one set, the Tigers captured 17-straight victories over the course of 37 days. The staggering statistic was that 11 of those victories were in 3-0 decisions in favor of DePauw.
DePauw’s storybook season would end in the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship match at the hands of national power, Wittenberg.
Their .806 (25-6) winning percentage was the best for the program since the 2001 season when they notched a 27-6 record.
• Former Indiana football coach, Bill Lynch, hired at DePauw
December 20, 2012
Through one of the most adversity-filled seasons in DePauw football history, a familiar face returned to the Tigers once the dust had settled. After five different head coaches in eight years, DePauw may have rediscovered stability under Bill Lynch.
Lynch coached the Tigers for one season in 2004 and finished 8-2. He left to take the offensive coordinator position at Indiana University, and eventually became head coach. Out of coaching at Butler University as an associate director of athletics, the draw back to coaching was too great. Lynch vows he’s back for the long-haul, and after four straight Monon Bell losses, Tigers fans have a renewed hope.
• Hooker Crashes the Coronation
February 15, 2013
Every year it seems as if there is a coronation for the top-two spots at the North Coast Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championship’s, each spot interchangeably going to either Kenyon or Denison. What is just as common is the individual conference championships that come from the completion of each race.
Throughout the season, sophomore Casey Hooker has led the Tigers in the pool, notching personal and team bests throughout the 2012-13 campaign.
As the swimmers lined up for the 100 butterfly, Hooker was the favorite to take down Denison and Kenyon’s dominance in the conference meet.
The swimmers took their mark and they were off, 48.77 seconds later, Hooker was on top, claiming DePauw’s first NCAC Individual title.
• Noah Droddy Breaks Barriers, Shatters School Record
April 26, 2013
In running circles, the 30-minute mark is a huge accomplishment when running the 10,000-meter race, right up with the four-minute mile. All season long, head coach Kori Stoffregen knew that one of his best runners, Noah Droddy, could not only break the school record, but the 30-minute barrier.
Droddy was entered into the Hillsdale Gina Relays at the end of April to attempt to qualify for the NCAA Championship meet, as the race started the pace quickened and Droddy held strong.
Rounding the last turn, the school record was not in doubt as Droddy was trotting towards the finish line, stopping the clock at 29:41.42, shattering the school record by 40.40 seconds.
• Hallett Hammers Homerun, Hallelujah
May 4, 2013
Her father, Chris, stood behind the backstop with his iPhone camera pointed through the fence. He had only seen his daughter, Amy, play in college on two other occasions, and he wanted to capture the moment. Down 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning in an NCAC elimination game and a runner on second, she turned her hips and clobbered the ball.
Chris muttered, “bam.”
The ball screamed to straightaway center field and landed in the retention pond beyond the stands. Chris fished the ball out of the water — a memento to cap a storied career. The Tigers wound up losing to Wittenberg, 6-5, but Hallett left one final stamp on four years as starting catcher. The Phoenix, Ariz., product broke the career doubles mark (50) this season and is the most decorated power hitter in the history of the program. She also holds the career mark in homeruns with 37 and total bases with 352.
Chris didn’t care about the numbers. He stood and cheered as Amy trotted around the bases, and was swarmed by her teammates at home plate. Chris grinned as he replayed the video for a spectator.
He was bragging that Amy was his daughter.
Back