Men's Golf Must Fill Jones' Void

By Adam Hunt

2009 will always be remembered as a groundbreaking year for Bill Jones of the Mercer Bears Men’s Golf Team.

Following a swashbuckling final season for the team as a whole, which culminated in a program-first NCAA regional berth, Jones added to his accolades in the offseason as he became recognized on the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-American Scholars list.

This was the third noteworthy honor of the summer for Jones, who also earned places on the ESPN “The Magazine” Academic All-American team as well as the All-Atlantic Sun Conference First Team.

Jones was one of 108 Division I athletes to make the All-American Scholars roster and maintained a minimum 3.2 GPA and 76 stroke average while playing in 70% of his team’s rounds in order to be eligible.

In addition to finishing the season with an impressive 3.82 GPA in his business major, Jones made Mercer golf history this season when he became the first golfer to qualify for the NCAA Regionals, where he fired a respectable one-over 214 (71-73-70).

Jones played a vital role in helping Mercer men’s golf continue its astounding turnaround, leading Mercer to the program’s highest-ever national ranking (86th) and its best conference finish (third) since 1992.

Playing in every tournament and sporting a team-low 73.77 scoring average, Jones earned three top-five, four top-ten and five top-20 finishes for The Bears last year.

Jones has now graduated and will pursue a career in business. But his absence will leave a huge void to be filled on the fairways this season.

One Spike Closer [2009 Volleyball Preview]

- J. Andrew Lockwood -
Senior Editor / Columnist
james.andrew.lockwood@gmail.com

It was the regular season sixth-year head coach Noelle Rooke was hoping for. Make that 2008 Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year, Noelle Rooke. A 18-11 (13-7 A-Sun) mark in 2008 signaled an end to Mercer’s recent losing ways on the court and the start of something special. With a dominant junior class in 2009 with two years of playing experience, the Bears could find themselves contending for the Atlantic Sun title come November.

“Our goal is to improve upon the strides we made last year and get to the top of the conference,” Rooke commented on MercerBears.com. She added, “There isn’t room to falter this year. We’ve got to have strong play from start to finish.”
Despite an early 1st round exit to ETSU, a team they had defeated twice during the regular season, the Mercer women should feel quite confident heading into the 2009 conference slate. Led by lone senior setter Chelsea Gebben, Mercer has a formidable front row of blockers and hitters with crucial playing experience during the past two seasons.

The big key to success in 2009 will be how the team replaces graduates Karen Dorris, Claire Tucker, and Kelly Jansen. Dorris (3.20 kills per game) and Jansen (522 assists in 2008) have been offensive catalysts for the Bears for the past four seasons and won’t be easily replaced. Tucker replaced one of Mercer’s greats Liz Kane, in 2007 and re-wrote the record book herself, becoming the school’s all-time leader in digs with 1083 over four years. Although their departures leave big shoes to fill, Mercer’s roster may be as deep as it’s ever been.

Insert any one of the talented outside hitters on Bears’ roster and you’ll have a formidable offense. Juniors Krista Hurley (1.91 kpg) and Erica Vrvilo (1.54 kpg) make plays at the net on offense and defense. Sophomore Amiee Frutchey made her splash onto the scene in 2008, starting 24 of the 28 matches across from Dorris. Gebben (461 assists), who shared setting duties with Jansen last season, will most likely be named the starting setter by the time the team takes on Austin Peay to tip of the season in Atlanta. However, the libero position may be the biggest question mark on the roster. Coach Rooke has been keeping mum on the situation, as well as the incoming freshman class. A plethora of players could fill that position by the time the first game tips off.

Securing the middle of the front row will be junior Libby Hanch, a 6’2” product out of Ft. Collins, Colorado. On the right side of the net, expect another sensational sophomore, Anna Coursey, to get the starting nod. Additionally, Rachel Urbelis could see some time at the outside hitter position as well after playing brilliantly in several matches a year ago. Rooke also has several unproven players that provide additionally depth for the team. Nickie Halbert will most likely see an increase in her playing time at setter this year as Charlotte Harris and Ashley Skidmore look to contribute from the bench as well.

After several key non-conference wins a year ago against Auburn, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, and Presbyterian, the Bears will test the likes of Austin Peay, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Florida A&M early in the season. Add in the Bear Brawl, the tournament the Bears will host in early September, and Mercer will also see quality competition in Troy, Furman, and Bethune-Cookman.

Rooke continues the trend of scheduling tough schools early in the season, commenting, “After training so hard in the offseason it will be exciting to see our team hit the floor against strong competition right off the bat. Once again, we have the opportunity to see some talented teams from other leagues in the Bear Brawl. We want to come away with another Bear Brawl title and carry that momentum into our conference schedule.

Although the Bears will have their fill of quality competition to open the season, they’ll be able to slide into A-Sun play against two schools that won a combined eleven conference games a year ago. Kennesaw State (6-24, 5-15) and USC-Upstate (11-22, 4-16) will host the Bears before Campbell (7-23, 5-16) and ETSU (12-20, 8-13) visit Macon. Mercer will then face a tough stretch of home and away games that feature A-Sun Champion Belmont (25-8, 16-4), Lipscomb (21-11, 17-3), Florida Gulf Coast (20-8, 18-2), and Jacksonville (20-10, 15-6). Sprinkled in between conference matchups are two matches against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champion FAMU and Georgia State in October.

While the Bears made significant strides last year on offense, large questions loom on the back row heading into the opener. In a league that markedly improved in two years, the Bears could be title contenders or find themselves in the midst of a long season. Notably, the Atlantic Sun Championship will be held in Fort Meyers this year rather than their home floor. In order to win the A-Sun, the Bears must prove they can win on the road this year.

Date Opponent Location Time/Result Details
Georgia Tech Tournament
8/28/2009 Austin Peay Atlanta, Ga. 4:30 p.m. Details

8/29/2009 Georgia Atlanta, Ga. 10:30 a.m. Details

8/29/2009 Georgia Tech Atlanta, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Details

Bear Brawl
9/4/2009 Troy Macon, Ga. 1:00 p.m. Details

9/4/2009 Furman Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Details

9/5/2009 Bethune-Cookman Macon, Ga. 3:00 p.m. Details

9/8/2009 * Kennesaw State Kennesaw, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Details

9/11/2009 * USC Upstate Spartanburg, S.C. 7:00 p.m. Details

9/15/2009 FAMU Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m. Details

9/18/2009 * Campbell Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Details

9/19/2009 * ETSU Macon, Ga. 3:00 p.m. Details

9/25/2009 * Lipscomb Nashville, Tenn. 7:30 p.m. Details

9/26/2009 * Belmont Nashville, Tenn. 3:00 p.m. Details

10/2/2009 * Jacksonville Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Details

10/3/2009 * North Florida Macon, Ga. 3:00 p.m. Details

10/6/2009 FAMU Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Details

10/8/2009 * Florida Gulf Coast Fort Myers, Fla. 7:00 p.m. Details

10/10/2009 * Stetson DeLand, Fla. 1:00 p.m. Details

10/13/2009 * Kennesaw State Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Details

10/16/2009 * Belmont Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Details

10/17/2009 * Lipscomb Macon, Ga. 3:00 p.m. Details

10/20/2009 * Georgia State Macon, Ga. 6:00 p.m. Details

10/23/2009 * ETSU Johnson City, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. Details

10/24/2009 * Campbell Buies Creek, N.C. 5:00 p.m. Details

10/31/2009 * USC Upstate Macon, Ga. 3:00 p.m. Details

11/6/2009 * Stetson Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m. Details

11/7/2009 * Florida Gulf Coast Macon, Ga. 3:00 p.m. Details

11/13/2009 * North Florida Jacksonville, Fla. 7:00 p.m. Details

11/14/2009 * Jacksonville Jacksonville, Fla. 5:00 p.m. Details

Atlantic Sun Championship
11/19/2009 Atlantic Sun Championship Fort Myers, Fla. TBA Details

11/20/2009 Atlantic Sun Championship Fort Myers, Fla. TBA Details

11/21/2009 Atlantic Sun Championship Fort Myers, Fla. TBA Details

One Game at a Time [2009 Men's Soccer Preview]

- J. Andrew Lockwood -
Senior Editor / Columnist
james.andrew.lockwood@gmail.com

In Brad Ruzzo’s first year at the helm on the Bears, Mercer struggled mightily, accumulating a 2-11-5 during the course of the season. With only one conference win against Florida Gulf Coast (4-1) in 2008, a strong group of seniors look to reverse the losing trends of late at Bear Field. Despite losing their best player from last season, Bolade Ogunmade (7 goals, 1 asst), and another key senior Dominic Stockdale (1 goal, 1 asst), the Bears return the rest of the starting lineup from 2008.

Buying into Ruzzo’s team-first philosophy is a core group of four seniors led by Midfielder Arkenson Neckles, a product of Grenada. Neckles finished the year with four goals and nine points despite only starting nine of the fifteen game s in 2008. Thomas Knerr also had a productive season last year as a forward and could have a breakout season in 2009. Chrispine Ong’Ango from Kenya adds speed to the senior class and grinder Geoffrey Oliveria has consistently put in hard minutes when on the field.

Although the Bears offense lacked a punch last year (outscored 37-17 by their opponents), junior Ian Cameron and sophomore Philip Thoren could fill the void for Mercer after showing consistency in matches a year ago. Several other key players including Charles Peterson, Richard Wimsatt, and Zachary Rall have playing experience, but other than the shortlist of upperclassmen, Ruzzo will be forced to rely on a large freshman class. In fact, sixteen freshmen make up the twenty six man roster.

“We will be extremely young this year as many freshmen have a great opportunity to start right away and be thrown to the wolves,” commented Ruzzo. He added, “Some of the freshmen that I expect to contribute right away will be Joey Heavner, Will Betts, and Richie Edmondson to name a few. One major question we will have is in the goal. We have one redshirt freshmen returning and three true freshmen coming in to compete for the starting job.”

At goalkeeper, Mercer will need to replace David Bird who started all eighteen matches for the Bears in 2008. Fortunately, Ruzzo has several keepers to choose from including Daniel Van Valkinburg, Brett Petricek, and Andrew Todd. Van Valkinburg may have the edge on the position going into the season with an extra year of experience on Petricek and Todd.

A glance at the schedule shows another tough slate of competition in front of the club, with 18 regular season games and two preseason exhibitions. However, Ruzzo is excited about a larger than usual home schedule. “This year we have many more home games than in the past by playing a total of 10 games at home, including two exhibitions and five conference games,” Ruzzo commented on MercerBears.com. “In the past, we have only had six or eight home games so we are very excited that we will be at home more often this season,” he added.

The exhibitions against Clayton State and Middle Georgia will provide good warm-up tests for the Bears before they face Alabama A&M at home on September 1st to open the 2009 campaign. Four away contests follow, highlighted by a return to Ruzzo’s old school, Bradley, for a dust-up on September 6th. Mercer then returns home and faces Big South and SoCon foes Gardner-Webb and Georgia Southern before opening up conference play in Nashville against Belmont and Lipscomb. Key A-Sun home games include matchups against ETSU, USC-Upstate, Campbell, Jacksonville, and North Florida before Atlantic Sun Championship play begins in early November.

Ruzzo elaborated on the A-Sun schedule saying, “As always the Atlantic Sun Conference schedule is difficult and highly competitive every game. We had a very productive spring season, finishing 2-0-2, so we are looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead in the schedule.”

Looking at their Atlantic Sun competition, Ruzzo added, “Jacksonville and Campbell have proven over the last few years that they are the programs to beat but any team in this conference can win the regular season and the tournament championship. We look forward to competing for the championship this year.

In addition to the product on the field, the team also has an extensive promotional schedule that features ‘Orange and Black Night’ in the season opener against Alabama A&M, ‘Greek Life Night’ against Jacksonville, and ‘Halloween Costume Night’ against North Florida.

Date Opponent Location Time/Result
8/20/2009 Clayton State
Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m.
8/24/2009 Middle Georgia
Macon, Ga. 6:00 p.m.
9/1/2009 Alabama A&M
Macon, Ga. 5:00 p.m.
9/4/2009 Eastern Illinois
Peoria, Il 7:00 p.m.
9/6/2009 Bradley
Peoria, Il 8:00 p.m.
9/11/2009 Georgia State
Atlanta, Ga. 7:00 p.m.
9/13/2009 Wofford
Greenville, SC 3:30 p.m.
9/18/2009 Gardner-Webb
Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m.
9/20/2009 Georgia Southern
Macon, Ga. 5:00 p.m.
9/25/2009 Applachian State
Boone, NC 4:00 p.m.
10/1/2009 * Belmont
Nashville, TN 7:30 p.m.
10/3/2009 * Lipscomb
Nashville, TN 7:00 p.m.
10/8/2009 * ETSU
Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m.
10/10/2009 * USC Upstate
Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m.
10/13/2009 Central Florida
Orlando, FL 7:30 p.m.
10/17/2009 * Campbell
Macon, Ga. 4:00 p.m.
10/22/2009 * FGCU
Fort Myers, FL 7:00 p.m.
10/24/2009 * Stetson
DeLand, FL 7:00 p.m.
10/29/2009 * Jacksonville
Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m.
10/31/2009 * North Florida
Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m.
11/6/2009 A-Sun Tournament TBA TBA

A Target on Their Backs [2009 Women's Soccer Preview]

- J. Andrew Lockwood -
Senior Editor/Columnist
james.andrew.lockwood@gmail.com

In one word, the women’s soccer program at Mercer could be described as a ‘powerhouse.’ Winning records the past two seasons and a regular season A-Sun championship have solidified their place as one of the teams to beat in the conference. With that description, the target is on their backs. Everyone will be aiming to upset them when face Kennesaw State to open up league play in September.

Head Coach Grant Serafy’s tactics on the field and in the off-season recruiting have proven to be brilliant. Now, the Bears will reload after losing graduates Meghan Castaldo, Katheryn Hurst, Heather Manting, Erin Theobald, and Megan Armstrong. Most teams would need a year or two to rebuild after losing the caliber of players in that group; however, Mercer could be even stronger this year. Building off of the offensive production of young players Olivia Tucker, Ali Meek, and Kacie Hudson, Mercer’s midfielders are easily the best in the Atlantic Sun.

However, Mercer’s success isn’t built just a few key players. It’s the system Serafy has implemented that has proven most effective. Several role players will fill the voids left by the graduating class as well as a smaller talented group of freshmen. A small group of seniors including Stacie Marsh, Jenny Niemeier, and Jean Worts will lead the team this year. A bulk of team is made of sophomores and juniors with plenty of experience and talent. Lizzy Shaughnessy, Emerald Phillips, and Raschelle Riley are just a few of the veterans on the squad that will help contribute on the field.

A year after throttling opponents by a combined 34-10 on the offensive side of the ball, the Bears will look to goalie Jean Worts for her continued leadership on the defensive side. Mind you, the Bears’ defense was ranked in the top 10 in the nation for most of last season. Take away a loss to Kennesaw State and the Bears would have held their opponents scoreless for seven straight games late in the season.

Despite winning the regular season championship, Belmont advanced to the NCAA tournament after defeating the Bears on penalty kicks 2-1 in the A-Sun final. A heartbreaking loss indeed, but the loss will give Mercer plenty of fuel and bulletin board material to carry them through the 2009 campaign. Even with another tough field of conference competitors, anything less than a championship will be a bit disappointing.

A tougher non-conference schedule should prime the Bears for a run in the Atlantic Sun, but one has to wonder if Mercer can pull upsets against SEC schools Vanderbilt and Georgia as well as Big Ten foe Indiana. The Bears pulled an upset against Alabama in the first exhibition of the season, 1-0, but can they repeat their success during the regular season?

“I think we’ve got another challenging schedule put together,” Serafy remarked on MercerBears.com.” He added, “We have a pair of exhibition games and a challenging non-conference schedule that will prepare us for our conference season. We are excited to have SEC powers like Georgia and Vanderbilt on our schedule, and glad to have someone the quality of Indiana coming here as well.”
In 2009, four of the seven non-conference matches will be at their friendly home confines. Mercer opens the season against Jacksonville State before taking their first road trip of the season. They return to face Presbyterian, Indiana, and Kennesaw State in the second home stand.

The Atlantic Sun conference schedule should play into Mercer’s hands this year, with crucial games against Belmont, Kennesaw State, FGCU, and Campbell to be played at Bear Field.

“Playing Kennesaw State so early in the season is the one quirk on our schedule,” Serafy elaborated. “We would prefer to play them later in the season, but we will just have to be prepared for it when it comes. We’re talking about the top two teams in the league in the last two seasons, so it’s going to be a big match,” he added.

Will this finally be the year they win the Atlantic Sun Championship and advance to the NCAA tournament? The target and the smart money rides on their backs.


Date Opponent Location Time/Result
8/13/2009 Alabama (exh.) Tuscaloosa, AL W 1-0

8/16/2009 Georgia College & State (exh.) Milledgeville, Ga. 6:00 p.m.
8/21/2009 Jacksonville State Macon, Ga. 6:00 p.m.
8/28/2009 Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. 8:00 p.m.
8/30/2009 Georgia Athens, Ga. 1:00 p.m.
9/4/2009 Presbyterian Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m.
9/6/2009 Indiana Macon, Ga. 11:30 a.m.
9/12/2009 * Kennesaw State Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m.
9/18/2009 Georgia Southern Statesboro, Ga. 4:00 p.m.
9/20/2009 Georgia State Macon, Ga. 1:00 p.m.
9/25/2009 * FGCU Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m.
9/27/2009 * Stetson Macon, Ga. 2:00 p.m.
10/2/2009 * Jacksonville Jacksonville, Fla. 6:00 p.m.
10/4/2009 * UNF Jacksonville, Fla. 2:00 p.m.
10/9/2009 * Belmont Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m.
10/11/2009 * Lipscomb Macon, Ga. 2:00 p.m.
10/16/2009 * ETSU Johnson City, Tenn. 1:30 p.m.
10/18/2009 * USC Upstate Spartanburg, S.C. 3:00 p.m.
10/22/2009 * Campbell Macon, Ga. 7:00 p.m.

Photos courtesy of MercerBears.com

Women's Soccer Upsets Alabama 1-0!!!

Full Story

Photo courtesy of Alex Gilbert

Redefining Mercer

- J. Andrew Lockwood -
Senior Editor/Columnist
james.andrew.lockwood@gmail.com

Different moments define a school’s athletic history. When South Florida reached #2 in the AP College Football polls in 2007, that was a school defining moment. When George Mason made it to the Final Four in 2006, that was a school defining moment. When Mercer fields a lacrosse team in 2010, it will be a school defining moment. Add in the years when the softball program and the women’s soccer team win a NCAA tournament game and you’ll also have school defining moments.

Things are changing in Macon. We’re the only game in town for miles around and we’re no longer just a baseball powerhouse with a decent basketball team. Smaller niche programs are starting to garner respect around Georgia as well as the southeast. Despite the talk of a football team coming back to Mercer in the far off future, niche sports may prove more profitable for the university in the long run.
And why not? The football culture in the southeast is saturated already. If you want football, UGA, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and now Georgia State have plenty to offer. Large stadiums and huge student populations just aren’t Mercer. Yes, we have a rowdy crowd during basketball games…especially when things are going well, but we do things in our own way.

There are very few places where one person can redefine a sport’s image quickly in Division I athletics. After covering sports at Mercer for the past two years, I now consider the home of the Bears to be one of those places. In my time here, Mike Raynor has turned around an absolutely awful softball program into a juggernaut. A 2007 record of 14-46 to last year’s 40-19 mark speaks for itself. Andrew Treadway’s golfers were ranked consistently in the top 80 teams in the NCAA last season. Grant Serafy’s women’s soccer team is a combined 22-12-6 in the last two seasons. If I were a betting man (oh wait, that’s an NCAA violation), I’d take the Bears over Vanderbilt (Aug. 28th) or Georgia (Aug. 30th) early in the season.

Let’s give the basketball teams some love too. You want ‘redefining Mercer’? That’s what crossed my mind when I saw the score that read ‘Mercer 96 – USC 81’ on the jumbotron at an Atlanta Thrashers game. To this day, I can still remember the people sitting behind me at the game remarking, “Geez…where’s Mercer anyway? I thought USC had [O.J.] Mayo.”

That’s right. Welcome to the big-time Mercer. I used to avoid the cliché arguments with friends from other schools regarding college basketball when Mercer would play the occasional big school, but now I just start by saying, “Remember Alabama and Auburn a year ago?”

“We really should’ve beat Georgia Tech too. We were up by 17 points in the second half before the meltdown,” usually comes next. So finally a few big wins have finally put us on the map. This year is only the continuation of the momentum that has been building for too long.

Please, don’t be surprised when Mercer upsets a big school this year. I know, it’s hard to make your way out of the library sometimes to catch the games but realize we’re not the Bad News Bears of the Atlantic Sun anymore. We’ve still got a ways to go in several sports, but we cater to the niche sports. Lacrosse is only one example of the flourishing teams on campus. Mercer wrestling may be the next sport to really grab hold of the campus. Who’s to say?

One thing is for certain though: few moments in history provide people the opportunity to make a lasting and memorable impact in an institution (Mercer). The moment to redefine Mercer is now.