Sports - The McKendree Review

10Nov

By The McKendree Review1 Comment

Sports

Water Polo.. in the Midwest?

by Gabrielle Madewell, Contributing Writer McKendree University’s men’s and women’s water polo programs have turned 1 as of this 2017-2018 school year. The person responsible for making the program’s first year successful is Colleen Lischwe, head women’s water polo coach and assistant men’s water polo coach. Like many Universities nation-wide, McKendree heavily prides itself on having very successful and well known athletic teams in the Midwest region. While the school has a variety of different teams offered, a total of 34 men’s and women’s teams, this school year marks the one year anniversary of a unique addition to the athletic department: Men and Women’s Water Polo. Most U.S. water polo teams in the United States are located in California. To put that into perspective, out o...

The Arnold Classic: The Greatest Fitness Convention in the World

9May

By The McKendree ReviewNo Comments

Sports

The Arnold Classic: The Greatest Fitness Convention in the World

By Dakota Meyers, Contributing Writer The Arnold Classic is a fitness convention held in Columbus, Ohio every year during the first week of March by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Athletes from all around the world come to compete and present their skills during this three-day event. Each year, this convention hosts one of the largest powerlifting meets of the year, with many of the words best powerlifters competing. Not only are there countless numbers of competitions throughout the event including bodybuilding shows, powerlifting meets and MMA meets, but fitness companies also set up booths to display their products or services. Companies with products varying from clothing and accessories to supplement and food distributors set up booths with their athletes and models on hand to persuade custo...

4May

By The McKendree ReviewNo Comments

Sports

A Cubs Fan in a Cardinals World

By Allison Donofrio, Staff Writer Before November 2, 2016, when the Chicago Cubs broke their 108-year World Series drought, it was difficult to be a Cubs fan in a St. Louis Cardinals world. If I wore anything Cubs related in Carrier Mills, Ill., I would get stares and scuffs. People would ask “why are you a Cubs fan when we are 2 hours from Busch Stadium?” To them, it’s only logical to support the closest team. Therefore, the majority of baseball fans in Southern Illinois root for the Cardinals. However, I was born and raised in Downers Grove, a Chicago suburb. Even in Downers Grove, not everyone was overly supportive of the Chicago Cubs. When the Cubs were champions of the National League Central Division in 2008 after defeating the Cardinals 5-4, Chicago White Sox fans were cruel when I...

24Mar

By The McKendree Review1 Comment

Sports

More Than a Game

By Grant Riggs, Editor-in-Chief Lebanon, Ill. - To many people, basketball is just a game, and a silly one at that. Players run up and down the court, repeatedly banging away at each other in hopes of putting a small ball into a slightly bigger hoop. To some extent, these people are correct. At the end of the day, it is just a game, with a winner and loser. However, on countless occasions, basketball has touched people in a way that transcends winning and losing. Sports, particularly basketball, have been a crucial part of my family for as long as I can remember. It began with my great-grandpa Otto, who had a passion for following sports in his hometown of Highland, Ill. He became known for being a part of the “chain gang” who operated the first-down markers at every home Highland High Sc...

8Mar

By The McKendree ReviewNo Comments

Sports

Behind the Success: Andrew Best

By Zach Breeding, Co-Editor of Sports LEBANON, Ill. - Anyone who has followed the McKendree men's hockey team as of late is well aware of their success. And anyone who pays attention to the stats or watches the games is also aware that much of this success falls on the shoulders of starting goalie Andrew Best. This previous season, Best was a standout performer. He limited opponents to just a 2.06 goals against average prior to entering the team's last tournament of the season. Considering that the Bearcats regularly scored more than seven goals in each game makes this statistic even more impressive. However, looking back on the path that brought Best to Mckendree, it's clear that he faced many trials and tribulations along the way. From a young age, it was clear what sport Best would pl...

2016-17 Top Ten GLVC Men’s Basketball Players

23Feb

By The McKendree ReviewNo Comments

Sports

2016-17 Top Ten GLVC Men’s Basketball Players

By Grant Riggs, Editor-in-Chief The Great Lakes Valley Conference is annually one of the best Division II basketball conferences in America, with this season being no exception. As postseason play looms, take a look at how the elite players within the conference stack up against one another. Honorable Mention Al Davis. G, Bellarmine Patrick Whelan, G William Jewell Jake Velky, G, Truman State Miles Simelton, G, Lewis Top Ten Kindred Williams, F, St. Joseph’s 2016-17 Conference Per-Game Stats: 14.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.1 blocks, 1.2 steals, FGs: 52.3% FT: 65% Williams, a 6’6” junior, gets the nod over other borderline players such as Whelan, Velky and Simelton because he impacts the game in more ways. His long arms allow him to wreak havoc on the defensive side o...

21Feb

By The McKendree ReviewNo Comments

Sports

Weekly Sports Lineup: Feb. 20 – Feb. 26

By Steve Sladek, Co-Editor of Sports Thursday, Feb. 23 Women’s Basketball: at University of Illinois at Springfield, 5:30 p.m. Men’s Baseketball: at University of Illinois at Springfield, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24 Men’s Wrestling: at NCAA Super Regional 3, All Day Women’s Lacrosse: vs. Florida Southern College, 12:00 p.m. Softball: vs. Ferris State University, 1:00 p.m. Softball: vs. Ohio Dominican University, 3:00 p.m. Baseball: at Drury University, 3:00 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 Women’s Track & Field: at Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Championships, All Day Men’s Track & Field: at Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Championships, All Day Baseball: at Drury University, 12:00 p.m. Softball: vs. Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.), 1:00 p.m. Softball: vs. Saginaw Val...

16Feb

By The McKendree Review2 Comments

Sports

Behind the Success: Darren Wynn

By Zach Breeding, Co-Editor of Sports Darren Wynn's life is one that is heavily influenced by family and friends. And if it wasn't for his family, he may not have even had the opportunity to achieve the massive success that he has as a wrestler at McKendree. "My biggest inspiration has to go to my family, they always push me. I'm the oldest cousin and brother, so I have to show the younger people in my family how to take care of business," said Wynn, a redshirt junior from Champaign, Ill. This backbone, along with his coaches, is also Wynn's support system. However, it's not just a helping hand that his family provides. They were also his initial push into wrestling. Wrestling has been a part of Wynn's life since the second grade, but this wasn't by his design. Up until his sophomore yea...

Weekly Sports Lineup & Recap: Feb. 12 – Feb. 19

15Feb

By The McKendree ReviewNo Comments

Sports

Weekly Sports Lineup & Recap: Feb. 12 – Feb. 19

By Steve Sladek, Co-Editor of Sports This week in McKendree Athletics, 10 of the Universities’ 33 teams are in action for the Bearcats. Basketball, track and field, baseball, softball, men’s and tennis, men’s volleyball and women’s hockey all compete through the nation in five different states. Thursday, Feb. 16 Women’s Basketball: at Bellarmine University, 5:45 p.m. ET Men’s Basketball: at Bellarmine University, 8:00 p.m. ET Friday, Feb. 17 Women’s Track & Field: at Illinois College, All Day Men’s Track & Field: at Illinois College, All Day Baseball: at University of Montevallo, 2:00 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 Softball: vs. Saginaw Valley State University, 10:00 a.m. Men’s Tennis: at Southern Illinois University, 11:30 a.m. Women’s Basketball: at Southern Indiana Universi...

14Feb

By The McKendree Review1 Comment

Sports

Women’s Track Takes Flight

By Zach Manion, Contributing Writer After a successful weekend at Missouri Southern State University, the McKendree University Women’s track and field team propelled themselves to 21st in the nation, their first national ranking since becoming a Division II program in 2012. Before joining Division II, the men's and women's track and field teams experienced some dominant years at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level. The men’s and women’s teams had a total of six national championships and multiple All-American performances before making the jump to Division II. The women’s team boasts five national championships, including winning the indoor national championship an unprecedented four years in a row. Fast forwarding to the present, the women’s success this ye...