Loyola's Bidzinski, Krause Honored as Scholar-Athletes of the Week

April 22, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS -

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Loyola University Chicago junior Sean Bidzinski (men's golf) and senior Kat Krause (softball) have been named the U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athletes of the Week, League commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone announced Tuesday (April 22).

Bidzinski finished tied for 46th-place with a score of 221 (70-74-77) at the competitive Boilermaker Invitational last weekend. He tied a season low with a two-under-par 70 in the first round on Saturday (Apr. 19). Bidzinski also placed 15th at the Caputo Invitational on April 14-15 as Loyola won the team title. He owns a 77.6 average this season.

As a finance major, Bidzinski owns a 3.92 grade-point average. He has been a member of the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll, and was named a Scholar-Athlete of the Week during his sophomore season.

Krause batted .300 (6-for-20) with three runs, two doubles, a home run, and three RBI in six games last week. At Wright State on Sunday (Apr. 20), she had three hits and moved into a tie for Loyola's career RBI record with a game-winning RBI double, bringing her batting average to .560 on the season. Krause also went 2-for-4 with a double, homer, and two RBI in a 6-4 victory against the Raiders on Saturday.

In the classroom, Krause carries a 3.82 grade-point average as a psychology major. She has been recognized on both the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll, and as a Scholar-Athlete of the Week in February. She also helped Loyola to the 2007 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Team Award, which honors the top ten academic teams.

The Horizon League instituted the U.S. Army Scholar-Athlete of the Week awards as a way to recognize outstanding academic and athletic achievement by its student-athletes. To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or better (on a 4.00 scale), have completed at least one year at the member institution and passed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours, and perform well during the week's competition. Winners are selected by a group of League faculty athletic representatives, from nominations provided by sports information directors.

OTHER MALE NOMINEES:

Phil Orno, Cleveland State (tennis, sophomore, 3.40, English) capped a perfect singles season in the Horizon League with wins at No. 1 singles against Valparaiso and UIC, helping the Vikings clinch the No. 1 seed for the upcoming championship. At Valpo on Saturday (Apr. 19), Orno earned a 6-2, 6-3 victory after teaming with Ryan Hamning to win at No. 1 doubles 8-4. The duo also combined for an 8-6 victory over UIC on Sunday (Apr. 20) before Orno defeated his opponent 6-2, 6-1 for his 17th-straight singles match victory.

Mark Sommerfeld, Detroit (golf, senior, 3.457, international business) won the individual medal as the Detroit men's golf team led wire-to-wire at their own Titans Invitational. Sommerfeld ended at three-under-par (213) for the 54-hole tournament (69-70-74) to post a one-shot victory over an opponent from Youngstown State. It was Sommerfeld's second individual title of the spring season.

Andy Hetebrueg, Milwaukee (baseball, junior, 3.787, marketing) helped the Panthers to a 3-3 week on the mound and at the plate. He earned the victory in one of Saturday's games at Cleveland State, striking out a career-high seven batters in eight innings of work. He also started three other games in the field.

Brett Schaefer, UIC (baseball, junior, 3.33, business) went 6-for-9 (.667) in a pair of wins at Valparaiso on Friday (Apr. 18), as he drove in four runs while also registering a double and his team-leading fifth home run. He hit .300 and drove in six runs in fives games over the course of last week.

Zach Rodeghero, Valparaiso (baseball, senior, 3.27, meteorology) hit .500 (6-for-12) while scoring three runs and driving in three. He extended his hitting streak to 13 straight games with hits in all three games last week, including three against UIC in the first game. Rodeghero also recorded two doubles and was hit twice, for a .533 on-base percentage. He continues to lead the Horizon League in hitting (.424).

Josh Page, Youngstown State (baseball, senior, 3.86, middle childhood education) led the Penguins to four wins last week, including three key conference victories over Butler and Milwaukee. He batted .458 with a home run, a double, four RBI and six runs scored. Page also matched his career high with four hits at Niagara, where he also hit his third home run of the season.

OTHER FEMALE NOMINEES:

Christa Coppus, Cleveland State (softball, junior, 3.210, management and labor relations) hit .381 (8-for-21) with four runs, two doubles and two RBI as the Vikings went 5-2 last week, including a 4-1 mark in League play to take over first place in the standings. She recorded a .476 slugging percentage and a .458 on-base percentage in seven games, while going a perfect 2-for-2 in stolen bases.

Amanda Smith, Detroit (track & field, senior, 3.605, nursing) swept both hurdle events at the Detroit-Oakland meet last week, posting times of 16.0 seconds in the 100-meter event and 64.8 seconds in the 400-meter race, setting two facility records as well as a meet record in the 400. She also was part of Detroit's 4x400-meter relay team that took first-place with a meet record performance of 4:03.80. Two days later, Smith took fifth-place at the EMU Twilight Invitational in the 400-meter hurdles with a season-best time of 64.08.

Ashlee Ackerman, UIC (softball, senior, 3.49, sociology) batted .267 (4-for-15) in five League games last week while also recording a .313 on-base percentage. She was 2-for-4 at the plate in the Flames' second game against Cleveland State, and was 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI in the series finale against the Vikings.

Erin Havener, Milwaukee (track & field, sophomore, 3.487, nursing) broke her own school record in the pole vault at Purdue's Dave Rankin Invitational last weekend, clearing 12 feet 3 1/2 inches to surpass her previous mark by two inches. She placed second in the event.

Alicia Ashburn, Valparaiso (softball, senior, 3.766, English and secondary education) went 2-for-5 last week in Valpo's doubleheader at Purdue, tallying a hit in each game. She drove in the game-winning run in the top of the eighth inning in Valpo's 4-1 win in the nightcap against the Boilermakers. She also scored an insurance run later in the eighth inning. Ashburn ranks among Valpo's career top-10 in home runs (9, 6th) and sacrifices (27, T-2nd).

PREVIOUS U.S. ARMY SCHOLAR-ATHLETES:

Aug. 28,Nina Inic (Butler, volleyball)
Sept. 5, Ryan Miller (Green Bay, cross country); Liz Fazio (Cleveland State, volleyball)
Sept. 11,Chris Honig (Valparaiso, cross country); Katarina Hanackova (UIC, volleyball)
Sept. 18,Malcolm DeBaun (Loyola, soccer); Betty Slinger (Green Bay, volleyball)
Sept. 25,Markian Zyga (Loyola, soccer); Sara Hughes (Valparaiso, volleyball)
Oct. 2,Kent Wories (Butler, cross country); Ani Michl (Valparaiso, soccer)
Oct. 9,Zeke Dombrowski (Milwaukee, soccer); Lotte Rasmussen (Green Bay, soccer)
Oct. 16,Kent Wories (Butler, cross country); Amanda Stinson (Green Bay, soccer)
Oct. 23,Robby Leibold (Milwaukee, swimming); Alyse Serritella (Loyola, volleyball)
Oct. 30,Steve Grove (Cleveland State, swimming); Genni Gardner (Butler, cross country)
Nov. 6,Steve Grove (Cleveland State, swimming); Beth Steuer (Milwaukee, soccer)
Nov. 13,Robby Leibold (Milwaukee, swimming); Cynthia Morote-Ariza (Loyola, soccer)
Nov. 20,Mike Schachtner (Green Bay, basketball); Mel Snyder (Cleveland State, volleyball)
Nov. 27,A.J. Graves (Butler, basketball); Kailey Klein (Cleveland State, basketball)
Dec. 4,Drew Streicher (Butler, basketball); Ashley Hall (Milwaukee, diving)
Dec. 11,Jake Diebler (Valparaiso, basketball); Ashley Hall (Milwaukee, diving)
Dec. 18,Samuel Haanpää (Valparaiso, basketball); Leah Hochstetler (Valparaiso, basketball)
Jan. 8,Ryan Tillema (Green Bay, basketball); Kayla Groh (Green Bay, basketball)
Jan. 15,Mike Schachtner (Green Bay, basketball); Kari Helland (Green Bay, diving)
Jan. 22,Steve Bartholomew (Valparaiso, indoor track & field), Kelsey Hausken (Green Bay, swimming)
Jan. 29,Robby Leibold (Milwaukee, swimming); Jessica Weidert (Wright State, swimming)
Feb. 5,Jeremy Waldhart (Milwaukee, swimming); Ashley Hall (Milwaukee, diving)
Feb. 12,Phil Orno (Cleveland State, tennis); Kat Krause (Loyola, softball)
Feb. 19, A.J. Graves (Butler, basketball); Elise VanBogaert (Loyola, basketball)
Feb. 26,Adam Schleis (Milwaukee, baseball); Jessica Weidert (Wright State, swimming)
Mar. 4,Julian Betko (Butler, basketball); Launa Hochstetler (Valparaiso, basketball)
Mar. 11,Aaron Merrill (Youngstown State, outdoor track & field); Andrea Zappia (Valparaiso, softball)
Mar. 18,Andy Hetebrueg (Milwaukee, baseball); Kim Sajevic (Valparaiso, tennis)
Mar. 25,A.J. Graves (Butler, basketball); Nora Schober (Loyola, softball)Apr. 1,Andy Hetebrueg (Milwaukee, baseball); Karen Korb (Valparaiso, softball)
Apr. 8,Ryan Stohs (Valparaiso, track & field); Holly Nearman (Milwaukee, track & field)
Apr. 15,Chris Honig (Valparaiso, track & field); Genni Gardner (Butler, track & field)