Church named Jim Thorpe Semi-Finalist
Toledo safety Barry Church was named one of the 12 semi-finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award yesterday, given annually to the nation’s top defensive back.
Church is eighth in the Mid-American Conference in tackles this season with 82 (7.5 for loss) with one interception and three blocked kicks.
Church has earned first-team All-MAC honors in all three of his seasons and could become only the second player in school history to do it four-consecutive years (Nick Kaczur 2001-04).
The Rockets look to rebound from last weekend’s two losses and close out the home portion of the 2009 season with wins. Toledo will take on Central Michigan (14-8, 7-5 Mid-American Conference) on Friday, Nov. 6 before battling Eastern Michigan (4-24, 3-9 MAC) on Saturday, Nov. 7. Both contests begin at 7 p.m.
Saturday’s match against the Eagles will be “Senior Night” with ceremonies before the game honoring seniors Lyndsey Holt, Stephanie Kersting, Mallory Ladd, Elisha Milks, Mallory Strall, Liz Sundburg and Sarah Wilson.
Several Rockets saw their runs end in Birmingham, Ala. at the USTA Pro Futures tournament on Tuesday.
Junior Knot Likitkumchorn was defeated by the International Tennis Federation’s 406th ranked player Tigran Martirosyan in the first round of the main singles draw on Tuesday 6-2, 6-4.
Likitkumchorn and sophomore Leo Sarria teamed up against the tandem of Marcus Fugate and Timothy Neilly in the main doubles draw portion of the tournament and lost a 6-4, 6-4 decision.
The Toledo women’s golf team finished tied for 12th place with Hawaii at the Turtle Bay Resort College Invitational in O’ahu, Hawaii yesterday. The Rockets finished with a team score of 926. UC-Davis led through all three rounds of the tournament, winning the invitational with a team total of 868, four-over par.
Junior co-captain Michelle Hui placed the highest individually for Toledo, finishing eleven-over par with a total of 227. Also recording a top-50 performance in the tournament was senior co-captain Marguerite Johnson, who shot a fifteen-over par for a total of 231 to tie for 42nd place.
It’s a great accomplishment that the university, players, coaches, parents and fans can be very proud of.
Sophomore Naama Shafir will be the Rockets’ top floor general this season after starting all 31 games last year as a true freshman. With averages of 11.7 points, 4.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 29.0 minutes in 2008-09, Shafir provides an efficient all-around game and pound-for-pound is one of the toughest guards in the MAC, solidifying her preseason selection to the All-MAC West Division squad. Providing depth at the position will be sophomore Clare Aubry and freshman Andola Dortch. According to Cullop, Aubry has nice range while Dortch is a solid defensive player who sees the floor well and is a great athlete.
Junior Jessica Williams played a big role for Toledo last season and the Rockets will count on her shooting again this year to continue their success. In 2008-09, Williams ranked second in the MAC in three-point field goal percentage (44%) and tied for 10th place in three-pointers made (2.06 per game). Sophomores Courtney Ingersoll and Larrita Gipson both will add experience and depth to the position. With Ingersoll’s perimeter defense and Gipson’s scoring ability, Toledo has plenty of options at the guard position to frustrate opponents’ defenses on a nightly basis.
Three-time senior co-captain Allie Clifton has proven herself to be quite a versatile player at the forward position for the Rockets in her career. Last year, Clifton averaged 9.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and one steal in 25.1 minutes per game. The senior possesses the size and athleticism to score on opposing defenses either in the post or out on the perimeter, and has the ability to be a quality rebounder and defender. If she can avoid injury, Clifton will be an instrumental force on both ends of the floor for Toledo. Freshmen Lecretia Smith and Riley McCormick also provide added depth as wing players for Toledo.
Senior Tanika Mays will be a formidable force for Toledo in the frontcourt this season. The senior co-captain was a second-team All-MAC selection last year after averaging a team-high 12.5 points to go with 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.9 assists and 0.4 blocks, leading the MAC in steals with 2.63 a game. Joining her up front will be classmate co-captain Lisa Johnson, an Academic All-MAC selection who averaged 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and a team-leading 0.8 blocks per game last year mostly off the bench. Johnson ranks fifth on the all-time list at Toledo with 67 blocks.
Toledo’s interior will be solidified up front by junior Melissa Goodall. The 6-2 junior saw action in all 32 games for the Rockets in 2008-09, starting 22 contests with averages of 7.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.6 assists and 0.4 blocks in 22.4 minutes of play. Goodall also recorded three double-doubles for Toledo last year. Freshman and Toledo native Yolanda Richardson also will supply a substantial physical presence up front and should see decent playing time. Richardson averaged 14.8 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game for Start High School last season as the Spartans went 22-3 and reached the state finals.
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