LAKELAND LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR NEW BASKETBALL COACH AS GRZESK MOVES ON
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- Lakeland College head men’s basketball coach Gary Grzesk was named the new head men’s basketball coach at St. Norbert College in De Pere today.

Grzesk was 51-31 in his three seasons as Lakeland’s head coach, guiding the Muskies to the program’s first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in his first season, and to the Lake Michigan Conference championship and 21 wins this past season.

Grzesk said he will always be thankful to Lakeland President Stephen Gould and Athletic Director Jane Bouche for giving him his first chance to be a college head coach.

“They allowed me an opportunity to prove myself,” Grzesk said. “The hardest part of this is leaving the players we have here at Lakeland. Our guys invested so much time and energy into embracing what we wanted to do, and I’ll always be grateful to them for that. That is the hardest thing for me to leave.”

Bouche said Grzesk leaves some big shoes to fill.

“We’re thankful to Gary for all he did for our program,” Bouche said. “In a short period of time, Gary and his teams certainly left a big mark in Lakeland athletic history. We wish him and his family well as he moves to the next step in his career.”

Bouche said Lakeland will move quickly to find a new basketball coach, as the search will begin immediately.

--April 13, 2006-- [Complete Release provided by Lakeland College Sports Information Department]

JAMES NAMED TO NABC DISTRICT TEAM
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- Lakeland College senior basketball standout Germayne James was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-Midwest District Team on Monday.

James, the Lake Michigan Conference Player of the Year, was named to the District Second Team after leading the Muskies to a 21-6 record, their best since 1994, and a regular season conference title.

James led the team with 14.6 points per game, 3.2 assists per game and 1.7 steals per game. James also had a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio-second-best in the conference behind teammate Aaron Regal (2.6).

--March 20, 2006-- [Release provided by Lakeland College Sports Information Department]

LMC MEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS ANNOUNCED
MADISON, Wis. -- The 2005-06 Lake Michigan Conference awards for men's basketball have just been announced by the conference office. The awards include a ten-player All-LMC team, followed by honorable mention, a five-player All-Rookie team and player, rookie and coach of the year awards. All awards are voted on by the LMC head coaches.

Lakeland College represented the LMC player, rookie and coach of the year awards.

Germayne James, a senior guard from Richmond, Ind., was named LMC Player of the Year. James averaged 14.6 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game this season, and shot just under 50 percent from the field. James' averages were all in the top-ten of LMC leaders. James also had a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio -- second-best in the conference behind teammate Aaron Regal (2.6).

Rookie of the Year honors went to freshman forward Matt Rogers (Rochelle, Ill.). Rogers averaged 10.9 points per game, and made 56.9 percent of his shots, second-best in the LMC.

Lakeland Coach Gary Grzesk was voted LMC Coach of the Year by his peers after leading Lakeland (21-6, 13-1 LMC) to the LMC regular season championship, and the program's first 20-win season in over ten years. The Muskies also finished the season ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Midwest Region poll. [2005-06 LMC Men's Basketball Awards]

--February 28, 2006--

WISCONSIN LUTHERAN TO TAKE ON HOPE IN MEN'S NCAA FIRST ROUND
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee announced the field of 59 teams for the 2006 Division III Basketball Championship. Lake Michigan Conference automatic qualifier Wisconsin Lutheran College (14-14) will take on Hope College (26-2) in a first round game.

Hope will host two first round games and a second round game at the DeVos Fieldhouse in Holland, Mich. Both first round games will take place this Friday, March 3, while the second round game will take place Saturday, March 4. The Wisconsin Lutheran-Hope winner will take on the winner of Calvin College (22-6) and UW-La Crosse (20-7).

[Hope College NCAA Tournament Website]
[NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship bracket]

--February 27, 2006--

LMC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT DATES AND TIMES SET
MADISON, Wis. -- The Lake Michigan Conference Executive committee has set the dates and times for the LMC basketball tournament games that had to be rescheduled due to last week's snow storm. The men's semifinals will be played on Thursday, February 23, at 7:00 p.m. No. 4 Edgewood College will travel to No. 1 Lakeland College, and No. 7 Marian College will travel to No. 3 Wisconsin Lutheran College.

The Saturday, February 25, championship games will stay as originally scheduled with the men's championship being played at the higher remaining seed at 2:00 p.m., and women's championship - No. 2 Concordia University at No. 1 Lakeland College at 7:00 p.m.

--February 20, 2006--

ROAD CONDITIONS CAUSE POSTPONEMENT OF LMC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
MADISON, Wis. -- Poor road conditions have caused the LMC Executive Committee to postpone all Lake Michigan Conference men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal games. The games, originally scheduled for 7:00 p.m. tonight, have been postponed until this Saturday and Sunday.

Maranatha Baptist Bible College (1-22, 0-14 LMC) will take on top-seeded Lakeland College (20-5, 13-1) this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. on the Lakeland campus.

The three other quarterfinal games have been rescheduled for Sunday, February 19.

Marian College (9-16, 5-9), the No. 7 seed, will take on host Milwaukee School of Engineering (17-8, 10-4), the No. 2 seed, at 2:00 p.m.

No. 6 Concordia University (8-15, 6-8) will travel to No. 3 Wisconsin Lutheran College (11-14, 8-6) for a 4:30 p.m. tip-off.

Fifth-seeded Dominican University (13-12, 6-8) will take on host, and No. 4 seed, Edgewood College (13-11, 8-6) at 4:00 p.m. in Madison.

The semifinals and championship will also be rescheduled, with more details to be announced on Monday.

--February 16, 2006--

PAIRINGS SET FOR LMC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
MADISON, Wis. -- Yesterday marked the end of the regular season for all Lake Michigan Conference men's basketball teams, and the seeding for the 2006 Lake Michigan Conference Men's Basketball Tournament has been set.

All quarterfinal games will tip-off this Thursday, February 16 at 7:00 p.m. The No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 seeds will host their respective games, and the remaining higher seed will host each game throughout the tournament.

Lake Michigan Conference regular season champion Lakeland College (20-5, 13-1 LMC) is the No. 1 seed and will host eight-seeded Maranatha Baptist Bible College (1-22, 0-14) on the Lakeland campus. The Muskies, currently ranked No. 6 in the most recent NCAA Division III Midwest Regional ranking, defeated the Crusaders handily in both regular season meetings winning 88-46 on November 22 at Lakeland, and 85-56 last week in Watertown. The Muskies will have home court advantage throughout the tournament. [...more...]

-February 12, 2006--

MUSKIES UNVEIL LIVE STATS ON THE INTERNET
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- Lakeland College basketball fans that cannot attend Lakeland home games will have a new way to follow the Muskies beginning this weekend.

Lakeland will feature live statistics on the college's website starting with the men's and women's basketball games on Feb. 11 against MSOE. Fans unable to attend any remaining home games this season will be able to follow all the action by logging on to www.lakeland.edu/athletics and clicking on the link for live statistics.

--February 9, 2006-- [Release Provided by Lakeland College Sports Information Department]

 MSOE'S BAYIHA NAMED TO D3HOOPS.COM TEAM OF THE WEEK
MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Floyd Bayiha (Superior, Wis. / Cameroon) was recognized by the D3hoops.com staff being named to their Team of the Week for the week ending Jan. 29. D3Hoops.com is a nationally recognized web site promoting NCAA Division III basketball. The Team of the Week is picked by staff members from nominations placed by Sports Information Directors on a weekly basis.

Bayiha had a stellar week, averaging 29.5 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists during a 2-0 week for Milwaukee School of Engineering. Against cross-town rival Wisconsin Lutheran, he scored 40 points, going 10-for-16 from the field and 19-for-23 from the charity stripe. Bayiha also added five rebounds, three steals and three assists in the 95-94 overtime victory. In a 79-57 win against Maranatha Baptist, he recorded 19 points and five steals. On the week, he shot 64% from the field, 75% from behind the arc and 86% from the foul line.

Bayiha, who leads the conference averaging 21.3 points per game, was also selected as the Lake Michigan Conference Player of the Week for his outstanding play. This was his third LMC Player of the Week award.

--February 1, 2006-- [Release provided by MSOE Sports Information Department]

COOPER REACHES 1,000 POINT MARK
MADISON, Wis. -- Fresh off back-to-back victories the Edgewood College men’s basketball team failed to win its third straight non-conference game by falling to UW-Oshkosh by a final score of 72-52 from the Todd Wehr Edgedome on Saturday.

Edgewood College senior Seth Cooper (Madison, Wis.) entered the contest one point shy of becoming the 12th student-athlete in the history of the Eagle men’s basketball program to score over 1,000 career points. Cooper eclipsed the milestone on his first basket of the game with just over 12 minutes remaining in the first half.

The visiting Titans (7-4), who are currently ranked No. 25 in NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, raced out to a 12-0 lead thanks to the hot shooting of Andy Jahnke. Jahnke connected on his first four shots of the game, all of which came from three-point range, en route to scoring a game-high 22 points. UW-Oshkosh shot 7-of-11 from beyond the arc in the first half. Jahnke finished 6-of-10 shooting from the field, as the Titans shot 48.9 percent as a team in the victory. Defensively, Kerry Gibson added to his team-leading blocked shot total with seven blocks on Saturday.

--December 31, 2005-- [Complete release provided by Edgewood College Sports Information Department]

MIKOS BREAKS MSOE STEALS RECORD
MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Senior guard Jeff Mikos (Lake Zurich, Ill. / Lake Zurich) broke a 23-year-old school record after recording his 279th career steal as Milwaukee School of Engineering won its third straight conference game, 73-58 over Edgewood College at the Kern Center on Saturday afternoon.

“The record is exciting for both me and the team – we played well in front of a big crowd and we’re having success this season,” Mikos said after the game. “It’s always good to be on top of a record, as long as it’s not turnovers.”

Also on the night, Mikos dished out six assists, recorded five steals and finished with six points on 1-for-5 shooting. He went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. MSOE All Time leading scorer Jeff Brezovar (1979-83) previously held the record for most career steals.

--December 10, 2005-- [Release provided by MSOE Sports Information Department]

AVERKAMP'S 21 REBOUNDS TIES SCHOOL RECORD, LARSON GETS 350th WIN
MADISON, Wis. -- Sophomore Charlie Averkamp (New Berlin, Wis.) scored a game-high 20 points and his 21 rebounds tied an Edgewood College single-game record as the Eagles defeated Lake Michigan Conference opponent Marian College 66-57 at the Todd Wehr Edgedome on Saturday. The win also marked the 350th career victory for Edgewood College head coach Steve Larson.

Averkamp, the 2005 LMC Rookie of the Year, was nearly unstoppable in the Eagles’ (3-1, 1-0 LMC) first conference game of the season. The 6-foot-6 forward grabbed 12 boards in the first half with 17 of his total rebounds coming on the defensive end. His 21 rebounds ties the single-game mark set by Royce Malkowski back on Feb. 10, 2001 at Milwaukee School of Engineering. Averkamp also shot 6-of-11 from the field with 14 of his points coming in the final 20 minutes.

--November 26, 2005-- [Complete release provided by Edgewood College Sports Information Department]

BOTH EDGEWOOD HOOPS TEAMS TABBED TO REPEAT
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- Lakeland College hosted the Lake Michigan Conference's annual basketball media day on Thursday, where the 2005-06 LMC Basketball Media Guide was released. The guide contained the men's and women's preseason coaches polls, and the Edgewood College men's and women's teams were picked to repeat as LMC champions.

Edgewood's men's team (17-10, 9-3 LMC in 2004-05) received seven of the eight first place votes for 62 total points. Concordia University (13-15, 8-4) received the remaining first place vote, and is predicted to finish second, tallying 49 points. Milwaukee School of Engineering (11-15, 5-7) received 42 points, edging out Lakeland College's (14-12, 7-5) 41 points for third place.

Marian College (9-17, 6-6) and Wisconsin Lutheran College (12-15, 7-5) were picked to tie for fifth place, while conference-newcomer Dominican University (7-19) was picked seventh, and Maranatha Baptist Bible College (5-20, 0-12) eighth.

2005 Lake Michigan Conference Player of the Year Seth Cooper (Madison, Wis.) led the preseason All-LMC team voting, and was selected as the preseason Player of the Year. Last season Cooper led Edgewood to the LMC regular season and tournament championships, including a trip to the NCAA Division III tournament.

On the women's side, Edgewood (21-8, 12-2) received seven of the nine first place votes totaling 79 points. Lakeland (18-10, 10-4) received the remaining two first place votes and totaled 73 points. Wisconsin Lutheran (10-16, 8-6) was tabbed third with 58 points, and Marian (14-13, 9-5) was fourth with 55. Concordia (6-20, 5-9) was picked fifth while Dominican (3-23) was picked sixth. MSOE (8-18, 3-11), Maranatha (17-11, 7-7), and Alverno College (6-19, 2-12) rounded out the bottom three sports.

Nickie Updike (Monticello, Wis.) was named the women's preseason LMC Player of the Year. Updike helped the Eagles win their first LMC regular season and tournament championships,  last season, and was the 2005 LMC Rookie of the Year. Edgewood also received their first berth to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Complete polls and preseason All-LMC teams can be found in the 2005-06 Lake Michigan Conference Basketball Media Guide, available at www.LakeMichiganConference.org.

--November 11, 2005-- [ 2005-06 LMC Basketball Media Guide]

LMC BASKETBALL MEDIA DAY TO TAKE PLACE AT WEHR ATHLETIC CENTER
MADISON, Wis. -- The annual Lake Michigan Conference Basketball Media Day for the upcoming 2005-06 season will take place at Lakeland College's newly expanded Todd Wehr Athletic Center. The event begins at 11:00 am on Thursday, November 10, and is open to all media outlets that cover LMC athletics.

Media Day will include season previews by all 17 head coaches of the LMC, the release of the preseason coaches' polls in the 2005-06 LMC Basketball Media Guide, and players and coaches will be available for questions and interviews. All interested individuals should contact Lakeland College Sports Information Director David Gallianetti at 920-565-1219 or gallianettidd@lakeland.edu.

--October 25, 2005--