Decatur, Ill. — St. Mary-of-the-Woods coaches and players figured they might play Robert Morris-Springfield again after slipping past that team 2-1 Saturday night in the championship bracket of the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association national softball tournament.
They’d entered that contest as the only unbeatens left in the double-elimination bracket that was narrowed down to four teams by pool play Friday and early Saturday at Borg Warner Sports Complex.
Then Robert Morris-Springfield bounced back to eliminate Spalding 8-2 in a game called in the fifth inning because of rain at about 11:25 p.m. EDT Saturday.
That set up a late-night rematch between The Woods and Robert Morris-Springfield.
But Mother Nature wouldn’t let it happen.
After a lengthy rain delay, tournament officials declared The Woods national champion because of its 2-0 record in the bracket. At that point, only the most hard-core fans were still there to witness a short trophy presentation conducted at about 1 a.m. Sunday under a shelter as steady showers made the complex’s fields unplayable for the rest of the weekend.
This was the Pomeroys’ second USCAA national title in a row and sixth in the last seven years.
“It was kinda different this time,” Woods second-year coach Gary Rodgers admitted.
“But we look at it as we were the champions determined by head-to-head competition. We’re happy with the decision that was made and we‘re satisfied that we’re national champions of the USCAA.”
”It was kinda bittersweet,” added SMWC senior Ashley Loomis, a former Riverton Parke High School standout. “Jessica Ketner [the team’s other senior] and I didn’t know that [2-1 triumph over Robert Morris-Springfield] would be the last game we played. We wanted one more chance to play. But we were happy to take home another national championship.”
For Loomis, this will end up being a memorable two-month stretch. She recently graduated from The Woods with a degree in elementary education and she’ll be marrying Michael Organ of Rosedale on June 28, plus she was named Most Valuable Player of the USCAA national tournament for the second straight year.
“Ashley was very deserving,” Rodgers said. “She definitely did her part, pitching and hitting us through this tournament. We got support for her, defensively and offensively. But Ashley is one of those players who we all look up to to lead us. It is going to be very tough next year realizing we won’t have Ashley Loomis on the diamond for our team, but it’s been a very enjoyable two years coaching Ashley Loomis and Jessica Ketner.”
“I feel like we all deserved it,” Loomis said of the MVP award. “We had a lot of people really step up. Our defense for the last five games was the best we’d had all season. So I think we all deserved it.”
Loomis and junior catcher Ashley Sankey split the six runs batted in during the Pomeroys’ two championship-bracket victories, both pitched by Loomis. Their other win was a 4-1 decision over Judson on Saturday afternoon.
Sankey, who played high school softball at Terre Haute South, delivered an RBI single against Judson and a two-out, two-run double on a 3-2 pitch in the fourth inning against Robert Morris-Springfield.
“My mindset was to focus on every at-bat and just try to make good contact,” said Sankey, who wrapped up her first season with The Woods after playing the previous two seasons at Lincoln Trail College. “The championship was pretty exciting… I wanted us to win it for our seniors and our family and friends who traveled to Decatur and battled that monsoon.”
Loomis, Sankey and Ketner were named to the all-tournament team.
“I would like to have played another game,” mentioned Ketner, another South graduate and a member of the Pomeroys’ championship team last season. “I would like to step on the field and say, ‘This is it.’ But I didn’t get that chance.
“I still think we were more than deserving [of the championship]. We never lost a game all weekend. We had beaten every team there [in the championship bracket]. And if we had kept playing, Robert Morris would have had to beat us two straight games and there’s no way they would have done that.”
Kea Silcock, a junior left fielder and lead-off batter from West Vigo, also enjoyed her consecutive national title with The Woods, despite the unique ending.
“There’s nothing more we could have done about it,” Silcock said. “We beat Robert Morris once. It would have been good to play another game. But with that weather, what could we do?
“It was different from last year because of the rain. But it was still a good experience getting to play. It’s not the way we wanted to win, but that’s why you have to come out and win all of your games at the beginning.”
Saturday
Championship bracket
Robert Morris-Springfield 3, Spalding 1
St. Mary-of-the-Woods 4, Judson 1
Spalding 3, Judson 2, Judson eliminated
St. Mary-of-the-Woods 2, Robert Morris-Springfield 1
Robert Morris-Springfield 8, Spalding 2 (called in fifth inning because of rain), Spalding eliminated
Rest of tournament canceled by rain; St. Mary-of-the-Woods declared champion.
Consolation bracket
Briarcliffe 9, Southern Virginia 4
Penn State-Beaver 5, Lyndon State 4
Southern Virginia 4, Lyndon State 3, seventh-place game
Penn State-Beaver vs. Briarcliffe (declared no contest because of serious player injury), fifth-place game
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
After lengthy rain delay, Woods declared national softball champion
- Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
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Secret weapon: Kelsey Rosselli finishing Woods career with a bang
At Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, reporting game results to the Tribune-Star after a win or a loss is not always a high priority.
So when one of its athletes enjoys an outstanding season, like senior Kelsey Rosselli is doing for the Pomeroys’ softball team in 2013, media publicity doesn’t always follow.
In fact, her efforts almost seem like a government secret.
Rosselli’s name might sound familiar to longtime Terre Haute softball followers because she was a standout for North High School, from where she graduated in 2009.
Since then, she’s helped The Woods finish runner-up in three straight U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national tournaments in 2010, 2011 and 2012. -
A time for firsts: SMWC seniors have national title aspirations
Even though St. Mary-of-the-Woods College has won eight national titles in softball in the last 16 years, seniors Sara Goelz and Jessica Jonas are among the many current Woods players who have not been part of a national championship team.
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Federal audit says SMWC should return $42M in student aid
A federal audit says St. Mary-of-the-Woods College should return $42 million in loans and grants made to students between 2005 and 2010, something the college plans to challenge.
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This underdog has its day
It’s been an up-and-down regular season for the St. Mary-of-the-Woods College women’s basketball team, but it concluded on a definite uptick.
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The mane attraction: Woods students learn about careers in equine world
A horse can be a powerful therapeutic tool, something Chris Marks knows firsthand.
“I’ve seen children with autism speak their first word to a horse,” causing their parents to “dissolve in a puddle of emotion,” said Marks, chairman of the Equine Studies program at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Rose, The Woods post weekend victories
Rose-Hulman relied on a balanced scoring attack and a strong defensive effort to earn a 55-44 women’s basketball victory Saturday over Mount St. Joseph.
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SMWC topples Rose-Hulman
After a sluggish first half for both teams, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College found enough offensive rhythm in the final 20 minutes to outlast host Rose-Hulman 51-41 in the 19th annual Clabber Girl Trophy women’s basketball showdown Tuesday night inside Hulbert Arena.
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METRO ROUNDUP: SMWC’s Runyon wins USCAA cross country title
Blinding snow and freezing temperatures couldn’t stop Saint Mary-of-the-Woods junior Stephanie Runyon, an education major from Noblesville, from becoming the 2011 U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association women’s national champion in cross country Friday.
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Trimmed roster may benefit SMWC
“Less is more” is a statement with many, many meanings, attributed to many, many sources through the years.
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Dottie King becomes 16th president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College
As the mother of six children, Dottie King learned early on the importance of setting priorities and achieving the right balance between family, education and work.
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Pomeroys battle to second at national championship
Eight times, St. Mary-of-the-Woods has captured some form of a national championship in softball.
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Shearing Time
You’ve probably never seen a haircut quite like this.
Alpacas, remarkably sweet-looking members of the camel family, were getting their annual shearing last week at the White Violet Center for Eco Justice at St. Mary-of-the-Woods. -
SMWC puts up fight in tourney
St. Mary-of-the-Woods downed Judson 6-2 Sunday morning in the semifinal round of the 2011 USCAA national softball championships, earning a trip to the best-of-three title series.
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BREAKING: St. Mary-of-the-Woods College names Dottie King as 16th president
Dottie L. King, Ph.D. has been appointed the 16th president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, the board of trustees announced today.
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Ex-Wildcat finds new home at Woods
Many people find “the path of least resistance” as a preferable way to proceed in life. After all, less risk is involved with a sure thing.
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NEW: St. Mary-of-the-Woods College announces academic changes
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College announced today a refocus of its academic programs. An afternoon news conference is under way at SMWC, which posted a notice about the changes on its website, www.smwc.edu.
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Marian holds off Rose women’s second-half charge
Marian University relied on a strong defensive effort to hold off a second half Rose-Hulman charge and earn a 61-52 women’s basketball victory Saturday afternoon.
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Influx of new players has Pomeroys on rise
With a steady influx of “Killer B’s,” the fortunes of the St. Mary-of-the-Woods’ women’s basketball team are once again on the rise.
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Woods soccer goes 1-1, earns national honors
St. Mary-of-the-Woods returned from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association soccer finals with a 1-1 record and a host of national honors.
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Six St. Mary-of-the-Woods teams compete in national tournaments
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College athletics celebrates the end of a phenomenal year during the 2009-10 season as six teams competitively competed in national tournaments.
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Rosselli, other Valley talent leads Woods into national softball tourney
The St. Mary-of-the-Woods softball program is no stranger to national tournaments.
The Pomeroys claimed some form of a national championship in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008, the last several sanctioned by the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). -
St. Mary-of-the-Woods plans Saturday commencement
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College will celebrate its 169th commencement Saturday. Graduation activities will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the traditional baccalaureate mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
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Woods, Rose softball teams split doubleheader
Rose-Hulman and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College split a softball doubleheader that featured the longest athletic contest in history between the two schools on Friday night.
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Ring Day a much anticipated event at The Woods
Ring Day is a much anticipated and special day for most students, but for two St. Mary-of-the-Woods External Degree students in particular it was an especially great experience this year.
- Injury bug bites: St. Mary-of-the-Woods basketball trying to get and stay healthy A myriad of injuries have plagued the St. Mary-of-the-Woods women’s basketball team in recent seasons, forcing the Pomeroys to compete on numerous occasions with just seven, six and sometimes only five players able to play.
- The Woods appoints new vice president for development St. Mary-of-the-Woods College President David G. Behrs has announced the appointment of Serafina I. Spatola as vice president for development.
- St. Mary-of-the-Woods takes fourth in national tournament
- The Woods celebrates 168th commencement More than 140 students are expected to participate in St. Mary-of-the-Woods College’s 168th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday.
- Untold Stories: Film takes unique look ‘Inside Iraq’ At 7 p.m. Monday, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College will present “Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories,” which will include a film showing and discussion with the director of the film, Mike Shiley. The presentation, which will be in the Cecilian Auditorium of the SMWC Conservatory of Music building, is part of the College’s Four-Star series, and it is being co-sponsored by the SMWC Student Activities Committee. The presentation is free and open to the public.
- TH to promote ‘Crossroads of Higher Education’ at Statehouse Terre Haute may lie near Indiana’s western border, but business, education and government leaders want state lawmakers to know that the city that bills itself as the “Crossroads of America” is also the “Crossroads of Higher Education.”
- More Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Headlines
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