Senior quarterback Jake Lasky breaks school record with 500 yards of offense.
Game: 42-26 win over Allegheny, Oct. 28
Lasky started the year on the sidelines after Matt Labus got the starting job at QB1. But after season-ending ACL injuries to both Labus and first-year Cam Hayes, the senior was thrown into the mix.
In only his third start, Lasky earned everybody’s trust.
The senior threw for five touchdowns, over 400 yards, and rushed for an additional 87. His 500 yards of offense set a new school record.
“You can’t be selfish and think that ‘Oh, just because I’m not the starter I can’t prepare’,” Lasky had said the week after. “You gotta be a good team player so when your time comes and you’re the next man up, you’re ready to go.”
Ironically, Lasky didn’t know he had broken the record until Labus approached him after the game.
Men’s XC advances to Nationals for the first time since 2004
Meet: 2nd place finish at the Great Lakes Regional, Nov. 11
The Tigers came into the fall season injury-riddled and out of shape. A strong finish at Conference was possible, but an appearance at Nationals seemed out of the question.
That all changed after DePauw won Oberlin’s Inter-Regional Rumble in mid-October.
“Winning the Inter-Regional Rumble was a big deal and a taste of the success,” said senior Polo Burguete before Conference. “It’s an amazing achievement and I’m proud to be part of it.”
Following the first place finish, the Tigers won the NCAC Championships, placed second at the Great Lakes Regional, and finished strong at Nationals to cap off a season for the ages.
Junior Paul Christian (24:57.27) was later named an All-American following his 37th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Craig Kenney scores first career goal to put Tigers ahead on Senior Day
Game: 2-0 win over Oberlin, Oct. 28
Senior forward Craig Kenney saved his best for last, scoring his first career goal on senior day. After a demoralizing loss to Wabash that ended the Tiger’s hopes for postseason action just days prior, it would have been easy to click off. However, the team still had something to play, or rather someone, multiple someones. There were two goals for the game: win for the seniors, and get Kenney his first goal. Midway through a difficult second half, the ball found its way to Kenney’s feet inside the box. “It was an amazing moment. I couldn’t ask for a better way to go out than with my first collegiate goal to give our senior class a win in our last game. As soon as it went in I felt as though all my ups and downs and sacrifices were worth it. I ran straight to the bench to celebrate, because my teammates were the entire reason I was there in the first place,” Kenney said afterwards.
David Vogel and Maya Howard both drop career-high 25 points in early season games.
Men’s game: 68-66 win over Rose-Hulman, Nov. 29
Women’s game: 78-67 win over Luther in Paul F. Knueppel Classic, Nov. 18
Early on in the season, it’s always exciting to see how players have improved from the prior season. In DePauw men’s and women’s basketball that improvement has been blatant. In his fourth game of the season, senior David Vogel dropped a career high 25 points to give the Tiger’s a two point victory. This career high came only three games after he set his previous high of 22 in the season opener at Franklin. For the women’s team, that improvement came in the form of Junior Maya Howard who dropped a career-high 25 in the season opener against Luther. Howard’s performance helped her secure NCAC player of the week.
Women’s Cross Country wins Little State title for second straight year
Meet: 1st place finish at Indiana Intercollegiates, Sept. 15
While the women’s team also battled injuries throughout the season, they were able to find consistency at the Indiana Intercollegiates, a meet at which they had placed in the Top-Five as a team since 2013.
The Tigers got Top-10 finishes from senior transfer Meghan Hennessey (24:18.4) and sophomore Natalie Gruszka (25:14.5), along with a string of strong performances from Haley Thompson (25:38.9), junior Gabby Coffing (25:50.3), and sophomore Tori Flowers (25:59.4).
Women’s soccer first conference win of the year
Game: 2-0 over Hiram, Sept. 30
The Tigers broke a tough losing streak and ended September on a high note with their first conference win of the season, a 2-0 victory against Hiram. The team got goals from junior forward Bailey Ehren and sophomore forward Shaili Kumar in the first half, and kept the Terriers scoreless all game.
DePauw also got a glimpse of the future with first-year Mia Manney, turning in her first career win and shutout in goal.
Men’s swimming wins Aqua Bell
Meet: 178-113 win over Wabash, Nov. 3
Wabash may have reclaimed the Monon Bell, but the swim team easily handled the Little Giants in their first home meet of the season.
The Tigers got wins in over ten individual events while their 400 free relay team of seniors Kurt Swieter, Sam Wagner, Sam McManus, and sophomore Aidan Schurig also took home first place.
“That meet is so much fun… Looking back to my sophomore year, [Wabash] chose to suit up and taper, and they ended up beating us. Ever since then, it’s been really fun to get after it and go get them,” said Swieter.
Field hockey come-from-behind, overtime win on the road
Match: 2-1 OT win over Oberlin, Sept. 23
The Tigers battled adversity all season, and their match against the Yeowomen was no exception. DePauw went down 1-0 in the first half but tied the game thanks to senior forward/midfielder Reilly Bruce’s seventh goal of the season in the second.
Senior forward Paige Berliner scored the game-winner in overtime to cap off one of DePauw’s grittiest battles of the season.
The come-from-behind victory also came in the midst of a what would become a five-game win streak for the Tigers.