NCAA Tournament Update

The tournament field is down to the final four.  Syracuse, North Carolina, Connecticut, and Duke are the four remaining teams vying for the division one national title.  The number one seeded Syracuse Orange secured their semifinal bid with a comfortable 5-0 win over Princeton in the quarterfinal round.  Number two North Carolina edged the University of Michigan 1-0 in the quarters.  Connecticut also made their way into the semis by way of a 1-0 victory, eliminating Boston College.  Duke overcame three-seeded Virginia in a 2-1 thriller.  Syracuse faces Connecticut this Friday, November 20th at noon, followed by North Carolina vs. Duke at 2:45pm.  One of these schools will be crowned champion this Sunday, November 22nd.  MAC representative Kent State fell to Massachusetts 1-0 in the first round of the tournament after capturing their second consecutive MAC tournament championship with a thrilling double overtime win over Miami.  The Chippewas and the rest of the Mid-American Conference can now look forward to next season.  Check out the tournament bracket at the NCAA website.

By: Isaac Bessey

CMU'S Kaysie Gregory earns All MAC honors!!

The Mid-American Conference field hockey tournament came to an end on November 7th, with Kent State defeating Miami in a double overtime. Two days prior to this however, the MAC recognized athletes around the conference, naming the 2015 all-conference members.

Photo Credit: cmuchippewas.com

Of those members, Central Michigan University had one member recognized. Kaysie Gregory, a senior from Rome, NY, was named second team All MAC for her efforts throughout the season. This is actually the second year in a row that Gregory received second team All MAC honors for the Chippewas.

In 2014, Gregory played in all 19 games, starting in 18 of those games for a team who went on to win the MAC. She also finished second on the team in goals (6), tied for the team lead in points (19), and actually led the team in assists (7). Moving onto 2015, the senior midfielder did nothing but lead her team. She ended the season starting all 17 games for Central Michigan. Also, she lead the team in goals (7), was second on the team in assists (4), and finally scoring at least twice as many points as any player on her team (18). The next closest was Maude Stalars, who added 9 points for the Chippewas. Kaysie ends her career with the Chippewas having scored 16 goals, 15 assists and 47 points.

MAC All Conference Honors

Freshman of the Year: Paula Portugal, Miami

Player of the Year: Bea Deachant, Miami

Co-Coaches of the Year: Kathleen Wiler, Kent State & Inako Puzo, Miami

2015 All-MAC First Team

Ines Delpech, Sophomore, Kent State

Madison Thompson, Junior, Kent State

Edel Nyland, Sophomore, Longwood

Jennifer Burris, Senior, Longwood

Alysa Xavier, Junior, Miami

Bea Deachant, Senior, Miami

Carla Romagoso, Junior, Miami

Paula Portugal, Freshman, Miami

Mariona Heras, Sophomore, Miami

Liz Young, Junior, Missouri State

Adele Sammons, Senior, Ohio

Maria Russell, Sophomore, Ohio

All-MAC Second Team

Lexi Kavanaugh, Junior, Ball State

Kaysie Gregory, Senior, Central Michigan

Alayna Harris, Senior, Kent State

Alison Harmatz, RS Sophomore, Kent State

Andre Rinehart, Junior, Kent State

Lil-Sophie Archerwinter, Sophomore, Longwood

Caroline Pritchard, Junior, Miami

Charlie Redhead, Senior, Missouri State

Patrice Ahl, Senior, Missouri State

Clarissa Leickly, Senior, Ohio

Kendall Ballard, Freshman, Ohio

By: Michael Greenwood

The end of an era and the beginning of another

Friday marked the end of the 2015 season for the Central Michigan University Women’s Field Hockey team. While the season may not have turned out quite as successful as first year coach Molly Pelowski would have hoped, the Chippewas pulled through to earn their second win of the season in their final game.

This final game of the season marked the end of an era, as the Chippewas said goodbye to seven seniors who have been a crucial part of the Chippewas' roster for the past four years. 

Kaysie Gregory (11) 

Photo Credit: Central Michigan University Field Hockey

Kianne Hinkle (16) 
Elaine Materise (18) 
Taylor McKeon (21)
Olivia Shagam (23)
Morgan Ripley (25) 
Sadie Lynn Reynolds (26)

In an interview with Central Michigan UniversityAthletics, Pelowski said she approached the seniors prior to the game with a little advice, “‘Play this weekend like it’s your first. Drink in the experience of everything because it’s going to be your last and you want it to be memorable and you want to go hard.’”

However, the closure of this season also marks the beginning of an era as well, Pelowski's coaching career at CMU. Although this is the first time in her coaching career in which she has not seen a post season game she said, "I'm a first-year coach so there's a lot of things I don't know. Now I think I'm understanding the role more."

The Chippewas ended their three-game losing streak with a 4-1 Mid-American Conference win over Ball State. They finished their season 2-15 overall and 2-4 in the MAC.
           
                                                               By: Halle Sobczak

Chippewas End Season as Winners

The Central Michigan Chippewas played their final game of the 2015 season against the Ball State Cardinals on Friday.  In what could be considered the Chippewas' strongest performance of the year, Central handed Mid-American Conference opponent Ball State a 4-1 loss.  The win came behind two goals from senior Elaine Materise, seven saves from senior goaltender Sadie Lynn Reynolds, and two assists apiece from seniors Kaysie Gregory and Kianne Hinkle.  The seniors stepped up in their final game wearing a Chippewa uniform, leading the team to a statement victory with their strong play and leadership.  It was a fitting end to many great careers and a memorable way to go out.  According to the official site of Chippewa Athletics, it was the first multi-goal game of Materise's career.

The win should give the Chippewas and coach Molly Pelowski momentum and a lot to build on going into the offseason and next year.  Central Michigan finished the season 2-15 overall with a 2-4 record in conference play in their first year under coach Pelowski.  Chippewa Athletics quoted the coach saying  "It's been a season of a lot of challenges and winning makes everybody feel better, makes everything better, and we were able to finish this win off.  So many good things happened today both for our individual players and the coaching staff.  Lot of work to do in order to continue to build the foundation."

By: Isaac Bessey

Game Preview! Chippewas vs. Cardinals!!

With the season coming to an end, the Chippewas only have a conference match-up against Ball State remaining. The two teams have had a difficult season, with both teams being at the bottom of the MAC. The Chippewas are entering the game with a 1-15 record overall, while the Cardinals are 2-14.

Photo Credit: kentuckysportsradio.com

Coming off a 3-0 loss to the number eight team in the country, Louisville, in Louisville, KY, the Chippewas are hoping to send their seniors out on a winning note. Two of those seniors, Kaysie Gregory and Sadie Lynn Reynolds, have been a few of the bright spots this season, and have played well for the Chippewas throughout their careers.

In a recent article on CM-Life the two commented on what they will miss from playing at Central Michigan, and Reynolds said,
"I'm going to miss the girls a lot, especially my class. We've been playing with each other for four years, going through struggles together, seeing each other succeed, and together winning a MAC Championship. We've became a really good support system for each other."

Photo Credit: wndu.com

And later in that article, Gregory comments,
"I'll miss always having a support group and always having someone there. I will miss how hilarious every single one is in my class. We've been through our fair share of good times and bad times. When it comes down to it, we always have each others' backs. If I ever needed someone, I can always turn to (one of the seniors)."

With these two players leading the Chippewas, and the connection senior class, look for Friday's game to be a good match-up. The game will take place at Ball State University in, Muncie Ind, at 3:00 p.m. E.T

By: Michael Greenwood

Chippewas Seek Strong Finish to Season

  A year removed from being the number one seed in the MAC tournament, the story line is very different this time around for the Central Michigan Chippewas.  Sitting on a 1-15 overall record following yesterdays 3-0 loss at Louisville, the Chips will not be returning to the MAC tournament this year due to their less than stellar 1-4 conference record.  The Chippewas do have one game remaining and it is against conference opponent Ball State this Friday, October 30th at 3pm in Muncie, Indiana.  The Ball State Cardinals come into the game with a 2-14 overall record and 0-4 in the MAC.  Central Michigan came out on top in last years matchup against Ball State with a final score of 2-0.  The Chips will try to repeat that performance this year and end their season strong with a statement win to ease some of the pain from a tough season.  Senior midfielder Kaysie Gregory (#11) continues to lead the Chippewas in scoring with seven goals and two assists, good for 16 points.  Senior goaltender Sadie Lynn Reynolds (#26) will look to continue her strong play as well and help lead the Chips to a final win.  

By: Isaac Bessey

Sunday Recap

     All the scoring came in the second half Sunday as the Louisville Cardinals out shot the Chippewa's 26-2 handing them a 3-0 non-conference loss. Senior goal keeper, Sadie Reynolds was credited with 10 saves against the Cardinals. With the season coming to an end Friday, the Chips travel to Ball State for a Mid-American Conference game. Both teams are 1-4 in league play and hope to close out the year with a win.
                                                                     By: Arya Haritash