Andy Hawley

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Freshman pitcher Duncan Patterson silenced a potent Indiana Wesleyan University offense Saturday, tossing a complete game shutout to lead the Spring Arbor University baseball team to a 3-0 win in its Crossroads League Tournament opener.   Patterson was dominant on the mound surrendering just two hits while fanning seven batters. After issuing a walk to the leadoff batter in the top of the sixth inning, the right-hander retired the next 11 straight to record his second shutout of the season.   The contest also marked the final home game in the Hall of Fame career of head coach Sam Riggleman. Prior to the game, the Cougars honored the longtime skipper, who is set to retire at the end of the season, for his years of service at SAU and the investment he has made into the lives of so many young men.   The Spring Arbor offense threatened early and often against sixth-seeded Indiana Wesleyan (32-23, 14-14 CL), leaving a runner in scoring position in the first inning and having a runner thrown out at the plate to end the second. The Cougars were finally able to breakthrough, though, in the third when Jeremiah Johnson ripped…

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The 2016 Crossroads League Softball Tournament is set to begin Thursday, May 5. The eight-team event will be hosted by top-seeded Marian University (39-8, 31-4 CL) May 5-7. No. 3 seed Indiana Wesleyan University (38-14, 26-10 CL) will also host games on the opening day of the double elimination tournament.   Following one its best regular season performances in recent years, the Spring Arbor University softball team (32-24, 22-14 CL) is seeded fourth in the tournament and will take on fifth-seeded Grace College (29-25, 20-16 CL) in its opening game at noon on Thursday in Indianapolis. The other pairing at the Marian site will feature the top-seeded Knights and No. 8 seed University of Saint Francis (20-26, 14-20 CL) at 10 a.m., prior to the SAU-Grace tilt. The winners of the two games will meet for a second game at 3 p.m., and at 5 p.m. the two losing teams from the earlier contests will take the field.   At the Indiana Wesleyan site, No. 2 seed Huntington University (33-15, 26-10 CL) is set to play No. 7 seed Mount Vernon Nazarene University (22-27, 15-19 CL) at 10 a.m. on Thursday, while No. 3 seed IWU…

Track will host a pair of race weekends in 2016, June 10-12 and Aug. 26-28   BROOKLYN, Mich. — NASCAR is back on Father’s Day at Michigan International Speedway in 2017. NASCAR released its 2017 schedule for all series Thursday, and NASCAR’s fastest track will once again host two action-filled weekends of NASCAR racing in 2017: June 16-18 and Aug. 11-13. The first of the track’s two traditional NASCAR weekends is June 16-18 with the Corrigan Oil 200 ARCA Racing Series on June 16; NASCAR XFINITY Series Menards 250 presented by Valvoline on June 17; and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 is on Father’s Day on June 18. The Sprint Cup Series will wind up its summertime stint at MIS, and be back again on August 13 with the Pure Michigan 400. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Careers for Veterans 200 presented by The Cooper Standard Foundation & Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation is on August 12. NASCAR announced five-year agreements with the tracks following the 2015 season. The agreements allow tracks and NASCAR to provide guests and partners of each track some continuity and locked in dates much earlier than previous seasons. “We are thrilled to…

BROOKLYN, Mich. (May 4, 2016) —Tuesday was a night of recognition at Michigan International Speedway as the track and MIS Cares awarded scholarships to 14 local high students, technology grants to six school districts and named the first-ever winner of the Michael J. Carpenter Award. Ron Kyser won the inaugural Michael J. Carpenter Award. It is an award for Individuals who volunteer for non-profit service organizations providing volunteer services during race weekend. Kyser has volunteered at Michigan International Speedway for the Guests Services department seasonally for eight years. He volunteers for Greenford Christian Church in Greenford, Ohio. Kyser takes his position very seriously and once said it was simple to take care of the guests, because they’re his guests too. He goes above and beyond to care for guests in the MISCamping.com Graves Family Campground by providing extraordinary delivery of ordinary services. Additionally, Kyser organizes either a coloring contest, trivia contest or a scavenger hunt each race weekend for the kids in Graves. He also coordinates gift baskets as prizes, of which, he solicits himself. As part of an ongoing initiative to promote learning among students at all education levels, MIS Cares and the NASCAR Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant…

ANGOLA, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University men’s golf team wrapped up the 2015-16 season with a fifth place finish at the Crossroads League Championship, held Monday and Tuesday at Glendarin Hills Golf Club.   Spring Arbor’s three-round team score of 905 was the best 54-hole total in program history, bettering the previous mark of 906 set in the spring of 2005. The Cougars got stronger as the tournament went on. The squad turned in rounds of 304 and 301 on the first day of competition before firing a 300 over the final 18 holes.   Senior Connor Talbert (pictured) was the top finisher for SAU landing in 13th place with a 224 (78-76-70). Talbert began the day in 29th place, but authored his best round of the season, carding a two-under par 72, to climb the leaderboard and miss earning All-Conference honors by three strokes.   Freshman Cameron Conley and junior Sean Sommerville finished close behind. Conley placed 15th with a 226 (76-72-78) while Sommerville matched his season-low round on Tuesday to finish in 20th with a 227 (74-80-73).   Taking the course for the last time as a Cougar, senior Guthrie Collins finished in 25th with a 230…

  ANGOLA, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University men’s golf team is currently positioned in sixth place following a wet and cold day one at the 2016 Crossroads League Men’s Golf Championship, held at Glendarin Hills Golf Club in Angola, Indiana.   The Cougars shot 304 as a team over the first 18 holes of play at the 6,922 yard, par 72 course before turning in a 301 for a two-round total of 605.   Taylor University sits atop the leaderboard with a 581 (294-287). Six shots back is Marian University with a 587 (296-291), and Indiana Wesleyan University rounds out the top three with a 594 (295-299).   Leading the way for SAU was freshman Cameron Conley with a 36-hole score of 148. Conley landed in 11th place after shooting rounds of 76 and 72. Senior Guthrie Collins is in 20th place after carding a 151 (76-75). Senior Conner Talbert and junior Sean Sommerville (pictured above) turned in matching scores of 154. Talbert carded rounds of 78 and 76 while Sommerville posted a 74 and 80. Freshman Nick Losinger finished the day with a score of 161 (83-78).   Taylor’s Trey Turner paces the field with a five-under par…

Photo: Championship Flight winner Noah Schneider 2016 Spring Thaw Final Results Championship Flight Player Round 1 Round 2 Total Noah Schneider 73 70 143 1ST Lance Schnitkey 70 75 145 2ND Josh Dirlam 76 70 146 3RD Todd Marston 73 74 147 4TH Matthew Farhat 75 73 148 T5TH Greg Zeller 74 74 148 T5TH Tobin Dunigan 74 75 149 T7TH Joe Marzano 73 76 149 T7TH Mike Raymond 74 76 150 Steve Maddalena 73 77 150 Henry Hitt 76 75 151 Mike Brockie 75 76 151 Dave Crandall 73 78 151 Doug Bevan 81 71 152 Chris Cullin 77 75 152 Nick Ward 76 76 152 Chad Risner 76 76 152 Chris Chaney 79 74 153 Scott Denig 76 78 154 Pete Walz 75 79 154 Larry Sexton 75 79 154 Cody Lysher 79 77 156 Jake Butterfield 76 80 156 John Tarpley 71 86 157 Kevin Rhodes 77 81 158 Jamie Clark 78 81 159 Mike Boldt 84 76 160 Chris Willbee 78 82 160 Bryan Marvin 77 83 160 Johnny Brockie 79 83 162 Shane Clark 84 81 165 Brian Carney 87 80 167 Karl Rullman 78 90 168 Andy Oring 82 87 169 Charles Marshall 75…