Spring Sports Report
If the NCAA's Heartland Conference offered an All-Sports Trophy at the end of 2008-2009, Incarnate Word would be the decisive winner. The Cardinals won five conference championships during 2008-2009 – more than any other Heartland school – in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s cross country, and men’s and women’s soccer. UIW also finished second in five other sports: baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and volleyball. Read on for results of the 2008-09 athletic season.
Top Honors
At the end of the 2008-09 athletic year, UIW announced its top three awards. Senior volleyball player Kim Kvapil was named UIW Student-Athlete of the Year after being elected to two All-American teams and after posting a cumulative 3.74 grade point average in communication arts. Kvapil also received the UIW Female Athlete of the Year award. Sophomore swimmer Aliaksandr Yatsko was named the UIW Male Athlete of the Year after he repeated his national championship in the 500-meter freestyle and for the second time was named an All-American.
Hall of Famer
Lynn Costanza Kadilis (second from left) was inducted into the UIW Hall of Fame.
In May, the Athletics Department at UIW inducted a new member into its Hall of Fame for 2009. Lynn Costanza Kadilis played basketball at UIW from 1987-1990 as a center. She was an All-American, and she continues to hold numerous school records, such as points in a game, points in a season, field goals in a season, field goals in a game, free throws in a game, rebounds in a career, rebounds in a season, rebound average for a career, and rebound average for a season. She received a BBA in 1990, majoring in fashion merchandising. Today, she is an Adidas/CIP marketing representative, and she is an exercise instructor at Triton Sports Center.
Men’s Soccer
Jamie Scope
The men’s team won the Heartland Conference for the seventh time in the past eight years. Their final record was 13-7-0, and UIW received an NCAA regional bid for the sixth time in seven years. Ranked fourth in the region, the Cardinals played
No. 1 Midwestern State in the first round, but lost 2-1 in double overtime. Three players were named All-Region, and junior Jamie Scope, was an Daktronics All-America honorable mention. Scope was the Heartland Defensive Player of the Year, and Jesus Cortez was the Heartland’s Freshman of the Year.
Women’s Soccer
Lianah Flores
The Cardinals won the Heartland Conference with a final record of 14-1-2. UIW was ranked No. 13 in the nation in the final poll. Two players, sophomore Sarah Hernandez and junior Lianah Flores, both were Daktronics All-America. Hernandez was Daktronics Regional Payer of the Year, and two other players were All-Region.
Men’s Cross Country
For the first time in UIW history, Incarnate Word’s men’s team won the Heartland Conference. Robert Langat finished third and was the conference Freshman of the Year. In November, the Cardinals hosted the NCAA Division II South Central Regional meet in which 22 teams competed with 150 runners. The Cardinals finished No. 13, once again led by Langat who was 20th among all individuals.
Women’s Cross Country
The women’s team finished third in the Heartland Conference. Junior Maggie Callahan, who was 11th among individuals, led the team. The women also hosted the NCAA Division II South Central Championships in November, with 19 teams and 130 runners competing. Freshman Melissa Martinez who was 48th overall, led UIW. The UIW team finished No. 17.
Women’s Basketball
Nia Torru
Incarnate Word had a season record of 21-9. UIW went to the Heartland Conference post-season tournament seeded second and captured the title by defeating defending champion St. Mary’s on the Rattlers’ home court. For the first time in UIW history, the Cardinals advanced to the South Central Regional Championships, but lost in the first round to nationally ranked Washburn of Kansas. Junior Nia Torru was the Heartland’s Player of the Year as well as being named “ESPN The Magazine” Academic All-District.
Men’s Basketball
The Cardinals went 21-7 for the season, their best finish in seven seasons. They finished first in the Heartland Conference and took the Heartland tournament championship. The Cardinals earned the automatic bid to the South Central Regional Championships, returning to post-season NCAA play for the first time since 2002. Junior Pierce Caldwell was the Heartland’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He also was the tournament MVP and was Division II Bulletin All-American.
Volleyball
Incarnate Word had a season record of 19-16 and advanced to the final match of the Heartland Conference championship tournament. During the season, UIW played five teams that were ranked nationally in the top 13 in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Senior Kim Kvapil became one of the most decorated UIW
athletes for a single season. In addition to being on two different All-American teams, she was also the National Player of the Week once during the season. Kvapil was the Daktronics Regional Player of the Year and was CoSIDA Academic All-Region.
Synchronized Swimming
The Cardinals hosted the South Regional Championship Meet the final weekend in February and won their third straight regional title. The national championships also were hosted by Incarnate Word at the Davis Natatorium in San Antonio, and the Cardinals finished fourth in the nation.
Men’s Swimming
The Cardinals were ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation based on dual and invitational meets during the year. Collegeswimming.com named sophomore Blake McKay its National Swimmer of the Week in mid-February. This year for the first time UIW competed as an associate member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Cardinals hosted that league’s championship meet and won the title. The Cardinals won the team title by placing first in 17 of the 19 events. Individually, Patrick Cardenas was Freshman of the Year, Aliaksandr Yatsko was both Swimmer of the Year and Meet MVP, and Phillip Davis was Coach of the Year. At the NCAA National Championships, UIW finished No. 11 in the nation. Yatsko was national champion in the 500-meter freestyle for the second straight year.
Women’s Swimming
In the last national poll the Cardinals were ranked fifth in the nation based on invitational and dual meets. Junior Rachel Watson was named National Swimmer of the Week during February by collegeswimming.com. Like the UIW men, the women are swimming as associated members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. In February, the Cardinals hosted the conference championships and won the team title. The Cardinals won the team title on the strength of winning first place in 14 of 22 events. Individual winners were Swimmer of the Year Paulina Alexander and Phillip Davis as Coach of the Year. At the NCAA National Championships, the Cardinals ranked No. 16 as a team.
Tennis
The Incarnate Word women’s tennis team advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional tournament for the second consecutive year. This was the sixth time in 10 years UIW has reached post-season play in NCAA competition. The Cardinals were runners-up in the Heartland Conference, with a final record of 19-6. Six players received Heartland year-end honors.
The men’s tennis team finished second in the Heartland Conference, with a final record of 15-9. Five players were given Heartland post-season honors.
Baseball
The UIW baseball team ended the year with a 36-17 record and went to the final game of the year with a chance to win the Heartland Conference Championship. Though they did not win, the Cardinals finished second in the league. Seven Cardinals received post-season honors in the conference. Pitcher Kirk Jewasko was named Freshman of the Year, and Chris Armijo was named Pitcher of the Year. Armijo was elected first team Daktronics All-South Central Region and was voted first team Daktronics All-America.
Softball
Incarnate Word went into the Heartland Conference post-season championship tournament as the third seed. The Cardinals played their way into the title game before falling, with a final record of 28-33. Five players received all-conference honors.
Golf
The UIW men’s golf team finished sixth in the annual Heartland Conference post-season championship tournament. The women’s golf team finished fourth.
Track and Field
The UIW men’s track and field team came close to qualifying a relay team for the NCAA Division II National Championships. The four-person, 400-meter team had a provisional qualifying time, but on the final weekend of the season, fell out of the top 12 teams in the nation.
The UIW women’s track and field team posted a first for the Cardinals. For the first time in Incarnate Word history, a relay team competed at the NCAA Division II National Championships at the end of May. Individuals have qualified for UIW in the past, but never a relay team. The Cardinals’ four-person, 100-meter relay team finished No. 10 in the nation with a school record time of 46.85 seconds.