The final two members of the Park University Wall of Honor were unveiled recently.
Park’s first-ever NAIA All-American men’s golfer, Brian Maloney, and his coach Dale Lauritzen rounded out the eight-member class that will be inducted on September 14.
Maloney earned All-American honors in the fall of 1980 and qualified for the NAIA national tournament. He was one of three golfers to advance to the final meet of the year under Lauritzen. Maloney took 10th in the national meet.
Maloney is still involved in golf, now serving as director of golf at Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield. Prior to that, he was the head professional at Blue Springs Country Club, becoming a PGA Class ‘A’ pro in 1986.
Maloney was elected to the PGA’s Midwest Section Hall of Fame in 2014, and he was the Midwest Section PGA Player of the Year in 1994, as well as the Midwest Section PGA Professional of the Year in 1997. He’s among the best teaching professionals in the state, as designated in 2000 and 2001 by Golf Digest.
Lauritzen was Park’s first golf coach and guided the Pirates to a 14th-place finish in 1982, while also qualifying in 1976. Lauritzen ended his career as a two-time NAIA District 16 Coach of the Year.
Park volleyball adds 5
Park volleyball coach Mike Talamantes added five players to his women’s roster, four freshmen and a transfer for the upcoming season.
“We have had a lot of strong signing classes, and this one is no exception,” Talamantes said. “In our sport, like others, chemistry is crucial, and all of these newcomers are student-athletes that we think will fit in really well with what we’ve got coming back. There’s also a lot of talent in that group that will help us right away at a high level.”
The newcomers include Platte County graduate Lily Harrison, who will stay a Pirate.
She helped the black-and-orange Pirates to a 22-8-3 mark last season and a second-place finish in the Suburban Blue Division.
“She’s just a great athlete, and we love that Lily will stay a Pirate,” Talamantes said. “I think she will be a great addition to our defensive core, plus, she’s a great student that fits very well in to the culture of our program.”
Also joining from the high school ranks is Margheerita Marconi, a setter from Filottrano, Italy; Lucy Herter from Wichita (Kan.) Northwest; and Natalya Nalivaiko from Truman High School in Independence.
Herter was a second-team all-state pick last year, while also earning all-league and all-metro honors. Nalivaiko was a four-year varsity player for the Patriots.
Also coming in is junior college transfer Paula de Oliveira from Miami (Fla.). Dade College. The Brazilian helped her team win back-to-back NJCAA titles and averaged more than a block per set this past season.
The season starts on Aug. 28 with a home match against MidAmerica Nazarene at 7 p.m.
Athletes named scholar athletes
Two Park baseball players, six softball players, five track and field athletes and four golfers were named to the Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete team.
The softball honorees included Olivia Atkinson, Shelby Bendure, Katie Carr, Bailey Guiles, Madison Klein and Courtney Seymour, a Platte County High School graduate.
Baseball player Connor Whitley spent this past season as a graduate student and sported a 4.0 GPA. He earned his undergraduate degree in December 2017. He played right field and pitched for the Pirates. Tim Schaareman finished with a 3.7 GPA this season and earned his degree in criminal justice in May.
The women’s golf team had seniors Gen Stelmacovich and Rachel Hoffman and juniors Allie Storm and Leeah Shipley honored. Hoffman finished her MBA in May, earning her second degree at Park. She ended her graduate program with a 3.5 GPA. Stelmacovich had a 4.0 GPA, graduating with a degree in chemistry and mathematics.
Shipley, a business administration major, had a 3.84 GPA, while Storm had a 3.7 GPA as an elementary education major.
In track and field, Jerosan Fletcher, Morgan Lindgren, Javari Camberon, William Henry and Ryan Zitter were all honored.
Both baseball players and Atkinson, Bendure and Carr are all two-time honorees now. Zitter has earned this honor four times now, twice in track and field and twice in cross country.
To be honored, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and have achieved junior academic status.
Three Pirates earn Gold Glove
recognition
Seniors Nico Codemo, Austin Giannola and Connor Whitney all earned a spot on the American Midwest Conference Gold Glove team.
Codemo, from Warrensburg, committed just one error as the catcher this year and had a .966 fielding percentage. He also threw out 26.2 percent of would-be base stealers.
Giannola, from Overland Park, Kan., committed just five errors after playing both first base and second base this year. He helped turn 18 double plays.
Whitney, a right fielder from Kansas City, didn’t commit any errors in 86 total chances. In three years, he had just five errors and finished with a .977 fielding percentage.
Women’s b-Ball adds 2 recruits
The rebuild of the Park women’s basketball roster is still ongoing with two more signees.
Joining the group will be Annabella Thompson from Royal Valley High School in Hoyt, Kan., and junior college transfer Chantell Greer from Diablo Valley College.
Thompson is a 5-foot-10 product that shot 44 percent from the field and earned all-conference honors the past three years. Greer, from Fairfield, Calif., averaged 5.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. The 5-9 forward shot 52 percent from the field.
The Pirates went 8-19 (8-16 in AMC play) last season.