Centre fall sports wrap-up

RELEASED: December 20, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—Fall sports at Centre College have finished up and winter sports are in full swing. Highlights of the teams on which more than 200 student athletes compete during the fall and winter seasons include the following:

Basketball
Following a season-opening loss, the defending SCAC men's basketball champion Colonels have now won five straight games and improved to 5-1 overall with a recent victory over Thomas More College. The Colonels are scheduled to play one more game prior to Christmas. The Colonels will then host their annual Papa John's/Country Hearth Inn Tournament following the Christmas holiday.

The women's basketball team, which opened its season 2-0 for the first time since the 2002-03 season, recently snapped a four-game losing skid in a win over Transylvania University to improve to 3-4 overall. Centre won both games in its annual Country Hearth Inn/Lee's Famous Recipe Classic and had two representatives on the All-Classic Team. The Colonels are scheduled to play three games prior to Christmas and then will not play again until after New Year's.

Cross Country
The men's cross-country team completed another solid fall season. The Colonels posted four top-five finishes, including a third-place finish out of 20 schools at the Wilmington Fall Classic. Centre then placed fourth at the SCAC Championships and seventh out of 21 schools at the Regional Championships. Two Colonel runners earned All-SCAC honors and All-Region honors.

The women's cross-country team also had success this fall, recording four top-five finishes, including winning the Centre Invitational. The Colonels also ran well at the Wilmington Fall Classic, placing fourth out of 22 schools. In their final two meets of the year, the Centre women finished sixth at the SCAC Championships and 12th out of 28 schools at the Regional Championships.

Field Hockey
The field hockey team completed one of the best seasons in school history by going 13-5 overall and tying for the regular season conference championship with a 6-2 mark. The Colonels also became the first SCAC school in conference history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Centre had four players earn all-conference recognition, including co-Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, Tom Hobbs. Five players were named to the All-Region team, and one player earned All-American status by two different organizations.

Football
The football team won three of its last four games of the season to finish with a 6-4 record overall and a 4-3 mark in the SCAC. Centre finished in a tie for fourth place in the league, marking the first winning season for the Colonels since 2005 and the first winning season in SCAC play since 2003. Fourteen players earned All-Conference recognition, while four players ranked in the top 25 in six different individual categories. Centre also had one player named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team.

Golf
The men's golf team completed a successful fall season, winning three of its eight events and placing in the top three in two others. The Colonels also have moved their way up the national rankings to No. 12. Along with the team's success, Centre has had three different golfers win at least one event, including one player who has won three events.

The women's golf team also had a very strong fall season, winning three of its six events and finishing second in two others. The Colonels have moved up to No. 29 in the women's national rankings and also have had a player win three events this fall.

Swimming and Diving
The swimming and diving teams are halfway through their 2007-08 season. The women's team is currently 4-3 and the men are 3-4. After a tough start against top competition early in the season, the Colonels have combined to go 6-2 in their last four dual meets and recently finished fifth on the men's side and third on the women's side at the Wabash Invitational. Up next for Centre swimming and diving is the teams' annual training trip to St. Petersburg, Fla., after Christmas.

Soccer
The men's soccer team just missed qualifying for the national tournament again this year after posting a 14-4-1 overall record and a 7-4 mark in the SCAC to tie for third place. After starting the year 3-1-1, the Colonels rattled off nine straight wins to move up to No. 10 in the country. Three late-season conference losses kept Centre out of postseason play, but the team did win its final two matches of the year to finish strong. Five players were named to the All-Conference team and one was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team.

The women's soccer team also just missed qualifying for the national tournament, going 11-6-1 overall and 5-3-1 in the SCAC to place fourth in the league. The team finished 6-2-1 in its final nine matches, but a loss on the final day of the season ended any postseason hopes. Centre did defeat previously unbeaten Southwestern late in the season, and then tied 19th-ranked Trinity, who was unbeaten and untied at the time. Four players garnered all-SCAC recognition, while one player was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year after helping the Colonels become the SCAC's top defense for the first time in the 17-year history of the conference.

Volleyball
The volleyball team has had an up-and-down season this year but finished strong, winning 10 of its last 15 matches. The Colonels finished 18-21 overall and 6-9 in the SCAC, which sent four schools to the national tournament in 2007. Centre went 2-2 in the inaugural SCAC Tournament to finish in a tie for seventh in the league, while having one player named to the All-SCAC team.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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