The Baker Orange sports staff has voted for the “Best of the Best” in the year of Baker athletics. These were not easy decisions to make. Baker has many well-deserving athletes and coaches who led their teams to successful seasons. Many candidates were considered, but these few we feel are invaluable to their teams. The athletes and teams were nationally recognized, as well as being recognized in the HAAC.
Women’s Soccer
The Baker women’s soccer team was the only women’s sport to finish in the top 25 in the NAIA and led all women’s athletic teams with seven Academic All-Americans.
The Wildcats dominated on the field and off. The women were ranked as high as No. 15 in the nation at one point in the season and produced three HAAC first-team players in sophomore Alix Schiraldi and juniors Christine Janssens and Chelsea Dunn.
“(The players are) very smart, intelligent, hard working young women,” head coach Nate Houser said. “We have problem solvers, we have battlers and we have girls that just don’t quit.”
The Wildcats finished with a 13-6 record and collected victories over a top-10 team and four top-20 teams throughout the season. Houser said his team showed up for every big game, and advancing to the HAAC championship game was a step in the right direction.
“We were one game away from (the) national tournament,” Houser said. “From where we started four years ago, it’s pretty fantastic.”
Brooke Pryor, Women’s Player, Volleyball
As far as volleyball players go, none was better in the HAAC than junior Brooke Pryor.
Pryor helped lead the Wildcats to a record-setting 32-4 record and was named the HAAC Player of the Year and was a first-team All-HAAC selection. Pryor also made noise nationally, ranking No. 10 in the country in kills per set at 4.2, and was named NAIA All-American Third Team selection.
“It’s probably going to be one of the most memorable seasons that I’ll have, just because of the bond that I made with my teammates and our success,” Pryor said. “We had a great year and it was a lot of fun to be on the court with them, not only in games but at practice.”
Pryor said she doesn’t think about what she wants to accomplish individually, she just wants the team to be successful.
“If I get individual accomplishments, that’s cool, but mostly, I would give it back for the team,” Pryor said.
Emily Gibson, Women’s Newcomer, Basketball
Junior Emily Gibson made a huge impact in her first season on the Baker University women’s basketball team after transferring from Washburn University.
Gibson was named a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American and a first-team All-HAAC performer.
She averaged 14.8 points a game, 10.1 rebounds a game and 1.69 blocks a game, leading the Wildcats in all three categories. Gibson also recorded 17 double-doubles to lead the HAAC.
While Gibson was thrilled with the honors she received last season, her main goals for next season are for the team to get better and advance, and make a deeper run into the playoffs. Gibson believes that can happen if the team plays stronger at the end of the season and doesn’t have to deal with injuries that occurred this season.
“It really meant a lot to make a big impact on the team in my first season,” Gibson said. “Hopefully we can improve and advance farther into the playoffs.”
Nate Houser, Women’s Coach, Soccer
Head women’s soccer coach Nate Houser guided the Wildcats to a 13-6 record and finishing No. 21 in the NAIA.
In addition to the team’s impressive record, Houser led the Wildcats to the HAAC championship game against Graceland University, where the team fell in double-overtime, 2-1.
“We strive to pay attention to the details and commit to working harder than every team there is, that’s what we try to do,” Houser said. “My assistant coaches are second to none for me.”
Houser coached seven NAIA Academic All-Americans, three First Team All-Conference players, an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American, two All-North Plains Region Team players and the HAAC Defensive Player of the Year. He also led the Wildcats to five victories over top-25 ranked teams throughout the 2009 season.
Men’s Soccer
The Baker men’s soccer team began its season 9-0 and reached the highest ranking in program history at No. 4 in the nation.
The Baker men’s soccer team finished its season 11-3-5, and lost just one NAIA regular-season game. The team finished with a No. 19 ranking and produced three HAAC First-Team All-Conference selections in junior Matt Griffin and seniors Matt Germain and Luke Haidarovic. Griffin was also recognized as a NAIA Third-Team All-American and HAAC Defensive Player of the Year.
“We were full of youth and exuberance,” head coach Nate Houser said. “I think our start was everything that you could’ve asked for and was almost too good to be true.”
Houser said his team was enthusiastic and had high expectations to help it succeed. He said one of the biggest accomplishments was an invitation to play against a Major League Soccer team.
“The guys earned enough respect to get asked to play a spring game against the Kansas City Wizards, which speaks volumes of what they did this season,” Houser said. “That shows the quality of what the team did this year.”
Aaron Hannon, Men’s Player, Track
Senior Aaron Hannon has beat NCAA Division I competition at the Kansas Relays and will take on the best of the NAIA at the NAIA Outdoor Championships to cap a dominating year.
“The national title is pretty much going to be the cherry on top for the end of the season and my goal from the start of the year,” Hannon said.
Hannon won the decathlon at the Kansas Relays and was a member of the 4×100-meter relay team that broke the school record twice this season.
His point total in the decathlon of 6,948 at the Kansas Relays is the highest point total in the NAIA this season.
“Definitely, it’s been a great season,” Hannon said. “I’ve learned a lot and if I happen to just drop an egg at nationals, or something, I definitely will look at this season as being a great stepping stone again to my career at track.”
Mason Dick, Men’s Newcomer, Golf
Freshman Mason Dick didn’t have any problems standing out in the crowd this year.
Despite being a newcomer, Dick was one the top athletes on the Baker golf team this season. In his first year as a collegiate athlete, Dick finished No. 5 overall in the HAAC.
“Most of all, the highlight of the season was making all-conference at the end of the year as a freshman,” Dick said. “I kind of struggled playing a bit this year and kind of getting used to not being top dog in the tournaments like you were in high school. So, it was good to finally break through.”
Dick will be at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England, during the fall semester of the 2010 season.
Although he won’t compete in the fall, he said he is excited to come back in the spring.w
“My main goal for the spring season is, I would like to be a little bit more consistent on the courses that I feel like I didn’t play very well.”
Jimmy May, Men’s Coach, Wrestling
Jimmy May brought in a large recruiting class for the first-ever Baker wrestling season and his first college coaching season, and found more success than he said even he expected.
The Baker wrestling team went a perfect 4-0 in duals this season and sent 10 wrestlers, seven of which were freshmen, to the NAIA Championships, where senior Levi Calhoun was one win away from being an All-American.
May has already recruited several high school state champions to come to Baker next year.
“I’m just looking forward to next year. I’m going to take it a year at a time,” May said. “I don’t see myself leaving any time soon, but I’m just going to take it a year at a time and I’m enjoying myself right now.”