Holiday Activities, Games and Travel

Cardinal Couple spares no expense as this week they send Sandy to the west coast for coverage of the top game in the country.   CC also plans to provide backup laundry coverage during the trip.

Travel to Stanford v UConn Game

This week not only finds me frantically trying to keep up with this week’s laundry but also packing for a trip to Palo Alto, CA (home of Stanford Women’s Basketball) where hopefully the weather God’s will allow me to arrive in time to watch the UConn @ Stanford women’s basketball game this Saturday where either Stanford’s # 1 national position will be solidified or where Big East member Connecticut will take over the top ranking. 

Currently the trip is in flux as when I went to the Cardinal Couple worldwide office to submit my travel voucher I found that Timmy had cleaned out the travel and candy fundraiser accounts for his next week’s trip to Co-Co’s SEP game being held in the People’s Republic of Domesticated Chimps located somewhere off the coast of Tahiti.  I have been forced to barter for his twin cousin’s staying at my home with my 4 legged kids.  

I hope to provide a first-hand report of the game where it is reported that all 7500 seats have been sold.   Louisville once again finds itself so fortunate to be located in an area where not only basketball but all of women’s sports are so well supported by the community.

************************************************************************************

SWIMMING - DIVING

The student athlete of the week is the swim team’s Lindsey Stephens.  She plans to become a physical therapist after graduation.  Her profile can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/c-swim/spec-rel/121412aaa.html.  She is a senior from Louisville, KY and is a member of the Dive Team.

**************************************************************************** 

LACROSSE

This Year’s Lacrosse team has named their team captains.  Coach Kellie Young has announced that the team has again named Katie Oliverio, Monica Negron and Janaye Dzikewich as captains for the 2^nd year.  This year begins the LaCrosse teams 6^th season of play with the first match against Canisius at home on February 10.   I hope their uniforms have a snow suit option.  Go to http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-lacros/spec-rel/122012aaa.html for individual and team information.

*************************************************************************** 

GOLF

Congratulations continue to go to Louisville for our team facilities.  The Tom Musselman Practice Facility, Cardinal Club, has been selected as a 2012 Golf Range Association of America Top 50 Range in the Private Category. 

*********************************************************************

BASKETBALL

Make sure your calendars are marked for Louisville’s next game which is at home on New Year ’s Eve.   End your 2012 year in the best possible way which begins at the KFC YUM! Center where at 6:00 pm you can watch the 12^th ranked (11-2) women defeat Tennessee State in the last non-conference game of the season.   After the game you can move on to dinner at one of the downtown eateries while waiting to participate in the downtown festivities and ringing in the New Year.

Sunday Cardinal Couple -- Lacrosse adds nine.

.
SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Lacrosse adds nine student-athletes for 2012-13 season


-Downs after Dark: June 16th report

Coach Kellie Young

Kellie Young is the only head lacrosse coach that the University of Louisville program has ever had. She enters her sixth season...coming in from James Madison University and building the Louisville program from scratch. 


Nine student-athletes will join the program as freshmen this fall. A look at the list shows the east coast remains an area that Louisville is still targeting...with two newcomers from Maryland, two from New York, and one each from Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ontario. No local area players are a part of the incoming class and the UofL lacrosse rosters shows no local players from the Louisville area. Currently, 12 high schools in the metro area offer women's lacrosse as a team sport. 

Boltja's back

Young was 43-24 in her first four years as Louisville's head coach before undergoing a rebuilding season last year and finishing 3-12. The Cards do return leading scorer junior Nikki Boltja and defender Monica Negron...both were second team Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association All-West/Midwest Region team selections.  


"The class of 2012 features an outstanding group of young women. They have given great thought to choosing Louisville and are passionate about representing our University and our Athletic Department at the highest level in the classroom, on the field and in life. Driven to be the best on and off the field, their talent and work ethic are bound to propel this program forward."  -- Coach Young, on the incoming freshmen. 

The Cards look to improve over a disappointing season where they went 0-5 at home and lost 9 out of their last ten games. We expect to see a return to the winning ways of Louisville Lacrosse this year and a return to the BIG EAST Conference Tournament. 2009 was Louisville last apperance in post-season play. 


*******************************************


Churchill Downs ran the Stephen Foster Day racing card under the lights for the first time Saturday. A late decision to attend got us out there shortly before the third race and we changed up our normal track-visit routine....spending several hours "down on the bricks" mingling with the party-goers and would-be handicappers. 

Things were getting active and the paddock area was packed when we arrived. Night racing definitely brings  a younger crowd than usual at the Downs...not sure if they fully understood the significance and quality of the race card tonight, but they were having a grand time. 


Paul got us off to a great start in the fourth race by insisting that Brian Hernandez, Jr. would win the mile and sixteeth turf event. He's that way about Brian on the turf. He wouldn't tell me how much he bet on him until after the race...when he showed me the ticket. Risky stuff...but Twist of Silver and Brian did not disappoint, beating the field at odds of 22-1.

That definitely paid for the rest of the evening. 


There were four huge stakes races tonight: The Matt Winn, The Regret, the Fleur de Lis Handicap and the Stephan Foster Handicap. I'd like to tell you we did well in all of them, but....alas, we did not. Only Royal Delta, in the Fleur De Lis gave us a cashable ticket and it wasn't much. 


The evening did end on a good note, though when he and I invested $12 in a final race .10 cent superfecta  and got back $187 for our picks.

 Also, a very nasty spill in the 9th race of the evening in the stretch...three horses and jockeys involved. Johnny Velazquez was taken to Audubon Hospital for observation. Hate to see that stuff happen. Even more 
frustration when one of the horses was our selection and looked to be going for the lead when the mishap occurred. Mr. Producer, the Johnny V. mount that stumbled and fell was euthanized on the track. The other two horses lost their jockeys but returned to the barns under their own power. John McKee and Manny Cruz, the other two jockeys involved walked off the track with no assistance needed.


WE left after the final race but things were still thumping with the D.J. and crowd when we left. A great night for it and leaving with money in your pocket is always good...


Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there today! Whether it's a cookout, day of rest or gathering with family...enjoy it, guys. 


Sonja
.
..
... 

Golf finishes 2nd in BIG EAST, Soccer and Lacrosse Awards, Cats v. Cards

.
WET WEDNESDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE

Anna-Karin Ljungstrom forced
a playoff for the individual title.

(Here's hoping everyone made it through the storms

last night that hit Louisville. Paul slept through them.)

-Women's Golf 2nd in BIG EAST TOURNEY

-Softball Heads to Lexington

-Negron receives lacrosse award

-Kuric gets women's soccer honor

-Smith on the way to Louisville

The University of Louisville's women's golf team finished second in the BIG EAST Tournament with a third round effort of 305..for a 915 three day total. Sophomore Anna-Karin Ljungstrom  closed well for the Cards, firing a final day 73 to tie for lowest round and the tournament lead. She faced St John's Harin Lee in a sudden death playoff for the title...but lost on the 4th hole of the match. Still, a big effort from the Cardinal.
Notre Dame captured first place...12 strokes lower than Louisville.

Sara-Maude Juneau had a 77 on the final day, along with Laura Anderson. Maria Castellanos finished at 78 for the final eighteen and Tara Lyons took 83 strokes to finish the third day.

The Cards now await their NCAA Tournament fate...to be announced Monday April 25th. A great season of chip and putt for the ladies and good job, 'Coach K' with a team that had no home meets and just might have travelled further to compete throughout the season than any other sports squad at UofL. Unpack those bags and rest awhile, ladies!

**********************************************************************************

The Softball Cards travel to Lexington to face the Wildcats for a single game today. The #16 ranked UK squad dropped a previous meeting this season to Sandy Pearsall's squad 6-0 in Ulmer Stadium. A quick turnaround for the Louisville Sluggers...they begin a three game series at Ulmer on Thursday against Providence that will conclude the home part of the regular schedule for the Cards.

Freshman Hannah Kiyohara is
batting .387 for the Cards. 

Although the Cards are unranked in the polls, they are having a great season at 32-13 and 10-4 in the BIG EAST. They are in 4th. place in the BIG EAST standings, behind DePaul (10-1) South Florida (9-1) and Notre Dame (7-1). With the return of Tori Collins to the pitching rotation, they have two pitchers that are headaches for opposing teams to face. Caralisa Connell (18-6) had a twelve game win streak earlier in the season and has a 2.38 ERA.

Louisville also has tons of firepower when at the plate. Hannah Kiyohara leads the Cards with a .387 batting average and has 18 RBI's on the year. Colby Wherry is at .370 with five home runs and third baseman Chelsea Bemis has smashed eight base cleaners, driven in 37 RBI's and sits at .368.

Freshmen Maggie Ruckenbrod, Katie Keller and Taner Fowler have contributed heavily to the Cards offensive attack and Alicja Wolny is a threat to reach base anytime she steps into the box.

**********************************************************************************

Louisville lacrosse in 10-4 this year and 3-2 in
BIG EAST play.

Monica Negron has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the week in lacrosse for her excellent work against Rutgers and Villanova in the Cards last two wins. She held Rutgers leading scorer Marlena Welsh to just one goal in Louisville's 10-8 win over the Scarlet Knights. Against the Wildcats leading scorer, Justine Donodeo, Negron limited her to no goals and just four shots.

The lacrosse Cards face a decisive road trip beginning Thursday...visiting 13th. ranked Syracuse (5-7, 3-1) and then Connecticut on Saturday. Here's hoping the Cards high-powered offensive attack of Bergan Foley, Liz Lovejoy and Katie Oliverio can find the net successfully and frequently against the Orange and Huskies....

*********************************************************************************



Katie Kuric was a BIG EAST
All-Academic selection.



Louisville women's soccer player Katie Kuric was named Senior of the Year Monday night at the Student Awards banquet. Kuric complied a 3.945 GPA during her four years at Louisville (OK, whose the kill-joy who gave her a "B"?) and was a four year competitor in women's soccer. She was a Dean's Scholar, a Black and Red Scholar and made the Dean's list and A.D. Honor roll. Kuric chronicled her journey overseas with brother Kyle last year on a trip to Egypt during summer break at http://www.uoflsports.com/ . Seeing the pyramids is on the "Bucket List" for us at CARDINAL COUPLE. Not that we're going anywhere soon, mind you.  

Kyle is an outstanding hoopster for Rick Pitino's Louisville basketball team and his out of this world, "are you kidding me" dunk against Notre Dame this past season was the Papa John's Dunk of the Year in college basketball. The one-handed throw-down in South Bend against Scott Martin near the end of the first half was simply amazing. Kyle will be a senior wing for the Cards this fall.

Katie has her degree in Management and is a great example of combining academic excellent and athletic dedication on the collegiate level. Louisville Soccer will miss her...but WE have the feeling that you'll hear plenty more about Ms.Kuric after her college days are done...

*********************************************************************************** 



Bria Smith visits Louisville today. Where
would you take her?



Bria Smith lands in Louisville this morning for an official visit to the Cardinal campus. She's still uncommitted to a college and is ranked the eighth best player in the class of 2011...and second at her guard position. We have no doubt the the Lady Cards basketball staff, coaches and players have a full and exciting day planned for her. We were speculating on the top five things that you'd want a perspective recruit to see while in Louisville. By no means is this how her day will go...but the list of things to see below would make for a fun visit to "the Ville". 

1) The KFC YUM Center. A must stop for any potential hoopster contemplating UofL. The showcase by the Ohio River draws over 10,000 for women's hoops.

2) Cardinal Park. The multi-use athletic facility offers a great walking and jogging track to stay in shape during the off-season and also has three state of the art stadiums for track, field hockey and softball.

3) Churchill Downs. The legendary Twin Spires and a jaunt thru the Kentucky Derby Museum never fails to fascinate even the horse racing novice.

4) Cardinal Arena. Lady Cards spend a lot of time there...practicing, training and the locker rooms, player access areas and coaching offices are state of the art.

5) Ali Center. A magnificent tribute to "the Greatest"...Interactive displays and a testament to the will and desire of the greatest boxer of all-time.
.

Enjoy your stay, Ms. Smith and here's hoping your flight this morning wasn't too bumpy. Take it all in and have fun...because if you choose UofL...four years in the greatest college sports town in America await...

.