Sports_600x300Volleyball
BC volleyball will hit the courts with possibly the youngest team in the Crossroads League. In his fourth year, Head Coach Kevin Ulmer will rely on 2014 All-Crossroads League Second Team sophomores Sami Leach and Haley Brown to anchor the Pilots’ offensive attack, with help from returning letter-winners senior Veronica Dabrowski, sophomore Cassie Sears and junior Zoe Wolfenbarger. The 2015 season will feature 35 regular-season contests between Aug. 21 and Nov. 4, with post-season play kicking off Nov. 7.

Women’s Golf
As they return everyone from the 2014-15 roster and also add four new team members, the women’s golf team is set to reclaim the top spot in the Crossroads League. Leading the way will be senior Katie Holdren, who played in the No. 1 position throughout the 2014-15 campaign, and junior Jocelyn Ojala, who is the reigning Individual Crossroads League Medalist. Upperclassmen MacKenna McGraw, Allie Smith, Annie Smith and Chelsea Thomas will supply leadership to the biggest women’s golf roster in BC history, featuring 12 student-athletes.

Men’s Golf
With the graduation of four seniors, the Bethel men’s golf team will have a fresh look in 2015-16. The familiar face for the Pilots will be that of junior Zach Hochstedler, who took medalist honors a season ago at the University of Saint Francis Cougar Fall Invitational and the Pilot Invitational, and also took second place at the Battle at Blackthorn.

Men’s Soccer
Coming off of a run to the 2014 NCCAA National Championship game, the Bethel men’s soccer team is again poised to make noise in the Crossroads League and on the national scene. Heading into his seventh season at the helm for BC men’s soccer, Head Coach Thiago Pinto ’05, ’07, will rely on senior Pedro Amaral, who led the 2014 team with 13 goals, including a hat-trick against Northwestern. All-Crossroads League First Team performer junior Lukas Muszong will also help shoulder the load of leading the 12 incoming freshmen that bring a wide variety of talent and skill to the field for
the 2015 campaign.

Women’s Basketball
After a disappointing 10-21 finish for the 2014-15 season, the Lady Pilots will look to get back on track in 2015-16. Bethel will get a big boost from the return of senior Ashley Lutz and junior Amiee Swihart, who were both sidelined last semester with season ending injuries. Also, filling key roles will be the post presence of junior Savannah Bly, junior Angelique Moore and sophomore Kaitlin Elsasser.

Women’s Soccer
Heading into his second season leading the Bethel women’s soccer program, Head Coach Jamie Lindvall is excited about the 2015 season and the 17 players on his roster. Offensively, the Pilots return their top two goal scorers from 2014 in senior Kylee Shipley and junior Diana Diaz-Diurych, who combined for 14 goals. The Pilots’ defense will rely heavily on the play of senior Mallory Conrad, who has been a mainstay in the net for the Pilots since her freshman season, tallying 188 saves in 49 games, including five career shutouts.

Men’s Basketball
Behind the leadership of seniors Matt Schauss and Zach Miller, the 2014-15 men’s basketball team posted an impressive 27-7 record and a third-place finish in the Crossroads League. With the absence of Schauss and Miller, the Pilots will rely on NAIA Second Team All-American performer Clay Yeo, along with senior Travis Smith, to lift the Pilots to the top of the league standings and back to the NAIA DII National Tournament for the fourth consecutive season.

Women’s Cross Country
In 2015, the Bethel women’s cross country team looks to make strides from their 2014 campaign that included six regular-season meets and a trip to the Crossroads League Championship and the NCCAA National Championship. Behind graduating senior Rebekah Bard, the best times of the 2014 season were turned in by the freshman duo of Lydia Dykhouse and Breann Fawcett, who are both back in action this fall for the Pilots.

Men’s Cross Country
One of Bethel’s most successful teams in 2014 was the men’s cross country squad. Led by juniors Joel Hartman and Jordan Annis, the Pilots posted 14 of the program’s top-50 fastest times in Cross Country history (the most times on the list for any single season). Hartman set a new BC record with a time of 25:52, breaking the program record that had been held by Timothy Snyder for 16 years (26:01 in 1998). Along with Hartman and Annis, returners that also broke into the program’s top-50 performances are junior Andy Herbert and sophomore Taylor Neff.

Women’s Tennis
With the departure of the team’s top four players from last year, the Bethel women’s tennis team will be a very young squad in 2015-16, as eight of the 11 players will be either freshmen or sophomores, with no seniors on the roster. Still, hopes are high as the freshman class is a very talented one, and the returners who saw varsity action last year gained some very valuable experience.

Men’s Tennis
The Pilots hope to have a winning combination in 2015-16 with a group of experienced upperclassmen mixed with young incoming talent. In addition to adding talent to the court, the Pilots have also added a valuable asset in the hiring of new Head Coach Joel Dendiu ’07, who is no stranger to the program. He played four seasons for the Pilots and still holds the men’s record for most doubles wins in program history (57).

Get up-to-date information about our athletic programs at the home of the Bethel Pilots: BethelCollegePilots.com.