NCAA TRACK AND FIELD REGIONALS BEGIN TODAY -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 SAVAGE, MARTIN AND SCOTT IN TOP DOZEN FOR THEIR EVENTS. 

We took a look Monday at UofL women's track and field's three pole vault student athletes that will compete in Bloomington, IN beginning today in the DI NCAA Track and Field Regionals  Let's shift focus today to three other members of the women's squad who were ranked in the top 12 going in to their events.

In the long jump, Synclair Savage is ranked fourth amongst the participants and performed a jump of 6.65 M in the ACC Championships to win the event. She is a sophomore at UofL and began her collegiate career at South Carolina

In the high jump, Emily Scott won the high jump in the ACC Championships with a leap of 1.82 M. That equals out to 5'11" in feet, which means she could have cleared Volleyball teammate Tori Dilfer with a half-inch to spare. Scott is also a middle blocker on the Volleyball squad and stands 6'2". 

Katie Martin will compete in the 400m hurdles and recently set a Louisville school record in the event. She comes to Louisville by way of Mississippi State and is a redshirt junior. 

Rounding out the rest of the UofL women's participants:

Taylor Herbert will run in the 100M dash, Soledad Jean joins Scott in the high jump, Brooke Weimer competes in the long jump, Katherine Coffey is in the discus throw and the Cards have a relay team that qualified in the 4x100 M composed of Savage, Herbert, Je'Nyia Burton and Kiyah Yeast.

IU has set up a link to watch the regionals and you can access it HERE

We wish all the Louisville athletes competing in the Regionals the best of luck in the four day event!

paulie

Malachi Mahan Joins Field Hockey -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Malachi Mahan Joins Louisville Field Hockey

Louisville field hockey announced a personnel change recently. Malachi Mahan joins the Cards as an assistant coach on Justine Sowry's staff.

"I am super excited to be joining the University of Louisville Field Hockey staff," said Mahan. "I am looking forward to both learning from Coach Sowry and helping bring my own experiences to the team. The opportunity to coach a top ACC program is a highlight of my career so far."

Prior to coming to Louisville, Mahan spent the last eight seasons as an assistant coach with the University of California. The Golden Bears have gradually gotten better the last few seasons including a 10-7 season that featured a semifinal appearance in the America East Tournament.

Mahan was an assistant coach with the U.S. Men's Under-16 Team before joining the coaching staff at Cal.

Mahan was a player on the U.S. Men's National Team for 10 years, specializing in defense.

Louisville is fresh of a 16-4 season including an ACC regular season title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Guess the Athlete

A weekend at Louisville baseball was an opportune moment to meet another Louisville student-athlete whom I had only connected with on social media in the past.

This student-athlete is a member of the Louisville track and field team. She is a runner and came to Louisville after spending a year at Bellarmine. She is a local, hailing from duPont Manual High school. She competed in the individual 200 and 400 and was apart of the 4x400 team that broke a school record this year.

The answer to today's Guess the Athlete is Taylor Boggess.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Women's Track Sending 12 to NCAA -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CARDS WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD SENDING 12 TO REGIONALS

Leon

The NCAA Regionals that UofL Track and Field will participate in will take place in Bloomington, IN at IU from May 25-28. Louisville has 12 student-athletes of their track and field squad that will be taking part in. 

Let's take a look at one of the field events the Cards could finish very well in... 

Welter

Louisville will be sending three pole vault participants to compete, which speaks volumes on how strong that particular part of the Cards field events crew is. Gabriela Leon leads the "vaulters" -- she's a two-time ACC Champion and holds the record at UofL. Aliyah Welter is another strong performer in the pole vault for the Cards and  Auriane Viola (from France) was the French National Champion in the pole vault her senior year in high school. 

Leon has the fifth highest vault in the NCAA women's rankings this year -- with a 4.46m { 14'7.5") vault, accomplished in the ACC Indoor Championships. Welter is 22nd in the nation. Two Virginia Tech vault specialists are in the top three of the rankings. 

Viola

The art of the pole vault is a bit different that your average field event, since you're using a pole to propel you to heights. It takes a combination of building up a good speed running down the runway, carrying your pole, getting your steps right as you prepare to plant the pole and jump and then planting it and allowing the flexible pole to send you skyward. Clearing the horizontal bar some 14 feet up there in the air without touching it is your next task and then you fall downward and end up in a bed of foam. 

I thought I might want to be a pole vault jumper at one time in my life, but just couldn't get the mechanics of it down and stuck with the much more simpler long and triple jumping events. 

As the regionals get closer, we'll also look at two other field events where the Cards took first place in the ACC Championships --- the high jump and long jump. 

paulie

 

Buncha Nuthin' -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

No Weekend News for Louisville Women's Athletics

With all but one women's sport having concluded for the 2021-2022 school year, our days of reporting have gone rather quiet this Sunday. Summertime sees us phase away from previewing and recapping games and phase into writing about whatever comes to mind first and getting off-season interviews with players and coaches. 

With the approaching lull, Jeff took the day off from writing so I stepped in to cover for him. He should be back next Sunday.

Louisville track and field will have a couple dozen student-athletes competing in the NCAA Championships beginning later this week. Several of the women's athletes have a strong chance of landing on the podium so we will highlight those as they come along. The opening day of the events will be Wednesday. Case mentioned many of those competing in yesterday's post.

Also, mentioned yesterday, the NCAA Championships for rowing are approaching. Louisville was not one of the 22 teams to receive a bid. 11 were automatic qualifiers and the other 11 received at-large bids. Virginia took the AQ spot as ACC Champion. Duke and Syracuse are the other team ACC teams competing.

The WNBA season is well underway and plenty of former Cards have had strong starts. Dana Evans has been one of the top scorers for the Chicago Sky. Emily Engstler has had an impressive rookie campaign so far with the Indiana Fever. Myisha Hines-Allen continues to be a force to be reckoned with with the Washington Mystics.

On an unrelated women's sport but pertaining to Louisville, we do want to wish Louisville baseball a congratulations on winning the ACC Atlantic Division yesterday. Being a popular spring sport, it's a great place to run into several of our women student-athletes hanging out and an opportune time to interact with them. 

Happy Sunday and Go Cards!

Jared

Summer Slump Approaching -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Spring Sports Coming to a Close

We had our summer interns and co-ops start at work this week, which can only mean one thing: Speed School students' one week summer break has ended. Since the summer semester has already begun, the tail end of spring sports is here and the summer slump is upon us. With the Louisville softball team missing out on the NCAA tournament, the last sports hanging on are Track and Field and Rowing. Rowing's NCAA championship weekend is on the horizon (May 27-29), and Track and Field are sending a record number of entries (31) to the NCAA Regional event next week. Among the 11 participants on the women's side are three ACC champs in Gabriela Leon, Synclair Savage, and Elena Scott. They'll all look to improve upon those finishes and add even bigger hardware to their collections.

Another way to get your fix of Louisville athletes is the Racing Louisville W League team. The lower-division side under the Soccer Holdings umbrella boasts eight current and former Louisville soccer players. The W League team's home games are free and are hosted at the Lynn Family Sports Vision and Training Center on Edith Road. One of those games was last night, a 2-0 loss to Indy, and, while the stats aren't kept on the website, Sarah Hernandez got a shout out for a shot in last night's game. It was, as you might guess, a spectacular header, just like many of her goals at UofL. The team will play four more home games this summer, with the next coming at 7PM on Sunday.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast Hiatus

As Daryl mentioned yesterday, we're off today, as hosts are scattered to the wind. As she hinted at, we'll be off next week as well, as the holiday weekend will have everyone's schedules in disarray. The break is beneficial, as Paulie will need the time in the lab to devise questions for the traditional summer quiz segment. If all goes to plan, we should be back to normal in June. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Post Season Awards -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL

Good morning and hello again weekend, missed ya!  I really enjoy baseball season when it gets here but I also really enjoy the weeks they're on the road and I am not obligated to be anywhere.  

I do appreciate the birthday wishes from you all!  Despite taking a vacation day to golf and then cancelling my tee time due to the storms in the area, it was a great day.  

On the UofL sports front, thankfully its just typical summer post season news to report for the day.  

Softball

Two players earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Southeast Region honors. 
Carmyn Greenwood has been selected to the first team and Taylor Roby was named to the second team.

The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association's 10 regions.  NFCA member head coaches from each respective region nominated student-athletes and voted for the teams. 

Greenwood takes home her second straight All-Region nod after earning first team accolades in 2021. The graduate senior outfielder led the team with a .400 batting average and stands first in the ACC with 70 hits. She also paces the league with 54 runs and is second with 52 RBIs, both career highs. Additionally, Greenwood has belted out a career-best 14 home runs this season, standing second on the team – with two grand slams. She also led the team with 18 doubles and 23 multi-hit games.

The two-time all-ACC selection finished her career at Louisville with a school-record .408 batting average in the last three years and stands second with a .657 slugging percentage. Greenwood is also ranked in the top 10 for single season batting average, hits, runs, home runs and total bases.

Roby,  also picks up her second consecutive All-Region award following a second team selection in 2021. The redshirt senior RHP/designated player led the team with a career-best 15 home runs – good for third in the ACC - and collected 15 wins in the circle. She also stood second on the team with a career-high 45 RBIs.

Roby is also a two-time All-ACC honoree with selections in 2021 and 2022. This season, she extended her career home run total to 40, moving into second on the school's all-time list.

LAX

Midfielder Caroline Blalock has been named CoSIDA Academic District 2 First Team.

Blalock was also named All-ACC Second Team and USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Honorable Mention. Earlier this year, the five-year captain was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.

She led the Cards in assists (19) and ground balls (36), ranked second in points (57) and caused turnovers (18), and ranked third in goals (38) and draw controls (41). She ranked sixth in the ACC with 2.0 ground balls per game.  Blalock had a 3.83 cumulative GPA while getting her undergraduate degree in marketing and sport administration and has a 3.70 GPA while studying for her MBA.

WGolf

Senior Lauren Thibodeau has received the 2022 Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Division I Kim Moore Spirit Award.  The purpose of the award is to recognize and honor a student-athlete or coach who exemplifies a great spirit toward the game of golf, a positive attitude on and off the golf course, a role model for her team and mental toughness in facing challenges.


Track & Field

The University of Louisville track and field team qualified 30 student-athletes for 31 entries to the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Rounds. The regional meet will be held from May 25-28 at Indiana's Robert C. Haugh Complex in Bloomington, Ind. Following the preliminaries, the top-12 event finishers from each region will advance to the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 8-11 in Eugene, Oregon. The 31 entries and 30 athletes are the most in program history, surpassing the 30 entries that the Cardinals had in 2010 and 2011.

The women's team will send 12 student-athletes to compete in 11 events. Two-time ACC women's outdoor pole vault champion and school record holder Gabriela Leon leads a trio of All-ACC performers that includes Aliyah Welter and Auriane Viola in the women's pole vault. ACC women's outdoor long jump champion and school record holder Synclair Savage and All-ACC honoree Brooke Weimer will compete in the women's long jump, while Savage will also serve as the first leg of the school record women's 4x100-relay team that is rounded out by Taylor Herbert, Je'Nyia Burton and Kiyah Yeast. Herbert is also set to contest the women's 100-meter. The women's high jump will feature ACC women's outdoor champion Emily Scott and All-ACC honoree Soledad Jean. Katie Martin will be back in action in the women's 400-meter hurdles after a school-record time and All-ACC performance last weekend. Katherine Coffey is scheduled to compete in the women's discus throw.

UofL selected to host 2023 ACC Championships

The Atlantic Coast Conference released its 2022-23 championships sites on Wednesday with the University of Louisville track and field program set to host the 2023 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships from Feb. 23-25 at Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center.

This will be the first time that the Cards have hosted the ACC Championships since joining the conference in 2015.

The Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center was completed in January 2021. The 24-acre, multi-sport complex located in Louisville's Russell neighborhood, hosts a variety of local, regional, national track meets, sporting events and concerts. The facility features 90,000 square-feet of floor space with a 4,000 seat, 200-meter banked indoor track and competition areas for all jump, vaults and throws and a 400-meter outdoor track.


Field Hockey

University of Louisville field hockey student-athlete Aimee Plumb has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic At-Large All-District team. She will advance to the ballot for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors which will be announced in June.  To be nominated for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00 and have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution.

Plumb is one of 11 student-athletes named to the District 2 team and the only sophomore with the rest of the district field comprised of seniors and graduate students.  This marks the latest accolade for Plumb, who also earned National Field Hockey Coaches' Association (NFHCA) National Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.

The psychology major from Canterbury, Kent, England, is a two-time NFHCA National Academic Squad member and was an NFHCA Scholar of Distinction in 2021.

Staff Edition

University of Louisville field hockey coach Justine Sowry has announced that Malachi Mahan will join her staff as an assistant coach.

"I am ecstatic to welcome Malachi to our coaching staff for the fall season and beyond," said Sowry. "We were fortunate to have Mal serving in a temporary role this spring and we gained valuable insight into what he brings to the program. He has a solid coaching background combined with the expertise and the ability to challenge and to offer a different perspective. Mal brings the skills I was looking for in this position and will be a great addition to our staff. I could not be more excited for the new chapter that is about to begin for Louisville Field Hockey."

Mahan comes to Louisville after spending eight seasons (2013-20) as an assistant field hockey coach at the University of California.

The ladies are getting it done in the classrooms and in the fields!  And the construction of new top notch facilities are bringing in the championship events to the city.  Its another opportunity to showcase our beautiful city to people from all over the world.  Cheers to that! 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour PODCAST  --  The gang is taking the week off from the soundwaves as most of us will be away from home and without the opportunity to record.   We will re-evaluate next week's situation being it is Memorial Weekend.

As Always, Go Cards! 

~Daryl

Denton to Compete for England -- NCAA Soccer Rule Changes -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Denton to Compete for England U19 Team

Louisville soccer defender Anouk Denton has been selected to play for the England U19 Team at the 2022 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship. The event will be hosted by the Czech Republic from June 27 to July 9.

"I'm really excited to represent my country at the EURO this year. This is our opportunity to show that we are the best team in Europe," said Denton. "I think the group of players that we have are world class and we definitely have the potential to win, so I can't wait to get to the Czech Republic and get going."

Denton was also selected to be on the England U17 Team in 2020 before it was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Her top highlight in her rookie campaign at Louisville came as a penalty kick game-winner against Syracuse on Sept. 23.

NCAA Soccer Rule Changes

Sticking with women's soccer for the moment, the NCAA announced some rule changes earlier in the week that will take effect this fall.

There will be no overtime during the regular season. If the two teams are tied following the full 90 minutes then the match will result in a draw. Previously, teams would go into a pair of 10-minute sudden death overtime periods. The golden goal concept could end a match within seconds of overtime beginning if the ball bounced the right way. Teams would then finish in a draw if the score remained tied after overtime. With the rule change, you can expect shorter regular season matches as well as more ties.

The postseason overtime rules will now follow the professional layout. Gone are the days of golden goal. In postseason, if overtime is needed, then the two teams will go into a pair of 10-minute overtime periods. So, if a team scores multiple goals during the overtime period then all goals will count. If the teams remain tied following both overtime periods, penalty kicks will be the deciding factor.

There was also talk of revising the substitution rules, especially in the second half to prevent re-entry after exiting, but those discussions have temporarily been put on hold.

These rule changes will better reflect the FIFA rules when it comes to regulation and extra time as well as international events like the one Denton will be playing in this summer. Now, if only NCAA soccer would change their clock to count up to 90 minutes, following suit with all levels around the world...

Guess the Athlete

These continue to draw some interest and participation. Between graduation picture season and running into UofL student-athletes at various sporting events, we will do a twofer today.

Athlete #1

I had a blast working with this student-athlete for her graduation photos. Do you recognize her?

Here's some hints: She plays on a spring sports team. Her head coach is Scott Teeter. She wears #9.

Figure it out? The answer is Kristen Pezzullo on the Louisville lacrosse team. Despite graduating this spring, she will return to Louisville next year as she has a couple more years of eligibility remaining.

Athlete #2

I run into this student-athlete quite often at baseball games. Obviously she is not on the baseball team. Do you know who it is?

Hints: She went to high school here in Louisville. You can catch her in uniform in the fall. Jeff followed her and her team to Columbus for the Final Four last year, where she was the starting libero.

Figure it out? The answer is Elena Scott on the Louisville volleyball team. Scott still has three years of eligibility remaining for the Cards.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Nick Evans -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

NICK EVANS TAKES ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AT UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE POSITION.

Nick Evans is moving on from his position with Louisville Athletics as an assistant sports information director for women's basketball, women's soccer and lacrosse to a new position with the University...where he'll now be an associate director of communications for the Development office. 

Nick, a Louisville native, came to  the University of Louisville in August of 2017 from Morehead State University, where he was the sports information director. 

Although we are very happy to see Nick grow and prosper within the University of Louisville, it is with sad regret that we see him leave the Athletic Department, For us, Nick was the "go to" guy anytime we had a question about WBB, WSOC or LAX and he was always eager to set us up with interviews with coaches, staff, players and trainers for his three programs. 

I spent a lot of hours in the press boxes for Lacrosse and Women's Soccer with Nick over the past five years and also at the KFC YUM! Center covering women's basketball. He always made sure I was doing OK, had everything I needed and got the Cardinal Couple staff and I interviews, post game press conference information , as well as insights and reports on whoever the Cards were playing. 

It became a tag line, of sorts, when we weren't sure of something in his sports...to say "Lemme ask Nick, he'll know." and he always came through. Of course Lori Korte Harmon does the same for us in the sports she covers and the S.I.D.'s at UofL have helped us so much since we started Cardinal Couple. 

I knew of Nick before he ever got to Louisville or Morehead through his work with the Louisville Bats. I also know his dad back from the days when I would hire him for Christmas Party dance music and frivolity at Sportsmen Supper Club. 

He was never too busy to spend a few minutes with you in his office in the Student Athletic Center building or pre or post game at a UofL sporting event. 

Like the other S.I.D.'s his job and responsibilities went through a lot of changes in the COVID period, when attendance was limited, media was masked, spaced and moved to "safe" areas of coverage and tele-conferences were the way post game remarks and comments were handled. 

Sonja was fond of Nick also, he grew up right down the street from where Sonja's mom lived and Sonja grew up. 

Communications and development are two areas he's always excelled at, so I have no doubt he'll excel in his new position. It'll be hard to replace him and what he did, but, as the saying goes: "You can't keep a good man down." .and Nick is one of the best. 

I hope to see my friend around campus still and at sporting events...as a fan...and will always be grateful for all he did to aid and assist us knuckleheads here at Cardinal Couple in reporting about the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports. 

We won't say "Goodbye" to Nick, just "see ya further on down the road"...and a big thanks for what he did as a member of the sports information department and us at Cardinal Couple. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARYL !!

Please join me and the Cardinal Couple crew in wishing Daryl Foust a Happy Birthday !  Daryl has been an integral part of the various Cardinal Couple Radio Shows and Podcasts over the years and writes a Friday column at the website here.

We're honored and proud to have her as a part of the Cardinal Couple gang and so proud of what she has accomplished so far in life and look eagerly to what she'll do next. We're glad to have her on board, and...remember Daryl....you don't get older, just better.

 

paulie

No News? -- Season Recaps -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

ALL QUIET ON THE CARDINAL FRONT

With Louisville softball not being named to the 64-team NCAA Tournament, only Louisville track and field has anything remaining on their schedule this season. They will begin the NCAA Outdoor Championships beginning next Wednesday, May 25.

So, for the next week, we don't have enough games or meets to report on. Summertime arrived quite fast for us here at Cardinal Couple.

What do we talk about now? Well, whatever we want.

Before we eagerly look ahead to the 2022 fall sports seasons, we should take a moment to reflect on the spring sports.

Lacrosse

Still tapping on the door of a breakout season, Louisville lacrosse went 7-11 on the year with an early exit in the ACC Tournament. The Cards won one ACC game on the year, matching the previous year's total.

The Cards lost four matches by one goal each as well as one loss by three goals and four goals each. The difference in all of those games was the winning mentality that is still being established at Louisville. Turn those six losses into wins and it was a remarkable season.

The Cards relied on a pair of inexperienced goalkeepers that were near the bottom of the conference in goals allowed per game. With a full year under the belts, both keepers should be on pace for big seasons next year.

On the offensive end, seven Cards totaled double-digit goals with two scoring 50+ on the season. Three of the top five scorers were recognized at senior day, but Hannah Morris hinted on social media that she might return for her COVID year of eligibility. Bringing back last season's top scorer would be a major boost.

Where Louisville needs to focus on in the offseason is transition defense and draw controls, both categories that hurt the Cards throughout the season, especially in late-game situations.

Softball

Injuries and a few players with an early exodus from the program proved to be the Achilles Heel for Louisville softball. The Cards lost Charley Butler before the start of the season and Chardonnay Harris midway through the season. Easton Lotus went down halfway through with a knee injury and Hannah File nursed a leg injury on and off throughout the year. Gabby Holloway also ended her season early in the circle with a chest and arm injury.

There were positives, however. Holly Aprile had a fairly young squad. All six freshmen on the roster played key roles at some point throughout the year. Two of the four freshmen were key contributors or starters with the other two sophomores being the top pinch runners.

The supposed return of Taylor Roby next year is a giant plus on both sides of the ball. Roby was the top pitcher by more than 100 innings and led the team in home runs while standing top three on the team in RBIs, slugging percentage, walks, and plate appearances.

The Cards had a strong offense for much of the year, but went cold over the final four games of the season, scoring a combined two runs in those outings. Louisville batted .278 on the year and outscored opponents 276-260.

A 27-25 overall record and first round exit from the ACC Tournament left them on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament. Based on the teams that made the field, the Cards were presumably a first four out or next four out team.

With several pitchers slated to return next year and an expected healthy roster, the 2023 team has the potential to make some noise and get to the mid-30s in win total.

Tennis

Louisville tennis has had a love-hate relationship with their season. The Cards went 0-14 in conference play but had an incredible 8-1 non-conference outing for a grand total of 8-15 this season. The ACC is another dominant force in tennis and the Cards suffer from that.

Titiana Simova was the only player above .500 in individual matches with a 12-8 record. Andrea Di Palma went 9-11 and Chelsea Sawyer went 8-13 while the rest of the team combined for 15 wins.

Minus the shortened COVID-19 season, Louisville has not had a winning season since 2016-2017 and has plenty of work to do to get back to that point.

Rowing

We were able to go over the season for Louisville rowing on our podcast over the weekend in depth. The Cards have had a slow, but steady climb over the last several years.

While program bests and stronger finishes continue to become more common, there remains a noticeable gap between the Cards and the top teams in the conference.

Patience might be the biggest key for Louisville rowing in the next few years.

Golf

Without a doubt having the best spring season of the recognized Louisville women's sports, Louisville golf had another great season. The Cards went to an eighth straight NCAA Regional.

They had a pair of wins in the Illinois Invitational and The Club at Olde Stone Intercollegiate. The Cards then sat in the middle of the pack going into the final day of the ACC Championships before struggling on the final day and dropping down. They wrapped up the season finishing tied for seventh in the NCAA Regional behind all higher-ranked teams.

With the exception of Kendall Griffin, Louisville can bring back the rest of the team in terms of eligibility as Mairead Martin and Lauren Thibodeau both have a COVID year should they choose to use it.

Track and Field

Their season isn't quite done so we won't recap their season yet, but they had a strong outing at the ACC Outdoor Championships with a plethora of individual honors and podium finishes. Could the Cards bring home some hardware from the NCAA Championships? Absolutely.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Softball does not make NCAA Tournament -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 SIX ACC PROGRAMS MAKE ACC TOURNAMENT -- LOUISVILLE LEFT OUT. 

I guess... (and we correctly guessed on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast)... the Cards Softball season  is officially over, The ACC got six schools into the 64-team tournament (FSU,VT, Clemson, Duke,ND and GT), four of them are hosting regionals but Louisville did not get their name called.

I know, we are the website that stresses the joy and excitement of Louisville womens' sports. Every once in awhile, though, there is not so joyful or exciting news that needs to be reported on. 

Maybe ending the season 3-8 and bowing out in the first round of the ACC Tournament had a bit to with that. Maybe the committee saw losses (some of them five-inning blow-out losses} to tournament squads Kentucky, Ohio St., Florida, Arkansas and Illinois and that probably figured into the omission scenario.. 

Despite a season endeing RPI of 44, the 27-25 overall and 10-14 ACC record probably held more weight with the selection committee. As of a couple weeks ago, some bracketologist had the Cards "in" but that changed when the Cards stumbled  over the last 1/4th of their season. 

It was a season, though, that brought a lot of joy and excitement to the crowds that gathered at Ulmer Stadium. Louisville did go 16-8 in the ballpark that sits on the corner of Floyd St. and Brandeis Ave. We'll start with the wonderful hitting of Carmyn Greenwood and Kendall Smith, who both batted over .300 on the season. How fortunate we were to see Carmyn become the best hitter in the league and patrol left field.

Let's also recognize the pitching job Taylor Roby turned in as the ace of the staff. at 15-11. She'll have an additional season for Louisville also, a very good thing.  The Cards started the season with six pitchers, but a season-ending injury to Gabby Holloway and Chardonnay Harris deciding to leave the squad left the Cards with Roby and three rather unproven hurlers in Felder, Booe and Hudson to enter the circle. Still, they survived and should all improve next year with a season under their belt. Holloway returning would be a plus as well. 

There is an old baseball ditty that went "Spahn and Sain, then pray for rain." back in 1948 when Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain pitched for the Boston *(now Atlanta) Braves. Yes, Boston had both American an National league team back then. This year, Louisville could have gone with "Roby and who?...Felder or Booe? and, hopefully, a rain-out or two." late this season .  

Louisville played as many as three freshmen in the infield at times -- Ally Alexander taking over at shortstop, and with Jenna Servi back at third base, it's an experienced infield, Hannah File returning could be huge as well. The outfield loses just Greenwood, but Korbe Otis, Vanessa Miller and Easton Lotus should all make for a solid grass-patrolling crew. 

Behind the plate would appear to be the Cards only major need. Kendall Smith, Cassidy Greenwood and Rebecca Chung all graduating leave no experienced catchers on the squad for 2022-23. Fortunately, freshmen will come in, and the transfer portal could possibly bring in a couple. Remember, Greenwood and Smith were transfers-in. 

Plenty of time for that, though. Those that are returning (we hope) will dedicate themselves in the off-season to getting stronger, more skilled at their respective positions and hone those batting skills. 

Nicole Pufahl and Sandy Pearsall

They have a solid coach in Holly Aprile, very capable assistants, a great facility and supportive fans. We hope they can return to the heydays of Louisville Softball (2016 and earlier) when the Cards had players like Wolny, McNary, Becker, Hensley, Pufahl, Jordan, Fowler, Keller, Bemis, Collins, Roth and Trimble.  

Their names should be on the outfield fences of Ulmer, along with several more. Some recognition also needs to be at Ulmer for Sandy Pearsall.  So should Greenwood's and eventually Roby's names be on that outfield fence. 

 You listening, athletic department

paulie