Tuesday Cardinal Couple - Focusing on the positive

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

It is a slow week for scores and event reporting for UofL women's sports, as columnist Jeff McAdams pointed out to me before he submitted today's writings. Today, he takes a look at three student-athletes that are catching national attention and I take a look at Emily Howell and the Louisville Lacrosse program.

This Week's Honors

Schimmel in Basketball

Shoni Schimmel picked up the weekly Player of the Week award in the AAC conference.  I would expect to see some more of these as we progress through conference play.  Shoni earned the honor of the strength of her 15 point performance over Temple along with a 21 points, 6 rebounds performance over Cincinnati.

With only one game for the next weeks honors it will be difficult for Shoni to pick up consecutive awards this week and next week.  The weekly awards are considered for games from Monday through Sunday.  Louisville's next game is Sunday, the last day of the next weekly award consideration period, against USF in Tampa.

Fellerhoff and Shine are Shining in Tennis

Louisville women's tennis duo Julia Fellerhoff and Rebecca Shine have achieved a number 2 ranking in women's doubles.  The first spot is held by Jennifer Brady and Robin Anderson from UCLA.  Regular tennis singles and doubles rankings begin on Feb. 11th and will be released every other week.


Lacrosse going to the source.

The state of Maryland seems to turn out the best lacrosse players in the nation. So, it's hardly a wonder that UofL lacrosse head coach Kellie Young would concentrate her efforts there. Four of the 2014 signees hail from the state that turns out great crab and the Pimlico. Here's a feature on one of the four:

Emily Howell enjoyed a feat few achieve during their prep careers. One of four Maryland signees in Louisville's women's lacrosse signing class, Howell earned high honors for her performances in the classroom and on the field.

The Laurel, Md., resident, in addition to being named to the Washington D.C. Brine National All-America Team in 2012 and 2013, was tabbed a U.S. Lacrosse High School Academic All-American in 2013. "Emily has incredible intelligence on and off the field," head coach Kellie Young said. "She reads opponents and picks off passes as if they were giving it to her. She sees plays before they develop and works with her teammates to shut down her opponents."

We are about a month away from the start of lacrosse season. The Cards will travel to Duke on Feb. 9th. to get the ball rolling.

TODAY'S QUIZ

UofL will participate in which conference for 2014 Lacrosse?

A) ACC
B) The American
C) SEC
D) BIG EAST

(answer at the end of the column)

Louisville Lacrosse faces challenges in the future. The ACC will be widely recognized as the top conference in lacrosse....even if Maryland is leaving to join the BIG 10. If the Lacrosse and Field Hockey coaches at College Park had been given a choice in the matter, I suspect they probably would have chosen to stay in the ACC. The economic engine that is football got that call, though. Even if Maryland Football hasn't been relevant since Bill Clinton was in office.

Kellie Young, who has been Louisville lacrosse since it started here, knows that the competition curve increases dramatically beginning in 2015. She is preparing for it. She will do well against against the Duke, North Carolina, Virginia squads and reap the benefits of playing against the best by now having the drawing card of going to recruits and showing them the top-flight competition schedule. 

The answer to today's quiz is (D) The BIG EAST.

jeffmcadams
paulie

...