Spring Semester Academic Success -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Spring Semester Academic Success for Louisville Athletics

Louisville prides itself not only on the success on the court/field, but also the success on the academic side of the athletics world. 510 student-athletes were named to the Athletic Directors Honor Roll while Athletics as a whole had a 3.327 GPA.

In order to qualify for the Athletics Directors Honor Roll, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.0 GPA. For the 25th straight semester, the combined GPA was a 3.0 or better.

22 of the 23 recognized Division I teams logged a 3.0 GPA or better with field hockey showing up the rest of the teams again with a school-high 3.819 GPA. Baseball was the highest on the men's side with a 3.449.

Several teams had individuals post a perfect 4.0 GPA on the semester. Women's track and field had 13 with a 4.0, women's swim and dive had 11, and women's soccer had 10.

96 student-athletes graduated in the spring semester with 111 total graduating this most recent school year.

We constantly brag on the success on the sports side of things, but it's awesome to see so much success on the academics side for Louisville Athletics.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Louisville Women's Athletics' 2022 Highlights and Best Moments -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

The last days of 2022 are winding down now that Christmas and many of the major holidays in December have come to a close or are wrapping up. As we all-too-eagerly jump into 2023, it's nice to look back at 2022 and reminisce on many of the great moments that happened.

(whatcha gonna do, with this crew?) 

For Louisville Athletics, there were plenty of major events to celebrate and reflect on. We do not cover the men's sports at UofL, but many of the teams had success and postseason appearances such as swim and dive, baseball, tennis, soccer, and football, and we do wish to congratulate those teams on their successes.

We love to cover the "Joy and Excitement of Louisville Women's Athletics" and 2022 was not short on those joyful and exciting moments. We'll take a look at some of the best moments for many of those teams.

Basketball

Without a doubt, the best moment for Louisville women's basketball was their fourth Final Four appearance in program history. The Cards had another impressive season last year and earned a 1-seed before defeating UAlbany, Gonzaga, Tennessee, and Michigan en route to the national semifinals. This season, the Cards are riding a five-game win streak into conference play that includes commanding wins over in-state foes in Bellarmine and Kentucky.

Field Hockey

Louisville field hockey played one of the toughest schedules in the country this season and handled it well. They had five ranked wins and another NCAA Tournament appearance, which is quite a feat seeing only 18 teams make the tournament. The Cards went into a shootout just once this past season- a victory against Duke. After trailing 1-0, Louisville evened the score with seven seconds left in regulation before going on to claim the win in a shootout.

Golf

Making the NCAA Regional round has become a common sight for Louisville women's golf and 2022 was no different. The Cards are fresh off a third place finish (out of 13 teams) at The Club at Old Stone Intercollegiate event, hosted by Western Kentucky.

Lacrosse

ACC play has been brutal the last few years for Louisville lacrosse. The Cards got their first ACC win in program history when they took down Virginia Tech 14-11. Louisville also extended their all-time record against Cincinnati to 15-0.

Soccer

For Louisville women's soccer, the last few years have been anything but kind. The ACC slate has been brutal and over half of those contests this year were against ranked opponents. The best moment for the Cards this year would have to be going on the road to beat ranked Memphis 3-2. The Tigers held a 2-1 lead in the second half before Louisville scored two goals in seven minutes.

Softball

Injuries plagued the season for Louisville softball, but the Cards tried their best to make the most of it. Carmyn Greenwood wrote herself into the Louisville softball record books and became the ninth All-American in program history and the first since 2013. UofL stole a game from a Top 10 Arkansas team early in the season and won three conference series in the back half of the schedule.

Swim and Dive

Success surrounds Louisville Swim and Dive. After taking down Indiana, Kentucky, and Cincinnati in January, the Cards went on to finish third at the ACC Championships and sixth at the NCAA Championships. Several individuals and relay teams posted school records with multiple podium finishes at the NCAA Championships. Else Praasterink also helped pave the way for Louisville divers by setting a program record when she finished 10th in the platform diving at the NCAA Championships. 

Track and Field

Did someone say NCAA Champion? Gabriela Leon wrapped up her Louisville career with the track and field program by winning both an NCAA championship and an ACC championship in the pole vault, earning herself All-American honors. She became the first Louisville women's outdoor individual champion and first ever pole vault champion. The Louisville women's pole vault team dominated as a whole all season. The 25th place finish was the highest finish for Louisville women's outdoor track and field team in program history.

Volleyball

Not much could top a 2021 Final Four appearance but Louisville volleyball did just that in 2022. The Cards had another spectacular season that resulted in a national runner-up finish, the highest finish in program history. Louisville also added its third Elite Eight appearance, second Final Four appearance, and a partridge in a pear tree. Well, not quite on the last part, but a baby Busboom Kelly did join us in 2022. The Cards won 12 matches against ranked opponents this year.

Cheer

Although not considered a recognized DI sport, Louisville All-Girl cheer and Louisville Small Co-Ed cheer each won an NCA Championship in 2022, adding to the continuously growing number of championships for the Louisville cheer squads. Combining the All-Girl, Small Co-Ed, and Large Co-Ed squads together, Louisville cheer has accumulated 48 titles.

Talk about one heck of a 2022 year for Louisville women's athletics! We are excited to see what 2023 has in store!

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

We also want to wish Case a happy birthday! Our normal Saturday writer and one of our Cardinal Couple engineers celebrated his birthday yesterday. Rumor has it, Louisville volleyball is undefeated when he attends their matches so maybe we'll have to work on gifting him season tickets next to Jeff next year.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Lots of WBB -- Swim Finishes Sixth -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Lots and Lots of Women's Basketball

The Sweet Sixteen is set. With an octet of games yesterday, we got to enjoy plenty of Monday basketball, including a 10:00 p.m. ET tip-off.

#1 NC State 89 - #9 Kansas State 57

The Wolfpack had no trouble dismantling the Wildcats.

#5-Notre Dame 108 - #4-Oklahoma 64

The Irish demolished the Sooners on their home court.

#3 Michigan 64  -  #11 Villanova 49

The Wolverines used a strong second half to pull away.

#4 Tennessee 70  -  #12-Belmont 67

A final minute that lasted the length of me taking a selfie resulted in the Vols hanging on to win with a late three.

#6 Ohio State 79 -  #3-LSU 64

The Buckeyes cruised by the Tigers to take down Mulkey in her new home.

#3 Indiana 56 - #11-Princeton 55

Defensive games are exciting (if you're me or Jeff McAdams)  and this one relied on last minute heroics by Louisville native Grace Berger.

#2-UConn, 7-UCF

An early Knights lead and late game rally was not enough to stop the Huskies in Gampel Pavilion.

# 5 North Carolina 63 -  #4-Arizona 45

The game that ended after midnight secured four ACC teams in the Sweet Sixteen.

The Wichita Region will feature Louisville against Tennessee and Michigan against South Dakota. Both games will be played on Saturday. The Cards tip off at 4 p.m against the Vols.  

Cardinal Couple NCCAA WBB Bracket Pick Em

We have an update on the NCAA Cardinal Couple WBB Pick Em standings and things are starting to take shape. Including myself, some of these brackets aren't looking too hot. Benny J sits alone at the top after 48 games, but he's got a group pursuing him. 

37-11: Benny J

36-12: Kenneth Stark Sr, Bea, Jared Anderson, Perry Sosh

35-13: Kenny Schneider, Nick O

34-14: Joe Hill, Doug Anderson, Jeff McAdams

33-15: Curtis Franklin, Arthur, , Jason Wyrick, Katy Whitesell, Case Hoskins, 

32-16: Blue Lou, David Watson

31-17  Louahvul Fan 35

30-18: Paul Sykes, Vivian McAdams, Daryl Foust

29-19: Sonya Sykes

16-32: CC Chimps

Women's Swim and Dive Finishes Sixth

Louisville women's swim and dive had an excellent showing at the NCAA Championships, finishing sixth overall as a team. Louisville posted a final score of 196.5.

Virginia defended its title from 2021, scoring a whopping 551.5 Texas placed second, still way behind the Cavaliers, and posted a 406. Stanford took third at 399.5. Alabama placed fourth with a score of 288. NC State was close behind at fifth, with a score of 279.

In the 200 backstroke, Louisville had two finalists in Paige Hetrick (12th) and Rye Ulett (16th).

Gabi Albiero placed fifth in the 100 freestyle.

The Cards had three finalists in the 200 butterfly. Tristen Ulett (12th), Abby Hay (14th), and Alena Kraus (15th) all posted strong performances.

Liberty Williams placed 13th in the 1650 freestyle.

Else Praasterink had the best finish in school history as a diver, finishing 10th in the platform event.

The 400 relay team of Albiero, T Ulett, Christiana Regenauer, and Arina Openysheva touched sixth and put up the second best time in Louisville history.

Tickets for Softball vs Kentucky on Sale

Louisville vs Kentucky at Ulmer Stadium is nigh. April 6 will be here in just over two weeks. Tickets for the event have gone on sale for $5 apiece for chairbacks. The berm is free admission.

Follow the below link to purchase your tickets.

https://am.ticketmaster.com/uofl/22softball

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

ACC swim & Dive Championships -- WBB Final Stretch -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

ACC Swimming and Diving Championships

Postseason is upon us for Louisville Swim and Dive. The ACC Championships begin today at the McAuley Aquatic Pavilion on Georgia Tech's campus. The events will run from Tuesday through Saturday.

Currently, eight women's teams from the ACC are located in the Top 25: #1 Virginia, #4 NC State, #7 Louisville, #21 North Carolina, #22 Virginia Tech, #23 Notre Dame, #24 Florida State,  and #25 Duke. That alone is the recipe for one heck of a showdown. Louisville has 17 women competing in the events this weekend.

Sophomore Gabi Albiero, daughter of head coach Arthur Albiero, will be one of the performers to keep an eye on as she is slated to compete in several freestyle and butterfly events.

Mariia Astashkina is back after missing last year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and is a part of the 2018 400 medley relay team that set a school record.

Paige Hetrick had a breakout sophomore season and has shown her versatility as she will compete in events featuring all four strokes.

Alena Krauss, who has her name in the top ten in Louisville record book multiple times, will compete in several sprints in the freestyle and butterfly.

Rye Ulett doesn't even have a full semester under her belt at Louisville and already holds the school record in the 200 backstroke. Rye and her sister, Tristen Ulett, will both compete in several individual and relay events.

Liberty Williams has emerged as a star in just her first season as a Cardinal. On the season, she has three times ranked in the top ten nationally (2nd, 1000 free; 3rd, 1650 free; 6th, 500 free). The 1650 free, is a school record she set against Kentucky that Jeff and I got to witness, took nearly 16 minutes, which is an impressive feat.

Although results can often be delayed, especially with heats and finals taking place on different days occasionally, we will keep you updated with how our Cards are doing.

Women's Basketball on the Final Stretch

Louisville women's basketball has entered the final stretch of the regular season, with just four games remaining. It's a tight race in the ACC with Louisville (13-1) and NC State (14-1) vying for the ACC regular season title and the 1-seed in the ACC Tournament. Both the Cardinals and Wolfpack are expected to be 1-seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia Tech sits in third at 11-3 with Georgia Tech and Notre Dame tied for fourth at 10-4. The Cards hold the current head-to-head tiebreaker over the Yellowjackets and Irish and will square off against the Hokies on Senior Day this coming Sunday.

Assuming both the Cards and Wolfpack win out, the two will share the honors of the ACC regular season title with the latter earning the 1-seed in Greensboro. However, with a little help from Wake Forest, Syracuse, or Virginia Tech, NC State could suffer a second loss and open the door for the top spot for Louisville to take.

There's too much basketball left to be played to worry too much, but the latest Bracketology has the Cards as the 1-seed in the Wichita Region with Arizona, Oklahoma, and LSU taking the 2-, 3-, and 4-seeds. Three of the projected eight ACC teams are in this region, currently.

Don't forget to start studying up for both the ACC WBB Pick Em and NCAA WBB Pick Em. Both will be here before you know it! And of course, tell your friends and family and encourage them to participate! Paulie is currently working on the gift cards that we award annually for the first and second place finishers in the contests../

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Judgement Day for Jurich?...Men's Soccer WIns and Comerford conquers! -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

BOARD TALKING TOM TODAY

It is being reported by major news outlets  that Tom Jurich will  be fired today at the 1 p.m. UofL Board of trustees meeting. A surreal feeling. Negotiations have reportedly broken off and Jurich is expected to be fired with cause. 

A sad day for UofL. 


The UofL Board of Directors are scheduled to meet today and discuss Tom Jurich. The Cardinal Athletic director is on paid suspension leave. One would think common sense would prevail here and the popular Vice President of Athletics at UofL would be retained. The students, coaches and sponsors are behind him. 

Who said the board (especially David Grissom) had any sense, though? Too many egos, posturing attempts and self-promoted attitudes of superiority exist behind those executive session closed doors...and...why is an interim president helping decide the fate of a man who has re-shaped and re-structures UofL athletics for the better over the last two decades? It's like a Little Leaguer giving a New York Yankee batting tips.

UofL Athletics continue to get uglier in the political side of things. Not wanting to bring down the mood of today's article, I will leave the Jurich, Pitino and adidas issues for the rest of the "A" team at Cardinal Couple to pick up and run with if they desire. I've given my two cents worth on the subject on the air previously and on these pages. Keep Tom. 


MEN'S SOCCER PREVAILS IN OVERTIME


Congratulations to men's soccer on their overtime road win out of conference again the Charlotte 49ers last night. The Cards prevailed 1-0 with Liam Bennett getting his first career goal in the 95th. minute of action. The Cards are 10-1-3 on the season. 

On a night where the Cards struggled offensive most of the way, Bennett booted a right-footed rocket toward the upper left part of the goal that eluded the 49ers goalkeep and ended the Golden Goal action. 

UofL head men's soccer coach Ken Lolla comments: 

"It was an incredible goal by Liam to get the win. On a night where we weren't at our best we gutted it out and found a way to win." 

The #5 Cards return home to face N.C. State on Saturday night. Game time is 7 p.m. The Cards will honor their senior class before the contest. 

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Louisville women's soccer hasn't been successful as their men counterparts this season but are closing out their regular season as well. The final home game takes place Thursday when the Wake Forest Demon Deacons visit. We say farewell. The Cardinal seniors were honored over the last weekend with parents present -- including Inger Katrine Bjerke's mom who flew in from Norway for the event -- and these five seniors get congratulations from me and the rest of the Cardinal Couple staff for everything they've done on and off the pitch. 

The Kickin' Cards are 9-6 on the season and have two more games remaining in the regular season after facing WFU. They'll travel to North Carolina and make stops at Chapel Hill to face UNC and Raleigh for a tangle with N.C. State. 

Karen (right) entertains the media back in 2016

The ACC Tournament begins 10/29 and the top eight teams in the conference will participate. As of now,  Louisville is in eight place...and their final three regular season foes are second (UNC), third (NC State) and sixth (Wake Forest) in the conference standings...so it's a tough road ahead for Karen Ferguson Dayes' pitch-runners. 

A key for the Cards' success is freshman Emina Ekic. Eyes will be upon her as she continues to show her unreal talent. She hopes to extend her team-leading seven scores on the season. Close to a double-figure goals scored stat, we maybe a wee bit late in the season to see her hit double figures this year but I'll toss another bold Jared prediction out there and state that she WILL have a double-digit season in her career here at the "Ville". 


SWIMMING

A major shout-out to Mallory Comerford and the women's swimming and diving team! Mal was named the ACC Swimmer of the Week, something we will see a lot more of as the season progresses. This national champion has started the season strong and took gold in four events in the last two weekends. 

She holds the fastest times this year in three events and one relay. 

The team made a splash (pun intended) at the SMU Classic. Our ladies in red and black finished second in team competition and only 1/2 point behind #7 USC. They bested #6 Michigan and #21 UCLA. Keep your eye on Arthur Albiero's team and their top ten efforts.


SIDE NOTE

Paulie and Al Parrish discuss world domination
while Sonja sleeps. 

Finally having my first Saturday off in awhile that doesn't include filling out people's deposit slips, turning 20's into fives and tens, or watching a disappointing football team flounder on the field -- I will rejoin the all star cast in the studio Saturday. Last week, Case, Julie JC (no periods) Sullivan and I did the pre-record for the show on Thursday night since Paulie was introducing speakers at Sportsmen's Supper Club and Worldwide Jeff was also occupied. On Saturday...Paulie prowled Papa John's Stadium and Worldwide Jeff raided Indianapolis' new IKEA outlet. 

The pre-record went well, by all accounts, but It'll be good to be back live in the basement on the hill Saturday and I just might have a few more bold Jared predictions for you. 

Go Cards!
Jared Anderson