Ten Teams Get Perfect APR Score -- WNBA Update -- Women's Soccer Schedule -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Ten UofL Teams Earn Perfect APR Score for 2016-2017 School Year

Yes, you read that right.  This report goes back an entire school year.  The Academic Progress Rate (APR) holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of student-athletes by looking at eligibility and retention of each individual student-athlete.  Teams earn points by student-athletes staying in school and remaining eligible to compete in their respective sports.  Any team that falls below an average of 930 over a four-year span is ineligible to compete in NCAA Championships.


Louisville's 10 perfect score teams include:

-women's basketball
-baseball
-women's cross country
-women's golf
-lacrosse
-women's soccer
-women's tennis
-men's tennis
-women's track
-volleyball

Eight of those 10 teams are women's teams at UofL, and as a site that primarily covers the women's sports at Louisville we are all extremely proud of them.  Academics are an important part of a student-athlete's life and one that we highly emphasize at Cardinal Couple.

An Update on the WNBA



Three Cardinals are making their making in the WNBA currently.  Myisha Hines-Allen (Washington Mystics), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), and Shoni Schimmel (Las Vegas Aces) have all begun their seasons with some having played two games while others have completed three.  Here's an update on how this trio of Cardinals is doing this season.

Myisha Hines-Allen: the 2018 grad has started off well on a 2-0 squad.  She has seen 20 minutes in the two games as a reserve player and has eight points and four rebounds.  Hines-Allen is shooting .500 from the field and has not attempted a free throw while committing one turnover.

Angel McCoughtry: the 2009 grad is back with the Dream after sitting out last year due to an injury.  She has played 24 minutes in one game for the 1-1 squad.  McCoughtry has 13 points, three rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and two steals to go with three turnovers and four fouls as the former Cardinal standout fills the stat sheet.  She is shooting .462 from the field with one three-pointer and no attempted free throws.

Shoni Schimmel: the 2014 grad is back in the league after sitting out last year for personal reasons.  The newly-founded Aces sit at 0-2 and the guard to take on Britney Griner head-to-head has seen 13 minutes in the two games.  Schimmel has not scored on 0-for-5 shooting and has two rebounds and one assist to go along with one turnover.

McCoughtry seems to not have missed a step while Hines-Allen is in the works of making a name for herself.  Schimmel appears to be struggling to get on her own two feet currently so hopefully she'll find her rhythm in the next couple of games or so.

Women's Soccer Season Announced

With the recent release of the men and women's soccer schedules all fall sports have now publicly announced their schedules.  Women's soccer hopes to improve from last season's 9-7-2 record.
Karen Ferguson Dayes may have lost Inger Katrine Bjerke on defense but does return a solid and exciting scoring attack.

The home lineup features non-conference opponents in Morehead State, Wright State, Xavier, Kentucky, and Eastern Kentucky.  The home ACC foes include Notre Dame, Syracuse, Virginia, Miami, and Virginia Tech.

Road matches include Dayton, Michigan, Purdue, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke, and North Carolina State.

The first three matches of the season are at home, beginning August 11.  Senior Day will probably be the Miami game on October 7, despite the final home match being against Virginia Tech on October 25.

Their schedule will follow their usual Thursday and Sunday lineup with the exception of a couple early matches.  On Friday August 31 the women will host Kentucky at 5:30 p.m., with the men facing St. Louis after.  Both matches will feature highly anticipated rivalries.

Other News and Notes

Baseball, the #5-seed, won their first game in ACC pool play by defeating #9-seed Wake Forest 10-2.  Josh Stowers was a single shy of the cycle while driving in six RBIs.  They face 4-seed Duke Friday at 11:00 a.m.  Duke and Wake Forest have yet to face each other, but most likely the winner of the Louisville-Duke game will advance out of pool play into the ACC semifinals on Saturday.

All of the host sites advanced to the Super Regional in the NCAA Softball Tournament.  This is the second straight year where the Top 16 seeds advanced.  In 2016, hosts Kentucky and Tennessee were upset.  In 2015, hosts Notre Dame (lost to Kentucky) and James Madison fell in the Regional.  2014 also saw two host teams fall.  2013 had three host teams lose while 2012 saw four hosts fall.

Happy Red Nose Day! Red Nose Day has been an unofficial holiday since 2015 and is aimed at defeating child poverty in all 50 states and 34 countries around the world.  It is also National Brothers Day, so gentlemen, remind your siblings that today is all about you!

On the USF campus, Louisville track and field hs participants galore for the NCAA East Regional Preliminaries. Going today for UofL on the women's side, Alexis Gibbons leaps in the long jump, Brooke Raglin sprints in the 100 meters and Dorcas Wasike stretches out in the 10,000 meters. Good luck to these Cardinal student-athletes!

Enjoy your Thursday and start preparing those pools to open up this weekend.  Go Cards!

- Jared -

Softball Falls to FSU -- Track & Field Posts Two ACC Champions -- Casey Madura Interview -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville Falters in Loss to FSU

Louisville softball collapsed and a 3-0 lead turned into a 7-4 loss as the Cards bowed out of the second round of the ACC Tournament to Florida State.  The loss is their third in four games.

Sidney Melton led off the game with a solo shot over the left field wall for the early lead.  They added two runs in the second when a fielder's choice drove a run home and Melton walked with the bases loaded to add an easy RBI.  The only other run came in the sixth when Alison Szydlowski reached base on a fielder's choice and drove in a run, almost exactly like the second inning play.

The Seminoles scored all of their runs in the middle three innings, relying on four Louisville errors and a pair of home runs to ignite the offense.  Megan Hensley and Danielle Watson split time in the circle with three innings apiece.  The duo only surrendered six hits, but walked four and the defense had four infield errors.  Hensley (17-8) took the loss.

Coach Pearsall heavily emphasized the impact the errors had on a game where Louisville had an early shot at winning, "If we dont make those mistakes, we have a chance at winning that game, but the errors set us back and we just couldn't overcome that."

With a record of 33-20 and an RPI hovering around 44 the Cards are a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament.  Unfortunately, the ACC is weak at softball and FSU is the only school inside the Top 40 in RPI.  The Cards will need some help in receiving a bid to the "Big Dance" and hope the top seeds win their respective conference tournaments.

Track and Field Takes Home Two ACC Championships on Day One

Dorcas Wasike ran away with the gold in the women's 10,000 m, running a personal best and setting a new meet record.  Damar Robinson leapt his way to the podium with a personal best on the men's high jump.

The Championships are still young and there's plenty more Cardinals hoping to make their mark in history and bring home the gold.

Casey Madura Sits Down with Cardinal Couple

Casey Madura (left) and Emily Howell

The lacrosse alum will graduate from UofL this Saturday, but she found some time to sit down for an interview.  We were fortunate that she still has field access and made our way to the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium to enjoy a beautiful day that was tortured by the pollen invasion.

Madura has battled injuries and a cancer scare in her career at Louisville and spent almost all of her time on the bench as a supporter, teammate, and helping coach.  The senior captain talked about what brought her to Louisville, her experiences and memories here, and future plans that involve a trip to the Big Apple.

We talked about what her walk-up song would be, a secondary sport she might play, and deciding the style of wave she will perform as she walks across stage at commencement.

You can view the entirety of the lengthy interview

here.

The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Don't forget to tune in to your favorite knuckleheads this Saturday at 11 am on WCHQ 100.9 fm.  I will be "enjoying" my new role of putting in credit card and personal loan applications while also doing my normal breaking change.  With Case past his exam and having recovered for a few weeks there is a slight chance he may find his way back down to Melwood Ave.  We'll have to wait on the Vegas odds to come out before making our bets on that.  Either way, make sure to continue keeping him in your thoughts as he works his way back to 100%.




What Day is it?

Well, besides Friday it's also a day to celebrate a couple favorites, so kick back and Eat Whatever You Want while you watch The Twilight Zone, a personal favorite of mine in terms of throwback TV shows.

Make sure to take you medicine as allergy season is in full force in the second-worst allergen city in the United States only behind McAllen, TX, per Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

Walz Hits 299... Sports Playing Today... Final Four -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Jeff Walz Nears the 300 Win Mark

The victory over Oregon State not only sent UofL WBB to the Final Four, but it brought Jeff Walz within one win away from 300 wins at Louisville.

His record of 299-95 (0.759) is the best of any coach in Louisville women’s basketball history.  A win against Mississippi State Friday night would be a nice milestone to add to a historic season.  Let’s hope he finishes with 301 going into the offseason.

Lax Visits Brown

At 1:00 p.m., today, you can catch Louisville Lacrosse taking on Brown in the large state of Rhode Island.  The school, located in Providence, has close to 9,400 students, and charges an arm and a leg and a few other body parts to attend the high-academic-profile school.

The Bears are 5-4 on the season and carry a 3-1 homefield record.  Keep an eye on Brown’s leading scorer Risa Mosenthal.  The attacker has 35 goals on the season.  Louisville’s Tessa Chad and Caroline Blalock are tied for first for the Cards with 33 apiece.

Louisville is 6-5 on the season.  They lead the all-time series against Brown 2-0, winning in Orlando last year and at home in 2016.

The Ivy League Network will have video, but unless you are subscribed to the ILN you won’t be able to view it.  If anyone has login information to view that feel free to share with the rest of us!

Asia Durr Named All-American

It is quite an honor to be named an All-American and is Durrrr-ific to be named to the first team.  “Nite-nite” joins Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon), Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State), Katie Lou Samuelson (UConn), and A’ja Wilson (South Carolina) on the list.  Nobody tell Muffet that Arike Ogunbowale was named to the second team.

Golf Concludes Anuenue Spring Break Classic

No matter what place you finish I consider a trip to Hawaii a pretty good time.  Women’s golf finishes up the Anuenue (Rainbow) Spring Break Classic today.  They are in a tight race against Hawaii, Oregon State, Santa Clara, and Long Beach State.

This complex sport involves yelling “fore”, scoring a six, but writing down “five”.

Softball Visits Lipscomb

Hop on I-65 and head south for about two and a half hours and you can catch softball taking on Lipscomb in the Music City.  The Cards have struggled, going 2-4 in their last six games.  They hope to turn things around against the 19-9 Bisons.  (Note: Lipscomb athletics has the official name listed as “Bisons” and not “Bison” on their website.)

A midweek win over a non-conference opponent doesn’t do much in terms of strength of schedule, but the 22-9 Cards are looking for as many wins as they can get as they are now in the back half of the season.

Danielle Watson and Megan Hensley have had solid seasons in the circle so far this season and both sit at ERA’s of under 2.7.  The duo have a combined 159 strikeouts compared to 155 hits allowed and 91 walks.

Offensively, Louisville has struggled to put runs on the board.  Perhaps the bats can get hot tonight and stay hot for the remainder of the season.

The game is listed as ESPN3 for viewing purposes so have a smartphone or computer handy and ready to go.

Home Run counter: Megan Hensley (2), Caitlin Ferguson (2), Jenna Jordan (2), Nicole Pufahl (1), Alison Szydlowski (1), Riley Schindler (1), Sidney Melton (1).

Cardinal Couple Prepares for the Final Four

Paul and I received confirmation of our media passes yesterday so we will be in attendance to cover Louisville vs Mississippi State Friday night at 7:00 pm.  Our courageous leader will face the never-ending line of media on the row giving live updates and maybe a few Tweeted typos as the game progresses.  I will join the interesting ranks of the photographers as we all mumble and groan over the ref getting in the way of what would have been a perfect shot.

Enjoy your Wednesday and I hope to see many of you in a couple of days!

Jared

Basketball Stuff... Pick Em Update... WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Receive Late Game Time Slot

Pack your sleeping bags and coffee, it's a late one!  The women's basketball team will be playing the late game Friday evening in the Sweet Sixteen.  A 9:00 tip-off time is just a rough estimate, especially if game one goes long.  If you are traveling to the game expect to get home well after midnight. Knowing ESPN, expect action around 9:30.

The Cardinals will play the Cardinal (no "S") of Stanford.  The two teams have never faced each other before meaning that Louisville has zero blemishes on their record against Stanford.

Stanford finished 2nd in the PAC-12, finishing one and a half games behind Oregon.  Their 24-10 record is highlighted by wins against UCLA, Arizona State, Oregon State, and Oregon.  The Cardinal is 4-8 against ranked opponents including a 25-point loss at UConn in November.  Be on the lookout for a Louisville-Stanford review later this week.

Paulie and I plan to be at the game(s) this weekend.  Your wonderful co-owner will be covering both games Friday and may be there Sunday win or lose.  I will head to Lex after work Friday to take some pictures of the important game and will only be returning on Sunday following a Louisville victory.

Coach Walz held a press conference Tuesday to discuss the game. He also talks about the start time. His displeasure, mostly for the fan's sake, is evident:  LINK BELOW

https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1366mp3

Men's Basketball's Struggling Season Concludes

For those of you that check out the other site I contribute to, River City Cards, I wrote an open letter to David Padgett praising him for what he has done.  However, it appears his time as head coach of the Louisville men's basketball time has come to a close.  It is expected that Xavier's Chris Mack will be named the new head coach starting Thursday, but this is unconfirmed.

The Cards fell in the third round of the NIT to Mississippi State 79-56.  It was the final game for seniors Quentin Snider and Anas Mahmoud, while fans speculate Deng Adel and Ray Spalding will go pro. Rumors of player transfers are also out there.

Fans will probably suffer a couple more rough seasons before the once proud program restores its glory and dominance in the college basketball world.

Softball Cancels Indiana Game

A "small snowstorm" turned into nasty weather quickly.  If you were outside late last night snow was blowing sideways at it fell from the sky.  Roads were bad.  Due to the weather the Louisville vs Indiana softball game was cancelled.  The GoCards schedule has it listed as postponed, but the game will not be rescheduled as of right now.

UofL returns to action Friday at Duke.  This one should be on ACC Network.  Unfortunately, when the Cards play on the road we are not blessed with the voice of former ace Maryssa Becker.

Case Lives

Not that the surgery was a matter of life and death, but Case's surgery was a success.  Thank you to everyone who sent him positive wishes.  The recovery time will take a while and his date of return to the studio is unknown.  Rest that achilles, superstar!

One thing we know, he won't be trying any points after touchdown or crossovers on the soccer field for awhile. We'll have a rotating list of fill in's on The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour and may try to hook up with him via phone for updates and commentary.

NCAA Pick 'Em Update

There were 21 entries this year.  After eight games into the tournament there were no perfect brackets remaining.  The first round saw records of 26-6 down to 18-14.  Round two was going well for most folks until FGCU and Central Michigan had a say.  Everyone still has a winning record.

Ken S sits at 38-10 to lead the way.  The Real Joe Hill is a game behind at 37-11.  Paulie, Arthur, and myself are a bit behind that at 36-12.  Things continue all the way down to 28-20.

Everyone enjoy your Wednesday and don't forget that we have a 2018, and back-to-back, national champion in all star swimmer Mallory Comerford!

Just another day on the court...

Coach Walz has skills. Watch the link.

http://www.wave3.com/clip/14213499/uofls-walz-hits-from-half-court

Just walkin' off like it's no big thing.



Jared

Louisville women's basketball -- Let the Games begin! -- Weekend view -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

NCAA Tournament Time

Happy Game Day!  The moment we have all been waiting for is here!  At noon, our anticipation to see Louisville women's basketball take the court in the NCAA Tournament will reach its peak.

The Cards face 16-seed Boise State in front of a home crowd at the KFC Yum! Center.  The Broncos (23-9, 14-4 Mountain West) won the regular season outright and claimed the crown in their conference tournament to receive an automatic bid to make their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance.

Boise State last lost on Feb 3 to UNLV.  Just over a week later was Louisville's loss to UConn.  Boise State rides a 10-game win streak into the match-up, the first ever between these two teams.

Riley Lupfer is a sharpshooter for the Broncos, averaging 16.4 points per game.  Her 3.75 three-pointers per game is fifth-best in the country.  For comparison, Asia Durr averages an even 3 threes per game.  Lupfer has hit 120 threes on the year.  Shalen Shaw heads the post for Boise State, averaging seven rebounds per game.  11 of the 15 players on the roster stand 6'0 or taller, which has helped in the rebounding and blocks columns.

"Boise State is that way. It's in Idaho!"

As a team Boise State averages 69.2 points per game while giving up 61.4.  They have a rebound margin of +6, high ranking in the country.  Most of the Bronco's scoring comes in the two middle quarters, scoring 55% of their points then.  They shoot .355 from behind the arc and .731, both excellent figures.

What does Louisville have to do to win?

A 1-seed vs 16-seed match-up is expected to be an easy win for the higher seed.  The confidence boost plus the home crowd should help some.

Let Asia Durr find her shots.  If she isn't hot early do not let that cause hesitation when looking to her later in the game. "Nite-Nite" is a scorer and she will find ways to put up numbers.  To help Durr get some open looks the Cards need to pass the ball.  An extra pass or two can often put the defense out of position just enough to get some elbow room and a good look at the basket.

Combine size with strength to overpower Boise State down low.  Myisha Hines-Allen is having a highlight year with her double-doubles so feed her the ball.  "Doo-Blay" and Sam Fuehring play with a fiery emotion and they won't rest until they haul in every last rebound.

The missed lay-ups need to be cleaned up.  You can't get any closer to the basket unless you pull a Brittney Griner and dunk the darn thing.  Everyone on the team has missed an easy lay-up at some point this season and it usually follows with "#$@&%*!" coming from Walz on the bench.  A heavy presence and solid scoring down low will open up the exterior for better looks.

I won't give a prediction to the game in hopes of preventing a jinx, but all know who most of us will be rooting for (sorry Keith B, Boise State fan).  Make sure to get out there and cheer the Cards on if you can manage to get off work.  Unfortunately, I will not be able to provide pictures due to the fact it is near-impossible to get off at the bank last minute.

The Irish Visit for St Patrick's Day Softball

Thanks, ACC.  I think the university as a whole has had enough poor luck in recent years.  Playing Notre Dame on St Patrick's Day sounds like a tough one.  Game one is scheduled for today at 2:00, moved up from the 4:00 original start time.  Saturday's first pitch is 1:00 and Sunday is noon.  Days and times can change, weather pending.  I will have my green Louisville shirt on Saturday at Ulmer hooping and hollering.

The weather calls for rain this weekend.

After 25 games of non-conference play and a 20-5 record the Cards finally face ACC opponents.  The Irish took the series 2-1 last season at Ulmer Stadium.  Anyone remember the stormy Monday night last year?  The Cards went on to win 7-4.

Danielle Watson and Megan Hensley should do most of the work in the circle.  The question surrounding this team's success is if they can fix issues they have battled in the past.  Louisville continues to have problems with defensive errors, with most of them coming from the left side of the infield up to the front of the plate.

Notre Dame leads the all-time series 18-16.  A sweep sounds pretty great right now.  The Irish are 16-8 on the year and has relied on their offense to carry them.  Ali Wester is hitting .455 and Katie Marino has already sent five balls out of the park.  Can the UofL pitchers shut down the ND offense?

Lax Comes Home

After a two week trip to the southeast region of the US, the Louisville lacrosse team comes back home to the LLS where they will face Boston College.  That game will be starting right about the time the radio show concludes.

Trust me when I say the food truck is good.  The trick is keeping your food down while cheering on the high-scoring, fast-paced offense Scott Teeter has going on.  Even the hungry, stingy defense has drawn attention.

Record Breakers

The swim and dive team broke two school records at the NCAA Championships.  Rachael Bradford-Feldman made it into the record books by one hundredth of a second in the 200 IM with a time of 1:55.67.  The 400-medley relay team clocked in at 3:26.93.  The 200-free relay team finished with a time of 1:27.19, the fastest at the nationals for Louisville and falling a bit shy of a their record breaker on the day.

Another Day at the Office

Make sure to tune into the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour tomorrow morning at 11:00 on WCHQ (100.9 fm).  If you live outside the range of the station you can listen online for free or check out our new Facebook Live option on WCHQ's Facebook page.  Paulie and Worldwide will be in the studio with your truly.  Case is recovering from an injury so we send him best wishes.  In his stead we welcome my partner in crime from River City Cards, Mike Gilpatrick.  If you want to know anything about the Detroit Tigers or Louisville Baseball he is your man.  We have a full lineup ready to go so make sure to tune in!


Pick 'Em closes at noon

If you haven't submitted your picks for the NCAA Women's Tournament Pick "em" here at CARDINAL COUPLE....what are you waiting for? A full moon, good crops, the Easter bunny?

We have a $25 Panera Card for da winnah! $15 Cracker Barrel card for second-best. Jared Anderson verifying brackets while turning quarters into nickles and dimes! People from all over the continental United States entering. It is your manifest duty to grab a writing utensil, fill out a bracket and send it to us. We have dozens of chimps sitting up in the Bracket Central suite with nothing to do but ride Bill the Goat and Frank the Mule around the offices and play jarts!

You better have something in the comments section by noon today or I'm telling Mom!

Paulie 

Happy Friday and Go Cards, especially women's basketball!

Jared

Sportsmen's Supper Club Hosts UofL Coaches -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SPORTSMEN'S SUPPER CLUB 


I was invited to join Paulie at the Sportsmen’s Supper Club last night.  When I heard that we would have the pleasure of having a couple UofL coaches as the guest speakers I couldn’t resist.

After work I headed down to campus and found a nice parking spot convenient to the front door of the University Club.  If parking was this easy at all UofL events I would be one happy camper.  It was easy to navigate my way through the hallways and corridors of the U-Club, despite not having been inside it since my days as a Cardinal Ambassador when I was still a student.  Paulie offered me a beverage so I thought “why not”.

Scott Teeter

 Not long after my arrival Coach Scott Teeter of Louisville Lacrosse and one of his senior captains Casey Madura appeared.  I had known about Coach Teeter before the event, but Casey’s presence was a surprise.  We got to have quite a conversation with the pair as we waited for dinner.  Paulie told us about his ACC women’s basketball tournament adventures.  Teeter and Casey enlightened us with how they found their way to the University of Louisville.

Dinner began, and I must say that it was much better than my cheap, fast food lunch earlier that day.  The U-Club is known for delicious food and they did not disappoint.  I would recommend them for a meal sometime if you are ever looking for a nice meal.

Coach Dani Busboom Kelly strolled in after dinner began.  Her late arrival was due to having an important recruit on campus.  DBK elected not to have dinner after recently having a meal with the recruit, but she did join us in some conversation.  This was the first time that Teeter and DBK had met in person.  Teeter came in at the beginning of January and went straight to work with the start of the season around the corner while DBK was getting some traveling done to visit recruits before spring practices began.

Dani Busboom Kelly

One thing we got to talk about was the departure and addition of players.  Four seniors (Gabbie Wiley, Tess Clark, Maggie DeJong, and Coline Coessens) graduated and have begun their careers.  Kali Eaken transferred out to complete her senior season at Wichita State.  Recently it was announced that Alexia Byrnes would transfer to Youngstown State, where she will have four years of eligibility remaining.  This upcoming season will see the addition of seven players.  There is a transfer that has joined the squad for spring practices.  Six freshmen will make their first appearance in the fall.

As dinner concluded we got to hear from DBK first.  She gave an opening speech recapping this past volleyball season.  Louisville hired Dani Busboom Kelly after Anne Kordes retired following the 2016 season.  The Cards had a rough 2016 year and were voted to finish eighth in the conference during the preseason polls.  The Cards wound up taking the ACC title and receiving the automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament.

Casey Madura

She then took questions from the members of the club and was happy to answer any and every question.  As a member of the sports media realm I often forget that some of what is just expected of me to know is not always common knowledge for the average fan.  Here are a few answers to questions we heard from Dani Busboom Kelly:


-Volleyball has 12 full scholarships each year that can be renewed or revoked the next season.  They do not do partial scholarships.

-A libero is a defensive specialist that only plays back line and can sub in and out at will.

-Some of the potentials leaders for the 2018 team include Molly Sauer, Melanie McHenry, and Wilma Rivera.

-Recruiting for collegiate level of volleyball can start as early as eighth grade.  There is a new rule that will be voted on later this year that would prevent coaches from recruiting players before their junior year of high school.

After DBK finished her Q&A and went back to continue a visit with a recruit,  Scott Teeter took the podium.  Teeter gave us insight into his background and what it was like coming to Louisville.  Teeter spent many years at his alma mater, Canisius College, making the mid-level school become a respected program.  Besides being the head coach at the collegiate level Teeter is also the Canadian National Team coach, where he has earned gold and silver medals.  This is also how he was able to connect with Cardinal Forever Kay Morrissette.

Teeter brought Casey Madura to the posium with him and she had nothing but high praises for her new coach.  She talked about how well the team got along with the new coach immediately.  Casey told us how the torn ACL set her back this season and how she will come to a tough decision next year if she will choose to play a red-shirt senior season or if she will accept a job up in the Big Apple. 

We then learned of some news that caused the room to fall silent.  Casey recently found out that she had thyroid cancer.  Thankfully, she was able to have emergency surgery to remove the thyroid and is now cancer free, a statement that brought the largest applause of the evening.

The floor was then opened for Q&A.  Here are some answers we heard from Teeter and Casey:

-Despite having 12 players on the field for each team most of the time 7v7 because of the lines and dividers on the field.

-The ACC is the toughest of all lacrosse conferences with nearly every team currently being ranked.  They also own the most NCAA Championships.

-Most big recruits come from the east coast, where lacrosse has been popular for a while.

-Lacrosse is one of the fastrst growing sports around the world.  In the US there are now almost 120 schools in the NCAA with a lacrosse program.

-You cannot recruit for college lacrosse until September 1 of a player’s junior year of high school.

Following the conclusion of the speakers everyone departed while Paulie and I stayed behind to socialize with Teeter and Casey a little longer.  Besides the official athletics representatives, Cardinal Couple is the only media to cover Louisville Lacrosse, and they have been extremely grateful for that.

If I haven’t lost you yet there’s a few things this weekend going on. 

-Softball begins their second weekend of home games in the Cardinal Classic.  They host Bradley and UMass today.

- Track and Field starts the first day of the indoor championships.

For more about these sports and the other women’s sports at UofL make sure to tune into the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour tomorrow morning.  I will be back at the bank, but you’ll get to hear the voices of Paulie, Worldwide, and Case.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared