A look at what's happening in Cleveland State Athletics…
Men's Soccer
-Cleveland State (6-5-1, 3-3-0) hosts 2018 national runner-up Akron this Tuesday (October 29) before playing its road finale Saturday (November 2) at UIC.
-The Vikings' three-game winning streak ended with a 2-1 loss to HL preseason favorite Wright State this past weekend.
-Senior Vlad Jandric scored his second goal of the season in the setback to the Raiders.
Women's Soccer
-Cleveland State (5-8-3, 3-4-1) will close out the regular season this weekend, traveling to Wright State on Friday, November 1.
-Last time out, the Vikings continued their stretch of four of their last five games on the road, dropping a 3-0 decision at UIC.
-For the season, Elena Gutlove has a team-high nine points on three goals and three assists, while Grace Krosky has three goals, and the trio of Essence Canady, McKenna Donahue and Grace Grant all have two goals each.
Volleyball
-The Vikings (5-16, 1-9) will continue their current four-match roadswing this weekend, traveling to Youngstown State on Friday, November 1 and Oakland on Saturday, November 2.
-Last time out, the Vikings dropped a pair of matches at Green Bay and Milwaukee.
-Trinniti Hall combined to average 4.00 kills per set on the weekend, as she now leads the team with 281 total kills this season and ranks third in the league standings averaging 3.39 kills per set.
Cross Country
-Cleveland State will return to action at the 2019 Horizon League Championship this Saturday, November 2, with the women's 6K slated for a 12:00 p.m. start in Highland Heights, Ky.
-Junior Anna Brandt returns as a two-time First Team All-Horizon League honoree, including a third place finish at last year's #HLXC meet which marked the highest individual finish in program history.
-Over the last three races, the trio of Anna Brandt, Olivia Hammons and Hannah Korte have been Cleveland State's top-three finishers, including five top-15 performances during this stretch.
Men's Basketball
-The Vikings will open the 2019-20 season with an exhibition game against Notre Dame (Ohio) on Wednesday, October 30.
-Cleveland State will be under the direction of first-year head coach Dennis Gates, who was named the 16th head coach in program history on July 26, 2019.
-The first installment of the Dennis Gates Coach's Show will be held on Monday, October 28 at Buffalo Wild Wings in downtown Cleveland beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Women's Basketball
-Cleveland State will host its lone exhibition of the 2019-20 season this Thursday (October 31), welcoming Ursuline to the Wolstein Center.
-The Vikings will be under the direction of second-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier, and return eight letterwinners and four starters from last year.
-Earlier this month, Mariah Miller and Savanna Crockett were named to the #HLWBB Preseason Second Team, marking just the fourth time that two Vikings have earned preseason honors in the same season.
Fencing
- Cleveland State will resume action in a few weeks when it competes in the Case Western Duals.
- The programs combined for a 12-0 record as they hosted the CSU Duals this past Saturday, which included the CSU women's first win over Michigan in 15 years.
- Three Vikings then won events as the Vikings hosted the John Szent-Kiraly Open on Sunday.
- Paul DiVenti won the foil competition, Declan Forth won the saber competition and Alyssa Freiburger won the women's epee competition.
Men's Swimming & Diving
-Cleveland State will take a few weeks off from competition before hosting the Magnus Cup in late November.
-The Vikings split their opening dual meets on the road, defeating Milwaukee (171-129) and falling to Green Bay (137-163).
-Sophomore Jack Krusinski won five individual events across the two dual meets.
-Junior Matt Akers won three diving events across the two duals and surpassed the NCAA qualifying score in 1-meter by over 30 points.
Women's Swimming & Diving
-Cleveland State will take a few weeks off from competition before hosting the Magnus Cup in late November.
-The Vikings split their opening dual meets on the road, falling to Milwaukee (132.5-165.5) before rebounding to beat Green Bay (150.5-149.5).
-Junior Lexie Kostelnik won four events across the two duals, winning the 500 free and 1000 free in both meets.
Wrestling
-Cleveland State will open the 2019-20 season with a pair of events this weekend.
-The Vikings will host the Cleveland Clash Friday, November 1, a continuous tri-dual featuring the Vikings and local schools Case Western Reserve and John Carroll.
-CSU will then compete in its first tournament event of the season Sunday, November 3, at the Clarion Open.
Men's Tennis
-Cleveland State will close out its fall slate this weekend, hosting the Viking Invitational Friday, November 1 through Sunday, November 3.
-Since the inaugural Viking Invitational in 2016, the Vikings have claimed all three singles titles, and two of the three doubles crowns.
-Entering the weekend, junior Matthew Terry has a team-best 11-1 singles record this season, and currently ranks 10th on the CSU Singles Wins List with 64 career wins.
Women's Tennis
-The Vikings will play in their final tournament of the fall season this weekend, participating in the UB Fall Invite Friday, November 1 through Sunday, November 3.
-Last time out, Klara Mrcela posted a perfect 3-0 singles record at the Akron Shootout, finishing the weekend with a team-best 5-3 overall record this season.
-Cleveland State also had a strong performance from its doubles teams at the Akron Shootout, combining for a 6-3 record on the weekend.
This Week's Schedule
Tuesday, October 29
Men's Soccer hosts Akron – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 30
Men's Basketball hosts Notre Dame (Ohio) – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 31
Women's Basketball hosts Ursuline – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, November 1
Men's Tennis hosts Viking Invitational – All Day
Women's Tennis at UB Fall Invite – All Day
Volleyball at Youngstown State – 6:00 p.m.
Women's Soccer at Wright State – 7:00 p.m.
Wrestling hosts Case Western & John Carroll – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 2
Men's Tennis hosts Viking Invitational – All Day
Women's Tennis at UB Fall Invite – All Day
Cross Country at Horizon League Championship – 12:00 p.m.
Volleyball at Oakland – 4:00 p.m.
Men's Soccer at UIC – 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 3
Men's Tennis hosts Viking Invitational – All Day
Women's Tennis at UB Fall Invite – All Day
Wrestling at Clarion Open – 9:00 a.m.
Viking Of The Week
Matt Akers, Men's Swim & Dive
The junior started off his season with an impressive weekend as he won three diving events across two dual meets. He won the 1-meter event at Milwaukee with 298.95 points, helping the Vikings to their first dual win of the season. He saved his best for Green Bay as he swept both diving events against the Phoenix. He notched a career-high score of 330.60 in the 1-meter event, surpassing the NCAA qualifying standard by over 30 points. His winning score of 318.07 in the 3-meter event left him just shy of earning a second NCAA score in the same day.
Other Top Performers
Klara Mrcela, Women's Tennis
Trinniti Hall, Volleyball
Lexie Kostelnik, Women's Swim & Dive
Jack Krusinski, Men's Swim & Dive
