All-American

Sarah Miller of Crosslake, a freshman libero at Central Lakes College in the 2012 volleyball season, has earned All-American status in both the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III and American Volleyball Coaches Association individual honors. She is one of 12 first-team NJCAA picks and 18 players in all to be nationally recognized. For more go to http://www.njcaa.org/sports_awards.cfm?sid=47&divid=3&slid=17. The AVCA named 18 players in various divisions of two-year colleges. Sarah was the ONLY player from the NJAA Div. III to earn first team All-American in this organization. AVCA is based in Lexington, Kentucky.

First win for men

Kevin Kuefler (shown) scored 20 points and nabbed nine rebounds in a Central Lakes College men's basketball win, 86-82,  over the Concordia  junior varsity Wednesday in Brainerd. The effort earned his Northern Division Player of the Week honors for Week 3 of the MCAC. Tyler Flugum added 16 points and seven boards and John Jedneak had 17 points and five rebounds for the Raiders, who won their first game in four starts. CLC held a 47-42 advantage at the half and shot 50 percent (8-16) from 3-point range compared to the Cobbers’ 31 percent. The Raiders held a 44-27 rebounding edge. The CLC bench outscored the Cobbers 36-20, led by Nathan Holm’s 10 points.
Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/58518185@N04/

No bowl game

Central Lakes College will not be sending its football team to the 2012 Valley of the Sun Bowl in Arizona. CLC, which won the Minnesota College Athletic Conference championship Nov. 4, was to have played Glendale Community College on Dec. 1. It would have been the fourth bowl game in as many years for the Raiders. “It appears as though we may have had a relatively small, but still significant eligibility issue with a one or more football players,” said Kelly McCalla, interim vice president of academic affairs. He said the issue has to do with when a student is considered fulltime. “It appears to have been a student misunderstanding” as opposed to willful wrong-doing, McCalla said. “It was a simple mistake, but one with real consequences.”

Women lose to Cobber JV

The Central Lakes College women's basketball team lost to the Concordia Cobbers junior varsity, 86-56, Monday. Lindsay Monson led the Raider scoring with 17 points and had 10 rebounds, Taalyr Egeness added 13 points and Sierra Benning 10. FG 24-63 (38 percent). FT 5-9 (55 percent). Overall: 0-4. Next: host Anoka-Ramsey 6 p.m. Nov. 30.

Raider teams lose

The Central Lakes College men's and women's basketball teams are still looking for their first wins of the 2012-13 season. The Raider women (0-3) lost 70-35 to Minnesota State Community and Technical College (MSCTC) at Fergus Falls Saturday, Nov. 17, and the CLC men (0-3) fell to the Spartans, 75-70. For the Raider women, Lindsay Monson scored 10 points and Taalyr Egeness grabbed eight rebounds. CLC scored just 12 points in the second half. For the men, Kevin Kuefler scored 19 points and had 13 rebounds. Brandon Davis added 13 points and nine rebounds. The Raiders shot 44 percent (29-66) from the field and converted 3 of 17 threes and 9 of 22 free throws. The Raider women play host to Concordia (Moorhead) College's junior varsity Monday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m., and the men will do likewise Wednesday, Nov. 21 vs.the Concordia JV.

Football team moves up

Despite not playing a game last weekend, the Central Lakes College football team moved up to No. 8 from No. 10 in the latest NJCAA poll. The Raiders are awaiting word  regarding a possible post-season bowl game, with several bowl game hosts reportedly showing interest. More should be know sometime today. The Raiders ran their 2012 record to 10-1 by defeating Rochester, 33-23, in the MCAC championship Nov. 4. CLC has played in post-season bowl games three straight years and came closest to winning two years ago in Arizona. Two decisives losses came at the hands of Iowa teams in bowl games played in the UNI Dome at Cedar Falls.

Player of the Year

Sarah Miller, a freshman from Crosslake, was named Northern Division Player of the Year by the Minnesota College Athletic Conference in 2012. The Brainerd High School graduate played in the libero position, which is a defensive or service-receiving specialist. Her role isn't one that tallies a lot of statistics, said Coach Jane Peterson, but someone with Sarah's athleticism and instincts can and did make a difference in the Raiders' 22-7 season. CLC won the Regional, regular-season championship with a 13-1 record, losing only to the eventual regional champ, Northland, which took third place in the NJCAA Division III tournament Nov. 10 in Rochester. Other Raiders receiving MCAC honors: Alanna Hansen, sophomore from Brainerd, first team All-State and All-Region; Lindsay Monson, freshman from Pierz, second team All-Region. The Brainerd Dispatch featured Sarah Miller in  the Nov. 13 edition. http://brainerddispatch.com/sports/2012-11-12/college-volleyball-bhs-grad-becoming-reluctant-raiders-leader