From the Cleveland State University Athletic Department.
Brooklyn, Ohio - Former Saint Ignatius golfer and current Cleveland State senior men's golfer Andrew Bailey has qualified for the 113th U.S. Amateur after claiming medalist honors on Monday during the 36-hole qualifier at Avon Oaks Country Club.
The U.S. Amateur will be played from August 12-18 at The Country Club, in Brookline, Mass.
Bailey, a Rocky River resident, had already qualified for the match-play portion of both the North & South Classic and the U.S. Amateur Public Links this summer. He shot identical rounds of five-under par 67 at the qualifier on Monday, finishing 10-under par for a five-shot victory and medalist honors.
The Horizon League Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior, Bailey has been a three-time first-team All-Horizon League selection. He led the Vikings with a 72.8 scoring average this past season, the second lowest in school history.
Bailey, PING All-Midwest Region honoree, Bailey led the Vikings with 13 rounds of par or better, including a team-best 67 at the Benbow Invitational on March 12. He posted three top-five finishes, five top-10's and eight top 20's this season in 10 events and was CSU's top finisher in nine of the 10 events, including all five in the spring season when he posted a pair of runner-up finishes and four top-10's in the five events.
Bailey's career scoring average of 73.9 stands atop the CSU record books.
A huge congratulations from the corner goes out to Andrew, the Bailey family and the golf programs at Cleveland State University and Saint Ignatius.
THE DEFENSE APPLIES SOME PRESSURE AND TURNS IN A FEW OTHER AGGRESSIVE PLAYS, AND THE PASSING GAME CONTINUES TO IMPRESS AS THE WILDCATS GEAR UP FOR NEXT WEEK'S FINAL THREE MINI CAMPS OF THE SUMMER.
By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright July 2013
Ohio City - "Bring your running shoes gentlemen."
That was the message from Saint Ignatius head football coach Chuck Kyle '69 following Thursday evening's Mini Camp 6 on a sun-drenched Wasmer Field.
Coach Kyle was referring to next week's final three mini camps, which will get under way each day (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) with an emphasis on running and sprint drills. Simply put, conditioning is the operative word starting Monday.
"Obviously, with what we do offensively and defensively we have to be in shape," Coach Kyle said. "That's a given."
Like all of his teams, Coach Kyle, now in his 31st season as his alma mater's head coach, expects his 2013 Wildcats to be as strong, or stronger, in the fourth quarter as they were when the game kicked off.
It is that type of physical and mental conditioning that has helped pave the way to 301 victories under Coach Kyle, including a record 11 OHSAA big-school state championships and three national titles.
AIR 'CATS: Senior quarterbacks Pete Mahoney and John Thomas were throwing passes on Thursday evening that could have gone through a car wash without getting wet.
And hauling in those pigskin perfections were members of, in this old-timer's humble opinion, the deepest receiving corps in Northeast Ohio.
Mahoney and Thomas laid perfectly executed deep routes into the hands of senior Jake Helton and junior David Shibley, respectively, as Helton and Shibley were breaking for the Lorain Avenue end zone of Wasmer Field.
Senior wide receiver and Co-Captain Jack Hyland displayed his sure hands off a quick-hitting crossing route from Mahoney, a read and execution that drew a "Yes, yes, yes!" from veteran offensive coordinator Nick Restifo. Thomas, aka "The Gunslinger," and senior wide receiver/defensive back Jack Lavelle combined on a couple of nice swing routes.
A REMINDER FROM THE "D": As for the Wildcats' defense on Thursday evening, well, let's just say that like all defenses on the high school, college and professional levels the advantage goes to the offense in 7-on-7 and other early camp competition.
That said, Saint Ignatius' defenders know things will begin to even out when two-a-days start on Aug. 5 and they gave the 'Cats' "O" a little taste of what to expect.
Senior Nick Malarik displayed aggressiveness and quick reaction off some nice plays in the secondary and veteran senior defensive lineman Chris Keane, junior defensive end Michael Penn and veteran senior linebacker Patrick Hopkins delivered a purposeful pass rush. Keane batted down a ball off a bull rush.
As the sun was beginning to set in Ohio City, the seniors voted on a third captain for the 2013 season. The young man who will be joining Jack Hyland and offensive tackle and Notre Dame recruit Jim Byrne in the leadership roles will be announced by Coach Kyle before the start of Monday's mini camp.
A fourth and final captain will be selected by the coaching staff during two-a-days.
LOOKING AHEAD: Saint Ignatius' outstanding Athletics Director Rory Fitzpatrick '88, who worked another miracle in filling the Wildcats' 2013 football schedule, said he has six games in place for 2014. Those six games are against Mentor, Paramus Catholic, Lawrence Central, Archbishop Moeller, St. Xavier and St. Edward. There is a possibility of a seventh game versus Erie McDowell, but that is on stand by. Rumors of a game against Cleveland Heights are just that right now, although the Wildcats would love to renew their football rivalry with the Tigers. Remember those packed-house fall Saturday afternoons on Cedar and Lee?
See you at Monday's mini camp. And, as always, I will have my running shoes on. Wait a minute, maybe we should say walking shoes.