Not a Goodbye, Just a See You Later

As Gordon Hayward's final desperation shot bounced from the backboard and off the front of the rim, I sat, in the front row of the student section at Lucas Oil stadium, and wondered if that was the closest Butler would ever come to a national championship. I was a hopeful Junior marketing student who lived and breathed Butler athletics, and as the confetti fell to the celebrations of a Duke championship, I could not help but think that THIS (a loss) would be the highlight of my Butler career. Little did I know, my senior year would be filled with even more excitement.

Looking back at my four years at Butler University, the saying "Time flies when you are having fun!" doesn't even do it justice. I can still remember my first Butler Basketball game, an exhibition against St. Joseph (Indiana), where new head coach Brad Stevens led the Bulldogs to a 25 point win. Not only was I excited to see my new team, but I was welcomed into the student section with open arms. A few games later, I was painted and dressed from head-to-toe in navy and white yelling at opponents and incapable Horizon League referees (some things never change) Just three years later, I had already served as the Marketing and Public Relations officer, and was elected as President of the Dawg Pound for my final year at Butler. I had seen Butler lose four out of five starters, I had seen Butler get beat at home by Loyola, I had seen Butler go to a national championship, and I had seen Butler lose Hayward to the NBA, but the biggest trend that I saw was a hard working group of coaches and players that knew how to win.

To say that the basketball team is the only team at Butler who excels through hard work and mental toughness would be discrediting the rest of the Butler athletic teams. I watched as the Football team went from a winless season, to an 11-1 championship ending run just a few years later. I watched as the cross country team continued their conference domination. I watched the men's soccer team post a top-5 national ranking through an undefeated regular season. I saw the women's soccer team and our volleyball team win their respective leagues. I witnessed the women's basketball team playing in the post-season NIT tournament. I saw our softball team break records and make it all the way to a conference championship game. I watched as star players not only went to class, but also participated and contributed to discussion. I watched the Butler Way unfold each and everyday on and off the court.

Surrounded by the Colts, Pacers, and IU fans, Butler might never sell-out every game, or be a frequent feature on the news/Indy star, but if I have learned one thing following Butler athletics, it is that Bulldogs thrive as underdogs. Butler will continue to stay true to itself, and its fans should be proud of what has been accomplished over the past few years. As we watch more and more student athletes come and go, we are reminded that there is more to life than just sports, but with all of the negative and immoral happenings right now in college athletics, it is sure refreshing to support a team like Butler.

I will forever remain a Butler fan and follower, and someday down the line would love to be able to work and give back to the organization that taught me everything I know. To those of you who have shown me the ropes and laid the foundation for the Butler Way, I cannot thank you enough. To those of you to come and who will continue to add to Butler Nation, I wish you nothing but the best and am sure that you will have an experience of a lifetime. A Butler degree is now worth more than it used to be, and I argue that the hard work of individuals like Matt Howard, Connor Burt, Matt Lawder, Brittany Bowen, Jesse Wolfe, and countless other student athletes had a lot to do with that.

This update marks my last post as acting President and after I log off, the blog will be handed to our newly elected Public Relations officer Whitney Martin. I started my own sports opinion blog for those of you who are still interested in reading my updates, as I am sure many will be about Butler. As they say, I will be a Butler Bulldog for life. The blog can be found at http://contenderrender.blogspot.com. I hope that you have enjoyed my blogging and I know that Whitney will do a great job from here on out!

GO DAWGS!

Kyle Murphy

Sippola Update #2

It is the time of the week for another Ben Sippola update. I have been lucky enough to get on the good side of the Columbus Crew and thanks to TJ Ansley, Digital Content Editor for the Columbus Crew, I was able to grab some pictures of Ben Sippola in training.

As you can see in the pictures, Sippola is sporting the #28 jersey and is still competing for a contract and a place in the first team roster. News out of Major League Soccer today, reported that roster size was expanded to 30 players per team. This has to be seen as a positive for Sippola's chances of getting a contract and would allow him more opportunity to impress the coaching staff.

Although pictures cannot tell the whole story, it sure looks as if Sippola is doing his best to show his work ethic and compete for a spot on the team. Sippola seems to be adjusting well and is surely learning a lot from the veterans on the field. In addition to the pictures, the Crew also created a short "get-to-know" interview with Sippola. Check it out!

More updates to come throughout preseason. Only 6.5 weeks until Major League Soccer begins.

All pictures and video

were provided by

www.thecrew.com.

Big Game Tomorrow!

Continuing with the trend of Butler's Horizon League domination, we now focus our attention on our Women's Basketball team. For those of you who have not heard, the Bulldogs are currently undefeated in Horizon League play at 7-0 and are looking to add another win tomorrow night. Standing in the way of that W is another undefeated and nationally ranked opponent - long time rival Wisconsin Green Bay.

Green Bay has dominated the rivalry recently, winning 28 straight against the Bulldogs, but Butler's top four scorers (all Seniors) are determined to end that streak at home tomorrow night. The 7-0 start in conference this year is the second best start in Butler history since a 9-0 run in 1993, while still in the MCC.

The timing could not be better - in the last four weeks, Butler has won 7 straight games and has claimed two Horizon League Players of the Week: Bowen for the week of Jan. 10 and Hamilton for the week of Jan 17. If that wasn't even motivation, a win over ranked Green Bay on Thursday night would give Coach Couture her 400th career win. I cannot think of a more deserving way for such a hard working, strong willed individual to earn her 400th.

Although attendance at Women's games has not been known to sell-out Hinkle Fieldhouse, I am expecting and hoping that a good crowd will come support the Bulldogs in their quest to unthrone the Pheonix tomorrow night at 7:00pm. I have been told that those who attended the Men's game last Sunday can purchase tickets at the Box Office for $3 when presenting their ticket stubs.

I also know that Dawg Pound members in attendance can enter to win $100 cash at half-time and that REACH will be there to pass out free t-shirts to the first 100 students.

Below is an address from Coach Beth Couture:

Dawg Pound-

Let me start by saying that the women’s basketball team and staff appreciates all your efforts in supporting our team this season. We have had an increase in student attendance at our games and it has been GREAT.

With that said, I want to emphasize the importance of our upcoming game this Thursday night versus our longtime conference nemesis, Green Bay, who is ranked No. 16 nationally. Currently, we are tied with them for the lead – both teams at 7-0.

It will be a tough game, and we certainly could use your help on Thursday night!

Go Dawgs!
Coach Beth Couture

As far as I know, there is not a single undergraduate student currently enrolled at Butler University that has been able to storm the court at Hinkle Fieldhouse in celebration of an upset. Tomorrow night, if Butler can continue their winning streak, I will see each and every one of you at mid-court when the final buzzer sounds.

Sippola Update

Add a Columbus Crew jersey to your next wish-list and start getting excited for the MLS season to begin. On January 18th, Butler Senior and soccer star, Ben Sippola, was selected as the 30th pick in the 2011 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft by the Columbus Crew. There were rumors that New York would take Sippola and others that suggested Columbus was the team most excited about the talented midfielder, but one thing was for sure - Ben Sippola was going to be picked and would play professionally.

The afternoon of the draft, Sippola was monitoring his status via a draft tracker with a few friends when he received a call from his father yelling "Columbus!" Confused, Sippola watched as the draft tracker quickly updated and displayed his name next to Columbus and the 30th overall pick. When the initial shock of excitement began to subside, Sippola realized how great of an opportunity it would be to put on the Crew jersey and represent Butler at a higher level. Plus, the distance doesn't hurt either. "I am a Midwestern guy, so I was thrilled when I knew I would be only three hours from Butler." Ben shared.

Sippola became the sixth player from Butler to be drafted in the MLS and the first since John Mariscalco (Colorado Rapids, 2006). Talk about a successful program - Six players have been drafted to professional teams in just over a 10 year period. Despite the fact that only one of those Bulldogs drafted (Stephen Armstrong) is still playing professionally, Sippola has a chance to play for one of the better teams in the league and will begin training with them tomorrow. "I will be joining the Crew this Sunday. We spend a week in Columbus and then head to Phoenix, Arizona for preseason," Sippola explained.

American soccer fans may recognize the names Robbie Rogers, Chad Marshall, Eddie Gaven, and Jeff Cunningham. For those of you who may not have heard of them, you could compare them to NBA veterans who have represented their country at the highest level. Sippola mentioned that "all of these players have proven themselves at the highest level of American soccer even making appearances for the Unites States National Team. My goal is to fill the shoes of these players some day. I cannot wait to learn from them and play with them." Contracts in the MLS, however, are not guaranteed, and Sippola will be fighting for his place on the team as soon as he takes the field on Sunday. "I will be on trial until they offer me a contract. It could be a matter of a week or a month or two before I am offered a contract. I will earn a contract if the coaches feel like I can bring something to the team, whether it be my work rate, tenacity, versatility, etc."

With everyone at camp competing for a first team spot, it may be more likely that Sippola will earn a reserve spot in his first year with the team. Major League Soccer has decided to bring back the Reserve League for the 2011 season and Sippola might find himself suiting up for these games. However, it is important to note that Ben Sippola is exactly the hard working, determined player that could surprise the coaching staff and earn a first team spot. Just ask Coach Findley, who recently left Butler to pursue the head coaching position at North Carolina State in the ACC. Regardless of when Sippola makes his 1st first team appearance, I am confident that he will continue to do what he has done in his three and a half tremendous years at Butler - win.

"I couldn’t be more excited to go to Columbus, I have wanted to be a professional soccer player since I can remember. In spite of this, I will miss the Butler atmosphere, going to basketball games, my professors, the athletic department, and of course my friends. All I can say is “thank you” to everyone at Butler for their support," Sippola concluded.

I will do my best to keep the Butler fanbase updated on Sippola's status, but in the meantime, add the Columbus Crew to the professional teams that Butler is contributing to.