Posted 3/8/05

UW-Platteville baseball coach Jamie Sailors has added summer ball to his coaching resume. Sailors will spend his summers coaching in the prestigious Central Illinois College League, comprised of players who have completed at least one year of college but still have eligibility. (Sailors will remain as the Pioneers' head coach as well.)

Sailors will coach the Danville Dans in the the nation's oldest Major League-funded, NCAA-sanctioned summer league.

"Coach Sailors rose to the top with his background and experience," Dan's general manager Rick Kurth said in a press release. "He is well respected by his peers and his players. He understands the unique responsibility a summer coach has, and we are excited to have him at the helm."

A former St. Louis farmhand, Sailors is in his fourth year as Pioneers' head coach.

The baseball team is also holding its First Pitch Banquet Saturday. For more information, visit: http://www.uwplatt.edu/athletics/baseball/2005/firstpitch.htm

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Five Pioneers will compete in the NCAA III track and field national championships this weekend at Illinois Wesleyan.

Ryan Kleimenhagen closes his standout career in the mile and 800 run. He currently has the fastest times in the country in both events. Freshman Tyler Sigl will join him in the mile run. Sigl, second to Kleimenhagen in Saturday's conference meet, has the ninth fastest time nationally. Jim Uppena came up with his season-best toss of 59-1 1/4 in the weight throw Friday night, qualifying with the country's ninth-best effort this season.

Marcia Taddy has the third-best mile time and the ninth-best 800 time on the women's side. Jackie Mulrooney goes into the 5,000-meter run with the fourth-best seed time.

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Two UWP wrestlers earned 2005 NCAA Divison III Wrestling Coaches Assocation Scholar-Athlete All-American Team.

Seniors Ned Lease and Tom Venner both made the honor squad, which featured about 10 wrestlers at each weight class. Lease, from Fennimore, majors in technology education, while Venner, from Genoa, is a mechanical engineering major. Both wrestlers went 14-8 on the year, with Lease wrestling at 184 and Venner at 197.

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UW-Platteville and UW-Stout have moved their football game to Sept. 10. The two teams were scheduled to play Oct. 1, but the Blue Devils asked the game be moved so they could fill out their non-conference schedule by playing on Oct. 1. Coach Mike Emendorfer agreed to make the switch to help out a fellow conference school.

The revised Pioneer schedule is at http://www.uwplatt.edu/athletics/football/2005/05schedule.html

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Mark your calendars for the following April dates: 2nd, softball alumni gathering (contact jamesj@uwplatt.edu); 14th, Women's Night Out, sponsored by the Pioneer female athletic teams; 16th, men's basketball banquet (contact gardj@uwplatt.edu); and the 24th, women's basketball banquet (contact kuhlec@uwplatt.edu).