ATCHISON, Kan. – The Benedictine College Athletic Department and Athletic Director Charlie Gartenmayer have announced the hiring of Ben Coughlin to lead the new Raven Men’s Lacrosse program.

“We are happy to have Ben join our staff here at Benedictine,” Gartenmayer said. “He has a passion for lacrosse and we are excited to have him lead our men’s program.”

Coughlin comes to Benedictine after serving the past year and a half as an assistant men’s lacrosse coach for NCAA Div. III Aurora University in Aurora, Ill. While at Aurora, he helped the Spartans to an undefeated regular season in the Midwest Lacrosse Conference. The Spartans not only earned the regular-season title, they were also crowned MLC Tournament Champions and qualified for the round of 16 of the NCAA Div. III National Tournament.

“I’m excited to come back to my home state and bring back some of what I’ve been able to learn about lacrosse over the past five years,” Coughlin said. “The Benedictine community has been great to me. I really don’t feel like I’m the new guy.

“I’m excited to be given the chance to build my own program at Benedictine. The support the school has shown towards its Athletic Department through new facilities on campus lets me know that I’ll have the tools and support to build a program the way I want to.”

Before joining the staff at Aurora, Coughlin served a year as the head coach at the University of Illinois where he guided the program to a 5-2 mark in the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference.

A native of Olathe and a graduate of Kansas State University, Coughlin began coaching club lacrosse in the Kansas City Metro area in 2011 and gradually began working his way up to his most recent stop at Aurora.

Prior to attending K-State, where he played four years of club lacrosse, Coughlin was in the Navy where he earned an Honorable Discharge in July 2006.

His time in the Navy helped teach him many of the same philosophies it takes to build a successful team.

“Structure, organization and discipline are all factors for success with any team,” Coughlin said. “To be a good team you have to be able to bring a group of guys together to work as a unit and share the same mission.”

Coughlin will be begin his duties immediately as he prepares for the Ravens first varsity season in the Spring of 2016.

“We are excited to be able to add men’s and women’s lacrosse to our varsity lineup,” said Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis. “I think our students have enjoyed the sport at the club level and the growth of lacrosse in our region makes it a natural addition to the varsity offerings as we continue to add academic programs and grow as a well-rounded institution.”

— BC Sports Information —

A late surge for the No. 7 Benedictine men’s basketball team wasn’t enough to beat the Avila University Eagles on Saturday as Avila was able to knock off the Ravens 86-79 to split the regular season matchup with the Eagles.

Benedictine (19-4, 8-3 Heart) started slow offensively because of turnovers and fell behind from precise shooting by Avila (11-10, 5-6 Heart). The Eagles shot 66 percent from downtown and 51 percent from the field in the first half to extend their lead to 20 with 2:30 left in the 1st half.

Defensive energy and hustle plays by the Ravens helped narrow the gap to 13 before half, as the Ravens took a little bit of momentum into the break down, 39-26.

Turnovers, led to easy scores for the Eagles and hurt the Ravens throughout the game. Avila forced 18 turnovers, which translated to 24 points for the Eagles. The Ravens forced 17 turnovers, but were only able to score 14 points off the miscues.

Despite the difference in taking advantage of their turnovers, Benedictine was able to gradually battle back in the second half as they started to connect from beyond the 3-point arc.

Jake Schannuth connected on the Ravens final 3-pointer of the game with 11 seconds remaining but that was all the closer Benedictine would get as the Eagles were able to seal the win at the charity stripe.

John Harris Jr., led the Ravens with 19 points, and Schannuth added a 18. Schannuth connected on 5 of 9 3-pointers as he caught fire late in the game. Brett Fisher finished with 14 points as he converted on 3 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Benedictine outscored Avila 53-47 in the second half but it wasn’t enough to overcome their slow start.

Five Eagles finished in double figures, led by the 18 points of Trey Bales.

The Ravens are off Thursday before hitting the road on Saturday for a 4 p.m. match up in Fayette, Mo., against Central Methodist University.

— BC Sports Information —

The No. 25 Benedictine women’s basketball team overcame a three-point halftime deficit on Saturday afternoon to win their 10th game of the Heart of America Athletic Conference season as they earned a 69-63 win over Avila University.

Benedictine (17-6, 10-1 Heart) connected on 41.1 percent from the floor in the second half to outscore Avila (8-10, 3-8 Heart) 35-36.

The Ravens led by as much as nine points midway through the first half before the Eagles went on a 11-2 run to pull even at 24 points with just under six minutes left in the half.

The lead changed hands four times in the final four minutes of the half before Avila pulled ahead to take a 37-34 lead into halftime.

In the second half neither team was able to pull away.

Benedictine led by as much as seven points while Avila was able to lead by as much as six points.

After the seventh tie of the game at 56 points, Kristen Murphy connected on a field goal in the paint from Kaitlyn Mercer to give Benedictine a 58-57 lead.

The Ravens led the rest of the game as Mercer scored four of her eight points down the stretch to help keep Benedictine in front.

Jackie Ziesel led the Ravens with 14 points while Murphy finished with 13 points off the bench as Benedictine finished with a 32-8 advantage in bench scoring.

Benedictine converted 80 percent from the charity stripe, which included a 9 of 11 effort in the second half.

The Ravens are off Thursday before hitting the road for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday in Fayette, Mo., against Central Methodist University.

— BC Sports Information —

PERU, Neb. – After trailing at the half, the No. 7-ranked Benedictine men’s basketball team scored 38 second-half points en route to a come-from-behind win over Peru State College on Thursday to split the regular-season match up with the Bobcats.

Leading by two points with five seconds remaining, John Harris Jr., went to the line for Benedictine (19-3, 8-2 Heart) and converted two free throws to push the Ravens ahead of Peru State (12-9, 5-5 Heart) by four points – which proved to be the final margin as a last-second attempt by the Bobcats fell short handing Benedictine the 63-59 win.

The difference in the first half proved to come at the free throw line as neither team was able to pull ahead by more than two possessions.

The first half alone played through five ties and seven lead changes before Peru State took a 26-25 lead into halftime.

The Bobcats went 6 of 6 at the charity stripe in the first half while the Ravens connected on 4 of 6.

Benedictine held Peru State scoreless for nearly four minutes to start the second half, which allowed the Ravens to erase their halftime deficit and push ahead by six points, 34-28.

The Ravens continued push their lead, eventually pulling ahead by 10 points on three occasions before the Bobcats used a 7-0 run to pull within three points with just under eight minutes left in the game.

After back-to-back baskets from Connor Fleming and Brett Fisher, the Ravens pushed their lead back to eight points only to have Peru State answer to pull back within a possession setting up a tightly-contested stretch run for both teams.

Jallen Messersmith led the Ravens with 20 points, setting a new career high by five points. Fleming finished with 10 points while Jonathan Anaekwe added 10 points.

Benedictine hosts Avila University at 4 p.m. Saturday inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium. The Ravens took the first meeting over the Eagles in Kansas City, Mo., back on Dec. 6, 59-52.

— BC Sports Information —

The No. 25-ranked Benedictine women’s basketball team led wire-to-wire on Thursday night to earn the regular-season sweep over home-standing Peru State College.

Benedictine (16-6, 9-1 Heart) used a 54.5 percent shooting effort in the second half to hold off a late push by Peru State (6-14, 2-8 Heart) to earn a 66-58 win.

Jackie Ziesel outscored Peru State 5-2 over the first three minutes of the game before the Bobcats pulled even at 5-all.

That tie proved to be the only one of the game as the Ravens quickly regained the lead and never looked back.

By halftime, Benedictine led 34-32.

The Ravens opened the second half outscoring the Bobcats 15-6 over the first seven minute of the half to break the game open.

They pushed ahead by as much as 17 points when Jordan Kramer drained a 3-pointer with just over eight minutes remaining.

Peru State cut Benedictine’s lead down to single digits three four times over the final four minutes of the game but couldn’t get any closer than eight points.

Ziesel paced the Ravens with 16 points while Kramer finished with 12 points.

Benedictine’s bench outscored Peru State’s 27-12 anchored by the 13-point effort of Kristen Murphy.

The Ravens return home Saturday to host a 2 p.m. game against Avila University. Benedictine took the first game of the season over Avila back on Dec. 6, 55-44, in Kansas City, Mo.

— BC Sports Information —

The ninth-ranked Benedictine men’s basketball team erased a two-point halftime deficit to No. 21 Evangel University on Saturday afternoon to hand the Crusaders their first loss of the Heart season.

Benedictine (18-3, 7-2 Heart) hit 50 percent from the floor in the second half while holding Evangel (13-7, 8-1 Heart) to just one 3-pointer as they earned the comeback win, 88-80.

The difference between the Ravens and the Crusaders over the first 20 minutes of play proved to be from beyond the arc.

Benedictine converted on seven 3-pointers at 53.8 percent while Evangel converted on nine 3-pointers at 60 percent.

The Ravens led by seven points early before the Crusaders found their stroke from beyond the arc.

Evangel erased their deficit by converting on four of the first first-half 3-pointers to erase the Ravens lead and move in front, 14-12, with 14:21 left in the first half.

The lead changed hands four more times before the Crusaders took a 43-41 lead into the half.

Jake Schannuth knocked in a 3-pointer to start the Ravens offense off in the second half to erase the halftime defict and push Benedictine back in front.

After two lead changes and three ties, Benedictine was able to convert on some key 3-point opportunities while limiting Evangel’s 3-point looks.

Benedictine pushed ahead by nine points with 6:49 remaining only to have Evangel pull even with 3:16 left at 76-76.

John Harris Jr. answered with an old-fashion 3-point play to push Benedictine back in front seconds later.

From there, the Crusaders were forced to foul and the Ravens converted 8 of 12 from the charity stripe to seal the win.

Defensively, Benedictine held Evangel to just 1 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc in the second half while converting on 5 of 12.

Schannuth led four Ravens in double figures with 19 points. He went 5 of 7 from beyond the arc and 6 of 8 from the floor. Harris Jr. added 18 as he went 10 of 13 at the charity stripe while Jonathan Anaekwe chipped in 16. Rafail Tsourakis anchored the Ravens bench, which outscored the Crusaders 24-13, with 11 points.

Benedictine opens up the second half of Heart play with a trip to Peru, Neb., on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. game against Peru State College. The Bobcats took the first meeting of the season with the Ravens, 69-64, back on Dec. 4 to open up the Heart season.

— BC Sports Information —

The Benedictine Women’s Basketball team closed out the first half of Heart of America Athletic Conference play on Saturday as they hosted Evangel University.

Benedictine (15-6, 8-1 Heart) outscored Evangel (4-13, 3-6 Heart) 10-6 over the final 2:41 to earn a 76-71 win.

The lead changed hands 14 times through the course of play on Saturday.

Benedictine built as much as a nine-point lead early in the first half only to have that erased as Evangel pulled even at 32-all at halftime.

The Ravens lead throughout the entire first half playing through two ties. They converted on 12 field goals while Evangel converted on 13.

Evangel started the second half hot on offense, building a five-point lead before Benedictine’s Chayla Rutledge regained the lead for the Ravens at 42-41 with 15:50 remaining.

The five-point advantage would prove to be Evangel’s largest lead of the game as the game continued to go back and forth.

A 3-pointer from Jordan Kramer with 37 seconds extended Benedictine’s lead to five points and then Jackie Ziesel converted 4 of 4 from the charity stripe inside the final 23 seconds to seal the win for the Ravens.

Rutledge led the Ravens with 21 points while Ziesel chipped in 16 while going 6 for 6 from the free throw line. Kramer and Jayde Reid each scored nine points to round out the Ravens top scorers.

Benedictine begins the second half of their Heart schedule on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. as they travel to Peru, Neb., to take on Peru State College. Benedictine opened the Heart season with a 66-49 win at home over Peru State.

— BC Sports Information —

The No. 11 Benedictine Men’s Basketball team took their third straight game out of the holiday break on Saturday as they used 14 3-pointers to earn a 81-64 win over the MNU Pioneers.

For Benedictine (14-3, 3-2 Heart), the 14 3-pointers set a new single-game team high in the Heart for made 3-pointers while the 77.8 percent effort also set a new conference single-game high.

MNU (3-11, 2-3 Heart) fell behind quickly against the Ravens as Benedictine started the game on a 11-0 run.

The Pioneers started to knock down their shots offensive while the Ravens went cold, which allowed MNU to close within four point.

Benedictine answered with another run, this time a 15-4 run that extended their advantage to as much as 13 before MNU closed out the half outscoring the Ravens 19-11 to send the game into halftime at 42-37 Ravens.

The second half saw two early ties but MNU was never able to grab the lead.

After the second tie, the Ravens went on a 14-2 run that pushed their lead back to 12 points.

MNU pulled within eight points minutes late but after John Harris Jr. pushed the Ravens lead back to 14 points, Benedictine never lead by less than 14 over the rest of the game.

Harris Jr. and Brett Fisher finished with 15 points each. Fisher helped anchor the Ravens night from beyond the 3-point arc as he finished with five 3-pointers.

Jallen Messersmith and Jake Schannuth each added 12 points. Schannuth went 4 for 4 from beyond the arc while Messersmith converted 5 of 7 from the floor. Messersmith also led the Ravens with eight rebounds and tallied five blocks defensively. It was the second time this season that Messersmith tallied five blocks, the first time was against Avila University back on Dec. 6.

Benedictine finished with a 28-16 advantage in points in the paint and were also able to capitalize on 15 Pioneers turnovers as the Ravens finished the game with a 13-2 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Ravens hit the road on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. game in Lamoni, Iowa, against Graceland University.

Graceland fell 88-71 to Evangel University in Springfield, Mo. Evangel remained in first place in the Heart as they moved to 4-0 a game and a half ahead of the Ravens who moved into tie third place with the win.

— BC Sports Information —

For the second straight conference game, the Benedictine Women’s Basketball team took to the floor against an opponent ranked inside the NAIA Div. I Top 25 Coaches’ Poll on Saturday as they hosted No. 14 MNU.

After knocking off No. 21 Baker University on Thursday, the Benedictine (11-6, 4-1 Heart) upset bid against No. 14 MNU (12-4, 5-0 Heart) fell short as  the Pioneers held off a last-second push by the Ravens to earn a 59-57 win.

With the win, the Pioneers remain the only unbeaten team in Heart play as the Ravens fall back a game in the standings but remain a half game up in second place over Culver-Stockton and Evangel who sit a half game back of Benedictine at 3-1.

Benedictine outscored MNU 29-28 in the second half and had a chance to push the game in to overtime as Jackie Ziesel took the ball to the hoop inside the final three seconds of the game only to draw contact but no foul as time expired.

The Ravens led early on by as much as six points before the Pioneers started to heat up offensively to lead by as much as eight points before settling for a 31-28 lead at halftime.

Ali Taff and Ziesel scored on back-to-back possessions for the Ravens out of the half to give Benedictine back to the lead.

After battling through the games second tie and three lead changes, the Pioneers were able to pull ahead of the Ravens over the middle third of the second half but could never pull ahead by more than two possessions.

Jayde Reid pulled Benedictine with one point at 48-47 but that would be all the closer the Ravens could get down the stretch as the Pioneers did just enough to hold off the Ravens upset bid.

Reid finished with a game-high 19 points to lead three Ravens in double figures. Ziesel added 12 points while Rutledge scored 11.

Benedictine was able to score 14 points off 18 MNU turnovers to finish the game with a 14-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Ravens hit the road on Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. game in Lamoni, Iowa, against Graceland University.

— BC Sports Information —