Benedictine College head women’s basketball coach Chad Folsom has announced that Chris Emery from Tampa, Fla., has joined the Ravens coaching staff as a Graduate Assistant for the upcoming season.

Emery comes to Benedictine from Florida Gulf Coast University where he was a manager for the NCAA Div. I women’s basketball team the past two seasons.  Each year that Chris was part of the program the Lady Eagles qualified for the Women’s Div. I National Tournament, beating Oklahoma State University this past season.

“We are very excited that Chris will be joining our women’s basketball coaching staff,” stated Coach Folsom. “He brings a great deal of experience having been a part of a very successful NCAA Div. I basketball program. Chris is a hard worker and very eager to learn and will be a strong asset to our Lady Raven basketball program.”

Chris graduated from Florida Gulf Coast with degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Sport Management. He will be pursuing his M.B.A. while assisting the women’s basketball program.

“I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to further my education at Benedictine College,” Emery said. “I am looking forward to learning under Coach Folsom, spreading my knowledge with the team and gaining valuable experience coaching at Benedictine College.”

The Lady Ravens went 26-9 last season and earned a No. 17 ranking in the final NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. The team earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Div. I Women’s Basketball National Championship, held in Independence, Mo., after winning the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and played into the Round of 16 at the Tournament.

Also Monday, Benedictine head baseball coach Anthony Everman has announced the addition of Adam Hilker to the baseball coaching staff.

“We are very excited that Adam has joined the Raven family.” Coach Everman said. “He has a lot of passion for helping players reach their full potential and he will be a big asset on the recruiting trail.

“Adam understands the vision of Benedictine College and he will be a great fit for our program as we continue to move forward.”

Hilker is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado where he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He was also a member of the baseball program where he was a second team All-Great West Conference shortstop selection and team captain for three seasons.

“I am extremely thankful for the opportunity given to me by Coach Everman and the administration here at Benedictine to work at such a great institution,” Hilker said. “I look forward to getting started working with the student athletes and further my coaching career.”

After wrapping up his playing career at Northern Colorado, he served as the Director of Baseball Operations for his alma mater while pursuing his Master’s and continued as a Volunteer Assistant Coach until July 2014. He has served as a head coach for two summer collegiate leagues, most recently leading the Melville Millionaires of the Western Major Baseball League in Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada.

— BC Athletics —

The 25th ranked Benedictine football team opened up their 2015 campaign on Saturday with a 24-14 win over Evangel University thanks in large part to two big defensive plays in the first half.

The Ravens Dre Graves returned a Brett Diers pass for 80-yards to score the first touchdown of the season in the first quarter for Benedictine and then a blocked field goal set up a five-play, 70-yard drive that was capped off by a Diego Rodriquez two-yard run pushing Benedictine ahead 14-0 early in the second quarter.

After a Derek Rodgers 22-yard field goal extended Benedictine’s lead to 17-0 at the half, the Crusaders were finally able to break through on the scoreboard late in the third quarter.

The Ravens answered on a 18-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Koester to David Claypool in the fourth quarter before Evangel closed out the scoring with one minute left in the game.

Koester finished with 244 yards passing off 16 completions for the Ravens while Tyler Henness anchored the rushing attack with 85 yards on 19 carries. Henness finished with 128 all-purpose yards as he added 43 yards receiving off four catches. Christian Haack led the Raven receivers with 69 yards off three receptions.

In all, Benedictine gained 403 yards off 67 plays with a total of 159 on the ground to go with Koester’s total through the air.

Defensively, Shane Baumann led the Ravens with 11 tackles while Josh Rhodes and Graves each added eight tackles. The Ravens recorded two sacks for a loss of 15 yards and four tackles for a loss of 25 yards. They finished with three interceptions as Burl Brisbane and Kenny Barrow accounted for the remaining two.

The Ravens take to the road for the second game of the season as they travel to Kansas City, Mo., for a 1 p.m. game against Avila University.

— BC Athletics —