Messiah Homepage News Archive

Senior J.D. Binger and junior Amanda Naeher are recognized by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America with Division III Player of the Year titles.

Binger, a Belvidere, Ill. native, has been a defensive anchor for the Falcons throughout his career. He started all 26 games this season and converted his penalty kick during the championship game shootout.

Naeher, a native of Seymour, Conn., led the team in scoring with 33 goals and 6 assists and holds two school records: single-season goals and points total.

Read more about each player on the NSCAA website.

For the fifth consecutive year, both Messiah’s men’s and women’s soccer teams clinched spots in the NCAA Division III Final Four.

The men defeated Christopher Newport University 2-1 in a nail-biter that took two overtimes to resolve. The Falcons, five-time national champions, will face Loras College (Iowa) on Dec. 5.

The women advanced after a sound victory against Eastern University (2-0). They will take on William Smith College on Dec. 5 in their sixth visit to the Final Four in the last seven years.

The Final Four and championship games will be played in Greensboro, N.C.

Thanks in part to a record-breaking performance by senior Amy Reed, Messiah’s track and field team excelled this past weekend at the national championships. Reed dominated the heptathlon event, becoming only the second national champion in Messiah’s program history. The women finished 10th. The men capped a solid season by placing 23rd with senior Nick Kipe finishing second in the triple jump.

Senior Amy Reed captured the top individual award—national women’s field athlete of the year—from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Coach Dale Fogelsanger was named Mid-East Regional Women’s Coach of the Year.

After two hard-fought victories against University of Rochester and Tufts, the Falcons are headed to their ideal Spring Break destination: Hope College in Holland, Mich. to participate in the NCAA Division III Final Four. The Falcons tip-off against Oglethorpe University on Friday.

Messiah’s women’s basketball team enters post-season play with an impressive collection of conference honors: senior Nikki Lobach was voted MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year for the second year in a row; junior Silalei Shani earned first-team honors; senior Amy Reed earned second team honors; and Mike Miller picked up his fifth title as Coach of the Year. The Falcons host Cabrini College in the NCAA tournament playoffs this weekend.

Kai Kasiguran `08, reigning NCAA Division III men’s soccer Player of the Year and four-time All American, was drafted in the first round of the supplemental draft by the Chicago Fire.

After four phenomenal years with the Falcons, senior soccer player Kai Kasigurn has been recognized as the DIII Player of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Kasiguran is the third Messiah player to earn this top honor.

As a midfielder for Messiah’s outstanding men’s soccer team, senior Kai Kasiguran is often noted for his excellence on the athletic field. Kasiguran is also an academic stand-out, and, in recognition of his 3.96 GPA, “ESPN, The Magazine” named Kasiguran an Academic All-American member of its College Division, First Team.

Two terrific athletic seasons came to an end this weekend. The Lady Falcons were defeated 1-0 by Wheaton College in the NCAA championship game. The men lost 1-0 to Trinity University in Final Four play.

The women’s first loss of the season came at the hands of Wheaton College, a powerhouse program that has notched a 97-6 record over their past four seasons. This was Wheaton’s second consecutive national championship.

The men also had a difficult opponent – Trinity University (Texas) came into the semifinal game undefeated. Trinity lost to Middlebury in a penalty kick shootout in the championship game.

Messiah defender J.D. Binger explained the Messiah soccer experience after the game: “We had big expectations, but it’s never been about the wins. It’s about the guys. Sometimes it’s about soccer, sometimes not, but the experience has been great.”