It took precisely 1,202 days to complete a journey that began Jan. 14, 2009. Carthage seniors Mike Bynon, John Condon, Tyler Frings, Randy Hansen and Matt Yanz went from the pits to the pinnacle.
The 2012 volleyball season lasted exactly as long as everyone hoped it would. It just did not end the way they wanted it to. Top-ranked Springfield College, playing in its campus facility in Springfield Mass., beat the Red Men in three sets to win the first NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship.
There is no sense in getting into the not-so-great details. The aim here is to get the seniors' thoughts as they transition from athletic competition to completing their academic responsibilities, take a peek at the future, and how coach L.J. Marx felt about the NCAA's presentation of the event.
Several numbers and accomplishments worth putting out there starts with the 80-54 record (72-29 after the freshman season). There were two Midwest-III Conference tournament titles and a second-place finish. A runnerup finish in the first Continental Volleyball Conference tournament. Two third-place showings in the Molten Championship. This season's program-record 29 victories. And, the second-place result in the first NCAA-sponsored Division III Championship.
There was a common theme when the seniors were asked what they will miss now that they have played as a team for the final time. It is the team dynamic.
Hansen, the school's first American Volleyball Coaches Association player of the year, was strong in the lead-off position.
“Putting on a Carthage jersey,” said Hansen, who will graduate with a criminal justice major and sociology minor. “Last time I'll be wearing it. It's disheartening, but at the same time, I wouldn't trade this for the world.
“I'm going to miss playing with the guys. Absolutely. We have such a bond together. It's like playing with your brothers. Not having that opportunity any more, that's something I'm truly going to miss.”
Difficult to Pick Just One
Frings, a public relations major, used a broad brush.
“Everything,” Frings said. “It's hard to say one thing, This team is a family. We stick together. All these guys. I'll probably miss that focus with the athletics and having my team as my family and friends, away from family.
“I'll miss the connections that I have on campus that helped me get internships, and the professors. You can't find a better campus where the professors are willing to help you as a student and ask you what they can do for you.”
Yanz, an environmental science major, was succinct.
“I'm just going to miss being with all the guys,” Yanz said. “They're great people to be with, and I've never had more fun playing volleyball than I have with them.”
Condon, a mathematics major who is also working on business and Spanish minors, will miss the part of the daily routine that was a proving ground.
“I'm going to miss the practices that we all looked forward to, where we tried to get better every day,” said Condon, who was serenaded with chants of “Here's Johnny” (you can google that if you need an explanation) by the strong turnout of family and friends. “I'll have more time for finishing up my last semester here at Carthage. We'll have to finish out strong now.
“What I'm going to miss most is definitely all the guys. Hanging around with them. All of them are good guys. I'm just going to miss being with them every day.”
Bynon Has a Unique View
Bynon came from a greater distance than any of his teammates. He hails from Burnt Hills, N.Y., about three hours from Springfield and a long way from Kenosha. Bynon, working on a physical education major and a health education minor, will walk in the graduation ceremony but has to student teach in the fall to finish his requirement, said he would not trade his days at the campus on the shore of Lake Michigan.
“It's being with the second-closest family that I've ever been a part of,” Bynon said. “That's the biggest thing. You rely so much on these guys. Everyone that you talk with, and you hang out with every day, it's these guys. You have friends other places at school. It's 22 guys that we've finished the season with who are absolutely everything to me. I know every other guy would say the same exact thing, and I think that's going to be the hardest part. The guys.
“It's hard to get better than Carthage College, academically, and facilities-wise. I think the school is second to none. That's one of the things that I know for a fact, that I made the right choice when I decided to come to Carthage.”
Marx did not give a final address to the seniors.
“It's a little bit more of a 'I'm proud of you guys' talk today,” when asked if he said anything specific to the seniors. “We've still got a couple weeks before school's out, so I've got plenty of time to talk to them.”
Marx did talk about the competitive level at which they are leaving the program.
“I don't think you could find a better one,” Marx said. “Obviously, we would have loved to send those guys out holding the gold trophy instead of the silver one today, but from a selfish standpoint, it still leaves us something to accomplish. And I know the guys they are passing the torch on to understand that, and it's something we'll go after.
“I'm going to miss some of the personal relationships that we've built over the last four years, off the court. On the court, I don't think you can really put it into words what you're going to miss when you lose five seniors who have done so much for our program. I'll miss the guys. They helped me set the tone.
“Connor (Wexter) was talking about how (assistant coach Kyle Exline) and I put the example out for them to follow, and it's really more understanding those guys, and us following what they want. They explain it to us, and we just put the map together.”
TAKE US TO YOUR LEADER
There is not a junior to be found on the 2012 roster. So who will emerge as a leader from a strong sophomore class that includes three starters: All-Americans Pat Barry and Wexter, and Jim Schultz?
A pretty good guess could be made after seeing Wexter in the post-match media conference with Marx, Hansen and Frings.
“There's a handful of guys that I think can step up,” Marx said. “Based on on-the-court success, Connor will be thrust into that role. The starting setter is kind of like the quarterback in football. He's got all the right materials. The door's now open as a junior (to be), with two years of experience, to take the point. I'm sure there's a handful of guys that will follow (him) without a problem.”
Wexter needed to address something before he got to the leadership issue.
“The first thing would be, we've got to thank coach Marx and coach (Kyle) Exline for setting the tone of where our program's got to be at,” Wexter said. “We don't really strive for anything less than success. (The coaches) consistently bring in a great recruiting class, we all mesh together perfectly.
“I don't think that we're necessarily in a bad spot. We're going to miss all our seniors because they're such great leaders on the court and off of it. All these guys worked their butts off for them the entire season, and it kind of sucks that we came up short today. But I think we're in a good spot because of what our coaches do for us and what Carthage does for us, too. President Campbell and everyone under him, they're always behind our program, and we can't ask for more than that.”
Wexter talked about what he is learning in Character Quest, the leadership certification program for Carthage students
“I like to think that I'm a leader,” Wexter said. “I'm not going to be cocky about it or anything, but I think Coach Marx could probably tell you a little bit better. I'm more of a lead by example kind of guy. I'm not necessarily loud and in your face, unless I have to be. Coach Marx, and (Board of Trustees member) Dean Matthews, through Character Quest, and (Associate Director of Athletics for Education Services) Gary Williams have helped me a lot with my leadership, with taking classes on it. If that's my role to take, then I'll absolutely take it.
“Character Quest is one of the greatest programs we have at Carthage.”
SAME SPORT, DIFFERENT PRESENTATION
Marx said the tournament experience under the NCAA umbrella was strong on and off the court.
“The tournament was fantastic,” Marx said. “The organization and the running of it, everything we could have possibly asked for or needed was tended to. Where do we go to eat? We're looking for a sandwich place. They're telling us where to go. Every time we walked in the building (Blake Arena), somebody's here to meet us, walk us down to the locker room. It's something we haven't had prior to this year with the NCAA, and it's been nice to have it be a little more formal. It was a little bit better experience for the guys.”
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