Panther Football Records First Winning Season in Six Years
J.R. Harriel Selected as NCAA Division III All-American

Senior linebacker J.R. Harriel

A number of significant accomplishments highlighted the 20th season of Greenville College Panther football. Closing the season with a winning record for the first time since 2000 and only the second time since 1993, Greenville (6-4) finished tied for second place in the final Illini-Badger Football Conference (IBFC) standings with a conference record of 5-2.

In just two seasons as head football coach, Eric Hehman and his staff have continued the rebuilding process started under former head football coach Scotty Kessler and parlayed it into a football program which is competitive with every opponent. Hehman’s two-year record as head football coach moved to 10-10.

Following the season, a number of Panthers were recognized by the National Football Gazette and IBFC with postseason awards. Senior linebacker J.R. Harriel of Washington Park, Ill., topped the list of recipients for Greenville. He earned second team NCAA Division III All-American honors from the National Football Gazette and was a member of the NCAA Division III North all-region first team. In addition, IBFC coaches chose Harriel as the conference’s outstanding linebacker and a member of the all-conference first team.

In addition to Harriel’s accomplishments, 12 of his teammates joined him on the IBFC all-conference team. The honorees included Terrance Poe, first team offensive line; Bryson Taylor, first team wide receiver; Dominic Kegel, first team quarterback; Russell Reece, first team defensive line; Kyle Sanniec, first team kicker; Josh Bannister, second team offensive line; Justin Tyler, second team running back; Justin Grant, second team defensive line; Mark Schopp, second team defensive back; Kaleb Renfro, honorable mention offensive line; Brett Hankins, honorable mention offensive line; and T.J. Gaylord, honorable mention linebacker.

Greenville College Athletics Completes a Solid Fall Season
The 2006 fall athletic season produced a number of noteworthy results for the Greenville College Athletic Department as all of its teams ended the season with high levels of team and St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) accomplishments.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
The men’s cross country team ran to their 10th consecutive SLIAC championship, and the women’s
cross country team posted their 11th championship in 12 seasons. Freshmen Rodney Oyler and Michelle Sutton earned the SLIAC men’s and women’s newcomer of the year awards, respectively. Senior Bethany Pettit finished as champion in the SLIAC women’s race. Assistant coach Steve Imig was selected as the SLIAC coach of the year for both programs.

MEN’S SOCCER
The men’s soccer program generated a solid overall record of 12-7-4 as it advanced to the SLIAC championship game for the second consecutive year. The team ended the regular season as second in the SLIAC standings and also qualified for the NCCAA North Central regional championship game.

WOMEN’S SOCCER
The women’s soccer team matched a school record for the most wins in its history with a season record of 9-10-2. The women advanced to the NCCAA North Central regional for the first time since the 1999 season and just the third time in school history.

VOLLEYBALL
The volleyball team concluded its season with an overall record of 14- 12. The women had a record of 5-4 in the SLIAC, which qualified them for their first SLIAC tournament since the SLIAC reinstituted the conference tournament in 2005.

Panther Pride Golf Scramble Nets $14,000 to Benefit G.C. Athletics

The Greenville College Athletic Department hosted its 13th annual Panther Pride Golf Scramble on Friday, June 8, 2007. This year’s event, held at Indian Springs Golf Club for the ninth consecutive year, raised over $14,000 to benefit Greenville College’s athletic programs and its approximately 300 NCAA Division III studentathletes. The event involved 98 golfers and over 55 sponsors.

The first place team with a score of 56 was the foursome of Steve Van Valin ’80, James Van Valin, Jeff Harnack and George Barber. Also posting a 56, but taking second place in a scorecard playoff, was the group of Sandy Howard, Denny Hamel, Dave Perkins and Scott Eaton. The third place team included Michael Coling ’97, Eric Jewett ’98, Jeff Brown and Joe Horsfall also with a 56. The fourth place team with a 57 consisted of Lynn A. Carlson ’93, Lynn R. Carlson ’65, David Jack ’63 and Dan Haug ’90.

Individual prizes were earned by Howard, longest drive (women); Doug Fletcher ’89, longest drive (men); Jack, longest putt; S. Van Valin, closest to the pin; and Will Krause and Merle Cromwell ’65, straightest drives.

Tentative plans call for the 2008 event to be held on Friday, June 6, 2008.

1st Place: George Barber, Jeff Harnack, James Van Valin and Steve Van Valin ’80	2nd Place: Scott Eaton, Dave Perkins, Sandy Howard and Denny Hamel	3rd Place: Joe Horsfall, Michael Coling ’97, Jeff Brown and Eric Jewett ’98	4th Place: David Jack ’63, Lynn Carlson ’65, Lynn Carlson ’93 and Dan Haug ’90

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