College Update: Mudie, Chapman rush into NCAA Division III playoffs
The following are updates on local players at the collegiate level.
Joe Mudie (St. Francis High, 2014) Chapman football senior: Mudie is having a sensational season for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions.
Chapman (6-2) is headed to the NCAA Division III Football Championship where it will play a first-round against host Mary Hardin-Baylor of Texas and Mudie is a huge reason why.
The running back carries 959 yards rushing (second in SCIAC), eight rushing scores, 119.9 yards per game (second in conference) and 7.4 yard per carry (first in conference) into the postseason.
On Sept. 30, Mudie scored on a one-yard rushing touchdown on an untimed down for the final play in a 42-40 victory against Pomona-Pitzer. He rushed for 104 yards in 21 carries and added a pair of catches for 32 yards and was named SCIAC Player of the Week for his efforts.
Chapman was scheduled to play Occidental on Saturday, but Occidental canceled its football season due to a depleted roster.
Chapman’s final game of the regular season ended up being a 48-38 win over Claremont Mudd-Scripps on Nov. 4. Mudie had 12 carries for 98 yards and two touchdowns. His best game so far was likely a 38-21 win at La Verne on Oct. 21 in which he had 15 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns. It was part of a span in which Mudie ran for greater than 100 yards in five straight games. He hasn’t rushed for less than 88 yards in a game this season. Heading into the playoffs, he’s run for touchdowns in three straight games.
Joe’s younger brother Will, an All-Area selection as a linebacker for St. Francis last season, is a freshman with Chapman and has tallied three tackles.
Kayla Lund (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2017) Pitt volleyball freshman: A two-time All-Area Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year and multiple-time MaxPreps All-American, Lund has already won three ACC Freshman of the Week honors this season and established herself as a stellar player on the NCAA Division I level.
She’s notched double-digit kills in six of her last seven matches and eight times overall this season.
Her latest effort was Sunday in a four-game win over Duke in which she had 12 kills and three digs. The win improved Pitt to 21-6 as it is in a three-way tie with NC State and Louisville atop the conference standings at 14-2.
For the season, Lund is fourth on the team with 172 kills, having played in 26 of her team’s 27 matches and 71 of 97 sets. She’s also tallied 136 digs, 28 blocks and 14 aces.
Sunday’s match was the last home tilt of the regular season for the Panthers with four matches remaining, beginning Friday at Clemson.
Olivia Leyva (La Cañada High, 2014) Cal Lutheran soccer senior: A standout in soccer and softball at La Cañada and now Cal Lutheran, Levya is playing a pivotal role in a hugely successful season for the Regals.
Cal Lu defeated Pacific Lutheran on penalty kicks Sunday after a 1-1 regulation tie in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Next up, the Regals are at Massachusetts Williams in the third round Saturday.
Cal Lutheran (16-3-3) will make its first appearance in the Division III sweet 16.
Leyva was named to the All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference first-team for the first time this season, having previously been voted to the second team as a junior and freshman.
The Leyva-led backline of Cal Lutheran has posted nine shutouts this season.
Though Cal Lutheran won the SCIAC regular season conference crown, it did not win the SCIAC postseason tournament and entered the Division III tournament via an at-large berth.
Leyva has a pair of assists this season – both of them in SCIAC play – and has started every game.
Sophia Coffey (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2015) Seton Hall volleyball junior: In Seton Hall’s latest match, a 3-1 Big East victory over St. John’s on Saturday, Coffey posted 27 assists and 10 digs.
It was her 11th double-double this season following a sophomore campaign in which she led Seton Hall with eight.
Seton Hall is led in assists by Coffey, who has 605. She’s also tallied 20 kills, 16 aces and 260 digs having played in all 110 sets and 29 matches for the team so far. She totaled 33 assists in a five-game win over Buffalo on Sept. 1 for a season-high.
The Pirates are 16-13, 10-6 in the Big East.
Coffey, who was a two-time All-Area Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year, and Co. return to action with a conference matchup at home Friday against Butler.
Lara Minassians (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2017) Occidental College volleyball freshman: Minassians turned in a solid debut season for the Tigers and was recognized for her character on the court, as well.
Minassians, a setter, played in all 25 matches for Occidental and was named to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Sportsmanship Team.
Minassians’ 368 assists were second on the team and she added 25 kills, six aces and 49 digs.
Against Chapman on Oct. 3, Minassians turned in a season-high 40 assists in a 3-2 SCIAC victory. The freshman truly found her stride down the stretch as she notched double-digit assists in the final 10 matches of the season.
Oxy finished the year on Oct. 28 with a 3-0 loss to Chapman in which Minassians had 10 assists and four digs. The Tigers posted a 13-12 record with an 8-8 mark in conference.
Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon
