A Successful Year for LTU’s Blue Devils!

Bolstered by two national championship teams, Lawrence Technological University placed 66th in the final LEARFIELD Directors' Cup for the 2022–23 school year. The Blue Devils totaled 254 points in four sports, including women's lacrosse (100), men's outdoor track & field (6), men's bowling (100), and men's cross country (48), helping the Blue Devils rank in the top 30 percent of all NAIA programs.

The LEARFIELD Directors' Cup is a program that began in the 1993–94 academic year and honors institutions that maintain a broad-based program while achieving success in many sports, both men's and women's. Overall, 13 sports are counted in the final NAIA standings, four of which must be women's volleyball, men's soccer, and men's and women's basketball. The next highest (13 maximum) sports scores for each institution, regardless of gender, are used in the Directors' Cup standings.

Men's bowling led by coach Jon Putti , won its first national crown by defeating Marian (Indiana) twice, including a 3-1 win in the winner-take-all championship match. Lawrence Tech overcame a four-set loss to the Knights in the fifth round and also defeated Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference champion Indiana Tech to face Marian in the finals. Most valuable players Jacob Kujawa and Connor Nowak represented LTU on the all-tournament team.

Mary Ann Meltzer, who is now LTU’s Director of Athletics, wrapped up her eighth and final season as the women's lacrosse head coach by guiding the Blue Devils to their first national title with a 17-1 record. In three NAIA tournament games, Lawrence Tech defeated Missouri Baptist (13-9), Life University (11-4), and SCAD-Savannah (16-15 in overtime). Team members Anabelle Acluche , Bella Burke , Jaisanna Jarvis , Gabi Mitchell , and Sydney Robinson helped to pave the win.

The LTU men's outdoor track and field team sent seven qualifiers to the NAIA Championships, where Griffin Armbrustmacher earned recognition in the 1500-meter run, and Conner Uppleger also reached the finals in the 5000m. Fermon Tate, Jr., concluded his fourth season at the coaching helm.

The Blue Devils men's cross country team, led by head coach Eric Green, finished the season 26th in their NAIA National Championships debut held in Tallahassee, Florida. Five of the team's top placers at the NAIA meet were underclassmen, including freshmen Chase Dietrich , Luke Droz , and Julio Jamie .

In addition, LTU Athletics earned the NAIA 2022–23 Champions of Character Five-Star Gold Award for the third time in the University’s history. LTU produced more than 200 academic all-conference and scholar all-America recipients in 2022–23.

It was a successful year for the Blue Devils and the team hopes for the 2023-2024 school year to be just as successful!

by Patrick Stewart