Speedy Lowmiller finds that patience pays

While playing running back at Crystal Lake South, Ryan Lowmiller admits he relied greatly on his speed.

"When I was in high school, it was go, go, go," he said.

That same trait followed him to NAIA Sioux Falls University, where he has helped the Cougars win a pair of national titles.

These days, Lowmiller admits he's a bit faster than his high school days, yet he uses that speed less.

"My first couple of years, I thought I just had to outrun people," said Lowmiller, who will play his final college game today when the top-ranked Cougars (14-0) face No. 3 Lindenwood (13-0) for the NAIA title in Rome, Ga. "I've gotten more patient and been able to wait for the blocks to set up."

Lowmiller's patience has paid huge dividends. He has rushed for career highs of 1,348 yards and 20 touchdowns this season for USF, which has a 55-1 record in Lowmiller's career. He also has 27 receptions this season.

Of his 20 rushing TDs, five of Lowmiller's scores this season are 45 yards or longer, including jaunts of 91, 87, and 82 yards.

"First, I'd have to say it's the O-line," Lowmiller said. "They do a grat job. And the coaches have more confidence in me and my knowledge of the offense."

In the playoffs, Lowmiller has rushed for 154.3 yards a game and scored five touchdowns. With 67 yards in today's game, which will air at 11 a.m. on the CBS College Sports network, Lowmiller will finish his career fifth on USF's all-time rushing chart. He ranks eighth in scoring thanks to his 48 career rushing TDs.

Those numbers aren't something Lowmiller pays much attention to, though. He'd rather help USF, whose roster includes fellow South grad and sophomore wide receiver Tony Benedetto, win today to become the first team in school history to win back-to-back titles.

"The national championships mean far more than any record," he said. 

Whitewater replay: Richmond-Burton grad Jon Baldwin, a junior defensive end at D-III Wisconsin-Whitewater, will take part in his third consecutive Stagg Bowl today when the No. 2 Warhawks (14-0) face top-ranked Mount Union College (14-0) for the fifth consecutive year in the national championship game in Salem, Va.

The game, which airs at 10 a.m. on ESPN2, will feature two of the three teams to ever play in five consecutive Stagg Bowls in D-III football history.

Baldwin, who was limited by an ankle injury earlier in the playoffs, had a crucial fourth-quarter sack against Linfield (Ore.) in last weekend's national semifinal as Whitewater rallied from a 17-10 fourth-quarter deficit. Baldwin has 20 tackles on the season.

Because of NCAA travel roster limits, Crystal Lake South grad Alex Misialek, a backup sophomore offensive guard, said this week he will not be in uniform today. 

Big game at Marquette: Johnsburg grad Paige Fiedorowicz had 16 points and nine rebounds Sunday to lead D-I Marquette's women's basketball team to a 67-59 win against Robert Morris University.

Fiedorowicz, a junior forward, finished one rebound shy of her second career double-double while helping the Golden Eagles improve to 7-3 Fiedorowicz, who has started five games this season, is averaging 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds.

All-Iowa honoree: Madeline Mobile, a junior midfielder at D-III University of Dubuque, earned second-team All-Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors in women's soccer.

A Marian Central grad, Mobile is a three-time All-IIAC performer who ranked second on the team with six assists. She also scored a goal for the Spartans (15-6-1), who set a single-season school record for wins and made the NCAA tournament field as the IIAC Tournament champion.

Mobile, along with teammates Ashley Bliznick, a sophomore defender from Jacobs, and Gina May, a sophomore defender from Woodstock, were named to the IIAC All-Academic Team.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.