University of St. Thomas Athletics
Gene's Blog: This Tommie fan quiz ain't over... until it's over
12/8/2022 11:17:00 AM | Athletics, Gene's Blog
It's final exam season at college campuses across the country. Time to test Tommie fans on their memory and aptitude, from the latest headlines to some behind-the-scene details, across the athletics spectrum at Summit and Cretin Avenues.
Let's see who can earn a Gene's Blog University (GBU) genius tag:
Of the seven universities currently in transition into full NCAA Division I membership, which had the best 2022 record this football season:
A-Utah Tech
B-Merrimack
C-Lindenwood
D-Gene's Blog University
E-St. Thomas
Of the 11 universities currently in transition into full NCAA Division-I membership, which of their MBB teams are tied for most wins so far in 2022-23:
A-Bellarmine and Tarleton State
B-UC-San Diego and Stonehill
C-Merrimack and Utah Tech
D-Gonzaga's Twin Cities alumni team
E-St. Thomas and Queens (N.C.)
How many different Power 6 Division I universities have St. Thomas teams faced or will play during the 2022 calendar year?
A-7
B-8
C-9
D-10
E-14
The tallest Tommie student-athlete on 2022-23 rosters is:
A-Football lineman Jason Laliberte
B-Hockey defenseman Brady Simmons-Fischer
C-Baseball pitcher Kevin Millar
D-Tommie the Mascot, on a bad hair day
E-Men's Hoops players Ahjany Lee, Carter Bjerke and Bennett Kwiecinski
Which fact is NOT true about Tommie Women's Hockey?
A-Has a coach and three players who participated in either the 2022 Winter Olympics or the 2022 World Championships
B-Has four grad students adding leadership, a group with 438 games of college hockey experience
C-Current team has six losses by one or two goals while playing in the toughest conference in the nation
D-At the season's halfway point, Maija Almich has already tied the program's D-I record for season goals (six)
E-Team has several nationally-ranked karaoke singers
What fact is NOT true about Tommie Men's Hoops?
A-UW-Milwaukee's 6-1 home record includes a 76-72 loss to the Toms
B-Troy lost to the Purple on a buzzer-beater shot after previously beating Florida State at home
C-The 7-3 Toms come into today ranked No. 123 out of 363 D-I teams in the NCAA NET rankings
D-Between Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, the Andrew Rohde game-winning shot last month was viewed nearly 125,000 times and garnered a quarter of a million impressions in the first 48 hours alone
E-The team keeps a live alligator in its locker room, for good luck
The last time Tommie Football lost a game on campus at O'Shaughnessy Stadium, the U.S. President was:
A-Donald Trump
B-Joe Biden
C-Grover Cleveland, and thus a street near campus is named after him
D-Nancy Pelosi
E-Barack Obama
Tommie Football finished 10-1 this season. Over the last 10 years, how many of the 261 Division I football schools have, at least once, posted double-digit wins with one or no losses?
A-91
B-69
C-49
D-39
E-30
What do Harvard, Princeton, Lehigh and St. Thomas have in common?
A-Cool mascots
B-Strong undergraduate Engineering programs
C-A 10-win football season during the last decade but no postseason opportunity as a result
D-Abundant parking on campus
E-A, B and C
Glenn Caruso coached a six-overtime contest in his second game leading the Tommies, in 2008. His teams played four OT games in his first three seasons here. How many overtime games have Caruso's St. Thomas teams played in the 11 seasons since?
A-9
B-7
C-4
D-2
E-0
St. Thomas' first two Division I athletics contests -- in women's soccer and men's soccer in August 2021 -- went to overtime. Which Tommie sports have not played an overtime game or extra-inning game so far in the D-I era?
A-Men's Hockey and Football
B-Softball and Football
C-Baseball and Women's Hockey
D-Dance Team and Cheer Squad
E-Men's Basketball and Football
Riley Miller has played in 39 Division I games over two seasons and is the only current D-I men's player that:
A-Looks good wearing a mustache
B-Has never lost an overtime game in college
C-Has made eight or more 3-pointers in both a D-III game and a D-I game
D-Has made 130 or more 3-pointers while shooting a 42 percent or better 3-point clip over the last two seasons
E-A, C and D
Riley Miller also has:
A-Made at least one 3-point basket in 42 of his last 44 games (including 25 consecutive conference games)
B-Scored in double figures 16 times in his career
C-Has made 91 percent of his free throws in Division I
D-Helped Toms to a 33-11 home-court record so far on his career
E-All of the above
Riley's old backcourt mate, Anders Nelson, is another example of a D-III guy succeeding with his D-I opportunities.... which of these facts is NOT true regarding Anders:
A-He's a Tommie alum
B-He's averaging 10.3 ppg and 5.6 apg in 27 mpg through 10 games at D-I William and Mary while in graduate school there
C-He's already recorded a pair of 20-plus point scoring games for the Tribe
D-The former Edina High Hornet is back with a team with Green as its primary color... and he's also rocking a beard this season
E-He's still wearing jersey No. 4 with his new team (HINT: that fact has ZERO credibility)
What do Tommie student-athletes Branden Smith, Gabby Johnson, Ahjany Lee, Miki Snider, Connor Aksoz, Ella Bryant, Keya Luna Win Hunt and Molly Grundhoffer have in common?
A-Are Psychology majors
B-Have twin siblings
C-Are ambidextrous
D-Are really good at cornhole
E-Wear jersey No. 13
Tommie WBB seniors Maggie Negaard and Autam Mendez are/were
A-Younger than Royce Lewis but older than Anthony Edwards
B-Younger than Kirill Kaprizov and just a few months younger than Justin Jefferson
C-Older than Facebook and older than Olympic champ Suni Lee
D-Born on the same day in the same year, in 1999
E-All of the above
What do St. Thomas Football and Alabama Football have in common?
A-Whether you say "Roll Tide" or "Roll Toms," one program has... a few more alums in the NFL than the other
B-Both have an animal mascot with a male name (Al the Elephant, Tommie the Tomcat)
C-Both have head coaches that have won 85% or more of their games at their current school
D-They rank first and third among all NCAA programs in current home-field win streaks
E-All of the above
What Tommie team has the longest one-way road trip (road miles) scheduled this school year?
A-Women's Hoops at Utah Valley (Orem, Utah)
B-Football at Southern Utah (Cedar City, Utah)
C-Men's Hockey at Arizona State (Tempe, Ariz.)
D-Men's Soccer at UC-Riverside (Riverside, Calif).
E-Baseball at Cal-Bakersfield (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Guess who I am, part 1:
A-My teams will play a game this season in both Iowa and Idaho
B-We've signed four Class of 2023 players, some of whom weren't yet born when I started coaching the Tommies in fall 2005
C-My staff has helped develop sophomore forward Sammy Opichka, who has tripled her scoring average from last season
D-I'm scheduled to coach my 500th game at St. Thomas next March at the Summit League tournament
E-I'm the longest tenured female head coach at St. Thomas, starting year 18
Guess who I am, part 2:
A-I was born in Canada
B-I competed in college in my sport at Miami (Ohio)
C-In my 22 seasons of coaching, my teams' combined record has more ties (78) than most Men's Wearhouse stores, plus 405 wins
D-We have one of the most improved teams in D-I this winter... our 4-13-1 record includes nine losses by one or two goals
E-My team has a bye week this Friday and Saturday after playing on 10 consecutive weekends
Guess who I am, part 3:
A-I was born in South Vietnam
B-I competed as a wrestler in my college days
C-My family story was featured on a recent MIDCO Sports magazine video story accessed HERE
D-I had one of the younger teams in Division I in my sport in 2022 with 16 sophomores and freshmen and an average age on the roster of 19.6 years
E-I'm the second longest tenured St. Thomas head coach with 20 seasons under my belt
--
Genius Tie-Breaker Question:
Which quote belongs to Yogi Bear, cartoon character, and was not uttered by Yogi Berra, Yankees baseball legend:
A-"It ain't over until it's over."
B-"He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious."
C-"Baseball is 90 percent mental, and the other half is physical."
D-"You have to be careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there."
E-"I'm smarter than the average bear."
--
Answers
If you answered E to all of the questions, congratulations. You have earned a diploma from Gene's Blog University... and a No. 13 jersey from your favorite St. Thomas team.
Your graduation speaker will be... Yogi Berra, and his commencement address is titled... "The future ain't what it used to be."
Let's see who can earn a Gene's Blog University (GBU) genius tag:
Of the seven universities currently in transition into full NCAA Division I membership, which had the best 2022 record this football season:
A-Utah Tech
B-Merrimack
C-Lindenwood
D-Gene's Blog University
E-St. Thomas
Of the 11 universities currently in transition into full NCAA Division-I membership, which of their MBB teams are tied for most wins so far in 2022-23:
A-Bellarmine and Tarleton State
B-UC-San Diego and Stonehill
C-Merrimack and Utah Tech
D-Gonzaga's Twin Cities alumni team
E-St. Thomas and Queens (N.C.)
How many different Power 6 Division I universities have St. Thomas teams faced or will play during the 2022 calendar year?
A-7
B-8
C-9
D-10
E-14
The tallest Tommie student-athlete on 2022-23 rosters is:
A-Football lineman Jason Laliberte
B-Hockey defenseman Brady Simmons-Fischer
C-Baseball pitcher Kevin Millar
D-Tommie the Mascot, on a bad hair day
E-Men's Hoops players Ahjany Lee, Carter Bjerke and Bennett Kwiecinski
Which fact is NOT true about Tommie Women's Hockey?
A-Has a coach and three players who participated in either the 2022 Winter Olympics or the 2022 World Championships
B-Has four grad students adding leadership, a group with 438 games of college hockey experience
C-Current team has six losses by one or two goals while playing in the toughest conference in the nation
D-At the season's halfway point, Maija Almich has already tied the program's D-I record for season goals (six)
E-Team has several nationally-ranked karaoke singers
What fact is NOT true about Tommie Men's Hoops?
A-UW-Milwaukee's 6-1 home record includes a 76-72 loss to the Toms
B-Troy lost to the Purple on a buzzer-beater shot after previously beating Florida State at home
C-The 7-3 Toms come into today ranked No. 123 out of 363 D-I teams in the NCAA NET rankings
D-Between Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, the Andrew Rohde game-winning shot last month was viewed nearly 125,000 times and garnered a quarter of a million impressions in the first 48 hours alone
E-The team keeps a live alligator in its locker room, for good luck
The last time Tommie Football lost a game on campus at O'Shaughnessy Stadium, the U.S. President was:
A-Donald Trump
B-Joe Biden
C-Grover Cleveland, and thus a street near campus is named after him
D-Nancy Pelosi
E-Barack Obama
Tommie Football finished 10-1 this season. Over the last 10 years, how many of the 261 Division I football schools have, at least once, posted double-digit wins with one or no losses?
A-91
B-69
C-49
D-39
E-30
What do Harvard, Princeton, Lehigh and St. Thomas have in common?
A-Cool mascots
B-Strong undergraduate Engineering programs
C-A 10-win football season during the last decade but no postseason opportunity as a result
D-Abundant parking on campus
E-A, B and C
Glenn Caruso coached a six-overtime contest in his second game leading the Tommies, in 2008. His teams played four OT games in his first three seasons here. How many overtime games have Caruso's St. Thomas teams played in the 11 seasons since?
A-9
B-7
C-4
D-2
E-0
St. Thomas' first two Division I athletics contests -- in women's soccer and men's soccer in August 2021 -- went to overtime. Which Tommie sports have not played an overtime game or extra-inning game so far in the D-I era?
A-Men's Hockey and Football
B-Softball and Football
C-Baseball and Women's Hockey
D-Dance Team and Cheer Squad
E-Men's Basketball and Football
Riley Miller has played in 39 Division I games over two seasons and is the only current D-I men's player that:
A-Looks good wearing a mustache
B-Has never lost an overtime game in college
C-Has made eight or more 3-pointers in both a D-III game and a D-I game
D-Has made 130 or more 3-pointers while shooting a 42 percent or better 3-point clip over the last two seasons
E-A, C and D
Riley Miller also has:
A-Made at least one 3-point basket in 42 of his last 44 games (including 25 consecutive conference games)
B-Scored in double figures 16 times in his career
C-Has made 91 percent of his free throws in Division I
D-Helped Toms to a 33-11 home-court record so far on his career
E-All of the above
Riley's old backcourt mate, Anders Nelson, is another example of a D-III guy succeeding with his D-I opportunities.... which of these facts is NOT true regarding Anders:
A-He's a Tommie alum
B-He's averaging 10.3 ppg and 5.6 apg in 27 mpg through 10 games at D-I William and Mary while in graduate school there
C-He's already recorded a pair of 20-plus point scoring games for the Tribe
D-The former Edina High Hornet is back with a team with Green as its primary color... and he's also rocking a beard this season
E-He's still wearing jersey No. 4 with his new team (HINT: that fact has ZERO credibility)
What do Tommie student-athletes Branden Smith, Gabby Johnson, Ahjany Lee, Miki Snider, Connor Aksoz, Ella Bryant, Keya Luna Win Hunt and Molly Grundhoffer have in common?
A-Are Psychology majors
B-Have twin siblings
C-Are ambidextrous
D-Are really good at cornhole
E-Wear jersey No. 13
Tommie WBB seniors Maggie Negaard and Autam Mendez are/were
A-Younger than Royce Lewis but older than Anthony Edwards
B-Younger than Kirill Kaprizov and just a few months younger than Justin Jefferson
C-Older than Facebook and older than Olympic champ Suni Lee
D-Born on the same day in the same year, in 1999
E-All of the above
What do St. Thomas Football and Alabama Football have in common?
A-Whether you say "Roll Tide" or "Roll Toms," one program has... a few more alums in the NFL than the other
B-Both have an animal mascot with a male name (Al the Elephant, Tommie the Tomcat)
C-Both have head coaches that have won 85% or more of their games at their current school
D-They rank first and third among all NCAA programs in current home-field win streaks
E-All of the above
What Tommie team has the longest one-way road trip (road miles) scheduled this school year?
A-Women's Hoops at Utah Valley (Orem, Utah)
B-Football at Southern Utah (Cedar City, Utah)
C-Men's Hockey at Arizona State (Tempe, Ariz.)
D-Men's Soccer at UC-Riverside (Riverside, Calif).
E-Baseball at Cal-Bakersfield (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Guess who I am, part 1:
A-My teams will play a game this season in both Iowa and Idaho
B-We've signed four Class of 2023 players, some of whom weren't yet born when I started coaching the Tommies in fall 2005
C-My staff has helped develop sophomore forward Sammy Opichka, who has tripled her scoring average from last season
D-I'm scheduled to coach my 500th game at St. Thomas next March at the Summit League tournament
E-I'm the longest tenured female head coach at St. Thomas, starting year 18
Guess who I am, part 2:
A-I was born in Canada
B-I competed in college in my sport at Miami (Ohio)
C-In my 22 seasons of coaching, my teams' combined record has more ties (78) than most Men's Wearhouse stores, plus 405 wins
D-We have one of the most improved teams in D-I this winter... our 4-13-1 record includes nine losses by one or two goals
E-My team has a bye week this Friday and Saturday after playing on 10 consecutive weekends
Guess who I am, part 3:
A-I was born in South Vietnam
B-I competed as a wrestler in my college days
C-My family story was featured on a recent MIDCO Sports magazine video story accessed HERE
D-I had one of the younger teams in Division I in my sport in 2022 with 16 sophomores and freshmen and an average age on the roster of 19.6 years
E-I'm the second longest tenured St. Thomas head coach with 20 seasons under my belt
--
Genius Tie-Breaker Question:
Which quote belongs to Yogi Bear, cartoon character, and was not uttered by Yogi Berra, Yankees baseball legend:
A-"It ain't over until it's over."
B-"He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious."
C-"Baseball is 90 percent mental, and the other half is physical."
D-"You have to be careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there."
E-"I'm smarter than the average bear."
--
Answers
If you answered E to all of the questions, congratulations. You have earned a diploma from Gene's Blog University... and a No. 13 jersey from your favorite St. Thomas team.
Your graduation speaker will be... Yogi Berra, and his commencement address is titled... "The future ain't what it used to be."
--
Gene's Blog is a sports column penned by Tommie sports information director Gene McGivern. Gene is in his 29th season at St. Thomas and 35th overall working with college athletics teams. He blogs periodically on various topics regarding the Tommies and college sports.
If you have comments or questions, e-mail Gene at ejmcgivern@stthomas.edu
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