UNews - Lauren Taal

Taal sets sights on Germany

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 21:04:28 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's basketball guard Lauren Taal is taking her game to the pro ranks after signing a contract to play with KuSG Leimen in Germany this fall.

The club is based in the town of Leimen, which is in the southwestern part of Germany and plays in the DBBL second division. Leimen is also the hometown of former World number one tennis player Boris Becker.

"I am very excited to have the opportunity to continue my playing career overseas," says Taal. "It is something that I have worked towards for a long time and I am looking forward to getting over there and helping my team to be successful in any way I can."

Taal finished her career among the school leaders in many statistical categories. She leaves the program as second on the all-time scoring list with 1029 points, second in assists with 312 and the school record holder in steals with 192. She is also the school record holder for points in a single game with 34, which she set January 17, 2010 in Brandon versus the Bobcats.

This past season, the LCI grad led the conference in steals with 66 and the 'Horns in scoring and assists, averaging 12.4 points and 4.6 assists per game. She also set a Canada West single game record in steals with 13 versus the Manitoba Bisons on January 28^th.

"My time as a Pronghorn has been instrumental in my development as a person, athlete, and student of the game," says Taal, who graduated from the program this past spring. "I am very grateful to my coaches, teammates, and family as well as other members of the community who have supported me throughout my five years here."

Taal will head to Germany in August to begin her pro career.

Horns celebrate athletes of the year

trevor.kenney — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:11:37 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorn Athletics hosted its annual Blue and Gold Banquet, Friday, Mar. 30, to honour the outstanding athletes in athletic performance and academic achievement.

Over 260 athletes, administrators, and special guests were in attendance for the supper and awards ceremony, with former Pronghorn Daryl Moore serving as guest speaker.

The Award winners are as follows:

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

In only her second season as a Pronghorn, Crystal Patterson led her team to heights that have never been seen by the program. She built off a solid freshman year to become one of the premier goaltenders in Canada West this and was named a Canada West First Team All-Star for her efforts.

The Calgary native backstopped the Pronghorns women's hockey team to its best season in school history and was in goal for all 14 of her team's wins; second most of any goalie in the conference. She also led the conference in minutes played, saves and shutouts, with six. The six shutouts were the third most in a single season in Canada West history. Patterson was also ranked fourth in goals-against-average with a 2.01 GAA and her 0.928 save percentage was third best in Canada West.

MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

In a rarity this year, there are co-male athletes of the year as Jeff Nicol and Ryan Thornley went hand-in-hand this season as they led their team to its best finish at the conference championship in 12 years.

The Horns men's swim team hadn't finished among the top four in the conference team standings since 2000 and both Nicol and Thornley were integral parts of the relay teams that earned valuable team points.

At the conference meet, Nicol led the way with three medals, earning a silver medal in the 200-metre breaststroke and two bronze medals in the 50- and 100-metre breaststroke.

Thornley led the way at the CIS Championships, earning the 'Horns top finish and setting a new school record in the process. Thornley finished sixth in the 50-metre fly and broke an eight-year-old school record.

Both represented the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ at the Canadian Olympic trials this past weekend, with Nicol qualifying for the 'A' final in the 200-metre breaststroke, finishing eighth.

Other major award winners included:

PRESIDENT'S AWARD

For the second time in her Pronghorns' career, Megan Bach of the women's hockey program received the President's Award, given to the student athlete with the highest academic standing at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Bach achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA, while balancing her large commitment to the team.

TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD - Presented to the team with the highest academic standing.

The women's swim team received the team Academic award with a combined GPA of 3.16

Team MVPs (as voted by team members)

Men's Soccer – Colin Pattison
Women's Soccer – Sherry Latrace
Men's Hockey – Dustin Moore
Women's Hockey – Crystal Patterson
Men's Basketball – Dominyc Coward
Women's Basketball – Lauren Taal
Men's Track – Kyle Murray
Women's Track – Christina Juert
Women's Rugby – Kayla Moleschi

Taal family influence a Pronghorn tradition

trevor.kenney — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:04:45 +0000

When Lauren Taal chose to attend the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and play for the Pronghorns women's basketball team, to everyone looking in, it seemed like the easy decision. But make no mistake, beginning with that decision and the ensuing five years that followed, Taal's time as a Pronghorn has been anything but easy – and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I am happy that this is the path I chose," says Taal, a third generation family member to attend the U of L. "I don't think it turned out the way I thought it would but as you grow up, I guess you realize that things aren't always what you expect."

Taal's family tree has an indelible ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge branch to it, beginning with her grandfather Jack Lilja Sr., who coached the Horns women's team for four seasons in the 1970s. Her mother Lynette Taal (Lilja) played for the Horns from 1978 through 1983, while her aunts Lorell (1973-77) and Leslie (1974-79) also wore the blue and gold. Her uncle, Jack Lilja Jr., played both basketball and soccer for the Horns and her father Clarence Taal is another U of L alumnus.

Horns' guard Lauren Taal drives the lane in a recent Canada West game at the 1st Choice Savings Centre. PHOTO courtesy of Paula Gorman.

Given the family lineage, it seemed natural that Lauren would choose to attend the U of L, yet she seriously entertained offers from both the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan.

"It was a difficult decision for me because I knew how important it was and I knew how long the family tradition was to come here," says Taal. "At the same time my parents would have supported me any place I went."

In Taal's time at the U of L, the Horns have never finished above the .500 mark and made just one playoff appearance. Teammates have come and gone, she lost a close friend and mentor, suffered a major knee injury that cost her the second half of her fourth season and veered away from her intended major. Only now, in her final year, can she see the all their hard work starting to pay off and the team making huge strides forward.

"Looking back now, I'm still really glad that I came here," she says. "I don't think I would have learned as much going to programs that have seen more success. I think the people I've met here and the experiences I've had through the school and through basketball, playing with all the people I've played with, they've all had a great influence on me."

Taal has grasped adversity and made it work for her, learning more about herself in times of challenge than she ever learned as a high school star at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute.

"I had been pretty fortunate before coming here," says Taal. "I'd always played on teams that were pretty good and always been one of the better players, thanks a lot to my mom's influence. Then to struggle the way we did as a team and to get injured – when you lose something that's been such a big part of your life it makes you stop and realize all the things you need to be grateful for because just like that, they can be taken away from you."

Losing her friend Krista Heidinger (née Robson) tragically, a former Pronghorn her mother had coached, and whom she knew and looked up to since she was four years old, was another tough blow. Yet Taal, approaching her final games in a Horns jersey and ready to graduate with a degree in kinesiology this spring, is still thankful for the opportunity to have played in her hometown for the family program and with her younger sister Cassidy (second year).

"After we lost against ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary this year, making it tough for us to get into the playoffs, I was pretty upset," says Taal. "I remember coming out of the dressing room and my little cousins were there saying, "You played so well" and they were so excited. Knowing they support me and come out to games and look up to me and Cassidy, I'm very grateful to have a family that is behind me, that I'm getting an education and playing the game I love. It really puts things into perspective."

After convocation, Taal will explore professional basketball opportunities in Europe, with plans to eventually pursue a master's degree in sports management or administration. There's also a good chance she'll follow another family tradition and turn to coaching.

"I've gotten so much from this game, I feel a responsibility to give back to it," she says. "My granddad passed it on to my aunts and my mom, and she passed her love of the game on to me. Lots of people might not understand that just because they haven't had the same upbringing but I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have basketball, so I can definitely see myself coaching."

Whether it leads her back to the U of L once again remains to be seen.

GET THE FACTS

Taal set a Canada West single-game record for steals recently, nabbing 13 steals against the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba Bisons

Taal has already dabbled in coaching, teaming up with former Horns women's head coach Dori Johnson to guide a youth league team last summer

Her grandfather Jack Lilja Sr. played for Canada's 1963 World Championship Men's Basketball Team. He wore jersey No. 7, as did Taal's mother Lynette and as she wears today for the Horns

Her mother Lynette was a two-time Canada West all-star and named Pronghorn Female Athlete of the Year in 1983

The Lilja family was inducted into the Pronghorn Hall of Fame in 2002

This story first appeared in the February 2012 edition of The Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Taal, Lawrence are Horns athletes of the week

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 21:09:00 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns basketball players, Lauren Taal and Danhue Lawrence, were named Horns Athletes of the Week on Tuesday.

Despite losing a pair of games to visiting ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan, Taal had a pair of strong games offensively, scoring double digits in both contests.

On Friday night, Taal led the Horns with 17 points in a 68-51 loss, hitting three, three-pointers and also grabbing three rebounds and a pair of steals. She followed up that performance with 11 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal in Saturday night's 62-46 loss.

Through eight conference games, Taal sits 17th in Canada West scoring, averaging 10.9 points per game.

On the men's side, senior guard Danhue Lawrence had a big weekend versus the Saskatchewan Huskies. In the Horns two losses to the defending CIS champions, Lawrence combined for 50 points. On Friday night, in the Horns' 93-61 loss, Danhue topped the Horns with 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting and grabbed team high eight rebounds.

The next night, Lawrence was a point short of matching his Pronghorn career high, netting 34 points. He was 9-of-16 from the field and hit 13-of-16 from the free throw line. He also grabbed another eight rebounds and added eight assists.

Horns basketball heads to Kamloops this weekend for games against Thompson Rivers ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Bowles, Patzer named top Horns athletes

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:06:31 +0000

Scott Bowles did his work on the defensive end while Ashley Patzer was at her best leading offensive forays, but the one thing they had in common was their ability to lead. The duo took home honours as Pronghorn Male and Female Athletes of the Year respectively, celebrating with more than 330 athletes, administrators and special guests at the recently held Pronghorn Athletics Blue and Gold Banquet.

Bowles, in his third year as the Horns men's hockey team goaltender, was at his best in the second half of the season as the Horns made an impressive playoff charge, eventually falling just two points shy of reaching the post-season.

Bowles was named a second team Canada West all-star after leading the conference in saves and most shots faced and placing second in victories.

Patzer, competing in her final season of eligibility, went out with a bang, leading the Pronghorns to their third straight Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national title while earning CIS player of the year, all-Canadian and CIS tournament all-star honours.

The Horns went undefeated throughout the year and Patzer led the charge, scoring 75 points in the 10 U of L victories. It is Patzer's second straight female athlete of the year award.

Other major award winners included:

President's Award (highest academic standing)
Kathy Curtis, women's soccer (4.00 GPA)

Team Academic Award
Pronghorns men's track team (3.32 combined GPA)

Team MVPs

Men's soccer – Mike O'Brien, Matt Medoruma

Women's soccer – Ashley Cowan

Men's hockey – Scott Bowles, Dustin Moore

Women's hockey – Kailey McMaster, Kendal Tremblay

Men's basketball – Jeff Price

Women's basketball – Lauren Taal, Stephanie Price

Men's track – Kyle Murray

Women's track – Ashlee Deschamps

Women's rugby – Ashley Patzer

Taal, Murray named athletes of week

trevor.kenney — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:55:25 +0000

Women's basketball player Lauren Taal and men's track athlete Kyle Murray are the Subway Pronghorn Athletes of the Week after their strong efforts in weekend Canada West action.

Taal posted a career-best 34 points in helping the Horns gain a weekend split with Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Bobcats. She opened the two-game set with a 16-point effort as the Horns dropped a 65-60 decision to Brandon. The third-year guard then hit 12 of 20 shots, added eight free throws and chipped in five steals as she hit for 34 points in a 72-67 win on Sunday.

Taal's 34-point effort was the best single game output in Canada West this season and a school record for points in a conference game. The Horns, at 7-6 on the year, remain tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Prairie Division. They next host UBC Thunderbirds and Victoria Vikes, Friday and Saturday nights respectively, at the 1st Choice Savings Centre gym.

On the men's side, Kyle Murray kicked off the 2010 indoor track season in style, leading the way this past weekend for the Horns at the Golden Bear Invitational in Edmonton.

The third-year runner handily captured gold in the men's 300-metre run, posting a personal best time of 35.29 seconds.

Murray moved into first place in the Canada West seeding chart and second place in the cross-country CIS rankings. After narrowly missing the 2008 CIS Championships, Murray has now made it known he is ready to compete with the best in the country.

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