Borland getting a taste of pro soccer with Crew

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By Sean McClelland, Staff Writer 1:47 AM Saturday, May 9, 2009

Matt Borland (Alter) graduates from Wittenberg University next week with a business degree.

Recently, the soccer standout has been getting a different kind of education while training with the Columbus Crew and playing in scrimmages alongside the team’s reserves.

“It’s been a blast,” he said. “The coolest thing about it is watching how they prepare. It’s just at a different level.”

Borland earned the opportunity by becoming perhaps the greatest player in Wittenberg history, finishing his career with 27 goals, 30 assists and 84 total points. He broke the school assist record and was named offensive player of the year in the North Coast Athletic Conference as a junior and senior.

The Crew took note, and while no contract has been offered, Borland can take pride in being the first Wittenberg player associated with an MLS team since the league was founded in 1996.

“Matt is an exceptional athlete,” Wittenberg coach Steve Dawson said. “He’s only about 5-foot-7, but I think he can dunk a basketball. He’s great in the air and on the ground. He’s very strong, and you can play him anywhere. He probably can play at the MLS level.”

Borland played in reserve scrimmages against Ohio State, Louisville, Marshall and Akron. The only minor inconvenience is that he doesn’t know when he might be called next. Not that he’s complaining, mind you.

“I try to go up, work hard, keep my mouth shut and wait for the next call,” he said. “Hopefully, it continues throughout the summer. Right now it’s just a way to kind of get started and see where I’m at and maybe next season, if not with (the Crew), there’s always a chance I could be with someone else.

“There are many different levels of professional soccer, but I’m going for it all.”

• Jaimel Johnson (Chaminade Julienne) is a backup goalkeeper with the Chicago Red Stars of the WPS, the new women’s professional soccer league. Johnson, who starred at Tennessee, was a 10th-round pick of the Boston Breakers in the league’s inaugural draft, but she ended up in Chicago, where she has yet to appear in a match.

Campus tour

• Norris Cole (Dunbar), who helped the Cleveland State basketball team win the Horizon League and stun Wake Forest in the first round of the NCAA tournament, has been named co-captain for next season. With the Vikings losing five seniors to graduation, head coach Gary Waters will be relying more than ever on the junior who won two state championships in high school.

• Nick Ary (Brookville), a golfer at Indiana University East in Richmond, was named to the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-league team for the second year in a row. The junior was IU-East’s most consistent performer with a 79.1 average and finished third in the KIAC tournament.

• Four freshmen lent a distinct Miami Valley flavor to the Ohio Dominican University baseball team this season, with Zach Stewart (Wayne), John Bowron (Chaminade Julienne), Billy Techlinburg (Troy) and Zach Dumler (Vandalia Butler) all contributing.

Stewart played first base and batted .343 with a team-leading 19 doubles and 52 RBIs. In one stretch, he had hits in nine consecutive at-bats. Techlinburg, a second baseman, also batted .343. Bowron, an outfielder, hit .327. Dumler picked up a couple of wins in relief.

Anyone with news of local athletes competing in college sports is encouraged to e-mail smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com or sports@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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