Matkevich drafted by Steelers

Former linebacker Tyler Matakevich heard his name called in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the Steelers on Saturday.

Matakevich was the 26th pick of the seventh round and the 246th overall pick.

The linebacker won the Chuck Bednarik and Bronko Nagurski awards last season after totaling 138 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and five interceptions.

For his career, Matakevich tallied a 493 total tackles, which broke the school record.

Ioannidis drafted by Redskins

Former defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins on Saturday.

Ioannidis was the 13th pick of the fifth round and No. 152 overall.

The defensive lineman was a first team All-American Athletic Conference selection last season when he totaled 39 tackles and 101/2 tackles for loss.

During his time at Temple, Ioannidis totaled 115 tackles and 29 tackles for loss. He also added 10 sacks in his career.

Other Owls’ defensive linemen drafted in the last 15 years include Raheem Brock, Dan Klecko, Terrance Knighton and Muhammad Wilkerson.

Matakevich receives national honors

Senior linebacker Tyler Matakevich won the Bednarik Award, which is given to the best defensive player in college football, Thursday.

The senior linebacker is the first player in program history to win the award and the first player from a Group of 5 school to win the award.

Monday, Matakevich also won the Bronko Nagurski Award, given to the top defensive player in college football. Other winners include former University of Michigan defensive back and Heisman Trophy Winner Charles Woodson (1997) and former Boston College University linebacker Luke Kuechly (2012).

Matakevich had 126 total tackles and 15 tackles for loss this season. He also has totaled 41/2 sacks and five interceptions.

The linebacker has recorded at least 100 tackles in each of his four seasons at Temple.

The other Bronko Nagurski Award finalists were Penn State senior defensive end Carl Nassib and Alabama senior linebacker Reggie Ragland.

 

Kerkhoff and Farrell named preseason All-Conference selections

Seniors Shauni Kerkhoff and Kelly Farrell were named to the preseason All-Conference Team, the American Athletic Conference announced Tuesday.

Kerkhoff, the Owls’ starting goalkeeper, received an additional honor, being named Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.

The Westerville, Ohio native has started 39 straight games in net for Temple over the past two seasons and is the all-time leader in save percentage (.806) and shutouts (17). Last season, Kerkhoff recorded 79 saves to go with six shutouts, while allowing just 1.13 goals per game. She was named to The American’s All-Conference second team for her efforts in 2014.

Farrell, a midfielder, led the Owls in goals with nine and added two assists for a team-high 20 points last season. She has started in 32 of 39 games with Temple since transferring from Old Dominion after her freshman season. The Sicklerville, N.J. native was also a second All-American Athletic conference selection in 2014.

Temple, which finished 11-8-1 overall and 3-5-1 in conference play last season, was picked to finish ninth out of 10 teams in The American’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Anderson ruled eligible to play

Robby Anderson has been ruled eligible to play this season.

The wide receiver successfully completed his summer classes at the university and will be listed as a redshirt senior.

Anderson re-enrolled at the university in June after being dismissed for academic reasons in 2013.

As a redshirt sophomore, Anderson caught 44 passes for 791 and nine touchdowns.

The Fort Lauderdale, Florida native, who began his career at Temple in 2011 as a defensive back, redshirted his first year on campus and was later converted to wide receiver during his sophomore year. The 6-foot-3 inch receiver averaged 79 yards receiving per game and totaled 1,037 all-purpose yards in 2013.

Anderson is the second Owl to receive a waiver this month. Wide receiver Adonis Jennings successfully petitioned the NCAA for a waiver and was ruled eligible on July 29.

Matthews named All-American honorable mention

Brandon Matthews was named an honorable mention Division I PING All-American by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Thursday.

“It’s a great feeling to know that you are among the country’s best,” Matthews said. “Getting this means more than you can imagine.  It’s always nice to see your hard work, time and effort pay off in these kind of ways.”

Matthews is coming off of a junior season where he placed in the top-10 in 11 of his 12 tournaments.  His 70.9 stroke average for a season was a new school record and his three-consecutive wins during the year was a new program record.  He also tied Temple’s record for career wins with eight.

Matthews is in the middle of a summer of individual amateur tournaments before returning to Temple in the fall for his senior season.

Cummings signs with Houston Rockets

Per a university athletic spokesperson, Will Cummings has agreed to terms on a free agent contract with the Houston Rockets.

The Jacksonville, Florida native, who was not selected during the NBA Draft on Thursday cannot sign with the Rockets until July 1, which is the official beginning on NBA free agency.

The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 14.8 points per game and 4.2 assists last season while leading the Owls to a 26-11 record.

After missing the 2015 NCAA Basketball Tournament, Cummings and the Owls were selected as the No. 1 overall seed for the National Invitational Tournament, where they were eliminated by the University of Miami 60-57 in the semifinals.

Cummings, who was a first-team all American Athletic Conference selection last season, became the 50th member of Temple’s 1,000-point club — the eighth player to reach the milestone under coach Fran Dunphy — in a win over South Florida in February.

Men’s Crew looks to compete at IRA National Championship this weekend

The men’s crew team is set to compete in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship this weekend on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey.

The Owls will enter two boats in this year’s competition after the Varsity Lightweight 4 and Varsity Heavyweight 4 both qualified.

The Varsity Lightweight 4 received an automatic bid into the event and the No. 1 seed in their race after winning the grand finals at the Dad Vail Regatta on May 9.

The Varsity Heavyweight 4, which placed sixth in the quarterfinals at the Dad Vail Regatta, did not receive an automatic bid and had to apply to compete at the IRA National Championship.

The boat was voted in by the IRA committee, but the Owls will use a different lineup at this weekend’s event from the one that competed for the team throughout the season.

After two weeks of competition to determine the fastest rowers, the new Owls competing for the Varsity Heavyweight 4 this weekend will be sophomore coxswain Dante Romeo, junior stroke man Tom Robbins, junior Charles Anderson in seat-3, freshman Collin McKinney in seat-2 and junior bowman Ryan Dartnell.

“We took the best guys out of the second Varsity 8 and all the guys out of the Varsity 8 and lump them altogether into one selection group and try to find the best four guys,” Perkins said.

At the IRA National Championship, Temple will face-off against qualifying crews from teams around the country, such as Drexel University, Yale University, Oklahoma City University, Harvard University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the 2014 IRA National Champions — the University of Washington.

Despite the Varsity Lightweight 4 boat’s success this season, White said it will not be easy for the team to secure a victory.

“Hopefully, the Lightweight can win but it is going to be tough,” White said.

The IRA begins Thursday, but the Varsity Heavyweight 4 does not begin competition until Friday. The Lightweight 4 begins competition on Saturday.

Danielle Nelson can be reached at danielle.nelson@temple.edu or on twitter @Dan_Nels.

Kraft promoted to Athletic Director

President Theobald announced Monday that Pat Kraft, who currently serves as deputy director of athletics, will replace Kevin Clark as Athletic Director.

Clark was repositioned earlier Monday to the newly-created position of executive vice president and chief operations officer.

Kraft, who has worked as deputy director of athletics since 2013, was the sports administrator of the football team. Kraft was also responsible for oversight of  communications, marketing and other units in the department.

 

-Michael Guise

Former Owls running back Kenny Harper signs with Giants

According to reports, former Temple running back Kenny Harper has signed a free agent contract with the New York Giants.

Harper, who was not selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, was a tryout at the Giants’ rookie minicamp from Thursday to Sunday and was one of three rookies from the camp to sign.

Last season, the Gainesville, Florida native tallied 307 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

Harper, who was also a team captain, rushed for a career-high 116 yards in a 16-13 loss to the University of Memphis and was the only Owl with at least one rushing and one receiving touchdown during the 2014 season.

For his career, Harper — who appeared in all 48 games during his four seasons — ran for 1,113 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. Harper also caught 66 passes for 528 yards and four touchdowns.