BC grad Lyle helps Bethel to D-III semis

Burlington Central alum Jared Lyle did some adapting this season.

And it paid big dividends in the end.

Lyle switched from linebacker to nose guard during the season for Bethel University (St. Paul, Minn.) and helped the squad reach the NCAA Division III semifinals. Bethel (12-2) lost, 62-14, to Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio last weekend.

Lyle, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound sophomore, played in 10 games this season and had 7 solo tackles, 7 assisted tackles, 3 tackles for loss for 12 yards and 1.5 quarterback sacks that totaled 9 yards in losses. He also had 1 pass break-up.

"Jared is a tough kid who has some speed," said Bethel coach Steve Johnson. "He's got great strength and ability. When he was at Burlington Central he was running all over the field making tackles. We run a 3-4 defense that is really quick. We wanted to move the speed as close to the ball as we could. He's really fast for a nose guard."

Lyle said he worked mainly third downs and long passing situations. He was also the team's long snapper on special teams.

"My biggest improvement has been adjusting to the speed of the game," said Lyle. "I'm seeing things better this year than I did last year."

Lyle also offered a self-critique on his move to nose guard.

"I think I did alright," he said. "I did the job they needed me to do. I went in there and did all I could do."

Moving to a new position took some adjusting.

"At first it was totally different for me," said Lyle. "It's a different technique. But as you get reps all of the tough stuff comes naturally. By the end of the year I had made a full adjustment to the nose guard position."

He also had to put part of his linebacker mentality off to the side.

"I learned that I'm not usually the one making tackles out there," said Lyle. "That was a little different. I used to be the guy making the tackles and now I'm the guy opening up the holes for guys to make the tackles."

Johnson likes Lyle's style beyond just the football field.

"Jared really is a guy who fits in well at our school and on our team," said Johnson. "He was a great leader in high school. Here, we like to surround ourselves with guys like that who play hard and are team leaders and have big hearts and don't walk around like a typical football guy."

Lyle feels he took a big step forward this year.

"This season has been great," he said. "The best part of it was being able to hang out with the guys on the team for another week. We ended up hanging out for 4 extra weeks. It was great to be able to hang out with them for that much longer."

Lyle is an elementary education major who has an emphasis in middle school math.

"I'd like to be a teacher and a football coach," said Lyle.

Lyle is already looking forward to next year.

"With me playing defensive line this year, I think I will have more confidence playing there next year," said Lyle. "I'm going to go out and play as hard as I can. I love college. It's been amazing so far. I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's been a great experience so far."

Lyle reported good news concerning his family members who were involved in an automobile accident on the way to Bethel's playoff game in Pella, Iowa.

"Everybody is doing well," said Lyle. "Everybody is good and recovering mentally from the accident."

A total of 8 family members were in the vehicle at the time of the accident, including Lyle's older brother, Ryan, and his wife and Lyle's parents, his little brother and three sisters. Lyle said his sister-in-law suffered 8 broken ribs.

Giffin at UIC: Burlington Central graduate Mike Giffin is a member of the University of Illinois at Chicago men's soccer team that advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in program history. Giffin, a junior back, scored UIC's only goal in its Elite Eight loss to host UMass in Amherst, Mass. With UIC trailing 1-0, Giffin tied the game in the 59th minute. UIC wound up losing the contest, 2-1.

On the season, Giffin started all 25 matches for the Flames and had 2 goals and 3 assists for 7 points. He took 32 shots (10 on goal, .312 percentage).

UIC finished the season with a 13-6-6 mark. The Flames won the Horizon League title for the first time since 2000 and qualified for the NCAA tournament for a second straight season. The men's soccer team is only the second UIC men's athletic program to reach the Elite Eight level of an NCAA Division I tournament.

UIC's roster also featured Larkin alums Drew Wolfe (freshman midfielder) and Derek Huffman (freshman midfielder).

Niles at Coastal Carolina: Elgin alum Sara Niles is a member of the Coastal Carolina women's soccer team. Niles helped Coastal Carolina set a school-record for wins in a season with 15. The team won its first outright Big South Conference regular-season title. Coastal Carolina advanced to the league tournament tile game before falling to High Point on penalty kicks after a scoreless regulation and 2 overtimes.

Niles, a freshman outside midfielder, played in all 22 games this season and started 20 contests for the Lady Chants. Niles was named to the Big South's 11-player all-freshman team -- one of three Coastal Carolina players to receive that honor. Niles had 2 assists and 6 shots on goal for the season. Her 6 shots on goal tied her for fifth on the team.

Off the field, Niles was elected as a representative for women's soccer on the Student Athletic Advisory committee (SAAC) where she was instrumental in formulating policies and protocol regarding student-athletes at the university.

Off at College wants your help: Off at College is taking its annual holiday hiatus and will return after the New Year. Send information and/or statistics on Fox Valley athletes playing collegiately to Mike Miazga at difibulator@aol.com.