University of Indianapolis Football secured its place in the Division II playoffs after ending its regular season with an undefeated conference record and being named GLVC Champions on Nov. 9.
The University of Indianapolis’ football team faced Grand Valley State on Nov. 23 for the first game of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
UIndy Football Head Coach Chris Keevers said his plan to continue the team’s success is to keep doing what got the team to the playoffs. To do it better than anyone else, he said, and to not change it.
“We go to work every day, it’s energy and effort and focus and practice,” Keevers said. “If you do that, you keep getting better; And if you keep getting better, you’ve got a chance to win.”
Graduate student defensive linebacker Clay Schulte described the team as a group of people who expect to win and will do anything to make it happen. He said the team is on a high right now and they plan to make a run in the playoffs.
“We’re feeling very confident right now,” Schulte said. “We’re on a roll right now as a team. We’re just taking it one game at a time.”
Junior quarterback Gavin Sukup said he attributes the team’s success to how well the group gets along. He said the team is currently riding the wave of winning a lot of games and getting better every week.
“Our goal is to just improve in our respective sides of the ball: offense, defense and special teams every week,” Sukup said. “I think we’ve been doing that, so we look forward to keep trying to do that.”
Both players agreed that everyone on the team gets along great, and Sukup said the team is like a family. Keevers said he really likes the football team this year and the culture they have curated. The best thing about the team, he said, is the players.
“Our guys are workers,” Keevers said. “They’re good people. They handle themselves well on and off the field. It makes it a lot of fun when you get a bunch of good people together and you accomplish a goal and win a championship and have the opportunity to go to the playoffs with a bunch of wonderful people.”
Schulte said the team has a positive impact on him because of all the people he is surrounded by. Everyone on the team is a great person, he said, which makes him want to be a better person.
Because this marks his fifth and final season, Schulte said he hopes to pass the sentiment on to the next generation of players that hard work can take you a long way. He said eventually you will get what you want by working hard.
“If you have goals and you do what it takes to accomplish those goals and work hard,” Schulte said, “you can accomplish anything you really want to. Just stay the course.” The Hounds lost the game 7-24 which concluded the season. According to an article by UIndy Athletics, the Hounds went into halftime only trailing by seven before the Lakers went on to score two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
