Categories
Bison Athlete of the Week Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Michael McGowan ’15

Lauren Boone

Sports Editor

To say that Michael McGowan ’15, a runner on the men’s cross-country team, has had a stellar season thus far would be an understatement.

McGowan has lead the herd in both of the cross-country events so far this fall season. In the first competition, McGowan took first place at the Bison Open. On Sept. 13, at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational at Penn State, McGowan claimed second place, running the 5.2-mile course in 26:03. He was a mere 13 seconds shy of a first-place finish.

Following his all-star performances, McGowan was named Bison Athlete of the Week and also received an Honorable Mention for the Patriot League Runner of the Week.

“I was happy with my performance against a strong PSU team and a decent field,” McGowan said. “I thought I gave [Robby] Creese of PSU a good run for his money considering he is a sub four-minute miler, and he ran at the U.S. Track and Field Championships this summer. I still think I have a lot to improve on, though.”

Looking forward to the rest of the fall season, it is safe to say that we can only expect the best from McGowan. 

Bison Profile

Class: Junior

Hometown: Wynnewood, Pa.

High School: Lower Merion

Major: Economics

Season Stats

First meet (Bison Open): First-place finish (14:42)

Second meet (Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational): Second-place finish (26:03)

Categories
Golf Men Sports

Men’s golf face challenges at Cornell

Jen Lee

Contributing Writer

Despite rainy conditions in Ithaca, N.Y. this past weekend, Thomas Walter ’14 led the men’s golf team to an impressive 296 team score in the second round of the Cornell Invitational.

No team was able to break 300 in the first round. Walter fought through the tough conditions to post a four-over 75, leading the Bison to a 308 team score in the first round.

The men completed 12 holes in the second round before the remaining holes were postponed due to heavy rain. When they finished the last six holes, the Bison had an overall 296 team score, making the men second-best right behind Towson’s 292.

“I thought the team battled back well in the second round to get back into contention. To finish under 300 in those conditions was a good round. Coach always preaches to have everyone under 75 and we accomplished that,” Walter said.

Walter sat comfortably close to the lead after posting an even-par 71 in the second round.

Despite this flash of brilliance from the men, the herd could not carry this momentum into the final round. The Orange and Blue posted a 313 team score in the round (917 overall) to finish eighth in the standings.

Walter said the final round was “tough” and “very disappointing from both an individual aspect and a team aspect.” Walter could not capitalize on his 75-71 start, posting an 81 in the final round. Despite his final round, Walter still finished in a tie for 19th place.

Peter Scialabba ’15 was able to lead the Bison in the final round, carding a four-over par 75. Scialabba tied for 24th with fellow Bison John Edler ’17. D.J. Magee ’17 completed his first road start with all three rounds in the seventies.

“We were semi-pleased with our performance last weekend. We posted a great second round score, which put us only eight back of the leaders, but could not capitalize in the third round. We remain confident, because all of five players were able to contribute, and our team’s depth continues to be proven,” Scialabba said.

The Bison hope to showcase this depth Oct. 6-7 at the Army Invitational, site of the 2014 Patriot League Championship in April.

Categories
Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo bests Navy, conquered by George Washington

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer 

The men’s water polo team competed hard on the road last weekend, taking down Navy before falling to George Washington and Johns Hopkins.

The Bison started out strong on Sept. 21 when they traveled to Annapolis, Md. to take on Navy in their first game of CWPA Southern Division play. Nick Hale ’16 led the Orange and Blue offense in the match, tallying three goals and one assist. Hale was backed up by Alex Nowlin ’14, who netted one goal of his own along with three assists. On the defensive side, Keegan Williams ’15 held up his end of the pool with 10 saves in goal, allowing the Bison to finish with an 8-6 victory.

“I think the team did well this past weekend,” Jack Else ’14 said. “It was great to beat Navy at their pool but we still have some work to do.” 

The Orange and Blue then drove to Washington D.C. to take on George Washington that evening. The Bison had strong offensive performances from many players, including Stefan Aleksic ’16 with four goals and Else and Julian Colina ’14 who both tallied three goals. Hale also had two goals on the night, but even with his contribution the team was unable to surmount the offensive onslaught of their opponent, losing 15-14 in the last minute of the game.

The Bison regrouped to take on a tough Johns Hopkins squad on Sept. 22. Else once again performed strongly for the Orange and Blue, tallying five goals on the day. He was backed up by teammate Mike Kimble ’14 with three goals, along with Stephen Norton ’14 with two. Williams had an even better day in goal for the squad, coming close to his career-high with 14 saves. Unfortunately, the team was still unable to pull out a victory, losing 14-12.

“It’s an ongoing process,” Else said. “The other two games this weekend were tough because we had to deal with shallow pools and we were out of our element. I was happy with the way I played but I always feel like I can do better.” 

The Bison will have a week off to practice and rest before continuing their season on Oct. 6 at Princeton.

“We will focus on defense and six on five these next two weeks in preparation for Princeton,” Else said.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports

Women’s field hockey beat Lehigh, fall to Delaware

Emily Evancho

Assistant Sports Editor 

The women’s field hockey team breezed past Lehigh in its Patriot League opener with a 4-1 home win over the Mountain Hawks on Sept. 21. The match on Sept. 22 proved to be more of a test, leaving the Bison eager to bounce back from their 4-3 loss against the No. 16 Delaware Blue Hens.

The Orange and Blue dominated the field in their match against Lehigh, refusing to relinquish control of the scoreboard for the last hour of the game. Kiersten Sydnor ’16 began the Bison’s lead swiftly with a quick strike into the goal only 9:51 into the game.

Amie Pritchard ’15 gave a strong performance on the right offensive side. Pritchard set up the second goal for the Orange and Blue by intercepting Lehigh’s pass attempt and then passing to teammate Rachel Misko ’14 for the goal. Not soon after the second goal, Abby Watson ’16 was able to get Leigh Hillman ’14 the opening for a third tally, bringing the score to 3-1 by the end of the first half. Lehigh succeeded with one goal but the triumph was short lived when Sydnor scored the Bison’s fourth goal of the game, sealing the win.

 The game against Delaware shaped up to be more of a real challenge. Hillman padded the scoreboard with a goal for the Bison in the first half after catching a rebound from Delaware, bringing the score to 2-1 nearing the end of the first half. But Delaware changed the situation in the final moments by adding a goal with 2:17 left in the half, making the score 3-1 heading into halftime.

The second half of the match was the true battle of the game, during which Cassie Lawrence ’15 scored the first goal of her career midway through the second half, pulling the Orange and Blue to a better stand at 4-2. With two penalty corners in the final minutes of the game, it was a hectic ending to a valiant struggle. As the clock ran down to 0:00, Delaware caused another penalty corner which Vickie Resh ’14 took advantage of by passing to teammate Liz Wills ’15, who dished an assist to Watson for the final goal of the game for the Orange and Blue, leaving the score at a dignified end.

The herd will return to its home field tomorrow at noon to compete against Colgate.

Categories
Soccer Sports Women

Women’s soccer falls to Army in conference opener

Doug Hendry

Contributing Writer

Although the women’s soccer team put up a tough fight through a massive rain storm on Sept. 21 against Army at Emmitt Field, they couldn’t pull through and lost in double overtime 2-1. Chelsey Garkowski ’14 scored the lone goal for the Bison in their first conference game of the season.

“I think anyone watching saw that it was a very good game on both ends,” Sarah Bresette ’17 said. “Chelsey had a great goal to keep us in the game, and we went into overtime pumped up and ready. Obviously it was a tough loss, but a great game all in all.”

The Orange and Blue had just returned home from a pair of matches in Maryland and were looking to kick off conference play on the right foot. Army came into the match with a 4-3-1 record, including a 5-0 dismantling of Rhode Island in its last match. Looking to stop the momentum of the Black Knights, the Bison would have their hands full. Even more, the Bison would be without Evelyn Nicinski ’15, who was playing for Poland in a World Cup qualifier.

The first update on the scoreboard came on Army’s goal from the top of the 18 with less than four minutes remaining in the first half. The Bison had a few chances to put up a goal of their own, including Courtney Nelson ’15 who made a pair of long runs from defense. Yet the Bison trailed 1-0 after the first half.

The Bison had no problem getting the equalizing goal as Garkowski outhustled the defense and scored in the 47th minute. Garkowski is one of two players, along with goalkeeper Jessie Ashworth ’16, to start in all nine games for the Bison.

The Army squad would not give up that easily, as they took control of the final portion of regulation. The Black Knights, finishing with 22 shots, used effective corners as well as a barrage of crosses into the box, threatening to put the game winner on the board. Still, the Bison defense stopped everything in its way, forcing overtime.

It was a balanced battle for the majority of the game, but Army kept the ball throughout overtime. An Army player redirected an incoming cross right in front of the keeper for the final goal one minute into the second overtime period.

“Finishing out those games to clinch a victory requires us finding the inner drive for that final push, which is something that I feel we are so close to mastering,” Montana Paley ’17 said.

The Bison, now 3-6 (0-1 in-conference), will square off against Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa. tonight at 7 for another conference battle.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Klug leads men’s soccer to fifth consecutive victory

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor 

Jesse Klug’s ’16 two goals boosted the men’s soccer team to its fifth consecutive victory, a 2-0 road win over Seton Hall on Sept. 21. For his efforts, Klug won his second straight Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week Award as well as Bison Athlete of the Week. Goalie Mike Lansing ’16, who had 11 saves in this game, earned Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week Honors and became the first Bison goalkeeper since 1983 to have four straight shutouts. The Orange and Blue improved their record to 5-2.

Klug did not waste any time making his mark on the game. His first goal connected at the 5:40 mark when Chris Thorsheim ’16 returned a toss ball to Connor Willings ’16, who launched the ball into the box where Klug used his chest to drive the ball past the approaching goalkeeper. Lansing protected the shutout after making a spectacular save off of a Seton Hall header.

“We are a hard working team that never quits no matter how tired we are,” Austin Lenart ’17 said. “I believe it was our hard work and communication that allowed us to be so successful defensively.”

The insurance goal in the second half happened in the 83rd minute after a series of moves from Thorsheim led to a shot from Lenart. After his attempt went off the post, Klug blasted the rebound into the net.

“The second half goal came when Chris Thorsheim played a through ball into the box that I was able to get onto,” Lenart said. “I then tried to put the ball past the goalie and it deflected off of the post and into the middle of the box. Jesse Klug then one-timed the ball into the back of the net for a goal.”

Seton Hall held a 23-9 shot advantage to go along with a 9-1 edge on corner kicks, but it was Klug who secured his fourth straight game-winning goal. Lansing also extended his shutout minutes streak to 393:05 over four games. Klug’s team-leading five goals this season is second in the Patriot League rankings and 14th best in the nation.

The Bison begin Patriot League play tomorrow when they face Army at home at 3:30 p.m.

Categories
Football Men Sports

Bison football loses to Cornell

Cooper Mead

Senior Writer 

The football team took on the Cornell Big Red at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y. where it suffered a 45-13 loss marked by a plethora of turnovers.

As the game took place in heavy rainfall, the Bison suffered six turnovers. Those turnovers proved to be crucial, as four of them led to Cornell touchdowns. Despite such deficits, CJ Williams ’17 led the Bison offense. He ran 148 yards on 30 carries. In addition, quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 completed seven of 16 passes for 118 yards.

“The offensive line continued to show improvement … the more game experience they have the more they will improve,” head coach Joe Susan said.

The Bison began the first-half scoring when Kyle Sullivan ’14 brought a punt back for a 59-yard touchdown and ended the Bison drought of 10 years without a punt return for a touchdown. The Bison proceeded to score again after another Big Red punt, as Wesley threw a 56-yard pass to Josh Lebo ’15 that brought kicker Derek Maurer ’15 in field goal range and put three points on the board for the Bison.

The second quarter began with a quick Cornell touchdown strike with All-American quarterback Jeff Mathews throwing a 44-yard touchdown pass to Chris Lenz. On the ensuing drive, the Bison countered with a methodical 13-play, 71-yard drive, but were held to a 21-yard field goal kicked by Maurer (four for four this season) that gave them a 13-7 lead with 5:19 left in the half.

Despite the solid Bison play for the majority of the first half, they were unable to carry their momentum into halftime as Cornell kicked a 38-yard field goal to put the Big Red within three points with just over two minutes to play in the half. On the next Bison drive, Matt DelMauro ’16 lost a fumble on the first play, allowing Mathews to complete a 30-yard touchdown pass that gave Cornell its first lead of the game (17-13) at the half.

“We are a team that prides itself in ball security. The six turnovers we had are a reality though, and we must work to eliminate this. We had four offensive turnovers and two special teams turnovers. The impact this has on possessions and ultimately the scoreboard is a reason why the game turned out the way it did,” Susan said.

The Bison struggled throughout the second half. On Cornell’s first possession, Mathews coordinated a 72-yard drive culminating in an acrobatic 14-yard touchdown pass to bring the score to 24-13. On the next drive, Wesley fumbled deep in Bison territory, and Cornell returned it 18 yards for a score to bring the Big Red lead to 31-13.

In an attempt to come back, the Bison orchestrated a significant drive marked by a 19-yard rush by Charles Thompson ’14 and a 30-yard rush by Wesley. The Bison were stopped on third down at the Cornell five-yard line and lined up for a field goal. On a fake field goal attempt, Maurer fumbled in wet conditions and Cornell returned it 82 yards to give the Big Red a commanding lead of 38-13. The Big Red tallied one more touchdown on a one-yard run after a bouncing Wesley fumble was recovered by Cornell.

“Last week is over and all we can do is focus on what’s ahead of us, which right now is Sacred Heart. We will continue to focus on practice each day on its own and come Saturday we will be prepared,” team captain Jeff Goyette ’14 said.

The Bison hope to rebound from this week’s loss when they host Sacred Heart tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

Categories
Golf Sports Uncategorized Women

Women’s golf takes 13th in Yale Intercollegiate

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer

The women’s golf team traveled to New Haven, Conn. to play in the Yale Intercollegiate this past weekend. On the last day, Yale shot 290, giving them first place. The Orange and  Blue posted rounds of 316-317-321 to finish 13th in the tournament. Lauren Bernard ’14 and Bridget Wilcox ’14 led the team, both shooting in the 70s all three days of the tournament.

“This was our first appearance at the Yale Invitational in a number of years and we really enjoyed the challenging layout of the course. Individually, I remained constant, but made a few costly mistakes that prevented me from going low,” Bernard said.

Bernard shot 234 (77-78-79) to finish in a tie for 38th place, the best among the Bison’s five-player squad. Wilcox (79-77-79) was one stroke higher than her teammate. Kasha Scott ’14 shot rounds of 86-85-81.

Emily Timmons ’15 experienced a strong breakthrough round over the weekend.  Timmons shot 77 in the first round, improving on the 78 she shot at the Bucknell Invitational on Sept. 7.

Bernard continued her consistently strong play to start her senior campaign. In the two tournaments the Orange and Blue have played, Bernard has shot six rounds in the 70s.

“We are continuing to work on minimizing our costly mistakes and becoming more consistent throughout our rounds. Our main team goal is to win Patriot Leagues in the spring. We look at the tournaments leading up to the conference championship as stepping stones and learning opportunities to achieve our final goal at the end of the season, ” Bernard said.

The Bison are back in action this weekend when they travel to Penn State for the Nittany Lion Invitational.

Categories
News

Downtown housing plan to be implemented

Jackson A. McCarron

News Editor

Beginning in 2015, the University will limit the number of students permitted to live off campus to 100 men and 100 women. 

Discussions about moving more students on campus began in 1998, and the number was decided on the trustee level, Associate Dean of Students Dan Remley said.

No students will be permitted to live in the houses on the east side of Sixth Street, as the homes do not meet University standards.

“Student safely is our number one priority,” Remley said.

The University will more strictly enforce a city ordinance which specifies the number of people allowed to live in residence.

“If the ordinance states that only three people are permitted to live in a dwelling, then we will only allow three people to live there,” Remley said.

The apartment style housing that the University will begin construction on this month, will account for the extra beds needed starting in the 2015-2016 school year, Remley said.

Several students currently living downtown or hoping to in the near future expressed disappointment in the plan.

“I think the decision to limit off campus housing will detract from the experience of living on your own before you graduate,” said a current senior living off campus who wished to remain anonymous.

“I wish that they would give us a clear answer on the housing situation,” said Ryan Thompson ’16, a current student looking to live downtown his senior year. “If they don’t want us to live downtown they should just tell us now.”

Remley said that he was aware that many current sophomores had already signed leases on downtown houses. He also said that his message about downtown housing has always been clear.

“Do not sign a lease,” Remley said. “We have always warned students about not signing leases before they are approved to live off campus.”

The University has a four-year residency requirement; unless a student is permitted by the University to live downtown they must live on campus, Remley said.

Categories
News

Music students work with local special education children

Brianna Marshall

Writer

Students and faculty in the music department will continue providing music education to special education programs in the greater Lewisburg area.

Associate Professor of Music Kim Councill founded the program, known as Musical Universe in Special Education (MUSE), to create an opportunity for students to do important, charitable work.

“The satisfaction is immediate–as soon as you see these children’s faces light up when they are making and participating in music, you can’t help but be blown away with how wonderful it is to be a part of this,” Councill said.

MUSE participants from the University visit classrooms in both Selinsgrove and Mifflinburg school districts to work with 60 special education students ranging from ages eight to 21. The students have various special needs, including Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, and other conditions.

Sophomore and junior music education majors participate in MUSE in conjunction with Music for the Exceptional Child, a major-related course taught by Councill. The course includes the planning and teaching of music lessons in special education classrooms and assisting the children in participation, such as playing musical instruments. University students also observe Councill’s lessons in order to gain expertise in instructing special education children.

Volunteers from any major or area of interest can volunteer for the program. Special education children are extremely receptive to the involvement of college students, Councill said.

“College kids are cool and these children just eat up all of their attention,” Councill said.  “Bucknell students walk away from this experience really feeling like they’ve made a positive difference.”