Categories
Soccer Sports Women

Women’s soccer falls short to St. Francis (Pa.) and Penn State

Doug Hendry

Contributing Writer

The women’s soccer team stood firm against St. Francis (Pa.) and one of the top forwards in the nation, but the Red Flash came from behind with two late goals to steal a 2-1 win at Emmitt Field on Sept. 7. In their following game against Penn State on Sept. 10, the Bison suffered another loss (6-0) on their home turf.

After a pair of tough road losses, the Bison returned home to face St. Francis. Both teams used aggressive formations with plenty of shots but failed to score during the first half. The Red Flash focused on short, simple passing while the Orange and Blue tried for quick counterattacks.

The Bison featured various outlooks on the field, as Head Coach Ben Landis used 19 different players.

“Our team has great team chemistry off the field, so when we play together and work for each other, we really can put it together,” Cassie Denger ’15 said. “Our team is about playing hard for the person next to you, no matter who it is.”

The speed and energy of the Bison subs helped counteract the experience of St. Francis, and Danielle Piccirilli ’16 put the Bison on the board first with a goal off the post with 25 minutes remaining in the second half.

The Orange and Blue faced 38 total shots, including 15 from Tesa McKibben, the NCAA Division I active leader in points scored. McKibben scored a late goal in regulation to tie the game, as well as the game-winner with one minute left in the second overtime period. The win for the Red Flash was their fourth straight against the Bison.

Looking forward, the Orange and Blue were hunting for a big upset in their toughest test yet against No. 13 Penn State. This Penn State squad made it to the national championship game the previous season.

“We have to set the tone early on our home field,” Denger said before the game. “We will play tough for each other and give everything we have.” 

Unfortunately, the Bison did not kick off to a great start. Penn State scored less than two minutes into the game and did not take its foot off the pedal. Despite the loss, 1,390 spectators turned out to watch the Bison, the largest audience the women’s soccer team has ever seen.

The Bison, now 2-4, will head to Towson today, looking to start another winning streak.

Categories
Football Men Sports

Football clinches season-opener for third year in a row

Cooper Mead

Senior Writer

The football team won its season-opening game for the third year in a row with a 27-14 victory over Marist on Sept. 7 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

The team was led by the impressive play of quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14, who completed 12 of 16 passes for a combined 176 yards and two touchdowns. The Bison running game was led by Matt DelMauro ’16, who rushed 20 times tallying 83 yards. In addition, CJ Williams ’17 ran the ball for 42 yards and a touchdown. Wesley contributed another 51 yards on 11 carries, which helped give the Bison a balanced offensive front marked by 177 rushing yards and 176 passing yards.

The Bison began the game with a quick punt but then began an offensive assault on the Marist defense marked by scores on five consecutive drives. Derek Maurer ’15 began scoring with a 38-yard field goal, the first of his career. The next three touchdowns were scored on drives of more than 70 yards, beginning with a drive marked by a 45-yard pass from Wesley to tight end Josh Lebo ’15. With the ball at the Marist 26-yard line, the Bison completed two crucial 3rd-and-1 tries and a short pass, placing the Bison in position for a three-yard pass to Travis Friend ’14 for the touchdown.

The Marist offense retaliated with a 74-yard drive. It totaled 14 plays and ended with a three-yard touchdown pass, bringing the score to 10-7.

The next Bison possession ended in a touchdown and was marked by hard-nosed running by Williams. The drive was 14 plays and 75 yards with Williams accounting for 26 yards on seven carries. This helped the Bison gain valuable yardage and run 6:58 off of the game clock.

The last Bison score of the half began with 2:16 to play on the Bison 22-yard line. On the third play of the drive, Wesley connected with Josh Brake ’15 for a 66-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline, ending a promising offensive half for the Bison.

“I thought we came out with a lot of confidence in our preparation, and it showed in the first half,” Jeff Goyette ’14 said. “There are still some things that we need to work on, but it’s always great to open our season with a win.”

The Bison stagnated offensively in the second half with five consecutive punts on short drives of no longer than five plays.

Led by Evan Byers ’15, who finished the contest with 12 tackles, one sack, and a recovered fumble that helped solidify the win for the Bison, the defense showed great resilience. In addition, Tajh Turner ’14 caught an important interception deep in Marist territory that led to a Bison field goal.

The Bison win moved Wesley past Scott Auchenbach ’90 as the Bison all-time leader in total offense and puts him 154 yards behind Auchenbach’s mark of most career passing yards (5,256). Team-wise, the Bison’s record moved to an all-time 8-1 record against Marist.

The Bison have a one week break before facing a tough Cornell squad at Ithaca, N.Y. on Sept. 21.

“We came out and had a pretty good first half but there are still a lot of things we as a team need to work on,” Friend said. “It definitely was a good feeling to get the first win out of the way, and we’ll use this bye week coming up to prepare for Cornell and just take it one game at a time.”

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis wins titles in singles and doubles at Bucknell Quad

Chris McCree

Senior Writer 

The men’s tennis team opened its fall season by winning titles in Flight A singles and doubles as well as in Flight C singles on its home courts at the Bucknell Quad. Nick Bybel ’16 claimed a singles title for the second straight year and followed it up by claiming the doubles title with Aidan Lynch ’14. The only other Bison to play in a championship match was Scott Bernstein ’14, who came away with the win in Flight C singles.

“The first weekend is generally a time to work out the early year kinks and to get back into the swing of competitive play,” captain Kyle Rosen ’14 said. “I am proud to say that I saw a lot of tough matches, constant high energy, and solid performance all around. I have no doubt that our level will continue to elevate as the fall season continues.”

During the first day of competition, the Orange and Blue advanced seven players to the singles quarterfinals. Bybel took down his first round opponent with relative ease, winning 6-0, 6-1. Rosen also earned a victory, coming back after dropping the first set 1-6.

In Flight A, the Bison had four of eight players in the quarterfinals. Bybel faced off against fellow Patriot League rival Luke Gensburg of Colgate, overcoming a late push to take the three-set victory (6-3, 2-6, 10-8) and repeat as champion.

In doubles, the Bison had three teams reach the semifinal round. Bybel and Lynch proved to be the strongest of the three, taking down the team from Colgate (8-3).

This weekend, the Bison will play in the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational. Despite a strong showing at home, the Bison will look to continue improving in preparation for its Patriot League season in the spring.

“My expectation for this season is a Patriot League Championship,” Rosen said. “That requires effort taken at all times on and off the court. That goal must be taken seriously by every player. Then, and only then, will it be possible. I have the utmost confidence in our ability to be the best team out there.”

Categories
Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis reaches finals during season-opening tournament

Kristen Bishof

Contributing Writer 

The women’s tennis team began the season by reaching the finals in each bracket of its home tournament, the Bucknell Quad, this past weekend. Michele Urbinati ’17 was the only Bison to capture a title, winning the Flight B singles bracket against Loyola (Md.) 6-4, 6-7, (10-2).

Maria Cioffi ’16 also performed strongly in the tournament, making it to the final round of the Flight A singles bracket as well as the final round of the Flight A doubles bracket with her partner and captain Elena Vidrascu ’14. As the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Cioffi proved her skill again by winning the first round easily with a 6-4, 6-0 win. In doubles, Cioffi and Vidrascu won a pair of quick matches over Colgate and Loyola (Md.), but were unable to translate their success in the finals against St. Francis (Pa.), losing 8-2.

“I was proud of our performance this weekend with a Bison girl in each of the final rounds. It showed how hard we have been working in practice, especially given the short amount of time we have been back at school. It was a great way to start off the year, and I look forward to the upcoming tournament this weekend,” Lydia Colvin ’15 said. 

Colvin placed second in the Flight C singles bracket and made it to the finals in the Flight B doubles bracket.

Despite the absence of an assistant coach, the team began its tournament season on a high note. Head coach Rebecca Helt added four talented first-years to the roster. The experienced, returning upperclassmen have already demonstrated their leadership skills by showing what it means to be a teammate as well as an athlete.

“I am really proud of how the team came together this weekend after only having a week of practice. Having someone in each final for every flight was a great accomplishment for the team, and I am excited for what is yet to come,” captain Elana Vidrascu ’14 said.

The Bison travel to Maryland this weekend to compete in the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational, hoping to maintain the intensity they brought to the court this past weekend.

Categories
Sports Volleyball Women

Women’s volleyball comes out strong in Cornell Invitational

Emily Evancho

Assistant Sports Editor

The women’s volleyball team continued its strong start to the season this past weekend, defeating both Iona and Cornell in the Cornell Invitational while falling once to Buffalo.

“I’m so proud of my team for having a winning record at this point, but the loss to Buffalo shows we have some things to work on before entering Patriot League play,” Morgan Mientus ’14 said.

In their match against Iona, the Bison dominated with a 3-0 win. In the first set, the Bison rattled off seven consecutive points, giving the team a 1-0 lead in the match. The Orange and Blue began to trail in the second set, but they recovered with five consecutive points that led to a 26-24 win. The third set went much like the second, but the team pulled through to a 25-21 win. Mientus led the team with eight kills during the match, accompanied by her teammate Erika Eastley ’17, who also impressed with a match-best percentage of five kills out of the nine opportunities she had during the match.

“I’m really excited that we are starting the season off on such a good note. Our success in these past two weekends is a good indicator of the hard work we put in during preseason and I’m really excited to see what’s to happen later on in the season,” Eastley said.

The Bison did not have the same luck in their next match on Sept. 7 against Buffalo. Jessica Serrato ’14 and Eastley secured five kills each, but their efforts were not enough to stifle the Buffalo Bulls as they dropped all three sets.

“I think we are all proud of the way we handled ourselves coming back from the loss against Buffalo on Saturday. We didn’t dwell on our mistakes or let it set the tone for our last match,” Serrato said.

The 3-0 loss to Buffalo did not deter the team from pulling out a win in its match against Cornell later that day. Kristen Titley ’14 managed a season-high record of 17 kills in the match, along with Mientus who gained 11 kills. Eastley also helped the team’s efforts with nine registered blocks, aiding the Bison to a 3-2 win over Cornell.

“We played an awesome match on Friday and then Saturday morning we weren’t at our best, but we didn’t let it affect us and we bounced right back and played one of our best games of the season so far against Cornell,” Titley said.

The Bison will return to Davis Gym to host the Bucknell Invitational tonight and tomorrow. The Bison will play Rider at 7:30 p.m. Tomorrow, they will face Canisius at noon and Fairleigh Dickinson at 5 p.m.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer team looking up

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The men’s soccer team ended its four-game home stand on a high note, going 2-1 this past week. After dropping its second game of the season to St. Francis (Pa.) 1-0 on Sept. 4, a third-minute goal by Chris Thorsheim ’16 lifted the Bison to a 1-0 victory against Buffalo on Sept. 6. The Orange and Blue won their second straight game on Sept. 8, scoring two second-half goals to guide them to a 2-1 win over La Salle.

The Bison had 21 shot attempts against St. Francis (Pa.), but none got past the Red Flash goalie. Patriot League Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week Mayowa Alli ’14 led the Bison defense that held the Red Flash to zero shot attempts in the first half. St. Francis converted on its second of three shot attempts in the 57th minute, scoring on a low volley that came off a Bison clearance. The Bison kept the pressure on with 13 second-half shot attempts, including a last-minute header from Austin Lenart ’17 that forced the opposing goalie to make a spectacular save, effectively sealing the win for the Red Flash.

Thorsheim continued his offensive showcase, nailing the lone goal in the third minute against Buffalo to earn the team’s first win of the season. Josh Butzke ’14 set up the corner kick that found John Miller ’15, who launched the ball back into the box where Thorsheim scored off an initial deflection by a Buffalo defender. The Orange and Blue held a 16-8 shot advantage, and Alli protected the shutout by rejecting a follow-up attempt in the 10th minute of the game.

“We had three games in the matter of five days last week, which was very physically demanding, and we were able to fight through the soreness and win two of the three. The two wins came from pure passion and toughness, compared to the two losses earlier in the week that were disappointing and were truly unlucky,” goalie Mike Lansing ’16 said.

The Bison evened their season record at 2-2 following their victory over La Salle. After the Explorers scored in the 30th minute, Thorsheim registered a penalty kick goal in the second half to tie the match. In the 73rd minute, Patrick Figgie ’16 split two defenders and delivered a nice cross pass to Jesse Klug ’16 who earned his first goal of the season and gave the Orange and Blue their second win in a row.

In the Bison’s first four games, they have outshot opponents 78-32, while Thorsheim has scored four of the Orange and Blue’s five goals.

“It’s great to come back from two unfortunate losses. I am playing much higher up the field this year to support our one forward. This allows me to be in between their midfield and backs which gives me a lot of space to turn and create chances going forward,” Thorsheim said.

The team hits the road to face Albany tonight at 8, followed by a match at Siena on Sept. 15.

Categories
Arts & Life

Cap and Dagger creates comedic play in 24 hours

Anna Jones, Arts & Life Editor

“Awkward” may be the name of a popular MTV show, but it’s also the title of the hilarious play put on this weekend by Cap and Dagger Theatre Club.

The show was part of the 24-Hour Play Project, a program sponsored by the theatre club.

“The participants get together at the Galloway House on the first Friday night of the semester and work into the night writing the script themselves,” Madison Lane ’14 said.

The writers then perform the show they’ve created exactly 24 hours later. This year, the theme was “first impressions,” so after many hours of planning and writing, the team came up with “Awkward.”

The play began with three couples reminiscing about meeting on a dating show, followed by a flashback to the show. The rest of the play was a mash-up of flashbacks and current scenes between all three couples, with a blind character wandering aimlessly through almost every scene.

Since the show only had 24 hours to be written and practiced, it consisted of mostly short snapshot scenes from each writer.

The play was part of the Arts. Everywhere. weekend, a three-day festival in Lewisburg packed with exhibitions from almost every art outlet on campus, including theater organizations. Cap and Dagger is a theatre and networking club that draws together current students interested in theatre, as well as the University’s alumni who have gone on to pursue professional careers in theater or dance.

Though the whole club doesn’t have to participate, first-years are encouraged to contribute as a way to meet older Cap and Dagger students.

“It’s the first impression for many new Cap and Dagger members and it never disappoints,” Gabe Calleja ’16 said. “It was definitely worth the sleepless night.”

With six upperclassmen joining in on the project this year, the seven first-years were encouraged to forge bonds within the theatre community on campus.

“It’s really fun!” Lane said. “We play theater games, we get late night pizza, and our advisor comes over and helps us make breakfast in the morning.”

“The 24-Hour Play Project is wonderful because it does not focus on acting or directing or tech but … on community collaboration and … live theatre which is what the theatre department is all about,” Sam Gates ’16 said.

The 24-Hour Play Project happens every fall, and Cap and Dagger is active throughout the year. For more information about getting involved with Cap and Dagger, contact Anjalee Hutchinson, assistant professor of theatre and dance.  

Categories
News

Class of 2017: the most diverse in University history

Tatham Elise Dilks

Contributing Writer

The University’s student population is becoming more diverse, and the class of 2017 serves as evidence.

The global presence on campus is now larger, with international students representing 9.8 percent of the first-year population, compared to the class of 2016’s 8.9 percent internationally affiliated students.

Another demographic that has seen growth this year is students of color, or students “who identify as Black or African-American, Latino or Hispanic, Asian, Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska native or two or more races.” Compared to last fall, the percentage of representation for students of color enrolled as first-years has increased from 15 to 17.5 percent.

Increases like these are the result of an admissions office that, as Dean of Admissions Robert Springall put it, is now aiming to “push the expectations of [how] the typical Bucknellian looks and speaks.”

Associate Dean of Admissions for Multicultural Recruitment Marylyn Scott and Admissions Counselor for Multicultural Recruitment Mohammed Ahamed are joining the University community alongside the Class of 2017 to help push expectations in the Admissions Office.

These additions to the admissions staff reflect a determination to make the University a place where, as Springall predicts, “more voices are heard and expectations about what an academic community looks like and does are higher.”

More impressive than the demographic diversity of the Class of 2017 is its academic achievement. The average GPA for the entering class, as well as its SAT and ACT scores, are slightly higher than those from recent years.

More notable still is the soaring increase in Merit Scholars. The Class of 2017 boasts 35 Presidential Fellows and 92 Deans Scholars compared to the Class of 2016’s 18 Presidential Fellows and 79 Deans Scholars. 

“We are particularly proud of these characteristics,” Springall said.

Categories
Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo rank 14th in preseason poll

Alex Wagner

Senior Editor

The men’s water polo team ended last season on the cusp of a truly breakthrough performance. The Bison fell just short of competing in their first NCAA Championship tournament at the end of last season after a crushing 10-9 loss to St. Francis (N.Y.) in the Eastern Championship title game. A win in that game would have sealed their first trip to the NCAA’s in 27 years.

Despite the loss, the Bison have a lot to be proud of. Their second place finish at Easterns marked their best performance since 1993. They also performed well out of the pool, placing six athletes on the Collegiate Water Polo Association Scholar-Athlete team.

The Orange and Blue’s strong postseason run earned them the 14th spot on the NCAA national rankings, which is also where they will begin the 2013 season. They are ranked behind traditional West Coast powers such as the University of Southern California (USC) and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), but as far as East Coast teams, the Bison are ranked behind only one rival: St. Francis Brooklyn.

There should be little to no drop off in performance in the 2013 season for the Bison as they return with five starters. One of the most important figures will be Stefan Aleksic ’16, who led the Bison last year on the offensive front with 101 points as a first-year. He will be reinforced by a strong senior class of Julian Colina ’14, Jack Else ’14, Mike Kimble ’14, Stephen Norton ’14, Alex Nowlin ’14, and Andrew Somers ’14. Those six players bring a great deal of experience and fire power, combining for 388 career goals between them.

Perhaps the biggest question going into the new season for the Orange and Blue will be the ability of Keegan Williams ’15 to step into the starting goalkeeper role. He has spent his first two years on the team behind previous starter Matt Napleton ’13, who recently graduated and signed to play with Rari Nantes Savona, a team that plays in the highest division of the Italian League. Williams should be able to take what he has learned from Napleton and have a strong first season in goal.

The Orange and Blue will begin their 2013 season on Sept. 7 at the Navy Invite in Annapolis, Md. where they will play four games in two days.

Categories
Editorial

Editorial: House Party excess is a community wide issue

 

After President John Bravman sent out his email announcing the cancellation of House Party Weekend, many students were angered by the students mentioned in the email, feeling as though they “ruined it for the rest of us.” When a problem like drinking and excessive partying becomes such a widespread issue that over 20 students are sent to the hospital, it becomes a community problem. Most students do not drink by themselves, and more often than not they are encouraged by their peers to engage in heavy drinking.  Overall, any student who participated in House Party Weekend, even if they drank responsibly, condoned the actions of every student on campus. It wasn’t as if all the students on campus were drinking extremely responsibly and there happened to be a few who drank way too much. The fact of the matter is that most students during House Party Weekend are on the edge of excessive drinking and any of them could tip over into a trip to the hospital.

Additionally, as a community, we are all reflections of each other. When a drunken student is disrespectful to hospital staff trying to help him or her, that person’s actions reflect the University as a whole and shape how the Lewisburg community views all University students. Therefore, all students are stakeholders in the actions of our community members. While it is sad that we will not be able celebrate House Party Weekend this year, we should also realize how detrimental it was to our community.

Our fear now is how the community will fair come springtime. The sentiment on campus seems to be that the would-be House Party Weekend will be worse than ever as students will still party, perhaps even more out of control than before. Bravman expressed himself that said weekend would be very difficult. Also, students do not need a weekend to drink excessively; they do that anyway because they want to. The excessive drinking does not occur solely during House Party Weekend–it’s an issue that happens most weekends and needs to be addressed.

The University community does not only include students, but extends to the University as a whole, including the administration. Just as students were not blind to the issues with House Party Weekend, the administration has been aware of the mounting problems as well. There have been ways that the administration has been helpful in this situation. For example, the implementation of the Community Conversation that Doug Bogan ’13 started last year with help from the administration initiated conversations surrounding this issue between students, faculty, and community members. Unfortunately, not every student took part in this, and therefore those conversations only reached a specific audience, and now the greater University community.

The administration has done things to help lessen the amount of excessive drinking, but they need to be more attentive to whether or not it is working, and the students need to be more responsive and interested in the change. The only way that we can grow as a community is if we work together, rather than pointing fingers toward something that is clearly an issue for everyone, not just a specific few.