The women’s tennis team traveled to Quakertown, Pa. to face Hofstra in a close match on Feb. 23. Despite putting up a good fight to recover from a slow start and forcing a sixth singles match, the team was unable to complete the comeback and lost 4-3.
The day did not begin well for the Orange and Blue. They were unable to come up with any points in the day’s doubles matches, losing all three. The Bison then managed to rebound behind strong performances in singles play, including wins by Elena Vidrascu ’14 (6-3, 3-6, 6-4), Maria Cioffi ’16 (6-1, 6-1) and Jen Bush ’15 (6-1, 6-4). The Bison tied up the score at three points apiece following the first five singles matches.
This great comeback forced a sixth singles match to decide the overall match winner. Playing in this match for the Bison was Elizabeth Morgan ’14. Despite a solid performance and good effort, Morgan was unable to secure the victory and fell 6-2, 6-2. This tough loss dropped the team’s season record to 2-4.
The next matches for the women’s tennis team will be on March 11-14 in Humacao, Puerto Rico where the Bison will take on LIU Brooklyn, Old Dominion and Minnesota State.
The men’s tennis team had a split outcome of matches this past weekend with a 6-1 victory over Hofstra and a 7-0 defeat at the hands of nationally-ranked Princeton University.
“It was a good weekend for us. We got out ahead of Hofstra and never looked back. We are starting to put things together piece by piece and it is exciting to see. Princeton is a tough costumer but helped us realize some important things to work on. Overall it was a successful weekend,” Aidan Lynch ’14 said.
In the match against Hofstra, the Bison cleanly collected victories in the three doubles matches. Kelly Morque ’13 and Evan Zimmer ’13 lost one game to Hofstra, but roped in an 8-1 victory. The team of Nick Bybel ’16 and Josh Katten ’13 also succeeded with an 8-2 win, followed closely by Octavio Canibe ’15 and Lynch with an 8-6 victory. The Orange and Blue settled their triumph over Hofstra with five victories in singles, wrapping up the Bison’s victory with Katten’s 6-4, 6-1 win.
The Bison couldn’t secure the same success at Princeton on Feb. 24, even though the three doubles matches came close to being in the Bison’s favor. The Orange and Blue struggled the most in singles matches. The closest match was played by Kyle Rosen ’14 in the No. 6 position and was ended in a 10-5 tie breaker that went Princeton’s way.
“Although on paper the Princeton match wasn’t a successful outing for us, there were definitely positives we can build on and use to our advantage once Patriot League matches start,” Morque said.
The Bison will play again on March 11 and 12 with their next two matches in Puerto Rico against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez and Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras.
The softball team was defeated 13-2 by Stony Brook and also fell 7-0 to Longwood at the Longwood Spring Classic on Saturday, Feb. 23. The Orange and Blue also suffered two losses on Sunday’s double-header, falling 4-3 to Stony Brook and 9-1 to Longwood. The losses dropped the Bison’s season record to 1-7.
Nine third-inning runs doomed the Bison in game one, as Stony Brook jumped out to an early 9-0 lead. Cydnee Sanders ’15 got the Bison on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the third, and Alex Wells ’15 drew a bases loaded walk in the fourth, but that would be all the Bison would get.
The third inning was problematic once again for the Orange and the Blue in game two, as Longwood scored four runs to put themselves ahead of the Bison 5-0. Though the Bison had several opportunities to score in the third and fifth innings, they were unable to capitalize in the eventual shutout.
The Bison held a close game against Stony Brook, forcing the game into extra innings before the Seawolves claimed victory on Feb. 24. Stony Brook led the Bison 3-0 after three innings, but the Orange and the Blue obtained their three runs via Sanders scoring on a wild pitch, and then a Mariah Midyette ’16 home run to bring home Cassie Greenhawk ’13. Midyette’s home run was the first of the season for the Bison, and it ultimately pushed the game into extra innings.
Thanks to the international tiebreaker rule, the Orange and Blue began the top of the eight with Amanda Fazio ’16 on second base. Fazio managed to progress to third on a ground out, but she was ultimately thrown out at home plate after a bunt. The Seawolves took advantage of their opportunity and scored a run to win the game. Their second base runner came home on a single and a sacrifice fly.
The Bison concluded the Longwood Spring Classic with a game against the host Lancers. Longwood hit a two-run homer in the first inning, giving them an early lead. Longwood then continued to score at least two runs in three of the six innings played, turning the game into a blowout loss for the Orange and Blue.
“We had a great outing this week, it’s just a matter of stringing together individual performances as a unit to secure more wins. The pitchers, particularly the freshmen, pitched their hearts out,” Cheyanna Young ’16 said.
The Bison will be back in action this weekend at the Colonial Classic in Washington, D.C.
Conor Pierson | The Bucknellian The men’s basketball team prepares for their game against Holy Cross. The Bison defeated both Holy Cross and American this week.
Eric Brod
Senior Writer
For the third straight year, the road to the NCAA tournament in the Patriot League will go through Sojka Pavilion. Thanks to convincing home victories over Patriot League Rivals American and Holy Cross, the men’s basketball team ceremoniously clinched its third straight regular season league championship. With the two wins, the Bison improved to 24-5 overall and 11-2 in league play.
Against American on Feb. 27, the Orange and Blue were able to ride a stout defensive effort and efficient offensive play en route to a 66-47 victory over the American Eagles. With the win, the senior class of Mike Muscala, Bryson Johnson, Joe Willman, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Colin Klebon set the program for most wins by a class with 88. With his impressive week, Muscala now has an astounding 1,962 career points, 11 behind the program record set by Al Leslie.
On this night, the Bison were led by Muscala, who scored 21 points and pulled down six rebounds. Cameron Ayers ’14 scored 18 points to go along with six boards and three assists, and surpassed the 1,000 point mark for his collegiate career. Johnson added 16 points with a mixture of three-point baskets and crafty drives to the hoop.
In the first half, the team rode the hot shooting of Ayers and stalwart defense to take a 29-20 lead going into the half. In the second half, the Eagles made a couple runs to get within five points, the last time at 38-33 with 13:07 left. Willman responded by drawing a foul and sinking both foul shots, and Muscala made good on a three-point play to extend the Bison lead to 43-33. Thanks to a three from Ayers and a three-point play from Johnson, the Orange and Blue extended their lead to 59-41 to virtually seal the Bison victory.
On Feb. 24, the Bison completed their regular season sweep of Holy Cross with a 74-57 victory. The senior players were honored before the game.
Against the Crusaders, the offense was paced by Muscala, who finished with 25 points on 11-16 shooting and also added seven rebounds, and Willman who added 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Ayers also added 15 points.
“I was able to hit a few jump shots, an area I’ve been struggling in a bit lately. Also, getting on the offensive glass is a huge aspect leading to my scoring,” Willman said. “I think I was a bit more aggressive getting to the basket in part because they have bigger and more lumbering forwards than most other teams in the Patriot League.”
In the first half, the Bison took command early with a 27-12 advantage. The Crusaders did not go away, finishing the half on a 10-2 run to close within 31-24 at intermission.
The Orange and Blue came out firing in the second half, opening up a 42-26 lead, and a three-point play by Muscala extended the lead to 47-28. After the Crusaders made a little push, the Bison put the game away thanks to three’s from Johnson, Ayers and Ben Brackney ’14 that gave the Bison a 70-49 lead.
For the game, the Bison shot 47.7 percent overall and distributed the ball nicely, registering 18 assists on 31 field goals, led by Steven Kaspar ’15, who made his first start of the season as point guard and recorded three of those assists.
“I don’t think my mentality was too different because I was starting,” Kaspar said. “Coach [Dave] Paulsen always stresses that the bench be very involved and energetic, so we are always ready to go.”
Klebon also spoke about his favorite memories so far during his career.
“I would have to say I have two favorite moments. There is a tie between beating Lafayette in the Patriot League Championship and being selected to play Connecticut on selection Sunday. Making the NCAA tournament is every child’s dream and it was a surreal feeling that I will never forget,” Klebon said.
The Bison return to action tomorrow when they travel to Annapolis, Md. to wrap up the regular season against Navy.
The women’s basketball team overcame a 14-point second half deficit to beat Holy Cross at home on Jan. 26, but the Bison weren’t as fortunate in their second meeting against the Crusaders, as they fell 57-49 in Worcester, Mass. on Feb. 23. At American, another double-digit first half deficit led the Orange and Blue to a 54-43 loss on Feb. 27. The Bison are 13-15 overall (4-9 in conference play) with one regular season game remaining.
Free throw shooting was the main source of offense for the Orange and Blue in the Holy Cross game. The Bison made seven of its first nine attempts at the line, while holding Holy Cross to a missed free throw in the first half. Despite the free throw discrepancy, the Crusaders were strong from the field, shooting 53.6 percent (15-28) in the first half. This led to a 31-18 Holy Cross lead at the break.
“We got ourselves into a rather large hole in the later part of the first half and early part of the second half. We were not able to consistently string together defensive stops and offensive scores until late in the second,” Alyssa Dunn ’13 said.
In the second half, Holy Cross built its lead up to 21 points, the largest of the game. The Orange and Blue chipped away at the deficit behind a 75 percent free throw showing in the second half (12-16). Audrey Dotson ’15, Katherine Harris ’15 and Rachel Voss ’13 each made two free throws within a four-minute stretch that stifled the Crusaders’ momentum. The effort would not be enough, as Holy Cross made 12 of its 30 field goal attempts in the second half.
“We fought back very well towards the end when we started playing more like ourselves, but we just weren’t able to get over that hump,” Dunn said.
Forwards Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 and Dotson led the Bison in scoring with 15 points and 10 points, respectively. They also combined for eight steals. Romine and Harris followed up with eight points each. The Bison held Holy Cross to just 1-3 from the free throw line, but the Crusaders controlled the tempo of the game with a 20-4 advantage in fast break points.
Against American, the Eagles led the entire game. Horbatuck continued her dominance on the glass with 11 rebounds. Felicia Mgbada ’13 came off the bench, scoring eight points and pulling down eight rebounds. Tyler Craig ’16 added seven points.
The Bison were down 30-15 at halftime but fought back in the second half behind a 9-2 run that trimmed American’s lead to 10 with 3:36 remaining. Romine, who was scoreless in the first half, registered 11 points to keep the Orange and Blue in the game, but American’s balanced offensive attack guided them to the win.
“We are looking to gain some momentum to prepare ourselves for a competitive run in the league tournament and we have all the confidence in the world that we can turn things back around,” Dunn said.
The Bison close out their regular season Saturday night against Navy. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Sojka Pavilion. Seniors Ashley Baxter, Mgbada, Voss, Dunn and Horbatuck will all be honored before the game.
Estie Pyper | The Bucknellian Stephen McPeek ’14 grapples with an opponent. The Wrestling team only won two matches against Lehigh.
Billy Tyler
Assistant Sports Editor
The men’s wrestling team wrapped up its regular season on Feb. 22 with its Senior Day against in-state powerhouse Lehigh. Unfortunately, the Bison were unable to come away with a victory in their final dual match, falling 31-9.
Two wrestlers, Corey Lear ’13 and Joe Stolfi ’15, won bouts for the Bison. Lear, ranked 17th in the nation in the 165 lb. weight class, pinned his opponent in 6:22. This victory put Lear’s regular season record at 23-5, including 18 wins in his last 20 matches.
Stolfi finished the day’s events with a hard-fought 7-6 victory in the heavyweight match. This close match featured several lead changes early, but Stolfi was able to grab the lead before the end of the second period and hang on in a scoreless third period to clinch the win.
Following this match was a brief exhibition against Penn College of Technology. Containing only three bouts, this match was a valuable experience for several members of the team that have not seen much time in the starting rotation this year. Competing for the Bison were Mark Edmonds ’16 with a 4-2 OT victory in the 133 lb. class, Bob Hauser ’14, winning a 11-0 major decision, and Ray Schlitt ’15, who fell to a pin in 1:08.
With the loss to a Lehigh team and four nationally-ranked wrestlers in its lineup, the Bison end their regular season with a 6-14 overall record and a 2-5 EIWA conference record. The Bison will take the floor next on March 8-9 at Rutgers University for the EIWA Championships.
One of the most exciting additions to Lewisburg this semester is Mercado Burrito. This restaurant is the final piece of the ethnically diverse puzzle of restaurants Lewisburg has to offer. With great food and even better prices, trying Mercado Burrito is a must. It has all the delicious options of a Chipotle or a Moe’s, as well as the chance to personalize your burrito without breaking the bank. It is also perfect for going out to dinner for a friend’s birthday because he or she will get to wear a “birthday sombrero” and the restaurant provides a relaxed atmosphere.
I suggest trying the mini-burrito combo that comes with an eight-inch burrito, chips and your choice of soft drink. The burrito is the perfect size and it leaves room for the delicious chips and salsa. Mercado Burrito’s salsa comes in three varieties, but the medium has just the right level of spice. Another exciting aspect of this culinary gem is the late night specials. On select nights Mercado Burrito is open until 3 a.m. when tacos are sold for two dollars and breakfast burritos for six. It is the perfect place to go for a midnight snack after the Caf and Bison are closed, or after hanging out downtown. Finally, I suggest trying the virgin strawberry daiquiris and margaritas. The restaurant is BYOB, but these tasty mixed drinks are satisfying without the alcohol. On select days, these drinks are half priced, and as spring approaches they will be perfect on a hot day.
There is nothing not to love about Mercado Burrito. It brings an entirely new taste and type of food to Lewisburg and for prices under 10 dollars. And who doesn’t want to see his or her friends wear a birthday sombrero? Go out and try it before the semester ends; I promise you will not be disappointed.
Recently, I stumbled across The Happiness Project (www.happiness-project.com). While I do believe that happiness in life is a good thing, I can’t help but feel that this sort of thing puts the cart before the horse.
The Happiness Project seeks to actively shape a life in which you can be happy. It seeks to accomplish this objective by guiding you through the process of building a life that will make you happy. You think about what will make you happy and find ways to do it and shape your life.
While I approve of any effort that seeks to get people to actually think about how they want their lives to be, I find the entire effort to be based on a naïve view of happiness. It treats happiness as an end to be accomplished, instead of what it actually is, a symptom of a good life. Treating happiness as an end to be desired in itself is not a good strategy if you seek to achieve permanent happiness. Permanent happiness comes from a few important factors: acting in accordance with virtuous beliefs, having a strong friend group and achieving great things.
The first is a notion put forth by Aristotle. He felt that happiness was achieved by living a virtuous life. If you were virtuous, you would be happy. Practically, we can think of it like this: if you do things incongruent with your beliefs, you’ll be unhappy, so act according to your beliefs.
Everyone understands how having strong friendships makes one happy. We humans are social creatures and we need contact with other humans to achieve full happiness. Whether your inclination is toward extroversion or introversion, having a core group of friends that you can rely on no matter what is an essential factor in creating happiness.
Still, the most important facet of happiness is achieving great things. I admit that as an achievement-oriented individual, I am biased toward this facet, but as I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t feel happiness and pride when he or she achieves something he or she considers important, I refuse to back down on this one. If you really want to be happy, do something awesome.
I suppose at the end of the day, The Happiness Project and I believe in similar methods, but our perspectives differ. The project is based on the idea that happiness is an end to be achieved, while I’m more inclined to believe that happiness is a product of achieving ends and living well. If you follow the guidelines of The Happiness Project, you will always be chasing happiness every time you lose it, while if you choose instead to live well and forget abut happiness, you will never lose it. This is a paradox that you must understand if you truly wish to be happy.
Ever heard of the winter blues? If you haven’t, you probably live in Jamaica or California, but for anyone who’s ever experienced sleet, rain, snow or, my personal favorite, wind chill, it should come as no surprise that bad weather has been known to create bad moods. There’s even a name for it: Seasonal Affective Disorder (rightfully abbreviated as SAD) describes a drop in people’s general morale if the weather isn’t to their liking. Living in Lewisburg, we all probably know the side effects of bad weather pretty well, but is there any way to cure us of our SADness?
For me, exercise always helps. I know that trekking down to the gym may not seem ideal in 32 F weather, but if you get a satisfying workout in, not only do you feel good about yourself afterwards, but you’re perfectly licensed to hit up the sauna as a reward! What’s a better way to combat the winter chill than sweating it all off in the school sauna? Just close your eyes and think of paradise.
If exercise isn’t really your thing, or if the pathways haven’t been iced yet and you legitimately run the risk of injuring yourself if you step outside, fighting the winter blues can be done right from your warm, comfy bed. Make some hot chocolate and watch a movie with your friends in the middle of the day to give yourself a well-deserved break. I can guarantee the sub-zero temperatures will be far from your mind.
Most importantly just embrace the season. Winter is winter and until global warming really kicks into high gear we’re pretty much stuck with it, so embrace it! It’s only for a few months each year and spring is right around the corner. Dress warmly, try not to horrifically slip on that patch of ice in front of the library and cuddle up to old Jack Frost for just a little longer and soon your SADness will melt away.
Courtesy of Bucknell University The Board of Trustee’s Master Plan proposes a large addition to the south side of campus.Courtesy of Bucknell University View of New Academic Quad from the proposed Library Addition.
Uphill housing plans
Siobhan Murray and William M Fierman
As The Bucknellian reported last week, plans for new uphill residential housing were approved by the board of trustees in April of 2010 and are now moving steadily towards reality.
After they had been approved, the plans were subject to changes recommended by a study of student experiences at the University by the new president and dean of students. These included the addition of more public spaces where students can congregate informally and for events such as speakers.
Each residence hall will include four-person units that include a living room, as well as a central space for the building. The images taken from the University Master Plan include one of an atmospheric atrium with several-story high windows overlooking a common green space. The buildings will be constructed in the large open field behind the Bertrand Library and the ongoing Academic west construction site. The plan will also include a field for recreational sports and activities.
The plan has been in the works since 1998, when the Board of Trustees found non-university housing downtown, fraternity housing and the mods to be lacking and steadily declining in quality. The university has since hoped to cut down on the amount of students living off campus and consolidate the student body onto the campus. The new housing will also serve to expand the residential education programs the university already offers.
The buildings will house 340 students, which means 250 more students will be living on campus than do currently.
