Author: Andrew Arnao

Categories
Baseball Men Sports

Baseball takes three games from Navy

 

Heather Oros | The Bucknellian Travis Clark '13 gets a hit in a recent game. The Bison split their two games against Navy on Saturday, then swept their doubleheader on Sunday.
Heather Oros | The Bucknellian
Travis Clark ’13 gets a hit in a recent game. The Bison split their two games against Navy on Saturday, then swept their doubleheader on Sunday.

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The baseball team continued its Patriot League season last weekend with two doubleheaders at Navy and came out on top, winning the series 3-1.

The Bison started off the weekend slow on offense, falling 2-1 in the first game of their April 6 doubleheader that went 11 innings before a decision. Bryson Hough ’15 had a strong day on the mound pitching nine innings and allowing just one run, but the only offense the Bison could muster was an RBI hit by Carter Bumgardner ’13, one of his two hits on the day.

The offense found its groove in the second game of the doubleheader, which ended in an 8-4 victory for the Bison. Dan Weigel ’14 threw eight innings while allowing three runs and striking out seven, and Bumgardner continued his strong offensive day with two RBI’s, helping the team build a 7-0 lead in the first four innings.

The Orange and Blue continued their momentum into the second day of the series, winning both games of the doubleheader 3-1 and 16-10, respectively. In game three, Dan Goldstein ’13 pitched a complete game with only six hits allowed, while Corey Furman ’14, Travis Clark ’13 and Joe Ogren ’16 each contributed an RBI.

Things got a little more interesting in game four. Andrew Andreychik ’16 pitched a solid seven innings, allowing just one run in the third inning and five hits overall. Bumgardner and Clark both had home runs in the second game as the Bison offense broke out, scoring four runs in four separate innings. A nine-run ninth inning by Navy kept the Bison on their toes, but Max Kra ’16 came in to get the final out and seal the doubleheader sweep.

The Bison will continue to try to improve their 4-4 Patriot League record with a four-game series at Lehigh this weekend.

Categories
Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis beats Colgate

Emily Evancho

Writer

The women’s tennis team fell to Towson 6-1 on April 4, with Elena Vidrascu ’14 and Maria Cioffi ’16 recording the Bison’s only two victories. The Bison were able to bounce back from this loss with a 4-3 win over Colgate on April 6, their first Patriot League victory of the season.

In doubles against Towson, Cioffi and Vidrascu secured the only doubles triumph for the Bison with an 8-4 win. The Orange and Blue’s other doubles teams were not as successful.  The team of Jen Bush ’15 and Lydia Colvin ’15 swung into a defeat of 8-4, while Sam Madnick ’16 and Stephanie Pino ’16 were also overpowered by their Towson counterparts (8-3).

The Bison had the same turnout in singles matches. Cioffi came close to pulling in a victory for the Orange and Blue, but couldn’t maintain her lead in the super tie-breaker, finishing the match with a 10-5 defeat. Vidrascu brought the team its only victory with a 6-1, 7-6 triumph, helping to prevent a shutout by Towson.

The Orange and Blue refused to be fazed by the loss and came back strong in the next match against Colgate. The doubles teams of Cioffi/Vidrascu and Bush/Elizabeth Morgan ’14 pulled in the doubles points with dual victories while Cioffi and Vidrascu both clinched victories in their singles matches. Pino raked in a two-set tiebreaker and came away with a 6-4, 7-6 victory, clinching the win for the Orange and Blue.

The women’s tennis team will return home this weekend for its next two matches. The Bison will host Army Saturday at noon and Lafayette on April 14 at 10 a.m.

Categories
Softball Sports Women

Softball opens series against Colgate with shutout win

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer

The Bison travelled to Hamilton, N.Y. on April 6-7 to play four games against Patriot League rival Colgate. A fantastic effort from pitcher Amanda Fazio ’16 gave the Orange and the Blue a 7-0 victory in game one, marking the first win against the Raiders since the 2010 Patriot League Championships. The Bison could not match their success in game two as they fell 3-2 in extra innings. The Bison also lost both games of the doubleheader on April 7 by final scores of 4-2 and 8-5.

Fazio dominated game one, and recorded her second straight start without allowing any earned runs. Colie Escobar ’15 got the Bison on the board with a two-run homer in the second, and Fazio never let the lead slip away. Also adding RBI’s for the Bison were Cassie Greenhawk ’13, Cydnee Sanders ’15 and Erin Cox ’15. The Bison also got off to a quick start in game two thanks to an RBI double by Sanders, but the Raiders responded with two solo home runs. Though Courtney Conover ’14 tied up the game with an RBI single in the fifth, Fazio gave up a lone run in 3.2 innings of relief to give the game to the Raiders.

The Bison led early in games three and four, but both leads slipped away as Colgate came back to win each game. Escobar led the offense on April 7 by going 2-2 with another home run and a double, while Cox, Sanders and Mary Horton ’13 all recorded multi-hit games. The two losses moved the Bison’s record to 2-6 in the Patriot League, and 9-24 overall.

“So far our record hasn’t shown what we all would like to see, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t improving. Every game this year, I can see how much better we are than last year,” Escobar said. “We have the talent, we just need to regain the confidence and we are slowly making that progress. This weekend against Colgate showed us we have the potential to win any Patriot League game. As long as we continue to stay focused and keep playing our hardest, we will be successful.”

The Bison will look to earn some much-needed wins and leap up in the Patriot League standings as they host the Lafayette Leopards this weekend in another four-game series.  The first pitch will be thrown Saturday at noon.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis gets first PL win

Lauren Boone

Senior Writer

The Orange and Blue faced two tough competitors on the road last weekend, claiming a 5-2 victory over Patriot League rival Colgate on April 6 and suffering a 7-0 loss to Binghamton on April 7. The win against Colgate was the Bison’s first win in Patriot League play.

Despite close competition, the Bison swept in doubles play against Colgate. First to finish was the No. 3 doubles team Octavio Canibe ’15 and Kelly Morque ’13, winning 8-3. Next, Aidan Lynch ’14 and Evan Zimmer ’13 claimed victory at the No. 1 doubles position 8-6. Finally, No. 2 doubles team Nick Bybel ’16 and Josh Katten ’13 secured a doubles point for the Bison with a 9-7 victory.

The Orange and Blue kept the momentum going into the singles play, winning the majority of the matches to secure the overall win. Katten secured the first singles win at the No. 4 position 6-3, 6-3. Following Katten, teammates Morque and Zimmer posted singles victories as well. Morque won his match 6-3, 6-2, while Zimmer won 7-5, 6-3. Canibe won his match at the No. 6 position (6-3, 6-1) to secure the overall win for the Bison.

“Our doubles came out solid and stayed tough during key moments,” Zimmer said. “On the singles side, we were broken early in some matches, but were able to stay composed and battle through our opponents. Overall, it turned out to be a great win for the Bison.”

With this victory, the Bison improved their overall season record to 11-5 and their conference record to 1-1. This was also their sixth consecutive victory over Colgate.

Unfortunately, the Bison did not have the same success against Binghamton, ending their four-match winning streak. In doubles play, Bybel and Katten clinched the only victory for the Bison that day (8-6) at the No. 1 doubles position. With this victory, Katten is one match away from tying the Bison record for most combined singles and doubles career wins at 150 matches.

The No. 2 doubles team of Lynch and Ryan Marcil ’14, lost its match 8-6. Morque and Canibe also lost their match 8-1 at the No. 3 doubles position. Some of the singles matches were also close, with Morque, Katten and Lynch all pushing their singles matches to third sets.

“Unfortunately, on Sunday we went up against a tough competitor in Binghamton, but there was plenty positive to take from the loss,” Katten said. “Binghamton has won their conference five years in a row, and while we lost, we were right there in most of the matches. Going forward, it’s important to play some tough matches as they definitely help prepare the team for the Patriot League Tournament.”

With this loss, the Bison’s season record fell to 11-6. The Bison will compete at home for their next four matches, starting Friday when they play rival Army at 3 p.m. on the Varsity Tennis Courts, followed by matches against Lafayette on April 14 at 2 p.m. and Lehigh on April 15 at 3 p.m.

Categories
Men Sports Track & Field Women

Track teams finish 2nd, 8th

Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The Bison men’s and women’s track and field teams continued their strong spring seasons with an impressive showing at the Colonial Relays last weekend in Williamsburg, Va. The men’s team finished second while the women’s team came away with an eighth place finish.

The Bison men finished the Colonial Relays with a team total of 113 points, while first-place Rutgers won with 128. The top performers for the Orange and Blue were the members of the 4×100 meter relay, who finished in first place in 41.53 seconds. Also shining for the Bison was Christian Lupica ’15, who finished first among collegiate competitors in the 100-meter hurdles in 14.25 seconds, which set a career best and broke the program record previously set in 2012.

“Breaking a school record is always fun,” Lupica said. “They aren’t usually the main goal, but through trying to run fast and [achieve] competitive times, they become secondary goals that help to motivate me and are exciting to surpass.”

In the field, Luke Webster ’13 finished second in the discus with a throw of 160-2 feet, while teammate Leonard Joseph ’13 finished in sixth with a throw of 148-3 feet. In the triple jump, Ray Holmes ’14 finished second with a jump of 49-4 1/4.

For the women, many individuals and relays shined en route to an eighth place finish for the Orange and Blue. The team finished with 53 points, while winner Rutgers finished with 104. The 4×200 meter relay team of Jennifer Zymet ’14, Sasha Hornock ’13, Jess Bridle ’16 and Kim Nagotko ’15 finished in 1:41.35 minutes, which set a new program record en route to a third place finish.

“The race strategy for a 4×200 is just to have all four people run their fastest in the same race, which is hard to do,” Hornock said. “Additionally, having three smooth handoffs can make a substantial difference in the relay time.”

The distance medley relay also put up a strong performance, finishing third in 11:57.32 minutes. In the field, Abby Monaghan ’13 finished fourth in the discus with a throw of 138-3 feet, and Alexandra Romanelli ’13 finished seventh in the triple jump with a jump of 36-4 1/4.

The Bison will host their first home meet of the season this weekend at the Bison Outdoor Classic, which is scheduled to take place from April 13-14 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

Categories
Lacrosse Sports Women

Women’s lax defeats St. Bonaventure 17-9

 

Heather Oros | The Bucknellian No. 4 Madison Hurwitz '13 drives to the goal. The Bison split games this past weekend, losing 13-8 to Lafayette then rebounding in their next match with a 17-9 win over St. Bonaventure.
Heather Oros | The Bucknellian
No. 4 Madison Hurwitz ’13 drives to the goal. The Bison split games this past weekend, losing 13-8 to Lafayette then rebounding in their next match with a 17-9 win over St. Bonaventure.

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s lacrosse team began its week with a 13-8 home loss against Lafayette on April 6, but bounced back behind a career-high seven-goal performance by Madison Hurwitz ’13 to defeat St. Bonaventure 17-9 on April 9.

Sam Rickels ’16 posted the first goal of the game against the Leopards off of a free position shot. Lafayette traded goals with the Orange and Blue in the early minutes, as Cori Thielemann ’15 evened the score at three apiece. Unfortunately for the Bison, the Leopards closed the half on a 4-0 run.

Ryan Wenk ’13 ended the Bison scoring drought with a tally at the 20:07 mark followed by an Adrienne Wendling ’13 goal two minutes later off an assist from Wenk. But that would be as close as the Bison would get, as the Leopards scored three unanswered goals to make it a seven-goal deficit for the Bison, and put the game out of reach.

Despite the loss, Caroline Collins ’15 had a solid game with three caused turnovers, two ground balls and two draw controls.

It was a better result against St. Bonaventure, as Katelyn Miller ’14 and Hurwitz accounted for 12 of the Bison’s 17 goals en route to their third victory of the season. The Bison went on a couple of 4-0 runs to lead 9-3 at the half, while holding a 20-5 shot advantage. Miller dished out three assists and scored three goals in the half.

“In our game on Saturday (Lafayette), we struggled with a lot of offensive turnovers due to a lack of focus, but we definitely cleaned that up a lot for St. Bonaventure and it really showed in the score,” Miller said.

The Orange and Blue continued to shine in the second half, adding another eight tallies. Hurwitz, Miller and Rickels were part of another 4-0 run, ending a terrific offensive night for the Bison.

Thielemann, Sophie Kleinert ’14 and Blair McDonald ’15 each scored a goal in the win. Miller’s five goals brought her to the 30-goal mark for the second straight season. Wendling finished with seven ground balls, one away from the program’s single-game record. In addition, Miller recorded a career-best nine points in the victory.

“I was able to get a lot of draws because Sophie [Kleinert] was able to control where the ball was going every time, which made it easy for me to get into a good position on the circle. Offensively, we really worked as a team which made it easy to feed people,” Miller said.

The Bison will host Senior Day against Holy Cross Saturday at 1 p.m. at Graham Field. Hurwitz, Wendling and Wenk will all be recognized before the game.

“I am very proud about leaving the program in better standing for the future than when I joined and am really excited about continuing to end the season very strong both personally and as a team, hopefully getting our first Patriot League win this Saturday,” Hurwitz said.

Categories
Club/Intramural Men's Rowing Sports

Crew team makes program history

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

The men’s and women’s rowing teams had hectic, event-filled weekends which featured program firsts for both teams. The women’s team raced Drexel and Penn on April 6 in Philadelphia then competed in the Occoquan Sprints in Virginia on April 7. The men’s team split up its squad, with its varsity eight competing in the San Diego Crew Classic in California while the rest of the team dueled with Drexel in Philadelphia on April 6.

The weekend began for the women’s team against Drexel. The varsity eight dominated the race and won by a solid margin of 6.6 seconds. Following a short rest, the team returned to action in the afternoon against perennial powerhouse Penn. In an extremely tight and hard-fought race, the varsity eight was victorious. The Bison defeated Penn with a time of 6:50.3, less than one second ahead of Penn’s 6:51.0 finish. This marked the first time in program history the varsity eight had defeated Penn and was the “highlight of the weekend” according to head coach Stephen Kish.

After a long night of travel, the women’s team was ready for more racing as it competed in the Occoquan Sprints. The team had seven boats in action and all four of the team’s eights made their respective grand finals. Although none were able to find victory in the grand final, they still put up solid performances. These boats and their finishes were: varsity eight (second), junior varsity eight (sixth), second varsity eight (fifth) and the novice eight (fifth).

“We look forward to building off of all the race experience we had last weekend to continue to develop as we move towards the Patriot League Championships in May,” Kish said.

The men’s crew team also had a busy weekend, splitting up its squad to race at two separate venues. The varsity eight traveled to California to compete in the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic. After winning its heat on April 6, the Bison found themselves against some very tough competition in the Cal Cup final on April 7. After a slow start, the team worked its way back through the pack towards the front. Unfortunately, there was not enough room for the team to complete its and the Bison finished in second place behind UC Santa Barbara with a time of 6:09.26.

Head coach Al Monte was “happy to see the varsity eight race a very gutsy and determined race against some very good crews.”

Meanwhile, the remainder of the team raced Drexel and Mercyhurst in Philadelphia on April 6. The second varsity eight finished in third place behind both Drexel boats, but ahead of Mercyhurst. The third varsity eight was also defeated, losing to Drexel’s novice eight but beating Mercyhurst’s third varsity eight.

Both teams will look for victories this weekend in Cherry Hill, N.J. at the Knecht Cup Regatta.

 

Categories
Bison Athlete of the Week Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Kyle Feeney ’13

The Bucknellian Archives
The Bucknellian Archives

Goalie Kyle Feeney ’13 has been an integral part of the men’s lacrosse team’s successful season. Already eighth all-time on the school’s career saves list, Feeney’s continued excellence defending the net has played a big part in the Bison’s current 9-2 record this season. In January, Feeney was selected in the eighth round of Major League Lacrosse’s Collegiate Draft by the Charlotte Hounds, one of two goalies and seven Patriot League players overall that were selected.

Feeney is putting the finishing touches on a fantastic career as a Bison. He was a second-team All-Patriot League selection in 2011, the same year he set a school record with 13 wins. During that season, Feeney was in goal for every game as the Orange and the Blue charged towards an eventual Patriot League Championship, and he excelled in the playoffs by recording 17 saves while allowing only eight goals.

During his junior year last season, Feeney was a first-team All-Patriot League selection, and he recorded a career high 169 saves.

Feeney’s stiff goaltending has made a direct impact on several outcomes this season. His 11 saves in the season opener against Delaware helped protect the team’s eventual 9-8 win, including stopping a Delaware charge with 20 seconds remaining. Feeney also had three saves in the final 66 seconds of a game against Bryant to preserve the Bison’s 10-8 victory. Finally, Feeney’s six saves proved vital for the Orange and Blue’s 9-8 upset of No. 2 Cornell.

Feeney’s success will hopefully aid the Bison in their quest for another Patriot League Championship. Come out and see Feeney and the rest of the men’s lacrosse team play their final home game against Lehigh next Friday.

 

Hometown: Greenwich, Conn.

Major: Civil Engineering

Win-loss record (this season): 9-2

Win-loss record (career): 28-16

Number of saves (this season): 90

Numbers of saves (career): 426

Save % (this season): .520

Save % (career): .555

Goals allowed per game (this season): 7.90

Goals allowed per game (career): 7.83

Categories
Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: Sports News Across the Nation

Julian Dorey

Staff Writer

“A New Day”

Opening Day is here once again. Thirty fan bases have a reason for hope. Many down-on-their-luck franchises have a reason to believe that this season might represent something a little bit different. Reality will set in for most teams within a few short weeks, but, for now, everyone can enjoy the first day playing for what counts.

For me, the 150-plus-year tradition never gets old. Baseball was America’s first real game. Back in the days when Ellis Island flooded with boats from every end of the world, the young immigrants settled into the hellish streets and poor neighborhoods, and were often brought together by a common love for throwing a ball and swinging a bat.

Though those days may be long gone and baseball has been replaced in the American sports hierarchy by football, the yearly thirst for a throwback to the old days has never waned. Opening Day was and absolutely still is a powerful tradition.

This year is different than recent history. You won’t find the Yankees and Red Sox anywhere near the top of preseason rankings, in the AL or in their own division. The Phillies may be over the hill. Even the Texas Rangers may have finally lost one free agent too many. In their place, teams like the upstart Washington Nationals and the old-school, defending champion San Francisco Giants seem to be the favorites.

While the last team standing is certainly the most important aspect of every season, fans everywhere are looking forward to another storyline involving the next generation of the game.

Last season, two outstanding rookies name Mike Trout and Bryce Harper stunned the baseball landscape with levels of play that so far outperformed their age. Trout, who at age 21 is only a year older than Harper, had one of the better seasons you will ever see—dazzling in center field while batting .326 with 30 HR and 49 stolen bases in just 139 games. Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera edged out Trout for the AL MVP, but only by becoming the first player in 45 years to win the Triple Crown.

Meanwhile, Harper held his own with a .270 average, 22 HR, 59 RBI’s and 18 stolen bases in his rookie campaign. Harper isn’t quite as far along as Trout, but the flashes he showed and the way he changed the culture in Washington by helping the city to its first postseason berth since 1933 certainly bodes well for his future.

There are whispers among baseball purists and casual fans alike that Trout and Harper may be starting an era between themselves unmatched by any two players since Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. That’s some pretty high class company. Their story will be among the many baseball fans have to look forward to heading into Opening Day. But with another season set to begin, hope truly springs eternal in some way for every team. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Categories
Men Sports Track & Field Women

Track opens spring season

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

The men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their season in Baltimore, Md. on March 30. Half the squad participated in the UMBC Invitational, where the Bison recorded 11 wins, while the other half partook in the Maryland Invitational, where Luke Webster ’13 broke the school record in the discus.

Eight men recorded wins at the UMBC Invitational. Christian Lupica ’15 took home two gold medals after victories in the 110-meter high hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles, while Ryan Johnson ’16 and Chris Oesterlin ’14 rounded out the individual running events with wins in the 800 meters and 1,500 meters, respectively.

A relay team of Kamal Riley ’14, Lupica, Jacob Eaton Hall ’14 and Justin Hicks ’13 won the gold in the 4×100 meter. Also recording first-place finishes for the Bison were Daniel Markwalter ’13 in the pole vault and Ray Holmes ’14 in the triple jump.

Webster’s record-breaking discus toss of 170-10 was also good enough for second place, beating his previous best mark by several feet.

The women’s team recorded six total wins across both Invitationals. At the UMBC Invitational, Jennifer Zymet ’14 took the gold in the 400 meters, while Chrissy Haney ’16 was victorious in the 400-meter hurdles. In the long distance events, Beth Braunegg ’14 won the 800 meters and Kylie Pearse ’15 won the 3,000 meter steeplechase.

In field events, Emily Ando ’14 finished first in the pole vault, with four other Bison also finishing in the top five spots. At the Maryland Invitational, Abby Monaghan ’13 rounded out the list of victorious Bison with a first place finish in the discus.

The men’s and women’s track and field teams will return to action this weekend at the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va.