Author: Andrew Arnao

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Men Sports Wrestling

Stolfi wins three at NCAAs

Billy Tyler

Assistant Sports Editor

The men’s wrestling team concluded its season at the NCAA Championships this past weekend in Des Moines, Iowa. The only Bison competing at the event was Joe Stolfi ’15. Corey Lear ’13 acquired an at-large berth to the meet, but had to withdraw due to injury.

Stolfi, representing the Bison in the heavyweight division, went 3-2 in the tournament and was one win shy from becoming only the sixth wrestler in program history to earn All-American honors. After opening the meet with a loss to No. 6 Bobby Telford of Iowa, Stolfi won his next three matches. He first defeated Bloomsburg’s Justin Grant by decision, and went on to avenge a regular season loss to Adam Chalfant of Indiana by pinning his opponent in 6:38. This win was followed by a 6-2 decision victory over Benjamin Apland of Michigan.

The victories put Stolfi in a matchup against Central Michigan’s Jarod Trice for All-American honors. These two had met during the regular season, with Trice winning by decision 15-8. Unfortunately, Stolfi was unable to get the win over the three-time All-American Trice.

Despite this loss, Stolfi finished the season with a 26-16 record, winning 16 of his last 19 matches prior to the NCAA Championships, and not losing back-to-back matches since Jan. 6.

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Basketball Men Sports

University receiving large amount of media attention thanks to NCAA berth

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

University receiving large amount of media attention thanks to NCAA berth

The men’s basketball’s fantastic season has garnered much attention for the University, and many pundits are quick to take notice. While some experts are already labeling the Bison as a possible Cinderella story and a trendy upset pick in the NCAA brackets, others are expressing confusion over how a small, little heard of mid-Pennsylvanian school even managed to make its way into the Big Dance. Here are just a couple of stories about the Bison in the national media.

In the annual March Tuition Madness bracket, created by The Awl, the 64 schools are pitted against each other to see who has the highest tuition. After Georgetown won in 2012 with an average tuition of $40,920, Bucknell claimed the crown this year with a whopping average tuition of $45,132. The Bison claimed this “victory” over second place Notre Dame, who averaged $42,464 in tuition this year.

In perhaps more welcome news, the Bison also placed high in graduation rates for their basketball teams, with a perfect 100%. According to Tidesport, Bucknell is one of only 11 teams in the tournament to have a 100% graduation rate for all of their players. As the popular chant/taunt goes, “2, 4, 6, 8–all our players graduate!”

The Bison’s 28-5 record and impressive leading ensemble of Mike Muscala ’13, Joe Willman ’13, and Bryson Johnson ’13 have many people thinking that the Bison could go far in the tournament. Many sources are predicting that the 11th seeded Bison have what it takes to knock of 6th seeded Butler, largely in part to Muscala. Patrick Stevens of USA Today Sports comments that “[Muscala] is a ruthlessly efficient post presence, establishing position effectively and then delivering high-percentage shots. Yet he can also step outside and connect on mid-range jumpers and (on rarer occasions) 3-pointers. Bucknell wisely is built around his talents, and his skills amplify the abilities of some capable complementary pieces.” Other analysts also laud Muscala, stressing his importance in the Bison’s attempt to pull off an upset against Butler.

Of course, if Muscala isn’t enough, maybe having a cool-sounding name will do. Bucknell’s fame has risen as far as the Jimmy Kimmel Show, where Kimmel’s cousin Micki picked “Buck-null” to win it all. Micki’s motivation for choosing the University? In her own words, “I think it’s important in life to support the underdogs, and the most important thing is [to] go with your gut, and not your head.” Well said Micki, well said.

Categories
Basketball Sports Women

Women’s basketball stuns third-seeded American

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s basketball team experienced its biggest season turnaround in program history this year, clinching the sixth seed in the Patriot League tournament and pulling off a first-round upset against third-seeded American University on March 7 before being eliminated at Navy on March 11. First-year head coach Aaron Roussell led the Bison to a 15-16 overall record, along with a 5-9 record in Patriot League play.

“I was fortunate to be surrounded by a great staff and a team that was welcome to a change which helped tremendously. Once the season got going the transition was easy because we were back to just playing and coaching basketball,” Roussell said.

Shelby Romine ’14, the team’s leading scorer, garnered Second Team All-Patriot League honors. Fellow co-captain Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team. Horbatuck, an Elementary Education major, has made the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll three times and is a member of the Dean’s List.

In their first-round matchup at American, the Bison knew they had a tall order, having fallen to the Eagles twice during the regular season. It was a different story in their third meeting, as the Orange and Blue staged another second half comeback to come away with the 46-43 victory.

Audrey Dotson ’15 finished with a game-high 17 points. The backcourt tandem of Romine and Alyssa Dunn ’13 added nine points each. League-leading rebounder Horbatuck controlled the glass with 16 rebounds to go along with four steals.

The Bison struggled in the first half, shooting 5-25 from the field and committing 14 turnovers that translated to 16 points for the Eagles. An early 11-0 run guided American to the 21-11 advantage at halftime.

A 16-2 opening run gave the Bison their first lead of the game at the 13:36 mark of the second half. Romine started and ended the run with a couple of three-pointers. Dunn scored consecutive baskets and Dotson added another three during the run to take a 27-23 lead. Katherine Harris ’15 continued the streak shooting with another basket from beyond the arc.

After American tied the game at 35, Dunn and Dotson created some breathing room for the Bison with consecutive baskets. The game would come down to the wire, as American nailed a three-pointer to cut the Bison’s lead to one with seven seconds left. Dotson was fouled and hit both of her free throws. American made one last attempt to force overtime, but the Eagles’ three-point attempt hit the side of the rim, allowing the Bison to claim the upset.

“We started off the game very slow, and we weren’t getting much offensively however we were holding them defensively. We came out the second half extremely strong and were able to go on a run that ultimately gave us the lead that we kept for the rest of the game. It was a huge upset that not many people were expecting,” Horbatuck said.

After the win, the Orange and Blue tried to convert another upset over second-seeded Navy, a team they defeated 55-48 on Senior Night. Unfortunately, the Bison could not duplicate their second half comeback from the previous round, eventually falling 60-48 in Annapolis, Md.

The halftime score was 26-13 in favor of Navy after it held the Bison to 5-24 shooting in the first half. The Orange and Blue stormed back in the second half when Dotson and Tyler Craig ’16 nailed consecutive three-pointers to cut Navy’s lead to four with 9:53 left. It would not be enough to overcome the Midshipmen, as Navy scored 10 unanswered points and carried a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

“It would be impossible to label this season anything other than a success. We surpassed just about everybody’s expectations, including many of our players. I am proud of our team and so happy that we were able to send our seniors out with some positive accomplishments and memories,” Roussell said.

Despite the loss, the team had a number of accomplishments to be proud of this season. Horbatuck, Dunn and Dotson were all named Bison Athletes of the Week. The Orange and Blue enjoyed a five-game winning streak early in the season, as well as a four-game win streak in conference play, including wins over Lehigh and Lafayette. The team also set the program’s new single-season rebounding record. Horbatuck is graduating second on that individual list as well.

“I think that this was one of the best seasons that I have been apart of and would not have changed my senior year one bit. My senior class has been through a lot because of the all the coaching changes that we have had throughout our four years. I am so thankful for my teammates, coaches, professors and most of all my parents for all the support they have provided me over the past four years,” Horbatuck said.

Joining Horbatuck and Dunn on the graduating stage are teammates Ashley Baxter ’13, Felicia Mgbada ’13 and Rachel Voss ’13.

In addition, Romine became the 20th member of the program’s 1,000 point club.

“This year we had more confidence and competitiveness. We came to each practice with a different attitude. Confidence is such a huge part of the game. I have extremely high hopes for next season,” Romine said. “Everyone is bought in and geared at achieving the same goal: winning a Patriot League Championship.”

Roussell also remains optimistic about the team next season, as he stresses the importance of continuing to improve.

“My goal is to always win the next game. Overall, we worked hard this year but there is another level of dedication that we can get to and it is our job as coaches to make sure our players want to get to that level,” Roussell said.

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

Within Reach

Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The road back to the top of the Patriot League is complete for the Bison men’s basketball team. This gritty squad, led by arguably the most decorated senior class in program history, is poised to make some serious noise as they head back to the NCAA Men’s Division One Basketball Championship tournament as the 11 seed in the East Region. The Orange and Blue defeated a tough Lafayette team 64-56 in the Patriot League Championship on March 13 after defeating a game Army squad in the league semifinals 78-70, on March 9. The Bison head to the tournament with a 28-5 overall record, and set the single-season record for most wins by a Patriot League team. This is the second tournament appearance for the Bison in three years and the sixth in program history.

The Bison used tough defense, especially from guards Steven Kaspar ’15 and Ryan Frazier ’16, and a tremendous second-half stretch run by Mike Muscala ’13 to get past the two-seeded Leopards. In front of a raucous crowd at Sojka Pavilion, Muscala showed why he was the Patriot League Player of the Year, posting 20 points and 11 rebounds for a nation-leading 22nd double-double of the season. Frontcourt teammate Joe Willman ’13 provided a great effort as well, posting 14 points and eight rebounds in the victory.

In the first half, the defense stifled a Lafayette offense that came in to the contest red hot, limiting them to just 18 points on 29.2 percent shooting en route to a 26-18 halftime advantage. Ben Brackney ’14 came off the bench and nailed two crucial first-half threes to get the Orange and Blue offense going in the opening frame. The tandem of Kaspar and Frazier limited Lafayette point guard Tony Johnson, who came in leading the Patriot League in field goal percentage, and held him to 11 points for the game on just 4-13 shooting.

The Bison came out strong to start the second half, pushing their lead to 12 points early on. However, the Leopards went on a 9-0 run led by Joey Ptasinski to cut the home team’s lead to 30-27. Frazier then came up with a game-changing series of plays. On the team’s following possession, Frazier made a driving layup as the shot-clock was winding down, and then broke up Lafayette’s inbound pass and found Cameron Ayers ’14, who finished with a hard-earned nine points, for the layup to push the lead back to seven.

Lafayette refused to go away though, going on a 6-1 run to cut the Bison lead down to 41-38 with 7:17 left. Then Muscala, the program’s all-time leading scorer and only player to surpass the 2,000 point mark, took over. First, he hit a hook shot on right baseline, and then came back on the team’s next possession and nailed another hook shot from the left baseline. Later, Muscala nailed a jumper that bounced off the rim several times before finally going in as part of a pivotal 12-0 run that expanded Bison lead to 55-40 with 2:54 left. A flurry of Lafayette three’s kept the game interesting, but a pair of Brackney free-throws sealed the victory, and Muscala’s 11th rebound of the game with eight seconds left started the celebration.

Muscala, who was just as excellent in the postseason as he was in the regular season, was named tournament MVP, and was joined by Willman and Ayers on the All-Tournament team. Ayers talked about how the team came together to bring home another Patriot League Championship.

“The most impressive aspect was how it was a total team effort. Every guy played a huge role in the win over Lafayette and it just shows how hard we have been working together throughout the whole year,” Ayers said.

The Orange and Blue survived an upset bid by the pesky Army Black Knights in the league semifinals. The Bison were paced by Muscala, who finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Ayers scored 19 points, including 17 in a tense second half.

The Orange and Blue came out strong and took a 36-31 lead into halftime. The Bison lead grew to seven at 51-44 after an Ayers jumper. Army refused to give in and eventually took a 61-59 lead after Patriot League Rookie of the Year Kyle Wilson nailed a layup after being fouled.

The veteran, tough Bison team responded. Bryson Johnson ’13, who throughout his career has had a knack for providing threes when needed most, drained a three on the Bison’s next possession to retake the lead at 62-61, and ignited a 10-1 run. This proved to be the difference as the Bison advanced to their third-straight league championship game.

Ayers was brilliant down the stretch, and during one stretch scored 10 of the team’s 13 points. He explains what the keys to his success were against the Black Knights in the second half.

“I think I was able to succeed during the second half because I came in from halftime with an aggressive mindset and I tried to play to my strengths by getting to the midrange jumper,” Ayers said. “My teammates did a great job finding me and encouraging to keep attacking.”

In the final 3:30, Muscala hit five of six free throws to help seal the victory, and scored 11 points and 11 rebounds in the second half. Brackney again was huge off the bench, grabbing five boards and mostly filling in for Willman, who was plagued by foul trouble for large portions of the game but still posted eight points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of action.

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Uncategorized

Muscala sweeps Patriot League awards

Mike Muscala '13 poses with head coach Dave Paulsen and Patriot League Executive Director Carolyn Schile Femovich.
Mike Muscala ’13 poses with head coach Dave Paulsen and Patriot League Executive Director Carolyn Schile Femovich.

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

Mike Muscala ’13, the all-time scoring leader for the men’s basketball team and one of the most prolific athletes to ever play for the Bison, was showered with awards prior to March 6’s Patriot League playoff game against Navy. Muscala won Patriot League Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was also selected for the All-Patriot League First Team along with teammate Cameron Ayers ’14, and also earned a starting spot on the Patriot League All-Academic Team with teammate Bryson Johnson ’13.

Muscala has achieved many accolades over the past couple of months, and for good reason. He has helped lead the Bison to a 25-5 record, including 12-2 in the Patriot League, as well as three straight Patriot League regular season titles. He also broke Al Leslie’s all-time scoring record of 1,973 on March 6, and now has 1,986 points in his career.

Muscala also has 20 double-doubles this season, tied for the national lead. He also has 343 rebounds, good for fourth in the nation, and averages 11.1 rebounds per game. Along with averaging 18.9 points per game, he also has 76 blocks this season. He is one of only two active Division I players to have both 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.

Muscala won Patriot League Player of the Year in 2011 as well, and has made the All-Patriot League First Team for four years straight, only the second player in league history to do so. Muscala is also well known for his academic success. A management major, Muscala also made Dean’s List last semester, and was a member of the Patriot League All-Academic Team in 2011 and 2012.

Categories
Arts & Life

Students play real-life Battleship in pool

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

The Kinney Natatorium turned into a maritime battleground on March 2 as A.C.E. hosted the first ever Canoe Battleship. Thirty-two teams of four to six members jumped into canoes and faced off against each other in a fun, exciting competition. Armed with buckets, water guns and shields, the teams attempted to fill rival canoes with water and sink them before they were sunk themselves. Aquatic foods were also served to the observers, including Swedish Fish suspended in blue jello and Goldfish.

After many splashes, waves, and team captains saluting the crowd as their canoes sank beneath them, a final champion was declared. The Wallabies, with team members Daniel Flanigan ’13, Tom Palley ’13, Abbott Cowen ’13 and Matt Deysher ’15, were the last team floating and took home the Canoe Battleship crown.

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Sports

Fantasy Corner Baseball

Alex Kowler/Andrew Arnao

Contributing Writer/Sports Editor

Evan Longoria, TB, 3B/DH Grab Second best 3B in baseball. Grab Grab if you miss out on Miggy or Beltre.
Felix Hernandez, Sea, SP Grab Stats will be great … not so many wins though. Grab Great pitcher in a great pitcher’s park.
Hanley Ramirez, LAD, 3B/SS Pass Eligibility is great, player isn’t. Pass Only 1.2 WAR the last two seasons.
Stephen Strasburg, Was, SP Grab Ks will roll in during a 200 IP campaign. Pass Stamina is a concern, especially during fantasy playoffs.
David Price, TB, SP Pass Possibility of trade scares me away. Pass Not as infallible as Verlander or Kershaw.
Dustin Pedroia, Bos, 2B Pass He’s a good second baseman, just not third round good. Pass Will probably mash, but won’t get much help from a weak Boston lineup.
Ian Kinsler, Tex, 2B Grab Doesn’t have the average but grab for the odd numbered year HRs (Over 30 in ’09 & ’11). Grab Power, speed and a lot of guys to drive him in.
Jason Heyward, Atl, OF Grab Young masher in a good lineup. Grab Breakout year is imminent.
Jose Reyes, Tor, SS Pass Not a .300 hitter, but people always think he will be. Grab The best shortstop out there.
Matt Cain, SF, SP Grab Second best pitcher in the NL. Pass Like him a lot, but not a third round pick.
Categories
Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: Sports News Across the Nation

 

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons "Superstar" Andre Bynum hasn't played a single for the Sixers this season. His absence has had a deeply negative impact on the Sixers.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
“Superstar” Andre Bynum hasn’t played a single for the Sixers this season. His absence has had a deeply negative impact on the Sixers.

Julian Dorey

Writer

“Misgivings.”

What has happened to the Philadelphia 76ers this year? It seems like the only news coming out of South Philadelphia is what hairstyle Andrew Bynum is sporting on a given day. What’s even more sad is that’s the only noteworthy effect the 25-year-old “All-Star” has had on the Sixers.

When the Sixers traded their longtime swingman Andre Iguodala, their promising European big man Nikola Vucevic and their first-round draft pick Moe Harkless for a proven “superstar,” something they hadn’t had since trading Allen Iverson in 2006, they most certainly had the word “contender” on their mind. Instead, they’ve dealt with bad hairdos, a media nightmare, a lost season and brittle cartilage in both of Bynum’s knees.

Immediately after acquiring Bynum in August, the big man (who had suffered from some chronic knee injuries in the past) mentioned that he would travel to Germany to receive the same anti-invasive knee procedure that Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods and Alex Rodriguez received. He was coming off a season in which he had not missed any significant time due to injury and in which he posted the best numbers of his career. Sixers fans didn’t have any reason to worry … until the first day of training camp.

Bynum showed up and said that he was “shutting down” any physical activity for three weeks, and he went on to say that he would be ready for the start of the season. Three weeks later, he changed his mind and said he wouldn’t be ready for the opening tip. Two weeks after that, he changed his status to “indefinite.” And now, all the way into March, after more episodes of prolonging his recovery and after assuring fans all year that he would indeed play this year, he has rescinded that sentiment and has said he may get surgery.

All of this after the Sixers went through hell and high water to get him, and with his looming free agency status coming this summer, the Sixers have some decisions to make. Well, I say there isn’t a decision at all. If a 25-year-old can’t get through a 30-minute shootaround without his knees flaring up, his future doesn’t look too promising. Moreover, the guy has taken the city of Philadelphia for a disastrous roller coaster ride, all while not seeming to care or understand the gravity of the situation.

Does he really think that the Sixers are just going to throw a max-contract at him in July? Does he understand what his absence has done not just to their team (currently one of the worst in the NBA), but to the quality of their brand? The Sixers already were the proverbial red-headed stepchild of Philadelphia sports even before Iverson left town. Bynum has only added to the lore of the team’s continuous embarrassments.

The team spent the offseason building a roster specifically around Bynum, an offense that runs through the paint and spreads the floor for athletic jump shooters. Without Bynum, the shooters are useless, the paint game is non-existent and players have been forced to play out of position. If Bynum acted at all like he cared or showed some sense of urgency this year, maybe I’d consider rolling the dice on him this offseason. Clearly his priorities are elsewhere.

As an old movie once said: “Adios, amigo.” But, for authentic purposes, let’s drop the “amigo” part.

Categories
Men Sports Swimming & Diving Women

Swimming ends 2012-13 season

Andrew Arno

Sports Editor

The men’s and women’s swimming teams participated in the ECAC Championships this past weekend in Cambridge, Mass. The women finished fourth out of 21 teams with 380.5 points, while the men finished sixth out of 19 teams with 304 points.

For the women on March 1, Lauren Perry ’15 and Emily Wright ’14 led the Bison with third place finishes in the 500 free and 50 free, respectively. On March 2, the 800 free relay team of Elizabeth Porcellio ’13, Lyndsey Marcheskie ’16, Stephanie Koziol ’15 and Perry set a school record with a time of 7:31.76, while also placing second in the event. Diver Tara Boyle ’15 also finished sixth in the three-meter diving event. Perry was also a top performer on March 3, with a fifth place finish in the 100 free.

Mike Nicholson ’14 and Christian Treat ’13 were the top scorers for the men on March 1. Nicholson finished third in the 200 IM, while Treat finished fifth in the same event. On March 2, Treat and Ben Seketa ’15 were top 10 finishers in the 100 breast, placing fourth and eighth, respectively. On March 3, Nicholson finished fourth in the 200 fly, breaking his own school record in the event with 1:48.45. George Beatty ’15 finished the 1,650 free in 15:53.34, and Tyler Wenzel ’16 finished in seventh place in the 1 meter diving event.

The ECAC Championships conclude the 2012-2013 season for the Bison. With many swimmers returning next year for both teams, the Orange and the Blue will look to build on their strength and come out even stronger during the 2013-2014 season.

Categories
Lacrosse Sports Women

Women’s lax falls twice

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

The women’s lacrosse team traveled to Fairfax, Va. and Washington D.C. last weekend to face the George Mason Patriots and the George Washington Colonials. Despite two close  matches, the Bison came away empty handed with a 12-8 loss to George Mason and an 11-9 loss to George Washington.

Plagued by slow starts in previous matches, the opening half against George Mason on March 1 was little different for the Bison as they fell behind 10-3. The Bison did manage to regroup in the second half, outscoring George Mason 5-2 and preventing the Patriots from scoring during the match’s final 23 minutes, but it was too little too late for the Orange and the Blue.

Emily Kookogey ’15 and Katelyn Miller ’14 led the offense with two goals each, while Madison Hurwitz ’13, Sam Rickels ’16, Sophie Kleinert ’14 and Ryan Wenk ’13 also scored one goal apiece. Adrienne Wendling ’13 played a big role on defense, with six draw controls, while goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 recorded four saves.

The Bison looked to rebound against George Washington on March 3. They took an early 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Miller and Hurwitz and responded to three straight Colonial goals with three of their own (two from Wenk and one from Kookogey). Unfortunately, the Bison were unable to sustain their offensive success in the second half, when the Colonials went on a 6-1 run to take a commanding 11-6 lead. Miller had three more goals in the final minutes to lessen the deficit, but it was not enough for the Orange and the Blue as they fell to 0-5 for the season.

In addition to Miller’s hat trick, Kleinert also put points on the board for the Bison with a single goal in the second half. Wendling caused four turnovers, while Kerri Althouse ’14 led the team with four ground balls. O’Neill finished the match with 11 saves.

The women’s lacrosse team is still looking for its first win as they open Patriot League play tomorrow at Colgate. The Orange and the Blue also play Presbyterian in South Carolina on March 12 and will be hosting Navy on March 16 at 1 p.m.