Author: Andrew Arnao

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Lacrosse Sports Women

Women’s lacrosse falls to JHU

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

The Bison women’s lacrosse team traveled to Baltimore on Feb. 23 to face off against the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, its third nationally ranked opponent in a row. The Bison fell to the Blue Jays by a final score of 19-4 and have now suffered three tough losses to start off their season.

“Although the score in Hopkins did not reflect it, I think that our team has made a ton of progress since our first game,” Ryan Wenk ’13 said. “Since our first three opponents were ranked in the top 20 nationally, it has been challenging to run our plays effectively and get good shots off, but with each game we were able to hold on to possession for much longer than in the previous game and play more confidently against the high pressure defenses that we were up against.”

The Blue Jays greeted the Orange and Blue with furious offensive assault to start off the game and shot their way to an 8-0 lead in the first 20 minutes. The Bison managed to get on the board with 9:20 left in the first half on a goal by Emily Becker ’16 and later added another goal on a free position shot by Emily Kookogey ’15, but the Orange and the Blue still faced a 10-point deficit as they headed into halftime down 12-2.

The second half was not much kinder to the Bison, though the defense managed to contain the Blue Jays to only seven goals. Wenk and Madison Hurwitz ’13 added individual goals to close out the scoring for the Orange and Blue. Despite finishing with 12 draw controls, only one less than Johns Hopkins, the Bison were plagued by turnovers, losing the ball 28 times compared to only 19 times for the Blue Jays.

Going forward, Wenk believes that there is reason for the team to be optimistic.

“Our goalie [Caroline O’Neill ’15] has really been holding her own against some of the best teams in the country. Our defense has really come together as well,” Wenk said. “This week in practice we have focused a ton on our offensive plays and moving the ball quickly.”

Hurtwitz also believes the team will soon find success. “I am extremely confident in my teammates and believe wholeheartedly that we will get our first W on the road this weekend in DC,” Hurwitz said. “We are better than we have been in four years as everyone is stepping up, contributing greatly, and playing with passion and heart everyday.”

The Bison will look to apply what they have learned as they continue their road stretch against George Mason and George Washington this weekend.

Categories
Lacrosse Men Sports

Men’s lacrosse defeats Bryant in home opener

Reed Dempsey

Writer

The Bison hosted the Bryant University Bulldogs on Feb. 23 for the 2013 home opener, defeating them 10-8. Strong performances from the defense and face-off men, in addition to a four-point day for Chase Bailey ’13, helped propel the Orange and Blue to their second win of the season.

The visiting Bulldogs opened the day’s scoring, finding the back of the net just a minute-and-a-half into the contest. The Bison responded with a goal from Tom Black ’14 off of a pass from Bailey. Three minutes later, Bailey added his first goal to give the team a 2-1 lead. As the teams jostled for position, Bryant had a response to each of the Bison tallies. The Bulldogs tied the game up at four with 10:12 remaining in the first half.

During the remaining time, the Bison found the back of the net on four occasions. After the first two goals came from all-even play, the Orange and Blue took advantage of a 30-second shot-clock situation when David Dickson ’15 found Bailey for his third goal of the game. Following the tally, the Bulldogs were charged with an unnecessary roughness penalty, giving the Bison another man-up opportunity. Dickson then assisted on a another goal, this time to Todd Heritage ’14, extending the lead to 8-4.

“The offense was possessing the ball so well; we were able to have energy on our side of the field to be focused and fly around to make plays,” defender Jackson Place ’14 said.

Coming out for the second half, the Bison looked to maintain long possessions on offense to keep the defense fresh and run out the clock. Four penalties on the Bulldogs during the third quarter gave the Orange and Blue the opportunity they needed to achieve these goals.

“Our man up was really trying to kill the clock in the third quarter, something Coach Fed[orjaka] likes to do when we have a comfortable lead,” Bailey said.

After the teams traded goals around the five-minute mark, the Bulldogs found the back of the net twice to close out the third quarter and cut the Bison lead to two.

“Almost every game we’ve been a part of in the last three years has been a one goal game…[we] knew we had to keep our composure while still executing the game plan like we had been all day,” Place said.

Black would add another goal in the fourth quarter to reinstate the Orange and Blue lead to three. While the Bulldogs added a tally with 1:29 left, the Bison defense then locked down as goalie Kyle Feeney ’13 stopped three consecutive shots to close out the contest.

The Bison open Patriot League play at home against Navy on Saturday at 1 p.m.

“We are preparing for a very physical battle on Saturday. Any time you play one of the Academies, you have to be able to be prepared for high contact and be ready to play a full 60 minutes. We have to match their intensity and physical play,” head coach Frank Fedorjaka said.

Categories
Baseball Men Sports

Baseball drops series to Duke

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The men’s baseball team put up a strong effort as it faced off against Duke last weekend for a three-game series, improving each game even though they did not come out with a victory.

“As a whole, we are obviously disappointed with the losses, yet there are many positives to take away. We were a few plays away from winning games two and three, and against a quality team like Duke, that is somewhat respectable,” pitcher Dan Weigel ’14 said.

The Bison had a rough start to the weekend on Feb. 22 when they faced off against the Blue Devils, ending the game with a 9-0 loss. The only two hits on the day for the Orange and Blue came from Matt Busch ’13 and Luke Lombardi ’14. Bryson Hough ’15 started on the mound and allowed only three hits in over five innings, but his five walks dug a hole the Bison could not overcome.

The Orange and Blue came back strong, pushing Duke before losing 2-0 on a walk-off home run on Feb. 23. Weigel led the Bison on the day, tallying five strikeouts and allowing just two hits and no runs in over eight innings. The team continued to struggle on offense, with second baseman Greg Wasikowski ’15 recording the only hit for the Bison on the day.

The Orange and Blue bounced back on offense on Feb. 24, recording six hits and getting on the board in the 4-1 loss. Center fielder Corey Furman ’14 led the way with two singles on the day, while pitcher Dan Goldstein ’13 had an impressive performance on the mound, recording eight strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

“As we move towards next weekend against Harvard and Virginia we are not looking for mere respectability but rather to win the series,” Weigel said. “We proved this weekend that we can play with ACC schools, now we just need to keep getting better to be able to make that next step of beating them.”

This weekend, the Bison will travel to Charlottesville, Va. to play two games against Virginia and two versus Harvard.

Categories
Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis falls to Hofstra

Billy Tyler

Assistant Sports Editor

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.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis finishes weekend with 1-1 series split

Emily Evancho

Writer

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.

Categories
Softball Sports Women

Softball finishes difficult weekend

Lauren Boone

Staff Writer

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.

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

Men’s basketball wins third straight regular-season PL title

 

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.
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.

Categories
Basketball Sports Women

Women’s basketball toppled by Holy Cross, American

Ajan Caneda

Senior Writer

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. 

Categories
Men Sports Wrestling

Wrestling defeated by Lehigh

 

Estie Pyper | The Bucknellian Stephen McPeek '14 grapples with an opponent. The Wrestling team only won two matches against Lehigh.
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.

 

Categories
Men Sports Track & Field Track & Field Women

Women’s track wins PL Tournament

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian Chrissy Haney '16 embraces a teammate. Her contributions helped the women's track & field team win the Patriot League Tournament.
Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
Chrissy Haney ’16 embraces a teammate. Her contributions helped the women’s track & field team win the Patriot League Tournament.

Billy Tyler

Assistant Sports Editor

Both the men’s and women’s track teams capped off successful regular seasons with great performances at the Patriot League Championships this past weekend.

The women’s track team won their 15th Patriot League Championship in program history. The Bison entered the final day of the three-day competition with only a 1.67 point advantage over second place Lehigh. As other teams faded after multiple days of grueling events, the Bison continued to perform at a high level.

Behind gold medal performances from Sophia Nnadi ’16, Caroline Tolli ’13, Jennifer Zymet ’14 and Alexandra Romanelli ’13, the Bison surged ahead to win with a final score of 162 points, 52 ahead of second place Navy.

The men’s track team also found great success at the Patriot League Championships, finishing in second place, only 23 points behind winner Navy. The 182 points scored by the Bison would have been good enough to win two of the past three championship meets, but unfortunately Navy had too many strong performances in the end.

Fourteen members of the team earned All-Leagues Honors, including Alex Prieto ’14, Kevin Keller ’15, Justin Hicks ’13 and Kevin Tapper ’15 who all earned recognition in multiple events.

The final indoor event of the season for the Bison will be on March 1-3 at the IC4A/ECAC Championships in Boston.