Author: Alex Wagner

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Cross Country Sports Women

Women’s XC finishes strong at Colgate

Katherine Harris

Writer

The women’s cross country team performed strongly at the Patriot League Championships last weekend, falling only to Navy to place second on the day. Individual Bison also shone, as three were named to All-Patriot League teams for their performances.

“We were proud of our performance this weekend. Navy ran a very strong race, and we respect them for that, though it is certainly disappointing not to come out on top,” Caroline Tolli ’13 said.

The Orange and Blue traveled to Colgate University on Oct. 27 to compete with the top teams in their league for the conference title. Though the team has been struggling with some injuries this season, the Bison started out aggressively in the race. The day ended with the women pulling in the runner-up title, once again falling to Navy as they did last year.

Many individuals held strong and placed amongst the top runners in the league. Leading the way for the Bison was Tolli, who has been a consistent presence at the top of the leaderboard for the team all season. With an impressive time of 22:56.0, she finished seventh in the field and earned a spot on the First Team All-Patriot League team.

Two other Bison were also honored with All-Patriot League team selections, as Deanna Godby ’16 and Katie Jessee ’15 were named to the Second Team for their strong performances. Both team members followed close behind Tolli in the race, with Godby earning 10th place with her time of 23:14.9 and Jessee bringing in 13th for the Orange and Blue with a time of 23:28.0.

“I was most impressed with the strong performance of the younger members of our team. Three of our scoring five finishers were freshmen and one was a sophomore,” Tolli said. “That’s exciting. This is a young team and they already know how to race tough in high-pressure situations.”

Alison Billas ’16 and Meghan Carroll ’16 rounded out the top five for the Bison, contributing to an overall team score of 68. Billas posted a time of 23:36.5 for 16th place on the six-kilometer course, while Carroll finished in 22nd place with a time of 23:49.4.

The Orange and Blue will now have a week off to prepare before gearing up for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships. The team will travel to Penn State on Nov. 9 to compete against the top runners in the region.

Categories
Cross Country Men Sports

Men’s XC falls short of hopes

Billy Tyler

Contributing Writer

The men’s cross country team went into the Patriot League Championships in Hamilton, N.Y. with high expectations after a good week of training prior to the event. Unfortunately, the team was unable to perform up to its expectations, finishing fifth out of eight teams for a second consecutive season.

The Bison were led at the meet by John Dugan ’15 who finished the eight-kilometer course with a time of 25:39.4, placing him in third overall and first of the non-seniors in the field. It also earned Dugan First Team All-Patriot League honors. He earned the same last year with a 13th place finish at the league meet, making him the first member of the Orange and the Blue since 2007 to earn All-League honors in back-to-back seasons.

“[Dugan’s] third place finish is the highest since 2006 when Matt Forys ’07 finished third and qualified for nationals two weeks later,” head coach Kevin Donner said.

Dugan was not the only Bison contributing to the team’s effort on Oct. 27. Robert Yamnicky ’13 also provided a strong performance, finishing the race in 21st place with a time of 26:18.3. Yamnicky improved tremendously from his performance last year at league championships where he finished in 73rd place.

“Yamnicky ran very well at the PLC and has had some great training, and I know he will have a strong race at regionals as well,” Dugan said.

Other runners who scored for the Bison include: Charles Seigneur ’13 (34th place), Michael McGowan ’15 (35th) and Andrew Garcia-Garrison ’15 (37th). Some of the disappointment for the Bison was the result of injuries to several key members of the team.

“We had three major injuries to three key people two weeks ago and this really affected our front pack,” Donner said.

The Orange and the Blue will now attempt to put this event behind them as they prepare for their final race of the season, the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships on Nov. 9.

“We are certainly disappointed with the result,” Dugan said. “However, it is something that we are moving on from and we are looking towards the NCAA Regional Championships at Penn State in two weeks.”

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Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Morgan Mientus ’14

 

The Bucknellian Archives

Alex Wagner

Sports Editor

 

Player Profile

 

Morgan Mientus ’14

Hometown: Chicago, Ill.

Major: Anthropology and Economics

 

Season statistics:

88 sets played

319 digs, 3.63 digs per set

59 kills, 0.67 per set

16 assists

10 blocks

 

Morgan Mientus ’14 played a vital role in the volleyball team’s revival last weekend.  Previously winless in Patriot League play, Mientus led the Orange and Blue to five set wins over Lehigh and Lafayette. She tallied 20 kills and 28 digs over the course of the two matches.

“I felt empowered and confident, which is all thanks to the girls around me on the court who constantly have my back,” Mientus said. “I have seen the girls on Lehigh and Lafayette for the past two years and once this year, so I definitely made some personal adjustments.”

Mientus’ 17 digs and 12 kills against Lafayette were particularly crucial, as they helped to lead the squad out of a two set deficit to get the win. Other Bison with double-doubles were Kristen Titley ’14, Kat Tauscher ’13 and Meghan Wentzel ’16.

“We came out fighting against Lehigh and that was a huge win for us because they are a strong presence in the Patriot League. The Lafayette win was a slow start, but once we lost the first two sets we went in our locker room and really refocused,” Mientus said.

The crucial league wins mark the first back-to-back victories for the Bison since Sept. 15.

“Overall, our team has just spent countless hours in the gym and finally it is all paying off and we are peaking at exactly the right moment to take over the Patriot League,” Mientus said.

Categories
Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: Call it a crisis of leadership

Julian Dorey
Writer

For 17 years, Ray Lewis has been the face of NFL toughness and the face of his team, the Baltimore Ravens.

For now, that face won’t be taking the field.

In the Ravens’ week six game against the Dallas Cowboys, Lewis suffered a brutal triceps injury and was subsequently declared out for the season. While Lewis did confide in teammates that he would assuredly return for a potential postseason run, the Ravens must assume that the road to a Super Bowl will have to be traveled without their leader.

Seeing Lewis go down made me sad. This is a man who has defied reality by playing at the very highest level, at one of the most physical positions (linebacker), for an unheard-of period of time. This is a man who faced torturous adversity (when he was accused of a murder he did not commit in 2000) and handled it with utmost class. This is a man whose enthusiasm, energy and will to win have inspired millions for almost two decades.

Yet with one awkward landing, it could all be over.

Lewis already thought about retiring after last season. Now, after showing some signs of age and enduring a horrendous injury, the Ravens players, organization and fans are all facing the sad possibility that number 52 has played his last snap.

Unfortunately for the Ravens, the show must go on. Lewis can no longer be with them on the field and other leaders will need to step up. The 43-13 drubbing the team took from the Houston Texans last weekend certainly did not get the post-Lewis season off to a good start.

We all watched the New York Yankees crumble just a couple weeks ago when Derek Jeter went down with a broken ankle. Understandably, it’s very difficult to move on from a loss of that magnitude and focus on winning games immediately. Unlike the Yankees (who were in the middle of a playoff run when Jeter got injured), the Ravens have a solid record (5-2) to use as a “cushion.”

If anyone could return from a torn triceps injury in less than three months, it’s Lewis. Realistically speaking, it is an injury that requires a minimum of four months recovery. Despite Lewis’ claim that he will return for the postseason in January, chances are he won’t.

The underachieving Ravens defense must find a way to carry on and up their game behind great players like Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata. More importantly, someone on the defense needs to step up and assert himself as the “replacement” leader.

Championship teams respond head-on and positively to adversity. Losing the most valuable player on the team has created the biggest problem the Ravens have ever had. Their roster is deep, though, and the next nine games represent a chance for the Ravens to show just how good and resilient they are.

There comes a point where the great rise and the weak fall. The Ravens may not be far from that point. They might be missing their greatest asset, but their ultimate goal remains unchanged.

If they are truly capable of winning a Super Bowl, their greatness will reveal itself soon enough.

Categories
Golf Men Sports

Edelman leads men’s golf at Lehigh

Lauren Boone

Contributing Writer

The men’s golf team wrapped up its fall season over the weekend on a high note, finishing in fifth at the Lehigh Invitational due to exceptional play from Luke Edelman ’16.

Edelman shined for the Bison at the Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa. when he posted scores of 72 and 74 in two rounds, resulting in a tie for third in the individual standings. This was the second time this season that he finished in the top three.

“I had a successful tournament, finishing tied for third individually. In fact, I was actually in the lead with six holes to go. However, I did not close the deal, which I am disappointed in,” Edelman said. “[But] it was still my second top-three finish in five events. Nonetheless, I will take it as a learning opportunity.”

Other Bison with strong performances were Dan Bernard ’13 in a tie for 21st (155), Zach Pogust ’15 in a tie for 26th (158), J.J. Szmadzinski ’13 in 29th (159) and Schuyler Stitzer ’14 in a tie for 32nd (161).

The Orange and Blue posted a team score of 308 in the first round, with a 36-hole total score of 617, placing them in fifth out of eight teams at the end of competition. Villanova finished in first place, with a cumulative score of 580. Individually, Villanova’s Michael Kania took first, beating his teammate Steve Skurla by one stroke. Edelman tied for third along with Cory Siegfried of Villanova and Doug Walters of Rutgers.

“I’m very excited about the spring championship season,” Edelman said. “I think that with our talent, if we put in the practice time we have the potential to be quite successful and that is the best part of it all.”

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer suffers loss

 

Conor Pierson | The Bucknellian
Joe Meyer ’14 passes the ball downfield. A very late goal against the Bison gave them a loss and moved them one spot out of playoff contention.

Chris McCree
Sports Editor

The men’s soccer team fell to Army 2-1 last weekend at home, dropping the team to 1-2-2 in league play and one spot out of the playoffs. The loss came as a result of a late goal with 13 seconds remaining on the clock, after a game-tying goal by Collin Costello ’13 less than a minute before.

“The result is obviously disappointing and puts us in a tough situation in the Patriot League with only two league games left,” Costello said. “The game of soccer is sometimes cruel, and the team that dominates most of the game does not always come out of the game with a win.”

The Bison fell behind early and were forced to ramp up their offensive pressure for the remainder of the game. This sense of urgency became more apparent in the second half, when the Bison outshot the Black Knights 14-4, stringing together a series of close attempts. With 56 seconds remaining, Costello finally found the back of the net for the Orange and Blue, knotting the game at one apiece.

“The one thing we have learned this year is that our team comes out to play in the second half of games,” Costello said. “This was again clear in the Army game where we outshot Army in the second half. If we can match that type of intensity and effort in the first half of games, I believe we can beat anyone we match up against.”

Looking as if the game was headed into overtime, the Black Knights put together one last push resulting in the game-winning goal. For the Bison, the loss is particularly tough to take because they outplayed their opponents for the vast majority of the game. Ending the game with 19 shots to Army’s nine, the Bison controlled the ball well, but couldn’t capitalize on key chances throughout the contest.

Although they hold just one league win, the Bison are still very much in the playoff hunt. One point away from fourth place, the Orange and Blue have two more chances to earn valuable points against Colgate and Lafayette.

“While a loss never feels good, we are still confident as a team that we have the ability and desire to win our last two Patriot League games and make it into the playoffs,” Costello said. “As a team, we have still not put together a full 90 minute effort. If we make sure we take care of the details, are confident in our abilities and finish our chances, we will be successful versus Colgate this weekend.”

The Orange and Blue did get a boost of momentum on Tuesday by taking down NJIT 1-0. Patrick Figgie ’16 recorded the lone goal for the Bison in the 23rd minute, but it proved to be enough due to a strong effort by the defensive unit. Goalie Mike Lansing ’16 made five saves and recorded his fourth shutout of the year.

Standing at 6-6-4 on the season, the team enters a pivotal stretch in their season. Their push for a playoff berth begins this weekend when they host Colgate tomorrow at 4 p.m.

Categories
Football Men Sports

Football comeback falls short at Lehigh

 

Chloe Chou | The Bucknellian
Bison defenders wait for the snap. Although they kept the score close for much of the game, the Orange and Blue were unable to keep Lehigh from pulling away in the fourth quarter.

Eric Brod
Senior Writer

On Oct. 20, the Bison fell 42-19 to Patriot League rival No. 7 Lehigh, who improved to 8-0 on the season. Despite having three punts and an extra-point blocked in the first half, the Bison found themselves only down 21-19 in the third quarter, but the Mountain Hawks ended up scoring the final 21 points of the game. Jeremiah Young ’13 was the catalyst for the offense on the day, rushing 23 times for 100 yards and three touchdowns.

Lehigh opened up the scoring in the first quarter, when Bison punter Ryan Gutowski ’13 had his punt blocked by Laquan Lambert, who proceeded to return the punt 60 yards for the opening score. The Bison responded with their own touchdown drive that spanned 69 yards in seven plays and was capped by Young’s first rushing score of the day. The big play on the drive came on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 to receiver Josh Brake ’15. Lehigh blocked the extra point, leaving Orange and Blue down 7-6.

The Mountain Hawks extended their lead to 14-6 in the second quarter when Lehigh quarterback Michael Colvin threw his first touchdown pass of the game. On the Bison’s ensuing possession, Lehigh had its second blocked punt of the game, giving the Mountain Hawks the ball at the Bison 15-yard line. Lehigh was able to capitalize, giving them a 21-6 halftime lead.

“We had an issue on the initial extra point where the kick was low and there was penetration in the middle of our offensive line; the block was a combination of both factors,” head coach Joe Susan said. “The first blocked punt was a breakdown in protection and the angle that we were trying to kick the ball in an attempt to pin our opponent. The next two wound up being timing issues in our operation time which we fixed at half time.”

Despite the turnover plagued first-half, the Bison came out strong after halftime by scoring on consecutive drives to close the deficit to 21-19 thanks to Young’s second and third rushing touchdowns of the game. The second touchdown drive was set up with an interception by safety Matthew Steinbeck ’15.

“On the interceptions, I remembered watching film on [Colvin] during the week and knew what types of throws he made,” Steinbeck said. “The two picks I just read him and knew his tendencies which put me in the right place at the right time.”

This one gave the Orange and Blue the ball at midfield, and a pair of Wesley passes to Young and receiver Victor Walker ’14 helped the Bison pull within two points. Unfortunately, the Mountain Hawks proved why they are one of the top ten teams in the country by scoring the game’s final 21 points while holding the Bison to 31 yards of offense the rest of the game.

Wesley had another solid day guiding the offense, going 12-22 passing for 164 yards, including 5-5 for 108 yards on the three touchdown drives. He unfortunately was sacked five times in the contest. Despite the loss, the Bison played a solid game defensively, led by co-captain Beau Traber ’13 and his ten tackles.

The Bison were undone on their third down conversions, converting on just one of 13 opportunities, while Lehigh connected on six of 13 conversions.

The Bison open up a two game home stand when they take on Colgate for the annual Homecoming Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. tomorrow at Christy-Mathewson Memorial Stadium.

“We play with the advantage of a homecoming crowd. Keeping the crowd in the game will be a critical factor through the game,” Susan said. “In order to do this we must do a great job of defending the run. We have to find a way to take an early lead.”

Steinbeck believes the team can use its never-say-die attitude in the Colgate game.

“The hustle and effort we gave on every play will carry over into the Colgate game. Also I like to think we never give up. We keep playing to the last whistle,” Steinbeck said.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Field hockey makes playoffs

Andrew Arnao

Senior Writer

The Bison field hockey team clinched a spot in the Patriot League Tournament on Oct. 20 with a 6-2 win over visiting Lehigh. On Oct. 23, the Orange and the Blue fell to No. 5 Penn State, giving them a 9-8 record overall and a 3-1 record in Patriot League play.

“Given the fact that we lost to Lehigh 1-0 last year, this was a huge game for us,” said defender Tayler Siegrist ’13. “[Especially since it means] making our fifth consecutive appearance in the Patriot League Tournament.”

Siegrist and midfielder Kelly Stefanowicz ’13 were honored before the game for Senior Day, and each contributed to the final score. Stefanowicz scored early in the game to put the Bison up 1-0, and the Orange and the Blue went on to score four more unanswered goals, including an impressive hat trick for midfielder Amie Pritchard ’15. Forwards Leigh Hillman ’14 and Hope Obernesser ’15 also scored a goal apiece, and Siegrist added an assist in the eventual 6-2 victory.

Against Penn State the defense did its best to hold back a strong offense. Goalie Erica Perrine ’14 led the Bison effort with 12 saves, her second-highest single game total of the season. She now has 181 career saves, putting her in tenth on the Bison’s all-time list. Siegrist and defenders Cassie Goggin ’14 and Liz Wills ’15 all recorded defensive saves. Unfortunately, they were unable to keep out two late goals from Penn State, the first coming with just under 13 minutes left to play. The Bison were outshot 29-2, as they failed to produce a strong offensive effort.

The Bison will head to Washington D.C. tomorrow to face American and determine the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League bracket. The two teams are already guaranteed to meet each other again in the semifinals next week, with the No. 2 seed hosting.

Categories
Men Sports Swimming & Diving Swimming & Diving Women

Men’s and women’s swimming exhibit strength at UConn

Cooper Mead
Writer

The men’s swimming and diving team traveled to Connecticut to face UConn and Fordham with high hopes of beating UConn in only their second meeting of all time and continuing their strong record against Fordham (8-4 all-time). Mike Nicholson ’14 and Ben Seketa ’15 led the Bison in their first meet of the season, as Nicholson was the only two event winner. He won the 200-yard butterfly by 2.47 seconds and the 200 individual medley by 1.92 seconds. Seketa finished first in the 200 breast stroke, was runner-up in the 100 breast stroke and finished fourth in the 200 individual medley.

The Bison also recorded second-place finishes in the 200 medley relay and 400 free relays. Cameron James ’16 and Trevor Reitz ’14 finished second in the 200 free and 100 free, respectively. These performances were enough to propel the Bison to a 179-120 win over Fordham, but fell short of UConn, losing 175-125.

Jon Jones ’15 was the top diver for the Bison off of the one-meter board, tallying a score of 220.20, six points below his career high. This placed him third overall.

“We had a lot of people step up–especially late in the meet–that helped drive us past Fordham and closer to UConn. Losing to UConn was tough, but it will help us grow into the team we need to be to succeed later in the season,” Reitz said.

The women’s swimming and diving team also traveled to UConn as Emma Levendoski ’16 led the team and posted a new program top-10 mark in the 100-yard backstroke. Lauren Perry ’15 and Elizabeth Porcellio ’13 also tallied victories for the Bison in the 200 free and 200 individual medley, respectively. Despite such efforts, the Bison were defeated by UConn 186.5-113.5, and Fordham by a margin of 173.5-126.5.

Levendoski also finished second in the 200 backstroke with a time of 58.24, placing her  at eighth in program history. Her time puts her as the second active Bison swimmer on the list along with Jennifer Brennan ’14.

Perry also had a strong performance, placing third in the 50 free and fourth in the 100 free. She was a member of the 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay, which placed third. Similarly, Porcellio also placed third in the 100 fly and came in sixth place in the 200 free.

Tori Molchany ’15 and Tara Boyle ’15 were the Orange and Blue’s best divers for the day, coming in third off of the one-meter board and fourth off of the three-meter board, respectively.

“I was pleased with our overall performance at the meet,” head coach Dan Schinnerer said [Bucknell Women’s Swimming and Diving Outscored by UConn and Fordham, bucknellbison.com, Oct. 20, 2012].  “Our main emphasis at this point in the season is to see improvement from meet-to-meet and we saw a lot of progress today compared to where we were against UMBC a few weeks ago. That said, we have to make a significant improvement to get to where we ultimately want to be as a team.”

Both the women’s and the men’s squads will have one week off before they travel to Easton, Pa. to compete against American, Lafayette and Navy on Nov. 3.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis winless at ITA

Billy Tyler
Contributing Writer

The men’s tennis team wrapped up its fall season last weekend at the ITA Regionals in Charlottesville, Va. at the University of Virginia. The Bison played well, but were winless in their three matches against some of the best competition in the nation.

In the Orange and Blue’s first singles match of the day, Kelly Morque ’13 was matched up against Aaron Chaffee of William & Mary. The match was hard fought in the first set and seemed as if it could go either way. Unfortunately, Morque eventually fell to his opponent in two sets 7-6, 6-3. Evan Zimmer ’13 suffered a similar fate in his singles event against Jimmy Davis of George Mason. After a close first set, Zimmer was unable to hang on and was defeated in two sets by the score of 7-6, 6-2.

“[We] were very competitive in all our matches [and the tough competition in the tournament] helps prepare for the spring season because when you play the best, it only gets easier from there,” assistant head coach Craig Schwartz said.

The singles matches were followed by a doubles match that pitted Zimmer and Josh Katten ’13 against Ryan Shane and Jonathan Cornish of Virginia. The Bison were unable to get anything going off the serve and were eventually defeated by a score of 8-1.

“While we were not able to leave victorious, we were able to measure our skills against some of the top players in the nation,” Katten said.

The team will now head indoors for its indoor training and conditioning. The next match for the Bison will be the spring home opener against St. Francis (Pa.) on Feb. 2. The team’s performance in the fall season has left both the players and the coaches happy with the team’s current position and looking forward to the spring season. Going into his final season as a member of the Bison men’s tennis team, Katten is setting high expectations for the spring.

“I hope as a team that we can put our full efforts together and accomplish what we all want so badly: a Patriot League Championship,” Katten said.