Author: Cooper Sutton

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Women’s basketball wins one, loses one

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

The women’s basketball team defeated Colgate at home Saturday 79-64 but fell to Lehigh 72-39 on the road Wednesday.

Cosima Higham ’11 answered the bell on Senior Night for the Bison as she netted one of the most impressive games of her career. Leading all scorers with 22 points as well as pulling down six rebounds and dishing out five assists, she shot well over 80 percent for the game.

The Orange and Blue never allowed Colgate to get into the mix as they used their ability to score on second chance points all night. The Bison utilized a 14-6 run to build a 12-point halftime lead as the Colgate offense was anemic during many points of the game.

Coming out of the locker-room, the Bison held their lead steady until a 7-0 run just a few minutes into the second half put the game away.

“I think one of the many things that has helped us play so well this late in the season is that as a team we’re really starting to exploit how we can use our different strengths to score in a lot of different ways on offense,” Higham said.

Joining Higham in double figures was Shelby Romine ’14 with 17 points and Rachel Voss ’13 with 10 points.

In the Lehigh game, both the Mountain Hawks and Bison got off to slow starts on the offensive side of the ball as the Bison actually held a 14-13 lead with just under 11 minutes to play in the first half. At this point Lehigh continued its full-court press, causing the Bison to score only four more points in the half. By the time the buzzer sounded to end the first the Bison stared down the wrong end of a 34-18 score.

The story was much the same as the Mountain Hawks continued to pound the ball inside as the Bison committed multiple turnovers. With a 15-4 run in the second half, the team from Bethlehem, Pa. put the game out of reach for the Orange and Blue.

No member of the team was able to reach double digits in scoring. Taylor Phillips ’11 had the high mark for the team with eight.

“We are still learning, I think that’s an important lesson,” Higham said. “We need to work on making sure that we stay together as a team.”

The Orange and Blue will play one final game before they begin Patriot League play as they take on Army at West Point. This game has serious implications for the seeding of the Patriot League Tournament so the Bison will fight hard to secure a quarterfinal home game during the Tournament.

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Women’s lacrosse team dominates Howard

By Andrew Arnao

Contributing Writer

The women’s lacrosse team scoring a school-record 24 goals en route to a 24-5 victory over Howard on Saturday.

The Bison quickly got out to a 4-0 lead, which eventually led to a 10-4 halftime score. They then scored 14 unanswered points to make it 24-4 before Howard got another shot on goal with 16 seconds remaining.

Julia Braun ’11 was the star of the game for the Bison, scoring a career-high six goals and adding an assist for a total of seven points during the game. Ali Carey ’14, who scored five goals in her electric collegiate debut last week, scored four goals and added an assist, despite not playing most of the second half.

“The Howard game was definitely a good boost for our team after the loss against St. Bonaventure,” Carey said. “We really focused on the things we worked on in practice all last week and did a great job at executing them.”

Other top scorers for the Bison were Madison Hurwitz ’13 with four goals, Katelyn Miller ’14 and Lindsey Ferro ’14 with three, and Molly Ford ’14 with two. Ford also led the team with five assists.

Alyssa DeLorenz ’11 allowed four goals and made four saves in the first half. Howard managed only one shot on goal throughout the entire second half, allowing Emily Fask ’14 to replace DeLorenz for the last 7:30 of the game.

“We played a complete game against Howard,” said midfielder Sophie Kleinert ’14, who scored her first collegiate goal in the game. “Our defense played really well and our offense was explosive. I think this game shows what we are capable of.”

The Orange and Blue were dominant in all aspects of the game. They out-shot Howard 45 to 9 and won the draw control battle 20-11.

The Bison next play Sunday at home against Robert Morris.

“For Robert Morris, I think we just need to focus on playing both halves as well as we played in the second half of Howard and to come out strong instead of taking some time to adjust,” Carey said. “And obviously come out with a win.”

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Men’s lacrosse opens season strong

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The men’s lacrosse team dominated in its season opener, winning a 17-2 home victory over Canisisus. The Orange and Blue displayed their depth and versatility on offense and showed how impenetrable their defense can be.

Leading the offensive attack was Nick Gantsoudes ’12, who registered a career-high five goals. He recorded a hat trick at the 10-minute mark of the second quarter, helping the Bison break open the game with eight goals in the second quarter to take a 10-1 lead. In his collegiate debut, Todd Heritage ’14 scored three goals.

“I was able to get into the comfort zone from the very beginning of the game,” Heritage said. “My teammates helped calm my nerves, and as the game progressed it was just like any other lacrosse game.”

Jake Clarke ’11 was solid on faceoffs, winning nine of 14.

The defense, led by John Collett ’11, Alex Lyons ’11 and Jason Neithamer ’12 controlled the game by keeping play out of their territory and forcing five turnovers. Goalie Kyle Feeney ’13 was stellar in the net, making nine saves on 10 shots. He was aided by a fantastic defensive effort.

“I think the defense did a tremendous job forcing their shooters into tough spots and causing turnovers,” Feeney said. “It’s hard for an offense to get anything going when they only get 16 shots in a whole game. This game was definitely what we were looking for at the start of the season.”

The Bison face a tough task in their next contest when they face off against Villanova tomorrow at noon.

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Wrestling defeats Brown, 31-7

By Joe Ruby

Writer

The men’s wrestling team split its two EIWA matches this weekend, defeating Brown (2-13, 1-7) by a score of 31-7 before falling 25-14 to No. 8 American (14-7, 3-2). With the weekend’s results, the Bison finished the regular season with a record of 7-11 overall and 2-5 in the EIWA. Alex Pellicciotti ’14, No. 4 Kevin LeValley ’11 and Rob Waltko ’11 each won their two bouts over the weekend.

Against Brown on Saturday, the Bison got off to a good start with a 2-1 decision from Derek Reber ’13 and a pin in 2:31 by Pellicciotti. LeValley earned an 8-2 decision and Brantley Hooks ’11 and Corey Lear ’13 each scored major decisions to push the Bison’s lead to 20-4. Brown’s Jeff Lemmer closed the gap slightly with a 13-9 decision over Stephen McPeek ’14, but Waltko earned a 5-2 decision at 184 lbs and Jay Hahn ’11 and Joe McMullan ’13 finished the match with consecutive major decisions. The victory over the Bears gave the Bison a three-match winning streak.

It was a different story the following day against a very talented American line-up that featured five ranked wrestlers, including 157 lb. national No. 1 Steve Fittery. Highlights for the Bison included Pellicciotti following his pin with a 17-1 tech fall in just 2:31 and LeValley defeating No. 8 Ganbayar Sanjaa 9-6. With the victory, LeValley moved into second place all-time on the Bison’s career wins list and improved his record this season to 26-1, including a 7-1 mark against ranked opponents.

Back-to-back decisions by David Thompson ’11 and Waltko decreased the Eagles’ lead to 16-14, but American won the last two bouts, with No. 3 Ryan Flores earning a fall at heavyweight to finish the match. The match dropped the Bison’s record to 0-7 against ranked teams this year.

The Bison host the EIWA Championships all day March 5 and 6 in Sojka Pavillion.

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Water polo suffers rough losses over weekend

By Scott Padula

Contributing Writer

The women’s water polo team suffered a string of tough losses last weekend at the Maryland Invitational against George Washington, Wagner and the hosting team, the Terrapins. The losses set the team’s record to 4-3 for the season.

The Orange and Blue lost 10-8 against George Washington in their opener Saturday morning. The Colonials jumped out to a 6-4 lead by intermission and the Bison were unable to overcome the deficit despite mounting a furious comeback in the fourth quarter.

Despite the losing effort, several Bison recorded impressive numbers. Hallie Kennan ’12 netted four goals, while Haley Prickett ’11 set a new career high with five assists. The Bison also had strong performances in goal from Brittany Connell ’12 and Rena Heim ’14, who registered a combined 17 saves in 32 minutes of play.

In the Saturday nightcap, the Bison lost a nail-biter to Wagner, 13-12. The Orange and Blue held a late fourth quarter lead but could not stop the relentless Seahawk offense as Wagner found the back of the net six times in the final period.

Both Kandis Canonica ’11 and Julianne Valdes ’14 tallied three goals, while Kennan added two of her own. Canonica also dished out three assists in the losing effort. The Seahawk victory marked the first in school history against the Bison in 12 attempts.

“This weekend at Maryland was a real eye opener for a lot of our players. We have a game plan that requires every single player to be on the same page, if one person isn’t fully committed it won’t work.” Said Prickett. “Hopefully we can take these losses and use them as motivation as we prepare for the ECAC Championships this weekend.”

The Bison suffered another tough loss Sunday morning, this time 12-8 at the hands of Maryland. The Terrapins controlled the tempo as they took a 7-4 lead into the half. The Orange and Blue could not respond in the second half, falling as far as six goals behind and losing their first true road game of the season.

Eight different Bison registered points, including a pair of goals from Amanda Skonezney ’12 and Prickett as well as five assists from Canonica. Canonica’s five assists upped her career point total to 350. Canonica currently sits in third place on the University’s all-time scoring list; one behind Meagan Gins ’11 and eight behind record holder Aubrey Rowe ’11.

Said new head coach Paul Rave, “Like I told our women, though we are capable of being more dominant, sometimes it’s better to come away seeing how much potential still remains to be realized.”

The team will be back in action again this weekend when it hosts the ECAC Championship, with a first-round match against Iona Saturday at 12 p.m.

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Baseball drops first four

By Chris McCree

Writer

The baseball team began its season by losing all four of its games this past weekend at James Madison University. The Bison had a tough time with a very talented Dukes squad that produced a total of 91 runs over the four game stretch, including a 37-run outburst in the first game. Much of the Bison’s troubles stemmed from inconsistent play in the field and an inability to place their pitches where they needed to.

“Going into the weekend we were confident that we would compete with JMU on every level. They played very sound baseball most of the weekend, but we also gave them a few opportunities to score,” David Duffett ’12 said.

The Orange and Blue started out the four-game series by letting up 15 runs in the first inning and eventually losing 37-7. The Dukes racked up 10 home runs in the game, including three by catcher Jake Lowery. Despite the lopsided score, the Bison had a solid offensive game. The top two hitters in the lineup, Bob Donato ’12 and Gerry Runyan ’12, combined to go 5-for-9 with four RBIs on the day, and Scott Reed ’12 hit a home run.

The first game of Saturday’s doubleheader was the team’s best pitching performance as starter Trey Frahler ’11 worked the mound into the fifth inning. The game stayed tight to that point, but the team couldn’t seem put enough runs on the board as they fell 9-2.

As the series progressed, the Orange and Blue steadily improved and were able to put together good offensive performances. The team combined for 27 runs over the last two games after registering only nine in the first two.

“It was good to see our bats come alive in the last two games. The biggest thing we need to improve on is our defense and locating pitches better,” Reed said.

Sunday’s game proved to be the team’s best chance to win as the Bison went into the eighth inning down by only three. The Dukes then managed to plate eight runs in the eighth to close out the series with a 19-12 victory. Donato, Reed, and Douglas Shribman ’11 all drove in three runs, and Duffett recorded his second three-hit performance of the weekend.

“We need to improve in every aspect of the game,” Donato said. “The pitchers will need to focus on spotting the ball, hitters will need to have a better approach to at-bats, and defensively we will need to sharpen up, but this all comes will time. We know we can do it because we did it last year and captured the Patriot League Championship, and that’s what we’re going to do this year.”

After a week of practice, the Orange and Blue will head down to Richmond for a three-day series against the Spiders.

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Softball wins opening game of season

By Lindsay Regruto

Staff Writer

The women’s softball team started the Kickin’ Chicken Classic with a bang last weekend in Conway, S.C., shutting out James Madison in its first game. However, the Bison were unable to continue the momentum, dropping the remaining games to Coastal Carolina, Saint Joseph’s and James Madison in a second match-up.

The first game of the day on Friday saw the Bison defeat the Dukes of James Madison 4-0. Advancing into scoring position with the help of her teammates, Mallory Lyons ’14 was the first to score on a wild pitch in the second. Sam Rollandi ’11 tripled down the right line in the seventh to give the offense one last push. Elyse Colmenero ’11 and Lauren Fry ’11 walked to load the bases with all three runners scoring by the end of the inning.

The Orange and Blue defense remained strong the entire game led by Alex MacLean ’13, who allowed only two hits and struck out six. MacLean now totals 98 career strikeouts.

“Our first game against James Madison proved to be very exciting,” Alison Ford ’11 said. “We were able to push some key runs across the plate and were able to play solid defense behind a great pitching performance from Alex MacLean.”

Friday’s second game proved a bit harder for the Bison in a match-up against Coastal Carolina. With both teams displaying solid defense, the third inning ended with goose eggs across the board. The Chanticleers were the first to put runs on the board managing three in the top of the fourth with one more following in the sixth. Kathryn Wilkinson ’13 singled up the middle to end the no-hitter. Colmenero followed later with a double down the line for an R.B.I. The Orange and Blue were unable to rally and fell 4-1 at the end of the day.

Saturday opened with the Bison facing Saint Joseph’s, who came out strong, scoring two runs off the bat in the first and two more in the third and fourth. Dickinson singled up the middle in the second in an attempt to jump-start the offense, but the Bison were stopped until the fourth when Caryn Connors ’14 scored after coming in to pinch fun for Ford. With three up and three down in the sixth, the Orange and Blue were able to hold the Hawks at four until the seventh inning when Saint Joseph scored four more runs. The Bison made a comeback in the seventh with four runs of their own but were unable to close the gap, falling 8-5 to the Hawks.

Despite the loss, the Bison had success at the plate individually. Meredith Dickson ’12 had her second career multi-hit game going 2-3 with a run. Lyons went 2-2 at the plate with an R.B.I, and Fry, Alicia Wheeler ’12 and Ford all drove in runs.

“Although there are still things we need to work on, it is exciting to be playing as a senior with the talent and potential that this team has,” Ford said.

The Bison faced a second match-up with Coastal Carolina in their second game on Saturday. It proved to be anybody’s game with zeros across the board going into the top of the fourth until the Chanticleers managed two runs. The Bison held Coastal Carolina at bay with a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. Rollandi and Laura Sandford ’13 had back-to-back singles in the sixth to try and close the deficit, but the Orange and Blue couldn’t bring anyone home and fell 2-0 to the Chanticleers.

The Orange and Blue faced James Madison once again in the last game of the tournament. The Bison defense came out strong with MacLean setting down the first six batters. The Hawks were able to break past the Bison defense by putting a run on the board in the third. The Dukes managed a three-run lead going into the sixth.  The game ended with a 4-0 loss for the Bison.

“I think this weekend was a great learning experience for our team,” Colmenero said. “We know what we need to work on and we’ll continue to get more comfortable with each other on the field as the season goes on.”

The Bison will be back on the field this weekend in the Longwood University Tournament in Farmville, Va.

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Women’s track places second in meet

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

Sasha Hornock ’13 and Sarah Bella ’12 won gold medals to help the women’s track team place second at the Patriot League Indoor Championships last weekend in Annapolis, Md.. Navy prevented the Bison from defending their title from last season, scoring 157 points compared to the Bison’s 117.

Hornock won the 60-meter dash, earning the first gold medal of her career. Also on the track, Jennifer Zymet ’14 placed second in the 400 meters and third in the 200.

In throws, Bella placed first in the shot put with a throw of 44 feet, 3.25 inches. Teammate Rebecca Misko ’12 took silver in the shot put.

Hornock and Bella were named first-team all-league, while Zymet and Misko earned second-team honors.

“Our focus going into the meet was for every person to score. We can only take 32 people to the Patriot League championships, so every person and every point counts,” Hornock said.

Many more Bison stayed true to their focus and earned points for the team. In the 60-meter hurdles, Taylor Funk ’12  and Jamie Leacock ’11 placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Both set new career-best times, and Funk broke nine seconds for the first time in her career.

The Orange and Blue had success in the jumps as well. Rebecca Frey ’11 earned bronze in the pole vault, and teammate Emily Ando ’14 finished in fourth. Casey Krause ’11 and Alexandra Romanelli ’13 earned third and fourth in the triple jump, respectively. In the long jump, Krause placed ninth with a season-best jump.

In the last 13 years, the Bison have either placed first or second at this Championship meet. In years when the Bison have failed to come in first, the Midshipmen have won every time.

“I’m proud of the team. Although it’s disappointing getting second, we competed with heart and Bucknell had great performances overall,” Hornock said. She also commented that this meet is a motivating force for the outdoor season.

“I believe the team performed well, but we are definitely still hungry for more. I think the team will use the outcome of this meet as a motivator to go after the spring championship title,” Bella said.

After a two-week break the Orange and Blue will travel to Boston for the ECAC Championship meet on March 5-6.

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Sacks ’14 sets Bison first-year record

By Colin Fields

Contributing Writer

The men’s track team finished third in the team standings at the Patriot League Championships this past weekend in Annapolis, Md. Chris Sacks ’14 became the first first-year student in Bison history to win two events in his first championships, also claiming Rookie of the Meet honors. Andrew Powell ’12 also took first place in the heptathlon on Saturday, his second heptathlon victory of the year. Robert Arent ’12 also broke the school record in the 60-meter hurdles.

The Bison went into the final day in second, trailing Navy by seven and leading Army by 14. The Orange and Blue were the best of the non-academy schools, finishing with 151 points. The Bison finished well ahead of fourth-place finisher Lehigh, who totaled up a mere 46.5 points.

Sacks was victorious in the 4×800 relay with teammates Christopher Boyd ’11, Jordan Donaldson ’12 and Clayton Smith ’11. The team’s time of 7:34.15 was good enough for a close victory over Colgate. The time also set a record for the Wesley A. Brown Fieldhouse.

Sacks’ second victory was not as close. The first-year student blew away the competition in the 1,000 meter run by a full two seconds. Sacks’ performance this past weekend helped him pick up First Team All-Patriot League honors.

“Going into the championships, I was nervous because Patriot Leagues is the most important part of the season. However, at the same time I was confident due to a great deal of preparation that went into getting ready for the meet,” Sacks said.

Powell also had a big weekend for the Bison. Powell won the high jump, long jump and 60-meter hurdles on his way to heptathalon gold. His total of 4,967 points was enough for second place in the Bison record books. Powell picked up his third win in the heptathlon and his second win this season for the Bison.

“I am really looking forward to the championship meet as it really brings the team together. Instead of everyone chasing individual marks like during the season, the one goal everyone can unite under this weekend is to beat the other teams. I’m also hoping to break the school record in the hurdles,” Arent said.

Arent did not disappoint in the 60-meter hurdles. He joined teammate Marlon Woods ’11 in the finals of the event and ran 8.13 seconds in the prelims, which was just one-hundreth of a second shy of the school record. The next day Arent had a breakout performance and smashed his previous record by five hundredths with a time of 8.07, a new school record. Arent joined Sacks and five other teammates on the First Team All-Patriot League squad.

The Bison will be competing in the IC4A Championships in Boston, Mass. on March 5 and 6.

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Lady Bison finish meet in third place

By Mike Wolf

Writer

The women’s swimming team capped a great season this past weekend with an overall third-place finish in a tough Patriot League championships. The three-day championship meet took place in the Kinney Natatorium between Thursday and Saturday. This achievement marks the 11th straight year that the Bison have finished in the top three in the Patriot League.

The Bison had five separate top-five places over the course of the championships. Colgate finished first by over 100 points, winning its third Patriot League Championship in four years. Navy, the defending champion, took second place with a total score of 760. The Orange and Blue ended with a total score of 581.5 and held third place by a solid 250 points.

Emily Wright ’14 had a great showing over the course of the weekend and finished second in the 50 free and 100 free on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Wright’s 100 free time of 51.24 seconds was good enough to put her fourth all-time in the Bison record books.

Another first-year, Kelly Pontecorvo, helped the team by placing third in the 1,650 free with a time of 16:50.89. That time was the second-best time in program history and a personal best by four seconds.

The final event on Saturday was the 400-free relay in which Wright, Pontecorvo, Elizabeth Porcellio ’13 and Kaitlyn Utkewicz ’14 combined for a season best 3:27.75. They completed the meet on a positive note with a third place finish, also the third best time in Bison history. Porcellio also contributed with two fifth place finishes in the 200 breast stroke and 200 IM, and a sixth place finish in the 200 free.

The women’s swimming team’s season is finished but a few individuals have the opportunity to participate in the ECAC Championships this weekend, which will officially end the season.