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News

PL scholarship announcement

By Chris McCree

Sports Editor

After more than a year of discussion and debate, the Patriot League Council of Presidents formally announced its decision on Monday to alter the league’s existing athletic scholarship policy, allowing all league members to award athletic merit aid for football starting in the fall of 2013.

The move, which will apply to all current Patriot League members as well as football associate members (Fordham and Georgetown), grants each program the ability to award 15 scholarships each year, limiting the total amount of active scholarship players on the roster to 60 at any given time.

“The council has chosen to set this limit even though NCAA policies allow Football Championship Subdivision schools, such as those in the Patriot League, to award the equivalent of 63 full scholarships,” President John Bravman said in his latest press release.

By setting a lowered limit, the Council of Presidents hopes to maintain a balance between strong academics and athletics that many feared would be lost with the change.

“The League’s commitment to high academic standards will continue to be a hallmark of the League and we expect that our graduation rates for football and other sports will remain among the top in the country,” the Council said in response to questions about how the change will affect admission standards. “Patriot League institutions believe as strongly as ever that the academic and athletic values can be, and must be compatible.”

Although the league currently allows for use of athletic aid in each of its other 22 sponsored sports, a strict need-based aid program established in 1986 has prevented football programs from enjoying the same recruiting advantages. With the expanded aid policy, Patriot League programs will possess greater resources to attract and bring in more highly-touted recruits.

“The introduction of the Patriot League’s new financial aid model for football will strengthen Bucknell’s ability to compete for outstanding student-athletes while continuing to uphold the high academic standards of the League and our campus, said Athletic Director John Hardt. “In addition, the ability to offer merit aid should substantially increase the number of high quality prospective student-athletes that our football program can recruit.”

On top of to the recruiting benefits the programs will receive, the Patriot League will use the new policy to boost its image to outsiders in hopes of attracting other like-minded institutions.

“The League will now be able to direct its attention to potential membership growth,” Femovich said. “We anticipate that this change in policy will make the Patriot League a more attractive destination for potential expansion candidates for both football-only and all-sport members.”

With the policy not setting in place until 2013, it is unlikely that we will see many noticeable differences any time soon. That being said, the decision certainly has the potential to bring about some exciting changes to Patriot League football.

“As the policy is implemented and evolves, there may be increased flexibility with our scheduling of non-league opponents,” said Hardt. “Bucknell might see an old rival like Delaware or Villanova reappear on our schedule or a Richmond or a William & Mary.  As it evolves further, there could be the occasion where we play an FBS (Division-1 bowl subdivision) opponent like an Army, a Navy, or an even a team like Rutgers or Penn State.”

Categories
Basketball Sports Women

Bison Athlete of the Week: Shelby Romine ’14

By Chris McCree

Sports Editor

 

Player Profile:

Shelby Romine

Sophomore

Guard

Hometown: Centreville, Va.

Major: Undeclared

 

Season Statistics:

Games: 26

Minutes/game:  36.2

Point/game: 10

Rebounds/ game: 4.2

Assists/game: 3.1

 

After an 11-point effort during the first Patriot League women’s basketball game against Colgate last week, Shelby Romine ’14 netted a season-high 26 points at Lafayette on Saturday, carrying the Orange and Blue to their first two-game winning streak of the season. The sophomore guard shot an impressive 60 percent from the field, going three-for-four behind the three-point arc and 11-for-13 on free throws. Romine also dished out five assists and grabbed three rebounds for the Orange and Blue, while turning the ball over just one time during her 34 minutes of play.

Trailing by as much as 14 points in the contest and scoring just 21 points in the first 17 minutes of play, the Bison offense rallied behind Romine. In the second half alone, Romine scored 20 points, getting to the foul line 11 times and hitting two three-pointers to help the Bison outscore the Leopards by 15 in the final 20 minutes of play.

With her high scoring performance, Romine reached the 600-point scoring mark. In just her second year of play, Romine has already become a team leader and was appointed co-captain this season. She currently leads the team in both points and assists. Currently in the midst of a disappointing 4-21 season, the Orange and Blue will look to ride their mini-winning streak through the end of this season. Returning all but one player next season, Romine and the Bison will be poised for a successful run come the start of the 2012-2013 season.

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Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: Sports News Across the Nation

By Julian Dorey
Columnist

It seems like “teams” never win anymore in the NBA.

If you don’t have a superstar—a Kobe Bryant, a Lebron James, a Dirk Nowitzki—common belief says you can’t win a championship. Many will go as far as to say as teams without a superstar can’t compete, period.

This year, one team has decided to ignore these axioms: the Philadelphia 76ers.

Sure, this exciting and very young team might not be quite ready to legitimately compete for an NBA title, but they are making waves around the league and have certainly declared themselves a force to be reckoned with. As of Feb. 14, their record stands at 20-9, good enough for third in the Eastern Conference. 

They’ve achieved that record without a superstar. Swingman Andre Iguodala was recently named to his first All Star Game in his eight-year career and has played brilliant team ball and defense this year, but he’s hardly a “Batman” by the modern-day NBA standards.

Outside of Iguodala, the Sixers are supported by smart, hard-working role players. Their scoring starts with their brilliant young guards, Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams and Evan Turner. None of their stats jump off the page at you, but these players all thrive in their roles. Holiday is the unassuming 21-year-old point guard, Williams is the ice-in-his-veins scorer off the bench, and Turner is the scrappy, strong-rebounding facilitator.

In the front court, the Sixers continue to be led this year by 32-year-old veteran Elton Brand. Brand can’t score like he used to, but his leadership has continued to be an invaluable asset for the team. Seven-footer Spencer Hawes has been a pleasant surprise this season when he’s been healthy. And Thaddeus Young has continued to be the nightmare matchup for opposing teams off the bench. 

Sprinkle in Jodie Meeks’ three-point efficiency and the solid play of the rookie big men, Nikola Vucevic and Lavoy Allen, and it’s easy to see why the Sixers are winning: teamwork and depth.

The mad scientist behind it all is Doug Collins. After just two years as the head coach of this youthful team, Collins has halted the losing trend the Philadelphia fans have unfortunately become accustomed to with their basketball team.

Not one player “demands” the ball. Not one player calls the 76ers “my team.” Not one player complains. Not one player takes a single possession off. These are trends you just don’t see in the NBA today.

In the past few weeks, the Sixers have beaten (handily) superstar-oriented teams like Orlando (Dwight Howard), Chicago (Derrick Rose) and the L.A. Lakers (Kobe Bryant).

It’s so refreshing to see the mighty fall to a team that stands for everything people claim the NBA does not anymore.

Given another year or two to gain some experience and continue to develop, the Sixers may well be on their way to proving that there doesn’t have to be an “I” in team after all.

Categories
Baseball Featured Men Sports

Cillo ’12 earns national preseason recognition

By Andrew Lichtenauer

Senior Writer

After an impressive junior season in relief for the Orange and Blue, Alex Cillo ’12 was nominated as one of 45 potential collegiate pitchers for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association(NCBWA)Stopper of the Year Award. The award, to be announced during the 2012 College World Series, is given each year to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.

The Bucknellian spoke with Cillo this past week about the upcoming season for the Bison.

The Bucknellian: What do you think has contributed the most to your success on the mound throughout your career as a Bison?

Cillo: Learning how to locate my fastball, slider, and change-up has been very effective for me.  I’ve worked with Coach [Scott] Heather (our pitching coach) a lot to get to where I am today in terms of control. Also, [starting catcher] Scott Reed [’12] and I work very well together.  We’re always on the same page when it comes to what pitches to throw and when.

The Bucknellian: What, if anything, do you think you can improve on from last season?

Cillo: I could improve even more on my control.  The more control, the better.  Also, I could improve on throwing better pitches in certain counts. It’s important to be able to set up the batters in certain counts so that the next pitch is even more effective than it previously would have been.

The Bucknellian: What would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment so far in your career?

Cillo: Personally, my greatest accomplishment was last season as a whole. I thought that I threw pretty well the bulk of the year and I only gave up two runs in Patriot League play. As a team, I think our greatest accomplishment was winning the Patriot League title in 2010. We needed to win one game against Army to make it to playoffs and we managed to win one game. Then we went back to Army for the first round of the Patriot League Playoffs and won that series. We then came back to win two games on Saturday at Holy Cross after we lost a tough game the night before by one run. We fought hard against two tough teams and managed to win the Patriot League.

The Bucknellian: What goals do you have for yourself personally for the upcoming season?

Cillo: This season I would like to win the Patriot League title. We have a very solid team, from the senior class to the freshman class. There are many players on our team, both upper and underclassmen who are going to contribute big this year and help us accomplish our season goal.

Cillo and the rest of the Bison will hit the field in for opening day with games against La Salle and Niagara at Davidson, N.C. on Saturday.

Categories
Lacrosse Men Sports

Men’s lacrosse falls to Delaware in overtime thriller

By Reed Dempsey
Contributing Writer

At home on Saturday, the No. 12 Bison men’s lacrosse team (No. 14 in the media poll) staged a five-goal rally in the final 21 minutes of regulation to force overtime in its season-opening game against No. 19 Delaware (Not rated in the media poll), only to see the Blue Hens score with five seconds remaining in the first period of extra time to win 11-10.

Delaware opened the scoring with a tally 10 minutes into the first quarter. Less than a minute later, Peter Burke ’14 scored an unassisted goal to tie the game at one. The Orange and Blue then suffered a three-goal run by the Blue Hens, bringing the score to 4-1. After the fourth goal, head coach Frank Fedorjaka pulled goalie Kyle Feeney ’13 from the game.

“I felt like he could have been playing better, and in years past when he has come out briefly and gone back in he has played terrific,” Fedorjaka said. Feeney has started in all but two games over the last two seasons. During Feeney’s absence, Billy Eisenreich ’12 connected with Tom Black ’14 to bring the score to 4-2. After another goal by the Blue Hens, Feeney returned to the cage, where he would remain for the rest of the game.

As the Bison struggled to maintain possession on attack, Delaware took advantage of several miscues to keep piling on the goals. Eisenreich finished the first half scoring an unassisted tally with just over three and a half minutes remaining. The Blue Hens continued their strong play after the break, scoring their seventh and eighth goals within the first five minutes of the third quarter.

Over the next two minutes, Todd Heritage ’14 scored back-to-back goals to bring the game within three. The Blue Hens followed with two goals to extend their lead to 10-5. For the next 21 minutes, the Bison played shutdown defense, fantastic goalie play and an offense that works like a well-oiled machine.

The Bison rattled off five straight goals to tie the game at 10 with just under seven minutes left in regulation.  Over the final minutes of regulation, both teams had several opportunities to go ahead, but Delaware advances were stopped as Feeney rebounded from a tough first three quarters to save six shots down the stretch.

The Orange and Blue had two possessions in the snow-filled extra period but were unable to capitalize. With time winding down in overtime, the Blue Hens advanced the ball into the Bison defensive zone and found an open player right in front of the cage for the game-winner.

“I like to think this is a bit of a wakeup call. I know what I have to do to get better, and so does the rest of the team,” Feeney said. “I think moving forward we just need to stick to our fundamentals. When we played to our potential and rules, we were borderline unstoppable. Obviously the loss hurts, and I think that’s a good thing.”

The Bison will get a chance to bounce back from the opening loss during Saturday’s matchup in Amherst, Mass. against No. 11 UMass (1-0).With a long season ahead of them, the Bison still have a championship run in their sights. “I think that by losing it will make our team pay closer attention to detail throughout the week, which could lead to an overall better season,” Fedorjaka said.

Categories
Featured Lacrosse Men Sports

Two Bison selected in 2012 MLL draft

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

Billy Eisenreich ’12 and Charlie Streep ’12, two key players who have contributed tremendous success to the men’s lacrosse team in recent years, were selected in last month’s Major League Lacrosse draft held in Philadelphia, Pa. Eisenreich was selected twenty first overall (third round) by the Ohio Machine, and Streep was selected 52nd overall (seventh round) by the Long Island Lizards.

Both Eisenreich and Streep played vital roles in the team’s 14-win season and Patriot League championship last year. Eisenreich emerged as a dominant midfield force while setting career highs with 19 goals, 15 assists, and 34 points despite missing four games due to injury. His outstanding junior season was rewarded when he was selected to the First Team All-Patriot League team. 

“Getting drafted was never one of my end goals for lacrosse.  I feel like if my goals of being [part of] a successful Patriot League team and national contender were fulfilled then that may lead to [my being drafted],” Eisenreich said.  “With that said, I am grateful to make it into the [MLL] as there are a lot of great players on our team as well as throughout the country who have worked very hard as well.”

Eisenreich cemented himself among the top players in the league when he rallied the Bison with four goals and four assists in the team’s 12-11 come-from-behind victory against league rival Lehigh. 

“The coaching staff has prepared me well for the game of lacrosse, whether that be college or professional,” Eisenriech said. “They have taught me how to be a better player, and they have put a lot of faith into me, for which I am very grateful.  If it wasn’t for their credibility I would have never made it into the draft.  I have them to thank for that.”

Streep’s selection in the draft, despite his ACL injury last fall is evidence of how stellar a collegiate career he has had. His list of accolades include being named Patriot League Rookie of the Year (and The Bucknellian’s Male Rookie of the Year) in 2009, Second Team All-Patriot League in 2010 and First Team All-Patriot League last year. Last season he registered 28 goals and nine assists. Arguably his greatest accomplishment was being named Patriot League Tournament MVP last year after recording hat tricks against both Colgate and Lehigh. He then recorded three more goals in the team’s near-upset of eventual national champion Virginia. For his career, Streep has an outstanding 104 points.

“[I’ve become successful] through a lot of hard work and dedication, things that I owe to my teammates and friends throughout the past four years as they were the ones that continuously motivated me and kept me on a track to where I could be successful as a player and teammate,” Streep said.  “All the preparation week in and week out for the season takes a lot out of you but also gives back a lot of reward, and the reward of being selected to play professionally is something I share with my teammates past and present for helping me get there.”

Without a doubt, both players will be celebrated as two of the top athletes to wear the Orange and Blue. As the team embarks one of the most anticipated seasons in program history, Eisenreich knows the taste of last year’s defeat to UVA will motivate the team in its quest to earn a national championship.

“Entering the NCAA tournament last year was a great experience.  Even though we all knew we could have made a run and we were cut short of it, it was still a great accomplishment for us collectively as well as for the program,” Eisenreich said. “If anything, it has made us hungrier to make a repeat appearance.”

 

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

Basketball dominates league play

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

In a season marked by dominance in the Patriot League, the Orange and Blue men’s basketball team took one more step towards clinching their second consecutive regular-season conference title with a commanding 90-78 victory over the Lafayette Leopards last Saturday night.

“Our offense was clicking against Lafayette, especially in the second half,” Mike Muscala ’13 said, who led the Bison in scoring with 24 points. “We can be proud of that but we could have played much better defensively.”

In the opening minutes, it was the Leopards who looked poised to seize control of the game. Lafayette scored on three of its first four possessions to take a 7-4 lead.

But the three-point advantage would be Lafayette’s largest of the game. The Bison scored the next 10 points and did not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the contest.

For a Bison squad known for its lockdown defense, a balanced offensive effort stole the spotlight against Lafayette. For the first time in over a decade, the Orange and Blue scored 90 points in a regulation game.

“It felt good to score 90 points against a good team like Lafayette,” Cameron Ayers ’14 said, who registered a hard-earned 11 points versus the Leopards. “I think everyone understands their roles now and we know what we want to accomplish as a team. Everyone is on the same page offensively and defensively and we have improved on both ends of the floor.”

The offensive outburst allowed a plethora of Bison to get involved. In addition to Muscala and Ayers, Bryan Cohen ’12, Bryson Johnson ’13 and Joe Willman ’13 each recorded double-digit points. Ryan Hill ’14 added five points, five rebounds and four assists of his own from the point guard position.

The win over Lafayette, combined with a loss by American that same day, leaves the Bison on the verge of securing the top seed and home-court advantage throughout the conference tournament coming up in two weeks.

The Bison lead by three games in the Patriot League standings and another victory in their match-up with Lehigh yesterday, after this paper went to press, would give the Orange and Blue the title. But taking down the Mountain Hawks is no easy task.

“I am looking forward to another challenge and to see how we have improved defensively,” Ayers said. “[Lehigh guard] C.J McCollum is a tough player and it’s going to take a team effort defensively, but I think we will get the job done. We have to win at home; that is very important to us.”

The Orange and Blue’s schedule after the Lehigh game does not play into their hands. Tomorrow, the Bison head to Worcester, Mass. to face a difficult opponent in Holy Cross, especially at home, just two days after playing Lehigh. The following Wednesday, the Bison travel to Washington, D.C. to play American, another one of the Patriot League’s top teams.

“It’s always fun to play at Holy Cross,” Muscala said. “Last year, it was a very close game, and I’m hoping this year we can pull out another win.”

Categories
Basketball Sports Women

Women’s basketball posts consecutive league wins

By Ajan Caneda

Writer

The women’s basketball team avenged a previous loss against Lehigh with a 62-56 win at Bethlehem, Pa. on Wednesday, picking up its third consecutive victory.

Shelby Romine ’14 scored a game-high 23 points, including a jumper that pushed the lead to double digits 11 minutes into the first half, capping a 10-0 run for the Orange and Blue. The Bison also scored 15 points off 13 turnovers in the first half. Christina Chukwuedo ’12 laid in a basket that gave the Bison a 37-25 lead at halftime.

The Orange and Blue carried their momentum early into the second half as they built their lead to 19 with 10:31 remaining. The Mountain Hawks fought back, cutting the deficit to single digits with 4:09 left in the game. Lehigh hit two free throws that made it a one-possession game in the final minute. It would not be enough for the Mountain Hawks as Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 clinched the victory with two free throws of her own. She had a second straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while Rachel Voss ’13 had 11 points.

“We will continue to keep working hard every day, and use this confidence from the past two games to finish out our season strong,” Romine said. “I truly believe we can make a run to win the Patriot League championship.”

The Bison erased an early 14-point deficit to come away with a 65-54 win at Lafayette last Saturday. Romine nailed a three-pointer to start the game, but the Orange and Blue fell behind as the Leopards went on a 23-6 run that gave them their largest lead. A 20-10 Bison run trimmed the Lafayette lead to four at halftime. Both teams shot 46.4 percent in the first half on 13 for 28 shooting.

“We started the Lafayette game slow, and they got off to a decent lead pretty quickly,” Horbatuck said. “We knew that we needed to stop their post players because that was where almost all of their points were coming from.”

The Orange and Blue stayed strong defensively as they held Lafayette to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half. A Romine three-pointer jump-started a 15-0 run that gave the Bison a 14-point lead. The Leopards were unable to force a comeback as Romine and Horbatuck hit some late free throws that iced the game for the Bison.

Romine scored 26 points, had five assists, and was 11 for 13 from the free throw line. Horbatuck had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Alyssa Dunn ’13 also scored in double figures with 11 points.

“We focused on boxing out, especially on their post players to try and limit their offensive rebounds,” interim head coach Bill Broderick said. “We also worked on our help-side defense so that our post players felt more comfortable trying to get around while defending on the block.”

The Bison will look to finish strong at home as they battle Holy Cross on Saturday and American on Senior Night next Wednesday.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis falls to PSU

By Cooper Mead

Contributing Writer

The men’s tennis team suffered a tough 7-0 loss at Penn State last Saturday, pushing its record to 1-1 on the season. 

While the Bison did drop eight of nine matches against the Nittany Lions, the team did come away victorious in No. 1 doubles. Gregg Cohenca ’12 and Evan Zimmer ’13 defeated Jason Lee and Russell Bader 9-8, propelling Cohenca into the program’s top-10 list for career victories.

In singles, the Orange and Blue did not fare well, falling in all six of their matches and failing to win a single set. Octavio Canibe ’15  put up a valiant effort against Tomas Hanzlik, losing 6-2 in the first set and 6-0 in the second. Kelly Morque ’13 lost a hard fought match at No. 6 against C.J. Griffin, 6-1, 6-3.

Despite the crushing defeat, the Bison still feel that they gained a lot from the experience.

“It’s always fun to go out and play against a Big 10 opponent,” Josh Katten ’13 said. “Although we lost, it was promising to see some tight doubles matches and this match can only help us as it exposed some areas that we can improve upon.”

The team hopes to rebound from this defeat this Saturday against Hofstra in Quakertown, Pa.

 

Categories
Men Sports Track & Field

Men’s track impresses at home

By Colin Fields

Writer

The men’s track and field squad picked up a handful of victories and top program marks last weekend at the Bucknell Winter Classic in the Gerhard Fieldhouse. The Orange and Blue had big performances by Leonard Joseph ’13 and Tom Barr ’12 in throws, and Nathaniel Witter ’14 and Scott Weismiller ’14 in the pole vault. They were not alone; in total the men’s team took seven golds this weekend in what was the final meet of the regular season.

Joseph and Barr took first and second in the weight throw, respectively, and Barr picked up his fifth shot put win of the season just a week after breaking Timothy Medlock ’10’s school record. Barr’s winning toss of 53’ 7.75’’ gives him a ton of momentum heading into next week’s Patriot League Championships.

“I feel confident moving forward in 2012 after my victory this weekend because every time we compete, it is a test of our technique and conditioning. So far this season has shown good signs for our program and I am excited to see what happens at the league championships,” Barr said.

The Bison continued their dominance in field events when Weismiller and Witter shared gold in the pole vault. The tandem of sophomores both cleared the 15’ 3’’ mark giving them the top spot on Saturday.

On the track the Bison found similar success, cleaning up the podium in the 1,000 meters and picking up several other victories. Tyler Erhard ’14 took gold and teammates Brian Charland ’13 and Andrew Kirna ’15 finished in second and third. Robert Yamnicky ’13 took home the gold in the 3,000 and Alex Jagelsky ’15 won the 500 meters and picked up his second win in as many weeks after winning the 1,000 last weekend. Another first-year who enjoyed success was Christian Lupica ’15, who finished second place in the 60 meters with a personal best time of 6.99 seconds, the program’s all-time fourth-best mark.

“Running a PR is always a great feeling and it definitely was for me this weekend. Using the record books is always a great way to set personal goals for myself and hopefully I can keep continuing to drop my 60 time and help the team by scoring points in the process,” Lupica said.

The Bison will compete in the Patriot League Indoor Championships this weekend at Gerhard Fieldhouse.