Author: Rob Duffy

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Symposium examines Susquehanna

By Rob Duffy

Managing Editor

Students, faculty and administrators from six colleges and universities and various government and environmental organizations gathered to discuss the state of the river in the fifth annual Susquehanna River Symposium last weekend.

The first day of the symposium was devoted to celebrating the river, the second day focusing on environmental issues facing the river.

“If we are not knowledgeable about where we come from, it will become very difficult to find our way home,” said Sid Jamieson of the Haudenosaunee Nation in the symposium’s opening. Jamieson said those who live near the river owe their lives to it. He expressed hope that the symposium would contribute to knowledge about it.

Friday’s events included presentations about the river’s significance and efforts to bring people closer to the river.

Mike Reynolds, Northeast Deputy Regional Director of the National Park Service (NPS), discussed NPS efforts to re-connect people to the outdoors through initiatives such as the Captain John Smith Trail project, which is working to establish a system of recreational areas and trails along the river.

“Your grandchildren will not necessarily remember AIG and Goldman Sachs, but they will know about the river,” Reynolds said.

Professors and students from the University have attempted to demonstrate through research the historical significance of the northern part of the river in the hope of persuading the NPS to create a northward connector trail.

Among the topics for presentations on the second day were fish die-offs, flow management, the lasting impact of logging, water quality, abandoned mine damage remediation and implications of Marcellus Shale drilling.

The keynote speaker, John Arway, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, discussed the ramifications of the river’s collapsing smallmouth bass population. He said investigations into the causes of the die-offs have revealed high concentrations of inorganic phosphorous, dissolved oxygen levels below EPA thresholds and increasing water temperatures.

“I conclude we have a sick or impaired river,” he said. “It isn’t good.”

Jennifer Hoffman of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission debuted the first-ever State of the Susquehanna Report. The report and its corresponding website aim to make scientific research about the river more easily “relatable” to the public, according to Hoffman.

Hoffman said this first report “establishes a baseline to work off of and to be able to make assessments in the future.”

The river’s health is crucial to the health of the Chesapeake Bay, of which it is a major source. “The reality is the Susquehanna is the Chesapeake, and the Chesapeake is the Susquehanna,” said David O’Neil of the Chesapeake Conservancy.

At the same time, attendees said that the river is vitally important to the people living along it.

“We have 60 towns located on the Susquehanna River,” said Skip Weider, executive director of the Susquehanna River Heartland Coalition for Environmental Studies. “All of our futures depend on that river.”

Students from the participating universities displayed posters about 50 recent research projects involving the river.

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Sports

In Philadelphia, era of Vick has begun

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

If you have been following the NFL for the first two weeks of the 2010 season and blinked, you may have missed the Kevin Kolb era in Philadelphia. After Kolb suffered a concussion late in the second half in the Eagles’ season opener against the Packers, Michael Vick has led the team to 52 points in six quarters and replaced Kolb as the team’s starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. After Sunday’s 35-32 win, head coach Andy Reid announced Kolb would be his starting quarterback. Reid then reversed his decision early Tuesday night, starting a whirlwind of controversy in Philadelphia. Displaying the rocket arm and elusiveness that made him a three-time Pro Bowler with the Atlanta Falcons, Vick has the full support of his teammates and fans.

Vick’s numbers (three touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 105.5 quarterback rating) do not nearly tell the whole story of his comeback to the role of starting quarterback in the NFL. After he completed an 18-month sentence in federal prison for operating a dog-fighting ring, Vick signed a two-year deal with the Eagles in late August. The move was met with much criticism from the fan base, and tempers were not put to rest when Vick’s performance was at best mediocre and after a fight broke out at his 30th birthday party this summer.

Vick dedicated himself to becoming an advocate against animal cruelty, rededicated himself to getting into prime playing shape and became a leader on a team with an average age of just over 25. For Vick, this is a chance at redemption, a chance to redeem himself after several severe lapses in judgment that tarnished his public image and cost him millions of dollars in endorsements. Although he will never escape the stigma of past crimes committed, he can reestablish himself as the most dynamic and electrifying quarterback in the league.

Reid’s decision to start Vick could be the riskiest of his career in Philadelphia. After signing Vick in August 2009, most saw him as a one-year project to serve on offense, but otherwise considered him backup behind Donovan McNabb and Kolb. When Reid traded McNabb to Washington, it appeared Vick would still serve as a backup and appear in Wildcat formations. Just one year later, Vick is the starting quarterback for a team suddenly in competitive mode, rather than the expected rebuilding mode. The decision will be a turning point for both Reid and Vick, for better or worse.

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Sports

Men’s golf finishes seventh

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The men’s golf team finished seventh at the Cornell Invitational last weekend, while the women’s team finished 10th at the Badger Invitational at the University Ridge Course in Madison, Wisc.

The men’s team totaled a 904 for the 54-hole tournament. Binghamton won the tournament with 868. Schuyler Stitzer ’14, who finished with a 71 in the final round and a 221 total, earned an 11th-place finish in his first collegiate away meet. Stitzer felt his putting was the biggest reason for his improvement in score throughout the weekend.

“The only real adjustment that I made throughout the tournament was being careful on the greens,” he said. “It was really easy to three-putt, and the more rounds I played the more comfortable I felt on the greens and by the last nine holes I was able to make some nice putts.”

Jon Hartman ’13 also had a strong weekend, tallying 227 for the tournament. Will Bachman ’12 finished with a 228.

“This course played to my strengths because the course was pretty much in front of the player … the holes were laid out in such a manner so that they were distinctive. [It was] … easy to understand where to hit the ball off the tee and which pins to attack,” Bachman said. “This allowed me to hit a lot of greens over the three rounds and make a lot of pars.”

The women finished 10th with a score of 942, while host Wisconsin won the 54-hole tournament with 879. Three Bison posted scores of 74 or better on the final day. Kasha Scott ’14 led the way, posting a one-over-par 73, and Minjoo Lee ’12 and Katie Jurenovich ’11 each shot 74s. Lee finished with the best score of the tournament for the Bison, compiling a 230 to earn a 22nd-place tie.

The women’s team returns to action this weekend at the Nittany Lion Invitational in State College, Pa. The men return  Saturday, Oct. 9 for the Joe Agee Invitational in Williamsburg, Va.

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Field hockey splits in two stroke-outs

By Joyce Novacek

Contributing Writer

The field hockey team finished its home stand with consecutive stroke-outs, defeating Sacred Heart 4-3 on Saturday afternoon and losing to Indiana 2-1 on Sunday.

Tough defensive play from the Bison held the Pioneers scoreless during the first 40 minutes of play. Offensively, the Bison dominated Sacred Heart in the first half, outshooting the Pioneers 13-3. Morgan Kauffman ’11 and Tayler Siegrist ’13 each netted a first-half goal, sending the Bison into halftime with a two-goal lead.

The Pioneers came out attacking in the second half. Less than 10 minutes into the second frame, Sacred Heart netted two goals and tied the score.

Rachel Misko ’14 responded with a goal, lifting the Bison up 3-2, but the Pioneers knotted the score at three with less than a minute to go, sending the game into overtime.

Impressive defensive performances from both teams resulted in a stroke out. Corinne Raczek ’11, Siegrist and Christine Weiss ’11 each scored in the stroke off, and, thanks to a pair of saves by Sarah Zagarapour ’12, the Bison claimed a much-deserved win.

After playing 100 minutes of hockey Saturday, the team had minimal recovery time before Sunday’s Big Ten match up.

“Going into the weekend, we tried to focus on working together as a team and not individuals, and I think we did that successfully both days,” Vicki Resh ’14 said. “We also knew that after playing two overtime periods and going into strokes on Saturday, Indiana was going to be tough … although the outcome wasn’t quite what we had hoped for, we can proud of our performance.”

Sunday’s game against Indiana was another tight one for the Bison. After a scoreless first half, the Bison went up 1-0 when Rachel Misko ’14 scored the first goal of the game and her fourth of the season. Misko’s goal was assisted by Kelly Bruvik ’11 off a Bison penalty corner. The Bison held their lead for almost 20 minutes until Indiana’s Lena Grote tied the score.

After the Bison and Hoosiers played two scoreless periods of overtime, the Bison faced their second stroke out in two days. The Hoosiers connected on seven out of nine strokes to defeat the Bison’s six out of nine.

Despite the close loss on Sunday, the team had a positive reaction to its play at Graham Field.

“I think we proved how competitive we can be with a Big Ten school, even after playing a lot of extra minutes of hockey the day before,” Weiss said. “We played some really great hockey this past weekend and should have a lot of confidence going into our first round of Patriot League competition.”

On Saturday, the Orange and Blue travel to Worcester, Mass. to take on Holy Cross and open Patriot League play. On Sunday, the Bison travel to Cambridge to play Harvard.

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Men’s soccer wins one

By Joe Ruby

Contributing Writer

The men’s soccer team split a pair of games this week, defeating Drexel (4-3-1) by a 2-1 margin in double overtime at home on Tuesday after dropping the Patriot League opener 3-1 at American (4-3-0, 1-0-0) on the previous Saturday.

Brendan Burgdorf ’13 and Josh Plump ’13 scored in the come-from-behind victory and Brendan Klebanoff ’12 scored his first career goal in the loss.

Burgdorf’s goal against the Dragons tied the game at 1-1 with 1:23 remaining in regulation. Burgdorf took a throw-in from Joe Meyer ’14 and blasted a long shot that curved just inside the post. After a scoreless first overtime period, the Bison clinched the win when Plump scored his second goal of the year 23 seconds into the second half. The forward stole the ball from a Drexel defender, dribbled down the sideline to cross into the box, and hit a shot from 15 yards out.

The Bison were trailing after Drexel’s Anthony Bafile scored with 2:07 remaining in the first half. Andrew Goldberg’s shot hit the crossbar, but Bafile was in position to head in his third goal of the season. Marc Hartmann ’12 turned away three shots, including one with seconds remaining in regulation and another in the first overtime period. The Bison outshot the Dragons 16-13 and earned three corner kicks to Drexel’s two.

On Saturday, the Bison’s troubles on the road continued as American scored the first three goals of the contest before Klebanoff’s tally for the Bison.

Mike Worden provided the opening goal at the 25:47 mark, cleaning up a loose ball near the net. Nick Kapus added another for the Eagles 13 minutes later, scoring his first of the year off of a cross from Jack Scott, who also assisted the first goal. American added to its lead in the eighth minute of the second half when Cristobal Soto connected on a long shot that put the game largely out of reach for the Bison.

Klebanoff, who missed the entire 2009 season because of an injury, tallied his first career goal at the 57:21 mark on a pass from Andrew Powell ’12. The Bison outshot the Eagles 24-14 and held a 14-0 advantage in corner kicks but could not capitalize on their many opportunities.

The Bison (3-5-0, 0-1-0) play at home on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m., taking on Navy in a Patriot League match-up. The team also hosts UMBC on Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.

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Tennis shines over weekend

By Rob Duffy

Managing Editor

Kyle Rosen ’14 and Scott Bernstein ’14 defeated two teammates to win Flight B doubles and three Bison made the finals in singles as the men’s tennis team had a strong outing at the UConn Invitational last weekend. The women’s team also sent two doubles pairs to the quarterfinals in the Eastern Championships in West Point, N.Y.

Rosen and Bernstein’s victory came by an 8-5 decision against Gregg Cohenca ’12 and Mark Mallory ’11 on Saturday. Rosen and Bernstein made the finals following 8-4 victories in the semifinals and second round, and an 8-1 first-round victory on Friday.

“I am very excited for the kind of doubles Kyle and I are playing,” Bernstein said. “Our strategy is to be smart and aggressive, and at the same time to have fun on the court. Our chemistry is becoming stronger and we understand each other’s games better with every match.”

Rosen and Bernstein have quickly clicked as a doubles team. At the same time, the all-Bison final showcases the strength of the program.

“Scotty and I work very well together on court and have a certain dynamic when we play that, I think, is very rare to find with a team that has been together for such a short amount of time,” Rosen said. “It’s also great to me that we ended up playing our own teammates in the final because it goes to show how well Bucknell did in the tournament this weekend.”

In singles play, Bernstein and Kelly Morque ’13 secured another all-Bison final in Flight C. Morque defeated an opponent from UConn in two sets to reach the finals. After losing the first set to his opponent from Bryant University 5-7, Bernstein won the second 6-0 and the third 10-6. The tournament was suspended due to darkness before the final could be played.

Evan Zimmer ’13 lost in the finals of Flight B singles, falling victim to a 10-7 third-set tiebreaker against UConn’s Dave Adams. The final was nearly another all-Bison matchup, as Adams took Josh Katten ’13 deep into a third-set tiebreaker before finally prevailing, 17-15.

At the Eastern Championships, the Bison women’s doubles teams of Dumitria Iepuras ’12 and Elena Vidrascu ’14 and Courtney Casey ’12 and Lauren Rottkamp ’11 each made it to the quarterfinals before losing by decisions of 8-3, Casey and Rottkamp against the tournament’s fourth-seeded pair.

“I believe that the team is doing very well,” Iepuras said. “I can see an improvement every weekend and I am confident that we will keep up the good work till the last Patriot League match this year.”

This weekend, both teams will return home to compete in the Bucknell Invitational, which begins today and continues all weekend.

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Three straight losses for men’s water polo

By Chris McCree

Contributing Writer

The men’s water polo team began league games with three road losses this weekend against Johns Hopkins, No. 18 Navy and George Washington. With the losses, the Bison extended their losing streak to five games and fell to the bottom of the CWPA Southern Division. The Orange and Blue played tough games against all of their opponents but fell short in the last minutes of each contest.

The Orange and Blue began the weekend with a 13-12 loss during their Friday night match-up against Johns Hopkins. The Bison, who were able to overcome a three-goal deficit at the half, fell victim to a game-winning goal by Hopkins’ Ross Schofield with two seconds left on the clock.

Richie Hyden ’11 totaled career highs of nine points and six goals against the Blue Jays. Spencer Richley ’12, Brian Barron ’13 and Paul Reamey ’11 each chipped in two goals.

The combined effort of goalkeepers Miles Gilhuly ’11 and Matt Napleton ’13 produced a season-high 14 saves for the Bison.

During a heated match-up on Saturday against Navy, the Bison’s comeback attempt fell short in a 10-9 loss. After falling behind 8-3 in the first half, the Bison were able to outscore Navy 6-2 in the second half to get it to 10-9 but couldn’t manage another goal. Hyden, Barron and Howie Kalter ’11 had multi-goal games.

After defeating the Colonials 21-3 just a week earlier in Boston, the Bison were defeated 10-7. The Bison matched the Colonials goal-for-goal through three quarters but were outscored 3-0 in the fourth to end a disappointing weekend.

Poor play on the defensive end seems to be the team’s Achilles’ heel this season.

“Everything starts with our defense, which we did not do a great job with,” Sean Coghlan ’11 said.

Over the team’s three games, the Bison defense gave up a combined 33 goals.

“The team is going through some growing pains at the moment. The guys’ lack of trust in our game plan and each other cost us some close games this weekend,” team captain Hyden said.

The Bison are off this weekend but play Princeton on Oct. 9.

“We have … two weeks of good practice to work out the kinks and more forward from here,” Hyden said. “The next two weeks of practice are vital if we want to be successful come championship season.”

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Women’s soccer snaps nine-game losing streak

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

The Bison women’s soccer team suffered a 1-0 loss at Marist on Friday but rebounded at home against Iona with a 2-1 victory on Sunday, breaking a nine-game losing streak in the process.

The team attempted shot after shot on the Marist goalie in the first half but Brooke Stokes ’11 and Christa Matlack ’11 both narrowly missed scoring for the Orange and Blue.

Bison goalie Sandita McDermott ’13 kept the score close with nine saves, but the Red Foxes cracked the scoreboard in the 41st minute on a direct kick.

In the second half, the Bison were stifled by Marist’s defense and were unable to score. McDermott continued to keep the game close,  stopping a breakaway in the 75th minute, but the Orange and Blue could not capitalize on their offensive opportunities.

On Sunday, the Orange and Blue got off to a fast start against Iona. Throughout the first half both teams had opportunities to put the ball into the back of the net. Kelliann Doherty ’11 had shots early in the game to set the tempo for the home team.

“We knew that applying pressure early would put us on the way towards a win,” Doherty said.

In the second half, Caitlin Holtz ’11 ended the scoring drought for the team in the 62nd minute, burying a shot past the Iona keeper. Just over a minute later, Liz Dwornik ’14 scored another goal for the Bison to give the team a comfortable cushion.

Iona was only able to muster one goal in the second half. The Orange and Blue held Iona in check and as the final whistle blew the Bison came away with a 2-1 victory.

“The feeling of getting a win going into Patriot League play is a great one as it helps us build for our eventual goals,” Jules Harris ’11 said.

The Bison open Patriot League play with a home match against the American Eagles on Saturday at 12 p.m.

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Volleyball wins to open up league play

By Cooper Sutton

Sports Editor

After a tough schedule to begin the year, the women’s volleyball team began Patriot League play with two home games last weekend. The women lost a match on Friday against American University 3-1 but won 3-2 on Saturday against Navy.

The Bison came into their match against American having already faced solid competition outside of the Patriot League. The team only posted a record of 2-10, but it grew more unified and competitive as a result.

This competitiveness was apparent as soon as the Orange and Blue took the court in their first league action of 2010. Facing a very tough American University team (12-2), the Bison came out firing on all cylinders.

The energy was apparent as the team jumped out to an early lead in the first set and had the set firmly in the grasp with a score of 23-19. But the Eagles showed their winning mentality, taking the next six points consecutively to win the set.

“We came out strong against a very tough American squad on Friday night.  Not only did we have a great game plan, but our overall execution was solid.  If we did a better job of closing out the first set, I thought we could have taken the match,” head coach Cindy Opalski said.

Heidi Kamp ’11 and Ragin Jackson ’13 both posted hitting percentages of over .300. As a team, the Bison did not hit well, averaging .113; American’s average was .211.

The team fared much better in the second match. The Navy Midshipmen took the Orange and Blue down to the wire, but the Bison finished the fifth and final set ahead 17-15.

The Bison narrowly out-hit their opponent .178 to .167. The team owes much of its success to Kamp, who had an impressive 21 kills and a hitting percentage of .459. The highest Midshipmen hitting percentage was .286.

Kamp was very happy with the team’s performance. “Saturday’s match found our Bucknell team in the most fluid cohesion I have yet to feel this season, and the victory certainly left an incredibly sweet taste in our mouths for the remainder of the weekend,” she said.

This week the Bison will return to the road to face Lafayette and Lehigh.

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Women’s soccer loses two at home

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

The women’s soccer team suffered two tough losses at home this week, losing to Cornell 2-0 Sunday and to Mount St. Mary’s 3-0 on Wednesday.

The Bison and the Big Red traded blows in the first half but neither scored. The Ivy League school decided to quicken the pace in the second half, but Colleen Garrehy ’12 made three saves to preserve the stalemate.

Cornell scored at the 57:17 mark as a midfielder ripped a shot past Garrehy. The Bison almost equalized later in the half when Liz Dwornik ’14 found open space in the penalty area but Cornell’s goalie made a save to deter the effort.

Although Cornell scored again in the 71st minute, the Bison kept battling. Kelliann Doherty ’11 was robbed by the Cornell goalie with less than nine minutes to play as a lunging save preserved the shutout for the Bison.

“We are still not fully healthy, but when our team gets up to full speed we should be quite a force,” Doherty said.

In the game against Mount St Mary’s the Bison punished their opponent with 21 shots. The Mount goalkeeper was stalwart, making eight saves to secure the shutout for the visiting team.

In the first half the Bison played to a 0-0 score but controlled the pace most of the time. Mount St. Mary’s played an extremely physical game, with 18 fouls called against them compared to the Bison’s four.

In the second half Mount St. Mary’s exploded for a flurry of goals beginning in the 58th minute. By the time the home team had a chance to look up, Mount St. Mary’s had tacked on three goals in 10 minutes. The Bison dropped the contest 3-0.

The Bison will have one more weekend of non-Patriot League action as they play Marist and Iona before they begin their quest for a league title.

“We are very optimistic going into the Patriot League and we know that these games will help us be great in the long run,” Jules Harris ’11 said.