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Football Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Brandon Wesley ’14

 

Courtesy of Athletic Communications

Alex Wagner

Sports Editor

Player Profile

Brandon Wesley ’14

Plano, Texas

Geology

 

Season stats:

27 pass attempts, 20 completions

190 passing yards

Two passing touchdowns

Six rushes for 29 yards

Brandon Wesley ’14 played an instrumental role in the football team’s opening 19-17 victory over Marist on Sept. 8. Despite inclement weather that delayed the game for over an hour, Wesley didn’t let the pressure of the quarterback position get to him.

“I did not do anything special to prepare for this game at all; I usually just try to stay pretty relaxed and calm before games. Funny thing is, I almost fell asleep before this game while we waited in the locker room because of the rain delay. That might have been a little too much relaxation,” Wesley said.

It appears the relaxed approach worked, as Wesley completed 74 percent of his throws, en route to 190 passing yards. His most clutch throws came in the fourth quarter 14-play drive that culminated in the game-winning kick by Sean Cobelli ’14.

“I also think a large part of my success came from the great blocking of the offensive line, who often times receive very little credit for our success as a team. Without them, we wouldn’t have been in position to make that game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter,” Wesley said.

Wesley and the football team will continue their 2012 campaign at Delaware tomorrow.

Categories
Golf Golf Men Sports Women

Men’s and women’s golf mediocre in open

 

Chloe Chou | The Bucknellian
A Bison golfer looks to capitalize on the short game. Unfortunately, inclimate weather kept the Orange and the Blue from defending their win streak at home.

Chris McCree
Sports Editor 

The men’s and women’s golf teams kicked off their seasons with third and seventh place finishes, respectively. This past weekend, the Colgate Invitational in Hamilton, N.Y. gave the men a team score of 618 or 42-over par, leaving them 20 strokes behind tournament champion, Youngstown State. The women’s team had a tougher time during its host tournament, failing to extend its event winning streak to three straight years.

For the men, Dan Bernard ’13 led the team with a 36-hole score of 153, earning him a top-10 finish in a field of 54 competitors.

“The team performed pretty well,” Bernard said. “It was good for the freshmen to get some tournament experience in the tough conditions over the weekend.”

The Bison started two first-years this weekend, Luke Edelman and Nick Geissler, who finished T-21 and T-36, respectively, in their first collegiate tournaments. Edelman posted scores of 80 and 76 over the two days, while Geissler finished with two rounds of 83 and 80.

“Personally, I was disappointed with my performance on both days and will not take it lightly,” Edelman said. “I plan to work very hard in the coming weeks to ensure better performances in the future. Although I was very upset with my performance, I must say that the entire feel of the tournament was great between our team, our coach and the tournament itself.”

Rounding out the top five for the Bison were Schuyler Stitzer ’14 and Zach Pogust ’15 who finished T-13 and T-18, respectively. At the end of the tournament, all but Youngstown State’s Bill Gaffney were over-par. Gaffney held a seven stroke victory at one under par.

Coming away from the weekend, the Bison can be satisfied that they were able to finish ahead of host team and league rival Colgate, who finished with a 639.

For the women, Bridget Wilcox ’14 led the team with a 54-hole total of 231. Wilcox was the sole player for the Orange and Blue to record three-straight rounds under 80, allowing her to finish in the top 10 at +21.

Coming into the event, the Bison were the two-time defending champions, but could not find the consistency to win this year. At the end of the three rounds, Boston University stood atop the leaderboard after squeezing by both Rutgers and Seton Hall by a stroke. The Orange and Blue were able to finish strong, posting its best round of the tournament on Sept. 9 to move from eighth to seventh in the 15-team field.

“Well the tournament was a little disappointing.  We’ve won our home tournament for the past two years, but this year it just didn’t happen for us.  None of us played our best, but it’s a building year for us and we know what we need to work on,” Lexi Klein ’15.

The men’s team will return to play today when they host the Bucknell Invitational, while the women will take the week off before heading to Michigan to play in the Wolverine Invitational.

 

Categories
Football Men Sports

Football opens with close victory

 

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
Calvin Garrett ’16 kicks the ball in preseason practice. The Bison were well prepared for their season opener against Marist, emerging with a 19-17 win.

Eric Brod

Senior Writer

Coming off the momentum of their turnaround 2011 season, the football team opened up the 2012 campaign with a hard-fought 19-17 win over Marist. The offense was led by quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14, who was 20-27 for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Wesley put together a masterful game-clinching drive, which spanned 14 plays, seven minutes and 23 seconds. The drive was capped by a 36-yard field goal by Sean Cobelli ’14. Jeremiah Young ’13 ran for 35 yards on seven plays after last year’s leading rusher, Tyler Smith ’13, left the game early with an ankle injury.

Marist was able to close the gap to 19-17 after quarterback Chuckie Looney led them on a 10-play, 80-yard drive, but the Red Foxes were unable to recover the ensuing onside kick with 31 seconds remaining.

The Bison took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter on a touchdown pass from Wesley to fullback Travis Friend ’14. The drive was set up by a fumble recovery returned 55 yards by safety Ryan Morgan ’14. Marist responded by tying the score at seven late in the first quarter, but the Orange and Blue regained the lead on a 22-yard Cobelli field goal to take a 10-7 lead. The Bison extended their lead late in the second half to 16-7 on Wesley’s second touchdown of the game, this one to Jake Flaherty ’14, capping an eight-play, 43 yard drive.

Quite possibly the most impressive part of the win was that the offensive line, featuring four new starters, did not allow a sack and was able to give runners enough space to run, as the Bison averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Head coach Joe Susan attributes the offensive line’s success to composure and a balanced offensive attack.

“Our offensive line did a good job maintaining their composure. That is critical in their first start together,” Susan said. “Our effectiveness was enhanced by being able to balance the offense.”

Susan also noted how Wesley and the line worked together to make each other’s jobs easier.

“They did a very good job in protection, especially against a pressure front,” Susan said. “Brandon was smart with the ball and our passing game is based on timing. Hence, we did not give up a sack.”

Despite being outgained offensively 366 to 332 by Marist, the Bison were able to use a balanced attack to efficiently break through the Marist defense. The Bison racked up 142 rushing yards and 190 passing yards.

On defense, the team was led by Morgan and Evan Byers ’15 with eight tackles each. On offense, receiver Victor Walker ’14 had six catches for 81 yards.

The Orange and Blue, leading the nation in turnover differential last season, were even in the category on Sept. 8, with two turnovers a piece for each team.

The Bison next travel to Newark, Del. to take on the Delaware Blue Hens tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. before opening at home on Sept. 22 to open Patriot League play against Lafayette. Susan expects the team to be ready to face the challenges Delaware will create.

“We will continue to improve as a team and make necessary adjustments in scheme and personnel to do so. Delaware poses different challenges as they have excellent skill offensively and a very good defensive front,” Susan said. “We have to be more secure with the ball and control it to keep their offense off the field. Field position will be a critical factor in this game.”

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Cross Country Cross Country Men Sports Women

Cross Country dominates

 

Courtesy of Athletic Communications
John Dugan ’15 and Dustin Horning ’13 lead the pack. The Orange and Blue led often at the Running Fit-Detriot Invitational last weekend, where they won the team meet.

Cooper Mead

Writer

The men’s and women’s cross country teams dominated the Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational last weekend, winning the team meet behind some very strong individual performances.

Caroline Tolli ’13 showed her determination once again as she led the women to a team victory and won the five-kilometer race with a time of 18:27. Katie Jessee ’15 came in second overall and finished behind Tolli for the second time this season with a time of 18:50. Montana DiPietrantonio ’15 finished fourth with a time of 18:59 and Alison Billas ’16, Betsy Edinger ’15, Beth Braunegg ’14 and Meghan Carroll ’16 finished fifth through eighth, respectively.

Overall, 10 of the top 15 finishers were running for the Orange and Blue, putting them in first place out of 10 teams, with a total of 18 points and seven of the top eight spots.

“Our women took control of the meet very early and I am happy with the consistency of most of them. Eighteen points was the lowest score in the meet’s history, however, we will see better competition later on,” head coach Kevin Donner said.

The Bison defeated Wayne State (49 points) and Detroit (90 points) to earn the victory.

“The Detroit Invitational was an awesome experience because it allowed us to see our coach’s old home course and compete against teams from a different region. Our team worked really well together during the race by focusing on running in packs and staying mentally tough. We’re excited about how our season is shaping up and will be taking these next two weeks to train hard for our next meet at Saint Francis,” Braunegg said.

The Bison men also dominated the field, once again led by John Dugan ’15, who won the four-mile race with a time of 20:31. Dugan beat Nick Jackson of Wayne State by 11 seconds. D.J. Krystek ’13 placed fifth with a time of 20:52, Michael McGowan ’15 placed seventh with a time of 20:57 and Andrew Garcia-Garrison ’15 finished in ninth place with a time of 21:05.

The team completed the invitational with 26 points to beat Wayne State, who finished in second place with 47 and Detroit in third place with 62.

“Our men ran a little better than last week. It was good to get McGowan back from injury and Garcia-Garrison needs to be scoring for us as well. Winning the meet on a tough course was an honor and now we can train for 20 days without a meet to help us improve and get ready for the championships in seven weeks,” Donner said.

The Bison will have a three-week break from competition as they prepare for the Saint Francis Invitational on Sept 29.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis Tennis Women

Men’s and women’s tennis start season on a strong note

Alex Wagner
Sports Editor

Both the men’s and women’s tennis programs were successful in the opening of their season at the Bucknell Quad tournament. The Bison men won two out of three individual championships and the doubles championship, while the women had three individual runners-up and a doubles team runner-up.

Kelly Morque ’13 and Aiden Lynch ’14 won the doubles final on Sept. 8, giving the Orange and Blue their first title of the year. They defeated Brandon Gallegos and Lorenz Schwojer of Niagara University 8-6 in the final match.

On the singles side, Nick Bybel ’16 and Josh Katten ’13 emerged on top to win the A and C brackets. Bybel began his career for the Orange and Blue with a first-place finish after defeating his teammate Evan Zimmer ’13 6-4, 6-4 in the Flight A final. Katten also defeated a Bison teammate, Chris Tortora ’14, to capture Flight C.

“The preseason preparations that our coaches had for us really helped me get back in the swing of things. Normally it takes me some time to get back from taking a few weeks off from playing, but the drills and the intensity of our practices really helped me regain my form. The results from this weekend are great building blocks for the season and my college career,” Bybel said.

“For me, preseason preparations were out of the ordinary this year. Following the spring 2012 season, I underwent double knee surgery and have been on the recovery trail ever since. This first tournament gave me the opportunity to get my feet under me and to test out, as I like to say, my new knees,” Katten said.

The women’s squad showed similar promise for the upcoming season. Maria Cioffi ’16, Stephanie Pino ’16 and Claudia Silvers ’15 all put in impressive performances to reach their respective bracket finals, but none were able to pull out a victory in the final.

In finals play, newcomers Cioffi and Pino were impressive once again as they advanced to the doubles final after defeating teammates Elena Vidrascu ’14 and Lydia Colvin ’15.  Unfortunately, they came up short in the final, losing 8-1 to Megan Hahn and Olivia Ott of Loyola (Md.).

“I was extremely pleased that I was able to make it to the finals in this tournament for both singles and doubles, and I hope it sets the tone for a great season … This tournament also gave me the confidence to know that I can successfully play college tennis and contribute to the success of the tennis team. It also gave me the opportunity to identify some areas that I would like to work on so that I can continue to improve my tennis skills and perform well in the tournaments to come,” Pino said.

The next competition for the women will be on Sept. 14 at the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational. The men’s team will be back in action the same day, splitting their squad between the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational and the Princeton Invitational.

Categories
Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo defeats Fordham, fall to St. Francis, California and Brown

Scott Padula
Staff writer

The men’s water polo team went 1-3 when they traveled to New Jersey to compete in the Princeton Invitational this past weekend. The Bison started the weekend by dropping a close decision to No. 20 St. Francis (N.Y.) 8-7. In their next two games, the Bison lost to No. 3 California and No. 18 Brown, 20-3 and 12-6, respectively. They bounced back in their final game of the invitational, defeating Fordham 20-8. The Orange and Blue are now 3-3 on the season.

To kick off the weekend, the Orange and Blue fell to St. Francis on Sept. 7. The Bison and Terriers played an even game throughout, responding when the other team tried to pull away. Despite falling behind 3-1 in the first quarter, the Orange and Blue were able to take a 4-3 lead into the intermission. In the second half, the Bison could not stop the Terrier attack and allowed five goals, while only scoring three of their own. Julian Colina ’14 and Mike Kimble ’14 led the Bison in scoring with two goals apiece. Stefan Aleksic ’16 was also strong for the Orange and Blue with two assists and a goal of his own.

“We moved the ball and worked well as a unit together. We also executed our offensive game plan very well, especially against St. Francis. Additionally, our five-man defense was very good. It is one of our strengths as a team and something we can rely on when the games come down to the last few possessions. The team looked good against very stiff competition, but we made a few mistakes that the other teams capitalized on,” Kimble said.

For the Orange and Blue, the second day of the Princeton Invitational started against California. The Bears scored early and often against the Bison, finding the back of the net six times in the first quarter. By the end of the second quarter, California held a commanding 7-1 lead. Along with stifling defense throughout, California ramped up their offensive production in the second half, scoring 10 times in the third quarter. The Bears added three more goals in the fourth to reach 20 total goals. Despite the offensive onslaught, co-captain Matt Napleton ’13 looked strong in goal, stopping 10 shots in the first 16 minutes of play.

In the second game, the Orange and Blue faced Brown. Despite a conscious defensive effort, the Bison could not contain Brown in the first half, allowing the Bears to take a 7-4 lead into the intermission. In the third quarter, the Orange and Blue outscored Brown 2-1 but were unable to find the back of the net in the fourth quarter, resulting in a 12-6 loss. Kimble had two goals and Alex Nowlin ’14 had two assists and a goal, respectively. Again, Napleton was impressive in goal, recording 11 saves in 32 minutes of action.

“We need to work on having consistent play throughout the game and being able to stick to our game plan without panicking if we get down a few goals. As captains, Matt and I will make sure the team is physically and mentally ready for highly competitive practices. This will help us deal with staying consistent in games, dealing with adversity and playing hard for four quarters,” said co-captain Brian Barron ’13.

The Bison showed their resilience in their final game of the weekend by defeating Fordham. The Orange and Blue dominated throughout the game, controlling the tempo of play on the offensive end, while shutting down Fordham on the defensive side of the ball. Aleksic tallied a team-high with eight points from four goals and four assists. Joining him were teammates Jack Else ’14 who had four goals, while Kimble and Barron recorded five points each. In goal, Napleton stopped seven shots in 32 minutes.

The Orange and Blue will travel to Cambridge, Mass. this upcoming weekend to compete in the North/South Tournament. The Bison will begin the tournament by facing host-team Harvard, tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer earns first win of season

Chris McCree
Sports Editor

The men’s soccer team earned its first wins of the season this weekend, taking down previously unbeaten La Salle and Saint Francis (Pa.). Playing in Philadelphia on Sept. 7, the Bison received second half goals from CK Kumah ’13 and Josh Plump ’13 to carry the team to a 2-1 victory over the Explorers. Two days later, the Orange and Blue shutout a strong St. Francis squad 1-0, bringing their record to 2-1-2 on the season.

“After having three games go into overtime and not coming away with a win, it was crucial for us to win these two games,” Plump said. “The team did a good job following the game plan and getting the results that matter the most.”

Despite being outshot by La Salle 23-16, the Bison were able to come away with the win behind another stellar performance in goal by Mike Lansing ’16. Lansing, who has registered 34 saves in five games this season, recorded nine against the Explorers and did not surrender a goal until the 69th minute.

The game remained goalless until the 57th minute of play, but the Bison were able to get two quick goals within a minute. Kumah’s goal came off of a corner kick set, where the midfielder capitalized on a pass from Brendan Burgdorf ’13. Plump followed this by dribbling past four defenders and beating the keeper. The goals were the first of the season for both players.

“I think we’re really starting to flow as a team,” midfielder Chris Thorsheim ’16 said. “I believe to we need to continue to move the ball and be a possession-oriented team.”

Against Saint Francis, the Bison struck quickly when Josh Butzke ’14 scored his first goal of his career just six minutes into the game. Thorsheim earned his first career assist on the play.

“Finally getting my first goal was a huge relief,” Butzke said. “I always get a hard time from Coach Nash, especially on my shots, so this was a perfect chance to prove myself with a left-footed shot from 26 yards out.”

After a gaining a 10-3 shot advantage, the Bison saw a completely different Red Flash team in the second half. The Saint Francis squad turned the pressure on and held a 12-3 shot advantage in the second. The Orange and Blue relied on Lansing to come up big and he did, recording four of his five saves in the second half to earn his first career shutout. Lansing was later named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week.

“The thing that we need to do better is play a full 90 minutes of consistently great soccer,” Butzke said. “We dominated Saint Francis in the first half and then something happened in the second half that just wasn’t right, and we played poor, but fortunately we pulled it out.”

Getting their first wins, the Orange and Blue are confident that they can compete with their Patriot League counterparts as well as on a national scale. The team has two more games this weekend before they begin league play, and it will be important for them to continue to play at a high level.

“People think just because we’re in the Patriot League, we can’t compete with the other big schools,” said Butzke. “I completely disagree and I think we have a Top 25 program here, easily. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I think we are rolling now and I think this group is going to do something this year that has never been done before.”

The Bison play their first regular season home games this weekend against Adelphi tonight and Albany on Sunday.

 

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer falls in double overtime

Chris McCree
Sports Editor

Coming off a strong opening weekend against a pair of Atlantic-10 opponents, the men’s soccer team suffered a 2-1 double OT loss to Florida Gulf Coast this past weekend in Fort Myers, Fla. Hampered by an early red card to star defender Mayowa Alli ’14, the outmanned Orange and Blue squad kept patient most of the game and were rewarded when Joe Meyer ’14 scored his first career goal in the 84th minute to send the game to overtime. Then, with less than five minutes left in the second overtime period, Florida Gulf Coast handed the Bison their first loss of the season with a goal from William Morse.

“Going into the match against FGCU, we knew that it was going to be a very tough game, and being forced to play with 10 men against their 11 did not make things any easier for us,” Meyer said. “However, I thought we responded very well to the situation by working hard, communicating and staying compact.”

Due to the controversial red card call, the Bison were forced to quickly alter their game plan and become much more defensive-minded. Even without Alli as an anchor, the Orange and Blue defense stepped up and withstood a barrage of offensive surges from the Eagles squad. Goalie Mike Lansing ’16 finished the contest with six saves as the Eagles recorded a 28-2 shot advantage.

Early in the second half, the Eagles finally broke the scoreless tie with a goal and looked to cruise to victory. Yet, with just minutes remaining on the clock, Meyer received a ball across the box from left back Jermaine Jarrett ’13 and put it away in the back of the net. Meyer’s goal came off of the Bison’s first shot of the contest.

“I took a quick touch and slotted the ball inside the near post from about 12 yards out to tie the game at 1-1,” Meyer said. “I rushed over to our bench and the whole team went crazy.”

The Orange and Blue then received a chance to steal the game a few minutes later when Brendan Burgdorf ’13 tracked down a punt from Lansing and forced the Eagles’ goalie to make a diving save. FGCU ratcheted up the offensive pressure in overtime and eventually put the game away late in the second OT period.

“Even though a loss is never a good thing, I think our team learned we can make big adjustments in games and even play a man down and still compete with very good teams,” Burgdorf said.

With three games now under their belt, the team will travel to Philadelphia to take on La Salle on tonight at 7 p.m. and then head to Loretto, Pa. on Sunday to take on St. Francis.

“Coach Nash told us that every team is faced with adversity, but it’s the way that the team responds that makes the difference between a great team and just a good team,” Meyer said. “That being said, I know that we will respond strongly next weekend against La Salle and St. Francis by earning six points.”

Categories
Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo goes 2-0 at Navy Labor Day Open to begin season

 

The Bucknellian Archives
The Bison look to find an opening in their opponents defense.

Scott Padula
Staff Writer

The men’s water polo team kicked off their 2012 campaign by going 2-0 this past weekend when they traveled to Annapolis, Md. to compete in the Navy Labor Day Open. The Orange and Blue started the tournament on the right foot, defeating Notre Dame (Ohio) 24-9. The Bison kept their momentum alive in their second game of the weekend by beating Iona 14-12. Under second-year coach John McBride, the Orange and Blue are now 9-2 in the month of September.

The Bison had a strong showing to begin the season. The Orange and Blue scored early and often against Notre Dame (Ohio), finding the back of the net 14 times in the first two quarters. More impressively, 23 of the 24 Bison goals in the game were assisted. Jack Else ’14 led the Bison scoring barrage with five goals, setting a new career-high. Joining him with multi-goal performances were teammates Brian Barron ’13, Stefan Aleksic ’16, Julian Colina ’14, Mike Kimble ’14 and Alex Nowlin ’14. In total, 14 different Bison recorded a point in the decisive victory, while the team as a whole, registered 17 steals.

In the team’s second game of the tournament, the Orange and Blue won against Iona. The Bison and Gaels traded goals throughout the first half, resulting in a 5-5 draw going into the intermission. In the second half, the Orange and Blue came out strong, scoring seven times in the third quarter, and never looked back. Barron and Nowlin led the Bison in points, registering five a piece, while Aleksic, Colina and Uros Markovic ’14 also contributed with multi-goal games. Additionally, senior co-captain Matt Napleton ’13 was strong in goal, making seven saves in 32 minutes of action.

The Bison will continue their busy schedule as they head to Princeton this weekend for the Princeton Invitational. The Orange and Blue will face St. Francis (N.Y.), the University of California, Brown and Fordham over the course of three days.

Categories
Cross Country Men Sports

Cross country men finish 1-2-3 at Bison Open

 

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
Williams ’15 excelled at the Bison Open last Friday, beating the nearest runner by 15 seconds.

Alex Wagner
Sports Editor

The men’s cross country team got their season off to a very strong start, as they finished one-two-three at the Bison Open and fifth overall at the Harry Lang invitational.

On Aug. 31, Glen Williams ’15 ran to his first career win in the Bison Open, finishing the three-mile course in 15:09, 15 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. That nearest competitor was his teammate, Robert Yamnicky ’13, who finished in 15:24. Brian Charland ’13 was not far behind, finishing in 15:28 and completing the sweep of the top three positions for the Orange and Blue.

“Although it was very hot out, most of the team put up great times. We held 13 of our runners out of the race and we still easily dominated the competition, which really shows the depth we have this year,” Williams said.

Just a day later, much of the team travelled to Colgate for the Harry Lang Invitational, where the men’s team earned a respectable fifth place finish. John Dugan ’15 was the top finisher for the Bison, finishing the 6,400-meters in 20:41 and in 15th place. He was followed by D.J. Krystek ’13, who finished in 18th place with a time of 20:46.

“We had a pretty intense week of training leading up to the races, and to come out with a solid performance is exciting … Colgate is a challenging course and I think we gained an advantage by experiencing the course in a race setting and seeing some of the teams we will race at leagues,” Krystek .

The rest of the scoring five for the Bison consisted of Andrew Kuchta ’16 in 32nd place (21:18), Charles Seigneur ’13 in 34th (21:20) and Tyler Erhard ’14 in 40th (21:27).

“Being the first meet of the year and coming off a very hard training week, I wasn’t as concerned about the final results as I will be later in the year. I was more concerned about  getting to know the Patriot League Championship course and giving a solid effort, even with tired legs … If we can get our number three-four-five runners to close the gap on Dugan and Krystek, then we will be a very good team,” head coach Kevin Donner said.

The Bison will run again this Saturday in the Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational in Northville, Mich.