Category: Men

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Featured Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis rebounds

By Cooper Mead

Contributing Writer

After losing to Penn State last week, the men’s tennis team took down Hofstra 6-1 on Saturday in Quakertown, Pa. With the win, the Orange and Blue improved their spring record to 2-1 and dropped Hofstra’s record to 0-1. The win brings the team’s all-time record to 9-2 against the Hofstra Pride.

The Bison came out strong and won all three of their doubles matches. Early on, partners Kelly Morque ’13 and Josh Katten ’13 played well and set the tone for the other two doubles pairings, who also produced strong victories. Kyle Rosen ’14 and Scott Bernstein ’14 won their match 8-4 and Gregg Cohenca ’12 and Evan Zimmer ’13 came out ahead 8-6.

In singles, Cohenca continued his exceptional play and with his doubles win, he racked up career win numbers 100 and 101, extending his exceptional play during the start of this season.

“The Hofstra match is good preparation for our matches versus Niagara and St. Bonaventure this upcoming weekend,” Morque said. “It feels great to get a win under our belts and return to winning form after facing a tough Penn State squad. Everyone is looking forward to building off of our last win.”

Katten emphasized the importance of each match to the development of the team.

“We played well against Hofstra,” Katten said. “There are still incremental changes being made and as a team we are using these matches to keep on building and improving. The season is a process in which we want to peak during the conference tournament, so all the matches preceding are just necessary steps in order to be well positioned for the Patriot League Tournament.”

The Bison will look to add to their victories and continue their upward trajectory in Olean, N.Y. when they play Niagara and St. Bonaventure this coming Saturday and Sunday.

 

 

 

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Men Sports Track & Field

Men’s track ends championship drought

By Colin Fields

Writer

The men’s track team was victorious at the Patriot League Championships last weekend in Gerhard Fieldhouse. Led by Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet Justin Hicks ’13, the Bison were able to hold off defending champion Navy and capture their first Indoor title since 1993. The Bison recorded six victories and edged out the Midshipmen by 8.75 points for the title.

Hicks propelled the Bison with two victories, one in the 60 meters and one in the 200 meters. Hicks’ semifinal time of 6.84 to put him into the finals broke a school record. Hicks then followed up with another stellar performance in the finals to record the first ever Bison victory in the 60 meters.

Hicks continued to put his name in the record books when he ran a 21.88 in the 200 meters, tying the Patriot League record which has stood since 2000. His time was also the fastest time ever run in Gerhard Fieldhouse.

Hicks also helped the 4×400 relay team to a fourth-place finish.

“Winning the Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet is a great feeling.  It’s always good to know that hard work and dedication is paying off. I am very excited about my personal performances as well as the great team effort we saw over that past weekend,” Hicks said.

The Bison picked up a couple of key victories from defending champions Tom Barr ’12 in the shot put and Andrew Powell ’12 in the heptathlon. Barr defended his title with a throw of 55’ 6.25’’, breaking his own school record set at Youngstown State three weeks ago. Teammate and fellow thrower Leonard Joseph ’13 threw a career best 63’ in the weight throw to take gold. Barr finished second in the weight throw with a toss of 62’ 8.5’’. The Bison throwers accounted for 40 of the Orange and Blue’s 185 points.

“It feels pretty amazing to defend my title in shot put and it felt great to break the 55’ barrier. I have been fortunate to have a great group of men around me challenging me and pushing me to achieve my potential,” Barr said. “We are pushing each other every day and our results are showing it. Records are meant to be broken, and I hope that I have pushed and trained my teammates enough to break my record when I am gone.”

Powell posted a personal record time in the 60-meter hurdles and recorded the top mark in the high jump on his way to his heptathlon victory. The senior broke his own record in the heptathlon and racked up 18 points for the Bison.

Several Bison will participate in the IC4A Championships next weekend. The outdoor season begins March 31.

“If we won the indoor title, which is the harder one to win, we should dominate the outdoor championship,” Barr said.

 

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Men Sports Swimming & Diving

Men’s swimming take second place at League Championships

By Andrew Lichtenauer

Senior Writer

The men’s swimming and diving team earned runners-up honors to Navy last weekend at the Patriot League Championships in Annapolis, Md. With their second-place finish, the Bison have now finished in the top three at the Patriot League Championships seven straight years, falling a close second to Navy in four of the previous five years. The Mids have now won nine straight league championships.

Christian Treat ’12 led the Bison with a pair of silver medals in the 200 breast and 100 breast, posting the second-fastest time in program history in the 200. Ben Seketa ’15, Nate Frye ’12 and Matt Stevens ’13 joined Treat as the three other Orange and Blue swimmers to score in the event.

“Going into the meet, we had some high expectations as a team. Our goals, to beat Army and close the point gap on Navy, were not something that was going to come easy. But these goals were not decided the day of the meet,” Treat said. “At the conclusion of last year’s championship, the guys all had a desire to reclaim our spot in the conference. This is what carried us through the off-season, through summer training and right up to the last relay of the meet. We created a winning atmosphere right off the bat and this grew into something that we all wanted more than any individual accomplishment.”

Like Treat, Mike Nicholson ’14 collected a pair of silvers in the 200 and 400 IM events. After claiming the Patriot League title in the 400 IM last season, Nicholson fell four seconds short of Navy’s Justin Vagts to earn second.

Swimming in their final Patriot League Championship, Eric Sokolosky ’12 and Thomas Brown ’12 each earned top finishes for the Bison in the 100 free and 200 back, respectively. Both swimmers earned fourth-place finishes, with Sokolosky going 45.28 and Brown going 1:48.39 in their respective events.

“Our dedication to training both in and out of the water, as well as our intense mental focus, allowed us to achieve many of these goals at Patriots. Taking home the runner-up trophy was a very satisfying moment for us, and a product of our hard work,” Sokolosky said. “With perhaps the most dedicated and talented group of individuals in Bucknell’s history, the expectations of this particular men’s team were very high. We swam solidly all weekend, qualifying well in the preliminary sessions and scoring crucial points in the finals at night. Although there were several standout performers, I know a few of us would’ve liked to have been a bit faster.”

Despite falling to Navy, the Bison were able to climb past Army after losing to the Black Knights last season. A portion of the Bison squad will continue their season this weekend at the ECAC Championships in Annapolis, Md.

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Basketball Men Sports

Men’s basketball ends win streak

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

After rolling off 10 consecutive victories in conference since early January, the men’s basketball team finally experienced defeat, losing back-to-back heartbreakers by one possession to the Lehigh Mountain Hawks and Holy Cross Crusaders. The two setbacks leave the Orange and Blue leading by just one game in the conference with two contests remaining.

“It was a frustrating way to lose,” said Mike Muscala ’13, the only Bison to score in double-figures in both games. “It will make us hungrier in the Patriot League Tournament.”

The Orange and Blue came out strong early in their match against Lehigh last Thursday, pushing ahead for a seven-point advantage just six minutes into the game. Unlike the rest of their Patriot League games up to that point, the Bison could not bury the Mountain Hawks after jumping out to a quick lead.

The nation’s seventh leading scorer, C.J. McCollum, who had been held to just four points in the first half by stingy defense played by Bryan Cohen ’12 and Cameron Ayers ’14, came alive in the second period, dropping 11 points to give Lehigh the boost it needed.

“I think we did a good job as a team defensively against him,” Cohen said. “The game plan was to try to keep the ball out of his hands as much as possible and make his teammates beat us. Overall, we did a solid job defensively as we were able to limit his shots.”

With the score tied in the waning seconds and the ball in his hands, though, McCollum would not be denied. After a difficult offensive series for the Bison on the previous possession, the Lehigh star drained a three-pointer with a half-second remaining to break the tie and give the Mountain Hawks a dramatic 56-53 victory.

Less than 48 hours after the emotionally draining loss against Lehigh, the Orange and Blue had to travel over six hours to play at Holy Cross on Saturday afternoon.

Their physical and mental exhaustion were evident throughout the first half. Muscala registered the first basket of the game for either side, but it was the Crusaders who would break the game wide open early with a 17-0 run. All efforts for the Bison offense proved futile in the opening 20 minutes, as the team missed 14 consecutive shots and did not score for a span of more than eight minutes.

“Holy Cross jumped on us early,” Cohen said. “Once that happened, they got into a good rhythm offensively, which allowed them to knock down several tough shots. We also were not able to keep them off the offensive glass as they were able to get a lot of second chance points.”

The Orange and Blue sprung to life, though, in the second half. After the Bison trailed by as much as 19, an impassioned comeback brought them within two of tying the game. But time ran out on the Orange and Blue, who fell 54-52 for their second straight Patriot League defeat for the first time in over two seasons.

“What changed was our defensive intensity and focus,” Ayers said. “We didn’t let our offense dictate our defense and we outscored them by 16 in the second half. If we didn’t start out sluggish, we would have had the game easily.”

The regular season title and number one spot in the Patriot League Tournament are still in the Orange and Blue’s grasp. A victory over American on Thursday night (after this paper went to press) would clinch both for the Bison.

“We came out hungry against Lehigh and Holy Cross but fell short,” Muscala said. “I think there are things we can take from both losses that we need to use in our games moving forward.”

 

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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.

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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.

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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.”

 

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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.”

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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.

 

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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.