Category: Sports

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Sports Volleyball Women

Strong Bison Defense result in two home victories for women’s volleyball

Emily Evancho

Assistant Sports Editor

The women’s volleyball team hasn’t left the court in the past two weeks, playing four matches and bringing home two victories against Loyola (Md.) on Oct. 11 and Howard on Oct. 15.

In the match against Loyola (Md.), the Bison easily pulled a 3-1 victory over the Greyhounds. Playing for the offense, Jordan Walker ’17 smacked down 10 kills while Rose Lewis ’14 aided with 19 assists. Katie Price ’16 added 15 digs for the defense. Karen Campbell ’16 performed especially well, providing the Orange and Blue with nine kills and a team-high of six blocks.

“I think ever since our win against Loyola we have had great team chemistry on the court and I see good things in our future,” captain Morgan Mientus ’14 said.

The chemistry was in no shortage on the court when the Bison took on Howard. Walker led the team again in kills, racking up 13, closely followed by Campbell with 11 kills and a match-high .429. Keane Brazda ’17 provided 19 assists and Mientus dug deep with 13 digs for the Orange and Blue while Erika Eastley ’17 posted a match-high of nine blocks throughout the match. The Bison efforts were more than enough to pull through with 3-2 victory over Howard.

The Orange and Blue brought their spirit to the court in both matches against Colgate but it failed to translate to the scoreboard. In the first match against Colgate on Oct. 18, Mientus, Kristen Titley ’14, and Jessica Serrato ’14 all pulled through with seven kills each.  Lewis also contributed with 14 assists while Eastley gave four blocks and three aces. Still, the Bison fell 3-0 against Colgate.

Although the team worked well together, the second match against Colgate ended in the same way. Titley and Walker both registered seven kills while Meghan Wentzel ’16 gave 10 assists and Lewis had seven digs. The Orange and Blue couldn’t keep the ball, dropping another 3-0 decision into Colgate’s lap.

“I think we lost a hard fought match to Colgate, they are a great team and I think we really surprised them,”  Mientus said. “Hopefully we bring the intensity we had against Colgate into all of our matches for the second round of Patriot League play. If we can do that I think we have a chance to upset some people and hopefully make it to the Patriot League tournament.”

The Bison will take the court against Army tonight at 7 and Holy Cross tomorrow at 5 p.m. Both matches will be played at Davis Gym.

Categories
Golf Sports Women

Women’s golf place 10th at Rutgers Invitational

Gabriella DeRosa

Contributing Writer

The women’s golf team traveled to Piscataway, N.J. to take on 19 other teams at the Rutgers Invitational on Oct. 14-15. The Bison ended day one in third place, but throughout the tournament they moved down to 10th place, with a total team score of 329.

The Bison did well on day one, shooting four scores in the 70s, but no one was able to break 80 on day two. 

“It was a great feeling going into the final day sharing a tie for the lead,” Bridget Wilcox ’14 said. “The final round was tough … I just tried to stay with my game and play against par. [It was a] disappointing finish but I learned a lot from the experience.”

Wilcox had a share of the individual lead after the first round with a 1-over-73 and ended with an 81 in round two. 

The Bison are preparing for their last event of the fall on Oct. 28-29 at the Palmetto Intercollegiate at Kiawah Island, S.C.

“We have a new strategy going into the next tournament and the team is amped,” Wilcox said.

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Men Sports Swimming & Diving

Men’s Swimming & Diving Sweep George Washington 165-91

Lauren Boone

Sports Editor

The men’s swimming and diving team won 165-91 in its first scored meet of the season against George Washington on Oct. 19. Louis Behnen ’17 led the Bison, winning three events. Teammate Mike Nicholson ’14 supported Behnen’s lead, claiming two more first-place finishes for the Orange and Blue.

The team claimed first place in every event during the meet. Eight Bison claimed individual titles, showing their strength across the board.

“GW is a competitive team, so to be able to win all 16 events against them was a real accomplishment,” Nicholson said. “We saw some of the younger guys really step up in some big spots and put up impressive times for this early in the season.” 

Behnen played a particularly strong role for the team, winning the 200 back, 500 free, and 1,000 free. He swam a time of 9:36.33 in the 1,000 freestyle, the third best time in program history. Behnen touched the wall a solid 16 seconds before the second-place finisher.

“I was more focused on race strategy and pace during this meet than my end time, because that’s the most important thing to focus on this early in the season,” Behnen said. “Other members of the team also stepped up and did well when we needed points.”

Nicholson also contributed to the Bison victory, claiming first in both the 200 fly and the 200 breast. Among the other first-place finishers were Chris Ortiz ’16 (200 free), Will Rappaport ’16 (100 back), Ben Seketa ’15 (100 breast), Steve Grune ’16 (50 free), Trevor Reitz ’14 (100 free), and Erik Heinemann ’15 (100 fly). The Orange and Blue also performed well in the relay events. 

“Our relays are showing a lot of depth which gives us some much needed flexibility for the dual meet season,” Nicholson said. “We also showed a lot of strength in the backstroke events, which has been a weak point for us in the past. While we are happy with our results, we’ve quickly moved on to focusing on our next meet this weekend against Pittsburgh. It’s our first meet against an ACC [Atlantic Coast Conference] team in a long time, which, in addition to being homecoming weekend, should be a great environment for us to really measure ourselves against top competition in an exciting environment.”

The Bison will return to the lanes of the Kinney Natatorium tomorrow at 1 p.m. where they will host Pittsburgh.

Categories
Golf Men Sports

Stitzer, Pogust lead Bison golf

Alexandra Rosen

Contributing Writer

The men’s golf team came out strong in the Donald Ross Intercollegiate in Morganton, N.C., but finished with a score of 295. The Bison placed 13th overall and were led by Schuyler Stitzer ’14 and Zach Pogust ’15.

Stitzer did not shoot anything lower than a bogey the first day, and on the second day he shot 74. Pogust finished day one with a 1-over 71 and tied his personal best this season. The second round left him with 74, which was enough to help the team score of 294 and 297 in the first two rounds.

While the Orange and the Blue tied their season low of 294, it was not enough to beat the other schools in the tournament.

“Despite our unsatisfactory finish, there were a lot of positives we took from the weekend,” Peter Scialabba ’15 said. “Our short games allowed us to shoot competitive scores although we weren’t hitting the ball as well as we’d like.”

There are many positives to take from the tournament, including the first-years stepping up to the tee.

“Our freshmen D.J. [Magee ’17] and Zach [Melnick ’17] are improving as they get used to playing college golf,” Scialabba said.

Magee birdied a hole at the beginning of the final round, shooting a 75. Melnick scored a spot on the travel roster and secured three birdies for the weekend, finishing behind Pogust and Stitzer.

The Bison compete next in the Lehigh Invitational at Saucon Valley CC on Oct. 27-28.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Bybel, Canibe compete at ITA Regional Championships

Chris McCree

Senior Writer

The men’s tennis team sent Nick Bybel ’16 and Octavio Canibe ’15 to the USTA/ITA Regional Championships on Oct. 18 to compete against some of the top players in the country. In the three matches played between the two, the Bison came away winless from the tournament.

In doubles, Bybel and Canibe teamed up against Ethan and Jacob Dunbar of Richmond. Ethan has been named twice to the All-Conference first team and has played No. 1 singles for the Spiders for two years. Not fazed by the accolades, the Orange and Blue duo proved to be worthy foes, forcing a tiebreaker which they ultimately lost 8-7 (6).

In singles, both Bybel and Canibe fell in straight sets. Matched up against Rob Stirling of James Madison, Bybel put up a strong fight in the first set (6-4), but his opponent came out even stronger in the second, taking the set 6-2. Similarly, Canibe lost a match to fellow Patriot Leaguer Thomas Pecor (Navy) 6-4, 6-0.

The Championships marked the end of the fall season for the Orange and Blue. Bybel emerged as a key member of the Bison contingent, as he finished the fall with a team-high 12 singles wins. With the loss, Canibe finished the fall season with an even 6-6 record in singles play.

The team now enters its winter offseason training before its spring season begins in February. The squad will open the spring with a series of non-conference competitions before playing its first Patriot League opponent in March.

“We have a lot of talent and experience on this team,” Irwin Reibeisen ’14 said. “We need to continue working to maximize our potential as a collective unit. I have high hopes for this season–the Patriot League title is within reach.”

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Bison still stand strong in League despite three hard-fought losses

Devan Schulte

Contributing Writer

After defeating Holy Cross 7-0 to increase their record to 7-5 for the season on Oct. 12, the Bison failed to put a goal away in the next three consecutive games. The field hockey team still holds a spot in the Patriot League Tournament despite three tough losses to Penn State (0-2), Boston University (0-2), and New Hampshire (0-3) this past week. 

Abby Watson ’16 was named Patriot League Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Week after recording an impressive hat trick against the Holy Cross Crusaders. The team put together an impressive offensive effort, as four different players were able to put points on the board for the Bison. The team also showed strength on defense, allowing the Crusaders only one shot the entire game.

The Orange and Blue then faced a tougher opponent in No. 8 Penn State when the Nittany Lions traveled to Lewisburg on Oct. 13 to take on the confident Bison. After letting up an early goal off a corner, the Bison continued to fight against their ranked opponent, but were hurt again 19 minutes in when Penn State secured a second goal. Goalkeeper Erica Perrine ’14 refused to allow any more goals, and the defensive effort of the Bison greatly improved in the second half. The team managed to prevent the Nittany Lions from capitalizing on any more corners, one of the opponent’s strong suits.

“This game was very important because it gave us the opportunity to prepare for our other Patriot League games by exposing our weaknesses and by practicing what we are good at against a very competitive team,” Perrine said.

On Oct. 19, the Orange and Blue headed to Boston University where their defensive efforts were once again put to the test. After falling behind 1-0 early in the match, the Bison kept the game tight and had a few opportunities to tie up the score. Unfortunately, the Terrier goalkeeper retained a shutout by stopping any of the Bison’s dangerous chances. Although the Orange and Blue continued to battle, Boston managed to put away a second goal and increase their lead in the second half. The Bison did not manage to find the back of the net for the remainder of the game but still remain confident after gaining their first loss in Patriot League play.

“Losing to BU this weekend gives us the fuel to come out and prove to ourselves that we can beat them when we see them again in playoffs,” Emily Hitchings ’16 said.

The Bison continued their journey to New Hampshire on Oct. 20 to take on the Wildcats. Coming out strong, the Orange and Blue generated chances on goal but could not put any past the Wildcats goalkeeper. Perrine was unable to hold off the Wildcats for long, as New Hampshire found the back of the net 23:50 in and came out extremely strong in the second half to score two more times.

Although the Bison left New Hampshire with a loss, the team is ready to prepare for another tough Patriot League opponent this weekend in Washington D.C. as the Orange and Blue take on American tomorrow at noon.

“We are stronger than I’ve ever seen my four years playing, and if there is anything that we can take from our game against Boston, it’s that we have a real shot of winning the tournament this year,” Perrine said.

Categories
Football Men Sports

Football fights for a 17-14 win over Dartmouth

Cooper Mead

Senior Writer

The football team defeated the Dartmouth Big Green 17-14 on Oct. 19 in Hanover, N.H. to bring its record to 2-4. Matt DelMauro ’16 and CJ Williams ’17 posted key touchdowns for the Bison, while Will Carter ’17 continued to be a factor as he tallied eight catches for 69 yards.

The Bison defensive front remained strong against the Big Green, as it held the potent Dartmouth offense (averaging about 500 yards per game) to just 252 yards. The Bison tallied a season-high seven sacks led by Tracey Smith ’14, who had eight tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.

On offense, quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 returned to the field for the first time since his game against Cornell and connected on 11 of 21 passes for 127 yards. Most notably, his deep 42-yard throw to Josh Brake ’15 put him in first place for the Bison program’s career passing yard mark with 5,347 yards. On the ground, the Bison were led by DelMauro with 75 yards, and Williams with 68 yards.

The contest began as a defensive battle with neither team scoring during the first quarter, but Dartmouth capitalized on a costly Bison personal foul and took the lead at the beginning of the second quarter with a three-yard touchdown run to finish a 12-play, 73-yard drive. On the following drive, Wesley orchestrated a 13-play, 74-yard drive. The Bison were unable to capitalize on the following drive, as Williams was stopped just short of the end zone on fourth-and-goal.

The Bison went into the second half trailing 7-0, but would score on two consecutive drives to begin the half. The first was a 14-play, 51-yard drive that concluded with a 32-yard field goal booted by Derek Maurer ’15. On their next possession, the Bison, aided by a holding call deep in Big Green territory, put together an 84-yard, 10-play drive that was capped by a 15-yard touchdown by DelMauro to bring the score to 10-7. The Bison defense remained resilient as Smith jolted the ball out of Dartmouth’s grasp, which gave the Bison great field position and allowed Williams to power the ball into the end zone with 10:17 left in the game.

“Our team put together a full game in all three phases … This win on the road provides confidence for a young team that has worked hard in each game,” head coach Joe Susan said.

After a strong defensive stand, the Bison’s next possession stalled and Kyle Sullivan’s ’14 punt was blocked. Dartmouth then registered a 21-yard touchdown pass to bring the Big Green within three points at 17-14 with 44 seconds left on the clock. In a desperate attempt, the Big Green lined up for an onside kick, but it was recovered by Lee Marvel ’15 to seal the Bison victory.

“Overall we played a solid game in all aspects for 60 minutes and when you can do that, more often than not you’re going to be happy with the results. We faced adversity in the game, and that’s going to happen in football. It’s how you respond to that adversity that determines the outcome of the game. Moving forward we will do our best to learn from this success and use it against our future opponents. It’s a long season and we still have a lot of goals we’d like to get accomplished,” Sullivan said.

The Bison win marks the first victory over an Ivy League team since 2011, and a significant improvement on turnovers (one fumble) that were plaguing the Bison offense. In addition, the Bison dominated on third down as they converted eight of 19 third downs compared to three of 16 converted by the Big Green.

The Bison will return to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium tomorrow at 1 p.m. as they hope to carry momentum from the win into the game against Lehigh on Homecoming Weekend.

Categories
Cross Country Men Sports

McGowan leads Bison in final tune-up before PLC

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer

The Orange and Blue outran three Patriot League competitors on Oct. 19, as the team competed in the Leopard Invitational. In their final race before the Patriot Leagues, the Bison finished third behind American and Cortland State as Michael McGowan ’15 continued his stellar semester, leading the team by finishing inside the top 10.

“Considering we went out pretty slow, I thought we ran a good race. We ran in a strong pack, but the team was generally conservative throughout the day,” McGowan said.

In an effort to learn the course, which will serve as the site of the Patriot League Championship, the team had an extended cool down after the race and ran the course again. This extra studying will be only one part of its strategy, as the team seeks a balanced performance in order to contend at the championship.

“Our top guys are most likely going to be at the top of the race. What makes a team good is their depth so we hope to get really strong performances from our three, four, and five guys,” McGowan said. “If they can get it done, and everyone has a strong day, we can challenge for first. I think top three is a very realistic goal.”

This season, McGowan earned Patriot League Male Runner of the Week, an Honorable Mention for Patriot League Runner of the Week, and Bison Athlete of the Week.  Perhaps that is why he has set himself some lofty goals for the Patriot League Championship. 

“My individual expectation is to be First-Team All League. I think on an off-day I still should be All League, but you can’t control how other people run,” McGowan said. “My preparation is going to make sure to take my runs easy. I need to be recovering and ready to go in two weeks.”

McGowan and the team’s season will come to a head at the Patriot League Championship on Nov. 2 at Lafayette.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer digs deep in pair of overtime games

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The men’s soccer team played its first double overtime games of the season two weeks ago. The first was a 1-1 tie at American on Oct. 12. After the draw, Mayowa Alli ’14 capitalized on a golden goal opportunity that lifted the Bison to a 1-0 victory at Rutgers on Oct. 15. In their third game of the week, Austin Lenart ’17 had an early goal that failed to contain Navy, as the Orange and Blue fell 2-1 at home on Oct. 19. The team’s overall record stands at 8-4-1 (2-2-1 Patriot League).

Andrew Leischner ’17  had his first collegiate goal, which forced an overtime against an American squad that nailed an early goal to put pressure on the Bison offense. The Eagles initiated the scoring in the 13th minute, which was the lone goal in the first half.

The Bison equalizer came in the 84th minute when Leischner’s follow-up attempt eluded the goalkeeper after his first shot was ruled short of the goal line. The Orange and Blue controlled the ball in Eagle territory but could not come up with the game winner. Mike Lansing ’16 continued his exceptional goalkeeping, blocking six shots to protect the draw. Both teams combined for six overtime shot attempts. Joe Meyer ’14 earned his first career Brine Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week award after his performance.

“American is a very skillful team that does a great job possessing the ball in the midfield, so it takes a lot of hard work to shut them down,” Meyer said. “Since I have been at Bucknell, we haven’t come away from American’s home field with any points, so to come back from being down most of the game really shows a lot of character.”

The Bison played another extended game against Rutgers, but this one ended in their favor. In the second overtime, Connor Willings ’16 threw the ball into the box and found Alli, who broke away from his defender and headed the ball past the Scarlet Knight goalkeeper. Alli and the rest of the Bison defense hounded Rutgers, limiting the team to four shots on target. This game raised the Bison’s road record to 5-0-1.

“We knew that if we scored a goal during OT the game would be over, so I wanted to draw most of my energy towards the defensive effort and provide support for the offensive players when we were in possession of the ball,” Alli said.

The fatigue from the previous two games carried over against Navy. Lenart’s first career goal in the sixth minute gave the Bison early momentum. Patrick Figgie ’16 dished the ball to Jesse Klug ’16, who found Lenart 25 yards in front of the goal. After the ball was misdirected, Lenart calmly took control and blasted it into the upper right corner. This goal ended Navy’s six-game shutout streak.

“There is no better feeling than scoring a goal, and for it to be my first one of the season was truly a great moment,” Lenart said.

Unfortunately, Navy struck about 10 minutes into the second half after a corner kick attempt led to a headed goal for the Midshipmen. Navy took the lead in the 72nd minute and did not let up. Alli’s pair of late header attempts could not force a third straight overtime game.

Navy’s victory ended the Midshipmen’s 12-year winless streak against the Orange and Blue.

The Bison will remain at home for a match against Colgate tomorrow at 4 p.m.

Categories
Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo gathers four victories

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The men’s water polo team dominated over Fall Break, racking up four wins in its home tournament versus Navy, George Washington, Johns Hopkins, and Princeton.

“All the wins were great team wins where everyone contributed,” Mike Kimble ’14 said. “Our defense requires that we help each other, and this is exactly why we as a team are a solid group that will beat any team.”

The Bison began their weekend on Oct. 12 in Kinney Natatorium against Navy’s squad. Sean Daley ’17 led the way on the offensive end, scoring three goals and recording five assists for a total of eight points, a team-high for the season. Jack Else ’14 and Kimble also scored three goals each, leading the team to an 11-10 victory.

The Orange and Blue continued to succeed on the offensive end when they took on George Washington that evening. Else recorded three goals again, while Kimble and Stefan Aleksic ’16 both scored two each. On the defensive end, Keegan Williams ’15 helped the Bison to an eventual 12-9 victory with his nine saves in the match, totaling 17 that day.

“The new press defense we are running is really working well for our team and is allowing us to make a lot of steals, which leads to more goals,” Williams said. “We will continue to work on playing against a press offense and moving the ball around the perimeter, working for our centers.”

The Orange and Blue then took on John Hopkins on Oct. 13 with the chance to extend their weekend winning streak. Williams had a very strong match in goal, recording 14 saves and three steals. Else and Kimble scored four and three goals respectively, while Aleksic and Julian Colina ’14 both had two in the 13-6 victory.

Else led the Bison to victory once again in the afternoon match against Princeton for Senior Day. Else and Stephen Norton ’14 scored four and two goals respectively, while fellow seniors Colina, Alex Nowlin, Kimble, and Andrew Somers also had strong offensive performances. The win over 12th-ranked Princeton was their first victory over a ranked team since last year’s Eastern Championship, and it brought their record to 10-4 for the season.

“Our seniors all had great final home games, and our sophomores continued to provide strong consistent play,” Williams said. “We also had our freshmen step up and really contribute to our success that weekend.”

The Orange and Blue wrapped up their league play during the weekend with a 5-3 record in the CWPA Southern Division to secure second place. Else and Williams were named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for the conference, respectively, and the team moved into 20th nationally following their performance over the weekend. The Bison will take on Pacific and then play four games in the Santa Clara Rodeo this upcoming weekend.

“We can never be complacent,” Kimble said. “Teams are always getting better from year to year and we can never be happy with success from last year. If we aren’t improving then we are losing.”