Category: Sports

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Sports

Athlete of the Week: Mike Nicholson ’14

Alex Wagner

Sports Editor

 

Player Profile

 

Mike Nicholson ’14

Chappaqua, N.Y.

Sociology and Economics

 

Season statistics:

First in 200 IM vs. UMBC, UConn/Fordham and AU/Navy

First in 400 IM vs. UMBC

First in 200 fly vs. UConn/Fordham, AU/Navy

First in 200 back, 1,000 free and 100 breast vs. Lafayette

First in 200 breast vs. AU/Navy

Mike Nicholson ’14 continued his dominant season in the pool with his impressive performance in the home meet against Lafayette. He earned first place in the 1,000 free (9:48.42), 100 breast (58.22) and 200 back (1:56.05) events against the Leopards. His times in the 100 breast and the 200 back, two races that he doesn’t normally swim, are personal bests. He also won the 1,000 free by over 22 seconds.

“I think that my success against Lafayette came from the attitude our team took into the meet. We came off two straight split decisions in double dual meets, so we were very excited to be able to focus on a single opposing team,” Nicholson said. “We knew that we had a good chance to come out on top given our past performances against them, but we also knew that they were a formidable opponent. We wanted to hit them hard right out of the gate and not let down.”

Nicholson and the Bison certainly did not let down, winning 14 of 16 events overall. In addition, six of those wins had Bison occupy all three top spots.

“Winning our first home meet means a lot for the rest of our season. We obviously have more meets at home than anywhere else, so swimming well here at Bucknell is very important,” Nicholson said. “It’s especially important this year, as both the Bucknell Invitational this week and Patriot League Championships in February are both being held at Bucknell, as well as our highly contested dual meet against Army. We definitely have a ‘this is our house’ type mentality, and we want to defend our home turf throughout the rest of the season.”

Nicholson and the rest of the Orange and Blue squad will be back in action this weekend in the Bucknell Invitational.

Categories
Basketball Sports Women

Women fall in close contests

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

In its season opener against Xavier on Nov. 10, the women’s basketball team gave the Musketeers all they could handle, but second half shooting woes led to the Bison’s 71-62 defeat in Cincinnati, Ohio. Guard Shelby Romine ’14 led the Orange and Blue with 21 points and four assists. Head coach Aaron Roussell made his regular season debut for the Bison.

“Although we didn’t win the game against Xavier, I think our team realized how much potential we have to do really well this season. We competed and challenged a strong team and I’m really proud of how we fought back when it seemed as if they might pull away,” forward Audrey Dotson ’15 said.

The Bison kept the game close in the first half, as a three-pointer by Romine gave the Orange and Blue a 12-11 lead. Xavier regained the advantage but couldn’t put the lead into double digits. In the half, the Orange and Blue shot 43.3 percent from the field on 13-30 shooting, while the Musketeers were close behind with a 39.3 shot percentage on 11-28 shooting. The Bison finished the half with an 11-0 advantage in second chance points. Despite the offensive efficiency, Xavier was 11-11 from the free throw line and carried a 37-33 lead into the half.

“I was able to provide some offensive spark because our posts did a great job of rebounding. This allowed for a number of second chance opportunities and open jump shots,” Romine said.

After their strong offensive showing in the first half, the Bison struggled to duplicate the effort in the second, as they shot 29.0 percent from the field on 9-31 shooting. Xavier took their first double digit lead of the game at the 10:48 mark of the second half, where the Musketeers led 56-45. Romine answered back with consecutive jump shots to trim the lead to six. Unfortunately, that was as close as they would get, as Xavier claimed the victory 71-62.

“Our shots were rushed in the second half because they started pressuring us heavier on defense,” Romine said. “Overall, there were a lot of positives to take away from our first game.”

Along with Romine’s 21 points, Sheaira Jones ’16 was also in double figures, scoring 10 points in her collegiate debut. Alyssa Dunn ’13 had seven points and four assists, while Dotson, Felicia Mgbada ’13 and Rachel Voss ’13 each scored six points. Forwards Dotson and Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 held strong in the paint grabbing 12 rebounds and 11 rebounds, respectively.

“I was very nervous about my first collegiate game. I knew that it would be very different from high school,” Jones said. “I think our team played great and I am excited about our future.”

On Nov. 14, the Bison fell 62-54 in their hard fought home opener against St. Francis (Pa.). Romine led again in scoring with 12 points. Dunn tallied 11 points, and Horbatuck pulled down 15 rebounds. The Orange and Blue carried a 23-20 into halftime, but St. Francis’ 36 points in the paint and 24 points off turnovers guided them to the win.

“Lindsay [Horbatuck] is one of the hardest workers I know and playing with her has taught me a lot. I’m really looking forward to playing with her more this year and giving our team a strong presence in the post,” Dotson said.

The Bison’s next contest is against Canisius, which will take place tomorrow afternoon in Buffalo N.Y.

Categories
Football Men Sports

Football falls at Georgetown

Madelyn Zachara | The Bucknellian
The Bison defense prepares themselves before the snap. Although the defense only allowed ten points, the lack of offense doomed the Bison.

Alex Wagner
Sports Editor

Despite a good defensive showing and a couple of late chances to tie the game, the Bison football team fell to Georgetown 10-3 in Washington, D.C. The Bison now have an overall record of 2-8 (0-5 in the Patriot League) with one game left in the season. The Orange and Blue, coming off of a close win against Fordham, were unable to get very much going on offense throughout the game. They were held to a season-low 168 yards of total offense and were 0-11 on third down attempts, while Georgetown had 356 total yards and went 6-16 on third downs.

Even though they managed just 48 yards of offense in the first half, the Bison went into halftime only down 10 points after Georgetown kicked a 20-yard field goal and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass.

With about 12 minutes left in the game, things looked like they were starting to go the Bison’s way. The tide began to turn when safety Matthew Steinbeck ’15 intercepted a Georgetown pass and returned it 39 yards, his sixth pick of the year. The ensuing drive saw quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 complete a touchdown pass to wide receiver Josh Brake ’15. Unfortunately, the play was called back on a holding penalty, and the Orange and Blue had to settle for three points after a 38-yard field goal from Sean Cobelli ’14.

The Bison defense stood strong on the next drive, forcing Georgetown to punt with about four minutes left to play. As the Bison drove near midfield, they were faced with a crucial fourth-down situation. Although Wesley connected on a pass to Brake for the first down, Brake was ruled out of bounds and the Orange and Blue turned the ball over. From there, Georgetown only needed one first down to seal the game.

Wesley ended the game completing 8 of 13 pass attempts for 56 yards, while running back Tyler Smith ’13 finished with 37 yards on 14 carries. Smith also had 39 yards in the air after he completed a halfback option pass to Brake that put the Bison on the 10-yard line. Brake led all Bison receivers with three catches for 64 yards.

Linebacker Evan Byers ’15 had another great performance for the Orange and Blue defense, racking up a career high-tying 12 tackles. Patrick Joyce ’13, Samuel Oyekoya ’13 and Tracey Smith ’14 also contributed to the defensive effort by registering one sack each.

The Bison will look to close their 2012 campaign on a high note tomorrow when they take on Bryant at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium at 1 p.m.

Categories
Men Sports Swimming & Diving

M. swimming wins home meet

 

The Bucknellian Archives
Marshall Lambert ’14 swims the breastroke. With his help, the bison dominated Lafayette as they won 14 of 16 events.

Scott Padula

Staff Writer

In the first home meet of the year, the Orange and Blue men’s swimming and diving team defeated Lafayette 186-112. The Bison dominated the meet throughout, winning 14 of a total 16 events. Further demonstrating their dominance, the Orange and Blue swept the Leopards, maintaining all three top spots in six different events. With the win, the Bison are now 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the Patriot League on the season.

“It did not take much for the team to be ready; all week we were itching to race. By the time it was the start of the meet, it was full force by the Bison. I think this speaks a lot to the coaching staff and the work we have put in so far. We are determined and we do not plan on changing our attitude moving forward,” Billy Krause ’13 said.

Leading the charge was Mike Nicholson ’14 who captured three individual victories on the day. Nicholson first won the 1,000 freestyle by 22.46 seconds before taking the 100 breast and 200 backstroke. In the latter two events, Nicholson set personal bests with times of 58.22 and 1:56.05, respectively. In 12 individual races on the season, Nicholson now has 10 victories and two second place finishes.

Joining Nicholson with multiple victories on the day were teammates Christian Treat ’13 and Matt Hadley ’14. Treat defeated his competition in the 200 freestyle and 200 IM, while Hadley swam to victory in the 100 backstroke and 500 freestyle. Other Bison winners included Krause, Bryce Suchomel ’13, Trevor Reitz ’14, Chris Ortiz ’16 and Tyler Wenzel ’16.

“The Lafayette meet was a great indicator of our energy level and enthusiasm for this upcoming season. Our men have displayed a level of confidence that was invigorated by the large support of the Bison fans this past Saturday. This is what we need to build off of and is especially important when we are going into a stretch of the year that will be particularly tough,” Treat said.

The Orange and Blue will swim in the Kinney Natatorium again this weekend when they host the Bucknell Invitational Nov. 16-18.

Categories
Sports Swimming & Diving Women

W. swimming beats Lafayette

 

Chloe Chou | The Bucknellian
A Bison swimmer dives into the water. The women dominated Lafayette, winning 14 or the 16 events overall.

Cooper Mead

Writer

The women’s swimming and diving team posted a winning performance against Lafayette on Nov. 10 at Kinney Natatorium. Nine different Bison won at least one event, and the team won 14 of 16 events, propelling them to a 194.5-103.5 victory against the Leopards. The Bison moved to 2-3 overall and 2-1 versus Patriot League foes.

Ashley Henderson ’16 won both the 100 breast and the 200 backstroke, Lauren Perry ’15 won the 100 freestyle and the 100 fly and Katie Hetherington ’15 won both the one-meter diving and the three-meter diving. Their performances were crucial to the Bison’s success against Lafayette. Henderson was followed by teammate Emily Norton ’15 in the 100 breast, and her 2:07.76 seconds time in the 200 backstroke bested teammate Kristen Purdy ’14 by 2.58 seconds.

“We had a fun meet this weekend, and it was great to finally be able to compete at our own pool. I’m really looking forward to see what we can do this weekend at our invitational,” Perry said.

On the diving front, the Bison claimed the top five spots in the two diving competitions. Hetherington (a school record holder) was trailed by Tori Molchany ’15 in second and Tara Boyle ’15 in third off of the one-meter board. Boyle and Molchany finished second and third off of the three-meter board, respectively.

Other notable performances included first place for Melissa Besman ’14 in the 1,000 freestyle, Stephanie Koziol ’15 in the 200 freestyle, Purdy in the 100 fly, Norton in the 200 breast and Kelly Pontecorvo ’14 in the 500 freestyle. In addition, the Bison claimed both relays as Purdy, Jennifer Brennan ’14, Morgan Oxley ’13 and Kaitlyn Utkewicz ’14 won the 200 medley relay. Additionally, Perry, Utkewicz, Emily Wright ’14 and Elizabeth Porcellio ’13 won the 400 free relay.

“Our team had a lot of fun this past weekend. It was our first home meet and many of us got to swim events we don’t normally swim,” Purdy said. “It’s amazing how much we have improved since the beginning of the season, and this past weekend we really got to see the versatility our team has. Our team has a lot of energy and potential this year. I’m looking forward to the meet this weekend and excited to see what the rest of the season holds.”

Coming off a win against Lafayette, the Bison will hope to post another strong showing as they host the Bucknell Invitational from Nov. 16-18.

Categories
Sports Volleyball Women

Volleyball drops two

 

Conor Pierson | The Bucknellian
Claire Healy ’16 serves the ball. The Bison dropped their last two games.

Katherine Harris

Writer

The women’s volleyball team played strong but fell short of victory in its last matches of the season against Navy and American.

“I think as a whole we came out flat both nights, and sadly there was no energy or will to win. It was a disappointing end to the season, but it just was not our year,” Morgan Mientus ’14 said. “My individual performance was a letdown, and it was clear that both Navy and American planned to shut me down. I wish we could have won both games since it was our last weekend, but both teams were certainly more hungry for the wins and definitely deserved them.”

The Bison traveled to Annapolis, Md. on Nov. 9 to take on a Navy team fighting for a place in the postseason. The Orange and Blue lost the first set, but quickly battled back to go up 2-1 on the day. The comeback effort was not enough against Navy’s powerful offense, which fought back to eventually win 3-2.

Kat Tauscher ’13 finished with an impressive 28 assists and was backed up by Meghan Wentzel ’16 who recorded 20. Mientus and Kristen Titley ’14 both posted double-doubles, as Mientus had 14 kills and 11 digs, while Titley had 10 kills and 10 digs on the day. Leylin Marroquin ’14 also chipped in with 25 digs on defense, and Karen Campbell ’16 added two blocks.

“I was really happy with how we played Friday, we came out kind of slow but we really picked it up and gave Navy a tough match,” Titley said.

The Orange and Blue then traveled to American the next day for their last game of the season. It turned out to be a tough match, ending in a 3-0 loss for the Bison. Tauscher and Kebah Edoho ’13 both performed strongly in their last match for the Orange and Blue. Tauscher recorded a double-double with her 12 assists and 10 digs, while Edoho contributed five kills and three blocks. Campbell and Hannah Young ’14 also backed up Edoho with three blocks each, and Marroquin continued her strong weekend with 10 digs for the Bison.

“Saturday we started out slow again, but in the third set we really rallied and I was proud of the team for getting it together to give the seniors a good ending to their four years,” Titley said. “For me personally, I just really wanted to go out and give it my all and leave everything I had on the court since it was our last weekend of the season.”

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

Men win two opening games

Wilson Hunt | The Bucknellian
Bryson Johnson ’13 drives to the hoop. His 16 points helped the Bison knock off George Mason on Tuesday night.

Andrew Arnao
Senior Writer

With high expectations for another run at the Patriot League Championship, the men’s basketball team got off to a good start with two gritty wins, a 70-65 stunner at Purdue on Nov. 9 and a 61-56 victory in their Nov. 13 home opener against George Mason. The two wins gave the Bison their first 2-0 start since the 2007-08 season.

“The Purdue game was a very good win for the team in front of a very hostile crowd,” Cameron Ayers ’14 said. “It was great walking off the floor knowing the hard work so far has paid off. The game was beneficial for us because we closed the game out and made the right plays at the right time.”

The Bison starting five against Purdue consisted of forwards Mike Muscala ’13 and Joe Willman ’13, along with guards Bryson Johnson ’13, Ryan Hill ’14 and Ayers. The Bison quickly went ahead 4-1 on a couple of jumpers by Hill and Muscala, but Purdue fought back and assumed the lead after three minutes of play. Purdue held the lead for the rest of the half, but could not gain more than a seven point advantage over the Bison, who went into halftime trailing 33-27.

After trading points early in the second half, the Bison went on a 10-2 tear to assume a 41-37 lead, thanks to jumpers from Willman and Ayers, a couple of free throws by Ayers after being fouled on his shots and an emphatic dunk by Muscala. From there, the game became a wild back and forth affair, with the lead changing six times over the next 10 minutes.

The turning point came on a great block by Willman with the Bison down 57-56 with 4:41 remaining, and a subsequent Purdue foul allowed Willman to sink two free throws to give the Bison the lead for good. Johnson scored seven more points to help keep the Bison ahead, and Willman put the game out of reach with two free throws to give the Bison a 70-65 lead with one second remaining.

Ayers ended the game with a game-high 18 points, and Muscala also recorded his 25th career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The win also marked the first Bison victory against an active Big Ten opponent, and ended Purdue’s streak of 26 home-game victories against non-conference opponents.

“We came out a little slow to start the game but picked up our defense, especially in the second half, and had great offensive contributions around the board,” Muscala said. “I thought our guards did a really good job of being aggressive.”

The atmosphere was electric at the Sojka Pavilion for the home opener against George Mason, and the Bison did not fail to deliver. The Orange and the Blue jumped out to a 7-0 lead thanks to scores from Muscala and Johnson, and did not relinquish the lead for the entire game. The Bison were up by multiple possessions for most of the first half and went into the locker room with a 31-27 advantage.

The Bison managed to widen their lead to double digits for most of the second half. The George Mason defense prevented several opportunities for field goals, but also gave the Bison many free throw chances on fouls, including 10 straight points on free throws in the second half. However, a 56-44 lead with four minutes to go almost evaporated with eight straight points by George Mason, and the Bison were suddenly looking at a slim 59-56 lead with 1:17 to go. After failing to score on their possession, the Bison defense held on to prevent George Mason from any further scores, and two Muscala free throws clinched the game for the Orange and the Blue with eight seconds to go.

Muscala recorded another double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Johnson also scored 16 points for the Bison. Johnson and Ayers combined to make seven three-pointers.

The Bison look to build upon their winning streak this weekend when they head to Niagara Falls, N.Y. to face Niagara, New Mexico State and West Alabama.

Categories
Cross Country Men Sports

Men’s XC finished thirteenth

Billy Tyler
Contributing Writer

The men’s cross country team capped off its season with a solid performance at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships hosted by Penn State on Nov. 9. Working through the loss of several key team members due to injury, the Bison finished the event in 13th place out of the 25 team field.

The Bison were once again led by John Dugan ’15, who has consistently been one of the team’s top performers throughout the season. Dugan finished the 10-kilometer race in a time of 30:57, placing him first on the team and 20th overall. This solid performance earned Dugan All-Region honors. Andrew Garcia-Garrison ’15 was the second Bison to cross the finish line, with a time of 31:31 and a 47th place finish.

“[Dugan] ran great all season and really led the team in every workout, and that really showed and paid off with his all-region selection,” Garcia-Garrison said. “It was my first 10k, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was happy with my time and place.”

In addition to Dugan and Garcia-Garrison, several other members of the Bison ran strong races at regionals. Finishing closely behind Garcia-Garrison, in third place for the team, was Charles Seigneur ’13, who posted his best performance ever in his final race in his collegiate career with a time of 32:09 and a position of 63rd place.

“Having my last and also best ever race at the NCAA Regionals was a great way to top off what has been a successful breakout senior season,” Seigneur said.

Also scoring for the Bison were David Strauss ’14, who finished in 98th place with a time of 32:47, and Eric Balaban ’14, who finished in 101st place with a time of 32:54.

Georgetown won the event with an overall score of 56, besting second-place Villanova by just one point. The top individual finisher was Travis Mahoney of Temple, who finished with a time of 30:23.85.

Overall, the runners and head coach Kevin Donner were pleased by the team’s performance at the NCAA Regionals and in the season in general. The young team also has high hopes for the future and is optimistic about the team’s chances in upcoming seasons.

Categories
Cross Country Sports Women

Women’s XC finishes twelfth

Lauren Boone

Contributing Writer

On Nov. 9, the women’s cross country team traveled to Penn State to compete in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships to close out its season, where they finished 12th out of 31 teams. The Bison were led by a respectable performance from Caroline Tolli ’13.

Leading the Orange and Blue in the six-kilometer course, Tolli crossed the finish line with a time of 22:06, claiming a 54th place finish. Following close behind her was Katie Jessee ’15, who placed in 58th with a time of 22:10. Deanna Godby ’16 was next for the Bison, finishing in 73rd with a time of 22:20.

Despite a knee injury early in the season, Hana Casalnova ’14 recovered strong and became a scoring member of the team, finishing 86th (20:43). The fifth place finisher for the Bison was Meghan Carroll ’16 (22:55) in 99th place, followed by teammates Alison Billas ’16 (122nd; 23:15) and Betsy Edinger ’15 (129th; 23:19).

“It’s impressive we did so well with such a young team,” Edinger said.  “[The freshman] really stepped up when they needed to. [Tolli], our one senior, has been our top finisher all season … she had an amazing season and was an inspiration to us all. I think that because we’re young we’re only going to get better … right now we’re just starting. I’m really proud of my team.”

In the overall team standings, the Bison ended up in about the middle of the pack with 368 points. Penn State claimed first in the region with a score of 61. Nicky Akande of Villanova was the top individual finisher with a time of 20:14.

The Orange and Blue have now completed their schedule for the fall season.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer concludes season

Chris McCree

Sports Editor

The men’s soccer team concluded its 2012 season with a 1-0 loss to American in the Patriot League semifinal game on Nov. 9. Despite playing the top-seeded Eagles even for most of the game, the Orange and Blue could not come back from a 13th minute goal that found the back of the net after deflecting off the crossbar.

“One of the biggest things to take away from this season would definitely be confidence,” Chris Thorsheim ’16 said. “Our record does not truly represent how we dominated most teams this season.”

From the beginning of the game, American came out looking like the stronger team and managed to control the tempo of the game for much of the first half. The Eagles reeled off eight shots in the half to the Bison’s three, forcing goalie Mike Lansing ’16 to make three saves. The Orange and Blue’s best attempt in the half came off of Jesse Klug ’16, but his volley sailed just wide of the goal.

In the second half, the Bison came out charging, outshooting their opponent 7-2. Not having a single shot on target in the first half, the Orange and Blue made the Eagles’ goalie make two saves in the second. Still, the Eagles’ defense stood strong and the Bison couldn’t manage to find the equalizer they desperately needed.

“Our biggest problem against American was our ability to bring numbers forward,” Thorsheim said. “Once the forwards had the ball, the outside midfielders and center midfielders needed to join in the attack. We were simply not dangerous enough because of this.”

With less than 20 seconds remaining in the contest, the Bison had one last chance to force overtime when Josh Plump ’13 drew a free kick just outside the box. With the season in the ballots, CK Kumah ’13 sent a good-looking strike over the American wall, but the ball skimmed just over the bar.

With the loss, the Bison wrapped up their season with a 7-8-5 record overall. Despite the losses, the Orange and Blue played every team close this year and did not fall to any opponent by more than a single goal.

“If winning against the teams that beat us this year is not motivation to succeed, I don’t know what is,” Thorsheim said. “The feeling of tying or losing after dominating a team is terrible. That’s the feeling we need to remember next season and fuel us with the desire to win.”

Looking ahead to next season, the Bison will be without their six seniors: Brendan Burgdorf ’13, Vinny Cinotti ’13, Collin Costello ’13, Jermaine Jarrett ’13, Kumah and Plump. The team has a solid group of underclassmen that received considerable playing time throughout the season. With an offseason to train, the Orange and Blue will return to action next fall, trying to improve on their results from this season.