Category: Sports

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Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo to focus on strategy, leadership

The Bucknellian Archives
The men’s water polo team rallies team morale before a match last season.

Alex Wagner
Sports editor

After establishing a solid foundation in the 2011 season under then first-year coach John McBride, the men’s water polo squad is looking to continue improving as they implement a new philosophy.

Following a respectable 15-10 record last year, the Bison return their four top scorers Alex Nowlin ’14, Brian Barron ’13, Julian Colina ’14 and Jack Else ’14 as well as starting goalkeeper Matt Napleton ’13 for the season. These five leaders will look to continue their success after helping the Orange and Blue to go 5-3 in the 2011 postseason.

The focus early on in the 2012 season has been intense physical conditioning. There have been two practices a day in preseason, with the morning practices often focusing solely on conditioning. Work in the weight room and hill runs also accompanied the usual work in the pool, adding up to very demanding workouts.

As with many teams, the focus more recently has shifted to developing strategy and philosophy. In addition to the new focus on giving maximum effort at every training session, the team will look for especially strong leadership from older players. Barron and Napleton, the only seniors, were elected captains before preseason began. Seven juniors add more important experience to a young squad with six freshmen.

The highlights for the upcoming season include three exciting weekends in Lewisburg: the Bison Invitational (Sept. 29 and 30), four league games against Johns Hopkins, Navy, George Washington and Princeton on Oct. 13 and 14 and the Southern Championships (Nov. 2-4).  The Kinney Natatorium also features a new video board, which is sure to add to the fans’ experience.

The Orange and Blue open their season Sept. 1 against Notre Dame (Ohio) at the Navy Labor Day Open in Annapolis, Md.

Categories
Football Men Sports

BU football gears up for a winning season

Courtesy of Athletic Communications
Quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 has become a receptive and strong player who will be a leader for the team.

Eric Brod
Senior writer

This season may be the most highly anticipated one for the Bison football squad. Following the 2011 campaign during which the team went 6-5, a five game win improvement from the previous season, the team looks to establish itself as one of the top contenders in the Patriot League behind a defense that led the nation in turnover differential last year.

Now in his third year at the helm, head coach Joe Susan looks to continue the program’s ascent up the Patriot League rankings, and with 21 seniors and 20 juniors returning, including captains Joseph Francis ’13, Tyler Smith ’13, and Beau Traber ’13, there is plenty of experience throughout the roster. Susan has been preaching to his players throughout camp about the importance of playing with toughness and the right attitude.

“Our players have bought into being downhill in all three phases. It creates a personality of toughness that echoes through the team. We must continue to do what it takes to maintain ball security and create turnovers by our defense,” Susan said.

While the defense will miss Bryce Robertson ’12, who led the nation in interceptions, along with defensive back Sean Rafferty ’12 and defensive end Josh Eden ’12, the squad is more than capable of repeating its strong 2011 campaign.

The offense once again looks to be led by running back Smith, who gained 1,609 all-purpose yards (795 rushing) and had eight rushing touchdowns in 2011, and dual threat quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14, who had had six rushing touchdowns of his own along with passing for 1,446 yards and seven touchdowns. On Wesley, Susan says the quarterback has shown fantastic poise and an understanding of the offense in preseason camp.

“Brandon is a great athlete. He can do many things very well. He has come a long way at being a better QB in our system. He has done a much better job of leading the offense and executing the QB position. I have never been one to treat that position gently; he understands my approach and has responded well,” Susan said.

Overall, Susan has several goals in this upcoming season, and believes the leadership on this team is more than capable of taking the program towards those achievements.

“Our main goal is to play team football the right way on and off the field. We have a core of leaders who will be role models for our younger players. Our players understand that there is a fine line when it comes to success. They approach it that way in all three phases. We have a goal to be the toughest and best conditioned team on the field and to play the game one play at a time,” Susan said.

While much work is still left to be done before the team opens its season Sept. 8 against Marist, there is no doubt 2012 is shaping up to be a special year for the Orange and Blue.

Categories
Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: Moral Midgetry

 

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Julian Dorey
Writer

Dwight Howard got what he wanted. It’s a sad indictment on sports in general when players like Howard methodically and manically use their star-status to get their way.

But that’s just what he did.

For one full year, Howard made the Orlando Magic a lame duck. With no other star power to speak of on the roster, the Magic’s championship hopes were not good. However, with a 26-year-old franchise big man like Howard, the Magic’s front office should have had the opportunity to bide their time and wait for the right time to grab the one or two players who could put them into contention.

Instead, the Magic sit at square one today.

They have a new coach, a new GM, a new president, and many new, young, and very unproven players who have been thrust into a situation almost certainly destined for failure.

You can safely attribute the blame for everything in that regrettable laundry list to Howard.

As a player, I don’t doubt Howard’s talent. He’s a freakishly athletic center who can jump higher than most swingmen and take over any game because of his size. As a person, he’s probably a decent man. Let’s be honest, the guy is always smiling when you see him on camera. He’s a proven jokester, and he seemed to be very close with many of his teammates until he started his shenanigans last summer.

At this point, none of that really matters. He might be a great player with some decent personality traits, but above all, Dwight Howard is a baby.

It’s true, Carmelo Anthony held Denver hostage and Deron Williams did the same to Utah–but their teams were able to trade them to a team that offered them the best deal. Their teams didn’t have all their secretive organizational dirty laundry aired in the tabloids every day for a year. As a result, their teams actually kept their executive personnel and at least kept some continuity.

Howard tried to commandeer the ship. When the Magic’s owner, Richard DeVos, tried to convince Howard to sign an extension and stay in Orlando early last season, Dwight tried to coerce the big man into giving him (a player) the power to replace the GM with a person of his liking, to pick out other players around the NBA that he wanted the team to trade for and to fire the head coach (one of his other bosses), Stan Van Gundy. Oh, and Dwight also said that if he did get traded–he would only sign an extension with one or two teams. In essence, Dwight basically asked DeVos if he could just play owner instead.

All of the ridiculous tidbits of this drama found their way to the media and wrecked relationships within the franchise past the point of repair.

Unfortunately, he is a microcosm of the culture the NBA and other professional sports are creating. The players don’t just “play” anymore. If anyone had any doubts, I think Howard just removed them.

Bon voyage, Dwight. Let us know just how nice L.A. is when you don’t win the big one.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Field hockey beats Fairfield in overtime

Andrew Arnao
Senior Writer

After travelling to Connecticut last weekend for their first games of the season, the field hockey team rebounded from a shutout loss to the Connecticut Huskies and triumphed over the Fairfield Stags on an overtime goal by forward Kiersten Sydnor ’16. After the series, Sydnor was recognized as the Patriot League Rookie of the Week, and goalie Erica Perrine ’14 received Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week honors.

“This is the first time in a few years we have split our opening weekend. This weekend provided a great starting point for us moving into a bunch of home games this month,” head coach Jeremy Cook said.

The Bison (1-1) managed little offensively in Saturday’s 3-0 loss against nationally sixth ranked Connecticut, but the defense put in a strong effort to keep the Orange and Blue close. Perrine allowed only three goals, blocking 10 of Connecticut’s 23 shot attempts.

“Playing against the number six team in the country was definitely a challenge, but it was a good season-opener because it allowed us to showcase our talent and it exposed our weaknesses,” Perrine said. “We played our first game stronger than we ever have the past two years I have been here, and even though we lost, we learned a lot and were proud of ourselves.”

“The entire backfield (Amie Pritchard ’15, Liz Wills ’15, Tayler Siegrist ’13 and Perrine) did a tremendous job defending the Huskies and only allowing three goals,” Siegrist said.

After falling behind 1-0 early on Sunday against Fairfield, Siegrist tied the score on a penalty shot right before halftime. After a scoreless second half, the game went into overtime, an area the Bison have thrived in. Since 2010, the Orange and the Blue had won seven of their last eight overtime games, and improved that stretch as Sydnor scored the winning goal to give the Bison a 2-1 victory.

“Going into overtime, which is [our] specialty, we knew we had to make something happen.  Starting off with possession, we were able to get the ball into their circle within the first minute. Rachel Misko ’14 took a shot off the far post and I was able to tip it in,” Sydnor said.

“Our defense again was the story, as we absorbed a ton of attack and were able to frustrate them throughout the game. [Fairfield had a] much slower playing surface, which gave them a big home-field advantage. I am very proud of the team for overcoming the playing surface and very different style of play for the win,” Cook said.

The Bison will return for their home opener on Sept. 2, when they will host Lock Haven at 12 p.m.

Categories
Sports Volleyball Women

Volleyball starts off with victory

 

The Bucknellian Archives
The Bison take a breather during their stretch of four games in two days.

Katherine Harris
Writer

The women’s volleyball team started off their season strong this weekend, beating both La Salle and Manhattan on Saturday afternoon before falling short against Niagara and Loyola on Sunday.

“Our hard work during the summer and preseason has definitely paid off. Everyone stepped up and gave it their all throughout the whole weekend. I was very impressed by our freshmen; they got on the court, maintained positive attitudes, and made significant contributions,” said Kebah Edoho ‘13.

The Bison began their season with an impressive 3-1 win against the home team in the La Salle Invitational. Many athletes stood out in the game, including Morgan Mientus ‘14 with a career best 16 digs, Kat Tauscher ’13 with 17 assists, and Edoho with five blocks, more than the entire La Salle team combined. Also impressive were the contributions made by rookie members of the team, as Meghan Wentzel ’16 racked up 17 assists, along with four blocks from Karen Campbell ’16 and ten kills from Claire Healy ’16.

Success continued for the Orange and Blue as they faced Manhattan, coming out with another 3-1 victory. Edoho once again anchored the team’s defense with 6 blocks, and Mientus crushed her career record once again with 25 digs. Tauscher and Wentzel also both stepped up, with the senior pulling in 26 assists and the freshman finishing with 18 assists and 10 digs.

“This weekend was a pretty big surprise in the past two years that I’ve been on Bucknell’s team we have never started off so strong. I see really good things in our future. I think we got all of our first tournament jitters out and will only go up from here,” said Mientus.

After a strong opening day, the Bison faltered in their first match on Sunday, losing to Niagara in three straight sets. Individually, many of the Bison still had strong performances, with Tauscher and Wentzel pulling in 14 and 13 sets, respectively. Mientus also continued to post high stats, with 24 digs in the match, and Edoho had 12 kills and a .478 attack percentage.

Finally, the Orange and Blue lost a tough last match to a strong Loyola squad who went 4-0 on the weekend. Jessica Serrato ’14 stepped up on offense with 10 kills, along with Tauscher and Wentzel holding solid in the assists column, but the effort just wasn’t enough as the Bison fell to the strong attack of their undefeated opponent in three sets.

“We have been working so hard since August 7th so it’s nice to finally have the hard work and commitment pays off. Although we went 2-2 this past weekend, we faced some tough competition. We all left the weekend with a ‘good taste’ in our mouths because of the future potential we saw play out on the court,” Healy said.

The team will now prepare for their upcomingmatch this weekend at the Robert Morris/Duquesne Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Season starts off with two ties for men

Chris McCree
Sports Editor

The men’s soccer team opened its season this past weekend with a pair of 1-1 draws against VCU and Butler at the VCU/Nike Classic in Richmond, Va. Playing in the first contests of their collegiate careers, goalie Mike Lansing ’16 and forward Jesse Klug ’16 took the spotlight for the Orange and Blue. Klug gave the Bison an early lead against VCU with his first collegiate goal while Lansing compiled a nine-save performance in which he allowed just one goal.

“Our team performed well for our first games out. We were up against very good teams, ones that our coaches believe will be going to the NCAA tournament,” Lansing said. “It felt good to make a few big saves and earn the respect of my teammates.”

Coming in against VCU, the Orange and Blue stunned the Rams with Klug’s goal just 18 minutes into the half. As has been the case many times over the past few seasons, the goal came off of a set piece when Brendan Burgdorf ’13 headed a free kick to a well-positioned Klug on the other side of the net.

“It was great to score my first goal in my first game, and equally as great that it was an important one against a good team,” Klug said. “VCU was honestly one of the best teams I’ve ever played, so I’m really glad to have gotten a result against them.”

The Bison were able to maintain the lead for the majority of the contest, but VCU striker Jason Johnson tied the game with less than 10 minutes remaining to send the game into overtime. During the extra play, the Bison relied on their rookie goalie once again to come up with three huge saves and preserve the tie.

“I think the team did really well in our first game this weekend,” Burgdorf said. “We played a very good VCU team, probably one of the best teams I’ve played in my career here, and we came close to beating them. I think it’s a sign of good things to come for the team moving forward.”

Coming off the 110 minute showdown with the Rams, the Bison battled their second Atlantic 10 opponent of the weekend and came away with the same result. Unlike the first, it was Butler that jumped out to an early 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs held the slim lead for the half, but the Bison put the pressure back on in the second half. In the 59th minute of play, Mayowa Alli ’14 threw an arching throw-in into the box which deflected off of a Butler player and ended up in the back of the net.

Against the Bulldogs, the Orange and Blue were able to generate a lot more pressure on the offensive side than their first matchup. Burgdorf and Josh Plump ’13 both finished with three shots apiece and the Bison recorded 14 throughout the contest. Lansing continued his strong play with five saves.

“I think our strongest asset was our work rate. We are still working out some of the kinks of playing with new teammates, but we all definitely worked for each other and came out of the weekend with good results,” Klug said. “I do think we still need to work on keeping more possession, but that will come with time.”

For the first time in 73 years, the Orange and Blue started their season with two draws. The Bison will take the field in search of their first win on Sept. 2 at 1 p.m. at Florida Gulf Coast.

Categories
Soccer Sports Women

Women’s soccer scores first victory of the season

 

Courtesy of Athletic Communications
Denger ’15 going in for a shot in the game against Robert Morris last Sunday.

Ajan Caneda
Writer

On Aug. 19, the women’s soccer team defeated Robert Morris at home 3-1 to pick up their first win of the season. The Orange and Blue were on the attack in the second half, outshooting the Colonials 17-9 in the period.

Thanks to an assist from Taryn Boucher ’13 and Corinne Collins ’13, forward Chelsea Garkowski ’14 nailed the first goal at the 25:57 mark to give the Bison the early lead. Robert Morris answered back with a goal of their own in the 33rd minute to even the score.

In the second half, the Bison capitalized on their shot attempts. Kayla Yee ’13 delivered a pass to Cassie Denger ’15, as she scored the tie-breaking goal in the 51st minute. The Colonials were unable to stop the barrage of shots from the Orange and Blue, as Danielle Piccirilli ’16 would score another goal off an assist by Denger to seal the win.

“This win at home will give us the momentum we need to keep pushing towards our team goals this season,” Denger said. “We really came together today to make this win happen.”

The first big test of the regular season came last Friday as the Orange and Blue traveled to Piscataway, N.J. to face 23rd ranked Rutgers. The Bison gave the Scarlet Knights everything they could handle, but Rutgers came away with a 2-1 win.

Intimidation did not faze the Orange and Blue, as they got off to a quick start behind a goal from Courtney Nelson ’15, the first of her career, with an assist by Evelyn Nicinski ’15.

“We gave them a battle that they definitely were not expecting,” Nelson said. “I think the first half we just really surprised them, and they weren’t ready for us.”

Rutgers locked the Bison down defensively, preventing them from attempting a shot in the second half. The Scarlet Knights scored back-to-back goals off of nine shot attempts in the 53rd and 60th minutes to secure the win.

“Despite the result, I am so proud of my team. The 2nd half they were more prepared for us I think. They changed some of the girls on their back line, and they made sure to be more organized and not let us get behind them,” Nelson said. “Rutgers is ranked 23rd nationally, and competing against them really showed us that we can play quality teams and make it a battle. We know that we can score, and we know how to stay together as a team. This season is definitely going to be exciting.”

The Bison’s next game will be against Buffalo at home today at 7 PM.

Categories
Men Softball Sports

Athlete of the Week: Laura Sandford ’13

Chris McCree
Sports Editor

Player Profile:

Laura Sandford

Junior

Second base

Hometown: New Egypt, N.J.

Major: Political Science and History

 

Season Statistics:

Avg: .226

GP: 40

Hits: 19

Runs: 3

RBIs: 7

 

Behind the strong offensive performance by Bison second baseman Laura Sandford ’13, the softball team was to earn its first Patriot League series win this weekend over Holy Cross. During the four-game series, Sandford was able to hit an impressive .533, recording eight hits along with two RBIs. After dropping the first game of the series to the Crusaders, the Orange and Blue were able to snap their 13-game losing streak behind a walk-off RBI by Sandford in the ninth. Sanford went two-for-five in the game and drove in two of the team’s four runs. For the first time in her career, Sandford was able to record three multi-hit games in a row, and her current four-game hitting streak ties a career best mark she set a year ago.

In the midst of a tough season thus far, Sandford’s hot streak could not have come at a better time for the Orange and Blue. Currently sitting at 3-13 in the Patriot League with one series remaining, the Bison will look to rally through the end of the year and try and make a postseason push, but their success will be largely dependent on their ability to put runs on the board. During their 16 league games this season, the Orange and Blue have managed to score three runs or more in just five games.

This weekend, Sandford and the Bison will travel to Lafayette for their final regular season series.

Categories
Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: “Nothing like it”

By Julian Dorey

Columnist

 

There are plenty of cliché quotes in sports. One that I hear (and say) seemingly every April is: “There’s nothing like playoff hockey.”

What does that really mean, though? All four major sports have a postseason, and all of them are exciting. So what is it about hockey?

It’s simple: a hockey game has the quickest ups and downs. Contrary to a sport like basketball, a goal in hockey means a lot. A simple basket in the NBA is just two or three points out of 100.  In hockey, a goal might be one of two.

When you compare hockey to a sport like baseball, it’s easy to say baseball can be just as exciting—the final scores often look similar to hockey (4-3, 5-2, etc.). But in baseball, it’s very clear as to when a team can score: when it’s up to bat. In hockey, a power play for one team can easily culminate with an errant pass leading to a breakaway goal for the shorthanded team.

In the playoffs, especially—with blood pressure and nerves high, and tenacity at a new level—the typical NHL game is “back and forth.” Every time a player approaches the blue line fans move up in their seats a little bit. Each shot is met with some kind of verbal reaction. The nerves and emotions of every fan shift faster than the skates of every player on the ice.

There’s no other way to explain it. Playoff hockey brings something out of fans that no other sport can. If I had a nickel for every time I watched a playoff hockey game with a non-hockey fan and watched them slowly get into the game like it was life and death, I would be a millionaire.

Two years ago, an NHL team pulled off something in the playoffs that had been done only once in the history of any other sport (and just two previous times in hockey). The Philadelphia Flyers came back from a three game deficit to beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 in a best-of-seven-games series. What was even more shocking was the Flyers were down 3-0 in the first period of game seven in Boston and came back to win the game 4-3 in regulation. If that doesn’t get you going, I don’t know what does.

Results like that tend to make the case for me. And, trust me, there are plenty more great examples.

There are also the traditions. Perhaps the most well-known one is the playoff beard. Each spring, most of the NHL players in the playoffs relegate their razors to the bottom cabinet. It’s supposed to be a “team unity” thing or something. To most fans, it’s just another funky, off-beat part of the playoffs that adds a little flavor. By the conference finals, most of the remaining players look more like cavemen than athletes. It doesn’t seem to affect their play, though.

This year is already off to an incredible start. More than 10 games across all of the first round series have gone to overtime. Upsets are brewing everywhere.

The only thing that remains the same from last year is the feeling everyone gets watching the drama unfold.

Tune in—it’ll be worth your while.

Categories
Lacrosse Sports Women

Female rookie of the year

By Ajan Caneda

Staff Writer

In her first game, against No. 5 Duke, first-year lacrosse player Arriana Sajjad ’15 proved that she could compete against the country’s elite. The game was only the first indication of Sajjad’s ability to be a force for the Bison.

Her offensive savvy and dedication in practice are admired by her teammates and head coach, Randall Goldsborough.

“She is constantly pushing her teammates to improve and perform which in turn helps her learn how to lead both on and off the field. She works extremely hard in each drill every day which has helped her become a very consistent player,” Goldsborough said. “I expect that she will be one of the top players in the nation before she graduates in three years.”

Sajjad certainly showed that she is ready to live up to that challenge when she faced Duke in her first collegiate game, scoring two of her team’s three goals against one of the formidable defenses in the country. In the Bison’s next game, she posted another two goals in a loss against No. 17 Penn State. Despite the losses, she gained valuable experience against two of the best teams in the country and solidified her spot in the starting lineup for the rest of the season.

“Arriana is not easily intimidated and lives for a challenge, even though she is one of the youngest accomplished players in our league,” Goldsborough said. “We played Duke, and she scored two goals against an All-American goalie and one of the top ranked defenses in the country. Since then, she has continued to gain confidence in her abilities and is one of the top players in the league.”

At this point in the season, Sajjad is the leading scorer on her team with 38 goals, along with 51 points, in 17 games. Her most impressive performance was against Liberty on March 21, where she posted a career-high six goals, including the game-winner in overtime. This, followed by a five-goal showing against conference rival American, led to her being named the Susquehanna Valley Limousine Bison Athlete of the Week.

“Liberty was just an amazing upset and, most importantly, it showed us that we are truly incredible and strong when we play together as a team,” she said. “To come back from being down by nine and winning in overtime was a huge confidence boost for us, and that really showed how capable we are.”

Despite her individual accolades, she remains humble and remembers the guidance her coaches have provided, along with the bond she has with her teammates.

“My coaches and teammates, especially the upperclassmen, have been extremely patient with me when I made mistakes and unbelievably supportive of all my accomplishments, as they are with everyone on the team,” she said. “They have taught me a lot and made me into a more mature, team player. Also, I am incredibly close with my freshman class, and I could not be more fortunate and thankful to have come into a team with this group of girls. They are my support net and best friends and our friendship made all the difference in my transition.”

Teammate Katelyn Miller ’14 has recognized Sajjad’s emergence as a player and leader, which includes adding new dimensions to her already solid repertoire.

“In the beginning of the season, Arriana was playing only attack and was put in mainly a cutting position. Throughout the season she has been diversified by playing some midfield and being a double threat on attack by being a great cutter and driver,” Miller said. “I think she matured a lot through the first couple months and has been able to come up big in tight situations by helping in transition, winning the draw or taking it to goal when we are down.”

In the Orange and Blue’s game against Binghamton on April 14, she scored three times in her ninth multi-goal game of the season. Her efficient scoring stems from her consistent accuracy; she has a 77.2 shot-on-goal percentage. The effort she puts in practice is mirrored on the field, as she has also recovered 58 draw controls.

As the regular season concludes, Sajjad is looking towards the postseason and focused on continuing to improve. She remains optimistic about the direction the team is going in, while her motivation to compete in the Patriot League tournament fuels her sensational play.

“Our juniors and sophomores have really stepped up this season to fulfill this leadership role and they’ve done a great job so far handling all of us freshman. We also have a large incoming class to look forward to that will push us to become better, so it’s only up from here,” she said. “Personally, for the rest of the season and next year, I am looking to stay mentally strong and make smarter decisions with the ball on the offensive end. For next season I would definitely want to see us competing in the Patriot League Championships. That may seem like a little bit of a jump, but I know we’ll get there. That’s definitely my ultimate goal. We’ve improved so much this season and only continue to get stronger.”

Her work ethic and perseverance embody the prestigious Bison athletic tradition. Sajjad looks to accomplish a lot during her next three years, and she is on her way to becoming one of the best players, not only in the Patriot League, but in the nation.