Category: Sports

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Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: “All in the game”

By Julian Dorey
Staff Writer

John Calipari might be the most polarizing college basketball coach in the last 20 years.  But, that doesn’t mean he’s not one of the best.

It does not matter what the court of public opinion might say about the man. He may not be morally strong or have ethics more respectable than a crook, but he is regardless one of the best.

Calipari does things his way.  It’s a big reason why his previous two college head coaching positions, UMass and Memphis, had the dishonor of submitting to the NCAA and vacating wins and achievements from Calipari’s years there because of various violations. 

Coach Cal, as his players call him, cares about one thing: basketball.  He does not care about the idea of a “student-athlete.”  He does not seem to care about NCAA rules.  He does not seem to care about honor.  The descriptive stories of the many egregious recruiting violations that have occurred under his watch are damning.

Above all, Calipari’s biggest lightning rod of criticism comes from his perpetual habit of recruiting “one-and-dones.”  Ever since the NBA changed its age policy to require at least one year of college experience before going pro, Calipari has taken advantage of recruiting players with absolutely no interest in a college education.  If you go to college, though, you have to participate in the academic part of it, and Calipari has yet to enforce that aspect.  Coach Cal has even gone as far as convincing many of his first-years to leave college instead of trying to get them to come back.  His sheer under-appreciation of the importance of education makes many college basketball purists squirm.  Even longtime Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has openly questioned where Calipari’s beliefs will lead college basketball.

Calipari’s “one-and-done” system is bad for college basketball, but does not change the impressive results he obtains on the court.  Two Mondays ago, Coach Cal earned his first-ever National Championship.  With a starting lineup of three first-years and two sophomores, all expected to declare for this June’s NBA draft, Calipari’s Wildcats were the best team in college basketball all season.

More importantly, the team played the game the right way, a way that most basketball teams refuse to play anymore: everything started with defense. Behind Anthony Davis (the sure-fire number-one-overall pick in this year’s draft), Kentucky swarmed every team they played with feisty on-ball tactics and incredible blocking in the paint.

Throughout their six-game run in the NCAA tournament, the Wildcats were significantly smarter, faster and better than anyone they played.  I might not like Calipari, but I have to give credit where it is due.

However, now that Calipari has won the big one, a question will float among the minds of every college basketball fan in America: What does this mean?

It’s a valid question. There’s a thin line between accomplishment and short-cutting. Through completely eliminating academics, Calipari is convincing talented—but young and academically unmotivated—players to come play for him.  It has given him a leg up above other great programs in recruiting.

Now that he’s a champion, even more high school “one-and-dones” will want to play for him.  It may only be a matter of time before other prestigious schools are forced to contend with Cal’s methods.  That won’t be good for anyone.

For me, the real question is: Is it only what’s in the game that matters? Or, is it the pride, dignity, and honor that goes into playing the game in the first place that matters?

Calipari is a great basketball coach who is killing the student-athlete aspect of his game.  If college basketball drops the college part of its name, what’s left?

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Golf Sports Women

Women’s golf ends year in S.C.

By Andrew Lichtenauer

Senior Writer

The women’s golf team wrapped up its season Wednesday at the Big South Championship in Ninety Six, S.C. The team finished seventh of 10 teams at the end of the 54-hole tournament, while Campbell claimed the Big South title. Leading the Bison was Bridget Wilcox ’14, who finished tied for 13th individually with a solid three-round total of 234. Lauren Bernard ’14 (238), Kasha Scott ’14 (239), Minjoo Lee ’12 (244) and Brittany Rendell ’12 (248) followed Wilcox.

Wilcox had a resilient second round on Tuesday when she bounced back from a tough triple-bogey on the front-nine to finish the rest of her round in only two-over-par.

“I really hit the ball well this week and when I missed a green my short game was very solid,” Wilcox said. “I was also very mentally strong this week; when things weren’t going well I was still able to grind it out and limit the amount of bogeys I had. You need to be mentally tough to compete at the Big South.”

The Big South Championship marked the final competition for seniors Lee and Rendell. The two have both excelled as Bison golfers throughout their careers. 

“I loved making friends with other players from other schools. And I loved my teammates. They’re some of my closest friends and I feel lucky to have gotten to know them and be friends. It was a bittersweet feeling walking off the 18th green today,” Lee said.

Over the course of their spring season, the Bison competed in four different tournaments with their best finish coming at the Bison Challenge at Paiute Golf Resort in Las Vegas in March. Competing in a series of very competitive tournaments, the Bison managed to produce three top-10 finishes and saw consistent improvement from their starting five.

Looking ahead to next season, the Bison will certainly miss the departing seniors, but will return their trio of talented sophomores in Scott, Wilcox, and Bernard. With another year of experience, this group will look to build on their impressive seasons and carry the team to the next level next fall.

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Softball Sports Women

Softball shut out by rival Lehigh

By Thomas Walter
Writer

The softball team dropped four straight to Patriot League rival Lehigh last weekend in Bethlehem, Pa. Despite heading into the weekend with newfound confidence following a win agains La Salle last week, the Orange and Blue could not manufacture any offensive production, falling in all four games by scores of 9-0, 8-0, 8-0, and 9-0.

After being outscored 34-0 the Bison are well aware that their bats need to come alive if they hope to take down Army this coming weekend.

“We need all of the parts of our game to come together,” Meredith Dickson ’12 said. “We need to wake up our bats and have consistent pitching outings. We need to rely on the confidence we have in ourselves.”

Certainly, the team’s future success will lie on whether or not it can begin to put runners on base and produce the timely hits necessary to put key runs on the board. During this past weekend’s series, the Bison failed to record more than four hits in any single game, putting all the pressure on the pitching staff to be perfect, but the Bison pitchers were not up to the task. 

“We really struggled with our hitting and pitching this weekend, so going into this weekend we really need to focus maximizing hits on offense and minimizing them when pitching,” Courtney Conover ’14 said.

In order to put an end to this losing streak, the Orange and Blue will need to pull it all together against a very strong Army team that is 22-15 overall and 5-3 in conference. Despite their winless Patriot League record, the Bison remain confident and know that they are a strong team.

“In order to stay confident during this losing streak we have to remind ourselves that we can compete with any team in the patriot league,” Conover said.

Categories
Baseball Featured Men Sports

Baseball splits Navy rematch

By Andrew Arnao

Writer

The baseball team went 2-3 over the past week, splitting a four-game series at home against Navy over the weekend while falling on the road to Towson on Tuesday. The Bison are now 16-18 for the season.

Game one on Saturday started off as a pitcher’s duel, with both Dan Weigel ’14 and Navy’s Ben Nelson firing blanks until Navy broke through with a run in the fourth. The Bison brought it to 2-1 in the sixth on a two-RBI hit by third baseman David Duffett ’12. Navy tied the game to force extra innings, but Duffett hit a walk-off single in the 10thto give the Bison a 3-2 win.

Game two ended as a tough loss for the Bison. Despite taking a 2-1 lead into the seventh, the Orange and the Blue were unable to hold on as Navy scored two runs to win by a final of 3-2. Pitcher Bryson Hough ’15 went eight strong innings, giving up only three runs on eight hits, while left-fielder Colby Vanderbeck ’14 and designated hitter Matt Lamore ’12 each contributed one RBI. Game three on Sunday also resulted in a frustrating 3-2 loss for the Bison, as the Bison took a 2-0 lead into the sixth when Navy finally got to pitcher Ryan Ebner ’12 for three runs.

“When our starters give us quality pitching performances, we should expect to sweep the series,” outfielder Matt Busch ’13 said. “Pitching alone, however, does not win ball games. Our offense struggled in all but the last game and we were only able to put up a few runs in the first three games.”

The Bison offense was finally let loose in game four, pounding Navy for 10 runs in an eventual 10-3 victory. Pitcher Dan Goldstein ’13 recorded the win while five Bison recorded multi-hit games. The Bison had their best inning in the fourth, when nine men were sent to the plate and pinch-hitter Scott Reed ’12 hit a three-run homer.

“Our starting pitching did a great job of keeping us in the games,” assistant coach Jim Gulden said. “All the games were well pitched games by both teams. Our bats came alive in the fourth game to split the series, which we needed to stay ahead of them in the league.”

The offense continued to rake against Towson, scoring eight runs thanks in part to a grand slam by Busch, but it wasn’t enough as the Bison fell 10-8. Each team tied the score five times before Towson went ahead for good in the bottom of the seventh. Busch and center fielder Bob Donato ’12 each had two hits and multiple RBIs for the Orange and the Blue.

“Against Towson, we played well offensively and struggled on the hill,” Busch said. “The positive thing we can take from this is that we have solid pitching and an explosive offense. The trick is getting both aspects to work at the same time.”

The Bison will be at home this weekend for a four-game series against division–rival Lehigh, starting at noon on Saturday.

“This weekend is a huge weekend for us [because] we are a game ahead of Lehigh in the league and need to stay ahead of them,” Gulden said. “The keys to this weekend are to get good quality starts from our pitchers, timely hitting from our offense and play mistake-free baseball. If we play the way we are capable [of], we are a tough team to beat.”

 

Categories
Lacrosse Sports Women

Women’s lax extends losing streak

By Ajan Caneda

Staff Writer

The struggles continued for the women’s lacrosse team as the Orange and Blue suffered another hard-fought loss at St. Bonaventure by a final score of 15-13 on Tuesday. The Orange and Blue had a powered offense with Arriana Sajjad ’15 and Madison Hurwitz ’13 each scoring three goals, but the Bonnies were able to prevent another Bison comeback.

Molly Ford ’14 dished an assist to Hurwitz that gave the Bison the first goal of the game. The Bonnies went on to capitalize on free position shots, scoring three goals that jumpstarted a 9-1 run. The Orange and Blue battled back as Claire Switala ’15 and Emily Kookogey ’15 nailed back-to-back goals that narrowed the deficit. Hurwitz closed out the half with a goal off an assist from Ford. St. Bonaventure led 10-5 at halftime.

The momentum carried into the second half as the Bison forced 12 turnovers while holding a 19-12 edge in shot attempts. Katelyn Miller ’14 scored a goal that trimmed St. Bonaventure’s lead to two with 6:49 left in the game, allowing the Orange and Blue a chance for one more run. It would be to no avail as the Bonnies would score at the 3:00 mark and hold the Bison to one goal in the closing minutes of the game.

Last Saturday, the Bison had trouble containing the sound offense of Holy Cross, as the Crusaders pulled off a convincing 20-5 victory in Worcester, Mass. Lindsey Ferro ’14 scored two goals and had one assist in the loss.

The Crusaders showcased their potent offense, starting the game on a 10-0 run. They held the Bison scoreless until the 3:47 mark of the first half, when Miller nailed a goal off the free position. Ferro and Kookogey ended the half with back-to-back goals that cut the lead to 11-3.

Despite a tough outing, goalie Kristina Patrk ’13 learned a lot in her first career start.

“I learned that being a goalie really does require mental toughness beyond that of a field player,” Patrk said. “As a goalie you definitely feed off of the energy and success of your offense and the fact that we weren’t scoring after a great defensive performance definitely had its adverse effects.”

The Crusaders scored two goals to kick off the second half. Midfielder Sophie Kleinert ’14 answered with a goal of her own, off an assist from Ferro, but the offense of Holy Cross would be too much, as the Crusaders would score nine goals in the second half to put the game out of reach.

“It was a tough game, especially since we did not perform to our potential as a team,” Patrk said. “Holy Cross had a couple of great players who were very patient and able to drive effectively one-on-one against our defense.”

The Orange and Blue will look to close out their four-game road trip with a win as they travel to Vestal, N.Y. to take on Binghamton tomorrow.

Categories
Lacrosse Men Sports

Men’s lax splits pair of games

By Reed Dempsey

Writer

The men’s lacrosse team saw its eight-game win streak come to an end after a tightly contested 6-5 double overtime loss to Patriot League rival Army last Saturday. The Orange and Blue were able to rebound from the loss with an 8-3 win against the University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday night.

The Orange and Blue hosted the Black Knights this past Saturday in what would become an instant classic. Going into the matchup, the Bison had faced Army five times over the past three seasons holding a 3-2 advantage, with each game being decided by two goals or less.

Three minutes into the game, the Black Knights opened the day’s scoring with a unassisted tally. The Bison held Army scoreless over the next 15 minutes as David Dickson ’15 found Todd Heritage ’14 to tie the game and Tom Black ’14 took a feed from Ryan Joseph ’15 to give the Bison their first lead of the day.

Just a minute and a half later, the Black Knights responded with a goal of their own to tie the game at two. The Bison had a chance to take back the lead with a man-up opportunity at the three-minute mark in the second quarter, but were unable to capitalize, leaving the score tied heading into halftime.

After play resumed in the second half, Billy Eisenreich ’12 found the back of the net for an unassisted goal with 12:30 remaining in the third quarter. The Bison defense held Army scoreless for another 15-minute stretch before the Black Knights tied the game at three. Heritage broke the tie a minute later with his 32nd goal of the season.

Army scored twice early in the fourth quarter to take its first lead since the opening minutes of the game and had several chances to extend its lead to two, but goalie Kyle Feeney ’13 was there each time for the save.

The Bison gained possession with just over two minutes left in regulation and advanced the ball into their offensive zone. After a wide shot by Dickson, Heritage was pushed from behind as he chased down the ball, giving the Bison a 30-second man-up opportunity. After a bit of trickery following the restart, Eisenreich found a wide open Chase Bailey ’13 on the crease to tie the game at five. The Orange and Blue had a shot with 23 seconds left, but a save by the Army goaltender sent the game to overtime.

Following a scoreless first period of overtime, highlighted by stifling defensive play, the Bison took possession of the ball on the opening faceoff of the second overtime, and immediately threw the ball away, allowing for Army to race the ball down the field where a bounce shot found its way past Feeney for the game-winner.

The Bison welcomed the University of Pennsylvania to Lewisburg on Tuesday night looking to avenge Saturday’s loss. Senior attackman Eisenreich tallied three goals to lead the Bison, bringing his total to 28 on the season.

The Orange and Blue scored the first four goals of the game before the Quakers cut the lead to three with four minutes remaining in the second quarter. With just two seconds left in the first half, Eisenreich found the back of the net on an unassisted goal, his second of the day.

Coming off a solid performance on Saturday, the Bison defense was impressive again on Tuesday as they held the Quakers to just 24 shots.

UPenn scored the only goal of the third quarter, but the Bison responded with two goals early in the fourth quarter extending their lead to five. UPenn ended its 20-minute scoreless streak with 2:33 left in the game, bringing the score to 7-3.

Just thirty seconds later, Eisenreich scored his third goal of the game bringing the score to 8-3, where it would remain until the final whistle. With the win, the Bison moved to 9-4 on the season and 3-1 in Patriot League play.

The Orange and Blue face off tomorrow against Lehigh (10-2) in Bethlehem, Pa. for rights to first place in the Patriot League.

Categories
Sports Water Polo Women

Water polo takes down GW

By Scott Padula
Staff Writer

The women’s water polo team wrapped up its regular season last weekend, earning a split against No. 13 Michigan and George Washington at Maryland’s Eppley Recreation Center. The Bison started the weekend by losing to Michigan 12-7, but bounced back in their second game, defeating the Colonials for the third time of the season by a score of 14-12. The Bison are now 13-19 on the year.

Kicking off the weekend against Michigan, the Orange and Blue surrendered early goals to the Wolverines. The Michigan squad found the back of the net three times in the first quarter, and by the end of the second quarter held a commanding 7-2 lead. Although both the Wolverines and the Orange and Blue scored five goals after the intermission, the Bison were unable to overcome the first-half deficit.

Rena Heim ’14 kept the game close with spectacular goalkeeping for the Orange and Blue, stopping 12 shots. On the offensive end, the Bison were led by Julianne Valdes ’14, Taylor Barnett ’15 and Barbara Peterson ’15, who scored two goals apiece.

In their second game of the weekend, against George Washington, the Orange and Blue maintained control throughout, never trailing at the end of a quarter.

They were able to control the game thanks to phenomenal individual performances. Barnett tallied seven goals in the game, matching a program record and increasing her total to a team-leading 56 on the year. Barnett also set a team high for the season by drawing seven ejections in the game. Her season total of 70 ejections drawn moves her to fifth all-time in program history.

Valdes was also impressive, tying a program record by dishing out six assists. Tara Murao ’13 registered four assists of her own.

“We are all aware of the potential our team has and know that winning Southern Championships is definitely within our reach. As long as we don’t play down to the other teams, I know we’ll be successful. Having these games at home, with all of our family and friends coming out to support us, just motivates us to play harder. We definitely won’t go down without a fight,” Barnett said.

The Orange and Blue will enjoy a home-pool advantage when they host the Southern Championships this weekend. The Bison will begin the tournament by facing George Washington Saturday morning. The winner of that match will face Princeton later in the evening.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis defeats rival Colgate

By Cooper Mead
Writer

The men’s tennis team came away with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Colgate at home on Friday, sending the team to 1-1 in the Patriot League.

The Bison doubles play continued its strong performance from last week, winning the crucial team point. Evan Zimmer ’13 and Josh Katten ’13 won a convincing match (8-4) against Luke Gensburg and Sean Spellberg at the No. 2 spot and improved their winning streak to four matches. At No. 1 doubles, Greg Cohenca ’12 and Aidan Lynch ’14 defeated Alec Goldstein and Parker Lewis in a tight 8-6 match, clinching the doubles point for the Bison.

On the singles front, the Bison were able to grind out victories in three out of six matches to ensure a team victory. Gregory Maxson ’12 won at the No. 6 singles spot against Connor Feuille, 6-1, 6-4. Katten also defeated Spellberg at the No. 4 spot, 6-2, 6-7, 6-2 and Zimmer capped off the day beating Bobby Berkowitz in a tough match with a slew of long rallies, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

“Colgate was a good win for us,” Katten said. “It was a step in the right direction leading into the core of the Patriot League season.”

Following the victory, the Bison fell to a formidable George Mason team at home 4-3 on Saturday. Again, the Bison doubles pairings were extremely effective as they clinched the team point for the Bison. Cohenca and Lynch defeated Jordan Dyke and Chris Borden 8-6 at the No. 1 doubles spot, bringing the pairing to 2-3 in No. 1 matches during the spring season. Katten and Zimmer also continued their great performance, beating Scott Keaton and Joe Wiggins, 8-5. After his win, Zimmer’s individual record for the season improved to an impressive 25-5.

Despite the doubles victory, the Bison struggled in singles. Kelly Morque ’13 took on Keaton at the No. 4 spot and won in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5. Kyle Rosen ’14 recorded the only other singles win for the Bison when he defeated Taylor Sargent, 6-4, 6-3 at the No. 5 spot. Rosen’s victory brings him to 16-12 in singles play this season.

“We were obviously disappointed by the 4-3 loss to George Mason but the win versus Colgate demonstrated that we can be a dangerous team,” Morque said. “Even though we didn’t play our best, we still toughed out a win against a very determined Colgate squad. Matches like the ones we had this weekend will only make us better in the long run.”

The Bison began a three-match road trip yesterday afternoon when they faced Army after press time. They will next take on Lafayette on Sunday and Lehigh on Tuesday before returning home to face Robert Morris at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

 

 

 

Categories
Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis struggles

By Lindsay Regruto
Senior Writer

The women’s tennis team dropped three tough matches over the week against George Mason, Colgate and Towson, leaving them 2-15 on the season.

Elizabeth Morgan ’14 and Lauren Boone ’15 pulled out a close win (8-7) on Saturday against their opponents from George Mason in the No. 3 doubles slot. Doubles play overall was intense and hard-fought, but the Bison ended up dropping the doubles point to George Mason after two close losses in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions.

“At Saturday’s match, it was great for me and Lauren to pull out a win in doubles, especially after being down most of the match and coming back to win in a tiebreak,” Morgan said.

Dumitrita Iepuras ’12 came out strong after her loss in doubles play to defeat her opponent. Christie Schneider ’15 picked up the second win for the Bison at the No. 4 singles slot. The victories in singles weren’t enough, and the Orange and Blue fell to the Patriots 5-2 overall.

“Although we weren’t able to win the overall match as a team, it was definitely a step in the right direction,” Morgan said. “Hopefully we will be able to turn our season around for our last couple of matches.”

On Friday, the Bison lost to Patriot League opponent Colgate 4-3. Iepuras and Lydia Colvin ’15 battled it out in No. 2 doubles to grab an 8-5 win. One win wasn’t enough, though, and Colgate took the doubles point.

Schneider picked up her first win of the spring coming back from a 3-6 loss in the first set to win the next two sets 6-3, 7-6.

“My match was extremely close the whole time but I was able to pull out the win because my teammates were on the court next to me cheering,” Schneider said. “I think with our positive attitudes … we will be able to do well as our season ends.”

Elena Vidrascu ’14 defeated her Raiders opponent 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 3 slot. Iepuras picked up a win as well after a three-set match (6-3, 1-6, 6-2) in the No. 1 spot. The wins gave the Orange and Blue three overall team points, but it was not enough to defeat Colgate.

“We had some pretty good matches against Colgate but I think because of the different lineup it was a bit difficult,” Vidrascu said. “Despite difficulties … we have all adapted to the fact that we have to constantly make changes and this helps us not to fall apart.”

On Thursday, the Bison fell 5-2 to the Towson Tigers. Daria Tuzhikova ’13 and Vidrascu beat their opponents in the No. 1 doubles position 8-5. The Orange and Blue couldn’t grab another win, and the doubles point went to Towson. The two other wins for the day were in No. 1 and No. 2 singles. Iepuras earned a large victory over her opponent 6-2, 6-1 at the No. 1 slot. Colvin also had a decisive win at the No. 2 slot 6-3, 6-1.

“Overall, even though we didn’t have our starting line-up due to injured players, we really stepped up as a team and showed our potential for the years to come,” Colvin said.

The Orange and Blue will face off against Patriot League opponent Lehigh today at 3 p.m.

Categories
Men Sports Track & Field

Men’s track takes second in Virginia

By Chris McCree
Sports Editor

Entering the weekend as reigning champions, the men’s track and field team claimed second in a field of 27 teams at the Colonial Relays this past weekend in Williamsburg, Va. The Orange and Blue finished behind a talented Michigan squad by 18 points, recording a total of 149 points.

Highlighting the meet for the Orange and Blue was Robert Arent ’12, who broke his own school record in the 110 meter hurdles by .01 seconds. Finishing in a time of 14.31 seconds, Arent claimed second in the race, but was the top collegiate finisher.

Trailing Arent by .16 seconds in the race was Christian Lupica ’15 who claimed seventh for the Orange and Blue, recording a personal-best time of 14.47 seconds.  Lupica also claimed ninth in the 200 meter dash with a time of 21.69 seconds.

Other top finishers for the Bison were Kamal Riley ’14 and Ray Holmes ’14, who placed second and fourth in the 100 meter sprint and triple jump respectively. After placing fifth in the semi-final heat, Riley jumped up three spots in the finals, securing valuable points for the Bison. Riley capped off his meet by competing in the 4×100 and 4×200 relays, helping the squad to a pair of fourth places finishes.

Mike McGowan ’15 earned the team’s best finish in the distance events by taking second in the 10,000 meter run. McGowan beat his seed time by more than 47 seconds, finishing in 30:22.55.

In the field events, the Bison were able to secure multiple top-10 finishes, including a sweep of the top two spots in the shot put by Quinten Marcott ’13 and Luke Webster ’13. Leonard Joseph ’13, Tom Barr ’12 and Ted Mottola ’13 each placed in the top five of the hammer throw with Joseph leading the group in second place with a 59.19 meter throw.

After opening up their spring season with a pair of away meets, the Orange and Blue have two home meets over the next two weeks. This weekend, the Bison will host the Bison Outdoor Classic starting at 12 p.m. on Friday.