Category: Sports

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

Stephanie Fulmer ’12 and Emily Liggett ’12 led the Bison strong races in the 3,000 meters and 1,000 meters, respectively, as 12 members of the women’s track and field team traveled to New Haven, Conn. for the Giegengack Invitational hosted by Yale on Feb. 5.

“While only a small group of athletes from our team traveled to the Giegengack Invitational, it was a great opportunity and motivator to help some individuals qualify for the IC4A/ECAC meet or run a faster time for a better seed at the league championships,” Fulmer said. “After running a PR for the season, it was encouraging to see many other teammates perform well in the same events, showing that we have strong depth leading into the championships.”

Caroline Tolli ’13 also finished 15th overall for the 800 meters at Yale behind teammate Amanda Steinke ’11, who finished 14th.

The meet provided a chance for the Bison to prepare for the upcoming league championship, which will be hosted at Navy.

“Getting experience on a banked track [like Navy’s] is an important part of the preparation for Leagues, especially for the underclassmen who haven’t run indoor before,” Tolli said. “We also came out of the meet with some fast times, including a few IC4A/ECAC qualifiers. Our team is extremely excited to chase after a pair of indoor titles at the Patriot League meet.”

“I think that it will be key for everyone to remain healthy and focused as we get ready to compete at Navy in two weeks,” Fulmer said.

The Orange and Blue will host the Bucknell Winter Classic in Gerhard Fieldhouse on Saturday before traveling to Navy for the Patriot League Championships on Feb. 18-20.

By Colin Fields

Contributing Writer

The men’s track and field team sent several competitors and strung together a solid performance at the Giegengack Invitational at Yale University this past weekend. Several Bison runners posted personal bests, and sprinter Kamal Riley ’14 returned from injury in great form.

Jordan Donaldson ’12 was the top performer at the invitational, finishing fourth in the 500-meter dash. Donaldson just missed his personal best with a time of 1:04.43. His teammate, Johnny Picardo ’11, finished behind him in eighth with a time of 1:05.12.

Donaldson and Picardo also competed in the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden a week before the Giegengack. Despite the contrast in environments, the two competed well at both events.

“Madison Square Garden was filled with excitement. Although our team was new to the 145-meter indoor track, the Millrose Games proved to be an exhilarating experience to compete in,” Picardo said.

At the Giegengack Invitational, Robert Yamnicky ’13 and Dustin Horning ’13 set personal records in their respective events. Yamnicky ran a 8:41.72 in the 3,000 meter and Horning clocked a time of 2:30.50 in the 1,000 meter.

Riley, in his first meet back from injury, put up one of his better times in the 60-meter dash. Riley’s time of 7.20 just missed his personal record but was enough to advance him through preliminaries.

“I am pretty happy with my performance, especially after coming back from injury. I believe we have a very good chance at winning the championships provided everyone performs at their best,” Riley said.

The Orange and Blue will host the Winter Classic tomorrow and then travel to Annapolis, Md. for the Patriot League Championships.

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

The women’s basketball team had a rough time this past week, dropping a tough loss to Navy, 66-45, on Saturday at home and swallowing another loss to American on the road Wednesday, 66-38.

The Navy game started off well for the Bison as they put the first nine points on the board and seemed to be playing staunch defense against the Midshipmen. But beginning at the 17:21 mark, the Bison went on a gut-wrenching 12-minute scoring drought, allowing Navy to score 27 unanswered points.

The Bison did not manage a set of back-to-back field goals until the 10-minute mark in the second half and found  it difficult to recover from the deficit they had fallen into in the first half. The closest the Bison would get in the second half would be 13, but anemic shooting plagued the Orange and Blue as they attempted a comeback.

Shelby Romine ’14 led the team in both points and assists while Joyce Novacek ’11 and Cosi Higham ’11 were tied with six rebounds each.

“At this point, we really need to focus on stringing together 40 minutes of solid play,” Novacek said.

Against the American Eagles the Bison started slow as they only scored 12 points in the first half. American got hot early and continued shooting well throughout the game, shooting 52.0 percent from the field.

Turnovers plagued the Bison all night and they could not seem to find their groove after the long bus ride to Washington, DC. After halftime the Bison did improve their shooting as a majority of the team recorded field goals, but the deficit was too much for the team to recover as American held a comfortable 20-point lead for the game.

Once again Romine was the leading scorer for the Bison, but even she was unable to break into double digits, scoring just nine points. Also, Higham was again the leading rebounder for the Orange and Blue, pulling down eight boards.

“I would say that our team’s biggest strength is our ability to score in transition,” Novacek said.

The Bison hope to bring that strategy to the table as they face Patriot League rivals Holy Cross on Feb. 12 and Lafayette on Feb. 16, both at home.

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

With first place in the Patriot League standings on the line at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday night, the Bison men’s basketball team outlasted the American Eagles and came out on top, 66-60, in a clash between the conference’s two top squads.

“We have been preparing to face a good American team this week,” Darryl Shazier ’11 said. “They have a great individual player in Vlad Moldoveanu, which was a focus for us in practice.”

Despite being one of the nation’s leaders in scoring, with an average of 20 points per game, Moldoveanu was limited to just nine points, thanks to tight defense by Bryan Cohen ’12, who locked down on Moldoveanu for the entire game before fouling out in the final seconds. In 23 games this season, Moldoveanu has scored in single digits just three times, twice against Cohen and the Bison.

Offensively, Mike Muscala ’13 led the way as he has all season, registering 21 points and 10 rebounds, including the first eight for the Bison. Bryson Johnson ’13 and G.W. Boon ’11 off the bench each added double figures, as the Orange and Blue fought off an American squad that would not quit.

Midway through the opening half, the Bison jumped out to a 22-8 advantage and were looking to put their opponent away like they did earlier in the season against the Eagles. But American fought back, chipping away until five minutes remained in the second half, when consecutive free throws by Moldoveanu gave the Eagles a 58-57 lead.

Down for the first time since the first minute of the first half, the Bison ended the contest on a 9-2 run, sealing a huge victory for their shot at the number one seed in the Patriot League Tournament and an automatic spot in either one of the NCAA’s major postseason tournaments.

The win was the 300th of head coach Dave Paulsen’s career.

With just five games remaining in the regular season, the Orange and Blue lead the Eagles by two games in conference and hold the important head-to-head tie-breaker over American. Victories in three of their last five games would give the Bison the conference regular season title, which guarantees a berth in either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT.

The win over American came just four days after the Orange and Blue routed Navy at home, 75-49, rebounding after a 20-point loss at Army the week before. Joe Willman ’13 scored a career-high 18 points as the Bison got ahead 10-0 and never looked back.

“Against Navy, we came out attacking unlike the way we came out against Army,” Shazier said.  “We matched their physicality as well.  We knew that they were a team that liked to push the tempo, so one of our goals was to be in control of the tempo of the game throughout.”

Even with American behind them, the upcoming schedule does not get any easier for the Orange and Blue. The Bison will travel to Worcester, Mass. this Saturday afternoon to take on rival Holy Cross. Although they only have five wins this season, the Crusaders have always proved a difficult match-up for the Bison.

“We are dedicating ourselves, one game at a time, to bringing a Patriot League Championship back to Bucknell,” Muscala said.

By Joe Ruby

Writer

The men’s wrestling team evened its home record to 3-3 and improved to 5-10 overall by defeating out-of-conference rival Lock Haven (5-9) 26-13 last Friday. Derek Reber ’12 and Corey Lear ’13 each pinned their opponents, and No. 6 Kevin LeValley ’11, Brantley Hooks ’11, Rob Waltko ’11 and Jay Hahn ’11 also posted wins for the Bison.

Reber began the match in an exciting fashion, pinning Tyrus Nickoli in 4:24 to earn his third fall of the year. Alex Pellicciotti ’14 nearly held on to an early lead but eventually lost 12-10 in the first sudden victory period. Lock Haven took a 7-6 lead with a victory at 141 lbs.

LeValley put the Bison ahead for good with a 17-4 major decision at 149 lbs, improving his record to 23-1. Hooks won a hard-fought 3-2 decision, and Lear followed with his second pin of the year to give the Bison a commanding 19-7 lead in the match.

The Bald Eagles kept their hopes alive with a close win at 174 lbs, but Waltko and Hahn clinched the victory for the Bison with a 9-2 decision and a 14-3 major decision, respectively. Lock Haven took the final bout by decision.

The Bison, still looking for their first conference victory, finish the year with three EIWA matchups, taking on Army at home on Thursday before traveling to Brown and American on Feb. 19 and 20, respectively. The University will host the EIWA Championships on March 5-6.

By Chris McCree

Writer

The men’s tennis team opened the season with two tough losses to Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne this past weekend in Pittsburgh. Although the team managed only three victories over the weekend, it saw its star Kelly Morque ’13 win his 12th straight singles match against his Carnegie Mellon opponent.

Friday night, the Bison fell to the Tartans in a match that was much closer than the score showed. While the Bison only managed to win three out of the nine matches, three of their losses came in three-set contests.

“We lost the match 6-3 but lost two matches 7-5 in the third set. If we win those matches, we win the match,” Mark Malloy ’11 said.

Morque won his singles match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, and improved his winning streak to 12 straight dating back to the fall season. Gregg Cohenca ’12 had an impressive day as his two victories accounted for two of the team’s three points. In his single match, Cohenca was able to overcome his first set loss and win 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 at the No. 2 spot. He also teamed up with Malloy to win the No. 2 doubles match 8-4.

On Saturday afternoon, the Orange and Blue dropped their second straight in a 7-0 loss to Duquesne. The team lost all three of its doubles matches and all six of its singles matches. Morque was not able to extend his winning streak to 13, but he was the only Bison to win a set. Cohenca fell just short in a close 7-6, 7-6 loss at No. 1 singles, and he and Malloy put up a fight in the No. 2 doubles but still fell 8-6 on a disappointing day for the Bison.

However, the Bison did not seem discouraged about losing their first two of the season. The team has well over a month before their Patriot League matches begin, so this weekend was about getting the team some competition.

“Going into these matches this weekend, I think everyone was excited to get out there and finally play. We all know that this is a long season and therefore aren’t worried about these loses,” Cohenca said. “We have a very strong and deep lineup, and finding the best fit for our team is crucial. I think these early season matches will pay off for us in the end.”

The Orange and Blue look to regroup this week and prepare for their next match against Penn State on Sunday. The Nittany Lions pose a difficult match-up for the Bison, for they have already played and beaten Patriot League rivals Lehigh and Army.

“[We are] looking forward to our next match against Penn State because they are a talented team, possibly the best we will face this year. We are eager to see how we compete,” Malloy said.

By Lindsay Regruto

Staff Writer

The women’s tennis team suffered tough losses against Pittsburgh and Duquesne over the weekend in the opening dual matches of the spring season. Later in the week, the Bison tried to score their first-ever win against Penn State, but the Lions prevailed.

Though the Bison took wins in singles and doubles, it was not enough to keep them from falling 6-1 to Pittsburgh on Friday. Lauren Lucido ’11 picked up a win in singles, defeating her Pittsburgh opponent decidedly, 6-3, 6-4. Lucido also teamed up with Daria Tuzhikova ’13 to earn the only doubles win of the day.

Tuzhikova almost claimed a second win at No. 6 singles, coming back after a 7-5 defeat in the first set to win 6-2 in the second. Unfortunately for the Bison, the close match ended in a super tiebreak, 10-8 in favor of Pittsburgh. Dumitrita Iepuras ’12 and Dara Dwojewski ’11 pushed their doubles match to a close score, ultimately falling 9-7.

With matches being kept close, the Orange and Blue are confident for the rest of their spring season.

“The match at Pitt is just a beginning of the season,” Tuzihkova said. “I believe our team is playing better and better with every single match, and soon we will bring some victories to Bucknell.”

Saturday saw a closer score for the Bison, but Duquesne ultimately pulled out a 5-2 victory over the Orange and Blue. Iepuras had a strong match, forcing three sets with a 3-6 comeback in the second but suffering a loss 6-4 in the third. Lucido and Dwojewski claimed singles wins, but the Dukes grabbed the doubles point and four singles matches.

“With our season just getting underway, it felt good to get a win,” Dwojewski said. “However, I am more looking forward to our first win as a team. We have a lot of potential, and I am excited to see where it takes us this year.”

In a weekday dual match, the Lions swept the Bison 7-0 at Penn State on Tuesday. The Orange and Blue will have the rest of the week off to focus on the upcoming dual match. The Bison will host Binghamton at the West Branch Tennis Club in Williamsport Sunday at 1 p.m.

By Justin Cohen

Writer

As the nation prepares to shine its spotlight on Dallas for Super Bowl XLV, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are hard at work, each seeking to add another title to its respective franchise.

In a season of parity throughout the league, it seems fitting that the Packers are the first No. 6 seed from the NFC ever to make it to the Super Bowl. Conversely, Pittsburgh is looking to put some distance from its competitors by bringing home a record seventh Lombardi Trophy.

Both teams have been seeing spectacular play from their defenses, but while Pittsburgh brings many familiar faces, such as Troy Polamalu and James Harrison, Green Bay has been successful with a core of young defensive stars, many of whom are not yet 30 years old. The road to Dallas has not been easy for either team.

Pittsburgh started the season with franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on the bench due to off-the-field issues from last summer. Through the first four games, the Steelers had to use two different back-up quarterbacks. They managed to stay at the top of the league with a 3-1 record after four games and did not look back as they went on to a 12-4 record, earning another AFC North championship and the No. 2 seed in the conference.

After a first-round bye, the Steelers went on to a comeback win against division rival Baltimore by scoring 24 points in the second half and racking up three takeaways. The next week the New York Jets, fresh off an upset win in Foxboro against the Patriots, were kept in check by Pittsburgh’s 24 first-half points.

Representing the NFC, the Green Bay Packers faced a much more difficult journey than their AFC opposition. In their very first game this year, starting running back Ryan Grant was lost for the season due to an ankle injury. Several weeks later, up-and-coming tight-end Jermichael Finley suffered a knee injury and was lost for the season as well.

The Packers finished the season with 16 players on injured reserve and many others, including star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, missing some playing time over the course of the season.

Even with all of the injuries, their will and determination helped propel them to a wildcard berth in the last week of the season. In the team’s three playoff games, Rodgers has a total of six touchdowns and two interceptions. Running back James Starks has come out of nowhere to give the Packers a much-needed rushing attack, and the Packers defense has five picks, two of them returned for touchdowns.

This year’s Super Bowl has everything a football fan could ask for in a critical game: talented players with something to prove and two passionate fan bases riding on one game with the highest stakes. Even if the game is a defensive struggle and ends in a 3-0 finish, it should still be a great game as two of the NFL’s most storied franchises clash for the honor and right to be called world champions.

By Chris McCree

Writer

The men’s swimming team closed out the regular season with a tough loss against UConn on Friday night at Kinney Natatorium, 177.5-116.5, the team’s second largest margin of defeat this season. Despite the loss, Mike Nicholson ’14 provided an amazing end to his first year, coming in first in all three of his events. The Bison finished out the season on Saturday with a non-scoring meet against UConn and American.

“Coming into the meet, we knew that UConn was going to be good,” Matt Hadley ’14 said. “We were expecting tough competition, but we were too hurt by injury to beat them.”

However painful the loss may have been, the focus of the night was on Michael Volpe ’11 and Brendan Wills ’11, who, as seniors, were swimming their final regular-season races as members of the Orange and Blue. Volpe finished third in the 100 fly and was part of the 200 medley relay squad that finished in first. Wills went out impressively by posting two season-best times. He earned a third-place finish in the 50 free with a time of 22.01 and a fourth-place finish in the 100 fly with a 52.92.

“Losing those guys will hurt,” Hadley said. “Volpe was our only captain, so we are really losing key leaders.”

Though the team struggled, Nicholson put on a spectacular individual performance. Nicholson won all three of his events by at least 2.5 seconds and posted career-bests in both the 200 fly and 200 breast. With his time of 1:50.99 in the 200 fly, he moved up from seventh to second on the University’s all-time list. Nicholson ended the season with 23 first-place finishes.

On Saturday, the Bison played host to American and UConn in an unscored meet that featured another dominating showing by the Huskies. UConn compiled 12 first place finishes to the Bison’s five. Eric Sokolosky ’12 posted two first-place finishes for the Orange and Blue and his time of 50.76 in the 100 fly was a season-best for the team.

The Bison finished the regular season with a record of 6-5 and now look forward to the Patriot League Championships, which will be held at Kinney Natatorium Feb. 17-19. The team plans on beginning to taper its practices soon to prepare for the meet.

“The goal going into championships is to close the gap between us and Navy,” Hadley said, referring to the 85-point loss that the Bison suffered earlier in the season. “Anything short of second would be a big disappointment.”