Category: Sports

By Andrew Arnao

Contributing Writer

After facing the University of Connecticut in a 191-109 home loss on Friday, the women’s swimming and diving team hosted the Bison Invitational and had several top finishers.

The meet against UConn was the final dual meet of the season for the Orange and Blue. Liz Porcellio ’13 finished first in the 200 free, 200 IM and 200 free relay with Molly Goebel ’11, Emily Wright ’14 and Kaityln Utkewicz ’14. Wright also had a first-place finish in the 100 free.

Though she placed second, Kelly Pontecorvo ’14 finished the 1,000 free with a time of 10:27.91, the third-best time in school history. Pontecorvo also finished second in the 500 free.

The Bison women participated in the Bison Invitational the next day, an unscored meet with Connecticut and American University. Porcellio and Kelly Purcell ’13 had second-place finishes in the 100 breast and 400 IM, respectively.

Before the meets this weekend, four senior swimmers were recognized for their efforts over the past four years, including Goebel, Macey Keath, Sinead O’Dwyer and Laura Twichell.

“The UConn meet was a kind of bittersweet time for the six seniors, since it was our last dual meet ever. But it was great to have all of our parents and lots of our friends there cheering us on,” Twichell said. “Looking back, the past four years have really flown by, and although swimming is a constantly demanding sport, I know we’ll all miss the thrill of competing and the camaraderie of being on a close-knit team.”

“Going into the championship meets in February, our capability to win titles and break records is a direct result of the gains we have made in our personal relationships both on the team and in this community,” O’Dwyer said.

Twichell gave a speech before the UConn meet, where she quoted Pericles as saying, “What you leave behind is not engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” The Bison women, especially the soon-to-depart seniors, will clearly reflect on this as they prepare for the Patriot League Championships which will take place in Kinney Natatorium from Feb. 17-19.

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

This past weekend, athletes on the women’s track and field team had successful performances at both the Bison Open and Multi and the Penn State National Invitational.  Sasha Hornock ’13 led the Orange and Blue at the Bison Open and Multi, winning the long jump and the 60-meter dash.  At Penn State, Emily Liggett ’12 and Caroline Tolli ’13 both finished with impressive times.

At home in Gerhard Fieldhouse, Hornock recorded her personal best time in the preliminary 60-meter dash, and then ran even faster in the finals. Her final time of 7.77 seconds is not only the best in her career, but it also ranks her second in program history. Erin Horleman ’14 also earned a gold for the Bison, winning the 500 meters and beating her personal best with a time of 1:18.77.

Hornock finished first in the long jump as well with a jump of 5.49 meters. Casey Krause ’11 finished right behind her in second.  Krause also took silver for the Bison in the triple jump.

At Penn State, Tolli placed third in the 1000-meter run with an impressive time of 2:57.06. Liggett ran a 5:01.14 time in the mile.

Jennifer Zymet ’14, who was previously deemed Patriot League Rookie of the Week, ran a 1:16.20 in the 500-meter at Penn State.

“Everyone who went performed very well, and the high caliber of competition in each of our events played a big part in our success,” Liggett said.

As the critical part of the indoor season is approaching for the Orange and Blue, Liggett said, “I think we are in very good shape going into the championship part of our season.  Going to Penn State definitely made me realize that I am faster than I thought I was, and I hope that my teammates realize this in themselves.”

On Saturday, the Bison head to Yale University for the Geigengack Invitational in New Haven, Conn.

By Colin Fields

Contributing Writer

The Bison men’s track team shined at three different venues this past weekend. The men’s 4×400-meter relay team finished fourth at the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York. Closer to home was the Penn State Invitational, where the Orange and Blue took first in both the distance medley and 1,000 meter run. In this year’s Bison Open at Gerhard Fieldhouse, the Bison also claimed first in the heptathalon and shot-put.

At Madison Square Garden, Jacob Eaton-Hall ’14, Jordan Donaldson ’12, John Picardo ’11 and Robert Arent ’12 clocked in a time of 3:25 in the 4×400 relay. The quartet was the first relay team to compete for the Bison at the famed Millrose games in 21 years.

Evan Novakowski ’11 ran a 2:28 1000-meter run at Penn State for a first-place finish at the invitational. Christopher Boyd ’11, Dennis Logan ’14, Clayton Smith ’11 and Chris Sacks ’14 were victorious in the distance medley. The squad clocked in a time of 9:55, which was not only good enough for the victory but also placed them third in school history behind the 1979 team, which holds the top two spots.

On campus, Quinten Marcott ’13 had a huge weekend for the Bison in shot-put. Marcott threw 15.71 meters, which gave him first place and a personal record. The sophomore competed at both the Bison Open and the Penn State Invitational. Marcott threw 15.09 meters at Penn State on the second day and currently sits third in Bison history for shot-put.

“The consistency through my three throws on Saturday is a great sign and adding that to my PR [personal record] Friday has me feeling very confident about the league meet coming up,” Marcott said.

At Gerhard Fieldhouse, Andrew Powell ’12 entered day two of the heptathalon in second place but rallied on the second day to take first.

“I was a little disappointed with my height in high jump, but I knew I could make up the points in the hurdles, which is usually a good event for me,” Powell said. “Going into day two I wasn’t really focused on winning or losing but just performing my best and seeing where I ended up.”

Powell went on to take first in both the long jump and 60-meter hurdles. He compiled enough points to win the heptathalon and move into third place in school history for that event.

This performance gives the Bison confidence going into the Patriot League Championships, which are just a few weeks away. The next meet for the Bison is on Feb. 5 when the team competes at Yale University in the Giegengack Invitational.

“I’m excited to see how my teammates do and am confident that together all of us can put on an impressive performance at Leagues,” Marcott said. “We all have our sights set on winning that championship, and we will be doing everything necessary over the next few weeks to ensure that we do.”

By Lindsay Regruto

Staff Writer

Despite a rocky start at the Cornell Invitational this past weekend, the women’s tennis team remains confident as it heads into spring duals tied for second in the preseason poll.

The Orange and Blue played against Army, Cornell and Binghamton to kick off the season. Lauren Lucido ’11 was the sole winner for the Bison on Friday, winning in straight sets to advance to the main draw in Flight A singles. Lucido has now won four consecutive singles matches since the women’s last showing at the Bucknell Invitational in October.

Elena Vidrascu ’14 and Lucido paired for the first time in Flight A doubles in a tough match against Binghamton on Friday. The pair played well and kept the match close but were unable to pull out the win, falling 9-7. With tough losses the first day, the Orange and Blue were able to see what aspects of their game needed work in preparing for the upcoming season.

“We played against three other good teams, and we got a handful of matches under our belt,” Lucido said. “We definitely have some things to work on as the season advances, but I think it was a good opportunity to get back into matchplay mode before we play our dual matches.”

Despite tough losses on Friday, the Orange and Blue were able to end on a positive note, winning two matches in the consolation round of the Flight B singles. Courtney Casey ’12 came out strong against the Army competition, winning the first set 6-2. After losing the second set 2-6, Casey fought back to win in the deciding tiebreak 10-7. Lauren Rottkamp ’11 also earned a victory for the Bison, defeating her Binghamton opponent 6-3, 7-5.

“We definitely have a lot of work to do, but the more matches we play the better our performance will become,” Rottkamp said.

The Bison will be back on the court at Pittsburgh today and at Duquesne tomorrow.

By Joe Ruby

Writer

The wrestling team lost to No. 18 Penn (6-3, 1-0 EIWA) by a 24-11 margin on Saturday afternoon at the historic Palestra in Philadelphia. Brantley Hooks ’11, Rob Waltko ’11, and No. 6 Kevin LeValley ’11 each posted wins for the Orange and Blue. The loss leaves the Bison 4-10 overall and 0-4 in the EIWA this season.

LeValley earned the first win of the day for the Bison, defeating Andrew Lenzi 11-3 for the major decision at 149 lbs. The win moved LeValley’s record to 22-1 and marked the 10th time he earned bonus points this year. In the next match, Hooks defeated Brad Wukie by an identical score, improving to 15-9 for the year and getting the Bison to within 12-8.

The Bison were almost able to continue the momentum at 165 lbs, as Corey Lear ’13 nearly upset No. 18 Gabriel Burak, ultimately losing 4-2 in the second sudden-victory period. Waltko kept the Bison’s hopes alive with a 7-4 decision over Harrison Coon, bringing the team score to 18-11 in favor of the Quakers, but Penn’s No. 6 Micah Burak was able to defeat Jay Hahn ’11 by a 5-2 margin to seal the match.

The Bison once again found themselves trailing early on, as the Quakers’ No. 19 Mark Rappo and No. 9 Zack Kemmerer won at 125 lbs and 141 lbs, respectively. The Bison were forced to forfeit the 133 lb slot for the fourth time this year. The losses moved the three lower-weight positions to a combined record of 11-31 in dual meets this season.

The next match for the Bison is tonight at 7 p.m. in Davis Gym. The Bison will host Lock Haven of the Eastern Wrestling League, who enter the match with a 5-8 record.

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

The men’s basketball team entered its contest on Saturday at Army on a nine-game winning streak, but it was the Black Knights who looked like the streaking team, scoring 90 points en route to a 20-point victory over the Orange and Blue. The defeat was only the second for the Bison since December, and it ended their quest for a perfect season in the Patriot League.

The Black Knights fired right out of the gates, showing the first-place, undefeated Bison that they had come to play. Tied at 17 eight minutes into the game, Army went on a 13-2 run for an 11-point lead, one the Orange and Blue would challenge but never overcome.

Army went into the locker room at the intermission with an eight-point advantage, having shot over 60 percent from the field.

“Army came out the gate shooting very well from three,” G.W. Boon ’11 said. “They also made a lot of hustle plays that we are accustomed to making, and that was the difference in the game.”

In the second half, the Bison traded baskets with the Black Knights, keeping the game close until the 10-minute mark. Army proved to be too much for the Orange and Blue, pulling away late for the 90-70 victory.

“They shot very well from the perimeter and were able to get these open looks in transition and from dribble penetration,” said Mike Muscala ’13, the leading scorer and rebounder for the Bison this season.  “We weren’t making the right defensive rotations, which left them a lot of open shots, and when they did miss, we didn’t do a good job of getting rebounds.  They played with more intensity than us from start to finish.”

Muscala controlled the paint on both ends of the floor for the Orange and Blue. On the offensive side, he tallied 20 points despite drawing many double- and triple-teams from the Black Knights.

Defensively, Muscala grabbed nine rebounds and recorded three blocked shots. His presence underneath the basket forced Army to shoot from the perimeter, which proved to be the difference in the contest.

Cameron Ayers ’14 registered 17 points, while Bryan Cohen ’12 and Joe Willman ’13 scored 11 each, but these individual performances were not enough to overcome Army’s potent attack from three-point range.

“In almost every Patriot League game that we had played up until the Army game, we were able to get off to a good start, and if the shots weren’t dropping, we were able to get defensive stops,” Muscala said.  “Every time we got something going for us on offense against Army, they answered on the other end, which we could never overcome.”

The Bison entered the Army game having won 13 of their previous 14 contests, including dramatic victories over Richmond, one of the nation’s best teams, and rival Holy Cross, thanks to last-second baskets by Muscala. The nine-game winning streak the Bison took into the contest versus Army had been the fifth-longest in the country.

The Orange and Blue begin the second round of Patriot League play Saturday night at home versus a Navy team they beat by seven earlier this season.

“The Army game was simply a bump in the road,” Boon said.  “We may not end up with a perfect conference record, but we still have the opportunity to be an excellent team.  It gives us a chance to highlight some of our weaknesses and attack those deficiencies in practice. Our team will only become stronger from the game at Army.”

By Rob Duffy

Editor-in-Chief

Since many readers of The Bucknellian likely did not closely follow Bison sports over winter break, here’s a recap of some of the most notable things that happened, and an explanation of why you should be excited:

5. Dec. 22 – The Bison men’s basketball team, playing strong as they have whenever they’ve faced a big opponent this season, nearly upset Boston College. Although the Orange and Blue eventually lost 84-80, the game was a thriller. The Bison, who led by as much as 17 in the first half, tied a school record with 15 three-pointers, also setting a record for the most threes Boston College has ever given up. The game showed that the Bison clearly have what it takes to play competitively against major conference opponents.

4. Jan. 2 – Mike Muscala ’13 took a long inbounds pass and hit a turnaround, fadeaway jumper from 16 feet as time expired to give the Bison a come-from-behind win at Richmond. It was the team’s biggest non-conference victory of the season, coming against a powerful Atlantic-10 Spiders squad that was at the time the only team to have defeated current-No. 11 Purdue.

3. Jan. 12 – The Bison dominated American, who had been picked in the Patriot League preseason poll to finish first in the league, 75-60 on American’s own court. Muscala had 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots for the Bison, who never led by less than 10 after the halfway point of the first half. The win showed that the Bison could successfully carry the hot streak they were riding into the league games that really mattered.

2. Dec. 30 – The men’s basketball team was not the only Bison squad to accomplish big things over the break. Kevin LeValley ’11 became the first Bison wrestler ever to win an individual title at the Midlands Championships, a prestigious event attended by this year by 44 teams. LeValley, who won his five matches by a combined score of 56-9, was at the time ranked third in the nation in the 149 lb weight class. He has since fallen to No. 6 after losing to current-No. 4 Mario Mason of Rutgers on Jan. 14, but his 22-1 record is still remarkable.

1. Prompted largely by the success of the basketball team, the University saw a huge surge in school spirit from its students and fans. The basketball team’s run was certainly worth getting excited about. In a 14-game stretch lasting nearly two months, the Bison only lost once, and even that loss was in a well-played match against a powerful opponent. Their nine-game winning streak was the fifth-longest in the nation, and their 6-0 Patriot League start put them solidly in front. As a result, the Sojka Psychos became more enthusiastic as they have in years, packing the stands and cheering loudly, even in games such as the team’s blowout of Colgate. Hopes were high that this team could return the Bison basketball program to glory. School spirit has made even the most insignificant games a true joy to experience.

The Bison’s win streak was snapped last weekend against Army, but as Bison fans, we must do everything we can to keep it alive, even if more setbacks come in the future. We must continue to be enthusiastic about our teams, no matter what might happen down the road. We should not limit it to just basketball or even basketball and wrestling, but should carry it into all Bison sports. As fans, whether the Bison win the Patriot League is largely out of our control, but the quality of our fan experience is up to us. If we can preserve the winning, hopeful, enthusiastic attitude we possess now, the season for all Bison sports will be worth remembering, no matter what the final scores or standings may be.

By Andrew Lichtenauer

Writer

Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams had impressive showings in the pool in the Frank Elm Rutgers Invitational last weekend in Piscataway, N.J., posting third place and second place finishes, respectively.

Jonathan Podniesinski ’12, Thomas Brown ’12, Eric Sokolosky ’12 and the 400-yard freestyle relay team posted wins on the last day of the meet. The men finished third overall behind La Salle and Delaware with 1,421 points. La Salle, the winner of the invitational, had 1,709.5 points.

“We were able to stay motivated and perform well on Sunday by coming together as a team and supporting each other,” Sokolosky said. “Everyone was tired, but having the entire team cheer each other on really made the difference.”

Mike Nicholson ’14 had an impressive showing at the three-day event. On Friday he won the 200 individual medley in 1:52.19. The next day, he won the 400 individual medley in 3:59.26, setting a record for the invitational.

Nicholson now has 11 first-place finishes across six events this year. He was named Bison Athlete of the Week for his performance.

The Bison women finished second behind Pittsburgh. The Panthers finished with 1,576.5 points, significantly ahead of the Orange and Blue’s 1157.5.

Kelly Pontecorvo ’14, Emily Wright ’14 and the 400 free relay team all posted wins on Sunday. On the other two days of competition, only Molly Goebel ’11 took a first place finish.

Pontecorvo, won the 1,650 freestyle race.

“I feel my positive performance stemmed not only from the training we have been doing but also from the competition we had at hand,” Pontecorvo said. “Racing the strong swimmers around me left me wanting to race them in finals and motivated me to swim fast in each of my races. I also wanted to contribute to the great success everyone else on the team was having.”

The Bison men and women return to the pool on Dec. 4 at 1 p.m., hosting La Salle at Kinney Natatorium.

By Justin Cohen

Writer

The end of the 2010 college football season has been nothing but spectacular, but a trio of huge Black Friday games helped to shape the possible Bowl Championship Series (BCS) landscape.

With only one week left in the college football season, pending any major upsets, the top contenders have set their place among the elite and are poised to accept invitations to key bowl games. The five big games—the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and BCS Championship Game—are getting ready to give this year’s top schools money and publicity.

Oregon and Auburn are currently the two schools poised to play in the BCS Championship Game. Both teams are undefeated and claim stellar offenses. Auburn has defeated four ranked opponents this season. Quarterback Cam Newton has put together a marvelous season with 3,590 combined passing and running yards and 43 total touchdowns.

Oregon averages over 50 points per game. Star running back LaMichael James leads their offense with over 1,500 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. With both offenses putting up huge scores week after week, it would not be surprising if a high-scoring championship game awaits us as the top two teams are en route to clash on Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz.

Beneath the top two, the non-automatic qualifying schools have been making headlines all season. TCU and Boise State have had impressive seasons, but Boise State was defeated by Nevada in overtime last Friday, ending the Broncos’ chances of playing for the national title.

TCU still remains undefeated as the number-three team in the BCS, and, with its season already finished, a Rose Bowl bid could be in the future. If a monumental upset were to happen over one of the top two teams, the Horned Frogs could even punch their ticket to Glendale for their own bid at a championship.

After the three undefeated teams, many one-loss teams are poised to accept BCS bowl bids, such as Stanford, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Ohio State, Michigan State, Oklahoma and LSU.

Stanford has had excellent play from quarterback and possible first-round draft pick Andrew Luck. The Cardinals’ only loss came at the hands of undefeated Oregon. Wisconsin has put up over 200 points in the last three weeks and claimed the Big 10 tiebreaker over Ohio State and Michigan State, even though both had the same record.

Arkansas is the second-best BCS team in the SEC. Rounding out the top 10 in the BCS are Oklahoma, whose quarterback Landry Jones has passed for nearly 4,000 yards, and LSU, who has been in numerous close games this year, with the scoring difference between its opponents in eight of their games at eight or less.

Regardless of who plays, the bowls are all played with extra meaning as every team is looking to bring victory and honor to its school.