Category: Sports

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Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo rank 14th in preseason poll

Alex Wagner

Senior Editor

The men’s water polo team ended last season on the cusp of a truly breakthrough performance. The Bison fell just short of competing in their first NCAA Championship tournament at the end of last season after a crushing 10-9 loss to St. Francis (N.Y.) in the Eastern Championship title game. A win in that game would have sealed their first trip to the NCAA’s in 27 years.

Despite the loss, the Bison have a lot to be proud of. Their second place finish at Easterns marked their best performance since 1993. They also performed well out of the pool, placing six athletes on the Collegiate Water Polo Association Scholar-Athlete team.

The Orange and Blue’s strong postseason run earned them the 14th spot on the NCAA national rankings, which is also where they will begin the 2013 season. They are ranked behind traditional West Coast powers such as the University of Southern California (USC) and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), but as far as East Coast teams, the Bison are ranked behind only one rival: St. Francis Brooklyn.

There should be little to no drop off in performance in the 2013 season for the Bison as they return with five starters. One of the most important figures will be Stefan Aleksic ’16, who led the Bison last year on the offensive front with 101 points as a first-year. He will be reinforced by a strong senior class of Julian Colina ’14, Jack Else ’14, Mike Kimble ’14, Stephen Norton ’14, Alex Nowlin ’14, and Andrew Somers ’14. Those six players bring a great deal of experience and fire power, combining for 388 career goals between them.

Perhaps the biggest question going into the new season for the Orange and Blue will be the ability of Keegan Williams ’15 to step into the starting goalkeeper role. He has spent his first two years on the team behind previous starter Matt Napleton ’13, who recently graduated and signed to play with Rari Nantes Savona, a team that plays in the highest division of the Italian League. Williams should be able to take what he has learned from Napleton and have a strong first season in goal.

The Orange and Blue will begin their 2013 season on Sept. 7 at the Navy Invite in Annapolis, Md. where they will play four games in two days.

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Golf Golf Men Sports Uncategorized Women

Men’s & women’s golf successful on and off the course

Emily Evancho

Assistant Sports Editor

Both the men’s and women’s golf teams ended their 2012 seasons on somewhat disappointing notes, with both teams showing potential for the upcoming 2013-2014 season.

In April, the men’s team landed fourth place in the Patriot League Championships behind Lehigh, Navy, and Army. Schuyler Stitzer ’14 was named to First Team All-Patriot League Honors after his effort in the championship, placing T-4th. Stitzer’s performance helped to bring his team to its fourth place finish, ending with a final combined score of 929.

The women’s team also swung high in its Patriot League Championship but narrowly missed first place by three strokes, dropping the championship to Lehigh. Bridget Wilcox ’14 finished the championship with a 22-over 232, earning herself a spot on the All-Patriot League Team along with her teammates Lauren Bernard ’14 and Kasha Scott ’14. Bernard also placed T-3rd in the Patriot League Championship, followed by Scott who ended her round in fifth place.

“We’re definitely excited to bounce back from a tough end to last season and take that Patriot League title back from Lehigh,” Jen Lee ’16 said.

“The season will be predicated upon how our upperclassmen lead our freshmen. We have some very talented freshmen who need some leadership and experience. If we get that coupled with sophomore and junior performance, then we may be extremely successful this fall,” Nick Geissler ’16 said.

Despite their endings, the men’s and women’s golf teams scored high in academics. In June, it was announced that six members of the women’s team, Wilcox, Scott, Bernard, Lee, Lexi Klein ’15, and Katie Mancino ’13, qualified for the Patriot League Women’s Golf Academic Honor Roll, requiring a minimum 3.2 GPA to be accepted. Scott and Wilcox were accepted to the five-member Academic All-Patriot League Team in May as well. For the men’s golf team, Stitzer was also accepted into the Patriot League Men’s Golf All-Academic Team in May.

Eager to begin both their academic and golf seasons, the men’s and women’s golf teams will swing into their seasons today. The men’s team will compete in the Colgate Invitational in Hamilton, N.Y. today and tomorrow. The women’s team begins its season today when they compete in the Bucknell Invitational.

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Bison Athlete of the Week Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Mayowa Alli ’14

Lauren Boone

Sports Editor

Although the season has just begun, defender Mayowa Alli ’14 is starting off his senior year with a bang. Following his selection as one of three team captains, Alli was chosen to be on the Men’s Soccer 2013 Preseason All-Patriot League Team.

Alli had a stunning 2011 season. As a sophomore, he started every game as left back. Furthermore, he scored seven goals and 16 points, leading his squad and ranking second in the Patriot League for both categories that season. These statistics earned him a reputation as a tough, athletic defender who was key to finishing set plays. He was honored with a selection to First Team All-Patriot League and Second Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region.

Alli’s momentum continued into the 2012 season. He was named to the Men’s Soccer Preseason All-Patriot League Team in 2012, as well. In 15 games, Alli posted two goals and one assist as a defender before a shoulder injury ended his season early. As a result, Alli missed the last five games of the regular season.

“My selection to the Men’s Soccer Pre-Season All-Patriot League Team was a pleasant surprise considering the fact that I had been injured for a large portion of the season last fall. However, putting it into perspective, it doesn’t mean much if I don’t perform and help my team become successful,” Alli said.

Clearly, Alli has his team’s success as his first priority. The squad ranks sixth in the now 10-team league. Despite the challenging schedule, Alli and his team have high hopes and goals for the upcoming season.

“Looking into the season I truly believe we have a strong team and have the ability to surprise a lot of teams who are overlooking us on their schedule. We haven’t won the Patriot League title since my freshman year, and it’s evident that the team has high expectations for the year. Personally, my goal coming into the season is to stay healthy and lead my team through a strong season,” Alli said.

Bison Profile

Hometown: Lanham, Md.

High School: Bishop McNamara

Height/Weight: 6-0/190

Position: Defender

 

Stats

2011 Season

Games: 18

Goals: 7

 

2012 Season

Games: 15

Goals: 2

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Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: A New Day?

Julian Dory

Senior Writer

 

For Cam Newton, this could already be make-or-break. The NFL’s 2011 number one overall pick burst onto the scene two seasons ago for the Carolina Panthers, yet failed to show much of the initial flash and fire last season, as both he and the Panthers took a giant step backward.

Perhaps more alarming than the regression in play was the obvious immaturity Newton seemed to show off the field. After the Panthers suffered a loss to the Falcons to fall to 1-3, Newton was both despondent and impolite toward the media after the game. His reaction and comments brought into question his true qualities as a leader. A 7-9 season that included four straight seemingly meaningless wins to close it out certainly hurt Newton’s cause.

Now, after obviously losing the “new kid on the block” limelight to last year’s incredible rookies Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, and Robert Griffin III, Newton enters his third campaign with less spotlight but even higher standards and expectations than ever before.

The positives are simple: Newton is a physical specimen. At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, anyone that can run a 4.58 40-yard dash has a chance to be special. And Newton’s arm strength? It’s second to none. While he has struggled with his accuracy, he does seem to have all the physical tools to become one of the great quarterbacks in the NFL—but his mental fortitude is absolutely a question mark.

Can Newton bring out the leadership that helped him take college football by storm when he led the undefeated Auburn Tigers to a National Championship in his only season as a starter? Can he positively translate the confidence that led him to proclaim his wish to not just be a star but a “brand” to NFL scouts at a pre-draft visit (a controversial comment that raised question marks to some at the time)?

Time will have to tell, but Newton’s play will be the overriding factor of it all. He must play well in the 2013 season. He has to prove that he is a mature franchise cornerstone by showing mental toughness and the highest standards of leadership in the low times that inevitably arise in almost every NFL season.

In Newton’s defense, the Panthers’ roster has not done him many favors. He sits behind a middle-of-the-pack offensive line, at best, with an over-the-hill running back DeAngelo Williams. Then, except for the old (but still very good) Steve Smith on the flanks, Newton has no one else. His “weapons” certainly are not up to the standards of last year’s star rookies.

The public knows this: he has some leeway. They may not be a playoff team. But the kid simply has to play consistently over a 16-game season, limit turnovers, and make solid play-by-play decisions.

If he does that, there’s no telling how far he can go once he gets a couple solid players around him. But if it is more of the same 2012 Cam Newton in 2013, get ready for the downpour of criticism that will most certainly follow.

It is early, but with Cam’s history of getting flustered by the media, 2013 could be the most important season of his life.

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Cross Country Men Sports

McGowan paces men’s XC in first meet of the new season

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer

The Bison Open started and ended before any real competition could emerge for the Orange and Blue as Michael McGowan ’15 and John Dugan ’15 led the team to an easy win in the first meet of the year on home turf. The Bison finished the three-mile race with runners in the top nine positions.

McGowan finished in 14:42 and Dugan followed, finishing in 14:49.

“Last year I was injured so I didn’t live up to any of my expectations,” McGowan said.  “My individual expectations are First Team All-Patriot League and then to compete for a spot at NCAA regional. The win this past weekend was an important way to start the season.”

McGowan knows that he will have to run against teammate Dugan before the season ends.  Dugan, who finished second last weekend, competed for a spot at Nationals last season. He will be a good teammate for McGowan to compete with and measure himself against throughout the season.

As happy as McGowan was with his individual performance, he and the team realize it was an easy start to the season. The race was a mere 5k compared to the typical 8k or 10k runs that determine the success of season.

“When it comes to 8k and 10k you have to be used to running tired, but I think we need to learn how to run in packs better,” McGowan said. “Some of the guys who run shorter distances need to become more comfortable running the longer races in order for us to succeed.”

The Bison will travel to Penn State to run in the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational on Sept. 13.

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Men Sports Tennis Tennis Women

Men’s and women’s tennis look forward to upcoming season

Jen Lee

Contributing Writer

Both coming off of successful seasons, the men’s and women’s tennis teams have been preparing all summer to capture the Patriot League title this fall.

After only a few days of practice, the Bison are already looking ahead to their future matches and are preparing appropriately. Last year’s Patriot League Rookie of the Year Nick Bybel ’16, capped off his successful summer season with a singles and doubles victory at the UNCG ITA Summer Circuit Event in Greensboro, N.C. After finishing last year’s season on a strong note with a 6-0 victory over Bloomsburg, the Orange and Blue have their hopes set on winning the Patriot League Championship.

“We had one of our most successful seasons last year and we came up a little short,” Bybel said. “This year the guys have come back even hungrier for the Patriot League title, and I feel that our team is ready to claim it.” 

With the championship in its sight, the team is practicing hard under the guidance of its new co-captains, Aidan Lynch ’14 and Kyle Rosen ’14, and is ready to start its season off strong.

The women’s tennis team also has its sights set on a Patriot League Championship victory after a disappointing end to last season, falling 4-0 to Navy in the Patriot League semifinals. This year’s team is excited for the season, hoping the returning players, along with the new first-years, can carry them to victory.

“I think it will be a great tennis season since we have both returning players and a few new players,” Stephanie Pino ’16 said. “We look forward to a successful and fun tournament season.” 

The two-time co-captains Elena Vidrascu ’14 and Elizabeth Morgan ’14 look to build off the successes of last year and to earn themselves a spot in Patriot League history.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer defeated at season opener

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

All-Patriot League player Chris Thorsheim ’16 posted two first-half goals for the men’s soccer team in its season opener on Aug. 30, but Canisius pulled off a stunning comeback and came away with a 3-2 overtime victory at Emmitt Field.

Thorsheim scored his first goal in the 24th minute, as Austin Lenart ’17 won the ball in the middle of the field and delivered his first collegiate assist to Thorsheim, resulting in a highlight reel 30-yard goal that landed in the upper left corner of the net. The Orange and Blue pulled ahead further after Thorsheim stole the ball away and scored off the breakaway. Canisius shifted the momentum in its favor with a 30-yard goal of its own in the 40th minute.

“I thought how the goals were scored were far different from how the game was played, but that is soccer. Canisius controlled the early parts of the game and then we scored two quick goals from Chris Thorsheim. After the goals we started to play better and control things more. However, just before the half, Canisius took control of a team defensive lapse and scored to make it 2-1 at half instead of 2-0,” head coach Brendan Nash said.

In the second half, the Bison had a 13-5 shot advantage but were unable to convert on their attempts. Another goal by the Golden Griffins in the 63rd minute brought the game to a 2-2 standstill. The Orange and Blue had several chances at the go-ahead goal, including attempts from Justin Galiani ’17 and Jesse Klug ’16, but the Canisius defense protected the tie heading into overtime.

“The problem in the beginning of the second half was our lack of energy. We came out unorganized and it came back to bite us. After they scored their second goal we woke up and created quite a few quality chances. Unfortunately we were not able to capitalize on them,” Thorsheim said.

Canisius completed the comeback in the sixth minute of overtime, nailing a difficult goal in the far post to steal the win.

Goalie Mike Lansing ’16 finished the game with three saves. The Orange and Blue held a 22-15 shot advantage, but it was Canisius’ lone shot in overtime that clinched the match.

“I think that our ability to create chances was one of the major positives we can take from this game. I think our outside backs were great offensively and defensively during this game as well. Our ability to get wide and start the attack with them looks promising,” Thorsheim said.

The Bison continue their homestand this weekend, as they face Buffalo tonight at 7 p.m.  followed by a match against La Salle on Sept. 8 at 2 p.m.

“The biggest positive was the size and energy of our home crowd. Holmes Stadium can be a great place for our students and community to show their school spirit. Friday night it was a great atmosphere. We hope that trend will continue for our next three home games next week,” Nash said.

Categories
Bison Athlete of the Week Lacrosse Men Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Sam Grinberg

Billy Tyler

Assistant Sports Editor

Sam Grinberg ’15 found himself in a unique position in the men’s lacrosse game against Colgate on April 20. Trailing 7-5 in the second half to the Raiders, Grinberg, the number two goalie for the Bison, was called into the game by head coach Frank Fedorjaka to replace Kyle Feeney ’13, the 2012 First Team All-Patriot League goalie.

The Bison began the game in impressive fashion and took an early 4-1 lead in the contest, an important one for the Patriot League Tournament seeding, and seemed poised to put it away early in the second half. Colgate was not ready to give in so easily and opened the second half on a 4-0 run. With no momentum and the once seemingly assured victory slipping away, Fedorjaka decided to replace his star goalie with Grinberg, a backup who had played 29 minutes and recorded one save for the Bison this season. This bold move was made to inject some energy into the team and turn the tide to gain the victory.

Fedorjaka’s risk paid off as Grinberg put on a spectacular performance in the final 22:07 of the contest. In this span, Grinberg stopped six shots, including five in the fourth quarter, while allowing only one goal. His presence in the net also created that spark Fedorjaka had hoped for and less than two minutes after the switch, the Bison scored two quick goals to tie up the game. These goals represented the beginning of an 8-1 run that broke open the game for the Bison, who never looked back.

For his great work under adverse conditions, Grinberg was named the Patriot League Goalie of the Week. The 13-8 victory for the Bison locked up the No. 2 seed in this week’s Patriot League Tournament and also tied the team with Duke and Cornell for the most wins in Division I men’s lacrosse. The Bison will begin their Patriot League Tournament today against third-seeded Army.

Hometown: New York, NY

High School: Hotchkiss School (Conn.)

Height/Weight: 5-8/185

Stats:

Games this year: Four

Total number of minutes played: 51:47

Goals against average: 6.95 goals per game.

Categories
Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis wins against Bloomsburg

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

The women’s tennis team finished its regular season with a 5-0 home victory on April 24, topping Bloomsburg in its final tuneup before the Patriot League Tournament this weekend. The match consisted only of singles play, as inclement weather forced the match to be called before the doubles matchups.

The Bison managed to complete five contests and won all five. Elena Vidrascu ’14 started things off by recording a 6-1, 6-0 victory, followed by an easy 6-0, 6-0 decision in favor of Maria Cioffi ’16. Jen Bush ’15 triumphed 6-3, 6-0, while Christie Schneider ’15 and Stephanie Pino ’16 each recorded 6-0, 6-0 sweeps. In the sixth contest, Bloomsburg was leading for the first time all day, but the match was called in the second round and the contest did not factor into the final decision.

The Bison hope their overwhelming play against Bloomsburg will translate into success at the Patriot League Tournament, which begins Friday at 3 p.m. The Bison will travel to West Point and face off against Holy Cross in the quarterfinals. The Orange and the Blue have not played Holy Cross this year, but look to build on their 3-2 conference record as they fight for the Patriot League Championship.

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Softball Sports Women

Softball drops three against Army

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

The softball team had a rough weekend on the road against Army, falling to its Patriot League rivals in three out of four games. The lone win was the final game of the April 21 doubleheader, in which Dana Nielsen ’16 and Cindy Cherness ’16 combined for a five-hit shutout to prevent a series sweep. The Bison also triumphed in a home game against Saint Francis (Pa.) on April 24.

Game one against Army on April 20 featured Amanda Fazio ’16 on the mound as she looked to improve her recent string of successful outings. Fazio ran into trouble in the first inning, where a pair of errors by the Bison allowed two runners to score for the Black Knights. Fazio was lights out from there, allowing only two hits through the remainder of her outing to give her a final box score of 5.1 innings pitched, two hits, no earned runs and three strikeouts. Cherness relieved Fazio in the sixth and caused the only batter she faced to pop up into a double play, keeping the deficit at two runs. However, the Bison offense was unable to come up with any runs in support of Fazio, with shortstop Cydnee Sanders ’15 recording the only hit for the Bison, and the Orange and the Blue dropped game one by a final of 2-0.

In game two, the Bison offense was paced by Cassie Greenhawk ’13, who hit a two-RBI triple in the third and also scored two runs. However, Nielsen allowed four runs in five innings to keep the score knotted at 4-4 going into the seventh inning, where the Black Knights walked off 5-4 after scoring a run off Cherness to hand the Bison their second loss of the day.

Game three on April 21 proved to be a pitching duel, as both teams remained scoreless until the 11th inning. Unfortunately for the Bison, Army once again pulled through with the clutch hit, an RBI triple by the Black Knights allowing an unearned run to score against Cherness. The 1-0 loss did not affect another wonderful performance by Fazio, who allowed only seven hits in 7.2 innings and struck out seven. However, the Bison could only manage two hits against the Army starter Morgan Lashley, who pitched all 11 innings in the loss.

All of the cylinders finally started firing for the Bison in game four, when Nielsen and Cherness combined for their dominating 4-0 shutout. Nielsen allowed five hits over 6.1 innings, struck out three and did not walk a batter. Similar to game one, Cherness came in with a runner on base and caused the batter to hit into a double play, this time ending the game in favor of the Bison. Third baseman Colie Escobar ’15 went 3-3 at the plate, hitting her team-leading fourth home run of the year, while right fielder Kristen Zahn ’15 also added three hits and two RBI. Greenhawk scored two of the Bison’s four runs.

Nielsen also pitched well in the game against Saint Francis (Pa.), going four innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and striking out three. Bridget Gates ’13 relieved Nielsen and threw three shutout innings, allowing just one hit and recording one strikeout. On offense, Zahn drove the Bison to victory with a 3-3 performance, including an RBI single in the first to score Greenhawk and a solo home run in the third to put the Bison ahead for good in a 3-2 victory.

The Bison now enter a crucial weekend as they travel to face Patriot League rival Holy Cross for their final series of the regular season. The Bison play four games against Holy Cross, and must win two of them in order to stay in contention for the Patriot League Tournament. The Orange and the Blue will look to ride their strong pitching to victory, starting with the first pitch Saturday at noon.