Category: Women

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Lacrosse Sports Women

Female rookie of the year

By Ajan Caneda

Staff Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Sports Swimming & Diving Women

Female Athlete of the Year

By Katherine Harris

Staff Writer

Women’s diver Katie Hetherington ’15 could have never anticipated the immediate success she would have when she first stepped into Arthur D. Kinney Jr. Natatorium this fall.

“I think I had a really great season and I accomplished a lot more than I expected to,” Hetherington said. “My only real expectation was to make it to Patriots.”

Because Hetherington was already a successful diver in high school before she arrived on campus, especially in the three-meter board, coaches knew that she was going to make a big impact on the diving program. Even they didn’t anticipate exactly how much of a splash she was going to make in the competitive waters.

“I knew she was going to be good, but I had no idea she was as good as she is,” diving coach Errol Carter said. “I knew she would be our next team record holder but had no idea it would all happen in her first semester.”

While it is often difficult for first-years to come into a program and succeed right away, standing out was not an issue for Hetherington, whose success in the pool was immediate. In fact, she was already breaking records in her first-ever collegiate meet this fall.

In the meet on Oct. 1, Hetherington outperformed not only the divers from opposing UMBC, but also a very talented group of teammates, diving her way into the school record books. Her score of 264.68 broke the one-meter board record for the Bison, and also created what she cites as one of her most memorable performances of the season.

“I was very nervous at the beginning of the meet because I expected a lot of myself, as I do every meet. Honestly, the possibility of breaking a record never crossed my mind. I was just hoping to not mess up too badly,” Hetherington said. “When I was told I broke the one-meter record, I was ecstatic. I would not have been more excited.”

And the success didn’t stop there by a long shot as Hetherington continued her first collegiate season. On Nov. 18, she broke the three-meter board school record at the Bucknell Invitational with a score of 285.05.

“[Hetherington] was in second or third place after the prelims and her score was within a couple of points of the record. I recall her saying, ‘I want to break that record.’ That night during finals, she shattered the record and qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Meet, the second [Bison] to do so in my time [13 seasons] as coach here,” Carter said.

By the end of the season, Hetherington had won both boards on five different occasions for a total of 13 overall wins. At the Patriot League Championships, a third-place finish in the 1m and a second in the 3m rounded out her impressive in-conference season.

Part of what has made Hetherington so successful in her career already is her willingness to learn and listen to what her coaches have to say to her. She has also supported her teammates in a sport where individual competition is very intense to say the least.

“She is not only a great athlete, but a great teammate as well. She is so humble, and she brings an energy to practice that is completely unique from everyone else on the team,” teammate Tara Boyle ’15 said. “It is way too hard to pick a best performance of hers from this season because she was so consistently successful all year.”

Hetherington’s scores also qualified her for the NCAA Zone “A” Diving Meet, a competition where the top four divers qualify for seeds in the NCAA Championships. The first-year represented the Bison as their solo competitor at the event, placing 41st on the 1m board and 36th on the 3m board with scores of 192.75 and 204.85 in the respective preliminaries.

“Katie’s such a strong competitor because she never lets herself get psyched out mentally.  She always keeps it positive and has so much fun in practice and at meets, making her not only a better diver but also an influential contributor to the team dynamic,” teammate Liz Porcellio ’13 said.

Even with all of this success as a first-year, Hetherington is far from satisfied. She has already set her sights on her goals for next year and hopes to take her impressive performances to new heights in her sophomore season.

“Next year my goal would be to qualify to Zones again and hopefully perform better there. I would also like to learn some harder dives to increase the difficulty of my list,” Hetherington said.

The first-year’s coaches are also excited at the prospect of her improving even more in the years to come. In the off-season, she will be working with them constantly to keep herself ahead of the competition, especially many of her own teammates who are working very hard to reach her level of success as well.

“I feel that if Katie gets over her hangups that many divers have, and starts to believe how good she can be, the sky is the limit,” Carter said. “She already has the dives and skill; we need to fine-tune some of those skills and get her tough dives consistently good. If her next few years are anything like this one, I see the records getting higher and higher and her doing better and better at the NCAA Zone meet and potentially getting close to Nationals.”

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Sports Track & Field Women

Women’s track blows away competition

By Katherine Harris
Writer

The women’s track and field team dominated in its last weekend of regular-season complete squad competition, winning the Bucknell Team Challenge on Saturday. The Bison beat out top teams including Duquesne, Penn State and Towson, earning a decisive 196.5 total points, over 70 more than second-place Duquesne.

On the track, it was the 800 meters where the Bison shone the brightest. Hana Casalnova ’14, Beth Braunegg ’14 and Caroline Tolli ’13 swept the top three spots on the day, with times moving them all into the school record books in the event. Casalnova’s 2:10.70 put her third in school history, while Braunegg and Tolli’s 2.11:74 and 2:12.02 put them now at fifth and sixth, respectively.

“This weekend’s meet fit really well into our schedule. We are only two weeks out from the Patriot League Championship, so it was really important to simulate that competition with a scored meet against some really solid teams,” Tolli said.

There were also many other victories for the Orange and Blue that day, including a win in the 4×800 meter relay with a time of 9:14.76. Katie Jessee ’15 ran a 10:16.86 and marked her first career victory in the 3,000 meters, while Taylor Funk ’12 showed she’s back in peak form with her 14.75 seconds winning the 100 meter hurdles. Also impressive was Kelly Grosskurth ’12 grabbing the victory in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time of 11:10.90.

The Bison also performed strongly on the field, with Autumn Schellenberger ’14 and Emily Ando ’14 taking first and second in the pole vault, both clearing 11’ 7.75’’. Abby Monaghan ’13 bested the field with the discus, breaking into fourth in the school record books with a throw of 151’ 9’’. In the javelin, Kat Folger ’12 broke her way into third in school history with a throw of 156’ 6’’.

“I am so proud of the girls on this team. We are really pulling together and the pieces are falling into place. I am very happy with our overall performances; we had a lot of great throws, jumps and times,” Monaghan said.

This weekend, the Bison will split up, with select members traveling to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays from Thursday through Saturday, with the rest of the team traveling to Bloomsburg’s Maroon & Gold Invitational on Friday. This will be the last chance for the Orange and Blue to prepare for the Patriot League Championships the following weekend.

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Softball Sports Women

Softball takes first PL series

By Cooper Mead
Writer

Laura Sandford ’13 hit a walk-off single to give the softball team its first Patriot League win of the season against Holy Cross last Friday. The win broke a 13-game losing streak for the Orange and Blue. The Bison took three of four games against the Crusaders over the weekend series to keep their playoff hopes alive.

After the Bison lost the series opener 6-1, the second game initially seemed to be heading the same way. Holy Cross jumped ahead from the beginning, scoring two runs in the top of the first, and took a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning.

Alex Wells ’15 got things going for the Bison with a lead-off single up the middle. She was replaced on the bases by pinch runner Kasey Segiel ’14 who eventually scored on a Mary Horton ’13 triple. Meredith Dickson ’12 then hit Horton in with a single up the middle to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

In the ninth inning, Cydnee Sanders ’15 doubled to right-center field and the Crusaders intentionally walked Horton, who was two-for-three with two runs and an RBI on the day. Dickson loaded the bases with a bouncing single, which brought up Sandford, whose single gave the Bison a 4-3 win. Sandford completed the game two-for-five with two RBIs.

The victory, in addition to ending the consecutive games lost streak, ended a 14-game conference losing streak that began last season.

“Our defense was solid, pitching was great and our hitting was on point,” Courtney Conover ’14 said. “These games definitely boosted the team morale going into next weekend.”

The Bison win was aided by Bridget Gates who began pitching in the third inning and completed 6.1 innings allowing only one hit and no runs. She also struck out three batters and did not allow a walk. 

On Saturday, the Bison defeated the Crusaders 4-2 and 3-2 and brought their record to 9-32 overall and 3-13 in the Patriot League. In the first game, the Bison pulled ahead in the first inning, but the Crusaders came storming back in the top of the second with a two-run home run from Nicole Ortiz. Later in the second inning, Nikki Silva ’15 scored an unearned run for the Bison. Tori Robinson ’15 then hit a triple in the fourth inning and later scored.

In the final game of the series, Mallory Lyons ’14 hit a line drive down the left-field line with Horton on third in the eighth inning, giving the Bison another walk-off win.

Colie Escobar ’15 had a phenomenal series for the Bison, going four-for-six (.667) and scoring two runs in three games. Sandford also hit eight-for-15 (.533) with one run and two RBIs. Dickson, who was recognized for Senior Day, hit .400 in her final weekend at home.

“Our team had a wonderful weekend. It was my final time playing on our field. We had two exciting extra-inning wins in which multiple players contributed. Our defense was phenomenal, making some of the ‘special’ plays. Our YOLO attitude finally showed through,” Dickson said. 

The victories gave the Bison three consecutive wins for the first time this season. The team hopes to bring its momentum to Easton, Pa. as it takes on the Lafayette Leopards on in a four-game series this weekend.

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Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis falls in semifinals

By Lindsay Regruto

Senior Writer

The women’s tennis team defeated Lehigh in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament last weekend before falling in the semifinals to Navy. The Bison followed its semifinal loss with a 6-3 win over Bloomsburg. 

“It was a challenging season in terms of injuries and such. We have a very young, talented squad,” head coach Rebecca Helt said. “Everyone worked hard to improve their fitness, their level of play on court and their mental toughness.”

Against Lehigh, the Bison were able to pull off an outstanding 4-0 win on Friday to advance to the semifinals. Dumitrita Iepuras ’12 and Elizabeth Morgan ’14 took a decisive 8-4 win at the No. 3 doubles position, while Elena Vidrascu ’14 and Daria Tuzhikova ’13 followed with an 8-6 win at the No. 1 position. Lydia Colvin ’15 and Courtney Casey ’12 were tied 6-6 when the doubles point was given to the Bison.

“Despite the score, the match against Lehigh was not easy, and therefore, it was a well-deserved win,” Iepuras said. “Even though I did not get to finish my match, I was proud of my teammates who helped us move forward into the semifinals.”

In singles play, both Colvin and Casey played strong matches, claiming a pair of wins at the No. 3 and No. 5 spots respectively. Tuzhikova defeated her opponent 6-2, 6-1 at the No. 4 singles spot to seal the win for the Bison. Iepuras, Vidrascu and Christie Schneider ’15 were all still playing when the Orange and Blue claimed the victory.

The following day, Casey and Colvin battled it out at the No. 2 doubles spot, earning an 8-6 win, while Vidrascu and Tuzhikova lost a close back-and-forth match at the No. 1 spot 9-7. The Bison tried to battle back in the singles matches but couldn’t overcome Navy’s momentum. The Mids knocked out the Orange and Blue 4-0 to advance to the finals.

“During the most challenging times of our season, these women pushed each other yet supported each other. It’s about the entire process, the work, the sacrifice, the communication, the effort and the personal growth that each athlete experiences that really represents a team,” Helt said. “I’m proud of each and every student-athlete on this team and I hope they feel that same sense of pride.”

Categories
Lacrosse Sports Women

Women’s lacrosse ends season with split

By Ajan Caneda
Writer

Behind a four-goal performance from Madison Hurwitz ’13, the women’s lacrosse team pulled off a 21-9 victory at home last Tuesday against Howard as it closed out the season with a 5-12 overall record. Arriana Sajjad ’15 ended the regular season with 38 goals and 51 points, both first-year records.

After some slow starts this season, the Bison were motivated to pull ahead early. Five different players scored the first five goals for the Orange and Blue. Hurwitz, off assists from Katelyn Miller ’14 and Molly Ford ’14, then nailed two straight goals that gave the Bison a 7-2 lead. The active passing kept Howard out of reach, as Lindsey Ferro ’14 had two straight assists that led to goals from Emily Kookogey ’15 and Sajjad. The Bison were ahead 11-4 at halftime.

The offense continued to dominate as it went on to score five more goals in the first 12 minutes of the second half, including one from Carly Downs ’15, her first of the season. Howard answered with two goals of its own to pull back within 10. But the Orange and Blue would end all hopes of a comeback with goals from Downs and Blair McDonald ’15. Claire Doyle ’15 scored her first career goal at the 0:28 remaining mark, while Sajjad ended the game with another goal.

Sajjad, Miller and Kookegey each finished with hat tricks, and four players had three assists each. But it was not all offense, as the Bison also forced 25 turnovers.

Last Saturday, a 7-0 Colgate run made all the difference, as the Orange and Blue fell to the Raiders 15-8 at home, preventing them from picking up what would have been their first conference win. Sajjad and Miller both posted half tricks in the loss.

Miller opened the game with a goal for the Bison, but Colgate went on a 4-0 run after that initial goal. Sajjad scored two goals within two minutes that cut the deficit to 4-3. Colgate then showcased its streaky offense by nailing four unanswered goals to end the half.

“Colgate is a very polished team. Many of the players are very experienced and have been selected to the All-League team in the past and this season as well,” head coach Randall Goldsborough said. “We did give the ball up many times on the attacking end in the first half with many of those turnovers leading to fast break goals for them.”

The run continued with three straight Colgate goals to start the second half. The Raiders kept the Bison from making a run of their own, holding them to two goals in the first 27 minutes of the half. The offense came too late for the Orange and Blue, who scored four of the last five goals in the game.

“We have the talent. We just need to continue to build our confidence, and that is what we will be focusing on in the fall,” Goldsborough said.

Categories
Basketball Sports Women

Roussel named head women’s basketball coach

By Thomas Walter

It was an emotional season for the women’s basketball team. After making it to the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament behind the sensational play of Patriot League All-Rookie Team guard Shelby Romine ’14, the expectations coming into this year were high. But after starting off 2-15, the longest tenured coach in the history of the program, Kathy Fedorjaka, announced her resignation.

The Bison’s struggles continued throughout the rest of the season as the team got knocked out in the first round of Patriot League Tournament. But now, hopefully that struggle will be over as a new era of Orange and Blue basketball begins with a new head coach, Aaron Roussell.

Rousell is the product of a comprehensive national search that has taken place over the last several months. Rousell has been the head women’s coach at the University of Chicago for the past eight years, where he earned the most victories in the program’s history with 161-50, including 52-5 over the last two seasons.

“I could not be more excited about the opportunity to lead the women’s basketball program at Bucknell University,” Roussell said. “From both a basketball and an academic standpoint, I believe Bucknell is the ideal fit for me. I am extremely thankful to the University of Chicago, because it has prepared me perfectly for a program like Bucknell and the Patriot League as a whole, which places academics in the highest regard. To be frank, there is no way I would have left Chicago unless it was for a place that shared my values on what the student-athlete experience should be all about.”

With the majority of the 2011-2012 team returning, Rousell will look to continue his coaching success when the women hit the courts next winter.

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Softball Sports Women

Softball continues to struggle

By Thomas Walter
Writer

The softball team suffered six losses this week at the hands of Army and Saint Francis (Pa.). Playing at home over the weekend, the Orange and Blue lost all four of their games to the Black Knights with the closest contest being a 6-3 loss on April 14. Following the Patriot League series, the Bison were swept once again by Saint Francis, managing to score just one run in the two games.

The Orange and Blue have been swept in six of their last seven series and have lost 23 out of their last 24 games. Deep into the season, the Bison have nearly played themselves out of title contention and need to find a way to get their bats to come alive if they hope to have any chance to make the league tournament.

Against Army, again the Bison had their chances to score but could not convert.  On the second day of the two-day series, the Orange and the Blue left a total of 12 runners on base. 

On April 17, Saint Francis outscored the Orange and the Blue 15–1 over two games. This continues the streak of the Bison getting violently outscored by all the opponents they have faced in the last two months.

Currently, the squad sits at 6-31 with a 0-12 record in the Patriot League.

“We are going to continue giving our all every pitch,” catcher/outfielder Meredith Dickson ’12 said. “We are looking forward  to coming together as a team. Our love for the game will show through.”

The Bison will host Holy Cross this coming weekend before traveling to Lafayette for their final series of the regular season.

Categories
Lacrosse Sports Women

Women’s lax wins by two

By Ajan Caneda
Writer

Katelyn Miller ’14 posted four goals last Saturday to power the women’s lacrosse team to a 16-12 victory at Binghamton. The win ended a four-game losing streak for the Bison.

Along with tough defense, the Orange and Blue had a balanced offense that allowed them to pull off another come-from-behind win.

“Everyone came into the game fired up and played to win,” Molly Ford ’14 said. “We implemented a new sub rotation that allowed us to get more speed and aggression from defensive-minded players on our rides and clears and attack-minded players into the offense.”

After Binghamton scored two goals in the opening minutes of the game, Ford scored a goal off an assist from Arriana Sajjad ’15. The Bison got off to a slow start, though, as the Bearcats grabbed an early 5-1 lead. Sajjad then nailed two goals as part of a 3-0 run, and by halftime, the game was tied at 7-7.

Binghamton committed 13 fouls in the first half, while the Bison forced eight turnovers that gave them momentum going into the second half.

Midfielder Sophie Kleinert ’14 scored an unassisted goal five minutes into the second half, giving the Orange and Blue their first lead of the game. Subsequent goals by Ryan Wenk ’13 and Sajjad extended the lead to three.

Binghamton would not go away as two Bearcat goals narrowed the deficit to one. Following a goal by Miller, two more Bearcats scored to knot the game at 11-11. Both teams went scoreless for nearly seven minutes before midfielder Blair McDonald ’15 capitalized on a free position shot to break the tie. The Bison didn’t keep the lead for long as the Bearcats evened the score to 12-12 with 8:57 left in the game. But Miller nailed two goals that sparked a 4-0 Bison run to seal the victory.

“We learned from the Lafayette game how important clock management was in the end of the game, especially when the game was tied,” Miller said. “You could see by watching that everyone on the field really wanted the win and left everything on the field to the last second, and it clearly paid off.”

Sajjad continued her offensive tear, scoring three goals and adding one assist. Emily Kookogey ’15, Ford, and McDonald had two goals each. Goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 made key defensive stops down the stretch and finished with seven saves.

The Bison will be looking to pick up their first conference victory as they return home to face Colgate on Saturday at 1 p.m.

“We are focused on getting out first Patriot League win against Colgate. We need to carry our fire and confidence from Saturday over into that game,” Ford said.

Categories
Featured Sports Water Polo Women

Women’s water polo takes fourth

By Andrew Lichtenauer
Senior Writer

The women’s water polo team finished fourth out of six teams in the Southern Championships at home last weekend. The Orange and Blue defeated George Washington in their first game (17-8) and then lost to No. 14 Princeton (14-6) and Harvard (15-7).

Leading the Bison in their win against George Washington were Julianne Valdes ’14, Ariel Frankeny ’12 and Taylor Barnett ’15. Valdes had six assists against the Colonials, which ties the program’s single-game record for assists. Frankeny and Barnett also both sc0red four goals. The 17 goals marked a season high for the Orange and Blue, who are now 4-0 against George Washington this spring.

In the Princeton game, the Tigers got out to a 7-3 first quarter lead and continued to winden the lead over the next three quarters. In the Harvard game, the Crimson outscored the Bison 9-4 in the first half and never looked back after that.

Valdes had the most impressive showing for the Bison at the Southern Championships, recording a total of eight goals and eight assists in three games played. Valdes’ season point total is now 100, which makes her only the fourth player in program history to have scored 100 points or more in a single season.

The Bison are now 14-21 on the season, and will enjoy a week off from competition before they hit the pool again for the Eastern Championship in Providence, R.I. April 27-29. The winner of the Eastern Championship earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship.

“For Easterns we will get the chance to play against and defeat several high-level opponents if we step out onto the pool deck confident in our abilities as a team,” Frankeny said. “I absolutely believe that we have the talent and the ability to win any game this weekend, regardless of who we play, and I’m excited to fight it out in the pool one last time before I graduate.”