Category: Women

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Lacrosse Sports Women

Women’s lax secures win with offensive outburst

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s lacrosse team split its two contests in Washington D.C. this past week, falling to American 11-6 on March 30 before responding with an impressive 22-9 victory against Howard on April 3.

The Eagles engineered an early 3-1 run to begin the first half, but the Bison responded with four straight goals from Katelyn Miller ’14, Ryan Wenk ’13, Sophie Kleinert ’14 and Sam Rickels ’16. American brought the halftime score to 5-5, posting two more tallies to end the first half.

In the second half, American’s defense locked down the Orange and Blue, as the Eagles rallied behind a six-goal run before Miller would complete her hat trick in the closing seconds of the game.

Madison Hurwitz ’13 recorded the lone assist for the Bison, while Rickels and Adrienne Wendling ’13 registered three draw controls each. Goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 had four saves. Despite the loss, the Orange and Blue had the advantage in shot attempts (21-18) and draw controls (12-7).

Against Howard, the Orange and Blue scored 11 goals in each half, as they cruised to their second victory of the year. After Howard posted the initial goal, the Orange and Blue answered with six unanswered tallies. The offensive streaks continued in the second half, as the Orange and Blue went on a 6-0 blitz to start the half and concluded with a 5-0 run to come away with the comfortable win.

Hurwitz posted a career-high nine points, scoring five goals and dishing out four assists. Cori Thielemann ’15 added four goals of her own. Miller and Wenk each finished with hat tricks, as Miller added three assists and eight draw controls to her scoring total. The Orange and Blue also had a 39-20 shot advantage and a 19-14 edge in draw controls.

The Bison have two home matches coming up, as they will face Lafayette Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by a matchup against St. Bonaventure on April 9 at 7 p.m.

Categories
Men Sports Track & Field Women

Track heads outdoors for start of spring season

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

After a brief hiatus, the men’s and women’s track and field teams are getting ready to get back in action as they begin the outdoor portion of their schedule. The preseason so far includes the success of several Bison at the Washington and Lee Carnival last weekend, as well as the Bison receiving high rankings for the upcoming outdoor season.

Three Bison track and field members travelled to Lexington, Va. to participate in the Washington and Lee Carnival. Emma Rice ’15, Michaela Read ’16 and Cody Haupt ’16 performed well at the event, earning top-15 finishes in each of their respective events.

Rice competed in the 100 meter and 200 meter, placing 11th in the 100 meter with a time of 13.20 and placing 13th in the 200 meters with a time of 27.10. Read placed 15th in the pentathlon with a score 3,185 points, while Haupt managed 14th place in the decathlon with a total of 4,787 points.

The Orange and the Blue also fared well in the outdoor preseason polls, with both the men’s and women’s teams earning second place. The men, looking to defend their three consecutive Patriot League titles, scored a 90, closely trailing first-place Navy by two points. The women, winners of three of the last four championships, scored an 89, also trailing first-place Navy by six points. Both the Bison and Navy finished the voting far ahead from the rest of the Patriot League, indicating that the battle for this year’s crown will come down to a close competition between these two teams.

The Bison look to put their right foot forward as they begin their outdoor season this weekend at the UMBC Invitational in Baltimore, Md.

Categories
Softball Sports Women

Softball loses twice to Drexel

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

After 21 consecutive road games, the women’s softball team faced off against Drexel on March 27 in its first two home games of the season. Unfortunately, the Bison could not get a win in either half of the doubleheader, losing both by a score of 3-1.

In the first game, the Bison offense was led by Cydnee Sanders ’15. Sanders not only posted two singles and a triple, but also scored the only run for the Orange and Blue.

“We had trouble stringing along hits. We have been working on a lot of little things to improve our game, and I think we just have to put it all together now,” Sanders said.

Several other members of the team also performed well in the tight loss. Mary Horton ’13 posted the Bison’s only other two hits in the match. Pitcher Amanda Fazio ’16 also had a good day, pitching a full game and allowing only five hits, with no earned runs.

After a brief break, the Orange and Blue looked for revenge in the second half of the doubleheader. The Bison were hot early and jumped out to a quick lead in the second inning when Sanders got on base with a single and was later driven in on a single by Lauren Swindell ’16. Dana Nielsen ’16 got the loss on the mound. Despite being credited with all three runs, she managed to strike out seven opponents on the day.

The Bison will continue their stretch of home games this weekend when they host Lehigh for doubleheaders starting at 1 p.m. and 12 p.m. on March 30 and March 31, respectively.

Categories
Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis wins two matches

Emily Evancho

Writer

The women’s tennis team battled through a shivering start to their season in Fairfax, Va. on March 22 with a 4-2 win over George Mason. Unfortunately, on the following day in Annapolis, Md. the Bison were unable to pull a repeat performance in their first Patriot League match, falling 7-0 to Navy. On March 27, the ladies hit the court again against Mount St. Mary’s, emerging with a 4-3 victory.

Abbreviated by the cold against George Mason, the Orange and Blue had a tricky task in singles play. Stephanie Pino ’16 was the first Bison to strike victory with a 6-3, 6-4 final score. Lydia Colvin ’15 followed Pino’s lead with her own 6-2, 7-6 win. Maria Cioffi ’16 and Elena Vidrascu ’14 struggled in their matches, splitting sets and ending both their matches with super tie breakers. Cioffi and Vidrascu eventually came out on top with Cioffi securing the match’s decision in favor of the Orange and Blue with her 10-6 victory in her tiebreaker.

The next day’s match against Navy did not end in another victory for the Bison. Vidrascu and Cioffi once again played a key role in the match as the Bison’s only win of the day, an 8-7 triumph in the No. 1 doubles match. Navy took the lead in all singles matches and didn’t allow another Bison win. In singles play, the strongest performance was given by Colvin, who lost 7-5, 6-2 after almost taking the first set.

“We normally have really tight matches against Navy. Everyone played well in their matches but it didn’t come out in our favor. If we had to play them again though, I think we’d have a good chance,” Cioffi said.

The women’s tennis team swung back with a victory against Mount St. Mary’s. After falling behind 2-1, singles wins by Cioffi, Colvin and Pino gave the Bison a small 3-2 lead. As the temperatures on the cold day plummeted, the doubles matches got underway, with the match on the line. Victories by Pino/Colvin (8-1) and Jen Bush ’15/Sam Madnick ’16 (8-3) gave the doubles point and the match to the Bison.

The women’s tennis team will return to the court again on April 2, to play against St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia.

Categories
Lacrosse Sports Women

Women’s lacrosse drops two games

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s lacrosse team scored 17 goals this past weekend, but the Bison were unsuccessful in both of their contests, falling to Duquesne 18-9 at home on March 26 after suffering a 14-8 road loss to Lehigh on March 23.

Against Duquesne, the Bison were down 9-2 at halftime with Madison Hurwitz ’13 scoring the only two goals for the Orange and Blue. After the Dukes opened the scoring in the second half, the Bison went on a 4-1 run with goals from Sam Rickels ’16, Ryan Wenk ’13, Katelyn Miller ’14 and Sophie Kleinert ’14. It would not be enough to stop the offensive attack of Duquesne, as it scored six unanswered goals to put the game out of reach.

Hurwitz had a season-high four goals, while Miller added two goals and an assist for the Bison. The Dukes outshot the Orange and Blue 27-17 in the game. Goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 finished with five saves.

At Lehigh, seven players registered goals for the Bison, including two from Emily Kookogey ’15. The Orange and Blue also had a 24-23 shot advantage, but a 5-0 second half run led the Mountain Hawks to victory.

Kleinert scored the initial goal at the 27:19 mark of the first half, but Lehigh answered with five straight goals. Kookogey’s two goals, along with scores from Rickels and Wenk were part of a 4-2 Bison run that trimmed Lehigh’s halftime lead to 7-5.

Cori Thielemann ’15 capitalized on a free position shot and scored her first goal of the match to make it a two-goal game, but the Bison were held scoreless for nearly 25 minutes, as Lehigh scored five more straight goals. Emily Becker ’16 ended the game with a goal of her own off an assist from Hurwitz.

Adrienne Wendling ’13 finished with four ground balls and forced two turnovers, while Rickels registered four draw controls.

The Bison look to pick up their first conference win when they travel to Washington, D.C. to face American on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Categories
Basketball Sports Women

Women’s basketball stuns third-seeded American

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s basketball team experienced its biggest season turnaround in program history this year, clinching the sixth seed in the Patriot League tournament and pulling off a first-round upset against third-seeded American University on March 7 before being eliminated at Navy on March 11. First-year head coach Aaron Roussell led the Bison to a 15-16 overall record, along with a 5-9 record in Patriot League play.

“I was fortunate to be surrounded by a great staff and a team that was welcome to a change which helped tremendously. Once the season got going the transition was easy because we were back to just playing and coaching basketball,” Roussell said.

Shelby Romine ’14, the team’s leading scorer, garnered Second Team All-Patriot League honors. Fellow co-captain Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team. Horbatuck, an Elementary Education major, has made the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll three times and is a member of the Dean’s List.

In their first-round matchup at American, the Bison knew they had a tall order, having fallen to the Eagles twice during the regular season. It was a different story in their third meeting, as the Orange and Blue staged another second half comeback to come away with the 46-43 victory.

Audrey Dotson ’15 finished with a game-high 17 points. The backcourt tandem of Romine and Alyssa Dunn ’13 added nine points each. League-leading rebounder Horbatuck controlled the glass with 16 rebounds to go along with four steals.

The Bison struggled in the first half, shooting 5-25 from the field and committing 14 turnovers that translated to 16 points for the Eagles. An early 11-0 run guided American to the 21-11 advantage at halftime.

A 16-2 opening run gave the Bison their first lead of the game at the 13:36 mark of the second half. Romine started and ended the run with a couple of three-pointers. Dunn scored consecutive baskets and Dotson added another three during the run to take a 27-23 lead. Katherine Harris ’15 continued the streak shooting with another basket from beyond the arc.

After American tied the game at 35, Dunn and Dotson created some breathing room for the Bison with consecutive baskets. The game would come down to the wire, as American nailed a three-pointer to cut the Bison’s lead to one with seven seconds left. Dotson was fouled and hit both of her free throws. American made one last attempt to force overtime, but the Eagles’ three-point attempt hit the side of the rim, allowing the Bison to claim the upset.

“We started off the game very slow, and we weren’t getting much offensively however we were holding them defensively. We came out the second half extremely strong and were able to go on a run that ultimately gave us the lead that we kept for the rest of the game. It was a huge upset that not many people were expecting,” Horbatuck said.

After the win, the Orange and Blue tried to convert another upset over second-seeded Navy, a team they defeated 55-48 on Senior Night. Unfortunately, the Bison could not duplicate their second half comeback from the previous round, eventually falling 60-48 in Annapolis, Md.

The halftime score was 26-13 in favor of Navy after it held the Bison to 5-24 shooting in the first half. The Orange and Blue stormed back in the second half when Dotson and Tyler Craig ’16 nailed consecutive three-pointers to cut Navy’s lead to four with 9:53 left. It would not be enough to overcome the Midshipmen, as Navy scored 10 unanswered points and carried a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

“It would be impossible to label this season anything other than a success. We surpassed just about everybody’s expectations, including many of our players. I am proud of our team and so happy that we were able to send our seniors out with some positive accomplishments and memories,” Roussell said.

Despite the loss, the team had a number of accomplishments to be proud of this season. Horbatuck, Dunn and Dotson were all named Bison Athletes of the Week. The Orange and Blue enjoyed a five-game winning streak early in the season, as well as a four-game win streak in conference play, including wins over Lehigh and Lafayette. The team also set the program’s new single-season rebounding record. Horbatuck is graduating second on that individual list as well.

“I think that this was one of the best seasons that I have been apart of and would not have changed my senior year one bit. My senior class has been through a lot because of the all the coaching changes that we have had throughout our four years. I am so thankful for my teammates, coaches, professors and most of all my parents for all the support they have provided me over the past four years,” Horbatuck said.

Joining Horbatuck and Dunn on the graduating stage are teammates Ashley Baxter ’13, Felicia Mgbada ’13 and Rachel Voss ’13.

In addition, Romine became the 20th member of the program’s 1,000 point club.

“This year we had more confidence and competitiveness. We came to each practice with a different attitude. Confidence is such a huge part of the game. I have extremely high hopes for next season,” Romine said. “Everyone is bought in and geared at achieving the same goal: winning a Patriot League Championship.”

Roussell also remains optimistic about the team next season, as he stresses the importance of continuing to improve.

“My goal is to always win the next game. Overall, we worked hard this year but there is another level of dedication that we can get to and it is our job as coaches to make sure our players want to get to that level,” Roussell said.

Categories
Men Sports Swimming & Diving Women

Swimming ends 2012-13 season

Andrew Arno

Sports Editor

The men’s and women’s swimming teams participated in the ECAC Championships this past weekend in Cambridge, Mass. The women finished fourth out of 21 teams with 380.5 points, while the men finished sixth out of 19 teams with 304 points.

For the women on March 1, Lauren Perry ’15 and Emily Wright ’14 led the Bison with third place finishes in the 500 free and 50 free, respectively. On March 2, the 800 free relay team of Elizabeth Porcellio ’13, Lyndsey Marcheskie ’16, Stephanie Koziol ’15 and Perry set a school record with a time of 7:31.76, while also placing second in the event. Diver Tara Boyle ’15 also finished sixth in the three-meter diving event. Perry was also a top performer on March 3, with a fifth place finish in the 100 free.

Mike Nicholson ’14 and Christian Treat ’13 were the top scorers for the men on March 1. Nicholson finished third in the 200 IM, while Treat finished fifth in the same event. On March 2, Treat and Ben Seketa ’15 were top 10 finishers in the 100 breast, placing fourth and eighth, respectively. On March 3, Nicholson finished fourth in the 200 fly, breaking his own school record in the event with 1:48.45. George Beatty ’15 finished the 1,650 free in 15:53.34, and Tyler Wenzel ’16 finished in seventh place in the 1 meter diving event.

The ECAC Championships conclude the 2012-2013 season for the Bison. With many swimmers returning next year for both teams, the Orange and the Blue will look to build on their strength and come out even stronger during the 2013-2014 season.

Categories
Lacrosse Sports Women

Women’s lax falls twice

Andrew Arnao

Sports Editor

The women’s lacrosse team traveled to Fairfax, Va. and Washington D.C. last weekend to face the George Mason Patriots and the George Washington Colonials. Despite two close  matches, the Bison came away empty handed with a 12-8 loss to George Mason and an 11-9 loss to George Washington.

Plagued by slow starts in previous matches, the opening half against George Mason on March 1 was little different for the Bison as they fell behind 10-3. The Bison did manage to regroup in the second half, outscoring George Mason 5-2 and preventing the Patriots from scoring during the match’s final 23 minutes, but it was too little too late for the Orange and the Blue.

Emily Kookogey ’15 and Katelyn Miller ’14 led the offense with two goals each, while Madison Hurwitz ’13, Sam Rickels ’16, Sophie Kleinert ’14 and Ryan Wenk ’13 also scored one goal apiece. Adrienne Wendling ’13 played a big role on defense, with six draw controls, while goalie Caroline O’Neill ’15 recorded four saves.

The Bison looked to rebound against George Washington on March 3. They took an early 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Miller and Hurwitz and responded to three straight Colonial goals with three of their own (two from Wenk and one from Kookogey). Unfortunately, the Bison were unable to sustain their offensive success in the second half, when the Colonials went on a 6-1 run to take a commanding 11-6 lead. Miller had three more goals in the final minutes to lessen the deficit, but it was not enough for the Orange and the Blue as they fell to 0-5 for the season.

In addition to Miller’s hat trick, Kleinert also put points on the board for the Bison with a single goal in the second half. Wendling caused four turnovers, while Kerri Althouse ’14 led the team with four ground balls. O’Neill finished the match with 11 saves.

The women’s lacrosse team is still looking for its first win as they open Patriot League play tomorrow at Colgate. The Orange and the Blue also play Presbyterian in South Carolina on March 12 and will be hosting Navy on March 16 at 1 p.m.

Categories
Golf Sports Women

Women’s golf opens season

Emily Evancho

Writer

The women’s golf team swung into season last weekend at the Edwin Watts Kiawah Classic in South Carolina, finishing with a collective score of 335 on March 5. Jen Lee ’16 led the team, beginning the weekend with a 79 and finishing with the Orange and Blue’s lowest score at 81.

“This weekend was rough for us, [but] considering it was our first time on grass for the season, I think we did fairly well. I think we held our own,” Lee said.

Emily Timmons ’15 and Lee carried the Bison on the first round of the Kiawah Classic. Lee jumpstarted the Bison’s performance with a par-birdie start, ending with a score of 79. Timmons followed in Lee’s path, posting 1-under par for the final five holes, giving her an end score of 80.

Bridget Wilcox ’14 pulled ahead on March 4 by shooting one birdie and 11 pars, carding a 78. Kasha Scott ’14 posted a final score of 80, helping Wilcox to aid the Bison’s concluding score of 329 in the second round.

The Bison finished the Classic with a team score of 335 on March 5. Lee struggled in the middle of her round, but ended strongly with the Bison’s lowest score of 81. Scott and Wilcox both carded 84’s, joining Lee in posting the team’s best scores for the day. They were closely followed by Timmons’ final score of 86.

“We had some stellar rounds posted by both Jen Lee and Emily Timmons which was really exciting. Even though we didn’t perform our best this weekend, we definitely are working our way towards posting up some great scores. I bet we are going to go low in Las Vegas next week,” Scott said.

The women’s golf team will return to action on March 14 for the Second Annual Bison Challenge at Paiute in Las Vegas.

Categories
Softball Sports Women

Softball wins two in D.C.

Lauren Boone

Staff Writer

The Bison traveled to Washington, D.C. to compete in the Colonial Classic this past weekend, coming away with a 4-3 win against George Washington, a 4-0 shutout over Seton Hall and a 4-2 loss to the Pirates. The two wins brought the Orange and the Blue’s overall record to 3-8.

The Bison pulled out their second win of the season in an eight-inning game against tournament host George Washington on March 1. It was the fourth extra-inning game of the season for the Bison. Due to the international tiebreaker rule, Mariah Midyette ’16 started off on second base. Thanks to a sacrifice bunt from Cheyanna Young ’16, Midyette was able to advance to third. Mallory Lyons ’14 hit the game-winning single in the top of the eighth inning to send Midyette home and defeat the Colonials.

Dana Nielsen ’16 took the win for the Orange and the Blue. She served as the relief pitcher for 2.2 innings without giving up a walk or a hit.

After several postponed and cancelled games due to darkness, the Orange and Blue were finally able to get back on the field on March 3 for a split doubleheader against Seton Hall. The Bison lost the first game, which they entered trailing 4-0 in the fourth inning, but Courtney Conover ’14 had a strong game, scoring both Bison runs with a home run in the seventh inning.

Although the Orange and Blue could only string together two runs in the first game, they were able to put four runs on the scoreboard in the second game, which was ended after five innings due to darkness.

Cydnee Sanders ’15 singled to get on base, then advanced to second on a base hit from Erin Cox ’15. Sanders scored the first run in the first inning, coming home on a wild pitch. The Bison scored their second run of the game in the fourth inning, when Young drew a leadoff walk, and then pinch runner Caryn Connors ’14 came home on Conover’s double to right center field.

The Bison scored their final two runs of the game in the fifth inning before the darkness set in. Cox singled to get on base, then scored due to fielder’s choice. Conover helped score another run due to another fielder’s choice.

“The tournament this weekend went pretty well for the team aside from all the field complications we experienced,” Conover said. “Aside from the one loss, the team worked extremely hard and got the bats rolling in our games against Seton Hall. Communication was a major aspect of our success this past weekend. It was exciting to finally beat a team that Bucknell has never beaten in past years. The team is really coming together as a unit.”

Nielsen (1-3) took the loss from the first game, while Amanda Fazio ’16 (2-4) took the win in the nightcap. Fazio pitched her first career shutout, only allowing nine hits and four runners in scoring position.

The Orange and Blue will travel to Texas and Louisiana to compete in several games over Spring Break. They will play Houston Baptist (March 11), Lamar (March 12), McNeese State (March 13), Prairie View A&M (March 15) and Texas Southern (March 16).