Categories
Sports Water Polo Women

Water polo wins four at Princeton

By Katherine Harris

Writer

Coming back from an early loss, the women’s water polo team rebounded for a strong 4-1 performance on the weekend at the CWPA/MAAC Crossover event hosted by Princeton University.

“We had a great week of practice and this weekend showed that our hard work is starting to pay off. It was a huge weekend for us and we came away with some much-needed big wins,” Julianne Valdes ’14 said.

The Bison traveled to Princeton on Friday to face the No. 18 home team in their first game of the weekend. Despite 11 saves from goalkeeper Rena Heim ’14 as well as a strong offensive showing of two goals and an assist from Valdes, the Orange and Blue were not able to stop Princeton’s scoring drive in the 12-6 loss.

The women quickly rebounded the next morning, as they played a solid Siena team. Bison scoring was balanced with 10 different players netting goals in the 12-5 victory, and Taylor Barnett ’15 played an impressive game, recording three goals and two assists for the Orange and Blue.

The Bison faced No. 20 Iona later in the day in a much closer match than the morning one, eventually prevailing 12-10. Heim had a season-high 13 saves, and the defense played an important role in the victory with their second quarter shutout giving the Orange and Blue offense a chance to pull ahead and take the lead. Hallie Kennan ’12 led the scoring, with her three goals and two assists placing her 10th all-time on the school record books for assists. Krystle Morgan ’13 (three goals) and Valdes (two goals and two assists) rounded out the offense for the Bison.

“We are starting to really come together as a team and I’m really excited for the rest of the season,” Valdes said.

The Orange and Blue entered the last day of the event hoping to improve on their 2-1 record for the weekend, and they did so, starting the day with an 11-6 victory over Villanova. The game was another one with very balanced team scoring, with eight different Bison scoring goals in the contest. Mackenzie Ferry ’14 shone for the Bison with four goals, and Heim had 10 saves, making it her third double-digit save game of the weekend.

On Sunday afternoon, the Bison played their final match of the weekend against Wagner, and having lost to them just last weekend, the team was out for payback. The Bison offense exploded with five players scoring multiple goals, and Heim once again anchored the defense with 12 saves. Valdes, Kennan and Morgan each recorded two goals and two assists for the Orange and Blue as the team pulled out a 11-9 victory to round out the weekend.

“We were very happy with our wins this weekend but we weren’t perfect,” head coach John McBride said. “It is a very long season and we still have quite a bit to work on but this weekend should give us the mental and physical foundation to build upon.”

With the 4-1 weekend, the Bison improved their total record to 7-6. Though their loss to Princeton put them at 0-2 in conference play, the women will have an opportunity to improve their record this weekend as they travel to the Harvard Invitational.

Categories
Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis drops two of three

By Alex Wagner

Assistant Sports Editor

Despite signs of improvement, the women’s tennis team had a rough going last weekend in Olean, N.Y., dropping two of its three matches.

Things started off well for the Bison, who defeated Niagara 4-3 on Friday night, marking their first victory of the season. Elizabeth Morgan ’14 decided the victory, beating her opponent 6-0, 6-0 at the No. 6 singles spot.

“I just tried to stay really focused and play my game,” Morgan said. “I tried to stay consistent, but also to be aggressive on the right shots.”

The duos of Elena Vidrascu ’14 and Lydia Colvin ’15 and Jen Bush ’15 and Lauren Boone ’15 won two out of the three doubles matches, starting the Orange and Blue off strong.

Things continued to go well with Dumitrita Iepuras ’12 and Vidrascu earning victories at the first two singles spots, but losses at the next three slots left the match in Morgan’s hands.

“Although we still have things to work on, this weekend was a good challenge for us.  We played some tough matches, and performed pretty well in them,” Morgan said.

The Bison lost Saturday afternoon’s match against St. Bonaventure 7-0.  Daria Tuzhikova ’13 and Iepuras started the day winning their No. 1 doubles match 9-7 against the Bonnies’ Marissa Brossard and Amanda Pallikunnel, but the other matches were too much for the Orange to Blue to handle, as they lost the remaining two doubles matches and all six singles matches.

The Bison were unable to bounce back from the loss in their next match against Duquesne on Sunday afternoon, losing 6-0. Due to time constraints, they only played the singles matches, but the Orange and Blue were unable to pull out a win in any of the six.

Vidrascu, playing at No. 2, came the closest to victory after winning the first set against her opponent.  She was unable to maintain her momentum, though, falling in back-to-back sets and eventually losing 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Despite the rough going early on in the season, head coach Rebecca Helt still has a lot of confidence in her players.

“We saw a lot of improvement in several areas … ball striking and confidence level were definitely better this weekend,” Helt said.  “This is a rough time of year.  It’s difficult to get in a good rhythm with the weather conditions, and I think once we get outside and get a few more matches under our belts we’ll continue to see a lot of improvement.”

The Bison look to get in a good rhythm in their next match, which will be against Saint Francis (Pa.) on March 2 in Loretto, Pa.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis posts winless weekend

By Cooper Mead

Contributing Writer

The men’s tennis team lost to both Niagara and St. Bonaventure 4-3 last weekend in Olean, N.Y. 

Against Niagara, the Bison managed to split their singles matches but could not claim the doubles matches necessary to secure a victory.  Gregg Cohenca ’12, Josh Katten ’13 and Gregory Maxson ’12 each came away with big victories in singles, but the Purple Eagles were able to match the Bison with three singles wins of their own.

Cohenca played an extremely close match against Joseph Zelic at the No. 1 spot, winning the first set 6-2 and claiming the third 6-3 after losing the second in a tiebreaker. With the victory, Cohenca increased his total singles wins to 45 for his career, moving him into a tie for 13th place in program history. In the No. 3 spot, Katten defeated Lorenz Schowjer with a 6-1, 6-4 sweep.

A Niagara sweep of all three doubles matches prevented the Bison from earning the victory.

Following the first loss, the Bison came out on Saturday to face St. Bonaventure, but fell in similar fashion.

Cohenca and Evan Zimmer ’13 won the No. 1 doubles match 8-6 against opponents Luis Guevara and Oscar Yanez.

Later, in singles, Cohenca fell in straight sets at the No. 1 spot and was followed by Katten and Zimmer shortly thereafter.  For the bottom three players, the story was quite the opposite. Kelly Morque ’13, Kyle Rosen ’14 and Maxson each defeated their opponents and brought the Bison to within one of their opponent. Morque’s match against St. Bonaventure first-year Miguel Suarez was especially close, but the junior was able to come away with the three-set victory, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

In the end, the Bison rally proved too little, too late with the Bonnies having already secured the victory before the conclusion of these matches.

“It’s good we won a bunch of matches, but if we don’t get the team win, it’s disappointing,” Morque said. “We competed very well but obviously there are some things we still need to work on. These tough matches will only motivate us to work harder in practice.”

The Bison hope to rebound from these two losses when they travel to Orlando, Fla. for six important matches over spring break.

Categories
Sports Swimming & Diving Women

Women’s swimming takes seventh at ECAC Championships

By Lindsay Regruto

Senior Writer

The women’s swimming and diving team earned a seventh-place finish at the three-day ECAC Championships last weekend in Annapolis, Md. The Bison ended the season on a strong note with a fourth-place finish by Lauren Perry ’15 in the 100 freestyle followed by a sixth-place finish by Kaitlyn Sweeney ’12 in the 200 fly. Perry’s finish at 51.93 moved her into the ninth spot on the program’s all-time top 10 list.

“ECACs was a great way to end our season,” Perry said. “All of our hard work throughout the year paid off, and I’m very proud of our team.”

The Bison’s performance on Saturday put them in sixth place overall at the end of the day. Tara Boyle ’15 earned a fifth-place finish on the three-meter springboard. The first-year’s score of 256.20 in the preliminaries moved her into fifth in program history. Jennifer Brennan ’14 secured a second-place finish for the Bison in the 100 backstroke. The Orange and Blue saw success in the 100 fly with three top 10 finishes. Elizabeth Porcellio ’13, Alex Panzarino ’14 and Sweeney finished seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. Porcellio finished with a 57.34, seventh in school history. The Bison had a strong showing in the relays with a fourth-place finish in the 200 medley and a seventh-place finish in the 800 freestyle relay.

“Overall, ECACs was a fun meet with a really great atmosphere that allowed our swimmers to do well,” Panzarino said. “For our seniors it was their last races, so it was bittersweet to watch [them] finishing their swimming careers.”

On Friday, Perry earned a fifth-place finish in the 50 free while Tori Molchany ’15 took home a fifth-place finish on the one-meter diving board.

“ECACs was a very exciting meet this year. We had a lot more swimmers attend this year, and our excitement level was much higher. Going into the season, one of our team goals was to place [in the] top eight, so we were very happy that we got seventh place,” Caroline Higgins ’14 said.

Before traveling to ECACs, the team earned seven All-Patriot League Honors. Boyle and Perry earned first-team honors while Stephanie Koziol ’15, Katie Hetherington ’15, Kelly Pontecorvo ’14, Porcellio and Brennan all earned second-team honors.

Categories
Men Sports Swimming & Diving

Bison earn five golds at ECACs

By Scott Padula

Staff Writer

The men’s swimming team captured a program-record five ECAC crowns last weekend on its way to earning second place in the ECAC Championships in Annapolis, Md., breaking the previous program mark set in 1992. Mike Nicholson ’14, Eric Sokolosky ’12 and Matt Segar ’12 all came away with individual golds for the Bison, becoming the fourth, fifth and sixth swimmers in program history to win multiple ECAC titles. The quartet of Taylor Harris ’12, Segar, Thomas Brown ’12 and Sokolosky also claimed the 400-yard freestyle relay title.

On the first day of competition, six different Bison as well as two relay teams finished in the top 10 of their respective events. The best event of the day for the Orange and the Blue was the 200 individual medley where Nicholson and Christian Treat ’13 both finished in the top five. Nicholson earned second place, losing to Rider’s Johnny Charles-Funk by 0.06 seconds while Treat posted his fifth career top-five finish at ECACs with a fourth-place finish. 

Sokolosky also placed second in the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.75 seconds, 0.09 seconds behind winner Phillip Gaissert of Columbia.

By the end of Saturday, the second day of competition, the Orange and Blue had jumped from fifth in the standings to second, only behind the host Midshipmen. Then Nicholson and Segar gave standout performances, capturing the first two ECAC crowns of the weekend for the Orange and Blue. The wins also marked the first time since 1992 that two different Bison won an event at the ECACs.

Nicholson dropped more than six seconds from the preliminaries to the finals, winning the 400 individual medley by 0.74 seconds. Segar climbed seven spots from the preliminaries to the finals to win the 200 freestyle, cutting more than three seconds from his time.

Great swims by Treat, Billy Krause ’13 and Harris, all of whom finished in the top five in their respective events, also helped the Bison climb up the team standings.

“I think we went into the meet knowing we were capable of finishing higher up than we ever had before,” Harris said. “I think our success is founded in a team culture where we support each other as much as possible. I am so proud of the team; a lot of guys really stepped up this past weekend to make it such a success.”

On the third and final day of competition, the Bison held their second place position thanks to wins in three more events.

Sokolosky started off the series of wins with his second career ECAC crown in the 100 freestyle. Nicholson followed Sokolosky, capturing his second ECAC title. Nicholson posted an impressive performance in the 200 breaststroke, winning by a margin of 1.43 seconds. His time of 2:01.71 was 0.03 seconds shy of the program record. In the final event of the meet, the Orange and Blue won the 400 freestyle relay, outpacing the Midshipmen by 0.22 seconds. The win, with a time of 3:01.69, was the second-ever ECAC victory for a Bison relay.

“To conclude the final chapter of my collegiate swimming career by winning the 100 freestyle and the 400 freestyle relay with fellow seniors Taylor Harris, Matt Segar and Tom Brown could not have been a better feeling,” Sokolosky said. “Anchoring that relay to gold is something I’ll remember forever. To have been a part of the most talented class of Bison swimmers in school history has been a privilege and honor. Swimming for the Orange and Blue has been incredible thanks to the team that has surrounded me, and our coaches who are committed to excellence. These past four years have been a wild ride, one I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

 

Categories
Baseball Men Sports

Baseball takes series at JMU

By Andrew Arnao

Staff Writer

The baseball team picked up three wins (8-6, 22-6, and 13-6) and a loss (12-1) in a four-game series at James Madison last weekend. Outfielder Bob Donato ’12 was named Patriot League Baseball Player of the Week after he helped lead the Orange and the Blue to a 4-2 record, their best start to a season since 2003.

The Bison entered the series having only defeated James Madison once in 22 previous meetings.

“This series against James Madison was one of the early matchups we had circled as a team because of our past history against them,” shortstop Carter Bumgardner ’13 said.

Last season’s matchup against JMU was particularly gruesome for the Bison, who lost four lopsided games, 37-7, 9-2, 26-15 and 19-12.

“Everybody had a lot of anger for what JMU did to us last year, beating us so badly,” pitcher Xavier Hammond ’15 said. “We all wanted to get back at them for that.”

Early on, it appeared the Bison were in for another rough road trip when the Orange and Blue were defeated 12-1 in the opener. Starting pitcher Ryan Ebner ’12 was unusually shaky, giving up nine runs in 3.2 innings. Donato led off the game with a home run, but that was all the offense the team could muster.

The team bounced back in a big way during the following doubleheader on Saturday. The first game of the doubleheader resulted in an 8-6 victory after the Bison came back from a four-run deficit in the sixth inning, with infielder Travis Clark ’13 providing the eventual go-ahead RBI single. Hammond earned the win while relief pitcher Alex Cillo ’12 earned the save after each pitched two effective innings.

“Our offense did a great job of scoring runs for us when we were behind in Game 2 and our defense did well to hold them to six runs,” Hammond said.

Everything started clicking in the second game of the day, when the Orange and the Blue busted out for a 22-6 victory, led by Donato’s two home runs and team record-tying eight RBIs. Pitcher Dan Weigel ’14 was also tremendous, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth before eventually giving up three earned runs in 7.1 innings.

Donato continued to rake in hits in the series finale on Sunday, reaching base five times and finishing the series with a .476 batting average and 11 RBIs. Pitcher Bryson Hough ’15 also made a strong starting debut, giving up only two earned runs through six innings and earning the win as the Bison triumphed 13-6.

“I thought our pitching staff did a great job throwing strikes and keeping JMU hitters off-balance,” infielder David Duffet ’12 said. “Our defense played well behind the pitchers, and our offense was able to score enough runs to win.”

The Bison make their home debut this weekend, playing a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday against Niagara.

“This weekend Niagara will be another important step in that process as we are looking forward to playing at home and continuing our good play,” head coach Gene Depew said. “We can’t afford to sit back and be satisfied with one good weekend.  We need to develop the consistency that will allow us to be competitive every weekend.”

Categories
Basketball Sports Women

Women’s basketball struggles at Navy

By Ajan Caneda

Staff Writer

The women’s basketball team finished the regular season with a 60-51 loss at Navy last Saturday. The Orange and Blue closed the regular season with a 5-24 record, going 3-11 in Patriot League play and claiming the seventh seed in the Patriot League Tournament.

Turnovers stung the Orange and Blue in the first half, as Navy scored 11 points off 10 Bison turnovers. A Navy three-point basket gave the Mids their first double-digit lead of the game at the 8:39 remaining mark of the first half. The Bison countered with threes by Shelby Romine ’14 and Alyssa Dunn ’13 that cut the deficit to five. Rachel Voss ’13 scored a three-point play to close out the half, but Navy still led 30-29.

“Navy played us in mostly zone defenses, which caused a little difficulty for us to get into our offense,” Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 said. “I think that the biggest difference in this game was that Navy wanted to play a half-court game while we liked to play a full-court, fast-paced game.  We pride ourselves on full court, man-to-man defense as well as transition for most of our points.”

Voss hit a jumper to start the second half that gave the Orange and Blue their first and only lead of the game. Navy then built their lead back up to double digits with a 13-2 run. Shooting struggles plagued the Orange and Blue, as the Bison shot 23.1 percent in the second half. They finished at 32.1 percent for the game. Forward Audrey Dotson ’15 hit a jumper that trimmed the lead to six with 4:49 remaining, but that would be the closest the Orange and Blue would come to a comeback, as Navy sank some late game baskets that sealed the win.

Dunn was the leading scorer for the Bison with 12 points, while Romine also scored 10. Horbatuck nearly had a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.

“I think that this game fueled us for the tournament,” Horbatuck said. “Anything is possible when tournament time comes. This year the league is so open and we are really excited to face Lehigh.”

The Bison traveled to Bethlehem, Pa. to take on second-seeded Lehigh in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament last night after press time. The Orange and Blue split their regular season meetings against the Mountain Hawks, losing 53-38 at home on Jan. 18, but winning 62-56 at Lehigh on Feb. 15.

“I think that the last few weeks have shown us that we can play with anyone in our league on any given night, so that should give us confidence going into the Patriot League Tournament,” interim head coach Bill Broderick said. “We have beaten or played within three points of all the top four seeds this year, so we know that if we play our game than anything is possible in the tournament.”

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

Bison set sights on tournament berth

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

After an eventful regular season, the Patriot League tournament kicked off this week with eight teams battling for the right to represent the Patriot League in the NCAA tournament. This year, the league features at least three teams with a legitimate shot of making the tournament in our very own Bison, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, and American Eagles.

With a win over Navy on Saturday, the Orange and Blue defended last season’s regular season championship and entered into the tournament as the clear favorite. After holding the longest conference winning-streak in the country before dropping back-to-back contests, the Bison concluded regular-season play with an impressive 12-2 Patriot League record.

While their late-season losses to Lehigh (at home) and Holy Cross (on the road) have removed the aura of invincibility from the Bison, they still posses the deepest team in the league and feature Mike Muscala ’13 (16.7 points per game, 9.1 rebounds per game), and now-three-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Bryan Cohen ’12. Two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Dave Paulsen also has the benefit of one of the deepest benches in the league with Bryson Johnson ’13 providing immediate offense and Steven Kaspar ’15 providing stability off the bench at the point guard position.

Second-seed Lehigh poses a tough match for any opponent. The Mountain Hawks, led by league-leading scorer C.J. McCollum (21.7 ppg), have surged late in the season behind their star, including a thrilling 56-53 victory at Sojka Pavilion earlier this month. Besides McCollum, the Mountain Hawks also have solid players in Gabe Knutson (12.1 ppg) and Holden Greiner (10.3 ppg).

American also poses a legitimate threat to upset the Bison in this year’s league tournament despite slipping to third in the conference this year. The Eagles are paced by leading scorer Charles Hinkle (18.8 ppg) and have solid leadership at point guard in starter Daniel Munoz.

With a first-round trouncing of Navy on Wednesday night, the Bison inched a little bit closer to their ultimate goal of repeating as champions. On Saturday, the Orange and Blue will meet Lafayette in a rematch of last year’s title matchup. A victory will allow them to host another championship  game.

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

Men’s basketball claims season title

By Chris McCree

Sports Editor

The men’s basketball team closed out its regular season with a pair of wins over American and Navy, claiming its second consecutive Patriot League regular season title. Mike Muscala ’13 led the Bison with a combined 45 points and 20 rebounds over the two games, recording his team-leading 14th double-double and 11th 20-point game of the year.

Coming off their first conference losses of the season, the Orange and Blue rebounded with a tight 55-50 win over American last Thursday. With the win, the Bison snapped American’s 11-game home winning streak and earned its third-straight season sweep over the Eagles.

After trailing the Eagles for almost the entire first half, the Bison claimed their first lead since early in the first half off a three-pointer from Bryson Johnson ’13 with 13:25 remaining in the second half. For the next seven minutes, the game underwent numerous lead changes until the Orange and Blue reeled off 11 consecutive points, extending their lead to 10 points with less than three minutes to play. Led by stout defensive play by Cohen down the stretch, the Orange and Blue were able to limit American to 12 points in the final nine minutes of play and come away with the five-point victory.

Two days later, the Bison squad secured home court advantage throughout the playoffs with a 64-55 win over the Midshipmen. Muscala led the Bison once again with 19 points and six rebounds on the day, going six for eight from the field and seven for seven from the foul line.

After leading by 11 at the half, the Bison managed to maintain a double-digit lead for most of the second half, allowing head coach Dave Paulsen to give reserve seniors Enoch Andoh ’12 and Probese Leo ’12 some much-deserved playing time.

The Orange and Blue earned their 200th all-time Patriot League regular season win, becoming the first team to do so in league history.

With the regular season under their belt, the Orange and Blue now set their sights on repeating as Patriot League champions and earning a second-consecutive NCAA berth.

Categories
Opinion

Contraception and proper education decrease unplanned pregnancy

By Andy Isola 

Contributing Writer


Healthcare coverage cannot be framed solely as an issue of individual rights or beliefs because it always affects someone else’s health or access to care. Nothing should trump a patient’s right to make informed decisions or to receive access to safe and legal health care services because healthcare exists to serve the needs of the patient.

Insurance exists as a method of risk minimization. It is not a charity or a morally-based idea; it is a business. Preventative treatment is covered on all but the cheapest plans because early detection and treatment of serious conditions can cost far less than if the patient waits until symptoms become life-threatening. Along the same lines, I believe contraception fulfills this criterion for preventative care. Even insurance companies agree that contraceptive services save money over time or are at least cost neutral. Unplanned pregnancies mean lost work time and lower productivity for businesses, less focus on prenatal care and lower birth weights. According to the Guttmacher Institute, nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended and about 40 percent of unintended pregnancies end in abortion. If this was really a pro-life issue, access to contraceptives should be lauded as a way to ensure that more pregnancies occur to mothers who are prepared for a child and more able and willing to put an effort into raising that child. I then have no choice but to assume that the Catholic objection to contraceptives stems from the fact they believe access to contraception encourages sex for pleasure.

Russell Shorto’s New York Times article from May 7, 2006 entitled “Contra-Contraception” states that in 2003, the manufacturers of Plan B applied to the Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter status. The FDA’s joint advisory panel voted 28-0 that it was “safe for use in the nonprescription setting” and then voted 23 to four in favor of granting Plan B over-the-counter status. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine endorsed the switch. But Dr. W. Hager, a Christian conservative whom President Bush appointed to lead the panel in 2002, shot down the idea because he feared it would “increase sexual promiscuity among teenagers,” which FDA staff responded to with studies that showed no increase. Disregarding these studies, Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the FDA, expressed fear that over-the-counter Plan B would lead to “extreme promiscuous behaviors such as the medication taking on an ‘urban legend’ status that would lead adolescents to form sex-based cults centered around the use of Plan B.” The FDA denied the application. 

By the way, contraceptives have inarguably contributed to a massive decline in the social cost of sex–that is, the emotional investment required for two people to agree to sleep with one another. It isn’t hard to fathom that reducing the risks associated with sex will invariably inspire more of it. This leaves two options: either restrict access to contraceptives and vilify sex, or educate youths on how to safely practice sex. I don’t have to look far to find a study that shows that focusing funding on abstinence-only education has a direct correlation with the rates of unplanned pregnancy.

Free market proponents say that if you do not agree with this type of exemption, you can always get a job elsewhere, or buy individual health coverage. The problem is, people rarely have the luxury of choosing a job based on benefits coverage, especially in the case of healthcare institutions. Catholic hospitals represent 12 percent of all hospitals nationwide, and more than a quarter of Catholic hospitals are located in rural areas. There are often no other hospitals in the immediate area, and the poor may not be able to afford to travel to another institution. Also important to remember: not everyone who works at these hospitals is Catholic. Between 1990 and 2003, there were 183 mergers involving Catholic hospitals, and most of the time, the merged hospitals followed Catholic directives. The people who would benefit most from having their contraceptives covered don’t have a choice, and we’re arguing about who gets the right to make it for them.