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Sports

Women’s lacrosse loses 20-11 to American

By Andrew Arnao

Writer

The women’s lacrosse team fell to Patriot League rival American 20-11 on Saturday. The Bison drop to 2-9 on the season.

Julia Braun ’11 and Madison Hurwitz ’13 each scored three goals, while Katelyn Miller ’14 and Andrea Feldman ’14 scored two goals apiece, and Lindsey Ferro ’14 scored one. Braun also had three draw controls to lead the team.

The Orange and the Blue fell behind 7-1 early, and despite three straight goals from Braun, Hurwitz and Feldman, the Bison trailed 13-6 at intermission.

The Eagles scored seven goals, compared to the Bison’s two, to start the second half and never looked back. American finished with a 37-18 shot advantage. The Bison also had 19 turnovers compared to American’s nine.

“The offense played really well, but unfortunately our defense didn’t play the best we could have,” Sarah Shehadi ’14 said. “Our goal for going into the Lafayette game is for us to come out and play our best on both sides of the field for the full 60 minutes.”

Goalie Alyssa DeLorenz ’11, already the national leader in saves, added 10 more to her total during the game, to give her a total of 139 for the season.

The Bison will face another Patriot League opponent in Lafayette tomorrow at noon, kicking off a four-game homestand.

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Headline Sports

Men’s lacrosse takes down two nationally ranked powers

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

One week after entering the national top-20 polls for the first time this season, the Bison men’s lacrosse team proved itself again by taking down two top-ranked teams, the No. 20 Penn State Nittany Lions and the No. 16 Albany Great Danes. The two victories give the Orange and Blue an 8-2 record heading into the heart of their Patriot League schedule.

Behind a strong defensive effort, the Orange and Blue upended their in-state rivals Penn State 8-6 at home Tuesday night. Trading the first seven goals with the Nittany Lions, the Bison scored consecutive goals in a minute span midway through the second quarter to go up 5-4.

After leading by one at halftime, the Bison shut down the Nittany Lions’ attack in the second half, allowing just one goal. Goalie Kyle Feeney ’13 saved 14 Penn State shots, a season-high, and held the Nittany Lions scoreless in the final period.

Offensively, Chase Bailey ’13 and Ryan Klipstein ’11 each contributed two goals to lead the Orange and Blue. The goals from Klipstein were the only two in the second half by the Bison and provided the cushion needed to pull away from a tough Penn State squad.

On Saturday, the Bison hosted the Great Danes in another down-to-the-wire 11-9 victory for the Orange and Blue. The Bison outshot the Great Danes 54-22.

With the score tied at three early in the second quarter, Albany scored three straight goals in a two-minute span to take a 6-3 advantage.

The Bison registered five straight points at the end of the first half, reclaiming the lead. Klipstein led the way again, scoring twice and assisting on another goal in that stretch.

Trailing by two, Albany rallied early in the second half, scoring two straight to tie the score. Three straight goals by the Bison and solid defense in the final quarter were enough for the Orange and Blue to emerge victorious.

Peter Burke ’14, Todd Heritage ’14 and Charlie Streep ’12 each added multiple goals and an assist.

Throughout their non-conference schedule, the Bison have made Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium a difficult place to play for opponents. With the two wins at added this week, the Orange and Blue now have a perfect 6-0 record at home.

The Orange and Blue will host the Holy Cross Crusaders tomorrow at home. Last season, the Bison blew out the Crusaders 11-2 in Worcester, Mass.

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Sports

Softball wins twice, loses twice

By Lindsay Regruto

Staff Writer

The softball team split four games in the Mount St. Mary’s Tournament last weekend, falling twice to Cornell and defeating Mount St. Mary’s twice. Elyse Colmenero ’11 started off the tournament on Saturday with a perfect game at the plate, going 3-3 with two RBIs against the Mountaineers to lead her team to victory.

Colmenero was not the only one on fire in the 4-2 defeat of the Mountaineers on Saturday. Lauren Fry ’11 started off the Bison with a double in the first at-bat of the game. Fry was brought in off a double by Colmenero to bring her over 100 runs in her four-year career so far. Fry rounded out the game with a pair of runs going 2-4 at the plate. Jessie Snyder ’11 doubled in the first to give the Orange and Blue their second run. Alex MacLean ’13 held the Mountaineers at bay, having one-two-three innings in the first and second and ending the day with five strike-outs in seven innings. The Mountaineers scored in the third to tie the game. The Orange and Blue fought back scoring in the fifth and seventh to seal the win.

The Bison were met with more difficulty in their second game of the day, falling 6-0 to Cornell. The Orange and Blue started off strong, putting two runners in scoring position in the first, but could not bring anyone around. The Big Red put runs on the board starting in the second and held off the Bison with a strong pitching game. Cornell picked up three more runs an inning later to seal the lead and the win.

The Orange and Blue met Cornell again in the first game on Sunday and fell 4-1. The Big Red was the first to put runs on the board. The Bison offense rallied in the fourth. Alison Ford ’11 doubled to right center and was eventually brought in off a double by Laura Sandford ’13, giving the Bison their first and only run of the game. Cornell’s defense proved strong, and the Bison could not close the gap, ending with their second loss of the tournament.

The Bison shut out Mount St. Mary’s 4-0 to end on a high note in the last game of the tournament. Goose eggs remained on the board, keeping the game tight until the sixth inning. The Bison were the first to break open the game, putting three runs on the board. The Mountaineers managed a hit off the Bison in the sixth but stranded the runner on base. Kasey Segiel ’14 was brought in off a single to center by Snyder to give the Bison their last run of the game. The Mountaineers were held off by a strong pitching performance by Bridget Gates ’13. Gates ended the game giving up only four hits with three strike outs, earning her third win of the season.

Games against Drexel scheduled for March 30 were postponed due to weather. The Orange and Blue will be back on the field April 2 at home to start Patriot League play against Lehigh.

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Sports

Baseball heads into Patriot League play

By Chris McCree

Writer

The baseball team went 3-3 in six games last week against Longwood University and Le Moyne University. The Orange and Blue managed to take 3-of-4 in their home opener against Longwood over the weekend but were swept during Tuesday’s doubleheader at Le Moyne.

With the sun shining and the Depew Field stands filled with enthusiastic fans, the Bison opened up home play on a high note against a tough Longwood squad. The Lancers came into the series boasting an impressive 17-7 record, but the Bison were unfazed and, thanks to solid all-around play, came away successful.

“We are definitely happy with the outcome of our home opener because we knew Longwood was going to be a challenge, and we played well as a team,” Drew Constable ’11 said. “I thought everyone on our squad came out really focused this weekend.”

The Bison’s first game of the home series proved to be the most dramatic, as Constable hit a walk-off triple to seal the 3-2 victory. The triple was Constable’s second hit of the game, tying him with two others for team-high honors.

After the low-scoring 3-2 victory in the morning, the Bison offense exploded for 11 runs in the afternoon en route to an 11-2 victory. The team scored seven runs in the fourth inning alone and led the Lancers 11-0 going into the ninth inning.

Dylan Seeley ’11 and Ryan Ebner ’12 produced back-to-back pitching gems for the Bison during the first set of doubleheaders. Seeley, who pitched in game one, did not allow a runner to reach base until the third inning and allowed just two runs in the Bison’s dramatic victory. Ebner, Reigning Patriot League Pitcher of the Week, followed with an eight-inning shutout performance of his own, allowing the Bison to sweep Saturday’s doubleheader.

Game three featured an intense pitching duel between Jack Boehm ’12 and Longwood’s Matt Gwaltney. Boehm came away on top, registering a complete game with a 2-1 victory. The Bison recorded both of their runs in the first inning, but it proved to be enough as Boehm allowed just one run and retired his last 11 batters.

The Orange and Blue did not find the same success in their final three games of the week, dropping their series finale 6-2 to Longwood and both games against Le Moyne. The Bison couldn’t seem to figure out the Le Moyne pitching, recording just three runs and nine hits over the two games. Despite the team’s poor hitting performance, Doug Schribman ’11 was able to extend his hitting streak to eight games.

The Bison start their Patriot League schedule this weekend with their home series against Lafayette.

Categories
Sports

Women’s tennis crushes Nova 7-0

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

The women’s tennis team opened its season with a tough loss to the hands of Navy 6-1 but roared back with a 7-0 clobbering of Villanova at home on Wednesday, putting Lauren Lucido ’11 just one win shy of the Bison school record.

Lucido continued to inch her way closer to claiming the school record for total victories over a career in both matches this past week. Lucido partnered with Dumitrita Iepuras ’12 to record the only win for the Bison in doubles play.

Lucido was also the bright spot for the Orange and Blue in singles play, taking down the No. 1 singles player for Navy in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-4.

“Tennis is an extremely mental sport, and mental toughness and intensity are very important when it comes to playing and competing at a high level,” Lucido said.

The Bison did have three other matches that they could not push towards their favor as Iepuras and Elena Vidrascu ’14 both took their singles matches to three sets. Neither could tally a win after recording a first set victory.

In the final close match Courtney Casey ’12 took her No. 4 singles game to a tiebreaker but fell 11-9 in the final.

Against Villanova, the Bison appeared to be a team that could not be stopped. The Bison did not drop a singles match as Lucido, Iepuras, Lauren Rottkamp ’11, Casey, Vidrascu and Dara Dwojewski ’11 all defeated their Villanova opponents. Iepuras, Rottkamp and Vidrascu were all able to defeat their opponents in straight sets, shutting down Villanova’s chance of a rally early.

With the match moved indoors halfway through due to inclement weather, the Bison continued their dominance in doubles play. Again the Bison made a clean sweep as the third doubles team did not even need to compete, winning by forfeit.

“The Patriot League is going to be very competitive this year. We certainly have the talent and skill that it takes to win, but in order to be successful we really need to put on our game faces and boost our overall level of intensity,” Lucido said.

Although Lucido speaks mostly about her team during her interviews, she will be seeking to eclipse the mark set by Veronica Brown ’06 as the Bison take on Patriot League foe Colgate tomorrow in Hamilton, N.Y.

Categories
Sports

Men’s tennis falls to Navy 4-3, other matches postponed

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The men’s tennis team fell just short of earning its first-ever victory against Navy, dropping a tough 4-3 decision that dropped the team to 7-6 overall and 0-1 in Patriot League play. Trailing 3-1, the Orange and Blue rallied behind victories in the singles matches by Josh Katten ’13 and Mark Malloy ’11, both of whom won their matches in straight sets. In doubles play, Katten and Kelly Morque ’13 posted an 8-1 victory.

The match came down to the No. 2 singles match between Evan Zimmer ’13 and Navy’s Jeremy New. With the match tied at three apiece, New was able to outlast Zimmer in three hard-fought sets.

The Bison were originally scheduled to play in three matches, but their games against George Mason and Villanova were postponed due to inclement weather.

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Sports

Women’s track takes four golds

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

The women’s track team claimed four gold medals at the Towson Invitational to open the outdoor season. Laura Rycek ’11 won the javelin with a personal-record throw of 154 feet, 10 inches, the second-best throw in program history. Rebecca Misko ’12, Rebecca Frey ’11, Emily Ando ’14 and Caroline Tolli ’13 also earned victories at this unscored meet.

“I think the results from the meet were mixed,” Frey said. “Many runners did off-events, and it’s hard to go for personal bests in sprinting or jumping in cold weather, but a lot of people rose to the challenge and performed well.”

The Orange and Blue throwers dominated the javelin, earning all four top places. Kat Folger ’12 placed second, throwing a new personal best of 143 feet, which places her third all-time. Teammates Tayler Siegrist ’13 and Sarah Trahan ’12 took third and fourth, respectively.

“I had not thrown the discus in competition since the end of last outdoor season and was focused on getting a solid throw,” Misko said.

Misko, the defending Patriot League Champion, earned a gold at Towson, throwing the discuss 133 feet, four inches. “This performance gives me a great start and confidence for the rest of the season,” she said. “I think the team will be strong in the outdoor throwing events this season.”

In the jumps, the Orange and Blue swept the pole vault. Frey and Ando each cleared 10-6 to win the event. Teammate Autumn Schellenberger ’14 completed the Bison sweep by clearing 10 feet to place third.

Tolli earned the Bison’s only first-place finish on the track in the 1500-meter run, another event that the Bison swept. Kady Weisner ’14 took second, Sarah Moniz ’11 took third, and Alysha Hooper ’13 earned fourth.

The Orange and Blue had almost a dozen more top-three finishers.

The Bison will compete at the William and Mary Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va. this weekend.

Categories
Featured Sports

Men’s track dominates in Baltimore

By Colin Fields

Contributing Writer

The men’s track team, the defending outdoor Patriot League champions, lived up to expectations on Saturday at the Towson Invitational in Maryland. Lenny Joseph ’13, Ted Heitzman ’12, Luke Webster ’13, Chris Sacks ’14, Isaih Bell ’11, John Picardo ’11, Ian Shore ’11 and Drew Fitzgerald ’11 all brought home victories for the Bison. Bison athletes also took the top two spots in the hammer throw, discus, 1500-meter and 100-meter.

Joseph ran away with the hammer throw, throwing 182′ 1″ and breaking his personal record by over 13 feet. His teammate, Tom Barr ’12, threw 169’9″ for second place and his own personal record.

The Bison continued their successful throwing in the discus where Webster finished first, Barr second and Joseph third. Heitzman won the javelin while Barr finished second in the shot put, his third second-place finish.

In the 1500-meter run, the Bison took the top six spots. Sacks, Rookie of the Meet at the Patriot League Indoor Championships, grabbed first with a time of 4:04.20. Teammate Christopher Boyd ’11 finished a close second with a time of 4:04.76.

“I am excited to be racing outside, and I think it will be a great spring season,” Sacks said. “In terms of last weekend, my time was slow, but the meet served as a good warm-up to prepare everybody for the rest of the outdoor season.”

Bell and Justin Hicks ’13 took the top two spots for the Bison in the 100-meter run. Bell ran it in 10.98 seconds while Hicks finished just two hundredths behind with a mark of 11 seconds.

Picardo took gold in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:55.22, and Shore took home gold in the 5K.

Fitzgerald placed first in the high jump at 6’4″. He nearly won a second event by finishing second in the long jump.

“As a team we have very high expectations for the spring season, and we understand that we need strong performances right from the start,” Fitzgerald said. “The outdoor season is short, making every practice and competition very important. Personally, as a senior, each meet takes on a little more meaning, and I hope to make the best of it and win another team championship.”

The Orange and Blue will look to continue their success at the William and Mary Colonial Relays on April 1-2.

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Opinion

United States risks long stay in Libya without well-defined goals

By Pranav Sehgal

Opinions Editor

With wars in Afghanistan and Iraq already, should the United States be involved in Libya?

The ripple effects from the conflict in Libya have dramatically impacted the politics of the region, global oil prices, and have now made many people question the United States’ involvement in Libya.

The coalition effort, primarily led by the United States, to halt the government’s attacks on civilians is drawing a lot of heat from United States politicians and media pundits because as we are already bogged down in two wars in the Middle East and are in a mounting deficit. We spend billions on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet refuse to spend money for important domestic matters such as healthcare or teachers’ pay.

Many are baffled by the fact that in Wisconsin they are firing government workers yet we are spending a great deal of money in our involvement in Libya.

Additionally, many Republicans find it unbelievable that the United States was able to do this without approval from Congress. They are also questioning what interests are at stake in Libya and if it was right to intervene without the support of the American people, or even consulting them for their opinions.

However, top Democrats rallied behind Obama’s decision to support the enforcement of a “no fly” zone in Libya in order to protect innocent civilians. In response to critics, many Democrats have argued that the United States has an interest in protecting people’s freedoms not only in the United States but worldwide and therefore have a responsibility to the Libyan people.

Although I believe the United States has a responsibility to uphold people’s rights on a global basis, I believe that without a clear objective and purpose we will never succeed in Libya. Without a goal or clear mission statement, it will be difficult to assess whether or not our involvement in Libya was beneficial or detrimental to the people of Libya and the United States.

With conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa on the rise, I also believe Arab nations must play a much larger part in quelling the turmoil. They must take responsibility for their region rather than rely in Western Europe and America to clean up the mess.

The United States has long played the role of the global police–but with a high deficit and internal political pressure, it seems unlikely that the United States will be able to keep up that image for much longer.

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Sports

Basketball loses in tourney

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

Six years after pulling off one of the most memorable and lasting upsets ever in the Big Dance, the Bison men’s basketball team took the court last Thursday in this year’s NCAA Tournament against a highly-favored, major conference foe with an All-American candidate. This year’s appearance was not so successful, with the Bison losing to the third-seeded Connecticut Huskies 81-52.

The Huskies had just completed a historic run of five victories in five days to win the Big East conference tournament. All year the Huskies’ offensive leader was Kemba Walker, All-American candidate and the fourth-leading scorer in the nation.

“Getting a chance to go toe-to-toe with arguably the hottest team in college basketball was going to be a great challenge,” G.W. Boon ’11 said. “But we welcomed the opportunity to play UConn.”

Early on, the undersized and slower Bison hung with a dominant UConn team. A three-pointer by Darryl Shazier ’11 gave the Orange and Blue a 5-3 advantage just a minute and a half into the game.

Despite an 8-0 Connecticut run after Shazier’s basket, the Bison kept the Huskies lead within six for the next eight minutes.

But after trailing by just seven after a three-pointer by Bryson Johnson ’13 at the eight-minute mark, the Orange and Blue went cold offensively, registering just one field goal for the remainder of the half. In that stretch, Walker contributed to all 12 points scored by the Huskies with four points and three assists.

In the second half, the Bison found no answer for the Huskies on either end.

An early 20-2 run by Connecticut put the game well out of reach for the Orange and Blue, who were still looking for a way to stop the Huskies’ potent offense. Only in the final minutes of the half did the Bison look like the team that had won 23 of 25 contests before its match-up with UConn. The Bison went on a 17-6 run to end the game.

“Going in, we were confident because we were successful all year playing our game and making adjustments for our opponents,” Johnson said. “Obviously it didn’t work out the way we planned, but UConn is a great team, and they showed it on Thursday night.”

After his magical performance in the Big East Tournament, Kemba Walker continued his amazing postseason run against the Bison. His 18-point, 12-assist, eight-rebound game left him just two rebounds shy of the eighth triple-double in NCAA Tournament history.

Connecticut exploited the size mismatch down low throughout the game. The Huskies outscored the Bison 30-12 in the paint and, led by Alex Oriakhi’s 12, out-rebounded the Bison 42-21. Mike Muscala ’13, who averaged over seven boards per game, grabbed just four against the Huskies.

“Playing in the NCAA Tournament was a life changing experience and something I will never forget,” Muscala said. “At the same time though, it made me even hungrier to get better, get us back there next year and win games. I know we can do it.”

That hunger will be the driving force behind the men’s basketball program getting stronger in the off-season to make 2011-2012 even better than this year. Next year’s squad has a lot to live up to, trying to repeat as Patriot League regular season and conference champions.

But for right now the Bison will enjoy the run that they had and cherish the memories they made for themselves and their fans.

“Every young basketball player watches March Madness growing up, wishing that one day they would get a chance to play on the big stage,” Boon said. “Finally, in my senior year, I got to fulfill my childhood dream.”