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Sports

Water polo wins four of seven over break

By Scott Padula

Writer

The women’s water polo team improved its record to 9-8 by winning four out of seven games in its spring break trip to California. Through her strong, consistent play, Kandis Canonica ’11 became the player with the highest total points (360) in Bison history.

The Orange and Blue opened the trip on the right foot, defeating Concordia and La Verne. They lost three of their next four games, at the hands of Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara. The Bison wrapped up the week by bouncing back and defeating a resilient Cal State San Bernardino team.

The first game of the trip proved to be the most exciting as the Orange and Blue scored with less than a minute left to win the game. For the first three quarters, the game remained close. To open the fourth, Concordia scored three straight goals and tied the score at 11. The Bison answered by drawing an ejection with 48 seconds remaining. After calling a timeout, Mackenzie Ferry ’14 found Canonica for the go-ahead goal. The Orange and Blue held on to win the game 12-11. Canonica finished the game with two goals and two assists, sending her career point total to 360 and catapulting her past Aubrey Rowe for the program record.

In the night cap, the Bison defeated La Verne 15-5. The Orange and Blue dominated the Leos early and often, finding the back of the net 12 times in the first three quarters. The Bison also dominated on the defensive end, racking up a total of 13 steals. Ferry and Hallie Kennan ’12 each tallied four steals in the clinic.

“I think we definitely improved throughout our games during the week,” Kennan said. “We have become a much stronger force defensively. Our next goal, however, is to become more confident and active on the offensive end so that we can be a strong team all around.”

Over three of the next four games, the Orange and Blue fell to nationally ranked powerhouses Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara. The Bison were only able to defeat Marist 13-11 in this five-day span.

The Bison rounded out the week defeating Cal State San Bernardino 10-7. The teams remained close throughout as the Orange and Blue could not manage to pull away. The Bison were eventually able to hold on and clinch the victory thanks in part to stellar team defense. Seven different Bison registered a steal in the affair, and solid goal-tending from Brittany Connell ’12 and Rena Heim ’14 only helped the cause. The victory set the Bison record to 9-8 on the season.

The Orange and Blue’s next test will be on April 2 when they face nationally ranked foes Princeton and Michigan.

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Sports

Women’s lacrosse faces tough losses, goes 1-3

By Andrew Arnao

Writer

The women’s lacrosse team went 1-3 over the last two weeks, winning against Mount St. Mary while falling to Duquesne and Patriot League rivals Navy and Lehigh.

On the first Saturday of spring break, the Orange and the Blue faced Navy in their Patriot League opener and were handed at 17-7 loss. Madison Hurwitz ’13 led the offense for the Bison with four goals, while Katelyn Miller ’14, Andrea Feldman ’14 and Molly Ford ’14 scored a goal apiece. Goalie Alyssa DeLorenz ’11 made a career-high 19 saves, including 13 in the first half to keep the Bison in the game.

The following Wednesday, the Bison won their second game of the season by a score of 12-11 against Mount St. Mary’s. Ali Carey ’14 scored four goals in the first four minutes of the game, while team captain Julia Braun ’11 scored six goals. Hurwitz and Miller also scored goals.

“We came out to play from the first minute and never gave up till the game was over,” Carey said. “We did everything right all over the field, the defense had so many great stops, our transition was successful, our offense really executed the game plan and the energy from everyone was amazing.”

Against Lehigh last Saturday, the Bison were defeated 19-2 by the Mountain Hawks. Carey and Hurwitz had a goal apiece as the team managed only six shots on goal, compared to Lehigh’s 43. The Bison also struggled with turnovers, making 25 during the game.

“I truly think that everyone on the team gave their best effort and tried as hard as they could but nothing went our way,” Carey said. “We have an incredibly positive team so I know we will bounce back without a problem.”

The Bison played a strong second half against Duquesne on Tuesday but were unable to overcome a 10-point first half by the Dukes, falling by a score of 15-9. Miller scored four goals, Carey scored three goals, and Braun and Adrienne Wendling’13 scored one goal each.

“We came out a little flat but definitely turned it around in the second half to accomplish all of the goals that we set for ourselves before the game,” attackman Amanda Ayers ’14 said.

In the game against Duquesne, DeLorenz recorded her 600th save, making her the fifth goalie to do so in the history of the program. She is also currently the national leader in saves, with 129.

The Bison, now 2-8 on the season, will visit Patriot League rival American at 1 p.m. tomorrow.

 

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Sports

Men’s lacrosse remains unbeaten in league

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The Bison men’s lacrosse team posted a 3-1 record over the past week to improve to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in league play.

The team’s four-game winning streak came to a halt with a tough 7-5 loss against Robert Morris on Tuesday. The downfall of the team was even-strength play, where Robert Morris outplayed the Bison, but the Orange and Blue converted on three of five man advantage opportunities. After Robert Morris held a 3-1 halftime lead, the Bison rallied to tie the score at five, but Trevor Moore’s goal broke the tie with 6:40 remaining in the game and proved to be the game winner. Ryan Klipstein ’11 led the offensive attack with two goals. Uncharacteristically, the Bison struggled on faceoffs, winning only five of 16.

The team improved its league record to 2-0 with an 11-8 win over Lafayette on Saturday. The Leopards were able to jump out to a 2-1 lead in the first, but the Bison staged a furious 5-0 run that gave them a 6-1 lead by the second quarter. Lafayette responded with a rally of its own to close the gap to 6-5, but Mike Danylyshyn ’11 scored at 9:58 of the third to reestablish the team’s two-goal lead.

Billy Eisenreich ’12 and Klipstein led the offensive attack as each registered a hat trick on the day.

“A lot of this has to do with our leadership and all the hard work we have done,” Eisenreich said. “We are all confident that we have worked harder than every other team we have gone against, and with this in mind it seems that we have been more successful in close games as opposed to last year.”

The Orange and Blue dominated offensive play, outshooting Lafayette 39-24 with goalie Kyle Feeney ’13 making nine saves.

On March 16 the Orange and Blue got past Hartford with a hard-fought 7-6 victory. The Bison dominated the first half, establishing a 4-1 lead. Hartford came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders as they scored five straight goals to take a 6-4 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game. The Bison were able to rally for three straight goals, led by Eisenreich and Charlie Streep ’12. Despite the closeness of the contest, the Bison dominated in the offensive zone, outshooting Hartford 40-22.

On March 12 the Orange and Blue overcame a resilient Hobart team en route to an 11-9 victory. Again, the Bison were the stronger team early on, scoring the first four goals and taking a 6-1 lead before Hobart rallied to close the gap to 6-5 at halftime. The second half was a back-and-forth affair with several lead changes before the Bison were able to hold on for the victory. Todd Heritage ’14 led the offensive attack with two goals and two assists.

“Chemistry has a lot to do with our success. On an offensive standpoint, the six starters along with a couple others are a very close group,” Eisenreich said. “We all work hard together every day, which draws us together. Our chemistry is only getting stronger by day and with this connection.”

The team returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. with a home contest against No. 16 Albany.

Categories
Sports

Baseball solid over spring break trip

By Chris McCree

Writer

The baseball team posted a 4-3 record during its seven-day spring training trip in Florida this past week. Facing off against the likes of Air Force, North Dakota State, Butler, Indiana, Massachusetts and Jacksonville State, the Bison  were able to go up against a wide variety of teams with differing playing styles and gain valuable on-field experience in preparation for their rapidly approaching regular season.

All around, the Bison played good baseball, recording 36 runs over the seven-game stretch and averaging just one error per game. The key to the Bison’s success came from their pitching game, in which they limited their opposition to five runs or less in five of the seven games and posted a team ERA of 2.81.

Trey Frahler ’11 started out the trip by pitching seven shutout innings during the Bison’s 5-1 win over Air Force. He was followed by three consecutive dominant performances by Dylan Seeley ’11, Jack Boehm’12 and Ryan Ebner ’12, who combined to go 2-0, allowing just two runs over 30.2 innings.

The two most exciting Bison wins came back-to-back against Butler and Indiana. During their matchup against Butler, the Orange and Blue offense exploded for nine runs in the first inning and dominated the entire game. A trio of Ebner , Taylor Runge ’13 and Jack McLinden ’14 put together the Bison’s first shutout performance since May of last year, leading the team to a 14-0 blowout over the Bulldogs.

The following day’s matchup against Indiana proved to be just as exciting, as Gerry Runyan ’12 launched a 10th inning home run to seal a 5-4 victory for the Bison. Going into the ninth inning, the Bison trailed 3-0, but they were able to put together a last-minute comeback to get the team in position for Runyan’s winning blow.

The Orange and Blue had more trouble during their final two games, losing 6-4 to UMass and 9-1 to Jacksonville State. Against UMass, the Orange and Blue entered the ninth trailing 6-0 and were able to score four runs, but couldn’t complete their second consecutive comeback of the series. Runyan recorded three hits in the contest and raised his batting average above .370, the only Bison to eclipse that mark this year.

Now, the Bison look ahead to their home season opener against Longwood this weekend. After playing all of their previous games on the road, the Bison will be home for 11 out of their next 13 games, including their Patriot League season opener against Lafayette on April 2.

Categories
Sports

Softball struggles in two tourneys

By Lindsay Regruto

Staff Writer

The softball team traveled far and wide over spring break to the George Mason Tournament in Virginia, where they went 2-3, and the Rebel Spring Games in Orlando, where they went 2-6.

The Orange and Blue got off to a rocky start in the George Mason Tournament on Friday with a 5-1 loss to Binghamton and a 3-0 loss to Cornell later that day. Alison Ford ’11 singled with two outs in the third and was brought home on back-to-back walks for Bison’s only run against the Bearcats.

Day two of the tournament saw another pair of losses, 3-0 to Cornell and 1-0 to Binghamton. The Orange and Blue defense held the Big Red to three runs, but a strong pitching game by Cornell held the Bison scoreless for a close loss.

“I think our spring break trip really allowed us to continue working on some of the things that we’ve been struggling with,” Jessie Snyder ’11 said. “A lot of the girls really stepped up and it helped us come together even further as a team.”

Against Binghamton, the Bearcats were the first to put a run on the board. Lauren Fry ’11 ended the offensive dry spell in the fourth with a single up the middle but was left on base. The Orange and Blue loaded the bases twice in the fifth but again could not bring anyone around.

The Orange and Blue turned the tournament around Sunday defeating Cornell 4-1 and George Mason 3-1. Against the Big Red, the Bison racked up a season-high 11 hits. George Mason proved a tougher opponent for the Orange and Blue. Fry broke up the scoreless game in the fifth and eventually scored off a single by Ford. Fry had three two-base hits for a career total of 31 tying her for fifth in the program’s all-time record. Snyder doubled to center field to bring in two more runs in the sixth and a win over the Patriots.

Heading to Orlando, the team opened the Rebel Spring Tournament on March 15 with a pair of losses, 5-1 to Butler and 6-1 to Columbia. Sam Rollandi ’11 plated the Bison’s only run after a single by Meredith Dickson ’12. Butler scored twice in the first and again in the sixth to defeat the Bison. In the second game, Columbia took an early lead scoring in the first three innings. Caryn Connors ’14 was brought home in the fourth, but it would be the team’s only run.

The Bison split games on Wednesday, losing to Akron 8-6 and defeating St. Peter’s 8-0. The Orange and Blue were trailing 6-0 in the sixth against Akron when bats heated up. The Bison plated five runs, but the Zips answered with two runs in the seventh. Against St. Peter’s, Bridget Gates ’13 held off the Peacocks while the offense heated up. The Bison scored four runs in the third to bring the score to 5-0. Two more runs in the sixth ended the game early giving the Orange and Blue their first win of the tournament.

The Bison played again on Friday ending with a pair of losses to Green Bay 8-1 and Youngstown State 9-2. The Orange and Blue were the first to put a run on the board in the first inning against Green Bay. The Phoenix tied it in the second and pulled ahead for good in the third. Against Youngstown State, the Bison again gained a lead in the fourth but were unable to hold onto it. The Penguins tied it up later in the fourth and pulled ahead in the fifth.

The Orange and Blue split on the last day with a loss Fairleigh Dickinson 2-1 and a win over Hartford 3-1. The game against Fairleigh Dickinson remained scoreless until the sixth, when the Knights scored two runs. The Bison were only able to answer with one run. The Bison ended the tournament on a great note with a win over Hartford. Sophia Geraci ’14 went 3-3 at the plate, and Alex MacLean ’13 tied her season high of seven strikeouts.

The Bison will be back on the field tomorrow and Sunday at the Mount St. Mary’s Tournament in Emmitsburg, Md.

Categories
Featured Sports

Bison defeat Lafayette to win Patriot League title

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

The weight of a five-year title drought was lifted off the collective shoulders of the men’s basketball team when the Bison hoisted the Patriot League Championship trophy in the air March 11 in front of the third largest crowd in Sojka Pavilion history. The Orange and Blue defeated Lafayette 72-57.

“It was surreal,” Mike Muscala ’13 said after the Patriot League title game. “It was the best moment of my basketball career.”

Early on, Lafayette seemed poised to pull off another upset on the road in the Patriot League Tournament. Defensively for the Bison, the physical play of the Leopards’ Jared Mintz posed match-up problems. His 13 first-half points kept the Bison advantage to just five at halftime.

Normally the defensive stopper for the Bison, Bryan Cohen ’12 set the tone early for the Orange and Blue on offense, scoring the first six points for the team on its opening two possessions. After Cohen’s run, Muscala took over, contributing 13 of his team-high 18 points in the opening half.

In the second half, the stingy defense of the Bison prevented Lafayette from making an extended run and taking the lead. The inside presence of Muscala and Joe Willman ’13 limited Mintz to no field goals and just three points in the second half. Timely baskets down the stretch by G.W. Boon ’11 and Cameron Ayers ’14 gave the Orange and Blue the signature victory to cap off a historic season.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the thousands of orange-clad fans that had filled Sojka Pavilion stormed the court in celebration of a title five years in the making.

All 14 players as well as head coach Dave Paulsen advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

The three seniors, Darryl Shazier ’11, Boon and Stephen Tyree ’11, all of whom had been recruited by previous head coach, Pat Flannery, finally filled the shoes of past Bison who had won consecutive conference titles in 2005 and 2006.

For all three of them, it was their final game in Sojka Pavilion after an entire career of suiting up in a Bison uniform. But the memories from winning the title on their home court will never be forgotten.

“Winning the championship was absolutely unbelievable,” Boon said. “Hearing that buzzer sound off and seeing the crowd rush the court to celebrate with us was amazing. It was easily one of the most exciting and gratifying moments of my life.”

Categories
Editorial Opinion

Editorial

Two years ago, the men’s basketball team stumbled to a disappointing record of 7-23; the team’s biggest stars had graduated, and no one new had yet stepped up to replace them. Now, the Bison are back in the Patriot League Championship, and the future looks bright for a team loaded with standout underclassmen.

Last year, The Bucknellian shrank to 12 pages as staff members disappeared and writers grew apathetic. The remaining editors were worried that the paper might be dying. But since then, a group of motivated first-years has has re-invigorated the paper, erasing doubts and raising hope for years to come.

Now Addison O’Donnell ’14, in creating Campus Productions, is attempting to enact a similar turnaround for the University’s musicals scene. A musical theatre club has actually already existed at the University for some time now, but its activity has been inconsistent and has left a void in the University’s theater offerings, which include many other productions but few musicals. O’Donnell hopes to be the one to fill that void.

We recognize the immense difficulties that must be involved in such an ambitious project, and we applaud O’Donnell for his initiative and effort. We also congratulate all of the students working to create common-interest communities for the Small Houses Program. The amount of planning and organization that must go into creating such communities is substantial, but students have worked tirelessly to put together programs that will genuinely serve the University community—for example, the University’s first gender-neutral housing.

All of these examples demonstrate that dedicated students really can make a big difference in their campus community—a fact especially important considering the short life-cycle of many student organizations. All student organizations must deal with the issue of member turnover. Students are usually only at the University for four years; groups are forced to give up their more experienced members upon graduation, and may or may not be able to find fresh members to replace them. Talent and interest fluctuate from year to year, but a few consecutive bad years can easily plunge a previously successful organization into a cycle of futility.

Still, students should take heart from the success stories around them and realize that even if disaster has struck their favorite organizations, they can still do something about it. As long as students retain hope, they can potentially turn things around. We hope that O’Donnell will be successful in his endeavors; we hope that The Counterweight, just now publishing its first issue of the semester with a depleted staff, can succeed in returning to its former glory; and we wish the best for anyone else attempting to revitalize an organization or start a new one.

It only takes a few dedicated students to inspire others and turn things around; the results of engaging in action rather than remaining apathetic can be momentous.

Categories
News

O’Donnell creates campus musical theatre company

By Allison Mongan

Writer

The University community will have two additional musicals every semester, thanks to the new student organization Campus Productions. The four added productions will be small cast musicals that showcase between one and eleven actors, as well as musicians and directors.

The organization was started by Addison O’Donnell ’14, who arrived on campus last fall and shortly thereafter began what has been called an “arts revolution.” His idea for Campus Productions stemmed from his passion for theatre and from his past experience directing musicals. The process to create the new organization took eight months.

“I want to be a director. I was one before arriving at Bucknell and it’s my goal to be one after,” O’Donnell said. He is also driven by the goal of tying acting, singing, directing and producing all together into something bigger.

Currently the theatre, dance and music departments put on a large cast musical every other spring.

Campus Productions aspires to be a fully student-run organization.

“It will be professionally done in every way, shape and form, but will be able to have all student input,” O’Donnell said.

Students will choose which shows to put on and have a say in how the production will be run. This power also entails the business side. Students will have to budget the shows and want accounting and management majors to become involved. Since Campus Productions intends to have students become the brains of the operations and wants it to be cross-disciplinary, it is seeking all types of majors to become involved and give their input.

Connecting the University to the surrounding Lewisburg community and improving “town and gown” relations has been a goal that the campus has been working towards. O’Donnell hopes Campus Productions will add to the relationship and help it become stronger.

“I see it as a large creative, collaborative element,” he said.

Shows will be held at the renovated Campus Theatre on Market Street that became a part of the University last semester. These renovations include additional theatrical lighting, an upgraded sound system, a curtain and a retractable screen that will allow for the stage to be a live theatre venue.

“These renovations will expand the basic use of the Theatre as a venue to accommodate small live performances such as the ones planned by Campus Productions,” said Ellen Flacker-Darer, Executive Director of the Campus Theatre.

The Campus Theatre is working towards involving the Lewisburg High School students. Campus Productions, in keeping with this, wants to have high school students become involved through an internship-like program which would allow them to shadow directors and actors and maybe even perform in shows.

Donations from alumni have been a good starting point for Campus Productions. They are also hoping to be approved for different grants so that they can really get going. Through various interest meetings, Campus Productions has been able to attract many students.

“There’s been interest sessions which had a fair turnout, I’ve been approached by students and a couple of professors too,” Ethan Van Buskirk ’13 said. The Residential Colleges, especially the Arts College, have expressed interest and see this as a good way to increase vertical involvement with their alumni. Now, as they say at Campus Productions “it’s on.”

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Opinion

Social media sites are not real life

By Erin Kircher

Contributing Writer

“I was just looking through your Facebook the other day, and it seems like you’ve been doing really well!” These were some of the first words I heard after recently running into a person who had gone to my high school. I didn’t know if I should feel flattered or uncomfortable; I hadn’t talked to her in years.

Facebook makes people vulnerable in an unconventional way.  Our Facebook pages are open to scrutiny or admiration from a wide range of people—many are not close friends, but rather distant acquaintances.

What’s particularly unnerving is that this high school acquaintance probably received a false portrayal of my real life. My profile is a series of selectively chosen aspects of my life that I decide to include—most commonly, pictures that I find to be more attractive and in which I appear to be having a great time. I do not think I am alone in being so selective.

Creating a Facebook profile page is an opportunity to form a unique persona in which you can leave out the ordinary or negative parts of your life. Rather than just being a way to connect with others, it has turned into a way to impress others. However, some personal aspects of your life might be better left out.

Facebook offers so many ways to express yourself, from your religious beliefs to your favorite kind of music. However, how much profile information is appropriate before you reach information overload? I tend to stay on the simplified side.

Facebook etiquette is especially complex when it comes to relationships and dating. These matters are confusing enough without the added stress of publicizing them. For instance, the moment you click “It’s complicated” for your relationship status is the moment you invite a large network of people to meddle in your personal business.

Then again, some people claim that if the relationship is not on Facebook, it is not official. It is truly embarrassing that many people use Facebook, a superficial form of identity, to define the legitimacy of a relationship.

Research has actually shown that Facebook can play a role in relationship failure. According to an article by PR News Channel, “The newest divorce Facebook study shows that one in five marriages are destroyed by the nation’s most popular website.”

Now, it does seem like a hefty claim that Facebook is the major reason for these marriage failures. The couples in this study surely must have had other deep-seated problems.  Still, there is something to be said for the negative impact Facebook can have on an already unstable relationship.

Not only does Facebook put pressure on a relationship through publicizing its status, it also has the potential of leading to trust issues. For instance, according to the above divorce Facebook study, Facebook offers connection to so many people that the temptation to reach out to old exes or potential new partners increases. Evidence of affairs has been increasingly linked to Facebook.

Facebook can be fun and relaxing, but it can also cause unnecessary drama. I suggest not putting so much importance on this persona that is your Facebook identity, and rather spending more time focusing on the person you really are.

The same holds true for relationships. What a couple has is between those two people, and does not need to be solidified by any public approval or complicated by public judgment. Remember that Facebook is not real life and so should not dictate it.

Categories
Opinion

Charlie Sheen no longer superhuman

By Brian Shoener

Contributing Writer

Over the past few years, one actor’s name has been incessantly clogging the airwaves and wasting valuable space in countless newspapers. His recent tirades have given him pop-culture status comparable to Chuck Norris. The problem is that there is no way Charlie Sheen could ever count to infinity and back even once (let alone twice).

Charlie Sheen was fired from his role on “Two and a Half Men” after he made insulting remarks about the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre. Sheen plans on suing CBS for “bazillions” that they owe him.

Some people think he’s awesome and shouldn’t have been fired. In fact, viewership of his show was on the rise. The question has to be asked, though, whether people were watching the show or if they were just watching the Sheen.

More often than not, people like attention. They usually prefer the good kind of attention, where others are speaking highly of them and their good deeds, but there are always the anomalies that want to be in the spotlight all the time. These are the people who will do whatever is necessary to get attention. Partying, exorbitant drug use, violence, cheating and lying become the norm for these desperate people.

This intense lifestyle is bound to have its negative consequences. Simply watching Charlie Sheen’s ABC interview shows how physically and mentally taxing his lifestyle has been. The worst part about all this, though, is the pathological lying.

After watching his interview multiple times, it seems like he truly believes that he is superhuman, but there are multiple points throughout the interview when he shows signs of deceit.

There are many different ways someone can show unconsciously that they are lying. These include deflection (twisting words to delay answering a question), where a person is looking as they are talking, how they are moving their head in relation to what they are saying and what they do with their eyebrows. Though these might seem trivial, if you test these signs in real life (as I have), you will find that they truly are a good predictor of whether a person is lying or not.

In the case of Charlie Sheen, he has displayed all of these. When asked, “When was the last time you used?” his initial response was, “I use a blender, I use a vacuum cleaner, I use household items.” He goes on to say that he doesn’t remember when he last used drugs, but he still initially deflected the question.

In addition, when he said that he doesn’t remember his last drug use, he stared right at the interviewer’s eyes. People actually look away when they are remembering something. They stare straight at a person when they are lying.

Later on in the interview, Charlie Sheen was asked if he enjoys his current life sans partying. His initial response? Yes. How did his body respond? He shook his head no. That was the truth; he misses being a party-boy but was lying about it.

Finally, he was asked if his drug providers are out of his life. His immediate physical response was to raise his eyebrows and shake his head no. These are both signs that the words to come are a lie (and he didn’t even answer that question anyway).

Charlie Sheen’s life is finally catching up to him. He lost his job, has a 71% disapproval rating and is physically and mentally wearing thin. He might be rich, but I seriously doubt that he’s happy.