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(04/13/05 4:00pm)
The College's men's and women's track teams took advantage of the beautiful weather last weekend and dominated in the Sam Howell Invitational at Princeton University. The men and women recorded seven NCAA qualifying performances at the meet with a school record broken along the way.
The Lions faced a tough field that was made up of mostly Division I schools, including Princeton, Yale and Columbia.
Junior Tiffany Clark won the 400-meter run for the women in an NCAA Division III automatic qualifying time of 55.78. She was also part of two NCAA provisional qualifying relay teams for the Lions.
The Lion's women's 4 x 100 relay team, with the efforts of sophomore Khristelle Manuyag, freshman Jessica Bonelli, junior Brittny Boyd and Clark posted an NCAA provisional qualifying effort in the race with a time of 47.86. The Lions also had a provisional time in the 4 x 400 relay behind the efforts of Clark, sophomore Angela Tecco, Bonelli and freshman Carolyn Gray.
Boyd went on to have a banner afternoon as she won the 100-meter dash in a provisional time of 12.13. She was also the first collegiate runner to cross the finish line in the 200-meter dash with a personal best time of 24.86, good enough for second place.
"It was great that we had so many provisional qualifiers that ran fast and qualified for nationals," senior Jennifer Zucaro said.
The men had an equally impressive weekend, with senior Brian Donovan leading the way as he won the 10,000-meter run and broke a school record in the process with an NCAA provisional time of 30:27.81.
Adding to the efforts of the men's team, junior Jeff Zodda finished third in the 800-meter run and posted a time of 1:51.28 to post an NCAA Division III automatic qualifying effort. Junior Jeff Schwerdtman picked up fifth in the shot put with a provisional mark of 15.53 meters.
In the 5,000-meter run, seniors Sean Lesniak and Matt Molski posted personal-best efforts in the race as Lesniak had a time of 14:54.68 and Molski recorded a time of 14:57.38. Lions junior Kevin Jones placed fifth in the long jump with a performance of 6.89 meters while also recording a personal best time in the 200-meter run of 21.94.
The Lions had a number of strong showings in the pole vault as junior Brian Hoffman posted a mark of 13.11 meters, while senior Brian Wanner and sophomore Dan Golazeski each had marks of 13.05 meters.
"There were a lot of standout performances," Donovan said. "It was great to see everyone compete so well."
The Lions will compete in one more tune up meet before they host two meets on campus.
"We have a small meet this coming weekend at Ursinus," junior Kristen Pogorzelski said. "But we're all really looking forward to two big home meets on April 23 and 30, so that everyone from school can come and cheer."
(04/13/05 12:00pm)
Two hundred fifty College students gathered to watch "The Lion King" on April 5 in the Cromwell Main Lounge, where it was survival of the most attractive, talented and articulate.
Far from a screening of the Disney classic, this was a male beauty pageant in which eight College men strut their stuff in their best apparel and dazzled the audience with their talents.
The ninth annual "Lion King" competition, hosted by Delta Phi Epsilon, included formal wear, talent and a question and answer section.
"The contestants were free to do and wear what they wanted as long as it was appropriate," Heather O'Loughlin, Lion King chairwoman and junior English major, said.
The event raised over $1,700 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which has been the official philanthropy of Delta Phi Epsilon since 1958.
The contestants were each sponsored by a student organization. Gabe Alonso, sophomore marketing major, who was sponsored by Sigma Sigma Sigma, was crowned the Lion King.
"The guy who won was really good," Angela Massimi, freshman English and elementary education major, said. "But really everyone did a wonderful job."
Dave Salge, junior art education major, came in second place and David Dziengowski, senior history major, graciously accepted third.
To place in the competition, these men each had to stand out in the three categories. First up was the formal wear competition, when a member of Delta Phi Epsilon escorted and introduced each contestant. Each man gave a short speech on the organization that sponsored him.
"That is the best I have seen those guys look in a while," Lindsey Oxley, sophomore communication studies and political science major, said. "I am not in Greek life, but I went to support my friends who were involved and really had a great time," she said.
Next came the talent competition, which seemed to be the crowd favorite. "I loved the talents section," Marissa Eckrote, sophomore health and exercise science major, said. "Everyone did something so different, but they were all wonderful."
The display of talents was as diverse as it was comical. Dziengowski's impersonations were a huge hit, ranging from "It's a Wonderful Life" star Jimmy Stewart, to political heads like Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr., to Rocky Balboa.
Salge awed the crowd with his own rendition of the Disney movie "The Lion King" in honor of the competition. His humorous and light-hearted display of talent was a hit.
"I thought all the acts were great this year," O'Loughlin said. "Each contestant did such an amazing job. If I had to pick one though, it would have to be Scott Brettel sponsored by Sigma Pi Fraternity. He dressed up in his high school marching band uniform and played the tuba. It was really funny!"
Alonso was another favorite, singing "Rainbow Connection" in a Kermit-the-Frog voice. And Mike Rabasca, junior business administration, wooed the audience as he played the guitar and sang.
"I thought the event was great, and my favorite part was the talent part because you see certain people around campus, and you don't expect that they can do certain things," Jennifer Tobin, senior elementary education and math major, said. "Then they get on stage and it's just like, wow, I didn't know they could do that."
The last part of the event was the interview, where each contestant had to answer one question on the spot. Heather Roessler, sophomore psychology major, said she thought Dziengowski provided the best answer. Dziengowski was asked which club he would be president of if he could be president of any, to which he answered the Future Alumni Association. He thinks involvement after graduation is extremely important and that he sees the College as a family to which he will always belong.
When asked what he would tell incoming freshmen about getting involved socially at the College, Alonso responded to the mostly Greek crowd that he would tell them to join a fraternity or sorority. He explained how much his fraternity means to him and how it has positively impacted his life.
While the contestants were on stage they were judged by four people. O'Loughlin explained that this year the sorority tried something new by picking an audience member to be a judge, and it worked out really well.
"As a judge for the event, my favorite part of the show was talent," Natalie Dallavalle, Delta Phi Epsilon member and junior English major, said. "Everyone had such diverse acts that were so entertaining!"
There was also a "People's Choice" award, for which buckets were passed around the audience, each with a contestant's name on it. Rabasca's bucket had the most money at the end of the event, so he won the award.
"I had a great time," Massimi said. "It was really funny and very entertaining."
Oxley agreed. "Definitely a lot of laughs," she said. "Can't wait until next year's!"
(04/06/05 12:00pm)
President Bush has once again launched an assault on environmental protection in our country. America's environment has by far the biggest price to pay in Bush's belt-tightening plan. Bush cut the FY2006 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by nearly seven percent, an action that reveals a disturbing lack of commitment to facing our ongoing environmental challenges.
Bush has stated that his plan is to make cuts throughout the government to deal with the deficit, but the reality is that environmental activities are often singled out for disproportional reductions relative to other domestic programs. As a result, the nation's air, land and water are at risk.
One-third of the cut stems from a reduction in government contributions to water-quality infrastructure. The president's budget takes no accountability for the growing needs of communities to protect and restore their watersheds.
The Bush administration ignored its own research, which stated that $450 billion is needed in order to keep our streams and rivers clean and disease-free (EPA Gap Analysis).
To compensate for the water cuts, Bush has included a 10 percent increase for the Superfund, a program established to clean up toxic waste sites. This will allow the EPA to clean up about 50 sites.
However, we shouldn't celebrate just yet, as this represents a decline from the Clinton administration, when the EPA cleaned up an average of 87 sites per-year.
The Superfund program was created on the principle that polluting companies should be held accountable for the messes they made. Bush's budget, while proposing a slight increase, effectively abandons the "polluter pays" principle by failing to call for reinstatement of the fees to pay for the program. Instead, it will be the taxpayer who foots the bill for these cleanups.
Bush justifies the cuts claiming they are based on "sound science." Ironically, the administration is requesting significant cuts (totaling $93 million or 12 percent) to EPA's science and technology accounts.
Given Bush's poor environmental track record in his first term, we should hardly be surprised by steep cuts to the EPA's budget.
Likewise, as a former oil executive, we shouldn't be shocked by his decision to endorse drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
What is shocking, however, is the level of deceit Bush used to trick the nation into supporting his agenda.
For example, Bush promised to fully fund the National Ocean Service, the primary federal agency working to protect and manage America's coastal waters and habitats. His budget fulfills only seven percent of this pledge.
He also promised to ensure the upkeep of the 2002 Farm Bill. His budget reduces funding for key agricultural conservation programs and cuts in half mandatory funds that the Farm Bill provided for the Renewable Energy System program.
The promises regarding the Conservation Trust Fund, the Land and Water Conservation and other such programs have met similar fates.
Perhaps the biggest betrayal of the environment occurred when Bush decided to offer factory farm polluters more than two years immunity from the Clean Air Acts. Despite the magnitude of this sell-out, it received little media attention.
The reason? Bush cleverly timed it for the day after his second presidential inauguration. With the media focused on him taking office again, he probably figured the public wouldn't even notice when he let polluters off the hook for their actions. Sadly, he was right.
The Bush administration has persistently sought to hide the true effect of its budget cuts through a sideshow of deceptive gimmicks. It has repeatedly undermined the use of science in decision-making, replacing it with a political agenda.
And most distressingly, it has greatly neglected the environmental crises we are passing on to our children.
This budget steps sharply away from this nation's longstanding conservation tradition. Token increases in a few politically charged locations cannot hide the fundamental shortfalls in conserving America's natural resources.
If we continue to deplete our nation's greatest resources for the next four years due to Bush's failed environmental stewardship, the devastation we can expect to face in the future will be catastrophic.
I believe former Vice President Al Gore put it best when he said, "By choosing to stick its head in the sand, the Bush administration not only embarrasses the country when the world expects leadership from the United States, but it also puts our economy at risk by encouraging illusory decision making." Gore may have lost the presidency in 2000, but won the battle of sound conservation ideas.
(03/30/05 12:00pm)
The year was 1972, rain was pouring from the skies and high school student La Vonne Neal knelt down to get in position to begin her 50-meter hurdles race. Her feet slipped out of the blocks, but her determination to win set her into overdrive.
As Neal crossed the finish line, she was bombarded by news cameras and microphones. She had known she had been first to cross the line, but without today's digital recording times, she had no idea what her time was.
"The reporters were saying 'You just set an American record,'" Neal said. "It was the craziest thing I had ever heard."
Neal's record time of 6.6 seconds remains unbroken to this day. A member of Philadelphia Track Hall of Fame, Neal no longer runs the hurdles, but the determination and drive that came from deep down within has never left her.
Now a professor of education and director of Secondary Education Certification at Southwestern University in Texas, Neal uses the drive that once accomplished extraordinary feats to help others.
For the next week, Neal will be at the College as a visiting professor. She has taken a two-week sabbatical from Southwestern to share her knowledge and innovative teaching ideas with the College.
"I am visiting because I prepare teachers, and The College of New Jersey is a wonderful university that prepares teachers," Neal said.
During her stay, she will sit in on classes and share her experiences and ideas with both students and faculty at the College.
Neal is an entrepreneur of a consulting firm called "Learning Pathways, L.L.C.," which studies "culturally responsive teaching methods."
"We examine ways to inspire children - text books and standards are not enough," Neal said.
Neal believes a curriculum must be relevant and responsive to benefit children. Also, she said it is a teacher's responsibility to make learning work for the student.
"National test scores are lower than ever, and we as teachers need to do something about it," Neal said. "It's not the student's fault; it is the teacher's. If you blame it on a student that would be like a doctor saying, 'You are sick because you want to be.'"
Neal studies urban middle school students to see the effects of some new teaching methods. She aspires to share her research with teachers and students through books, new curriculums and presentations inside and outside of the classroom.
Neal completed her own middle school education at Sayer Junior High School. There she met her biggest supporter, her seventh grade teacher, Ms. Certaine.
"She was a constant voice for me," Neal said. "She was a great role model and was always pushing me to reach higher."
After junior high school, Neal attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls, an all girls school that aims to maximize the potential of each student. Afterward, Neal attended La Salle University as a political science major and continued participating in track.
Neal was the first female to graduate from LaSalle's ROTC program. After graduating, she entered the U.S. Army.
"There were times in boot camp I felt as if I could go no further, but in-spite of the exhaustion I found a way," Neal said. "I ascended my own physical limits."
Neal spent 13 years as an Army officer and was one of the first women in the military to ever hold a field position. She served at Ft. Hood during the Cold War as a Soviet Weapons and Tactics Battle Field Officer. She said that the army taught her the skills she needed to be a true leader.
"One of the most valuable lessons I learned in the Army was to lead by example," she said.
After leaving the Army, Neal attended the University of Texas at Austin and received a masters and a Ph.D. in multicultural education.
She then began teaching middle school in Texas. During this time, Neal realized that teachers need to go beyond what is written in textbooks.
"If you can make teaching relative to the student, the connection goes beyond your imagination," she said.
The idea of "leading by example" would stay with Neal long after she had left the military and would carry her to the top in the corporate sector.
Neal held various corporate management positions, one of which was in package management for McNeil, a pharmaceuticald company, during the Tylenol tampering crisis.
In 1982, McNeil discovered that numerous bottles of its Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules had been laced with cyanide. Seven people had died as a result. Neal helped create the tamper-evident packaging, which can now be seen on Tylenol and all drug packaging.
"It truly revolutionized the business," Neal said about the crisis.
Neal said that her success in her management positions can be attributed to the military. Neal explained that in her management positions, she would work among those under her, rather then separate herself from them.
She could always be found walking out on the production floor. Because of this, people trusted her instead of fearing her.
"I have found in management that if you take care of the human needs the humans will take care of what they need to do," she said.
The last 40 years have made Neal a remarkable resource for all.
Watching her speak in front of a class at the College, it is easy to see that her diverse experiences and accomplishments have made her strong leader who is dedicated to education.
(03/30/05 12:00pm)
After a successful indoor track season, the College's track and field teams have been working on braving the elements for the outdoor season.
Their practice prepared them for their first test last weekend, when they opened their season at the Monmouth University Invitational.
For the past several years, the Lions have had an impressive showing at this non-team scored meet, and this year was no different. The women came home with top-three placement in seven events and the men in five.
"We had some good performances," head coach Eric Mobley said.
He said that there were no events that really stuck out, but that was partially due to some unfavorable conditions for a few events.
"It's early in the year and the weather is not really great," he said.
On the women's side, junior Brittny Boyd won the 200-meter dash in 25.83 seconds. She also helped the Lions finish second in the 4 x 100-meter relay with a time of 48.77. She was the lead runner and was joined by junior Tiffany Clark, sophomore Khristelle Manuyag and junior Erika Huggler.
Clark also finished second in the 200-meter dash in 25.90, while Huggler picked up second in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.26.
"The team had a great performance," sophomore Lindsay Force said.
Sophomore Elyse Mitchell was a second-place finisher in the pole vault with a mark of 9.6 meters. Sophomore Angela Tecco picked up second place in the 800-meter run in 2:16.17 and freshman Jessica Bonnelli was a third-place finisher in the 400-meter dash in 58.38.
Rounding out the Lions' top performers were freshman Jenizah Melendez, who took fifth in the javelin throw with a mark of 35.21 meters, and junior Danica Miller, who took sixth in the same event with her effort of 35.02 meters.
While the team's success did not carry over to the distance events, Force believes that it is only a matter of time. "There are a lot of distance runners that are on the road back to recovery who will be making a huge impact as the season goes on," Force said.
As for the men, freshman Marquis Mitchell picked up second place in the triple jump with a performance of 13.16 meters, while junior Jeff Schwerdtman picked up third in the shot put (15.01 meters) and fifth in the discus (46.47 meters).
Third place finishes came to junior Kevin Jones in the long jump, who had a performance of 6.47 meters, and senior Ed Marion, who reached 1.94 meters in the high jump.
Junior Dan McDonald finished fourth in the 800-meter run in 2:01.00, followed by senior Eric Gross in sixth in 2:02.32.
"The team is looking pretty strong this year," senior Brian Donovan said. "We are going to continue to work hard all season."
The College's outdoor track teams will get their next workout at the Terrapin Invitational in College Park, Md. on Saturday.
Mobley stressed that the team is continuing to work on the transition from indoor to outdoor meets.
"That's what we've really been working on," he said. "We need to make a smooth transition."
(03/23/05 5:00pm)
The College's men's swimming team may not have stolen the show at the 2005 NCAA Division III Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, but it took a step in the right direction with some strong performances.
The Lions moved up from 15th last year to 14th with a final total of 79 points. The Lions' highest team finish was an eighth-place showing at the 2003 NCAA Division III Championships.
The three-day event, which began on Thursday, was hosted by Hope College in Holland, Mich., and concluded with the crowning of Kenyon College as the 2005 NCAA Champion. Kenyon has now won an unprecedented 26 consecutive NCAA titles after finishing in first place with 556.5 points after three days of competition.
"It was an honor to participate at D-III nationals and help contribute to our team's national ranking," senior tri-captain Chris Levin said.
Junior tri-captain Steve Swenson finished ninth in the consolation finals of the 200-breaststroke event with his time of 2:04.82 to garner All-American Honorable Mention honors. Swenson now has 11 All-American awards under his belt.
As a sophomore in 2004, Swanson placed 10th in the 200-breast to earn All-American Honorable Mention honors and came in ninth at the 2003 NCAAs to garner All-American Honorable Mention status as well.
"Considering the fact that we just came off of a big taper meet four weeks ago and since we had nine members of the team at nationals, instead of the 22 at conferences, I think we did very well," Levin said.
The Lions posted a time of 3:07.17 in the consolation finals of the 400-free relay and finished 11th to earn All-American Honorable Mention accolades. The foursome of junior Jeff Glenn, sophomore Kyle King, Levin and senior tri-captain Nick Steffanci recorded a time of 3:07.04 in the preliminaries to garner a 10th-place seeding in the finals.
"We caught a tough break with the 200-free relay when they disqualified us with a very questionable call but we kept fighting," Levin said. "We were aiming for at least top 10 but I know my fellow team members and I worked as hard as we could and did very well with all things considered."
Glenn was the Lions' best place finisher in the 100-free as he came in 24th with a time of 46.79. Steffanci took 30th with a time of 47.06 and King placed 35th in 47.43. No one competed in the event's finals, as only the Top 16 advance.
The national meet signaled the end of the swimming season. Levin said that despite some disappointing finishes, the season was successful overall.
"As a whole I think this team did some amazing things this year," Levin said. "Although we didn't beat Southern Connecticut at conferences and we only got 14th at nationals, I think we had a very successful season. We had some great dual meet wins against (New York University) and Rowan and I think we really grew and learned a lot from this season."
The College's women's swimming team participated in its national meet March 10-12 at Hope College. The event was highlighted by an All-American performance from the Lions' freshman star, Ava Kiss.
Kiss shined in her first NCAA appearance, earning All-American honors by finishing ninth in the 100-fly. She had punched a ticket to the championships with her NCAA automatic qualifying and school record time of 57.59.
"Kiss was the only other member of the team to go to nationals and she did very well," junior Erin Stutz said. "As a freshman, she earned All-American honors which is remarkable. I was happy that she also got the chance to compete on the national level and show everyone how talented she is."
Stutz swam a time of 2:10.96 in the preliminaries of the 200-butterfly event to finish 27th, while Kiss posted a time of 2:11.46 to come in 29th. Neither Stutz nor Kiss made the cut for the finals.
"Personally, I feel that my performance at nationals was not my best," Stutz said. "However, I was excited and happy to have earned the chance to go and compete. There are many different levels of competition and to be on and witness the national level is truly inspiring and rewarding."
Stutz posted an NCAA automatic qualifying as well as a school and Metropolitan Conference record time of 4:34.04 in the 400-individual medley to earn a spot in the event.
This is the second time in her career that Stutz has participated at the NCAAs. As a freshman in 2003, she earned three All-America citations in the 400-individual medley (12th place), the 400-medley relay (16th place) and the 800-free relay (13th place).
Stutz said that the season did not play out as well as the team had hoped, but that there is plenty of optimism for the future.
"We had a rough season being that our record was not the best," Stutz said. "However, I feel that the team worked hard and never ever gave up. We practiced hard and supported each other through everything. I am really excited for next year."
(03/16/05 5:00pm)
On March 22, 2001, the College's women's lacrosse team suffered a regular-season loss, an event that would not occur again for almost four years. But after 52 consecutive regular-season wins, the Lions were finally brought down by the Sea Gulls of Salisbury University last Sunday.
The second-ranked Lions opened their season on a high note March 8 with a 17-4 victory over the Pioneers of Widener University, but the celebration ended only a few days later when they suffered a 9-7 loss on the road to the fourth-ranked Sea Gulls.
Lions' freshman midfielder Karen Doane led all players with four goals, while junior midfielder Lauren Dougher contributed three goals and an assist. Junior goalkeeper Megan Marquardt posted seven saves.
However, their efforts were not enough to overcome the Sea Gulls, who were led by senior midfielder Linda Ackermann's three goals and junior attacker Lynsey Bateman's two goals and an assist for the win.
"Sailisbury has been a consistently tough opponent," junior defender Meredith Spangler said. "Although we held the lead in draw controls and shots on goal their team prevailed in a highly competitive game."
The Sea Gulls took a 6-3 lead into halftime with back-to-back goals in the last 5:36 of the half.
In the second half, Salisbury opened the new period with three straight goals for a 9-3 advantage with 12:04 remaining in the game as Ackermann scored twice and Bateman added one. The Lions fired back with four unanswered goals, but it was not enough.
"There were a lot of mistakes that we made, but we can learn from them," sophomore forward Amanda Fuchs said.
Although overshadowed by the recent loss, the Lions' season did start on a good note as they rolled to a 17-4 victory in their season opener against the Pioneers of Widener University. The Lions squared off with the Pioneers at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida.
"While in Florida we were able to get a lot done in a nice environment which I think lead to great chemistry on the field," Spangler said.
Dougher led all players with five goals and three assists, while senior midfielder Lauren Gossner added three goals and three assists to lead a balanced attack. Junior midfielder Bridget Bigley contributed two goals and two assists and freshmen Toni-Anne Cavallo and Doane each scored a pair of goals in their first collegiate game.
Marquardt and Paige Lucard split time in the goal and combined for five saves to lead the team defensively.
"The attackers were stupendous with their shots and were continuously moving the ball," Spangler said. "Toni-Anne Cavallo and Karen Doane were two freshman that really added to the amazing attacking unit that we had already."
"We just moved the ball down the field from defense to offense very well," Fuchs said.
Widener was led by senior attacker Lauren Goane, who tallied a goal and two assists, while junior midfielder Tricia Lynch chipped in a goal and an assist.
The Lions jumped out to a 9-0 lead with 4:46 remaining in the first half. The Pioneers finally got on the scoreboard at 3:09 when freshman midfielder Kerri Schulz converted a pass from Goane. The Lions ended the half with a goal from Bigley to post a 10-1 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Lions opened the new stanza with four straight goals before freshman midfielder Tara Krasley scored an unassisted goal at 20:25 to make it a 14-2 game. Doane, Dougher and Gossner tallied the Lions' final three goals of the game.
Next up for the Lions will be SUNY Cortland at Lions Stadium on Saturday, where the Lions hope to start a new winning streak.
"The loss will just push us to work even harder," Fuchs said. "We know that this season is not going to be easy, but the loss definitely will not bring us down."
(03/02/05 5:00pm)
Instead of the celebration of a championship they had hoped for, there were tears. The College's women's basketball season, which was filled with hard work and dedication, came to the end no one had expected Friday night in Packer Hall after a 70-67 loss to the Rowan University Profs.
"We are definitely very confident and excited to start playing in the postseason," senior guard Sofia Ojeda said before the game. "We just want to go out there and get another NJAC (New Jersey Athletic Conference) title." But confidence and home court advantage was not enough, and the Profs denied the Lions the opportunity to play for a third championship in the last five years.
The top-seeded Lions, who had one winning streak of 11 games and another of eight during the regular season, were eliminated from the NJAC playoffs and finished with a 20-6 record. The Lions had defeated the Profs 74-71 on Feb. 9 during the regular season.
The defeat completes a sweep for Rowan's basketball teams over the College, after the Profs eliminated the Lions' men with a 63-59 victory last Monday.
The key to the Rowan women's win was a 20-6 run to open the second half, which turned a three-point halftime deficit into an 11-point lead.
"Their guards were shooting pretty well and we left them open too many times and they hit the shots," junior guard Alexa Shields said. "They capitalized on our mistakes and that hurt us."
After notching an impressive 21 points in the first 20 minutes, Shields was held to just two points in the second half. Rowan made some defensive adjustments during halftime that effectively held Shields in check. She still finished with 23 points, a career high.
The Lions had trouble getting anything started during the Profs' 20-6 spurt, shooting 2-of-8 from the floor and committing eight turnovers.
The Lions finally responded with a 12-2 run to cut the Profs' lead to one (68-67) with 55 ticks left in the game, receiving eight from senior forward Theresa DiMedio. After the Profs extended their lead to three, the Lions had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds but a three-point attempt came up short.
In a high-paced first half, both teams came out shooting as they combined for 13 three-pointers, with the Lions shooting 41.2 percent from behind the arc as compared to the Profs' 42.9 percent. However, neither team established solid control of the game, exchanging the lead 10 times and knotting the game on four occasions.
The Lions led by as many as seven before the Profs used an 11-2 run to take the lead at 9:06 on two free throws by senior center Samantha Eskuchen. The Lions returned the favor with a 16-8 spurt to post a 34-28 margin with 2:38 remaining. A jumper and two free throws by the Profs tied the game at 37, but DiMedio hit a three with 29 ticks left to give the Lions a 40-37 halftime edge.
"This is the time of year when it's one (loss) and you're done," Shields said. "We should have come out in the first half a little bit stronger, but you always look back and think about what you could have done different. Hindsight is 20-20, but the fact is we met our expectations because no one expected us to be here."
The Lions may have beaten themselves with lazy defense on the perimeter in the opening minutes and generally sloppy play in the second half, but it was the Profs ability to capitalize on these mistakes that really gave them the win.
"I think if we hadn't made a comeback at the end of the game it would probably hurt more," Henderson said. "We went down with a fight."
"I can't even explain how this feels," Profs senior guard Jaime McCormack, the NJAC scoring champion, said. "It feels like we've won the championship. We beat a hell of a good team."
The Lions ended the night shooting 40.4 percent from the floor and missed just one free throw. Rowan had a slightly higher 41.7 percent shooting day, including 9-of-21 from three-point land.
"I don't think we were nearly as focused as we should have been," Henderson said.
DiMedio added 20 points for the Lions, while junior guard Tiara Simpkins chipped in nine on 7-of-7 shooting from the free-throw line. Junior forwards Erin Frank and Danica Miller paced the Lions on the glass with nine and eight rebounds, respectively.
For Rowan, McCormack, the NJAC's Co-Player of the Year, poured in 20 points with five assists, while senior guard Kami Bernardo contributed a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. Carr, the NJAC's assist leader, chipped in 12 points and a game-high nine assists.
Despite the obvious disappointment of their early playoff exit, many of the Lions' players were at least partly satisfied with the season.
"Overall, I think we had a great season," Miller said. "A lot of people doubted us at the beginning of the season, but we really stepped up."
"As far as this season, I think that we had an amazing year and exceeded a lot of our expectations," Shields said. "We want to get back to here next year."
(03/02/05 12:00pm)
For thousands of years, Indian dance has been an art that brings out the innermost feelings while depicting the cultural aspects of a civilization. This great form of communication has now become part of the College community through Saathiya.
Saathiya, a group of students that who are part of the Indian Student Association (ISA) at the College, was recently chosen to attend Naach Nation III, a competition held to display the best in Indian Dance among college communities.
Columbia University hosts Naach Nation III, which will take place on March 5 at the Roone Arledge Auditorium on Columbia's campus.
The event celebrates the beauty and diversity of South Asian dance and raises money for a charitable cause.
This year, a significant portion of the proceeds will go toward a charity that supports the re-development of the tsunami-ravaged lands.
The tradition of Naach Nation started on Oct. 19, 2002 when seven university dance troupes united at Columbia University in New York City. This was followed by the second annual Naach Nation on Oct. 11, 2003.
Over 1,400 audience members from the tri-state area gathered to support this endeavor.
"We were ecstatic when we found out about Naach Nation III, it is such a huge show and we are honored to be dancing with some of the best South Asian dance troupes in the country," Amit Shah, freshman biology major and co-manager of the Saathiya, said.
Types of dance displayed at the competition on Saturday will include Bharata Natyam, Kathak, Odissi and Monipuri as well as non-classical folk styles, such as Bhangra and Garba.
"Saathiya tries to acknowledge all types of dance," Shah said. "Everything from classical to Hindi to Bhangra to hip-hop, and its main goal is to enlighten and dazzle its audience with performances that aim to fuse together different styles of Indian and American dance."
There will be nine groups performing in all, including Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Drexel University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, Columbia University and the College. Each dance troupe had to submit an audition tape and be selected as one of the best in order to actually be in the show.
Managers Amit Shah and Tina Shah, along with costume coordinator Belinda Michael, and choreographer Jose Zuniga have all been working hard to prepare the group for the competition. They believe that the team will do wonderfully at Columbia.
For many South Asians, cultural dance has evolved from a pastime into an indispensable means of proudly maintaining a deeply embedded South Asian heritage and culture, extending into the College community in the last decade.
Saathiya started in Spring 2004 when a few members of ISA who shared a common interest in dance decided to start a team.
"These are students who had a dream to assemble a team that would educate others about the diversity of Indian culture," Amit Shah said.
The team has now grown into an established and well-supported group which includes 18 members, eight of which will be dancing in the competition.
"Saathiya started out as a dream for us and our dreams are finally coming true," Tina Shah, junior biology major, said.
"Saathiya actually means togetherness in Hindi, and ever since the start of the dance team I felt everyone is like a family member to me sharing the love of dance," Sangita Desai, junior finance major and treasurer of Saathiya, said.
"We are also in a competition called Sapna on April 16th and I cannot wait, our theme is going to be Arabian nights," Desai said. "I hope that the support for our team will continue to grow in the College community."
(02/23/05 5:00pm)
Suffering two losses may be tough, but it certainly helps to know that it does not matter in the standings.
Montclair State University (MSU) handed the College's women's basketball team its second loss at home and second loss in conference action as the Red Hawks posted a 54-46 victory over the Lions in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
However, the Lions will still hold the top spot in the NJAC playoffs and will enjoy a first-round bye. They finished the season with a 20-5 record.
"It was a good wake-up call," junior center Danica Miller said. "We have a big week coming up next week, and now we have that loss as a motivator."
"Obviously we would have liked to have won the game but we are going to learn from it and just improve the next game," junior forward Erin Frank said.
No one reached double figures in the game for the Lions, who were led by junior guard Tiara Simpkins and Frank with nine points each. Miller pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to match her personal best for the second time in her career.
"We just didn't come ready to play," Miller said. "I think we might have taken the team a bit too lightly, and they took advantage of that."
Junior forwards Amanda Mullaney and Michelle Madej paced the Red Hawks with 11 points each as Madej shot 5-of-7 off the bench. Mullaney also grabbed eight boards, while freshman guard Jessica Garrabrant had 12 rebounds and seven points.
A three-pointer by junior guard Alexa Shields started off the scoring for the Lions at 17:42 before MSU went on a 7-0 run to take a 7-3 lead at 15:35. Then the Lions went cold, as they were held without a field goal for 6:49 before a lay-up by Frank with 4:08 remaining in the half. Both teams remained scoreless for the next 2:53 until MSU's junior guard Stephanie Machin connected on a jumper with 42 seconds remaining in the half and the Red Hawks took a 25-17 lead into the locker rooms.
The Lions pulled within three (29-26) at 13:49 in the second half on a trey by Shields after a 9-4 run to start the period, but MSU went on an 18-9 run to lead by as many as 12, and the Red Hawks never looked back. MSU out-rebounded the Lions 42-31 for the game.
Frank felt that the Lions were unable to play their normal game. "We just weren't clicking," she said. "We couldn't get anything going on offense especially."
The team worked hard in practice after the game. "We haven't been doing anything in particular," she said. "We didn't play like ourselves in that game, we haven't played like that all year, but we want to make sure we don't play like that again."
However, the Lions did not have an easy opponent to bounce back against. On Friday, the College suffered a 59-49 non-conference defeat to Mount Saint Mary College (MSMC), the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division III Atlantic Region.
Blue Knights sophomore LaSheena Brown led the way with 13 points and 13 rebounds as MSMC won its 17th straight game, improving to 23-1 on the year.
Lions senior forward Theresa DiMedio paced the team with 13 points, while Frank had a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Lions held a brief lead in the first half before the Blue Knights came storming back. MSMC finished the half with a 29-21 cushion and held a double-digit lead for the nearly all of the final 11 minutes of the game, leading by as many as 14. Their second-ranked defense held the Lions to 32 percent shooting from the floor and forced 19 turnovers.
The Lions begin their playoff quest tomorrow night at Packer Hall for the NJAC semifinals. If they win, they will host the NJAC Championship Game on Saturday.
(02/16/05 5:00pm)
The College's women's basketball team racked up two more wins last week and is only two games away from the playoffs.
The Lions survived a late rally by Rowan University in the last three minutes and 30 seconds of the game to post a 74-71 victory over the Profs and win their 13th consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) matchup in Packer Hall last Wednesday night.
The score was close for the entire game and came down to the wire. The teams traded leads seven times throughout the first half before the Lions went on a 21-6 run to be up 43-34 at halftime.
After opening the game with back-to-back three-pointers, Rowan ended the half just 3-for-10 from downtown, while the Lions made half of its three-point field goals.
The Lions led by 10 with 13:34 left in the game, but the Profs cut the deficit to just one (60-59) at 6:14 as the Profs put together a 15-6 run, led by senior center Samantha Eskuchen with nine points. After the Lions were able to cushion their lead, the Profs went on another run off three Lions turnovers to get back within one with 36 seconds remaining.
Four consecutive free throws by senior guard Theresa DiMedio and junior forward Erin Frank gave the Lions a 72-68 margin with 18 ticks left on the clock. But again the Profs were ready with an answer: with four seconds left, Eskuchen sunk two free throws to cut the lead down to one (72-71).
Junior guard Alexa Shields finally sealed the win for the Lions with two free throws with three seconds remaining. Profs junior guard Sheemea Carr missed her three-point attempt from half-court with time expiring.
"It was a great win," senior guard Sofia Ojeda said. "It was one of those games where everyone had to come together and stay focused on what we had to do."
Shields netted her first career double-double with 17 points, including 13 in the first half, and 10 rebounds.
Frank and junior center Danica Miller each recorded a double-double as well. Frank tallied 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds while Miller chipped in 13 points and a career-best 12 boards.
"I think that we came ready to play, and that is one of the things we have done well this year," Frank said. "We take every game seriously and don't overlook anyone."
McCormack led the Profs with a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds, while senior guard Kami Bernardo notched 14 points and eight boards. Eskuchen registered a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench and senior forward Stephanie Finke and Carr each contributed 12 points.
Next on the ticket for the Lions were the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers University-Newark. The Lions entered the day assured of the NJAC's top seed, but that did not stop them from taking control in a 61-32 blowout. The Scarlet Raiders fell to 15-8 overall and 7-7 in the conference.
"This game was very important not only because it's a conference game, but (the Scarlet Raiders) have beaten everyone in the conference but us," Shields said. "They are one of those teams that can sneak up on you if you don't play well."
Junior forward Erin Frank hit seven of eight shots from the floor on her way to game highs of 17 points and nine rebounds.
The day was not a total loss for the Scarlet Raiders, as they clinched the school's first NJAC Tournament berth when Rutgers University-Camden downed Kean University and Rowan University stopped Ramapo College.
The Lions have secured the top seed in the playoffs, which gives the team home-court advantage throughout the conference tournament.
"It will be very nice to be able to play at home," Shields said. "I'm not a fan of those vans."
Despite having first place wrapped up, the Lions are still focusing on their remaining games and hope to improve.
"We are taking one game at a time and not looking ahead," Frank said. "We are going to continue tightening up our defense and rebounding."
The College will host Montclair University tonight at 8 p.m. and then travel to Mount St. Mary College for its regular season finale Friday at 6 p.m.
(02/16/05 12:00pm)
Students who might usually find a quiet place to read or do homework in between classes at the Brower Student Center found a different, more exciting environment there the night of Feb. 8th. With the Sesquicentennial Midnight Madness, the Student Center buzzed with energy and entertained students in the countdown to the College's 150th birthday.
"Midnight Madness was a huge success," Christie Heyer, senior chemistry major and event coordinator for the College Union Board (CUB), which hosted the event, said. "There were many people there throughout the night and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was never a dull moment."
Steven DeLaura, senior finance major, financial director of CUB and the event coordinator of Midnight Madness, estimates that over 300 students attended the event.
From a six-hole miniature golf course to tarot card readings and temporary tattoos, students found plenty of free fun at the late night event. There was also "Gladiator Joust," a game in which two contestants balance themselves on unstable pedestals and try to knock each other off with soft, oversized jousting poles.
At "Sports Speed Cage," students could test the strength of their throwing arm. They could also try their hand (and feet) at "Inflatable Twister," which is the classic floor game using a giant inflated twister mat.
"It was successful not only because many students came out and attended the event, but it was also very successful for CUB as an organization, because it allowed us to put on different events that we have never tried before," DeLaura said.
The food court of the Students Center was crowded with students hoping to play the ever-popular "Dance Dance Revolution," an arcade game that CUB brought to the big screen.
"We all wanted to play DDR, but it was too crowded, but oh well, there were plenty of other things going on to keep us busy," Jenn Geigert, junior engineering major, said.
DeLaura said that the idea for Midnight Madness started when the Sesquicentennial Committee came to CUB and asked for an exciting program to help kick off Founders' Day, Feb. 9.
"We thought that this program would be a great way to give back to the College and the campus community," DeLaura said.
Midnight Madness was based on a former CUB event called "The Latenighter," which was previously held during spring semester in the Student Center. "We as an organization were no longer budgeted for the Latenighter anymore and thought that Midnight Madness could be the program that would allows us to create that famous Latenighter feeling, only with a different twist," DeLaura said.
There was a countdown at midnight to the beginning of Founders' Day and students were quite entertained with the entire event. "There were plenty of activities to keep people entertained for a couple of hours," Niki Ostrum, sophomore history secondary education major, said.
"I didn't think I was going to want to stay the whole time, but before I knew it, it was 2
a.m. and everything was over," Jenn Geigert, junior engineering major, said.
Pictures helped keep the students coming at Midnight Madness. There were "Picture Puzzles," where students got their picture taken and then it was made into a puzzle to take home. There were also "Big Chair Photos" were students got their picture taken in the Student Center on the "Big Comfortable Chair."
"I really liked getting all the free pictures with my friends, it's a great way to keep the memories," Geigert said.
"We had a lot of different activities during Midnight Madness that all students seemed to have enjoyed. I personally was most excited about the Battle of the Bands competition," DeLaura said. He was not alone - many loved the Battle of the Bands at Midnight Madness.
"We got there early and watched our friends' bands play, which was, in my opinion the best part of the whole night," Emily Lukacs, junior journalism major, said.
"I loved listening to all the bands," Geigert said. "My friend Rob was in the band that played first and it was really cool to see him and all the other bands play for all the students."
There were seven student bands participating in the competition. Lunch Money Criminals won over the crowd at the end of the night with their Ben Folds-like sound and ended up winning the entire competition and $400 dollars.
"Blizzard Of Bucks" was another favorite of the night. It was a game in which students tried to catch money in a whirlwind and could have won up to $500.
"The game show was really fun to watch. My friend ended up winning the money so it was really cool," Geigert said.
And no one can forget the Texas Hold'em Tournament. "The Texas Hold'em Tournament also went over very well and filled up immediately when the competition began," DeLaura said. "I hope that CUB continues to put on a Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament in some of their events in the future."
"Overall I thought it was really fun and it was a good way to bring a lot of the students together," Geigert said. "They had a great variety of activities for the students and I definitely think they should do more stuff like this cause it was a great success."
(02/09/05 5:00pm)
After losing to Dickinson College on Jan. 18, Lions' head coach Dawn Henderson said that the team needed to improve on their weaknesses and try to distance themselves from the rest of the teams in the conference.
Mission accomplished.
The College's women's basketball team extended its winning streak to six games with three more victories last week. The Lions remain in first place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), improving to 12-1 in conference play and standing at 18-3 overall. With four games remaining before the conference tournament, they are four games ahead of second-place William Paterson University.
Last Monday, the team survived a late rally by Marymount University to pull out a 66-59 win.
"At this time of year, every game is a hard game," Henderson said. "We don't spend a lot of time worrying about a specific opponent. We try and focus on what we need to do to be successful."
It was a see-saw first half as neither team held a lead greater than three until the Lions took a 21-14 lead at the 3:47 mark, resulting from a 10-2 run in which senior guard Sofia Ojeda put up six points.
The Lions took a 28-20 lead into halftime and led by as many as 15 points. But the Saints began to chip away at the Lions' lead with a 21-9 run to only trail by three, 60-57, at the 1:10 mark with a three-pointer from junior guard Randi Jones.
However, the Lions hit six free throws to seal the win as Marymount missed its next three field goal attempts before Jones scored her team's final basket with two ticks left on the clock.
Lions junior forward Erin Frank collected her second consecutive double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Lions had four players in double digits with junior guard Alexa Shields leading the way with a game-high 14 points. Senior Theresa DiMedio added 12 points and Ojeda contributed 11 points and career-highs of three steals and two blocks.
For the Saints, forwards Kacee Grogan and Meghan Denham each poured in 14 points, while Jones scored 13 and sophomore guard Nikki Rowland chipped in 10.
"I truly believe that the key to this teams' success is the fact that they want to play well and win for each other," Henderson said.
The next win came easy for the Lions, who stomped Rutgers University-Camden 80-43 last Wednesday.
"We go out there with a lot of focus and energy and do what we have to do to win," Ojeda said.
The Lions never trailed in the game, boasting a 20-point lead on three occasions in the first half. The Lions finished with 51 percent shooting from the floor, including 12-of-20 from three-point range and received 29 points from their reserves. The Scarlet Raptors shot 27 percent.
Shields led the Lions with 15 points. For the Scarlet Raptors, junior Carmen Zimmitt poured in a game-high 16 points, while Rulon registered a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds plus two blocks.
In their latest victory, the Lions took down the Roadrunners of Ramapo College in a 79-54 victory at the Bradley Center in Mahwah.
The Lions led by as many as 20 points in the first 20 minutes and led by as many as 33 in the game. The Lions shot 48 percent for the game while Ramapo shot 35 percent.
Frank led the Lions with a career-high 15 points. Shields netted 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from downtown, while junior center Danica Miller added nine points. Frank grabbed a game-high six rebounds as well.
For the Roadrunners, junior Vanessa Vargas and senior captain Janine Cappadonna led the team, sinking 18 and 13 points, respectively, while sophomore Keona Palmer added 10. Vargas grabbed game bests of five steals and four assists.
"It feels as though 18-3 sort of snuck up on us," Henderson said. "We have put ourselves in a great position heading into February. If we take care of our own business and maintain our focus on our goals game to game, we should be able to finish the season in a strong fashion."
The Lions will host Rowan University on Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. in NJAC action.
(02/09/05 12:00pm)
The creation of a new chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently established at the College has insipired mixed reactions.
The ACLU is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works daily in courts and handles nearly 6,000 court cases annually from offices in almost every state. They work in developing legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties protected in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
"When I first came to the College, I was so surprised that an ACLU chapter had not been established yet," Khushbu Patel, sophomore criminology and justice studies major and founder of the College's chapter said. "After complaining about it over and over to my friends, they said 'Why don't you just start one?'"
Not all are happy to see the group on campus though. The ACLU has long received national criticism, so it is not surprising that some students at the College would not support the club.
Nationally, the ACLU has been referred to as the Anti-Christian Liberties Union due to its strong ideals on the separation of church and state and has been criticized for things such as opposition to Internet filtering systems on library computers to protect children from exposure to pornography and the filing of lawsuits to remove Christian crosses and the Ten Commandments from public schools.
However, Khushbu does not agree.
"I feel this is an important organization to have on campus because one of the objectives of the ACLU is educating people of what their rights are under the U.S. Constitution and how people, including students, can protect their rights," she said. "We want to spark discussion and make the campus more politically active."
"Simply, the ACLU is a legal group looking to protect the Constitution and Bill of Rights from intrusion by the government, especially in regard to First Amendment violations" Dave Weinstein, sophomore Spanish major and treasurer of the College's chapter of ACLU, said.
According to an article published in U.S. National on Jan. 31 entitled "First Amendment No Big Deal, Students Say," when students were told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one in three high school students said it goes "too far" in the rights it guarantees.
"There is a lot of ignorance in this country about the real meaning of our rights and freedoms," Morton Emanuel Winston, professor of philosophy and member of the ACLU, said. He believes something needs to be done about it and thinks the ACLU is taking steps in that direction.
The ACLU has a history of defending the rights of individual Americans. Sometimes, those whom they defend express unpopular views. However, "it is the purpose of the Bill of Rights to protect such views," Marianna P. Sullivan, professor of political science and international studies, said. "Thus, ACLU fulfills a vital function in our democracy. As the student body at the College becomes more politically aware and more interested in political action, an ACLU chapter on campus would provide an important opportunity for involvement."
Still, some students have a hard time accepting the group, knowing that their student activities fee is going to support a group which supports the speech of any organization, even those such as the KKK.
"It does not surprise me that there should be both strong opposition as well as strong support for an ACLU chapter by TCNJ students," College President R. Barbara Gitenstein said. "Healthy, civil disagreement on such issues should be the centerpiece of the kind of education offered at an institution like TCNJ."
Vice president of Student Life, Mary-Elaine Perry, agrees with Gitenstein. She believes that it is beneficial for the College to have a wide range of organizations supporting different causes because that is what makes being here a great learning experience.
The College's chapter of the ACLU currently has about 25 people on its roster who are interested in becoming active with the club. And Khusbu said he believes that the club can pull more members in once "they get their message out there."
But some students are concerned that when the ACLU does get its message out there, it won't put their whole message out. People against the ACLU believe that the organization only tells one side of the story and leaves out things like their support of hate speech.
The ACLU is holding a forum on the USA Patriot Act on Feb. 23. The forum is going to have a panel of speakers who will discuss different aspects of the Patriot Act and how the ACLU believes it is hurting the country more than helping it.
"Being involved with ACLU is important to me because I was always taught that if you see an injustice occurring you have to take action and do something about it," Khushbu said. "And it would be smarter and more effective to do something about it as an organization."
(02/02/05 5:00pm)
The Lions women got back into the win column after recovering from last week's loss that snapped their 11-game winning streak.
The Lions started off their new winning streak by defeating William Paterson University (WPU) last Monday night at Packer Hall and continued on to defeat Richard Stockton College and Kean University.
The Lions are now leading the conference with a 10-1 record and have an overall record of 15-3.
The game against WPU was intense. It all came down to the end when the Lions managed a 14-5 second-half run to defeat their New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival by a score of 62-54.
With the Lions ahead 46-42 and five minutes remaining, senior guard/forward Theresa DiMedio, who added 10 points, converted a three-point play to put the Lions comfortably in front.
Sophomore forward Breanne Depken scored a career-high 15 points to lead the Lions to the victory. Junior guard Alexa Shields added 13 points and junior center Danica Miller scored four points during the decisive 14-5 spurt. Miller finished with 10 points.
"I think we really play for each other, and we play very well together," Miller said. "We are able to really pull together when we need to."
WPU sophomore guard Luci Custis posted her second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds for WPU, while freshman guard Michelle Pellichero added 14 points.
"The Dickinson game really exposed our weaknesses, which helped us get ready for our conference play," Miller said. "It was a wake up call, and it showed us what we needed to work on. We worked on those things, and that led to the win."
The Lions held the victory by shooting 50.0 percent from the floor while holding WPU to 28.8 percent shooting.
"We were able to convert some stops on defensive into points on the other end," junior guard Tiara Simpkins said. "We knew it was an important game, so we went out there and played with all the intensity we had."
Next on the schedule were the Ospreys of Richard Stockton College on Wednesday at Packer Hall, and the Lions held back a second-half surge to pull out a 64-59 victory.
The Lions started off in the lead and took an 11-point cushion into halftime as they put together a 14-0 run to close out the first half.
In the second stanza, the Lions extended their lead to 15 at the 15:36 mark. However, the Ospreys pulled within four (53-49) with 6:55 remaining on two three-pointers by freshman guard Michelle Auerbacher. The Lions held on, hitting four free throws to seal the win.
"The greatest strength the team has is our chemistry," Shields said. "We get along very well and mesh extremely well on the court. It can be a weakness at times though, because we are so close that we probably don't push each other as hard as we should."
Shields scored a game-high 15 points and matched a season-high six assists, while Simpkins added 10 points.
Auerbacher led the Ospreys with a game-high 15 points off the bench on four three-pointers, while Morris added 13 points and eight rebounds.
On Saturday the Lions roared past Kean University 74-64, proving themselves on the road.
The Lions led by as many as 11 points in the first half before the Cougars closed the half on an 8-0 run to only trail by three points, 31-28.
After freshman forward Chari Cooper's three-point play cut the Cougar deficit to one point, 32-31, early in the second half, the Lions pushed the lead back to seven points following a three-point play by Depken.
The Cougars pulled back within two before DiMedio knocked down one of her four three-pointers to start a 17-3 run to pull away. The Lions led by as many as 21 points.
"This is the most important part of our season and we have to bring our 'A' game every night," Shields said. "The upcoming games are very important and we can't take any conference games for granted."
DiMedio scored 15 points and dished out a season-high eight assists to lead the Lions. Depken finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three steals off the bench, while Shields added 13 points and four assists and Frank finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
For the Cougars, Cooper recorded her second 20-point, 20-rebound game of the season, as she scored 21 points and grabbed 22 rebounds. The nation's leading rebounder, Cooper notched her 12th double-double of the year and seventh game with at least 20 boards.
"We're right where we want to be, but we know we can achieve so much more," Simpkins said.
The Lions will host Rutgers University-Camden tonight in Packer Hall at 6 p.m.
(02/02/05 12:00pm)
Last Wednesday night, Holman Hall was abuzz with students seeking good food, music and a marvelous collection of art. The College's Art Gallery opened its doors to present this year's blockbuster event, Circa 1855. The collection, featuring American, French and Japanese work, from roughly 1835 to 1875, offered something for everyone.
The various pieces, including furniture and clothing, brought the collection to life, offering a three-dimensional viewing experience that captured the audience's attention.
The show began with an opening reception on Jan. 26, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. complete with a full buffet and two student violinists. Each visitor to the gallery was first greeted by a quotation on the outside window that started their journey into Circa 1855 and set the tempo for the collection. The quote was by Charles Baudelaire, from the Exposition Universelle Paris 1855.
"I love the quote as you enter the gallery," Ellie Fogarty, executive assistant to the Provost, said. "It really sets the mood."
The title comes from the founding date of the College and is intended to broaden the audience's perception of the era.
"My goal is for the collection to help to put the Trenton Normal School's inception into a more global context," Lois Fichner-Rathus, curator of the collection and co-chair of Department of Art, said.
Fichner-Rathus explained that in creating the exhibit she wanted her audience to see more than just individual pieces. She wanted them to be able to tie the works together and understand the way in which one part of the world can weigh on another.
According to Fichner-Rathus, each location that the art was chosen from had a very specific purpose. During the time the pieces were chosen from, France was the dominating force in the world of art; in fact, one artist featured in the collection, Whistler, left America to pursue his work in Paris. This was also the time when Japan opened its trade doors, the importance of which can be seen in the influence on many pieces coming from Paris. Americans, however, still retained their desire for realism.
Circa 1855 focuses on these differences between American and European art of the mid-19th century and draws attention to the influential relationship between French and Japanese art.
"I want people to see the bigger picture and the connections in the world," Fichner-Rathus said.
"The individual pieces were amazing and in viewing the collection as a whole I made connections I never would have thought to make," Clint Cappiello, senior biology major, said. "The influence of the Japanese on the artwork coming from Paris at this time is fascinating."
Each visitor who attended the opening night was presented with a package containing information about and pictures of the works of art.
"It was wonderful to not only view the works, but to be able to learn so much about them as well," Jennifer Caso, senior law and justice major, said.
Upon stepping into the Gallery, the viewer was asked to do more than just look at the pieces of art - they were asked to really explore them. Two Whistler pieces were presented with plaques asking the audience to "compare and csontrast" the two works. A portrait of Abraham Lincoln had a plaque asking the viewer to take "A Closer Look" and evaluate how the portrait measures up with their commonly held images of Lincoln.
"The portrait of Abraham Lincoln is a prize piece. I consider it to be the best portrait of Lincoln ever done," Fichner-Rathus said. She also said the portrait, which is displayed as the central piece upon entering the gallery, is hung so that Lincoln is portrayed at his living height of 6 feet 4 inches. She believes this adds the realism of Lincoln, showing him not just a figure of authority but as a man.
Another eye-catching piece of the collection is a dress worn at Lincoln's Inaugural Ball. The mannequin brings the dress to life and constructs it to be one of the central pieces of the collection.
Fogarty?said she thought the dress added a lot to the collection.
"It is a great piece," she said. "With Bush's Inaugural Ball and the Golden Globes just recently occurring, it is great to compare something worn circa 1855."
The collection also features works by Daumier, Hiroshige, Homer, Pissaro, Troyon, Whistler and several other well-known 19th century artists on loan from various areas museums, such as the Princeton University Art Museum and the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum.
"It is a beautiful collection. The way the exhibit was designed really brought it all together," Caso said. "I enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the reception. It was a wonderful experience."
Members of the College sand surrounding community are invited to visit the gallery Monday through Friday noon to 3 p.m., Thursday 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
(01/26/05 5:00pm)
The 11-game win streak of the College's women's basketball team came to a halt last Tuesday night when the visiting Red Devils of Dickinson College handed them their first loss since Dec. 1 by a score of 64-55.
With the win, the Red Devils (12-1) extended their winning streak to eight games. The Lions dropped to 12-3 on the season.
"(Dickinson) played how we would like to play," head coach Dawn Henderson said. "They exposed some of the weaknesses I knew we had to work on."
The Lions opened up the game on a positive note with a 7-2 run, but that was the only time the Lions held the lead. The Red Devils responded with 10 unanswered points to give them a 12-7 lead.
Lions' sophomore forward Breanne Depken cut the margin to three (22-19) with a lay-up at 6:03 before Dickinson pulled away with an 8-0 run to close out the half and boast a 30-19 halftime lead, receiving 10 points off 12 Lions' first-half turnovers.
The Lions came out of the locker room after halftime on fire, with a 21-13 run to start off the second half to come within three (43-40) with 11:36 left. That would be the closest they would get, as the Red Devils responded with an 11-0 run to sport their biggest lead of the game, 54-40, at the 8:06 mark.
The Red Devils, who shot a blistering 60 percent from three-point range, limited the Lions to 25 percent shooting from the floor.
"We were passive on offense and we didn't defend particularly well," Henderson said.
It was a messy game, full of turnovers from both teams, but the Red Devils were able to capitalize on more of them, scoring 22 points off the Lions' 18 turnovers.
The scoring for the Lions was led by junior guard Tiara Simpkins with a season-high 18 points and four rebounds, followed by the efforts of senior tri-captain Theresa DiMedio, who added 13 points and eight rebounds. But Simpkins and DiMedio didn't have enough to overcome the full team effort put out by the Red Devils, who had three players in double digits and had points come from every player on the squad.
Red Devils' sophomore center Allyson Teatom led her team with a game-high of 19 points and 11 boards. Senior guard Megan Shelley contributed 11 points and two rebounds while freshman forward Laura Housel added 10 points and six boards.
Henderson looked at the game as a way to motivate the team to improve on their weaknesses.
"It's a non-conference game, so it doesn't hurt us in conference play," she said. "But it gets our attention the next couple of days in practice."
The Lions had been flying high after winning all of their games over winter break, including a 69-29 thrashing of Rutgers University-Newark.
Junior forward Erin Frank won New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Player of the Week honors for the week of Jan. 9. She averaged 12 points and seven rebounds in two games, including a double-double against Ramapo College.
The Lions' scheduled game last Saturday against conference rival William Paterson University was postponed until Jan. 24 due to the winter storm. Monday's scheduled game against Mount St. Mary College was cancelled.
The team will host a conference game tonight against Richard Stockton College at 8 p.m. They will travel to Kean University on Saturday for a 3 p.m. conference matchup.
"All conference games are so important," Henderson said. "We have a chance to separate ourselves from the rest of the crowd."
(12/08/04 5:00pm)
The College has been chosen to host the NCAA Champion's Challenge on Jan. 8. This is a free event that will highlight NCAA basketball at the College.
Fans of all ages will be able to experience not only the thrill of watching NCAA basketball, but will be given the opportunity to feel what it is like to be part of it, while having the chance to win great prizes.
Champion's Challenge will be open in the Student Recreation Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will also be two games to watch. The men's game will tip-off at 1 p.m. in Packer Hall and then the women's contest will follow at 3 p.m.
Champion's Challenge features various interactive areas where fans can participate in basketball experiences. For adult fans, there is "Center Court," an authentically designed half-court basketball court with goals at various heights were fans can get a chance to shot and play in games for prizes. For the younger fans there is "Kid's Court," which features a basketball court and miniature hoops specifically designed for ages 2-6.
Another feature at the Champion's Challenge will be the "NCAA Basketball Gaming Zone." This is a spot where fan can check out gaming units highlighting the latest NCAA video games. There will also be a station called "Champion's Challenge Dream Photo Giveaway" which will give fans the opportunity to put themselves in an NCAA championship basketball game through photo imaging that they can take home with them. A challenge called "Vertical Leap" will give fans the opportunity to test their skills against the best in college basketball.
In addition, Champion's Challenge will feature basketball shooting games for the opportunity to win great prizes provided by the NCAA as well as NCAA basketball facts and figures highlighted throughout the event via televisions and displays.
(12/08/04 5:00pm)
The College's women's basketball team notched two conference victories last week, including a huge second-half comeback to defeat rival Kean University on Saturday.
The Lions posted a 68-62 come-from-behind win over the visiting Cougars when they overcame a 19-point halftime deficit to clinch the victory.
The first half saw four lead changes and two ties. With the game knotted at 19 and 8:22 remaining in the period, the Cougars strung together a 19-0 run to close out the first stanza and hold a 38-19 margin at halftime. Kean's defense held the Lion's scoreless for the rest of the half as the Lions missed their next eight field goal attempts and committed eight turnovers.
Senior guard Theresa DiMedio ended the drought for the Lions with a jumper at the 19:43 mark and the Lions began to chip away at the Cougars' 19-point lead. The Lions tied the game at 45 with 12 minutes left after mounting an impressive 16-7 run behind eight points by DiMedio. Freshman guard Lashelle Harris' jumper at 2:07 gave Kean a 62-60 lead, but junior center Danica Miller responded with a jumper at the 1:43 mark to tie it up for the fifth time that half.
The Lions scored the final eight points of the game to secure a 68-62 victory and their second New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) win in a row, handing the Cougars their first league loss.
"Our guards are expected to carry the bulk of our scoring this season," head coach Dawn Henderson said.
On Saturday, Henderson's guards pulled through for the Lions. The College had four players contribute double-figure scoring. DiMedio scored 16 points for the Lions, junior guard Alexa Shields and Miller each added 14 points and junior guard Tiara Simpkins helped out with 12 points.
Simpkins had personal and game bests with eight assists and six steals, while Miller's point total was a career-high.
"We are returning our focus to being one of the best defensive teams in the country," Henderson said. The Lions' play in the second half of the game exemplified this, shutting down the Cougars.
The Lions' women's basketball team marked their first NJAC victory of the season by defeating Richard Stockton College last week. DiMedio scored a game-high 16 points and sophomore guard Megan Hueter contributed 12 to lead the Lions to a 64-51 victory over the Ospreys.
The Lions were quick to score and quick to take a 12-2 lead as the Ospreys missed their first 11 field goal attempts. Freshman guard Michele Auerbacher managed to end Stockton's drought with a lay-up at 10:26 and soon the Ospreys were back in the game.
With the game tied up and only a minute left in the half, Simpkins drained a three-pointer to give the College a 24-21 lead.
The Ospreys crept close in the second half but could not overtake the Lions. The Ospreys pulled within one with 7:14 left to play, but Hueter responded with consecutive three-pointers to increase the Lions lead to 45-38. The Lions pulled away down the stretch to close out the 64-51 win.
Shields helped out the Lions winning cause with a personal-best of nine rebounds, a season-high of eight points and a game-high of six assists. Junior forward Erin Frank matched her career-high of six rebounds for the third time while dishing out a career-best four assists. Hueter also grabbed a career-high four boards.
For the Ospreys, sophomore forward Alicia Morris paced the team with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jenna Shenk tossed in three three-pointers and finished with 11 points. Senior forward Takisha Pride grabbed six rebounds to become the Ospreys all-time rebound leader with 659.
The two NJAC wins improved the Lions' record to 3-2 on the year and 2-1 in the conference. The Lions will travel to Rutgers University-Camden for another conference tilt today at 6 p.m.
(12/01/04 5:00pm)
The College's women's basketball team opened their season going 1-1 at the Chuck Resler Invitational hosted by the University of Rochester last weekend.
The Lions dropped a 65-41 decision to the 2004 NCAA Division III National Runner-Up, Bowdoin College, on Friday afternoon. They were, however, able to recover in the consolation round by scoring a last-minute basket to give them a 48-47 victory over the State University of New York at Geneseo, claiming third place in the tournament on Saturday afternoon.
In both games, the Lions were led by senior guard Theresa DiMedio. She posted a game-high 17 points on Friday, and was the only player in double digits. She also led the team in scoring on Saturday with 12 points.
Junior forward Erin Frank also made it into double digits in her performance on Saturday, scoring a career-high 10 points.
Both Frank and junior center Danica Miller had great efforts on the boards. Miller led the team Friday with seven rebounds in her first career start as a Lion. Frank matched a career-best six rebounds on Saturday.
The Bowdoin Polar Bears opened up the game with a 9-0 run in Friday's game before the Lions could get on the scoreboard with a free throw by senior guard Sofia Ojeda and a jumper by DiMedio to close the gap to 9-3 with 13:40 remaining.
However, Bowdoin continued to pull away and led by 12 (21-9) with 5:32 left in the first half. The College came within nine as DiMedio completed the three-point play with 2:45 on the clock. The Polar Bears closed out the stretch with a 7-4 spurt to take a 30-18 lead into halftime.
The Lions committed 12 of the 19 turnovers in the first half and also had a hard time connecting from downtown, going 0-for-8. The squad finished with an abysmal 5.6 three-point field goal percentage for the game.
In the second half, Bowdoin continued its dominance. The Polar Bears notched their biggest margin of the game, leading 59-34 with 4:52 remaining in the game.
The Lions improved in Saturday's game against Geneseo. Although the Lions had a 23-17 lead at halftime, there were nine lead changes in the game, and the game was tied five times.
With the score tied up at 44 with 1:56 left to go, Geneseo's senior forward Jessica Chambers made a jumper, putting Geneseo ahead by two. DiMedio was ready with an answer when she shot a jumper at 1:17 and tied up the game.
With 0:34 left in the game, Frank found herself on the foul line and managed to sink both shots, putting the Lions ahead 48-47. But the game wasn't over yet.
It was Geneseo's time on the foul line when Chambers was fouled. She made the second of two free throws with 15 seconds on the clock, pulling the Blue Knights within one. Chambers then intercepted DiMedio's pass at mid-court with 10 seconds left to play.
Geneseo's senior guard Felisa Brown missed a jumper off the left baseline with three seconds left, but the Lions knocked the rebound out of bounds.
The Blue Knights in-bounded to Chambers who collided with a Lion player and was unable to get a shot off before the horn sounded, leaving the Lions ahead.
DiMedio was named to the Chuck Resler All-Invitational Team after collecting 29 points in two games for the Lions.
"Our schedule, as always, is extremely tough," head coach Dawn Henderson said. A year ago, the Lions finished with a 19-9 overall mark and the Lions also earned the program's second New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship.
"We are very excited about our season," Henderson said. "We are a very different looking team than we have been in the past four years. I think that we are a much more dynamic team."
The Lions lost their NJAC season opener against Rowan University 65-49 last Tuesday. DiMedio again led the team in scoring with 11 points, and a career high of 12 rebounds. Sophomore forward Breanne Depken followed with a personal best of 10 rebounds.
Junior guard Tiara Simpkins and junior guard Alexa Shields added nine and seven points, respectively.
The effort of the Lions was not enough of overcome the amazing game played by Rowan's senior guard Jamie McCormack who had 22 points, shooting 10 for 16 from the floor and two for two from the line. She also totaled seven assists and had four steals.
In the first half, the Lions took the lead 7-4 at 17:11 after a three-pointer by Shields. The Lions had an 11-point lead at 9:48, but this would be the last time they would hold the lead. In the following three minutes Rowan scored 11 unanswered points to tie the score. The Profs ended the half with nine more points to lead 34-25.
In the final half, the Profs gradually pulled away to lead by 22. The closest the Lions came after that was 16 points at the end of the game.
The Lions play today at Richard Stockton College for a conference game at 6 p.m.