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(03/07/07 5:00pm)
While the College sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Dubuque, Iowa, it was the two seniors that reached and ultimately lost in the championship round.
Seniors Joe Galante and Mike Guenther both reached the championship bout at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively, and fell to higher-seeded opponents for second place.
"I thanked them for all they've done and they certainly had a great tournament," head coach David Icenhower said. "They were our captains and our leaders."
Galante, Guenther and freshman Tyler Branham (141 pounds) all earned All-America honors, which are awarded to the top eight place-winners in each weight class.
The College finished fifth overall as a team. It is the 34th consecutive year the College placed in the top 20 and the highest finish since 2001, when the team also finished fifth. Augsburg College won the team title.
"We had a great year. We won the conference, we were 19-1 and we were a top- five team in the nation," Icenhower said. "At the beginning of the year we were ranked 19 in the country with three teams in our conference ranked ahead of us."
Galante lost his title match 5-2 to top-seeded and returning All-American junior Jeremy Anderson of Augsburg. After a scoreless first period, Anderson scored an escape to make it 1-0. Galante then scored a takedown to grab a 2-1 lead.
After another Anderson escape, Galante was close to finishing a shot and scoring another takedown at the end of the second period, but it ended in a stalemate. A commentator said he'd seen that position scored as a takedown earlier in the tournament, but it wasn't called in this instance.
"It was real, real close. He was pretty close to winning the title," Icenhower said.
"I thought I could score and get back points and it was probably a 15-second scramble," Galante said. "I was really working to get it and I thought I could get it, but it didn't happen."
Galante chose to start the third period neutral and was taken down by Anderson to make it 4-2. Anderson rode out the third period for a riding time point to make the final 5-3.
In a match Galante controlled, he came up one short of the ultimate prize - a national championship - but ended his season with a career-high 31 wins and his stellar career at the College with an 84-15 record.
That same commentator dubbed Galante a "Cinderella story" as he upset second-seeded senior Ross Needham of Wisconsin-LaCrosse 2-1 in the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, the sixth-seeded Galante pinned third-seeded sophomore Aaron Wernimont from Wartburg College.
"Right now it doesn't feel like my career is over, but I don't think it's really going to sink in until next September when it's time to prepare to start wrestling," Galante said. "I wish I could have won the national title, but I'm happy with my accomplishments and happy with my career."
Guenther faced senior Marcus LeVesseur of Augsburg and lost 3-0. With the win, LeVesseur became only the second wrestler in NCAA history to finish his career undefeated and to be a four-time national champion - the other being Olympic gold medalist Cael Sanderson.
After a scoreless first period, LeVessuer chose down and escaped to earn a 1-0 lead. Guenther was then taken down, which ended the match's scoring.
LeVesseur was thought to be the best wrestler in the field and a fan-favorite; the arena was chanting his name toward the end of the third period. Yet Guenther gave him his toughest match of the tournament as he was the only wrestler to earn a regular decision.
Guenther pinned third-seeded junior Steve Martell from Johnson and Wales University in the quarterfinals and defeated junior Shaheim Bradshaw of SUNY-Brockport 8-5 in the semifinals to reach the championship round.
Guenther finished this season with a mark of 30-4.
After winning his first two matches of the tournament, Branham fell to top-seeded and eventual champion junior Quincy Osborn from Augsburg College. Branham then defeated sophomore Zach McKray of Wartburg before losing his final two consolation bracket matches to finish eighth overall. Branham finished the season with a team-leading 39 wins.
Assistant coach Joe Pollard was named NCAA Division III Assistant Coach of Year, making the team's coaching staff one of the most decorated considering Icenhower won the Metropolitan Conference Coach of the Year award.
The Lions also sent junior Ray Sarinelli and sophomore Greg Osgoodby to championships. Both lost their first two matches, but each finished the season with more than 30 wins.
Branham was also named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American Team. He is the 15th Lions wrestler to receive the honor. As a team, the Lions were named an NCAA Division III/National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar Team. The College was one of 20 teams to earn the distinction since the team's starting lineup had a GPA of 3.205.
(03/07/07 12:00pm)
Hello. My name is Matt Chando, and I'm a March Madness addict. I've tried everything - the patch, the gum, cessation programs, Arena Football, Valium and even the NBA. But the fact of the matter is for the next four weekends, all non-sports-related areas of my life will come to a grinding halt. This may or may not include simple bodily functions, afternoon naps, all non-tournament related speech and movement from my couch. And my guess is yours will too.
The NCAA tournament is one-of-a-kind. One of 65 will be crowned NCAA champion on April 2 in Atlanta. But it's not so much the result that consumes offices, faculty rooms and dormitories nationwide; it's the chase.
The first two days of the NCAA tournament are the two best days in sports. If your team is playing in the Super Bowl, I could understand an argument for that day and only that day.
From Thursday to Sunday, 49 NCAA basketball games will be played across the country. All this basketball begs the question: What can you temporarily cut out to make time for the madness? I like to start with family members and/or pets, because generally they will forgive you after the tournament ends. A job or classes are the next logical thing to go because chances are your boss/professor is most likely watching CBS underneath his desk while you'd be working. Afternoon naps and/or oversleeping is also an expendable commodity; in fact, my roommate - who hasn't seen the back end of a.m. since Bush's first term - is actually getting up early to prepare for the games.
While each year a different pool of 65 teams vows for a national championship, many things stay the same. Every year favorites are toppled lower seeds, Cinderella's dance through March in glass sneakers, a little known school is put on the national map - i.e. Valparaiso (1998), Gonzaga (1999), Santa Clara (1993), Kent State (2001), Villanova (1986) and George Mason last year - any Bob Huggins team does not advance past the second round, and some guy in your office is sure he's got the next big upstart team pegged (since I can't resist from being that guy, watch out for Nevada and Southern Illinois).
I know the dizzying array of college basketball in which you are about to partake can seem intimidating. After years of missing key moments in games because of malnutrition, dead batteries or just bad luck, I've developed a system guaranteed to maximize you're viewing pleasure:
1) The clicker is never more than an arm's length away. 2) Inopportune bathroom breaks can be remedied with a high dose of volume and an open door. (Can you really afford to miss the next Bryce Drew moment because of your bladder?) 3) Try to befriend Jim Nantz and Billy Packer in your mind; you'll be seeing their mugs non-stop for 96 hours. 4) On second thought, Billy Packer is almost impossible to tolerate, so timely use of the MUTE button will be essential. 5) If you haven't already done so, watching the tournament is a great way to familiarize yourself with various erectile dysfunction treatment options, since every other commercial does so for you. 6) Your sedentary state may cause blood clots, so obtaining some blood thinning medication may be advantageous.
But the best possible piece of advice I can give you is to sit back and enjoy. The rest of this month is perhaps the greatest in collegiate athletics - pure and unadulterated sport at its best.
(02/21/07 5:00pm)
The College's wrestling team captured the Metropolitan Conference team title and crowned three individual champions at the Metropolitan Conference (METs) Championships Sunday at Packer Hall.
Senior Joe Galante (157 pounds), sophomore Greg Osgoodby (174 pounds) and freshman Tyler Branham (141 pounds) all won conference championships in their respective weight classes. Winning the conference means an automatic birth into the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships held on March 2-3 at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.
"It feels really good," Branham said. "I know I still have three more years and my goal was just to make it to nationals this year. But now that I'm here I want to look to be an All-American."
The College edged last year's champion, York College, 89.5-83. Head coach David Icenhower was also named the conference coach of the year.
"(Icenhower) deserves it because we did a lot with a little this year," Galante said. "We had a lot of young guys; there's only two seniors on the team and we went 19-1 as our dual team record and we won a couple of tournaments. We made a lot of strides this year, so I think it's real nice for Coach."
Senior Mike Guenther (165 pounds) and juniors Ray Sarinelli (133 pounds) and Steve Carbone (285 pounds) all took second-place honors. Guenther and Sarinelli earned two of the tournament's seven wild card selections into the championships, which are decided upon by the coaches.
The Lions are currently ranked No. 8 in the Brute/National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national team rankings with their 19-1 dual-meet record.
As the first seed in his weight class, Galante cruised through two matches - one by pin, the other by a 12-6 decision - before facing York sophomore John Niedrich. An escape early in the third period gave Galante a 3-2 lead and two takedowns sealed the deal at 5-3. The title is Galante's third METs Championship of his career.
"I took bottom third, so I wanted to get out and get a takedown and try to increase my lead," Galante said. "A three-point swing is big, especially if he doesn't get out. I was just trying to escape and get a takedown without giving up riding time. I was just trying to push the pace and trying to get my takedowns. I was trying to stay after him."
Branham's road to the finals, also as a top seed, was similarly unproblematic before he squared off with Wilkes University junior Adam Penberthy. Branham fought off an early shot from Penberthy and reversed it to gain a 2-0 lead.
"The first takedown is always big and I knew he had the dump that I got hit with, and he got in real deep and it was a big scramble," Branham said. "But I knew I wanted to come out and get the first takedown."
A reversal in the second period gave Branham a 4-0 lead, and he withstood a late takedown to win the match by a 5-2 decision.
Osgoodby sailed through his weight class, winning every match by at least a five-point margin. In the finals, Osgoodby defeated Centenary College senior Seth Wisner by technical fall 18-3. Going into the match, Osgoodby was the No. 7 ranked wrestler in the nation at 174 pounds.
Even though three other Lions lost their championship matches, each second place finisher's performance was impressive considering the fact that each lost to a nationally ranked opponent.
Both Sarinelli and Guenther are nationally ranked, but lost extremely close matches. No. 5 ranked Sarinelli lost his championship match in the final moments to No. 1 Dan Morgan, a junior at King's College. With the score tied 1-1, Morgan scored a takedown with less than 30 seconds remaining in the match and hung on for a 3-2 victory.
Guenther, ranked No. 4 nationally, was upset by No. 7 Jerry Bowne, a York senior, by a 3-2 decision. Guenther held the lead 2-0 after scoring the first takedown, but a Bowne escape and subsequent takedown clinched the match. Guenther won an exciting semifinal match against Centenary College junior Jared Duffy to reach the finals. After almost three scoreless periods, Guenther earned a takedown and two back points with 20 seconds remaining and rode out a Duffy reversal in the final seconds to earn a 4-2 win.
Carbone - the College's final second-place finisher - lost to No. 2 nationally ranked Arkadiy Levitin, a junior from Hunter College, by a 12-5 decision. Carbone also displayed some heroics in his 3-1 semifinal win by scoring a takedown of King's junior James Bishop with only three seconds left in overtime.
(02/07/07 5:00pm)
The College's wrestling team finished its regular season with three wins last week to cement its record at 19-1 and push its winning streak to 13 matches.
The Lions are ranked No. 8 in the Brute/National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III team rankings.
The College swept a dual meet Saturday by crushing the University of Scranton Royals 51-0 and then outlasting the Lakers of Oswego State 22-19.
Three Lions wrestlers had two wins Saturday: sophomore Tom Roberto (125 pounds), senior Mike Guenther (165 pounds) and junior Jim Tomczuk (183 pounds).
The College's domination of Scranton resulted in 10 bouts won by major decision, technical fall or pin. Freshman Will Dodd (133 pounds), sophomores Chris Prihoda (149 pounds) and Ryan McCabe (174 pounds), and junior Shawn Vanwingerden (197 pounds) all scored pins in the victory.
With the match never in doubt, head coach David Icenhower chose to rest many of his best wrestlers.
The same domination was not present in the Lions' close win over Oswego State. Trailing 10-3 after the first four bouts, the Lions looked to three of their stronger wrestlers to turn the tide.
They did not disappoint.
Senior Joey Galante pinned senior Eric DiCapua at 157 pounds with 11 seconds remaining in the first period. Guenther returned from injury Saturday and delivered a win by technical fall. Sophomore Greg Osgoodby followed with a technical fall of sophomore Craig Becker and Tomczuk finished the Lions' run with a decision over junior Ron Williams at 184 pounds.
The College held a 22-10 advantage after the 19-point run and was mathematically assured of the win after Tomczuk's decision.
Osgoodby's technical fall was his 30th victory of the season, becoming the second Lion to hit that mark this year along with freshman Tyler Branham, who is 33-9. Osgoodby is 30-5 on the year and ranked No. 7 in the nation.
Despite splitting the match's 10 bouts, the College's ability to score major decisions proved vital in the win.
On Jan. 31, the College held off an upset bid from No. 13 Wilkes University to down the Colonels 21-16. With the outcome in doubt heading into the last bout, junior heavyweight Steve Carbone notched a 2-0 decision to seal the win.
Junior Ray Sarinelli and Branham won matches at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively, but after splitting the first four bouts Wilkes held a 7-6 lead.
Branham's win was especially hard-fought, scoring a 1-0 win over Colonels' sophomore Peter George.
"I would have liked to have opened up my match and scored some more points, but sometimes you find yourself in a really close match like that, with not much scoring," Branham said. "It's important to just stay focused and not get frustrated in those types of matches to be able to win them."
After losing the 149-pound match, the College reeled off three wins to build an 18-7 lead.
After Galante won a medical default, junior Lenny Goduto notched a 7-5 overtime victory over Colonels freshman Frank Heffernan. Osgoodby followed with a 3-1 decision before Wilkes won the next two bouts to set up Carbone's heroics.
"We have some great wrestlers in the weights behind me," Branham said. "I think that is what makes our team successful. There is always someone else there to pick you up if something goes wrong."
With the regular season finished, the College will host the Metropolitan Conference Championships on Sunday, Feb. 18.
"Last year as a team we finished second in the conference tournament to York," Branham said. "So this year we would definitely like to turn that around and take home the conference team title and send as many guys to nationals as possible."
(01/31/07 5:00pm)
The College's wrestling team proved there's no place like home in its last two appearances at Packer Hall this season.
The Lions went 4-0 last weekend, stretching their dual meet winning streak to 10 matches and improving to 16-1 on the season. The College is currently ranked No. 8 in the Brute/National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III team rankings.
The College hosted the Metropolitan Athletic Conference/New England Duals on Saturday and won all three of its matches, which included a decisive 31-9 victory over No. 19 ranked Roger Williams College.
On Sunday, the Lions dismantled the Springfield College Pride 34-9 in the Lions' last home match of the year.
"I'm just impressed with how our kids are handling this situation," head coach David Icenhower said. "We've had injuries, but our kids that are filling in are just doing a great job."
Sunday's match was never in doubt. The College won the first five matches and eight of the meet's 10 matches.
Senior co-captains Joey Galante and Mike Guenther were honored before the match. Galante scored a 16-8 major decision over senior Mark DeCiccio at 157 pounds, while Guenther did not wrestle. Galante has an overall record of 23-2, and Guenther is 22-2 and ranked No. 4 nationally at 165 pounds.
Sophomore Greg Osgoodby provided the most exciting match of the day with a 5-4 victory over senior Andre Lee at 174 pounds. Trailing 4-3 with less than 10 seconds left, Osgoodby scored a takedown as time ran out to win the match and raise his season record to 27-5. Osgoodby is ranked No. 7 nationally in his weight class.
"I got my escape at the beginning of the third (period) so I knew I was down a point and needed a takedown to win it," Osgoodby said. "I came out of bounds and saw there was 15 seconds and knew I had to do something. So the kid shot and I blocked it off and hit a re-shot, got in deep and finished him."
Osgoodby also reached a career milestone Saturday at the Metropolitan Athletic Conference/New England Duals. He tallied his 50th career victory with a pin in the College's 36-12 win over Williams College.
The College also defeated the Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) 35-9.
Junior Ray Sarinelli, freshman Tyler Branham and Osgoodby each went 3-0 on the day. The College only lost seven individual bouts in the three team matches, two of which were forfeits.
After trailing 3-0 to Roger Williams, the College reeled off seven consecutive victories, controlling the entire match. After a technical fall by Sarinelli, Branham scored a last-second takedown to earn a 5-3 upset over fourth-ranked senior Andrew Lacroix at 141 pounds.
"Physically, we're winning matches at the end," Icenhower said. "We're taking it to people and I think that's paying off for us."
The Lions would not lose until a forfeit at 197 pounds, six bouts later. Galante scored a pin at 157 pounds and junior heavyweight Steve Carbone won an 8-0 major decision to help the cause.
The College won the first six bouts to secure an easy win over WPI.
Sophomore Tom Roberto started the match with a 4-1 overtime victory at 125 pounds. The win included major decisions from sophomore Chris Prihoda (149 pounds) and juniors John Dinan (157 pounds) and Carbone. Junior Lenny Goduto won by technical fall while Sarinelli won by pin.
In their final match of the competition, the Lions won six of seven bouts in the lower and middle weights to pull away and defeat Roger Williams. A technical fall by Sarinelli and a pin by Branham were followed by a major decision from Galante and pins by Osgoodby and Carbone.
Earlier in the week, the College strung together four consecutive wins en route to a 28-15 victory over Centenary College last Thursday at Phillipsburg High School. Sarinelli got the ball rolling with a 13-4 major decision over junior Ricky Redd. Sarinelli is ranked No. 7 nationally at 133 pounds with an overall record of 28-5.
After Branham's pin and a decision by Prihoda, Galante finished the Lions' run by pinning freshman Francisco Lopez that took just 51 seconds. At that point the College owned a 19-3 lead that it did not relinquish.
"Right now we're 16-1 and we got three more matches coming ahead of us," Osgoodby said. "We want to finish the season 18-1, go into conferences as a team, win that tournament as a team and send as many people as we can to nationals. The way we have been rolling off victories and big wins, if we get our team healthy we should send a good handful of guys into the national tournament."
The College has three away dual meets remaining before coming back to Packer Hall for the Metropolitan Conference Championships on Feb. 18. The College will travel to Wilkes Barre, Pa., to wrestle No. 13 Wilkes University today at 7 p.m.
(01/24/07 5:00pm)
When winter break means five weeks of physically demanding practice like the wrestling team endured, starting classes probably doesn't seem like the end of the world. In fact, according to head coach David Icenhower, the College's wrestling team may be looking forward to starting classes.
"We've had a great five-week break and worked the kids really hard," Icenhower said. "So I think our kids can't wait for class to start."
Despite all the hard days of practice, the College did not need many actual days over the break to assert its place among the nation's top NCAA Division III teams. Regardless of competing on just five days over break, the College racked up an impressive 8-1 dual meet record.
The Lions earned first place at the Budd Whitehill Duals and went 3-1 at the North/South Duals, as well as having 10 Lions place at the non-team-scored Sunshine Open.
Senior Mike Guenther led the way for the Lions with a perfect 3-0 record on the day. The 165-pounder is ranked fourth nationally with an overall record of 22-2 and a dual-meet record of 10-0. Junior Ray Sarinelli is ranked seventh in the nation with an overall record of 23-5.
The team is ranked 11th in the Brute/National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III team rankings and owns an 11-1 dual meet record. The College captured the title at the Budd Whitehill Duals at Lycoming College on Jan. 13 by defeating top-seeded and No. 7 nationally ranked SUNY-Cortland 22-13.
"I think the Whitehill Duals was really impressive because it was such a team effort," Icenhower said. "Cortland had a great record going in and they were highly thought of. We had a bunch of injuries and had some kids move up weights so we were definitely the underdogs against Cortland. We had some people doing things they normally didn't have to do."
Trailing 9-3 after three matches, the College reeled off four consecutive wins, including a 12-3 major decision by senior Joe Galante at 157 pounds, to build a 16-9 lead that was not to be surmounted. When the Red Dragons closed the gap to three, wins by sophomore Greg Osgoodby at 197 pounds and junior Steve Carbone at heavyweight cemented the title.
Osgoodby was bumped up to wrestle at 197 pounds from his listed weight of 174 pounds. Replacing Osgoodby at 174 pounds was freshman 157-pounder Dan Dicolo, who won a key 4-2 overtime decision over sixth-ranked sophomore Treavor LeBlanc.
"Dicolo wrestled an unbelievable match and upset the sixth-ranked guy in the nation in overtime," Galante said. "To win the Budd Whitehill Duals with such a young team and missing some starters made me very proud to be a part of (Lions) wrestling. I've been on the team for three years now and we have never won that tourney and we've had better teams. But this team dug deep and had some guys step up when we needed them to and we got the job done."
Compared to its nine-point victory over SUNY-Cortland, the College pulled off a narrow 22-20 semifinal victory over No. 22 Ithaca College.
Going into their last match trailing 20-19, the Lions looked to an injured Carbone. He earned a 3-1 decision, pushing his season record to 21-7 and sending the College into the finals.
"Because of the injures, we had 197-pounder junior Shawn (Vanwingerden) and heavyweight (Carbone) both hurt and we didn't use them unless we had to. Because of the way they matched up with us it came out pretty close," Icenhower said.
To reach the semifinals, the College went 3-0 on the tournament's first day, Jan. 12. The College opened by downing Wabash College (25-12) and went on to defeat Rochester Institute of Technology (32-18) and John Carroll University (23-18).
Five Lions wrestlers boasted perfect records at the two-day tournament. Sarinelli (133 pounds), senior Mike Guenther (165 pounds) and Osgoodby went 5-0, winning in each of the team's five dual meets. Freshman Tyler Branham (149 pounds) and Galante each went 4-0.
The team title was the College's first at the Budd Whitehill Duals since 2003 and its eighth in the tournament's 13-year history.
The College convincingly won three of the four dual meets at the North/South Duals on Jan. 6 in Collegeville, Pa., but lost to No. 2 seeded Wartburg College 34-4. The defeat was the College's first loss in dual meets this season.
The team began the day by defeating Trinity College 42-11 and then bested Plymouth State University 32-3 and Wesleyan College 27-6.
Sophomore 149-pounder Jon Biango, Sarinelli, Branham and Carbone all finished at 3-1.
At the highly competitive Sunshine Open in Lakeland, Fla. on Dec. 28-29, the Lions had two second place finishers. Galante went 4-1 over the two-day individual tournament and placed second at 157 pounds, suffering his second loss of the season in the finals to Heidelberg College's sophomore Aaron Johnhenry by a 5-4 score. Galante is currently 19-2.
Dicolo placed fifth in the same weight class. Carbone also placed second at heavyweight with a 3-1 tournament mark while falling to fourth-ranked senior Andrew Neumann of Augsburg College 4-1 in the finals.
Biango placed third at 149 pounds with a 4-1 tournament record. Osgoodby placed fourth at 174 pounds and sophomore Tom Roberto took sixth at 125 pounds.
The Lions had three wrestlers place in the 141-pound weight class. Branham finished fourth while sophomores Chris Prihoda and Bill Tenpenny took fifth and sixth place, respectively.
While many college students measure their winter breaks by relaxation or time with friends, the wrestling team defined its break with impressive performances.
"The kids have worked very hard and it was a great culmination of the break to beat a team as highly thought of as Cortland is," Icenhower said.
The Lions take on Centenary College at Phillipsburg High School tomorrow at 5 p.m. They return home to host the New England Duals on Saturday and Springfield College on Sunday, both at noon.
(08/30/06 4:00pm)
After falling one win short of a national championship last season, women's soccer head coach Joe Russo says winning one this season is not on the team's mind.
"We don't talk about national championships, but we work on improving every day and if you do that, the rest usually takes care of itself," Russo, the 17-year coach, said. "(Expectations) are the same as every year: to get better every single day we train."
The College lost 1-0 to Messiah College in the 2005 Division III National Championship game. It was the only blemish on the Lions' 22-1 (9-0 NJAC) record.
Despite Russo's modesty, the Lions return a host of talent from last season and are currently ranked No. 2 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas national rankings, making them a prime national title contender and conference favorite.
Helping to warrant such lofty preseason rankings are the Lions' four returning All-NJAC performers, three of which also captured 2005 NSCAA/adidas Mid-Atlantic Regional All-American honors.
Junior defenseman Courtney Krol and sophomore defenseman Laura Delaney captured First Team All-NJAC and regional All-American honors. Krol was also named 2005 NJAC Defender of the Year. Junior midfielder Kristen Cubicciotti also returns from a strong season in which she garnered Second Team All-NJAC honors.
"Kristen Cubicciotti, Coleen Weber and Jamie Kunkel are back and playing very well as well as Allie Schilling, Christine Mullin, Erin Cunliffe and Laura Delaney," Russo said. "It's a good, experienced crew."
The group is led by junior midfielder Dana DiBruno, who was also named the 2005 NJAC Player of the Year and a First Team NSCAA/adidas National All-American. DiBruno scored a team-high 48 points last year with 20 goals.
Even with all the returning firepower, the College will be hard pressed to fill the shoes of two standout seniors. Forward Brittny Boyd and goalkeeper Alissa Kacar both graduated and left quite the legacy.
"Any time you lose kids who have been with the team for four years and who have been successful it means a great deal," Russo said.
Boyd, a three time All-NJAC performer, scored 15 goals last season and was often marked by the opposition's best defender. Kacar was a 2005 Second Team National All-American and allowed only four goals all season with 20 shutouts. Both players were named 2005 First Team All-NJAC and Regional All-Americans.
"They've been part of our program but now we're concentrating on who we have here," Russo said. "There may be one senior in the whole bunch so it's a good, young group and they work hard and they're fun to be around."
Replacing talent has never seemed to be a problem for Russo and the Lions. The College has won 10 of the last 12 NJAC championships and has earned national runner-up honors three times.
"I don't know if you could ever replace a Brittny Boyd or an Alissa Kacar," Russo said. "Time will tell but we have some pieces that might blend in nicely by end of year."
(04/26/06 4:00pm)
The College rode a tremendous power surge en route to an undefeated week, scoring double-digit runs in victories over Rutgers University-Camden, Richard Stockton College and Messiah College.
The wins raised the Lions' record to 26-4 and 9-4 in the NJAC. They are ranked No. 2 in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association Poll.
Junior outfielder Jeff Botti and sophomore pitcher Bob Buskett led the Lions to a 12-2 victory over Rutgers-Camden Friday, avenging an extra-inning loss earlier this month.
Botti got the start in left field and capitalized by going 2-for-4 at the plate with a three-run home run and four RBI.
Senior third baseman Rich Kropp and senior outfielder Chris Wilson also added doubles, while senior outfielder Charlie Iacono and junior infielder Andrew Cosgrove had two hits in the College's 13-hit attack. Kropp's double in the eighth inning drove in two runs.
Cosgrove also shined in the field, making two spectacular diving plays up the middle.
"I like what we did today," head coach Rick Dell said. "Cosgrove made some great plays and we got some clutch hitting. Botti put it out of reach. We got that one good swing with runners on base and that took their spirit away."
Buskett pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs on six hits to raise his record to 4-0.
The left-hander worked out of his only trouble in the fifth inning when he got senior Nick Faragasso to fly out to center field with the bases loaded.
"(Buskett) got the nod today against a real good team and pitched well," Dell said.
Senior pitcher Sean Finnegan worked two innings of perfect ball to close out the win.
Sophomore Steve Sooy was saddled with the loss after 2 2/3 innings of work, allowing five earned runs with four walks.
The College hopped on the board with two runs in the bottom of the first with RBI from junior first baseman Blake Bullis and Wilson.
In the third inning, the College strung four singles together along with two walks to build a 5-0 lead, and Botti's home run in the sixth put things out of reach.
Rutgers-Camden's junior center fielder Nate Buchter went 2-for-3 to reach the 100 career hit mark.
"This is a big win," Botti said. "Last week we lost a nail-biter to them, but everyone played a great game and we broke things open a little later. We made some great plays today."
It was Bullis' turn to lead the hit parade in a 17-4 victory over Richard Stockton Thursday. Bullis had a career day, hitting three home runs and driving in five runs.
Bullis' partner in offensive crime, junior catcher Gerard Haran, opened the floodgates with a two-run homer to left-center field in the bottom of the first that careened off a Townhouse South roof.
The dinger gave Haran 28 career home runs, three behind the College record of 31 set by Frank Soos in 2001. Bullis then followed with his first bomb of the day.
Sophomore ace Mike Oliver raised his record to 6-0 with six effective innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits and punching out seven batters.
"The great thing about (Oliver) is when he makes mistakes, they're usually off the plate," Haran said.
Iacono added a 3-for-4 performance with a triple, three RBI and three stolen bases.
Junior Mike Perinotti also got in on the action with a pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning.
Bullis leads the Lions in most offensive categories, batting .433 with 11 home runs and 50 RBI. Haran isn't far behind, batting .429 with seven home runs and 45 RBI.
Shortly after moving up to the No. 2 spot in the national rankings on April 18, the Lions put a hurt on Messiah College 20-3. Messiah jumped out to its only lead with a first-inning run, but the College responded with 17 unanswered runs.
The Lions' four-run first inning was keyed by a three-run home run by Haran - his second to reach the Townhouse South roof in as many days. On the day, Haran went 2-for-3 with five RBI.
"Since (Bullis) is so hot and (Iacono) is getting on in front of me, I'm seeing better pitches to hit," Haran said.
Iacono went 3-for-5 at the plate with a triple and four runs scored. Wilson had three RBI and tallied his team-leading fourth triple.
The Lions are riding a four-game winning streak and are currently in second place heading into the final week of NJAC play. Today, the College is scheduled to play third-place William Paterson University in a match-up that will do much to determine the NJAC playoff picture.
"You've got to win your conference games and just take them one game at a time," Dell said. "We have to keep winning the next game."
The top six teams in the conference make the double-elimination NJAC tournament. After the conclusion of first-round play on May 3, tournament play shifts to Campbell's Field in Camden.
(04/19/06 4:00pm)
If anyone needed a holiday last Sunday, it was the College's baseball team.
En route to a 4-2 week, the College played extra-inning-games on Thursday and Friday, followed by a doubleheader Saturday. The Lions played 41 innings of baseball in those three days.
The No. 3-ranked College split the double header with Montclair State University, dropping the first game 6-2 but rallying to thump the Red Hawks 17-5 in the nightcap.
In the second game, the Lions offense awoke and scored in each of the last six innings, pounding out 19 hits with eight doubles and a home run.
Junior Blake Bullis had a career day, going 3-for-5 at the plate with five RBI, two doubles and a home run. Senior Rich Kropp wasn't to be outdone as he went a perfect 5-for-5 at the dish with three doubles and two RBI.
"I was glad we came back in the second game and swung the bats a little bit, and (Bob) Buskett pitched an outstanding game," head coach Rick Dell said. "It was a tough four days because we had an 11-inning and a 12-inning game back-to-back."
The College was up 7-0 after three innings, thanks to a six-run third inning. After an RBI-double by junior Gerard Haran, Bullis belted his three-run shot. Kropp kept the inning going with one of his three two-baggers.
Sophomore pitcher Buskett got his third win on the year with seven strong innings of work, allowing four runs on nine hits.
"It was a good performance at a time we needed it, but it didn't surprise me, he's very capable," Dell said of Buskett. "He's progressing and still developing, but he's right on track to have a successful season."
The College chased Montclair senior starter Jay Cook after just 3 1/3 innings. Cook allowed eight runs on 10 hits.
In the first contest, the Red Hawks used three long balls to do most of their damage at the plate. Sophomore Ryan Clark led off the game with a home run. After two more hits, sophomore Lou Politan went deep for a three-run bomb. Junior Andrew Vicaro added a dinger later in the game to cap off Montclair's power surge.
Senior Charlie Iacono went 2-for-3 with a double, and Kropp added a home run for the Lions.
"In the first inning, we had bases loaded and we didn't capitalize on that," Dell said. "They got a few balls up in the air that carried out of the ballpark."
Montclair sophomore Nick Recchia worked eight innings, allowing two runs on five hits. Junior Brian Kraus, 3-2, took the loss, going 3 2/3 with six runs on eight hits.
The game of the week came Friday as the College defeated rival Rowan University, who are ranked No. 6, 5-4 in 11 innings. The win was the Lions' second against the Profs in a week. They defeated Rowan 5-4 on April 10 in Glassboro.
"This is a big game to win and there was a lot of excitement going into it," Bullis said. "It's our biggest rival school and it feels amazing."
After surrendering a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, the College scratched out a run in the bottom of the 11th to sweep the season series.
In the final frame, Haran reached second base on a throwing error by Rowan sophomore third baseman Bruce Reibis. Bullis then moved Haran to third with a ground ball to the right side.
Senior right fielder Chris Wilson then delivered the game-winning RBI with a sacrifice fly to left field.
Rowan's two-out ninth inning rally began with a single by junior Shawn Counard, who was driven home by senior Bobby Bullard. After a walk, senior Frank Galeota tied the game with a looping double that skipped past Lions' senior shortstop Mike Bruschini.
Lions' senior closer Ryan Casey fought through the jam and struck out freshman Tim Barnshaw with runners on second and third to push the game into extra innings.
"To come across that issue where we let another team come back, we know everything we need to do and how to stay focused because that's something we talk about all the time," Bullis said.
Senior Sean Finnegan earned the win in relief. Rowan junior Tyler Dempsey took the hard-luck loss, not allowing an earned run in three innings of relief. Sophomore Brad Kittle pitched well for the College in the no-decision, allowing two unearned runs in six innings of work with nine strikeouts.
The College was on the wrong end of another extra-inning game the day before when it fell to Rutgers-Camden 5-4 in 12 innings on the road.
Junior Mike Morris threw Bullis out at home in the top of the 12th, and then doubled home the winning run in the bottom of the inning.
"We have been playing real well, but there's still room for improvement," Iacono said. "We just need to continue to play the way we have been and peak at the right time."
The College returns to action with a pair of home games tomorrow against Richard Stockton College and a rematch with Rutgers-Camden on Friday.
(04/12/06 4:00pm)
The College picked up two easy conference wins to earn a sweep of New Jersey City University (NJCU) Sunday, raising its record to 19-2 (4-2 NJAC). NJCU fell to 13-4 (1-5 NJAC).
The No. 3-ranked Lions won the first game 11-2 and coasted to a 15-1 victory in game two, pounding out 32 hits and plating 26 runs in the two games.
All-American juniors Gerard Haran and Blake Bullis both went deep and drove in four runs apiece to pace the Lions' offense. Haran went 2-for-4 with four RBI and Bullis went 2-for-5 with a double and four RBI. Senior outfielder Charles Iacono pitched in with a 3-for-4 effort, scoring two runs and swiping two bags.
"These are games you anticipate winning and that takes the pressure off you going into your bigger games," head coach Rick Dell said. "Today was one of those days you needed to sweep. We did what we were supposed to do with them today."
Sophomore pitcher Brad Kittle went seven strong innings, scattering five hits with nine punchouts to improve to 3-1.
"I think he made a mechanical adjustment and pitched well today," Dell said. "He's been getting better every time he goes out."
The College's offense didn't wait long to start producing. Haran blasted a three-run shot, en route to a five-run first inning, and the Lions never looked back. Bullis added a two-run home run in the second.
"We've got a couple real good people in the middle of the lineup: Haran, Bullis, Rich Kropp," Dell said. "They all compliment each other. You're going to have to pitch to one of those guys and getting people on base in front of them only helps more."
In the second game, five Lions collected multiple hits on the way to a 15-1 victory. Senior third baseman Kropp went 3-for-3, scoring three runs and driving in one. Junior outfielder Tom Grohs was 3-for-6 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored. Senior outfielder Chris Wilson chipped in with two hits, three runs scored and two RBI.
Junior Bill Opel pitched 6 2/3 strong innings to raise his perfect record to 4-0. Opel allowed one run on six hits and fanned eight batters while walking five. Opel took a shutout into the seventh.
"It was a real good sign the way our pitchers responded this week," Haran said. "(Mike) Oliver had a strong outing, Kittle threw the ball real well today and Opel is quietly having a very strong season."
On a sour note, Iacono's streak of 22 consecutive steals was broken when he was picked off trying to steal second late in the second game.
On Monday, the Lions posted a 5-4 home victory over the sixth-ranked Profs of Rowan University.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Profs scored two runs to whittle the Lions' lead down to 5-4. With one out and the bases loaded, senior pitcher Ryan Casey ended the threat by fanning the next two Profs batters. Casey pitched the last 1 2/3 to earn his fourth save of the year.
Lefty starter junior Brian Kraus got the win to improve to 3-1 and threw seven strong innings, while scattering five hits to go along with seven strikeouts.
With the win, the third-ranked Lions improve to 20-2.
Thursday, the College earned a come-from-behind NJAC victory by defeating Richard Stockton College 7-5 in Pomona.
Haran delivered the big blow with a three-run home run in the seventh inning to give the Lions a 6-4 lead, which they would not relinquish.
"They had been working me away with curveballs all day, so I just guessed he'd try getting another one out there," Haran said. "This time the ball stayed up for me and I was able to get into it a little bit."
Oliver collected the win and remained perfect on the season with a record of 5-0. The sophomore pitcher allowed only one earned run - and four unearned runs on six hits in six plus innings of work. Casey pitched three innings of shutout ball to earn his third save of the season.
Stockton threatened in the bottom of the seventh its one earned run off Oliver, but Casey entered in relief and shut the door. The College added an insurance run in the top of the eighth.
Haran was 2-for-5 on the day with a double and had three RBI to go along with his key home run. Junior outfielder Dan Czepiga went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
The Lions will take on the University of Rutgers-Camden on the road in a 3:30 p.m. conference matchup Thursday.
(04/05/06 4:00pm)
The baseball team's perfect record was tarnished Saturday when Kean University swept a doubleheader against the College in Union.
In the first game, the No. 29 Cougars defeated the No. 1 Lions 4-1 behind a strong pitching performance from junior Dan Zeffiro. In the nightcap, Kean used a four-run fifth inning to beat the College 14-5.
"I thought the first ball game was a good game and we just came out on the short end," head coach Rick Dell said. "But I was disappointed in the second game because we took the lead, gave it back immediately, but then lost it and didn't answer."
The wins raised Kean's record to 16-6 (2-1 NJAC) and dropped the College's record to 15-2 (1-2 NJAC).
Zeffiro (3-2) went the distance, allowing eights hits and one unearned run. The Cougars jumped on the Lions early, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first with their first six batters reaching base.
The Lions did threaten late in the game. In the top of the eighth, the College loaded the bases with two outs and power-hitting junior catcher Gerard Haran at the plate. But Zeffiro induced a foul out to end the threat, completing a 0-for-4 day for Haran.
In the ninth, the College had the tying run at the plate in senior Charles Iacono, but he grounded out to end the game.
Junior Brian Kraus (2-1) took the loss for the Lions. He allowed three runs-one earned-on five hits in five innings. The Lions committed five errors in the two games.
The College held a 5-2 lead after 4 1/2 innings of play in the second game, but Kean scored 12 runs in the final four innings to secure the sweep.
Junior Joseph D'Andrea started the scoring with a two-RBI triple in the fifth and the runs flowed from there. The Cougars plated four runs in the fifth, two in the sixth, one in the seventh and five in the eighth.
The Cougars hammered out a season-high 16 hits. Junior Perry Schatzow went 4-for-5 with four RBI, junior Aaron Richard went 3-for-4 with three RBI and D'Andrea added two triples and two RBI, and Lions sophomore Bill Kropp went 2-for-3.
Sophomore reliever Andrew Cupido worked 4 2/3 innings in relief to earn the win. Sophomore Brad Kittle took the loss, allowing six runs on eights hits in 4 1/3 innings.
"Eventually we were going to lose, and Kean is a pretty good team," Kittle said. "It was surprising that we lost both though."
"When you get into conference play, pitchers get better because they're trying to beat you," Dell said. "Hopefully we got those (losses) behind us and it was a good reality check. If we don't make pitches and catch ground balls, we're not going to win games."
The question of who is the ace of the Lions' staff may have been answered in the College's New Jersey Athletic Conference opener with a 1-0 victory over William Paterson University (WPU) Thursday.
A strong pitching performance from sophomore Mike Oliver, along with an RBI-double by Haran in the sixth inning, led the Lions to victory.
Oliver scattered just three hits over six innings of shutout ball, maneuvering through several jams and holding the Pioneers to a 0-for-9 performance with runners in scoring position.
"I think he pitched tough when he had to," Dell said. "He made some tough pitches in tight situations. That's the key to pitching."
Haran provided the lone run on the game's only extra base hit when he hooked an off-speed pitch down the left field line, scoring junior Dan Czepiga in the bottom of the sixth.
"We kept on playing the game and stayed within the game and stayed within our game plan," Dell said.
The biggest of Oliver's five strikeouts came in the top of the fifth. With runners on second and third, Oliver got junior Wayne Poppe on a check-swing. The close call was met with disapproval from the WPU bench and brought head coach Jeff Albies out of the dugout.
The junior right-hander improved to 4-0 on the year while sophomore Ryan Lobban took the hard loss, allowing one run on five hits in 7 1/3 innings. Senior closer Ryan Casey worked the final three innings fanning four batters to earn his second save.
The one run on five hits was the lowest offensive output of the season for the College, who entered the game averaging 14 runs per game.
Dell won his 650th career game on March 28 when the College defeated Gwynedd-Mercy College 11-1. Senior Chris Wilson went 3-4 with a double and two RBI and Iacono added three hits, three stolen bases and two RBI. Junior Blake Bullis added his third home run of the year. Bullis leads the team with 25 RBI.
The College also broke the single season triples record when Haran smacked the team's 23rd triple of the season.
The College will play Richard Stockton College tomorrow in Pomona.
(03/22/06 5:00pm)
The baseball team spent its spring break soaking up not only the sun, but also seven consecutive victories during their Spring Training trip to Phoenix, Ariz.
The Lions improved to 8-0 on the young season thanks in part to a dominating offensive attack that scored more than 10 runs in six of their seven spring training games. To date, the Lions have outscored opponents 108-29 on their western road trip.
In its most recent action, the College swept two seven-inning games against St. Norbert College on Saturday. In the first game the College held on to defeat St. Norbert 8-7, surviving a five-run seventh-inning comeback. Junior Dave Waseleski got the save in relief of senior starting pitcher Ryan Casey (1-0) who picked up the win.
Junior Blake Bullis drove in what would be the winning run in the top of the seventh. Fellow juniors PJ Anzelone and Gerard Haran chipped in offensively with Anzelone driving in three runs and Haran adding two doubles.
The nightcap was never in doubt as the Lions pounded out 16 runs on 16 hits to complete the sweep with a 16-1 win. Senior Chris Wilson led the Lions' lineup with a pair of triples en route to a 3-4 day at the plate with four RBI. Sophomore Mike Oliver improved to 2-0 on the season with
six innings of two-hit ball.
The most exciting game of the trip came against SUNY Brockport with the College coming from behind to earn a 10-9 victory on March 14.
Trailing 8-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Lions pushed six runs across the plate capped off by a Haran three-run homer that cemented the win.
Senior Charlie Iacono and sophomore Dave Mebs began the scoring with RBI singles. Senior Rich Kropp then delivered an RBI triple. With two on, the junior catcher belted a home run to give the Lions a 10-8 lead. Waseleski pitched four innings in relief to pick up the win.
Haran had an especially impressive road trip. He is batting a whopping .576 and leads or is tied for the team-lead in hits, doubles, total bases, home runs and on-base percentage.
Haran, along with Wilson and Bullis, earned all-conference honors last season and are expected to lead the Lions once again this season.
Wilson, a senior outfielder, is batting .438 with five extra-base hits and 12 RBI on the year. Bullis, a junior first baseman, is batting .515 with five extra-base hits and 16 RBI.
The College also defeated Roger Williams University, 15-1; Springfield College, 22-2; SUNY Brockport again, 14-5; and North Central College 23-4 during their road trip.
The Lions were chosen as the preseason favorite to win the New Jersey Athletic Conference title in a coaches' poll. The College finished last season with an overall record of 34-13 (11-5 NJAC) and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament Mid-Atlantic Regional after capturing the NJAC title by winning the conference tournament.
Rowan University will likely pose the greatest challenge for the College. The Profs were picked to finish second in the same poll and are coming off a strong season, 42-10, where they advanced to the NCAA Tournament National Championship Series for the second consecutive year.
The College posted an 11-10 come-from-behind victory against Johns Hopkins University to close out their Spring Training games. They'll return to east-coast action tomorrow against Ursinus College.
The Lions are scheduled to play their first home game on Tuesday against Gwynedd-Mercy College at 3 p.m. Results can be seen at tcnjathletics.com
(03/08/06 5:00pm)
The women's basketball team exited the NCAA Division III tournament with a 79-41 loss to the No. 1-seeded University of Mary Washington on Friday in Fredericksburg, Va.
"We came in and knew we needed to play our very best game and catch them on an off game," head coach Dawn Henderson said. "We didn't play our game at all and they played very well. It's a little disappointing."
After opening the game with a 10-9 lead, Mary Washington, ranked No. 6 in the Division III Coaches Poll, used a 22-0 run spanning 10 minutes to open a 32-9 lead. The Eagles bench led the run, scoring 13 of the 22 points. The College went into the locker room down 40-20.
The second half proved to be more of the same, as each of Mary Washington's 10 players scored at least four points. Junior forward Debbie Bruen, senior guard Jenn Olinger and sophomore guard Jessica Shifflet led the way with 12 points each, while sophomore center Liz Hickey added 10 points and 11 rebounds.
"They played like a team that won a game they were expecting to win," Henderson said.
Senior co-captains guard Alexa Shields and forward Erin Frank led the Lions with 10 and eight points, respectively.
The College struggled on the offensive end, shooting under 28 percent from the field and committing 23 turnovers. The College also caught the Eagles at a bad time, who were coming off their only loss of the season.
"We were one of three teams in the tournament that had eight losses," Henderson said. "It makes sense we're playing the No. 1 seed."
Mary Washington later defeated Muhlenberg College on Saturday to advance to the round of 16 and improve its season record to 29-1.
The loss marked the end of a rather successful season for the Lions. They upset conference-rival Richard Stockton College on the road in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championship game to gain an automatic bid to the Division III tournament.
The College finished the season with an overall record of 19-9 and 13-5 in the NJAC. After starting the season 2-3, the Lions reeled off seven consecutive wins. Then, following another 2-3 slide in late January, the Lions won eight of their last nine games.
"I guess the way it played out we were very successful this year," Henderson said. "At the beginning of the season, I had every expectation that we would win the conference, but with injuries throughout the year, that came into doubt. But we finished it out very well and ended up winning the conference."
The team finished the season with the best scoring defense (52 points per game) and opponents' field goal percentage (.335) in the NJAC.
Frank earned First Team All-Conference honors for the season and Shields secured Second Team honors.
For the seniors - guard Tiara Simpkins, forward Danica Miller, Frank and Shields - Friday's loss marked the end of their careers at the College.
"They were a vital piece of our history and our last four years; they're outstanding people and they'll be good leaders," Henderson said of the seniors. "They're going to take what they've learned and contribute to the world. Winning and losing are great memories, but the measure of our success is the kind of people that are going to go out into the world and make a difference."
Next season, the Lions will return starters junior guard/forward Megan Hueter and sophomore guard Sara Best, along with impact reserves like junior guards Margo Buchalski and Latissa Watson and junior forward Breanne Depken.
"Obviously Sara is someone we have high expectations for and we have every expectation that Megan Hueter will be a key contributor as well," Henderson said.
Best tallied double-digit points in six consecutive games at the end of the season after moving into the starting lineup. Henderson also said Depken and Watson will likely move into next year's starting lineup, with Watson taking over point-guard duties.
"Latissa showed she had the ability we always knew she had and played well the second half of the year," Henderson said. "Our recruiting has gone very well and we have the pieces in place to compete for another championship next year," Henderson said.
Like the College's men's team, graduation will leave some holes to fill. "When you graduate four players that have been so important to our program, you never really fill their shoes, but you have people already in the program that will follow the traditions set forth," Henderson said. "But we'll miss those four seniors very much."
(03/01/06 5:00pm)
Beat me once, shame on you; beat me twice, shame on me; but beat me three times . the women's basketball team wasn't about to discover that answer.
After losing to Richard Stockton College twice in the regular season by an average of about 15 points, the College captured the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championship Friday by spanking top-seeded Stockton 60-39 in Pomona.
Led by sophomore forward Sara Best's game-high 16 points and career-high 11 rebounds, the College used a torrid start and solid defense to capture the program's third NJAC title in six years.
"It was pretty much amazing," junior forward Megan Hueter said. "It's what we've worked hard for all season. We knew we could beat Stockton the first two times, and I am thrilled that it happened in the championship game."
The conference title also earned the third-seeded Lions an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament. They are scheduled to play the University of Mary Washington this Friday in Virginia.
Senior captain forward Erin Frank helped the cause by scoring 12 points and pulling down nine rebounds, while fellow senior captain guard Alexa Shields added 10 points.
The Lions used a 14-4 run to open the game and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire and holding a double-digit lead for all but five minutes. Hueter scored seven of her nine points to help key the Lions' early scoring burst.
With less than eight minutes to play, the College led by as many as 19 and went to the locker room with a 16-point cushion. Stockton shot just 16 percent from the field in the first half.
Junior guard Jenna Shank capped an 8-0 run with a three-pointer to close the gap to 13 points with just under five minutes to play, but Frank ended the threat with a three-point play that sealed the deal and sent the Lions dancing.
"We played them twice (in the regular season) and each time we played them, we competed for a half. We hadn't played a whole game against them yet," head coach Dawn Henderson said.
Sophomore guard Lisa Neira led Stockton with 10 points and junior forward Alicia Morris snagged a game-high 14 rebounds.
Stockton shot a discouraging 23 percent from the field and 19 percent from three-point range and committed 23 turnovers. The Ospreys' 39 points were a season-low output.
"We had an expectation to play good defense," Henderson said. "I think our defense has been strong all season."
The College avenged a late- season loss and defeated second-seeded Montclair State University 49-43 in the semifinals of the NJAC tournament last Wednesday in Montclair.
The College used poise at the free-throw line to outscore Montclair 8-0 in the final two-plus minutes to win the game.
Frank posted a double-double, with 11 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lions.
Best hit two free throws with nine seconds left to end the run and seal the deal for the Lions. Best began the critical stretch, hitting two free throws with 2:40 left to play, cutting the Montclair lead to 42-41.
Sophomore guard Jessica Garrabrant sank one foul shot for Montclair, but senior guard Tiara Simpkins tied the game at 43-43 with two more free throws. After two Montclair misses, senior center Danica Miller sank two free throws with just over a minute left, giving the College a 45-43 lead.
Junior forward Breanne Depken added eight points and three boards to help the Lions.
"If you looked at our record overall we hadn't shot very well from the free throw line until the last three games," Henderson said. "We're getting some confidence and we've become more focused as the season wound down."
(02/22/06 5:00pm)
The College defeated Rutgers University-Newark 68-54 in the first round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament on Monday night at Packer Hall. The College now advances to the semifinals for a rematch with Montclair State University tonight in Upper Montclair.
Senior center Danica Miller led the Lions with 14 points and senior forward Erin Frank collected a game-high 12 rebounds and eight points.
"We played our game tonight and when we play our game and not worry about the other team's (game) we can beat anybody," Frank said.
Senior guard Alexa Shields helped the Lions' cause, scoring nine of her 12 points in the second half. And it was Shields who hit perhaps the most important bucket of the night.
Midway through the second half, with the College clinging to a 45-42 lead, Shields hit a big three-pointer and a lay-up on consecutive possessions. This keyed a 17-7 run that helped the College build a 62-49 lead with less than three minutes to play and put the game out of reach.
The first half was back and forth, with the Lions starting the game on a 13-4 run. The Scarlet Raiders fought back to make it a two-point game with just under nine minutes to play. The College rallied to put together a 9-2 run to take a 28-19 lead into the locker room.
Sophomore Sara Best added 10 points off the bench for the Lions and senior Tiara Simpkins returned from injury to add 11 points.
Rutgers-Newark's senior center Christyal Anderson had a season-high 21 points, while shooting an impressive 7-8 from the field and 7-8 from the foul line.
The College split its season series against Montclair State, with each team winning on their home court.
"We have to be better prepared for that environment," Megan Hueter, junior forward who added four points in the win, said.
"It's a loud gym, but this time we know and we'll be better prepared."
Head coach Dawn Henderson said the College's offensive production will be the key to tonight's playoff match-up. In the Lions victory over Montclair State, they scored 67 points en route to a 67-63 win. But in the loss, the College was held to just 37 points.
"When you hold a team like Montclair to under 50 points, you hope you win the game," Henderson said. "But when we don't score, it's not what the other team is doing to us, but what we're not doing. The key is not to shoot ourselves in the foot."
Last week, the College fell to Montclair State 47-37 on Wednesday in Upper Montclair. With the win, the Red Hawks clinched the No. 2 seed in the NJAC tournament, denying the College a chance for that spot.
"We beat them once before and that shows they're a beatable team," Frank said. "It's more important to concentrate on our win against them than the loss."
Sophomore Michelle Madej and junior Stephanie Machin led Montclair State, each scoring 11 points. Best led the College with a game-high 18 points.
The College ended its regular season on Saturday with a 58-38 win over New Jersey City University (NJCU) at Packer Hall.
With the victory, Henderson collected her 250th win at the College during her 13-year tenure. Her overall record is 251-92 at the College and 297-142 overall in 17 seasons as a college coach.
Shields and Frank led the way with 15 and 14 points respectively, while Best continued a recent surge in scoring with 12 points. Frank also collected 11 rebounds to post a double-double.
The Lions held a 23-19 lead at the half, but used a 21-4 run early in the second half to put the game out of reach. The Lions forced 20 turnovers and held the Gothic Knights just 28 percent from the field.
Junior Latrese McNair led NJCU with a team-high 11 points, along with five rebounds and three assists. The College avenged a 54-52 upset at the hands of NJCU earlier this season.
(02/15/06 5:00pm)
The women's basketball team used a strong second-half performance to propel them past Rutgers University-Newark 59-47 on Saturday at Packer Hall. Sophomore forward Sara Best led the Lions with a game-high 16 points, 11 of which came in the decisive second half.
"We almost lost to them on the road, and we talked about that over the course of the season, but right now we're right in the thick of things," head coach Dawn Henderson said. "Everyone knows what needs to be done and our players just get that."
After a 27-27 first half that saw the Lions go scoreless for more than six minutes, the College took a 47-42 lead with eight minutes left to play and never looked back. The College's defense eased the blow of a scoreless stretch that lasted from just under 12 minutes to 6:24. Throughout the game, the Lions allowed only 20 points and forced 27 turnovers.
Senior forward Erin Frank tallied 14 points, while junior forward Breanne Depken chipped in with 10 points off the bench and senior center Danica Miller grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
The win is the Lions' fifth consecutive victory and raises their record to 15-7, 12-4 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). Rutgers-Newark dropped to 14-9, 9-7 in the NJAC. With the win the College remains in solid third-place position in the NJAC playoff picture.
Junior forward Megan Hueter paced the Lions in the first half with eight points, while the Scarlet Raiders' sophomore forward Eni Fageyinbo and sophomore guard Sabrina Sanchez also added eight points. Miller had eight of her 11 rebounds in the opening half.
The College handily defeated rival Rowan University 61-30 on Wednesday in Glassboro to sweep the season series. Hueter led three Lions who scored in double-digits with a game-high 13 points.
"She's played very well this year," Henderson said of Hueter. "She's always been a scorer, but she's improved her game as a defensive player, which we needed her to do."
Frank added 12 points and senior guard Alexa Shields scored 10 points, while dishing out four assists and grabbing three steals.
"It was just another game and we got another win at the end of the year," Henderson said.
When asked if it meant more to beat Rowan, considering the rivalry between the two schools, Henderson said, "If they were more competitive, yes, but they've had a down year."
The College went on a 12-2 run four minutes into the first half and never looked back, taking a 33-18 lead into the locker room. Hueter and Shields each scored 10 points in the first half. The second half proved more of the same as the Lions outscored the Profs 28-12.
The College will travel to Montclair State University today to take on the second-place Red Hawks. The game will help clarify the top of the NJAC playoff picture and almost certainly finalize the first-round match-ups. The College defeated Montclair 67-63 on Jan. 11 at home.
"This time of year we focus on taking each game individually and not getting too high or too low," Henderson said. "That's served us well this year."
(02/08/06 5:00pm)
The women's basketball team dispatched Ramapo College and Rutgers University-Camden this week to solidify their third-place position in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) playoff picture. The wins raised the College's record to 13-7, 10-4 in the NJAC.
"I think we're right in the mix of things, which is where we want to be," head coach Dawn Henderson said. "We'd like to be in the top two in the conference and we've got a shot at second place."
The College defeated Ramapo 61-44 on Saturday in Packer Hall behind double-doubles from senior forward Erin Frank and junior center Breanne Depken. Frank scored 15 points with 12 rebounds and Depken added 11 points and grabbed 10 boards off the bench.
Frank and Depken paced the Lions in the first half, each scoring eight of their points to help build a 30-20 halftime lead. But the Roadrunners opened the second half on a 12-7 run to pull within five at 37-32 with just 13 minutes left to play in the game.
That was as close as Ramapo would come. From there, the College pulled away, outscoring Ramapo 24-12 in the final 13 minutes. Forwards Sara Best and Megan Hueter helped the Lions' cause by chipping in 11 and 12 points respectively.
The Lions' defense put up a solid effort, forcing 25 turnovers and holding the Roadrunners to under 30 percent shooting from the field, while grabbing 22 steals.
"We're playing steady defense and getting a few different people scoring, which is exactly what we want to do," Henderson said.
On Wednesday, the College easily handled Rutgers-Camden in a 79-50 blowout victory on the road. This was the College's fifth straight win over Rutgers-Camden.
In a game where the Lions never trailed, senior guard Alexa Shields led all scorers with a game-high 16 points. Senior center Danica Miller had 14 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Margo Buchalski chipped in with 12 points in just 12 minutes on the court. Depken also had a solid game with four points, five steals and seven rebounds.
Shields scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half to help build a 34-21 halftime advantage, and the Lions never looked back.
Freshman center Crystal Pezzano led the Raptors with 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Fellow freshman Melissa Whitten added 10 in the losing cause.
The College dominated most statistical categories, shooting 49 percent (34-69) from the field and a very impressive 50 percent (10-20) from behind the arc. They also dominated the boards with a 42-31 edge in rebounds.
"We're hitting some shots right now," Henderson said. "For a while we went through a stretch where we weren't making any shots, but now we are."
With four games remaining in the regular season, the Lions are in solid contention for the NJAC playoffs, where the top six teams advance. They will travel to Glassboro tonight for a 6 p.m. showdown with traditional rival Rowan, who the College easily defeated 78-52 in early November. "They haven't had as good a year as previous years, but we don't take any game for granted," Henderson said of Rowan.
With three of their last four games against lower-ranked opponents, the Lions hold the key to their own playoff destiny. "We have four games left and we'll look at each game the same, no matter the opponent," Henderson said.
(02/01/06 5:00pm)
All cylinders fired perfectly on Saturday in the women's basketball team's 85-54 blowout of Kean University in Packer Hall. The game put them in solid playoff position at fourth place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), where the top six teams make the playoffs.
"I think our team is starting to make the commitment to play hard the rest of the season," junior guard/forward Megan Hueter said. "A win like this gives us the confidence, knowing we're right there with the best teams in the NJAC."
Senior forward Erin Frank exploded for a season-high 28 points and Hueter added a career-high 16 points to pace the Lions. The College's defense smothered the Cougars, forcing 31 turnovers and holding them to just 37 percent shooting from the field.
While the defense was dominating, the offense was red-hot, shooting 50 percent from the field and scoring a season-high 85 points.
"I absorbed some of the great positive energy that my teammates had on Saturday," Hueter said. "We just wanted to win against Kean so badly."
The win raised the College's record to 11-7, 8-4 in the NJAC, and dropped Kean's record to 13-6 and 8-4 in the conference.
The College opened the game on an 18-6 run over the first six minutes. Frank led the run, scoring 12 of the Lions' first 18 points. The College took a commanding 42-28 lead into the locker room.
"Every game this time of year has a lot of added pressure on it and it's about winning this time of year," head coach Dawn Henderson said.
The second half proved to be more of the same as the College opened up leads of 20 and 31 points. Senior Tiara Simpkins chipped in 14 points and Sara Best added 11 points off the bench.
"For one of the first times this season, we started the game off playing hard and continuing it in both halves," Hueter said.
Sophomore forward Chari' Cooper and junior forward Chi Clark led Kean with 14 points each, and Cooper tallied a double-double with 13 rebounds.
Last Wednesday, the College fell to first-place Richard Stockton College 72-56 behind sophomore guard Lisa Neira's game-high 18 points and five assists. Senior Danica Miller led the College with 17 points and seven rebounds.
"We thought we were ready to play, we had good practices, but we didn't play particularly well," Henderson said. Stockton sprinted out to a 20-9 lead and took a 46-22 lead into the locker room. The College fought back with a 23-4 run to make it a 10-point game.
But Stockton's lead, which at one point swelled to 31 points, proved too much to overcome. "We had a tough loss on Wednesday, but we had a great second half against Stockton where we played some excellent defense," Hueter said. "So we kind of still had that in our system going into yesterday's game."
Whatever the Lions had in their system on Saturday, they played their best game of the year at arguably the most critical time. With four of the College's last six opponents ranking in the bottom of the NJAC, their win against third-place Kean puts them in prime position in the league's playoff picture.
The Lions will next take the court in Camden against Rutgers University today at 6 p.m. Then they will host Rowan on Saturday, also at 6 p.m.
(01/25/06 5:00pm)
Whatever questions have faced the women's basketball team this season, Erin Frank has provided the answers. Frank's team-high 11 points and seven rebounds helped return the College to its winning ways on Saturday by defeating William Paterson University (WPU) 44-39 in Packer Hall.
Danica Miller grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and blocked five shots for the Lions' cause. Miller's effort on the boards proved important for the Lions since the Pioneers held a 57-44 edge on the glass.
Breanne Depken chipped in with seven points and seven rebounds off the bench.
"The importance of this game is we were tied with William Paterson and this time of year you want to get placement against your conference opponents for the playoffs," head coach Dawn Henderson said.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak and put the College within one game of the top spot in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). The Lions now stand at 10-6 overall and 7-3 in the NJAC, while William Paterson's record dropped to 10-7, 6-4 in the NJAC.
With Saturday's win, the Lions earned a season sweep of the Pioneers, following a 77-66 road win earlier this season.
Luci Custis led the Pioneers with 11 points, while Lori Custis added 10 points and Janell Fabor had a game-high 15 rebounds for the Pioneers.
The College held a one-point lead after the first half, but WPU burst out of the locker room with a 6-0 run. The Pioneers held the Lions scoreless for the first five minutes of the second half.
Frank gave the Lions their first lead midway through the half with a layup. Then sophomore forward Sara Best hit a jumper to put the Lions ahead 40-39 with four minutes to play.
The College played tough defense throughout the game, limiting WPU to just 17.9 percent from the field. The Lions also shut down the Pioneers down the stretch, holding them scoreless over the final four minutes to secure the win.
Prior to Saturday, the College dropped two straight games by a total of six points to Mount St. Mary and New Jersey City University (NJCU). The loss to NJCU ended a 20-game winning streak the College owned over the Gothic Knights.
"I would like to think we didn't overlook (the Gothic Knights)," Henderson said. "But human nature would say if it's not an opponent we traditionally have a hard time with, things can happen."
The Lions had quite an eventful winter break, stringing together a seven-game winning streak dating back to Dec. 7. Frank and junior guard/forward Megan Hueter keyed the Lions' run of success. Hueter had five double-digit scoring games during the streak.
"We hit some tough times early in the season and we had a lot of injuries," Henderson said. "We had a can-do attitude and that definitely won some key games for us."
Frank punctuated the run brilliantly by hitting two free throws with time already expired to lift the Lions to a one-point victory over Rutgers University-Newark on Jan. 14.
"Erin has been our most consistent player," Henderson said. "She scores, she rebounds, she's one of our best free throw shooters and she's been a good leader."
The College played with many former Lions players in attendance on Saturday, as the program celebrated its Alumnae Weekend.
The Lions will try to continue their tough conference play when they travel to Richard Stockton College to take on the Ospreys tonight.
(12/07/05 5:00pm)
The College's men's basketball team used a second-half scoring outburst to defeat Kean University on Saturday 72-60 in Union. Senior center Scott Findlay scored 13 of his 15 points and the team shot an impressive 65 percent from the field in the decisive second half.
The win raised the College's record to 4-1 and 2-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). Kean's record dropped to 2-3 and 1-2 in the NJAC.
"We tried to stay with our original game plan in the second half," head coach John Castaldo said. "We shot the ball very well in the second half, and that allowed us to open up the game a little bit. When you make shots, things are a little smoother."
Senior guard Jason Stallworth was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and the free-throw line, finishing with 16 points. Junior forward Matt Diamond led all scorers with a game-high 18 points, going 10-for-11 from the charity stripe.
"The way we play, there isn't a conscious effort to get anyone the ball," Castaldo said. "We try to have good ball movement and run the shot-clock down a little bit to maybe compensate for other teams' athletic abilities."
After a first half that saw the two squads tied 27-27, Stallworth scored the first points of the second half and the Lions went from there, outscoring the Cougars 45-33.
Senior forwards Bobby Davison and Dan DeSerio rounded out the scoring for the Lions with eight points and five rebounds each.
The College fell to Richard Stockton College 58-56 on Wednesday in Packer Hall. Junior guard Kris Polk led Stockton with 15 points, and senior forward Michael Rodriguez posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
"We just missed some open shots and didn't come out as intense as we should have in the first half," Findlay said.
DeSerio led the Lions with a career-high 18 points. Findlay also posted a double-double, scoring 14 points and collecting 10 rebounds.
"Stockton did a good job of doubling me and making other guys make shots," Findlay said. "I thought (DeSerio) did a good job."
The Lions opened the game with a 9-4 run, but Polk used 13 of his 15 points to help the Ospreys to a 29-23 halftime lead. DeSerio hit three consecutive three-pointers in 11-3 Lions run to open the second half to take a 34-32 lead. But the Ospreys took a 53-51 lead with three minutes to play thanks to some strong offense rebounding by Rodriguez.
The College regained the lead at 54-53 with two minutes to play in the game when Findlay hit a layup and three-pointer. Senior guard Sid Jackson gave Stockton a 55-54 lead it would not relinquish. Rodriguez added two more off one of his six offensive rebounds to give Stockton a 57-54 lead.
Senior guard Brian Halligan saw an open three-point attempt with four seconds left to play hit the rim. Rodriguez collected the rebound and hit one of two free throws. DeSerio hit a lay-up as time expired, but it was too little too late.
"We lost six players and 60 points per game from a team who won 18 games last year so we have a lot of guys that haven't seen time in the past," Castaldo said when asked how he felt about the team's performance so far this season. "We didn't know what to expect, but one thing this team has already proven is they have a tremendous work ethic. They play hard and that is something that, from a coaching standpoint, you love to see."