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(03/30/05 12:00pm)
Parking Lot 8 was not a great place to be last Wednesday. It was freezing cold and the rain was coming down in diagonal sheets on the blacktop and cars.
Later this year, however, Lot 8 will be a hot spot on campus. By then, it will no longer be a sea of asphalt. Instead, it will be part of a state-of-the-art facility including a softball field, soccer field and alumni grove.
Despite the bad weather, the College held an upbeat ground breaking ceremony to begin construction of the new sports complexes and alumni grove.
Many notable members of the campus community took part in the ceremony, including College President R. Barbara Gitenstein, Chief Academic Officer and Provost Stephen Briggs and Executive Director of Student Development and Programs Kevin McHugh.
Alumni Association president Greg Bellotti, head softball coach Sally Miller, head women's soccer coach Joe Russo, and head men's soccer coach George Nazario, also participated in the event.
The ceremony lasted just 10 minutes, with Gitenstein, McHugh and Bellotti delivering speeches before the ground breaking participants posed with their shovels. Gitenstein thanked the alumni, many of whom were former athletes, for their dedication to the project.
McHugh discussed the many benefits the facility will provide and said the project is "another reaffirmation of the College's support for the athletic program."
Bellotti said he hopes the alumni grove will become a "focal point" on campus for students and alumni.
The new facilities will be built where Lots 6, 7 and 8 now stand. Even with the elimination of these parking lots, there is still a net gain in parking due to last year's addition of the Lot 6 parking deck.
The softball field will feature handicap-accessible grandstand spectator seating, fenced bullpens, a batting cage and a press box. There will also be a concession stand that will be utilized for games on both the softball and soccer fields.
After losing Lions' Park, its home on campus two years ago, the softball team has had to play on Armstrong Field for the past two years. The facility is about a mile off campus and minimizes the team's home field advantage.
"They've practically been a road team," McHugh said.
The entire softball team showed their support for their future home by braving the elements and attending the ceremony. Miller said she is excited that her team will be able to play in a facility located on campus.
"For two years we've been up in the air," she said. "It's great to have a facility back."
With the construction of the new soccer field, the College's men's and women's soccer teams will play on a "state-of-the-art surface," according to McHugh. In addition to spectator seating, a scoreboard and a press box, the field will be covered with a new generation infill type synthetic surface. The field surface was requested by the athletic department in conjunction with the Department of Campus Planning and Construction.
"Other than grass it's the best surface," Russo said. Nazario said the surface is particularly valuable because it holds up well against the weather in the late fall months.
The men's soccer program has used Lions' Stadium for its home games since 1984, while the women's soccer team has used the stadium since 1990, when women's soccer became a varsity sport at the College.
The new facilities will be NCAA compliant, meaning that the College will be eligible to host conference and NCAA Division III championships.
Nazario said he believes that the ability to play on such a great field, along with the opportunity to host NCAA events, will be an invaluable to his team when trying to bring in prospective athletes.
"In terms of recruiting purposes, it's very attractive," he said.
Bellotti described the alumni grove as "an area which will be a focal point and close to the heartbeat of campus." The park-like area will feature a reflecting pond, walkways, landscaping and an area with 4,000 engravable bricks that alumni and other members of the College community can purchase.
Bellotti said he hopes the grove will be utilized for gatherings, engagements, wedding pictures and meditation. He also said the area will be in close proximity to where people can tailgate before games on the adjacent fields.
"We want to engage students," he said. "We want students to come over and meet the alumni."
In terms of the athletic facilities, McHugh said he feels the door for students who are interested in all levels of athletics is opening wider.
"It addresses a number of needs," he said. "It also gives us flexibility in terms of intramural and club sports programs." McHugh said that since the stadium will no longer host as many varsity games and practices, students participating in intramural and club sports will have more frequent access to the turf.
According to Lynda Rothermel, project architect in the office of Campus Planning and Construction, the project budget does not provide for the purchase and installation of lighting for the fields.
However, the underground conduit for the lighting will be installed as part of this project, so that lights can later be installed without having to dig up the fields.
The general contractor for the project is Hunt Construction, which also heads construction of the new library.
The College has set the target date of completion for this November, meaning the soccer teams will be able to utilize their new home for part of the 2005-2006 seasons.
Since softball plays in the spring, the field should be ready for the team's 2006 home opener.
(03/23/05 5:00pm)
When fourth-ranked Salisbury University ended the College's lacrosse team's 52-regular season game winning streak, nobody seemed too worried.
"The loss will just push us to work even harder," sophomore forward Amanda Fuchs said last week.
However, the Lions proceeded to lose their second straight game on Saturday afternoon, a tightly-contested 10-9 defeat to the 12th-ranked Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland. It is the first time that the lacrosse team has lost consecutive games since 1985 and is its first ever loss in 14 meetings with Cortland.
The Lions, who started the season as the second-ranked team in Division III, dropped to fourth with a 1-2 record, while the Red Dragons improved to a perfect 5-0 on the young season.
The Lions came out with a poor effort in the first half, which led to a 5-2 halftime deficit. They rebounded in the second half and tied the game at nine with 2:29 left, but Red Dragons' sophomore midfielder Ali Bourgal scored on a free position shot with 34 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach.
"We're not getting it done in the first half like we need to," sophomore attacker Bernadette Campbell said. "We're doing little things here and there that add up."
Bourgal wreaked havoc on the Lions' defense with seven goals and one assist. Junior midfielder Jessie Lynch added two goals for the Red Dragons.
Freshman midfielder Karen Doane led the Lions with five goals, giving her an impressive 11 goals in the first three games of her college career. Junior midfielder Lauren Dougher contributed four goals and an assist, giving her the team lead in goals with 12.
The tandem of Doane and Dougher have accounted for 23 of the Lions' 33 goals this season.
The Lions came out cold in the first half and failed to get things going until late in the second half. With the game tied at one, the Red Dragons tallied three consecutive goals, including two by Bourgal, to take a 4-1 lead with 15:16 remaining in the first half. The teams then traded goals, giving Cortland a comfortable 5-2 lead heading into the locker rooms.
The start of the second half did not go much better for the Lions, as their deficit stretched to as many as four. Finally, down 9-5 with 6:59 remaining, the Lions put together a run of their own. Dougher and Doane combined for four goals in 3:06 to tie the game and shift the momentum to the Lions' side.
However, Bourgal proved too much for the Lions to handle and tallied the game-winning goal. The Lions were unable to get another shot on goal to try to tie the game.
Lions' junior goalkeeper Megan Marquardt recorded eight saves in the loss, while Red Dragons' junior Regina Grosso made seven stops as the last line of defense.
Despite a subpar start to the season, players still seem upbeat about the team's chances to be successful.
"We're taking (the losses) as learning experiences," Campbell said. "Everything happens for a reason."
"I wouldn't say we have a problem," sophomore attacker Kristin Zucconi said. "We're a young team going through some growing pains."
However, Zucconi did admit that none of the players are used to dealing with defeat.
Campbell said that while head coach Sharon Pfluger has been working the team hard on defense and attacking during practice, she is still very positive regarding the team's performance.
"She always knows how we feel and how we should look forward to the next day and do our best," Campbell said. "She has faith in us."
(03/16/05 5:00pm)
Eric Mobley had quite a challenge ahead of him when he accepted the head coaching duties of the College's track and field teams. He inherited an indoor track program that boasted seven straight men's and women's conference track championships and multiple All-Americans.
Apparently he was up to the challenge.
After dominating performances at both the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships, the Lions had a strong showing at the 2005 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, held at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill.
Ten Lions athletes participated in the meet and came away with eight All-American awards. Further sweetening the weekend for the College was an NCAA Division III Championship in the women's 4 x 400-meter relay.
The relay team, consisting of juniors Brittny Boyd and Tiffany Clark, sophomore Angela Tecco and freshman Carolyn Gray, put up a time of 3:52.79, a new school record. They finished ahead of second-place Washington University by a miniscule seven hundredths of a second.
"It was awesome," Gray said. "This is what we've been working for all season and we knew we could attain it."
The relay team had the advantage of running in the final's second heat, so the women were able to watch the first heat and know what kind of time they would have to put up. Gray explained that last year the team won its heat, but then could only watch as two other teams beat its time in the second heat.
Boyd ran the first leg of the race and gave the Lions an early lead. Clark, the College's final runner in the relay, was neck-and-neck with an opposing runner when she received the baton but then pulled away in the final stretch to win both the heat and the championship.
The Lions' women excelled individually as well. Clark's time of 58.47 seconds was good enough for a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter dash, making her an 11-time All-American athlete. The 400 meters is Clark's best event, as she was the runner-up in both the 2003 Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Boyd took home her first All-American award with a seventh-place finish in the 55-meter dash. After breaking a school record with a 7.18 second run in the trials, she put up a 7.22 second time in the finals.
Boyd, who participated in three events at the meet, came in ninth place in the long jump to finish just short of earning another All-American award. The top eight finishers in each event won All-American honors.
While the men's team did not take home an NCAA Championship, there were a few standout individual performances, led by junior Jeff Zodda and senior Matt Molski.
Zodda finished third in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:54.13, good enough for the third All-America award of his career at the College.
"He wasn't happy (with third place)," assistant coach Tim Collins said. "He wants to win it."
Zodda's career-best time in the event, as well as the school record, was 1:52.44, which he set earlier this season.
Molski's 4:20.69 time in the finals of the one-mile run gave him an eighth-place finish and All-American honors. His strong performance was still well short of his personal-best time, an astounding 4:09.71 that he recorded earlier in the season.
Junior Jeff Schwerdtman and senior Ed Marion fell just short of All-American status in each of their respective events. Schwerdtman came in ninth in the shot put with a 16.26-meter throw, while Marion settled with 10th place in the high jump with a 1.97-meter leap.
Junior Kevin Jones failed to qualify for the long jump finals after finishing sixth in his heat with a 6.59-meter jump.
As a team, the College's women finished in 11th place with 15 points, well short of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which tallied 36. The men came in 26th place with seven points. The University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse took home the men's team title with 43 points.
The men and women improved on last year's performance, when they came in 28th and 12th place, respectively.
The Lions prepared themselves for the national meet with a dominating performance at the ECAC Championships on March 4 and 5 at St. Lawrence University.
The men's team captured the ECAC Division III crown, their sixth in the last seven years, while the women finished in second place.
The men finished with 115 points, 27 points ahead of second-place New Jersey City University.
"It was a great victory for the team," Collins said.
Molski won the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:59.40, while Zodda took the 800-meter title in 1:55.07.
While the Lions' women finished 37 points behind first-place SUNY Geneseo, the team did win three event championships.
Boyd won the 200-meter dash in 25.22 seconds and then teamed up with Tecco, junior Erika Huggler and freshman Jessica Bonelli to win the 4 x 400-meter relay. Individually, Bonelli won the 500-meter run in 78.22 seconds.
Collins said that while this was certainly a successful season, the athletes are looking forward to the upcoming outdoor season and next year's indoor competitions.
"Too many people were injured this season," he said. "We want to get those people back."
(02/23/05 12:00pm)
Last Tuesday was a beautiful day in so many ways. Outside the birds were chirping as the warm sun shined brightly. People were playing Frisbee out on the fields. And most importantly, it actually looked like the NHL was going to have a season.
Wednesday started off in the same fashion. It was another warm, sunny day and the NHL was reportedly only a few compromises short of bringing the season back to life. But just around 1 p.m., when the storm clouds suddenly started to collect over campus, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stepped up to the podium in New York.
"I have no choice but to cancel the 2004-05 season," Bettman said. "This is a sad, regrettable day that all of us wish could have been avoided."
His words were like a stake through the heart. And just when it appeared things couldn't get any worse, it started pouring outside. Even Mother Earth was depressed.
Nobody else seemed to care. For the few diehard hockey fans left out there, Wednesday was a nightmare come true. For everyone else, it was just another day.
But the season would not be lost that easily. On Thursday, rumors swirled that the owners and players were finally willing to compromise and work out a deal. By Friday night, many hockey experts would have put money down that the season would be miraculously revived.
However, after putting hockey fans through yet another episode of false hope, the season was officially cancelled for the second time in four days on Saturday. Only in the NHL could a season be cancelled, let alone twice in less than a week.
It marked the first time that the entire season of an American major pro sports league was cancelled due to a labor dispute. It will be the first time since 1919 that the Stanley Cup, the best trophy in all of sports because it has every champion's name written on it, will not be awarded. They had a much better excuse back in 1919 - there was a horrific flu epidemic.
Many of the players will be adversely affected. Young players who thought they would get their first crack at professional hockey will have to wait. Aging players may have already played their last NHL games. Star players have one less season to reach league records and career milestones.
But forget about the athletes; it's the fans that are really suffering. Hockey fans are devastated, not to mention the owners of all the sports bars and other businesses that set up camp near arenas on game days.
Furthermore, the lack of an NHL season only makes this time of year worse for professional sports lovers. The period from February until early April is always rough because the two most widely watched sports, football and baseball, are in their offseasons. Sure there's basketball, and usually hockey, but they don't attract the widespread appeal of America's two biggest sports.
Sit in front of the television on a weekday night and think about what sporting options are available. You can watch the NBA, but this area's three major teams- Knicks, Nets and 76ers - all had more losses than wins as of the All-Star break. You can watch college basketball, but chances are you'll be witnessing a game that is pretty much over by halftime. If you're not into those sports then you're pretty much out of luck, unless you happen to belong to the minority that enjoys NASCAR, golf, arena football or meaningless spring training baseball.
It is truly sad that a sport can be shut down because of greed. Owners and players look at hockey as a bunch of dollar signs. They take a simple, entertaining game and turn it into a business with salary caps, luxury taxes and salary rollbacks.
Ice hockey is an amazing sport, combining speed, strength, aggression and even grace. Despite playing on skates, players can elegantly weave around defenders while still keeping control of the puck. They can unselfishly dish out a series of perfect passes that lead to a goal. When they want to create a little excitement, they can drop their gloves and start throwing punches.
On Saturday afternoon, Continental Airlines Arena, home of the New Jersey Devils, should be filled to capacity with fans proudly wearing their red and white sweaters. Just before game time, the zambonis should be rolling over the ice surface until it is glistening under the arena lights. The day should be filled with sounds of pucks, sticks, goal horns and screaming fans.
But thanks to the selfishness of the NHL, Continental Airlines Arena, along with the other arenas used by the 30 NHL franchises, will be quite a lonely place.
(02/16/05 5:00pm)
If a diving team is going to consist of only one person and still be successful, that one person better be pretty good. Luckily for the College, that one person is sophomore Lee Swanson.
Swanson, the only member of the College's women's diving team, put on quite a show at the annual Rutgers University Invitational on Saturday. She captured third in the one-meter event with her score of 217.05 despite facing a field that was mostly composed of Division I divers. In the three-meter event, Swanson placed second with her score of 392.45.
"I've been training really hard this year," Swanson said. "I'm the only diver so I get a lot of attention."
She noted her improvement on her entries, which is the positioning just before hitting the water. This skill minimizes the splash when she hits the water.
Candice Gottlieb, the College's diving coach, has been thrilled with Swanson's performance this season.
"She's become very strong this year and very consistent with her performances," Gottlieb said. "She's won in almost every meet she's been in."
Swanson admitted that she was a little anxious coming into the meet because of her Division I competition but said she was very happy with her performance.
"To know that you are comparable to (Division I divers) is awesome," she said.
Swanson, along with the men's and women's swimming teams, will be back in action on Feb. 18-20 when the Lions compete at the Metropolitan Conference Championships at Rutgers University.
Gottlieb believes that Swanson could certainly win one event this weekend but knows she has the potential to win both the one-meter and three-meter competitions.
Swanson, however, is not thinking about her placement.
"I would love to win, but I'm just planning to go there and do my best," she said.
After the conference championships, Swanson hopes to qualify as one of the top 22 divers in Division III. She would then move on to the NCAA Division III Championships in Holland, Mich. on Mar. 10-12.
(02/16/05 5:00pm)
There are 420 schools that make up Division III athletics. Some have a few hundred students while others have a student body approaching 20,000. Some are private and some public. They all have different institutional missions and different philosophies when it comes to athletics.
Yet every January, representatives from this diverse array of schools meet and vote on changes to Division III. Many changes have been made over the last few years. Some of these issues have had an effect on the College and the Division III experience that varsity athletes can enjoy here.
The most notable rules change took effect in January 2004, when Division III representatives voted to eliminate red shirting. Red shirting, which gets the most attention in Division I, allows athletes to practice with a team but not use up a year of eligibility if they don't play in any games. In other words, a player who practices with a team but never sees any game action can continue to play in his or her fifth year of college.
Under NCAA rules, each college athlete is allowed four years of eligibility to play intercollegiate sports. The rationale of removing the red shirt is that more athletes can graduate in four years instead of returning for a fifth year to play another sports season.
Shawn Mecchi, senior goalkeeper for the College's men's soccer team, believes that the new red shirting rule reflects an important change in Division III philosophy that separates it from Division I and II programs.
"I think it's great," he said. "It makes Division III look like we're not all about spending the money necessary to compete. Instead the image is back on 'academics first.'"
On the other hand, Kevin McHugh, executive director for Student Development and Campus Programs at the College, disagrees with the elimination of the red shirt.
"Why would you say you've used a year (of eligibility) when you haven't even competed?" he said.
However, he said that it is usually not an issue at the College. "Athletes are not coming here to be pros," he said. "Coaches just want them to come out with a degree and leadership skills."
McHugh, who was recently selected to serve as a member of the NCAA Division III Management Council, said he believes that some schools are hiding their true intentions when it comes to changing the athletics program.
"Seventy-five percent of Division III is private," he said. "It's less likely that someone would stay a fifth year than at a public school."
Another recent change shortened the length of teams' off-season schedules. Mecchi, who plays in some scrimmages in the spring with the men's soccer team, said that the NCAA has been continually shortening the length of these "seasons."
"We practice three times a week and play a couple of scrimmages or meaningless tournaments," he said. "But the length we're allowed to do that keeps getting smaller as well as the limits on how many competitions we're allowed to play."
McHugh said that while these changes may appear to shift the focus further toward academics, that may not necessarily be the rationale of many committee members.
For example, a few years ago there was an argument in the winter meetings over whether football teams should be able to use a football when having off-season workouts in the spring. It was finally decided that teams can use a football, but they cannot practice with full-contact scrimmages.
The reason for quarreling over a seemingly simple issue, McHugh said, was that some schools have coaches that coach more than one sport. If teams were allowed to participate in game situations, the teams that would lose their coach to another sport would be at a disadvantage.
"They are hiding behind the 'student-athlete' issue, but it comes down to competitiveness," he said.
Whether this is the main factor or not, the College's athletics staff and players will be looking closely for future changes in Division III.
(02/09/05 12:00pm)
On Nov. 11, 1938, the Trenton State Teachers College football team defeated Panzer 12-0. On Nov. 10, 1949, they defeated Montclair 7-6.
These may seem like two random wins out of the 314 that the College's football team has tallied since 1921. However, the story becomes a lot more interesting when you realize that in the 11 years between these games, the Lions failed to win a single one.
It was a 45-game winless streak (42 losses and three ties) which, at the time, was the longest such streak of futility ever in intercollegiate sports.
In reality, it was only a seven-year skid; the College did not field a team during from 1942-45 because of World War II. Nevertheless, the streak did receive massive media attention and was a reputation that did not make the students of Trenton State particularly proud.
John Sarkos, who was a sophomore when the College beat Montclair, recalled his experiences as a freshman playing during the winless streak in "Stories of Glory: A Historical Journal of Lions Football."
"We lost every game that year, except for one 0-0 tie," he said. "We would lose 6-0 or 12-0. We would score a touchdown only occasionally."
It wasn't like they never came close to ending the streak. In 1941, they lost 20-19 to Panzer (which later merged with Montclair State College). On Oct. 18, 1947, the Lions broke their 27-game losing streak by tying Rider in a scoreless game. Two other games ended in ties before the Lions finally ended the misery on Nov. 10, 1949 in their last game of the season.
Judging by the first half, it looked like it was time to chalk up another loss for Trenton State. Montclair quarterback Bob Lummer threw a 20-yard pass to Bob Edack in the second quarter to give Montclair the lead. Johnny Howarty missed the extra point, but the Lions were still in a 6-0 hole when they entered the locker room at halftime.
During halftime, a photographer from Life magazine took a shot of the team in the locker room that would later become the magazine's "Picture of the Week." The players certainly look like they're on a team that hadn't won in 11 years - everyone is sitting around, looking tired and frustrated. The sign hanging above the door is the motto that head coach George Ackerman tried to stress to his team - "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of fight in the dog." Luckily for him and the College, the team stayed true to the slogan.
In the third quarter, Trenton got the ball at the Montclair 43-yard-line and marched down the field. The drive ended in success when Mike Angelotti fought hard for a one-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Bob Zardus, Trenton's freshman kicker, knocked the extra point through the uprights to give his team the 7-6 lead, which luckily was all the scoring they would need.
It was a moment of redemption for Zardus, who missed both extra point tries in the season opener against Glassboro Teachers College, which ended in a 12-12 tie that extended the winless streak.
Fittingly, Montclair was the team that started the Lions' streak on Nov. 18, 1938 when they handed Trenton a 6-0 defeat.
"I feel like we've just won the Rose Bowl," Ackerman said to the press after the game.
The students didn't waste any time celebrating their first taste of victory since 1938. As The Trentonian pointed out in its Nov. 11, 1949 report, "most (students) were little more than toddling infants ... when State last won."
According to The Trentonian article, "The band blared, the crowd roared, co-eds kissed strangers and Angelotti was carried from the field by his jubilant mates." Ackerman and a few other coaches and players were thrown fully clothed into the swimming pool.
Trenton's victory was the biggest national sports story of the day. The game was mentioned in radio reports, newspaper articles and Life. There had been plenty of newsreel cameras, photographers and reporters at the game along with the roughly 1,000 Trenton faithful.
John Dell, writer for The Trentonian, summed up the momentous occasion: "Stop the presses! Clear the wires! Break right in on the commercials! Ah! There's good news this morning! Trenton State Teachers College won a football game!"
The team used the Montclair win as a jumpstart for success over the next few seasons. In 1950, the Lions put up a 5-1 record, a remarkable turnaround from their 1-5-1 record in 1949.
In 1951, the Lions once again finished with a zero in their record. Impressively, this zero was in the loss column - they went 6-0 for an undefeated season. Despite the College's dominant Division III program in recent years, the football team has yet to put together another unbeaten season.
"We started to believe that we could win," Sarkos was quoted as saying in reference to the 1951 team in "Stories of Glory." "We had good players at every position. We had kids who were All-State who didn't even start. It was a big deal for us to be undefeated."
Since then, the College has established itself as a consistent Division III contender. The football team has won seven league championships and produced 21 All-Americans since 1977.
As we celebrate Founders' Day and look back, we should not forget that our athletic program has come a long way. A bunch of guys, playing for a team recognized mainly by its winless streak, still came out and played hard each game to try to turn it around. Looking at the success of our school today, they did a pretty good job.
(02/02/05 12:00pm)
The most wonderful day of the year is almost here.
On Sunday, people will park themselves in front of their television sets watching the best game that professional sports can offer. Millions of feet of hero sandwiches (or hoagies) will be eaten, millions of cans of beer will be consumed and a countless number of eyes will be glued to the television, whether it be to watch the game, the commercials or the always entertaining halftime show.
The Super Bowl is a monumental event no matter which teams are playing, but this year there is added significance, especially for the football fans at the College. For the first time since the Giants were torn apart by the Ravens in 2001, a local team is in the big game. Whether you call them Eagles or "Iggles," there is plenty of talk surrounding this year's NFC Champions.
We all know the constant feud that boils on campus over North Jersey and South Jersey. In any argument between the two, the Eagles always seem to come up. South Jerseyans are loyal to their team but never have anything to brag about. The Eagles have consistently dominated the regular season and the early playoff games before choking in the NFC Championship Game. This year, they finally broke through and made it to the Super Bowl, but they won't lose their status as perennial underachievers until they win it all.
While there are plenty of people on campus who will be sporting green jerseys on Sunday, there are likely just as many who for this week only will be die-hard Patriots fans. If the Eagles win their first Super Bowl on Sunday, there are many anti-Eagles fans who will feel like the world is over. It will be the same type of reaction that Yankees fans had when the Red Sox broke the curse in October.
But this game has a lot more storylines than just the local impact. The two teams have had great success in recent years, but only the Patriots have made it to the top of the football world. If the Patriots win on Sunday, they will establish themselves as the first NFL dynasty of the new millennium.
If the Eagles win, the criticisms of the team will finally end. Quarterback Donovan McNabb has been criticized as never coming through in the big games, while head coach Andy Reid's impressive accomplishments have been overshadowed by three consecutive league championship losses. A win on Sunday will change all that.
The individual matchups are exciting as well. At quarterback, the athletic, agile McNabb will go up against Tom Brady, who has never felt the pain of losing a playoff game. Multitalented running back Brian Westbrook of the Eagles will be put to the test by a stingy Patriots defense. Even the coaching matchup is intriguing-Reid will put his football smarts to the test against defensive guru Bill Belichick, who remarkably gets more press than any of the players on his team.
Meanwhile, Eagles fans can't stop talking about the possible return of their savior, receiver Terrell Owens, who seems more than willing to put his injured body at risk if it means a chance at a championship. The drama is certainly set up for this game.
Even for those of us who really have no connection to either team, the Super Bowl always brings excitement. Recent Super Bowls have broken tradition, with four of the past seven games being decided by seven points or less. In the previous 31 Super Bowls, only seven were decided by that margin. Since 2000, we have seen two Adam Vinatieri game-winning kicks, the Titans come up a yard short, some cool commercials and Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction."
What will this Super Bowl be remembered for? Will South Jersey finally have a team to celebrate about, or will North Jersey once again get the last laugh? How will the commercials stack up? Will the FCC have to dish out some fines for the halftime show? All these questions, and more, will be answered on Sunday.
So sit back with some friends, get plenty of snacks and drinks and enjoy the game.
(01/26/05 5:00pm)
Despite five straight losses to tough opponents, the women's swimming and diving team is still looking up when it comes to the season.
On Jan. 14 and 15, the women's swimming team faced Johns Hopkins University and West Chester University of Pennsylvania in a tri-meet. While the College lost both meets and dropped to 1-5 on the season, head coach Jennifer Harnett has been impressed with her team's performance.
"I have been extremely happy when it comes to individual times, coming together as a team and their level of training," she said.
Junior tri-captain Erin Stutz came in second in the 200 fly with her time of 2:13.92, followed by freshman Ava Kiss in third in 2:14.64.
"Erin Stutz is well ahead of where I expected," Harnett said.
In the 400 medley relay, senior tri-captain Jackie Whitty, junior Karen Bocian, Kiss and junior Beth Hurley raced to a fourth-place finish in 4:21.53.
Meanwhile, sophomore diver Lee Swanson continued her impressive season against West Chester. She won the three-meter event with an NCAA qualifying score of 279.80, while placing second in the one-meter with another NCAA qualifying mark of 229.95.
"She is having a phenomenal season," Harnett said. "She has made a qualifying score for nationals in almost every meet."
Swanson was named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Co-Diver of the Week for the second time this season.
Despite the team's poor record thus far, Harnett is optimistic about the team's upcoming meets.
"It's been a really tough schedule this year," Harnett said, noting that the team has faced some of the top Division II and III schools in the nation. "Once we get to conference meets, that's when the girls are really going to shine."
The College will travel to face conference rival Rowan tonight at 6 p.m. The Lions will be back home on Saturday at 2 p.m. to face New York University (NYU).
Meanwhile, the College's men's swimming team stands at 3-3 after losses to Hopkins and West Chester on Jan. 14 and 15.
The Lions did put up some impressive times. Junior tri-captain Steve Swenson placed second in the 200 breast with his time of 2:11.76, while senior tri-captain Nick Steffanci took third in the 50 free in 22.17.
The 400 free relay team of junior Jeff Glenn, sophomore Kyle King, senior tri-captain Chris Levin and Steffanci came in second with a time of 3:13.07.
The Lions will face the Profs of Rowan University tonight at 6 p.m. They will be home on Saturday to face NYU and the United States Merchant Marine Academy at 2 p.m.
(11/17/04 5:00pm)
The weekend ended with both happiness and disappointment for the College's cross country teams, as the men's team earned a spot in the NCAA Division III championships, while the women's team failed to qualify.
Held Saturday at St. Lawrence University, the NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional Championships ended with a first-place finish for the men's team. They will move on to the Division III championships at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Nov. 20.
"I could not be more satisfied with the race," senior Brian Donovan said. "It is a cool feeling."
Donovan, running in his first race in almost a month, led the team with a third-place finish in the 8-km run with a time of 25:12.9. He had not been running due to an injury.
While the injury still bothers him a little, Donovan said that "nothing really bothers you during the race."
Senior Matt Molski was the next Lion to cross the finish line, earning sixth place with a time of 25:31.2. "Molski had a big race," head coach Tim Collins said. "It was his best cross country race ever."
Joe Lacovara-Switzer took 13th place in 25:47.3 and freshman Brian Kopnicki, who came in 16th place with a time of 25:251.2, was the first freshman runner to cross the finish the line in the entire race.
Donovan, Molski, Lacovara-Switzer, Kopnicki and sophomore Dave dos Santos, who came in 29th place, were all honored for their performances on Saturday with a spot on the 2004 All-Region team.
"They have done everything we hoped that they would do," Collins said. "Getting into the top 10 in nationals would make it the perfect season."
The men's team will try to do just that next week in Wisconsin. Individually, each runner will be vying to place in the top 35 and earn All-American honors.
"We have a real solid team," Donovan said. "We can do some great stuff next week."
Meanwhile, the women's team suffered a major disappointment when they came in fourth place in the regional championships. Only the top two schools advance to the Division III championships.
"The team is disappointed and I am disappointed," Collins said.
However, there were some positives for the women's team. The second-place finish by junior Jenna Fasulo earned her an individual spot in the championships next weekend. She had a time of 22:39.5 on the 6,000-meter course. She was in control for most of the race but then lost by a stride at the finish.
"It was an outstanding effort," Collins said.
Although the rest of the team did not fare as well, all seven Lions runners placed in the top 35 to earn All-Region honors.
Freshman Erin Enderly's 18th place finish (23:15.4) was the best Lions time behind Fasulo. Senior Meghan O'Halloran took 19th place in 23:19.2.
Freshman Julie Ullmeyer finished in 23rd place in 23:25.2, just ahead of freshman Jenna Bauberger, who placed 26th in 23:28.5. Freshman Sarah Best picked up 32nd place with her time of 23:31.4 and sophomore Kristen Pogorzelski took home 33rd place in 23:34.4.
Donovan noticed that while the runners of other schools were established in packs during the race, the Lions women were too spread out.
"You have to have tight packs to win," he said.
"It is a young team," Collins said. "They did not have a lot of experience. I guess it was a little bit too much to overcome."
The team did lose three key runners from last season and was stocked with freshman runners. This does not take away the disappointment from this season but does lead to a positive outlook for next season.
"They are not ready just yet to make it to nationals," Collins said. "But they will be very good in the future."
(11/10/04 12:00pm)
The baseball postseason just came to its exciting conclusion, the football season is in full swing and the basketball season is just tipping off. To many people, that sounds like the norm for this time of year. But for certain fans, something is terribly wrong with the fall sports lineup this year - hockey is missing.
The National Hockey League (NHL) is in the midst of a lockout, meaning that until an agreement between owners and players is reached, there will be no hockey season. Between a slow-moving negotiation process, the lack of attention the work stoppage is receiving and the frustration of fans, the NHL has a lot of work to do if it ever wants to return to its glory days.
Last week, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that due to the league's financial situation and the players' unwillingness to negotiate, the chances of having a season are slipping away.
"I say this - and I hate when I say it," he said, "we lose less money when we are not playing. The problems are so severe that we need to fix it the right way. The damage we will suffer if we don't fix it, now that we have the opportunity to do it, is incalculable."
The owners and the players disagree on the terms of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which lists the guidelines concerning player salaries and team spending. The owners claim that the league is losing money and that a salary cap, which puts a limit on the amount each team can spend on salaries, is needed to stabilize league finances. The players are willing to reduce salaries to an extent but refuse to accept a salary cap.
Both sides have been criticized in the media for their contribution to the conflict. Owners have been ridiculed because they are complaining about the very salaries that they negotiated with players. According to the NHL Web site, since the last CBA went into effect, owners have allowed player salaries to rise an astounding 246 percent.
Meanwhile, players are being attacked for being greedy and unwilling to accept that they need to take partial responsibility for the league's financial problems. Last season the NHL average salary was $1.8 million, so players certainly will not go broke if they accept a pay cut. Owners point out that the NFL and NBA, both successful leagues with high player salaries, have a salary cap system in place.
Instead of figuring out which side has the best arguments, maybe everyone should look past that and look at the real losers here - the fans.
"I am really disappointed," Megan Smith, junior early childhood education/psychology major and New Jersey Devils fan, said. "I love the game and I love going to watch it because it's such a good time, and to know that I won't get to do that for at least a year is a real letdown."
Adding to their disappointment over the absence of hockey is the fact that many fans feel that the labor stoppage is not going to end anytime soon.
"I feel extremely upset about there not being a season, especially since the core issue is money for both players and the owners and there seems to be no end in sight," Michael Slattery, sophomore psychology major and New York Rangers fan, said. "It is a hopeless situation as of right now."
Hopeless does seem to be the fitting word. Owners and players have not had negotiations since Sept. 9, six days before the labor stoppage officially began. They have no plans for meeting again. Meanwhile, about 250 players have gone abroad to play in European leagues where they are making a few hundred thousand dollars, far less than the millions they could make in the NHL.
The main problem with the idleness on both sides is that fans are getting more and more frustrated. Very little progress is being made, and when it does, the media hardly reports it.
"I want to know what the negotiators have been saying," Bethany Allinder, junior English major and Rangers fan, said. "It seems everything is hush-hush."
Just over two years ago, Major League Baseball players were contemplating going on strike in the middle of the season. The media went into a frenzy, with strike news dominating newspaper headlines and SportsCenter news. After all this attention, the players agreed on a new CBA and the strike never even took place.
Yet the NHL lockout, which has been in effect for almost two months and could cause an entire season to be cancelled, receives no such media attention. This is disturbing because it means that both the national media and the majority of fans do not seem to care about the absence of a major sport.
The NHL needs to recognize that its problems stretch further than just finances; if the season is lost, the league can expect to lose a large portion of its already withering fan base. If the owners want to make money and the players want to get higher salaries, the league must attract fans.
Instead of discussing salary caps and luxury taxes, the league should be concerned about lowering the sky-high ticket prices and adding rules to increase scoring in games. The formula is pretty simple - if the fans are happy, then players and owners will get the money they so desperately desire.
For now, hockey fans must live with the notion that they will probably not get to see professional hockey for a long time. Some fans may become so frustrated that they give up on the league, and that is totally understandable. However, even after a prolonged lockout, some hockey fanatics will be ready and willing to enjoy the NHL whenever play resumes.
"If they were to start the season now, 10 months from now, or 10 years from now I would go back," Smith said. "I am frustrated yes, but I'll get over it - as long as they promise to have a good fight in the first game."
(11/04/04 12:00pm)
The curse ended the same way it began 86 years ago. St. Louis's Edgar Renteria, who grounded out to end the World Series, fittingly wears No. 3 - the same number worn by Babe Ruth.
The Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason always seems to bring some excitement, and the Red Sox are usually right in the midst of it. Unfortunately for them, the excitement has historically come from their epic collapses.
As a Mets fan, my team's chances usually end sometime in May, so my support shifts to whichever team is playing the Yankees. I had no problem rooting for the Red Sox; after all, they practically handed over the 1986 World Series to the Mets. But as the Boston-New York series approached, I fully expected another seven-game series in which the Red Sox would find some way to mess up and hand the series to the Yankees.
The first three games of the series surprised almost everyone, but yet again it was all about the misery of the Red Sox. Instead of seeing a back-and-forth dogfight, the Yankees took a 3-0 series lead by a combined score of 32-16. My Yankee fan friends bragged as even the Red Sox seemed to be waving the white flag.
"We thought we'd be up 3-0 right now," Boston's Johnny Damon said. "I think we're definitely upset, definitely stunned."
The media quickly pointed out that no major league team in history had even forced a Game 7 after losing the first three games, let alone win the series. For all three games at Fenway Park, FOX used the time between pitches to focus on the frustration of Boston fans as another season slipped away.
Game 4 was a close game throughout, but it seemed to go just according to plan for the Yankees. Closer Mariano Rivera came in for the ninth inning to put an end to Boston's season.
However, things uncharacteristically started to go in Boston's favor. David Ortiz won back-to-back extra inning games after Rivera let the Red Sox back in the game. Curt Schilling overcame a messed-up ankle and a disastrous Game 1 to pitch a gem in Game 6. By Game 7, the momentum was fully in Boston's favor.
Still, as I watched Game 7 with some friends, I had a feeling that the Yankees would pull it out. However, the 2004 postseason was not like the past 86. The Yankees made one brief rally against Pedro Martinez but never made another charge in Boston's lopsided win.
After the game, as I happily watched the sadness in the Yankee players' faces and the pure joy of the Red Sox, I realized what an epic event had just occurred. The Red Sox made the biggest comeback in sports history, and they did it against the team that was their "daddy" for nearly a century.
It was like the Miracle on Ice - a bunch of "idiots," just like the team of college kids, beating the best - the big shots, the ones who fully expected to win. Rivera had blown two saves that would have sealed the series. Derek Jeter, the most clutch playoff performer of all time, hit a dismal .200 for the series. In short, it was a Red Sox fan's dream come true.
Jeter was very frustrated with the Yankees' inability to put the Red Sox away, considering that was always the Yankees' strength during the dynasty years from 1996-2000. "It's not the same team," Jeter said. "We've had teams that have been good at it, but this is not the same team."
Jeter was right on. Over the past few years, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has replaced team players such as Tino Martinez and Andy Pettite with superstars like Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez. Yet with such big names and high salaries, the Yankees have not won a World Series since 2000. The Diamondbacks, Angels, Marlins and Red Sox didn't beat the Yankees with talent and skill - they beat them with heart.
After their Game 7 celebration, the Red Sox had to focus on the World Series against the Cardinals. A lot of Yankee fans were rooting for the Cardinals to keep the curse going, but most people just had that feeling that the Sox were going to take care of business. They did, sweeping the series with ease.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they won't even be remembered for their role in this year's playoffs, despite their impressive year. The 2004 season will always be known as the year that the Sox made a miracle comeback against the Yankees and broke the curse.
The 3.2 million people who watched the Red Sox march through Boston on Saturday were celebrating an achievement that many thought would never come. Boston's first title since 1918 is great for the city, but more importantly it is good for baseball. You don't have to live in Boston or New York to appreciate the intense rivalry that gets more heated every year.
(09/15/04 4:00pm)
The College's men's and women's cross country teams continued their strong start to the season with second place showings at the Connecticut College Invitational. This comes a week after the Lions' first meet, in which the men and women combined for six dual meet wins.
"It's early in the season for us but it was a good meet," Tim Collins, head coach for the men and women said. "We're still just getting into things."
The men's team beat out 18 other schools, finishing just behind Southern Connecticut State. Senior Brian Donovan set a course record in the 8,000-meter run with a time of 25:20. The previous record was set last year in 25:33 by former Lion Adrian Cline.
Junior Matt Randal and seniors Joe Lacovara-Switzer and Matt Molski also put up top-20 finishes in the 8,000 meter race.
"(Randal) has made a big jump this season," Collins said. "He's been running really well for us and has shown significant improvement."
Meanwhile, the women's team placed second out of 12 teams, finishing behind only Tufts University.
The women's 5,000-meter run featured seven Lions runners out of the first 21 finishers. Junior Jenna Fasulo put up the top Lions time of 19:22, earning her an eighth-place finish. The race was won by Wellesley College junior Tracy Bessett in 18:38.
Freshmen Julie Ullmeyer, Sara Best and Erin Enderly put up impressive times, finishing 9th, 11th and 12th, respectively.
Collins said that he was encouraged by seeing freshmen runners contribute early in the season. On the men's side, he singled out freshman Brian Kopnicki, who took 33rd place in the 8,000-meter course.
Overall, Collins is encouraged by what he has seen so far this season. "We beat some pretty good teams," he said. "We're running pretty quick for this early in the year."
The ultimate goal, Collins said, is to gear up to run the fastest races at the end of the season, when the teams will compete in the regional and national meets. "We want to get top 10 in nationals and get some candidates for All-Americans," he said. Collins also said he wants to capture the conference title.
"Collectively, we want to run up to our potential," he said. "We need to improve to see how good each person can get."
The men's and women's teams will continue their season on Sept. 25 at the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa. at 9:30 a.m.
(02/11/04 5:00pm)
After beating William Paterson University in their last two meetings, Lions head coach Dawn Henderson was a little worried that the third game would not go as well.
It turns out she had no reason to worry, as the Lions took care of the Pioneers with a 67-58 win.
The victory puts the Lions (7-3 conference, 11-8 overall) ahead of the Pioneers (6-4 conference, 11-9 overall) into second place in the Blue Division of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
The day belonged to senior center Adrienne Warner, whose hook in the first half made her the 11th player in Lions history to score 1,000 points on her career. She finished with 16 points on 8-for-13 shooting and six rebounds.
"I wasn't really thinking about it," Warner said. "I had an opening, took a shot and it went in."
The home crowd of 341 gave her a standing ovation following her milestone basket.
Sophomore guard Alexa Shields led the Lions with a career-high 19 points, shooting 8-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 on three- pointers.
"We expect big things from Alexa," Henderson said, calling her an important leader on the team.
The Lions shot an impressive 51 percent from the field for the game.
They did this without their leading scorer, senior forward Liz Martin, who was in Florida for a graduate school interview.
"We've got a lot of people who could score," Henderson said, pointing out the many Lions players who have put up high scoring games.
Freshman forward Melissa Moore led the Pioneers with 17 points, a career high, and seven rebounds.
The key to the game was the Lions defense, which held the Pioneers to 27 percent shooting for the game and a dismal 19 percent field goal percentage in the first half.
"We switched defenses a lot," Warner said. "We kept them guessing, and we had great communication."
The Lions were also able to control the Pioneers' top scorer, senior guard Kat McPhail, who scored 13 points but only shot 4-for-26 from the field. She missed her first 15 shots and did not get a field goal until the second half.
Despite the Lions' solid play defensively, they still allowed the Pioneers to get 27 offensive rebounds, a problem that has plagued the Lions all year.
The Pioneers scored 24 points on second chance opportunities.
The Lions came out to a 9-0 lead and held the Pioneers scoreless for the first 5:44 of the game. Sophomore guard Deana Cuozzo hit a three-pointer toward the end of the first half to put the Lions up 33-18 at halftime.
The Lions extended their lead at the start of the second half, stretching their lead to as many as 22.
The Pioneers did eat away at the Lions' lead, pulling to within seven with 4:13 remaining. They frustrated the Lions with a full court press and improved on offense.
However, the Lions once again pulled away, getting key baskets from Warner and Shields in the final three minutes.
The Lions' next game will be against division leading Montclair State University in a battle for first place.
Henderson knows exactly what the team needs to work on to prepare for the upcoming contest. "Taking care of the ball and defensive rebounding," she said. "And taking away the drive."
Warner was very optimistic about playing Montclair, noting that the Lions have already defeated them this season.
"We just need to bring our confidence and play our game," she said.
While losing feels bad enough, losing on a put-back of a missed shot with one second remaining hurts even more.
That is exactly what happened to the Lions earlier in the week. Rutgers University-Camden sophomore guard Lisa Geiger made the last second shot and handed the women a disappointing 64-62 loss.
"It wasn't as close as it looked," Henderson said. "We didn't play that well."
The Lions took a 30-28 lead into halftime but allowed the Raptors to come out strong in the second half.
The Raptors led 58-48, their biggest lead of the game, before the Lions went on a 12-2 run to take a 62-60 lead.
"We were coming from behind the whole game, which was unfortunate," Henderson said. "We had a great run with four minutes left."
However, the Raptors scored the final four points of the game, including Geiger's heartbreaker with one second remaining.
The Lions shot only 33 percent from the field and 35 percent from behind the three point line.
"We never got comfortable with their defense," Henderson said. "They play a pretty good match-up zone and they switch defenses up. We either took bad shots or rushed shots."
Junior forward Theresa DiMedio led the Lions with 14 points and nine rebounds. Warner added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Freshman guard Kelly Stafford led the Raptors with 14 points, including consecutive three-pointers in the second half to take the lead. Three other Raptors players joined her in double digit scoring.
With important conference games coming up, Henderson wants to see the team play to its full potential, which she feels has not happened in most games this season.
The Lions will travel to Montclair State University for another NJAC match-up today at 6 p.m.
(02/04/04 5:00pm)
After a hard-fought losing effort in their last conference game, the Lions hoped to change their fortunes against a top conference opponent in Rowan University. The Profs had other ideas.
In a battle of offenses, the Profs overcame the Lions, 93-82, to win their 11th game in their last 12 tries.
The Lions dropped to 1-6 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and 10-8 overall, while the Profs improved to 6-2 in the NJAC (14-4 overall).
Despite the loss, the Lions still managed to shoot an impressive 46.7 percent from the field and 80 percent from the foul line.
The game featured 22 lead changes, including 20 in a back-and-forth first half.
Lions junior center Derek Brown scored a career-high 27 points, going 10-for-12 from the floor and hitting all seven of his free throws.
Three other Lions joined Brown in double-digit scoring, including junior guard Derick Grant's 25 points.
"It seemed like the basket was real big," Brown said. "Everything was dropping for me."
While Lions' head coach John Castaldo was a little disappointed in the Lions' three point shooting (27 percent), his main focus was on team defense.
"When you score 82 points, you can't look at your offense too much," Castaldo said. "Our situation was defensively."
"We were a little off defensively," Brown agreed. "They were shooting the lights out of the gym."
Rowan was on fire, shooting 57 percent from the field and 61 percent from three point range.
Castaldo noted that in the second half the Profs shot better from beyond the arc (75 percent) than from the foul line (63 percent).
The starting five all reached double figures for Rowan. Junior guard Ryan Cochrane led the Profs with 23 points, followed closely by senior guard Earle Agee's 22.
The first half ended tied at 41, with Brown and Grant leading the way with 25 of the Lions' points.
The Profs kept up by making 8 of 14 three-point shots in the half, including one at the buzzer.
The Profs came out to a fast start in the second half, leading by as many as 15.
The Lions closed to within six with 4:08 to play but could get no closer.
The Lions' next game will be at Rutgers University-Camden, capping off a stretch when only two conference games were played at home.
Four of the Lions' final six conference games will be played at home.
The Lions are a young team with no seniors, but they still have lofty goals for this season.
"We really want to make the playoffs this year," Brown said. "The playoffs would be a great foundation for next year."
"I believe in these guys, their work ethic, and their character," Castaldo said. "If we take things one at a time in February, we can make a run. I know the guys would say the same thing."
Professional athletes are usually hailed as heroes because of their ability to come through amidst the pressure of close games.
Junior guard Kyle Burke held that distinction for the Lions, hitting a huge three-pointer with 47 seconds remaining to lead the Lions to a 64-61 victory over Neumann College in a non-conference matchup.
The Lions lifted their record to 10-7 while the Knights dropped to 7-8.
"We didn't play particularly well," Castaldo said. "It's ironic because we played better in many of our losses."
Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field. The Lions shot only 40 percent from the foul line, after shooting 93.3 percent from the stripe in their close loss to Ramapo.
"The foul shooting almost came back to haunt us," Castaldo said. "But our rebounding helped us out." The Lions out-rebounded the Knights 52-41.
The Lions came out cold in the first half and paid for it by facing a 31-23 halftime deficit. They were down by as many as 16 in the half.
At halftime, coach Castaldo had only one message for his team.
"We needed to increase our intensity out on the floor," he said.
That intensity finally showed in the second half, when the Lions fought back to take a 42-41 lead with 10 minutes left in the game.
While the Lions did not show their best basketball for much of the game, the Lions came through when it counted in the closing minutes.
"We made some big plays down the stretch," Castaldo said. "Derick Grant made a perfect pass to Kyle Burke for the three."
He also noted the effort of sophomore forward Dan DeSerio, who made a huge defensive stop to help the Lions hold their lead.
Even after the Lions' late-game heroics, the Knights nearly sent the game to overtime.
Junior guard Randy Maultsby attempted a three-pointer with three seconds remaining, only to have it bounce off the iron.
Sophomore forward Scott Findlay led the Lions with 18 points.
Burke added 15 points, all from beyond the three point line. Grant contributed 14 points as well, giving him double digit scoring in all but one game this season.
Knights senior forward Solomon Harris had a dominating game, putting up a double-double with 18 points and 18 rebounds.
Overall, Castaldo was happy with the win and was not surprised by the Lions' initial lack of intensity.
"I was wary of how the team would respond," he said. "This was a non-conference game sandwiched between Ramapo and Rowan."
Both of the latter teams are top conference opponents.
(10/14/03 4:00pm)
The eighth-ranked women's soccer team won their fourth straight game defeating Gwynedd-Mercy College, 6-0, in a non-conference match Tuesday night. It was the first meeting between the Lions (10-2) and the Griffins (6-3-2).
The Lions dominated the game with a stifling defense that did not allow a shot the entire game.
The offense consistently controlled the ball and opened opportunities score. The Lions ended with 50 shots: 33 on-goal and 17 corner kicks. Gwynedd-Mercy goalkeeper, sophomore Maria Neville, stopped 22 shots in the Griffins' loss. The Lions' goalkeepers, sophomore Alissa Kacar and freshman Megan Roe, had an easy time securing the team's seventh shutout of the season.
Head Coach Joe Russo was very happy with his team's performance.
"The team played very well," he said. "It was a solid team effort across the board."
The scoring began at 8:29 of the first half when junior midfielder Lynda Schuster fired the ball off a corner kick into the net. Freshman midfielder Lisa Kokotajlo completed the first half scoring with a goal set up by junior midfielder Stephanie Peters.
The Lions scored four more goals in the second half. Freshman midfielder Caitlin Brennan opened scoring, followed by junior midfielder Katie Egan and sophomore forwards Brittny Boyd and Peters.
By the second half many Gwynedd-Mercy players appeared fatigued. While the Lions consistently controlled the pace, the Griffins could not keep control of the ball long enough to attempt any goals.
Upcoming Game
While the women's record this season is impressive, Russo refuses to look ahead toward the playoffs. Instead, the focus is on the Lions' next game against Rowan University tonight.
A win against Rowan would give the team an important conference victory as well as secure Russo his 250th win in his 14th season as the College's Head Coach.
Russo insisted, however, that 250 is just a number. "It is not something we talk about," Russo said. "But I have been fortunate enough to have some great players over the years."
The Lions will travel to face New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Rowan University tonight. They have six games remaining before the NJAC playoffs begin on Nov. 3.
(09/23/03 4:00pm)
The women's tennis team continued to roll with a 9-0 win over Ramapo College on Sunday. The victory brings the Lions to 2-0 on the year and extends their New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) winning streak to 97 matches.
In sweeping all nine matches, the Lions posted seven shutouts, including all three doubles matches. The Lions' doubles teams have yet to lose a game this season.
At first doubles, sophomores Kristen Klepacki and Jackie Gavornik cruised easily to bring their career record together to
22-4.
First singles, Klepacki, second singles, Gavornik, third singles, junior Katie D'Amato, fourth singles, freshman Kristen Turturiello, fifth singles, junior Katie Richards, sixth singles and freshman Ayumi Yamazaki, all won handily in straight sets.
Klepacki's singles victory brought her career singles record to 25-3, while Gavornik improved her career singles mark to 20-6.
Head coach Scott Dichek was impressed but "not surprised" by the women's second consecutive blowout. "The team has practiced extremely well from day one," Dichek said.
Once again, Dichek looked to the women's focus and concentration as their strongest attributes. "The team was focused from the first point to match point," Dichek said.
Upcoming Match
Next up for the women is the ITA Regionals at William Smith College from Sept. 26-28.
The tournament will put up the Lions women "against the top players of the region," Dichek said. "It will be a good test."
Men's Tennis
The men's team started off their season on the right foot with a trio of victories at the Philadelphia Area Tennis Tournament at Haverford College last weekend.
In going 3-0 in the two-day tournament, the Lions captured both the team title and the Team Sportsmanship Award.
The team began the tournament and their dual match season with a 5-2 victory over Franklin & Marshall College on Saturday. The Lions won five of six singles matches to seal the victory.
Freshman Justin Cook, second singles, and sophomore Kenneth Tsui, third singles, led the way with straight set victories.
The men did not have time to celebrate their season opener as they went right back out to play Philadelphia University on Saturday.
They came out strong again on their way to a 6-1 victory. The Lions won all three doubles matches and five of six in singles.
Freshmen Corey Ball, fourth singles, and Michael Ehrlich, sixth singles, each posted 6-0, 6-0 victories.
"We played well, but not great on Saturday," Dichek said.
Dichek was, however, more pleased on Sunday, when the Lions clinched the team title with a 6-1 win in the championship match over Haverford College. Senior captain Bryan Hanley, first singles, led the Lions with a 7-5, 4-6 (10-5) victory.
"We came into the championship as the underdog," Dichek said. "Everyone picked up their game another level."
The Lions were able to win without junior Victor Lai, who had sustained an injury two days before the tournament. Lai, an asset to the team, will be unable to play for the remainder of the fall season.
Upcoming Match
On Sept. 26-28, the men will participate in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regionals at Vassar College.
(09/16/03 4:00pm)
The year could not have started out much better for the women's tennis team.
The women started off their dual-match season with an impressive 9-0 win over New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opponent Kean University on Tuesday. The win was the Lions' 96th straight NJAC victory. They have not lost a NJAC match since women's tennis became a league sport in 1982.
At first singles, sophomore Kristen Klepacki beat Kean's Marina Vaskovtsev without losing a game, and all three of the College's doubles teams equaled that feat, shutting out their opponents.
Klepacki's victory improved her career singles record to 24-3.
Sophomore Jackie Gavornik, second singles, junior Katie D'Amato, third singles, freshman Kristen Turturiello, fourth singles, junior Katie Richards, fifth singles and freshman Karen Shih, sixth singles, all won their matches in straight sets.
"It was a great way to start off the season," Head coach Scott Dichek, who was very pleased with his team's performance said.
He was impressed with the team's focus "from top to bottom" of the roster, pointing out the women's quick leads, excellent footwork, relentless desire to win their matches.
The team's success has resulted in some lofty goals for the Lions. Dichek is looking to win the last four matches within the NJAC to bring the women's winning streak to 100. However, Dichek warns that the team has to "take it one match at a time."
Upcoming Match
The next match will take place Thursday, Sept. 18, at Richard Stockton College, which, along with Montclair State University, is considered one of the Lions' toughest NJAC opponents.
Dichek, however, appeared comfortable with the team's upcoming schedule.
"If we have the same focus and energy level then I'm very confident," Dichek said.