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(02/23/10 4:48pm)
The College saw several school records fall this weekend as the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams swam their way to another Metropolitan (MET) Conference Championship.
After being crowned as New Jersey Athletic Conference Champions (NJAC) three weeks ago, the Lions came back even stronger during the three-day MET competition. The men’s team won their fourth straight Metropolitan Conference title, while the women’s team won its third straight.
The Lions finished with a total amount of 1,528 points to beat out the 1,121.5 points posted by the US Merchant Marine Academy University.
“Four straight METs is definitely something I am proud to be a part of,” said senior Myles O’Connor.
The Lions were led by O’Connor who finished the 200-yard breast stroke with a time of 2:02.07 on Sunday. That score was good enough to qualify O’Connor for the NCAA championships.
O’Connor also contributed to the Lions efforts by contributing in two relay victories on Friday. O’Connor, freshman Adam Schneider, sophomore Ryan Clark and senior Shawn Kircher combined to win the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:23.07.
O’Connor’s second relay victory came in the 400-medley relay where the team of O’Connor, senior James VanBiervliet, junior Tom Medvecky, and sophomore
Mike Vernoia finished with a time of 3:22.61.
O’Connor did not stop there though as he continued his hot streak on Saturday when he paired with VanBiervliet, Schneider and Kircher to place first in the 200-medlay relay with a time of 1:31.95.
“Coach Bishop has had us focusing on this all season and it feels good to come through for him,” O’Connor said.
Medvecky finished up his weekend by surpassing his 2009 school record in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:50.84 — an NCAA qualifying time. Medvecky also qualified for the NCAA championships by recording a time of 50.79 in the 100-yard butterfly.
Sophomore TJ Burns was yet again the Lions best diver this weekend as he placed second in both the one-meter and three-meter diving events.
The women’s team kept pace with their male counterparts as junior Margaret Molloy broke five schools records on her way to guiding the Lions to a three-peat.
The Lions finished the weekend atop the Metropolitan Conference with 1,390.5 points while The University of Bridgeport placed second with 1,009 points.
Molloy began the weekend by recording a school record and a NCAA-qualifying time of 4:59.75 in the 500-yard freestyle.
Molloy’s record-breaking weekend continued Saturday as she broke her own record, which she shared with head coach Jen Harnett, in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:52.76 to qualify a second time for the NCAA championships.
The junior also teamed up with sophomore Laura Pierce and the freshman duo of Kayleigh Shangle and Kristyn Wikoff to set a school record in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:53.94.
When the final day of the Metropolitan Championships was over, Molloy had claimed two more school records.
Molloy’s time of 17:14.13 in the 1650 freestyle — yet another NCAA qualifying time — shattered her previous school record that she set in 2009.
Molloy also chipped in to record time of 3:30.17 in the 400 freestyle relay. Molloy was accompanied in the water by Pierce, Shangle and sophomore Melissa Hessler as the relay team broke the 2003 record.
Junior diver Amanda Obst did the best of the Lions divers with a fourth place finish in the one-meter diving event.
Lions swimmers who posted qualifying times will compete in the NCAA Division III Championships beginning March 17 at the University of Minneapolis.
(02/23/10 4:32pm)
Women’s Swimming
Junior Margaret Molloy brought her A-game this weekend as the College won its third consecutive Metropolitan Conference Championship. Molloy broke five school records as the Lions placed first ahead of The University of Bridgeport. She placed first and set school records in three individual events. Molloy started the weekend off with a bang as she placed first in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:59.75. She followed that up by breaking her old record in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:52.76. The last challenge was the 1650 freestyle and Molloy passed with a time of 17:14.13 — another school record. Her times in those victories were good enough to qualify her for the NCAA championships on March 17. Molloy also contributed in breaking two more school records in the 400 freestyle relay and the 400 medley races with times of 3:30.17 and 3:53.94.
(02/16/10 6:33pm)
The New Orleans Saints did the unthinkable last Sunday as they took down arguably the best quarterback ever and gave a city was starving for a Super Bowl an early start to Mardi Gras.
The first player to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the Saints was their quarterback and the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player Drew Brees.
Brees has been a leader on and off the field for “Who Dat” nation ever since he arrived in New Orleans four years ago and this game was no different. The Saints emotional leader completed 32 of his 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
His partnership with the New Orleans Saints seems to be pure destiny, but how close was this dream scenario from never happening at all?
It all began on Dec. 31, 2005 when the San Diego Chargers faced off against the Denver Broncos. Brees — who started for the Chargers at the time — attempted to jump on a fumble when a Bronco defensive lineman landed on him and tore his labrum.
The injury brought Brees to Dr. James Andrews who had to use 12 dissolvable staples, the most he has ever used in surgery, to repair Brees’s shoulder.
After the injury the Chargers decided they would move forward with Philip Rivers and Brees was left to look for a new home.
The only two teams that were willing to take a chance on Brees were the Saints and the Miami Dolphins. Brees’s first choice was the Dolphins, but Nick Saban, then head coach of the Dolphins, was not optimistic about the surgery and opted instead to trade for Daunte Culpepper.
Culpepper flopped in Miami during the 2006 season and with Culpepper went Saban. Saban left the NFL and returned to the college game after that season to become the head coach at the University of Alabama, who just won the 2009 National Championship.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins, who haven’t had a great quarterback since Dan Marino, have gone through eight starters since Brees signed with the Saints.
Their lack of an elite quarterback led the Dolphins to introduce the Wildcat craze that is spreading through the league. If the Dolphins had a 4,000-yard passer on their squad it would have been less likely for the Ronnie Brown to touch the ball as much and the Wildcat may still be a college thing.
The irony of the whole situation is that as good as the Saints look for making arguably the greatest free agency signing of all-time, Brees wasn’t even their first choice.
Sean Payton had just been announced head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 2006 as Brees sat out there in the free agent pool.
Payton, who previously was the assistant head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, tried to acquire a former undrafted free agent quarterback out of Eastern Illinois University from his old boss Jerry Jones.
Payton’s request was denied by Jones and the Cowboys kept that quarterback — you may know him as Tony Romo. Romo went on to supplant Drew Bledsoe as the starter of the Cowboys and has been scrutinized every since by the fans in Big D for not being able to perform in the playoffs.
After all of that drama and both sides being stood up, Drew Bress ended up in the Big Easy, either by fate or by voodoo magic, and the organization put the S back in Saints, which also allowed Saint fans to take their heads out of those hideous paper bags.
It all could have never happened — thank Brees that it did.
(02/16/10 3:08pm)
Senior guard Jay Frank scored a game-high 24 points to keep the Lions playoff hopes alive against Kean University on Saturday. Frank hit shot after shot in his last home game as the Lions defeated the Cougars 73-63. Frank also had a strong performance earlier in the week as the Lions fell to Rutgers University-Camden. Frank tied junior Steven Siracusa with 18 points to lead the Lions. Unfortunately, Frank’s effort was in vain as the Scarlet Raptors defeated the Lions 70-68 on a last second jumper by senior guard Joshua Askew.
—Brandon Gould, Sports Assistant
(02/09/10 11:39pm)
Priscilla Senyah
Women’s Track & Field
Senior Priscilla Senyah broke her own school record in the 60-meter high hurdles while competing in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. Senyah posted a time of 8.91 seconds and qualified for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships. Senyah also came in first-place in two events for the Lions as the women’s indoor track and field team defeated Rider University on Saturday by a score of 84.5-79.5. Senyah finished first in the 55-meter dash in 7.20 seconds and followed that performance by placing first in the 55-meter high hurdles with a time of 8.27 seconds. Both of Senyah’s times were good enough to meet National Collegiate Athletic Association provisional cuts.
(02/02/10 5:32pm)
The Lions men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams sent their seniors out with a bang Saturday afternoon after defeating Rowan University to win their second straight New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championship.
Both teams have been nothing but successful since they returned to the NJAC last year. The men’s team were absent from the NJAC after the 1994-95 until last year, and the women returned after leaving in the 2002-03 season.
“It feels great to be NJAC champions,” freshman diver Billy Cavallo said. “I’m glad we could send our seniors out on a strong note.”
The men’s team defeated the Profs by a score of 177-122 to finish 4-0 in the NJAC and 6-0 at home on the season. The women’s team matched the men’s performance by defeating the Profs by a score of 183-110, which put the Lions at 4-0 in the NJAC and 4-0 at home.
The meet started off well as the fans helped the Lions celebrate Senior day for six Lions on the men’s side and four on the women’s.
Seniors Myles O’Connor and James VanBiervliet took advantage of their last time in the pool at the College by leading the Lions to a first-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:36.56.
O’Connor finished strong on his way to a first-place finish in the 100-breast with a time of 58.51. VanBiervliet also performed well in his next race as he took second place in the 100-back with a time of 54.71, which was only bested by sophomore teammate Kevin Cain.
O’Connor and VanBiervliet were not the only seniors to cash in on their last home meet as seniors Eric Rohrs and Herman Chu chipped in with first-place finishes of their own. Rohrs placed first in the 200-breast stroke with a time of 2:15.58, while Chu’s time of 53.94 was the best of any swimmer in the 100-butterfly.
The seniors were backed up by underclassmen who also contributed to the NJAC title-clinching victory. Junior Shawn Kircher and freshman Adam Schneider won multiple events for the Lions while freshman Mike Caputo, junior Tom Medvecky, and freshman Andrew Smith won individual events.
Sophomore T.J. Burns was the best of the Lions divers winning the one-meter diving event.
The women’s team was lead by a strong performance as the team of seniors Chrisina Falcone, Ashley Robb, Stephaine Seto and Julianne Clapp won the meet’s final event — the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Falcone also won earlier in the day with a first-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:11.86. Robb took advantage of her
last meet at the Lions Aquatic Center by contributing to a victory in the 200-medley relay with a winning time of 1:51.31.
Junior Margaret Molloy, sophomore Traci Hofer, sophomore Laura Pierce, and freshman Kayleigh Shangle were multiple event winners and helped secure a memorable moment for their older teammates.
Junior Amanda Obst was the most successful of the women’s divers by placing first in the one-meter dive and second in the three-meter dive.
When all was said and done it was time for the Lions to don their NJAC championship tee-shirts and pose for photos as the crowd cheered them on. For the seniors it was the last time they would get to hear the applause from the home crowd.
“As a freshman it is pretty awesome to be an NJAC champ,” Cavallo said. “The seniors provided us with a good example of what a successful team looks like and we’ll look to continue that in the future.”
The Lions will return to the pool on Feb. 19 in the Metropolitan Conference Championships held at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J.
(02/02/10 3:14pm)
Senior swimmer Christina Falcone ended her home career at the College on a powerful note this weekend as the Lions defeated Rowan University 183-110 on Senior Day. Falcone won the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:11.86 and also contributed to a team victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:54.54. Falcone’s finest moment came after the last race as she got to throw on her New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championship tee shirt with the rest of her teammates. The Lions victory over the Profs clinched their second-straight NJAC title since returning to the conference as a sport last year.
—Brandon Gould, Sports Assistant
(02/02/10 2:43pm)
Most of our depictions of life in prison come from movies and television shows such as “Prison Break,” and “Oz,” but these shows don’t really give us a true sense of what prison life is like.
The College is looking to dispel these notions by offering a course — The History and Culture of Prisons — that allows its students to enter a prison and not only interact, but also learn their course material with some of the inmates.
Many people in the United States do not understand prison life and until two years ago, neither did Professor Celia Chazelle.
“I was doing research concerning Medieval justice systems compared to the ones we have today,” Chazelle said. “So, I wanted to get inside a prison to see what it was like.”
Chazelle had attempted for years to get into a volunteer program that visited prisons, but did not get her chance until the summer of 2008.
A student group at Princeton University presented an opportunity for Chazelle to join them and enter the gates of Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility, which is located in Bordentown, N.J.
“This place was in a rural area, where most of the residents are white and part of the middle class,” Chazelle said. “Then we entered the gates and the first thing I saw in the yard was a sea of black faces.”
Another thing that amazed Chazelle about this facility, thought only to hold thugs and deadbeats, was that the prisoners were “so well-educated, and they were so eager to receive the education.”
Alfred Kandell, a warden at the prison, also saw this desire for education. He knew only a handful of his prisoners had this desire, but it was still enough for Kandell to send an e-mail to Chazelle in January 2009.
The two joined forces and set in motion the process that would bring The History and Culture of Prisons into the curriculum of the College in the fall of 2009.
Juniors Antonia Alfeo and Robert Hickman were two of 15 students from the College who became a part of the inaugural sessions that met once a week from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.
“I didn’t know exactly what to expect at first,” said Alfeo, a sociology major who took the class as part of her criminology minor. “But, after taking the class I realize (working with prisoners) is something I want to do.”
Chazelle took these students to Wagner Youth Correctional Facility each Tuesday and taught them, along with six prison inmates, ancient and recent texts about prisons that included accounts from the likes of Plato and Socrates.
“I thought it was interesting to interact with prisoners,” said Hickman, a history major.
“You realize that the little things you experience each day like food, being outside and seeing your family are all privileges. These guys don’t have access to that stuff all the time and it drives them crazy,” he said.
Chazelle acknowledged that the class is just as much about the interaction between the two sets of students as it is the history of prisons.
“I want (the students) to see the experience as I did,” Chazelle said. “I used to think of prisoners as anonymous. I saw them as a statistic. I didn’t understand what prison life was like and I didn’t look at them as human beings. Now I understand that you can’t paint them all with a broad brush. These are people with backgrounds, skills and knowledge.”
(01/26/10 3:15pm)
The College experienced a rollercoaster week in women’s basketball in two conference games against Kean University and Montclair State University.
The Cougars came in riding a 17-game winning streak and proved to be too much for the Lions to handle. The preseason favorite to win the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) took home its 18th straight victory by defeating the Lions 79-43.
The loss was only the second time the Lions have lost since the new year began and it also snapped a four-game win streak.
The Lions recorded the games first basket, but it was all Kean from there. The Cougars scored 18 straight points after the Lions’ initial score on the way to securing a 51-18 lead at halftime.
“Kean is an outstanding team and we had some trouble early due to the fact that we were missing a few players,” head coach Dawn Henderson said.
The Lions refused to give up though and played the Cougars strong in the second half, scoring 28 points to the Cougars 25 in the last 20 minutes.
Sophomore guard Jessica Imhof led the Lions in the losing effort with 12 points and seven rebounds. Behind Imhof were junior guard Stephanie Prall and freshman center/forward Megan Hartline who each finished with seven points.
The Lions could have gone into the tank for their next game against the Red Hawks, but they bounced back with an emotional 65-61 victory.
The day began with some fun as some of the old Lions players faced off in the annual Alumnae game in the morning and the current Lions squad carried that good cheer into their play Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore guard/forward Hannah Tait started the game off strong by hitting two three-pointers. Tait led the way for the Lions most of the game hitting five buckets from behind the arc on her way to a game-high 19 points.
Imhof built on her strong performance earlier in the week versus Kean by adding another double-digit scoring effort with 15 points against Red Hawks — nine of those coming from the foul line.
Junior forward Kelsey Kutch also had a strong impact in the game by providing 15 points of her own from the floor.
The biggest effort, however, may have come from the Lions defense. Coach Henderson couldn’t have asked much more of her defense in the first half.
The Lions held the Red Hawks to 7-of-25 from the field and forced 10 turnovers to take a 22-16 lead into the locker room.
“We always play pretty good defense,” Henderson said. “We make defense a priority and this effort was not anything less than I’d normally expect.”
The Red Hawks did not lie down in the second half though. Junior forward Kisandra Ayanbeku and senior forward Catherine Cristino showed the Lions why the Red Hawks came into the game leading the conference in field goal percentage.
Ayanbeku finished with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Cristino put up 14 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots.
Their efforts were not enough though as Tait hit a clutch three-pointer with 4:30 left in the game.
From there the Lions kept a lock on their lead by draining shot after shot from the foul line. The victory puts the Lions at 11-8 overall on the season and 4-3 in the NJAC.
The Lions continue their conference schedule on Jan. 27 when they play host to Richard Stockton College.
(01/19/10 3:36pm)
The College started the new year off strong in men’s swimming and diving, while the women’s team suffered its first loss of the season.
The men’s team came out of their tri-meet with victories over John Hopkins University and West Chester University.
The Lions improved their record to 6-1 after defeating the Blue Jays 183-175 and the Golden Rams 203-167.
Sophomore Mike Vernoia’s three individual wins helped lead the Lions to victory. Vernoia won the 100-yard freestyle event (47.46) the 200-yard free (1:41.53), and the 500-yard free (4:43.31).
The sophomore also contributed to the Lions’ first-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Vernoia added to the combined efforts of junior Pete Goldsmith, junior Tom Medvecky and sophomore Ryan Clark to achieve the winning time of 7:00.88.
Medvecky continued his success by winning two individual events. Medvecky came out on top in the 100-yard butterfly and the 200-yard fly with the respectable times of 51.70 and 1:56.03.
Sophomore TJ Burns was the most productive of the Lions divers—finishing second in the 1-meter event and second in the three-meter event.
Unfortunately, the women’s team did not achieve the same level of success in their meet against C.W. Post. The Lions dropped to 5-1 on the season after falling to the Pioneers by a score of 137-122.
Despite seeing her team suffer its first setback of the season, junior Margaret Molloy put forth a strong effort by winning two individual events. Molloy came out victorious in the 1000-yard freestyle and the 500-yard free with times of 11:20.49 and 5:15.78.
The Lions also had success in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of senior Ashley Robb, freshman Kayleigh Shangle, sophomore Traci Hofer and sophomore Laura Pierce continued their dominance by winning the race in 1:39.27.
The men’s team will look to stay hot when they go to New York University on Jan. 23rd, while the women’s team will look to bounce back against the Violets on the same day.
(01/19/10 3:00pm)
Sophomore Mike Vernoia helped the Lions secure victories over John Hopkins University and West Chester University by placing first in the 100-yard freestyle event, the 200-yard free, the 500-yard free and contirubting to a victory in the 800-yard freestyle relay.
(12/01/09 3:19pm)
Senior guard Jay Frank led the Lions to two victories last week over Muhlenberg College and Centenary College. Frank averaged 28.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals in the two contests and was named NJAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.
(11/20/09 7:14pm)
The College cruised to a 31-6 victory Thursday night over New York University.
“I thought our kids wrestled real well,” head coach David Icenhower said. “I think we were just a little too physical for them.”
The Lions started out slow as junior Dan Hughes didn’t score a point until the final minute of his match, but those two points gave Hughes a 2-1 victory.
From that match on the Lions kept the momentum on their side, winning seven of the last nine matches.
Freshman Brian Broderick scored the most points in a single match for the Lions with a 21-5 technical fall victory over sophomore Steve Massey. The lone shutout of the night came in a 14-0 victory by junior Adam Koziol.
Junior Justin Bonitatis improved to 7-0 on the season after securing a 8-3 over junior Matt Magill.
“We are not a real fancy team, but were a grind team,” Icenhower said. “With this team it worked pretty well, we just ground them.”
The Lions will look to continue their winning streak this weekend at the Oneonta State Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 21.
(11/20/09 7:06pm)
The College lost another heartbreaker and dropped to 0-2 Wednesday in a 72-68 loss to Moravian College.
Sophomore guard Hillary Murray sunk a three-point shot—and the Lions’ hopes of victory— to put the Greyhounds ahead 69-68 with 43 seconds left in the game.
The Lions lead for a majority of the second half, but their advantage slowly began to disappear as the Greyhounds went on a 12-0 run.
“We got a little tentative,” head coach Dawn Henderson said. “We didn’t cut as hard and we were just tentative towards the end.”
Junior guard Kelsey Kutch finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard/forward Hannah Tait added 19 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.
Tait also hit her second buzzer-beating shot of the season and gave the Lions a two-point lead at halftime.
Henderson was disappointed in the loss, but said the team took a step in the right direction.
“[Moravian] is a very good team. I’m proud of our effort today and we took a giant leap forward.”
(11/17/09 9:50pm)
Two Holocaust survivors came to the College to have an intimate talk with faculty and staff, telling their tales of bravery and survival last Thursday.
“The Holocaust is one of the very important times in history,” said president R. Barbara Gitenstein. “It is a privilege to listen to these extraordinary people share their stories.”
Survivors Ruth Lubitz and David Wisnia came to room 132 of Forcina Hall by the Jewish Student Union.
Hillel contacted the New Jersey Holocaust Commission to find two local speakers that would be willing to share their stories during Holocaust Remembrance Week, which took place from Nov. 9 to Nov. 13, according to Hillel’s president Tracy Steinberg.
Lubitz explained her horrifying account of the Holocaust.
“Sometimes history is difficult to understand and remember, but when you hear it from a person who experienced it is much more meaningful,” Lubitz said.
Lubitz was born in Germany in 1922 to a middle class family. Her family lived in Chemnitz, where her father owned a local business.
Lubitz described how SS (Schutzstaffel) officers and men who wore brown shirts and brown boots would march the streets and terrify her family.
One night these men beat her father, who fought in World War I for Germany, so badly that he died a few days later. Lubitz was only seven years old and could not even attend the funeral.
Her brother was able to obtain a visa and escape Germany in February 1939.
In April 1939, Lubitz also left Germany, but in a different fashion. She was escorted during the night and taken to England where a family took her in.
Lubitz mentioned that if the audience wanted an example of her situation, they should watch the film called “Into the Arms of Strangers.”
Lubitz said she stayed in contact with her mother until 1945, when her mother was killed at Auschwitz.
Lubitz closed by saying, “All men are created equal. We all understand this, but we don’t all practice this.”
According to Mike Baker, a junior mechanical engineering major, “It was pretty powerful. It makes it really real when people are talking right to you about ‘the Holocaust.’ This was a good event to open your eyes.”
Wisnia explained the manner in which he “became an orphan in one day.” When he was 16 years old, Wisnia came home one day to find his family murdered atop a burning pile of corpses.
Along with 1,500 others, Wisnia was taken to Auschwitz. Only four survived, according to Wisnia.
He was able to survive by singing to the SS guards and cellblock leaders, keeping them entertained.
Prisoners at Auschwitz were taken on a death march where Wisnia was able to escape and find the 506 Parachute Infinity batallion nearby, members of the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army.
A book about his journey, “Butterflies in Kanada,” is in the makings.
“There are not many of us left who survived Auschwitz,” Wisnia said. “Our story needs to be told.”
(11/17/09 8:50pm)
Women’s basketball was back in action at the College on Saturday as the Lions played a thrilling game against Stevens Institute of Technology.
The Lions battled back against the Ducks in the second half only to lose a nail-biter in the final seconds, 48-46. The loss snaps a 13-game winning streak at home for the Lions.
With six minutes left in regulation freshman center Candice Vigo shook off freshman jitters, and hit one of her four foul shots to tie the game at 41.
“I really try not to think about it. I just try to focus on my release and keeping may elbow in,” Vigo said.
Sophomore guard/forward Hannah Tait followed this score up by driving into the lane, scoring the basket, and drawing the foul. Tait sank the foul shot and put the Lions up 44-41.
The Ducks stayed strong and the score was tied yet again with 1:55 left in the game. The game would not stay tied for long as Stevens’ senior guard Sarah Gehring drew a foul and made both shots to put the Ducks up 48-46.
In the following minute the Lions got an opportunity at two shots but missed. All hope seemed lost until junior forward Kelsey Kutch swatted the ball away from the Ducks.
Junior guard Keri Washington snatched up the loose ball and the Lions got a chance for one last shot. The crowd watched as Tait attempted another clutch shot, but this time it came up a few inches short and bounced off the front of the rim.
“It’s one possession, it’s one shot, it’s one box out. Any possession in that game could have changed the game for us,” said head coach Dawn Henderson.
The Lions struggled offensively in the first-half of play and the Ducks held the momentum. Then, in the last two minutes of the first half the Lions started to heat up.
The Lions finished the last two minutes on a 6-0 run started by sophomore guard Katie Occhipinti. Tait finished the run with a buzzer-beating three-point shot.
The Lions came out in the second half with all the momentum they gained toward the end of the first half.
The Lions received a strong boost from Vigo, who was 4-8 with 8 points from the field and 4-5 from the free-throw line in the second half.
“It was pretty much my team just encouraging me to play hard and they directed me,” said Vigo. “Coach helped me play hard too and juts kept me through it.”
Vigo’s performance was accompanied by a strong defensive performance that seemed to get better as the game went along.
The Lions forced turnovers, blocked shots, dove for balls, and put all their effort into shrinking that nine-point deficit from half time.
“Defensively — especially for the game — to hold a team to 48 points, that’s what we need to do,” Henderson said.
The Lions will look to rebound against Moravian College on Nov. 18.
(11/17/09 8:45pm)
The summer of 2010 is not just going to be about driving to the Jersey Shore or playing the slots in Atlantic City.
The summer of 2010 may be showcasing the greatest free agent class that the sports world has ever seen.
Headlining the group will be Cleveland Cavaliers’ forward LeBron James. The superstar is a native of Ohio, but James has made it known that he would like to win a championship. The Cavaliers have brought in numerous players to try to appease the man known as “The King.”
The newest Cavalier acquisition, Shaquille O’Neal, a 7’11’’ center who has won four championships in his career brings experience. O’Neal has made his intentions for Cleveland clear; “Win a ring for The King.”
However, if O’Neal’s efforts fall short and the Cavaliers’ front office does not prove to LeBron that a championship is near, The King may be searching for a new palace.
Possible destinations include the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets. Knick fans have not been shy about demonstrating their desire to land James. Most notable of this group is director/actor Spike Lee.
Not to be outdone by the Knicks, the Nets are also pushing for James with a star of their own. Rapper Jay-Z has a close relationship with James and has not kept it a secret that he would love to have James in Nets blue and red.
Every team in the league will have an interest in the 26-year-old if he hits the market and many teams have already begun to clear cap space to open up room for James or one of his star free-agent mates.
Whatever teams do not land James will be fortunate to have a strong collection of backup plans.
The rest of the potential free agents will be left with many different choices as the summer approaches. Some of them are unrestricted free agents, some have player options and some have early termination options.
Ray Allen, Manu Ginobili, Tracy McGrady and Joe Johnson lead the charge of unrestricted free agents in the 2010 class. Allen, Ginobili and McGrady may have their best years behind them, but they still provide veteran and playoff experience. On the other hand, Johnson hasn’t even turned 30 yet and this may be the prime of his career.
Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are the biggest names beside James of the 2010 class and both have player options. This option will allow them to choose returning to the cities they’ve played with since 2003, or move on to teams with a better chance at claiming the championship. Similar to Wade and Bosh, a core of players have early termination options that would allow them to leave in 2010. The early termination option, which is similar to the player option, allows the player to end his contract at the season’s end or keep his current deal.
These players include Paul Pierce, Tyson Chandler, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Michael Redd, Amare Stoudemire, and Richard Jefferson.
Although most of these players will probably return to their old squads, their options to leave makes this class loaded with talent.
Some of these potential free agents may be more attractive than others in this group, but they all could provide a big splash for anyone willing to put out top dollar.
In an era where switching teams and making splashes have become common, the 2010 free agents class may cause a tsunami in the basketball world.
(11/04/09 5:20am)
The College lost a member of its family on Oct. 13 when Jessie R. Turk, professor emeritus, passed away at St. Barnabus Medical Center in Livingston at the age of 89.
Turk was a professor of geography at the College from 1947 until her retirement in 1982. She spent many years of her life living in Vailsburg, N.J. before moving to Maplewood, N.J. 10 years ago.
Leonard Tharney, a math and science major in the Class of 1954, remembered Turk as a professor and as a colleague. Tharney worked at the College from 1954 to 1992. “I knew her as someone with an extremely sharp wit, who knew where she stood on issues, and wasn’t afraid to stand up for those issues,” Tharney said.
Turk graduated at the head of her class at Montclair State Teachers College in 1942 with a bachelor’s degree in social studies and a minor in geography and geology. She then went on to get her master’s degree from Oberlin College, Ohio and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Turk achieved one of her greatest accomplishments when she fought for and won sabbaticals for state college faculty members as the College’s representative to the then-N.J. College Faculties Association. In 2006, a member of the Class of 1956 donated an anonymous gift to recognize three former professors of the Department of Geography. Turk was one of those three professors, along with Del Botts and Bernice Caspers. The College named three group study rooms in the New Library in their honor.
Phil Tumminia, a history major and a member of the Class of 1964, remembers having Turk for a political geography class.
“One thing I always valued was that I had a lot of influential professors, and Jessie Turk was one of them,” Tumminia said. He remembers that Turk was “very professional” and “sophisticated.” “It is very sad when anyone passes, but she had a strong intellectual impact on a lot of students that attended Trenton State College,” he said. Turk’s hard work and accomplishments were also recognized by the Class of 1968, who dedicated their yearbook to her. The dedication page says, “Who else could persuade us to believe that the Garden of Eden was located in Latin America and that passion fruit was a banana.”
(11/04/09 1:44am)
The College’s cross country teams continued their dominance with the help of a few first-year runners Saturday at the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship held at Richard Stockton College.
The men’s team finished first out of seven teams and secured its 16th consecutive NJAC championship.
Meanwhile, the women’s team stayed on pace and finished first out of six teams. The victory brought the women’s streak to 15 straight NJAC championships.
The Lions posted a score of 31 and secured half of the top 10 spots in the women’s NJAC championship race. The runner-up, Rowan University, finished with a score of 50.
Michelle Wallace played a crucial role in bringing home another NJAC title for the Lions. The senior finished in 2nd place with a time of 24:06.15. The performance was a solid improvement from her 4th place finish as a junior in 2008.
Sophomore Katie Nestor would be the next Lion to complete the race. Nestor came in 4th place with a time of 24:06.15.
Seniors Kelly Cahill and Nicole Ullmeyer were not far behind, finishing 7th and 8th respectfully with times of 24:13.69 and 24:18.69.
Rachel Morris was the fifth Lion to make it into the top 10. The freshman was impressive in her first NJAC championship race, finishing 10th with a time of 24:28.98.
Another freshman, Cathy Goncalves, strengthened the women’s performance even further by placing in the top 20. Goncalves finished in 19th place in her first NJAC championship race with a time of 25:27.97.
“It was a great experience to have a freshman. This is a program with a great tradition, winning 15 straight championships and I’m really glad we could continue that,” said Goncalves.
The men’s team fared just as well as the women’s team and saw four runners finish in the top 10 spots of the championship race.
Junior TJ Bocchino lead the pack for the Lions and finished in 2nd place overall with a time of 26:37.61.
Fellow junior Dennis Waite and freshman Max Sparshatt followed close behind finishing in 4th and 5th place with times of 27:03.60 and 27.04.41.
Sparshatt was another freshman runner who was impressive in his first NJAC championship race.
“It was pretty exciting and I’m happy to help the team win,” said Sparshatt. “We try to keep pace with each other to get better and we learn from each other.”
Sophomore Kevin Schikilling also cracked the top 10 with a 9th place finish at a time of 27:25.22.
Senior Brandon Rodkewitz’s run continued the Lions strong outing. Rodkewitz finished the race in 15th place with a time of 27:54.28.
The Lions will look to continue their hot streak next week in the ECAC Championships hosted at Williams College on Nov. 7th.
(10/20/09 3:23pm)
Students strolling the hallways of Bliss Hall should not be alarmed to hear “Baby we were born to run” or “Let me hear you say fight the power.”
The noise is not booming from an inconsiderate student, it is coming from Lincoln Konkle, professor of English, and Cassandra Jackson, associate professor of English, preparing for class.
The professors teach two of this semester’s freshman seminar programs (FSP). Konkle plays the role of lead guitarist in Springsteen’s Lyrics as Literature, while Jackson is the disc jockey of Hip-Hop and Beyond.
Both FSPs portray music not only as words and rhythms, but as literature and expression. According to the professors, goals are to show students that songs have deeper meaning than what first meets the ear.
Konkle used to teach an FSP on Thornton Wilder in the past, but said “it was time for a new topic.”
He has had a passion for Bruce Springsteen ever since he was introduced to his music in college, but the idea of teaching The Boss’s music as literature did not develop until five years ago.
The objective of the course is to regard Springsteen as more of a poet or short-story writer than a music artist.
“Springsteen isn’t like Kiss. He puts a lot of thought into his lyrics,” Konkle said.
One of Konkle’s favorite Springsteen lines comes from the song “Growing Up.” The line reads, “And I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car.” The line takes a dead metaphor and brings it to life, according to Konkle.
Each week Konkle focuses on one album and has the class discuss themes and symbolism hidden in the lyrics.
“I’ve always loved Springsteen’s music, but now it actually applies to school. It’s pretty awesome,” freshman history and secondary education major Joe Palmisano said.
Konkle also provides links to Springsteen songs on his SOCS page and allows his students to analyze and discuss songs in interactive threads.
“It’s like having a course on Walt Whitman or Emily Dickinson … but instead of them we’re listening to Springsteen,” Konkle said.
Jackson’s class, Hip-Hop and Beyond, focuses on the scholarship, politics and literature hidden in the lyrics of the trendy tunes as well as rap music and graffiti art.
Jackson’s course canvasses the influence that slavery, the civil rights movement and the 1960’s Black Art’s movement had on hip-hop. These actions are believed to be the roots of the first hip-hop movement started in New York City in the 1970’s.
“It is amazing that (hip-hop) was sprung up by a bunch of kids in the ghetto,” Jackson said.
Jackson’s SOCS page — like Konkle’s — also includes selections of music for her students to listen to. However, instead of Springsteen, Jackson has selections from groups such as Public Enemy and The Sugarhill Gang.
Jackson acknowledges that older hip-hop may be difficult for the students to interpret, so she encourages her classes to bring in samples of new-age hip-hop.
Jackson has heard the likes of Lil Wayne, Drake and Kanye West during the course of the year. Her students have begun to apply the same concepts to new-age music that Jackson applies to her old-school beats.
“I learn as much from them as they’ll ever learn from me,” she said.
The students are required to write several papers and do a presentation on a topic of their choosing. Jackson has seen presentations on topics like hip-hop dance and “turntablism.”
Shabani Ahluwalia, freshman psychology major, performed and explained the expression of hip-hop in popping and locking.
Popping is the quick contraction and relaxation of the muscles that causes a jerk in the dancer’s body, Ahluwalia explained. Locking relies on fast and distinct arm and hand movements along with a more relaxed motion in the hips and legs.
“I love to dance and I love the style of hip-hop,” Ahluwalia said.
Whether students enjoy popping and locking to Lil Wayne or rocking out to Springsteen, the College has found a place for them to funnel those interests.