52 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(04/20/10 10:28pm)
The Lions swept the courts this weekend as the men’s and women’s tennis teams each collected another win to add to the team’s record and senior Stef Haar reached a career milestone with 125 career wins. The men now sit at 8-5 this season, and the woman at 7-4. The women’s team triumphed over Muhlenberg College 9-0 on Sunday April 18 and the men were right behind with an 8-1 win against New York University on Saturday April 17, but an 8-1 loss to Trinity College on Sunday April 18.
The men took first in all three doubles matches against the Bobcats with sophomores Steve Fernandez and Stewart Fernandez gaining an 8-5 win, freshmen T.J. Riley and Dean Thompson gathering an 8-1 win and junior Jonathan Yu and sophomore Dan Lee finishing the match 8-2. In singles, the Lions won all but one match, with freshman Keith Goldstein, Stewart Fernandez, Thompson, Yu and Lee each winning their match in two sets.
In the match against Trinity College, the men’s team took a harsh setback, with Goldstein being the only player to gain a win. The freshman collected his team-leading 17th singles win, defeating sophomore Charles McConnell of the Bantams in two sets, 6-2, 6-4.
“I’m glad I was able to play my part and contribute to the team the best I could,” said Goldstein. “I’m just going to stay focused and stay hungry in order to be successful before the end of the season.”
The 8-1 loss put the Lions at 8-5 for the season. The women’s team increased the home winning streak to 18 after defeating the Mules at home on Sunday. Haar led the Lions with a 6-2, 6-1 win in fourth singles, which helped her to reach 125 combined victories in her career. Haar has gathered 66 wins in singles and 59 in doubles.
“Hitting the 125 wins is sort of unreal,” Haar said. “I’ve just been working so hard to focus on winning to help my team that I forgot I had an individual record. I think I achieved this success through dedication to hard work and to striving for my personal best.”
Haar’s win in singles was not the only one for the Lions. Senior Jackie Shtemberg, freshmen Karisse Bendijo, Lauren Balsamo and Paige Aiello and sophomore Emily Petersack each picked up a win for the team, as well, all finishing their matches in two sets.
Doubles teams of Shtemberg and Trihn, Aiello and Bendijo, and Balsamo and Petersack swept the competition with three wins of 8-1, 8-6 and 8-1.
The win over Muhlenberg College puts the Lions at 13-4 overall this season.
“With two matches left in the season, I think we need to focus on going out and playing our game,” Petersack said. The women’s tennis team’s season will come to an end on Saturday April 24. “We need to come out strong from the very beginning and play with a lot of energy throughout the match.”
The Lions are scheduled to face Bates College on Wednesday April 21 with the men playing at 10 a.m. and women’s team at 1:30.
(04/13/10 4:47pm)
After leading the Lions to the No. 8 ranking in Division III, head coach Sally Miller collected the 400th win of her career on Saturday April 10, as the College swept the double header against Rutgers University-Newark, increasing its record to 20-4 this season. After a 2-1 loss to Haverford College on Thursday April 8, the Lions came back to beat the Fords in the second game 5-0, which helped lead to the team’s two wins against the Scarlet Raiders.
The team traveled to Haverford College to take on the Fords, which resulted in a split doubleheader, bringing the Lions’ seven-game winning streak to an end. Once the team was ranked No. 8 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the Lions began to feel the pressure of teams like Haverford.
“Now that we are ranked every team is coming for us,” junior outfield Colleen Cawley said. “The loss against Haverford is the reason we are trying to stay away from looking at the numbers. The statistics are not at all important to us right now.”
The Fords scored the two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Lions were on the board with a run in the first as sophomore outfielder Crystal Lee crossed the plate off of a ground out by freshman infielder Kelly Hommen. Lee finished with three stolen bases.
“We are taking this as a learning opportunity. We don’t plan on letting things like that happen again,” Cawley said.
In game two, the Lions came back hard, scoring early as Hommen scored off an RBI from senior infielder Ellen Seavers. The score was 5-0 by
the seventh as freshman infielder Ashley Sogluizzo singled in Lee for the final run of the game. Sophomore pitcher Lauren Fitzsimmons gathered her 10th win of the season, throwing a complete shutout against the Fords.
On Saturday, the Scarlet Raiders put up a fight, keeping the score close in both games against the Lions. Lee started it off in the first game, scoring the only run in the first inning after tripling and racing home off of a sacrifice fly by Hommen. Senior pitcher Ashley Minervini threw a one-hitter, collecting nine strikeouts for the 1-0 win.
Game two took the Lions into eight innings for the 4-3 win. Seavers scored the first run in the second after tripling and crossing the plate off of a bunt by senior outfielder Danielle Hagel. The Lions increased the score in the third as sophomore outfielder Rebecca Florczyk and Lee both scored, giving the team a 3-0 lead.
The Scarlet Raiders tied it in the seventh though, as freshman outfielder Nicole Odell tripled with the bases loaded, sending the game into an extra inning win for the Lions. Fitzsimmons recorded 12 strikeouts in her team-leading 11th win of the season.
The Lions take on William Paterson University at 1 p.m. on Saturday April 17 at Lions’ Park.
Hilarey Wojtowicz can be reached at wojtowi3@tcnj.edu.
(04/06/10 5:46pm)
In its home opener of the spring season on Saturday, April 3 the Lions defended home court as they defeated Skidmore College 6-3. The No. 23- ranked Lions proved that the 9-0 loss to No. 13- ranked Johns Hopkins University on Thursday April 1 was not going to hold them back against the No. 24- ranked Thoroughbred.
The Blue Jays (4-6) ended the Lions three-game winning streak, leaving the team’s record at 10-2.
“Hopkins has always been a strong team,” senior Jackie Shtemberg said. “I think that since we have a young team, nerves are playing a big role in these matches.”
In singles, senior Anita Bhamidipati shut out the Lion’s freshman Allison Tierney in two sets, 6-1 and 6-2. Freshmen Candace Wu and Andrea Berlinghof were right behind Bhamidipati, each finishing off their matches against freshmen Lauren Balsamo and Paige Aiello in two sets.
The Lions doubles teams of Aiello and Shtemberg put up a fight, losing to the Blue Jays’ doubles team sophomore Carolyn Warren and Bhamidipati with a close score of 9-7. Sophomore Emily Petersack and Balsamo also finished their doubles match with a close score of 8-6, but sophomores Courtney Boger and Mallory Willenborg of Johns Hopkins University pulled out for the win.
On Saturday, April 3, however, the Lions rallied for a win against Skidmore College in the team’s first home game of the season. Shtemberg came back with two big wins in both singles and doubles. The senior triumphed over the Thoroughbreds’ senior Danika Robinson, defeating her in two sets, both with a score of 6-1, for the win.
Sophomore Felice Trinh joined Shtemberg in the doubles round, taking on freshman Nataly Mendoza and Robinson, finishing the match with a win of 8-4, and setting the Lions up to sweep the competition. Doubles teams of Karisse Bendijo and Tierney, and Petersack and Balsamo, also defeated their opponents with wins of 8-5 and 9-7.
“Although we had a tough loss against Hopkins, we refocused on Saturday,” Shtemberg said.
Senior Stefanie Haar and Balsamo each took home a win in the singles round, as well. Haar beat out the Thoroughbreds’ freshman Brittany Trimble in three sets at sixth singles. Balsamo grabbed a win against Mendoza in two sets at fourth singles.
The win against Skidmore College leaves the Lions with a record of 11-2.
According to Shtemberg the energy and intensity was obvious on the court on Saturday.
“If we continue to keep this up, we could have some great results the rest of the season,” she said
(03/30/10 5:24pm)
With each passing week, the Lions are throwing harder and swinging faster as they build up the momentum needed to roll into the playoffs. The College currently stands at 13–3 so far this season after going 5-1 this past week in doubleheaders against Muhlenberg College on Tuesday March 23, Messiah College on Thursday March 25, and SUNY Cortland on Saturday March 27.
“The team has been working well together,” said junior outfielder Caitlyn Seamster. “The defense has been communicating well and when it comes to offense, everyone knows what has to be done. Everyone has been crushing the ball.”
This teamwork was clear as the softball team started off in Allentown, Pa. in order to take on Muhlenberg College in a double header that also gave the team two more wins. In game one, senior Ashley Minervini pitched five shutout innings on defense, as the Lions offense crossed the plate effortlessly. Senior Ellen Seavers went 4-for-4 at the plate, picking up four RBIs to help the team defeat the Mules 9-0 in six innings.
Sophomore pitcher Lauren Fitzsimmons collected her fifth win of the season in game two, allowing three hits in five innings over the Mules. Senior Danielle Hagel went 4-for-4 and had three RBIs which helped the Lions win the second game of the day 9-2.
On Thursday March 25, the Lions returned home for a double header against Messiah College. In the first game, the Falcons scored a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, holding off the Lions until the bottom of the sixth. Seavers drove in sophomore Crystal Lee for the team’s only run of the game, leaving the score at 2-1. Minervini only allowed four hits and gathered eight strikeouts, but it was not enough for the Lions to come back for the win.
Nevertheless, game two proved that the Lions were not giving up easily as the softball team beat Messiah College 2-1. Lee singled and later scored off a sacrifice fly by
freshman Ashley Sogluizzo in the bottom of the first for a 1-0 lead. The Lions gained another run in the third when freshman Kelly Hommen brought in Solguizzo, making it a 2-0 game. The Falcons came back, however, in the sixth as Messiah’s sophomore center fielder Jaclyn Merkel brought in a runner with the bases loaded. The Lions held the score at 2-1 for the win over the defending Division III national champions.
The women’s softball team continued with a home field advantage sweeping SUNY-Cortland in a double header on Saturday March 27. The 1-0 win in the first game came from pitcher Minervini as she recorded a three-hit shutout, gaining her sixth win of the season. The Lions scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the third as Lee singled to center field, plating freshman Michelle Casale.
The Lions continued with their winning streak as the team beat the Red Dragons 3-1. Hagel started it off in the top of the second with a homerun to left center. Solguizzo later batted in Seamster, giving them a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Katelyn Congilose doubled to bring in Hagel for the Lions third run in the third. The Red Dragons scored its only run of the game in the sixth off a double by sophomore Kayla Lynch. The Lions defense held the score at 3-1 after the sixth for the win.
“We need to stay focused and play our game. We can’t take any team lightly. As long as we play like we are, we will be very successful,” Seamster said.
The Lions continue the season on Tuesday, March 30, with a game away to take on Gwynedd Mercy College in Pennsylvania.
(03/23/10 3:42pm)
The Lions dove into the NCAA Division III Championships in Minneapolis with outstanding performances, placing the men’s swimming team at sixth in the nation with 193 points and the women’s at ninth overall with a total of 108 points.
Sophomore Laura Pierce received All-America honors on the women’s team for her sixth place finish in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 56.11 seconds. Pierce also received honorable mention for her time of 51.85 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle, placing 13th overall. Freshman Kayleigh Shangle also gained All-America honors with her fifth place finish of 1:04.56 in the 100-yard breaststroke. Shangle was the only freshman to swim in the race.
For the men, it was sophomore Mike Vernoia who led the Lions to place in the top of many events after finishing second in the 500-yard freestyle on Wednesday with a time of 4:25.28, breaking his own school record and earning All-America honors. Vernoia also finished second in the 200-yard free, posting a time of 1:38.80.
“Breaking this school record on the first night of finals really rallied the team to swim great,” freshman Adam Schneider said. Schneider placed 11th in the 50-yard free with a time of 20.52 in order to gain honorable mention. However, it was in the 200-yard medley relay that Schneider, along with seniors Myles O’Connor and James VanBiervliet, and junior Shawn Kircher, collected All-American honors. The team posted a time of 1:31.45 in the relay to take fifth overall.
O’Connor also collected All-American honors for his second place finish of 55.15 seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke. He also placed seventh in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:03.10.
In the women’s 200-yard medley relay, sophomore Traci Hofer and senior Ashley Robb teamed up with Shangle and Pierce in order to take sixth overall in a time of 1:45.76, a new school record, and fourth place in the 200-yard freestyle relay posting a time of 1:34.97. Pierce and Shangle also swam in the 400-yard medley relay with freshman Kristyn Wikoff and junior Margaret Molloy, finishing in a time of 3:54.50 to take 13th place. In the last event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, sophomore Melissa Hessler, Pierce, Shangle, and Molloy grabbed 13th place with a time of 3:30.97.
The men’s team placed sixth in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:22.45. The relay team, sophomore Ryan Clark, junior Tom Medvecky, Schneider and Kircher, received All-American citations. Medvecky, Kircher, Clark and Vernoia then took fifth place with a time of 6:39.69 in the 800-yard freestyle relay.
Medvecky also earned All-American honors in an individual event when he posted a time of 1:50.60 in the 200-yard fly and placed seventh. Medvecky broke his own school record with this time. He also took 11th place in the 100-yard fly with a time of 49.96 seconds in order to claim All-American honorable mention, as well.
Overall, Emory University took the top spot in the women’s meet and Kenyon College took first in the men’s.
The Lions proved to be a threat in the waters, nevertheless, and the men’s team ended up with the best finish in team history. However, with a few improvements the teams plan on finishing on a higher level next year.
“For improvements, we definitely need to work on our walls, but more importantly on our relay starts,” said Vernoia. “But next season we’re going to be back with an even better squad, cracking the top four in the nation.”
(03/23/10 1:43pm)
The Central Eurasian and Middle Eastern Studies Society celebrated the Persian ‘Nowruz’ New Year in the atrium of the Social Sciences building on Thursday March 18, a celebration marked by the coming of spring.
“The point of this celebration is to get the word out about the Persian culture and region,” junior international studies and English major Esther Tetruashvily said.
The Nowruz or “New Day” celebration brought forth an awareness of the spring season within the Persian culture to the campus through ethnic foods and dances, a traditional Nowruz table and information regarding the languages and programs offered at the College. In between the traditional Persian dancing and the different foods, including baklava, humus and naan — also known as pita bread — the “Sofreh Haft-seen” table stood holding the seven traditional articles which symbolize the triumph of good over evil in people’s lives.
Along with foods representing life, wealth and abundance, there were others, such as fruits that symbolized love, patience, purity and health. Next to the foods on the Nowruz table were coins for prosperity, painted eggs for fertility, goldfish for life, a mirror for reflection and candles for enlightenment and happiness.
After learning about the traditional culture, students were invited to visit the tables covered in papers and pamphlets regarding study abroad programs in the Middle East and Central Eurasia. American University of Cairo and the University of Damascus both offer direct study abroad programs for students of the College. These recent programs came to the College via the Title 6 UISFUL Grant: “Iran and Beyond.”
“We want to expand the Persian and Arabic languages and the curriculum at the College,” history department professor Jo-Ann Gross said. “There are currently two minors offered and certain concentrations, but we want more support for the curriculum to rebirth here on campus.”
Besides the study abroad programs, Gross is working with Zulya Rajabova, president of the Silk Road Treasure tours in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. This upcoming May, Gross will accompany nine students and four other faculty members for a Maymester tour with this program.
For students who will not have the opportunity for a trip abroad, the Central Eurasian and Middle Eastern Studies Society which planned the Nowruz celebration, has other events planned for the rest of the semester including workshops, performances and films.
“I’m hoping for a bigger membership next semester,” Tetrushvily said. “This and other events are great opportunities for the culture to be more aware on campus.”
The first day of spring is an important day in the ancient Iranian culture and has been celebrated for over 3,000 years by the people of the Middle East and Central Eurasia. The United Nations General Assembly has officially decided to recognize this holiday as of 2010. Nowruz is officially registered on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is now celebrated on March 21, or the day of the vernal equinox.
Keep a look out for more Central Eurasian and Middle Eastern Studies Society events this semester.
Hilarey Wojtowicz can be reached at wojtowi3@tcnj.edu.
(03/16/10 5:09pm)
The women’s softball team opened the 2010 season with seven wins and one loss this past week in Clermont, Fla. With multiple games lasting only five innings, the Lions proved to be a threat this season despite the prediction that the team will only place second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
“This 7-1 record can definitely be continued throughout the season because we have great team chemistry,” sophomore pitcher Lauren Fitzsimmons said.
The Lions opened with a pair of wins on the team’s first day in Florida on Sunday March 7, against Rochester University and Dominican University. Senior pitcher Ashley Minervini recorded six strikeouts for her first win of the season over Rochester. The Lions defeated the Yellowjackets 8-3. In the team’s second game of the day, it was Fitzsimmons who fired eight strikeouts to help the Lions triumph over Dominican University 12-1 in five innings.
On Monday March 8, the Lions once again posted two wins over The Sage College (NY) and Wisconsin Lutheran College. The Lions defeated the Gators 9-1 in six innings. Senior Ellen Seavers led the Lions with a home run and an RBI, driving in two runs. The softball team then took over the field against Wisconsin Lutheran College, 9-0 in five innings. Fitzsimmons once again took it home for the Lions, pitching a season-high 11 strikeouts and facing the minimum of 15 batters throughout the game.
The Lions came back strong from a day off on Wednesday March 10, with two more big wins in Florida. The softball team overtook Pine Manor College 16-0 in five innings. Senior Danielle Hagel had four hits and five RBIs to add to the Lions win.
Fitzsimmons threw three scoreless innings and junior Colleen Cawley made her season debut with two scoreless innings.
In the team’s 12-4 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, it was sophomore Katelyn Congilose who got the game started in the top of the first with an RBI double which drove in the three batters on base. Minervini also continued with her winning streak by allowing only four hits and gaining five strikeouts.
After a rain-out on Friday, the Lions came back for two more games on Saturday March 13, against Wesleyan University and Western New England College. The team fell to Wesleyan 10-9, but Seavers proved to help push the Lions into a close game going 4-6, with four runs batted in. The Lions came back strong in the following game, however, and defeated Western New England College 11-2 in six innings. Sophomore Rebecca Florczyk had two hits and helped to drive in five runs for the Lions.
“If we focus on taking it one game at a time and believing in ourselves and each other,” Fitzsimmons said, “I definitely think that good things will continue to happen.”
The Lions will continue the 2010 season on March 20 when taking on Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa.
(03/16/10 1:55pm)
The falafel, a fried patty of ground chickpeas and fava beans, was warm and ready to be smeared on fresh pita bread as students entered into a world view of Jewish culture on Wednesday, March 3.
The College’s Hillel (Jewish Student Union) brought life to Jewish Awareness Month with creative posters, diverse music and activities at the Hillel Cultural Night held in 202 West in the Brower Student Center.
Sophomore international studies major Ehle Shachter organized a night filled with everything from fortunes and henna tattoos to dancing lessons and informative pictures and maps displaying Jewish culture from other regions, including percentages of Jews in other nations, lists of foods and pictures of different synagogues in New York, Berlin and China.
Schachter, the historian and recruitment chair of Hillel, focused on generating awareness not only of the Jewish students on campus, but also of those who practice the religion all around the world.
“I want to make people aware of the Jewish culture other than in New Jersey,” Shachter said. “There are Jews all over the world from Shanghai to South Africa and they are all culturally and ethnically different.”
With the help of friends and other Hillel group members, the Jewish Cultural Night was a success, according to Shachter.
Junior Jewish Awareness Month chairman and philosophy major Evan Greenberger worked with Shachter to fill the room with joyous music from every region around the globe. The traditional Israeli music was popular in catching the students’ attention, especially when the Israeli dancing began.
“I was looking forward to the Israeli dancing the most,” sophomore biology major Catherine Zymaris said.
Zymaris is not Jewish, yet she has attended other events offered by Hillel in the past. “Hillel offers a wide variety of events and it is a great way to experience a different culture,” she said.
Hillel reaches out to everyone on campus including Jewish students and those who practice other faiths.
“I think it is important to have events like this on campus,” freshman communication studies and political science major Dave Chapman said. “It shows you more people around campus who you have things in common with that you might not have known before.”
The Jewish Cultural Night was just one of Hillel’s many events taking place on campus this month in order to promote Jewish Awareness Month. To find out about the upcoming events and how to get involved in Hillel, visit their Web site, tcnjhillel.weebly.com.
Hilarey Wojtowicz can be reached at wojtowi3@tcnj.edu.
(02/16/10 6:18pm)
The Lions are just one game away from determining whether they will qualify for post-season play after the team’s loss to Kean University on Saturday, Feb. 13.
The women’s basketball team fell 87-52 to the Cougars despite riding high on a 82-38 road win against Rutgers University-Camden on Friday night. The win against the Scarlet Raptors put the Lions to 6-5 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). However, the team’s loss to Kean caused the record to become 6-6 in the NJAC and 13-11 overall this season.
On Friday, the Lions took control of the court as sophomore Hannah Tait led the team with 15 points going 6-8 from the floor. By the half the women’s team held a comfortable 49-19 lead over Rutgers University-Camden. Juniors Kelsey Kutch and Stephanie Prall were right behind Tait.
Kutch netted 14 points and Prall scored a solid 12 pints to help the team grab the win. Sophomore Jessica Imhof also contributed nine points, and junior Jamie Cresbaugh hit a career high of eight points. The Lions achieved a season best with a total of 82 points for the win over the Scarlet Raptors.
Kean University, the No. 1 team in the Division III Atlantic Region, proved to be a much tougher game for the Lions on Saturday. The Cougars took the win 87-52 for the team’s 23rd straight win, leaving them with a record of 12-0 in the NJAC and 23-1 overall.
The Lions felt the competition as the Cougars pulled ahead 43-28 by halftime. Junior Tiffany Patrick of Kean had a game-high 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Prall led the Lions with a career-high 14 points against the Cougars. Junior Keri Washington and sophomore Jessica Imhof each netted nine points. Washington also snagged five rebounds. However, the Lions offense was no match for Kean University’s top NCAA Division III defense.
“Kean is a dominant force this year in Division III basketball,” said freshman Megan Hartline. “They have a lot of talented young players and we knew it would be tough to pull out a win against them. But it’s hard to beat a team with a player who shoots 50 percent from the three-point line and another who is a deadly threat in the paint.”
Senior Melissa Beyruti of Kean University is currently three three-pointers shy of the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) record of 392, which was originally set by Laurie Koehn of Kansas State University back in 2005.
The 87-52 loss now sets the Lions up for a must-win game against Richard Stockton College on Wednesday, Feb. 17 in order for the women’s basketball team to continue into post-season play.
“The key to winning the game on Wednesday is within our team,” Hartline said. “We need to play our game, together. Heart and desire are going to lead us to the win and carry us through to the playoffs.”
(02/10/10 12:15am)
The Lions are stacking up provisional cuts this season as the men’s and women’s track and field teams continued to shine last weekend in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Friday, Feb. 5, and against the Broncos in a dual meet against Rider University on Sunday, Feb. 7. The women’s team came out on top in the dual meet with the Broncos, 84.5-79.5, whereas the men’s team fell 85-78.
Senior Priscilla Senyah achieved a new school record, breaking her own previous time, in the 60-meter hurdles on Friday. Senyah competed in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational with other top athletes from around the country including UCLA and Temple University. The hurdler finished with a time of 7.89 seconds and another qualifying mark for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship.
“I came into this season knowing that as my last year I definitely wanted to go out with a bang,” Senyah said. “The key for me has been believing in myself each week.” Senyah said she believes the team also has a chance to become one of the top- three in the nation.
In the meet against the Broncos on Sunday, Senyah gained two first place finishes, as well as a pair of National College Athletic Association (NCAA) provisional cuts with her top times in the 55-meter dash and the 55-meter hurdles. Senyah finished the open dash in 7.20 seconds and completed the hurdles in 8.27 seconds. Senior sprinter Jianna Spadaccini also collected a win and an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) qualifying time in the 400-meters. Spadaccinni crossed the finish line in 58.57 seconds. Senior Michelle Wallace also gained a provisional cut with her time in the mile. Wallace ran the mile in 5:10.30.
The women’s team also set a pair of school records against the Broncos. The sprint medley team placed first with a time of 4:10.83 and junior thrower Sarah Wehrhan advanced her record to 14.98 meters in the weight throw, picking up an ECAC qualifying mark.
On the men’s side, junior sprinter Kyle Gilroy placed first in two events and picking up an NCAA provisional mark. Gilroy finished in 7.57 seconds in the 55-meter hurdles and ran the 400-meter sprint in 49.78 seconds. In the 55-meter dash, sophomore Robert Jiggetts placed first in 6.62 seconds. Junior Rob Nihan also place first in his event. Nihan finished the 3,000 meter run in 8:46.58. Two relay teams also gained the top spots for the Lions in the 4x400 meter race and the sprint medley relay.
In the field events, junior Tim Blashford won the pole vault by clearing the bar at an even 14 feet. Sophomore Christopher Medina also won his event by jumping 6.74 meters in the long jump.
The Lions will compete in the Rider-Lafayette Invitational on Friday, Feb. 12 and the Boston University Valentine Invitational Friday Feb. 12 and Saturday Feb. 13 as they continue the season.
(02/02/10 6:05pm)
Finishing in the top-five spots in almost every event isn’t easy, but the men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams had no problem placing in the lead at the McElliot Invitational hosted by Haverford College on Saturday Jan. 30.
The Lions finished with times that not only placed them in the lead, but also qualified them for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III championships.
Senior Priscilla Senyah set a new meet record in the 55-meter dash with a top time of 7.31 seconds. She also achieved a NCAA provisional cut with her second-place time in the 55-meter hurdles of 8.46 seconds.
For the men, it was sophomore Robert Jiggetts who qualified for the ECACs in the 55-meter dash with his first place time of 6.59 seconds. Juniors Jule Brooks and Kyle Gilroy were right behind him, taking the second and third spots. Brooks ran a time of 6.74, while Gilroy finished in 6.77 seconds. Gilroy collected a win in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.86 seconds, which qualified him for the ECACs.
Mid-distance runner Jianna Spadaccini also grabbed a NCAA qualifying mark. The senior finished with a new meet record in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:13.70. Senior Michelle Wallace was third in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:24.14, but it was her second place finish in the mile that achieved her an ECAC provisional mark with her time of 5:06.76.
Freshman Maximilian Sparshatt also qualified for the ECACs with his third place finish of 4:23.07 in the mile.
“For a debut race and having no gage of my potential, I was satisfied,” Sparshatt said. His goal is to qualify for nationals this season.
In the field events, it was sophomore Emma Tucci and freshman Brielle Doremus who stepped up for the women’s team in the long jump. Tucci took second place with a jump of 5.08 meters. Doremus was right behind Tucci with a jump of 5.05 meters, placing third. Freshman Steven D’Aiutolo also took third for the men’s team in the long jump. D’Aiutolo jumped 6.31 meters.
The Lions will compete in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York on Feb. 6 in order to continue collecting qualifying marks for the ECAC and NCAA Championships in March.
Hilarey Wojtowicz can be reached at wojtowi3@tcnj.edu.
(01/19/10 3:31pm)
The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams opened the new season at the New York Gotham Cup on Friday, Jan. 15.
Both teams collected numerous qualifying finishing times for the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) and the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC).
Two school records were also broken by athletes on the women’s team. Senior Jianna Spadaccini broke her own school record in the 500-meter race, finishing in sixth place with a time of 1:15.41. Senior Priscilla Senyah ran a time of 8.92 in the 60-meter hurdles, breaking her previous record of 8.94 seconds which she set back in December. Spadaccini’s time qualified her for the ECAC championship, whereas Senyah met the NCAA provisional cut with her time in the hurdles.
The men’s team was not far behind with three athletes running ECAC qualifying times in two different events. Juniors Jule Brooks and Kyle Gilroy finished with strong times of 49.27 and 50.19 in the 400- meter race. Senior DeShard Stevens qualified for the ECAC championship in the 500- meter race with a time of 1:05.45, nabbing him 10th place.
Other athletes outshined the other schools in both track and field events at the meet, as well. Freshman Rachel Morris was the top Division III finisher in the 3,000-meter race, running a time of 10:43.23 to give her 11th place. Three runners on the men’s team also stood out amongst the athletes in the mile. Sophomore Ian Boyle placed 9th in the seeded mile with a time of 4:25.71. In the unseeded mile, it was junior Kyle Roos and freshman Andy Gallagher who took the 8th and 9th places, with finishing times of 4:29.24 and 4:29.50.
Both the women’s and men’s teams excelled in field events, as well, with several athletes placing in the top-10 of their event. Sophomore Colin Gold cleared a height of four meters for second place in the unseeded pole vault.
Senior Martin Brown and junior Alexander Necovski placed 7th and 8th in the shot put for the men’s team with throws of 13.37 and 12.90 meters.
The men’s and women’s track and field team will continue the season on Jan. 23 at the Princeton Relays.
(11/25/09 3:58am)
After knocking off several highly ranked opponents, the College’s women’s soccer team is poised to play for all the marbles. Junior captain Briann McDonough’s sole goal in the Lions’ game against Ithaca on Sunday launched the team into the semifinal round of the 2009 NCAA Division III National Tournament in San Antonio, TX on Dec. 4. This is the fifth time in seven years that the Lions have qualified for the semifinal round.
The Lions (20-2-1) also handed Williams College its first loss of the season on Saturday advancing the team to the game with Ithaca on Sunday. The winLio against Ithaca was the Lions’ fourth shutout of the tournament.
“We knew these two games were going to be tough and we knew what we were in for,” freshman forward Alexa Rozzi said. “But I think we drew confidence from that and after beating Ithaca, we were all proud to call each other teammates.”
The Lions will take on top-ranked Messiah College (23-0-1) at the Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio. The Falcons defeated John’s Hopkins University 3-1 in order to advance to the semifinal round.
(11/20/09 7:00pm)
The Lions stroked into first for the win this weekend in the meet against Franklin & Marshall College on Friday Nov. 13 at the College. The women’s swimming team remained undefeated (5-0, 2-0 NJAC) with 127-74 win, while the men’s team won its fourth meet of the season, 133.5–71.5 (4-1, 2-0 NJAC).
Junior Margaret Molloy led the Lions with two first-place finishes, along with contributing to the 400-yard relay win. Molloy won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:57.76, and gained first in the 500-yard free in 5:14.99.
Our team is really pumped this year," Molloy said. "We were confident going to the meet and the positive attitude on the team helps make everyone excited for every swim."
It was sophomore Tom Medvecky and junior Mike Vernoia who paced the Lions for the win. The winners helped the Lions dominate, winning 10 of the 11 meet events.
Medvecky took first in the 500-yard in 4:45.77, and also helped win the 400-yard medley relay and the 200-yard relay. Vernoia placed first in the 100-yard free with a time of 48.84 and the 200-yard free also, finishing in 1:47.27.
“We were very confident going into the meet,” Vernoia said. “We only lost once to Stevens, but there’s no doubt we could’ve have won. We’re over that and we’re back in business now.”
The women’s team, on the other hand, did not only win because of Molloy. Sophomore Laura Pierce not only helped to win the 200 and 400-yard relays, but she qualified for the NCAA’B’ by three hundredths of a second with a time of 58.47 in the 100-yard butterfly.
The Lions also had sophomore Traci Hofer, freshmen Kayleigh Shangle and Kristin Wikoff, and junior Katie Morgan add to the win. Hofer took first in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.82, while Shangle took the top spot in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:15.47. Wikoff earned first in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:02.64 and Morgan finished first in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:09.64.
The men’s team also had other contributors to the win. Lions’ junior Joe Tseng raced to the finish in two events, including the 400-yard medley relay and the 100-yard backstroke. Senior Myles O’Connor added to the 400-yard medley relay and placed first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 58.82. Freshman Evan Paulan took first with a time of 54.23 in the 100-yard butterfly.
The Lions also had sophomore divers T.J. Burns and Billy Cavallo lead the way in the one and three meter diving events.
O’Connor, Medvecky, Vernoia, and junior Tim Rauch also competed in the Princeton Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 14, placing in the top three spots of each of their events. O’Connor took first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 58.17 and placed third in the 200-yard breaststroke, finishing in 2:09.42. These times helped O’Connor to qualify for the NCAA ‘B’ cut team for his second time this season.
Vernoia finished second in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:41.96 and Medvecky came in second place in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:56.64. Rauch competed in the 1650-yard free, finishing in third with a time of 16:03.81.
The Lions swam against Division I athletes from Princeton University, Bucknell University, New York University, and Fordham University.
Both teams will return to the pool on Dec. 5 at the Franklin and Marshall College Invitational in Lancaster, P.A.
(11/17/09 8:33pm)
Sophomore Laura Pierce not only conrtibuted to the Lions’ win in the pool over Franklin and Marshall College on Friday, Nov. 13, but the swimmer also qualified for the NCAA ‘B’ cut team by three one-hundredths of a second. Pierce finished the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 58.47.
(11/10/09 6:00pm)
The Lions raced to a strong finish at the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) championships on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The men’s cross country team placed ninth overall out of 43 teams, while the women’s team was not far behind, gaining the 13th spot out of 39 teams at the meet.
Both the men’s and women’s teams finished in the top half of the race, competing against more than 250 athletes from along the East Coast.
Junior Brittany Erickson led the Lions in the 6000-meter race, placing 58th out of 275 runners with a time of 25:48.
“It felt awesome to lead the team,” said Erickson. “The ECAC championships is a very competitive race and being able to cross that line first for the College was such an adrenaline rush.”
For the men’s team, it was sophomore Alex Yersak who led the way for the Lions, running a time of 28:11 in the men’s 8000-meter race, placing 48th out of 296 runners.
Freshman Matt Hernberg and sophomore Nick Bond were not far behind, placing in the 51st and 52nd spots overall. Hernberg finished with a time of 28:14, with Bond right behind him with a time of 28:15.
“The team was confident,” said Hernberg. “I think we have a solid pack that will work together and do well our next meet, the Atlantic Regional championships.
The Lions had two more runners finish in the top 100 for the men’s race. Junior Aleksandrs Erins had a time of 28:34, putting him in 68th place. Freshman Alex Matteson gained the 71st spot with a time of 28:35.
The women’s team had four more athletes competing in the race, as well. Sophomores Noelle Gotthart posted a time of 26:16 for 75th place and Abbey Wallach finished in 85th place, running a time of 26:29. Meghan Bruce, a sophomore, also finished in the top 100 with a time of 26:45 for the 98th spot. Sophomore Casey Valdes finished in less than a minute behind Bruce with a time of 27:08 for the 119th spot.
The Lions will compete in the Atlantic Regional Championships next Saturday, Nov. 17, at SUNY Geneseo in Morris, N.Y.
(11/10/09 5:31pm)
Sophomore defender Maria Grady scored the winning penalty kick for the Lions in the New Jersey Athletic Conference finals on Friday, Nov. 6, against Richard Stockton College. After 110 minutes of play, the Lions continued on to the sudden death round, defeating the Ospreys 7-6.
(11/08/09 2:30am)
The Lions defeated Richard Stockton College 7-6 in penalty kicks on Friday Nov. 6, claiming its fourth title in the past five years as champions of the 2009 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
After the Lions dominated the field during the 90 minutes of regulation soccer, as well as in the two 10-minute overtime periods, the contest went to penalty kicks. Despite the six penalty kicks that the Osprey’s managed to put in the back of the net, senior captain and goalkeeper Jessica Clarke saved lucky number seven from freshman Dailey Todd of Stockton. Sophomore defender Maria Grady scored the winning goal for the Lions on their seventh penalty kick.
“It felt good to win it finally,” said Grady.
The Lions outnumbered the Ospreys with shots on goal during the game 36-3.
“It would have been nice to win in regulation,” Clarke said. “But it felt awesome to win it no matter what.”
The Lions receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championships as first place winners of the NJAC. The brackets will be released on Nov. 9 for the NCAA tournament.
(11/06/09 5:51am)
The Lions got some vengeance with a 3-0 win over William Paterson in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) semi-finals on Tuesday evening. After losing to the Pioneers in the regular season, the women’s varsity soccer team was able to dominate the field in order to win the game.
“Any win feels good,” said head coach Joe Russo. “We played for the whole 90 minutes tonight and we didn’t get knocked down.”
The Lions will now move on to face Richard Stockton College in the NJAC finals on Friday.
“It was a close game last time,” Russo said. “But we are going into the finals ready to play.”
Freshman forward Allyson Anderson led the game with two goals, helping the Lions to take the 3-0 lead after sophomore defender Annie McCarthy put the first goal in the back of the net only 11 minutes into the game. The assist for McCarthy’s goal came from freshman midfielder Amy Van Dyk’s corner kick, who also assisted Anderson in her second, and the last, goal of the game.
Not only did the Lions gain another win, but senior captain goalkeeper Jessica Clarke collected another shut out, as well, adding to her school record of shut outs in the team’s history.
“It felt really good to beat William Paterson after losing to them,” said Clarke. “We set a tone for the NJAC’s and we’ll bring the same intensity in the finals that we did tonight.”
The Lions will host the Ospreys in the NJAC finals on Friday, Nov. 6.
(11/04/09 1:32am)
Junior T.J. Bocchino led the Lions to the 16th consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference championship on Saturday. Bocchino placed second overall, with a finishing time of 26:37.61. The Lions gained first place with a total of 33 points.