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(10/06/09 2:53pm)
Freshman Dean Thompson made quite a name for himself early in his career with the Lions. He and junior Jonathan Yu advanced to the finals of the Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championships this past weekend.
Individually, both Thompson and Yu failed to reach the second day of the tournament. No. 14-seeded Thompson began Friday with 6-4, 7-5 victories over sophomore Alex Belfiore of Drew University, but fell to sophomore Jimmy Newton of Ithaca College in three sets.
Yu also started strong with a three-set win over freshman Stan Yakoff from Stevens Insititute of Technology before losing to No. 9-seeded junior Lorenzo Cabrea of Skidmore College. But the pair shook off their separate losses and beat junior Matt Chin and sophomore Matt Hursh from Hobart College with a score of 8-1.
On Saturday, the pair continued to dominate by beating Vassar College’s juniors Joshua Jasso and Gregory Katz 8-3 and Hamilton College’s freshman Jon Franzel and sophomore Andrew Libin 8-6 to reach the semifinals on Sunday.
After beating No. 3-seeded junior Carl-Eric Girardin and sophomore Luke Granger from Skidmore 8-4, Thompson and Yu advanced to the finals to face fourth-seeded senior Taylor Borda and junior Josh Rifkin of Ithaca. In a very intense battle, the match had to end in a tie-breaker.
After 3 long days of play, Thompson and Yu couldn’t hold on and were defeated 7-4.
“I think not being seeded in doubles helped us,” Thompson said. “We didn’t feel the weight of any expectations like I did being seeded in singles. Obviously I wanted to become an All-American and go to Alabama for Nationals, but I’m not at all disappointed with the way Jon and I played this weekend.”
Sophomore Steven Fernandez had an impressive, yet stunning two days of play. He held the highest individual seeding at No. 5, but didn’t advance past Saturday. Fernandez immediately sent out a warning to all competitors with a 6-0, 6-0 thrashing of senior Alex Franz from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He followed this with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over sophomore Pavel Zhuravlev of New York University on Friday.
But No. 1-seeded sophomore Patrick Whitner of NYU uprooted him from the tournament in the quarterfinals with scores of 6-4 and 6-0.
“I really wasn’t feeling too positive about my game throughout the tournament,” Fernandez said. “As much as I fought through my first two matches on Friday, I was the fifth ranked seed which created such a demand to perform well. I know I could have played better against the number-one seed on Saturday, but I’m not going to beat myself up over it. I’m going to learn from my mistakes and move on.”
Fernandez’s doubles run produced similar results. He and freshman TJ Riley defeated St. Lawrence University’s junior Jake Dexter and freshman Philip Jackley 8-2 on Friday. They kept up the effort by beating freshman Austin Armstrong and junior Ryan Kovaleski from the University of Rochester 8-6, but couldn’t maintain it, as they fell to fourth-seeded Borda and Rifkin of Ithaca 8-3.
“The team Steve and I lost to had never played that well before,” Riley comments. “We were absolutely shocked that we lost. But at least I know what I need to do to step my game up for the spring season.”
This was the final tournament for the College men’s tennis team this season. They will resume play in Spring 2010.
(09/15/09 2:51pm)
The Art Department debuted its first gallery exhibit of the year entitled, “Family,” Wednesday Sept. 9 in Holman Hall. It will run through Oct. 14.
Professors of the department contributed their personal works from various mediums including photography, video and painting.
Only a few of the pieces actually featured faculty members’ families, such as professor of photography Justin James Reed’s digital prints of his wife and child, entitled “Michele.”
Many pieces relied on different interpretations of family, delving into unconventional ideas of relation. For example, professor of digital and fine arts Ruane Miller’s digital painting entitled “Desert Messenger,” drew on nature for inspiration to demonstrate its connection with humanity.
Drawing professor Kenneth Kaplowitz, a 29-year member of the Art Department, produced four digital prints depicting various ideas of family, including the biblical picture of dysfunction, “Cain and Abel” and “The Shower,” centered on the Holocaust. Each of the prints took three to four weeks to complete and were his first and only drafts, Kaplowitz said.
A series of photographs entitled, “Doppelgangers” by professor of digital arts Stefan Abrams depicted four pairs of friends to suggest that family doesn’t necessarily refer to blood relation.
In addition to introducing new perspectives of family, the exhibit provided a chance for students to see their professors’ specialties beyond the classroom.
“It’s good to see a final project,” said senior biology major Kim O’Keefe. “I had Miller when ‘Desert Messenger’ was just a work in progress.”
Not every work contributed was a faculty produced long-term project. Art Department chair Anita Allyn created “Inheritance” specifically for the exhibit.
Using various materials, including a series of vases from her home that she painted white, Allyn created the background for a pop-art-style projection.
“It’s about the passing cycle of letting go,” Allyn explained. “I believe it’s very important that the students see what inspires the faculty. An exhibit like this shows another layer of these tremendous, outstanding artists.”
The exhibit is a part of this year’s campus-wide theme of family. Every year the College picks a theme, which each department expresses differently. The art gallery is one of the first venues of the year.
“It’s fun to be the kickoff of this type of cross-campus dialogue,” gallery director Sarah Cunningham said. “This is our way of reaching out to the other departments. Here we can create discussion on how to improve the idea of family and possibly even enable others to look beyond what we take for granted on a daily basis.”
“Family” is the first of many exhibits from the Art Department this year. Coming soon will be an exhibit featuring Mexican art.
(09/08/09 11:09pm)
The No. 5 ranked Lions made a strong opening statement in their 9-4 victory over undefeated Frostburg State University on Sunday. Junior midfielder Kellyn Riley began the scoring early, with the first two goals of her hat trick coming five minutes into the game. Within seconds of Riley’s second goal, freshman forward Emilie Taylor scored her first goal as a Lion to put the home side up 3-0.
“One of our goals as a team is to try to score within the first couple minutes of the game,” Riley said. “The connection and passes between my teammates was the way I was able to score so quickly. We didn’t fumble with the ball and we passed quickly, which led us down the field to two quick goals.”
The Bobcats attempted to make a statement of their own with goals in the sixth minute by junior forward Breanne Russell and the 20th by junior forward Lindsey Frost. But the Lions answered back with one last goal by sophomore Alexandria Okuniewicz to give the Lions a 4-2 advantage before the half.
Riley completed her unassisted hat trick early on in the second half with a penalty corner, breaking through the Frostburg defense once more. The Lions defense also proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Sophomore Goalie Shannon Syciarz saved four shots on goal throughout the course of the game.
Underclassmen continued to make their presence known in the second half. Freshman Caitlyn Jenkins capitalized on the Lions’ drive with two goals — one in the 48th minute and the other in the 56th. Junior Mary Waller and senior Jess Falcone also added to the tally with goals in the 51st and 55th minutes, respectively. Although she scored no goals, senior Gabby Cafone came up big with three assists in just seven minutes. The Bobcats were only able to find the back of the net twice more in the 55th and 64th minutes thanks to junior forward Brooke Tapman and senior forward Sammy Stalter.
The Lions finished the game with 27 shots to the Bobcats’ eight.
“My teammates were able to create a forward momentum up the field and with crisp passes we were able to get right into the circle and shoot,” Riley said. “It’s like the saying, ‘you miss all the shots you don’t take,’ so we try to take as many quality shots at possible to score as many goals as we can.”
The most impressive statistic of the game was not the amount of shots or saves from the Lions. It was the fact that there were no offsides or disciplinary cards the entire game.
The Lions’ first five games are at home, with the first four against non-NJAC colleges. But that doesn’t lessen the pressure of competing.
“When we get on the field the only game that matters is the game we’re playing right then and there. It doesn’t matter who the team we’re playing as played before us or what their record is. All we think about is what we can do to win,” said Riley.
The Lions’ continue play this Thursday when the College hosts Manhattanville College at 7 p.m.
(09/01/09 4:17pm)
For most senior year athletes, the 2009 season marks their fourth and final year in a Lions jersey. For senior forward Jess Falcone, this is only her third. The business management major tore her ACL at the end of the 2008 lacrosse season, resulting in her inability to play field hockey last fall.
“It was tough,” Falcone said. “But I learned a lot on the sidelines. I tried to go to all the practices and games. I picked up on things I wouldn’t have seen if I was on the field,” she said.
“We’ve got a great team this year. There are a lot of new faces which means new talent,” she said.The squad has many expectations. In a recent poll by the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), the College was picked to win the NJAC title this year. The Lions have clinched this title for the last three years, and hope to obtain it once again this season.
As successful as the team has been the past few seasons, one goal remains elusive. For the last three years, the team has failed to advance past the NCAA Regional Finals to earn a spot in the Final Four. Last year, they lost to Tufts University in the final two minutes, putting dreams of Final Four glory out of reach.
This year, the Lions are going to have to obtain their goals without leading goal- scorer and junior forward Leigh Mitchell, who tore her ACL during lacrosse season last year.
“When I found out I felt so bad because I had been there,” Falcone says. “But we’re all here for her and hope her recovery goes well.”
When she was sidelined with her injury, her teammates made her feel like a part of the team.
“Stephanie attends every practice and we look up to her for advice since she is able to watch us,” junior defender and biology major Chrissy Hults adds. “She’ll be back in no time and will be a key player on the team once again.”
The Lions will play an alumnae game Tuesday at 4 p.m. Their first game of the 2009 season is at Lions Stadium on Sept. 6 versus Frostburg State University. “I’m so excited,” Falcone said. “We’re going to have a great season. I can feel it.”
(09/01/09 3:37pm)
The promise of cheap but quality entertainment lured freshmen and upperclassmen alike to Kendall Hall last Thursday. The College Union Board’s (CUB) “3 for $3” Comedy Show provided a stirring start to the fall semester with a lineup of noteworthy comedians.
Headliner Ronnie Jordan, who has previously appeared on HBO’s “P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy,” immediately garnered interest with “the joys of being a heavy-set black man.”
Jordan couldn’t keep the crowd quiet as he described every detail of how guys spend their time when their roommates are gone. He also let women in on some of the biggest secrets of manhood: pooping, porn and masturbation.
In a climactic ending to a hilarious set, Jordan mimed his love affair with his personal kryptonite — a honey bun that had sat in his pocket the entire time.
Esther Ku, a finalist from NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” was the most surprising comedian out of the bunch. With her hair in pigtails, a pink t-shirt and short brown skirt with brown leggings, it was hard to tell if she was a comedian or someone’s 8-year-old daughter. The crude content of her jokes, however, dispelled any doubt of her age.
Though she actively engaged the crowd, she drew more gasps than guffaws for her sexual exploits. Ku hit a snag in her set with an out-of-tune guitar, which she replaced with Gordon’s guitar, also out-of-tune. After stalling, she sang an entire song about her love for “self-love” to Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”
Junior accounting major Andy Flexon said, “Ku was awkward … but fit the campus well. She had the most adult-themed humor.”
MC Brant Gordon opened the night praising White Castle Chicken Rings (“it’s like farting in God’s mouth,” he joked) and a song inspired by Jason Mraz. With a small guitar and fedora, the Seth Rogen look-alike sang, “Hey Lady,” a song dripping with sexual innuendos.
Steve Rossi performed a 10-minute warm-up set, which was a disappointing follow-up to Gordon’s antics.
Although he didn’t have big shoes to fill, Andrew Kennedy established the tone for the night after Rossi.
Kennedy proved his claim to number 12 on Comedy Central’s “Top 20 Stand-up Showdown” with a set that touched on his bi-racial background. His British father enjoys driving away from the cops while being pulled over, only to correct their grammar after being pulled over a second time. Kennedy’s peculiar variety was entertaining, especially his impression of a Spanish soap opera.
Freshman political science major Steve Schwarcz enjoyed the entire event and “is definitely going to see more comedy shows at (the College),” he said.
CUB’s next comedy show will feature Michael Ian Black in Kendall Hall on Sept. 21.