Mike Bello, Sports Editor
The Behrend Beacon
Calendar of
Events
Behrend
Athletic
Events
Friday
Women's Basketball
Creative Imprint Systems
Basketball Tournament
Junker Center
John Carroll vs. Alvernia
6 p.m.
Behrend vs. Bluffon
8 p.m.
Saturday
Women's Basketball
Behrend Tournament
Junker Center
Consolation Game
Championship Game
3 p.m.
Men's Basketball
Tip-Off Basketball Tournament
Junker Center
Medaille vs. Mount Aloysius
6 p.m.
Behrend vs. Geneseo
8 p.m.
Sunday
Men's Basketball
Behrend Tournament
Junker Center
Consolation Game
Championship Game
3 p.m.
Tuesday
Men's and Women's
Swimming
Gannon
Junker Center
6 p.m.
Women's Basketball
@ Bethany
7 p.m.
Men's Basketball
Grove City
Junker Center
8 p.m.
Saturday Nov. 24
Women's Basketball
Case Western Reserve
Junker Center
2 p.m.
Wednesday Nov. 28
Women's Basketball
@ Washington & Jefferson
5:30 p.m.
Men's Basketball
@ Washington & Jefferson
7:30 p.m.
Friday Nov. 30
Men's and Women's Swimming
@ ECAC Division HI
Championships TBA
Women's Basketball
Behrend Tournament
Junker Center
Behrend vs. RIT
6 p.m.
Susquehanna vs. Albion
8 p.m.
lintramurals
Schedule
Friday
Team Triathlon - Swimming,
Biking, and Jogging
Men's, Women's, and Coed (3
Players each team)
Friday Dec. 7
Intramural 5 vs. 5 Basketball
Men's and Women's Teams
All entries must be at the
ntramural office by 4 p.m
on the scheduled date
Women's basketball has hard act to follow
by Nick Nesbitt
staff writer
The Penn State Behrend women's
basketball team returns to the court
coming off an I 8-9 record from last
season. Eighth-year head coach Roz
Fornari returns with a solid group of
seniors and returning players, along
with a good-looking crop of freshmen
talent to fill the holes of last year's
graduated players. The Lady Lions
will look to make the postseason for
the sixth time in nine years.
The team has a variety of players
at the guard position. Senior Kate
Costanzo, who averaged I I points and
3.5 assists per game last year, and jun
ior Danielle Bemis, who averaged 4.8
points off the bench last season, will
compete for playing time at the guard
positions, along with junior Amanda
Mauser and sophomore ('arl)
Cochran. Bambi Lewis. Brandy
Polinick. and Allison Skiff also join
the team at the guard positions as
freshmen.
Senior Katie Weigold and sopho
more Erica Mozdy will fiercely com
pete for the starting point guard posi
tion. Freshman Norine Scida will also
get some experience at point guard
this year.
The Behrend Lions remain strong
in their low post game with the return
of senior Erin Phillips. Phillips. from
McDowell High School. averaged
14.1 points per game and led the team
with 6.1 rebounds per game last year.
She is only the sixth Behrend player
to surpass the 1.000-point mark in her
Senior Christine Charnock and
sophomore Crystal McGarvey will
compete for playing time as the sub
stitute for Phillips. Charnock aver
aged 4.2 points per game and 3 re
Continued growth on horizon for men's
by Zoe Rose
staff writer
What sports fanatics will watch for
the next four to five months can be
summed up in two words: College
basketball. The leaves are bright red.
orange. and yellow arid the sports cal
endar has drifted into the men's bas
ketball season. Penn State Behrend's
basketball team has taken over the
With 28 games in the season, not
including last weekend's exhibition
game against the University of
Toronto-Erindale, the Blue and White
have a long season to look forward
to. The Lions came out of the exhibi
tion game with a strong and cushion
ing 83-39 win , giving playing time
to each player.
This year's squad returns four start
ers and 1 I lettermen under the lead
ership of senior guard Matt Keith and
junior guard Steve Merrill. With sev-
willp
PHOTO BY KRISTIN RODGERS
Freshman Joe Lucas puts a move on freshman teammate (and at the
same time opponent) Tom Lulich in one of the Lions' inter-squad scrim
mages at the Junker Center. In the background, sophomore Marty
Timm, left, guards sophomore Casey Ponsoll.
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Seniors Christine Charnock and Erin Phillips, center, practice at the Junker Center to get ready for this weekend's
Behrend Tournament. In the background from left to right are freshman Brandy Polinick, senior Kate Costanzo,
sophomore Carly Cochran, junior Amanda Mauser, senior Katie Weigold, and junior Danielle Bemis.
bounds per game last year in relief.
McGar\ ev earned the most improved
player of the year last year as a fresh
Costanzo knows what the team
needs to do to mirror the success of
last year.
"lo be successful we need to pia}
good team defense. execute our of
fenses. and out hustle our opponents.'"
said Costanzo "Confidence, commu
nication. and desire will he keys to
our success.
The Behrend basketball team has
team. the skills and experience that
the upperclassmen will provide will
he vital. Keith already owns the
school record of 92 three-pointers in
a season and will be expected to score
often. Merrill is in top form for the
season after scoring 6.1 points-per
game in 23 contests last year.
Earning a spot on the starting line
up is last year's AMCC Newcomer of
the Year. 6-6 center James Curren.
Curren sank an impressive 13.8 ppg
his freshman year. Filling in the two
forward starting positions are 6-3
sophomore David Hairston, who
scored 9.8 ppg, and 6-3 sophomore
('asev Ponscll. who contributed 9.2
ppg. Competing for time against
these three returning starters will be
talented sophomores 6-5 Jeff Lane
and 6-7 Randy Conley, as well as con
tributions from 6-3 Marty Timm and
6-3 Mike Schodt.
Skilled freshmen include guards
Joe Lucas (5-10) and Tim Lulich (6-
I ), 6-3 forwards Rylan Marx and Cam
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never been better under the leadership
of Fornari. She is Behrend's all-time
leader in career wins with 147. and
has led the team to two postseason
NCAA appearances. Since Fornari
started her tenure as head coach, the
team has been to the ECAC playoffs
three times and won the A MCC Tour
nament Championship in the 1998-
1999 season. She has also won the
A MCC Coach of the Year award
twice. She led the team to a 10-2 con
ference record last year.
The team has made it to the league
Richards. Adding depth to the roster
will be freshmen Ryan trillion (6-3).
Nick Paris (5-9). Patrick Spence (5-
I I I. and sophomore Joe Greer (5-10).
Head coach Dave Niland sees rood
things for this year's recruits
"The freshmen have all looked
good. I think this is one of the most
talented groups we have had. Mak
ing the transition from high school to
college is very hard.-
Most freshmen warm the benches
in the Big Ten schools. At a smaller
college, freshmen arc more likely to
see playing time, thus enabling them
to gain valuable experience.
Just as the Perm State Nittany Li
ons had to play for years at Rec flail
and then advanced to the new Bryce
Jordan Center. the Behrend Lions
have migrated from Erie Hall to the
sparkling new Junker ('enter. The
opportunity to begin a successful new
FREE PRIZES
At every home athletic event
THIS WEEK'S HOME EVENTS:
Frida November 16
Women's Basketball
Alvernia vs. John Carroll @ 6 p.m.
Penn State Behrend vs. Bluffton @ 8 p.m
Saturda November 17
Women's Basketball
Consolation Game @ 1 p.m.
Championship Game @ 3 p.m.
Men's Basketball
Medaille vs. Geneseo at 6 p.m.
Penn State Behrend vs. Mt. Aloysius at 8 p.m
Sunda November 18
Men's Basketball
Consolation Game @ 1 p.m.
Championship Game @ 3 p.m
Win Free Prizes
I Stop by the Game(s) and Register to I
I I
I Participate in the Halftime Contests
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championship for the past four years.
This will be another tough year for
the Lions. They will go to Las Vegas
for a Christmas Tournament from
Dec. 16-20, where they will play some
of the elite teams in the country, in
cluding Bethany College, Thomas
More, and Cal-Lutheran. They also
will he playing Washington &
Jefferson and Delaware Valley during
the regular season, teams that were the
PAC and ECAC champions, respec-
tively.
The Lions' season opens today with
basketball
era in this facility excites the Lions
as they seek a fresh start under
Niland's leadership.
"We would like to improve on the
9-3 (AMCC) second-place finish
from last season. - Niland said.
The season starts on Saturday and
Sunday with the Penn State Behrend
"Tournament at 6 and 8 p.m. Niland is
definitely looking forward to this tour
nament.
"The tourney is going to be very ex
citing, all the teams are solid. Geneseo
State is considered to be one of the
top teams in the East region this year."
said Niland.
The Lions will entertain 12 leaeue
games at home among a few non-con
ference games. With a fresh season
ahead, the Blue and White are full of
energy and look forward to the up
coming challenges.
For students
4
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Head coach Roz Fornari gives some
words of advice to Danielle Bern is
during one of the Lions' recent prac
tices. Behrend, which went 18-9 a
year ago, must replace the offensive
output of Jen O'Lare, one of only six
players to score more than 1,000
points.
Section B
behrcolls@aol.com
a tip-off tournament here at Behrend.
The schedule includes a total of I
league games in the wide-open
AMCC. Look for the Lions to make
another strong run for their fifth
postseason berth.
"The team has worked very hard in
the off-season and the pre-season.
said Costanzo. "We are well prepared
and ready to play some basketball.
We are very excited to begin the sea
son this weekend at Behrend in trout
of our fans.-
Housing
and
Food Service
Athlete
of the Week
PE NNSTAII
Erie
Casey
Doody
Doody smashed the
team's 100-backstroke
record with a time of
55.11 and the 200-
backstroke record in
2:03.03. Both times
were achieved at Buf
falo State on Nov. 6.
Doody placed first in
both events and also led
off the winning 400
medley relay that in
cluded Eric Phillips, Jon
Harding, and Lucas
bushac.
Doody also set the
100-backstroke pool
record with a time of
55.96 at the Lions' first
ever Collegiate Swim
Meet at the Junker
Center on Saturday. He
also tied the team's and
pool's 100-freestyle
record of 51.71. The
swim team's next chal
lenge is Gannon on
Tuesday at home.