| The Behrend Beacon
Women’s Tennis captures fourth league
championship title in eight years
By Jenna O’Block
staff writer
On Saturday the women’s tennis team played in
the AMCC Tournament Title. The Lady Lions pre
viously won the first four AMCC championships
in 1997,
1 9 9 8,
1999 and
2000
During
the title
match,
they had
wins in all
six single
flights and
two of the
three
double
flights.
The team
has im-
proved a
lot be-
Junior Amy Frizzell serves up
an ace during one of the team’s
last matches against Thiel.
tween last
year and
this year. It
has got some new strong players that helped the
team to do very well this season.
“Our freshman played well all year which was
a great boost,” said Coach Barger. “I see good
things for this group if we can keep them together.
We play well as a team and everyone gets along
which makes it a lot more enjoyable.”
The ladies won almost all of their matches and
also won the AMCC tournament.
“I don’t think that has ever been done before,”
said Jenna Yankowski, a sophomore who plays
number five singles and three doubles for the team.
“Along with having a very strong team, all of the
Men’s water polo making history
By Kyle Woodside
staff writer
As I was sitting down to interview Coach
Tristan this week, I found it more coincidental
than scenes in a Three's Company episode.
While talking to Tristan in a different office than
we usually talk in, I noticed behind him that there
was a sign posted that proclaimed, “NO ONE
comes into our POOL and PUSHES US
AROUND.” This statement was the epitome of
the events that took place at the Junker Center
Sunday afternoon.
Sunday was Senior Day for the team. Nick
McGrady, the lone senior on the squad, was hon
ored. Behrend celebrated Senior Day with an 11-
4 victory over Mercyhurst, who defeated Behrend
12-8 earlier in the season.
“We knew we could beat them. The guys were
hungry,” Coach Tristan said.
Behrend enjoyed a comfortable 8-2 halftime
lead and never looked back. “We felt we could
have scored 20 goals if we left the starters in,”
Tristan said.
Juniors Andre Pranckevicius and Justin Ryder
each scored three goals for the Lions. Anthony
Spoto netted two, and Steve Schleicher, Bran
don Thiel, and Brandon Sieber had a goal apiece.
McGrady made his last home game memorable
with 16 saves in goal. McGrady currently holds
the career record for saves with 593 and is trying
to surpass his single season record for saves at
245. Right now, he has 149. An average of about
15 saves per game for the remainder of the sea
son would enable McGrady to break his own
record.
HOUSING AND FOOD SERVICE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
SPORTS
players got along really well which
helped us to do even better.”
Every week the AMCC picks a ten
nis player of the week. In the first
three weeks out of five total, Behrend
tennis player took the honors which
were Yankowski, Allison Mudrey, and
sophomore Mindy Calvert.
Mudrey, a freshman, has been
named this weeks Allegheny Moun
tain Collegiate Conference athlete of
the week. The ladies took first place
in each division, except at first
doubles where they took second.
“That was a disappointment to go
undefeated all year and then to lose
in the finals, but Mindy and I will get it next year,”
said Mudrey.
At the beginning of the year the team’s goal
was to have a winning record and go into AMCC’s
with a number one seed in every division.
“All of the girls who went to AMCC’s were
very supportive of one another and we had a lot
of fun,” said Mudrey. “I can’t wait until next
year!”
Through everyone’s dedication and teamwork
they were able to go way beyond that goal. Not
only did the team have number one seeds in each
division, they had athletes of the week many times.
They were able to end the season with a winning
record of 14-3.
“I really liked coaching this team this past sea
son,” said Coach Barger. “Everyone did as asked
with no question. We set out to win the confer
ence and do well in our regional matches and that
is what we did.”
“I think that our team not only had talent but
we put our heart into it to get where we ended up,
which was AMCC Champions” said Shelley
Goodpastor, a freshman who played sixth singles
and second doubles.
Senior captain Nick McGrady had 16 saves in
goal during his last home water polo match
on Sunday. McGrady holds the single season
record for most saves with 593.
Junior Brian Kustra stepped in later in the game
and finished with six saves. “He is doing a fine
job for just learning how to play goalie this year,”
Tristan said.
The Lions also played Saturday against Slip-
The Lady Lion’s after capturing the 2004 AMCC Women's
Tennis Championship title.
The Lady Lions played very well all year, and
the team’s final two matches were against Thiel
and Westminster. They beat Thiel 9-0 and
Westminster 6-3.
“I felt very good about our win over
Westminster,” said Barger. “Everyone played well
and it gave us a good regional win.”
The team will be losing senior Christie
Leinginger, fourth year player and fourth singles
competitor and two year captain.
“I am happy and excited we won AMCC’s and
had a good record this season,’’said Leinginger. “I
am really looking foward to playing in the spring.”
The team will also be losing senior Katie Ranalli
a first year player and third singles player.
“It was really nice having Katie on the team,”
said Leinginger. “She’s a good player and it was
nice to have her come in and contribute as much
as she did.”
Leinginger and Ranalli both recieved first team
all-conference honors in singles and doubles.
Along with the seniors the entire team recieved
first team honors.
pery Rock. Behrend was resilient in this game,
leading 2-0 after the first quarter and only down
5-4 at halftime and 7-6 after the third quarter.
However, Behrend came up short to this tough
Division II school, 12-6.
“We got tentative. We didn’t want to get called
for pushing off on the bottom of the pool, so we
wasted some scoring opportunities,” Tristan said.
“We had four turnovers in a row at one point in
the fourth quarter and they capitalized on all four.”
Andre Pranckevicius sparked the offensive at
tack for the Lions as he scored four times while
Justin Ryder and Brandon Thiel each scored once.
In addition to Nick McGrady’s record, there are
others. Sophomore Justin Ryder has broken the
record for career goals with 58. The previous
record was 53.
O Freshman Anthony Spoto has averaged three
<5 goals per game, earning him the opportunity
£ to be two goals away from tying the single sea-
S son goal record of 53. Spoto has also broken the
■5 career drawn penalty shot record with five drawn.
£ Junior Steve Schleicher’s 39 career assists
z broke Dario Kis’ previous record of 35. These
o numbers will continue to grow as there are still
eight games remaining this season.
Behrend looks for the momentum from the
Mercyhurst game to help them as they travel to
W&J for the Division 111 Eastern Championships,
where they are seeded fifth.
“I feel we are a top four team. This is Champi
onship Week!” Tristan said.
At the championships this weekend, Behrend
plays Johns Hopkins, then Connecticut College.
Let’s go Lions!
NAME: Allison Mudrey
SPORT: Women’s Tennis
CLASS: Freshman
DATE: October 18, 2004
Allison Mudrey (Hermitage/Hickory)
was named this week’s Beacon/Food and
Housing Athlete of the Week.
Mudrey began the week with home
dual-match wins in both singles and
doubles. She then traveled to the AMCC
Championships where she became this
year’s champion in first singles. Mudrey
defeated Alison Schwartz of Penn State
Altoona 6-1, 7-5 to capture the title.
Mudrey was also the runner’s up in first
doubles with partner Mindy Calvert
(Warren/Warren).
Friday, October 22, 2004
Crass canny raaflv
tscapure JUMCC (Ms
By Brooke Dodds
staff writer
This season’s Allegheny Mountain Collegiate
Conference Cross Country tournament is going to
be an exciting time. The blue and white look for
ward to the moment that they can jump out to win
the title that they very much deserve. The AMCC
championship is going to be held at Frostburg State
and will include all of the AMCC schools.
Frostburg has won the past three titles with
Behrend finishing second each time. Behrend won
AMCC championship title in 2000 and hopes to
take back their title at this year’s race. During two
meets in which Frostburg also took part in, the two
teams split with Behrend finishing before Frostburg
at the Allegheny College Invitational and Frostburg
taking the Dickinson College Invitational.
For men’s individual runners, Behrend’s Brad
Ruffo and Frostburg’s Kurt Ruble are the two lead
ing runners in the AMCC conference. Ruffo, a
sophomore has been twice named AMCC athlete
of the week this season, and is the top runner for
Behrend at all meets this season. Ruffo was named
last seasons AMCC New Comer of the Year. Ruble,
a freshman, took Runner of the Week honors three
times so far in his freshman year, and is a favorite
to take New Comer of the Year this season.
Those that are top ten finishers in the race are
going to be awarded All AMCC Honors. Includ
ing Ruffo and Ruble, Behrend and Frostburg may
likely walk away with 9 of the top ten positions,
predicted Coach Cooper.
“The top runners for our team will probably be
Craig Davis, Tim Schultheis, Eric Diluzio, Harry
Balwick, Brent Beauseigneur and Andy Marshall,”
said Coach Cooper. “Along with those men are
Joe Wilcher, Mike Barlett, Rick Holzworth, and
Brett Pollack who will definitely add their support.”
For the Behrend Women, in 2003 the Lady Li
ons finished one, two, three, four and six at the
AMCC’s. Unfortunately, the leading group in the
race took a wrong turn on the course which was
poorly marked and ended up being disqualified by
an official at Pitt Bradford.
This mistake took the AMCC title away from
Behrend and was a disappointment for the runners
after a year of hard work and a title they deserved.
Pitt-Bradford did not follow the rules outlined in
the NCAA handbook when it came to the disquali
fication. There was a section that read “there should
not be any disqualifications if the course is not
marked according to the NCAA guidelines” which
the course was not according to Senior runner
Jessica Knapp.
AH the women are incredibly anxious to get out
there and make right last year’s wrong. They are
all excited to beat Frostburg on their home course.
The women have been picked in a 2004 preseason
AMCC coaches poll to win the AMCC title.
Jess Knapp was picked as the Runner of the Year
in 2003 and was tabbed in the preseason as the run
ner to beat for 2004. The runner that will present
the greatest challenge to Knapp is teammate and
2003 AMCC Rookie of the Year, Leslie Gentile.
Other women who have potential to bring the title
to Behrend are Claire Manelick, Willa Paterson,
Leisl Soergel and Sara Paterson.
Mudrey’s performance at AMCCs
capped off a terrific season. She went
14-3 in singles and 13-1 in doubles.
Mudrey helped lead her teaununates to it
14-3 rscxwd and thetr fourth AMCC htk
in jeirs.
women's tennis Oneti ef the Year award
the first (Dime since 2000 L
Housing and Food Service Athlete of the
Week is selected by the Sports Informa
tion Staff.
Murdrey was also chosen as this week's
AMCC Women's Tennis Player of the
Week.