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A B p E ri ti l
30 RE 20 N 10 D BEACON Sp
m i l www.thebehrendbeacon.com
BEHREND BEACON YEAR IN REVIEW
A look back at the stories that define the 2009-2010 academic year at Penn State Behrend
(ALL STORIES PRINTED WITH AUTHOR, THEIR STAFF TITLE AT THE TIME AT WHICH THE ARTXLE WAS PUBLISHED, AND DATE THE ARTICLE ORIGINALLY RAN IN THE BEHREND BEACON.)
SHAWN ANNARELLI
Tort , . eiltfor
October 23, 2009
The women's tennis team
won their ninth AMCC Cham
pionship on Aug. 18.
The women's tennis program
has won all nine of those titles
in the past 13 years. This year
marked the ninth champi
onship season led by head
coach Jeff Barger and the third
for seniors Christy Calvert and
Karen Flobaugh.
"Christy and Karen were
great student athletes," Barger
said. "They did the best they
could do on and off the court.
In four years they each over
came a lot to help us do well.
They will be missed as leaders
on the team."
Behrend, Penn State Altoona
and Frostburg State were es
tablished as the top three con
tenders for the championship
from the get go. Each team re
ceived nine points in doubles
play.
Frostburg State got off to the
fastest start winning two of the
three doubles finals against
Behrend's pairs. Only
Behrend's number two duo of
Mens golf team wins AMCC championship
NICK BLAKE
Tort , ' editor
October, 9 2009
The Penn State Behrend
men's golf team is the AMCC
champion.
It was a very close battle that
took two days and a tiebreaker
to decide, but the men's golf
team defeated the defending
AMCC champion Penn State
Altoona team to take the title.
Both teams finished with a
two-day final score of 617, but
Penn State Behrend claimed
the title due to the tiebreak.
This AMCC title is the first
for James Bowen as a head
coach for the Behrend Lions,
and he was extremely proud of
his team.
"I just couldn't compose my
self, I was just so happy for
those guys," Bowen said.
The tournament started on
Oct. 4 and the Behrend Lions
jumped out to a 299-303 lead
Daniel Smith / The Behrend Beacon
Out in front: Senior Kevin Gorny,
above, has been one of Behrend's
most consistent leaders. He finished
first
WOMEN'S TENNIS WIN
junior Hillary Lasher and soph
omore Leslie Durante could
scrap out a finals win in dou
bles competition, 9-8, (4).
Lasher and Durante were the
only two to record finals victo
ries in singles and doubles
competition.
Behrend went undefeated in
every, singles final to pull away
from both Frostburg State and
Altoona.
"I just told the ladies that
doubles is over," Barger said.
"Play singles the way we can
play. Have fun."
Sophomore Arica Christman
led the singles. Christman
swept the top finals match and
defeated Frostburg State's Elle
Dannenfelser (6-3, 6-2).
Christman and her doubles
partner, sophomore Stephanie
Cattron, rebounded with victo
ries in single finals after losing
badly in the number one dou
bles final.
"Singles is my game," Christ
man said. "I have played her
before. I knew that I could beat
her. It was hard losing in dou
bles, but I wanted that singles
title too much to let the loss get
me down."
The match between Christ
man and Dannenfelser pitted
after the first round at Tom's
Run Golf Resort in Blairsville,
Pa.
Senior Pat Petraglia led the
Lions with a tournament best,
first round score of 70, which
was two under par for the
course.
"The focus that Pat [Pe
traglia] had on that first day
was unbelievable," Bowen said.
"That focus that he showed,
and that two under for the first
day really lifted the other guys
up."
All of the scores tallied by
Behrend on the first day were
in the 70's, giving the Lions a
very productive first day.
Penn State Altoona has a
very good golf program, so the
Blue and White knew what they
were going up against.
"[Penn State] Altoona is a
great team, and with them
chasing us we knew we had to
do our best," Bowen said.
On day two of the tourna-
For the third
straight year, the
men's cross country
team has taken home
the AMCC Title, deftly
handling all challengers this
weekend.
The women's team fin
ished just short of the title,
coming in third overall behind
Frostburg State University and Franciscan
The Behrend men's cross country team dominated the field,
with seniors Kevin Gorny and Andy lams finishing first and
second overall, respectively.
Along with the team's success, there were individual ac
complishments as well.
Gorny was named the AMCC Champion of this season for
the second time since 2007.
In addition to repeating success, both Gorny and lams
made the All-Conference Team for the fourth year in a row,
making them the only the fifth and sixth men in the history of
Behrend's Cross Country to do so.
"It was pretty exciting," lams said. "I've been running
for 10 years and to end my running career with a Con
ference Championship and as a runner-up with these
guys is amazing."
ment, the Behrend Lions shot a
318, but Penn State Altoona an
swered with a 314, tying the
teams' two day total at 617.
In the event of a tie, the best
score of each team's number
five golfer is used to decide the
champion, and the Behrend
Lions had the best fifth score,
earning them the title.
Division 111 does not give out
golf scholarships, and Bowen
stressed how much his team
loves the game.
"These guys are tired, they've
missed a lot of class and I com
mend them for that," Bowen
said. "We can't give out schol
arships, so they're out there
playing because the truly love
the game."
Penn State Altoona had won
the AMCC championship the
previous three years, so the vic
tory for Behrend was very spe
cial.
"It was thrilling, I had so
many coaches congratulating
L~ I
AMANDA STETZ For the women, the main
start wr !ter competition was Frostburg
October 6, 2010 GOrn li 1 lams lead Menic
7 University an Fran
i; ciscan State
University, last d
year's
defending champions.
"We ran our hard
est," said junior captain
Liz Keller. "Franciscan is
a tough team. They de
served everything that
they won today. They will
still be a tough team to beat
next year, as their best run
ners will be returning next
cross country to AMU
ECUTIVE AMC( CHAMPIONSHIP
the AMCC's top two play
ers against each other.
The two went unde
feated in AMCC play,
except when they
faced each other.
The rivals
split
season to set up
Christman's winning
effort in a grudge
match at the AMCC
Championships.
"It was important for
me to eliminate any er
rors and stay fo
cused," Christman
said. "I played one
of the best
matches I have
ever played, so
it was really fun
competition."
Cattron de
feated Altoona's
N‘4l. •
Contributed Photo
The newly minted AMCC mens golf champions, The Penn State Behrend Lions
me and my players," Bowen the AMCC championship in
said. "It's not that anyone dis- 2004, but the most recent one
likes Altoona, but they were the will surely stick with the team
defending champs and they forever.
were dethroned." "I just can't state how great
The Behrend Lions also won and exciting the entire tourna-
title
Running through the muddy fields from the weather
overnight as well as the morning's presented a challenge for
all teams.
"The field was terrible," said senior captain Kevin Gorny.
"The mud was thick and my time was affected by it. But we were
racing to place, not for time, and I was real proud of my team."
Under Gorny's lead, the men also earned 17 points, the lowest -
and best - number of points a cross country team has scored in the
history of the AMCC.
"Both men's and women's teams ran excellent races," said
Behrend's head coach Greg Cooper. "Our women ran well and I'm
pleased with Jenna [Fatica] and Emily [Berry]. As for the men, one
of the hardest things to do in sports is to do what you're supposed
to do. It was awesome for them to step up and stay focused "
STY
Emily Knott (6-2, 6-4) in the
second singles final.
Lasher, Calvert, Durante and
Hobaugh continued Behrend's
path of destruction.
Calvert, playing with a severe
shoulder injury, won the num
ber four singles final, (7-6, 6-0),
over Frostburg State's Megan
Martin.
"I rank this AMCC title the
highest among the rest we have
won," Calvert said. "I ranked it
the highest because I played in
my last collegiate tennis
match."
matches
one to one
in the regular
Hobaugh defeated Frostburg
State's Jannil Sites (6-3, 6-0) in
the number six singles final.
"This title will always be very
near and dear to me," Hobaugh
said. "While fighting for the
victory on Sunday, I also kept in
mind that it was the end of my
last season. It was very bitter
sweet. I'm so proud of every
one's performance there."
Calvert and Hobaugh were
cornerstones in building the
women's tennis program's dy
nasty. Each displayed humble
ness and gratification in
reminiscing their exceptional
reign as part of the AMCC's
best women's tennis program.
"Over the past four years, I
orts
have had the privilege to play
among many talented tennis
players who love this sport,"
Hobaugh said. "I've made some
of my closest friends through
tennis.
Calvert and Hobaugh each
noted their gratitude towards
coach Barger and expressed
how rewarded they feel.
"Playing collegiate tennis
was a dream of mine," Calvert
said.
"I couldn't have been more
fortunate to play for this team,"
Hobaugh said.
AMCC titles in
last 12 years
7
More AMCC championships
than any other team
5
Consecutive
AMCC
titles
ment was," Bowen said
The championship earns
Penn State Behrend an auto
matic bid to the NCAA Tourna
ment, which will be played in
May 2010.
Senior Andy lams
finished second
seconds ,
teammai
Got