To The Edge Intramural Calendar DEADLINES February 2 - Arena Football (Men's and Women's divisions) Play begins after February 5 February 23 - 4 vs 4 Volleyball (Coed) Play begins around March 13 March 2 - Volleyball (Men's, Women's, and Coed Divisions) Play begins March 19 March 23 - Whitewater Rafting at Ohiopyle March 30 - Swimming Individual (Men's and Women's Divisions) Swimming Team (Men's, Women's, and Coed Divisions) Behrend Sporting Events February 3 Women's basketball at Pitt-Bradford 2:00 PM Men's basketball at Pitt- Bradford 4:00 PM February 5 Women's basketball at Waynesburg 5:30 PM February 6 Men's basketball vs. St John Fisher 7:30 PM February 9 Swimming vs. Bloomsburg 3:00 PM TATE PELT LIONS Strong offense guides Lions to conference wins by Bob Palivoda staff writer The Penn State Behrend women's basketball team remained unde feated in conference play as they slipped past Lake Ene on Wednes day, 52-50, then came back home to topple La Roche, 87-64, on Sat urday. The Lions stepped into Lake Erie's court holding an 11-5 overall record and 5-0 in conference play. Lake Erie had both a losing record overall (6-Q) and in conference play (2-4). At the half, the game remained close. Penn State Behrend only grasped onto a 4-point lead (28-24). The game still remained up for grabs for either team. Haywood is starting new beginnings for Behrend BY JEANINE NOCE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Allen Haywood is helping to start a new tradition for the Penn State Behrend Sports Program. He will dive into the first Penn State Swimming and Diving Team while also playing for the men's water polo team. Both sports, which are housed in the ARC, are new to Behrend this year and are aspiring to become well known sports on the Behrend campus. Haywood is thrilled to be a member of the men's swimming team. Thus far it has been enjoyable being a member and he stated that the coaches, Josh Heynes and Jennifer Slack, have been extremely helpful towards all of the team members. The coaches have started the season out by having practices every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6:00 a.m to 7:45 a.m. They also have practice daily from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The 50M and 100 M freestyle, the backstroke and the butterfly will be the events that Haywood will be competing in. In each event he will compete as an individual and also as part of a relay team. Haywood has been swimming since the age of seven and has also been a member of his high school swim team during his junior year. Haywood came to Behrend from Moon, Pennsylvania, and was a member of the Moon Area High School Swim Team. He is currently Winning streak keeps playoff hopes alive by Mike Bello staff writer A little experience can go a long way, and as of late the men's basketball team has discovered this to be true. The Lions have put together a 5 game winning streak and have quickly turned around what could have been a very disastrous season, especially after the success of last year's team. With each player's individual talents now merging together into a complete team unit, the young Lions are proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the AMCC just as they were during last year's 26-4 campaign. The most benefit from the early season losses has gone to the newcomers to this year's team, as well as the experienced players who may not he used to having as many wins as losses. "This is as talented a freshmen class as we've ever had," said head coach Dave Niland. "It's a group that's hungry, a group with a good attitude. You're going to have success and failure and you've got to be able to handle those. As we learn how to work hard every day and handle success with failure and as you get older as a player, those things become inherent and all of a sudden you become a good team. That's what happened with past groups that went through here. They all went through The second half was no different than the first, and the game remained tight-fisted. Despite Lake Erie's record, they scrapped until the bitter end of the contest. Kate Costanzo and Jen O'Lare ended Lake Erie's hopes as they both hit key free throws to give the Lions a win. Erin Phillips led the Lions that evening with a total of 14 points, go ing 6 for 8 from the free throw line. Both Jen O'Lare and Kate Costanzo followed Phillips with ten points each. Other contributors for the Lady Lions were Erica Mozdy (7), Amanda Mauser (5), Christine Charnock (4), and Lisa Sanders (2). Behrend also dominated the boards pulling down 49 rebounds to Lake Erie's 36. The Women's game against La Roche at home on Saturday was less in his fifth year and is obtaining a double major of EET (Electrical Engineering Technology) and MIS (Management Information Systems). The EET major consisted of a two year program, and he is now working towards the MIS major, which is a four-year program. Haywood believes that it is difficult to juggle swimming and his double major, however, he said that it is manageable and that a person who swims has to keep focused on school. The team consists of ten members and thus far has competed against six their ups and downs, but throagh all those trials they became a very good team. It didn't happen overnight." Behrend won their fourth game in a row on January 24 at Lake Erie, disposing of the Storm by a 73-60 score. The Lions' defense, which struggled early on in the year, put together another strong outing by limiting Lake Erie (6- 11) to a 40% field goal average. On their offensive side of the ball, Behrend shot 44% from the floor and also converted 18 of 25 foul shots. Behrend, which opened a 9-point lead at the half, was able to put the game out of reach by applying defensive pressure in the fourth quarter against the weaker Storm. James Curren was 8-12 from the field, including 8 rebounds, on his way to a 20-point effort for Behrend. Fellow freshman Dave Hairston added 14 points, 7 rebounds, and a team season high 6 assists on the night. Steve Merrill, who of late has been contributing as much as a starter, had another strong performance with 13 points, including 7 free throws, in only 13 minutes of game time. Casey Ponsoll had 11 points while lone senior Ashley Orris added 7 points for the Lions. The Behrend squad then returned home for a game with La Roche. The Lions went into halftime tied with La Roche at 27 all, but then put forth a defensive shut down worthy of the intense. La Roche showed up to the game with an overall record of 4-11, not having won a single conference game, 0-6. The Lions had no prob lems controlling this game from the tip off until the sound of the final buzzer. As the first half of play ended, La Roche trailed Behrend by 10 points (39-29). In the second half of play, the Li ons triumphed over La Roche, outscoring them by 13 points. This gave the Lions a total of 87 points in the game, giving them an 87-64 vic tory over La Roche. Behrend's record was increased to 13-5 overall and 7-0 in their conference. Coach Rosalyn Fornari was very proud of her Behrend basketball team. She commented, "It was an entire tam effort. We got everyone in the PHOTO BY BECKY WEINDORF other teams. Haywood has placed third and fourth in many events and hopes to place first or second in the near future. On January 24, the team traveled to Washington and Jefferson to compete against W & J, as well as Frostburg at 4:00 p.m. The men's final scores were 37-60 and 37-60. Their next meet will be on February 9, at Bloomsburg University at 6:00 p.m. Haywood is definitely excited to be able to compete for Behrend and says that it has been a good season for the team. Also, he is looking forward to building a strong team for next year. hall of fame. Behrend allowed only 6 baskets in the second half on their way to a 62-45 win, avenging thel9-point loss they suffered to La Roche earlier in the season. The win also allowed Behrend to climb to the .500 level for the first time all season and upped their record to 9-9 for the year. The win also gave Behrend a 7-2 record at the comfy confines of Erie Hall while the finishing touches are added to the ARC's basketball court. Dave Hairston led all scorers with 14 points on 5-7 shooting and had 6 rebounds for the Lions. Merrill converted all 8 of his foul shots and had 11 points on the night, the third game in a row he has scored at least 11 points coming off the bench. Orris and Curren both had 8 points in the game, and Curren had a game high 8 rebounds, the fifth game in a row he has led the Lions in rebounds. Behrend converted nearly 45% of their shots while stifling the La Roche Hawks offense to a 35% field goal percentage. After the Lions' game with Penn State Altoona on the January 31, Behrend's downstate road trip continues with a game against Pitt-Bradford on Saturday, February 3. The Panthers are the only team in the AMCC Behrend has yet to beat. With a win over Bradford, the Lions (5-2 AMCC record) could leapfrog themselves into second place game, and sincerely, they all played well." She definitely does have rea son to be happy. , Everybody on Behrend played and contributed in their own way, whether it was hitting jump shots, making free throws, or taking it to the boards. Three Behrend Lady Lions hit double digits in the game versus Laßoche. Jen 0' Lare led the Lions with 20 points. Erin Phillips dropped to a total of 14 points and Lisa Sand ers totaled 13 points. Other contribu tors were Danielle Bemis (8), Chris tine Charnock (6), Carly Cochran (5). Katie Weigold (5), and Crystal McGarvey (4). Coach Fornari also complimented Lisa Sanders on the way she has been stepping up her play. "1 really think Lisa is starting to play with a lot of As intensity increases, young swim team looks to challenge AMCC opponents by Kate Levdansky Petrikis staff writer Despite a lot of effort, the Penn State Behrend men and women's swimming team came up short against W&J and Frostburg. The men lost 37- 60 and 37-60, and the ladies lost 28-55 and 18-81. To prepare for meets, the swim team is practicing heavily on Monday. Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 6:15-7:30 and Monday through Friday from 4:00 P.M.- 6:00 P. M . "We are at the pinnacle of our training. The yardage has increased and so has the intensity of practices. The team is responding well to it," Coach Heynes said. This meets' highlighted swimmers were Adam DeMarco and Hollie Stash, who both set new Penn State Behrend records in the 200 yard backstroke. For Stash, it was also a personal best swim time. DeMarco was part of the men's 400 medley relay which set a new team record in addition to his individual events. Stash was also part of the 400 medley relay which set a new Penn State Behrend record. "The team is really impressing the coaching staff," said Heynes. Last week's most valuable swimmer, who was named by Coach Heynes, was Lindsay Spiegel. Although Spiegel was not feeling completely up to par, she did the best she could under the circumstances. Spiegel is a transfer student this semester and has had a dramatic "impact on the team," according to Coach Josh Heynes. Spiegel has already set two individual team records for the women's 100 freestyle and the women's 10(1 breaststroke. She also took part in a FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2001 control, - Fornari commented. She went on to say that the senior is mak ing great decisions and helping the Behrend Lions to victory. Another note-worthy player, junior Erin Phillips, is only 33 points away from the 1,000 career point mark. Coach Fornari expects her to achieve this mark in the next few road games. The women must now remain fo cused as they face three straight road games. Coach Fornari feels these away games will help the team stay focused and play hard. Behrend starts the three road game stretch against Penn State Altoona at 6:00 PM this Wednesday, January 31, then travel to Pitt-Bradford on Feb ruary 3 and play at 2:00 PM. The road trip finally ends on February 5 at Waynesburg at 5:30 PM. new relay record for the 200 medley relay. Spiegel prepares herself by taking what she has perfected at practice and applying it to the specific meet. Spiegel says, "I was concerned about doing my best for the team and scoring points for the team because the key to winning is to enjoy what you are doing and work hard to reach specific goals. Given that I just transferred here it has been really easy because the coaches and all the team members have made me feel really comfortable, and have all been really nice to me. It was nice to come to Behrend and have this new facility and this team for me to be a part of." Spiegel feels that if Behrend continues to get many new recruits, the program will really grow. In the upcoming meets, the team will be looking to maintain swim times and swim faster, given that they are still learning how to race and how to race better. Coach Heynes says, "We want to win the meet against AMCC rival Altoona, but we are really gearing up for the Grove City Invitational, where for the first time in history there will be an AMCC title race between Behrend, Altoona, and Frostburg." Behrend's strengths are in the sprint races and the distance races, and their weaknesses lie in the stroke and diving events. Heynes says, "the key to winning right now is staying positive, staying focused for three more weeks, and training, training, training! However, we must stay healthy. We know what the other teams are capable of, but no one knows about us. This could be helpful in the end." Behrend's next meet is against Bloomsburg on February 9. in the conference standings. Frostburg, with a 6-1 record, has had a hold onto first place for the season, but their only loss occurred at the hands of Behrend. Pitt-Bradford defeated Behrend on January 10 by four points at Erie Hall, 72-68, a game in which Behrend nearly rebounded after being down by 7 points at halftime. The Panthers are led by sophomore Matt Beacom (17.3 ppg) and senior Don Bentley (16.7 ppg), with their only AMCC loss occurring to Frostburg State. On Tuesday, February 6, Behrend plays host to their last non-conference opponent of the season, St. John Fisher out of Rochester, New York, at 7:30 p.m. at Erie Hall. Junior Carl Jefferson (18.4 ppg) and seniors Mark Niggli (15.6 ppg) and R.J. Fiorelli (12.2 ppg) lead the St. John Fisher (11-6) attack. St. John Fisher just like Behrend, finds themselves in the thick of their conference standings and will be bringing all they've got to Erie Hall in a tune up for their season ending conference play. The Lions can use the contest to refine any weaknesses in their game. This will prepare them for the showdown with Frostburg, one that could very well determine who gets the #1 seed in the AMCC. This #1 seed may be a possibility as long as Behrend continues to build on their season-saving five game winning streak.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers