Page 12
The Behrend Beacon
Calendar
of Events
Behrend
Athletic
Events
Saturday
Men’s Tennis
Allegheny/Mercyhurst
Westwood Racquet Club
1 p.m., 5 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
Pitt-Greensburg
Junker Center
6 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
Pitt-Greensburg
Junker Center
8 p.m
Wednesday
Women’s Basketball
AMCC Tournament
Junker Center
6 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
AMCC Tournament
Junker Center
8 p.m.
Thursday
Men’s and Women’s
Swimming @ Grove City
Invitational TBA
Friday, Feb. 22
Men’s and Women’s
Swimming @ Grove City
Invitational TBA
Women’s Basketball
AMCC Tournament
TBA
Men’s Basketball
AMCC Tournament
© Pitt-Bradford
TBA
Saturday, Feb. 23
Men’s Tennis
© Baldwin-Wallace
TBA
Men’s and Women’s
Swimming ©Grove City
Invitational TBA
Men’s and Women’s Track
and Field © Mount Union
Invitatational TBA
Men’s Basketball
AMCC Tournament
@ Pitt-Bradford
TBA
Women’sßasketball
AMCC Tournament
TBA
Intramurals
Schedule
Friday
Intramural Swimming:
Men’s, Women’s, and
Coed Individual;
Men’s, Women’s, and
Coed Team
Friday, Feb. 22
Intramural 4 vs. 4 Volley
ball - $3
Ail entries must be at the
intramural office by 4 p.m.
on the scheduled date
It could all come down to coin toss for Lions
One game to go, and then the nerves skyrocket. With the
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Tournament
around the comer, all teams are gearing up for the playoffs.
The tides keep changing and the battle for the rankings is
on, as Pitt-Bradford holds the No. 1 spot.
With Frostburg State’s recent win against Penn State
Altoona, the Bobcats moved to 8-3 in conference play, 13-
11 on the season. Penn State Behrend jumped to 16-7 over
all, 8-3 in the league after winning Wednesday’s non-con
ference game against Medaille. Should both teams win on
Saturday, a coin toss will determine who gets the No. 2 and
No. 3 seed. Behrend closes out its regular season against
Pitt-Greensburg at the Junker Center at 8 p.m.
The fight is on.
Playoffs begin Wednesday and with the tough competi
tion comes more hard work and dedication.
“We just go to practice, prepare and work hard and try to Keeping track on the status of other top-ranked teams is
get better every time out,” said sophomore Marty Timm. one area the players are not concerned about. Sophomore Dave Hairston (30) loses control Of the ball with Randy
The Blue and White took on Medaille Wednesday night, “We our not really looking at one team m part.cular, £ (44) and c p onso „ (32) providing support on Saturday,
and dominated the Mavericks in a 69-39 road win. Behrend said freshman Joe Lucas. We are just trying to get our- 7 7
had one of its best games offensively all season, shooting selves better everyday by working hard in practice for who- plays No. 6, and No. 4 plays No. 5. If drop to third place, they will play ei
-68.2 percent from the field in the second half and 63.6 per- ever our next opponent is.” Behrend stays in the No. 2 position, ther Altoona or La Roche, depending
cent for the game. Casey Ponsoll made a game-high 21 During the playoffs, the No. 2 team plays No. 7, No. 3 they will face Lake Erie. If the Lions on Saturday’s outcome.
Beiiiiidihe Scenes ?'"
Vallor, the man behind
Beacon; Why did you want to be the
Swim teams overpower
Altoona at home
by Kate Levdansky
Petrikis
assistant sports editor
The Lions swim team had
two victories against rival
Penn State Altoona on Sat
urday. The men won 121-43
and the women won 99-64.
Tom Vignolini set two new
team records in the 1- and 3-
meter diving events, with
scores of 180.55 and 169.35,
respectively. Casey Doody
also set a new team record in
the 100 free with a time of
50.17.
Christine Williams set two
new team records in the 500
free and 1,000 free, with
times of 5:41.45 and
11:42.54, respectively. Tara Braden
also set a new team record in 100
breaststroke with a time of 1:14.53.
“The meet was a both a disappoint
ment and a great measuring tool for
us,” said coach Josh Heynes. “It was
a disappointment because Altoona did
not bring [its] entire squad for one
reason or another, so that meant we
pretty much had to swim ourselves.
“It was a great measuring tool be
cause we are still breaking records,
and swimming fast even at the begin
ning of our taper. This will help us
determine more of what each indi
vidual needs to do to have a success
ful meet at Grove City.”
The team is preparing for its next
meet, the Grove City Invitational Feb.
21-23. Preparations are just like those
for any big meet. The team has started
its taper, or resting period, with more
focus on details of the races that they
will be competing in.
“The big yardage and lifting is
done. The only thing to do now is
wait, rest, and focus to see what hap
pens next week at conference,” said
Heynes. “This team has worked hard
to get where they are this year. They
deserve to have the best meet of their
lives! They are excited, we are ex
by Zoe Rose
staff writer
'ttritor: I really never aboitt
! * it happened. It was {an] interest
. No one knew who I was, and I
have a secrct identity. I was al
> athletic and thought it would bein*
Art fl*lf
Wjr» . .
Baton: How long have you been do-
Vaßor: I have had the jofc te the Lion
spring 2000. Wfc had an old uni
for the semester until the atMetic
department ordered anew one, which was
to the one at University Petit.
Beacon: Does it take up a lot of your
or why not?
This question depends on the
whether or not there are a lot of
(mainly basketball). It was
consuming when tihe basket- .
sometimes four for Behrend in a crowds at sporting events.
PHOTO BY KEVIN FALLON / BEHREND BEACON
Christine Williams cracks a smile in her
match against Altoona on Saturday at the
Junker Center. The Lions had reason to
smile, as the women won 99-64 and the
men’s team won 121-43.
“They are liked caged animals just
waiting to be released onto the rest of
the teams at the Grove City Invita
tional. To compete well, all they have
to do is just let their races happen.
They have done all the work they
could do,” said Heynes.
The ECAC Open Championships
are scheduled for Feb. 28-29. So far,
Doody and Lucas Dushac have quali
fied. Many others are on the way and
expect to make it.
“This will be another great accom
plishment for us,” said Heynes. “Last
year we were a no name team.
Behrend? What? Who? Now this is
our chance to put us on the map and
display our program against the al
ready established Division I, 11, 111
schools of the ECAC.
“The team is really excited. We
have a real good shot of being the
AMCC Classic Champions for both
the men and the women. [This] is a
great accomplishment considering we
are only a second-year team, the size
of our squad, and the competition we
have to face,” said Heynes. “I have
all the confidence in the world that
my swimmers will do awesome. They
just have to believe it themselves!”
SPORTS
Friday, February 15, 2002
points on 8-of-10 shooting from the paint along with two 3-
pointers. James Curren contributed vitally to the Lions’
win, as well, with 18 points and eight rebounds. The Lions
secured the win to keep their league title hopes alive.
Last Saturday, the Lions took on the La Roche Redhawks
at home in a contest that they absolutely needed to win.
The Lions did, securing a 65-53 victory.
The Lions had a definite height advantage, which played
a major role in their victory over the Redhawks. La Roche’s
tallest player was 6-5. The Blue and White outrebounded
La Roche 44 to 24. The Lions took a quick 13-0 lead be
fore the Redhawks ended the drought with a 3-pointer. Con
trolling the entire first half, the Lions left the court with a
31-24 halftime lead.
David Hairston had a sensational game with 13 rebounds
and a team-high 18 points that pulled the Lions into a steady
lead throughout the second half. Also contributing to the
win were Ponsoll with 12 points, and Steve Merrill and
Curren with eight points apiece. Curren also had 11 boards.
Otters hockey - it's
'Otter' this world
by Mike Bello
sports editor
and
Kate Levdansky Petrikis
assistant sports editor
Imagine seeing rough and tumble
hockey, the style where the players don’t
hold anything back. Then imagine seeing
the future stars of the NHL without hav
ing to pay the extraordinary prices. Seem
like a far-fetched idea?
Well, this scenario is closer than you
might expect. About four miles down the
road is a place where 16 to 20-year-olds
battle it out on the ice, hoping to impress
that one NHL scout who will draft them.
The Erie Otters play their home games
at the Tullio Arena, located on the 800
block of French St. The building can get
packed for concerts, basketball games,
and other entertainment shows, but when
the Otters are in town, the place shakes
more than a 7.0 earthquake.
Many of the top players in the league
have already been drafted by NHL teams.
Brad Boyes, the Otters’ captain, was taken
by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first
round. But for now, he can be seen cir
cling the rink downtown. Current Sabre
Tim Connolly, one of the NHL’s rising
starts, was also a member of the Otters
for a few years.
The Otters play in the Ontario Hockey
League, made up of more than 20 teams
filled with players all with the same am
bition: to get noticed by the higher-ups.
The players, therefore, play for the love
of the game. For the most part, there are
no multi-million dollar contracts getting
in the way. They play the game because
they love it, not because they get paid in
Ben Franklins.
Because the players hope to someday
make it to the big time, they give it their
all, day in and day out. What you’ll see
when you attend a OHL game is fast
paced hockey, where the talent exists for
r Erie stters Home Schedule 1
l« Saturday, Feb. 23, 7:30 ■ Saturday, March 9, 7:30 I
!■ Sunday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. ■ Friday, Jfcrch 15, 7:30 I
!■ Friday, March 1, 7:30 ■ Saturday, March 16, 7:30 I
l« Saturday, March 2, 7:30 ■ Sunday, March 17, 3 p.m. I
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that spectacular play but the development
is still under construction. Which means
that if you forget the mistakes these
youngsters make, you will find an excit
ing brand of hockey.
What you won’t find is your mother’s
brand of hockey. The athletes, many of
whom are still in high school, aren't afraid
to get in each other’s face. They fight, they
scuffle (often), and they throw their
weight around without worry of repercus
sions. If you like tough-man hockey, game
day at the Tullio Arena is your place.
The Otters are right behind the Guelph
Storm in the Midwest Division in OHL.
Guelph is 30-16-7 while the Otters are 30-
19-4. The Otters are right on their heels,
hoping to finish strong and win the divi
sion.
Boyes and Cory Pecker lead the way
in what hopes to be another successful sea
son. Boyes has 24 goals on the season,
which is third to teammates Scott Dobben
(25 goals) and Pecker (38).
With only 13 games remaining in the
regular season, the Otters are looking to
wards the playoffs. They are hoping to
capture the Western Conference champi
onship title, and then continue to be suc
cessful in the Ontario Hockey League
championships.
If they win the OHL title, the Otters
would then play for the Memorial Cup.
'And maybe, just maybe, they’ll have the
•game of their life in front of a scout from
the NHL. That’s what dreams are made
of.
Mike Bello, Sports Editor
behrcolls @ aol.com
® *¥'/**’ ' ■ *
furry mask j
cause We have a tendency to get a big
crowd.
Beacon: Do you get really hot when
you are in the costume?
Vallor: Do you get hot when you
work out? Lift ? Run? Well put them
all together in one workout, and add
sweatpants and a football helmet, lam
all bottled up in a suit for anywhere
from ad hour to four [or] five hours at
one time. I don’t have a fan to cool me
off or anything, so it is very, very hot.
Beacon: What is the best memory
you have of being the mascot?
Vallor: During the AMCC/NCAA
tournaments spring ’Ol, when the bas
ketball teams were able to pack Erie
Hall, with the help of the cheerleaders
- both male and female that year. It is
to ' the campus come
and it was nice
Housing
and
Food Service
Athlete
of the Week
pennStaie
Costanzo
On Monday, Costanzo
scored a game-high 16
points against Grove City to
break the 1,000-point mark
for her career. Costanzo
(Manorville/Kittanning) led
the Behrend Lions in a 2-0
conference week with wins
over Lake Erie and La
Roche. She had 14 points
in the 81-65 win over Lake
Erie Feb. 6 and a game-high
22 points and 11 rebounds
over La Roche on Saturday.
The Behrend women face
Pitt-Greensburg Saturday,
at 6 p.m. in the Junker Cen
ter for their last regular
season game.
n page 14
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