Amy Frizzell & Kevin Fiorenzo,
lolls editors
On Deck
Behrend
Athletic
Events
Friday
Women's Basketball
AMCC Tournament
1 p.m.
Men's Basketball
AMCC Tournament
6 p.m.
Saturday
Men's and Women's
Indoor Track & Field
@ Mount Union
9 a.m.
Men's Tennis vs.
Waynesburg
1 p.m.
Men's and Women's
Swimming
@ ECAC
TBD
Women's Basketball
AMCC Tournament
Championships
1 p.m.
Men's Basketball
AMCC Tournament
Championships
3 p.m.
Thursday
Men's and Women's
Swimming
@ ECAC
TB D
Club
Schedule
Saturday
Club Volleyball
vs. John Carroll
noon
Sunday
Club Volleyball
@ Case Western
11 a.m.
Intramura
Schedule
COED 4 vs. 4
Basketball
Play begins March 17
Men's, Women's
and COED Volleyball
Entry Deadline
March 5
en's tennis splits double header
by Amy Frizzell
sports editor
On Saturday the men's tennis team
traveled to Cleveland for its first match
and double header of the season. After
falling to Baldwin Wallace 8-1, the Lions
downed Thomas More with a score of
8-1.
"We knew it was going to be a hard
match but we just had to try our hardest,"
said sophomore Jon Barber of the team's
expectations going into the Baldwin
match.
"They are an experienced team who
field a few regionally ranked players."
Sophomore John Marini and junior
Ryan Deimel teamed up at first doubles
against the Yellow Jackets' regionally
ranked doubles team. Marini and Deimel
walked away with the only win for the
Lions at 8-5.
Baseball looks to
repeat success
pitching staff. This year the baseball team
hopes to repeat its success from last year as
it defends its AMCC title and ECAC Southern
Regional title.
by Kevin Fiorenzo
sports editor
After capturing the AMCC and ECAC
Southern Region titles last season, the
baseball team will open its season next
week at Spring Training in Florida
The baseball team finished last season
with a 33-10 overall record and 9-3 in
the AMCC. After defeating Frostburg
State to claim the AMCC title, the team
went on to overtake Waynesburg and win
the ECAC Southern Region.
As a team, the Lions led the confer
ence in batting average (.346) and were
second in ERA and scoring, behind
Frostburg State.
Though they performed at a stellar
level throughout the season, it ended on
a disappointing note as the team was not
selected to play in the NCAA tourna
ment.
This season, the Behrend squad will
return several players from last year's
championship team. Last year's AMCC
player of the year, senior Adam Best, will
return to his starting spot in centerfield.
Best led the AMCC with a .493 batting
average; he was also fifth best in Divi
sion 81, and in stolen bases, with 27 pil
fers. Best was also a member of the
ECAC First Team.
He will be joined by fellow outfield-
Water polo splas
will fill the goalie position this season
by Scott Soltis
assistant managing editor
The Lady Lions will have a new look
this season under first year coach Joe
Tristan. Tristan inherits a team that went
8-23 last season, but has some senior hun
gry to finish out their career on a positive
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Friday, February 27, 2004
"It was the best match I've seen
doubles wise since I've been here," said
Coach Jeff Barger of the pair's win.
The men's second and third doubles
teams were not so lucky, falling at both
spots. Deimel dropped his singles match,
6-2, 7-6. Following his loss was Marini
losing 6-0, 6-0. Barber lost at third 6-4,
6-3.
Freshman Brian Espin fell at fourth 6-
1, 6-1, sophomore Kevin Fiorenzo lost
6-1, 6-2 and completing the pattern was
freshman Matt Myers, losing with a
score of 6-2, 6-2.
The Lions were able to bounce back
against Thomas More, allowing only one
match to be lost. The team was also at
an advantage because Thomas More had
only five players, forcing them to forfeit
a singles and doubles match. Marini
suffered the team's only loss, at second
singles 8-2.
and freshman Brent Gabel,
Behrend's mound crew looks to continue
to be one of the team's strengths. Last
year's Most Improved Player, junior Ja
son Shaffer, finished last season with a
7-1 record and 54 strikeouts. Also re
turning are junior Matt Szymanski and
sophomores Ray DeVaul and Chris
McCartney.
Head coach Paul Benim said, "We are
fortunate to have a strong group of ex
perienced players and expect our seven
seniors to set the tone with their play and
positive attitudes."
Along with its returning players, the
team hopes to get some added help from
new players.
"We have some talented freshman and
one transfer who have all added to our
program," said Benim
"Our freshman class could be one of
our best recruiting classes in my tenure."
The team begins its 2004 season in
Port St. Lucie, Fla., on March 7 with nine
games that will hopefully improve the
players and prepare them for the rest of
the season. They will be playing against
teams such as Manhattanville,
Susquehanna, Simpson, Bethany, Rivier,
Clarion, Northland and St. Scholastica.
Benim said, "We try to get just a little
better every day and hopefully by year's
end we have improved a great deal and
can make a postseason run."
Amanda Brown, is equally
excited about the change. "Overall I think
the team is doing a good job adjusting to
our new coach," said Brown. "He is very
team oriented and involved with all of the
players."
Brown and McGarvey make up all that
is left from the inaugural women's water
polo team of 2001. Tristan will look to
ers and seniors Mitch
Reckner and Tim Stafford.
Reckner hit .427 last year
and led the conference in
RBl's, a school record 56,
and triples, with seven.
Stafford finished the year
with a .411 BA and 53 hits.
The infield will also ben
efit from having some vet
eran experience to work
with. Seniors Tyler Wiand
and Tony Azzato will help
the infield at third and sec
ond base, respectively.
Rounding out the infield
will be junior Vince
Canzano at shortstop and
sophomore Eddie George at
first. Designated hitter du
ties will be taken by sopho
more Shane Elzer. The
backstop will be manned by
senior Brad Shamitko.
Though it lost two start-
ers in senior Ryan Seyler
es into new season
One of the returning
seniors is center Sarah
McGarvey who is very eager
to start the new season with
a fresh face at coach. "He
(Tristan) is ten times more
knowledgeable about the
game compared to Heynes
(the former coach),"
McGarvey said. She contin
ued to say that this would be
an asset for the team's many
freshmen this year.
Another senior, driver
Deimel and Marini teamed up for an
8-4 win, along with Barber and Espin
winning 8-0. Deimel downed his
opponent 8-1 at first singles.
Barber served up an ace, winning 8-0,
while Espin recorded a 8-2 win.
Fiorenzo finished out the winning lineup
with a score of 8-2.
The team will next take on
Waynesburg College on Saturday.
"I predict a pretty close match," said
Barger.
"They picked up some new players so
it will be a good match."
During last season the Lions rolled
over Waynesburg, only dropping one
match with a score of 6-1.
"The team will be harder to beat than
last year considering they gained two
new starters to their line-up," said
Barber.
"I feel the team is still confident in
Softball reloads with
new coach, players
by Amy Frizzell
sports editor
The women of this years' squad are
optimistic that spring will bring more
than just new grass, sunshine and warm
temperatures. They Lions enter this sea
son with a new mentality and revive
hopes of earning an AMCC title for the
first time since 1999.
The addition of first-year head coach
Stacy Pondo and eight talented freshmen
have ignited a spark among the return
ing players.
"Coach Pondo is bringing a new per
spective to the team," senior pitcher
Stephanie Covert said. "She stresses
fundamentals and teamwork. She's
about starting small and working your
way up, which is what we need with
eight freshmen."
A new coach and new players just
might be what the doctor ordered to help
the blue and white get back to form in
both conference and non conference
play. The Lions posted a 4-8 conference
record, 12-22 overall.
Seniors Becky Corbin, Covert and
Brandy Polinick will return to lead the
team to its goal to make it to the confer
ence tournament. Last year Corbin led
the team from the mound in 117 innings.
She also led the team with triples.
Covert plans on returning to the pitch
ing position after an injury kept her
benched last season. Polinick will re
turn to centerfield where she played 64
games in the last two years.
Marsh, the lone junior, will return to
play infield/catcher.
With five sophomores returning, the
Lions will have a lot to work with over
the season. Leacy Sauer will be return
ing to the outfield. Also returning will
be Lindsey Stankus, Kim Raff, Shelle
Roberts and Jill Woodridge.
Freshmen Amy Barrett, Loriel Herist,
Sandra Jaussi, Kristen Macha, Brittany
Mays, Shannon Rupprecht and Bethany
Slomski will provide a promising future
for the team.
"Even though this years team is very
young we have a very competative
team," said Polinick. "Our hitting is a
lot better than in past years and I believe
that we should be one of the top teams
in the AMCC."
The team will start off its season in
Kissimmee, Ha., where it will compete
the two for leadership on the team. "Sa
rah has a very strong will...as a captain
she's really stepping it up as a leader as
well as a player," said Tristan. Brown,
McGarvey, and fellow senior Tara Braden
are the tri-captains that hope to lead the
squad this year.
The team has six freshmen this year,
but returning junior driver Samantha
Cibula sees this as an asset. "We have
gained two freshmen who have polo ex
perience and the girls that have never
played before that are on the team have
tremendous speed and endurance," said
Cibula. Overall this is a young team with
seven of the 11 players on the team as
underclassmen.
Aside from the youth of the team, the
Lions have been plagued with injuries.
Both Brown and Cibula are nursing inju
ries and the team lost returning player Erin
Troester for the season due to a lacerated
liver. The injuries to Brown and Cibula
are very untimely as the team squares off
The Behrend Beacon
being able to come away with a win
though."
The next move for the team will be a
trip to Hilton Heaa, S.C. where they will
play eight matches in six days. It will
take on such teams as Emory and Henry,
Mount Union, Hiram, Upper lowa, Lake
Forest, Eastern Nazarene, Vassar and
Green Mountain.
During the 2003 season the team was
able to start off its winning streak against
Emory and Henry, a streak which also
took Mount Union as a victim.
"Playing Emory and Henry and Mount
Union first will be helpful," said Barger.
"It'll give us an idea of where we stand
from last year."
This year the team will have to work
harder to keep a streak going against
Green Mountain, whose team was
ranked No. 18 regionally.
in the Rebel Games. During six days
the Lions will play five double headers
against such teams as US Coast Guard,
John Carroll, Ohio Wesylan, Hiram,
Mount Union, Baldwin-Wallace,
Marietta, Anderson, McKendree and
Misericordia.
"I have high expectations for Florida.
We should be able to come home with
anywhere from eight to 10 wins," said
Polinick.
"It will be good for our team to get
out there on the field and compete."
Upon their return the women will
travel to Bethany, host Medaille and
travel again to Westminster. The Lions
will then start AMCC play against Pitt-
Greensburg on March 27.
The team is very positive about almost
every aspect of its game this year.
"Everyone is very positive about the
upcoming season and we have been
working hard at pratice," said Corbin.
"We have a better sense of 'team chem
istry' than I remember having in any of
the past three years, whic should help us
to play better together and win some
more games."
The Lions will head into their spring
training games full of confidence.
Junior Charity Marsh will play a key
role in the softball team's season
as a versitile player.
against Salem International and Washing
ton and Jefforson on March 6 and 7 to
open their season.
A final uphill struggle for the squad will
be replacing key lost veterans. Both of
Behrend's leading scorers from last year,
Christine Williams and Hollie Stash are
not back this year as well as the only
goalie the team had ever known in Lauren
Packer. Williams transferred from the
college, while Stash and Packer voluntar
ily left the team, Packer to pursue her soft
ball career at the college.
Despite several odds stacked against
them the team remains optimistic. Tristan
has set three goals for his team, become a
top Division 111 team academically, make
it to the Eastern Championships and get a
selective bid to the DIII Collegiate Na
tional Tournament. How the Lions fare
in their opening weekend will go along
wa) to determining their ability to reach
two of their coaches' goals.
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