Friday, April 28, 2006
Lady Lions Soccer on the prowl for ECAC Title and finishing touch
By Kelly Houghton
staff writer
()% I I, 2105
The ECAC title is up for grabs this weekend, and
the Behrend Women's Soccer Team is ready to cap
ture it as they go in to the tournament ranked num
ber one. Behrend battled with Frostburg for the
AMCC Championship last Saturday for the second
straight year. The team entered the championship
ranked number two in the conference but played
with the heart and determination of a number-one
team. The Lady Lions fell 4-3 in the penalty kick
shootout, which determined the final of the score
less 110 minute regulation play. They lost to rival
Frostburg, but the team remains hopeful going into
the ECAC Tournament this weekend at their home
field.
The women have had an overall winning season
with a current record of 14-2-4 and have proven
themselves to be fierce competitors in the 2005 sea
son. With seven members recognized by the all-
AMCC team. more than any other team in the con
ference, the Penn State Erie Lady Lions have more
to be proud of than just their winning season.
Stephanie Bowen and Michelle Newland have
completed their four-year careers at Behrend with
four straight all-conference selections, and junior
Dara Nielsen joined them on the all-conference first
team. Senior Holly Greiner, junior Kara Struski and
freshman Nikki Frisbee earned second team hon-
Men's and women's diving team
By Matt Brendle
staff writer
No\ ember I I. 2005
The diving team of Behrend's men and
women's swim team is having a great
season. They took first place against
Buffalo State, which was followed by a
successful "Blue and White" meet, where
Behrend's swim team split up into two
teams and competed
against each other for
friendly competition. At
their latest meet against
Fredonia State on the
Nov 9, Alejandro Nieto
took first place, scoring
a win for men's diving.
The men and women's
teams are both coached
by Gordon 'Gordy'
Schmidt. The men's
diving team, led so far
this season by Dan
Wiltrout and Alejandro
Nieto, are looking to
build up from last year,
improve and refine their
techniques and keep get-
ting wins. The women's team is corn- have expressed an interest in wanting to
prised of two freshmen, Suzette Noel and somehow raise money or find space on
Kapeka Galazia, who are working on the swim budget for better practice equip
building a solid base after last year's only ment, such as a special trampoline with a
female diver, Cathrine Franklin, graduat- belt and pulley system. This would allow
Penn State football continues to win games
ITRIBUTED PHOTO can remember Bryant
Head Coach Joe Paterno eagerly looks on as his Penn Johnson, and he's some-
State football team embarks on their weekly battle. where around third or
fourth on the depth chart of
the Arizona Cardinals and he in no way
produced like any of these players.
An even more important factor is our
rushing game. The amazing thing is that
10 of 21 of our rushing touchdowns have
come from our quarterback, Tony Hunt.
He leads in yards on the team with 807,
compared to other running backs around
the league may be modest, but consider
ing he averages 6.2 yards per carry puts
him among the elite of any runningback
in college football or football in general.
Some credit has to be given to the offen
sive line - actually a lot of credit has to be
given to the offensive line. There are only
By Matt Davidson
contributing writer
November 4. 204)5
Penn State football, what can I say?
Just when all was lost we get a super sen
ior along with some super freshman to
boost our roster and take us to the num
ber one spot in the Big Ten.
Northwestern check, Minnesota check,
Ohio State check, Michigan...well let's
get this out of the way. If we couldn't
keep them from getting into the end zone
from 50 yards away in less than 40 sec
onds, then we didn't deserve to win the
football game. It doesn't matter whether
ed. Cathrine holds the Behrend record
for "Women's Top One Meter Diving
Wiltrout stated, "Things are looking
really good. Alex and I are looking to
improve on our stuff. and [we] arc
improving very quickly and should defi
nitely prove to be an asset to the Penn
State Behrend Diving team. - Dan has
two years of previous diving experience
under his belt from
high school.
Alejandro has no
previous back
ground, but for him,
"Things are looking
really g00d... [we] are
improving very
quickly and should
definitely prove to be
an asset to the Penn
State Behrend Diving
team."
- Dan Wiltrout
ors. Seniors Kacie
Burns and Heather
Crawford received hon
orable-mention trib-
The Lady Lions are
the number one seed
going into the ECAC
Tournament at the
Behrend Fields this
weekend. They will
play Franklin and
Marshall or Gettysburg,
based on the quarterfi
nal winner of
Wednesday's game.
The games will take
place on the Behrend
Fields on Saturday,
Nov. 12 at I I am and 2
p.m., and the two final
ists will fight for the
championship on
Sunday, Nov. 13 at I
p.m.
The Penn State Erie
Women's Soccer Team
has appeared in the ECAC Tournament four times leading goal scorer Holly Greiner will be one to
and is looking to secure the championship this year. watch in the tournament.
With the leadership of head coach Patrick 0' The Lions will he seeing a lot of action from this
Driscoll. the ladies feel that their goal of the ECAC strong footed powerhouse who currently holds the
diving has come
naturally as Dan
mentioned when
asked about
Alejandro's per
formance. Kapeka
is a gymnast, which
will help her with
the flips and twists
of competitive div
ing. Suzette has no
prior background
with diving.
the two seconds was fair or
not, the fact is if our
defense was so good, and
if they wanted to win. then
we should've stopped
them.
The last time Penn
State was this awesome, or
even ranked for the matter,
was 1999 when we had the
talents of Lavar Arrington
and Courtney Brown on
the team. Keep in mind
these two were gone the
next year. This team's
offense is centered on four
-that's right four - fresh
man wide-outs that have
all consistently played at a
level higher than any Penn
State receiver I've seen.
The only Penn State
receiver that was drafted 1
- F.)
P7 l
going into our game
Saturday. We have to
perform like we have
been all season, and we
will clinch this champi
onship. We have the
home field advantage,
and all our fans, friends
and family will be there
to cheer us on. It's
coNTßint - rm Pimp)
going to be a great
Sophomore Emily Rogan hoots the hall down weekend. - says 0'
field after a tough defensive stop last seek. Driscoll.
off to great start
them to practice more difficult dives and
also increase the accuracy of their current
dives. "Smacking face" on the water can
be painful and disorienting, not to men
tion discouraging from pursuing a harder
dive. These trampolines would help
boost the confidence and comfort of the
divers, which would reflect in higher
scores. Practicing different dives without
fear of "smacking face'' would also allow
more focus on technique, which is one of
the bigger focal points of this year's prac
tices.
With only two or three available prac
tice times a week, each one has to he
intense. The shortage in time is due to
the fact that the pool is used for so many
other purposes. Divers must work
around the water polo and swim team
practices. as well as other classes such as
scuba diving and kayaking. This, along
with the class schedules of the divers.
creates a lot of conflicts, which results in
a low amount of practice compared to all
the meets they need to compete in.
With more meets waiting to be won
this season, the next being against St.
Vincent on Nov.l 2, the diving team is in
prime condition for the challenges ahead
and always working hard. Expect daz
zling twists and tight tucks in the air fol
lowed by beautiful low-splash entries
from Behrend's men and women divers.
three players on the team that haven't
gotten at least four yards per carry.
Seeing as though you only need three
yards on every carry to guarantee a
touchdown on a drive that's pretty good.
Now the defense, excluding the
Michigan game, is the best in college
football as far as I'm concerned. Now, I
also said that Penn State was the best
defense in college football last year, but
this year the offense occasionally gives
them a break by keeping them off the
field. This seems to have made all the dif
ference for players such as Paul
Posluszny, Calvin Lowry, Dan Connor,
Tamba Hali, Alan Zamaitis. and Scott
Paxson. Posluszny has been particularly
effective being nominated to the semifi
nals for Munger, Bednarik. and Butkus
awards. I expect to see another NFL draft
record for Penn State players in the future
on what looks like defense alone.
Some people may say "What about
Penn State's future?" Michael Robinson
is already a super senior and he is obvi
ously a critical part of this offense. Well,
Anthony Morelli was the number two
recruit in the nation going into the 2004
season and he might not be too bad. We
can't expect him to be able to get 10 rush
ing touchdowns, but once these freshmen
receivers are more disciplined I expect to
see the kind of West Coast offense that
Penn State has never had. There is a rea
son why Morelli was put in to throw
some Hail Marys during his freshman
season
I have a question for those of you who
had the nerve to doubt Joe Paterno: How
does it feel to be wrong?
crown is definitely within
their reach. Coach 0'
Driscoll was named AMCC
coach of the year this past
weekend and he is confident
going into the semi-finals of
the ECAC on Saturday.
- I definitely think that
we can win this tournament
I will he traveling
Gettysburg to watch the
teams play, so we will
have that advantage
Behrend men set for their first
televised game this season
By Matt Burneisen
staff writer
J a ntia‘ 27 2(111()
The Behrend men's basketball team
is playing their first televised game of
the season this week. On Friday Jan.
27, they will take on rival Frostburg
State at the Junker Center. Image
sports will he broadcasting the game
live at 5:45 p.m., with coverage begin
ning with the women's coaches' com
mentary. The Men's game will begin
at 8 p.m. on channel 12 for Adelphia
subscribers and on channel 20 for
Time Warner Cable.
Hot off a 75-44 win over Hilbert at
home on Tuesday night, the Blue and
White should he ready to take on the
Bobcats. Kevin Buczynski led the
team with 22 points and 8 rebounds,
while Senior Justin Jennings had a
season high 4 steals in the match up:
he is a 5-10 Guard in his senior year.
Freshman Tom Newman and
Sophomore Ben Gasbbarre, averag
ing 4.0 and 3.9 points per game
respectively, will also start. J.J.
Ferguson added 15.6 points per game
averaging 65% and is a 6-4 senior
from Clarion Limestone
After the weekend of play, Penn
State Erie remains in second place Freshman guard Tom Newman shoots
behind Lake Erie College. However, over a defender in last game. Newman
they are only one game behind Lake helps the Lions with four points per game
Erie. With a two game winning
streak, they should continue win
ning into the weekend. Frostburg State
Senior Dan Ryley was a Division 111
leader in his last game with 9.3
rebounds and helped lead his team to a
107-83 win in their last game. A strong
teammate Marcus Mclntyre matched
Ryley also recording a double-double
in that game.
Following the Frostburg game on
Friday, Penn State Erie will take on the
Pitt-Greensburg Bobcats at 6 p.m. in
the Junker Center. The last time they
met in Greensburg, Penn State Erie lost
in a close 68-65 game. Daniel Waajid
recorded 12 rebounds in that game,
leading his team. More recently, Duke
Cooper led the Bobcats with 22 points
and six assists in their last victory.
Daniel Waajid led the game with 11
rebounds and contributed greatly to the
Bobcat victory.
Next Tuesday night, Behrend will
host Medaille for their final regular
season game of the season. In the most
Last Week's Sports Trivia 101 Answer
Pittsburgh Penguin Sidney Crosby is the youngest
player in the NHL to have amassed 100 points in
his rookie season. What NHL player holds the
record for most points in his rookie season?
Answer: The NHL Player that holds the record for most
points in his rookie season is Teemu Selanne with 132
Winnipeg Jets. (Answered by Andy McLachlan, Dan
Thiessen, and Jeff Wemmell).
The Behrend Beacon I 10
school record for most career goals. Greiner has 43
career goals. after breaking the previous record of
35 goals on Oct 11 in the game against Pitt-
Bradford. Greiner is one of six seniors who will
lace up their cleats for the last time of their college
career and step on the Behrend fields this weekend.
"This year our team has had the best team unity that
1 have experienced in my four years of playing
here, and 1 am proud to be part of this team," said
Greiner. Coach 0' Driscoll says he has already
started recruiting for
"This year our team
has had the best
team unity that I
have experienced in
my four years of
playing here."
-Holly Greiner
are lucky to host these last games of their career at
their home fields. It will be a good weekend to end
their season and careers with, - says 0' Driscoll.
Stop by the fields this weekend for some exciting
soccer action, and cheer on your Lady Lions to an
ECAC championship win.
recent game between Penn State Erie
and Medaille, Penn State posted a 69-
29 victory. J.J. Ferguson scored 19
points, and Kevin Buczynski scored 10
points. The 6-7 sophomore also led the
team with nine rebounds, eight of them
on defense, and two blocked shots.
Medaille is a strong team, and like all
teams in the Allegheny Mountain
Collegiate Conference is respected by
head Coach Dave Niland.
Jeremy Komek/ THE BEHREND BEACON
After only half of the season, there is
still a lot of basketball to be played, but
the Penn State Erie team, currently
ranked 2nd, is in good position. Last
year's AMCC champions, the Lions
have a good chance again this year.
Medaille College's athlete of the week,
Bill Gersits, will try to stop that.
Averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds,
he hopes to lead the Mavericks to a
win. Medaille College is only 2-7 in
the conference so far this season, but
they look like they have the talent to
turn it around.
Erie local and Collegiate Academy
graduate James McNiel is a 6-4 sopho
more forward who is his team's high
scorer. He led his team in scoring in 11
of the games this season. He also
scored 30 or more points in a game on
three occasions. Medaille has the
potential to be a strong team and a
tough opponent for the Lions.
next season to
replace the strength
and experience of
the graduating sen-
'I will be miss-
ing these seniors
next year; they are a
great group of young
women. I am look
ing forward for the
other players to step
up. they are all good
players. The seniors