Friday, September 26, 2008 Mens water polo treads rough waters Men’s Water Polo had a brutal match in the Junker Pool on Thursday night as they faced the Mercyhurst Lakers. This game involved some intense play from both sides. The crowd was very supportive as both teams fought hard in the first quarter of play. The Lakers had two goals, the first by senior Oscar Calderon, and the second by senior Trevor Mcllwaine. For the Penn State Behrend Lions, sophomore defender Matthew Pluta. had a goal on a penalty shot to keep the team alive while going into the second quarter of play. In the second quarter there was much excitement with six more goals all being scored for the Lakers, and one for the Lions. The goal by the Lions was scored by sophomore defender Kevin Wolak. In the third quarter of play, the Lakers seemed to be giving up their lead as they gave up two goals. Passion for country. Passion The United States Air Force Marathon is the most unique compared to all marathons around the world. It’s the only marathon that salutes its runners with flybys of U.S. Air Force fighter jets before the start of a race. It takes place at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio every year. The marathon events include the half Captain Castro and his friend, Fred Dummar, during the marathon. By TJ Banus staff writer ljhs2l7@psu.edu However they quickly struck back with two of their own. The Lion goals were scored by sophomore cen- “We are looking forward to our upcoming matches against other division rivals” -Matthew Pluta Sophomore Defender ter Derek Sieber. In the final quarter of play, the Lakers were able to hold off the Lions as they scored three more goals, ending the game with a score of 13-4 in favor of the Mercyhurst Lakers. The Lakers will have one less starter in their upcoming match, due to the hard working performance of freshman driver Robby Gausman. Alex Moggridge of the Lakers slammed Gausman’s face in frustra tion in the second quarter of play. “I was sprinting back on defense and I marathon, 10k, and 5k race, Running involves a lot of pas sion and endurance. Each year many members of the U.S. Air Force are excited and ready to particpate in one of these events. People come from all parts of the country just to take part in one of these running events. Runners plan 3-11 months in advance to run in one of these saw the ball coming toward my man,” said Gausman. “He took pos session of the ball and illegally kicked me in the face in frustration. It kind of hurt.” Another player with much impact in the match for the Lions was soph omore defender Pluta, who had three of the Lion’s four goals. “We played pretty well, for it being the beginning of the season, and we are looking forward to our upcoming matches against Mercyhurst, and our other division rivals,” said Pluta. Though the Lions lost to the Lakers 13-4, they showed a lot of positives. “We played a complete game,” said sophomore driver Keith Meehan. The Penn State Behrend Lions now look ahead to their next game which will be at Washington and Jefferson on September 19 at 7:30 p.m. Athlete By Connor Sattely sports editor cisso6o@psu.edu In a game where kicks to the face, vicious hits, and constant action are the norm. Jon Bacon found his niche. Water polo provided Bacon the under-the-radar sport which had enough excitement to keep him interested. The Behrend sophomore has been playing water polo for six years. Growing up in Los Angeles, his high school had no team. So. he started his own. “I was part of the group that started the school’s club,” he recalls. “It was in my fresh man year of high school. It was getting really popular on the west coast and it was really fun to start the club.” Water polo came as an easy choice after Bacon decided not to join his high school swim team. “I liked swimming, but water polo was just more exciting,” he says. In his sophomore year, he transferred schools to a high school which already had a water polo program. Pursuing it through school, he knew that water polo would quick ly become his own hidden passion. After graduation, he was recruited by Division I schools to play water polo, but decided upon Behrend. “It was truly the balance of education and athletics. The quality of play here really nar- events, each runner being certain that a hotel room is reserved, and their flights booked. The U.S. Air Force 5k was the only running event that took place on its own day. Before the start of the U.S. Air Force sk, like all of the U.S. Air Force running events, a F-22 Raptor flew over all the runners at the starting line. This serves as a salute before the start of the race. With my passion for running and being a member of the U.S. Air Force, I just had to participate in the U.S. Air Force sk. While I was running the race I made it a point to others that I will not accept any water at the hydration stations because my military brothers and sisters in Iraq and Afghanistan don’t get water while running into combat. At the finish line of the race, a U.S. Air Force Colonel awarded me the U.S. Air Force 5k medal for completion of a race that hon ors those serving in the U.S. Air Force. I shook the Colonel’s hand, addressing him “Thank you Colonel! It’s an honor.” I placed 187 out of 894 runners. The course consisted of constant Jon By Daniel J. Smith staff writer djss223@psu.edu inclines; only a quarter mile of the race had a flat surface. This year’s marathon had a his torical moment. U.S. Air Force General Carlson awarded U.S. Army Captain Ivan Castro, with the U.S. Air Force Marathon medal upon a memorable com pletion of the race. Castro was attacked with a mortar round on a rooftop outside Youssifiyah, Iraq in September 2006. According to Castro, all he saw was a bright flash and then per manent darkness. Since Castro is blind now, and has been for two years, he was guided by his friend. Fred Dummar, during the marathon race. "Once you're blind, you have to set new goals," said Castro. He certainly met his goal by com pleting the U.S. Air Force Marathon with pride and determi nation. Castro placed 704 out of 1,798 runners of the marathon race. He also completed the 112th Boston Marathon on April 21 of this year, placing 18,106 out of 21,948 runners. This was one of his new goals that he promised himself to do. Castro is 41 years old and is This Week’s Matchup MIFL Week HV Pit vs Team Starters Att Cmp Yds 59 Passing BALT- Rushing BALT - Willis McGhee PIT - Rashard Mendenhall Receiving PIT - Hines Ward PIT- Santonio Holmes BALT -Derrick Mason BALT - Mark Clayton Spotlight: Bacon rowed it down." says Bacon. He was able to pass up the Division I schools after seeing the quality of play and academics at Behrend. He also knew that Behrend gave him one of the best chances to actually play. “I knew that if 1 went to some Division I school. I would't be playing much." he says. The competition at those schools would like ly force him onto the bench for at least a year or two. At Behrend. he knows the situation is different. "Here, it's still a ton of fun and great competition, and I can actually play." Sophomore Jon Bacon defends in a water polo match at Behrend. Ben Roethlisberger Joe Flacco for running. still serving in the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg. NC. The first place finisher of the U.S. Air Force Marathon was Nathan Peters, a 19 year old from Grayling, Ml. Peters mentioned to the US. Air Force General that awarded him the marathon medal that his first place victory of the race does not match the high hr if those who General Carlson shakes Captain Castro’s hand at the finish line. The Behrend Beacon I 39 28 Yds 64 258 Avg 4.3 2.8 48 Car 10 Rec 15 10 Avg 11.3 14.5 10.8 7.0 After two years on the team, he knows he made the right choice. "It’s an awesome envi ronment. Coach Tristan is from California too. and he has a ‘California Spark' which makes it like I played in LA. He recruits from both the east and west coast, which truly makes it a special team." Bacon plans to stay at Behrend for all four years of his college education. He will pursue a finance degree, but will continue his partic ipation in Behrend sports until he graduates. serving their country. Overall, the runners enjoyed the events. Castro proved to his fellow servicemen and women that it is possible to overcome adversity with hard work and determination. Castro will finish his term of service in the Army and plans to retire with an officer’s pension.
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