6 I The Behrend Beacon
Men's tennis captures back-to-back championships
By Christine Newby
sports editor
censos6i« psu.edu
Nov. 7, 2008
The Behrend men’s tennis
team proved they are the best
in the their conference for the
second consecutive year by
winning the 2009 AMCC Men’s
Tennis Championship on April
19 at the Oxford Club in
Wexford, Pa.
By winning the champi
onship, the team is back-to
back AMCC Champions and
this, also, marked the fourth
time in eleven years that they
have claimed the title.
“A lot of our success is based
on players working hard and
working together,” head coach
Jeff Barger said. “They are a
team first. They want to win
for each other and that helps a
lot. All of the guys did well. We
had some illnesses and injuries
and everyone stepped up to fill
the voids left in the lineup."
Sophomore Elliot
Blackstone, who was playing
back in his hometown of
Swimming and diving teams claim AMCC Championship
By Christine Newby
sports editor
censos6(« psu.edu
Feb. 27, 2008
The Behrend Lions men’s
and women’s swimming and
diving team claimed their third
straight AMCC Championship
on Feb. 12-14 at Grove City.
“We had a great season,”
said assistant coach Joe
Tristan. “Everyone exceeded
the expectations of the coach
ing staff and by doing so,
helped bring back to Behrend
another AMCC
Championship.”
The women’s team had
strong performances from
sophomores Krystal Kovach
and Katie Van Epps, and fresh
man Anne Lawrence.
Kovach won both the one
and three-meter diving cham
pionships with a score of
405.35 and 422.8 respectively.
According to the Behrend web
site, Kovach’s scores are both
consideration scores for the
NCAA Championships, which
will take place March 12-14.
Sophomore Katie Van Epps
took first place in the 200 yard
butterfly and second in the 200
and 400 IM. Freshman Anne
Lawrence came in first in the
100-yard butterfly and the 200-
yard backstroke, which gave
her
Championships
Kovach felt the women’s
Bettis: A champion's way
continued from page 1
Junker Center he said that he
hoped to win two National
Championships at Notre
Dame.
Unfortunately for “The Bus”,
he did not become a champion
in his college career.
Bettis was drafted tenth
overall in the 1993 draft by the
Los Angeles Rams where he
played three seasons before
going to the Steelers.
“I thought that 1 was the
missing piece to the Steelers,”
said Bettis. “I believed that it
was the opportunity of a life
time.”
Bettis thought that he would
finally become a champion
shortly after signing with the
Steelers. Little did “The Bus”
Wexford, led the Behrend
Lions by taking first in number
one singles over Frostburg
State's Greg Shedd. This year
was the second year that
Blackstone has won an AMCC
singles championship as he did
in 2008 for the number two sin
gles.
"Last year was more impor
tant to me; the score of the
tournament was a lot closer,”
Blackstone said. “I felt really
good. especially since
Frostburg had switched their
one and two singles players so
I had never played the guy
from Frostburg before."
According to Barger,
Blackstone moved from the
number two singles and dou
bles this year and did an out
standing job.
Junior Shane Mosier won
the number three singles and
senior James Getty won the
singles championship as he
took the number five singles.
“Our leadership this year
from James Getty, a senior,
also helped," Barger said. “He
did his best to keep the guys
team had a good overall per
formance this season.
“I feel that we did well this
year,” said Kovach. “The team
consisted of mostly freshmen
swimmers, so to see the girls
working hard and winning
AMCCs was impressive. I’m
very proud of all the girls and I
hope we can work just as hard
next year and bring back
another championship for the
09-10 season.”
The men’s team was led by
sophomores Josh Weaver and
Ben Strunk, and freshmen
Dane Dombrosky and Steve
Zomcik.
Scoring 43 points at the
meet. Weaver proved to be the
high-point winner. ~ Weaver
placed first in the 100- and 200-
vard freestyle and second in
the 500-yard freestyle.
Dombrosky finished first in
two individual races: the 500-
yard freestyle and 100 fly.
Weaver, Dombrosky,
Zomcik, and Strunk won four
AMCC relay championships.
The relay team won the 400,
200, and 800 freestyle relay
with times of 3:19.07, 1:29.28,
and 7:20.88 respectively. The
team also won the 400 yard
medley relay.
Dombrosky believes that
themen’s swimming and diving
team kept improving through
out the season.
AMCC
"The men’s swimming and
diving has continued to
A Behrend swimmer competes in an event.
know that it would take ten pion. The Pittsburgh Steelers
more years for him to finally defeated the Seattle Seahawks
raise the Vince Lombardi tro- in Super Bowl XL by a score of
phy and be called an NFL 21-10.
Champion. The Super Bowl was played
“To be a champion you to have love
and passion for what you are doing.”
Jerome Bettis
At the Junker Center, “The
Bus” emphasized the fact that
every year he would hope to
win the Super Bowl. He said
that he was physically and
emotionally drained and was
set for retirement after the
2004-2005 season.
In the 2005-2006 season,
Bettis finally accomplished
what he had been wanting to
do his entire life; to be a cham-
Sports
focused.”
The Behrend Lions captured
two of the three doubles cham
pionships.
"Our doubles play has been
better the last couple of years,”
Barger said. “It really helps to
get those points."
Blackstone teamed with
sophomore Jon Henderson in
number one doubles winning
8-3. Junior Kelly Manning and
sophomore John Michalko
won the number three doubles
against Frostburg State.
Behrend ended the day with
22 points and was followed by
Penn State Altoona and
Frostburg State with 16 points
apiece. Altoona was named
runner up based on tiebreak
criteria.
The criteria was based on
the team with the most team
points in conference matches
in the regular season. Pitt-
Bradford and Pitt-Greensburg
had eight and one team points
respectively.
The Blue and White finished
the year with a perfect unde
feated conference record of 8-0
impress me throughout the
season,” said Dombrosky. “At
every meet there was constant
improvement; faster times
here, and higher diving scores
there. It is just wonderful to
see everyone pushing them
selves and putting their best
foot forward when race day
comes around. It was another
outstanding season as the team
is now three time, back, to
back, to back AMCC
Champions.”
Kovach, Dombrosky, and
junior Steve Graves all were
awarded AMCC performers of
the week honors because of
their strong performances.
',“W& khew all three perform-
week going to
put up some good swims and
diving scores,” said Tristan.
"They feed off the positive
competition brought to the
pool by their teammates.”
Kovach was awarded first
team all-AMCC honors in both
the three meter and one meter
diving events. She holds all
four of Behrend’s diving
records and has captured two
Diver of the Year awards dur
ing both years that she has
attended Behrend.
Dombrosky qualified for the
ECAC championships due to
the success of the relay races
in the AMCC championship.
“It feels good to know that
the hard work that my team
mates and myself did paid off,”
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
in Bettis’s hometown of
Detroit, Mich, which made the
victory extra special and
unique.
“So what does a champion
look like?” Bettis asked. “A
champion doesn’t look like
anyone. To be a champion you
have to have love and passion
for what it is that you are
doing, commitment, and a
strong work ethic.”
and 12-7 overall
Changes in attitude have
really helped everybody on the
team raise their game, accord
ing to Blackstone.
“Our goal is always to try
hard and play hard,” Barger
said. “Those things usually
lead to wins. We want to keep
said Dombrosky. “I am defi
nitely proud to say I am a part
of Behrend swimming and glad
I could be there to help the
team to another AMCC victo
ry-”
Graves was named AMCC
Diver of the Year for the sec
ond time. He was also named
diver of the week after his
AMCC Championship per
formance, marking the seventh
time he has received the award
this season. Graves defended
his AMCC title as he placed
first in the one meter diving
with a score of 332.25 and
outscored his opponents by
nearly 60 points.
Graves, Dombrosky, Zomcik.
and Weaver were named oa
the first team alTconference
for the men’s team.
Dombrosky was also named
as first team all-conference
individually in the 500
freestyle and the 100 fly.
Additionally, Weaver was
honored as first team all-con
ference in the 100 and 200
freestyle along with the four
relays.
In the 50 freestyle, Zomcik
received individual honors and
broke the AMCC champi
onship meet record with a time
of 22.14 in the 50 freestyle
event.
Just like the men’s team, the
women’s swimmers and divers
earned AMCC all-conference
awards as well.
Kovach received the AMCC
Womens Diver of the Year
award. She also was named
first team all-AMCC in both the
three meter and one meter div
ing events.
“I was excited,” said Kovach
when asked about her reaction
after she found out she was the
AMCC Women’s Diver of the
Year. “I feel I did my best to
improve my skills from last
year so I could do better this
year and it is really nice to be
recognized for my efforts and
hard work.”
Van Epps was named first
team all-AMCC in the 200 fly
as well as the 200 free relay,
400 medley relay, and 400 free
relay.
Jerome Bettis recognizes a dream as he'
the streak of match wins going.
The guys will work hard in the
summer and in the fall to get
us to that point.”
Blackstone has team goals
and personal goals for next
season.
“My goals for the team are
another great season and
The men's tennis team poses with their AMCC champions plaque.
The Behrend swimming and diving team claimed the AMCC title.
Lawrence was named first
team All-AMCC in the 100 fly
and earned first team honors
in the 200 free relay, 400 med
ley relay, and 200 medley relay.
Freshman Hilary MacManus
earned first team All-AMCC
honors as part of the all four
relay races. Freshman Julie
Cook was a member of three
first team All-AMCC relay
teams.
Junior Danielle Wilson made
the All-AMCC first team as a
part of two relay teams, the
200 medley relay and 400 free
relay. Freshman Heather
Vickery was named to the All-
AMCC first team in the 400
medley relay.
According to Tristan,
Behrend will have five partici
pants in the ECAC
Championships. Kovach,
Weaver, Dombrosky, Zomcik,
Friday, May 1, 2009
another championship,”
Blackstone said. “I’m going to
be focusing more on leader
ship and I’m just going to try to
keep my game fresh and not
get worse over the summer.”
and Strunk will be competing
in Boston, Massachusetts on
Feb. 28 through March 1.
“Really, my only goals are to
do the best I can,” said Kovach.
“That’s been my goal all sea
son and I would like to keep
that up. If I try my best and I
do well, I know that I will
achieve something that 1 really
want.”
Dombrosky also has goals in
mind for the upcoming cham
pionship.
“At the ECACs, the team
plans to once again break the
school record in the 800
freestyle as well as lower all of
our times in our individual
events,” said Dombrosky. “We
are ready for the meet and our
main goal is to place higher
than where we are seated
going into the meet.”
‘ ,, es as a Super Bowl Champion.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO