bart Cd — LION’S EYE — Sports November 5, 1997 Additional Sports Clubs Seek Student Involvement By Rob Coyle Six varsity sport teams and numerous intramural sports isn’t enough for Delco athletes. In recent weeks students have been actively working to create additional athletic options on campus by forming sport clubs. These teams compete in intercollegiate contests, but without the formal structures, leagues, funding, and sometimes even the coaches found in varsity sports. The Men's Volleyball Club has been active for the past three years, under coach Matt Clark. This year the group is being organized by Scott Hoffman, who recently petitioned the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committe for funds to hire a coach and sponsor a high school tournament. The club practices Monday and Wednesday evenings, 7:30-10:00 in the gym, preparing for an intensive schedule of matches in March and April ‘98. “From what I’ve seen so far, we have a good team,” said Hoffman. “The season looks promising.” Students interested in joining the club can contact Hoffman at SCH140@psu.edu. The Delco ice hockey team has a problem. Because of scheduling Delco Teams By Rob Coyle As the fall sports season comes to an end, it’s time to reflect on what our teams accomplished at PSU Delco. So who better to ask than the PSU Delco’s Athletic Director and number one sports fan, Tiz Griffith. The woman's volleyball team shrugged off early season problems to finish 6-8 in the Eastern Pennsylvania College Conference (EPCC). “It was important for this young team to finish strong,” commented Griffith. The team struggled in the Commonwealth College Athletic Conference (CCAC), however, finishing 3-9. The coed soccer team, again suffering from a lack of seniority, beat arch-rival Penn State Abington 2-0 to finish the season, but ended in 5th place in the CCAC, just missing the playoffs. Griffith was very pleased at the level of play the freshmen on the young team achieved. “We had a very talented freshman class, and I'm looking forward already to next season.” But the big story was the amazing turnaround the baseball team accomplished. The team played a Billy Reil gets a head up . . . or is that down on his competition. conflicts with other teams in the area, they will not be able to participate ina league this season. But not to fear, the team has entered a Men's 30+ league at the Twin Rinks of Aston, and will play non-league games against other local teams. One problem with the men’s league, however, is that it has a strict no check rule, to keep the physical aspect of the game under control. The team is considering all their options. “Weare trying to develop a foundation with an independent team before transferring into the league,” said freshman communication student and team member Mike Kida. No matter which league they join, the team will be able to play this year, now it just depends on where. The Lacrosse team is headed by F.J. Paul. They plan on having organizational meetings in the near future. They also plan on participating in the Carolina Tournament, and intend on playing against area teams. The only thing that is holding them back is commitment from 15 players to fill the squad. These teams are loaded with quality athletes, but it is just a matter of gathering enough members to give them some depth. Finish Strong season of streaks. They started the season 0-6, and times were beginning to look bleak. But as the offense began to pick up, so did the wins. The team went 5-1 in the next six games, but needed to sweep PSU Abington to advance to the CCAC playoffs. On the final day of the season they won both games, and finished the regular season at 7-7, earning the eastern CCAC championship, a hard-fought birth in the statewide PSU playoffs. The team made it to the finals, but lost the three game championship series to powerhouse PSU Beaver 9-3 and 12-3 respectively. The players were upbeat, though, after the losses. “The players said it was like playing a pro team,” remarked the AD. “PSU Beaver seems to win every year; I don’t know how they do it.” Tiz Griffith is a believer in collegiate sports. “Collegiate sports really enhance an academic resume; plus, it’s a great experience.” As for next season, the AD is ecstatic about the possibilities. “I was very pleased with the performance of our teams this season. I'm really looking forward to what they will be able to do next season.” on gets hot and heavy during Fall Ho Photo by Christina Papa Hoop Teams Enter Seasons By JoAnne Johnson “This should be an interesting year,” commented Student Athletic Association President Vince Screnci. “Hopefully we'll be able to come through with more wins than last year.” With 23 games in the women’s season and 25 in the men’s, Delco’s basketball teams have a number of chances to prove themselves this year. “The coaching staff is excited (about the season) because we have six players returning from last year’s women’s team, including Kate Donaldson, Mary Doolittle, Eileen Milliken, Kate Porter, Alissa Pugliese and Kate Rafferty,” commented women’s coach Brian Donoghue. “All six of these players played significant roles in last year’s team and will continue to be looked upon to do so this season.” As far as the men’s team is concerned, “They look a lot bigger,” said Screnci. “The games should be pretty good because they look like a competitive team.” Coach Donoghue thinks the fans have a major impact on the game's outcome. “We can only hope that we get the same student-body support that we received at the end of last year. We had a vocal student section at our games toward the end of last season, and I believe that was a significant help in winning three of our last four home games. I hope that we would gain this type of support at the beginning of this season and have it carry through until the end of February.” Both basketball teams’ first home games are on November 19. The women’s game will start at 6:00 p.m., against PSU Mont Alto, and the men’s will start at 8:00 p.m. against Williamson. Professional Wrestler Tackles Writing Career By Rachael Fetterman Outside of PSU Delco many students are involved in surprising and exciting activities that their fellow students might be unaware of. Billy Reil, a freshman studying journalism, is not just student at PSU Delco; he is also a professional wrestler in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), seen throughout the world on television. Billy officially started wrestling in the ECW this month, but has been involved in the sport since he was 15 years old. In December of 1996 he got his first real gimmick, his wrestling name, “Billy Highlight Reil.” Then in July of this year it was changed to “Cybersex Super Stud.” Since his start in wrestling his name has been in magazines across the nation, such as Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Inside Wrestling, and the Wrestling Griet. He has even appeared on many Philadelphia radio shows. Now that Billy is in ECW, the third largest wrestling company in the world behind WWF and WCW, he says “ my promoter has not told me his decision as to what my new gimmick will be.” Being a professional wrestler at the age of 18 is very demanding but also has its benefits such as traveling to various places around the country. “It's a great way to see different lifestyles from different people that I across. It’s also a great way to see the country at such a young age,” Billy explained. The weekend of October 24 Billy was fighting in Boston, and his next big match was on Halloween when he was fighting for the Light Heavy Weight title. There are many reasons why Billy is attending PSU Delco. “I wanted to go to a school that has good name recognition as far as getting a job. Penn State seems more established than other colleges,” he explained. Here at Delco, he played on the Baseball team this year until he fractured a bone in his right wrist. Billy added, “ I am planning to promote a fund raising show at Delco as early as December, including such talent as WWF star Gold Dust and legendary Jimmy Super fly Snuka.” ‘This event would raise money for the campus. Billy has taken on quite a lot his freshman year in college. And he has established a very high goal for himself: to pursue his writing career as both a poet and a journalist, and write on the road as he fights. “I think I can be very successful at both writing and wrestling, as long as I don’t get injured,” he said.
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