I Wednesday, Dec. 9,2009 Captains lead on, By Kurt Bopp COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER While practicing in mid- November, Marisa Lozano received a pass, dodged a defend er and fell to the ===== ground with a c familiar pain. WOMEN S The fifth-year LACROSSE senior attacker ===== knew right away she tore her left anterior cruci ate ligament (ACL). Yet Lozano has stayed positive despite knowing she will likely not play again for Penn State and has earned the respect and support of her teammates who elected her one of their captains. “I came out of surgery and my parents told me right when I came out,” Lozano said. “It’s exciting and a huge honor. I know me and [Theresa] Bucci and Margo [Josephs] will do a great job of leading this team to great things.” The women’s lacrosse team elected seniors Bucci, Josephs » * - isr 4Br Abby Drey/Collegian file photo Senior runner Fawn Dorr practices at the Multi-Sport Facility last spring. Dorr and the women’s team aims to win the Big Ten this year. and Lozano to lead their 2010 cam paign even though Lozano will be out for the year and Josephs who is scheduled to be ready by the first game is rehabbing from a torn ACL last season. Josephs has supported her teammate and helped out as she knows what Lozano is going through. “Obviously it’s a devastating blow to our team and unfortunate that it happened to her,” Josephs said, “especially for her because she’s a fifth year. It’s her last chance to play. It was good in a sense that I was there for her because I knew what she was going through.” Lozano posted a team-high 44 points led with 24 assists 13 more than the next highest and was third in goals last season. Coach Suzanne Isidor said Lozano is the team’s emotional leader, and she expects Lozano to still be vital on the sideline as much as she was on the field. Her positive attitude and sup- Track team set to open By Zack Feldman and Anthony Barton COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER With the first meet a month away, head coach Beth Alford- Sullivan has already set her goals for the Penn State track and field team’s winter TRACK AND FIELD season. FbUowini Ten champi onship for the women during cross country, Alford-Sullivan believes her team could be in con tention to win the Big Ten title in indoor this sea son. “On the ladies’ side, our strengths are numerous,” Alford- Sullivan said. “We’ve got great leadership as well as very talented young kids. We’d like to get after this confer ence.” Alford-Sullivan believes this is the best men’s team they have produced in a long time, and they hope match or exceed their top- SPORTS off field portive nature was key in the team’s decision. “From the get-go when she tore her ACL, everyone was upset,” Bucci said, “but she acted in the opposite way you’d expect a per son in their fifth year to act. She was there, cheering everyone on, staying positive.” Bucci posted 18 goals and 22 points, along with 21 ground balls. Josephs said Bucci has been someone who always steps up on the field, and she hopes Bucci’s position as a captain will help her rub off on the rest of the team. “Bucci has been a player on the field the last four years,” Isidor said. “She’s seen significant time since freshman year, and really stepped up this year into a leader ship role and ready to assume that responsibility” Isidor noted each captain plays a different position, which Josephs said creates a good balance for the team. With each playing around the field, she said, they can lead in smaller groups. three conference finish from last year. “The guys have grown up a lot in the past four years,” Alford- Sullivan said. “One of the best strengths on the men’s side is we have guys scoring in pretty much every “If everybody stays healthy and has a good break, I expect we can still climb.” Both teams are set to begin their seasons with the annual Blue and White track meet Saturday, which will give the team its first indication of how it will fare against other competition. Upperclassmen, including newly elected captains Bridget Franek, a distance runner, and fifth-year senior Aleesha Barber, a sprinter, will lead the women’s team despite Barber lacking eligi bility to run during the indoor sea son. Alford-Sullivan said she expects the differences in the captains to give the team a great balance. Captains on the men’s side will be junior Ryan Foster and fifth year senior Ryan Fritz, who won’t compete in the indoor season because of eligibility rules. Midfielder Theresa Bucci runs with the ball against Vanderbilt last sea son. Now a senior, Bucci is one of three captains on the squad. Josephs started 13 games last season and tallied 26 ground balls before suffering an ACL tear of her own. The defender is on schedule to return for the team’s opener Feb. 14. Josephs is eager to get back to the field to bring more leadership on the field, an aspect the Lions lacked in last season, she said. “All three of us are very vocal,” Lozano said. “Definitely this sea son, with me being injured, Bucci and Margo are gonna have to lead by example.” All three are ready to step into their new roles this season and try to reach the NCAA tournament indoor season “We’d like to get after this conference.” Beth Alford-Sullivan track and field head coach Alford-Sullivan believes that Foster brings a lot of energy to the team’s goal and has made an impact both individually and in relays. One positive aspect of both teams this year will be the addi tion of promising freshmen, Alford-Sullivan said. “We’re going to be seeing quite a bit coming from our freshmen,” Alford-Sullivan said. “We certainly expect to.” In addition to the women’s freshmen “distance contingency” from cross country, Alford- Sullivan expects the middle-dis tance freshmen to blossom into solid collegiate track athletes, including Evonne Britton, sister of junior thrower Evelyn Britton. One of the men’s top freshman recruits is Zimbabwe native Emunael Mpanduki, who will run in sprint events. “Dukes,” as the team refers to him, placed ninth in the Olympic Development men’s 100-meter The Daily Collegian after barely missing it last season. Bucci said the team has some thing special this season and she expects great things. Her coach said the three were “excellent” choices for captain and are experienced veterans that the entire team can look up to. “They’re gonna be great lead ers for this team,” Isidor said. “They have the respect of the team and the coaching staff. They’ve proved themselves on and off the field, and I think they compliment each other very well.” To e-mail reporter: kabs2ol@psu.edu dash at the 2009 Penn Relays. Other freshmen men expected to make an impact include throw er Nabil Mubarak and sprinter Aaron Nadolsky, Alford-Sullivan said. The upcoming winter break presents the first obstacle for both teams. Alford-Sullivan believes this can help or harm the team depending on the individual run ner. “Breaks can be good or bad,” Alford-Sullivan said. “It’s really about the individual’s motivation and momentum that they carry into a break.” Alford-Sullivan said the goals are all reachable depending on the team’s work ethic, and that the time off can make or break them as contenders. “Jan. 9 is our first meet, and that’s really soon,” Alford Sullivan said. “They have to stay motivat ed.” To e-mail reporter: zefsoos@psu.edu
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