Spring 2011 MAC Tournament Pairings

Softball on Friday, May 6

Commonwealth at Alvernia

#1 Lebanon Valley vs. #4 Lycoming
#2 Messiah vs. #3 Arcadia

Freedom at King’s

#1 DeSales vs. #4 Manhattanville
#2 FDU vs. #3 King’s

Baseball

Commonwealth on Thursday, May 5 at Owl’s Field

#1 Alvernia vs. #4 Elizabethtown
#2 Messiah vs. #3 Widener

Freedom on Friday, May 6 at Quakertown

If DeSales wins one game against Misericordia and Misericordia wins two games:
#1 DeSales vs. #4 King’s
#2 Misericordia vs. #3 FDU

If Misericordia sweeps DeSales:
#1 Misericordia vs. #4 King’s
#2 DeSales vs. #3 FDU

If Misericordia loses two games:
#1 DeSales vs. #4 King’s
#2 FDU vs. #3 Misericordia

Men’s Lacrosse

If Messiah defeats King’s on April 30:

Monday, May 2
#6 Elizabethtown at #3 Eastern
#5 Lycoming at #4 FDU

Wednesday, May 4
At #1 Widener (7 PM) and #2 Messiah – reseed winners of May 2

Women’s Lacrosse

Tuesday, May 3

#6 Eastern at #3 FDU
#5 Lebanon Valley at #4 Alvernia

Thursday, May 5

At #1 Messiah and #2 Elizabethtown – reseed winners of May 3











2

Three of four MAC teams won opening round ECAC games last night and prepare for the semi-finals on Saturday. On the men’s side, Lebanon Valley (21-7), the #1 seed, advanced with a blow out of Marywood to play #5 Wesley on Saturday at 3 PM at home. In another MAC win, #2 DeSales (20-8) upended Neumann 86-74 and will play #3 Catholic at 1 PM. The Bulldogs beat Catholic by six at home early in the season. The final will be at Lebanon Valley on Sunday at 1 PM. Alvernia’s women were lead by juniors Allie Toczylowski (16 points/16 rebounds) and Angela Altemose (16 points/17 rebounds) as #6 Alvernia University (14-13) dominated the glass in a 58-45 win over #3 Gwynedd-Mercy College (17-11) in ECAC South Region Quarterfinal action at the Griffin Complex. The Crusaders advance to the ECAC semifinal and will play #2 Catholic University at top-seeded Waynesburg on Saturday at 6:00 PM Waynesburg will play PSU-Behrend in the other semifinal with the two finalists to meet Sunday at 2:00 PM at Waynesburg.

Four of the five MAC NCAA teams are on their way to various sites. The Lebanon Valley women host a pod in Annville with the Dutchmen taking on Neumann at 8 PM Friday after Randolph-Macon and Bridgewater State play at 6 PM. The winners will advance and play at 7 p.m. Saturday for a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Neumann won its second straight Colonial State Athletic Conference title with Katie Young, the CSAC Player of the Year, leading the team with a 16.5 point and 13.0 rebounds per game. Andrea Hoover, the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year, leads the Dutchmen with 11.0 points per game and 157 assists.

In other women’s action, DeSales (19-8) travel to upstate New York for the second straight year, taking on SUNY-Geneseo (25-3) in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday evening at 8:00 PM. Last year the Bulldogs defeated Ithaca College in New York before falling to Williams College. Prior to the DeSales game, the other two teams in the four-team pod tangle when Medaille College (22-4) takes on Babson College (27-0) at 6:00 PM. DeSales will be making its 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the fourth straight after winning the Freedom Conference Championship on Saturday. Senior Lori Lidlow, All-Freedom Conference First-Team for the second straight year, averages a team-best 16.9 points per game and also leads the Bulldogs with 58 steals.

The last MAC women’s team is perennial NCAA tournament participant Messiah (19-7), heading to the dance for the 12th straight season. The Falcons will face Western Connecticut (23-3) at 6 PM in First Round play Friday evening at Kean (22-4), while the hosts entertain Vassar (16-11) in the 8 PM game. Kean is the only familiar opponent to Messiah, as the Cougars handed the Falcons a 64-73 defeat earlier in the season. Kean is the only team currently ranked in this weekend’s pod, rated seventh in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll and fifth in the D3hoops.com Top 25.

The Delaware Valley team will make its first-ever trip to the NCAA Division III tournament on Friday, March 4 when the Aggies travel to Norfolk, Virginia to take on Virginia Wesleyan (7:30 PM), a team that is 23-4 overall, ranked 10th in the latest D3hoops.com poll and is makings its seven consecutive appearance (11th overall) in the NCAA tournament. The Marlins won the Division III championship just five years ago and were the runners-up the following season. Should the Aggies win, their second-round opponent would either be a Franklin & Marshall program that is 22-5, ranked 18th in the country and is making its 22nd overall appearance (third overall) in the tournament, or a North Carolina Wesleyan team that holds a 21-6 record and is receiving votes in the national poll. If the Aggies are to prevail, senior guard and 2011 Freedom Conference Player of the Year, James Jones will have to have a monster performance. He and sophomore center Jeremy Beckett, a second-team all-Freedom Conference selection, are keys to the Aggie attack.

Alvernia (18-6) travels to St. Mary's Friday evening for an NCAA First Round match-up with #8 Randolph-Macon (24-4), winners of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. #18 St. Mary's (22-5), winners of the Capital Athletic Conference, host the four-team pod and will face Medger Evers Friday evening. The two winners will square off Saturday at St. Mary's for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. The Crusaders have been to the dance seven times, with their best showing a Final Four loss to Williams by a point in 1997. Alvernia is led by junior center Cory Boone who averages 12.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

MAC basketball championship action concludes on Saturday at four different sites.

Commonwealth Women

On Wednesday Lebanon Valley (13-1, 24-2) cruised to a 55-38 victory over Alvernia, and Messiah (12-2, 19-6) posted a 74-63 win over Widener to advance to the title game in Annville. Messiah is on a nine game winning streak, and this was their third semifinal win over Widener in the last four years and fourth in the last six, putting them in the league championship for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. LVC and Messiah split the season series this year. In the first meeting in Grantham, Lebanon Valley posted a 46-32 win; the Falcons returned the favor in Annville, winning 59-55, a victory that snapped the Dutchmen's 15 game win streak. The Dutchmen are led by Andrea Hoover, Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year, and Suzie Noyes, All-Commonwealth First Team. The Falcons duo of Dori Gyori, First Team All-Commonwealth, and Michele Schleich, All-Commonwealth Second Team, pace their squad. LVC is making its tenth appearance in the Commonwealth Conference tournament with a 5-9 all-time record. LVC and Messiah have met four times in the tournament championship, but have never prevailed. At 1 PM tomorrow we will find out if LVC can break that streak!

Commonwealth Men

The Commonwealth semifinals saw two close games, as top-seeded Alvernia (11-3, 19-6) overcame fourth-seeded Messiah's charge to win 51-49 and second-seeded LVC (10-4, 20-6) came back to top third-seeded Widener 58-56. The Dutchmen have won 11 straight, including last Saturdays last second win over Alvernia in Annville. LVC was last in the title game in 2005 and haven’t won the championship since 1995. The Crusaders are looking for their first Commonwealth title in their second year of conference membership. The two teams split during the regular season. The series is tied at 9-9, and they have met twice in the post season - LVC lost at Alvernia in the NCAA First Round in 1997, and beat them in the ECAC South semifinals in 2004. The Dutchmen are led by the top Commonwealth backcourt- Anthony Trautman, Commonwealth Player of the Year, and Joe Meehan, First Team All-Commonwealth. Alvernia’s fortunes are dictated by pivot Cory Boone and guard Tad Gillis, both named to the All-Commonwealth Team, and Seth Cornell, their leader scorer. LVC beat the Crusaders at home; can they do the same in Reading at 3 PM tomorrow?

Freedom Women

DeSales (10-4, 18-8) women's basketball team is one win away from winning a fourth straight Freedom Conference Title after defeating King's College, 66-52, to advance to the Freedom Conference Championship game on Saturday at 7 PM at home after Misericordia (9-5, 16-10) knocked out top seed, Manhattanville College, in Purchase, NY. The Cougars had been blown out 75-55 by the Valiants four days earlier but Christine Marks, Freedom Player of the Year, rose to the occasion and Misericordia used clutch free throw shooting to seal the deal 57-51. DeSales First Team All-Freedom senior Lori Lidlow led the way on Wednesday and will probably do so again tomorrow night. The two team split during the regular season, the Bulldogs winning at home 56-44 and losing at Misericordia 71-54. DeSales has the home court and championship experience; can Misericordia come in and disrupt their party?

Freedom Men

The top-seeded Aggies (9-5, 16-10) battle second-seeded and two-time defending conference champion DeSales (9-5, 19-7) at 2 PM tomorrow in Doylestown. Delaware Valley is in uncharted territory as it hosted a playoff game for the first time in program history and notched its first-ever postseason win with a 69-66 victory over Wilkes University in Wednesday’s semifinal. The Bulldogs and Aggies split their two regular season meetings, each winning on the opponent’s home court. The first contest was in Center Valley where a 3-pointer with 2.3 second remaining lifted Delaware Valley to an 82-79 triumph. Two months later in Doylestown, DeSales avenged that setback with an 83-73 victory. The Aggies are paced by senior guard and 2011 Freedom Conference Player of the Year James Jones and sophomore center Jeremy Beckett, a Second-Team All-Freedom selection. This is the fifth straight year that head coach Scott Coval and DeSales has reached the Freedom championship game. DeSales advanced to Saturday’s game with a 67-59 home victory over third-seeded Misericordia University. The Bulldogs count on senior guard and First-Team All-Freedom Brian Hunter and sophomore forward Brett Moyer, Second-Team All-Freedom, to lead the way. The Aggies are hot and have the home court, but they face a team that has gone deep into the NCAA tournament the last two years. Something has to give!

Today the 2011 MAC women’s basketball tournament starts with a familiar cast of characters. On the Freedom side, King’s, DeSales, and Manhattanville finished the regular season in a three-way tie for first place, and Misericordia ended up as the fourth seed after a disappointing loss at Manhattanville on Saturday. DeSales has won three straight championships and hosts King’s (at 6 PM), who has been in 15 of the last 16 tournaments (only missed last year). King’s (10-4, 16-9) is guided by all Freedom Conference standout Celia Rader, a sophomore guard who averages 13.4 points per-game while adding 2.9 rebounds. Rader is also one of the premier shooters in the league, topping the Freedom Conference in three point field goal percentage (37.0) connecting on 60 treys during the year. Since 2000-01, King's has posted a 7-7 record in tournament play, winning two conference titles in 2000-01 and 2002-03. DeSales owns a 27-22 lead in the all-time series between the two teams, while King's holds a slim 4-3 advantage in games played in the Freedom Conference tournament. DeSales has won eight of the last nine meetings between the two teams. This year the home team won each game in the season series. DeSales (17-8, 10-4 Freedom) enters the postseason having won seven of its last eight games. Senior guard Lori Lidlow, a first-team All-Freedom choice, leads the team in scoring at 16.9 points per-game (4th in Freedom) and adds 2.6 assists. Freshman guard Sondrine Glovas, the conference’s Rookie of the Year, follows with 10.4 points. Cherelle Simmons, an All-Freedom second-teamer, adds 8.8 points and leads the league in rebounding with 10.0 boards.

After losing at Manhattanville (10-4, 17-8) badly on Saturday, Misericordia (9-5, 15-10) are in the unenviable position of having to return to perhaps the toughest venue for visitors in the MAC (7 PM). To prevail, the Cougars will need a big game from Freedom Player of the Year, Christine Marks, a junior, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 18.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. She ranks third in the Freedom Conference in both categories. She leads the Freedom in field goal percentage (54.4%) and is third in free throw percentage (84.6%). Joining Marks on the all-conference team is sophomore teammate Tyann McDaniel. The Valiants have their own premier players, two first team seniors, Simona Gordan and Carey Hickey. Kennedy Gym should be rocking tonight!

On the Commonwealth side, the four 2010 teams go at it again, with perennial champion Messiah (12-2, 18-6) taking on their nemesis Widener (10-4, 19-6) at home (7 PM), and Lebanon Valley (13-1, 23-2), the top seed, trying to win the championship for the first time with an opening round match up with Alvernia (6-8, 13-12). Widener is in the conference tournament for the eighth time in the last nine years. It is playing Messiah in the semifinals for the fourth straight year and sixth time in the last nine seasons, capturing two of five meetings. The Falcons and Pride split the season series. The Pride are led by two first team All-Commonwealth players. Sophomore guard Kate Dellinger leads the team with 17.1 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per contest, an.819 free throw percentage, and is third with a .356 three-point percentage. Sophomore point guard Lil Carney is 11th in the league with 10.6 points per game, second with 5.6 assists per contest, fifth with a .779 free throw percentage, and second with a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Last season she was the conference Rookie of the Year. Messiah needs big games Dori Gyori and Michelle Schleich, both all-conference team members, to return to the championship game on Saturday.

Alvernia, after a blow out game at LVC on Saturday, must try to recover as they return to Annville for a repeat matchup (6 PM). The Dutchman swept the series this year. Alvernia claimed the #4 seed after securing the tiebreaker over Elizabethtown. The Dutchmen have been ranked in the d3hoops.com Top 25 and USA TODAY/ESPN Division III Top 25 Coaches' Poll every week this season. The Crusaders sport two players with double digit scoring averages, led by 14.1 from all-conference Angela Altemose and 10.6 from Allie Toczylowski Both players also lead the team in rebounding - Altemose has 241 total rebounds while Toczyloswki has tallied 239 boards. LVC is 4-9 all-time in tournament play and has reached the conference final four in 2001-02, 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10. The Dutchmen are directed by Andrea Hoover, back-to-back Commonwealth Conference player of the year and a first team all-conference member for the third straight season. She led the conference with 5.6 assists per game and a 1.7 assist to turnover ratio, while ranking in the top 10 in scoring and free throw percentage. Hoover leads the team with 10.9 points per game, 141 assists, and a .793 free throw percentage. She ranks 17th nationally in assists per game and set a new program record for assists with 544 in her career. Suzie Noyes, another first team all-conference performer, adds a double threat for the Dutchmen.

After a Saturday of upsets, overtime, and last second shots, anything is possible for the men’s teams as the tournament begins. On the Freedom side, DeSales (9-5, 18-7) is in a familiar spot as they try to defend their championship by opening at home (8 PM) against Misericordia (8-6, 15-10). Senior Brian Hunter and sophomore Brett Moyer, all-Freedom players, lead the Bulldogs. The Cougars also have two standout performers – junior Ethan Eichhorst and senior Robbie Johnson. The teams split their regular season games.

Delaware Valley (9-5, 15-10), the top seed, is in an unusual position as they host their first men’s basketball tournament game ever (7 PM) They are led by Freedom Conference Player of the Year James Jones and another all-conference performer, sophomore Jeremy Beckett. Wilkes (8-6, 15-9), who lost both regular season games to the Aggies in the final seconds, travels to Doylestown. This will be the Colonels 21st trip to the postseason and seventh time in the last 10 seasons. They have faced DVC just once in postseason play, defeating the Aggies 64-60 at home in the first round in 2008-09. The Colonels depend on all-Freedom senior Chris DeRojas who finished fourth in the conference in scoring with 17.6 points per game, is the top free throw shooter in the conference converting 83-of-91 attempts for a 91.2 percentage, and shot 41.3 percent from beyond the three-point line, hitting 52-of-126 shots.

Lebanon Valley (10-4, 19-6) returns to the Commonwealth Conference tournament as one of the hottest teams in the nation, riding a 10-game winning streak into the postseason. Behind Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year Anthony Trautman, the Dutchmen host long-time rival Widener (8-6, 13-12). Lebanon Valley has not been to the conference final since 2004-05, and has not won a title since 1994-95. Widener last won the conference in 2008-09, capping four straight Commonwealth crowns. Widener entered the final day of the regular-season in a four-way race for the final two tournament spots. They defeated Lycoming in double overtime and received lots of help with two conference upsets. LVC and Widener split their season pair as Widener is the last team to have beaten Lebanon Valley when BJ Smith's desperation 65-foot shot fell at the buzzer. Widener has dominated the Dutchmen in the Commonwealth tournament as they've won all five meetings. LVC has been led by the conference's best backcourt. All-conference shooting guard Joe Meehan (18.5 ppg/5.3 apg) and Trautman lead the conference in scoring. Widener is paced by second-team all-conference pick Jack Brennan who leads the team with 13.6 ppg and 7.4 rpg at center.

Top-seeded Alvernia (11-3, 16-6) will host its first Commonwealth Conference tournament game Wednesday (7 PM) when Messiah (7-7, 12-12) travels to Reading. Alvernia swept Messiah during the regular season. The Falcons needed help on the last day of the regular season to win a three-way tie over Albright and Elizabethtown at 7-7. Alvernia is led by First Team All-Commonwealth center Cory Boone who is averaging 12.1 points per game and 9.0 rebounds. He leads the Commonwealth and is fourth in the nation in blocked shots with a school-record 81. Second Team All-Commonwealth Alvernia guard Tad Gillis also average double figures.

MAC men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, February 23.

Freedom Conference

7 PM #4 Wilkes at #1 Delaware Valley

8 PM #3 Misericordia at #2 DeSales

Commonwealth Conference

7 PM #4 Messiah at #1 Alvernia

8 PM #3 Widener at #2 Lebanon Valley

The winners of Wednesday games play Saturday, February 26 at the highest remaining seed for the conference championship and the NCAA automatic bid.

Admission

Adults $6
Seniors $4
Students $2
Under 6 Free

MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament

Wednesday, February 23, 2011


Freedom Conference

7 PM #4 Misericordia at #1 Manhattanville

6 PM #3 King’s at #2 DeSales


Commonwealth Conference

6 PM #4 Alvernia at #1 Lebanon Valley

7 PM #3 Widener at #2 Messiah


Winners play at the highest remaining seed on Saturday, February 26 for the NCAA automatic bid.


Admission:
Adults $6
Seniors $4
Students $2
Under 6 Free

DeSales, Delaware Valley, Wilkes, and Misericordia are in the Freedom men's basketball tournament but final seeds depend on the following tiebreakers.

If DeSales wins at FDU, they are the #1 seed.

With a DeSales win (#1) and a Delaware Valley win at Eastern, the Aggies are the #2 seed.
If Misericordia (at Manhattanville) and Wilkes (at King’s) both win or lose:
#3 Misericordia
#4 Wilkes

With a DeSales win (#1) and a Delaware Valley loss:
If Misericordia and Wilkes both lose:
#2 Delaware Valley
#3 Misericordia
#4 Wilkes
If Misericordia and Wilkes both win:
#2 Misericordia
#3 Wilkes
#4 Delaware Valley
If Misericordia wins and Wilkes loses:
#2 Misericordia
#3 Delaware Valley
#4 Wilkes
If Wilkes wins and Misericordia loses:
#2 Wilkes
#3 Delaware Valley
#4 Misericordia

If DeSales loses and Delaware Valley wins, the Aggies are the #1 seed and the Bulldogs will be #2.
If Misericordia and Wilkes both win or lose:
#3 Misericordia
#4 Wilkes

If DeSales and Delaware Valley both lose, DeSales is the #1 seed.
If Misericordia and Wilkes both lose:
#2 Delaware Valley
#3 Misericordia
#4 Wilkes
If Misericordia and Wilkes both win:
#2 Misericordia
#3 Wilkes
#4 Delaware Valley
If Misericordia wins and Wilkes loses:
#2 Misericordia
#3 Delaware Valley
#4 Wilkes
If Wilkes wins and Misericordia loses:
#2 Wilkes
#3 Delaware Valley
#4 Misericordia