November 20, 2009

CROSS COUNTRY

The MAC is well-represented at the NCAA Cross Country meet at Baldwin Wallace College on November 21. The Elizabethtown men qualified as an at-large squad with their regional performance at Lehigh last weekend. Joining them is Messiah Junior Jeff Smeiles, third place finisher at the MAC meet three weeks ago. Four women represent the MAC this weekend. Jenn Cronin, Lebanon Valley Junior, and their first NCAA qualifier, won the regional meet and was third at the MAC meet; Caitlin Dorgan, a Delaware Valley Junior, placed second at the MAC meet; Megan Vanderhagel, a Junior from Elizabethtown, was MAC runner of the year after winning the MAC meet; and, a Senior from Messiah, Erin Rhodes, who finished fifth at the MAC meet, is our last contestant.

FOOTBALL

The MAC has two teams in the NCAA tournament field of 32 schools and two other schools in an ECAC Bowl game. Delaware Valley, 9-1 on the year and 7-0 in the conference, is the MAC's AQ and plays former conference member Susquehanna at James Work Stadium on Saturday at Noon. The last time these two schools met was in 2006 as the Crusaders, a 2-8 team that year, upset the Aggies 17-10. SU won the Liberty League with a win over perennial power and NCAA qualifier Union last week in their last year of play as they move to the Centennial in 2010. Head Coach Steve Brigg's team will be looking to senior running back Dave Paveletz, SU's all-time rushing leader, to lead the way against the #16 Aggies. Jim Clement's DVC squad is in their third NCAA appearance and will be lead by first team all-conference players Mike Isgro, Senior quarterback, and Matt Cook, Junior running back. SU and DVC had Lycoming as a common opponent in 2009, with the Aggies winning at Williamsport, and the Crusaders losing in Selinsgrove. The winner of this game will play the winner of Albright/Alfred next Saturday.

Albright (9-1, 6-1) received an at-large bid after their dramatic 44-43 win at home in double overtime over Lebanon Valley. They travel to Alfred (8-1, 4-1), a team they last faced in 1955. Both teams had a common opponent in FDU, Alfred squeaking by with a five point win, and the Lions prevailing by three touchdowns. Albright last played in the big show in 1996 with a win over powerful Washington & Jefferson. Last week Patrick Subers filled in for injured MAC offensive player of the year Tanner Kelly. For his 362 passing yards and 5 touchdown passes, he was named MAC player of the week. Dave Harig, Albright's solo tackle record holder with 17 last week, will lead the Lion defense.

Lebanon Valley (8-2, 5-2) have completed their best season by earning a postseason opportunity for the first time since 1951 when they faced Morris Harvey College and lost. Their last postseason win was in 1935 when they defeated Tampa. They host the ECAC Southwest Bowl against 5-5 Salisbury. Jim Mono's squad will look to cap a fine season with the strong running game of all-conference performers Senior Charlie Parker and Sophomore Ben Guiles. Many at LVC would have preferred a matchup with local rival F&M (8-2), but the Dips will host Wilkes (6-4) in the South Atlantic ECAC Bowl. Both teams beat Muhlenberg during the regular season and are each 3-3 in previous bowl games. The MAC has been 6-0 against Centennial teams this year and the Colonels hope to make that 7-0. At 3-0 in non-conference action, they also hope to extend that perfect record against stiff competition.

MESSIAH

Messiah fall teams are in their usual position - three teams deep in the NCAA tournament. Field Hockey (21-0), ranked #1 in the country most of the season, is in the Final Four for 13th time under head coach Jan Trapp's leadership. Their 11 AM foe tomorrow is Ursinus, 19-2 and ranked 3rd in the country, a team they beat earlier in the season. Annual postseason power Salisbury faces off with Tufts, the NESCAC representative. The Commonwealth and NESCAC are probably the two strongest NCAA Division III field hockey conferences. Regardless of who wins the other semi-final, the Falcons are ready to win that elusive national championship at 1 PM on Sunday.

The Messiah women's soccer team (21-0-1) travels to Johns Hopkins to face Otterbein (20-1-1) with a Noon start. Prolific Falcon scorers, Junior Erin Hench and Senior Amanda Naeher, combined last week for the winning goal against Endicott. Head coach Scott Frey is counting on these two to lead the way tomorrow on the Hopkins turf. JHU (18-2) plays Middlebury (14-3-2) after defeating MAC rep Eastern at home last weekend 2-1. The Falcons will play the winner of that game as they home to earn the right to head to San Antonio for the Final Four, and an opportunity to repeat as national champions.

After defeating Brockport 3-1, Brad McCarty's men's soccer team hosts Johns Hopkins (16-3-3) tomorrow evening. Messiah (20-1) continues defense of their 2008 national championship with a tough regional field. If they prevail against the Blue Jays, on Sunday they will face the winner of Wesleyan (12-1-5) and Rochester (13-1-3).

Hopefully this weekend gives the Falcons a shot at three national titles and Albright and Delaware Valley win and play each other on November 28!

November 11, 2009

CROSS COUNTRY

Muhlenburg College hosts the cross country regionals at Lehigh University on Saturday, November 14. The men's race is at 11 AM followed by the women at Noon. Two teams from each region automatically qualify for nationals and the NCAA committee then awards 16 at-large spots to the other best teams. Seven individuals also qualify out of each region - they are selected from the top competitors after the team qualifiers are removed. In the region, Elizabethtown's women are ranked sixth and the Messiah women seventh; based on the rankings, they will be competing against these top ranked teams: Johns Hopkins, Dickinson, Haverford, Grove City, and Gettysburg. MAC women challenging for individual spots are conference champion Megan VanDerHensel, a Senior from Elizabethtown, conference runner-up Caitlin Dorgan, a Junior from Delaware Valley, and third place finisher, Jenn Cronin, a Junior from Lebanon Valley. For the men, Elizabethtown is ranked 31st nationally and fifth regionally and Messiah is eighth in the region. Alleghany, Dickinson, Carnegie Mellon, and Haverford all are ahead of the Blue Jays. MAC champion Tyler Newhook, a Sophomore from Messiah, conference runner-up Eric Reichart, a Sophomore from Elizabethtown, and third place finisher Jeffrey Smeiles, a Senior from Messiah, will be competing for individual sports if their teams don't qualify.

November 10, 2009

MESSIAH IN PERENNIAL FALL POSITION

It will be a busy upcoming weekend on the Messiah College campus, as the NCAA released the national tournament brackets for men’s and women’s soccer and field hockey Monday — with Messiah serving as an opening-round host for each.“To say the least, it’s an exciting time to be a part of Messiah College athletics,” said Cory Furman, assistant athletics director for public relations and marketing. “I’m fairly confident that we’re the only NCAA Division III school in the country hosting an opening weekend in these three sports. It’s both a privilege and an honor to be hosting such important events.” Messiah will be defending national championships in men's and women's soccer and have been in the NCAA field hockey championship game several times without winning the title. Maybe this is the year?

MEN'S SOCCER

The Messiah men’s soccer team (19-1-0), Commonwealth Champion after defeating Arcadia, has a first-round bye and will host a second-round contest Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Shoemaker Field against the winner of the Ohio Northern and Brockport winner. First year Coach Brad McCarty has his team in a great position to continue the Falcon's national championship legacy. Misericordia (12-4-3), Freedom Conference Champion, travels to Salisbury to take on Centennial foe Johns Hopkins (15-3-2). Chuck Edkin's Cougars also earned the Freedom AQ last year, their first in the conference.



In ECAC action, #5 DeSales (10-7) travels to #4 Lebanon Valley (10-7-2) on Wednesday for a rematch of a regular season match where the Dutchmen prevailed 3-2.

FIELD HOCKEY

Messiah’s field hockey team (19-0) starts their pursuit of a national championship on Saturday at Anderson Field. Ranked #1 in the country for most of the season, the Falcons are making their 23rd straight tournament appearance. They will face the winner of the Eastern University (17-4)/Stevens Institute of Technology (17-3) game, slated to take place Wednesday afternoon in Hoboken, N.J. at 5 PM. Lebanon Valley College (17-3) plays Wittenberg University (12-5) at home on Wednesday, with the winner playing Rowan at 2 p.m. Saturday. The winners of those two games will then face off Sunday at 3:30 p.m. for the semi-final games at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. the following weekend. Conference fans are hoping for a Messiah-Lebanon Valley tilt on Sunday, the third meeting between those teams this season.

In ECAC action, #1 seed Wilkes (15-3) hosts Hartwick and #4 Alvernia (11-8) plays Wesley.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Messiah’s women’s soccer team (19-0-1) will take on Farmingdale State University (15-4-3) at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The Falcons make their 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and are coming off their third-straight Commonwealth Conference Championship. Endicott College (17-4) faces off against SUNY Geneseo (14-4-2) in the other first-round contest at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night. The winner of that game then faces the winner of the Messiah-Farmingdale State contest at 6 p.m. Sunday evening. Eastern (10-7-2), Freedom Conference Champions after winning the AQ from the 3rd seed, play ODAC foe Virginia Wesleyan (17-3-1) at Johns Hopkins on Saturday at 2:30.

VOLLEYBALL

Perennial power Juniata, hosts the MAC champions this Thursday. At 12:30 Eastern (30-4), Freedom Champ, faces off with Frostburg (30-4) and at 5:30 Lebanon Valley, Commonwealth Conference winner, takes on Mount Union (21-6). Winners will continue play on Friday. The Eagles and Dutchmen were 2008 conference champions and took the same trip to Juniata where they were eliminated.

In ECAC action, the Freedom has another top seed as #1DeSales (21-8) hosts PSU-Altoona, #3 Widener hosts Swarthmore and in the Metro, #4 FDU (18-15) hosts #5 Ramapo.

Congratulations to all our postseason representatives - we are confident that you will do well in your respective brackets!

November 9, 2009

FOOTBALL

Although it would have been exciting to go into the final weekend with a possible three way tie for the championship, Delaware Valley dismissed that scenario with ease on Saturday as they won the MAC championship and the AQ to the NCAA championship. As they would have been on the outside looking in with a three way tie, they took matters into their own hands by handing Albright their first loss. This week Albright faces Lebanon Valley at home, with the winner eligible for a Pool C bid. This year because of our favorable results against East and South Region foes, the MAC should have the best chance of a Pool C nod over their local competitors the NEFC, Empire 8, NJAC, USA South, Liberty, ODAC, Centennial, and PAC. Albright or LVC will end up at 9-1 (only loss to DVC) in a conference that had great non-conference wins against many of the top teams in these conferences. Washington & Jefferson and Hampden Sydney are the only teams in this group that could be 2nd in their conference and have a 9-1 overall record.

PAC – Thomas More has the AQ. W & J wins this week and they are 9-1. If you look at the other teams in that conference, they don't have good non-conference wins and an overall record of 24-39 (conference wins/losses negate each other – 15 more non-conference losses than wins).

Centennial – Although Hopkins has the inside line on the AQ, if they end up as the 2nd team, they lost to DVC. Ursinus, Dickinson, and F&M could all mathematically tie for the championship (they each have more than one loss). Ursinus lost to LVC and Albright, our 9-1 contenders. We were 6-0 against this conference.

NEFC – Curry is in championship game against Maine Maritime – no matter who wins, Widener beat Curry and they have no claim to another spot.

Empire 8 – Alfred is likely to be the AQ and they only beat FDU by 5. The other contending teams have more than one loss.

Liberty – If Susquehanna beats Union they are the AQ and Union has 3 losses. If Union wins, Susquehanna has 3 losses, one of them to Lycoming.

NJAC – Montclair plays Kean for the AQ - Kean lost to DVC(30-17) and Montclair lost to Wilkes (37-10).

USA South – NC Wesleyan plays Averett for the AQ. The loser has 3 losses. Wilkes beat Christopher Newport and CNU beat Averett 43-12.

ODAC – Hampden Sydney plays Randolph Macon for the AQ. If HS wins, RM has 4 losses. If RM beats HS, HS is 9-1 but they only beat Gettysburg by 3 points (LVC beat Gettysburg) and the league champion (RM) lost to King’s.

November 6, 2009

FOOTBALL

If Delaware Valley beats Albright this weekend, they are the MAC AQ.

In the case where we have a three way tie (DVC, LVC, and Albright), these would be the tiebreakers:

Head-to-head results between and among the tied teams in traditional season conference contests (not applicable).

Tied teams’ traditional season won-loss records versus conference teams starting with #1, then #2, etc. (not applicable).

Goal, point, run differential between and among the tied teams, with a maximum differential of 3 goals in soccer and field hockey, 5 runs in baseball and softball, 6 goals in lacrosse, 15 points in basketball, and 3 points in football (not likely).

Tied teams’ goal, point, run differential in conference contests starting with #1, then #2, etc. with a maximum differential of 3 goals in soccer and field hockey, 5 runs in baseball and softball, 6 goals in lacrosse, 15 points in basketball, and 3 points in football (not likely).

Overall winning percentage (all games, conference and non-conference) (favors LVC at 9-1 with win over Albright (9-1); DVC ends at 8-2)

The team that has been out of the playoffs the longest (to LVC)

Coin flip

To have a three way tie:

Albright would beat DVC this weekend and LVC defeats Lycoming.

Next weekend LVC beats Albright and DVC defeats Widener.


We seem well positioned to get a Pool C berth (if anyone in East Region gets one) based on our non-conference record.


In region:

Widener beat Curry who leads Boyd in NEFC

Susquehanna lost to Lyco – they are 2nd in Liberty

DVC beat Kean and Wilkes beat Montclair – they lead NJAC

FDU lost to Empire 8 leader Alfred by 5 points

Out of region - these teams are in south:

6-0 against Centennial – MAC schools didn’t play Dickinson or F & M who are tied with Hopkins for 1st– but did beat Hopkins, Ursinus (4-2 and still in contention to tie for 1st), and Gettysburg (3-3).

Wilkes beat Christopher Newport – tied for 2nd in USA South

Randolph Macon is tied with Bridgewater for 2nd in ODAC – Lyco lost a close one to Bridgewater and King’s beat Randolph Macon

In other games this week FDU and King's play - with Devils trying to pick up first conference win and Monarchs trying to end season in middle of pack. Wilkes and Widener battle for end-of -season goals. If the Colonels win out, they will be 7-3 with an outside chance of an ECAC bowl game, particularly with their non-conference wins. The Pride can end the season at .500 with two wins.

November 5, 2009

VOLLEYBALL

Freedom Conference Eastern and Commonwealth Conference Lebanon Valley are in position to defend their 2008 titles as they both host conference championships on Saturday. To return to the NCAA tournament next week they first have to get by the two other top teams in their respective conferences. Eastern (29-4), ranked in the national coaches poll all year, will face DeSales (21-7) on Saturday night at 5 PM. They each got their with semi-final wins on Wednesday night - Eastern racked up aces against Wilkes to win 3-0, while DeSales got off to a slow start against FDU-Florham, but prevailed 3-1. In the regular season match, the Eagles defeated the Bulldogs 3-0, but DeSales ran off a record number of wins after that loss. Lebanon Valley avenged a 3-1 loss in the regular season to Widener with an easy 3-0 semi-final win last night; Elizabethtown knocked off the #3 ranked Messiah Falcons to earn a spot in the title game. Last week Lebanon Valley (30-2) defeated Elizabethtown (20-9) 3-2 in their regular season match. With an NCAA bid on the line, the return match up will be battle.

FIELD HOCKEY

The two tops seeds and defending conference champions, Eastern (16-4) and Messiah (18-0), won their semi-final matches on Wednesday, but in very different ways. Eastern had to pull out all the stops to beat Delaware Valley 2-1 while the Falcons had an easy time with the Widener Pride. In overtime, King's (9-8) upset nationally ranked Wilkes 2-1 to earn another shot at Eastern and the Freedom title. Eastern won the regular season game 3-1. It took the 7th ranked Lebanon Valley Dutchmen (17-2) most of the game to finally put away the Elizabethtown Blue Jays, but they are now in the perennial position of battling the Falcons, ranked #1 nationally for most of the season, for the Commonwealth title and seeding in the NCAA tournament. Messiah won the regular season game 4-1, but in this rivalry, previous scores mean little.

MEN'S SOCCER

Misericordia (11-4-3) battled Wilkes into overtime to earn a spot in the Freedom championship and defend their 2008 conference title against Manhattanville (13-4-1). Manhattanville also had a tough semi-final defeating #4 seed Kings 1-0. In the regular season the Valiants edged the Cougars 1-0. It should be a lively time in Purchase as the 4 PM men's championship follows the women's title game at 1. In the Commonwealth, six time national champion Messiah, hosts Arcadia (12-5-3), the most improved team in the conference, at 7:30 PM on Saturday. First-year head coach Rob Nydick has returned the Knights to prominence after a last place conference finish in 2008. Messiah (17-1) also enters new territory in the post-season under first-year coach Brad McCarty, a long-time assistant under Dave Brandt, now coach at Navy. Arcadia heads to the title game after winning a 1-0 semi-final match over perennial power Elizabethtown; Messiah had an easier time with a 3-0 win over the LVC Dutchmen. The Falcons, ranked 2nd in the nation, easily defeated Arcadia in the regular season, but the Knights have been showing well since then against top opponents.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Messiah (18-0-1), the top ranked team in the country and defending Division III champion, enters the post-season with hopes of a NCAA repeat, but they still have to get by the 15-1-3 Arcadia Knights to begin that NCAA title run with the top seed. If Arcadia can't beat the Falcons, they at least want a stronger showing than the regular season result (4-0) to possibly be considered for a Pool C nod. Messiah beat Albright and Arcadia defeated Elizabethtown in the semi-finals to earn a spot in the championship game. This Commonwealth final will be at Messiah at 4:30 on Saturday, one of three championships at the Grantham campus. Eastern (8-7-2), last years Freedom champion and one of the Elite 8 in the 2008 NCAA's (lost to Messiah), travels to Manhattanville (17-1-1) for a 1 PM game on Saturday. The Eagles had to score two late second half goals to get by Misericordia 2-1 on Tuesday in the semi-final tilt. The Valiants had an easier time with Wilkes 4-0 as they entered the post-season with their best showing ever, including a national ranking this past week. Manhattanville overpowered Eastern 3-0 in the regular season, but the Eagles have many players from last years championship run who want another shot at NCAA play.

October 30, 2009

MAC FOOTBALL - WEEK #9

This weekend begins a frantic three week push for the MAC title, with the key players facing each other Nov. 7 and Nov. 14. The current situation has Delaware Valley and Albright tied at 4-0 in the MAC, and LVC a game behind at 3-1. DVC and Albright will play each other next week; LVC plays Albright Nov. 14; and DVC has already beaten LVC. If the Aggies win out, they would win it outright. LVC has not won the MAC championship since it was tri-champ in 1969.

FDU - Florham (0-4, 1-6) travels to Albright (4-0, 7-0), the top ranked team in the East Region and #21 nationally. After a disappointing 7-6 loss at Wilkes last week, the Devils under the leadership of Bill Winters hope to get on the winning track. They will face Tanner Kelly, one of the MAC's top quarterbacks, and his favorite receiver Nate Romig. Offense is not all the Lions bring to the field as they have one of the top defense’s in Division III football - currently 14th in points allowed per game (13.00) and 15th overall in total yards allowed with 257.14 yards per game.

Delaware Valley (4-0, 6-1), ranked 3rd in the East Region and 23rd nationally, plays at King's (1-3, 2-5). King's hope to repeat last years performance as spoiler when they defeated conference NCAA tournament representative Lycoming. The Aggies lone loss this year was a 31-13 defeat on September 19 to Wesley (7-0), which is currently ranked third by the AFCA and D3Football.com. The accolades keep pouring in for Delaware Valley College junior defensive end Garrett Wooters as he was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southeast Defensive Player of the Week and earned a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week.

Lebanon Valley (3-1, 6-1), ranked eighth in the East Region, plays at Widener (1-3, 3-4). With a win Saturday, Lebanon Valley would go to 7-1 for the first time in program history, and ensure a seven-win season for the first time since going 7-3 in 1992. The Pride, hoping for a winning season, needs to stop the LVC running game of Charlie Parker and Ben Guiles if they are to prevail.

Wilkes (1-3, 4-3) is at Lycoming (2-2, 3-4). Two programs that have been in the MAC title chase in recent years are playing for pride on Saturday as a 2009 championship is not to be. Wilkes defeated Lyco last year, one of the few blemishes on first-year coach Mike Clark's 2008 trip to the NCAA tournament. Wilkes Rob Johnson leads the Colonels offense against a stout Warrior defense, ranked third in the MAC.

October 29, 2009

WOMEN'S SOCCER TIEBREAKERS

Commonwealth:

If Widener beats Albright:

#1 Messiah

#2 Arcadia

#3 Elizabethtown

#4 Widener

If Albright beats Widener and Elizabethown loses to Messah:

#1 Messiah

#2 Arcadia

#3 Albright

#4 Elizabethtown

If Albright beats Widener and Elizabethown defeats Messiah:

#1 Messiah

#2 Arcadia

#3 Elizabethtown

#4 Albright

Freedom with no ties:

Manhattanville is #1

If Misericordia beats King's they are #2 and the winner of Eastern/FDU is #3

If Misericordia loses, the winner of Eastern/FDU is #2 and Misericordia is #3

The loser of Wilkes/DeSales is eliminated.

If FDU loses, they are eliminated and winner of DeSales/Wilkes is #4

If Eastern loses, and DeSales wins, Eastern is #4 and DeSales is eliminated

If Eastern loses, Wilkes wins, Misericordia wins, then Eastern is #4 and Wilkes is out

If Eastern loses, Wilkes wins, Misericordia loses, then Wilkes is #4 and Eastern is out

Freedom with ties:

Manhattanville is #1

If Misericordia ties, they are #2 unless Eastern wins - then Eastern is #2 and Misericordia is #3

If Eastern and FDU tie, and Misericordia ties or wins, Misericordia is #2 and Eastern is #3

If Eastern and FDU tie, and Misericordia loses, Eastern is #2 and Misericordia is #3

If Eastern and FDU tie, Wilkes wins, they are #4; if Wilkes ties or loses, FDU is #4

MEN'S SOCCER TIEBREAKERS

Commonwealth:

Messiah is #1

If Arcadia beats Alvernia or Elizabethown loses or ties Messiah, Arcadia is #2 and Etown is #3

If Arcadia loses or ties Alvernia and Elizabethtown defeats Messiah, Etown is #2 and Arcadia is #3

If Lebanon Valley ties or wins against Lycoming, they are #4

If LVC loses and Widener defeats Albright, Widener is #4

Freedom:

Manhattanville is #1

If Misericordia beats or ties King's, Wilkes beats DeSales:

#2 Misericordia

#3 Wilkes

#4 King's

If Misericordia beats or ties King's, DeSales defeats Wilkes:

#2 Misericordia

#3 DeSales

#4 King's

If Misericordia beats King's, DeSales and Wilkes tie:

#2 Misericordia

#3 Wilkes

#4 DeSales

If Misericordia ties King's, DeSales and Wilkes tie:

#2 Misericordia

#3 King's

#4 Wilkes

If King's beats Misericordia:

#2 King's

#3 Misericordia

#4 Wilkes/DeSales winner

October 28, 2009

MAC FIELD HOCKEY TIEBREAKERS

Freedom:

If Wilkes defeats Manhattanville and Delaware Valley:

#1 Eastern

#2 Wilkes

#3 King's

#4 DVC

If Wilkes splits with Manhattanville and Delaware Valley and King's beats DeSales:

#1 Eastern

#2 Wilkes

#3 King's

#4 DVC

If Wilkes defeats Manhattanville and loses to DVC and King's loses to DeSales:

#1 Eastern

#2 DVC

#3 Wilkes

#4 King's

If Wilkes defeats DVC and loses to Manhattanville and King's loses to DeSales:

#1 Eastern

#2 Wilkes

#3 King's

#4 DVC

If Wilkes loses to Manhattanville and DVC and King's beats DeSales:

#1 Eastern

#2 King's

#3 DVC

#4 Wilkes

Commonwealth:

If LVC beats Widener:

#1 Messiah

#2 LVC

#3 Elizabethtown

#4 Widener

If Widener defeats LVC by more than two goals and beats Arcadia:

#1 Messiah

#2 Widener

#3 LVC

#4 Elizabethtown

MAC VOLLEYBALL TIEBREAKERS

Commonwealth

If LVC defeats Elizabethtown, Widener and Messiah win:

#1 LVC

#2 Elizabethtown

#3 Messiah

#4 Widener

If LVC defeats Elizabethown, Widener Wins, Messiah loses:

#1 LVC

#2 Elizabethtown

#3 Widener

#4 Messiah

If Elizabethtown beats LVC, Widener wins, and Messiah win/loses:

#1 Elizabethown

#2 Widener

#3 LVC

#4 Messiah

If Elizabethtown beats LVC, Widener loses, Messiah wins:

#1 Elizabethtown

#2 LVC

#3 Messiah

#4 Widener

Freedom

If Wilkes beats Misericordia:

#1 Eastern

#2 DeSales

#3 FDU

#4 Wilkes

If Wilkes loses to Misericordia, King's beats DeSales:

#1 Eastern

#2 DeSales

#3 FDU

#4 King's

If Misericordia beats Wilkes 3-0 and DeSales defeats King's:

#1 Eastern

#2 DeSales

#3 FDU

#4 King's

October 23, 2009

FOOTBALL

With four weeks to go in the season, the MAC championship chase is in full swing. Delaware Valley visits Lycoming where a win will not only keep them in first place but will also assure the squad of their seventh straight non-losing season. That would tie a school record that was first accomplished from 1979 to 1985. Lycoming (2-1 in the MAC) needs a win to stay alive in the title race and repeat as conference champions.

Although King's is 1-2 in the conference, they have given every team a battle. They will visit Lebanon Valley as the homecoming opponent. In the rain, this will be two teams running the ball at each other all afternoon. LVC needs the win to stay close to conference leaders DVC and Albright.

Widener (1-2) takes the show on the road to Albright after two disappointing losses in a row. Albright, with their best start in over a decade (6-0, 3-0), can't afford a loss as they still have games with DVC and LVC, the two teams in hot pursuit of the championship.

FDU visits Wilkes as each team hopes to pick up their first conference win. Wilkes started the year 3-0 with great non-conference wins, but has fallen short against the three conference leaders - Albright, LVC, and DVC.

WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL TENNIS

The tournament has been moved to the Kingston Indoor Tennis Club because of inclement weather. See MAC web site for details. Based on forecast, the semi's and finals should be played outdoors at King's/Wilkes on Sunday. Semi-finalists last year, who are returning this year include: Kate Steiner, DeSales; Megan Gillespie, Arcadia; Lauren Verret, Maura Haupt, Courney Otto, Misericordia; Sarah Grodzinski, Shayna Heitzelman, Lebanon Valley; Katie Marstaller, Steph Knepper, Messiah; Emily Swarr, Jessica Russell, Elizabethtown; Michelle Knight, Xiaoqiao Zhang, Rebekah Shanaman, Wilkes; and, Lauren Breen, King's.

TEAM TENNIS

The teams are all set for the team championships in May 2010. Commonwealth: Elizabethtown, Lebanon Valley, Messiah, and Alvernia; Freedom: Wilkes, King's, Misericordia, and Manhattanville.

FIELD HOCKEY

Delaware Valley field hockey (4-1) clinched its first Freedom Conference playoff berth since 2006 with a victory over Misericordia University. A big reason are the two seniors on the team - Danielle Heyne and Bethany Pavlik - who are just nine points shy of a 200 for the duo. They have combined for 71 goals and 51 assists for 191 points. Tomorrow they play Wilkes (3-1) for 2nd place. Nothing gets easier as they play 5-0 Eastern in the conference regular season finale. Eastern hopes to hold on to the top Freedom Conference seed as they visit Misericordia this weekend.

Messiah, ranked #1 in the country, plays perennial powerhouse TCNJ after their convincing win over #7 LVC on Wednesday.

VOLLEYBALL

The Commonwealth championship tournament teams are all set - Elizabethtown, Lebanon Valley, Messiah, and Widener. Elizabethtown and LVC play for first place; Widener and Messiah are both 4-2 so they need to keep playing for the best seed.

Three teams are set for the Freedom tournament - Eastern, DeSales, and FDU. King's, Wilkes, and Misericordia are battling for the 4th spot.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Two big matchups this weekend as Elizabethtown (3-1) travels to Arcadia (4-0) and Eastern (3-0-2) makes their way to Manhattanville (5-0). DeSales plays Misericordia - the winner enhances their chance at tournament berth.

MEN'S SOCCER

Similar to the women, Elizabethtown 3-0-1 is at Arcadia (3-0-1) with the winner staying in the hunt with Messiah (3-0) for the top seed. Lebanon Valley and Widener battle for one of the last Commonwealth spots. Eastern (2-2) hopes to improve their tournament chances as they visit Manhattanville (5-0). DeSales, Misericordia, Wilkes, and King's are all chasing those last seeds in the very competitive Freedom race.

October 19, 2009

WOMEN'S TENNIS

As we enter the final week of conference play, here are the scenarios for championship tournament berths.

Commonwealth:

If Lebanon Valley defeats Elizabethtown, they are 1st place and the Blue Jays clinch 2nd.

If Etown beats LVC, they are 1st and the Dutchmen are 2nd.

If Messiah wins over Arcadia and Albright, they are 3rd.

If Messiah splits with Arcadia and Albright and Alvernia beats Etown, Alvernia is 3rd. If Messiah's loss is to Arcadia, Messiah is eliminated and the Knights take 4th; if Messiah's loss it to Albright, Messiah takes 4th and Arcadia is eliminated.

If Messiah loses to Albright and Arcadia, the Falcons are eliminated and Alvernia takes 3rd and Arcadia 4th.

If Messiah loses to Arcadia and beats Albright and Etown beats Alvernia, the three way tie between Alvernia, Messiah, and Arcadia will be broken by match scores.

If Messiah beats Arcadia and loses to Albright and the Blue Jays defeat Alvernia, Messiah is 3rd and Alvernia is 4th.

Freedom

If King's beat Wilkes, they are 1st and the Colonels are 2nd.

If Wilkes beats King's, they are 1st and the Monarchs are 2nd.

If Misericordia defeats Manhattanville, they are 3rd and the Valiants are 4th.

If Manhattanville beats the Cougars, they are 3rd and Misericordia is 4th.

The championship tournaments are at the site of the higher seeds May 4 for semi-finals and May 8 for finals.

Women's individual tournament is this weekend - October 24-25 at Wilkes and King's.

October 16, 2009

FOOTBALL

Wilkes heads to Delaware Valley for their third tough conference game in a row. After opening 3-0 with some great non-conference wins, the Colonels have lost to MAC title contenders Albright and Lebanon Valley. The road to DVC is no easier, as the Aggies are 4-1 overall including a great win over Johns Hopkins, Centennial Conference leader. Both are used to grass fields, but the weather may have significant impact.

Lycoming travels to Widener as both teams try to get back on the winning side after losses to Albright and King's last weekend. Although Lycoming would prefer to be at home normally, playing on the Pride's turf rather than chewing up their grass for the rest of the year is some consolation. In recent years, this has been one of the MAC's great rivalries. The winner of this game stays alive for the title while the loser probably drops out of contention.

Lebanon Valley travels to FDU, again a fortuitous situation as they save their field for next weeks homecoming. Bill Winters continues to rack up significant numbers, and although FDU is 1-4, they have been known to knock off title contenders - DVC in 2008. LVC showed great poise last week as they had the game in the bag - on the one with a possible 28-12 advantage, but a fumble and 99 yard Wilkes return made the score 21-18. For his effort against Wilkes, Alex Gilchrist, LVC linebacker, was honored as D3Football player of the week.

King's hosts Albright, ranked 23rd in the country. King's has had two great conference showings - two weeks ago they lost to Lyco but had them on the ropes; last week they came from behind to knock off Widener. Tanner Kelley, Albright College Senior Quarterback, was named ECAC Southeast Offensive Player of the Week. Kelly helped the Lions to their first 5-0 start since 1997. He threw for a game high 393 yards, three touchdown passes, and was 22-for-34 without an interception for the fifth consecutive game. On the ground, Kelly rushed for an additional 87 yards which also led the Lions offense. Kelly now has over 1,380 yards passing and 246 yards rushing this season. He has thrown for 11 touchdowns and rushed for an additional three. Going into Saturday’s game, his passing efficiency was in the top-five in Division III football.

FIELD HOCKEY

Jocelyn Novak, Lebanon Valley College Sophomore Forward, was named ECAC Mid-Atlantic Offensive Player of the Week. Novak became the fastest player in LVC history to reach 100 career points as she scored six goals in three games for nationally ranked #7 Lebanon Valley last week. Novak tallied twice against Franklin and Marshall, then scored the late game winner against Haverford, and had her eighth career hat trick against Shenandoah. She leads the Dutchmen to William Smith on Saturday for the teams annual match up against the perennial power.

Kudos to Alvernia for knocking off #17 Juniata 1-0. Juniata, 11-3, had enjoyed a nine game winning streak.

The big match up this weekend has King's (3-0) visiting Eastern (3-0) for sole possession of first place in the Freedom Conference.

Widener travels to #1 Messiah in hopes of knocking off the conference leader and enhancing their Commonwealth Conference tournament position.

GOLF

The MAC showed well at the Gettysburg Invitational as Messiah took first by winning four of the top five places. Dan Wort shot a 73 to lead the pack. Albright took send in a very competitive field.

WOMEN'S TENNIS

Two key matches will probably determine the two conference regular season champions. On Monday Wilkes (4-0) plays at Kings (5-0) for the Freedom title, and on Tuesday Elizabethtown (4-0) travels to Lebanon Valley (5-0) for the Commonwealth lead.

MEN'S SOCCER

The big match this weekend pits Arcadia (3-0) against #3 nationally ranked Messiah (2-0) for first place in the Commonwealth. Arcadia has had a great soccer tradition until the past couple of years. A win at Messiah would be a major statement about the reemerging program.

#24 Elizabethtown plays Widener, with the Pride needing a win to stay in the Commonwealth tournament picture.

On the Freedom side, Manhattanville hopes to continue their winning ways and conference lead (3-0) at Kings's (2-1).

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Dan Mouw, Eastern coach, nabbed his 100th win against DVC this week.

The undefeated Arcadia side (ranked ninth in region) travels to nationally ranked #1 Messiah for their biggest test to date. Both teams are 3-0 in the Commonwealth.

Manhattanville won their seventh straight game, breaking a record that dates to 1984.

Eastern (2-0-1) and Misericordia (2-1) play this weekend - Eastern, last years Freedom champion, needs a win to stay in the hunt for the regular season top seed.

VOLLEYBALL

Congratulations to Kat Clerici, King's new career blocks leader with 376, and to DeSale's Jen Mellon who has the program's all-time kills record.

DeSales big win over FDU 3-1 this week was their 11th straight. Other than getting by Freedom foe nationally ranked #24 Eastern, the Bulldogs have been dominant.

Delaware Valley's program, once defunct, has emerged with their second winning season in a row. Congratulations to Shawn Rush and the Aggies on the turnabout!

Messiah (3-2) travels to Widener (4-1) this week for a match that has great bearing on Commonwealth tournament seeds.

October 9, 2009

FOOTBALL

Senior quarterback Bill Winters leads his team against Delaware Valley this week. He is quickly turning into the best statistical quarterback in FDU-Florham football history. At his present pace, he could own as many as six records by the end of the season. Winters broke the all-time passing completions record this season at TCNJ and he currently has 391 completions which is 62 more than second place. Last week against Widener, he set the all-time record for passing yards (4,281) and passing attempts (728). Winters will also finish his career with the passing completion percentage record. To date he has 30 passing touchdowns which puts him in third place all-time, five from the record. A true dual-threat quarterback, he presently has 16 rushing touchdowns which ranks him fifth all-time. After their big win over LVC last week, the Aggies hope to keep their hold on first place in the MAC.

Wilkes and Lebanon Valley square off for homecoming in Wilkes-Barre. Both teams entered the conference season last week with 3-0 record against non-conference opponents, but both lost. The winner of this weeks game stays in the hunt for the conference title.

ECAC Division III Southeast Offensive Player of the Week Tanner Kelley, Albright College Senior Quarterback from Clearfield, Pa., leads the Lions (4-0) against last year's MAC champion Lycoming (2-2). Both won their opening conference games so this match up is for a share of first place. Of the 611 yards that the Albright offense accumulated in Saturday’s win over Wilkes University, Kelly tallied 499 (436 passing, 69 rushing) of those yards. In the air, the senior was nearly perfect yet again going 32-for-39 (82.1%). He also did not throw an interception or turn the ball over for the fourth consecutive game and was responsible for four touchdowns. His longest pass of the day was a 53 yarder to Nate Romig. Kelly also led the Lions run game recording 63 yards on 12 carries.

King's (1-3) travels to Widener (3-1). The Pride has racked up points in their last two games, outscoring FDU and Frostburg 76-30, and hope to keep pace with the top conference teams.

VOLLEYBALL

The King’s College women’s volleyball team handed head coach Bernie Kachinko his 400th career victory as the Lady Monarchs posted an emotional 3-0 victory over the visiting University of Scranton Thursday in Scandlon Gymnasium. King’s won by scores of 25-15, 25-23, 25-10. With the win, King’s improved to 16-7 while Scranton slipped to 5-13. King’s was led by Kat Clerici who posted 16 kills and seven total blocks, equaling the school-record of 372 total blocks set by Michelle Simcoe from 1992-95. For Kachinko, the victory upped his career mark to 400-257 in his 21 years with the Lady Monarchs.“It is very gratifying to reach 400 wins and obviously it would never have happened without all my players over the years as well as the assistant coaches we have had,” Kachinko stated. “It brings back a lot of memories and having the chance to reflect on all the players who came through here and played for me is very special. Their efforts are the reason why this milestone was able to come about and I thank them all for what they have given me over the years.” King’s will be idle until Wednesday when the Lady Monarchs host Manhattanville College at 7:00 p.m. in Scandlon Gym.

The DVC Aggies have a 13-7 overall record with eight matches remaining. One victory will give them back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since they posted three straight from 1996 to 1998.

Eastern is ranked #24 in the latest AVCA poll.

WOMEN'S TENNIS

Senior Sarah Grodzinski became the first player in LVC tennis history to reach 100 combined wins as she led her team past Neumann, 6-3, to push Lebanon Valley's perfect start to 10-0 and 3-0 in conference play. The Dutchmen travel to Arcadia on Saturday for a CC match up.

GOLF

The Elizabethtown College golf team won its own 16-team Blue Jay Classic at the Hershey Country Club East Course shooting 318 as a team in windy conditions to edge Messiah College by two strokes. Matt Burkhart of Messiah shot a 74 to win the tournament by three strokes over Joey Goldstein of Dickinson College. The MAC and NCAA Championships will be hosted by E-town on this course!

MEN'S SOCCER

Lycoming College men’s soccer head coach Scott Kennell claimed his 100th victory at the helm of the program, becoming just the second active coach in the Commonwealth Conference to reach the milestone. His Warriors travel to Arcadia on Saturday for a big Commonwealth match up.

DVC junior transfer Tom Antonucci has already set Aggie single-season records for goals (15), assists (7) and points (37) in just 10 games. He is just four point shy of moving into the top five on the school's all-time scoring list as he leads the team against Kings's for Family Weekend on Saturday.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Widener’s women’s soccer team has received votes in the latest NSCAA/adidas Top 25 Poll. The Pride (10-1-1) have tied the 1995 squad for the best start in school history, using a combination of great offense, standout defense and tremendous comebacks to reach the mark. Four of Widener’s victories as well as its tie have come after the team was trailing. The Pride have outscored their opponents 28-10 this season. Coach Brian Sheehan looks for his 100th win as his team hosts perennial power Messiah on Saturday.

Arcadia University Women's Soccer finds themselves in good company atop the NCAA Division III team and individual goals-against, save and shutout percentages. The 9-0-3 Knights have yet to find the loss column thanks to superb goalkeeping by first year Jacki Law (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains Fanwood), this week's Commonwealth Goalie of the Week. They have outscored their opponents by a 29-2 margin, having last allowed a goal against in a 2-1 home win against Ramapo back on Sept. 9. The Knights grabbed the #10 spot in this week’s NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Rankings, and along with #1 Messiah, remain the only unbeaten ranked teams in the Mid Atlantic Region. The team looks to remain undefeated when they host Commonwealth Conference opponent Lycoming on Saturday.

Junior Holly Nonis (Brampton, Ontario) scored a pair of goals to give head coach Matt Paton his 100th career victory as the Manhattanville women’s soccer team, once again ranked eighth in this week’s NSCAA Div. III Mid-Atlantic Regional rankings, defeated Ramapo College by a 3-1 score in non-conference action at the Ramapo Athletic Center on Wednesday afternoon

Eastern Coach Dan Mouw also looks for his 100th career win as the Eagles host conference foe DeSales on Saturday.

FIELD HOCKEY

The ECAC Division III Mid-Atlantic Offensive Player of the Week was Caitlin Vasey, Lebanon Valley College Freshman Forward from Doylestown, Pa. Vasey had a breakout week for LVC, starting for the first time and scoring six goals and two assists in three LVC wins. Vasey started the week with her first career hat trick at Albright, then scored twice at FDU-Florham and added another goal against Stevenson. In three games, Vasey averaged 4.67 points per game. LVC returns to conference play on Saturday hosting Shenandoah.

The DVC field hockey team, picked sixth out of seven in the Freedom Conference preseason coaches' poll, will look to improve to 3-0 in conference play when they travel to King's for a rare, Friday afternoon contest.

FOOTBALL

The MAC finished their non-conference portion of the season with a 16-8 record, one of the best in recent years. The strength of schedule was impressive with wins over all Centennial opponents including Moravian, Ursinus, Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins, and Muhlenberg; NJAC foes Montclair, Kean, and Western Connecticut; Liberty League, former MAC member, Susquehanna; perennial ECFA power Curry; last years ODAC champion Randolph Macon; Division II Pace; and the 2008 USA South champion Christopher Newport. Congratulations to our players and coaches for representing the MAC so well!

The ECAC Defensive Player of the Week goes to Tim Lombreglia,Wilkes University
Junior Defensive Lineman from Sparta, N.J., for a great effort in the win over Christopher Newport. He picked up a career-high 10 tackles as well as two-and-a-half sacks for a loss of 14 yards to lead the Colonel defense. The defensive lineman also intercepted a pass and returned it 38 yards which led to the go-ahead touchdown for Wilkes.

This week conference play starts with the three undefeated teams and Delaware Valley (2-1 with only loss to national power Wesley) sorting things out early. The DVC/LVC match-up is huge as LVC is 3-0 for the first time since 1979, but DVC has won the last six meetings. DVC has won its last six conference openers, including four on the road. Wilkes (3-0) travels to Albright (3-0) for another great contest. Lycoming (1-2) visits King's (1-2), and Widener (2-1) travels to FDU (2-1) on Friday night.

MEN'S SOCCER

The ECAC Defensive Player of the Week is awarded to Andrew Loyd, Misericordia University Senior Goalkeeper from Dillsburg, Pa. On Saturday, MU defeated John Carroll, 1-0, only the second loss of the season for the No. 24-ranked Blue Streaks. Misericordia also battled to a 1-1 tie in double overtime Wednesday evening at the University of Scranton. Loyd only conceded one goal in both games. He made seven saves against Scranton, and earned his first shutout of the season against John Carroll. Loyd dropped his goals against average to 1.11 for the season. The shutout against John Carroll, the 14th of his career, moved him into a tie for fourth all-time in program history.

DVC (6-2) is off the their best start in program history with Tom Antonnuci leading the way. He will look for his third straight hat trick against Goucher tonight. In just eight games, he has already broken the school's single-season records for goals (13) and points (33) and needs one assist to break out of a first-place tie in that category. He has seven helpers on the year.

FIELD HOCKEY

Congratulations to Lebanon Valley field hockey on their 500th school win!

Also, kudos to all the MAC field hockey teams and players on the number of NCAA statistical leaders (13 of 16 schools are represented). Stats don't tell you everything, but they do reinforce our position as one of the best field hockey conferences in the country!

NCAA Individual Leaders

Goals per game: #18 Jenna DiSabatino and Jennifer Keegan, Wilkes, 1.17; #25 Katie Love, Messiah and Jocelyn Novak, Lebanon Valley, 1.14.

Assists per game: #2 Cassie DiSabatino, Wilkes and Shelly Lobach, Lebanon Valley, 1.0; #8 Jenna DiSabatino, Wilkes, .83; #19 Elizabeth Ziegler, Elizabethtown, .71; #30 Yvonne Herbster, Eastern and Brittney Sines, Wilkes, .67; #46 Danielle Heyne, DVC, .63.

Goals against average: #6 Liz Hannegan, Elizabethtown, .61; #17 Ashley Mowery, Messiah, .98; #33 Caitlin Baro, Lebanon Valley, 1.32; #41 Grace Riker, Misericordia, 1.48; #49 Erin McGinley, King's, 1.55; #50 Lindsey Davenport, Wilkes, 1.57.

Saves per game: #29 Hollis Hancock, DVC, 7.75; #46 Laura Ressler, Eastern, 6.67; #48 Victoria DelToro, DeSales, 6.5.

Save perecentage: #18 Liz Hannegan, Elizabethtown, .848; #19 Ashley Mowery, Messiah, .841; #28 Hollis Hancock, DVC, .816; #31 Grace Riker, Misericordia, .814; #42 Laura Ressler, Eastern, .800.

NCAA Team Leaders

Scoring average: #5 Lebanon Valley, 4.57; #8 Messiah, 4.37; #9 Wilkes, 4.33; #36 Widener, 3.00; #45 Manhattanville, 2.74.

Goals against average: #7 Elizabethtown, .61; #16 Messiah, .96; #31 Lebanon Valley, 1.29; #38 Widener, 1.4; #46 Misericordia, 1.47; #49 Wilkes, 1.5.

Scoring margin: #6 Messiah, 3.42; #7 Lebanon Valley, 3.29; #11 Wilkes, 2,83; #35 Widener 1.6; #47 Elizabethtown, 1.10.

Shutouts per game: #4 Elizabethtown, .63; #21 Lebanon Valley, Alvernia, and Messiah, .43; #38 Wilkes, .33; #49 King's and Arcadia, .29; #

Save percentage: #16 Elizabethtown, .848; #17 Messiah, .841; #20 Arcadia, .835; #31 Delaware Valley, .816; #48 Misericordia, .803; #50 Eastern, .800.

Point per game: #6 Messiah, 12.71; #7 Wilkes, 12.33; #8 Lebanon Valley, 12.00; #31 Widener, 8.6.

Assists per game: #1 Wilkes, 3.67; #3 Messiah, 3.57; #9 Lebanon Valley, 2.86; #18 Widener, 2.6; #34 Delaware Valley, 2.0.

Saves per game: #25 Arcadia, 9.43; #40 Delaware Valley, 7.75; #50 Manhattanville, 7.22.

VOLLEYBALL

When people meet Courtney Reinhold after watching her play volleyball, most are surprised that she is not taller. This week, like most weeks, the 5'7' sophomore left a big impression on the court. Reinhold earned Tournament MVP Honors at Elizabethtown College and hit an impressive .512 with 73 kills and just 7 errors in a 5-0 week for the 23rd ranked Eagles. The AVCA recognized Reinhold as the National Player of the Week for the Week ending September 27th. Reinhold, a 2008 All-American and Mid-Atlantic Rookie of the Year, is the first Eastern University player to earn the weekly award from the Coaches' Association. Reinhold and the Eagles will host FDU-Florham on Wednesday night before traveling a short distance to Haverford College for a tri-match against 22nd ranked Haverford College and Johns Hopkins University on Saturday.

SWIMMING

King’s College director of athletics Cheryl Ish has announced the appointment of Matt Easterday as the new head coach of the men’s and women’s swimming teams, as well as aquatics director at the college. Easterday comes to King’s with a wealth of swimming experience and literally grew up around the sport. His mother Kim has been the head swimming coach at McDaniel College in Maryland for the past 32 seasons. Easterday began swimming at age six and embarked on competitive swimming as a 10-year old. Easterday enjoyed a highly successful club career where he was twice named the Maryland State Swimmer of the Year and was also a six-time Junior National qualifier. Upon graduating from high school, Easterday enrolled at Division I University of Maryland. After his freshman year he elected to transfer to Division III McDaniel where he enjoyed a successful three-year varsity career. He set school records in the 200 butterfly as well as in the 200 and 400 meter relay events. In 2006, Easterday was hired as the assistant swim coach and aquatics director at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster. There, he helped coach two Centennial Conference men’s team champions, seven NCAA Division III All-Americans, 12 swimmers who would break school records, and an additional eight swimmers who would set new Centennial Conference records.

“I am very excited to be at King’s and look forward to helping build a winning, successful program,” Easterday stated. “ I was attracted to King’s because the college offers great academic programs and a beautiful campus. The college is in a good area of the country to recruit and I see a lot of similarities to other schools that I've coached at in the past."

“We are thrilled to have Matt join our staff and believe he will be an outstanding fit at King’s as well as in the local swimming community,” Ish stated. “I believe Matt truly understands the Division III philosophy and will be an excellent mentor to our swimmers.”

September 25, 2009

FOOTBALL

Week #4 is the last week of non-conference play before next weeks conference openers. Five MAC teams are in action as they hope to enhance the strong non-conference results of the first three weeks.

Lycoming (1-1)travels to Bridgewater (2-1) for a return game from last year where the Warriors prevailed. In their win over Susquehanna last week, Josh Kleinfelter was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week. Warrior fans will be looking for him to have another big day against a team that comes off a disappointing 37-34 overtime loss to Ferrum.

Albright (2-0) travels to Division II Pace, hoping to enter conference play undefeated. Pace is looking for their first win. The Lions Nate Romig is currently just 10 points away from tying the all-time points record by a non-kicker, and he is eight catches away from tying the all-time career touchdown receptions mark at Albright as well.

Widener (1-1) hosts winless Frostburg as they hope to rebound from a disappointing performance at #25 Ithaca. The game proceeds are dedicated to Coach to Cure MD. William Foster, a 13-year-old MD patient by way of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, will be the honorary captain.

Wilkes travels to Christopher Newport (1-1) seeking their third straight win with visions of being ranked in the national poll for the first time since 2006 (both teams are receiving votes). Christopher Newport defeated Salisbury last week 37-34 in triple overtime.

Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham hopes to get in the win column against Apprentice.

FIELD HOCKEY

Conference play begins this weekend with two important early season match ups. Last years Freedom Conference Champions Eastern (6-3) host undefeated Wilkes (7-0) the 2008 regular season championships. This early game may determine the 2009 top seed for the conference championship. Alvernia, perennial former PAC (now CSAC) NCAA tournament representative, now a Commonwealth Conference member, travels to play national power Messiah (7-0). Messiah, ranked #1 in the latest poll, comes off a great win against Salisbury, the #2 ranked team.

WOMEN'S TENNIS

On Thursday, King's defeated DeSales 5-4 and Alvernia outlasted Arcadia 5-4 to remain undefeated and on top of their respective conferences. Many of the top players will be travelling to Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Va., to compete in Southeast Regional ITA's. Conference play continues next week as Lebanon Valley (4-0), Elizabethtown (2-0), King's (6-0), Misericordia (5-0), and Alvernia (6-0) strive to maintain their undefeated records.

ICE HOCKEY

Former Lebanon Valley College ice hockey player Bert Malloyhas signed on to play for the Amarillo Gorillas of the Central Hockey League. Malloy, a 2009 LVC graduate, was named MVP of the Dutchmen for the 2008-09 season while serving as team captain. Over his career, Malloy played in 89 games and scored 11 goals from his position on the point. In the 2006-07 season, his 12 points led all Dutchmen defenders.

VOLLEYBALL

Widener had little trouble with Ursinus in posting a 3-0 win (25-12, 25-18, 25-13) at Schwartz Center. The victory was the 100th for sixth-year coach Donovan Anglin. The second all-time winningest coach in program history, he is 100-74 in his career.

MEN'S SOCCER

Tom Antonucci, Delaware Valley College Junior Midfielder from Warrington, Pa., was named ECAC Division III South Offensive Palyer of the Week. Antonucci continued his torrid start to the season as he notched two goals and three assists in a 2-0 week for the Aggies. He opened with two goals, including the game-winner, and one assist in a 3-2 triumph over Juniata College, and followed with a pair of helpers in the 2-1 win over Marywood University. Antonucci leads the Freedom Conference in assists with six and is second in both goals (7) and points (20).

Two Commonwealth teams are still undefeated and put those recorda on the line agianst strog competition - Elizabethown (7-0) hosts former MAC opponent Drew and Messiah (6-0) faces Centennial rival Dickinson.

FIELD HOCKEY

Messiah (6-0) puts their undefeated record on the line against a strong King's team (4-2), while cross town rival Wilkes (7-0) has an early season showdown with 2008 Freedom champion Eastern (6-3). Former Freedom rival Arcadia travels to DVC.

FOOTBALL

Delaware Valley, Lebanon Valley, and King's have a bye this week before opening conference play. Lebanon Valley is 3-0 for the first time since 1979 with all their wins coming over Centennial schools. Although DVC stumbled against national power Wesley, they are 2-1 with big wins over Hopkins and Kean.

On Saturday, September 26 Albright tries to make it 3-0 over Division II Pace, Wilkes hopes to remain undefeated as they travel to Christopher Newport, Widener (1-1) hopes to rebound from the loss at Ithaca with a win over visiting Frostburg, Lycoming (1-1) travels to Bridgewater after defeating Susquehanna (2-1) last week, and Newport News (Apprentice) visits FDU.

CROSS COUNTRY

The Mideast rankings are out - for the men, Elizabethown is 6th and Messiah 9th; for the women, Messiah is 3rd and Elizabethtown 10th.

MEN'S GOLF

Albright won the Lebanon Valley College Invitational over 22 other teams as Eric Thon lead the way with a second place finish. Delaware Valley's Mike Kachurak was the medalist by defeating Thon in a playoff.

VOLLEYBALL

Widener (1-1 in Commonwealth play) upended previously undefeated Lebanon Valley 3-1. Eastern conitues their winning ways and moved up in the national poll to #23.

WOMEN'S TENNIS

Alvernia remains perfect at 5-0 in the Commonwealth while King's (5-0) and Misericordia (4-0) lead the way in the Freedom.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Former Freedom rival Scranton returns to Delaware Valley for a non-conference match. Freedom foe Manhattanville (5-1-1) hosts Drew as they hope to maintain their best start in years - only stumbled against Western Connecticut 1-0. In the Commonwealth, three teams are cruising. Messiah (6-0-1) faces a tough Gettysburg team, Widener (7-0-1) takes on neighborhood Centennial foe Swarthmore, and Arcadia (6-0-2) hosts Farmingdale.