As the Messiah women’s soccer team stepped off the field in San Antonio on Saturday night after a crushing 2-1 defeat to Hardin Simmons in the NCAA championship game, the MAC fall 2010 season came to a close. As usual, conference teams showed well in the national and regional arena, with Messiah again enjoying spectacular results in men’s and women’s soccer and field hockey.

Messiah women’s soccer (24-1), ranked #1 for the season, was only challenged seriously in their two games with Johns Hopkins until they ran into Hardin Simmons. The Cowgirls scored two goals in the first six minutes of play, and despite holding the ball the entire second half, the Falcons couldn’t push by the equalizer. Although disappointed that they didn’t grab their third national title in a row, this group of seniors, led by 2008 National Player of the Year Amanda Naeher, did end up with two national championships and two national runner-ups. For most programs, that would have been an unbelievable record. In the Freedom Conference, Manhattanville (4-14-3) won enough conference games to get into the tournament and then knocked off two-time champion Eastern and high powered Fairleigh Dickinson to capture the conference crown and qualify for the NCAA’s. Misericordia, Lebanon Valley, Alvernia, and Fairleigh Dickinson all qualified for the ECAC’s with the Crusaders and Devils making it to the semi-final round.

Elizabethtown cross country recorded the best season for the MAC in decades. After capturing the MAC championship at Delaware Valley where the men took eight of the top ten spots, the Blue Jay harriers finished 14th at the NCAA meet at Wartburg, Iowa. Although the women had a tougher time winning the conference than the men, they had a higher finish (11th) at nationals. Three top MAC performers qualified for the NCAA meet at the Slippery Rock regional race. Tyler Newhook, Messiah junior, who won the MAC race in 2009, took 89th at Wartburg. Jenn Cronin, Lebanon Valley senior, took second at the MAC meet and just missed All-America with a 41th place finish in the NCAA’s. Delaware Valley’s standout senior runner, Caitlin Dorgan, won seven straight races (including the MAC title), missed winning regional’s by a nose, and earned All-America honors with a 28th place finish in Iowa.

Messiah men’s soccer (23-1) earned their eighth national championship with an overtime 2-1 win over a very tenacious Lynchburg side. Although the semi-final score against Wisconsin - Oshkosh looked lopsided (4-1), the Falcons had to battle the entire game - with four minutes to go, the score could have been 2-2 on a missed chance by the underdog Titans. In the championship game, Messiah did not score until the 87th minute to force the overtime. The Falcons also had to go into overtime in the second round against Montclair to come away with another 2-1 win. DeSales (15-5-2), Freedom Conference champions, battled Swarthmore to a 2-1 loss at the Quakers field. Lebanon Valley, Misericordia, and Fairleigh Dickinson qualified for the ECAC tournament. The Cougars advanced to the semi-final game.

Three of the final eight NCAA championship field hockey team hailed from the MAC. Eastern (20-3) was denied a trip to the Final Four when Skidmore outlasted them 4-3, and Bowdoin, the host and eventual national champion, had to go to overtime to beat 19-3 Lebanon Valley 4-3. This was not a good draw for the Dutchmen who had been ranked in the top two most of the season and had to travel 496 miles to the regional site. Messiah (19-3) cruised through their three first opponents, outscoring them15-1, before getting locked up in a defensive struggle with Bowdoin at Christopher Newport. The Bears emerged with a 2-1 win after overtime and strokes. Alvernia and Fairleigh Dickinson had postseason opportunities in the ECAC tournament.

Eastern volleyball (30-5) had knocked off several top ten teams in the regular season, but ended up traveling to a regional that included two of them (Colorado College and host Christopher Newport). The Eagles easily won the first round against Richard Stockton before falling to the hosts 3-2 after being up 2-1. Lebanon Valley won a third straight Commonwealth Championship and then earned their first NCAA tournament win by beating Ithaca 3-1; the next day they lost 3-0 to former conference foe, and perennial national power, Juniata (lost 3-2 in the semi-final round to eventual national champion Calvin). DeSales and Fairleigh Dickinson each played in the ECAC tournament with the Devils winning their bracket.

Until losing to Widener in the last regular season football game by a point, Delaware Valley had dominated the MAC. That loss set them up for the unenviable prospect of playing Mount Union, the best program in Division III over the past 15 years, in the second round. After dealing with Salisbury at home 23-12 in the first round, the Aggies headed out to Alliance, Ohio. After giving up an 81 yard touchdown run to the Purple Raiders on their first play of the game, DVC shut them out until the two minute mark of the second quarter. At that point, with the score 7-0, the Aggies had a first and goal on the two and looked to be heading to the locker room with a7-7 tie. Instead, in the next two minutes, a bad penalty and long kickoff return resulted in a 14-3 halftime score. In the second half the DVC defense did their job, but the offense was hampered by the injury to Matt Cook, MAC offensive player of the year. Although the Aggies lost, the Mount had to battle the entire game. Wilkes and Lebanon Valley received ECAC Bowl bids against Centennial foes Moravian and Johns Hopkins, but neither MAC squad prevailed.

For the first time, both individual tennis tournaments were conducted at the King’s/Wilkes courts in October. The Wilkes women dominated the tournament by winning all nine titles. In the men’s competition, Wilkes won four titles (#4, #5, and #6 singles and #2 doubles), Manhattanville captured three medals (#2 singles, and #1 and #3 doubles), and Eastern (#3 singles) and Elizabethtown (#1 singles) each won a bracket.

And with that, we are now heavily into basketball, swimming, and indoor track & field.

What is becoming a fall tradition, Messiah completed another phenomenal weekend. Men’s soccer easily defeated Medaille 2-0 on Saturday and dominated Merchant Marine 3-0 on Sunday; women’s soccer cruised by Dickinson 3-0, but had their toughest challenge in a while prevailing over Johns Hopkins 2-1. With these wins, the soccer teams now travel to San Antonio for the Final Four on November 3-4. On Friday, the men (21-1) face Wisconsin-Oshkosh (20-0-3) at Noon (ET) and the women (23-0) play William Smith (18-2-3). Assuming they win, the men will play the winner of Bowdoin (15-1-4) and Lynchburg (19-4-1) on Saturday; the women take on either Harden Simmons (23-0) or Otterbein (20-0-3) at 6 (ET). Field hockey looked as though they were set to give Jan Trapp her first national championship as they overwhelmed the tournament field, but two-time national champion Bowdoin had other plans on Sunday. Both teams had been scoring at will (Bowdoin’s closest call was a 4-3 overtime win over Lebanon Valley in Maine), but Sunday ended 1-1 in regulation with the Falcons coming up short on strokes (2-1) after the overtime.

Delaware Valley football (9-2) scored another NCAA championship victory by knocking off Salisbury at home 23-12. They travel to Alliance, Ohio this weekend to face off with ten-time national champion Mount Union, ranked #2 in the nation. After winning the Ohio Athletic Conference, the Purple Raiders overwhelmed Liberty League Champion St. Lawrence 49-0 in the first round of the NCAA’s. Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater have competed in the last five Stagg Bowls in Salem, Va. If the Aggies happened to upset the Mount, they would have to be contenders for a spot in the championship. While it may seem a daunting task, DVC is well balanced with a great defense and a significant running and passing game so the Raiders will have to prepare for all aspects of the game.

The Elizabethtown harriers represented the conference in top fashion at Wartburg, Iowa on Saturday with the women finishing 11th and the men 14th. The three MAC individual competitors also had fine races with Caitlin Dorgan (DVC) attaining All-America status finishing 28th, Jenn Cronin (LVC) just missing All America placing 41st, and Messiah’s Tyler Newhook finishing 89th in the men’s race.

The Lycoming men and Lebanon Valley women are off to 4-0 starts in basketball.

On Friday, the MAC had nine teams involved in NCAA championships and today they have six plus three individuals. Over the weekend, fall championship teams compiled a 9-6 record with Messiah’s soccer teams and field hockey team advancing.

In volleyball, Lebanon Valley defeated Ithaca 3-1 before falling to perennial national power Juniata, and Eastern had an easy time with Richard Stockton (3-0) before succumbing to Christopher Newport (3-2), a team the Eagles had beaten earlier in the year. Both Juniata and CNU won again on Sunday and head to St. Louis with six other teams to compete for the national crown. Fairleigh Dickinson Florham, seeded third in the ECAC Metro/Upstate volleyball tournament, upended #2 seed Ramapo and then finished the job against #1 seed Elmira to bring home the hardware.

In field hockey, Eastern defeated Stevens 1-0 and then fell to host Skidmore 4-3 while Lebanon Valley used their scoring prowess to knock off Cortland 5-4 and then lose to host Bowdoin 4-3 in overtime. Messiah had an easy time advancing by beating Lynchburg 7-0 and Salisbury 4-1. The Lynchburg victory avenged a 2-1 defeat in Virginia earlier in the season, and the Falcons, loser of the 2009 championship game to Salisbury 1-0, have now topped the Seagulls twice this year (3-0 in Grantham earlier is season). They now face Ursinus in the semi-finals at 11 AM at Christopher Newport University, a team they defeated earlier at Collegeville 4-2 and in last year’s semi-finals 4-3.

In men’s soccer, DeSales lost a tough one to Swarthmore on their field 2-1. Messiah had to go to overtime to top Montclair 2-1 at home and now play Medaille, penalty kick winner over Swarthmore.

In women’s soccer, #1 Messiah easily handled MAC foe Manhattanville and NJAC representative Rowan by identical scores, 4-0. They now face Dickinson.

With cross country regionals behind them, two MAC teams and three individuals prepare to travel to Wartburg, Iowa next weekend for the NCAA championship meet. Elizabethtown, winners of the men’s and women’s races at the MAC meet two weeks ago, ran third (women) and fourth (men) at Slippery Rock this past Saturday and earned at-large bids for their performance. Caitlin Dorgan, Delaware Valley runner who had won seven straight races, took second at regionals by a nose – the film had to be reviewed to verify the finish. She, Jenn Cronin, Lebanon Valley, and Tyler Newhook, Messiah join the two Blue Jay teams in Iowa.

It was not mystery heading into the last week on conference play that Delaware Valley (6-1, 8-2) was conference champion and would by the MAC AQ in the NCAA championships. What was a surprise, was their loss to rival Widener 28-27 as the clock ran out. The Pride (4-3, 5-5) ended the season by defeating the two top MAC teams – DVC and Wilkes. Despite the loss, the Aggies host Salisbury at Noon this Saturday and if they win, are likely to head to Alliance, Ohio to face perennial national champion Mount Union who plays a 5-5 St. Lawrence team in the first round. Lebanon Valley (5-2, 6-4) was picked to finish second in the conference, but after opening the season 1-4, a winning record looked like a challenge. They responded with five straight wins, the last this weekend against Albright (3-4, 5-5), to earn an ECAC Bowl bid for the second year in a row. They go to Baltimore to challenge Centennial foe Johns Hopkins (7-3). Based on records, it didn’t look as though King’s (1-6, 1-9) would have much of a chance against in-town rival Wilkes (5-2, 6-4), but the Colonels needed everything to prevail 21-17 and earn an ECAC bid at home against Moravian, loser to Lebanon Valley in the third week of the season. After three straight conference losses, Lycoming (4-3, 6-4) had to pull all the stops to beat FDU (0-7, 3-7) 17-10 in Madison.

Four MAC teams advanced in ECAC action yesterday. Fairleigh Dickinson prevailed in two contests. The women’s soccer team hammered St. Joseph’s (LI) 4-0 and will play cross-street rival Drew at Stockton on Saturday. Volleyball knocked off Old Westbury 3-0 and will travel to Elmira on Saturday. Misericordia men’s soccer defeated regional foe Maywood 3-1 and head to Stevenson for a match against Grove City. And Alvernia women’s soccer, having their best season ever, held on to beat former PAC (now CSAC) opponent Cabrini 2-1. They hope to keep the party going as they play Frostburg on Saturday in western Md.

Although Delaware Valley (6-0, 8-1), the #8 nationally ranked and top ranked regional team, have sewn up the MAC, they want to protect their home field advantage in the NCAA tournament by winning the Keystone Cup over rival Widener (3-3, 4-5). For the Pride, a victory would be a great accomplishment (a winning record in the MAC and .500 overall) for first-year coach Isaac Collins. The other three games also have major impact on the MAC standings and ECAC bids. After winning four straight, Lebanon Valley (4-2, 5-4) needs to beat Albright (3-3, 5-4) at home to keep pace with Wilkes for 2nd place and to possibly get an ECAC Bowl Bid. If the Lions prevail, they would be guaranteed a tie for third, and maybe second, in the conference and move ahead of the Dutchmen for that possible ECAC opportunity. Wilkes (4-2, 5-4) has the inside edge on Albright and LVC for the ECAC bid, as they defeated both teams and face King’s (1-5, 1-8) in the Mayor’s Cup game. On paper, this rivalry may favor Wilkes, but the Monarchs, under first year coach Jeff Knarr, would love to build on their big win over FDU last week and end the season on a winning note. Lycoming (3-3, 5-4) is not ECAC eligible but want to rebound after three straight conference losses to stay in the mix for a possible third place finish. They travel to FDU (0-6, 3-6) who won their three opening non-conference games but have struggled in the MAC. One NCAA qualifier and two ECAC bowl games would be nice finish for the MAC after a sub-par .500 non-conference start.

The regional cross country meet is at Cooper’s Lake Campground in Slippery Rock. The #15 Elizabethtown men overwhelmed the MAC field two weeks ago by placing eight of the top ten finishers. Unless the wheels come off, they have the MAC’s best chance of qualifying a team for nationals. Messiah’s Tyler Newhook, the 2009 MAC champion, finished third this year and hopes to qualify as an individual; William Cooney, Misericordia, finished eight at Delaware Valley and hopes to extend his season next weekend at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. For the women, Elizabethtown also won the conference with 38 points, but are going to be more challenged than their counterparts to get to nationals. The big story for the women is how Caitlin Dorgan of Delaware Valley, winner of seven straight races, and MAC runner-up, Jenn Cronin, LVC, will finish out their careers.

For those of you tracking NCAA action:

On Friday:

Volleyball

Lebanon vs. Ithaca at Frostburg, 12:30 PM

Eastern vs. Richard Stockton at Christopher Newport, 3:30 PM

On Saturday:

Men’s Soccer

DeSales vs. Swarthmore at Swarthmore, 5 PM

Women’s Soccer:

Messiah vs. Manhattanville at Rowan, 11 AM

Field Hockey:

Lynchburg at Messiah, 11 AM

Lebanon Valley vs. SUNY Cortland at Bowdoin, 2 PM

Eastern vs.Stevens at Skidmore, 1 PM

On Sunday:

Men's Soccer

Montclair/New York Maritime at Messiah, 6 PM

Congratulations to Delaware Valley football for winning the MAC and receiving automatic qualification to the NCAA football championship that culminates at the Stagg Bowl in December in Salem, Va. The Aggies play Widener in their regular season finale this Saturday. If they win that game, they should have a good shot of hosting a game or two in Doylestown.

Cross country travels to western Pa. for regionals this weekend with Carnegie Mellon hosting. Elizabethtown men are shooting for a good team finish and a shot at nationals, and several individuals (top women finishers Caitlin Dorgan and Jenn Cronin) hope for individual invitations for the NCAA championship at Wartburg (Iowa).

The MAC did not do well in the NCAA 2010 selection process, as only one program, Lebanon Valley field hockey, received an at-large bid. The #2 Dutchmen received a first round bye and will travel to Bowdoin this weekend for a Saturday game against the Cortland-Mass Dartmouth winner. #8 Eastern (19-2) also receives a first round bye and plays the winner of Stevens and SUNY Geneseo at Skidmore Saturday. As the top seed, #1 Messiah hosts a foursome this weekend. The Falcons are in a different bracket than LVC so they would not meet until the final game at Christopher Newport next weekend – Messiah has topped the Dutchman twice this year for their only loses.

In volleyball, the MAC teams usually have to head to national power Juniata every year, but not this season. #8 Eastern will travel to Christopher Newport to play Richard Stockton on Friday where they face teams that they have a 5-0 record against this fall. They will play the winner of Gallaudet/Christopher Newport. The Eagles beat Gallaudet 3-0 and CNU, one of only two losses for the hosts. After winning their third straight Commonwealth championship, Lebanon Valley (23-9) plays Ithaca (22-14) at Frostburg at 12:30 on Friday. If they win, they will play the winner of Juniata/Cabrini on Saturday.

In men’s soccer, DeSales is away at Swarthmore 15-1-3) and Messiah hosts the winner of the Montclair/SUNY Maritime this weekend. For the women, the opening round features the two MAC teams (Manhattanville and Messiah) at Rowan. The Valiants have the unenviable task of taking on the Falcons, two-time national champions who are ranked #1 this year with an 18-0 record.

As more dates and times become available, we will keep you informed

Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham, Lebanon Valley, Messiah, and Eastern had all their fall teams (volleyball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and field hockey) qualify for the conference championships this week. Ten of those sixteen teams advance and will compete for the right to be in the NCAA tournament next week.

In field hockey, Messiah and Eastern will try to defend their 2009 conference crowns. #8 Eastern advances after shutting out Delaware Valley at home. After a tough 2-1 double overtime win against FDU, King’s travels to Eastern to try to knock off the two-time Freedom Conference champs in a 1 PM game. In the regular season, the Monarchs lost 4-3 to the Eagles at home. Messiah and Lebanon Valley are regular combatants for the Commonwealth title, and this year is no different. Messiah advances after an easy win over Alvernia, but the Dutchman had a much tougher time prevailing over Elizabethtown 4-2. This game features the #1 (Falcons) and #2 (Dutchmen), so both are assured of NCAA post-season play, but the conference championship may impact their seeding. In the regular season, Messiah won in 3-2 in overtime on LVC’s grass field. This time they square off on the Falcon’s turf at 1 PM, definitely a home field advantage.

The #8 Eastern volleyball team advances to the Freedom championship match at 6 PM on Saturday with a win over DeSales on Wednesday; FDU did not have as easy a time reaching the championship as they had to dig deep to overcome a Misericordia 2-1 lead. The Devils are 30-7 but lost to the Eagles 3-0 in the regular season. FDU will also be facing a gym full of partisan Eastern fans who expect to see their team go deep into the NCAA tournament next week. Elizabethtown and Lebanon Valley have dominated the Commonwealth in recent years with LVC prevailing the last two seasons. Things may reverse this year as the Dutchman have to travel to Elizabethtown and lost to the Jays on their court 3-1 last week. In the semi-finals, Etown avenged an early season loss to Widener with a 3-0 win; LVC had to come from 2-0 down to win 15-12 in the final set to Messiah. Things should be rocking in Thompson Gym at 3 PM tomorrow.

Many feel the #1 undefeated Messiah women’s soccer team will hang another NCAA championship banner in Grantham, but visiting Arcadia hopes to help their case in getting a shot at the NCAA’s as they meet the Falcons on Saturday at 5 PM. Messiah has allowed two goals all year, one on them in the 3-1 win over the Knights. Arcadia, ranked #6 in the region, battled Lebanon Valley (#7 in region) to a 1-0 victory on Wednesday as the Falcons cruised past Alvernia. This is a repeat of last year’s Commonwealth championship game. The Freedom Conference will have a new champion this year, as Eastern, the 2008 and 2009 champs, fell to Manhattanville at home on penalty kicks. The Valiants head to FDU for the title game at 1 PM where the Devils defeated them 1-0 in the regular season. This past week FDU was ranked #8 in the region, but had to overcome a 1-0 Misericordia lead to win 2-1 and advance to Saturday’s championship.

The Freedom Conference will have a new champion this year, as Misericordia, the 2008 and 2009 champ, lost 2-1 to DeSales on Tuesday. The Bulldogs host Eastern who won 2-1 on a penalty kick in overtime against FDU, the team that beat them the previous week. The Eagles lost to DeSales in Center Valley 2-0, and will again have to contend with an unfamiliar grass field. Commonwealth power #3 Messiah has won 17 straight after an opening season overtime loss to Hobart. They host their cross-river rival Elizabethtown at 8 PM on Saturday. The Blue Jays are ranked #8 in the region and hope a strong performance pushes them into the NCAA tournament if they don’t win. The Falcons won the regular season match up 3-1 last weekend in the infamous marshmallow game with about 3,000 in attendance.

Delaware Valley (5-0, 7-1), ranked #8 in the nation, hopes to clinch the MAC football title and NCAA bid as they head to Albright (3-2, 5-3) for a 1 PM game. Albright’s powerful offense will face the top defense in the league as the Aggies have relinquished two touchdowns in their last three games, and only about eight points a game overall. Wilkes (4-1, 5-3) heads down the Turnpike to Chester for a tough game against Widener (2-3, 3-5). On paper in looks as though the Colonels are the favorite, but the Pride’s last two losses were by a total of 11 points to Albright and Lebanon Valley. The Dutchmen (3-2, 4-4) play at Lycoming (3-2, 5-3) for a shot at moving into second place in the MAC standings. LVC has won two straight with close wins over King’s and Widener; the Warriors have suffered two straight setbacks against the top MAC teams, DVC and Wilkes. FDU (0-5, 3-5) travel to King’s (0-5, 0-8) for a battle for seventh place.

MAC FALL 2010 TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIPS

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Men’s Soccer

Freedom
#2 Eastern at #1 DeSales 1 PM

Commonwealth
#2 Elizabethtown at #1 Messiah 8 PM

Women’s Soccer

Freedom
#3 Manhattanville at #1 Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham 1 PM

Commonwealth
#2 Arcadia at #1 Messiah 5 PM

Volleyball

Freedom
#2 Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham at #1 Eastern 6 PM

Commonwealth
#2 Lebanon Valley at #1 Elizabethtown 3 PM

Field Hockey

Freedom
#2 King’s at #1 Eastern 1 PM

Commonwealth
#2 Lebanon Valley at #1 Messiah 1 PM

The winner of each tournament receives automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament.

Admission:

Adults $5
Seniors $4
Students $2
Under 6 Free

Results at gomacsports.com

MAC Soccer Tournaments

Men - Tuesday, November 2

Freedom

#4 Misericordia at #1 DeSales 2 PM
#3 Fairleigh Dickinson - Florham at #2 Eastern 2 PM

Commonwealth

#4 Lebanon Valley at #1 Messiah 7 PM
#3 Arcadia at #2 Elizabethtown 7 PM

Women - Wednesday, November 3

Freedom

#4 Misericordia at #1 Fairleigh Dickinson - Florham 4 PM
#3 Manhattanville # #2 Eastern 2 PM

Commonwealth

#4 Alvernia at #1 Messiah 7 PM
#3 Lebanon Valley at #2 Arcadia 3 PM

Championships on Saturday, November 6

Admission:

Adults $5
Seniors $4
Students $2
Under 6 free

Results at gomacsports.com


In MAC cross country championships at Delaware Valley, home favorite Caitlin Dorgan won her 7th straight race to earn DVC's first individual women's title. Charlie Larsen of Elizabethtown crossed the line first for the Elizabethtown harriers as they marked five of the top six scorers to walk away with the team title. The Elizabethtown women also cruised to another championship. Next in line are regionals on November 13, hosted by Carnegie Mellon.

In football on Saturday #8 Delaware Valley (5-0) ran past King's (0-5) to remain in first place. Wilkes (4-1) took over sole possession of second by handing Lycoming (3-2) their second loss in as many weeks. Lebanon Valley (3-2) outlasted Widener (2-3) to claim a share of third place with the Warriors and Albright (3-2), winners over FDU (0-5).

Saturday Delaware Valley hosts the MAC cross country championships with the men’s race at 11 AM and the women at Noon. Many of the recent championships have been in very wet or windy conditions, but this year the weather should be perfect. Awards will be presented in the gym at 1:30. Three different teams (Elizabethtown, DeSales, and Messiah) have won the last men’s championships, but the Blue Jays hope to repeat this year after beating Messiah by just four points in 2009. The Elizabethtown women are looking to win their fourth straight championship after topping Messiah by 19 points last year. 15 of the top 20 men’s finishers from 2009 return this year with Messiah’s Tyler Newhook hoping to retain his title. Eric Reichert of Elizabethtown may be his main threat. For the women, Caitlin Dorgan (DVC), last year’s runner up, has won all six of her races this fall. Jenn Cronin of Lebanon Valley (3rd in 2009 MAC’s), should be right of Dorgan’s heels. Eleven other women return from last season top twenty. Regionals are on November 13 in Slippery Rock, Pa. (hosted by Carnegie Mellon); the Division III championships are November 20 at Wartburg College (Iowa).

Here are the 2010 pairings for the semi-finals (at 7 PM on Wednesday, November 3) of the MAC volleyball tournaments.

Freedom

#4 DeSales at #1 Eastern

#3 Misericordia at #2 Fairleigh Dickinson - Florham

Commonwealth

#4 Widener at #1 Elizabethtown

#3 Messiah at #2 Lebanon Valley

Championship on Saturday, November 6 at site of highest remaining seed.

Admission

$5 Adults
$4 Seniors
$2 Students
Under 6 free

Results: gomacsports.com

Pairings for MAC field hockey tournaments – semi-finals on Wednesday, November 3:

Freedom Conference

Delaware Valley at Eastern 2:30 PM

Fairleigh Dickinson – Florham at King’s 4 PM

Commonwealth Conference

Alvernia at Messiah 4 PM

Elizabethtown at Lebanon Valley 3:30 PM

Championships on Saturday, November 6 at site of highest remaining seed.

Ticket prices:

Adults $5
Seniors $4
Students $2

Results: gomacsports.com

The much anticipated game for first place in the MAC did not turn out to be close as Delaware Valley shutout Lycoming. Lycoming now must defend their position in second place as they head to Wilkes. By beating the second place teams (Lycoming and Wilkes are both 3-1 in the MAC) the last two weeks, DVC is almost guaranteed the conference championship. The Aggie defense has not given up any points in the last six quarters of play. They host winless, but competitive King’s this Saturday. The Monarchs relinquished a lead late in the game against LVC, their fifth close loss. LVC hosts Widener, both at 2-2, with the winner moving into a tie for third place. The fourth game pits Albright at FDU; a win for the Lions will put them in a three way tie for third.

Much is on the line for MAC field hockey programs this week as 10 or 16 teams have a mathematical chance to qualify for the two tournaments. On the Commonwealth side, Messiah is the top seed. If Lebanon Valley tops Elizabethtown, they are the two seed; if the result is reversed, the Blue Jays take the #2 spot and the Dutchmen are #3. If Alvernia defeats Albright, they are the #4 seed. Should the Crusaders stumble against the Lions, Widener can get the #4 spot by beating LVC and Arcadia. For the Freedom, Eastern is a lock for #1 and King’s for #2. If Delaware Valley, Misericordia, and FDU all end up 4-3, these are the tie breakers: DVC loses by two goals or less, they are #3 and Misericordia is #4; Aggies lose by three goals or more, Misericordia is #3 and FDU is #4. If DVC and Misericordia tie at 4-3, DVC is #3 and the Cougars are #4; If DVC and FDU tie at 4-3, the Devils are #3 and the Aggies take #4.

Men’s soccer teams also have much to play for as 11 or 16 teams can still qualify for the tournaments. Messiah and Elizabethtown will be the two hosts for the semi-final games, with Arcadia visiting one site. If Messiah defeats Elizabethtown in the end-of-season show down, they will be the top seed. Lebanon Valley is the #4 seed unless they lose or tie with both Messiah and Widener and Alvernia knocks off Arcadia. The Freedom side is more contentious as four teams are battling for two spots; Eastern and DeSales will host the semi-final games. If FDU beats Eastern at home, they are #3, and if Misericordia, King’s, and Manhattanville all tie (10 points), Manhattanville is #4. If FDU, Misericordia, King’s, and Manhattanville all tie (10 points), Manhattanville is #3 and Misericordia #4. If FDU, Misericordia, and King’s tie, Misericordia is #3 and King’s is #4. If Misericordia and King’s tie, Misericordia has the head-to-head win and is seeded higher.

In women’s soccer the semi-finals hosts are set with Messiah and Arcadia in the Commonwealth and Eastern at FDU in the Freedom. After that, there are four teams in each conference trying to get the last two tournament spots. In the Commonwealth, if LVC beats Widener, LVC is in; if they defeat Messiah, they have to tie Widener and have Alvernia tie or lose. If Alvernia (ties Arcadia) and LVC tie (defeat Widener), Alvernia has the head-to-head win and goes ahead of the Dutchmen. On the Freedom side, if Delaware Valley (plays Manhattanville) and Misericordia win (play Wilkes), the Aggies are the 3rd seed and Valiants #4.

One of the biggest football games of the week in Division III is in our backyard. Lycoming (3-0, 5-1) heads to #9 Delaware Valley (3-0, 5-1) for a homecoming showdown for first place in the MAC. The Aggies only loss was a close game to #3 Wesley while the Warriors were topped by Rowan (just missed the top 25 this week) in the first game of the year by a touchdown. With such close records, some wonder why Lycoming is not getting more respect in the national poll. On paper they have many of the same characteristics. Lycoming leads the conference in scoring with 32.5 PPG, and DVC is a close second at 32.3; on scoring defense, the Aggies give up 11 PPG while the Warriors hold the opposition to 14.8. They sport the two top rushing offenses in the conference with Lycoming grinding out 219.8 YPG and DVC 210.5. The two top MAC rushers are responsible for most of those yards – Josh Kleinfelter (Lycoming) averages 165.8 and Matt Cook (DVC) checks in at 118.3. Something has to give as the two rushing defenses are also tops in the league (DVC giving up 72.7 yards and Lycoming 76.8). Perhaps the only point where one team has a statistical advantage is in the passing game – at DVC’s Mark Hatty throws for 217 yards a game (243.7 for the team) while Lycoming only gains 156 passing yards a game. More importantly, the DVC defense is tops against the pass while Lyco ranks 5th in the MAC. Stats are one thing and the game is another – should be great weather (the last three meetings between these teams have been in adverse conditions) and a spectacular college football game!

In other games Wilkes (2-1, 3-3) travels to FDU (0-3, 3-3) as both teams try to rebound from disappointing losses last weekend. Wilkes could not hold onto a half time lead or take advantage of eight DVC turnovers; the Devils were up 21-7 to LVC but collapsed coming down the stretch. FDU’s Matt Jeffers is second in the MAC in total offense with 218.8 YPG. The Colonel’s Jordan D’Emilio is second in the conference with 5.2 pass receptions per game. FDU has the third ranked pass offense but will face Wilkes third ranked pass defense. FDU has not had much luck running the ball, and the Wilkes defense gives up more rushing yards than any other MAC team.

Lebanon Valley (1-2, 2-4) heads up I-81 to visit King’s (0-3, 0-6). The LVC offense counts on Ben Guiles (MAC 3rd leading rusher) to lead the ground game, and the Monarch defense is only 7th in stopping the run. The King’s pass defense is 2nd in the conference and the Dutchmen have been inconsistent in the passing game. If King’s is going to win, they need Corey Lavin to have a big day passing – his 192.3 a game is second to DVC’s Mark Hatty.

The last game features Albright (1-2, 3-3) at Widener (2-1, 3-3). The Lions can score and move the ball as they are 2nd in the conference in total yards (388) and 3rd in points scored (30.2). The Pride exhibits prowess on the other side of the ball as their “D” is ranked 3rd in points allowed (23.2) and yards allowed (291.3). The winner still has a shot at getting an ECAC Bowl bid.

Today is the showdown in field hockey between the two best teams in the country - #1 Lebanon Valley and #2 Messiah in Annville at 4 PM. How often do the two top teams in the country play a regular season game in the same conference? While this game is important for the Commonwealth standings, inevitably these two schools will meet at least one more time, and possibly twice before a Division III national champion is determined!

The four teams are set for the Commonwealth volleyball tournament. The big match next week pits LVC at Elizabethtown. Here are the tie-breaking scenarios for the final standings:

Elizabethtown wins; Messiah and Widener both win or lose

1 Elizabethtown, 6-1
2 LVC, 6-1
3 Messiah, 5-2 (4-3)
4 Widener, 5-2 (4-3)

LVC, Messiah, and Widener win

1 LVC, 7-0
2 Messiah, 5-2
3 Widener, 5-2
4 Elizabethtown, 5-2

The Freedom is much dicier as six teams have a shot. The only given is that Eastern has the #1 seed!

Eastern, Misericordia (or loses to Wilkes 3-2), FDU, and DeSales win

1 Eastern, 7-0
2 FDU, 5-2
3 Misericordia, 5-2 (or 4-3)
4 DeSales, 4-3

Eastern, FDU, DeSales, and Wilkes (must win 3-0 or 3-1 over Misericordia) win

1 Eastern, 7-0
2 FDU, 5-2
3 DeSales, 4-3
4 Wilkes, 4-3

DVC, Wilkes (must win 3-0 or 3-1 over Misericordia), DeSales, and Manhattanville win

1 Eastern, 6-1
2 FDU, 4-3
3 DeSales, 4-3
4 Wilkes, 4-3

Wilkes and DVC win, DeSales loses

1 Eastern, 6-1
2 FDU, 5-2 (4-3)
3 DVC
4 Wilkes

The men’s individual tennis tournament concluded today under much better conditions than Saturday where the wind and temperature made it uncomfortable for the large crowd that gathered at King’s and Wilkes. Unlike last week in the women’s competition where Wilkes won all the brackets except for #4 doubles (Misericordia prevailed there), the hardware was shared with last year’s top teams. Manhattanvillle lead the way with 7 medals (won: #1 doubles, #3 doubles, #2 singles; runner up: #4 doubles, #1 singles, #4 singles, #5 singles); Elizabethtown came in 2nd with 6 medals (won: #4 doubles, #1 singles; runner up: #1 doubles, #3 doubles, #6 doubles, #7 doubles); Wilkes was in 3rd with 5 medals (won: #2 doubles, #4 singles, #5 singles, # 6 singles, #7 singles); Lycoming had 3 runner ups: #2 doubles, #2 singles, #3 singles; and eastern captured #3 singles. Wilkes five champions were: Clarke Freeman and Wes McCollum at #2 doubles, Dakota Deem at #4 singles, Clarke Freeman at #5 singles, Alex Makos at #6 singles, and, Bao Nguyen at #7 singles. Top flight medals went to Manhattanville’s: Michael Capozzi and Julian Uribe at #1 doubles, Jose Pinto and Karim Mahmoud at #3 doubles, and #2 Michael Capozzi at #2 singles. Elizabethtown collected two top honors: Billy Freitag and Cole Turula at #4 doubles, and the best singles player of the tournament #1 winner Manrique Arrea. Eastern’s Jordan Gates round out the winners at #3 singles.

It is rare that a team commits 8 turnovers and wins, but that is what 11th ranked Delaware Valley (5-1, 3-0) did on Saturday against Wilkes (3-3, 2-1). Leading 18-16 at halftime, the Colonels were shut out in the second half, but the bigger story was the running of Matt Cook who set school records by amassing 324 rushing yards. This sets up a show down next week for first place in the MAC as Lycoming (5-1, 3-0) comes to Doylestown. The Warriors knocked Widener (3-3, 2-1) out from the ranks of the undefeated in the MAC by a 31-7 score. Besides stout defense, Lyco was again led by the rushing of Josh Kleinfelter who had 139 yards. Another top conference runner, Ty Hughes from Albright, had 153 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Lions (3-3, 1-2 over King’s (0-6, 0-3) 38-14. Last week Lebanon Valley (2-4, 1-2) gave up a big lead in the 4th quarter to Wilkes and lost in overtime. This week, losing 21-14 in the 4th quarter to FDU, Ben Guiles ran for 126 yards four 2nd half touchdowns to seal the comeback 33-21 win for the Dutchmen.

It doesn’t seem possible, but Delaware Valley’s spectacular runner, Caitlin Dorgan, won here 6th straight race in stiff completion at the University of Delaware.

Arcadia’s (2-2) men’s soccer team faced the top Commonwealth teams this past week (Messiah and Elizabethtown, both 3-0) with the same result, a 1-0 loss. The Falcons and Blue Jays know they have their hands full if they meet the Knights again in the conference tournament. DeSales reemerged as a Freedom contender with their 2-0 win over first place Eastern. Manhattanville also sent notice that they plan to make a strong presence for the championship with 3-1 win over King’s. Misericordia kept their three-peat possibilities intact with a 1-0 win over DVC.

Nationally ranked powers Messiah (11-2, 4-0) and Lebanon Valley (14-0, 3-0) had easy field hockey wins on Saturday as they look to the head-to-head showdown in Annville on Wednesday. The most meaningful Commonwealth result had Elizabethtown (10-3, 3-1) sneak by Widener 2-1 to take over sole possession of 3rd place. Widener and Alvernia are now battling for that fourth tournament spot. The biggest game of the weekend featured the ranked Eastern Eagles (13-2-, 3-0) scratching for a 4-3 win over King’s (10-3, 3-1) to retain 1st place in the Freedom. Although King’s and Misericordia are tied for 2nd, the Monarchs have the tie breaker with a head-to-head win last week.

After a tough women’s soccer loss to Messiah (maybe their toughest game to date), Arcadia (11-3-1, 3-1) rebounded with a 1-0 win over Elizabethtown (6-5-3, 1-1-2) to keep sole possession of 2nd in the Commonwealth. Lebanon Valley kept their tournament aspirations alive with a 3-0 domination of Albright. Despite a losing record, the Wilkes women (6-8-1, 2-1-1) tied the high-flying FDU Devils (10-4-2, 3-0-1) 0-0 to move into tournament contention.

The Eastern volleyball team again takes on a top team and prevails. This time the #6 Eagles beat #5 Christopher Newport 3-1 at home. The Lebanon Valley squad knocked off #25 U Mass Boston 3-1 and Bates 3-0 before succumbing to MIT.

The big event this weekend is the men’s individual tennis tournament at Wilkes and King’s. Saturday will be windy, but the Sunday matches should have ideal fall weather. Things kick off at 9 AM each day. On Saturday Wilkes hosts football between the two sets of courts so fans and teams will need to park in the Kirby Park lot and walk through the park to the courts. Most of last year’s top players return, including many champions. At #1 singles, Ken Ip, Manrique Arrea (lost at #1 to Jansen Hein, Messiah), Ethan Grodzinski, Bobby Brown, and Julian Oribe return and will be joined by Nate Bauer, Kevin Langner, Tim Carroll, Fred Hockenbury, and Jeremy Nolt (won #3 last year) who have all moved up the ladder. Returning players at #2 singles include Jed Spangler, Bryan Arnett, Josh Riehl, Tom Neckelmann, Alex Beattie (runner up at #2 in spring 2010), Michael Capozzi (won last tournament at this spot), Frank Nutt, and Evan Katz. Jason Mifsud stays at #3 where he was runner-up last time out. Wes McCollum (Wilkes) won at #4 last year and moves to #3 this fall. Manhattanville’s Andres Rivers beat Evan Katz (Wilkes) at # 5 in spring 2010; Katz is now at #2 and Rivera at #3. At #6 singles last year, Manhattanville’s Karim Mahmoud defeated Wilkes Clarke Freeman – both these players are at #5 this year.

MAC football has the bottom half of the conference (four teams at 0-2) and the top half (four teams at 2-0) competing – the result after Saturday: two 3-0 teams and two 0-3 teams. It wasn’t that long ago that the Lycoming/Widener game often determined the conference champion. While the winner still has to face nationally ranked DVC, a lot is on the line. The Widener (3-2, 2-0) rushing defense is second to DVC in yards allowed (74.4), but they will have their greatest challenge of the year trying to stop the Warrior’s (4-1, 2-0) Josh Kleinfelter (171.2 YPG). The Aggies (4-1, 2-0) have dominated FDU and LVC the last two weeks, but they travel to Wilkes (3-2, 2-0) to face the determined Colonels. Frank Sheptock’s team has come from behind against Albright and Lebanon Valley the last two weeks. This will be an even stiffer challenge for the Colonels as DVC leads the conference in almost every defensive and offensive category. The Wilkes rushing defense has given up more yards than any MAC school, but has faced two of the league’s top rushers (Ben Guiles, LVC and Josan Holmes, Albright) the last two weeks. Nothing gets easier this week as DVC’s Matt Cook comes to town. FDU is LVC’s homecoming opponent and hopes to get back on the winning track with their passing game. After winning three non-conference games, the Devils have lost to Widener and DVC. The Dutchmen (1-4, 0-2) depend on their running game and need to rebound from a very disheartening overtime loss to Wilkes. After losing late to Wilkes and being shut out by Lycoming, Albright (2-3, 0-2) hopes to right the ship against King’s, winless in five games. Albright has a potent offense, but the defense has been porous on many fronts. Despite the poor record, the Monarch’s have been close in every game since the opening season blowout to Springfield.

Conference play in field hockey continues this weekend as three MAC teams remain in the top 10 nationally (Eastern, Messiah, and Lebanon Valley). The MAC prevailed over two Centennial foes with Messiah thumping Gettysburg 5-0 and LVC squeaking by Haverford 4-3. Despite this close score, the Dutchmen have a scoring margin of 5.23 goals per game. The big Commonwealth game is this afternoon as Widener (8-2, 1-1) travels to Elizabethtown (9-3, 2-1) for claim to third place in standings. On Thursday, King’s (10-2, 3-0) slowed down Misericordia 2-1 to set up a battle for first place in the Freedom Conference at Eastern (12-2, 3-0) on Saturday. To keep pace for a tournament spot, two 1-2 teams do battle as Manhattanville heads to Delaware Valley.

MAC women’s soccer has some critical matchups this weekend. Wilkes (6-8, 2-1) needs to keep their Freedom Conference tournament hopes alive at a surprisingly potent FDU (10-4-1, 3-0). The Devils are scoring almost three goals a game and only giving up one. For the Colonels to prevail, they need to find a way to stop Brittany Kanickij and Lori Fink, FDU’s high scoring duo. Misericordia heads to Delaware valley for a showdown between two 1-2 teams – the winner remains in the thick of the conference race, the loser may be on the outside looking in. Messiah (12-0), the #1 team in the nation, gave up their first goal of the year in a 3-1 victory over Arcadia (10-2-1). Commonwealth opponents may give the Falcons their best competition as Widener visits Grantville. Smarting from a 2-0 loss to Arcadia, the Pride hopes to pull the upset as the second leading CC scoring team with a 3.08 GPG average.

Men’s soccer action intensifies this weekend. After losing to Misericordia 2-1, King’s (9-5, 2-1) visits Manhattanville (6-4-1, 1-1-1) for a key game. The Valiant’s, last year’s Freedom runner-up, can’t afford a loss to remain viable in the championship picture; the Monarch’s need to prove that they belong in the upper echelon by beating a top opponent. Two other conference favorites, Eastern (8-3-1, 3-0) and DeSales (8-4-2, 1-0-2), face off in Center Valley. The Bulldogs need to slow down the Eagles to remain in the tournament picture for a top seed. After a tough 1-0 loss to Messiah, Arcadia (7-6, 2-1) travels to Elizabethtown (8-1-2, 2-0) for a homecoming game and a shot at second place in the Commonwealth.

Wilkes swept all nine brackets in the women’s tennis individual tournament. The #1 Elizabethtown doubles team of Alena Marani and Madison Pipkin made things tough on Wilkes’ Victoria Bybel and Melanie Nolt before succumbing 9-7. It also looked as though the Blue Jay’s #3 Kristi Noecker would prevail over Allison Kristofco, a Wilkes first year, as she took the first set 6-2. From there it was a battle as Wilkes fought back 6-4, 10-5. First year #1 Victoria Foanio of Albright made her mark on the conference by winning the first set over Melanie Nolt of Wilkes 6-4. Nolt rebounded to win the match 6-4, 10-6. Lebanon Valley’s Danielle Bordner, another first year, expended so much in the longest semi-final of the day at #4, she didn’t have enough left for Alexis Donner (Wilkes). The men will be at Wilkes and King’s this weekend for their tournament – hopefully, the weather, competition, and fan support rivals that of the women’s event.

With Delaware Valley, Wilkes, Lycoming, and Widener winning in football this past weekend, they all move to 2-0 in conference play. Two significant milestones occurred: Lycomings Josh Kleinfelter established a new school career rushing record with 3,309 yards in the blowout over Albright; Wilkes head coach Frank Sheptock won his 91st game to garnish the most wins of any football coach in their history. His Colonels came from nowhere in the 4th quarter to tie and then win the game in overtime against LVC. This weekend something has to give as the four 2-0 teams play each other (Wilkes and #12 Delaware Valley, Widener and Lycoming); the four winless teams also compete (Albright and King’s, Lebanon Valley and FDU).

In a field of 198 runners, Delaware Valley’s Caitlin Dorgan won her fifth cross country race in a row sneaking by Lebanon Valley’s Jenn Cronin by a couple of seconds at the DeSales Invitational. The DeSales women were the top MAC team, finishing seventh out of 21 teams. The DeSales men were the best MAC team, completing the 8 K in third place out of 24 teams. The Bulldogs Mike Curry led MAC runners finishing 8th out of 277 competitors.

In a repeat of last year’s men’s soccer championship matches, Messiah again prevailed over Arcadia 1-0, but the Manhattanville-Misericordia result was overturned, as the Valiant’s won this time 2-0. Nothing gets easier for Manhattanville as they take on 2-0 Eastern tomorrow. Misericordia (0-2) takes on local rival King’s for a shot to slow down the 2-0 Monarchs and get back into the tournament picture themselves. After two straight ties, DeSales must win against Wilkes (1-1) to stay within the tournament picture. While cross town rivals Alvernia and Albright attempt to establish a tournament footing, Elizabethtown and Lebanon Valley take their 1-0 records and try to pull into sole ownership of 1st place.

Wednesday volleyball has matches for control of first place, tournament sports, and bragging rights. For first place, #5 Eastern (19-1, 4-0) should be the favorite over the much improved Misericordia Cougars (3-1), and the 4-0 Lebanon Valley team must fend off Messiah (3-1). Elizabethtown (3-1) wants to keep pace with the Falcons and Dutchmen as the play winless Lycoming. Arcadia (0-4) and Alvernia (1-3) are much improved over last year, and want to maintain an edge in the standings when they battle this week. Perennial tournament participants, DeSales and FDU, are both 2-2 and need the win to keep pace with Wilkes (3-1) and Delaware Valley (2-2) who face off in Wilkes-Barre. King’s and Manhattanville, both 0-4, want to avoid the cellar.

With three top ten teams, MAC field hockey has some major action this week. #8 Eastern had their ten game winning streak stopped by Haverford 2-1, and look to a Freedom showdown on Saturday with King’s. To get to Saturday, King’s (1-0) has a big week as they take on Delaware Valley (1-1) and Misericordia (2-0). FDU (2-1) got off to a slow start with a tough schedule, but are in the conference mix as they prepare for the Cougars on Tuesday. #4 LVC (12-0, 2-0) travels to Haverford in hopes of avenging Eastern’s loss. After knocking off #11 NCNJ, #3 Messiah plays Gettysburg before returning to conference play.

After a 0-10 start, Manhattanville has started conference play 1-0-1 and travels to Eastern on Wednesday for a repeat of last year’s championship game (won by Eastern). In another title game rematch, Arcadia lost to #1 Messiah, 3-1, but that is only the second goal the Falcons have allowed all year, and the winning margin was as close as any other Messiah win. The Knights will now face #24 Widener for a claim to the upper echelon of the conference. FDU (9-4-1, 2-0) needs to keep pace with Eastern as they take on Delaware Valley (1-1).

Homecoming at 3-1 FDU features 3-1 Delaware Valley, the 12th ranked team in the nation. The Devils season was clipping along until the second half of last week’s Widener game when they gave up four touchdowns. Last week Mark Hatty tossed 5 touchdown passes for the Aggies (averages 206 yards a game) in a lopsided victory over LVC. DVC, the MAC’s top defense (8.5 PPG), will see the league’s top passer, FDU’s Matt Jeffers (225 yards/game). The Pioneers (2-2) visit King’s (0-4), and shouldn’t be deceived by the Monarch record. Their three recent losses were by a combined 16 points. After a stinging last minute defeat at the hands of Wilkes, Albright (2-2) returns home to host 3-1 Lycoming, whose loss to Rowan by a touchdown is the only blemish on their record. The Lions defense must find a solution to the Warrior’s Josh Kleinfelter who is earning great recognition for his two 200 plus yard rushing games and 177 yard/game average. Albright’s offense leads the conferences in scoring at 35.8 PPG. Wilkes takes on Lebanon Valley in Annville. This is a critical game for both squads, The Dutchmen were expected to be in the hunt for a championship and are 1-3; another conference loss puts them out of the picture. After knocking off Albright in the conference opener, the Colonels (2-2) could move to 2-0 in the MAC and remain a contender.

The big event this weekend is the women’s individual tennis tournament at Wilkes and King’s in Wilkes-Barre. The weather looks great so matches will start at 9 AM on both Saturday and Sunday. At #1 singles, Melanie Nolt of Wilkes should be the favorite as she won at this position last year. She should be challenged by Alena Marani (Elizabethtown) who won at #5 last year and Shayna Heintzelman (Lebanon Valley) who lost in the semi-finals at #2 in 2009. At #2 singles, three women have moved up in the ladder from strong finishes in 2009. Last year Madison Pipkin (Elizabethtown) lost at #4 in the finals, Lauren Fulmer (Lebanon Valley) lost at #4 in the semi’s, and Lauren Breen (King’s) lost in the #5 final to Alena Marani. At #3, Christi Noecker returns after winning the 2009 #6 final. And to indicate how strong the Wilkes program has become, Alexis Donner competes at #5 this year after winning at #4 last year. There are many first years at all the positions, so be prepared for some new names in the winner’s circle.

MAC men's soccer teams head into the second week of the conference with some big games on tap. 14 of the 16 teams have winning records, evidence of how strong the conference is. After defeating nemesis York 2-0, perennial national power 9-1 Messiah travels to Arcadia for a repeat of last year’s Commonwealth championship game. Messiah’s Nick Thompson leads the Falcons in scoring with 1.4 PPG and goalkeeper Jake Berry tops the conference with a .48 GAA and a save pct. of .882. At 6-5, Arcadia comes off a 3-2 overtime win over Wilkes. The big game may be 6-1-2 Elizabethtown at 8-3 Albright. The Lions are lead by conference scoring leader Gibrilla Conde (1.75 PPG and .75 GPG). Elizabethtown leads the conference in scoring with 7.38 PPG and 2.75 GPG. After defeating Scranton 1-0, Lebanon Valley visits Alvernia in a battle to stay in contention for a tournament spot. Lycoming heads to Widener – the loser has two conference losses, a tough spot to be with only five conference games to recover. In a battle of last year’s Freedom finalists, Misericordia visits Manhattanville. Each team has struggled some in the early going and needs a win to stay in contention for a tournament berth. After whacking Juniata 3-0, King’s visits a much improved Delaware Valley side. King’s has been a scoring machine, averaging 6.58 PPG and 2.42 GPG. DeSales sports the Freedom’s leading scorer (Derek Long, 2.09 PPG and 11 goals for 1 GPG) and the stingiest defense (.79 GAA). They will face the conference’s leading goalie, FDU’s Kevin Herbert who holds a .909 save percentage. Eastern’s defense has also been effective only giving up .88 GPG. They host Wilkes, winner of four of their last five games.

Three MAC field hockey teams (Eastern, Messiah, and Lebanon Valley) remain in the national poll. #4 Lebanon Valley crushed #20 F & M 5-1 as Jocelyn Novak broke the LVC career scoring record with 181 points. She leads the conference in points (4.33 PG) and goals (2 PG). As a team, the Dutchmen are a scoring machine with the three top scorers in the conference, a 5.67 scoring margin, and 6.44 goals per game average. Messiah is dominating on defense allowing only .55 goals per game. Their goalie, Kayleigh Stewart contributes to that prowess with a .53 GAA and a .893 save percentage. King’s leads the Freedom in scoring with 3.1 GPG and Eastern dominate defensively at .85 GAA. One reason Misericordia is in the mix for a tournament spot is the scoring of Samantha Sorokas who has 2.55 PPG, 13 goals, and 1.18 GPG. Manhattanville’s goalie Melissa Grant is making a phenomenal 10.3 saves a game.

In women’s soccer, Messiah remains the #1 team in the country after soundly defeating two-time Freedom champion Eastern on Wednesday night. The Falcons have only given up one goal in ten games and have scored an average of 5.25. Amanda Naeher, 2008 national player of the year, sets the offensive pace with 4.38 PPG and 1.88 GPG. Arcadia (9-2-1), the 2009 conference runner up, hosts Messiah this weekend. Lebanon Valley’s defense has recorded eight shutouts in 12 games. On the Freedom side, Misericordia (3.09 GPG) and FDU (3.0 GPG) are possible challengers to Eastern this year with their scoring prowess. Eastern counts on their defense with a .9 GAA thus far. DeSales Brady Walsh leads the conference in scoring (2.45 PPG, 11 goals, and 1 GPG).

The first week of MAC conference football games produced some interesting results. It was not a surprise that 13th ranked Delaware Valley (3-1) beat Lebanon Valley (1-3) 38-6, but it was that they got off to a 21-0 start in the first quarter and never looked back. Lycoming has to be considered the likely challenger for the Aggies as they move to 3-1 by defeating King’s 31-24 as Josh Kleinfelter had another brilliant day with 216 rushing yards. This was the third straight game where the Monarchs came up a little short. FDU travelled to Widener (2-2) with the only 3-0 record in the conference and looked good in the first half, leading 13-7. The second half was a nightmare for the Devils as their special teams broke down and allowed the Pride several big plays. Four touchdowns in the 2nd half resulted in a 35-20 win in front of a homecoming crowd that included the Stevenson football team. This is the first year of football for the Mustangs as they prepare to compete in the MAC starting in 2011. In the final MAC game, Wilkes (2-2) kicked a intercepted a pass and kicked a field goal late in the last minute of the game to win a scoring fest over visiting Albright (2-2) 38-35 for the homecoming crowd.

The first MAC cross over volleyball tournament ended with the Commonwealth winning 9 of 16 matches, but the Freedom (Eastern, FDU, DVC) won three of the four pods. Albright was the only CC pod winner at Lycoming. In the premier match of the day that pitted #5 Eastern versus top Commonwealth team Lebanon Valley, the Eagles held on to win 3-2.

Delaware Valley’s Caitlin Dorgan extended her cross country winning streak to four as she captured the individual championship at Wilkes to lead her team to a first place showing. Another DVC runner, Thomas Porter, also took the top hardware in the men’s race, but the Albright squad won the team championship. The Elizabethtown teams showed well in a competitive field at Slippery Rock, with the men 2nd of 10 teams, and the women 3rd of 10. In the biggest meet of the weekend, Paul Short at Lehigh, the Widener men has the top MAC finish (5th of 33) as Dennis Conn lead the way. LVC’s Jenn Cronin (team ranked 7th in region), running against mainly D I and II competitors, was 16th of 387.

Lots of men’s soccer results were decided by a goal or less. Manhattanville and DeSales, considered by many to be top contenders for the Freedom crown, played to a 0-0 draw. The 2009 champion Misericordia Cougars lost a 2-1 decision to Eastern, a young squad with championship aspirations. The Commonwealth games had Elizabethtown squeaking by a much improved Alvernia side 2-1, Albright prevailed over Widener 1-0, and Arcadia defeated Lycoming by the same score.

The three ranked field hockey teams continued to win. Lebanon Valley won their ninth straight toppling Eastern Mennonite 4-1. They host #19 F & M on Tuesday. Messiah beat William Smith 1-0 and looks to a conference match up with 5-1 Widener on Wednesday. #9 Eastern plays a couple on non-conference teams before returning to Freedom action of Saturday versus DeSales.

After a disappointing non-conference season record of 12-12, MAC football hits the conference schedule for the next seven weeks. Delaware Valley hosts Lebanon Valley in an early season bout between the two preseason favorites. The 12th ranked Aggies are the conference team to beat with their only blemish a 4th quarter loss to 3rd ranked Wesley. The Dutchmen need to win this game in order to stay in the hunt for a NCAA playoff spot as they have already lost to Gettysburg and Grove City. FDU is the only unbeaten MAC team (3-0) as they head to Widener (1-2) for a day of reckoning for both squads. With their best start since 1994, are the Devils a contender? Widener’s losses were against top Empire 8 teams; are they going to be in the mix in the MAC? After their upset of #13 Ithaca last week, Lycoming hosts winless King’s. The Warriors can’t take the Monarchs lightly as they lost to Bethany by 3 and William Paterson by 7 on fluke fumble return. King’s will have to stop Lyco’s Josh Kleinfelter who is now the Warriors 2nd all-time leading rusher. Albright (2-1) heads to Wilkes (1-2) to try out the new turf at Ralston Field. Albright needs this game to maintain their prowess as one of the MAC’s top teams the last couple of years; the Colonels want to return to the NCAA playoff hunt after an ECAC bowl game last year.

In the inaugural year for the MAC volleyball crossover tournament, there are several interesting match ups. Based on last year’s standings, two teams from each conference play each other. At Lebanon Valley, 5th ranked Eastern takes on perennial CC powers LVC and Elizabethtown. After a stinging defeat at Misericordia, DeSales hopes to get in the win column against the Dutchmen and Jays. Misericordia (2-1, 6-2) has to be the favorite in Williamsport as they face Albright (1-2, 3-10) and Lycoming (0-3, 6-8). King’s (0-3, 4-7) should have a shot at rebounding after their loss to cross town rival Wilkes on Wednesday. Messiah (3-0, 13-3) is having their best start in years and takes on FDU (1-2, 8-3) and Wilkes (3-0, 5-6). The Devils and Colonels may also have their hands full with Widener (2-1, 12-8). At the final site, Arcadia (0-3, 5-8) takes on an improved Delaware Valley squad (2-1, 6-8) and Manhattanville (0-3, 5-6). Alvernia (1-2, 3-5) is much improved and may pick up wins against the Aggies and Valiant’s.

It may be the first date for conference competition, but much is on the line for women’s soccer this weekend. All the Commonwealth teams have winning records against non-conference opponents. For the first time, LVC is regionally ranked but has a tall order as they host #1 ranked Messiah. The Falcons just surpassed Ohio Wesleyan with 61 consecutive wins. Two improved teams, Alvernia (8-2-1) and Lycoming (6-2), take on regular tournament participants as the Crusaders head to Elizabethtown (4-4-1) and the Warriors host Arcadia (8-2-1). On the Freedom side, the two top teams, Misericordia (8-1-1) and Eastern (6-2-1) tangle in Dallas.

MAC field hockey programs have an 87-50 record that inevitably includes losses against each other. Commonwealth teams all have winning records and an overall mark of 45-19. Three teams, Messiah, Eastern, and Lebanon Valley, are nationally ranked. After spanking Susquehanna 7-2 last night, the Dutchmen head to Eastern Mennonite; Eastern, who has played a phenomenal schedule, knocked off Rowan 3-2 yesterday and travels to Purchase for a Freedom match up with Manhattanville; Messiah head off to William Smith.

Two crossover games between top teams in men’s soccer this week favored the Commonwealth. A much improved Alvernia side proved their record is not a fluke with a 2-1 win over DeSales and the same occurred as Lebanon Valley prevailed over Misericordia by the same score. Nothing gets easier for any of the teams as conference play starts this weekend. The Dutchmen play nationally ranked Messiah (5th in one poll, 10th in another); Alvernia (6-1-1) and Elizabethtown (5-1-2) try to establish early conference dominance; DeSales (7-3) tangles with preseason favorite Manhattanville; and, Misericordia (7-3) attempts to maintain their conference championship ways (2009 and 2010) by denying (Eastern (4-3-1) an early foothold in the standings.

The Lycoming football team pulled out a thrilling 26-24 upset of #13 Ithaca in Williamsport. As the 2-1 (close loss at Rowan in first game of season) Warriors head into the conference season next week, they have to be seen as a contender for the MAC crown. FDU (3-0) is the only undefeated MAC team at the end of non-conference play and is their best start since 1994. Albright knocked off ODAC foe Catholic to move to 2-1. Last year the conference received a Pool C bid (Albright) because of a great non-conference record; this year that record is spotty at 12-12, and conference play will inevitably mean at least two losses for a contending team. It is rare that a team with two losses is considered for an at-large berth in NCAA’s.

In perhaps their biggest win ever in women’s soccer, Lebanon Valley shutout #24 Eastern to pull to 5-4-1 in non-conference play. Messiah and Misericordia, both at the top of their conferences, knocked off two Ohio schools Saturday – the Falcons overwhelming Denison 4-0 and the Cougars slipping by Wooster 1-0.

Besides conference volleyball action this week, two big non-conference matches are scheduled. Elizabethtown attempts to upend #2 Juniata who prevailed over Eastern in three sets on Friday night to a packed house in St. Davids, and Lebanon Valley hopes to beat Haverford, a perennial Centennial power.

This is the last weekend for non-conference football as several teams take a bye before starting the conference schedule on October 2. Despite their loss to Wesley last weekend, Delaware Valley, ranked #13 nationally, remains the team to beat in the MAC. It has been a long time since FDU started a season 3-0, but they have that chance this weekend as they travel to Apprentice School in Newport News, Va. The Empire 8 has feasted on non-conference opponents by going 16-1 in the first three weeks. MAC teams hope to slow that momentum down as Ithaca visits Lycoming and Wilkes travels to Utica. Both Empire 8 opponents are 3-0 as Ithaca has outscored opponents 92-30 and Utica has prevailed with a 179-62 scoring advantage. In the only other MAC game, Catholic visits Albright. Catholic is 2-1 in 2010 (loss against McDaniel last weekend) and holds a 3-1 series advantage over the Lions. Under Coach Marzka, Albright is almost unbeatable at home; hopefully, that trend continues against their ODAC foe.

MAC field hockey rolls on with three teams (Messiah #1, LVC #5, and Eastern #9) in the top to nationally. Messiah will drop this coming week after a surprising loss to Lynchburg, a team LVC handled earlier in the season. Commonwealth field hockey is 36-14 against non-conference opponents, the MAC is 68-37 overall. At 5-1, Shenandoah is the biggest surprise in con-conference play as they enter their final season as a MAC affiliate. As all MAC schools start conference play this weekend, it will be interesting to see how the Hornets fair against an improved Albright team.

Fourteen of 16 MAC men’s soccer teams have winning records as they enter the last week of non-conference play. Three games against top tier opponents (Drew, Stevens, and Gettysburg) were postponed on Wednesday because of storms. The Commonwealth surprise is Alvernia as they have been giving up only .81 goals per game behind the goalkeeping prowess of Ben Diller who sports a .38 GAA. Although Messiah leads the conference with 2.86 goals per game, the leading scorer is David Reiser with 1.71 points per game. Derek Long (DeSales) is the top scorer in the MAC with 10 goals and a 2.5 points per game average, and his team leads the Freedom is goals per game with 2.75. Eastern has the stingiest defense allowing only .57 goals per game, while King’s goalkeeper Branden Raynor is dominating the nets with a .32 GAA.

Although there are plenty of intriguing volleyball matches this weekend, the big one is Juniata (#2 nationally) at Eastern (#6). While the Eagles are undefeated at 15-0, Juniata’s (also the Eagles) only loss was to #1 Washington University. After weekend action, teams return to conference play on Wednesday as LVC, Messiah, Wilkes, and Eastern try to extend their unbeaten record to 3-0.

Nationally #1 Messiah is the class of the MAC in women’s soccer as they had an easy time with Centennial foe Dickinson 6-0. All the Commonwealth teams have winning records against non-conference opponents as they head into the final week before MAC play. Not surprisingly, Messiah is a scoring machine with a 5 goals per game average (35 total) with Amanda Naeher leading the way with 13 goals and a 4.43 points per game average. Lycoming’s Kaitlin Horn is also producing ata 3.8 points per game clip (8 goals). Widener (32 goals, 4 per game) and Lycoming (25 goals, 4.17 per game are also displaying offensive muscle. Defensively, Messiah (.14 goals per game) and Widener (.37 goals per game) are leading the way. Albright goalie Olivia Giuliano is keeping her team in many games with 6.43 saves a game. The main reason Misericordia tops the league is because of their scoring prowess of 3.75 goals per game; Eastern hangs with them because of a stellar .6 goals per game allowed. Brady Walsh (DeSales) leads the Freedom offensively with 2.5 points per game, but Lora Fink (FDU) is close behind with 2.38. King’s goalie Danielle Johnson sees plenty of action and leads the conference with 7.62 saves per game.

After a 6-2 record in week #2, MAC football slipped this weekend with a 2-4 performance. On Friday night, FDU won 24-23 in overtime when TCNJ missed an extra point to tie the game. LVC won 21-6 as they sacked Moravian quarterbacks nine times, four by Zack Bleiler. It was a story of two halves as LVC dominated the first half on their way to a 21-0 lead, but they were unable to muster much offense in the last thirty minutes. When Brittany Ryan kicked the first extra point, she entered the NCAA record book as the leading female scorer with 88 points. In perhaps the Division III game of the day, #8 Delaware Valley lost a 4th quarter lead to succumb to #3 Wesley. Wesley jumped to a 14-0 halftime advantage, but the Aggies moved ahead 17-14 with eight minutes to go in the 4th, before the Wolverines went ahead for good 21-17.

#2 Messiah field hockey avenged a 1-0 defeat in the 2009 national championship game to Salisbury with a decisive 3-0 away win over the #1 Seagulls yesterday. Eastern knocked off neighbor Swarthmore 2-0 to maintain their winning streak against top teams. Commonwealth teams have a 32-9 record in non-conference play and Freedom teams are 29-19.

In a cross over men’s soccer game, #10 Messiah escaped Center Valley with a 3-2 win over the DeSales Bulldogs. Alvernia (5-0-1) and Albright (5-2) continued their winning ways over the weekend.

In women’s soccer, the #1 Messiah Falcons topped #23 Lynchburg 4-0 for their sixth straight shutout. In a special Friday night event, Widener beat Wilkes 1-0 at PP & L Park.

#10 Eastern volleyball swept the Salisbury tournament 4-0 to remain perfect at 14-0. They are poised to host perennial power #2 Juniata on Friday night.

Del Val’s Caitlin Dorgan won her third straight race, this time over some Division I competitors at the Monmouth Invitational. LVC’s Jenn Cronin was the top Division III runner and 4th over-all in a large multi-divisional field at Dickinson. Her team was 2nd out of 26! Also at Dickinson, the Widener men finished 6th out of 26th to record the best MAC performance

The big football game this weekend pits #8 Delaware Valley at #3 Wesley. In their current series, Wesley holds a 2-1 advantage, but the Aggies looked very strong last week against #20 W & J and hope to tie things up. With games against the Centennial, Empire 8, and NJAC this weekend, the MAC wants to build on their 6-2 record against the PAC last week in pursuit of a possible NCAA Pool C bid or ECAC bowl possibilities. The Empire 8 is off to a great start with an 11-0 record. Widener hosts Ithaca, a perennial DIII power, who has outscored opponents 61-23 this season. Widener is coming off their first shutout in six years and is 1-1. Springfield travels to Wilkes who won their home opener in a thriller on the new turf last week. Springfield, moving to Liberty League after this season, has topped this year’s opponents 82-7. In the NJAC games, 0-1 TCNJ visits their neighbor 1-0 FDU for a Friday night game. This has become a great in-state rivalry with many surprising finishes. After a strong showing last week, King’s heads to NJ to battle 1-0 William Paterson. With high expectations for the season, Lebanon Valley needs to rebound from two losses with a win over Centennial foe Moravian at home. The Greyhounds are 1-1 in defensive struggles, beating Susquehanna 12-6 and losing to McDaniel 13-10.

Most of the top cross country teams are heading to Dickinson for an early look at regional strength.

MAC field hockey remains dominant at 45-22 in the non-conference schedule (some of the losses are cross-conference match ups). The big story is Eastern ranked #14 nationally who knocked off #12 TCNJ this week, after disposing of MAC power Messiah the previous week. They host a strong Widener team this week. Some other interesting cross-conference match ups include LVC at DeSales and King’s at Elizabethtown. Delaware Valley (5-1) heads west to play a strong Juniata side. The match of the weekend has Messiah and Salisbury in a repeat of last year’s national championship.

There were two shockers in volleyball last night as perennial CC power Elizabethtown fell to Widener 3-1 and Delaware Valley topped King’s 3-0 for the first time in 13 years. Eastern, ranked #10, topped DeSales in an early look at the two top FC teams. The Eagles (10-0) head to Salisbury against a great field and hope to maintain their undefeated record. After losing their first two matches, Messiah has rebounded with nine straight wins, their most recent victim, Moravian 3-1.

In a special soccer feature Friday night, Widener hosts two games at PP& L Park in Chester. The women at 5-1 entertain Wilkes and the men take on Neumann. The Alvernia men are cruising at 4-0-1, but the big men’s game has #10 Messiah hosting a 5-1 DeSales team. The #1 Messiah women have outscored the opposition 25-0 in a 5-0 start and host Lynchburg, a team that has challenged them in the past. The #22 Eastern Eagles had a 1-0 setback at #2 TCNJ but topped Cabrini 2-1 to move to 5-1. The Misericordia women take their 4-0-1 record to Scranton for regional bragging rights.

It is with sadness that we wish Jim Miller, SID at Elizabethtown, a fond farewell as he heads to Division II Tusculum. Besides his time at Etown, Jim has been in the MAC for years, first as conference assistant and then SID at Susquehanna. He designed the first MAC web site. In particular, we will miss his work at the MAC indoor championships where he has been a one-man show for ten years – seeding and scoring the meet, announcing the results, and coordinating awards and other functions. Jim, from those of us in the MAC, best of luck in your new position.

In the first year of the MAC/PAC Football Challenge, the MAC prevailed 6-2, and the two losses were by a total of five points. After a disappointing first weekend, MAC teams have pulled to 7-7 against non-conference foes. With games against all regional conferences - NJAC (William Paterson and TCNJ), Centennial (Moravian), ODAC (Catholic), Empire 8 (2 with Ithaca, Springfield, and Utica) – and two independents (nationally ranked Wesley and Apprentice), they can improve their standing for a possible Pool C bid in the NCAA Tournament. In the top game this past weekend, #10 Delaware Valley shutout #20 Washington and Jefferson. The Aggies appear to be the team to beat in the conference and the East Region.

It is no surprise that the #16 Eastern volleyball team is off to a great start at 9-0, but they return from Colorado College after knocking off the #5 hosts twice.
In women’s soccer the favorites Eastern and Messiah are 4-0, but hanging with them is Misericordia with wins over solid programs - Lycoming, LVC, Susquehanna, and York.
MAC field hockey is among the strongest Division III conferences and their non-conference record of 37-20 reinforces that notion. In the biggest game of the week, Eastern defeated #2 Messiah 1-0 in a battle of the MAC favorites. LVC has maintained their undefeated ranking with wins over traditional powers Lynchburg and Mary Washington.

DeSales men’s soccer was cruising at 5-0 until a 2-1 loss at Stockton. DVC continues their winning ways at 4-1 by beating Goucher.
Three MAC women won their cross country races on Saturday – Kim Hummel of Albright at Kutztown, Jen Cronin of LVC at their invitational, and Caitlin Dorgan of DVC at Smith. Both LVC teams won their meet – men 1 of 12 and women 1 of 12. The best news is how they prevailed over ranked Gettysburg.

The DeSales fall sports season is off to a phenomenal start as three of four teams are undefeated after the first week of play. Field hockey is 3-0, men’s soccer 4-0, women’s soccer 4-0 and volleyball 2-1. The lone volleyball set back was to Moravian in 4 very competitive sets (28-26, 20-25, 22-25, 23-25), but the team recovered against Centennial foe Johns Hopkins and Landmark opponent Goucher. The teams put their records on the line over the next two days - tomorrow field hockey hosts Cedar Crest, and on Friday men’s soccer visits Richard Stockton, women’s soccer goes to Catholic, and volleyball travels across town to Muhlenberg. Congratulations to the Bulldogs on a great 2010 start!

MAC football had a shaky start this weekend winning only one of six games against non-conference opposition. Tenth ranked Delaware Valley prevailed over Muhlenberg to maintain their status as the conference team to beat. Last year Albright received an at-large bid because of MAC success against non-conference teams, including a sweep of the Centennial. With these early setbacks, it is unlikely we will have much chance getting a second team in, but a convincing show in the MAC/PAC Challenge this coming weekend might enhance the conference position.

The two top ten field hockey teams prevailed against other ranked powers – Messiah won at Ursinus and Lebanon Valley defeated Lynchburg.

Manhattanville has struggled for the past three years as a new volleyball program, but are off to a 3-0 start. It is no surprise that the 18th ranked Eastern Eagles are 3-0 with a strong performance at the Haverford tournament. Commonwealth top pick Lebanon Valley swept through the Cortland Tournament to bring home the championship hardware.

The big story of the weekend in men’s soccer was #1 Messiah being knocked off in overtime by Hobart. Lebanon Valley won the Goucher tournament in convincing fashion. DeSales and Widener also jumped out to 2-0 starts.

#1 Messiah women’s soccer beat Christopher Newport 7-0 and Virginia Wesleyan 2-0 with Earl as a threat on the trip to the Tidewater area.

The big cross country event occurred at Delaware Valley as a tune up for the conference championships in late October. Of the 18 women’s programs, MAC teams took the top three spots (Elizabethtown 21, Messiah 23, and Lebanon Valley 29). The Aggies Caitlin Dorgan won the race to the praise of the home crowd. With 21 points the Messiah men won among 22 teams as Junior Tyler Newhook lead the way with a third place finish.

September 1 is the traditional start date for Division III fall sports, and yesterday most MAC teams took advantage of the opportunity by going 27-20-1 against non-conference opponents.

In volleyball, perennial national power Eastern, an overwhelming pick to repeat as Freedom Conference champs for the third year, defeated neighbor Cabrini in three sets before a packed house. Alvernia, which has struggled over the past years, started the season with a 3-0 win over Keystone. Lebanon Valley, Commonwealth champions the last two years, and the pick to win it again this year, was idle but head to Cortland Friday night for tournament action.

The MAC is always a power in field hockey, and the two picks for this year’s conference championships displayed strength on Wednesday night against formidable foes. Messiah blanked Landmark representative Juniata 5-0, while Eastern had an easy time with the NJAC’s Montclair State 4-1.

Messiah men’s soccer, the reigning National Champion, is again picked to win the Commonwealth. They did not play yesterday, but host Hobart tomorrow night in Grantham at 7 PM. Manhattanville, last year’s Freedom regular season winner, and this year’s top pick in the Freedom, had a rough start against Richard Stockton, losing 5-2. In a MAC regional rivalry, Lycoming outlasted Misericordia 3-2 in overtime.

Eastern, the 2009 Freedom champion in women’s soccer and this year’s preseason favorite, got off to a slow start last year by losing to York. That didn’t happen this year, as the Eagles prevailed 4-1. Messiah, hoping to defend their 2009 Commonwealth and National Championship titles, heads to Christopher Newport on Friday to challenge a USA South power.

Many MAC cross country teams will head to Delaware Valley this weekend as a warm up for the conference meet that will be held there on October 30. For the women, Caitlin Dorgan, a DVC senior, and last year’s conference runner up, hopes to start the season in top form in front of the home crowd. LVC senior, Jenn Cronin, 3rd place at MAC’s last year, will probably be a challenger for the top spot as the season progresses. Two top juniors return from last year for the men. Tyler Newhook from Messiah placed first at MAC meet last year and Eric Reichert of Elizabethtown was second. Elizabethtown won both 2009 team championships with Messiah close behind.

Six of eight MAC football teams open the season this weekend. After a sweltering preseason, it looks as though Saturday will be a perfect day to start non-conference play.

The Delaware Valley College Aggies football team, ranked 10th in Division III and the pick to win the MAC, will open up the 2010 campaign at Muhlenberg College. The two schools will meet for the first time since 1972. Both squads return a high number of starters from last year (18 for Delaware Valley, 16 for Muhlenberg), but are coming off different results in 2009 and expectations for 2010. In ’09, the Aggies went 10-2 overall and reached the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Muhlenberg won the Centennial Conference in 2007 and 2008 including a second round appearance of its own in the ’07 NCAA playoffs, but just managed a 3-7 overall record last season. They have been picked to finish sixth in the 10-team conference this year.

The Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen begin one of the most anticipated seasons in its history Saturday against Gettysburg. Coming after a record-setting 9-2 season and an ECAC Southwest Bowl win, the Flying Dutchmen aim even higher in 2010 as they have been picked second in the MAC preseason poll and for the first time in program history received votes in the d3football.com preseason top 25 poll. Gettysburg coach Barry Streeter, a 1971 Lebanon Valley graduate, is facing his alma mater for the 17th time. Last year, LVC won at Gettysburg for the first time since 1979 with a 47-42 shootout win.

For the second consecutive season, the Albright College Lions were picked third in the MAC preseason poll. Last year they exceeded those expectations by taking second in the MAC and winning two games in the NCAA’s before succumbing to perennial national champions Mt. Union. This Saturday’s home opener will mark the 14th time that Albright has taken on Ursinus since their first meeting in 1912. On Saturday, the Ursinus Bears’ will bring a veteran core of players who earned a spot in an ECAC Bowl game last season. The Bears were selected to finish third in the 2010 Centennial Conference preseason poll.

The Lycoming College Warriors open the 2010 campaign at Rowan. Needing to replace 10 starters from the 4-6 2009 team, the Warriors will face a stiff test from the Rowan Profs, who finished 7-3 overall last year. At home in 2009, the Warriors could not muster much offense against Rowan in a 29-7 season opener loss. The Warriors are predicted to finish fourth in the 2010 MAC preseason poll. Lyco head coach Mike Clark was a graduate assistant with Rowan coach Jay Accorsi on the Prof’s staff in 1994-95. Lycoming defeated Rowan in the national semifinals 28-20 on Dec. 6, 1997 at David Person Field.

The Widener University Pride enter the 2010 season at Alfred as Isaac Collins takes over as the program’s 22nd head coach. He was defensive coordinator at The Citadel the last four years, an assistant coach at Delaware in 2005, and an assistant coach at Lehigh from 2000-03. Widener’s football squad has been picked to finish sixth in the Middle Atlantic Conference this season based on a vote by the league’s coaches. The 2009 Alfred Saxons claimed their first-ever Empire 8 Conference crown in which they went 8-2 and ended the year losing at home to Albright (MAC at-large team) in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The King’s College Monarchs, picked seventh in the MAC preseason poll, travel to Springfield College for a Friday night game at Amos Alonzo Stagg Field where one of the deepest football traditions in football began in 1890. King’s comes off a 3-7 campaign in 2009 while Springfield went 8-2 and won the 2009 ECAC Northeast Bowl. Jeff Knarr takes over at King’s as only the second head coach since the varsity program was reestablished in 1993. This is the second meeting between the teams as Springfield won a 57-30 shootout last season at King’s. Springfield head coach Mike Delong enters his 29th year as a collegiate head coach with a 150-110-2 record.

The MAC indoor track & field championships are at Lehigh University's Rauch Fieldhouse on Saturday, February 27. The doors open for the public at 9 AM with Pentathlon and field events starting at 10 AM. The DMR, kicking off running events, begins at 12:30 PM.

Messiah will be defending their men's and women's championships from 2009. 2009 individuals who are also trying to retain their championships:

Robert Innocent, Widener, 55m dash
Wyatt Eaton, Elizabethtown, 200m dash
Eric Reichert, Elizabethtown, mile run
Rich Greco, Elizabethtown, 5,000m run
James Green Widener, shot put
Zach Bleiler, Lebanon Valley, weight throw
Kristen Bates, Messiah, 55m hurdles, high jump, long jump, triple jump
Susan Bochnovich, Misericordia, 200m dash
Nikita Halteman, Widener, shot put
Briana Eshleman, Messiah, pentathlon

Competitors with NCAA qualifying marks:

Jose Santiago, DeSales, weight throw, "B" cut
Zach Bleiler, Lebanon Valley, weight throw, "B' cut
Eddy Palmer, Messiah, 800 m run, "B' cut
James Green, Widener, shot put, "B" cut
Kristen Bates, Messiah, "B" cuts - long jump, 55m hurdles, triple jump
Brooke McDonald, Widener, pole vault, "B" cut
Abby Schaffer, Widener, pole vault, "A" cut
Meghan Donovan, Delaware Valley, high jump, "B" cut

Relays with NCAA qualifying mark:

Messiah men's DMR, "B" cut
Messiah women's DMR, "B" cut


The Freedom Conference women's basketball championship pits DeSales (17-9, 11-3) at Manhattanville (19-7, 12-2) at 1 PM on 2/27. The two teams split during the regular season, DeSales winning at Manhattanville 53-52 and the Valiants winning in Center Valley 60-48. The Bulldogs, winners of 11 straight advance to the tournament final with a 75-51 win over Delaware Valley on Wednesday. DeSales is led by Lori Lidlow (17.9 ppg), Kelly Mcgrann (10.7 ppg), and Cherelle Simmons (8.4 rpg). Head Coach Fred Richter is in a familiar place as his team looks for a third straight Freedom championship. Manhattanville, under first year coach Lauren Thomer, returns to the Freedom championship game, but has the home court this year. They advance after a 62-49 win over Misericordia on Wednesday night. The Valiants have three players who lead the team statistiaclly - Simona Gordon (13.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg), Courtney Turner (11.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg), and Carol Ortiz (7 ppg, 4.9 rpg).

The Commonwealth Conference women's basketball tournament features two regular finalists, Lebanon Valley (23-3, 12-2) is in the championship game for the third straight year against perennial conference champion and national power Messiah (22-4, 11-3) in Annville at 1 PM. LVC advanced to the final by defeating Alvernia 70-59. The Dutchmen won both regular season games against Messiah by scores of 58-42 and 52-39. Three juniors control the tempo for LVC - Erin Schultz (13.8 ppg), Suzie Noyes (12.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, and a team leading 31 blocks), and Andrea Hoover (11.5 ppg and 142 assists). LVC has been in the title game three times but have never won the championship. Mike Miller, in his 24th year as Messiah coach, has a young squad - 8 first year players, 3 sophomores, a junior, and one senior, Julie Henninger (13 ppg, 4.5 rpg). Dori Gyori, one of the many FY contribuotrs, is the other statisitcal leader (10.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg). They advance to the title game after handling Widener 85-70.

The Freedom Conference men's basketball tournament sends the #3 Misericordia Cougars (16-10, 9-5) to #1 DeSales (21-5, 13-1) for a 3 PM tip. The Bulldogs have been in fiveof the last seven title games, and last year enjoyed their greatest success by advancing to "elite 8" at F & M. Scott Coval, in his 17th season at DeSales, directed his team to the championship by defeating King's 82-69 on Wednesday. The Bulldogs success can be attributed to their All-American, Darnell Braswell (20.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and Brian Hunter (10.8 ppg, and a team leading 100 assists. DeSales swept the Cougars in the regular season 74-60 and 63-59. Trevor Woodruff's (six years at the Misericordia helm) squad advanced by winning at Eastern 80-65. Dom Del Prete (16.9 ppg) and Jeff Slanovec, a three-point threat with a 12.1 ppg.


The Commonwealth Conference men's basketball tournament features Albright (20-5, 10-4) at Lycoming (21-5, 10-4) at 3 PM on Saturday. The two teams split during the regular season as each won on the other teams court - Albright winning at Williamsport 84-80 and the Warriors prevailing 74-69 in Reading. Lyco advanced on Wednesday night by defeating Elizabethtown 90-81. As usual, three statistial leaders led the way - Eric Anthony (15.4 ppg), Will Kelly (15.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg), and Mike Bradley (11.2 ppg, 7 rpg). Lycoming coach Guy Rancourt is in his second year while Albright's Rick Ferry completes number nine with the Lions. Albright earned a ticket to championship by defeating Messiah at home 73-67. The Lions are led by Zac Schaeffer (18 ppg), Matt Ashcroft (14.9 ppg), and Derek Hall (7.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg).

2009-10 MAC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Men

Commonwealth Conference Championship Semi-Finals

#4 Elizabethtown (8-6) at #1 Lycoming (10-4) 7:00 PM
#3 Messiah (9-5) at #2 Albright (10-4) 7:30 PM

Freedom Conference Championship Semi-Finals

#4 King’s (8-6) at #1 DeSales (13-1) 8:00 PM
#3 Misericordia (9-5) at #2 Eastern (9-5) 7:00 PM

Women

Commonwealth Conference Championship Semi-Finals

#4 Alvernia (10-4) at #1 Lebanon Valley (12-2) 7:00 PM
#3 Widener (11-3) at #2 Messiah (11-3) 7:00 PM

Freedom Conference Championship Semi-Finals

#4 Misericordia (9-5) at #1 Manhattanville (12-2) 7:00 PM
#3 Delaware Valley (9-5) at #2 DeSales (11-3) 6:00 PM

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2010

Semi-Final Winners at Highest Seed

THE WINNER OF EACH TOURNAMENT QUALIFIES FOR THE NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP

TICKET PRICES
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As we enter the last weekend of play, here are the basketball tournament scerarios.

Freedom Women:

Manhattanville (11-2) has the #1 and DeSales (10-3) the #2 seeds. If Misericordia (9-4) defeats Manhattanville in Dallas they are #3. If they lose and Delaware Valley (8-5) beats Eastern, the Aggies move into third.

Commonwealth Women:

Lebanon Valley (12-1) is the #1 seed; if Messiah (10-3) defeats Albright, they are #2 and Widener is #3. If Messiah loses and Widener (10-3) wins, the Pride take the #2 spot, Messiah #3. Alvernia (9-4) is #4.

Freedom Men:

DeSales is the #1 seed. If Eastern (8-5) defeats Delaware Valley they are #2. If the Eagles lose and Misericorida (8-5) tops Manhattanville, the Cougars take #2 and Eastern #3. King's (7-6) is #4.

Commonwealth Men:

If Albright (10-3) beats Messiah (8-5), they are the #1 seed; if they lose to Messiah and Lycoming (9-4) defeats Widener, the Warriors move into the #1 spot and the Lions are #2. If Messiah wins, they are #3; if Elizabethtown (7-6) defeats Arcadia, they are #4. If the Falcons lose and Elizabethtown wins, the Blue Jays take #3 andMessiah is #4. Alvernia (6-7) can get the #4 spot if they win, Widener wins, and Elizabethtown loses. Lebanon Valley (6-7) gets #4 if they win, Etown, Albright, and Widener lose.

The MAC swimming championships in Wilkes-Barre last weekend had more of the same and a newcomer to the championship stand. The Widener men won their fifth championship in a row under Coach of the Year Bob Piotti. The women's competition came down to the last individual race between Lycoming, Albright (2008 champion), and Misericordia (2009 champion); Lycoming had three all-conference performers in the race and emerged with their first swimming championship under Coach of the Year Gerry Hammaker. More on individual champions later.

MAC basketball tournament qualifiers are emerging. There are some make up games tomorrow (Thursday) that will impact the standings - stay tuned for updated scenarios. Here is the current situation:

Freedom Men

DeSales (12-1) is the top seed and will host both rounds if they win the first game at home on Wednesday, February 24. Eastern (7-5) will likely host the other first round game if they win one of their last two games against Wilkes (4-8) and Delaware Valley (5-8). If the Eagles lose both of those games, Misericordia (8-5) hosts, regardless of their result against Manhattanville. In that same scenario, if King's (7-6) defeats cross-town rival Wilkes, they would move into third place (Eastern ends up in fourth). If Eastern wins one game, Misericordia takes third and King's fourth.

Commonwealth Men

The only thing clear here is that Albright (10-3) and Lycoming (9-3) have the top two seeds and will host first round games. After that, Messiah (7-5) and Elizabethtown (6-6) have the inside track, but Lebanon Valley (6-6), Alvernia (6-7), and Widener (6-7) still have a shot.

Freedom Women

DeSales (10-3) and Manhattanville (10-2) are in the drivers seat for the top two seeds, but they could stumble and allow Misericordia (9-4) into a three-way tie. The Bulldogs play FDU (5-7) and the Valiants take on the Cougars and FDU. If Misericordia loses to Manhattanville and Delaware Valley (8-5) defeats Eastern (0-12), the Cougars slip to fourth and the Aggies take third.

Commonwealth Women

Lebanon Valley (12-1) is a lock to host the tournament if they win the first round game at home - likely to be Alvernia (8-4). If Messiah (10-2) wins one of their last two, they will host the other semi-final, likely Widener (10-3). If Messiah loses the last two and Widener beats Lycoming (4-8), the Pride would move into second. Alvernia (8-4) could sneak out of fourth into third with wins over the top seeded Falcons and Dutchmen, and a loss by Widener to the Warriors.

With two weeks to play, the DeSales men and the Lebanon Valley women are the first teams to qualify for their respective conference tournaments. The weather disrupted games this weekend, and the results have also impacted the standings. Messiah at Alvernia are the only games that did not get played.

COMMONWEALTH MEN

Lebanon Valley (5-5) beat Widener (4-6) 70-62 in Chester for their third straight conference win. Dead in hte water two weeks ago, the Dutchmen are back in the thick of the tournament puzzle. Although not mathematically eliminated, the Pride will probably have to win out in order to get a tournament spot. In another dramatic change of fortune, Albright (7-3) lost to Elizabethtown (6-4) 74-67 - the Blue Jays solidified their hold on a tournament spot and the Lions lost their second in a row (Widener earlier in week) after the big win against Lycoming to start the second half of the season. Lycoming (7-3) held on to beat Arcadia and claim a tie for first place with Albright. Although the Knights haven't picked up a win in their last three games, they have all been very strong performances.

With six teams over .500 in conference play, the teams that gets hot for the last four games prevail. Wednesday may help sort things out as Messiah and Lebanon Valley battle to stay in range of a tournament spot. Widener is in a must win game against Alvernia at home. The big game is Lycoming at Elizabethtown - with a win, the Blue Jays will tie the Warriors at 7-4.

FREEDOM MEN

DeSales (9-1) continues to cruise with a win over Delaware Valley (4-6). The other three games held many surprises. FDU, winless to date, topped King's (6-4) 69-57. Eastern (6-4), after knocking off the top two teams in the previous week, lost to Misericordia (6-4) 61-44. Wilkes (4-6) worked the game to overtime before prevailing over Manhattanville (4-6) 81-78.

DeSales is a lock, but any of six teams that finish strong will be in the tournament. Delaware Valley has to win at King's and Wilkes at Eastern to have any shot at being in the hunt. If King's or Eastern lose they go to 6-5 and will need to pick up the pace in their last three games. Misericordia travels to DeSales - a loss there would also make them 6-5.

COMMONWEALTH WOMEN

Widener (7-3) ended Lebanon Valleys (9-1) drive to a perfect confernece season with a 68-60 win on Sunday. Messiah (8-1) and Alvernia (6-3) will play their make up game on the 18th. The Dutchmen travel to Gratham on Wednesday for the big first place match up. Widener visits Alvernia - the winner has exclusive rights to third place.

FREEDOM WOMEN

DeSales (7-3) is hot at the right time as they knocked off the top two teams last week - Manhattanville and Delaware Valley (7-3). The 84-77 win over the Aggies this weekend tightened up the race for the top four teams. The Bulldogs now host Misericordia (7-3) for second place. For King's to remain viable, they need to defeat the Aggies at home. FDU's thin chances rest on an upset of #1 Manhattanville (8-2).