With the weather forecast predicting significant snow for the region, you should check schedules to find out about postponements.

COMMONWEALTH WOMEN

Messiah (8-1) travels to Alvernia (6-3) as each team battles to maintain their position in the standings. Messiah wants to head into next weeks game with LVC with the chance to get back into at least a tie for first; Alvernia doesn't want to drop any lower than third. Widener (6-3), tied with Alvernia, faces Lebanon Valley (9-0) and will be looking for the home upset to stay in third place. Arcadia (0-9) travels to Lyoming (3-6) and Albright (2-7) visits Elizabethtown (2-7) for bragging rights.

FREEDOM WOMEN

After a slow start, DeSales (6-3) is back in the mix and has a chance to improve their position as they host #1 Delaware Valley (7-2). Manhattanville (7-2) should hold onto a share of first place as they travel to Wilkes (1-8). FDU (4-5) hosts King's (5-4) in a must win situation - a loss, and the Devils are on the outside looking in. Misericordia (6-3) looks to stay in the upper echelon as they travel to Eastern (0-9).

COMMONWEALTH MEN

Messiah (5-4) and Alvernia (5-4) have a major battle brewing as the winner could be looking at second place; the loser could be vying with several other teams for fourth. Another key match up pits Lebanon Valley (4-5) at Widener (4-5). These two teams are regular tournament participants, but a loss here may put them out of contention. Each has won their first two games in the second go round in the schedule. Lycoming (6-3) hopes to get back on the winning track against Arcadia (0-9) after close losses to Albright and LVC. Despite their record, the Arcadia men have played LVC and Alvernia tough in the last two outings. The final game has first place Albright (7-2) hitting the road to Elizabethtown (5-4). On Wednesday, the Lions lost a heartbreaker to Widener and the Blue Jays were outlasted by Messiah in a 1 point game.

FREEDOM MEN

Eastern (6-3), after knocking off the two top conference teams (DeSales and King's) , heads to Misericordia (5-4), winner of their last two against DVC and Wilkes. DeSales (8-1) hosts Delaware Valley (4-5), a tough assignment for the Aggies as they want to stay in tournament contention. Wilkes (3-6) hosts Manhattanville 4-5) in a must win for both programs - the loser will have a tough time getting back into the race for a tournament sport. King's (6-3) hopes to keep a grip on second as they play FDU (0-9) in Madison.

Commonwealth Conference Basketball

Men:

Three of the top four teams lost on Wednesday night by a total margin of 5 points. Widener and Lebanon Valley each won for their second straight win in the second half of the season to move to 4-5 and stay alive for a tournament berth. Lebanon Valley beat Lycoming (6-3) 75-72 for the second time this season; Widener topped Albright, the conference leader (7-2), 49-48 in a wild finish. In another key game, Messiah (5-4) knocked off rival Elizabethtown (5-4) 61-60 in front of packed house. Although Arcadia is winless in the conference, it took overtime for Alvernia (5-4) to prevail 82-75.

Women:

No surprises here as the top four teams, Lebanon Valley (9-0), Messiah (8-1), Alvernia (6-3), and Widener (6-3), all won their games against the bottom half of the conference.

Freedom Conference Basketball

Men:

DeSales (8-1) returned to the win column by topping Manhattanville (4-5) - the Valiants are tied with Delaware Valley for 5th place. The Aggies maintain hopes of a tournament slot by beating FDU. The two big games had red hot Eastern (6-3) prevailing over King's (6-3) 70-55, and Misericordia (5-4) sending neighbor Wilkes home losing 77-71. Eastern last two wins were against the two top teams in the conference.

Women:

The game of the night had DeSales (6-3) squeaking by Manhattanville (7-2) 53-52 to put the Bulldogs back in the thick of the conference race. As expected, Delaware Valley (7-2), Misericordia ((6-3), and King's (5-4) won against teams in the bottom half of the conference. The Aggies are now tied for first with Manhattanville and have the tiebreaking edge with the win over the Valiants earlier in the season.

With the hiring of Isaac Collins at Widener yesterday, the MAC has its first African-American head football coach. For a conference that has been around for almost 100 years, that shouldn't be news, but it is, and we welcome Coach Collins to a great Division III football conference.

The second half of the basketball season is under way and tomorrow we already have some big games that will impact tournament play.

Commonwealth Men

Widener (3-5) stayed alive for a tournament spot on Saturday by defeating Messiah (4-4) 69-57. Things don't get easier as the Pride travels to first place Albright (7-1) for another must win game. Meanwhile, the Falcons host cross-river rival Elizabethtown (5-3) for a chance to stay in the hunt for a good tournament seed. Lebanon Valley (3-5) handed Lycoming (6-2) one of their two conference losses in December. For the Dutchmen to keep pace for a tournament spot, they need a repeat against the Warriors in Annville.

Freedom Men

DeSales (7-1) stumbled against Eastern (5-3) 61-56 on Saturday and travel to Manhattanville (4-4) in one of the toughest road venues in the MAC. The Valiants need a win to keep pace with the cluster in the middle of the pack. King's (6-2), maybe the most improved team in the conference, heads to Eastern to try to hold on to their second place standing; the Eagles can move into a tie for second with a win. Misericordia (4-4) hosts Wilkes (3-5) - the implications are obvious.

Commonwealth Women

The top four teams play the bottom four (is an upset in order?):
Lycoming at #1 Lebanon Valley (8-0)
Elizabethtown at #2 Messiah (7-1)
Alvernia (5-3) at Arcadia
Widener (5-3) at Albright

Freedom Women

Perennial power DeSales (5-3) heads to Purchase against Manhattanville (7-1). This is the best chance for the Bulldogs to get back into the hunt for a home seed in tournament. Red hot Delaware Valley (6-2) hosts FDU (4-4) - the Devils need to stay in range of fourth place and the Aggies, with the only conference win over #1 Manhattanville, hope to keep pace for the top seed.

Congratulations to the Messiah soccer teams on other post season awards that they received at the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia. Juniors Erin Hench and Geoff Pezon were national players of the year and first-year head coach Brad McCarty was men's coach of the year.

Wrapping up other fall awards, the MAC scholar athletes were: Brian Pastor, Widener, Football; Meghan Droge, FDU-Florham, Volleyball; Andrew Loyd, Misericordia, Men's Soccer; Amanda Naeher, Messiah, Women's Soccer; Andrew Ferretti, DeSales, Men's Cross Country; Bethany Pavlik, Delaware Valley, Field Hockey; and, Megan VanDenHengel, Elizabethtown, Women's Cross Country. Although they only needed a 3.2 to be nominated, this group had an average grade point average of 3.72. 25 senior fall athletes were nominated for the 7 awards.

Make your plans to attend the wrestling regional hosted by Delaware Valley on Saturday, February 20. Del Val hopes to have several national qualifiers emerge from this tournament.

MAC swimming championships are at the Catholic Youth Center in Wilkes-Barre on February 12-14. Widener looks to retain their men's championship from last year, while the Misericordia women, 2009 MAC champions, will be under pressure from several teams to pull a repeat.

On February 27 the MAC indoor track & field championships are at Lehigh University.

November 20, 2009

CROSS COUNTRY

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

FOOTBALL

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

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

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

MESSIAH

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

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

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

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

November 11, 2009

CROSS COUNTRY

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

November 10, 2009

MESSIAH IN PERENNIAL FALL POSITION

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

MEN'S SOCCER

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



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

FIELD HOCKEY

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

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

WOMEN'S SOCCER

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

VOLLEYBALL

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

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

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