Matthew Melon's USC Trip

Matthew Melon
Staff Writer

Game Day Analysis:

My buddy who is an alumni student of USC has never been to Homecoming at USC. But since I’m here and we are going to the game we headed over to campus 3 hours before the game kicked off. The previous day we went to the USC bookstore because I wanted a jersey for the game and goodies for my friends back home. People you would not believe, the amount of students decked out in jerseys, beads, face paint, and numerous tailgate parties in parking lots and on grassy areas on campus .I even caught a band member getting herself lush with a swig of beer. The steps of the bookstore and any other building were swamped with people hanging out and talking about the game and celebrating. Within a sea of cardinal and gold, I saw a couple of brave Oregon State fans that made the trip. They seemed protected because they had friends who were Trojan fans. Being on the USC campus during a home game had the excitement of a super rock act at the Tweeter Center.

After partaking in this immense fun and powerful stimulus of a College Football party atmosphere, we headed to the Coliseum. We had end zone seats, which I at first purchasing was hoping that they weren’t going to be too high up. However, the way the stadium was constructed we here high enough to see the entire field and how the plays develop, very good seats indeed. When we made it to our seats there were these three women to my left who were in their sixties. The one in the middle of the other two was the most knowledgeable about the USC team and college football in general. It seemed like she dragged the other two to the game with her. It was cool sitting next to these hip old ladies, pretty rad how anyone can fall in love with College Football: it’s the passion and excitement, its got to be, right?!!!

After enjoying an hour of warm-ups by the Trojan players and the Oregon Beavers the game kicked off. The excitement and anticipation in the stadium was contagious and electrifying. The USC offense did not look good or in-sync in the first couple drives. John David Booty who returned from a broken middle finger did his best in the first half, but there were some dropped balls by his tight end and receivers. The problem was that John David Booty was not looking off his receivers and was staring them down which made it easy for the Oregon State Beavers defense to defend. In the first quarter, the offense was sputtering and both teams seemed evenly matched. But as the second quarter came around, the USC defense played stellar with an outstanding game from freshman Everson Griffen on the D-line. He had 3 ½ sacks of the nine total on Sean Canfield of Oregon State. It seemed like Everson was apart of those nine sacks; he was always around the ball. What a phenomenal performance by him and the defense. In the second quarter USC ran away with this game amassing 21 points on two passes and one run play. We left with 7 minutes to go as Oregon State was all but deflated, and the backup quarterback was handling duties now for Sean Canfield.

What was evident from the game was USC’s defense and how they played with aggression. I’m worried about the offense though, which at times seems predictable and boring. There really isn’t any time for John David Booty to get into a rhythm with his receivers because next week they are playing Cal. So Pete Carroll better get his offensive squad ready to go because this might turn into a shootout in which USC will have a hard time keeping up. What’s most important for USC is to play out the rest of their games of their schedule without thinking about the postseason. They already have lost any hope for the National Title picture or any Rose Bowl bid. This is time for the team to show cohesiveness and get ready for what ever bowl they will be eligible for. I strongly believe when C.J. Gable comes back next season, and Joe McKnight gets comfortable with the running game and the o-line blocking you might have that thunder and lighting combo that is evident with James Davis and CJ Spiller at Clemson. With Booty leaving due to graduation this quarterback situation will be Sanchez’s to lose, but he will be battling Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain who is highly touted. We will see next year, if the Trojans run out the gate or sputter to a slow finish.

Being at USC this past weekend was a blast, but I imagine it is no different than going to Georgia, Florida, or Texas to name a few. The major football colleges live, breathe, and eat football. It is a part of them, their community, their school spirit, their identity. And surely Trojan football resides in the hearts and souls of the students at USC.

BSC Women's Soccer defeats Plymouth State 4-2

By- Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

Midfielder Taryn Sullivan scored a pair of goals to lead Bridgewater State College over Plymouth State University in a 4-2 decision on Tuesday afternoon. With the win, the Bears have won six of their last eight games and their record now stands at 7-5-1. With the loss, the Panthers fall to 5-8 on the season.

Plymouth State got on the board first in the 35th minute when sophomore forward Stacy DiSabato on an assist from midfielder Lauren Lavery.

“Being down one, I was still very confident that we would score some goals,” said head coach Andrea O’Connor. “Going into the second half we had the momentum and I knew it was only a matter of time.”

Bridgewater State College responded after the first stanza, with a pair of goals 53 seconds apart. Midfielder Jacklyn Wisoky tied the game in the 48th minute and Sullivan scored the go-ahead tally on a dish from forward Megan Williamson.

The Bears took the lead for good in the 55th minute on Williamson’s eighth goal of the season on a shot that squeaked past the Plymouth State keeper.

The Panthers pulled to within a goal in the 65th minute, but Sullivan answered back with her second goal of the game less than a minute later.

The Bears were relentless on offense as they held an advantage a 33-12 advantage in shots and edge in corner kicks 10-3.

“My team is a team that doesn’t hang its head when it can’t score,” said O’Connor. “They have the confidence in their ability to score. This year more so than any other year we have the ability to finish.”

Bridgewater State goalie Ashley Spingler registered four saves in her second start of the season while her counterpart Ashley Riberdy made 11 stops between the posts for Plymouth State.

Over the upcoming weekend, the Bears will face off against conference foe Salem State in a 4pm match on Saturday afternoon. They will then play their last two games at home versus Keene State on Tuesday (3:30pm) and Framingham on Saturday (11am).

“We still have to get by Framingham and Salem State, who have beaten some good teams,” said O’Connor. “We have to make a few adjustments and play our game which is putting teams under pressure and scoring goals.”

With a 2-1-1 MASCAC record, Bridgewater State looks to maintain its record and get as high a seed as they can for the conference tournament in two weeks.

“I think that we are very strong and in a great position to win the MASCAC,” said O’Connor. “We will definitely be a battle in the tournament.”

Extra points:

Coach O’Connor on her disappointments (in the Plymouth State game):

“We definitely had the better play for the first 45 minutes and their goal was a mistake on our part. (It was) a breakdown on the defensive end.”

Coach O’Connor on what she said to her team at the intermission (down 1-0):

“I expressed to my team how important it was to keep the pressure on. They did and we had three goals in the first fifteen minutes of the half.”

Coach O’Connor tying to Fitchburg and losing to Worcester State:

“We definitely should have beaten Fitchburg (the tie)”…”Worcester (the lone loss) will be our toughest competition. We didn’t play well and they played well. They put the pressure on us right from the whistle and we didn’t respond."

Bears lose chance at division lead

Coast Guard quarterback Chris George paced a shot-gun option attack that was good for 245 total yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 27-24 victory over Bridgewater State College this past Saturday.

“It was a battle of two teams trading punches,” said head coach Charles Denune. “We couldn’t be happier with the effort. They went out there and worked hard as a unit.”

Junior quarterback Steven Clark led the way for Bridgewater State rushing 17 times for 78 yards and he threw the ball 176 yards for three touchdowns.

“I think our triple option was effective,” said Clark. “I don’t think they expected me to throw as much as they did, and when I did, we took advantage of them on their weak side.”

On defense, the visiting Bears were led by linebacker Tim Powler who led the team with an interception and 11 tackles (two for a loss) while lineman Sean Larkin notched 10 tackles. Linebacker’s Casey Florence and Marcus Wells, and lineman Chris Dijak all finished the game with eight tackles, respectively.

The key drive of the game came with 4:31 left in the fourth quarter, with the visiting Bears in possession of the ball and down by a three point margin. With the ball on their own 20-yard line, Coach Denune decided to bring in senior reserve quarterback Greg Borsari.

“I think the big spark for the offense was, on the final drive,” said senior wide receiver Jimmy Yaitanes. “He came out there like a warrior.”

Immediately making an impact from the second play of the drive, Borsari couldn’t find an open receiver and sprinted 28 yards for a first down.

“(When Borsari) ran it up the middle for 28 yards, you could see the emotion of the team get lifted at that moment,” said Yaitanes.

Following a nine yard reception from receiver Chris Joyce and an 11-yard dash by Chris Russell, Borsari found receiver Pat McGrail open in the seam for an 11 yard gain to the Coast Guard’s 35-yard line.

After first down incompletion, Borsari passed to Rusell for seven yards on the second and ten. On third down, Borsari found receiver Chris McCarthy open down the middle, but a Coast Guard defender caused the incompletion. Electing not to kick the field goal, Denune stuck with his best receivers on the field and went for it on fourth and three.

With 1:21 remaining in the game, Borsari hiked the ball, looked to the left at Joyce who was covered and then threw it to McGrail, but Coast Guard safety Kevin Novak stepped in front of the pass and picked the ball off.

“(Greg) drove us down the field while being thrown into the last drive of the game,” said Clark. “He put us in the best position for us to win. There wasn’t much time left on the clock and he got us within winning distance, but we just came off a little short.”

This weekend, the Bears will travel to Westfield State in an attempt to bounce back after suffering their first Bogan Division loss. Bridgewater State will be visiting the Owls for their annual homecoming game.

“We have three tough football games coming up,” said Denune. “We will be playing in a pretty hostile environment and be ready to play some football, because they are going to be ready to do the same.”

Coach Denune said that Westfield State likes to run in an I-formation, with two running backs right behind the quarterback and two wide receivers on the outside. Defensively, the Owls will counter with a 4-3 defense.

“They sure have some good athletes on both sides of the ball,” said Denune.

Clark said that he is expecting a tough matchup this week in playing Westfield.

“Westfield always plays us tough, and everyone is gunning for us this season,” said Clark. “It is just a matter of if we execute it to the best we can or not. We (just have to) take it one week at a time.”

With the loss, the Bears fall to 4-2 on the season and 3-1 in the NEFC Bogan Division. Bridgewater State College will play Westfield State at 1pm on Saturday afternoon. If you cannot make the game, the match-up will be webcasted at mascac.tv.

Bridgewater State College scored first on a 52-yard touchdown strike from Clark to McGrail in the first quarter. Following a BSC turnover in the second quarter, the defense buckled down and held the homestanding Bears to a field goal, with 8:02 remaining in the half.

The visiting Bears went up 14-3 on a 32 yard touchdown flick from Clark to Joyce. Coast Guard responded scoring on a 23 yard touchdown lob from George to wide receiver Matt Keith to cap off the scoring in the first stanza.

Coming out of the locker room at halftime both teams traded field position and then Coast Guard retook the lead on a one yard plunge from running back Niels Pierson. The homestanding Bears whittled off 8:39 off the clock in a drive that went for 22 plays and started on their own two yard line.

Following an interception, Bridgewater State College took full advantage and made the score 21-17 on a ten yard reception from McGrail (Clark pass).

After a good kick-off return, Coast Guard quickly scored on a three yard scamper (on fourth down) by George, with 8:31 remaining in the game.

“We just have to keep our heads on straight,” said Yaitanes. “If we prepare for it, with a little push one way or the other, our season might go longer than we expect.”

Photos courtesy of Bridgew.edu/athletics

Quotes from Coach Denune, Qb Steven Clark, and WR Jimmy Yaitanes

Coach Denune

On the game:
“We played from behind and going with Greg was an easy decision in the fourth quarter. Stevie also had a great game and did everything that you could do. He ran the ball well, and Greg had a great effort. Unfortunately we couldn’t punch the last one in.”

On dealing with injuries to (wide receiver) Jesse Teixiera, and (running backs) Bruce Burley and Teigan Pina:
“I think that players like (receivers) McGrail and Joyce, and running backs Williams and Russell have really stepped up their level of play and matured quickly. They went out there and played well against one of the best teams in New England.”

One good thing about the offense this week:
“The receivers made big plays in the passing game and they really stretched the field so that we could run with the football.”

One bad thing about the offense this week:
“I wish we could have scored more points. It was one of our better games although the result wasn’t what we wanted.”

Why didn’t you kick the field goal on fourth and three on the 25 yard-line:
“It was an easy decision, because our kicker quit on us (earlier in the week). DeBruno was 3-3 on PAT’s, but he was just getting them over the upright. From the 25 yard-line, a 34 yard field goal is out of the question. I just thought it was the best thing to do.

Defensive performance:
“I couldn’t be happier with the defenses effort. They played well and they played hard as a unit and they had to deal with a special athlete in QB George.”

Will you be focusing on anything on practice this week?
“We are going to continue to do what we always do; we aren’t going to change much. This was one of our best football games, and we are only going to continue to get better.”

Extra comment:
“I was proud of how they played; they just came out and left it on the football field.”


Junior Starting Quarterback Steven Clark

On the loss:
-“We played our hearts out and we should have had that game, and hats off to Greg for that last drive. He drove us down the field, with not much time on the clock and we just ended up on the short side of a losing battle, but we’ll bounce back this past weekend against Westfield and play out the rest of our season.”

On how players like McGrail-Joyce-Williams-Russell have picked up the pace:
“Although we’ve lost Jesse, he’s a great receiver because he opens a lot of things up, but Joyce and McGrail have definitely stepped it up. They are both our go-to guys in key situations. McGrail had two great catches for touchdowns and Joyce adjusted to what I thought was a bad pass.”
“Williams is a good lead blocker its run blocking, he gets the job done. In losing Bruce, Russell (although he’s a freshman), has done a heck of a job filling in Bruce’s shoes in his absence. I couldn’t be more pleased with him right now. He knows what to do and gets it done.”

On Westfield State next week:
“Westfield always plays us though because everyone is gunning for us”…”It’s just a matter of if we execute it to the best we can or not”…”We (are just going to) take it one week at a time.”


Special team’s player: Jimmy Yaitanes

On the loss:
“Last weekends loss did not feel good. This team has a lot of great talent and we have worked so hard.

On the offense:
“I think the offense played unbelievable. McGrail had a good game and Clarky had some good passes. Chris Joyce had his best game in a Bears uniform and the last drive (of Borsari’s) was not to fail. It’s a tough spot to come into the game cold (passing).”

On bouncing back (versus Westfield):
“It’s always tough to bounce back

On playing the Owls:
“Westfield is a very good team. I think we have a hard week ahead of us, but we don’t like losing. We are going to get it done.”

Extra comment:
“The thing that hurts the most is that everyone on our team rose to the challenge and played the best games I have ever seen. We just came up short.”

Results from National Division III Track and Field meet

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer


The lone competitor Division III Track and Field meet was junior Chrissy Hrenko. Hrenko qualified for the meet in capturing the ECAC Javelin title at SUNY Oneonta on May 18th. Hrenko's throw was good for 131"03' ft and she set the course record at SUNY Oneonta.

On Saturday (May 26th), Hrenko placed 14th in the Javelin with a throw of 129"02' ft in the first heat. She failed to qualify for the second round by less than 4 feet.

In the ECAC Championships (held on May 17th-18th), Bridgwater State had four competitors from the men's and women's outdoor track and field team competing. Here is how they finished:

-In the 10,000 meter run, junior Nicole Mauro finished in 8th place with a time of 40:34.65.
-In the Hammer Throw, senior Anna Fegan finished in a respectable 20th place with a throw of 117-03
-In the Heptathlon, Hrenko finished in 8th place with 3260 points. The winner (sophomore Jamie Landry of Rochester College) scored 3975 in the event.
-In the Triple Jump, junior Nilton Gomes jumped to a 21st place finish, with a jump of 42"-05.25'. The winner in the event (sophomore Curt Jones of Washington and Jefferson) finished with a jump of 46"01.50'.

Information courtesy of bridgew.edu/athletics and ecac.com

Division III Softball and Baseball College World Series update

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

We just wanted to update you on the results of the Division III Softball and Baseball college world series, which ended a couple of weeks ago.

In the softball College World Series, New England regional representative #6 seeded Rhode Island College was swept in both of their games that they played. Their first loss was a 9-1 loss to #3 seeded UW-Eau Claire and the second was a 10-3 to #7 seed Plattsburg State. #1 seeded Linfield was the winner of the 2007 NCAA Division III Softball College World Series tournament.

MASCAC representative Westfield State played this years regional in the New York regional, when traditionally the league representative has played in the New England Regional. Westfield was the #7 seed in the regional and they swept in both games that they played. The Owls lost the first game 10-0 to #2 seed Ithaca and they lost the second game 2-1 to #6 seed Skidmore.

The winner of the New England Regional was #2 seeded Eastern Connecticut College. They carried a perfect 4-0 record to beat conference rival Keene State 15-4 in the New England Championship regional. #1 seed Wheaton College (and favorite to win the tournament) was bounced by Keene State, who advanced to the championship game.

In the Division III Baseball College World Series, #5 seeded Eastern Connecticut was swept in both of the games they played. They lost the first game to 15-4 to #2 seeded Carthage and the second game 5-4 to #1 seeded Emory College. Emory College would go on to lose in the championship game (in extra innings) to #4 seeded Kean. Kean was the Mid-Atlantic regional winner.

Four from outdoor track team to compete at the ECAC's

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

This Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the Bridgewater State College outdoor track and field team will compete in the New England regional ECAC meet at SUNY Onenota. Each of the four runners that is competing has set the bar high as they each are trying to qualify for the Division III Nationals sometime next week.

Representatives from the women’s track and field team are junior Nicole Mauro (10,000 meter run), junior Christine Hrenko (Heptathlon and Javelin), and senior Anna Fegan (Hammer Throw). The lone representative from the men’s team will be Nilton Gomes, who will be competing in the triple jump.

This past weekend Hrenko garnered New England Intercolleciate Amatuer Athletic Association Honors with a 5th place finish in the Javelin throw, in the New England All-Divisional meet. Hrenko said that she was surprised about competing in the meet.

“I didn’t know what to expect with all divisions there,” said Hrenko. “It was awesome to throw with some much better throwers. You learn a couple of things and it’s just a really different atmosphere.”

While Hrenko’s throw didn’t qualify her for the national competition, she remains optimistic about her experience.

“I knew that I belonged there,” said Hrenko. “While I didn’t qualify for the nationals, I know that I have one more shot in the next meet.”

While competing this week in the Javelin throw, she will also be competing in the Heptathlon, which is based upon how many points you score in eight different events. The seven events in the Heptathlon are the 100m hurdles, the high jump, the shot put, the 200 m run, the 800 m run, and the javelin. The events take place over the course of two days.

Hrenko said that she often has to compete at several events at the same time.

“During meets the toughest part is trying to check in to all of my events,” said Hrenko. “It’s difficult to try and change my sneakers to another pair and it’s usually very chaotic. The coaches usually help me check me into my own events, untie my sneakers for me, and bring them to the next event when I’m ready.

Hrenko said she hopes to qualify for the national competition in the Heptathlon.

“The Heptathlon is based on points, so if I was to win the ECAC meet, I would still have to get the number of points to qualify,” said Hrenko.

Teammate Nicole Mauro said that she was amazed at how Hrenko is able to compete in so many events.

“I can only imagine how daunting the Heptathlon is,” said Mauro. “She is always moving from one event to another and then go right back to that event. Its amazing how she stays energetic throughout the competition.”

Mauro is competing in the 10,000 meter run (24 laps). She said the race is very challenging and by far, it is her favorite race to compete in.

“It’s the longest race that you can run on the track and it takes a lot of endurance and strategy,” said Mauro. “You just can’t run as fast as you can. You have to think about every lap, you need to know when to pick it up, and you need to know when relax.”

Mauro said to qualify for the Division III Nationals she would have to break the 36:00 minute qualifying time or the 37:40 provisional time. Her best time has been 38:09, which she ran two weeks ago at the New England Division III meet.

“I’m very close to hitting provisional time and I think I would be able to hit it at the ECAC’s,” said Mauro. “Unfortunately I would have to break that time by a lot to reassure a spot at the nationals. There are a number of girls who have already qualified with the provisional time and I would have to knock them out of the spot. You never know what’s going to happen though.”

Anna Fegan is competing in the hammer throw. She said that for the indoor meets she will compete in the weight throw, but the hammer throw is her favorite event.

“I’ve been doing the shot put and discus since high school, but they are not as intriguing as the hammer,” said Fegan.

The Stoughton native said that the hammer throw isn’t an event that is included in competition for outdoor track and field meets in Massacusetts high schools.

“Its (an event) that is thrown in high schools in Rhode Island, so people from that state are pretty good throwers,” said Fegan. “It supposedly takes seven years to learn how to throw and I plan on competing in the Bay State games every summer. I like watching people who are better than me, so I can watch and learn from them.

Fegan said that this is her first time competing in an event in her four years at Bridgewater.

“I never thought id qualify before in the hammer,” said Fegan. “I thought that if I ever did (qualify) it would be in the shot (put) or the disc. It has been harder to improve in those events.”

Nilton Gomes is competing in the triple jump. He thinks that he is up for the challenge at the ECAC meet.

“I think that (the triple jump) is one of the most challenging events,” said Gomes. “It requires a lot of coordination and athleticism. I have faced a lot of good competition in this event, including three All-Americans and last years (Division III) National Champion.”

Gomes says that he excited at the opportunity to compete in the ECAC meet and try to qualify for the nationals.

“I hope that I can take advantage of this opportunity,” said Gomes. “I really learned how to jump correctly this year for the first time. I think that if it’s a good day, with good weather and I’m feeling good, I just might be able to pop off a surprising jump.”

Gomes said that he would like to encourage more people from Bridgewater State to join the track team.

“There are almost 10,000 people that come to BSC,” said Gomes. “I know that there are a lot of good athletes here. They should try out for the team and showcase their talent. It’s fun and not so demanding on the schedule.”

Fegan said that she was very proud of this year’s track and field team. She also said that she was going to miss the team when she graduates in the spring.

“I’ve met so many great people and we’ve been through a lot,” said Fegan. “And we still continue to have a lot of great performances, which is something to be proud of.”

Although the outdoor track and field team is small, Hrenko said that she thinks it’s been a pretty good year.

“Everyone did really well this year, and we have
had some of our strongest performances,” said Hrenko. “Seven of us qualified for the Division III New England meet and four of us qualified for the ECAC meet. I don’t think that we have had that many people qualify before.”

Mauro said that she was happy about how this year’s track season went.

“For the most part we had a great track season,” said Mauro. “Although many of our runners fought through injuries we still had a fun and successful season. This season we were closer than ever, we were always cheering for one another and giving advice. Every year our team gets closer and stronger. Hopefully this will lead to a promising one, next year.”

This year, the women’s outdoor track and field team placed second in the six team MASCAC meet. The men’s team placed in fourth place.

The sports page of The Comment will bring you highlights, updates, and scores of this weeks ECAC meet when they become available. Stay tuned for more details.

Around the MASCAC

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer


-I just thought I would update you on how other teams in the region and how they are doing in postseason play. It should be an interresting postseason for Westfield State, who will play in the New York regional, as opposed to the traditional New England regionals.


Softball
-According to the MASCAC website, #8 seeded Framingham State was swept by #1 seed RIC and #4 seed Keene State in the double elimination New England regional softball tournament. As the host, Rhode Island College won the regional this past Sunday, with a 8-4 victory over Tufts. They will advance to the College World Series, which will be held in Salem, Virgina later this week.


Women's Lacrosse
-With a close 16-12 win over Worcester State, Plymouth State University and Curry College faced off on Saturday for the Eastern ECAC Championship. In the match, Plymouth captured the crown with a 14-7 win over Curry.
-For more on the BSC Women's Lacrosse team click here


Baseball
-Westfield State (20-15) will begin regional play on Wednesday of this week. They will face off in the first round versus Ithica University (24-14), who will be hosting the regional. Should Westfield win they will face the winner of #6 Skidmore (20-18) versus #3 St Johns Fisher (26-11). Should Westfield loose they will play the looser of the Skidmore-St. Johns Fisher matchup.

-In the New England regional, the host will be the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in Harwich, Massachusetts. The matchups are as follows:
[#1 Wheaton (31-11) gets a first round bye]
Game 1- #4 Curry (27-7) vs #5 Keene State (29-13)
Game 2- #3 Williams (25-8) vs #6 WNEC (27-10)
Game 3- #2 EConn University (34-10) vs #7 St Joe's of Maine (30-10)

-The BSC Baseball was scheduled to play EConn and Curry College, but those games were never played because of the poor weather conditions. Bridgewater State also split a series with #1 seeded Wheaton College in the middle of the season.

-As far as predictions go, I think if Westfield wins thier first game, they will advance to the third round and then not win a game. I dont know how good Skidmore is, but a 20-18 record just doesnt impress me very much. If Westfield looses their first game, they will loose the second game.
-The New England regionals will be interresting. Wheaton College is all offense, and their pitching staff is at best decent. In the BSC split, they didnt impress me much. According to D3baseball.com, Keene State almost beat EConn in the LEC league championship. But I think EConn is the team that will advance. Then again, Wheaton advanced to the College World Series finals last year, so they have the experience and rest walking into the regional. D3baseball also has Wheaton advancing. Wheaton is 2-0 vs EConn this year.
-We will update you on these regionals once the winners are announced on Saturday or Sunday.

[Side Note- I wish BSC was playing in the tournament right now; that would have been nice. But down the stretch, the team should have played so much better. At the beginning of the season I was worried about the pitching staff, but they did alright. I was most impressed with Schilling's performance (5-6 in save opportunities, 9 IP, 10 K's and 2 BB's) and sophomore Dave Liffers (5-1, 4.63 ERA, with 21 K's in 31.1 IP). The defense was what did not favor the BSC baseball team down the stretch. Most of the offense will be back next year, along with a younger pitching staff, position players (like Nik, Claffey, and Karangioze) everything should be fine. As a fan and reporter, I'm not worried about a thing]


Outdoor Track and Field
-This past weekend, junior Chrissy Hrenko earned All NIECAAA honors in the Javelin, placing 5th. Over the next week, the track team will send four players to the ECAC Championships, as they try to qualify for the National Division III meet, at the end of the month. For the womens team Hrenko will be competing in the Heptathalon and the Javelin throw. In addition, junior Nicole Mauro will compete in the 10,000 meter run, and senior Anna Fegan will compete in the hammer throw. For the men's team, junior Nilton Gomes will compete in the Triple Jump.
-The BSC outdoor track and field team leaves campus on Wednesday for a meet that will take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The Comment will have a preview on Wednesday.

Intramural Championship coverage

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

The Comment checks in with todays post with last Sunday's Intramural Championship weekend. Here are the highlights from the mens competative and recreation divisions, and the womens recreation division...


Men's Competative Intramural Basketball Champions:
(#2 seed) The Phenoms- 60 (#2 seed) Piledrivers- 69

For the fourth consecutive year, the Piledrivers played like champions and earned the right to play in the championship game. This senior squad led by senior center Derek Thompson, sophomore guard Jessie Texeira, and a supporting cast that is likely to graduate in May and later this winter.

Their opponents, The Phenoms, are another squad of seniors that were led by senior guard Ben Bonzey, senior guard Ryan "The Birdman" Devereaux, and senior guard Mike Dalton.

"It was great to go out on a win and to play against some good friends in a friendly situation," said Piledrivers guard John Dowaliby.

The score at the half was 39-30, but the Piledrivers remained in control the entire game. At one point the Piledrivers were up by 15 with five minutes remaining in the game and The Phenom's did the best they could to muster up a rally.

"I thought both teams played well," said Phenom captain Anthony Palladino. "They were clearly the better team and it was a tough matchup for us."

The Piledrivers were paced by an offensive attack led by Thompson in the post and Texiera along the perimeter. Texeira led all scorers with 26 points (18 in the first half) and Thomson finished the game with 14 points.

The Phenoms had a balanced attack as Bonzey scored 16, Devereaux scored 15, and Dalton scored 14 points.

Palladino said that he was sad to see such a run end with The Phenoms loosing.

"The Phenom dynasty has ended after 4 years of greatness," declared Palladino. "We made the finals or the finals in all four years. We won the championship as freshman. I was proud to captain a great group of guys."

Thompson said that he was happy about the game and everything that they had accomplished the last four years. The Piledrivers made the championship game in all four years that they played in the competitive division.

"The game was really fun and I hate to loose in anything," said Thompson. "Two championships in a row are always fun. Since we lost the first two years we competed it felt great to win the last two."

Thompson also said that The Phenoms were a good opponent and that it was a really competitive basketball match.

"Its always facing a team like The Phenoms, because everyone is good friends with one another," said Thompson. "It just makes the game that much more competitive."

Both teams will leave Bridgewater State to graduation, but never forget the good times that both dynasties dominated the basketball court.



Men's Recreational Division Champions:
(#1 seeded) Topher's Team-59 (#4 seeded) Rafer-34

#4 seeded Rafter's Cinderella season ended with a 59-34 loss to #1 seeded Tophers Team. Rafter advanced to the final match after a three point shot buzzer beater that won the game by a point. The game ending, court erupting, 25 foot buzzer beater hit by senior Kenny Beltram.

But the magic ran out in the finals at the hands of Tohper's Team. With a 31-21 score at the half, Topher's Team scored 28 points in the second half and held Rafter to 13 points.

Leading the way for Topher's Team was senior Topher Paone led all scorers scoring 17 points and freshman Anthony Bourget had 13 points. Team Rafter had a balanced scoring attack with senior scoring Mike Lesniak's 11 points, senior Emeka Duku scoring 11 points, and Beltram scoring 10.



Women's Recreational Division Champions:
(#1 seeded) Annie's Little Helpers- 59 (#2 seeded) Free Agent Force- 35

In the four team Women's Rec Championship, the top two seeds made a championship appearance. With a close 30-22 game at the half, Annie's Little Helpers dropped 29 points in the second half and held Free Agent Force to 13 points.

Annie's Little Helpers were paced in the first half by junior Lisa Barros, who scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half. In the second half senior Stephanie Johnson was impressive, as she scored 12 points in the second half, which helped seal the deal for her team. Senior Megan King also chipped in with 11 points.

Leading the way for Free Agent Force was senior Jackie Thibault, who had 16 points. Freshman KJ Rich also scored 13 points on the game.


-Check out the interview with Assistant Director of Recreation Brian Fetky after this post.

Interview with Brian Fetky

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

After obtaining the game statistics in the recreation department office, The Comment sat down with first year Assistant Director of Recreation Brian Fetky. Fetky talked at length about this years Intramural Basketball season and the variety of programs the department will be offering next semester.


What did you think about this years Intramural Basketball season?
"By far this sport is our most competitive. I'm happy that the Women's Rec. League increase in number. I was also happy that a majority of the teams showed up for their games and everyone seemed to enjoy it." (Note-Teams that do not show up for a game, forfeit the match)


What are some of this years changes that you didn't do last season?
"This year we increased the number of games by utilizing the hard court floor. We were able to increase the amount by at least 3-4 games."


Overall, what were some of the things you liked about this season?
"Overall, the staff enjoyed working the events (most of the time), and it was great to see the amount of kids involved. This is probably one of the largest programs on the campus, as far as programing goes. It was great to see commuters, residents, and staff competing against one another."


You had a team that competed from nearby Mass. Maritime Academy?
"The Mass Maritime club basketball team played in our Competitive Intramural Basketball division. I think they enjoyed the competition they faced."


What programs will you be running next semester?
"As far as leagues go, we will have a softball league, an indoor volleyball league, a dodge ball league, a badminton league, a flag football league, a tennis league, and an inter-tube water polo league. In addition, we will be running some one day tournament leagues as well. We will have a street hockey league, a 3-on-3 basketball league, and a kickball tournament."


Other than the physical activities that you mentioned, will you be offering anything else?
"We want to try and get people out of their dorm rooms that might not be interested and give them an opportunity to participate in some non-traditional programing. We will be running a family feud night and will have a FIFA Play Station 2 league in the fall. In the spring, we will have a 'Madden Spring League'"


Extra point:
A comment from faculty member Brendan Adams (who played in the recreational division along with the students for Rec. League Champion "Team Rafter"):
"It was great to see so many students participating on the basketball court. It was great to see all of the smiling faces when they were victorious."


If anyone is interested in any programing that the Recreation department has to offer visit the campus recreation website or visit the office (at the end of the back hallway past the Equipment room, in the Tinsley Center)