thecommentsportspage

Matthew Melon's USC Trip

noreply@blogger.com (thecommentsportspage) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:05:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:30:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 03:43:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 03:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 19:24:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 18:58:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Thu, 17 May 2007 02:34:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:36:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Mon, 14 May 2007 16:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Mon, 14 May 2007 14:39:00 +0000

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)

Lacrosse Season Ends with oss to Curry College

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Mon, 14 May 2007 00:10:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

With a 17-10 loss in the ECAC semi-finals (on Friday) to #2 seeded Curry College, the #3 seeded Bridgewater State College women's lacrosse season ends with a 9-7 overall record.

BSC was down 13-2 at the half, but battled back to make the score 14-7, on a 5-1 scoring run. But Curry rattled off 2 quick goals to make it a 16-5 lead. Bridgewater State tried to make it close. They ended the game with a 6-3 run, but it wasnt enough as time ran out for the Bears.

Bridgewater State had its opportunities to score goals, attempting 22 shots in the game (14 in the second half).

"I thought we dominated in the second half," said head coach Erika Smith. "If we played like that the whole game, we would have won."

The Bears were led by freshman attacker Shannon Manning and junior midfielder Alison Gugliotta who scored three goals apiece. Senior attacker Alicia Spolidoro also chipped in with two goals.

On defense sophomore defenseman Sarah Pimental and senior attacker Kathleen Sweeney each forced two of the teams 9 ground balls.

"When its playoff time it's a matter of who wants it more," said Smith. "It was a matter of who had the fight in them (down the stretch) and that was their fuel on offense and defense."

Sweeney agreed with Coach Smith. She said that the lacrosse team never gave up during the game.

"I think we never gave up and played poised the whole time," said Sweeney. "We (never once) got down on ourselves."

In the net, freshman Chelsea Bracci registered 11 saves in the loss. This was her third start in as many games, filling in for injured goalie Jessica Cerone.

Coach Smith said that she was really proud of Bracci's performance. According to Smith, Bracci has only been playing lacrosse for the last four months.

"Chelsea came to us with no experience playing lacrosse," said Coach Smith.

Curry was relentless on offense shooting as many as 33 attempts in the 17 point loss. Coach Smith said that she was happy about Bracchi's performance.

"(Today) she came up with some huge saves, she played low (in the net) and with confidence," said Coach Smith. "I can't wait to see what (kind of goalie) she becomes in the future."

While loosing in the ECAC semifinals was a rough way to end their postseason run, Coach Smith said that shes happy about the future of the program.

"I'm very excited for what this team might be able to do next year," said Coach Smith. "With a 9 win season we are still trying to step up the ladder. We had 4 starters that were brand new to BSC and we have a great recruiting class coming up. It is an exciting future for Bridgewater lacrosse."

Coach Smith said that she was very proud of her lacrosse squad and how they played after being down at the half (10-2).

"This team never gave up," said coach Smith. "This is very hard to teach players because its one thing to tell them to do it. It has to be in them in the heart."

Sweeney is one of the three seniors that will be leaving the BSC lacrosse program. She leaves along with defenseman Kathleen Cote, and Spolidoro.

"It was a successful and unforgettable ride that I wouldn't go back and change it," said Sweeney.

The Bridgewater State women's lacrosse ends its postseason run with a 9-7 overall record and 8-6 in regular season play, on an independent league schedule.

Photo 1: The BSC women's lacrosse team stretching before the semi-final match starts.

Photo 2: Midfielder Alison Gugliotta tries defend and get the ball away from Curry center Nikky Mackay.

Photo 3: Freshman goalie Chelsea Bracchi watches the action down-field.

Photo 4: Freshman attacker Shannon Manning waits for the signal on the penalty attempt.

Photo 5: The BSC women's lacrosse team huddles up before the game starts.

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Beaudry

Reading list for the summer

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Sun, 13 May 2007 18:15:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

With school almost over and the first 90 degree day ready to hit New England, I thought id share the books that I'm going to read over the summer. This list might not even get read because ill most likely be distracted with the summer blockbuster movies that will be playing [seriously, Spiderman 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Transformers, Die Hard (that's like #4 or #10 I believe; its hard to keep track with Bruce Willis making 5 movies every year), the new Harry Potter movie, and I'm probably missing like 5 more good movies]. And ill probably be working 50+ hours a week on top of that, so this list is not even going to be read. If this is the case, the books will have more use as kindling for a campfire, getting recycled, or donated to charity. I guess this becomes all the more motivation to get it done.

Let Me Tell You a Story (Red Auerbach w/John Feinstein)

-With the state of the Boston Celtics, I wonder if Red is turning in his grave. But I will read this novel first because I the first line is so enticing. "Did I ever tell you about Wilt Chamberlain?" Its a book that must read like a conversation, but reads like a story. Its like reading a play by Shakespeare, yet you don't spend 10 minutes on every page. As a coach, Auerbach was the mastermind behind Boston winning nine championships. As an executive helped make the Celts a household name again drafting and trading for hall of famers like Bird, McHale, and Parrish. With the popularity of the NBA waning, I wonder what kind of perspective Red gives in this novel that has drawn rave reviews from anyone I've asked about it.

Game of Shadows (Mark Fainaro-Wada and Lance Williams)

-In my trip to Boston this past weekend, I decided that I wanted more of a perspective on the steroid issue and about Bonds himself. I am very skeptical about everything now that Bonds is putting together a very good season [.307, 11 HR, 23 RBI, 25 runs, .512 OBP, 37 walks (leads MLB)]. According to a recent Jackie MacMullen column, she calls it the "most comprehensive journalistic work on steroids to date." Where we get the history of steroids from Howard Bryant (Juicing the Game) and Conceco's exaggerated account, this book is next in the series. It puts together what we know and compels us to think long and hard about the Maguire-Sosa home run chase and Barry's 72 home run season (among other things. While I believed at the time that Bonds was "juicing" and am still rather skeptical (even though Bonds denies everything), this book is a reading for perspective on a very controversial issue.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K. Rowling)
Spoiler Warning (Do not read if you have not read the other 6 books)

-I might consider re-reading the fifth and the sixth books before I even think about reading the seventh installment in the series. Along with the rest of the world, I await for this book to be released on July 21st, and wonder what surprises this novel will have inside.
-(Here come the theories) I think that Snapes a double agent that doesn't care one way or the other about what side really wins. My friend Chip is convinced hes a traitor (even after rereading the sixth book) and he will continue to be one in this book. I think he will come up in the clutch and help Harry do what he has to do at the end of the book. I also think Ron is going to die (stolen from a professors comment) and lots of drama is going to happen between Hermione and Harry. This series has taken some unusual twists and turns and no one will be able to predict what the future holds for Harry, Lord Volder-cant say the name, Ron, Hermionie, Malfoy, the Order, and the rest of the cast.

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer (Warren St. John)

-While looking up information about Every Week in a Season (see below), this book was recommended as an exciting read about the Crimson. Two summer's ago, I was fortunate to read "Coach" (about Bear Bryant's seasons at Alabama), and ever since I have been intrigued by Alabama football ever since. With so many rivalries like Michigan-Ohio State, Red Sox-Yankees, Texas-Texas A & M, its a wonder that we have little time to appreciate the most heated southern rivalry, the Iron Bowl. A book written from an outsider gives the best impressions of what the insider is thinking, because they aren't biased towards leaning in any particular way. I look forward to reading a book that talks about one of the best conferences in college football (with some pretty intense-hardcore fans).

The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky)

-I was a freshman in my Western Political Thought class, and Professor Barkalow asked the class to name off titles of books. I decided to get some participation points and called out, "Crime and Punishment" (one of my all-time favorite books) Barkalow looked at me and said, "Mr Miller, that book is secondary. The Brothers Karamazov is much better."
-Four years later, I am still shocked at the preposition. Crime and Punishment is a novel that starts off slow and then makes the reader grip the book to the very last page, and that includes the epilogue. A novel that gives the reader an inside look in the mind of a killer and his attempt to get away with the "perfect" crime, it goes beyond the text introducing such themes as existentialism.
-With that being said, I am still intrigued by my professors suggestion. While 824 pages makes any reader shudder, I believe I am ready for the task at what many people say is Dosteoevsky's best novel.

Season on the Brink (John Feinstein)

-I look forward to reading a book that has Bobby Knights name written all over it. After "surviving" four seasons with BSC coach Joe Farroba, I look to draw comparisons to Knights larger than life figure. I once thought about picking up Knights autobiography, but now I think im going to read an outsiders view before I get what goes through the mans brain. In Halberstrams Education of a Coach (see below), we gain perspective on what Belichick thinks about. In this book, maybe Feinstien offers the same thoughts and more on Bobby Knight and his Indiana Hoosers

Fear: The History of a Political Idea (Corey Robin)

-As political science majors, we are required to take senior seminar and we had to buy this book for this class. I read a few pages and thought the ideas of Hobbes were cute, but not particularly enlightening. Now that Ive read Leviathan (by Hobbes), the Persian Letters (by Montesquieu), and understand a little more about political theory, the premise of the book proves rather fascinating. In the first half of the book, Robin says that for us to understand fear, we need to know the history of fear. He delves into such topics like the totalitarianism of communism and the Nazi party, and the tyranny of the absolute rule of french kings. The second half of the book goes into the American style of fear, that attempts to explain fear within a democracy (esp. with McCarthyism and 9/11)
-I want to read the rest of this book not just because I'm interested in the subject matter, but for the perspective. Fear in politics can sometimes make people rally in the streets or keep them in their homes. While America has a fascination with scary movies and the unknown, I want to read this book for what we do know, because (more often than not) history repeats itself.

Other considerations:
-A Good Walk Spoiled (John Feinstein)
-What no one ever tells you about Blogging and Podcasting (Ted Demopoulous)
-Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
-Debt of Honor (Tom Clancy)
-Freakeomics (Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner)
-Juiced (Jose Conceco)

Last Summers Reading List (author and rating out of 5 stars, with commentary):

The Last Amatuers (by John Feinstein): 2 stars
Comment- Little on the dry side, but Division 1 Basketball at its finest

Boys of Summer (by Roger Kahn): 3.5 stars
Comment- This book about the 52' Dodgers first half starts off slow and dramatic, but the second half of the book gives you the goosebumps and the chills in some places because Kahn makes you feel for the characters

Da Vinci Code (by Dan Brown): 4 stars
Comment- A 105 chapter, 454 page book that I finished in a day. It gave me perspectives to Christianity I never thought existed. Truly a case where the book really is so much better than the movie.

Education of a Coach (David Halberstram): 6 stars
Comment- If you ever wanted to know more what is really inside the mind of Bill Belichick and possibly ever other pro coach out there. A masterpiece that makes you appreciate the NFL.

LT: Over the Edge (Lawrence Taylor): 3.25 stars
Comment- If you want to hear about a former Pro Star brag about all of his crazy times with drugs and alcohol (Chivas and Milk, how can you stomach that crap) and how he got his life cleaned up in rehab this is your book. Interesting perspective from a legend.

Heat (Dwight Gooden): 2.5 stars
Comment- A much more dramatic story of one of the best young pitchers in baseball, his troubles with cocaine, and how he tried to get his life in order. While LT's book is good, Gooden's is more dramatic.

October Men (Roger Kahn): 4 stars
Comment- Kahn does it again when it comes to the 78' Yankees. A book that offers one of the best glances of who George Stienbrenner really is, in a book that wasn't written at the time, but in 2003. This is a book that I highly recommend if your a die-hard Sox fan because of the insight and perspective it provides about the team you hate the most, the Yankees.

Feeding the Monster (Seth Mookin): 4 stars
Comment- If you ever wanted to know the "real" story behind the current ownership group (Henry, Werner, and Lucchino) this is the book. With insight strait from the front office (similar to the Moneyball approach), its a good read.

Every Week in a Season (Brian Curtis): 0.5 stars
Comment- I learned more about college football from the AP wire reports (this season) than I did from this book. The chapters don't flow well and the attempt at being dramatic falls short of the authors expectations. His main ideas (what coaches do to prepare and practice) are just another way of restating the same bland thing over and over and over again. Just horrible.

Now I Can Die in Peace (Bill Simmons): 3.5 stars
Comment- A book I bought in the fall and finished a few weeks ago, I thought it was really good. One of those books that recaps the last 6 years of Red Sox baseball really well. There were times I laughed, shook my head in disagreement, and actually cried; a book that makes me wonder when the next "Sports Guy" book is coming out.

New photos on the blog site

noreply@blogger.com (thecommentsportspage) — Fri, 11 May 2007 00:43:00 +0000

The Comment has added new photos of the MASAC Softball tournament games and yesterdays women's lacrosse games. We will list links so that you can check them out on your computer.

MASCAC Softball Tournament:
Softball team advances to nightcap versus Westfield State
Softball team will play Sunday in championship game versus Framingham
Softball post game comments from Coach Maguire and junior outfielder Katie Holbrook
Softball team bounced from MASCAC Tournament in 1-0 loss to Framingham

Other posts:
All-MASCAC Softball-Baseball teams announced
Women's lacrosse team beats Castleton State College to advance to the semifinals
Curry College preview for semifinal matchup versus Bridgewater State

-The Comment will have a recap of this past Sunday's Intramural Championship's and an interview with Assistant Recreation Director Brian Fetky on next semesters happenings in the Rec. department.
-Stay tuned for more information

Womens Lacrosse semi-final preview versus Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Thu, 10 May 2007 18:57:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

With a win over Castleton on Thursday, #3 seeded Bridgewater State College advances to in the semifinal match versus #2 seeded Curry College. This game will be a rematch from the season opener. BSC first faced Curry, in Florida, in the opening game of the season. Bridgewater lost the game 9-18.

Head coach Erika Smith said this squad is a completely different team than the one that faced Curry at the beginning of the season.

"It will be a totally different game this time around," said Coach Smith. "Before it was the very first game of the season and I think we were overwhelmed in Florida. Now we are a smarter team and more together."

Curry College brings an 14-4 record to the match and is 3-0 versus opponents that Bridgewater State has beaten (Worcester State, Lassell, and Salve).

Freshman attacker Shannon Manning said its going to be a battle because both teams are pretty evenly matched.

"It should be a fair match and a really good game," said Manning. "It will be a battle of who wants it more because both teams are so evenly balanced."

Cote said that everyone on the team has been excited for the rematch versus Curry College.

"This is what we have worked for all season," said senior defenseman Kathleen Cote. "Its the matchup that everyone has been looking forward to once we found out we would play Curry if we advanced."

Coach Smith said that the ECAC Tournament is an exciting opportunity for her squad.

"The last time we were here was in 2004 when I was a senior on the team," said Smith. "With 9 wins, up from last years 4 wins, its a huge improvement. It shows what kind of team we really are."

Cote said that as a senior she is happy to take play in the ECAC Tournament.

"I think we have a good chance of winning this tournament," said Cote. "We have worked hard all season, and it would be great to win the whole thing in my senior year."

Manning said that as a freshman, she is having a good time playing in the ECAC's.

"I think this is just a really awesome experience," said Manning. "We deserve to be here and I'm just phyked that we have the opportunity to play in this tournament."

The winner of this matchup will play the winner of #1 seeded Plymouth State versus #4 seeded Worcester State. Bridgewater State and Curry College will play at 6 pm at Curry, in Milton.

The winners of the semifinal matches will play in the ECAC Eastern Championship game on Saturday.

Photo 1: Junior midfielder Kathryn Sweeney tries to get around the Castleton defender

Photo 2: Freshman attacker Kate DeMaio tries to dig the ball out of the turf

Photos courtesy of Steven M Miller, Jr

ECAC Tournament bracket

What a change to university status means for Athletics

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Thu, 10 May 2007 02:00:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

This morning, President Dana Mohler-Faria sent out an e-mail to the entire campus community informing them of the decision of the Board of Trustees to become a university or not. The e-mail basically said that the Board "voted unanimously to seek university status." In addition, "the official name change still requires an act of the Massachusetts Legislature, which will be considering the matter over the remainder of the legislative session."

As has been reported in The Comment, a change in university status would be a gradual process and no "significant" increases in the number of students or the cost of tuition. In addition, BSC would like to offer doctoral degrees and apply for grants that only institutions with "university" status would be considered eligible.

The one hurdle that the college has to face is the legislators on Beacon Hill. The Massachusetts State Legislature is currenlty considering a bill that would make give Bridgewater State College "university" status. The General Court has until June 30 to make such a decision.

Whenever the decision is made, the Athletics will have to change its stationary, its apparel, and logo.

"For the time being, we won't be bound by anything until the summer or fall or whenver BSC becomes BCU," said Athletic Director John Harper.

Harper said that they would not have to change most of the uniforms because most of them already say on the front "Bridgewater" or "Bridgewater State." For the uniforms that say "BSC" or "Bridgewater State College" Harper said that they will replace the uniforms when the time comes.

"Since the legislature has not made a decision I don't think that we will rush into this," said Harper. "We'll get the changes done when its nessesary and we can afford it."

As for the polo and long sleave shirts that Athletics personnel currently wear, Harper said that it would be a minor change.

"We would just change the lettering from 'BSC' to 'BSU' or we could go with the 'Bear Head' logo or a Bear paw," said Harper.

But the jackets that some of the sports teams and that athletics personal wear are a completely different matter. Harper said that they would have to change the way this particular logo would look.

"We havent contacted the company yet, but we are thinking that we will have it say something like 'Bridgewater State (first line) University (second line),'" said Harper. "This is just what we have been thinking about, nothing is definate yet."

If BSC makes the switch, Athletics wont have to worry about recycling its stationary.

"The college will tell us what we should do," said Harper. "Until then we will wait and continue using the same stationary."

One major change that Athletics will have to pay for in the future is the floor of the Tinsley Center gym. Harper said that they will have to move the 3-point line back one foot in 2008 (for the 08'-09' season) to be compliant with the new rule the NCAA has instituted. When Athletics makes this change on the gym floor, they will change the wording on both ends of the baseline.

"We will have to change the line a year from now," said Harper. "This is not an inexpensive project because we would have to resand the floor, repaint it, get the proper dyes, and stencils for the floor to change and look nice."

The right and left baselines of the basketball court currently read "Bridgewater State College."

As for the merchandise that Athletics sells at home basketball, volleyball, and football games, Harper said he wasnt sure what they were going to do with all of the logo that said "BSC" on it.

"We may have to have a clearance sale," Harper joked. "This has never actually happened before."

With the Bridgewater State College switching to a university, Harper emphasized that the department would not change conference affiliation's or try to compete at the Division II level.

"Whenever the change is made we will remain in the MASCAC and not change divisions," said Harper. "We are sticking true to the Division III philosophy. While becoming a university may be a natural progression (for the institution), the college becoming bigger has nothing do do with making a jump to the Division II level."

Even though the switch to a university is likely to happen within the next year or two, Harper said that he has been asked the question of jumping divisions since he became Director of Athletics in 1991.

Photos courtesy of bridgew.edu

Lacrosse team wins 22-5 advances to Semis

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Wed, 09 May 2007 23:43:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

This evening the #3 seeded Bridgewater State College women's lacrosse team beat #6 seeded Castleton State College 22-5. BSC improves to 9-6 on the season and Castleton finishes their season at 6-7.

"We played well and we worked on a lot of things today," said head coach Erika Smith. "On defense and offense we ran a lot of the plays that we are going to run on Friday (versus Curry)."

Bridgewater State went on a 13-0 run in the first 19:50 in the game, until Castleton scored their first goal of the game. After leading at the half 14-1, the Bears built on their lead scoring 7 more goals. In the second half, BSC allowed the Spartans to score four more goals in the game.

Bridgewater took a total of 26 shots in the first half, and 37 shots in the game.

The Bears were led by senior midfielder Kathryn Sweeney who had 5 goals and 3 assists. She scored 4 of her game high 5 goals in the first half, including the first three goals of the game.

Eight different players, including Sweeney, scored at least one goal. Junior midfielder Lauren Serratore had a big day as she had 4 goals, 4 draw controls, 3 ground balls, and she caused two turnovers. Freshman attacker Shannon Manning also chipped in with two goals, two assists, 3 draw controls, two ground balls, and she caused two turnovers. Freshman attacker Kate DeMaio also had 4 goals and an assist.

"On offense we got open shots, we made our cuts, and we got some good open passes," said Manning. "Our transition game was good and we put good shots on the goal."

In the first half, the Bears played tenacious defense only allowing 3 shots on goal, and 11 shots on the game. On defense, Senior Kathleen Cote and junior Adrienne Berkland each drew five ground balls in the game. Berkland also caused 8 of the teams 27 caused turnovers.

"On defense we played well," said Cote. "In the last couple of games we had been letting up, but today we really stepped it up today."

In the net, freshman Chelsea Bracci saved 4 goals, in her second start of the season.

"This was Chelsea's second start in the net and she played well," said Smith.

The Bridgewater State women's lacrosse team advances to the semifinal match of the ECAC Tournament. They will take on 11-4 Curry College at 6 pm at Curry College.

The winner of this semifinal match will take on the winner of #1 seeded Plymouth State and #4 seeded Worcester State.

The Comment will bring you a preview of the game on Thursday.

Photo 1: Junior midfielder Alison Gugliotta waits for the play to develop around Castleton colleges net

Photo 2: Junior midfielder Ashley Panzini tries to get the ball into play

Photos courtesy to Steven M. Miller, Jr

Information used in this report courtesy of bridgew.edu/athletics
Game recap and tournament bracket

Allie LeBlanc named to NFCA All-New England Team

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Wed, 09 May 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

This past week sophomore Allie LeBlanc was named to the NFCA All-New England Team as a third team selection. In addition, She was named ECAC Player of the Week and for the second strait week, she was named MASCAC Player of the Week. After playing four games this past week in the MASCAC Tournament, LeBlanc extended her hitting streak to 26 games, which is the longest recorded hit streak in BSC softball history.

LeBlanc finishes the season, (playing in all 43 contests) with a .395 batting average, with 2 home runs, 22 runs batted in, and 26 runs scored. While she may have led the team in hits (51) and doubles (12), stats aren't all that important to her.

"I dont like to think about stats, I might glance, but I try not to think about them," said LeBlanc. "I try not to look at stats too much because it can distract me from what I really want to try and do for my team. "

LeBlanc said that she had no idea she had a hit streak going until she happened to notice it last week while reading that she had been named MASCAC Player of the Week the first time online.

While Leblanc said that shes happy about the streak, but she said that she not too concerned about it. LeBlanc has the chance to keep her streak going when the softball team starts playing again next spring, during their annual pilgrimage to Kissimmee, Florida.

"If it continues (into next season) that's great, but its not what is important," said LeBlanc. "Florida is a time to get to play with a new team and learn about them on and off the field. That way when we get back to Massachusetts we are ready (to start) the season."

While her team is up at bat during the game, LeBlanc is very laid back and calm.

"I'm very loud in the dugout," said LeBlanc, with a smile. "I always try to smile to lighten up the mood a bit. If you play for a team, you play for your teamates and not yourself."

The softball team came very close to making the NCAA Regional Tournament, loosing a 1-0 heartbreaker to Framingham State in the Championship game, this past Sunday.

"I think towards the end of the season, we really came together," said LeBlanc. "We were a really young team and we had no seniors on the squad this year. It was tough because we all had to be leaders."

LeBlanc said that the softball team is a very close knit group of team mates that have big plans for next season.

"Off the field we are really close," said LeBlanc. "I think that we accomplished a lot in winning the MASCAC (regular season crown). Next year I think we will be so much more ready because for the season because of our experiences together."

In the offseason, LeBlanc said that she plans on working on her flexibility.

"I pulled both my quad and my tendon in my shoulder this season," said LeBlanc. "I guess that means that ill be working in the gym a lot more in the offseason and stretching like its my job."

LeBlanc is a sophomore and a native of Somerset, Massachusetts. She said that while Bridgewater State wasn't her first choice, she had no problem adjusting from a small school (of about a little more than 1,000 people) to a large campus of 6,000.

"Brigewater was not my first choice (of school), but it ended up being the best one," said LeBlanc. "I love the people here, I love the Athletics program and the size of the school is just right."

While LeBlanc likes the Bridgewater State, she sometimes isn't thrilled about commuting to campus.

"It can sometimes be a pain commuting," said LeBlanc. "Sometimes you have to be there late for practices or the 6 AM winter lifting sessions.

Despite commuting to BSC, one of the nice things about being on a softball team and having freinds is that there is always someone there to pick you up.

"Someone is always willing to have you sleep in their dorm room if I need it," said LeBlanc. "I love my freinds here."

Photos courtesy of Allie LeBlanc. They were shot while BSC was playing Westfield State during the regular season.

Afternoon and Evening plan

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Wed, 09 May 2007 19:19:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

-We just wanted to let you know that we will have an interview from BSC softball center fielder Allie LeBlanc, who was named ECAC Player of the Week and MASCAC Player of the Week (for the second strait week). We will also have an interview with Athletic Director John Harper on what the possible name change might mean for Bridgewater State College with the switch to a university.

-Page 2 of ESPN.com also released a story on the inaugural season Newbury College; the team Bridgewater State beat 57-1 back in the beginning of April. It summarizes how Newbury first became a baseball program and how they played against their last two opponents (Beaker and Mass Maritime).
-Please note that most of the field shots are at Mass Maritimes beautiful facility (like the lighthouse in the background, for example)

-We will also bring you the latest from today's 5:30 pm matchup of the Women's Lacrosse game vs Castleton State College (at Swenson Field).

Women's Lacrosse team to play Castleton State in first round of ECAC Tournament

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Wed, 09 May 2007 04:30:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

As one of the 13 hopefuls that hoped to make the ECAC Tournament, Bridgewater State's prayers were answered on Monday afternoon. Once the pairings had been announced, BSC found out that it would be a #3 seed in the tournament and have a first round game versus Castleton State on Wednesday.

"It think it will be a great game," said head coach Erika Smith. "If we come out strong and play smart, we will do very well."

Entering the season, the women's lacrosse team had two goals on the season: to make the ECAC Tournament and to finish above .500 (8-6 record). Because Bridgewater State plays an independent schedule, their only hope at the postseason is an ECAC tournament berth. To be tournament eligible your team must finish above .500.

Coach Smith said that she is very excited about this years tournament and her team.

"I'm very excited and very proud of them," said Smith. "They have worked very hard to get here. I hope we win the championship and get some postseason experience for our younger players."

Coach Smith also said that this team isn't the same team that first walked out onto the field in March.

"We have a better team than we did in March," said Smith. "We play together now, instead of individuals playing lacrosse. We play smarter and with much better confidence."

fifth appearance in the Should BSC win on Wednesday, they will take on Curry College (14-5, #2 seed) on Friday, for the semifinal match. BSC last faced Castleton State in 2004, when they were members of the NEWLA Conference. Bridgewater State is 3-0 all-time versus the Spartans.

The top seed in the tournament is Plymouth State (12-5) and will face on Friday the winner of the Worcester State (11-4, #4 seed)- Keene State (8-6, #5 seed) matchup on Wednesday.

This season, Bridgewater State is 0-2 versus the top two seeds in the tournament. They suffered an opening season loss to Curry and dropped the last game of the season to Plymouth State.

"We would love to rematch both teams," said Smith. "We have grown since Curry and now we should be mentally ready for Plymouth State."

The 8-6 Bridgewater State women's lacrosse team looks to take on Castleton State College on Wednesday at 5 pm, at home. This is BSC's fifth postseason appearance n the programs 23 year history. The last time the team made the postseason was an NCAA Tournament appearance in capturing the NEWLA

The Bears look to take advantage of their homefield advantage.

"Its great to have fans-family here to support us," said coach Smith. "Not having to travel is always a huge advantage."

-For more information about who has stood out on the BSC Women's Lacrosse team click this link.
-ECAC Tournament Bracket
Photo Credits to bridgew.edu/athletics

MASCAC Baseball-Softball All Conference teams announced

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Mon, 07 May 2007 19:30:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

-Yesterday afternoon the All MASCAC conference teams were announced after both the softball and baseball tournaments had been played. The most notable award winner from BSC, was sophomore catcher Kelly LaDow, who was named Player of the Year.

Other notable Bridgewater State players include the following:

All MASCAC Baseball Team

First Team:
Catcher- Kelly LaDow (East Falmouth, MA)
Stats- .373 avg, 19 runs, 0 HR, 31 RBI, .480 SLG, .440 OBP
-Also won MASCAC Player of the Year
-Sophomore

Outfielder- Steve Smith (East Taunton, MA)
Stats- .425 avg (led team), 34 runs, 2 HR, 35 RBI, 12 doubles, .602 SLG, .485 OBP, 4-4 SB's
-Junior

Second Team:
Third Baseman- Mark Claffey (Bellingham, MA)
Stats-.355 avg, 39 runs, 0 HR, 19 RBI, .430 SLG, .478 OBP, 7-7 SB's
-Freshman

-Second baseman Ben Wagner also won the Rookie of the Year award and Westfield State coach Ray Arra won Coach of the Year. Arra led Westfield State to a regular season MASCAC crown and Tournament title, for the automatic bid to the NCAA Regional tournament.
-For complete list of players the link is here

All MASCAC Softball Team

First Team:
Outfielder- Allie LeBlanc (Somerset, MA)
-Stats- .395 avg, 26 runs, 12 doubles, 2 HR, 22 RBI, .535 SLG, .471 OBP, 69 total bases
-25 game hit streak* (which is still active)
-Sophomore

Second Team:
Pitcher- Erin Christensen (Jefferson, MA)
-Stats- Pitched- (8-5), 1.93 ERA, 18 games, 14 GS, 8 CG (3 shutouts), 83.1 IP, 48 K's, 8 BB's
(-Batted- 29 GP-24 GS, .387 avg, o HR, 16 RBI, .426 OBP)
-Freshman

Second Baseman- Nicole Hebert (Taunton, MA)
-Stats- .364 avg, 15 runs, 3 HR, 18 RBI, .536 SLG, .408 OBP, 10 Sac hits, 59 total bases
-Junior

Outfielder- Ciana Godin (Worcester, MA)
-Stats- .409 (led team) avg, 24 runs, 1 HR, 9 RBI, .538 SLG, .471 OBP (led team), 4-5 SB, 50 total bases
-Junior

Designated Player- Katie Holbrook (Brockton, MA)
-Stats- .321, 19 runs, 5 HR (2nd on team), 33 RBI (led team), .557 SLG (2nd on team), .363 OBP, 59 total bases
-Junior

-Fitchburg State shortstop Keri Kravetz was named MASCAC Player of the Year and Westfield State pitcher Chelsea Sylvia was named MASCAC Rookie of the Year. Westfield State head coach Lou Ann Simchak was named coach of the year, for a finish of 20-14 overall and 10-3 in the MASCAC.

Photo 1: Junior Steve Smith takes a hack at a pitch. He was named First-team All MASCAC.

Photo 2: Sophomore Allie LeBlanc tries to advance the runner with a bunt. She was named First-team All MASCAC as an outfielder

Photo's courtesy of Steven M. Miller, Jr

-For a complete list of players the list is here

MASCAC Outdoor Track and Field honors announced

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Mon, 07 May 2007 18:54:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

Outdoor Track and Field Championships last Saturday at -The Bridgewater State College outdoor track and field team recently competed in the MASCACFitchburg State College. Four players garnered All-MASCAC honors with their first place finishes in the event that they competed in.

On the women's side, senior Anna Fegan was the MASCAC Champion in the shot put (32'03") and the hammer throw (132'03"). In the field, senior Chrissy Hrenko was the MASCAC Champion in the Javelin (124'06"). On the track, junior Nicole Mauro was the champion in the 5,000 meter run (18:54.26). Hrenko also placed in first in the 200 meter dash in 2005.

All contributed to help the team finish in 3rd place (out of 6 teams) at the meet.

The lone standout on the men's side was junior Chris clark who placed first in the shot put (44'09") and first in the discus throw (128'07"). The men's outdoor track and field team finished in fourth place with 42 points.

For results from the All-New England meet this past Saturday, please click on this link

Some of the information that was used in this report is courtesy of bridgew.edu/athletics

Softball bounced from MASCAC Tournament

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Mon, 07 May 2007 01:00:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

The Bridgewater State College softball team was eliminated in a 1-0 loss to MASCAC Champion Framingham State on Sunday afternoon. The game was forced to be played after BSC took the earlier win in a 7-1 decision.

Framingham pushed across the only run of the game in the first inning. Lead-off batter Christina Sullivan reached first on a catchers interference call and then reached third on a botched sacrifice bunt play at first base. Sullivan crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly to left field by senior Kristina Cocarane.

Senior righthander Kristina Curtis went the distance and pitched a complete game in the win for Framingham State. Curtis (13-7) went seven innings giving up 2 hits, while striking out 7 batters. Curtis was impressive throughout the MASCAC Tournament as she went 3-0 with a 0.84 earned run average. In 25 innings pitched she struck out 17 batters and held opponents to a .180 batting average.

"We just didnt adjust early on and often enough," said head coach Janet Maguire. "We were confident (after winning the first game), but we knew it wasn't going to be handed to us. We knew it was going to be a pitchers' duel."

Freshman left-hander Erin Christensen took the loss for BSC. She only lasted 4 innings giving up one run (zero earned) on two hits. Freshman right-hander Alyssa Verroneau came into the game to relieve Christensen. Verroneau pitched three scoreless innings giving up only 3 hits.

After Framingham took the 1-0 lead, both teams had frustrating games at the plate. Bridgewater State had two big opportunities to score the tying run slip right through their fingers.

"We tried to adjust at different times and the offense has been there all year," said Coach Maguire. "Sometimes its going to be there and sometimes its not."

In the bottom of the fifth, sophomore third baseman Stacey Capodice reached first on a fielding error by the pitcher and advanced to second on the throw that tried to get her out. On the very next at-bat Capodice tried to steal third, but she was caught stealing on the play. BSC also left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh.

"We had our opportunities (to score runs)," said Maguire. "But we just couldn't capitalize on them.

Coach Maguire said that she didn't think offense would be a struggle for this team.

"All year we had been playing our best softball and defense has been a problem," said Maguire. "Today we struggled on the offensively."

The Bridgewater State softball team finishes their season at 22-20-1. This marks the first time since 2003 that the team has not made an NCAA tournament appearance.

With no seniors on the roster, the Bears look to return almost everyone on the roster next year.

"I hope that this loss is motivation to prepare us for next spring," said Maguire

Photo 1: Freshman southpaw Erin Christensen makes a pitch to the plate

Photo 2: With junior second baseman Nicole Hebert at the plate, the players in the dugout cheer their teamate on, down 1-0 to Framingham

Photo 3: Junior first baseman Danielle Trull Donahue swings and misses at a pitch

Photos courtesy of Steven M Miller, Jr

Game Notes:
Sophomore centerfielder Allie LeBlanc extended her 25 game hit streak with an infield single in the fourth inning...In the 7-1 victory, BSC broke a 2-1 game open in the sixth, scoring 5 runs...Pierce also took the victory in the circle for the Bears in the first game. Pierce went the distance pitching a complete game. She gave up only one earned run in seven innings of work. She also struck out 3 and walked 3 batters...Framingham makes its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

Some information used in this report is courtesy of the Brockton Enterprise and framingham.edu/athletics

MASCAC Baseball Tournament (Update)

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Mon, 07 May 2007 01:00:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

-We just wanted to update you that Westfield State has officially won the MASCAC Championship. In winning the MASCAC Tournament, Westfield receieves an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament.

Salem State forced a second game to be played, with a 4-3 victory in 10 innings, to force a tie-breaker in the double elimination tournament. Westfield State came back to take the second game with a 12-1 victory over Salem to win their first ever MASCAC Tournament Championship and NCAA appearance since 1984.

-We will bring you the All MASCAC Conference team selections tomorrow.

Womens Track and Field place in All New Englands

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Sun, 06 May 2007 02:34:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer
Information used in this report courtesy of bridgew.edu

Senior Chrissy Hrenko and junior Nicole Mauro captured All-New England honors at the New England Division III Women's Track and Field championships at Springfield College. Hrenko placed second in the heptathalon (3850 points) and third in the Javelin (122'02"), while Mauro finished fifth in the 10,000 meter run (38:09.47) to earn All-New England status in each event. The Bears posted a 14th place finish at the women's meet with a score of 18 points.

For more information, here are the results.

Postgame Wrap up comments vs Westfield State

noreply@blogger.com (Steven M Miller Jr) — Sun, 06 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Steven M Miller Jr, Staff Writer

After the game we were able to catch up with head coach Janet Maguire to comment on the game and junior outfielder Katie Holbrook. Holbrooks pinch-hit double helped complete the Bears comeback and give them the win in the nightcap versus Westfield State.

Coach Maguire on winning Game 3 (morning game) and Game 5 (night game):
"We did what we know we had to do. We just had to concentrate on playing our game."

Coach Maguire on bringing in Pierce to start the second game after pitching the first:
"We were prepared to make this move. Steph is a junk (ball) pitcher and we had Erin prepared to go out there when we needed her. Erin just went out there and did what she had to do."

Coach Maguire on Holbrooks late inning heroics:
"Katies a cluch performer and she leads the team in RBIs. She saw the pitch that she wanted and she did what she wanted with it. It was a team effort and when we ask someone to pinch hit off the bench, I expect them to come into the game prepared."

Coach Maguire on the championship game:
"We are just going to play our game and come prepared to play."

Katie Holbrook on the at-bat:
"Walking into the at-bat Coach Maguire wanted me to take pitches, because we wanted to work the count on Westfield's pitcher. I took the first pitch strike and then the second pitch strike and was immediately down in the count. After she threw me a ball, the next pitch a saw was on the outside corner and I put it down the right field line and did what I wanted with the pitch."

Holbrook on coming from behind:
"Its been like this all season and like this last year too. Its a lot less pressure to go out and play ahead because you overthink about your position. When your the number one seed in the tournament, the pressures on."

Holbrook on the championship game:
"I think we are ready for the rematch. We just have to go out there and win two."

Bridgewater State has to win two tomorrow if they want to win the MASCAC Championship. The game starts at 12 pm tomorrow. If a second game is nessessary, it will take place at 2:30 pm.

Photo 1: Junior first baseman Danielle Trull-Donahue takes a hack at a pitch, at the plate

Photo 2: The outfield takes a breather while theres a meeting at the mound

Photo credits go to Steven M. Miller, Jr

MASCAC Tournament bracket and results