On the men’s side, Jeremy Frey (Pipersville/Central Bucks East) had three individual first place finished for the Huskies taking first in the 200-free, the 200-back and the 200-IM. In the 200-free Frey finished in 1:47.77 with Kyle Weisenbach (Lincoln University/Avon Grove) taking second in 1:51.35. In the 200-back Frey swam a 2:01.29 to win the event, while in the 200-IM Frey was first in 2:02.67.

In addition to Frey, Tim Dorsch (Schwenksville/Souderton Area) and David Mancinelli (Plymouth Meeting/Westmont Hilltop) were two-time winners for the Huskies. Dorsch took first in the 200-breast in 2:18.18 and the 100-breast in 1:01.86. Mancinelli was first in the 50-free in 22.43 and the 100-free in 49.87.

John King (Ridley Parkl/Ridley) took first for the Huskies in the 1000-free in 10:26.71, while Derek Straub was first in the 100-back in 55.26, Ben Safran (Doylestown/Central Bucks West) first in the 200-fly in 2:01.51 and Juan Casteneda (Shamokin/Shamokin Area) first in the 100-fly in 52.88 seconds. In all the Huskies took first in 11 individual events.

For the women, an exciting meet came down to the 400-free relay which the Huskies pulled out with a winning time of 3:41.13 with the team of Miranda Steel (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough), Kyla Weisenbach (Lincoln University/Avon Grove), Julia DeVincent (Maple Glen/Upper Dublin) and Sarah Grawe (Stafford, VA/North Stafford).

Individually, Madeline Barlow (Yardley/Pennsbury) was a three-time winner taking first in the 200-IM, the 200-back and the 100-back. In the 200-IM Barlow was first in 2:12.93, while in the 200-back she took first with a time of 2:11.94. In the 100-back she finished with a mark of 1:02.06.

Steel was a two-time winner in the distance events. In the 1000-free she swam a 10:56.27, while in the 500-free she was first in 5:17.71. Kelsey Brooker (Stevens/Cocalico) was first in the 100-fly in 1:02.12 to round out the individual winners for the Huskies, while also taking third in the 100-back in 1:03.15.

Grawe had second place finishes in the 50-free in 25.27 and the 100-free in 55.09.

Bloomsburg swims at Clarion next week starting at 1 p.m.

In addition, six other players earned All-PSAC honors. Named first team All-PSAC East were Due, Amanda Riley (Tannersville/Pocono Mountain East) and Amanda Deloy (Milton, DE/Cape Henlopen). Named second team All-PSAC East were Maggey Bloskey (Danville/Danville), Aubrey Carman (Dallastown/Dallastown), Betsy Renn (Herndon/Line Mountain) and Caitlin Koczynski (Langhorne/Neshaminy).

Due, a four-time All-PSAC selection and the 2006 PSAC Freshmen of the Year, is the third straight Bloomsburg player to be named a PSAC Athlete of the Year, following Jamie Vanartsdalen, who was named the PSAC East Athlete of the Year last year and the overall PSAC Athlete of the Year two seasons ago under the previous one division format. Due enters the NCAA Tournament with eight goals and four assists for 20 points from her midfield position. She has also helped contribute to a defense that leads the PSAC in goals against average at 0.71 and has allowed just 15 goals in 21 games.

Riley, who earned her first All-PSAC East honor, leads the Huskies in both points with 50 and in goals scored with 24. She has also assisted on eight others for Bloomsburg. Her best game of the season came against CW Post when she scored three times in a 6-3 victory. She also has seven other games with two goals and earned the PSAC East Player of the Week award the final three weeks of the season.

Deloy earned her first All-Conference honor. The junior played a key role in the midfield for the Huskies and helped limit opponents to just 6.2 shots on goal per game. Deloy also contributed offensively for the Huskies with a goal and two assists this season.

Bloskey, who named the MVP of last week’s PSAC championship game, earned her first All-Conference selection. The senior forward scored 13 goals during the year, including the game winner in OT against Shippensburg in the PSAC title game. She also assisted on 11 other goals and is third in the country in assists per game with a mark of 0.52. Bloskey’s best game of the year came at Seton Hill when she scored two goals and assisted on three others.

Carman was named All-PSAC for the first time this season. The senior defender was a key member of the Huskies defense that has limited opponents to just 0.71 goals per game. Offensively she also scored one goal and had one assist.

Renn also earned her first All-PSAC honor this season. The sophomore defender led a defense that kept opponents from a shot on goal in five games this season.

Koczynski, a senior, also earned her first All-PSAC honor this season. The goalie posted a goals against average of 0.79 in 1,321 minutes of play. She allowed just 15 goals posting two solo shutouts. She stopped 68 shots and had a saves percentage of .819.

The East Coach of the Year award for Hutchinson marks the sixth time that the longtime Bloomsburg coach, who is retiring after this season, has claimed the award, although each of the previous five were under the one-division format. She was last honored by her peers in 2006. After losing several key players, including Division II’s all-time leading scorer, from last year’s team that claimed the program’s third consecutive national championship, Hutchinson led the Huskies to a 20-1 record this season and a PSAC tournament championship for the second straight year. The Huskies will be the No. 1 seed in the region in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

The loss dropped the Huskies to 8-3 on the season and severely hurts the team’s chances to gain an NCAA playoff bid. The bids will be announced on Sunday between 3 and 3:30 p.m. on ESPN News.

With the score tied at 7-7 at the end of regulation, the Golden Knights (6-5) got the ball first on offense in the extra session and drove to the Huskies nine-yard line. Three running plays pushed the ball back to the Huskies 12-yard line where Ditzler connected on his first field goal of the game after missing on three previous attempts.

On Bloomsburg’s possession of the overtime, on the first play, quarterback Dan Latorre (Elysburg/Southern Columbia) dropped back then took off up field and was hit by Gannon’s Johnny Jones with the recovery by the Golden Knights Khayree Connors ending the game.

In the first half Gannon took the opening kickoff and moved to the Huskies 29-yard line when its drive stalled. However, Ditzler was short on a 48-yard field goal attempt. In the second quarter the Huskies defense forced a fumble that was recovered by Mike Varanavage (Philadelphia/Archbishop Ryan) at the Gannon 22-yard. Facing a fourth and one at the Gannon 13-yard line Latorre was sacked and fumbled the ball ending the scoring threat. Just before halftime Gannon had a chance to get on the scoreboard right, but Ditzler misfired from 29-yards ending the half.

Bloomsburg finally broke the scoring drought in the third period with a short drive set up by a 62-yard kickoff return by Brandon Real (West York/West York) to start the second half. From three plays later Latorre hit Cory Stiger (Williamsport/Loyalsock) with a 25-yard scoring pass to make it 7-0.

Later in the third period after pinning the Huskies back deep in their own territory, the Golden Knights took advantage of a short punt that gave them the ball at the Bloomsburg 28-yard line. Two plays later Zach Boedicker scored on a three-yard line to tie the score at 7-7 with 0:37 seconds left in the third period.

In the fourth period both teams had a chance to go in front, but Ditzler missed a 41-yard field goal try with 3:00 left to play. Then the Huskies had a chance to win the game on the final play, but Jon Koenig’s (Pine Grove/Pine Grove) 45-yard field goal try was blocked forcing the extra session.

Bloomsburg was led statistically by Latorre who was 9-16 for 105 yards and one score, while Thomas McFarland (Pottsville/Pottsville) had a team-high 10 tackles.

Gannon was led by Boedicker who was 13-20 for 104 yards passing and also gained 69 yards rushing.

Gannon vs #19 Bloomsburg (Nov 07, 2009 at Bloomsburg, Pa.)

The New York Post has been the center of all this Phillies bashing on the front page along with articles inside the paper. The Post has somehow created a sex angle against the Phillies along with calling the city of Philadelphia second-rate in comparison to New York City.  Yes, baseball has to do with these particular cities, but not which one is better. The media buzz surrounding the 2009 World Series is directly targeting the fans and players, mostly the Phillies by the New York Post.  This bashing is not a positive influence on the sports of baseball in any way.

Joel Sherman, who has been covering the Yankees baseball association since 1989 and is the author of “Birth of a Dynasty, Behind the Pinstripes with the 1996 Yankees” said on CNN, “The idea is to get the casual fan involved.  If you flip open the paper and read the words, it’s like one baseball team versus another, just like it’s always been.”  Inside the Post the articles are bashing of the city of Philadelphia, its fans, and the baseball players themselves. There are no straight forwards articles inside the New York Post which states the hard facts about the upcoming games, only articles about A-Rod’s girlfriend, how great their cuisine is in New York, and so on.

The gossip surrounding this series is completely irrelevant to the players. Of course they are going to read about themselves in the paper, which might distract them from playing like they are able to in the games. Yes, the New York Post is not meant to give cold hard facts like the New York Times, for example, but it should still not have a biased opinion for the entire country to see.

In the Philadelphia Daily Item, writers have not included any articles or demeaning headlines to try and say the Yankees are any lesser of a team in comparison to the Phillies.  Dean Grenfell, an avid Philadelphia Phillies fan of Bloomsburg University said, “All this mumbo jumbo is completely pointless. The sport of baseball just needs to be played with no questions or comments about it.”

Will Bunch, a senior writer for the Philadelphia Daily News, said on CNN, “Now since the Phillies won last year’s World Series, Philadelphia is a more confident city. And now it’s like New York is mocking us.” The New York Post has no reason to bash the Philadelphia Phillies team other than out of want to influence the Philadelphia players and fans.

Fans of baseball wonder why this World Series is so much more monumental than the past series. The media has built up these potential seven games to be the biggest games in a couple decades. Along with the buildup, the media has brought the nasty side of journalism into the series and is attempting to influence the opposing team continuously. Baseball is known as the all-American past time sport and that should not be challenged or potentially ruined by a few articles written by bias sports writers of the New York Post.

The Philadelphia Eagles took on the New York Giants during a weekend filled with multiple Philadelphia v. New York sports teams facing off in the city of brotherly love. Luckily for the fans situated at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles turned what many anticipated being a battle between the two best teams in the NFC East, into a blowout. The Eagles began the game with a long run by fullback Leonard Weaver, and continued to dominate the Giants through big plays, through both the air and the running games. Quaterback Donovan McNabb threw for three touchdowns to receivers DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Tight End Brent Celek. Rookie LeSean McCoy also added another long touchdown on the ground.

The Eagles’ defense also dominated the Giants. Eli Manning threw two interceptions and were forced to punt on most other possessions. Most of the Giants yards gained were at the end of the game while the Eagles defense was in a prevent set.

If the Eagles could consistently play at the level they played at yesterday against a very talented Giants team, they potentially have the talent to make a deep run into the playoffs this year. The Eagles biggest enemy is themselves. They can not have another let down the way they did against the Oakland Raiders.

Although it may be too late for the Phillies to make a comeback and win a second world championship in a row, perhaps the Eagles can bring a championship back to the city with the best, most outrageous fans in the world.

After a scoreless first half that saw the Warriors hold a six to four edge in shots on goal, Phillips took a pass from Mike McGee and beat Warrior’s goalkeeper Larry Pokrywa to put the Huskies on top. East Stroudsburg nearly tied the game later in the half when Greg Schook hit the post on a shot attempt. The Huskies nearly got a game-clinching goal from Marcus Valeriano, but his shot just skimmed the top of the net.

The goal for Phillips, last week’s PSAC East Player of the Week, was his 11^th of the season which ties him for 11^th on the school’s single season list. Goalkeeper David Leiendecker (Easton/Easton) posted his third shutout of the season stopping seven shots.

The Huskies PSAC playoff berth is the first since the 2003 season and the fourth for Bloomsburg under head coach Paul Payne. Bloomsburg will be the second seed from the PSAC East and will play top-seed Millersville on Nov. 4. Bloomsburg ends the regular season with a record of 10-5-2, 5-2-1 in the PSAC East.

ESU (9-8-1, 2-4-1 PSAC E) vs. Bloomsburg (10-5-2,5-2-1 PSAC E)

Date: Oct 28, 2009  Attendance: 45

Weather: Cloudy, Cool

Goals by period       1  2  Tot

——————————-

ESU……………..  0  0 -  0

Bloomsburg……….  0  1 -  1

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.  47:36 BLOOM-M Tyler Phillips (Michael McGee)

Shots: ESU 10, Bloomsburg 7

Saves: ESU 1 (Larry Pokrywa 1), Bloomsburg 7 (David Leiendecker 7)

Bloomsburg qualifies for PSAC playoffs with victory.

The Bloomsburg University field hockey team will begin its quest for its 16th Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship on Friday at Shippensburg University.

The Huskies, 18-1 and the top seed from the PSAC East, will play Mercyhurst, 9-7, the number two seed from the PSAC West in one semi-final game starting at noon. In the other semi-final game Shippensburg, 18-1 and the number one seed from the PSAC West, will play East Stroudsburg, 14-6, the number two seed from the PSAC East at 2:30 p.m. The winners will meet on Saturday at 1 p.m. for the PSAC Championship.

Bloomsburg, the two-time defending PSAC champs, has once again put together a dominant season. The Huskies are averaging 4.84 goals per game, while allowing just 0.74 per game. Leading the way offensively for the Huskies is sophomore Amanda Riley (Tannersville/Pocono Mountain East) who has scored 22 goals (tied for second in Division II) and assisted on six others. Riley, winner of three straight PSAC East Player of the Week honors, has been a model of consistency scoring at least one point in all but four games this season. Behind Riley is senior Breanne Tobin (Perkasie/Pennridge) who has scored 16 goals and assisted on four others. Tobin was named PSAC East Player of the Week on Oct. 5 after scoring three goals the previous week.

In addition to Riley and Tobin, Maggey Bloskey (Danville/Danville), Erin Hench (Loysville/West Perry) and Chelsea Due (Pen Argyl/Pen Argyl) are also key contributors to the Huskies offense. Bloskey has scored 10 goals and has a team-high 10 assists, while Hench has nine goals and six assists with Due getting eight goals and four assists.

While the Huskies lead the nation in scoring average and scoring margin they have also limited opponents to just 14 goals this season. Senior goalkeeper Caitlin Koczynski (Yardley/Neshaminy) has compiled a .813 save percentage and a 0.83 goals-against average.

Bloomsburg’s semi-final opponent will be Mercyhurst. The Lakers, making their first postseason appearance as a member of the PSAC, feature the offensive talents of Emily Warren. The senior midfielder leads the team with 12 goals, including four game-winners, along with 28 total points. Mercyhurst lost to the Huskies this past Sunday by a score of 3-0 and are winless in 11 tries against Bloomsburg.

Shippensburg has won all 11 of its home games this season while ranking atop Division II with 11 shutouts through 19 total games. Leading the offense is sophomore Kristina Taylor, who tops the nation with 23 goals. Senior goalkeeper Amanda Houser leads Division II with a save percentage of .859 and a goals-against average of 0.72.

East Stroudsburg is making its first appearance in the PSAC field hockey playoffs in seven years and its 10th overall appearance in 26 years under veteran head coach Sandy Miller. Offensively, the team is led by juniors Caitlin Brownley (19 goals, eight assists) and Jess Frantz (14 goals, 10 assists). Both players rank among the nation’s top 10 in terms of points per game production.

Bloomsburg’s only loss was against Kutztown at home on Sept. 7, while Shippensburg’s only loss came from the Huskies by a 5-1 score on Sept. 29.

Tickets will be $7 for adults and $2 for students, while any student attending a PSAC member institution can receive free admission with proper identification.

Tom McGuire

Bloomsburg University

Director of Sports Information, Athletic Marketing and Promotions

www.buhuskies.com