Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Fall Sports Begin Preseason Practices
8/14/2008 8:00:00 AM | General
Aug. 14, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Classes at Bucknell do not start until Wednesday, Aug. 27, but there are already a multitude of fall sports teams on campus preparing for their upcoming seasons. In addition to the football team, which completes its first week of practice Thursday, men's and women's soccer, field hockey and volleyball have all started preseason practice, while men's and women's cross country and men's water polo will get underway next week.
It may seem early to start practice, but regular-season action is right around the corner. The women's soccer team will travel to Baltimore, Md., on Friday, Aug. 22, to take on UMBC, and then will battle Saint Francis (Pa.) on Sunday, Aug. 24. Men's and women's cross country, men's soccer, volleyball and field hockey all will compete before the month of September begins, and below is a quick preview of what to expect for the Bison fall sports programs.
Men's Cross Country
Head Coach: Kevin Donner
Captains: Andrew Huebner, Clinton Orloski
First Practice: Wednesday, Aug. 20
2007: Fourth at Patriot League Championships
The men's cross country team enters the 2008 season looking to improve upon its fourth-place finish at the Patriot League Championships a year ago. Led by captains Clinton Orloski, a Second Team All-Patriot League performer in 2007, and Andrew Huebner, the Bison hope to return to a top-three finish at this year's meet to be held at Lehigh on Nov. 1. The only chance to see head coach Kevin Donner's team in Lewisburg is at the annual Bison Open, at which both the men's and women's cross country teams compete. Practice starts for the team on Wednesday, Aug. 20, and the Bison Open is on Friday, Aug. 29, at 5:30 p.m.
Women's Cross Country
Head Coach: Kevin Donner
Captains: Jessica Hibbert, Gillian Nordquist
First Practice: Wednesday, Aug. 20
2007: Tied for First at Patriot League Championships
In 2007, Donner directed the women's cross country team to its third consecutive Patriot League title and expectations are to for this year's senior class, led by team captains Jessica Hibbert and Gillian Nordquist, to graduate having secured four titles in four years. Nordquist, last year's Patriot League Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was named Second Team All-Patriot League in 2006 and 2007. Nicole Falcaro joined Nordquist on the second team in 2006 and looks to return as one of the league's best this season. Sophomore Sara Moniz is expected to add some depth to the roster.
Field Hockey
Head Coach: Jeremy Cook
Captains: Amanda Faust, Steph Graf
First Practice: Thursday, Aug. 14
2007 Record: 8-9 (1-4 PL)
The field hockey team will have a fresh look this season with new head coach Jeremy Cook. He takes over a team that is looking to capture its first winning season since 2003 and features a solid blend of experience and youth.
Senior co-captains Amanda Faust and Steph Graf provide Cook two perennial All-Patriot League performers to anchor the offense and defense. Faust is second in Bison history in assists (24) and tied for eighth place in points (60), while Graf has led the Patriot League in defensive saves each of the past two seasons. Seniors Trina Boyer and Emily Hutchison, juniors Jessie Atieh, Sarah Ebright and Megan Krebs and sophomores Morgan Kauffman, Corinne Raczek and Christine Weiss all return after having started at least 15 games a year ago.
The team opens its season with home games on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 4 p.m. against Villanova and Sunday, Aug. 31, at 11:30 a.m. against Longwood. All home games are at Graham Field.
Men's Soccer
Head Coach: Brendan Nash
Captains: Conor O'Brien, Mark Schmiegel, Patrick Selwood
First Practice: Wednesday, August 13
2007 Record: 9-5-5 (4-2-1 PL); Third Seed in PL Tournament
The men's soccer team began practice on Aug. 13, with hopes of securing its second Patriot League title in the last three seasons. Senior Mark Schmiegel and juniors Conor O'Brien and Patrick Selwood will serve as team captains for head coach Brendan Nash.
The Bison kick off the home portion of their schedule with the Days Inn Classic, hosting Cornell on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. and Hartwick on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 3 p.m. Another highly anticipated match-up features the Orange and Blue hosting defending Patriot League Tournament champion Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m. at Varsity Soccer Field.
Nash expects his team to compete for the league title every year, but cautions that the Patriot League has as much parity as any Division I conference in the country. The team proved its talent with its 2006 NCAA Tournament win at George Mason and will look to recapture that success this season.
Women's Soccer
Head Coach: Ben Landis
Captains: Kelly Boswell, Jennifer Dervarics, Nicole Marotta
First Practice: Sunday, Aug. 10
2007 Record: 11-8-1 (5-1-1 PL); Patriot League Regular Season Champion
The women's soccer team started practice on Sunday, Aug. 10, earlier than any other Bison program besides football. Head coach Ben Landis has led his team to back-to-back Patriot League regular-season championships. Landis is relying on senior team captains Kelly Boswell, Jennifer Dervarics and Nicole Marotta, as well as junior defender Lauren Stoller, to push the team one step further, and win the Patriot League Tournament Championship.
Dervarics is the reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, and currently ranks sixth in Bison history in points (61) and seventh in both goals (24) and assists (13). The team's defense is anchored by Marotta, who served as a team captain last season and is a two-time First Team All-Patriot League selection, and Stoller, a Second Team All-Patriot League selection each of the past two years. The Orange and Blue also return All-Patriot League honorees Kelliann Doherty at midfield and Kathryn Sutton at goalkeeper.
The team's first home contest at Varsity Soccer Field is on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m.
Volleyball
Head Coach: Cindy Opalski
Captains: Sheena Czipri, Allison Gittings, Shannon Pitsch
First Practice: Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008
2007 Record: 12-17 (5-9 PL)
Volleyball head coach Cindy Opalski is entering her 19th season with the Bison, the longest tenured female head coach at Bucknell. Her team is coming off of a tough 12-17 year, the squad's first losing season since 2001.
Only five of the team's 14 players are juniors or seniors, including captains Sheena Czipri, Shannon Pitsch and Allison Gittings. Pitsch, a captain for the second consecutive year, needs only 241 assists to break the program's all-time record of 3,071 held by Amy Turnshek. Sophomores Heidi Kamp and Kaitlin Segal both appeared in all 29 of the team's matches last year and will be expected to improve upon last year's solid numbers. Kamp led the team in blocks and finished third in kills, while Segal was third in service aces and fourth in kills.
The home portion of the Bison's schedule will kickoff Friday, Sept.12, and Saturday, Sept. 13, with the Bucknell Invitational. Seven-time defending Patriot League Tournament champion American visits Davis Gym on Friday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m.
Men's Water Polo
Head Coach: John Abdou
Captains: Gabriel Heiber, Alex Lampley
First Practice: Wednesday, Aug. 20
2007 Record: 20-13 (5-3 CWPA Southern Division)
John Abdou, head coach of the men's and women's water polo teams, begins his first year as men's head coach with a difficult schedule in place and seven members of last year's 20-win team departed due to graduation, including standouts Mark Masterson, Jason Rechel, Kyle Roslyn and Josh Sunday. However, he is looking forward to the opportunity to redefine the team's goals and help his team continue to raise its level of play throughout the year.
The lone seniors on this year's team are co-captains Gabriel Heiber and Alex Lampley. Playing the same position, Heiber and Lampley have had to share time in the pool, but Abdou would like to experiment this year with occasionally playing them both at the same time. Heiber led last year's team with 38 ejections drawn, and added 14 goals. Lampley scored a career-high 30 goals last season. Richie Hyden, the 2007 Southern Division Rookie of the Year, returns having scored 40 goals and contributing 31 assists for 71 points, the most by a Bison rookie since Brad Roslyn in 2002. Many new and returning players will have plenty of chances to fill the void left by last year's seniors.
The bulk of the season will find the Orange and Blue away from Kinney Natatorium, with the weekend of Oct. 17-19 being the lone time the Bison will be at home. They will compete in five matches over that span, including games against division rivals Princeton, George Washington, Johns Hopkins and Navy.
