DelVal Weekly Blog
Welcome to the DelVal Weekly Blog. Updated each Tuesday by Associate Athletic Director/Sports Information Director Matt Levy, the DelVal Weekly Blog features information and tidbits on the Delaware Valley University Aggies.
Who stood out the week before? What lies ahead for the teams? What do the playoff scenarios look like? All of that and more each Tuesday on the DelVal Weekly Blog.
May 9
This is actually the final blog for the DelVal website. We are in the middle of a redesign and making a number of changes to the site. One of those will be to move away from the blog and focus more on other areas plus social media.
One thing that will not change is the annual summer Year in Reviews where we look back at the previous year through different categories (games of the year, top surprises, etc). That will continue but it will just be on the main athletic page and not in the blog as well. That review for the 2016-17 year will begin in a few weeks.
Before closing the blog, we just wanted to recognize the DelVal spring student-athletes who received all-conference honors. They are:
BASEBALL
Sammy Amos - Honorable Mention Catcher
Hunter Mease - Honorable Mention Relief Pitcher
Kyle Wenger - First Team Outfielder
MEN'S LACROSSE
Nic Brown - Honorable Mention Goalkeeper
Chris Coyle - Second Team Midfielder
Troy Darpino - Honorable Mention Short Stick Specialist
PJ Rafferty - First Team Attack
Danny Smith - Defensive Player Of The Year, First Team Defender
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Kara Imes - Second Team Midfielder
SOFTBALL
Maddy O'Donohue - Second Team Designated Player
Jamie Stefani - First Team Pitcher
MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
John Jones - Second Team Long Jump
Thomas McCloughan - Honorable Mention Shot Put
Jake Ryan - Honorable Mention 200-Meter Dash
Ta'riq Thomas - Field Athlete Of The Yeaer, First Team Triple Jump, First Team Long Jump, Honorable Mention High Jump
A.J. Weisgerber - First Team Discus
Jones, Ryan, Thomas, Mike Tkach - Second Team 4X100 Relay
WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Taylor Dziedzic - Second Team Javelin
Kelli Readinger - Honorable Mention 400-Meter Dash
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The next blog will be on Tuesday, May 9
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April 25
Hard to believe but the spring season is almost complete. For three teams (men’s tennis, women’s tennis, women’s golf) it actually is as they wrapped up their campaigns this past weekend. Softball finishes out this Saturday while baseball, because of the extension of the season due to the weather and the three-game conference series, will go to next weekend and then see if they have qualified for the conference playoffs. Men’s and women’s track and field does not have their conference championship until the first weekend in May.
Then, there’s the lacrosse teams and the regular season finishes this Saturday. Both still have an outside shot at the conference tournament but they need to win and probably get some help and it’s not an easy week either as both have games against Misericordia and Eastern. For the men, those are the two teams atop the standings. For the women, Misericordia is right up near the top.
Other DelVal Aggie news…
* The school is serving as the official host of the MAC Freedom Softball Championship next Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6. It is the third time that the championship will take place on the DelVal campus and we are excited to serve in that capacity. We know that Manhattanville is the top seed and both King’s and Wilkes are in. Their seeding is undetermined as is the fourth and final team. That will be determined by the end of the week.
* Most of the all-conference teams will be announced next week so can keep an eye out for that
* We are in the process of a redesign for the athletics website so keep an eye out for that as well in the coming months.
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The next blog will be on April 25
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April 11
It’s mostly MAC Freedom play from this point forward for our spring sports that involve conference standings and qualifying for playoffs. Here’s where they stand right now:
Baseball (9-7 overall, 3-5 MAC Freedom) – Believe it or not, there are still 13 conference games left for them and they already got their three-game series with six-time defending champion Misericordia out of the way (won one of three games with them). The team’s pitching will be the key down the stretch
Men’s Lacrosse (5-4 overall, 1-1 MAC Freedom) – Five conference games left in this sport. They still have to play the three teams that finished ahead of them in the standings last year, but a run at another playoff berth is there.
Women’s Lacrosse (7-2 overall, 1-1 MAC Freedom) – The team bounced back from a disappointing showing against Manhattanville to beat Wilkes for their first-ever MAC Freedom win. Five games left to make a run at the postseason.
Softball (4-7 overall, 1-5 MAC Freedom) – Eight conference games are still left on the schedule and the team will have to win at least five to have a shot at the postseason, which will be held at DelVal this year.
Men’s Tennis (0-4 overall, 0-3 MAC Freedom) – Three conference games remain beginning Wednesday at Eastern.
Women’s Tennis (3-4 overall, 0-3 MAC Freedom) – Team came close to their first-ever conference win on Saturday in 6-3 loss to Misericordia as the three losses in singles play were all three-set matches. Three conference matches remain as part of their schedule.
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April 4
Conference play begins for both lacrosse teams this week as they will each play Manhattanville and Wilkes to kick off the seven-game MAC Freedom schedule. Both had strong non-conference performances, but now comes the true test and what the season really boils down to.
Baseball is six games into its 21-game conference slate and they have two wins, including one over six-time defending champion Misericordia. Their next three-game series is this weekend against Manhattanville.
Softball has four conference games this week with doubleheaders against Misericordia and defending champion Manhattanville. It’s been hard for the team to get into a flow with the number of postponements as they have only played five countable contests this year.
Both tennis squads kicked off its MAC Freedom play this past Saturday at powerhouse Wilkes University. They each have home matches against DeSales and Misericordia this week.
Both golf and track and field teams do not have a regular season where they compete against conference schools to determine who goes to the postseason. Their championships are in late April (golf) and early May (track)
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March 28
Who would’ve thought that after all of that snow and ice that we got not too long ago, that we would’ve been able to host baseball and softball games all weekend. It was a great job by all those who worked on the fields, including members of the baseball team that always work on their field.
The results could’ve been better but it was great to get out there for games, at least on Saturday where the weather was beautiful for this time of the year. Sunday was a different story for the baseball game as it was one of the coldest days for the sport.
Speaking of baseball, the athletic directors of the conference voted to extend the baseball season an extra week which means the last week of the regular season will be the week that ends on May 7. All the three-game series that were postponed the previous week automatically got moved to that last week. And with DelVal getting its series in with King’s this past weekend, they are now back on track for conference games.
The lacrosse teams continue to shine this spring. The women improve to a program-best 5-0 with their win at Gwynedd Mercy last week. They will look to make it six straight tonight at home against Rutgers-Camden. They also play at Wesley on Saturday before conference play begins next week.
Conference play will also begin next week for the men, who had a strong 1-1 week including a big road win over a Kean squad that has been to its conference playoffs 11 years in a row. They are home tomorrow against Rosemont.
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March 21
Last week’s snow has made a mess of the spring schedule as conference play was set to begin in baseball and softball. Both Aggie teams did not get their games in last weekend and this weekend’s MAC Freedom games could be in jeopardy as well. If that’s the case for baseball and its three-game conference series, they could be behind six games already. Softball would be down four. It will make for a jam-packed April.
The snow even affected the lacrosse teams which is a rare occasion. Both had a non-conference game postponed (for men’s lacrosse, the game was cancelled all together). The women did get their road game in on Saturday and they pounded Mount Saint Vincent, 14-1, to improve to 4-0 on the season. It’s the best start in the three-year history of the program and the four consecutive wins is a new mark as well. They are back in action tonight at Gwynedd-Mercy.
The men travel to Kean University on Wednesday and then host Albright on Saturday. Saturday’s game will mark the first time the team is home in three weeks. The squad is 2-2 with three more non-conference games to go (in addition to Kean and Albright, they play Rosemont on March 29) before MAC Freedom action begins.
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March 15
Saturday was one of the biggest days in DelVal athletics history, particularly for individual accomplishments. We had a national champion crowned in one sport, a national runner-up in another sport and a combined total of three All-Americans.
We’ll start with our two-time national champion, Zach Roseberry, who just concluded one of the top careers in DelVal wrestling history. After he won last year’s title, his goal all season was to successful defend the crown. Mission accomplished and what a way to do it. He went 41-0 on the year and ended with a 60-match winning streak. In the finals, it was rematch with the 2015 champion who he beat in last year’s finals. Last year, an early takedown led the way to the win. This time, it was a takedown late in the third period that was the difference in the 3-2 win.
Some notes on Roseberry’s career. He finished with a school-record 134 wins and just 12 losses and was just the third DelVal wrestler to win multiple titles and earn four All-America honors. His last loss was back in November of 2015 (to a Division I wrestler) and his last setback to a Division III wrestler was a first-round loss at the 2015 NCAAs in March (he won five in a row after that to place third). He never trailed in a match all season. Wow
While that was happening in Wisconsin, Ta’riq Thomas was competing Illinois at the indoor track and field championships in the triple jump. The junior picked up his third All-America honors (outdoor All-American in 2015 and 2016) with a second-place finish. It tied for the best track and field showing by a DelVal student-athlete at the NCAAs, matching Mark Tankersley’s silver medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1980 outdoor championships.
Back to wrestling and Ben Schweiger concluded his career with his first All-America accolade as he placed sixth in the 174-pound bracket. Tim Ambacher and Brenden Velez also competed at the NCAAs.
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March 7
NCAA championship weekend is coming up for wrestling and indoor track and field and DelVal will have five student-athletes competing. In wrestling, Brenden Velez (125), Tim Ambacher (141), Ben Schweiger (174) and Zach Roseberry (285) leave for Wisconsin on Wednesday to compete on Friday and Saturday. In men’s track and field, Ta’riq Thomas also leaves on Wednesday as he heads to Illinois for Saturday’s triple jump event.
For Roseberry, he will look to defend his national championship and become just the third Aggie to win multiple NCAA titles. He can also become the third to garner All-America honors (top eight finish) all four years. He is the top seed in his weight class and the road to the title would be four straight wins, which also give him 60 straight to end his career. If that happens, wow!
Schweiger and Velez are making their second trip to nationals while it’s the first for Ambacher as all three look for their first All-America accolade and, possibly, a national title. Ambacher and Schweiger are seeded fourth in their weight classes while Velez is unseeded.
Thomas is a two-time outdoor All-American in the triple jump, including a third-place finish in 2016. He posted the sixth-best triple mark during this indoor season heading into the NCAAs. DelVal has never had a track and field national champion. Could Thomas be the first?
We will monitor all the NCAA action closely on the DelVal website as well as constant updates on Twitter. Hope you follow us all weekend!
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February 28
Last day of February and, believe it or not, a softball doubleheader is taking place at home today. Beautiful day too so it will be great to see new head coach Maggie Kichler and her young group of Aggies in action. Baseball starts at the end of the week while men’s and women’s lacrosse started off their seasons this past Saturday (women’s lacrosse is also home today and the men are home on Wednesday).
It was a big championship week that just finished. We’ll start with wrestling where DelVal crowned three regional champions (the most by any school at the East Regional) and four will heading to the NCAA Championships in two weeks. Zach Roseberry won his fourth regional title with an OT win in the finals. That also gave him the school all-time record for wins with 130 (130-12). Tim Ambacher and Ben Schweiger also won regional crowns while Brenden Velez took second and qualified for nationals.
By now, most (if not all) of you know that the men’s basketball semifinal home playoff game was postponed last Wednesday due to a campus-wide power outage that was caused by, yes, a squirrel. So DelVal and DeSales went at it at an earlier time on Thursday and it was not the Aggies’ day as DeSales eliminate them from the postseason. It was still a great run to the number one seed for the team.
Men’s and women’s indoor track and field competed at the MAC Championships. Ta’riq Thomas was his usual dominant self and the women got its lone points from a freshman in pole vaulter Ricci Cleckner.
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February 21
What a week that lies ahead. We’ll start with men’s basketball and the Aggies’ run to the number one seed in the upcoming MAC Freedom championship tournament. The team was picked sixth in the preseason, and, instead, went 11-3 in conference play and has home court advantage throughout the playoffs. DelVal will host DeSales on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. A win puts them in the title game against the winner of the Eastern/Misericordia semifinal contest. The title game would be Saturday at a time to be announced.
The wrestling team heads to Virginia for the East Regionals on Friday and Saturday. This is the one of the six qualifying tournaments across the country for the NCAAs. To reach the NCAAs, a wrestler must finish in the top three in his weight class. DelVal sent three to nationals last year and all three are back this year in Brenden Velez (125), Ben Schweiger (174) and, of course, defending national champion Zach Roseberry (285). Roseberry is looking to win his fourth East Regional crown.
Also on Friday and Saturday, the Aggie men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams will head to Lehigh University for the MAC Championships. The men are led by All-American Ta’riq Thomas while the women’s field is headed by freshman Ricci Cleckner.
If that wasn’t enough, the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams kick off their seasons. The men are home on Saturday against Lebanon Valley College while the women travel to Rosemont College.
Here we go!
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February 15
A day late with the blog but we wanted to wait for last night’s basketball results to be able to talk about the remaining scenarios for the postseason. The men have clinched a spot in the conference tournament and can be anywhere from the number one seed to the number three seed.
There are three scenarios left and two of them have us hosting the Wednesday semifinal game on February 22 (which would be a 7 p.m. start). Here they are:
- If we win at DeSales on Saturday, we are the #1 seed and host either DeSales or Misericordia
- If we lose at DeSales and Eastern loses at home to Wilkes, we are the #2 seed and would host Eastern
- If we lose at DeSales and Eastern wins, we are the #3 seed and would travel to DeSales
Remember, with a rookie head coach and the graduation of three starters including an All-American, the men were picked to finish sixth in the preseason conference coaches’ poll. Instead, they will have a chance to defend their championship and could do so at home. We’ll know the semifinals match-ups and locations around 5 p.m. on Saturday.
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February 7
The men’s basketball team continues to move closer to not only clinching a conference playoff spot, but sealing up at least one home game in the postseason. They swept both games this past week, including a big triumph over a tough Misericordia squad on Saturday. They are getting different players step up each game which has been a key to their success. On Wednesday at King’s, it was Mike Cianciulli hitting seven 3-pointers and scoring a career-high 27 points. Against Misericordia, it was Tyrea Williams with seven dunks and a career-high 28 points.
The women split during the week and are tied for the fourth and final playoff berth with four games remaining. Danielle Skedzielewski is playing herself into not only all-conference consideration but a possible spot on the first team. She has scored 72 points over her last three games.
Wrestling split a pair of home matches this past week and they will wrap up their dual meet season with a road contest at Centenary on Thursday and a home match-up with The College of New Jersey on Friday. Zach Roseberry, who has now won 52 straight matches, had another great feature done on him, this time by Tom Pfaff of the Intelligencer. The link to the story is http://www.theintell.com/sports/college/college-wrestling-perspective-helps-delval-s-zach-roseberry-stay-focused/article_9a386212-e77a-11e6-94ec-e73b1b1a376f.html
Hard to believe but the spring season actually starts in 18 days when both lacrosse teams hit the field on February 25!
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January 31
There are now just three weeks and six games left in the regular season for basketball. Here is where the Aggie men and women stand in the conference race (top four teams qualify for conference tournament):
MEN
6-2 in MAC Freedom play: The Aggies are tied with Eastern for first place but the Eagles hold the tiebreaker with a win over DelVal last week (the two meet again, this time in Doylestown on February 14). After those two, it’s DeSales and Misericordia and then a big drop off. In fact, the Aggie have a three-game lead with six to play for the final tournament spot.
WOMEN
4-4 in MAC Freedom play: The women, like the men, are tied with Eastern. In this case, it is for the fourth and final conference playoff spot. The Eagles beat the Aggies last week, but DelVal will have a chance to even that out when it hosts Eastern on February 14. It’s a battle that should go down to the last game, including that big rematch
Wrestling had a rough weekend but Zach Roseberry continues to roll. He has now upped his winning streak to an incredible 50 in a row.
Indoor track and field returned to action and Ta’riq Thomas did so in a big way, taking first place in the high jump and long jump at Muhlenberg on Friday and taking top honors in the long jump at the John Covert Classic on Saturday. He was no slouch in the triple jump either, taking second in one and third in the other.
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January 24
Men’s basketball continues to roll as the win streak is up to four. A big part of the recent run is that fact that they are getting different contributions each game. Last Wednesday at home against Manhattanville, Alex Matsinye stepped up and had a huge second half. Then in Saturday’s win at FDU-Florham, it was Andre’ Butler’s turn to have a career performance.
So the team is now 5-1 in conference play and tied for first with Eastern University. Who do they play next? Eastern on the road on Wednesday night. Should be a barnburner.
Wrestling crowned a pair of individual champions and had seven other placewinners at the MAC Championships. Congratulations to seniors Zach Roseberry and Ben Schweiger on their titles. It was the third conference crown for Roseberry and the first for Schweiger. They will have their first home matches of the year when they host Cortland on Friday night and Ithaca on late Saturday morning.
There was a great feature on Roseberry by Mike Kern of the Philadelphia Daily News. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, here’s the link: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/20170120_Del_Val_star_wrestler_wears_his_heart_on_his_sleeve.html
Women’s basketball is coming off a 1-1 week which leaves them at 3-3 and tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in the MAC Freedom standings. They too are tied with Eastern and that tie will be broken on Wednesday evening as the first half of conference play comes to an end.
Indoor track and field returned to action after a seven-week break and there were some strong individual performances. The team will next compete at the Muhlenberg Invitational on Friday.
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January 17
The entire student body is back on campus and classes begin today for the second semester. That means that practices for the spring season will begin shortly. However, the winter season has been going on while others were back home and we are now really getting into the swing of things.
Men’s basketball is coming off a great week that saw the team win a pair of road games. First they knocked off Wilkes in the first meeting between the two teams since last year’s MAC Freedom Championship Game (won by the Aggies in Doylestown). Then, they went to Misericordia – the site of the 2015 title game (won by Misericordia) and last year’s semifinal final battle (won by DelVal) and posted a 13-point win. Those victories moved the Aggies into a four-way tie for first place in the league standings. There are still 10 games over a five-week period, but a great start to conference play for the men.
The women split its games, winning at Wilkes and falling at Misericordia. At 2-2 in conference play, they are right in the middle of things. Danielle Skedzielewski is averaging nearly 20 points per game in league action.
Wrestling posted two easy victories over Hunter and Mount Saint Vincent. This weekend, it’s the MAC Championships. While it may not have the same impact on a season as it did years ago since there’s only five teams and it is not a NCAA qualifying tournament, it is still the conference championship. The field will be loaded with strong wrestlers throughout the weight classes, including four returning national champions. Of course one of them is DelVal heavyweight Zach Roseberry, whose winning streak now stands at 45 in a row.
The track and field teams return to competition this weekend after being off for six weeks.
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January 10
Wrestling had the toughest schedule at the North/South Duals as the team faced three nationally-ranked Division III squads and a regionally-ranked Division II squad. The Aggies picked up one win over Division II Shippensburg. Individually, Tim Ambacher picked up the big win as he downed a defending national champion who was the top-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds this year. Ambacher has not lost to a Division III wrestler this season and he should move up from fourth when the next rankings come out.
And of course, Zach Roseberry continues his roll. He has now won 43 matches in a row and is closing in on the school’s all-time record for wins. He’s just 13 shy of the mark.
Conference play began last week for both basketball teams and each squad went 1-1. Both defeated King’s at home on Wednesday and both lost at home on Saturday to DeSales. Both have a tough week ahead with road games at Wilkes and Misericordia. For the men, those are two teams that they beat in the playoffs last year to win the conference championship.
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January 4
Happy New Year! A day late with the first blog of 2017, but here it is.
Tonight marks the beginning of conference play for both basketball teams as there will be 14 games, two each week for the next seven weeks. It is a change from recent time when there were two conference games in the first semester and 12 over January and February. No matter how the set up is, these are the games that truly matter. And DelVal starts with the first two at home against King's (tonight) and DeSales (Saturday). It will be a great seven weeks.
Wrestling has four individuals in the national rankings and all four - Tim Ambacher (141), Zach Roseberry (285), Kordell Rush (125) and Ben Schweiger (174) - are all undefeated against Division III wrestlers. That's quite an accomplishment to have four like that this deep into a season. Two of them - Roseberry and Rush - have not lost a single match to any wrestler on any level this season. The Aggies are back in action on Saturday, January 7 at the North/South Duals.
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The next blog will be on Tuesday, January 3. Happy Holidays to all!
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December 6
It was a good week for individual performances by DelVal student-athletes. For starters, three wrestlers won titles at the New Standard Corporation Invitational: Tim Ambacher (141), Ben Schweiger (174), Zach Roseberry (285). Ambacher was the surprise of the trio as he went 5-0 and knocked off a pair of nationally-ranked wrestlers along the way. That was his second individual crown this year. Could he move into the national rankings when the next one comes out?
Ta’riq Thomas picked up where he left off last Spring (All-American in the triple jump) as he won the long jump title and was the triple jump and high jump runner-up at the Bow Tie Classic. Thomas missed most of last year’s indoor season with an injury so it was good to see him get off to a great start this year.
Tyliek Kimbrough was dominant against Moravian as he scored 37 points in just 29 minutes of action (he was in foul trouble and eventually fouled out in the loss). That was the 11th-highest single-game scoring output in Aggie men’s basketball history
From now until January, there are a handful of athletic events for the DelVal winter teams. Men’s basketball has home game tomorrow night and on December 13 before heading to a tournament on
29th and 30th. Women’s basketball is on the road tonight and December 17 before playing at home on December 19. They too will be at a holiday tournament with theirs taking place on December 30 and 31. The wrestlers head to Nashville, Tennessee for the Gator Duals on December 17.
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The next blog will take place on December 6
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November 22
Some quick notes from a solid weekend of results for DelVal
* Football finished with a 9-2 record for the third straight year thanks to winnings its second consecutive Centennial-MAC Bowl Series with a 30-27 win at Muhlenberg. It was a great contest that wasn’t decided until senior Tyler Bing notched a first down with a run in the last two minutes. The Aggies were able to kneel down and run out the clock after that run.
* Nicholas DiGati was named the MVP of the game as he finished with 11 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. He came on real strong at the end and will be one of nine starters expected back on defense
* Men’s basketball won its first three games, including the final two at the Gettysburg College Tip-Off Tournament to take the title. A great start under a new head coach especially with narrow wins over strong programs in Gettysburg and Alvernia
* Tyliek Kimbrough dominated the tournament and certainly earned his MVP honor. His numbers over the two games? 53 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Plus he made some clutch shots down the stretch in both contests
* Zach Roseberry continues to be absolutely dominant on the wrestling mat. The defending national champion at heavyweight defeated four Division I wrestlers to claim the individual crown at the Navy Classic. He has now won 31 straight matches and has gone a full calendar year without a loss.
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November 15
Football needed to win last Saturday at Widener to secure a postseason berth for the ninth straight year and 13th time in the last 14 years. Mission accomplished in a big way as the Aggies dominated the Pride from the opening kickoff, posting a 45-7 rout. Widener’s touchdown did not come until the fourth quarter and the Aggie defense allowed just one first down and minus-nine yards rushing through the first three quarters.
So DelVal will travel to Muhlenberg this Saturday for the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series and a chance at another championship. Tomorrow at 11 a.m., the all-conference team will be announced so check back on the website to find out who was recognized by the conference coaches.
It is November 15 so that’s means is Opening Night for basketball. The women host Rowan at 7 p.m. while the men travel to Immaculata for an 8 pm showdown.
For the women, a young team will look to reach the MAC Freedom tournament for the fourth straight year. Senior center Sam Foy, who was an all-conference pick last year, heads the roster which includes one senior, one junior, five sophomores and two freshmen.
The men are the defending MAC Freedom champions after winning 20 of 28 contest last season. They have a new look at the helm as Mark Seidenburg takes over as head coach. Four key returners are back, including all-conference guard Tyliek Kimbrough. The team reached extra incentive when the conference coaches picked the Aggies to finish sixth in this year’s preseason poll. That poll is on each player’s locker as a reminder to prove the naysayers wrong.
Elsewhere, the wrestling team had a strong showing at the Ursinus Fall Brawl as four Aggies were crowned individual champions: Kordell Rush (125), Tim Ambacher (141), Ben Schweiger (184) and Zach Roseberry (285). Rush, a freshman, is undefeated and off to a great start to his collegiate career. Ambacher and Schweiger won a tournament title for the first time in their careers. And Roseberry reached the 100-win plateau as he is now 100-12 in his remarkable career.
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November 8
It all comes down to this Saturday for the DelVal football team. The Aggies have to win at Widener in order to reach the Centennial-MAC Bow Series. It would be there ninth straight trip to the postseason and their 13th in the last 14 years. Plus, the team would retain the Keystone Cup, which is handed out annually in this rivalry game.
After Saturday’s 28-20 win against Lycoming, something came back into play, although it is a long shot. When the stunning result of Wilkes’ upset win at Stevenson came across the internet, it mean that DelVal also has a shot at getting a share of the MAC championship. The Aggies have to win at Widener, Stevenson has to lose at Lycoming (never an easy place to play as unfortunately the Aggies can attest to from last year) and Albright has to lose at Lebanon Valley (a rivalry game). If that happens, DelVal finishes tied with Stevenson and Albright atop the standings and the conference recognizes co-champion or, in this case, tri-champions. DelVal has no shot at the NCAA bid as that will go to Stevenson in every scenario except if they lose and Albright wins.
So a lot is at stake this Saturday down in Chester. When it comes down to DelVal and Widener, that is usually the case.
Congratulations to Carlie Baldus, Samantha Collyer and Cecelia Lounsberry from the field hockey team; Patrick McCarthy and Nick Miller from the men’s soccer team; and Kylie Williams from the women’s soccer team as they each earned all-conference honors in their respective sports. Football all-conference will be announced next week.
The winter season officially got underway this past Sunday as the wrestling team made the trip down to Division I Navy and won one of three matches. Returning national champion Zach Roseberry and returning national qualifier Brenden Velez picked up where they left off last year by going a perfecto 3-0 on Sunday. Freshman Kordell Rush also had a big start to his collegiate career with a 2-0 mark.
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November 1
The all-conference teams for field hockey (Tuesday), volleyball (Wednesday), women's soccer (Thursday) and men's soccer (Friday) will be announced this week so check the DelVal website to find out which Aggies were honored. Cross country all-conference is determined by the individual finishes at the MAC Championship and DelVal had no honorees this past Saturday. Football will be announced in two weeks at the conclusion of its regular season.
As mentioned last week, football will likely have to win out to reach the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series for the second straight year. Nothing has changed with that although Albright looks like it will be the top team coming out of the MAC (the top two non-NCAA qualifiers advance to the Bowl Series) as the Lions have one conference loss while DelVal and Widener have two. So if both DelVal and Widener win this week, the final postseason spot will come down to the big showdown between the archrivals at Widener on November 12.
The wrestling preseason coaches poll came out from the NWCA and it is no surprise that senior heavyweight Zach Roseberry is ranked first in Division III in his weight class. After all, he is the defending national champion (has a nice ring to it!) and he went 29-1 last year with his lone loss coming against a Division I wrestler in the finals of the Navy Classic. Roseberry will look to become just the third wrestler in school history to win multiple national titles.
Roseberry has solid company for the upcoming season as fellow 2016 national qualifers Ben Schweiger and Brenden Velez are back on the Aggie roster. With a solid group of returners mixed in with a new exciting crop of freshmen and transfer, DelVal should be in contention for a conference and regional title. It all begins this Sunday, November 6 when the Aggies travels to Division I Navy for three matches (two against the Navy Blue and Gold squads and one against fellow Division III school Johns Hopkins).
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October 25
14 years and 165 games. That's how long it was since the last time the DelVal football team was kept off the scoreboard until this past Saturday in the big showdown at Stevenson. Give credit to the Mustangs for their 19-0 victory. With wins over DelVal, Albright and Widener and a weaker schedule the rest of the way, it looks like Stevenson will capture its first MAC championship in 2016. For the Aggies, they more than likely have to win their final three contests to make it to the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series. That run begins this Friday night with a home titl against an improved FDU-Florham squad.
Both the men's and women's cross country teams will compete at the MAC Championships this Saturday. Follow that, they will have a week over before the Mideast Regionals.
The field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball teams will wrap up its seasons this week. Unfortunately, none of the four are alive in the conference playoff hunt.
Meanwhile the winter season is right around the corner with the wrestling teamhaving the first competition of the season next Sunday, November 6 at Navy. We'll dive into the winter preview in the next couple of weeks.
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October 18
5-1 (4-1 MAC) DelVal vs 6-0 (5-0 MAC) Stevenson.Two top 25 teams in the country battling it out for first place in the MAC. That will be the setting for the big showdown in Maryland this Saturday. If the Aggies win, they will move into a first-place tie with at least Stevenson and possibly Albright and Widener (those two have one conference loss heading into the weekend). If Stevenson wins, then the conference championship is just about theirs as they would maintain at least a one-game lead over the three teams in contention (DelVal, Albright, Widener) and have head-to-head victories over all three.
One note about the game if you are planning to travel - the game, which is Stevenson's Homecoming, is sold out. Only 150 tickets have been allotted to DelVal and the coaches will be setting aside two tickets each for the playerson the travel roster. Look for more information on that in the next day or two. But if you were a fan just planning on travelling to the game, they are sold out and you will not be able to get into the stadium.
The DelVal stadium was certainly packed throughout a big Homecoming weekend. Football rolled to another big one while field hockey, men's soccer and women's soccer battled hard in conference games. The new mascot was unveiled and the first President's Cup was awarded to the men's lacrose team.
We mentioned the football standings outlook above, here's where the other fall teams are with their playoff pictures (top four advance to conference tournament):
Field Hockey (2-2 in MAC Freedom play): It's a crowded field with four teams tied at 3-1 and DelVal in fifth. The Aggies have two games this week against teams ahead of them in FDU-Florham and Wilkes plus a final game next week against 1-3 Eastern. Most likely, they will need to win two out of the three to make it.
Men's Soccer (0-4 MAC Freedom): The team has certainly battled the conference teams to the last whistle and nearly pulled off big wins over FDU-Florham and DeSales. They will have to win their last three games and get a lot of help for a shot.
Women's Soccer (1-3 MAC Freedom): Last week's overtime win against FDU-Florham has the Aggies tied for sixth. They will have to sweep their final three games to get in. Two ouf of three and a lot help could have them in the picture.
Volleyball (0-5 MAC Freedom): The team has been elminated from postseason contention.
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October 12
A day late with this week's edition of the blog. And what a week it is with seven home games, including four over the weekend for Homecoming. Yesterday, the field hockey team had a dominanting 3-1 win over Immaculata for their second win in a row. The first came on Saturday and it was a big one with a 1-0 overtime win over DeSales that put them in a five-way tie for first place in the MAC-Freedom.
Last night, DelVal men's soccer led 1-0 over FDU-Florham and goalie Connor Hedgepeth was making save after save. However, the Devils tied with nine minutes to go then scored in the final minute to spoil the Aggies' night. Women's soccer will hit the turf tonight for a conference game against FDU-Florham.
Then comes the big weekend, which will kick off with field hockey on Friday night against King's in another big conference game. The pep rally will follow in the gym and it will include the announcement of the first Presiden'ts Cup winner. Then on Saturday, the football team, fresh off the by week, will host Wilkes and look to avenge last year's loss. After football, the women's and men's soccer teams will each host conference foe DeSales.
A busy week full of action on campus. We'll recap it and begin to look at the postseason picture next week.
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October 4
DelVal football responded from its first loss in a big way as it blew out Lebanon Valley, 48-0. So the team is now not only in its bye week but at the halfway point of its season. At 4-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play, the Aggies more than likely have to win out and see where the chips fall with the other teams. Another Albright conference loss would be a big plus because DelVal can't finished tied with them since the Lions would have the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The next two weeks will start to shape the outlook for both soccer teams, field hockey and volleyball in terms of postseason chances. By the end of Homecoming, the teams will have played between 3 to 5 of their seven conference contests. We will take a look at the prospects at that time.
Hard to believe but the winter season is right around the corner. Wrestling has its first practice on Monday, October 10 while both basketball teams will hit the court for their first practices that weekend.
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September 27
Conference play began last Friday for the DelVal field hockey team and the Aggies responded with a solid 1-0 win over Manhattanville. They got a timely goal late in the first half and the defense did a good job in shutting the Valiants down. Plus, freshman goalkeeper Rosie Bishop made a great clearing play to stop a potential breakaway and had a big stop, all in the last five minutes. A good way to start MAC Freedom action for the team.
Speaking of conference play, it will begin this weekend for the men's and women's soccer teams with trips to Wilkes University (men on Friday, women on Saturday). Like field hockey, the conference schedule is seven games and it's those seven that determine which four teams advance to the conference playoffs and a chance to win the MAC Freedom title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
It was a tough loss for football this week as Albright scored with 6.3 seconds remaining to down the Aggies, 20-17. It was the first loss of the season and in conference play for the DelVal and the squad will look to rebound this Saturday at LebVal.
Speaking of Saturday, it is a rare one in the fall where no team is home. In fact, eight teams are in competition and all eight are on the road.
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September 20
Some random thoughts now that we are three-plus weeks into a new season
* The DelVal defense has allowed just 35 points this year, but the first team unit has permitted only 14 and they all came from nationally-ranked Wesley in in week one. They have forced eight turnovers while the offense has not given uo one
* Football should have a strong test this week as defending MAC champion Albright comes to town on Saturday. With one conference loss already, Albright cannot afford another one the rest of the way so they will be a desperate team.
* Great to see the women's cross country team take top honors at the DVU Invitational. They had a fantastic showing at the event and DelVal got to showcase its new course.
* How about Tina Lokai on the women's tennis team? She joins the squad right before the first match of the year and she has been perfect (3-0) in singles play.
* Conference play begins this week for field hockey as they host Manhattanville on Friday night.
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September 13
The fall teams are all now in the win column, including the field hockey team which captured the Frostburg Tournament over the weekend with 1-0 triumphs over Ohio Wesleyan and the host Bobcats. Volleyball took two out of three matches during the week while women's soccer had a win and tie as part of their week. Cross country ran in tough conditions last Saturday. The weather is suppoed to be better this week when the Aggies host their annual invitation.
Football moved up its game from Saturday afternoon to Friday evening because of the weather. The Aggies got off to a 42-0 start and cruised past Misericordia. This week's contest will be an interesting one as King'g just won at Lycoming for the first time in 12 tries. The Aggies struggled at King's two years ago and the win over Lycoming should have the Monarch faithful pumped for hosting the No. 14 team in the country.
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September 6
What a start to the football season as DelVal goes on the road and takes down the number seven team in the country in Division III in Wesley, 21-14. It was a huge win for the Aggies as they knocked off a top 10 team for the third time in program history (in 2008, they beat the number three (Wesley) and number six (Salisbury) teams). The defense forced five turnovers, including a record-tying three interceptions by junior safety Shawn Miller. Miller also added 14 tackles in the game and has received some weekly accolades from the conference and in the country.
The win also resulted in a huge jump in the national poll as DelVal went from 25th to 14th. Now the nine-game conference schedule begins over a 10-week period. While the win over Wesley was big, it plays no part in the race for the MAC championship and the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs. That race begins this Saturday at home against Misericordia.
Men's soccer is off to a 2-0 start with a pair of wins over two of the many Penn State satellite schools that are out there. Freshman Andre Permyashkin is off to a fast start in his collegiate career with four goals in two games.
Men's soccer and women's soccer had their home openers last week and football is slated for this Saturday. Field hockey is home for the first time today while volleyball is home on Thursday. And the women's tennis team will have one of its fall matches at home on Thursday as well.
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August 30
In two days, the calendar will turn to September and that means the start of another athletic season at DelVal. Six teams will be in action that day as the men's and women's soccer teams are home while the field hockey, volleyball and men's and women's cross country teams will compete on the road. Football is the next night with the big opening showdown at seventh-ranked Wesley College (the men's and women's golf and tennis teams compete in the fall and spring and their fall matches start a little later in September).
Over the next few days, season previews for the fall teams will appear on the website. There will be a written preview and well as short video interviews with the head coaches. Both soccer team previews will go on the web today followed by field hockey and football on Wednesday. Volleyball and both cross country teams will have their previews on Thursday (since Spring is the primary season for golf and tennis - their championships, preseason polls, etc take place then - their previews will come in March).
It should be a great year and we will have everything covered with game stories, stats, live video at most home events and links to all live stats and video that are provided by opponents when we compete on the road. We will once again have a weekly video with highlights from home events and we will highlight any weekly award winners with another video package later in the week.
GO AGGIES!
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August 23
We are now nine days away from the first athletic events of the 2016-17 season. Hard to believe, but it's true.
As mentioned last week, the preseason conference coaches' polls are coming out for the fall teams this week. Yesterday was football and the Aggies were picked as the slight favorites to win the MAC (75 points to Albright's 74 points in the poll). Albright is the defending champion (DelVal was tied for second), but the Aggies beat them last year and host the Lions in late September.
Volleyball's poll came out today and the rest of the week features field hockey (Wednesday), women's soccer (Thursday) and men's soccer (Friday). You can check them out on the conference website at gomacsports.com . The top four teams in the MAC Freedom make the conference tournament in field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball. That's the first goal for the teams - to make the tournament. Then, it's win two games and you are the conference champion and headed to the NCAAs.
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August 16
We spent the months of June and July looking back at the 2015-16 season. Now, it's August and time to look forward to the upcoming year. And today is the perfect day for that as most of the fall teams report to campus today with the preseason beginning tomorrow. Field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball (as well as cheerleading) are checking in today while both cross country and tennis teams are in on Thursday. They will have a short camp as classes at DelVal begin next Monday, August 22.
Football, as per the NCAA rules on when preseason can begin, reported last Tuesday with close to 200 players on the roster. It has not been an easy first week because of the excessive heat wave that has rolled into the area. With the heat index easily over 100 degrees, the team has moved its practices times up to earlier in the day on some occasions and/or has practiced on the grass field beyond the stadium as opposed to on the turf.
Fall coaches have been asked to submit their preseason poll predictions to the conference office. Those polls will be released by the MAC next week. We will being to update fall rosters on the web this week and season previews will come out prior to the team's first games.
Here we go with another year!
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The next blog will be posted on August 16
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July 27
For the last few weeks, we have looked back at the top 10 games to the 2015-16 season. Today, it’s time for number one.
While some of the games already on the list could’ve been in the number one spot, it really was a no-brainer. The number game of 2015-16 was…
1. Men’s Basketball vs Wilkes – February 27, 2016
After DelVal won its semifinal game on the road at second-seeded Misericordia, the team found out on the bus ride home that No. 1 DeSales was upset by No. 4 Wilkes. Therefore, the Aggies would host the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Championship Game with the title and an NCAA playoff berth on the line.
James Work Gymnasium quickly filled up with many of the students dressed in black for a “blackout.” The home crowd was quiet in the early going as the Colonels came out and hit four treys for an early lead. Later in the half, Wilkes erupted for a 10-0 run and its biggest lead of the game at 35-25.DelVal responded with eight straight as four different players scored. The half eventually ended with the Colonels holding a 28-36 advantage.
Wilkes still held the lead in the early moments of the second half and pushed it to six, 47-41, with 15:27 left on the clock. The Aggies responded again. This time, they went on a 10-0 spurt, including five from MAC Freedom Player of the Year Chris Moran, for a 51-47 lead at the midway point of the half.
It looked like DelVal was going to pull away, especially after a monster dunk by Moran gave his team a 65-56 lead with just 4:41 remaining. However, the Colonels would not go away quietly as they scored six straight to make it a three-point contest just two minutes later.
Tyliek Kimbrough followed with a basket for the Aggies, but Wilkes’ Steve Stravinski answered with a 3-pointer to cut the DelVal lead to two. With the clock under two minutes to play, Moran stepped back and drilled a trey of his own. Kimbrough got inside again for a 72-65 lead with 1:24 to go. Stravinski hit another bomb while being fouled and he sank the ensuing free throw for a 72-69 score.
DelVal went to the foul line on its next offensive possessions, but managed to hit just one free throw. Stravinski then sank his eight 3-pointer of the game to keep the Colonels alive at 73-72 with 5.3 seconds to go. Alex Matsinye was fouled on the inbounds pass and the Aggie freshman calmly swished both free throws for a three-point lead with 4.4 ticks left.
Following a timeout, Wilkes got set to inbound the ball under its own basket. However, DelVal senior Zach Sly got to the spot where the pass was going first and poked it back towards Stravinski, the inbounder. Both players were on the floor and it rolled toward a Wilkes player. He heaved a desperation shot that did not come close. DelVal had win number 20 on the season and its third conference third championship in the last six years.
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July 19
We’re in the middle of a look back at the Top 10 Games in the 2015-16 Year In Review. Last week, it was games ten through six. This week, it’s games five through two. Then next Wednesday, July 27 (please note new release date), it will be the number one game of 2015-16.
5. Men’s Lacrosse at FDU-Florham – Apr. 9, 2016
In just its second season of intercollegiate play, DelVal was 4-4 overall as it entered its first Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom game of the 2016 campaign. One could easily see the strides that had already been made in year two, but the contest at FDU-Florham was expected to be a big test as the Devils defeated the Aggies, 13-4, in 2015. FDU-Florham was also a conference semifinalist in each of the last two years.
DelVal freshman sensation PJ Rafferty began a record day by getting the game’s first goal just six minutes in. After the Devils tied it, the Aggies scored two of the next three for a 3-2 advantage. They then upped that lead to 6-3 at the break and Rafferty already had three goals and two assists.
FDU-Florham quickly cut its deficit 6-5 at the start of the second half, but DelVal responded with three tallies in a three-minute span in the third quarter. The Devils got as close as two twice in the fourth, including at 10-8 with3:50 left. However, Matt Tordone won the ensuing faceoff, raced down the field and scored just seven seconds later. Twenty ticks after that, Rafferty tied the single-game goals record with his fifth tally and set the mark for points in a game with seven in the 12-8 victory. Incidentally, Rafferty only took five shots in the game, giving him a perfect shooting percentage on the afternoon.
The win helped the Aggies match the team’s win total from its inaugural season. More importantly, it proved to be the decisive win in the playoff hunt as DelVal reached the conference semifinals and FDU-
4. Women’s Basketball vs DeSales – Jan. 22, 2016
After a slow start to the season, DelVal was just starting to turn the corner when it was scheduled to host MAC Freedom rival DeSales, who was undefeated through five conference games. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, January 23, but was moved to a rare Friday evening contest in order to get it in before the arrival of Winter Storm Jonas.
After the Bulldogs opened the game with a 3-pointer, the Aggies went on a 13-3 run to take an early lead. They went on another big spurt in the first half for a nine-point advantage, but DeSales came back with a stretch of its own and the visitors took a 41-37 lead into the intermission.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs pushed their advantage to eight before DelVal tied the game in the fourth. DeSales regained a five-point cushion with a 65-60 score, but back came the Aggies, who went up 68-66 with three minutes to go.
The Bulldogs hit a 3-pointer, but it was answered by Eireann Anastasi’s triple. With 20 seconds to go, DelVal freshman Morgan Mitchell came up with a steal and was fouled. She made one free throw for a 72-69 score. DeSales missed a trey and the Aggies made three foul shots to ice the big win.
Anastasi finished with what was then a career-high 30 points (she would late score 40 points against Misericordia) and she would go on to become the MAC Freedom Player of the Year and an All-American. The victory got the team to the .500 mark in conference play and they would reach the postseason for the third straight year.
3. Football vs Moravian – Nov. 21, 2015
When the ECAC changed its postseason format, the MAC and the Centennial Conference got together and formed a Bowl Series where the second and third-highest finishers in each conference would meet (the top finishers get automatic berths to the NCAA playoffs so they are not participants in the Bowl Series). There would be two games and two champions.
A young DelVal team with 20 new starters in the lineup went 8-3 in the regular season and finished second in the MAC. The Bowl Series bid was the program’s 12th postseason appearance in the last 13 years. The Aggie were paired up against an old MAC school in current Centennial football member Moravian, which also sported an 8-2 overall record.
Both offenses came out flying as they each scored on their first drives of the game with DelVal converting a fourth-and-nine for its touchdown. The Greyhounds took a 10-7 advantage and it stayed that way until the middle of the second quarter when quarterback Dashawn Darden scored on a keeper for a 14-10 Aggie lead. DelVal held that advantage at the break thanks to a big stop on a fourth down play as well as an interception.
In the third quarter, safety Danny Wynne stripped the ball loose from a Moravian player and the Aggies recovered it at the Greyhound 28-yard line. Five plays later, Darden hit a wide-open James Norton for a touchdown and a 20-10 advantage. Moravian made it a one-possession game and had the ball on two other drives in the fourth, but the DelVal defense stopped them each time to hold on for the win.
Wynne was named the game’s Most Valuable and he and fellow senior captain Rashaad Lighty held up the Bowl Series trophy in the postgame celebration. It was more hardware for the Aggies’ trophy case.
2. Men’s Basketball at Misericordia – Feb. 23, 2016
DelVal finished its regular-season with an 18-7 record and the year include a school-record 11-game winning streak as well as a spot in the regional rankings for the first time. However, four of those losses came in a six-game stretch over the last three weeks. The Aggies not only lost their grip on first place, but wound up seeded third for the MAC Freedom tournament as the tiebreaker for second went to Misericordia. That meant a road trip to Misericordia and a rematch of last year’s conference championship game, which the Cougars won on their home court.
The Aggies came out flying early as MAC Freedom Player of the Year Chris Moran scored the first seven points as part of a 9-0 start. Misericordia came back to take a first-half lead, but it was DelVal that had a 36-32 advantage at the break with Moran and Tyliek Kimbrough combining for 27 of those 36 points. The Cougars pulled to within one early in the second half, but the Aggies responded and they eventually took a 56-46 lead on an Alex Matsinye throw-down dunk with 5:49 remaining.
However, Misericordia roared back and took a one-point lead with 57.8 seconds left. After both teams failed to score on its next possessions, DelVal got the ball again and Moran was fouled with 10.9 seconds left. He missed both free throw attempts, but freshman Andre’ Butler grabbed the offensive board off the second miss, the team’s 19th offensive rebound of the night. The ball wound up in the hands of Kimbrough and the all-conference honoree drove to the paint and lofted a shot over a pair of defenders that rattled home with just 0.8 second left for a 58-57 lead. The Aggie survived a scare on Misericordia’s long inbounds play, but they celebrated their win and a berth in the MAC Freedom Championship Game.
On the two-hour bus ride home, the Aggies learned that fourth-seeded Wilkes upset the No. 1 seed DeSales, in the other semifinal match-up. That meant that DelVal would not only meet Wilkes in the title game three days later, but would do so in front of their raucous home crowd.
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July 12
Just three more installments of the 2015-16 Year In Review and all three will focus on the Top 10 Games of the Year. This week, it is games ten through six followed by next week’s installment of games five through two. Then, it will be the number one game of 2015-16, which will be announced on July 26.
Just a reminder, the Top 10 Games of the Year is just that, games or matches. It’s not individual performances such as Zach Roseberry’s run to a Division III national championship in wrestling, but a team versus team result. Also, the result of the game/match must be a win or a tie.
Here’s a list of five games (listed alphabetically by sport) that were honorable mentions and just missed the cut:
* Baseball at Misericordia – Apr. 15, 2016: DelVal picks up road win against the five-time defending conference champions who knocked off the number one team in the country earlier in the year.
* Men’s Basketball vs Eastern - Jan. 30, 2016: Barry Brockington hits a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left as DelVal rallies from a 17-point halftime deficit for the win.
* Women’s Basketball vs Catholic (at Gallaudet Tournament) – Dec. 11, 2015: DelVal was struggling, but a big overtime win against the defending Landmark Conference champions propelled them to a tournament title and a strong finish the rest of the way.
* Football vs Montclair State – Sept. 5, 2015: With just nine returning starters, DelVal opens season with a big non-conference win against a team that went 8-2 the season before.
* Softball vs DeSales (doubleheader) – Apr. 30, 2016: DelVal’s turnaround season was capped with a sweep of one of its conference foes, including a walk-off win to end the season.
Now games ten through six. Let the debating begin!
10. Wrestling vs Oneonta (at North/South Duals) – Jan. 9, 2016
DelVal was off to a 1-1 start at the North/South Duals when it met SUNY-Oneonta. A pin and two decisions in the first three weight classes gave the Aggies a 12-0 lead, but the Red Dragons tied it up with the same results over the next three weights.
DelVal picked up wins by decision at 174 and 184 pounds for an 18-12 advantage, but an injury at 197 gave Oneonta six points in that weight and another tie.
That set the stage for Zach Roseberry at heavyweight as he hit the mat with the bout on the line. As he had done so many times in his first two-plus years, the eventual national champion came away with a victory, a 10-2 major decision, to give the Aggies a 21-18 triumph.
DelVal then went onto win its last match to give them a 3-1 record at the Duals.
9. Field Hockey vs St. Mary’s – Sept. 12, 2015
DelVal and St. Mary’s have had memorable match-ups the last few years with the home team pulling out overtime victories in both 2013 (DelVal) and 2014 (St. Mary’s). 2015 turned out to be the same.
The Seahawks controlled the play throughout the first half, but the game was scoreless at the break. The Aggies then scored nine minutes into the second stanza for the lead and it stood until St. Mary’s got a tally at the midway point.
The game went to overtime and, with 7:12 remaining in the first extra session, a DelVal pass was sent deep into St. Mary’s territory. Taylor Prichett caught up to the loose ball, went around a defender and blasted it home for the win.
It was a milestone tally for Prichett as the senior became just the third player in program history to reach the 100-point plateau in a career. And it gave DelVal another thrilling win over the Seahawks.
8. Softball vs Eastern (doubleheader) – Apr. 14, 2016
A young DelVal squad stood at 11-10 overall and 2-4 in the MAC Freedom when it hosted Eastern for a twinbill. To stay in the postseason hunt, the Aggies needed at least a split, but, preferably, a sweep.
Freshman Jamie Stefani took the mound in the opener and she kept the Eagles off the scoreboard for the first six innings. Meanwhile, the Aggies scored four runs and looked to have the game in hand before Eastern rallied in the seventh and made it a 4-2 contest. Stefani was able to get the final out and ended the game with a program-record 12 strikeouts.
Stefani got the call again in game and cruised through the first six innings, allowing just one hit and striking out seven (giving her the single-season mark as well). She also hit a home run to help the team take a 3-0 lead. The Eagles found their offense in the seventh and, this time, they were able to take the lead at 4-3. Back came DelVal as a wild pitch scored the tying run and a sacrifice fly brought home the game winner for the sweep that put them in fifth place (where they finished for the year, one spot out of the playoffs).
7. Men’s Lacrosse at Arcadia – Mar. 23, 2016
Both DelVal and Arcadia are in the early stages as an intercollegiate sport and the two schools wanted to begin a new tradition that would be a cornerstone for both programs for years to come. So the two came up with a rivalry series called the Battle for the Bucks-Mont Hammer with the sledgehammer chosen to represent the blue-collar mentality shared by the two programs.
2016 was the inaugural game of the series and the host Knights took an early 3-1 lead, before the Aggies responded with four of the next five tallies to take a 5-4 halftime lead. DelVal then dominated the third quarter, as it outscored Arcadia, 4-1, in the frame for a 9-5 advantage. The Knights pulled to within two on two separate occasions, but DelVal, behind six points from freshman sensation PJ Rafferty, held on for the 11-9 win.
DelVal improved to 3-3 on the season. More importantly, the squad brought home the hammer and it proudly sits in the men’s lacrosse office for the next year.
6. Football vs Stevenson and Albright – Oct. 10 and 24, 2015
At 4-1, DelVal was about to embark on a tough stretch of games, beginning with a Homecoming meeting against undefeated Stevenson. Then, after the bye, the Aggies would travel to nationally-ranked Albright, which was also undefeated.
A large Homecoming crowd saw a defensive battle between DelVal and Stevenson. The result was just a 7-0 Aggie lead at halftime and those points came from the defense as Shawn Miller stepped in front of a pass in the end zone and returned it a record-tying 100 yards for a touchdown. The Mustangs pulled ahead, 15-10, and had the ball late in the game, but DelVal forced a fumble and recovered it at the Stevenson 34-yard line. The Aggies moved the ball to the eight and Tyler Bing scored from there with just 42.9 seconds left for the 18-15 victory.
Next came a trip to Reading and a meeting with No. 16 Albright. DelVal trailed 23-21 and faced a fourth-and-seven from the Albright 26-yard line. The offense stayed on the field and Dashawn Darden drilled a touchdown pass to Michael Jensen. The Aggie defense forced a three-and-out and the offense held the ball for the remaining seven-plus minutes for the thrilling, 28-23 win.
The two wins lifted the young DelVal squad (11 new starters on offense and seven on defense) into a tie for first place in the MAC.
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June 28
As we get set to enter July, we continue to look back at the 2015-16 season with our Year In Review. This week, it’s a look at our picks for the Top 5 Surprises of the Year.
5. Men’s Basketball
Yes, the Aggies reached the conference championship game in 2014-15, but eight players graduated from that squad and those eight combined to average 53 points per contest. That’s lot of manpower and points to replace, but head coach Casey Stitzel managed to do so in record-breaking fashion as DelVal won 20 games, were regionally ranked for the first time in program history, and captured the MAC Freedom title and NCAA berth for the third time in the last six years.
4. Brenden Velez, Wrestling
Velez saw limited time as a freshman, posting a 9-8 overall record and placing fourth at the MAC Championships. Fast forward to 2015-16. Not only was he the starter at 125 pounds, but Velez wound up winning 23 matches (23-13) with a third place showing at both the MACs and the East Regionals. That bronze medal finish at the regional earned him an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Championships and he won one match on the national stage.
3. Football Offense
No one knew what to expect from the offensive side of the ball in 2015. After all, a number of starters graduated from the NCAA playoff squad of 2014, including an All-American wide receiver who went onto an NFL roster, a quarterback who was on a CFL preseason roster and a record-setting All-American running back. By the time the season began, each of the 11 positions was manned by someone who was not a starter in ’15. The unit wound up averaging nearly 400 yards per game and helped the Aggies win nine games, including a postseason victory.
2. Softball
Picked to finish a distant last in the MAC Freedom Conference preseason poll and with a roster comprised of just freshmen and sophomores, expectations were not high for head coach Corey Heulitt’s young squad. However, the Aggies improved all of their numbers with the biggest coming in the win-loss figures. 2015: 3-25 overall, 1-13 and last in the conference; 2016: 15-16, 6-8 and fifth place in the MAC Freedom. DelVal probably won’t be last in the ’17 poll and could be a team to watch for a playoff spot.
1. Men’s Lacrosse
Head coach Gary Mercadante and his squad made a great leap forward in just their second year of intercollegiate competition. The Aggies improved their overall record from 5-8 to 8-8. However, the biggest difference came in MAC Freedom play as DelVal went from 1-5 to 4-3 and, in the process, qualified for the conference semifinals. They had the MAC Freedom Rookie of the Year in freshman sensation PJ Rafferty and the Defensive Player of the Year in sophomore standout Danny Smith. With just three players (one starter) lost to graduation, the future looks certainly looks bright for the program.
After a week off for the Fourth of July holiday, we will begin a three-week look back at the Top 10 Games of the Year. We will announce games 10 through 6 on Tuesday, July 12 and then games 5 through 2 on July 19. The number one game of the year will then be announced on July 26. Think about the entire year and all the teams. Get your list ready and compare.
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June 21
The 2015-16 Year In Review continues with our picks for the male and female unsung heroes of the year:
Unsung Hero (Male) – Troy Darpino, Men’s Lacrosse
PJ Rafferty received plenty of attention with his offensive feats, capped by being named the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Offensive Player of the Year. Danny Smith got the accolades at the other end of the field, including the MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Year Award. However, the team wouldn’t have had the big jump that it did in just its second year and reached the conference playoffs if it wasn’t for players like Darpino. He was of the team’s captain and brought valuable leadership to a young squad. He marked the opponent’s top offensive player every game, giving up a chance to pick up a chance to accumulate a lot of statistics in the progress. He caused turnovers, was always around the play and even scored three goals with two coming in a MAC Freedom win over Manhattanville. He will be a player to watch in 2017.
Unsung Hero (Female) – Koraima Dudley, Softball
Dudley transferred to DelVal after starting for nearby Division II Chestnut Hill College as a freshman in 2015. She brought leadership and experience to an Aggie squad comprised of just freshmen and sophomores and also added much-needed stability to the infield by playing a strong shortstop all season. Her speed at the top of the order created havoc for the opponents and her .290 batting average and 15 runs scored each ranked fourth on the team. With Dudley on the roster and in the starting lineup, the Aggies improved from a 3-25 record (1-13 MAC Freedom) in 2015 to a 15-16 mark and a solid fifth-place finish in the MAC Freedom (6-8 MAC Freedom) in ’16. They will look to make a playoff run in 2017 and Dudley will be in the middle of that hunt.
Next week is the top five surprises of the year.
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June 14
Last week we looked at the top freshman and sophomore (male and female) as part of the 2015-16 Year In Review. This week, it's time for the picks for the top junior and senior.
Top Junior (Male) – Zach Roseberry, Wrestling
Roseberry won 30 of 31 matches on the year and his lone loss was to a Division I competitor from the University of Wisconsin in the Navy Classic in the first month of the season. Along the way, he successfully defending his MAC and East Region crowns and made his way to the NCAA Championships for the third straight year. At the NCAAs, Roseberry made his way to the top of the podium as he defeated the defending champion in the finals to secure the 10th individual national championship in program history. A great fact that truly sums up Roseberry’s year: he did not give up a takedown to a Division III wrestler all season
Top Junior (Female) – Sam Foy, Basketball
After spending the first two years as a key reserve, Foy moved into the starting lineup as one of the few veterans on the team. She responded by averaging 12 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and reached double digits in scoring in 20 of the team’s 27 games. One of her top performances was a 16-point, seven-rebound effort in a tough overtime loss to four-time defending champion FDU-Florham in the conference semifinals. Foy was rewarded for her efforts by being name to the all-conference team.
Top Senior (Male) – Chris Moran, Basketball
A two-time all-conference honoree, Moran took his game to another level in his final season and led the Aggies to a school-record 20 wins, a MAC Freedom championship and an NCAA bid. He averaged 19.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, including a 22-point showing in the win over Wilkes in the conference title game. He hit big shot after big shot in the game and was named the MAC Freedom Tournament MVP. That award went alongside his conference Player of the Year accolade. Moran earned a spot on a pair all-region/all-district teams and was then chosen as an All-American by DIII News, just the third All-American in DelVal men’s basketball history.
Top Senior (Female) – Eireann Anastasi, Basketball
Josten’s Trophy National Player of the Year (athletics and academics) finalist…All-American on three separate teams…D3hoops.com Atlantic Region co-Player of the Year…MAC Freedom Player of the Year…Academic All-American…Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Women’s Basketball Performer Of The Year…MAC Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The list goes on and on for Anastasi, who was the lone returning starter and helped lead her young team to the MAC Freedom and ECAC playoffs. She averaged 19.9 points and 4.6 assists per game, including a 40-point effort against Misericordia. Anastasi also earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in just four years.
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June 7
The next two installments of the Year In Review focuses on the top male and female athletes per class. Today is a look at the freshmen and sophomore honorees (next week - the juniors and seniors). Let the debating begin.
Top Freshman (Male) – PJ Rafferty, Lacrosse
The MAC Freedom and ECAC South Rookie of the Year, Rafferty dominated from the moment he stepped onto the field. He had two goals and five points in the season opener, continued his scoring prominence in conference play, and finished the year with school records of 33 goals and 27 assists for 60 points. He led the MAC Freedom in assists and points per game and was named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week on three separate occasions. Rafferty’s play helped the Aggies reach the MAC Freedom semifinals in just their second year of varsity competition.
Top Freshman (Female) – Jamie Stefani, Softball
In 2015, the DelVal softball team went 3-25 overall and 1-13 in MAC Freedom play. Enter Stefani and the team’s record jumped to 15-16 overall, 6-8 and fifth place in the MAC Freedom. She pitched in 22 games and notched a record-tying 11 wins with a school-record 111 strikeouts and a 2.23 ERA. At the plate, she batted .391 with 15 doubles, two home runs and 16 RBI. Stefani earned a spot on the all-conference first team and was a candidate for Rookie of the Year (the award winner was the leading hitter for regional champion Manhattanville).
Top Sophomore (Male) – Ta’riq Thomas, Track and Field (Indoor & Outdoor)
Thomas followed up his stellar All-America rookie campaign with another year that ended with him standing on the national podium. If got off to a slower start as he was injured for most of the indoor track and field season and missed the MAC Championships. However in the spring, Thomas won the MAC and ECAC outdoor championships in the triple jump (he also captured the long jump crown at the MACs) and went back to the NCAAs where he took sixth last season. This May, he moved up three spots as he took third for his second consecutive All-America honor.
Top Sophomore (Female) – Carlie Baldus, Field Hockey
Baldus, a forward, was named a second team, all-MAC Freedom honoree for the first time in her young career. She started all 18 games and ranked second on the squad in goals (7) and points (18) and third in assists (4). She recorded two goals in a 3-0 win against Elmira and tallied a goal and an assist in matches with Widener and King's. Baldus had the game-winning markers against Widener and DeSales.
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June 1
Here we go. The first look back at the 2015-16 athletic season - A to Z:
A – ALL-AMERICANS – DelVal had five All-Americans with one each in men’s basketball (Chris Moran), women’s basketball (Eireann Anastasi), football (Rashaad Lighty), men’s outdoor track and field (Ta’riq Thomas) and wrestling (Zach Roseberry)
B – BASKETBALL, MEN’S – The men had a dream season with a school-record 20 wins, including 10 in a row early in the campaign. They captured the MAC Freedom championship (the program’s third in the last six years) with a win over Wilkes at home in the finals and then had a narrow overtime loss in the NCAA playoffs.
C – COMMUNITY SERVICE – A number of DelVal teams performed hours of community service with groups such as Special Olympics, Relay for Life, Rolling Harvest and more
D – DVU – The new chant at athletic events as the institution was in its first full year as Delaware Valley University
E – EIREANN ANASTASI – Went with first name first on this one. The senior women’s basketball player was named to three separate All-America Teams and earned Academic All-American honors as well. She was a Jostens Trophy National Player of the Year finalist (academics and athletics) and graduated with both her bachelor’s and master degree’s in just four years.
F – FOOTBALL – Despite having 20 new starters in 2016 (including all 11 on offense), the Aggies produced a 9-2 record, won back the Keystone Cup (the annual rivalry game with Widener) and captured the inaugural Centennial-MAC Bowl Series with a postseason win over Moravian.
G – GRECO, DUKE – The football head coach is now 18-4 with a pair of postseason appearances in his first two years as the Aggie leader. It is the best two-year start to a career in program history.
H – HOGAN, LAURA – She picked up her third MAC Freedom Coach of the Year honor (including two in the last three years) as she led a young women’s basketball team to appearances in both the MAC Freedom and ECAC South Region playoffs
I – INQUIRER, PHILADELPHIA – The newspaper annually sponsors Academic All-Area Teams and three Aggies were selected: Eireann Anastasi (women’s basketball), Ben Schweiger (wrestling) and Eric Wright (football) – spring teams have yet to be announced. Anastasi was also named the Academic Performer Of The Year in her sport
J – JAMIE STEFANI – First name first again! The freshman pitcher helped change the Aggie softball fortunes around as she tied a school record with 11 wins and set new marks for strikeouts in a game (12) and a season (111). She also led the team with a .391 batting average and 15 doubles.
K – KIMBROUGH, TYLIEK – The junior transfer made an immediate impact for men’s basketball as he was the second-leading scorer and was named to the all-conference team. He also hit the game-winning shot with less than a second to go in the MAC Freedom semifinal win at defending champion Misericordia.
L – LACROSSE, MEN’S – The second-year program surpassed all expectations by reaching the MAC Freedom semifinals with a 4-3 mark in conference play. Five players were named to the all-conference team including the rookie of the year (PJ Rafferty) and the defensive player of the year (Danny Smith).
M – MORAN, Chris – What a year by the senior forward/center and he average 19.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game while leading the Aggie men’s basketball team to the MAC Freedom championship and an NCAA berth. He was the MVP of the conference tournament and was later named an All-American by DIII News.
N – NATIONAL CHAMPION – There have been 10 NCAA individual champions in school history – all in wrestling - and the latest was crowned in 2016 when Zach Roseberry won the heavyweight title (see Z)
O – OFFENSE – Last year, offense was selected for “O” as the football teams put up major numbers behind the play of future NFL wide receiver Rasheed Bailey and others. This year it’s back because the unit had 11 new starters and averaged nearly 400 yards per game.
P – PRESIDENT’S CUP – A new athletic initiative, the President's Cup fosters and recognizes athletic team engagement, academic achievement and leadership in campus life. The 22 NCAA-sponsored athletic programs competed over the course of the academic year and the inaugural champion will be announced at halftime of the 2016 Homecoming football game.
Q – QUALIFIERS – DelVal had four student-athletes individually qualify for the NCAA Championships in wrestlers Zach Roseberry, Ben Schweiger and Andrew Velez as well as men’s outdoor track and field standout Ta’riq Thomas
R – RAFTERY, PJ – The men’s lacrosse standout had a freshman season to remember as he racked up 33 goals and 27 assists for 60 points while leading the second-year program to the conference playoffs. He was selected by the MAC Freedom coaches as the 2016 Rookie of the Year and also earned a spot on the all-conference first team.
S – STANDING ROOM ONLY – DelVal fans, including hundreds of students who wore black for a “Blackout,” packed James Work Gymnasium for the MAC Freedom Men’s Basketball Championship Game against Wilkes on February 27. A number stormed the court after the Aggies won the title.
T – THOMAS, Ta’riq – The sophomore followed up his standout rookie campaign by repeated as MAC outdoor triple jump champion and taking the long jump crown as well. He then won the ECAC title in the triple jump and qualified for the NCAAs where he placed third for his second straight All-America honor.
U – UNDEFEATED NO MORE – In a span of three weeks in October, the Aggies faced a pair of undefeated teams in Stevenson and Albright. DelVal produced 18-15 and 28-23 wins respectively to move into first place in the MAC.
V – VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS – Last year, DelVal added live video streaming of all home events at the stadium and in the gymnasium. This year, home highlights and Aggie Accolades were added on a weekly basis. What’s in store for 2016-17?
W – WRESTLING – The team continued its postseason success by crowning two conference individual champions and one regional titlist. Three Aggies qualified for nationals in Iowa (see Q) and one came back as a national champion (see N and Z)
X – XCITEMENT – Just like the last few years, we cheated a little with the spelling of this one. It was an exciting year with postseason berths and great incredible accomplishments all across the DelVal sports landscape
Y – YELLOW CARDS – The DelVal women’s soccer team were issued just four yellow cards on the year and they earned a Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for the fourth time in the last five years.
Z – ZACH ROSEBERRY – Last but certainly not least as the junior stood atop the Division III heavyweight podium as a wrestling national champion. He earned All-America honors for the third time as he won 30 of 31 matches (improving his career record to 93-12). Roseberry’s lone loss was to a Division I competitor from the University of Wisconsin early in the season. In fact, he did not give up a takedown to a Division III wrestler all year.
Next week, we take a look at the top male and female athlete of the year - freshman and sophomore.
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May 31
The first blog in the Year In Review will now be posted on Wednesday, June 1
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May 10
The all-conference teams are out for all the spring sports and congratulations goes out to the following DelVal honorees
BASEBALL
Matt Dewald - Second Team All-Conference
Kyle Wenger - Second Team All-Conference
Bobby Altieri - Honorable Mention All-Conference
Ben Lippincott - Honorable Mention All-Conference
MEN'S LACROSSE
PJ Rafferty - Rookie of the Year, First Team All-Conference
Danny Smith - Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference
Chris Coyle - First Team All-Conference
Matt Tordone - Second Team All-Conference
Matt Brady - Honorable Mention All-Conference
Troy Darpino - Honorable Mention All-Conference
Alex Hardy - Honorable Mention All-Conference
SOFTBALL
Jamie Stefani - First Team All-Conference
Kelsey Stoneberg - Second Team All-Conference
MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
Ta'riq Thomas - MAC Champion, First Team All-Conference (Long Jump and Triple Jump)
We will take two weeks off from the blog and then begin the annual and always-popular Year In Review. Here is the schedule for the Year In Review so plan accordingly!
May 31 - 2015-16 DelVal Athletics – A to Z
June 7 - Athlete of the Year (Male and Female - Freshman and Sophomore)
June 14 - Athlete of the Year (Male and Female - Junior and Senior)
June 21 - Unsung Hero of the Year (Male and Female)
June 28 - Top Five Surprises of the Year
July 5 - No Blog
July 12 - Top Games of the Year (Games 10 through 6)
July 19 - Top Games of the Year (Game 5 through 2)
July 26 – The Number One Game Of the Year
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May 3
Just three teams are still in action for the 2015-16 season. Two of them are the men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams as the MAC Championships runs from Thursday to Saturday. A handful of Aggies have qualified, including defending men’s triple jump champion and All-American Ta’riq Thomas.
The other remaining squad is men’s lacrosse as they qualified for the MAC Freedom tournament in just its second year of competition. It’s been a great season to date and it will continue on Wednesday when the Aggies travel to four-time defending conference champion Eastern for the semifinals. Should DelVal prove victorious, it would advance to Saturday’s title game at the winner of the DeSales/Misericordia match-up. Let’s see if we can make some more history!
With the end of the spring regular season comes to the all-conference awards. The men’s and women’s lacrosse all-conference teams were announced today. Baseball gets announced tomorrow with softball to follow on Thursday. The men’s and tennis teams will be publicized by the MAC office on Friday. With track and field, the top eight placewinners in each event earn all-conference accolades (1-3 gets first team, 4-6 gets second team, 7-8 gets honorable mention). We will have a complete listing next week.
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April 26
This is the last week of the regular season for nearly all of the DelVal spring teams (men’s golf and women’s golf wrapped up their seasons last week). Next week it’s the conference playoffs as the top four teams in the MAC Freedom standings will vie for the conference championship and an automatic berth to the NCAAs. The lone exception to that is outdoor track and field as both the men’s and women will have their conference championships next weekend and individuals qualify for that if they reach a certain benchmark in their respective events.
One DelVal team is still alive in the conference postseason hunt and that’s men’s lacrosse. In just its second year of competition, the Aggies are currently tied for third place with just two games remaining. They control their own destiny as road wins at Wilkes and Misericordia clinches a spot for them. There are other scenarios but it’s plain and simple: win both and you’re in.
One reason why for the team’s success is the play of freshman PJ Rafferty. He has 17 goals and 10 assists for 27 points in his first five conference games. The 17 goals have comes on just 27 shots. He has been the conference player of the week three times and more than likely will be the rookie of the year.
As teams are wrapping up their seasons, they are honoring their seniors with Senior Days. We want to congratulate all DelVal senior student-athletes and thank them for their years of service and dedication to their team and the Aggie athletic department.
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April 19
Believe it or not, we are down to the last few weeks of the 2015-16 athletic season. Weather aside, the spring season was a blur. It always seems to be that way.
Last week was a busy one (and a beautiful one weather-wise) as some rescheduled games from bad weather earlier in the month finally took place. On Saturday and Sunday alone, a total of 12 DelVal games took place.
Of the spring teams, men’s lacrosse has the best shot at a conference postseason berth. DelVal is 1-2 and tied with three others for the fourth and final tournament spot. Four games are left in the regular season, two this week and two next week. Of the four, three are against the teams they are tied with.
Softball is a game and a half behind King’s with four games left in its schedule. However, the Aggies were swept by King’s so the Lady Monarchs hold the tiebreaker.
All of the other spring teams are still mathematically alive but they have a lot of ground to make up.
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April 12
Rain and even some snow continues to affect the spring season. Most of last week’s contests were postponed and the Aggie baseball team will actually play – weather permitting – six conference games between Wednesday and Sunday.
One game that did take place last week occurred in Madison, New Jersey when the DelVal men’s lacrosse team posted a 12-8 win over conference foe FDU-Florham. It was the same Devils that beat the Aggies 13-4 last year, but DelVal is a different team in its second year as a varsity program. One of the differences is freshman PJ Rafferty, who notched five goals and seven points in the win. He was named the MAC Freedom Offensive Player of the Week and is now a nominee for the ECAC and even some national weekly accolades. The squad will host four-time defending conference champion on Wednesday.
After this week, we should have a better picture on the playoff scenarios for baseball and softball. As mentioned earlier, baseball has six conference games this week while softball has four.
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April 5
Mother Nature has not been kind to DelVal or any school in the area in recent days. The baseball team has recently seen seven games having to be postponed and only three (the conference games with King’s) have officially been rescheduled. Softball’s game today have been postponed and not yet rescheduled and both tennis teams have had matches bumped to later dates.
Games that have not been rescheduled are on a “wait and see” status as to whether or not they will be played. A lot will depend on the weather, how the rest of the schedule plays out for DelVal and how it plays out for the opponent’s schedule. Remember, conference games take top priority. DelVal’s schedule could be free on a day, but the opponent may have to make up one of its conference games that day.
Spring. There’s no other sports season like it!
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March 29
It was a good week for the DelVal men’s lacrosse and softball teams. Men’s lacrosse went 2-0, including a win over Arcadia University in the inaugural Battle For the Bucks-Mont Hammer. The two programs are less than 30 minutes apart and are both still in the early stages of existence so they created a rivalry game to generate further interest. It was a packed crowd for the night game at Arcadia and DelVal controlled the play for most of the game, eventually winning by an 11-9 score.
Softball went 3-1 including a doubleheader sweep of conference foe Wilkes University, the first in four years. The team consists of just freshmen and sophomores and they have already generated more wins (eight) than the last two years combined (six). Freshman pitcher Jamie Stefani has five of the wins and is also batting over .400 while sophomore Kelsey Stoneberg already has four home runs on the year.
Other news
* Is there a better one-two punch in the middle of a baseball lineup than reigning conference player of the year Kyle Wenger (.472, nine extra-base hits, 18 runs scored, 16 RBI) and 2015 all-conference honoree Matt Dewald (.464, four extra-base hits, 21 RBI)?
* Ta’riq Thomas missed the second half of the indoor track and field season with an injury. He is clearly healthy now as he had a third-place showing at the highly competitive Stockton Invitational to start the outdoor season
* The awards keep coming in for basketball standouts Eireann Anastasi and Chris Moran. Anastasi wound up on three All-America Teams, just the second Aggie in women’s basketball history to claim any All-America accolade. Moran was on the DIII News All-America Team and he is the third men’s players – all in the last six years – to be named an All-American
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March 22
The spring season is now in full swing. And of course one part of the spring is dealing with Mother Nature. Just look at last week for example. There was so much talk about snow all week and how we could get up to five inches of it on Sunday. So in anticipation of that, the DelVal baseball and softball doubleheaders (baseball home against FDU-Florham, softball away at FDU-Florham) were both moved up from Sunday to Saturday. Then of course, we get nothing. No white stuff at all.
And looking ahead to this Friday and a 60-70 percent chance of rain so the home softball doubleheader has been moved up to Thursday. Basically, the schedule changes all the time. We do our best to keep the website as up-to-date as we know it and we also put updates on Facebook and Twitter.
The spring sports are off to a good start as baseball and women’s lacrosse are over the .500 mark and softball has already surpassed its win total from last season. Men’s lacrosse and women’s tennis are coming off wins in their last contests. Men’s and women’s outdoor track and field kick off its season on Saturday and men’s golf is in action next Monday. Men’s tennis and women’s golf start spring play shortly.
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March 16
A day later than normal, but the lead doesn’t change and that is Zach Roseberry, National Champion. It was a great showing at the NCAAs in Iowa by the junior as he went 4-0, including a 5-4 triumph over the defending champion in the finals. Most people in the wrestling world had Donald Longendyke of Augsburg repeating as the champion but Roseberry made all the offensive moves in the match and attacked his opponent throughout. He then had the riding time at the end for a two-point lead so he could stay away from Longendyke in the closing seconds. He was penalized for stalling and it cost him a point, but it didn’t matter.
Some fun facts with Roseberry’s performance:
* He won the 10th national title in program history and will look to become just the third Aggie to win multiple titles next year
* He is one of just six DelVal wrestlers to earn All-America honors at least three times in a career
* He faced and defeated six of the other seven wrestlers that were on the All-America podium either at the regional or at the NCAAs
* His only loss this season was to a Division I wrestler back in November
* He did not give up a takedown to a Division III wrestler all season. In fact, the only points allowed other than escapes or penalties (stalling, etc) was a reversal by a wrestler from The College of New Jersey
Other news:
* The baseball and softball teams both came back from Florida with winning records as baseball went 7-2 while softball was 5-3
* Today marks a stretch where a DelVal spring team has a contest (home on away) on 40 of the next 45 days – weather permitting of course!
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March 8
The men’s basketball team came oh so close to notching the first NCAA tournament win in program history. After leading at halftime, the Aggies fell behind by 14 and saw their best player (Chris Moran) on the bench with an injury. As they had so many times, they rallied back and forced overtime when freshman Andre’ Butler sank two free throws with 0.8 seconds left. However, they ran out of gas in overtime and fell to Oswego, which won the next round to advance to the Sweet 16.
It was a great run and a great season, the greatest in program history. Now, it’s wait and see on more postseason honors as Moran has shots at All-Region and All-American.
Now it’s wrestling’s turn on the big stage as Brenden Velez (125), Ben Schweiger (165) and Zach Roseberry (285) leave on Wednesday for Iowa and the NCAA Championships which will begin on Friday. Roseberry is seeded second in his weight class and he looks for his third straight All-America honor while Velez and Schweiger are both unseeded for their first trip to nationals.
Remember, the top eight finishers in each weight class earn All-America honors. Basically, if you are still alive in either the championship or consolation bracket after Friday’s schedule, then you are an All-American. There have been 78 All-Americans in DelVal wrestling history. Hopefully, we can run that number to 81
Other news:
* Congratulations goes out to Eireann Anastasi of the women’s basketball team as she received Academic All-America honors last week and was also named one of 10 finalists for the Josten’s Trophy which recognizes athletics, academics and community service for basketball
* Baseball is off to a 4-1 start down in Florida while softball just began yesterday and split its opener. Women’s tennis also started their Spring Break trip yesterday
* Women’s lacrosse is 2-1 to match its win total from last year
* Men’s lacrosse saw PJ Rafferty and Danny Smith sweep the weekly conference awards
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March 1
What a weekend that just passed for DelVal Athletics. First, the men's basketball team captured the MAC Freedom championship for the third time in the last six years as the Aggies defeated Wilkes in a 75-72 thriller. It was a great atmosphere with a packed and loud gym (thank you to everyone who came to the game) for a game that wasn’t decided until the final buzzer went off. Chris Moran was named the tournament Most Valuable Player as he and Zach Sly picked up their second conference titles in their standout careers.
As a result, the team is heading to the NCAA Division III playoffs and the trip will be a seven-hour bus ride to Marietta, Ohio. DelVal will take on Oswego State (NY) in the first round on Friday. Should the Aggies notch the first NCAA win in program history, they would then take on the winner of the Marietta-Gwynedd Mercy game on Saturday for a spot in the Division III Sweet 16.
The wrestling team competed at the two-day NCAA East Regional Championships down in Virginia and the squad finished in fourth place. Individually, Zach Roseberry won his third regional crown and will head to the NCAA Championships in Iowa in two weeks. Roseberry has placed fourth and third in his previous two trips to nationals and the heavyweight will probably be seeded second for the tournament.
Roseberry will not be alone as teammates Ben Schweiger and Brenden Velez who finished third in their weight classes and earned automatic berths to the NCAAs. It will be the first time on the national stage for both of them.
The indoor track and field teams competed at the MAC Championships and John Jones finished in third place in the men’s long jump.
Last week saw the all-conference teams came out for the winter sports (except wrestling which comes out at the end of the season) and DelVal had a great showing:
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Chris Moran - Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference
Tyliek Kimbrough - Second Team All-Conference
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Laura Hogan – Coach of the Year
Eireann Anastasi - Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference
Sam Foy - Honorable Mention All-Conference
MEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
John Jones - First Team All-Conference
In other news, the spring season has officially begun and the women’s lacrosse team kicked it off with a 20-3 home win over Rosemont on Saturday. Graeleigh Lackey set a school record with six goals.
Men’s lacrosse begins its second season tomorrow at home against Gwynedd Mercy. Later in the week, the baseball and softball teams will head to Florida for Spring Break games while the women’s tennis team will be in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
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February 23
It’s postseason time for the winter sports as all five teams will be competing in a championship tournament this week.
We’ll go in the order of events and the first will be the basketball teams on Wednesday night. For just the second time in school history, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams reached the conference playoffs in the same year (the first was last year). This year, both will be on the road for the semifinals.
The men will travel to Misericordia in a rematch of last year’s championship game (won by Misericordia). The two have combined to win four of the last five conference titles (DelVal in 2011 and 2013, Misericordia in 2012 and 2015) and they each won on the other’s court this season, a fact that bodes well for the Aggies. DelVal set a regular season record with 18 wins and can hit the magic number of 20 if they win the conference championship. Three-point shooting will be one key area as the team has been successful when they have hit the ‘3’ and have defended well against it. We’ll see what happens starting Wednesday.
The women will travel to three-time defending conference champion FDU-Florham for the third straight year for the semifinals. It didn’t look like this young squad was going to be in the postseason hunt when they were 1-7 on the year but they have been on a tear of late, winning 10 of its final 13 games with nine of those wins coming against conference opponents. DelVal nearly pulled out a win in Madison, New Jersey earlier in the season and will need a big shooting night as well.
On Friday and Saturday, the men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams will compete in the MSC Championships at Lehigh University. The men will be led by Ta’riq Thomas, who shined at the event as a freshman last year. He captured top honors in the triple jump and placed second in the long jump, en route to qualifying for the NCAAs. Kat Przybylowski has qualified in multiple events and will head the Aggie women’s team.
Finally, the wrestling team leaves for Virginia on Friday and will look to defend its team title at the NCAA East Regionals on both Saturday and Sunday. Individually, it’s simple for the 10 Aggie competitors – if you place in the top three in your weight class, then you qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships. The format, which went into effect a few years ago, allows a wrestler to survive a bad match and it keeps NCAA bids out of the hands of coaches in a wild-card vote. Heavyweight Zach Roseberry is a two-time All-American and the big favorite to win his third regional crown. DelVal has good shots at a number of other weights as well.
It should be an exciting week.
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February 16
With last week’s results (women won both games, men won one of two), both basketball teams have clinched a berth in their conference tournaments. It is just the second time that both teams will head to the postseason in the same year and the first was last season. Both teams can still finish anywhere from first to fourth.
For the women, they are 8-4 in MAC Freedom play and still tied with Manhattanville for third place. If the two teams finish tied, DelVal would be seeded about the Valiants since the Aggies swept them this season. DeSales is in first at 10-2 followed by FDU at 9-3. DelVal travels to King’s on Wednesday and then hosts FDU-Florham on Saturday. If DelVal and FDU either both win or lose early this week and one game still separates them heading into Saturday’s meeting, then the Aggies will have a chance to catch them for second place. A win on Saturday would have the teams tied and DelVal would have the edge on the tiebreaker because of its sweep of Manhattanville (FDU split with Manhattanville).
The men’s side is a little crazier as only DeSales (9-3) and DelVal (8-4) have secured postseason spots and five teams are battling it out for the remaining two spots. The Aggies can assure themselves of at least second place and a home semifinal game with wins at King’s on Wednesday and at home against FDU-Florham on Saturday. If DelVal wins both and DeSales loses both of its games on the road, then the Aggies would be the top seed and could host throughout. If the teams finished tied for first, it will all depend on where the other teams finish because the tiebreaker would move down the chain to how DeSales and DelVal did against the third place team and so on until the tie is broken. DelVal could also still finish in third or fourth place if it loses one or both of its remaining games and the other teams behind them catch up in the standings.
Remember, the MAC Freedom tournament begins next Wednesday, February 24 with the fourth seed travelling to the top seed and the third seed travelling to the second seed. The highest remaining seed would host the championship game on Saturday, February 27
The wrestling team and the men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams are off this week as they all prepare for the postseason. We will talk more about that next week but the wrestling team will head to Virginia for the NCAA East Regional Championships on February 27 and 28. It’s simple for the 10 wrestlers that will compete – if you place in the top three in your weight class, then you advance to the NCAA Division III Championships. The track teams will head to Widener on February 26 and Lehigh on February 27 for the MAC Indoor Championships.
You wouldn’t know it by the weather but the spring season is right around the corner. In fact, the women’s lacrosse team, in just its second year of competition, will start its campaign at home against Rosemont in just 11 days. That’s the first spring team that will hit the field in 2016.
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February 9
There are two weeks to go in the basketball regular season and both Aggie teams are very much in the playoff hunt. Last year, both teams made the postseason (the first time they both made in the same year) and they will look for a repeat performance this year. But, there’s a lot of work that still has to be done. Here’s a look at where the teams stand and, remember, the top four teams advance to the conference tournament:
Men (16-5 overall, 7-3 MAC Freedom) – DelVal is tied with DeSales for first place and the teams have split their two regular-season games. If it comes down to tiebreakers, it will boil down to where the other teams finish in the standings. DelVal has a major advantage over DeSales heading into these last two week as the Aggies have three of their last four games at home while DeSales has to hit the road for three of its four games.
Women (10-11, 6-4 MAC Freedom) – DelVal is tied with Manhattanville for third place. Eastern and King’s are tied for fifth at 4-6, two games behind the Aggies and the Valiants. DelVal has swept Manhattanville so the Aggies are technically ahead of them right now and they split with Eastern. DelVal still has to play at King’s after losing to the Monarchs at home. If the Aggies can get that game and get the split, it would help eliminate the first tiebreaker should the team wind up tied. Like the men, the DelVal women have three of its last four at home.
Needless to say, it will be an interesting last two weeks and final four games of the regular season.
In other news:
* The wrestling team had its first home match of the season this past Saturday and cruised to a big win. They are home again this Thursday night for Senior Night. Zach Roseberry continues to be ranked second in the country at heavyweight and Conor Kirkegard is eighth at 133 pounds
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February 2
What a week for DelVal basketball as both the men's and women's teams each went 2-0 against conference opponents. Both went on the road to a tough venue at Misericordia and were victorious on Wednesday. Then they each defeated Eastern at home on Saturday, but in much difference ways.
We'll start with the men who found themselves down 17 at halftime and their 13-game home winning streak in jeopardy on Saturday. With a packed gym cheering them on, the Aggies rallied and took a four-point lead, only to see Eastern come back and tie it. DelVal’s Barry Brockington then drilled a 3-pointer with just 0.3 seconds remaining for the wild win. The victory improved the team to 16-3 overall and 7-1 in the conference. The Aggies are all along in first place and are close to clinching a playoff berth.
For the DelVal women, they jumped out to a big lead early against Eastern and never let them back in the game. All five starters reached double figures for the Aggies, including Eireann Anastasi who followed her monster 40-point effort at Misericordia with 18 points on Saturday. The victory moved the squad to 5-3 in conference play and they are tied for third with six games remaining (the top four teams qualify for the conference playoffs).
More DelVal news:
* The men’s indoor track and field team moved into the national rankings for the first time ever last week as the squad is listed 25th in Division III for tournament points.
* The wrestling team will have its first home match of the season this Saturday, February 6 when the Aggies host Temple. Zach Roseberry (2nd) and Conor Kirkegard (8th) continue to be ranked in the top 10 nationally in their respective weight classes.
* We launched our You Tube Channel yesterday! Please check it out and subscribe.
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January 26
After more than two feet of snow and a day for the campus (which was closed on Monday), it's back to the grind at DelVal. The first conference championship of the winter season took place up in Williamsport on Saturday and the Aggie wrestling team placed third out of five teams. Conor Kirkegard (133) and Zach Roseberry (285) captured MAC individual titles while six others placed in the top six.
The MAC wrestling tournament doesn't have the same pizzazz that it did years ago when there were more teams and when it was the qualifying tournament for the NCAA Championships (the regionals decided that now). But, it is still the conference championship and a chance to bring home a trophy and individualy awards (DelVal did so as a team in thrilling fashion last year). Up next is a road trip to upstate New York and tough head-to-head battles with nationally-ranked squads Ithaca and Cortland.
It was big week for both basketball teams. For the men, the Aggies went on the road last Wednesday and took care of business against FDU-Florham. Then, the big showdown with DeSales University was moved up to Friday night to beat the snowstorm. An electric atmosphere was in the gym and the two teams tied for first in the conference battled on the court. It became a one-sided affair as the Aggies won by 28. Barry Brockington and Chris Moran had 21 points apiece and DelVal once again clamped it down on the defensive end. That makes 13 in a row at home. Wow!
For the DelVal women, the team nearly pulled off a huge road win at FDU-Florham but lost down the stretch against the three-time defending conference champions and 2014 national champs. They too met DeSales on Friday night and DeSales was undefeated in conference play. They left Doylestown with a 5-1 league mark as the Aggie posted the 75-71 win. Eireann Anastasi had a career-high 30 points in the win and went over the 1,500-point plateau for her career. The victory moved DelVal to 3-3 in conference play and right in the thick of the playoff race.
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The next blog is slated for January 26
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January 12
A belated Happy New Year to everyone. The blog is well rested and ready to go. And we are ready to go for the final six weeks of the basketball regular season. Both the men's and women's teams have 12 games remaining, all conference games, and it will be two contests per week (barring any weather situations). It all starts tomorrow night when DelVal hosts Manhattanville College for a doubleheader.
For the men, the team is off to the best start in program history with an 11-2 record (2-0 in the MAC Freedom). Part of that was a record, 10-game winning streak and the squad received the most votes it ever has in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. Chris Moran is putting up incredible numbers in his senior season and the whole squad is playing shutdown defense. The big test comes now in the grind of the conference schedule. Any MAC Freedom game is winnable and any MAC Freedom game is losable. The 2-0 start (the only team in the conference with a 2-0 league mark) allows for a hiccup or two to not cause too much damamge to postseason hopes.
While 2-0 is a great way to start, teams have bounced back from dropping the first two conference games to make a postseason run. That's what the DelVal women will look to do, starting tomorrow night against Manhattanville. DelVal did win the Gallaudet Holiday Invitational in December as they put together their best back-to-back games of the year. The Aggies also won their first game back in 2016 with Eireann Anastasi pouring in 27 points in that contest. She is now fifth all-time in scoring (1,419 points) and can moe up two spots with eight points on Wednesday.
This past Saturday was a big day for the DelVal wrestling team. Not in terms of the squad going 3-1 at the Ursinus College North/South Duals, but in the fact that it was the team's first event in more than a month and the first since the scary incident in Las Vegas when five wrestlers and head coach Steve Cantrell were struck by the driver that killed one and injured more than 40 on the Strip. Fortunately, none of the DelVal party were seriously injured and they were all released from the hospital that night, but DelVal pulled out of the Desert Duals, a tournament that they fundraised for all season. The support the team has received since the incident has been incredible and they are all grateful for it. This past Saturday, it was back to wrestling and that's exactly what they wanted.
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Reminder: The next blog will be on Tuesday, January 12
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December 15
This is the final blog until the second week of January. It is also the last days of finals, signalling the end of the fall semester. For the DelVal men's and women's basketball teams as well as wrestling, their seasons continue into the winter break as well as the spring semester. It is an unusually busy week with basketball games on three consecutive night, starting with tonight's men's game against Elizabethtown (tomorrow is the women versus The College of New Jersey and Thursday is the men against Immaculata).
The men are on a seven-game winning streak and the best start in program history with a 7-1 mark. The Aggies can tie the record of nine consecutive wins with a sweep of this week's two games.
The women are coming off a tournament championship as they went down to Washington, D.C. and captured top honors at the Gallaudet Holiday Tournament. The Aggies beat defending Landmark Conference champion Catholic in the first round, and followed with a rout of Trinity Washington in the title contest. Eireann Anastasi took home tournament MVP honors.
The wrestling team fundraised for its big trip of the year as the Aggies will head to Las Vegas for four matches on Monday. The team is still ranked 27th in the nation and Zach Roseberry is second at heavyweight.
Happy Holidays to all.
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December 8
Make it five straight for the DelVal men's basketball team, including two wins to start conference play last week. The Aggies put on a defensive clinic in their 71-44 victory over King's last Wednesday and followed three days later by gutting out an 81-79, overtime win on the road at Eastern. The MAC Freedom schedule has always been where two league contests take place in the first semester with the final 12 taking place from mid-January through three weeks in February. DelVal is the lone 2-0 team in the standings and, while it doesn't guarantee a postseason berth or anything, it 's always great to get off to the quick start in conference play.
Ta'riq Thomas picked up where he left off last season in track and field. He took first in the both the long jump and the triple jump at the Bow-Tie Classic. In fact, his long jump is tops in the country after one week of competition.
Congratulations to senior linebacker Rashaad Lighty, who was named to the all-East Region first team by D3football.com. He will now be on the All-American ballot, which will be announced in two weeks.
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December 2
A day late because of conference meetings, but just in time for the start of MAC Freedom play in basketball. Tonight, the DelVal men's and women's teams host King's College for the conference openers. The men have won three straight while the women are coming off a big victory over previously undefeated Goucher. Both King's squad have winning records to start the season. it should be a great doubleheader and the gym will be hopping tonight starting at 6 p.m.
After a week off, the 30th-ranked wrestling team will return to action on Saturday when it heads to York College for the New Standard Corporation Invitational. The field of 17 teams including seven that are ranked in the top 30. It is a great test for a young Aggie squad.
This Saturday marks the season opener for the men's and women's indoor track and field teams as they head to Ursinus College for the Bow-Tie Classic.
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November 24
Football finished off a 9-2 season with a 20-16 win over Moravian in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series. With all new starters on offense, a high majority of new starters on defense and a new kicker and punter, it was a quite a year and quite a coaching job by Duke Greco and his staff. Yes, the team was so close to the MAC championship and NCAA berth and losing the lead and the questionable calls at Lycoming leaves a bunch of "what ifs," but the accomplishments with such a turnaround of the roster shows what a program the Aggies have become over the last 13 years.
Men's basketball went 2-0 last week, including a big road win over a strong Kean squad. Chris Moran and Tyliek Kimbrough were dominant in the contest. it was also good to have Zach Sly back in the lineup.
Women's basketball had a rough first week of competition, but the Aggies will have their home opener tonight against Rosemont. It's the first of three straight in Doylestown, including next Wednesday's conference opener against King's.
Wrestling was back at Navy for the second time this year. This time it was for the Navy Classic (DelVal was the only non-Division I team there) and heavyweight Zach Roseberry finished in second place. His only loss was to a starter from Wisconsin. Not bad at all.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
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November 17
It was a dominating performance by the DelVal defense in the 20-3 win over Widener. It was a great to see the team bounce back from the bitter disappointment of the previous week and come out flying against a Widener team that had scored a combined 98 points over its two previous games. To hold them to three and less than 200 yards while forcing six turnovers was something else.
Unfortunately, DelVal did not get the help it needed as Albright routed Lebanon Valley to clinch the MAC title and the NCAA berth. However, the Aggies' season is not over as they will host Moravian in the Inaugural Centennial-MAC Bowl Series. It is the 12th time in the last 13 years that DelVal has reached the postseason. Quite an accomplishment
Elsewhere, tonight is the home men's basketball opener and the Aggies get the services of senior point guard Zach Sly back. He missed the season opener at Alvernia and it made the tough task of a road game against a defending conference champion even tougher and they lost the contest. Look for a bounce back tonight.
Women's basketball opens its season tomorrow at Rowan before heading to Muhlenberg for a tournament on Friday and Saturday. That's three games in four days for the Aggies.
Wrestling had a big showing at Ursinus as seven Aggies placed in the top four at the Fall Brawl. Zach Roseberry is already in midseason form as the two-time All-American heavyweight won his weight class and is 6-0 on the season. Now, it's back to Navy and the Navy Classic.
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November 10
It was a long trip back from Williamsport after the DelVal football team dropped a 43-42 decision. The Aggies led throughout most of the game, including 42-21 with under six minutes left in the third quarter. Credit Lycoming for rallying and making big plays down the stretch in all phases of the game. DelVal had chances to make that one play that would have sealed the win but couldn't come up with it. Toss in some questionable officiating and it made the long day even longer.
What the loss did was take control of the conference away from DelVal. Albright is now along in first place and just needs to beat Lebanon Valley at home to win the MAC title and get the NCAA bid. For the Aggies, they need to defeat archrival Widener and have Albright lose to get a shre of the MAC crown. DelVal would then get the NCAA bid because of its head-to-head win over Albright.
If DelVal does not get the NCAA bid, the ECAC is not in the picture this year because of changes to the ECAC format that is putting all the games in Connecticut and it could result in high costs and missed classed time. As a results, the commissioners and athletic directors of the MAC and Centennial Conferences have chosen not to participate in ECAC football, yet start a Centennial-MAC Bowl Series. Once the NCAA field is announced, the top two remaining teams in each conference will play a one-game bowl (top MAC vs second Centennial in one location, top Centennial vs second MAC in another).
For DelVal to be part of this, they more than likley need to defeat Widener. If that happens and Albright wins the MAC with a victory over Lebanon Valley, that would make tthe Aggies the top MAC school for the Bowl Series. If they lose to Widener, DelVal would need FDU-Florham to upset Stevenson for the Aggies to be the second MAC school in the Bowl Series. If not, DelVal's season would be over.
So a lot on the line for DelVal vs Widener. There usually is
Other DelVal news
* The men's basketball season kicks off on Friday with a single game at three-time defending MAC Commonwealth champion Alvernia. Lots of new faces on the Aggie squad, but they return one of the top trios in Barry Brockington, Chris Moran and Zach Sly. This is a team that could get better and better as the season goes on
* Wrestling is back in action this Saturday at the Ursinus Fall Brawl. The team certainly stepped up the competition ladder to start the season by travelling to Division I Navy nine days ago. The Fall Brawl is usually full of wrestlers from all levels so the Aggie wrestlers will be put to the test again.
* Women's Basketball does not start until next Wednesday at Rowan. An extra week of practice for a young Aggie squad
* Congratulations to the fall student-athletes who received all-conference honors. We had two in field hockey (Carlie Baldus, Samantha Collyer) and women's soccer (Nikki Dunlap, Mary Taylor) and one in men's soccer (Max Drummond). Football comes out next week with their all-conference team.
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The next blog will be on November 10
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October 27
Ladies and gentlemen, your first place Delaware Valley University Aggies!!! That where the football team now resides in the standings following their gutty, 28-23 win at Albright this past Saturday. Freshman Dashawn Darden got his first start at quarterback and he threw the first two scoring passes of the season for the team. Both went to Michael Jensen and the last came with about nine minutes to go for the winning points. The defense came up with some big plays throughout the game, including a goal line stand when Albright was trying to take a two-score lead in the third.
So now DelVal, with 11 new starters on offense and about seven on defense, stands at 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the MAC. The Aggies are tied with Albright and Stevenson but have wins over both. So destiny is in their hands. Win the last three and you are MAC champions and you are returning to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The three won't be easy as they host Lebanon Valley this week and they are still in the picture with a 4-2 conference mark. Then it's the trip to Williamsport and a battle with Lycoming and that's there an easy game, especially there. The regular season then ends at home against archirval Widener and the Pride are 4-2 and still in the hunt. What a three weeks it's going to be
Elsewhere in fall sports action, the men's and women's cross country teams are both competing at the MAC Championships at Misericordia University this Saturday. Samantha Will just missed out on a top 20 finish and all-conference honors last year. Hopefully, she takes the next step in her final year.
Field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball have all been eliminated from earning conference tournament berths. All four have their final two games/matches of the season this week. Next week, the all-conference teams will be announced in the respective sports.
For the winter, the wrestling team kicks off action this Sunday, November 1 when the Aggies head to Division I Navy. The national poll should be coming out any day and it will be interesting to see where the Aggies are following the graduation of three of their four All-Americans from last year. Two-time All-American heavyweight Zach Roseberry is back to lead the squad.
The basketball preseason conferecne coaches' polls are due out this week. The men's poll will be released on Wednesday with the women's poll set to come out on Thursday.
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October 20
It's a huge week for the DelVal football and field hockey teams as they both make a push in their respective sports. Football is coming off a bye week and DelVal will take its 5-1 overall record (4-1 MAC) to undefeated Albright (6-0, 5-0) on Saturday. As mentioned last week, the Aggies control their own destiny and can win the conference championship if they win their last four games. Two of them are against teams either ahead or tied with them in Albright and Widener (4-2, 4-1). Stevenson (5-1, 4-1) is also tied with the Aggies, but DelVal recently posted an 18-15 victory over the Mustangs.
For field hockey, the Aggies are 2-2 in MAC Freedom play and have three games remaining. They are tied with Misericordia University and Wilkes University for the fourth and final conference tournament spot and they play both of them this week. DelVal will first trave to Wilkes on Wednesday and will then host Misericordia for Senior Day on Saturday. With a game against nationally-ranked Eastern still on the horizon next week, the Aggies will certainly have to win one and perhaps both this week to reach the tournament.
Elsewhere in DelVal athletics, can you believe that the men's and women's basketball teams as well as the wrestling teams have officially begun practice? Hard to believe it's that time of the year already. The wrestling team actually opens its season in just 12 days!
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October 13
Homecoming and Family Weekend was a successful one with big crowds for all four home events, especially a packed stadium for the football team's 18-15, come-from-behind thriller over previously undefeated Stevenson. It was quite a battle with big defensive plays throughout. The final one forced a turnover late in the game and the Aggies turned it into the winning touchdowns with 43 seconds left.
So where does it leave the football squad as it enters the bye week with a 5-1 overall record and a 4-1 mark in the MAC. They are tied with Stevenson and Widener for second place, just behind undefeated Albright. DelVal travels to Albright right after bye week and it ends the year against Widener so the Aggies control their own destiny for the final four games of the season.
How about the other fall teams as the end of the season approaches? What do the playoff scenarios look like? Here goes (remember the top four teams qualify for the conference tournament in their respective sports).
Field Hockey (6-6 overall, 2-1 MAC Freedom) -- The Aggies are tied with three others for second place and all are just a game behind nationally-ranked Eastern. They still need to play two of the teams they are tied with and Eastern is on the schedule as well. One of those teams - FDU-Florham - comes to town on Saturday and a it's big, big game.
Men's Soccer (4-8-1, 0-2) -- With losses in the first two league games, it's a long road ahead, especially with nationally-ranked Eastern coming to Doylestown on Saturday.
Women's Soccer (3-9-1, 0-2) -- A second straight trip to the conference tournament is going to be tough after opening with a pair of losses, including one to nationally-ranked Misericordia. Tonight is probably a must win over Eastern and the team should be getting one of its injured players back and that will be a big help.
Volleyball (1-13, 0-4) -- It's a rebuilding year for the Aggies, who are hoping to get their first MAC Freedom win when they host Manhattanville on Wednesday.
Please note: cross country does not hold a playoff, instead a championship late in October. Both golf teams, althought they also compete in the fall, have their championships in the spring. Tennis just had the individual conference tournament and the team playoffs take place during the spring portion of its schedule.
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October 6
445 rushing yards in the rain. That was the result last Friday night when the DelVal football team travelled to FDU-Florham and produced a 40-7 win in awful weather conditions. It marked the third straight of 390 or more yards on the ground and the Aggies are now seventh in Divison III in the category. While FDU could not shut down ourt attack, the DelVal defense held them off the board for the whole game (FDU-Florham's lone points came on a turnover).
Now, DelVal is 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the MAC. The Aggies will host undefeated Stevenson in a huge game on Homecoming. A DelVal win combined with an Albright loss in their game would result in the Aggies moving into a tie for first place in the conference. Please remember that it's an early start time with a noon kickoff (plus an added treat as the Central Bucks South High School marching band will perform at halftime).
It will be a jam packed Homecoming weekend, starting with field hockey on Friday night against DeSales followed by a Pep Rally back in the gym. After the football game on Saturday, the soccer teams will each host Wilkes. They are all key conference games and it adds to the excitement of the weekend. We will start to take a look at the early playoff picture next week.
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September 29
It was another great atmosphere under the lights for the DelVal football team as the Aggies took care of business with a 26-10 win over King's. Middle Atlantic Conference Executive Director Ken Andrews was in attendance and he commented that the night games around the conference have been well attended and that there is a different feeling around those then the regular 1:00 p.m. starts. One can see why as it's a different setting than the norm, it gives the students a place to be on a weekend night, various events are usually structured around it (such as a blackout) and of course it means more time for tailgating.
The night games for field hockey, soccer and lacrosse have felt different too and it's great for the campus. And not every game is a night contest which is good because it then makes those contests feel more special. Let's hope the excitement continues
Other notes:
* The Aggie rushing attack is hitting on all cylinders right now as they netted 391 yards against King's, giving them over 800 rushing yards in the last two contests. The team is actually averaging 6.9 yard per rushing attempt. An amazing number
* Speaking of amazing numbers, linebacker Rashaad Lighty has forced five fumbles in the first four games. He is number one in all of Division III in that category
* Carlie Baldus and Taylor Prichett are quite a scoring tandem for field hockey. They have combined for eight goals and eight assists for 24 points on the year
* Four cross country runners notched their best personal times at the Dickinson meet. Great to see the improvement.
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September 22
It's hard to believe that we have already completed three weeks of the fall season. Conference play began in week two for football and last week for volleyball. This coming weekend is the start of MAC Freedom play for field hockey while soccer conference action beigns next week.
Football got the job done at Misericordia on Saturday with a solid 28-7 win. The team was dominant on the ground, rushing for 449 yards. They have three backs that can really get the job done as well a few wideouts who effectively run the jet sweep. King's and FDU-Florham are next for the Aggies. While the outsiders will see these as easy wins, nothing could be further from the truth as only two of the 10 team MAC teams are still undefeated so it's going to be a wild year in conference play. DelVal lost to King's at home two years ago and nearly dropped a road decision at FDU the week before. There is no easy win in conference play, especially for a young team still trying to find itself.
Field hockey will open conference play at King's on Friday night and it will be a battle for the four playoff spots. Eastern, which has been down the last few years, is off to a great spot and appears to be back. And the rest of the conference is faring well in non-conference games. DelVal was picked in a tie for fourth in the coaches' poll. It may come down to something like that and how the tiebreakers fare for teams.
Other notes of interest:
* Kudos to the women's tennis team as they are making strides in their second season. They are already 2-1, matching their entire win total from last season. Last year, they dropped an 8-1 decision to Neumann. This year, they notched a 7-2 win over the Knights
* Volleyball picked up its first win of the season this past Saturday with a 3-0 triumph over Cairn
* Brenna Coll has made a smooth transition for basketball to soccer. In fact, she leads all goalies in the conference with 60 saves
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September 15
The DelVal women's soccer team had a strong week against tough non-conference foes as the Aggies picked up a 2-2 tie with Cabrini and a 2-1 win over Muhlenberg. The tie with Cabrini came with just 11 seconds left in regulation and the winning tally at Muhlenberg came with less than 10 minutes to go. The late game dramatics were part of the team's run to the conference playoffs last year and performances like this against quality opponents will help their cause once MAC Freedom play begins.
Field hockey also had a big non-conference win against St. Mary's on Saturday. The team have gone to overtime in each of their last three meetings and DelVal pulled this one out on an overtime goal by Taylor Prichett. The two points for the goal upper her career total to 100 as she became just the third player in program history to reach the milestone.
It was a long Friday night for the football squad as the Aggies dropped a 12-7 decision at Wilkes. The team went 0-for-5 in the red zone and you're not going to win many games with that stat. The team is young so there's going to be some ups and downs. The win over Montclair State was the up, the loss to Wilkes was the down over the first two weeks.
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September 8
The blog was going to be updated late in the afternoon, but there was a power outage on campus and it lasted for quite a while. So the blog now comes from the friendly confines of home.
It was a good first week of results for the Aggies, starting with the football team's 27-24 win over Montclair State. DelVal has so many new starters on both sides of the ball while Montclair State returned a number of starters from a team that went 8-2 last season. So the odds favored the Red Hawks going into the game, but a a strong effort in all three phases led to the DelVal win. It marked the sixth time in the last seven years that the Aggies won their season opener. Now, it's onto conference play over the next 10 weeks (nine games and a bye week), starting with a Friday night contest at Wilkes later this week. Friday games are rare, but the Aggies have two of them this year as they will also travel to FDU-Florham for Friday Night Lights!
The first cross country invitational at the Gemmill Campus was a huge success as runners from other teams praised the course and fans were able to line up at various stages of the race. Here's to more invitationals at Gemmill!
The field hockey team is a perfect 2-0 and senior captains Taylor Prichett (seven points) and Emily Aldridge (17 saves) are leading the way. Women's tennis opened its second season of competition with a 5-4 win over Cairn while both soccer teams won its season openers.
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September 1
And away we go with the 2015-16 season! Today is the day of games and men's soccer has the first home contest of the year with a 4:00 p.m. match-up with Penn State Hazleton. Field hockey is at Neumann while women's soccer is at Penn State Harrisburg. Volleyball opens up on the road on Wednesday with both cross country teams and the football team opening its seasons at home on Saturday.
Remember, you can follow Aggie athletics in a number of ways. Most home games will feature Live Video and Live Stats and links will be put on the schedule pages for those as well as away games when the visiting school has those options available. Game stories and stats will be on the web and you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well.
A DelVal Athlete of the Week will be selected each Monday based on the performances from the previous Monday through Sunday. That player will be featured on the site. There is also the Getting to Know section where we profile athletes on a regular basis.
It should be an exciting year and we are excited to bring it all to you
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August 25
Classes have begun and we are exactly one week away from the first competitions of the 2015-16 season. If the conference preseason polls are any indication, then three fall teams are expected be in contention for a conference tournament berth and/or championship.
The football team was picked second in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) poll with Widener the favorite to repeat again, The Aggies received some votes in preseason top 25 polls, yet were picked to finish 5-5 in the Kickoff Publication from D3football.com. Why all over the place? Well, just 11 starters return, including only two on offense. The dynamic offensive trio of Rasheed Bailey, Chris Smallwood and Aaron Wilmer wrapped up their sensational careers and the defense gave up a lot of points last year. At the same time, the team has surpassed expectations before when the word "rebuilding" has crept in people's minds. Back in 2011, they had just one starter on offense and used a freshman quarterback (Wilmer). The squad went 10-0 in the regular season and reached the second round of the NCAA playoffs. The talent is there on a large roster. The question is, how quick can it come together?
Field hockey was selected to finish tied for fourth in the MAC Freedom and the top four teams qualify for the conference tournament so the Aggies should be right there according to the poll. Graduation hit hard with the loss of three players who combined for six all-conference honors over their careers. But there are veteran contributors back in the starting lineup, including forward Taylor Prichett who was an all-conference pick in 2013 and was up for consideration last year.
Women's soccer went from being picked last in the 2014 preseason poll to finishing tied for or third and qualifying for the MAC Freedom tournament. A large portion of that group is back, including all-conference honorees Nikki Dunlap, Nicole Fanfarillo and Shayna Schaffer. Surprisingly, the team was picked fifth in this year's poll, missing they would miss a postseason berth by one spot, More motivation for the squad.
Rasheed Bailey update: Bailey has played in two preseason games with the Eagles and he has hauled in a combined six passes in the two wins. He has received praised from head coach Chip Kelly in post-game conferences as well as numerous commentators. Next up is a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers at the famed Lambeau Field. From DelVal to Lambeau Field. Woe!
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August 18
The blog will return next Tuesday, August 25
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August 11
After a few weeks of rest and relaxation (sort of), the blog is back!!! The summer was a lot of fun looking back at the 2014-15 campaign. Now it's time to look ahead, especially with the fact the football team reports back to campus tomorrow. Tomorrow is the check-in date and the first practice of preseason camp will take place on Thursday. Early next week, the other fall intercollegiate teams (men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, and volleyball) return for camp.
The coaches for the fall sports have been asked by the conference office to fill out their preseason polls and those will be released by the conference as the season gets closer. Speaking of the conference, in particular the Freedom Conference, it will be referred to in a different manner. It will now be known as the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom or MAC Freedom.
This will be the third year of the turf and the second year for the lights at the stadium. All home fall games for field hockey, football and both soccer teams will take place on the turf. Please check the schedule pages for dates, opponents and times for the contests. Live video and live stats will be provided for most home games as well (most of our opponents provide these as well).
Finally, a Rasheed Bailey update. The former DelVal football standout and All-American is turning heads at the Philadelphia Eagles training camp. He is still among the 90 players vying for a a spot on the 53-man roster or the practice squad and he caught a couple of TD passes at the recent open practice held by the team at their stadium (much to the delight of several DelVal students, staff and alumni among the 43,000 in attendance). The Eagles will host Indianapolis on Sunday, November 16 at 1 pm. It will air locally on NBC10 and there will be a feature on Rasheed on the pre-game show.
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July 21
For the last few weeks, we have looked back at the top 10 games to the 2014-15 season. Today, it’s time for number one. Before we announce it, please remember that to be part of the top 10 games, it has to be a win or a tie for Delaware Valley. There were a few losses that were great contests, but they were not considered because the final score did not go the way of the Aggies.
It was a good year and some of the games already on the list could’ve been in the number one spot. But, we felt that the number game of 2014-15 was…
1. Men’s Basketball vs DeSales – February 7, 2015
It’s not often that the number one game of the year comes from the regular season, but this game had it all.
Significant meaning? Check. Both teams were 7-2 and tied with Misericordia University for first place in the conference. And Misericordia won earlier in the day, so the winner was going to be in a two-way tie for first.
Rivalry? Check. Since Delaware Valley turned its men’s basketball fortunes around seven years ago, the two teams have engaged in some great contests, including the Freedom title games in both 2011 and 2013 (both won by the Aggies)
Great atmosphere? Check. A large crowd, including a good contingent from DeSales, packed James Work Gymnasium, especially the two DelVal student sections.
A well-played game? Check. Two teams that just went at each other all afternoon. Desales shot 51.7 percent from the field while Delaware Valley was over 45 percent and hit 11 3-pointers in the game.
Drama throughout the game? Check. The game featured 12 ties and 15 lead changes.
Big individual performances? Check. For the Aggies, Francis Arnold had a game-high 23 points while Barry Brockington came off the bench and had his best game in a Delaware Valley uniform as the transfer drained five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points in 21 minutes. Cody Deal led DeSales with 20 points and nine rebounds.
A memorable finish? Check. One of the most memorable finishes in Aggie history. More on that a little later.
Neither team led by more than four points in the first half and the Bulldogs took a one-point lead into the break. In the second half, DeSales went on a 12-3 run for a 52-43 lead with 14:13 to go. The Bulldogs were still up six three minutes later when Delaware Valley countered with a 9-2 spurt to take a 63-62 lead. The teams went back-and-forth sown the stretch before DeSales took a 74-70 lead with 2:02 remaining. No one scored for the next minute before Arnold hit two free throws. Then Zach Sly stole the ball and fed Arnold for a layup to tie things up with 36 seconds to go.
DeSales’ Kuity Slanger was fouled with 2.3 seconds to go, but he missed both free throw attempts, Arnold grabbed the rebound and called timeout with 1.6 ticks remaining to set the stage for the unbelievable ending.
Sly inbounded the ball in front of the DeSales bench and found Chris Moran just two steps past halfcourt. Moran took one dribbled and launched a shot that looked good from the moment it left his hands. It banked off the backboard and in. There was no question that the shot took place before the buzzer so it counted and the Aggies had the 77-74 victory.
Pandemonium broke loose and the student body and others stormed the court around Moran, who stood right where he let the shot go from. Many had their phones out to capture the moment and Delaware Valley broadcaster Gordon Mann had the call.
“And Sly will get it inbound to Moran…And Moran’s jumper…GOOD….GOOD…CHRIS MORAN AT THE BUZZER…AGGIES WIN…PANDEMONIUM…77-74…WHAT A SHOT” - See the play and hear Mann's call by clicking here
The shot appeared all over the place, including websites and local television. The clip has has more than 8,500 hits on the DelVal website. But the biggest place it appeared came later in the night, actually early Sunday morning, as ESPN had it among its Top 10 Plays of the Day on SportsCenter. There among Division I basketball, the NHL, the NBA, golf and other highlights, was Chris Moran and DelVal.
It was the number two play in the country that night and part of the number one game of the 2014-15 Delaware Valley athletic season.
The blog will take two weeks off before coming back on August. Football preseason camp starts two days after that so we will begin to look ahead at the 2015-16 campaign.
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July 14
We’re in the middle of a look back at the Top 10 Games in the 2014-15 Year In Review and all three will focus on the Top 10 Games of the Year. Last week, it was games ten through six. This week, it’s games five through two. Then, it will be the number one game of 2014-15, which will be announced on July 21.
5. Women’s Basketball at DeSales – January 24, 2015
The Aggies were 2-3 in Freedom Conference as they got set to make the short trip to Center Valley to take on rival DeSales University. With a home game against winless Misericordia to follow in a few days, they needed this road win to have a real good shot at ending the first half of conference play with a winning record.
Delaware Valley got off to a quick start as it scored 18 of the first 26 points of the contest. Brenna Coll had the team's first five points while Sam Foy came off the bench and added six in the spurt. The Aggies still led 29-23 when DeSales went on a 13-0 run over the final 2:05 of the first half to take a seven-point lead into the intermission.
The Bulldogs’ lead was still seven after the first six minutes of the second half when Delaware Valley erupted for a 13-2 run to regain the advantage with 8:48 remaining. The teams then went back-and-forth the rest of the way with DeSales tying it up with 16 seconds left.
The Aggies crossed halfcourt after that basket and called timeout with 10 seconds left to set up a final play. Eireann Anastasi, who missed two free throws prior to the Bulldogs tying the game, received an inbounds pass and waited for a screen from Coll at the top of the key. Anastasi drove into the lane off the screen and pulled up just past the foul line. Her shot banked off the glass and in with 2.7 seconds remaining. DeSales' desperate 3-point heave from halfcourt was not even close and Delaware Valley had the 67-65 road victory. All five starters reached double figures in scoring for the Aggies with Coll leading the way with 14 points and nine rebounds.
The win was a key one for the Aggies as it helped eventually helped them qualify for the Freedom Conference semifinals for the second year in a row. And it was also a difference maker when they were selected for the ECAC South Region playoffs for the second straight season.
4. Football vs Lycoming – October 11, 2014
The setting had everything that made it one of the top Division III games of the week. Delaware Valley was 4-0 overall, 3-0 in the MAC and ranked 24th nationally. Lycoming was 5-0 overall, 4-0 in the MAC and ranked as high as 20th in Division III polls.
Meanwhile, Delaware Valley’s potent offense entered the game ranked sixth in the country in scoring and 15th in total offense with averages of 49.8 points and 518.3 yards per game. But how would the unit fare against a Warrior defense that was allowing just an average of 10 points (10th in Division III) and 208 yards (6th) per showing? In fact, they had permitted just a total of six touchdowns and 50 points over their first five games.
A large Homecoming crowd packed James Work Memorial Stadium, including a large contingency from Lycoming. It did not start out well for the home team as Lycoming scored on its first three drives for a 21-7, first-quarter lead. It was still a 14-point ballgame at 28-14 with 9:23 left in the first half when the Aggies found the end zone (missed the extra-point) and then stopped the Warriors for the first time in the game. Quarterback Aaron Wilmer then scored on both a touchdown run and a two-point conversion run to tie game with 21:05 remaining before the intermission.
Delaware Valley registered a pair of sacks on Lycoming’s next drive and used its timeouts to force a punt. The Aggies took over at their own 42-yard line with 12 second left. Wilmer went back and threw a bomb downfield that freshman Ta’riq Thomas caught over a Lycoming defender at the 10-yard line and went into the end zone for the 58-yard stunner that gave Delaware Valley the lead.
The Aggies never trailed in the second half and continued to rack up the points and the yardage. The final was 52-42 and the numbers were staggering. They found the end zone seven times and racked up 611 yards on just 65 plays (380 passing, 231 rushing) as it posted a 52-42 victory. In fact, the Aggies put up the most regular-season points against a Lycoming team since 1949.
Wilmer completed 21 of 27 passes for 380 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for a score. Rasheed Bailey continued his dream season by catching nine passes for 195 yards and one score. Tailback Chris Smallwood ran for 180 yards and one touchdown.
And the Homecoming celebration continued deep in the night.
3. Wrestling at NCAA East Regional Championships – March 1, 2015
If the MAC Championships coming down to the final matches and where the team title was determined by 1.5 points were a thriller (and number six on this list), then the NCAA East Regional Championships took the excitement to another level.
The East Regionals is annually one of six tournaments across the country that serves as a qualifier for the NCAA Championships. The top three placewinners in each weight class punch their ticket to nationals. So Delaware Valley wanted to qualify as many of its 10 competitors to the NCAAs, but the squad also wanted that team crown.
New York University (NYU) led 120-116 with two weight classes remaining. But just like the MAC Championships earlier in the year, the Aggies had the formidable tandem of All-Americans Aaron Karns and Zach Roseberry at 197 pounds and heavyweight respectively. Both were in the finals and had already sealed berths to the NCAA titles. Now they set to bring home individual regional titles and the team championship.
Karns went first and the number one ranked Division III wrestler in his weight class had two takedowns, a two-point near fall, an escape and riding time for an 8-0 major decision. The major meant an extra point for the Aggies, but NYU also picked up points as it had a fifth-place winner at 197. All of that put the score at 122-119.
That left it up to Roseberry and all eyes were on him as NYU did not have anyone wrestling in the heavyweight placement matches. Roseberry, ranked seventh nationally, scored a takedown 79 seconds in. Thirty-three ticks later, he pinned his opponent and that was the difference as the Aggies won the regional title by a 123-122 score.
Karns and Roseberry were the lone Aggie regional champions, but four others were going to join them on the trip to the NCAAs as Vinny Fava was the regional runner-up at 149 pounds while Zac Haynes (133), Alec Horan (165) and Connor Gabriel (184) finished third in their weight classes.
And the whole squad celebrated another championship that year as Delaware Valley took first in all four tournaments it competed in. The regional crown was the seventh in program history.
2. Men’s Basketball vs DeSales – February 25, 2015
When the Aggies have reached the Freedom Conference tournament in recent years, a meeting with rival DeSales University has always been part of the run. That occurred in both 2011 and 2013, but those match-ups took place in the conference championship game. Delaware Valley won both times (at home in ’11 and at DeSales in ’13), pulling away from the Bulldogs each time.
The 2015 match-up occurred in the semifinals and it was in Doylestown as the Aggies were the number two seed and the Bulldogs held the number three spot. The result was the same as the previous postseason meetings.
DeSales led early before an 18-2, Delaware Valley run gave the home squad a 20-7 advantage. Nick Sullivan put the large crowd in a frenzy with a trio of 3-pointers in the spurt. The Bulldogs got their deficit to single digits a few times, but the Aggies, behind 55.6 percent shooting from the field (53.8 percent from 3-point land), took a 41-30 lead into halftime.
Delaware Valley upped its advantage to as many as 17 in the first eight minutes of the second stanza. The lead was still 14 when the Bulldogs made one last gap and cut it down to six, 70-64 with 2:34 remaining. The Aggies came down the court, swung the ball all around and found a wide-open Francis Arnold. He hit nothing but net on his 3-point shot. Arnold followed with four straight from the foul line and Delaware Valley eventually posted an 82-67 victory. Arnold and Sullivan were simply unstoppable on the evening as they combined for 11 3-pointers and 48 points in the game.
The win also continued the miraculous turnaround that head coach Casey Stitzel performed with the team in his seven year. The Aggies were 3-22 overall and winless in the Freedom the year before his arrival. The win was the 96th for the team since then along with four Freedom tournament berths, two conference championships and two NCAA Division III playoff appearances.
And, thanks to the dominating win, it was a third berth in the Freedom Conference Championship Game.
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July 7
Just three more installments of the 2014-15 Year In Review and all three will focus on the Top 10 Games of the Year. This week, it is games ten through six followed by next week’s installment of games five through two. Then, it will be the number one game of 2014-15, which will be announced on July 21.
Let the debating begin!
10. Women’s Lacrosse vs Cedar Crest & Men’s Lacrosse vs Immaculata – March 4, 2015
It was a day/night of firsts for Delaware Valley as its new lacrosse teams hit the home turf for the first time. It was also the first-ever game for the men’s squad and both the women and men posted the first wins in program history.
The women, who had debuted a few days earlier in a loss on the road, hit the field first against Cedar Crest College and, after falling behind early, scored five in a row to take the lead for good. They kept pouring it on and led 15-6 at the break.
The final result was 22-10 triumph and the team’s first-ever win. Kara Imes, who went on to earn a spot on the all-Freedom Conference team, finished the game with five goals and two assists while four other players had three or more goals.
Then it was the men’s turn as the first game in program history was against Immaculata University. A large crowd came out to watch the Aggies under the lights and then stayed despite a wild fog that had rolled in.
Alex McKenzie scored the team’s first-ever goal less than six minutes in and Delaware Valley took eventually took a 5-4 lead into halftime. The Aggies came out flying in the third quarter and upped the advantage to four. Immaculata made things interesting by pulling to within one with 8:16 to go, but the defense shut them down from there and Delaware Valley had the win.
It was 18 months after Delaware Valley announced the sponsorship of the sports and it was a memorable day/night for both.
9. Baseball vs Misericordia & FDU-Florham – April 13 & 15, 2015
It had a tough going for Delaware Valley as the Aggies had lost nine in a row, including a pair of road doubleheaders to Misericordia and FDU-Florham on the Saturday and Sunday right before the rescheduled single games.
First, Delaware Valley would host Misericordia for the single, nine-inning conference game on Monday. The 13th-ranked Cougars led early before the Aggies rallied for a 6-5 lead. Misericordia tied it up in the seventh and had the go-ahead run on third base with two outs in the top of the ninth before Aggie freshman Jeremy Stewart, in his first collegiate pitching performance, ended his third inning of relief work by getting a fly out to left.
Then in the bottom of the ninth, Kyle Wenger led off with single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Matt DeWald stepped to the plate and he smacked the first pitch he saw about five feet inside the left field line. Wenger scored easily and the Aggies had the walk-off upset win.
Two days later, it was time to face FDU-Florham again. Delaware Valley led 8-0 after two innings before the Devils came all the way back to tie it. The Aggies went back up 9-8, but they gave up the lead. They then forced extra innings when Wenger drew a bases loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. In the 10th, DeWald reached second base on an error. Samuel Amos then hit a sharp grounder to shortstop and the throw sailed wide of first base, allowing DeWald to score the game-winning tally and another walk-off victory.
8. Football vs Wilkes – September 20, 2014
The first home night football game in school history was a wild, record-breaking event that saw the two teams for 89 plays and 972 yards. In the end, the big story was senior tailback Chris Smallwood as he stole the show with 20 carries for 213 yards and a school-record six touchdowns in the Aggies’ 54-35 win.
The near capacity crowd, including a large student section, watched Smallwood reach the end zone on runs of 49, 1, 5, 42, 34 and 37 yards. He broke the rushing and overall touchdown records that were set way back in 1968. Another record was set on the night and that was by the Wilkes as its fast-paced attack ran off an astounding 113 plays, a new Division III regulation record.
Smallwood wasted no time after the pre-game festivities as he took a handoff on the third play from scrimmage and raced 49 yards to the end zone. The teams went back and forth with a 21-21 halftime score. They kept trading touchdowns and it was 35-35 with five minutes left in the third quarter.
The remaining 20 minutes belong to the Aggies as they scored the final 19 points of the contest. The first two scores were touchdown passes from Aaron Wilmer and Smallwood capped his evening with a 37-yard touchdown scamper midway through the fourth quarter.
From the pre-game festivities under the lights, to the big crowd to the offensive performances on both sides to Smallwood’s record runs, it was certainly a night and a game to remember.
7. Women’s Soccer at Wilkes & Eastern – October 16 & 18, 2014.
The Aggies were picked to finish last the Freedom Conference preseason coaches’ poll and they were 0-1-1 in conference play when they were about to hit the road for back-to-back games against perennially strong league opponents in Wilkes University and Eastern University.
The first was against Wilkes and the Colonels scored less than nine minutes in for the early advantage. It looked like that tally was going to stand as Delaware Valley had managed just five shots in the first 89 minutes of the game. However, Elisha Taney headed in a pass from Karla Keler with just 52 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. In the extra session, the Aggies quickly moved down the field and Keler sent a corner pass to Shayna Schaeffer, who found the back of the net just 31 seconds in. In a span of 83 seconds, Delaware Valley went from a loss to a stunning win.
Two days later, the Aggies headed to nearby Eastern and, once again, fell behind early. Schaeffer scored late in the first half and Taney scored twice in the second stanza for a 3-1 score and a lead that the team would not relinquish. It was Delaware Valley’s first-ever win over the Eagles and it moved them into third place where it would eventually finish.
Two days, two road games and two wins that changed the Delaware Valley women’s soccer season
6. Wrestling at Middle Atlantic Conference Championships – January 24, 2015
The 2015 MAC Championships was expected to be highly competitive as four of the five teams in the tournament were nationally-ranked in Division III, including the No. 10 Aggies. Messiah College was the highest ranked team at No. 8 while Wilkes University and Lycoming College were 13th and 22nd respectively.
The one-day tournament quickly turned into a two-team race as Delaware Valley and Messiah were neck and neck throughout. In fact, it all came down to the end where the Aggies needed returning All-Americans Aaron Karns and Zach Roseberry to each win their championship final matches at 197 and 285 pounds respectively. Messiah was in the lead at the time, but the Falcons did not have a wrestler in either one of those finals.
Karns, a senior and two-time All-American who was ranked second nationally, had no trouble with his opponent as he used a takedown, escape and riding time for a 4-0 win. Next up was Roseberry, who finished fourth at the NCAAs as a freshman the year before. He was ranked fourth nationally at the time and he nearly pinned his opponent in the first period before cruising to an 11-3 major decision, the individual title and the team championship
It was the Aggies’ 15th MAC title as their 125.5 points was just 1.5 points ahead of Messiah. Karns and Roseberry were two of five individual champions as Zac Haynes (133 pounds), Vinny Fava (149) and Alec Horan (165) also claimed crowns in their respective weight classes. And it all resulted in another plaque going up on the wrestling room wall and another chapter in the program’s storied history.
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June 30
As we get set to enter July, we continue to look back at the 2014-15 season with our Year In Review. This week, it’s a look at our picks for the Top 5 Surprises of the Year.
5. Dom Foti, Men’s Golf
Foti transferred in from Bucks County Community College and the junior was just another name on the men’s golf roster. By the end of the year, he was the most dominant golfer in the Freedom Conference as he not only captured the individual championship, but did so by 10 strokes. He was the first Aggie to win the title in nearly 10 years and he will be the prohibitive favorite to win back-to-back conference crowns.
4. Zac Haynes, Wrestling
Haynes entered his senior season with 38 career wins, including one over the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class last season. He had never finished higher than fourth at either a conference or regional tournament. In 2014-15, Haynes was not far off from matching his career total as the 133-pounder notched a 29-9 record. He captured both the MAC and East Regional titles and earned a trip to the NCAAs. At the national tournament, he capped a year to remember by placing seventh to earn All-America honors.
3. Ta’riq Thomas, Track and Field
Freshmen have come in and have had dominating rookie campaigns in various sports. Few have matched Thomas’s. In indoor track and field, he won the MAC and ECAC title in the triple jump and qualified for the NCAAs in that event as well as the long jump. He eventually placed 11th in both events. Thomas followed it up in the spring with another MAC title in the outdoor triple jump and was the runner-up at the ECACs. He advanced to the NCAA Championships and earned All-America accolades by finishing in sixth place.
2. Women’s Soccer
Picked to finish a distant last in the Freedom Conference preseason coaches’ poll after winning one league game the year before, head coach Kevin Doherty and his young group of Aggies (no seniors on the roster) showed that the polls can be way off. They improved their conference record by two games – which is big in just a seven-game league schedule, including their first-ever win over perennially Freedom power Eastern University. They finished in third place in the standings and earned a trip to the Freedom semifinals. With three all-conference players and a number of other starters back, the team won’t be last in this year’s poll.
1. Chris Smallwood, Football
After transferring in from Division II West Chester University, Smallwood spent the 2013 campaign as primarily the number three runner on the roster and he notched 148 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. With the graduation of the two tailbacks ahead of him, Smallwood entered ’14 at the top of the depth chart. His first game against Montclair State University saw him garner just 61 yards on 20 carries. Seven days later against Wilkes University, Smallwood had 20 carries again. This time, they went for 213 yards and a school-record six touchdowns. It kick-started one of the top rushing seasons in Aggie history as Smallwood finished with 244 yards for 1,387 yards and a school-record 21 touchdowns (22 overall with one receiving score). Smallwood’s performance in 2014 helped DelVal get off to a 9-0 start and qualify for the NCAA playoffs. And his season was capped with All-America honors from D3football.com.
Next Tuesday, we begin a three-week look back at the Top 10 Games of the Year. We will announce games 10 through 6 on Tuesday, July 7 and then games 5 through 2 on July 14. The number one game of the year will then be announced on July 21. Think about the entire year and all the teams. Get your list ready and compare.
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June 23
The 2014-15 Year In Review continues with our picks for the male and female unsung heroes of the year:
Unsung Hero (Male) – Rashaad Lighty, Football
The offense received most of the attention in 2014 with the trio of quarterback Aaron Wilmer, tailback Chris Smallwood and wide receiver Rasheed Bailey breaking records on a weekly basis and earning numerous accolades. Defensively, safety Danny Wynne was back to lead the unit after an all-conference season in 2013. Behind all of that was the emergence of Lighty, who returned to his natural position of outside linebacker after a year on the defensive front. Lighty recorded 56 tackles and caused havoc in the backfield with 8.5 sacks (second in the conference). He came up strong in big game, including an interception return for a touchdown as the Aggies tried to make a comeback in the battle of unbeaten at Widener. Lighty finished the year with all-conference and all-region awards and will be a player to watch in 2015.
Unsung Hero (Female) – Shayna Schaeffer, Soccer
Schaeffer did it all for the Aggies as they went from being picked last in the conference preseason coaches’ poll to a third-place finish and a berth in the Freedom semifinals. She scored two goals (one a game-winner) and assisted on two others for six points. She played a key role in the defensive effort that notched four shutouts on the year and held opponents to two goals or less in 14 of the team’s 19 games. And when DelVal had injuries to its two goalkeepers, Schaeffer stepped in and played the position in three games, including a critical, 1-1 tie against conference foe Manhattanville. She earned a spot on the all-conference team as an honorable mention selection and great things are expected from her for her senior year in 2015.
Next week is the top five surprises of the year.
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June 16
He had a season for the ages and it was all capped when he realized a childhood dream by signing an undrafted free agent contract with his hometown Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).
With mini-camp with the Eagles beginning today, it is the right time to look back at the amazing year of Rasheed Bailey and his Top Five moments:
5. Opening the season with a bang
Bailey was coming off an all-conference season as a junior and he was going to be tested in the 2014 opener at Montclair State University as he was matched up against All-American cornerback C.J. Conway. Bailey torched Conway all afternoon and tied a school record with 11 catches for 216 yards (fifth highest in school history). He sealed the game as he made a move that left Conway in the dust and hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass with 5:54 remaining to give the Aggies a two-score lead in the 30-20 win.
4. Taming the Lions
After tying the single-game mark for catches against Montclair State, Bailey tied the receiving touchdowns record two weeks later with four in a wild win at Lebanon Valley. The team then hosted Albright College the following week and Bailey took aim at the single-game yardage mark. He made a number of highlight reel catches that left broadcaster Gordon Mann to say, “There are no more words.” Bailey finished with 252 yards (breaking the record by one yard) and grabbed four touchdowns again on nine receptions in the 56-24 rout.
3. Sports Illustrated
With three different single-game records over the first four weeks of the season, everyone started taking notice of Bailey, including the top sports weekly national publication. He appeared in the “Faces In The Crowd” section in the October 27 edition and it highlighted his records and well as leading the country in two receiving categories. Bailey was the first DelVal football player and just the third Aggie overall to be profiled in Sports Illustrated.
2. Rising To The Occasion
When DelVal hosted Lycoming College for Homecoming, both teams were undefeated and it was one of the top games in the country that week. It was a match-up of the potent Aggie offense against a Warrior defense that had allowed just a total of 50 points in their first five games. Bailey faced another All-American in the secondary in safety Tanner Troutman, but it didn’t matter as he notched nine catches for 195 yards and one score. DelVal left Lycoming in shock at it put 52 points on the scoreboard in the 10-point.
1. E-A-G-L-E-S
As the season progressed, NFL scouts began making their way to Doylestown to meet Bailey, talk to his coaches and watch practices and game films. After the year, Bailey furthered his training and attended a local combine as well as a workout with the Eagles. There was talk that he might even be drafted in the later rounds.
The draft came and went and Bailey’s name was not called. However, his phone rang off the hook immediately afterwards with a number of squads interested in signing his as an undrafted free agent. One of those teams was the Eagles and, on May 2 (just two weeks prior to his graduation), Bailey agreed to terms with his hometown squad.
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June 9
Last week we looked at the top freshman and sophomore (male and female) as part of the 2014-15 Year In Review. This week, it's time for the picks for the top junior and senior.
Top Junior (Male) – Dom Foti, Golf
Foti transferred in prior to the season and became the first Aggie men's golfer to win the Freedom Conference individual championship in nearly a decade. He led the field by two strokes after day one. Many times over the years, the golfer who led after the first day faltered on day two and did not win the title. That was not the case for Foti. In fact, he was even more impressive on the final day, as he shot a better round and wound up with a mind-boggling, 10-stroke victory.
Top Junior (Female) – Nikki Dunlap, Soccer
Dunlap missed the entire 2013 campaign with an injury and the Aggies failed to make the conference playoffs. She hit the field in '14 and led a team with no seniors and an expected last place finish (according to the coaches' preseason poll) to a winning record in Freedom play, a third-place showing and a berth in the conference tournament. Dunlap finished with team highs of seven goals and 14 points and earned a spot on the all-Freedom first team.
Top Senior (Male) – Rasheed Bailey, Football
There were strong senior performances across the board (Vinny Fava and Aaron Karns in wrestling, Francis Arnold in basketball), even two of his football teammates (Chris Smallwood, Aaron Wilmer). but the year belong to Bailey. He torched a pair of All-American defenders in two of his biggest performances (Montclair State and Lycoming) and finished with school records of 80 catches for 1,707 yards and nine touchdowns. The yardage and touchdowns totals led all of Division III and he was rewarded with numerous accolades including MAC Player of the Year, Maxwell Club Player of the Year and spots on three separate All-America Teams. Bailey was even featured in Sports Illustrated's Faces in The Crowd and he helped lead the team to nine wins and a berth in the NCAA playoffs. Oh yeah, and then there's that free agent signing thing with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, the first Aggie to go to an NFL camp in more than 20 years!!!
Top Senior (Female) – Brenna Coll, Basketball
Somehow, she was only selected as a second-team, all-conference player, but Coll's impact on the team in 2014-15 was huge. She put up big numbers across the board with averages of 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while leading the team to appearances in the Freedom Conference and ECAC playoffs for the second year in a row. Coll rarely had an off night, reaching double figures in scoring in 22 of the 27 games and notching five double-doubles. Coll also became the first player in program history to surpass the 1,400-point and 700-rebound marks in a career.
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June 2
The next two installments of the Year In Review focuses on the top male and female athletes per class. Today is a look at the freshmen and sophomore honorees (next week - the juniors and seniors). Let the debating begin.
Top Freshman (Male) – Ta’riq Thomas, Track and Field (Indoor & Outdoor) & Football
Talk about making an immediate impact. In indoor track and field, Thomas was named the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Rookie of the Year as he won the conference titles in the triple jump and long jump. He also qualified for the NCAAs in both. Then came the spring outdoor season and Thomas was once again the MAC Rookie of the Year as he won the triple jump and took second in the long jump. He reached the NCAAs for the triple jump and placed sixth for All-America honors. In football, Thomas caught just one pass, but it was one of the biggest ones of the year as it went for 58 yards and a touchdown with four seconds left in the first half in a 52-42 win over previously undefeated Lycoming.
Top Freshman (Female) – Kara Imes, Field Hockey & Lacrosse
Imes started for a pair of DelVal teams. In field hockey, she started 19 of the 20 games and notched one goal for two points. Imes then took part in the inaugural season of women’s lacrosse and started all 13 contests. She was third on the team in scoring with 13 goals and five assists for 18 points and was the first Aggie in program history to garner all-Freedom Conference honors as she was a second-team selection.
Top Sophomore (Male) – Zach Roseberry, Wrestling
Roseberry followed up his stellar All-America rookie campaign with another year that ended with him standing on the national podium. The heavyweight won a team-best 35 matches (35-4), was ranked nationally all season and clinched both the MAC and NCAA East Regional titles for the team by winning individual crowns at both. He went back to the NCAA Championships and finished in third place, one spot higher than last year. Roseberry has two more cracks at winning the program’s 10th individual national championship.
Top Sophomore (Female) – Samantha Will, Cross Country
Will began the year on a high note as she became just the second Aggie to win the annual DelVal Invitational. She also medaled at the Messiah College Invitational with an eighth place showing. Then at the MAC Championships, Will improved her standing by 34 spots as she went from 55th as a freshman to 21st this year and just missed out on all-conference honors
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May 26
Here we go. The first look back at the 2014-15 athletic season - A to Z:
A – ALL-AMERICANS – DelVal had seven All-Americans with four in wrestling (Vinny Fava, Zac Haynes, Aaron Karns, Zach Roseberry), two in football (Rasheed Bailey, Chris Smallwood) and one in men’s outdoor track and field (Ta’riq Thomas)
B – BAILEY, RASHEED – 80 catches for 1,707 yards and 19 touchdowns…Multiple All-America accolades…Maxwell Football Club…Free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. It was quite a year for the senior wide receiver
C – COLL, BRENNA – The senior became the first player in Aggie women’s basketball history to notch 1,400 points and 700 rebounds in a career
D – DELAWARE VALLEY UNIVERSITY – The institution was officially awarded university status on April 8 and the beginning of “DVU” chants at athletics events
E – ESPN – DelVal appeared on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays on February 7 after Chris Moran banked in a 35-foot shot at the buzzer to give the Aggie men’s basketball team a thrilling win over archrival DeSales
F – FOTI, DOM – The junior transfer pulled away from the field to win the Freedom Conference Men’s Golf individual championship, the first Aggie in nearly 10 years to accomplish the feat
G – GRECO, DUKE – The rookie head football coach won his first nine games, and led the team to the NCAA Division III playoffs and saw two of his players sign professional contracts
H – HERSHEY – The NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships were held less than two hours away and DelVal fans helped pack the arena as the team crowned four All-Americans and finished in fifth place
I – INAUGURAL SEASONS – DelVal’s five new programs (women’s golf, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, women’s teams) competed for the first time in 2014-15
J – JUMPERS, LONG RANGE – DelVal’s men’s and women’s basketball teams combined for 340 made 3-pointers on the year as both squads reached the postseason
K – KARNS, AARON – The senior 197-pounder capped one of the top wrestling careers in school history wrestler by becoming just the fifth Aggie to earn All-America honors three times as he finished in fourth place at the NCAAs
L – LYDIA SPAKOSKY – Went first name first on this one. The senior was an all-conference pick for the second year in a row in field hockey and finished in the top 10 nationally in defensive saves. She also started on the new women’s lacrosse team.
M – MORAN, Chris – The junior was a first-team all-conference pick, led the men’s basketball team to the Freedom Conference Championship Game and provided one of the biggest highlights of the year with his ESPN-bound buzzer beater
N – NATIONAL RUNNER-UP - Senior 149-pound wrestler Vinny Fava was ranked number one in the country for most of the season and finished second in his weight class at the NCAA Championships
O – OFFENSE – Football put up video-game like numbers on the offensive side of the ball including 50 or more points in four straight games and record-breaking years from wide receiver Rasheed Bailey, tailback Chris Smallwood and quarterback Aaron Wilmer
P – PLAYOFFS – In team-qualifying sports, football reached the NCAA playoffs , men’s basketball made it all the way to the Freedom title game, women’s basketball were in both the Freedom and ECAC postseason, and women’s soccer reached the Freedom semifinals
Q – QUALIFIERS - DelVal had seven student-athletes qualify for nine spots at the NCAA Championships in individual sports – six from wrestling and one in men’s track and field
R – ROSEBERRY, Zach – The sophomore heavyweight wrestler won MAC and East Regional titles and then placed third at the NCAAs for his second straight, All-America accolade
S – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED – Rasheed Bailey was featured in the premier sports magazine’s “Faces In The Crowd” section after setting three different school records over the first four games of the year
T – THOMAS, Ta’riq – The freshman won the MAC triple jump titles during both the indoor and outdoor seasons and also took top honors in the indoor long jump. He qualified for the NCAAs in all three and capped the year by placing sixth and earning All-America accolades in the outdoor triple jump.
U – UNDER THE LIGHTS - The new lights at Robert A. Lipinski Field at James Work Memorial Stadium allowed night contests for field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer and the new men’s and women’s lacrosse teams
V – VIDEO STREAMING – DelVal added live video streaming of all home events at the stadium and in the gymnasium
W – WILMER, Aaron – The record-setting quarterback became just the 26th player in NCAA history to pass for 10,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career. He then signed a contract with the CFL’s BC Lions
X – XCITEMENT – Just like the last few years, we cheated a little with the spelling of this one. It was an exciting year with postseason berths and great incredible accomplishments
Y – YOUTH – Youth was on display on a number of rosters, including women’s soccer where there were no seniors and just three juniors on the 15-player roster and they made a run to the Freedom Conference playoffs.
Z – ZOOK, Kelsey – The senior midfielder earned first-team all-conference accolades for the second year in a row, was selected to four separate academic teams and even graduated a semester early
Next week, we take a look at the top male and female athlete of the year - freshman and sophomore
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May 12
Other than a handful of track athletes going to ECACs at the end of this week and hopefully some qualifying for NCAAs (looks like Ta'riq Thomas is in for the triple jump), the 2014-15 season is over for DelVal athletics. So after a week off from the blog, we will begin the annual and always-popular Year In Review.
Here is the schedule for the Year In Review so plan accordingly!
May 19 - NO BLOG
May 26 - 2013-14 DelVal Athletics – A to Z
June 2 - Athlete of the Year (Male and Female - Freshman and Sophomore)
June 9 - Athlete of the Year (Male and Female - Junior and Senior)
June 16 - Top Five Rasheed Bailey Moments
June 23 - Unsung Hero of the Year (Male and Female)
June 30 - Top Five Surprises of the Year
July 7 - Top Games of the Year (Games 10 through 6)
July 14 - Top Games of the Year (Game 5 through 2)
July 21 – The Number One Game Of the Year
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May 6
A day later than usual but it worked out because the final all-conference team came out. We will get to those later in this blog. But, of course, we have to lead off with one of the biggest news of the year and that's Rasheed Bailey signing a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. To come from Roxborough High School in Philly, to have little interest from college teams after playing mostly tight end, to become one of the best receivers in Division III and to sign with the team you grew up rooting for. It's been a whirlwind for Bailey and now he gets set to report to NFL rookie camp. Wow!
Bailey is the first Aggie to sign with an NFL team since Steve Wagner, a 6-foot-9, 325-pound offensive lineman went to camp with the Eagles in 1993. He has been assigned number 18, the number worn by standout wide receiver Jeremy Macklin the ast few years before Macklin signed with the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason.
How will it all turn out? Who knows, But Bailey has a much-earned opportunty and that's all you want and all that he could ask for. We'll be following him every step of the way
Other athletics news
* Ta'riq Thomas continues to shine with track as he won the MAC outdoor title in the triple jump and took second in the long jump. His triple jump mark was the seventh-best in Division III up to this point, almost assuring him of a berth to the NCAA Championships later this month. Remember, the freshman qualified for the NCAAs in both the triple jump and the long jump during the indoor season.
* Baseball all-conference came out today and sophomore Kyle Wenger was named the Player of the Year for the Freedom Conference. A great accomplishment especially considering that he is just a sophomore and the team missed the postseason. He truly has the respect of the conference coaches and they believe he is the best player to take the field in the Freedom. Congratulations to Kyle.
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April 28
The highlight of the spring season up to this point occurred just two days ago when junior transfer Dom Foti captured the Freedom Conference Men's Golf individual championship. He didn't just win the title, but pulled away from the pack and recorded an 11-stroke victory. Foti became the first Aggie men's golf conference champion since Mike Everingham accomplished the feat in 2006.
What may have been the most impressive part of Foti's title run was that he had a two-stroke lead after the first 18 holes on Saturday and then went out on the final day (Sunday) and shot a one-over-par 72 to win by 11. It is not easy to sleep with the lead, but he did and then put any rest to anybody's comeback bid by shooting a 36 on the front nine. Now, we'll see if he can make it two in a row next year.
Most spring sports are done now. Baseball has five games this week (two on Tuesday, one on Thursday and two on Saturday) while the men's and women's outdoor track and field teams have the MAC Championships at Messiah College this weekend. After that, there's a handful of track student-athletes that will compete at the ECAC Championships with the hopes of still qualifying for the NCAAs.
Speaking of the spring, we will start to see the all-conference teams announced this week. Softball was today, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's lacrosse will be latere this week. Baseball is next week since the conference season was extended a week because of the weather problems we were having early this spring. Golf's all-conference teams were determined by how they placed at the championships so Foti was a first-team honoree and the Freedom Golfer of the Year. Track will be the same way in the events this weekend (top three finishers are first teamers, four through six finishers are second teamers.
And, of course, this weekend (actually Thursday through Monday) is the NFL Draft. Will Rasheed Bailey's named be called in the late rounds of the draft? Or will he and/or Aaron Wilmer be asked to a team's training camp as an undrafted free agent? The DelVal community will never follow a draft and the aftermath closer then they will at this one.
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April 21
The next blog update will be on April 28
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April 14
What a thrilling end to yesterday's baseball game as Matt DeWald's walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning scored Kyle Wenger and lifted DelVal to a 7-6 victory over a Misericordia University squad that was ranked as high as 13th in the country for Division III. The team had just gone through a long weekend with two losses at Misericordia on Saturday and two walk-off setback at FDU-Florham on Sunday so it was great to see the excitement from them as they poured onto the field to celebrate the big win.
With that exception, it's been a rough stretch as of late with the spring teams. However, you have five new programs and other teams with very young rosters. You can definitely see a lot of pieces in place for all of them. Now it's just gaining experience and adding more pieces with future recruits over the next few years.
Hard to believe we are closing in on the last few weeks of not only the spring season but the whole 2014-15 academic and athletic year. And yes, the Year-In-Reeview summer editions of the blog will be back with the top 10 games of the year, top performers in each class, unsung heroes, etc. Lists are starting to be compiled with games and names being jotted down for the various categories (will yesterday's baseball game crack the top 10 for the games of the year list!). We have a lot of fun with it and it will be back starting in late May
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April 7
This is a real exciting time at the institution as Delaware Valley College officially becomes Delaware Valley University on its Founder's Day tomorrow. The campus is hopping with anticipation as everybody gets ready for the big day. The Delaware Valley University Aggies has a nice ring to it!
The lacrosse teams had their first Freedom Conference games last Wednesday. The men went on the road and defeated Manhattanville College, 6-3, to improve their record to 5-3 overall and, of course, 1-0 in the conference. It's been a great start to the program for head coach Gary Mercadante and his team. They have five games remaining, all against conference foes, and will be home twice this week against FDU-Florrham (Wednesday) and Misericordia (Saturday).
The women's lacrosse team will travel to those two opponents on the same day. They hosted Manhattanville last Wednesday and almost posted a win before a goal in the final minute gave the Valiants a one-goal victory. Sarah Fenwick was strong in net for the Aggies that day.
Baseball and softball were finally able to get their conference play going as well. Baseball dropped three games at Wilkes (two games that were supposed to be in Doylestown were moved because of the weather) while softball won one of four Freedom games. Baseball plays 21 conference games while softball has 14 league contests so there is still plenty of time left in the season.
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March 31
The blog will return next week
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March 24
For the second year in a row, Mother Nature is wreaking havoc on the start of the spring season. Last week, only two men's lacrosse games took place as baseball, softball, tennis and track saw multiple postponements. The snow from last Friday is already gone, but it's left the fields, especially the grass outfields for baseball and softball, a mess. In fact, those conditions place a lot of this week's games in jeopardy and baseball and softball are close to having anywhere from six to nine conference games to have to makeup later in the year. That become taxing with missed classes, pitching staffs, etc.
But lacrosse keeps going as the turf field is clear and the first year of intercollegiate play has been an exciting one. For the men, the Aggies are 3-3 on the season and they have one more non-conference game before entering their first trek into Freedom Conference play.
The women's lacrosse team nearly picked up its second win of the year yesterday before falling by just two at Gwynedd Mercy. Like they men, they have one more non-conference game before Freedom action begins.
We've had nice crowds for both lacrosse teams (and a lot of viewers on the Live Video) and that's despite the fact that they have some games in rain and fog as well as some cold temperature games. There is a new excitement with the two and that will only grow more with time.
Let's hope the weather will allow the other spring teams to add to the excitement.
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March 17
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all. The winter season is now over and it was a great ending to the season this past weekend. The wrestling team had a great showing in Hershey with a fifth-place showing in the team standings (just two away from fourth and a team trophy) while four of the six competitors were crowned All-Americans.
Vinny Fava made it all the way to the 149-pound finals and came up just short of becoming the 10th individual national champion in school history. So his runner-up showing gave him second straight All-America honor.
Zach Roseberry took third at heavyweight for his second All-America honor while Aaron Karns became just the fifth Aggie wrestler to earn three All-Americas accolades in a career as he took fourth at 197 pounds. And Zac Haynes’ first trip to the NCAAs saw him place seventh at 133 pounds and earn a spot on the All-America podium.
There was a great showing of Delaware Valley fans as the championships were on the East Coast for the first time since 2006. And the fans got to see great wrestling all weekend.
Freshman track standout Ta’riq Thomas placed 11th in both the long jump and the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships in North Carolina. And again, he is just a freshman.
So now the attention turns completely to the spring season which has been underway for the new men’s and women’s lacrosse teams as well as baseball and softball (which both competed down South during Spring Break).
In addition to those four squads, the spring also means competition for men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field. That makes 10 teams in their respective seasons.
It will be busy time from now until May. Hopefully Mother Nature is kind to us.
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March 10
Later this week, six DelVal wrestlers will head to Hershey, Pennsylvania to compete at the NCAA Division III Championships. All six will look to finish in the top eight in the weight class, which garners them All-America accolades. And of course, all six dream of standing atop the podium as a national champion in their weight class.
DelVal has the sixth-highest amount of qualifiers at the NCAAs, giving the Aggies a great chance at a top four finish and bringing home a national team trophy. Three of the six are returning All-Americans in Vinny Fava (149), Aaron Karns (197) and Zach Roseberry (285).
Fava is seeded third for the NCAAs (he finished in third place last year) and a possible rematch with second-seeded Derek Arnold of Ursinus could take place in the semifinals. Arnold handed Fava his lone Division III loss of the year with an overtime decision in the regional finals. Fava would look for revenge and a spot in the NCAA finals if the two meet again.
Karns is making his fourth trip to nationals and will look to be an All-American for the third straight year (sixth in 2013, fourth in 2014). He is also the number three seed which is a surprise since he was ranked first in the country in the last coaches’ poll and went on to win the East Regional title. Nonetheless, he has to shrug off the seeding issue and wrestle who is front of him.
Roseberry placed fourth as a freshman last year and he will be the number five seed this weekend. He will get an early start in the action as he will have a preliminary match (random draws in each weight class determine the two preliminary matches for each weight).
Seniors Zac Haynes (133), Alec Horan (165) and Connor Gabriel (184) will make the trip to nationals for the first time in their careers. Haynes will take on the number three seed in his first-round match while Horan and Gabriel are teamed up against the eighth seeds in their respective weight classes.
It will be a great weekend of action in Hershey.
The wrestling six are not only national qualifiers for DelVal this winter. Freshman indoor track and field standout Ta’riq Thomas will head to the NCAA Championships in Winston, North Carolina this weekend. Thomas will compete in the triple jump and the long jump. His best marks during the season have him fourth and ninth on the respective performance lists.
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March 3
The championship weekend that just passed was a swing of emotions. And it was capped by a wild finish to the NCAA East Regional Wrestling Championships on Sunday that saw DelVal win the team title by one point and qualify six wrestlers for nationals.
When the final placement matches began (championship finals, consolation finals, fifth-sixth place match), the Aggies trailed NYU and the odds did not look good as NYU had four in the finals and five others wrestling while DelVal had three in the finals and five others still alive.
Then, the NYU wrestlers at 125 and 133 pounds who upset the top seed in the semis to get to the finals, lost their matches. Meanwhile Zac Haynes for DelVal hit the consolation finals at 133 against the top seed and a returning All-American and pinned him to get the team points.
DelVal had no one at 141 at 157 and failed to get extra points at 149. DelVal and NYU wrestlers met head-to-heat at 165 and 174 and the Aggies won both of them. At 184, NYU had a champion but the Aggies got points when sixth-seeded Connor Gabriel took third and earned a trip to nationals.
That left it to Aaron Karns and Zach Roseberry at 197 and heavyweight and they would both need bonus points in addition to winning their weight classes. As they have done numerous times, they came through as Karns had a major decision and Roseberry got a pin to seal the championship.
Karns and Roseberry successfully defended their regional crowns from a season ago and they will be joined at the NCAAs by four teammates as Vinny Fava was second at 149 and Haynes, Alec Horan (165) and Gabriel took third in their weights (top three in each weight class at each of the six regionals across the country advance to the NCAAs).
We’ll have more on the six qualifiers and the NCAAs in next week’s blog.
Saturday’s portion of the championship weekend had the DelVal men’s basketball team at Misericordia for the conference final while the men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams were competing at the MACs.
DelVal had two fans buses of about 60 students make the two-plus hour trek to Misericordia to support their team. Unfortunately, the team’s great Wednesday performance at home (in front of a packed and vocal crowd) against DeSales in the semifinals could not be matched and Misericordia led from start to finish for the title. One stat line says it all: Three-point shooting against DeSales – 13-for-25, three-point shooting against Misericordia – 5-for-21.
What a tournament run by Francis Arnold as he scored 30 points against DeSales and had 29 against Misericordia. Plus he racked up rebounds, assists and steals. No idea how he was a second-team all-conference pick and not a first teamer.
Track and field had a good showing, especially on the men’s side where DelVal took sixth out of 11 teams. Ta’riq Thomas was the Rookie of the Year as he won the triple jump and earned medals (top three) in two others. And senior Brian Carter captured the 60-meter dash title.
DelVal history will take tomorrow as the new men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have the first home games in school history. The women host Cedar Crest at 4:00 p.m. followed by the men hosting Immaculata at 7:00 p.m.
Also tomorrow will be the women’s basketball team at Lebanon Valley for the ECAC quarterfinals (7:00 p.m.). DelVal was picked for the postseason for the second year in a row.
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February 24
It’s championship weekend with all of the DelVal winter teams participating in either conference or regional postseason action. We’ll go in order of the contests.
Men’s Basketball
DelVal not only qualified for the Freedom tournament but its win at FDU-Florham on Saturday, combined with DeSales’ buzzer loss to Eastern meant that the Aggies grabbed the number two seed and a home semifinal game on Wednesday (7 pm). The opponent – DeSales. The two have quickly become rivals since DelVal turned its fortunes around under head coach Casey Stitzel seven years ago and the Aggies are 2-0 against the Bulldogs in the postseason with wins in the title games in both 2011 (at home) and 2013 (at DeSales). They had two barn-burners this year including in Doylestown just over two weeks ago when Chris Moran hit the 35-foot shot at the buzzer for the 77-74 win.
It should be a great game and an insane atmosphere in James Work Gymnasium. If the talk is true, the crowd may rival that of the championship game in 2011.
Women’s Basketball
DelVal qualified for its second straight trip to the Freedom tournament and, like last year, the Aggies will travel to FDU-Florham on Wednesday (7 pm). The Devils are the two-time defending conference champs who also went 35-0 and won the national championship last season. This year, they are “only” 24-1. With it being the 35th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice, everyone in Aggieland is hoping for the Miracle in Madison. And remember, DelVal held a late lead in last year’s semifinals before falling by seven – the closest margin of defeat FDU had all year.
Indoor Track & Field (Men & Women)
The MAC Indoor Championships take place at Lehigh University on Saturday. New head coach Felix Moreno has seen strong performances all season, especially from freshman Ta’riq Thomas. Look for Thomas to have a good showing in multiple events and the Aggies to surprise some in both the men’s and women’s team standings.
Wrestling
Last, but not least, is Steve Cantrell’s crew at Sunday’s NCAA East Regionals down in Roanoke, Virginia. Last year, three teams, including DelVal, were separated by just 3.5 points in the team standings. It should be another close battle for the team title this season.
Individually, this is a qualifying tournament for the NCAA Championships and the top three finishers in each weight class advance to nationals which will be in Hershey, Pennsylvania on March 13 and 14.
DelVal qualified four for the NCAAs last year and it may get a bigger number than that this season. Returning All-Americans and nationally-ranked wrestlers Vinny Fava (149), Aaron Karns (197) and Zach Roseberry (285) are favorites to win their weight classes and the trio should make a return to nationals. Connor Kirkegard (125), Alec Horan (165) and Ben Schweiger (174) were so close last year and will look to make the next step this season. Seniors Zac Haynes (133) and Connor Gabriel (184) have the talent and experience and don’t forget the youngsters in Joshua DiSanto (141) and Jeff Reimel (157).
The best part is that the changes to the system last year now mean that it will all be settled on the mat. No more wild-card meetings and funny business to determine spots. It’s simple – place in the top three and you go to the NCAAs.
It will be a fun week all around.
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February 17
Well, the Delaware Valley College men’s and women’s basketball teams hold the fate of its seasons in its hands tonight as it hosts Freedom Conference foe King’s College. With the regular season wrapping up this week, both Aggie squads have a chance of securing their playoff berths tonight; all they need to do is win.
Ladies first – The Aggies have won their last two contests, both on the road against conference opponents Misericordia and Wilkes, to bring them to a 7-5 mark in league play. With a win tonight over the Monarchs, Delaware Valley will propel itself to 8-5 and secure a playoff berth while reducing King’s to 6-7 and on the brink of elimination. DeSales University is currently tied with the Aggies in the conference ranks and, if King’s is to fall tonight, they will need the Bulldogs to do the same in order to keep their Freedom tournament dreams alive.
To the men – Opposite of the women, the men have dropped each of its lasts two games, both on the road, to Misericordia and Wilkes. Similar to the women, the Aggie men are currently tied with DeSales Universtiy with 8-4 records in league play and can secure their 2015 tournament berth with a win tonight over King’s. The Aggies and the Bulldogs are currently vying for the second and third seeds with King’s in position to take the fourth seed if the season ended today. For Delaware Valley not to make the playoffs, they would have to lose its two remaining games and Wilkes will have to be victorious in its last two games which would propel the Colonels into the third seed, King's at the four with the Aggies on the outside looking in.
Bottom line – win and you’re in. These wins can happen Saturday too, but tonight is the big night.
Wrestling wrapped up its regular-season with a 10-3 mark in dual meet. The team now has two weeks to prepare for the NCAA East Regionals, which is one of the qualifying tournaments for the NCAAs. We will dive into all of that next week.
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February 10
7,329. That’s the number of views - as of 1:45 p.m. today – of the buzzer-beating, game-winning basket by Chris Moran in Saturday’s 77-74 thriller over DeSales. An amazing atmosphere, an amazing shot and an amazing number that has blown all of us away.
By now, most of you know that DelVal picked up the big win and remained tied for first place in the Freedom after Zach Sly inbounded the pass to Moran with 1.6 seconds to go and Moran heaved it up and banked it in from about 35 feet away. It set off a wild celebration as the students and others stormed the court in what was one of the best atmospheres for a basketball game at DelVal.
When the game was over, we knew there was a shot at getting it on ESPN’s Sportscenter Top 10 Plays so we went to work right away. In addition to the normal post-game stuff, we cut a highlight of the basket from the inbounds pass to part of the celebration afterwards. We posted it on Twitter with the SCtop10 hashtag and also contacted the ESPN assignment desk to see what else we needed to do.
Later in the day, ESPN contacted us to say that they had us and were looking for more information on the shot and the game itself. That gave us an indication that the play was going to be under consideration. But Saturdays are always the toughest day because of the extraordinary number of games in the pro leagues, NCAA (all winter sports), golf, soccer, high school, etc. And they could have considered us earlier in the night but then other big plays come in that could’ve bumped us. So it was a basically wait and hope and see until SportsCenter came on later that night/early Sunday morning.
The time finally came for SportsCenter and then the Top Plays segment. As the countdown started, there was pro basketball and hockey, golf, soccer and Division I college basketball. It wasn’t looking good. Then came Play Number Two and there we were. The first time it aired, they said Delaware Valley College, described the scenario, Chris Moran’s name, the fact that it was the game-winner against DeSales and called us “The Flying Highlighters.” Later in the night, they commented about one of the fans in front of the camera with stars on his shirt. And by the next morning, one of the commentators noted how Chris stood there while the teammates mobbed him.
All in all, it was a great day with a great win over our basketball rival and it kept us in first place. And then it was further punctuated by having Delaware Valley College on SportsCenter!
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February 3
Down the stretch we go as there are just three weeks and six games remaining in the regular-season basketball schedule. Both teams are in position for a conference tournament berth, but both still have a lot of work to do to, first, clinch a spot and, second, get as high as seed as possible. Here’s a closer look at both (remember top four teams qualify).
Men – The team is 6-2 and tied with DeSales for second place. The Aggies lost at DeSales in the first meeting and they will host the Bulldogs this Saturday. DelVal is one game out of first behind Misericordia (which beat the Aggies in Doylestown last week) and one game ahead of fourth place Wilkes. Two teams – Eastern and King’s – are tied for fifth with 3-5 records.
Two more wins should lock up a postseason spot. DeSales is a big game on Saturday in order to not automatically lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to them. And while it would be great to get the top seed and host throughout, the Aggies do play well on the road as evidenced by their 94-83 win at Eastern this past Saturday.
Women – The team is 4-4 and tied King’s for fourth place. The Aggies lost at King’s earlier in the year so the home finale against the Lady Monarchs on Tuesday, February 17 will be a crucial one. FDU-Florham and Eastern look to be the top two seeds as they are pulling away from the pack. DeSales is third at 5-3 and the Aggies have a road win over them. Wilkes at 3-5 is also in the running (DelVal beat them in the first meeting a few weeks ago).
This looks like it may go to the wire with that DelVal-King’s game potentially deciding the final team. DelVal ends the regular season at FDU so the Aggies want to have things wrapped up before then.
On the wrestling front, it was great to have home matches for the first time in nearly a year and there were nice crowds as both matches came down to the wire against nationally-ranked opponents. DelVal came from behind to defeat No. 28 Cortland, but could not come all the way for the win in an 18-1 loss to No. 10 Ithaca. The loss shouldn’t drop the Aggies too far in the rankings. The team is off this week until a pair of dual meets the following week.
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January 28
Mother Nature backed up the blog a day this week. And we are coming off a big week and in the middle of another one.
We’ll start with wrestling where DelVal captured its 15th overall MAC championship in exciting fashion as it needed wins by Aaron Karns and Zach Roseberry in the 197-pound and heavyweight finals to win the crown. They were two of five individual champions for DelVal.
The MAC is down to just five wrestling schools, but four of them, including DelVal at No. 10, are ranked nationally in the top 25 so the competition was strong and intense this past Saturday. Now the Aggies get back into dual meets and they are finally home this year with big match-ups against nationally-ranked Cortland and Ithaca this Friday and Saturday.
Women’s basketball gave defending national champion FDU-Florham a battle last Wednesday and then went to DeSales and picked up a key road conference win on Saturday. That victory got the team back to .500 in conference play and the first half of league competition will end tonight with a home game against Misericordia. If they can win that and make the turn at 4-3, especially after an 0-2 start in Freedom play, that would leave the squad in good shape for a second-half run at the postseason.
Men’s basketball defeated FDU-Florham and then dropped its first conference game of the year at DeSales on Saturday. So they enter tonight at 5-1 and will host 5-1 Misericordia. First-place on the line and in front of what sounds to be a big crowd coming to the gym tonight. It should be a fun evening.
Track and field returned to action this past Saturday and freshman Ta’riq Thomas shined with first-place finishes in the long jump and the triple jump.
Spring sports are now in their practices so there is constant activity going on in the gyms and on the turf!
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January 20
It was a productive week for the basketball teams as they each went 2-0 in conference play. For the men, the victories kept them in sole possession of first place in the Freedom. Wednesday’s comeback (down eight with 5:10 to go) was a gut check for the team and then they pulled away at the end against Wilkes on Saturday.
For the women, the 2-0 week got the squad back to .500 in conference play as they dominated both Manhattanville and Wilkes. It was an important week, especially since the Aggies host defending national champion FDU-Florham on Wednesday and then travel to a good DeSales squad on Saturday. So getting to 2-2 was imperative and mission accomplished. Congratulations as well to Eireann Anastasi who reached the 1,000-point plateau in her career.
It’s a big wrestling week for DelVal as the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships take place at Wilkes on Saturday. The Aggies will certainly be among the favorites to win the title but it will be a big battle on Saturday as the conference boasts four teams that are ranked in the national top 25. The Aggies are 10th with Messiah two spots ahead at eighth. Wilkes is 12th and Lycoming is 21st.
DelVal will be led by its big three in returning All-Americans Vinny Fava (149), Aaron Karns (197), Zach Roseberry (285). All three are ranked nationally in their weight classes (Fava -1st, Karns – 2nd, Roseberry – 4th) as is Connor Kirkegard (8th at 125). Fava, Karns and Roseberry are favored to win their weight classes while Kirkegard is one of three ranked MAC wrestlers in his weight class.
What normally determines a championship like this is who else steps up for their team. Who else can win a weight class? What lower ranked wrestler reached the semifinals or even the finals? The Aggies have plenty of candidates for this and they may be the ones that help DelVal add another line to its championship banners.
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January 13
After a long holiday break, the blog is back. Hope everyone had a good holiday and Happy New Year to all.
The timing of the return of the block coincides with the return of conference play for both basketball teams. Both the DelVal men and women have 12 games left on its schedule and they are all Freedom games. Remember, they both played two league contests in December with the men winning at King’s and home against Eastern while the women’s dropped both games. 2-0 is a great way to start and 0-2 does not mean that you are out of it by any means.
So both teams will travel to Manhattanville College tomorrow night which is the longest conference trip of the year. Then on Saturday, they will each host Wilkes University (special note: the Kutz Jumping Beans – the local group of elementary schools that perform tricks with jump ropes – will be back at DelVal and performing at halftime of the men’s game against Wilkes on Saturday).
For the men, DelVal is 7-6 overall after having played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the region. An example was its last game back on January 3 when the Aggies went to Ramapo, built a 23-point lead and then had to hold on at the end for a one-point win. Last night, Ramapo improved to 10-4 overall by defeated NJAC preseason favorite Richard Stockton. Chris Moran is nearly averaging a double-double for DelVal and Francis Arnold looks to be bouncing back from his early-season injuries. Plus the team is as deep as anybody around.
For the women, DelVal is 5-8 overall but coming off a big win over a strong Case Western Reserve team at the Lycoming tournament. Brenna Coll, who should’ve been an all-conference pick last year, is making it a no-doubter this season as she leads the team in scoring. Eireann Anastasi is just 25 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point plateau.
It should be fun to watch both of these teams for the rest of the winter.
Other notes
*The wrestling team has a two-week break as it prepares for the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships. The Aggies are ninth in Division III with four individuals ranked. Two of other teams in the MAC are ranked in the top 15 so it should be a great battle for the title. We will take a closer look at it next week.
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December 16
It is very quiet on campus as only the basketball and wrestling teams are around with practices today. All three have contests this week. The women’s basketball team had a solid non-conference win at Rosemont last night. They hit the road to The College of New Jersey on Wednesday before hosting Bryn Athyn on Friday. The men host Bryn Athyn on Wednesday. The wrestling teams leaves for Nashville on Thursday to take part in Saturday’s Gator Duals. That’s it before Christmas and then the basketball teams each travel to tournaments (men to Albright, women to Lycoming) between Christmas and New Year’s.
The 2014 portion of the 2014-15 school year has been a good one for DelVal athletics. The football team won its first nine games of the season and made a run to the NCAA playoffs. Women’s soccer was picked last in the conference but, instead, finished third and reached the Freedom tournament. The wrestling team is ranked third in the country with four individuals ranked including a pair of number-one rated competitors. And the men’s basketball team is currently in first place in the conference.
We’ve already had an All-American, a conference player of the year, several all-conference honorees and numerous academic honorees. And as far as the whole institution goes, the school was granted university status. So Delaware Valley College will officially become Delaware Valley University in April 8!!!
Happy holidays to all of our followers and we will see you with the next blog in 2015 (January 13 to be specific)!
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December 9
Conference play has begun in basketball as two games are always played in the first week of December. The remaining 12 are from mid-January to mid-February.
The men captured both of its Freedom games with a road win at King’s and a home triumph over Eastern. They have won five of their last six games, but still haven’t hit on all cylinders yet. If that happens soon, look out.
The Aggie women’s team fell to both King’s and Eastern. Not the ideal way to start conference play but the beauty of the long winter season is that there is plenty of time to bounce back. They have a busy schedule coming up with a non-conference game this Saturday and three contests next week.
The wrestling team had a great weekend as it captured the team title at the York College New Standard Corporation Invitational. Four individuals won their weight brackets, including freshman Jeff Reimel who went 5-0 in his first collegiate competition. What a great way to start your collegiate career!
The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams kicked off its seasons with a solid showing at the Bow-Tie Classic. Tariq’ Thomas made his first competition a memorable one as the freshman took first in the triple jump.
We will have one more blog update before taking a three-week break for the holiday season.
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December 2
The blog will return next Tuesday, December 9
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November 25
It was a shocking end to the DelVal football as Christopher Newport rallied from a 26-7 deficit and defeated the Aggies, 29-26, in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. When the game-winning field goal sailed through the uprights with no time left on the clock, the home side of the field and stands went silent.
For a while it looked like that DelVal would not only advance to the second round but that it could have a home game as Muhlenberg was defeating Widener. Widener wound up kicking a game-winning field goal of its own and will host Christopher Newport this Saturday.
While the end came sooner than anyone expected, it was a great year for the Aggies. They racked up a 9-0 record to start the season and battled Widener for what was a championship game in the conference in the regular-season finale. The squad set a ton of records, led by the dynamic senior trio of Rasheed Bailey, Chris Smallwood and Aaron Wilmer.
Now, it’s wait and see if Bailey finishes as the leading receiver in the country. He was leading the way in three categories as the postseason began. Smallwood and Wilmer were ranked high in a number of categories as well and Wilmer reached the coveted 10,000-passing, 1,000-rushing milestone that had previously been achieved by just 25 quarterbacks in NCAA history (all divisions).
Speaking of Wilmer, would things have been different on Saturday had he not injured his leg in the second quarter? We don’t truly know but he was off to a great start with his arm and legs. But credit has to go to Christopher Newport as nearly everyone picked them to lose in the first round. And to come back on the road is a major accomplishment.
So now it’s time to fully concentrate on the winter season and it should be a good one. The wrestling team is ranked fourth nationally with three returning All-Americans. The men’s basketball team has been picked to win the Freedom championship for the third time in the last five years. And the women’s basketball team has been picked to reach the Freedom playoffs for the second straight year. We’ll see how it all pans out.
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November 18
The atmosphere was electric and had the big-game feel to it. The ovation for when the Aggies took the field sounded almost like a home game. Then, Widener took the field and received a large roar from the home crowd. Both sides were on the field seconds before kickoff. It was incredible.
Unfortunately, the result wasn’t what a DelVal fan wanted as the Aggies fell 44-28 in the big showdown of undefeated teams. DelVal had its chances all day, but hurt itself with six turnovers (the team had 10 combined in its first nine games). So, Widener won the MAC championship and the automatic bid to the NCAAs while DelVal had to wait until Sunday night’s NCAA webcast to find out if it made the tournament.
The Aggies didn’t have to wait long as they gathered in the Life Sciences Building auditorium to watch the 6 pm webcast. About five minutes, the second bracket came out and up came Delaware Valley’s name. And there was an asterisk next it, meaning a home first-round game. The opponent’s name came up next and it was Christopher Newport, setting up a first-ever meeting with the Captains. The players also saw what else was on the bracket and that was a chance at a rematch with Widener in the second round if both teams are victorious in round number one. Lots of work and a real good opponent before any thoughts of revenge.
So DelVal will host Christopher Newport on Saturday at 12 pm. It will be a wild sports day on campus as both basketball teams are home for a doubleheader. Get to campus early for parking.
Speaking of basketball, both teams opened of its seasons in separate tournaments in Virginia this past weekend. The women reached the title game of their tournament before falling in that contest. The men dropped both games. Obviously it’s only two games in and, despite the fact that both teams have a lot of returnees, chemistry on the court is still a work in progress.
Wrestling was at the big East Stroudsburg University Open where there are hundreds of Division I, II and III wrestlers as well as unattached competitors. Alec Horan and Zach Roseberry each reached the semifinals which is a huge accomplishment for each of them.
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November 11
It’s been building up for weeks and now it’s just a few days away. 9-0 Delaware Valley at 9-0 Widener on for the MAC championship, the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs, the Keystone Cup and more.
It should be an electric atmosphere in Chester when the ball is teed for play at 1:00 pm on Saturday. Delaware Valley has two student fans buses all lined up and ready to go to support the team. The ticket booths at Widener are opening at 11:00 a.m. so get there early.
Both teams have had memorable seasons and are looking to add one more chapter to it. The losing team could still get one of the six at-large berths to the NCAA, but neither squad wants to leave their fates in the hands of a committee.
So how about the game itself? The biggest match-up that has everyone talking is the high-powered DelVal offense going against the best defense it has faced in quite a while. Will the dynamic trio of
Aaron Wilmer, Rasheed Bailey and Chris Smallwood be able to put up their numbers and production against this unit? Who else will step for the Aggies?
On the other side of the ball, Widener had big threats on offense and it will be DelVal’s biggest test on defense. The defensive unit has improved and the young players have gained more experience as the year has gone on. Some of the injured players from earlier in the year have come back and contributed. Can the unit force some turnovers and also get off the field on third-down plays?
Special teams always play a key role in big games and this one should not be any different. Both teams have threats in the return game. Coverage on Widener’s Anthony Davis will be a must. Brandon Snyder has done a great job with his placekicking and punting duties. He will be called upon to continue that on Saturday.
Delaware Valley has won three of the last five times it has played at Widener. Here’s hoping we make it four out of six.
Other DelVal notes:
* Hours after football kicks off on Saturday, both basketball teams will start its seasons in Virginia at separate Tip-Off Tournaments. Since the 15th (the starting date for basketball) fell on a Saturday, both tournaments are Saturday for the first round and Sunday for the consolation/championship games.
* Both basketball teams return everyone from last year’s rosters. The men added four transfers as they look to get back to the conference playoffs and make a run at their third championship in the last five year. The women are coming off a season where they went to both the Freedom Conference and ECAC playoffs. It should be a fun winter.
*Speaking of a fun winter, the fourth-ranked DelVal wrestling team had seven placewinners and two champions at last Saturday’s Ursinus College Fall Brawl. The champions were a pair of Zach’s in Zac Haynes (133) and Zach Roseberry (285).
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November 4
The Freedom Conference women’s soccer tournament field is set and DelVal is the number three seed (not bad considering the team was picked last in the preseason coaches’ poll). The Aggies will travel to two-time defending champion and second-seeded Misericordia University for the semifinals on Wednesday, November 5.
It will be not an easy task for DelVal as the Cougars are ranked 15th in the country, went to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 2012 and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last year.
But it is a one-game situation and not a series and anything can happen. DelVal is 3-0-1 against conference opponents on the road this year. And they were real solid at home this year when they met Misericordia in the regular-season. The final was 2-0 in favor of the Cougars, but the Aggies nearly made it a one-goal game in the final three minutes. They have a young hungry team and a veteran coach. Good luck ladies!
Other notes this week:
*All-conference teams are expected out this week for men’s soccer (today), women’s soccer (Wednesday), field hockey (Thursday) and volleyball (Friday). Football is in two weeks and cross country was determined by the finishes at last week’s conference championships (Samantha Will took 21st and just missed out on all-conference accolades). It will be interesting to see which DelVal players are recognized.
*The preseason conference coaches’ polls were released for basketball last week and they were as expected for the DelVal teams. The men were picked as the preseason favorite and the women were picked third. Both have all of their key players back from last year and the men added some significant transfers. It should be a fun year both squads
*Football has a home game with FDU-Florham before next week’s big showdown at Widener. It is safe to assume that a lot will be written on that game in next week’s blog.
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October 28
Last week, we asked if the women’s soccer team, which was picked to finish last in the Freedom Conference preseason coaches’ poll, could clinch a playoff berth. The answer is yes.
This past Saturday, the Aggies improved to 3-0-1 in road conference games (3-2-1 overall in the conference) with a 1-0 win at King’s. That triumph, combined with others results in the league, meant that an asterisk was placed next to DelVal’s name in the conference standings for having clinched a tournament spot.
Head coach Kevin Doherty and his squad has one regular-season game remaining this week and that’s a home encounter with FDU-Florham on Saturday. The final seedings will be determined after all the conference games are done that day. We do know that the Aggies will either be the number three or four seed and will be on the road for the Freedom semifinals on Wednesday, November 5. They will travel to either DeSales University or Misericordia. Stay tuned
Other notes this week
*It was a routine, 41-7 victory over Misericordia for the football team as the squad improved to 7-0 overall. The Aggies are still tied with Widener for first place in the MAC as the Pride ended Lycoming’s hopes for a conference title by beating them on their home field
*How about Rasheed Bailey being features in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces In The Crowd!!!” A great accomplishment for the senior wide receiver who is having a year to remember.
* Bailey is now first in the country in three different categories: receiving yards (1,195), receiving yards per game (170.7 avg) and receiving touchdowns (13). Unbelievable
*The Middle Atlantic Conference Cross Country Championships takes place this coming Saturday with Lebanon Valley serving as the host. Samantha Will has been running strong all season long. Can the sophomore pick up a medal at the championships?
* Wrestling kicks off its season this Sunday. The coaches’ poll came out and the Aggies are ranked fourth in all of Division III. The three returning All-Americans are all ranked in the top three in their weights: Vinny Fava (1st at 149), Zach Roseberry (2nd at 285) and Aaron Karns (3rd at 197)
* Basketball conference preseason polls should be out later this week. Expect both teams to be in the upper half of the polls.
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October 21
It was a strong week for two DelVal teams – women’s soccer and football. We’ll start with the ladies and one of the best weeks in program history. The Aggies, with just 14 players on the roster, see their game at Wilkes get delayed a day because of rain. So they head up to Wilkes-Barre on Thursday and score with 52 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. They then win it in the first minutes of the extra session.
Less than 48 hours later, they are back on the road at Eastern, which has won four of the last six Freedom titles. DelVal posts a convincing 3-1 win, its first-ever victory over Eastern. The wins have put the Aggies in third place in the Freedom with three games to go. Can this young, small team (in terms of numbers) make the postseason after getting picked to finish last in the conference make the playoffs? They are in the discussion and there’s where you want to be at this time of the year.
Was there a letdown with football as they hit the road to Maryland to face Stevenson after such an emotional win over Lycoming? Perhaps. It took a while for the team to get going and Stevenson did pull to within one score early in the fourth before the Aggies responded with three straight scoring drives and a 35-13 victory. How crazy is it that a team can score 35 points and net 457 total yards and see its season averages go down in both categories? A win is a win and Stevenson, in its fourth year, is a quality team. Stevenson is 4-2 now and I can see them making an ECAC bowl game this year.
For DelVal, the win gets them to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in the MAC. The team is tied with Widener for first place and the two will meet in four weeks. It will be an exciting run down the stretch.
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October 14
What a football game last Saturday. Remember, Lycoming came to town having given up just 50 points over its first five games combined. And Delaware Valley put 52 on the scoreboard and needed just about all of them for a 52-42 win. How about the fact, that it was the most points given up in one game by Lycoming since 1949!
The amazing senior skill position trio of quarterback Aaron Wilmer, wide receiver Rasheed Bailey and tailback Chris Smallwood put on a clinic. When is the last time a quarterback threw for 380 yards and five touchdowns against that team? Or a receiver that caught nine passes for 185 yards or a running back that netted 180 yards on the ground? And all in the same game!
So where does the result leave DelVal? At 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the MAC, the Aggies are tied with archrival Widener for first place in the conference. It’s easy to look ahead to the regular-season finale against them in Widener, but this is the MAC and there are no slouches despite the record of any team. And this week’s opponent, Stevenson University is a young and hungry team that has been stewing for two weeks since losing to Lycoming. A win over DelVal gets them back in the championship hunt so DelVal cannot afford any letdown. Plus games against Misericordia, King’s and FDU-Florham follow Stevenson before Widener. King’s beat the Aggies last year and the Misericordia and FDU-Florham games were hard-fought wins a season ago. One week at a time
The field hockey team put itself back in the conference tournament hunt with a big Homecoming win over Manhattanville. The team was without one of its top scorers in Stefania Swider but others stepped up, especially Taylor Prichett, who notched a hat trick. The team is 1-2 with its next conference game at FDU-Florham on Friday. That is one of the teams that DelVal will be battling for one of the four tournament spots so it is a crucial game.
The women’s soccer team went against nationally-ranked Misericordia in the first-ever home Friday night game to kick off a Homecoming weekend. They lost 2-0 but battled the Cougars all evening and nearly scored in the last two minutes. That would have things real interesting. Remember, Misericordia beat the Aggies 8-0 last year and DelVal had a freshman making just her second career start in goal this year.
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October 7
This week’s blog focuses on one of the biggest games in Division III. As we stated in the game preview - Undefeated Delaware Valley College (4-0 overall, 3-0 Middle Atlantic Conference) hosting undefeated Lycoming College (5-0 overall, 4-0 MAC) for Homecoming. Enough said.
But there is plenty to say and the campus should be packed on Saturday. It is almost always a nail-biter when the two teams meet and you have a DelVal offense that is ranked in the top 20 nationally going head-to-head with a Lycoming defense that is ranked in the top 10.
Can Aaron Wilmer, Rasheed Bailey, Chris Smallwood continue to put up their game-video like offensive numbers against this defense? Will the offensive line give Wilmer time to look downfield and find his targets or will Lycoming add to its big sack total that has them ranked in the top five in that category?
How about the other side of the ball and can get the Aggies, despite all of their injuries on defense, hold down a Lycoming offense that’s no slouch of its own? What about special teams? What about the home field advantage and the big Homecoming crowd (Lycoming travels well and the visiting stands will be packed as well)?
It should be a fun Saturday, it usually is when these teams meet. They have combined to win or earn a share of the MAC championship in five of the last six years and eight of the last 11. The winning team will move one step closer to that goal this year, although neither squad has yet to face the other undefeated team in the conference in 5-0, 4-0 Widener (which has the bye this Saturday).
Kickoff can’t get here soon enough.
Other DelVal notes of interest:
*Women’s soccer had a late rally to earn a 1-1 tie in its conference opener at Manhattanville. Nikki Dunlap scored with just 52 seconds left in regulation
*More women’s soccer and the great job that Shayna Schaeffer is doing in net. She had to move from the field to goalkeeper after starter Claudia Winters suffered a season-ending injury and Schaeffer has allowed just three goals in four games
* Hard to believe but the wrestling, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams kick off practices next week. It should be a real interesting winter as all three have the potential for strong seasons. Plenty of time to talk about that, but it’s still unfathomable that it will already be mid-October next week.
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September 30
The offensive performances for the DelVal football team in its first three games have been mind-boggling. In just three weeks, we have seen the following records tied or broken:
Receptions In A Game: 11 (tied)– Rasheed Bailey at Montclair State
Rushing Touchdowns In A Game: 6 (broken) – Chris Smallwood vs Wilkes
Overall Touchdowns In A Game: 6 (broken) – Chris Smallwood vs Wilkes
Points In A Game: 30 (broken) – Chris Smallwood vs Wilkes
Receiving Touchdowns In A Game: 4 (tied) – Rasheed Bailey at Lebanon Valley
The list doesn’t even include the fact that quarterback Aaron Wilmer has thrown for the second and fourth-highest single-game passing yards with 394 yards at Montclair State and 383 yards at Lebanon Valley. Or that Smallwood’s 213 rushing yards against Wilkes was the sixth-highest total. Or that Bailey has produced two of the 10 highest, receiving yardage games in school history (216 – fifth; 186 – 10th).
The team is ranked eighth in the country in scoring with an average of 47.7 points per game. And they have needed them because they have allowed a lot of points as well. But, the bottom line is that the team is 3-0 and one of just four unbeaten teams left in the conference. Let’s hope they don’t overlook a feisty 1-3 Albright team this week with games against undefeated squads Lycoming and Stevenson the following two Saturdays.
Other DelVal notes:
* Don’t be alarmed by the field hockey team’s loss to DeSales in their conference opener. Yes, they began last year’s Freedom play with three straight wins, en route to a first-place finish in the regular season. However, plenty of teams have dropped their first game and then gone on to not only make the playoffs and win the conference championship.
* Samantha Will is having a great season for the women’s cross country as she had another top 10 finish this season, this time an eight-place showing at the Messiah Invitational. Could she be a contender at the MAC Championships
* Both soccer teams will start conference play this Saturday at Manhattanville
* The members of the DelVal women’s tennis team will compete at the conference’s individual championships this weekend
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September 23
It was an electric atmosphere on Saturday night for the first home night football game in school history. The night had it all – great pre-game and halftime festivities, a large crowd including a packed and vocal student section and an exciting game. In fact, it was a shootout as DelVal and Wilkes combined for 89 points, 168 plays and 972 yards in the 54-35 Aggie win.
And how about the performance of Chris Smallwood? He netted 213 yards and a school-record six touchdowns with four of the scoring runs coming 30 or more yards out. His night was tremendous and we will find on Wednesday if it was good enough to earn a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week. That’s not an easy honor to get because there are only two running backs on the team and it covers the more than 200 Division III schools that sponsor football. But I think his chances are good that would make DelVal two-for-two with getting national honors (Rasheed Bailey was one of the two wide receivers selected after his 11-catch, 215-yard performance in the season-opening win at Montclair State).
Delaware Valley now travel to defending conference champion Lebanon Valley. LebVal is 0-3 on the season, but the squad will be in desperation mode for a win plus they boast a strong defense. LebVal also got the DelVal monkey off its back last year as it has lost 10 straight to the Aggies before beating them in overtime last year. It will be a big test on the road for DelVal.
Other DelVal notes
* Field hockey opens conference play this coming Saturday when it travels to DeSales University. It will be a meeting of the two teams that finished one-two in the conference regular-season standings last year.
* Both soccer teams start conference play next Saturday so it’s one more week of non-conference contests
* Volleyball will have its second conference match tonight when it hosts Misericordia. Their first league match-up was last week when they had to battle the 11th-ranked team in the country in Eastern. Eastern was impressive and it would be shocking if the Eagles didn’t win their seventh straight conference championship
September 16
It was a good week for Delaware Valley athletics since the last blog. The field hockey team posted a pair of 1-0 victories over two strong teams, including previously undefeated Wesley. That got them to the .500 mark for the season. Women’s soccer went over the .500 mark with a pair of decisive triumphs. Volleyball picked up its first win of the season and, although the women’s tennis team lost to Penn State Abington on Saturday, they did record wins in three match-ups (one singles, two doubles) - a first in program history.
Meanwhile, conference play is inching closer. In fact, volleyball has a Freedom home match tomorrow and that’s against six-time defending champion and 11th-ranked Eastern. Field hockey opens league action in 11 days with both soccer teams following a week after that.
Football begins conference play this Saturday when it hosts Wilkes under the lights at 7:00 p.m. It will also be Hall of Fame night as four former greats will be officially inducted at halftime. A big crowd is expected for the first home night game in program history. It should be an electric atmosphere.
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September 9
Seniors Aaron Wilmer and Rasheed Bailey were simply dominant in the football team’s season-opening 30-20 win at Montclair State University. Wilmer threw for 394 yards (second in school history) while Bailey tied a record with 11 catches for 216 yards (fifth in school history). They were in synch all day and Montclair State, including its All-American cornerback, could not stop them.
Overall, it was a good day for the team especially considering the fact that they were without two starting offensive linemen (both should be back for the next game) and a few defensive starters who suffered season-ending injuries in camp. The game film certainly showed things that they have to work on over the next two weeks before the Wilkes game (the team has a bye this week), but anytime you can pick up a season-opening win on the road against a quality team, it’s a good start.
Field hockey and women’s soccer picked up their first wins of the year and each had strong offensive showings as Taylor Prichett scored four goals for field hockey against Elmira while Keri Helmrich had four tallies for women’s soccer against Baptist Bible.
Men’s soccer is still undefeated as the squad won a game last week and then followed it up with a win yesterday to move its record to 2-0-1. The Aggies were supposed to play last Saturday but lightning caused it to be postponed. They will now play it on Thursday.
History was in the making on Saturday and Monday as the new men’s and women’s tennis teams made their debuts. Both teams suffered losses, but they were still memorable matches
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September 2
The Delaware Valley fall season got underway last week with men’s soccer picking up a tie at Penn State York while the field hockey, women’s soccer and volleyball teams suffered losses in their season debuts.
The big news in DelVal athletics came from cross country where sophomore Samantha Will captured top honors out of 89 runners at the school’s annual season-opening invitational. What a great start for Will as it was the first individual title of her career.
This week, football hits the field for the first time as it travels to Montclair State University on Saturday. The Aggies have a new coach in Duke Greco, who was promoted to the top spot after spending 11 years on the coaching staff including the last eight as offensive coordinator.
Delaware Valley was picked second in the preseason conference coaches’ poll and the team should contend for a conference crown and a seventh straight trip to the postseason (either NCAA or ECAC). There is plenty of talent on the roster led by returning all-conference players Michael Anusky (special teams), Rasheed Bailey (wide receiver), Brandon Snyder (placekicker), Max Stella (tight end), Josh Wallace (offensive lineman), Aaron Wilmer (quarterback) and Danny Wynne (safety). There are also questions marks at some positions and a lot of youth.
How the questions are answered, how the veterans lead and play, and how quickly the youth pick up the system and of, course, health will determine how the season goes. The first step is at Montclair State on Saturday.
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August 26
The official start of the fall season is just days away as field hockey and both soccer teams begin action on Friday while the men’s and women’s cross country teams hosts its annual invitational on Saturday. Volleyball opens competition on Monday while football is more than a week away from its opener at Montclair on September 6.
For field hockey, DelVal has been picked as the favorite to win the Freedom Conference. The Aggies were the top seed for last year’s tournament and they have eight letterwinners, including seven starters, back from that squad. 2013 all-conference honorees Taylor Prichett, Lydia Spakosky, Jessica Summers and Kelsey Zook head the returnees for what should be another strong year.
Men’s soccer has a veteran squad as 13 letterwinners are back from last year, including all-conference honoree and team co-captain Steve Mannato. There is experience at every position with the exception of goalkeeper and it will be interesting to see how they do in conference play after breaking through with a win over Wilkes last season.
The women’s soccer is extremely young as its 14-player roster consists of one senior, two juniors, eight sophomores and three freshmen. Among the returnees is 2013 all-Freedom selection and team co-captain Mary Taylor. The team went through a ton of injuries last year and health will play a key factor in ’14 as well.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams are under new leadership as Felix Moreno was named head coach earlier this month. The coaching position is full-time now which will be a big plus to the squad. Jason Doll and Samantha Will are among the returnees.
Volleyball also has a new coach in Andrea Salazar (former DelVal standout Janel Gluch is the assistant coach). Senior co-captains Gina Page and Crystal Ronan head the roster as the Aggies look to return to the conference playoffs after just missing out on them in 2012 and 2013.
Next week, a look at football
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August 19
All of the fall sports teams are in for preseason camp and football is in the middle of its first two-a-day of practices (full pads were on for the first time on Monday). It’s always exciting when they come back and the campus picks up after a slow time in the summer. You can also tell pretty quickly which returnees worked extra hard in the offseason and there’s always some great surprises from the newcomers.
With the return of the teams also means it’s time for the conference preseason coaches’ polls to come out. Football was released last Friday and DelVal was picked second behind Lycoming College, which were co-champs last year with Lebanon Valley (which was third in the poll). The Aggies have a new coach in former quarterback and offensive coordinator Duke Greco and he welcomed more than 160 players into his camp as head coach. There will interesting battles at nearly every position for a team that went 7-4 last season and reached the postseason for the sixth straight year.
The soccer polls will be released today (men) and tomorrow (Wednesday) with field hockey to follow on Thursday and volleyball on Friday. A cross country preview is slated for the conference site on Monday. The conference website is www.gomacsports.com
Of the remaining polls, field hockey is expected to be picked in the upper echelon of the Freedom as they have eight letterwinners back from last year’s squad that went 13-8 overall, was the top seed in the conference tournament and reached the semifinals of the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Championships.
Next week’s blog will come just a few days before the official start of the regular season and we will take a closer look at the fall teams with the exception of football, which has its season opener the following week (September 6).
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August 5
For the last few weeks, we have looked back at the top 10 games to the 2013-14 season. Today, it’s time for number one. Before we announce it, please remember that to be part of the top 10 games, it has to be a win or a tie for DelVal. There were a few losses that were great contests (including one that was nearly an upset that would have made national news on the Division III level), but they were not considered because the final score did not go the way of the Aggies.
It was a good year and some of the games already on the list could’ve been in the number one spot. But, we felt that the number game of 2013-14 was…
1. Field Hockey at Richard Stockton – November 13, 2013
After the heartbreak of the Freedom semifinals, DelVal got another postseason opportunity when it was selected as part of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Mid-Atlantic Region Championships. The Aggies were seeded sixth and they had to travel to No. 3 Richard Stockton College from the strong New Jersey Athletic Conference.
It was a bitter cold evening and the first seven minutes of the game belonged to Stockton as it had five corners during that time. Sandra Edwards came up with two big saves for the Aggies and added another five minutes later. The Ospreys continued the pressure and had a 7-1 advantage in shots through the first 20-plus minutes, but they could not score.
The play shifted to the Stockton end for the final eight-plus minutes of the half and Delaware Valley was awarded a corner as the clocked ticked down to two minutes. Taylor Prichett sent the corner pass in and it eventually went to Lydia Spakosky. Spakosky sent a shot that was stopped by the Osprey goalie, but a scramble ensued. Jessica Summers tipped the ball to Prichett, who put the ball in with 1:44 left for a 1-0 lead.
Stockton scored just three minutes into the second half. The Ospreys then nearly took the lead on three separate occasions, but a post, a defensive save by Spakosky and one that just went wide kept it tied.
Delaware Valley then went ahead 2-1 with 21:02 remaining as, off a corner, Summers connected for her 11th goal of the year. Stockton had numerous opportunities after that, many coming with the Aggies being down a player due to a five-minute penalty. Summers then scored again, this time with 5:13 to go, and it looked like the Aggies would cruise to the win.
However, the Ospreys scored twice in a 37-second span to tie it up. First, they were awarded a penalty stroke and converted it with 3:46 left, and then they tied it up with 3:09 left. Stockton kept the pressure on and had two corners with under a minute to go, but a potential game-winning shot went wide.
So the game went to overtime and the Ospreys had two more corners in the opening two minutes. However, Edwards stopped one shot while another went wide. DelVal moved the ball down the field and Elana Keller got off a shot that was deflected by Prichett but stopped by the goalie. Prichett picked up her own rebound and slid the ball across the line 3:22 into the extra session for her 21st goal of the year, her sixth-game winning tally and the ECAC quarterfinal win.
The victory resulted in two milestones for DelVal and its greatest season in program history. It was the Aggies' first-ever postseason win as well as the 13th of the year, breaking the previous school record of 12 set by the 2001 and 2007 seasons. And it was the number one game of the 2013-14 DelVal athletic campaign.
No blog next week with the next coming on August 19. By then, the fall teams will have all reported to preseason camp and practices will have started.
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July 29
The announcement of the number one game of 2013-14 will now take place on Tuesday, August 5
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July 22
Last week, it was games 10 through 6 in the 2013-14 Top 10 Games of the Year. This week, it’s games five through two (the number one game of 2013-14 will be announced on July 29).
5. Field Hockey at Manhattanville – October 26, 2013
DelVal made the long trip to Purchase, New York knowing that a win would lock up a Freedom Conference tournament berth and keep the squad in at least a tie for first place in the standings. What ensued was a wild 74-plus minutes of field hockey.
The first 25 minutes of the game saw a combined three penalty strokes called and all three attempts found the back of the cage as DelVal led 2-1. The Aggies then scored two more times in the next five minutes for a 4-1 lead.
Manhattanville got back in the game with two tallies early in the second half and then tied it up with 13:03 left in regulation. The game went to overtime and, less than five minutes into the extra session, DelVal midfielder Kelsey Zook fired a shot from the top of the circle and it snuck just inside the left post for the game-winner.
It was Zook’s third goal of the game and it put DelVal into the conference playoffs. The win, combined with DeSales’ loss that same day, also left the Aggies in sole possession of first place and they eventually clinched the top berth in the Freedom tournament.
4. Men’s Basketball vs Rowan – November 15, 2013
What an opening contest to the season and the Widener University Tip-Off Tournament as DelVal and Rowan went toe-to-toe for 50 minutes.
The Profs built an 11-point halftime lead and increased the advantage to 17 over the defending Freedom Conference champions six minutes into the second stanza. DelVal crept back into the game, but still found itself down seven with four minutes left. Nick Sullivan, Francis Arnold and Jay Donovan hit big shots down the stretch to force overtime.
Both teams struggled in the first overtime as they scored just five points apiece. The Aggies took control in the second extra session, thanks in a huge way to Sullivan as he scored 11 of the team’s 18 points in the five-minute period, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line. His other three points in the overtime came on a trey to open it up and give DelVal the lead for good.
Sullivan came off the bench in the game and finished with a career-high 32 points, including seven treys, while Francis Arnold went for a career-best 28. The two hit 11 free throws apiece and put the Aggies in the tournament title contest.
3. Wrestling at Ithaca – February 1, 2014
Just 24 hours earlier, DelVal dropped a 19-18 decision at fifth-ranked Cortland in a match that was tied at 18-18 at the end but was decided on the second criteria (number of six-point victories in individual matches which Cortland had with a pin at 141 pounds). So when the Aggies hit the mat against No. 12 Ithaca, it couldn’t come to criteria again, right?
Wrong. DelVal trailed 18-9 with just three weight classes remaining. However, Connor Gabriel got a big win at 184 pounds and returning All-American Aaron Karns followed with a decision at 197 to make it 18-15.
That set the stage for the heayweights and the Aggies’ Zach Roseberry , who had just knocked off a ranked wrestler from Cortland the night before to force criteria. He did it again as he registered the only point of the third period to break a 2-2 tie and earn the decision.
So, it was tied up at 18-18 on the scoreboard and the result of the match would be determined by the scorebook. The first criteria was number of victories and both teams had five apiece. So it came down to the second criteria again and, this time, it favored the Aggies as Zach Haynes had picked up a pin at 125 for the lone six-point win of the match.
2. Football vs Rowan – September 7, 2013
A large crowd was on hand for the season opener and the first football game on the Aggies’ new turf surface at Robert A. Lipinski Field at James Work Memorial Stadium. Both team received national votes in the D3football.com preseason poll and it was the first time DelVal hosted the Profs since the heartbreaking NCAA quarterfinal loss back in 2005.
It was all Rowan for the first 45 minutes as it build a 27-7 advantage. DelVal began a drive at the end of the third quarter and found the end zone two minutes into the fourth to cut its deficit to 27-14. The Profs went three-and-out and Delaware Valley scored again, this time a touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Wilmer to Rasheed Bailey, and it was suddenly 27-21 with 8:13 remaining.
The Aggies stopped Rowan again and took over on its own 39. They went to their back of tricks as Wilmer caught a pass from wideout Michael Anusky and went 38 yards down to the Rowan 7. On second down, Wilmer hit a leaping Lewis Vincent for a touchdown and a 28-27 lead. Pete O’Hara then intercepted a Rowan pass on the ensuing possession and Wilmer scored on a touchdown run for a 35-27 advantage with 2:05 left. The Profs’ last chance ended when Rashaad Lighty recorded a sack on fourth down and the Aggies ran out the remaining time for the win.
It was amazing turn of events as DelVal, which was without the services of all-region tailback Kyle Schuberth all day due to a preseason injury, put up 134 yards in the fourth quarter alone. Meanwhile, the defense permitted just 20 yards in those 15 minutes. And the win put the Aggies in the top 25 when the next national poll came out.
Next week, the number one game of 2013-14.
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July 15
Just three more installments of the 2013-14 Year In Review and all three will focus on the Top 10 Games of the Year. This week, it is games ten through six followed by next week’s installment of games five through two. Then, it will be the number one game of 2013-14, which will be announced on July 29. Let the debating begin!
10. Field Hockey vs St. Mary’s – August 30, 2013
When DelVal and St. Mary’s took the field, it was the first regular-season game in school history on the new turf surface at Robert A. Lipinski Field at James Work Memorial Stadium and one could not write up a better script for the ending.
The Aggies dominated the action throughout the game, but it was the Seahawks who scored the first two goals. However just 70 seconds after St. Mary’s second tally, DelVal got on the board with a Leah Hawthorn goal. Then Taylor Prichett tied it with 11:14 remaining in regulation. No one scored in those 11-plus minutes and the contest went to overtime.
Then, just 4:51 into the extra session, Prichett sent a short feed to Jessica Summers in the middle and Summers put the ball in the left corner of the cage from about 12 yards out for the win. The victory kick-started what turned out to be the greatest field hockey season in DelVal history and it’s not the only time field hockey will be featured in the countdown.
9. Wrestling at The College of New Jersey & vs Centenary – February 14 & 15, 2014
Two matches against two nationally-ranked teams in a 24-hour span. And DelVal, which was ranked itself at the time (14th) came away with two thrilling wins.
The first was on the road at No. 24 College of New Jersey. The Lions were down 18-9 but a pin and a decision tied it up with two weight classes to go. However, the Aggies had nationally-ranked wrestlers at those weight classes and Aaron Karns kicked it up with a decision at 197. That left it up to freshman heavyweight Zach Roseberry and he took care of it by pinning his foe 12 seconds into the second period for a 27-18 team final.
DelVal then hosted 25th-ranked Centenary for Senior Night. The match began at 184 pounds and, after eight weight classes, the Aggies held a 22-12 lead. The Cyclones still had a chance, especially with three-time All-American and undefeated Chris Burdge taking the mat next. He faced DelVal senior Alec Horan and Horan was valiant in defeat and Burdge only picked up four points for his team. When Centenary failed to get a pin in the final weight class, the Aggies had a 22-19 triumph and back-to-back wins over top 25 squads.
8. Men’s Soccer vs Wilkes – October 16, 2013
It was the just the second and final time the Aggies were playing on the new turf surface at the stadium during the 2013 campaign (all but one game will take place on the turf in ’14). What a time to make a little footnote.
Goalkeeper Chase Clement kept the game scoreless going into the second half thanks to some big saves, including a stop on a breakaway. Then in the 63rd minutes, Peter Tantillo put the Aggies on the board and in the lead. They put the icing on the cake in the final minute of play as Steve Mannato notched a goal.
The result was a 2-0 victory and the team’s first triumph over a Freedom Conference opponent since 2008 when the Aggies handed King’s its only loss of that season.
7. Football vs Widener – November 16, 2013
The game didn’t have conference and NCAA implications as in the past couple of meetings between the rivals. However, the Keystone Cup, ECAC possibilities and bragging rights were on the line in a battle of 6-3 teams.
Widener led 28-17 at halftime before the Aggies simply dominated the rest of the way and sent the home crowd into a frenzy. They scored 33 unanswered points and finished with 632 yards of total offense, including 356 in the second half alone. Meanwhile, the DelVal defense blanked the MAC’s top offense in the second half and allowed just 177 total yards over the final 30 minutes.
Leading the way was senior tailback Kyle Schuberth as he rushed for a career-high 235 yards and three touchdowns, including 184 yards and all three scores on just 15 carries in the second half. It was the third-highest, single-game performance in school history and he was the first to grab the Keystone Cup and it went everywhere with him in post-game interviews. He may still be clutching it today!
6. Women's Basketball vs DeSales – January 18, 2014
DelVal entered the game a perfect 3-0 at home and was coming off a road Freedom Conference win at Wilkes, but that was not the team’s greatest effort. Meanwhile, DeSales came to James Work Gymnasium with an eight-game winning streak and a 12-2 overall record.
The Aggies put on a clinic in the first half as they led 38-18 at the break thanks to 48 percent shooting and a defensive effort that limited the Bulldogs to 25.9 percent shooting and forced them into 13 turnovers. At one point in the stanza, DelVal went on a 24-6 run with four players combining for all 24 points.
Everyone expected a DeSales run and the Bulldogs started the second half with seven straight points in just over two minutes. The Aggies regrouped and built the lead back up to 18 with 12 minutes to go.
Later in the contest, DeSales went on a 21-7 run and they pulled to within two with 28 seconds left. Eireann Anastasi hit two critical free throws for DelVal and, after a DeSales basket, she hit another one with a second to go as she finished with a game-high 27 points.
Crazy moments at the end, but the home crowd was able to breathe easier when the final horn went off for the 70-67 DelVal win. The victory was a key one in the Aggies’ run to both the Freedom Conference and ECAC playoffs.
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July 1
The 2013-14 Year In Review continues with the Top Five Surprises of the Year
5. Announcement of Five New Intercollegiate Sports
While some schools have cut programs, Delaware Valley announced last summer that it was adding five intercollegiate sports with competition beginning with the 2014-15 season: women’s golf, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis and women’s tennis. The major expansion increases the number of intercollegiate offerings at DelVal to 22, making it the third-highest sponsorship total among the 18 institutions that comprise the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC).
4. Women’s Basketball
Picked to miss the postseason, the Aggie women’s basketball team, instead, raced out to 15 wins and berths in both the Freedom Conference and ECAC South Region tournaments. They also gave undefeated and eventual national champion FDU-Florham its best battle of the season as DelVal led the Devils on their home court with less than four minutes to go in their Freedom semifinal match-up.
3. Alec Horan, Wrestling
Horan entered the 2013-14 campaign with a combined 18 wins in his first two seasons with the Aggies. He then won 22 of 32 matches and nearly qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships as he reached the East Regional consolation finals as the seventh seed and placed fourth (top three advanced to the NCAAs). After the season, Horan was named a Scholar All-American.
2. Kyle Wenger, Baseball
Wenger exploded onto the scene as a freshman as he led Delaware Valley in nearly every offensive category and placed in the top five nationally in two categories (third in batting, fourth in on-base percentage) and in the top 15 in another (12th in slugging percentage). He was named both the Freedom Conference and ECAC South Rookie of the Year and was selected to a pair of all-regions first teams as well.
1. Field Hockey
Head coach Carol Di Girolamo’s squad was selected to finish sixth in the Freedom Conference preseason coaches’ poll. Instead, they ended the regular season atop the standings, en route to the greatest year in program history. The Aggies won a record 13 games and hosted a conference postseason game for the first time ever. Though they lost a semifinal heartbreaker in overtime, they were then selected for the ECAC playoffs and, as the sixth seed, upset the number three seed – Richard Stockton – in the quarterfinals for their first-ever postseason win. Five Aggies were named to the all-Freedom team and Di Girolamo was voted by her peers as the Freedom Coach of the Year.
After a week over, the blog will begin to look back at the Top 10 Games of the Year. We will announce games 10 through 6 on Tuesday, July 15 and then games 5 through 2 on July 22. The number one game of the year will then be announced on July 29. Think about the entire year and all the teams. Get your list ready and compare.
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June 24
The 2013-14 Year In Review continues with our picks for the male and female unsung heroes of the year:
Unsung Hero (Male) – Nick Sullivan, Men’s Basketball
While Francis Arnold was an all-region selection and Chris Moran emerged as an all-conference player, the surrounding cast also played a big role in the 2013-14 season for the Aggies and each had their moments. Sullivan had, perhaps, the most moments, starting with seven 3-pointers and 32 points off the bench in the double-overtime, season-opening win over Rowan. He reached the 20-point plateau five other times (three of them against conference opponents), and finished the season averaging 11.7 points per game while shooting 43.9 percent from 3-point land, and 85.9 percent from the foul line.
Unsung Hero (Female) – Agatha Drozd, Women’s Basketball
Playing just her second year of collegiate ball after missing her freshman campaign with an injury she suffered during the first practice of the season, Drozd put up solid numbers across the board and was the model of consistency. She averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game and had nine or more points in 14 of the 27 games. She was a key cog behind the team’s journey to both the Freedom Conference and ECAC playoffs.
Next week is the top 5 surprises of the year.
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June 17
The next edition of the blog and the Year in Revew is June 24
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June 10
Last week, the Year In Review focused on the top male and female freshman and sophomore (in two cases, there were ties). This week, it’s the top junior and senior. Think you know who they are before you even scroll down? Let’s find out.
Top Junior (Male) – Aaron Karns, Wrestling
Last year’s top sophomore had an even better season in 2013-14. Karns won 31 of 37 matches, including the championship bouts at both the MAC and NCAA East Regional tournaments. The regional crown put him in the NCAAs for a third time and he earned back-to-back All-America honors as he followed up his seventh place showing in 2013 with a fourth-place finish in the 197-pound weight class.
Top Junior (Female) – Kelsey Zook, Field Hockey
Zook controlled the play from her midfield as she helped lead DelVal to a school-record 13 wins, the top seed in the Freedom Conference playoffs and a semifinal finish in the ECAC postseason. Along the way, she racked up seven goals and five assists for 19 points, including the overtime tally at Manhattanville that clinched the conference tournament berth.
Top Senior (Male) – Kyle Schuberth, Football
You would never know from his final numbers that Schuberth missed the first two games of the season with an injury. The running back and all-region honoree still racked up 1,336 yards and 16 touchdowns on 216 carries, including a pair of 200-plus yard games, as the team reached the ECAC Southeast Bowl Game. Schuberth finished his career as DelVal’s second all-time leader in rushing yards (3,764), rushing touchdowns (45) and overall touchdowns (46).
Top Senior (Female) – Alexis Maylor, Track & Field
How about this for a final year – three MAC championships (indoor pentathlon, outdoor heptathlon, outdoor long jump), two MAC Field Athlete of the Year awards, two school and conference records, an ECAC championship, an invite to one of the most prestigious track events in the country and a second straight berth to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Maylor will go down as one of the top women’s track and field athletes in DelVal and MAC history as she totaled six conference titles (three pentathlon, two heptathlon, one long jump) and three athlete of the year awards in her three years with the Aggies.
After a week off, the blog will return on June 24 with the latest Year In Review installment – the unsung male and female heroes of 2013-14.
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June 3
The next two installments of the Year In Review focuses on the top male and female athletes per class. Today is a look at the freshmen and sophomore honorees (next week - the juniors and seniors). Let the debating begin.
Top Freshman (Male) – TIE - Zach Roseberry, Wrestling & Kyle Wenger, Baseball
The duo produced two of the top rookie campaigns in school history. Roseberry posted a 29-7 record which included an East Regional title and All-America honors thanks to a fourth-place showing at the NCAA Division III Championships. He was also named to the d3wrestle.com All-Freshman Team.
For Wenger, he was named to a pair of all-region first teams and was the Freedom Conference’s Rookie of the Year as he led the team in nearly every offensive category and finished in top 20 nationally in three categories. One of those was batting where he placed third in all of Division III with a .479 mark.
Top Freshman (Female) – Elana Keller, Field Hockey
Keller started 20 of the 21 games (missing one due to an injury) and was a key new component as the team won a record 13 games and advanced to both the Freedom and ECAC playoffs. She notched a goal and five assists for seven points and was also strong on the defensive end.
Top Sophomore (Male) – Danny Wynne, Football
Wynne’s first year as a starter saw him earn all-MAC and all-ECAC first-team honors. He paced the DelVal defense with 112 tackles (68 solo) and also added two forced fumbles, an interception and a blocked kick as the Aggies won seven games and was selected for an ECAC Bowl game.
Top Sophomore (Female) – TIE – Eireann Anastasi, Women’s Basketball & Taylor Prichett, Field Hockey
Again, how do you pick one over the other. Both were first-team, all-conference honorees. Both helped their teams have big years and advance to the Freedom and ECAC playoffs when they were picked to miss the postseason.
For Anastasi, she led her quad in scoring with 16.3 points per contest as well as free throw percentage (.798) and steals (69). She also contributed 3.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game and was a third-team, all-region pick by D3hoops.com. Prichett had an offensive year to remember as she notched 22 goals (second in school history) and four assists for 48 points (third in school history). Six of her tallies were game-winners, including an overtime goal in the ECAC quarterfinal match-up at Richard Stockton.
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May 28
Here we go. The first look back at the 2013-14 athletic season - A to Z:
A – ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL – 62 DelVal student-athletes were named to the Middle Atlantic Conference Academic Honor Roll during the season
B – BELL, Brandon – The senior committed just five errors while splitting time between second base and shortstop and was a Rawlings Gold Glove nominee
C – COACH OF THE YEAR – Carol Di Girolamo and Laura Hogan earned top coaching honors in the Freedom Conference in field hockey and women’s basketball of the year
D – D3 WEBSITES (d3football.com, d3hoops.com, d3wrestle.com, etc) – Four DelVal players earned all-region honors from the various Division III sites while another was named to an all-freshman team
E – ECAC – The football team was selected for an ECAC Bowl game while the field hockey team reached the semifinals in its first trip to the ECAC playoffs. The women’s basketball squad was an ECAC quarterfinalist while Alexis Maylor captured an individual ECAC crown in women’s track and field
F – FIELD HOCKEY – The squad posted the greatest season in program history with a school-record 13 wins, the number one seed in the Freedom tournament, a home playoff game for the first time, and its first-ever ECAC invite where it reached the semifinals
G – GRECO, Duke – The DelVal grad and offensive coordinator was promoted to head coach of the Aggie football team in March
H – HOSTS – As in DelVal serving as the host for the 2014 Freedom Conference Softball Championships (won by Manhattanville College)
I – INTRAMURALS – Interest remains high for the extracurricular activities, especially basketball and softball
J – JACKIE Wear – Okay, so we cheated a little and went first name instead of last name with the letter, But, we wanted to recognize one of the top softball players in school history as she earned all-conference honors for a third straight year, broke two all-time school records and finished in the top four in two other categories
K – KARNS, Aaron – The junior wrestler earned All-America honors for the second year in a row (the 21st wrestler in program history with two or more All-America accolades) as he placed fourth at the NCAAs in the 197-pound weight class
L – LOGO – A new, modernized logo was released in February and it now represents the entire athletic department and its 22 NCAA Division III intercollegiate team
M – MAYLOR, Alexis – The senior captured three MAC women’s track and field championships, was named the conference’s Female Field Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor championships, competed at the Penn Relays and qualified for the NCAA Championships where she placed 14th in the heptathlon
N – NCAAs – The wrestling team added another memorable chapter to its NCAA tradition as it crowned three All-Americans (top eight finishes) and finished tied for sixth in the team standings at the national championships
O – OVERTIME – Both the field hockey and men’s basketball teams opened their seasons with exciting wins in extra time (field hockey against St. Mary’s, men’s basketball in double overtime over Rowan)
P – PRITCHETT, Taylor – The sophomore forward earned all-Freedom first-team accolades as she scored 22 goals on the year, including the overtime winner in the field hockey team’s win at Richard Stockton in the ECAC quarterfinals
Q – QUALIFIERS - DelVal had five student-athletes that qualified for the NCAA Championships in individual sports – four from wrestling and one from women’s outdoor track and field
R – ROSEBERRY, Zach – The freshman heavyweight wrestler had a rookie year to remember as he won 29 matches, captured an East Regional title, placed fourth and earned All-America honors at the NCAAs and was named to the d3wrestle.com All-Freshman Team
S – SCHUBERTH, Kyle – The senior tailback racked up 1,336 yards and 16 touchdowns - including a pair of 200-plus yard games - despite missing two games with an injury. He was all-region pick and finished second in school history in rushing yards (3,764), rushing touchdowns (45) and overall touchdowns (46).
T – TURF FIELD – The new playing surface at Robert A. Lipinski Field at James Work Memorial Stadium – thanks to a seven-figure gift from the trustee and alumnus – debuted in 2013-14 and was the site of many exciting moments including the field hockey team’s first-ever home playoff game, the football team’s win over Widener for the Keystone Cup and the men’s soccer team’s first conference win in five years
U – UNIVERSITY – Will we be Delaware Valley University for next year’s blog???
V – VOLLEYBALL – The most successful senior class in program history – Alex DeFrancesco, Janel Gluch, Destinee Horning and Alyssa Riggins - ended their careers with 63 wins, one Freedom tournament berth and two ECAC quarterfinal appearances
W – WENGER, Kyle – The freshman centerfielder was named the Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year and was selected to a pair of all-region first teams after placing in the top 20 nationally in three different categories
X – XCITEMENT – Just like the last few years, we cheated a little with the spelling of this one. It was an exciting year with plenty to cheer for
Y – YOUTH – One freshman was an All-American in their sport while another was an all-region pick (a sophomore was also an all-region honoree). Meanwhile, a combined 10 rookies and sophomores earned all-conference honors
Z – ZOOK, Kelsey – The junior midfielder earned first-team all-conference accolades and helped lead the field hockey squad to its greatest season. She was also selected to four separate academic teams
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May 27
The 2013-14 DelVal Athletics - A to Z posting will take place on May 28
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May 13
Other than a handful of track athletes going to ECACs at the end of this week and hopefully some qualifying for NCAAs, the 2013-14 season is over for DelVal. So after a week off from the blog, we will begin the annual and always-popular Year In Review.
Here is the schedule for the Year In Review so plan accordingly!
May 20 - NO BLOG
May 27 - 2013-14 DelVal Athletics – A to Z
June 3 - Athlete of the Year (Male and Female - Freshman and Sophomore)
June 10 - Athlete of the Year (Male and Female - Junior and Senior)
June 17 - NO BLOG
June 24 - Unsung Hero of the Year (Male and Female)
July 1 - Top Five Surprises of the Year
July 8 – NO BLOG
July 15 - Top Games of the Year (Games 10 through 6)
July 22 - Top Games of the Year (Game 5 through 2)
July 29 – The Number One Game Of the Year
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May 7
Last week, we mentioned the fact that two of our student-athletes could garner special awards for their respective spring sports. And we were 2-for-2!
First, Alexis Maylor was named the MAC Female Field Athlete of the Year for the outdoor championships and it was her second award of the year as she took the same honor at the indoor championships. At the outdoor event, Maylor took first in both the heptathlon and the long jump and solidified herself as one of the top female track performers in conference history.
In baseball, freshman Kyle Wenger was named the Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year after putting up huge numbers all season long. He has a shot at all-region honors as well.
Hosting the conference softball championships was a great event on campus and DelVal received plenty of praise for its efforts. Congratulations to Manhattanville for winning the title.
Next week’s edition will list the upcoming summer schedule for the blog, including the always-popular Year In Review
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April 29
Softball and golf have wrapped up their seasons. Baseball has one doubleheeder left this week (weather permitting) and track heads to the MAC Championships this weekend. Plus a handful of track athletes have qualified for the ECACs the week after and hopefully some will make it to the NCAAs. And that would wrap up the 2013-14 season.
Later this week, the all-conference teams will be announced for baseball and softball. Golf was determined at the conference championships last week (first team for placewinners one through five, second team for placewinners six through 10) and track is determined at their championships as well (first team for placewinners one through three, second team for placewinners four through six in each event). We should have some Aggies who get honored and two have a chance for special awards. In women's track, Alexis Maylor has a shot at Field Athlete of the Year (she got the award in the winter for indoor track) and Kyle Wenger has to be a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year in baseball)
Right now, the department is getting ready to host the Freedom Softball Championships this weekend and it ahould be a great event with Manhattanville, King's, FDU-Florham and Misericordia vying for the conference title.
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April 22
The regular season ends in the middle of next week for both the baseball and softball teams. Unfortunately for both, they have been eliminated from conference tournament contention. Despite not being in, softball will host the conference championships on May 2 and 3.
Speaking of conference championships, the men's golf team will head to the Hershey Country Club for the Freedom Conference Championships this Saturday and Sunday. And track and field will go to Widener MAC Championships.
In track, Alexis Maylor made DelVal history by being selected to compete in the heptathlon at the prestigious Penn Relays. In fact, her competition starts today. She is the first known Aggie female competitor to be selected for the Penn Relays in an individual event. A big moment for the senior who already has had a career to remember at DelVal.
The lights are up at the stadium! It was a sight to see as we were at a softball game last week and to look across and see the four of them. Get ready for some night games, including the football home opener on September 20!
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April 15
The next blog update will be on April 22
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April 8
The weather continues to play a factor this Spring as we await to see if today's games will be played after yesterday's rain. Hard to believe that there's only three weeks left in the regular season. But in these three weeks, baseball still has 13 conference games left and softball has six conference games left.
Speaking of conference games, Delaware Valley will host the 2014 Freedom Conference Softball Championships on Friday and Saturday, May 2 and 3. We hosted the event four years ago and are in the rotation cycle for the championships. And improvements have been made to the facility since the last time as what used to be nothing but dirt next to the field is now a parking lot with protecting nets around it. Plus, we have a new sound system. It should be a great event.
Golf had two matches last week before yesterday's rain out and track and field had a good showing at Muhlenberg on Saturday. If the weather can just cooperate, it could be a good rest of the spring.
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April 1
The next blog update will be on Tuesday, April 8
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March 25
Mother Nature is at it again. Baseball has still not had a home game and who knows what's going to happen if we get the two to three inches of snow that is being predicted for later today and into tomorrow. Baseball is supposed to have road games on Wednesday and Friday and home games Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The Friday-Sunday games are conference contests and those have to be played at some point so it may result in some non-conference games getting bumped the rest of the way
Softball is in good shape weather wise as they had one postponement early. They got all four of their games in this past weekend and their only scheduled event this week is a Saturday doubleheader at King's.
Track begins its outdoor season this Friday and Saturday at the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener. The spring portion of the men's golf season does not begin until next week - weather permitting of course!
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March 18
What a great weekend for the DelVal wrestlers as three of the four NCAA qualifiers earned All-America honors. The Aggies finished tied for sixth in the team standings as Vinny Fava placed third at 149 pounds, Aaron Karns took fourth at 197 pounds and Zach Roseberry took fourth at heavyweight.
At one point, those three combined for 10 wins in a row - something that is quite rare at the NCAA Championships. And all three are back next year as Fava and Karns are junior while Roseberry is a freshman.For Karns, he will look to become just the sixth DelVal wrestler to earn three All-America honors.
The spring seasons are now underway as baseball and softball played 10 and eight games respectively on their Spring Break trips. Now, it's just waiting to see when fields will be playable - both at DelVal and at our opponents - as they took a pounding from Mother Nature this winter. Hopefully, this weekend's game will go on as scheduled (softball home against Wilkes on Saturday, at FDU-Florham on Sunday; baseball home against Wilkes on Firday before heading to Wilkes to finish the series on Saturday).
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March 11
The NCAA Diviison III Wrestling Championship brackets were released late Monday night. Three of the four DelVal wrestlers who will be making the trip to Iowa are seeded while the fourth is in the mix as well. Here's a closer look (a complete DelVal championship preview will be on the web by Wednesday evening):
149 pounds
Vinny Fava is seeded seventh with his 25-4 record and the junior is making his first trop to the NCAAs after transferring in from Division I Rider. If he were to win his first match, he would have a quarterfinal meeting with the second-seed Ryan Prater of Elmhurst. Prater is undefeated but has only wrestled 16 matches. There is a potential for a third match-up this year with third-seeded Mark Hartenstine of Wilkes. The last one went to overtime in the MAC semifinals with Hartenstine winning by one. That match-up could take place in the semifinals
157 pounds
Emmanuel Ajabe is unseeded with his 17-5 record and he will go against the fourth seed, Jon Garrison of Mount Union. How would you like to be Garrison. You go 35-5 and get a top four seed and your first-round opponent is a returning All-American (Ajagbe was eighth last year) who is making his third trip to nationals? Ajagbe is also on the side of the bracket that features an amazing preliminary match. Top-seeded Nazar Kulchytskyy of Wisconsin-Oshkosh won the title at 165 last year and he dropped a weight and has to battle last year's 157 runner-up in Kris Kawchuk of Wilkes (Ajagbe just faced him in the MAC finals and lost). The potential is there for Ajagbe to face one of them in the semis.
197 pounds
Aaron Karns is seeded seventh with his 27-4 record and he placed sixth at last year's NCAAs for his first All-American honor (he also qualified for nationals as a freshman in 2011 before taking off a year). If the junior wins his first match, he more than likely would meet second-seeded Shane Siefert of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the quarterfinals. They met in last year's consolation semifinals which was won by Siefert, but Karns had just lost in overtime in the championship semifinals and was so close to wrestling for the title. That was hard to bounce back from. The wrestler he lost to in the semis, Alex Coolidge, is the top seed and Karns and Coolidge could meet again, this time in the finals, if the two advance that far.
285 pounds
Zach Roseberry is seeded eighth with his 25-5 record and the freshman will make his NCAA debut on Friday. Should he win his opening match, Roseberry would then take on two-tome defending champion Chad Johnson of Augsburg in the quarterfinals. Johnson is 31-1 on the year and has not lost to a Division III opponent since 2011. What an opportunity for Roseberry to make a name for himself on the national stage.
All four wrestlers are more than capable of placing in the top eight for All-America honors and even winning national titles. We will begin to find out on Friday.
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March 4
It was a good weekend for DelVal and a good week going back to last Wednesday's women's basketball playoff game when the Aggies gave FDU-Florham everything they had and held a one-point lead with less than four minutes to go before FDU rallied for the win to stay undefeated. DelVal was awarded for that performance and its season by being selected as the seventh seed in the eight-team ECAC South Region Championships. The team will travel to Maryland to take on McDaniel College in the quarterfinals.
Sunday's East Regional Wrestling Championships was as exciting as it could get as just four points separated the top three teams in the team standings. In the end, DelVal was third while Wilkes was first and Ursinus was second (just three points ahead of DelVal). Seven Aggies placed in the top six and four of them placed in the top three to automatically qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships (next week we will look closely at those four and see what there chances are at nationals). Aaron Karns and Zach Roseberry won individual titles at 197 and 285 pounds respectively while Emmanuel Ajagbe (157) took second and Dale Fava (149) took third.
Alexis Maylor was simply dominant at the MAC Indoor Championships. She was first in four of the five events that make up the pentathlon and she easily captured her third straight conference title. She broke her own conference record and was a no-brainer to be named the Field Event Athlete of the Year. She will head to the ECACs this week as she looks to improve her standing and hopefully qualify for the NCAAs.
Hard to believe with all the snow on the ground, but the baseball and softball teams will kick off their seasons this coming weekend as they head South (baseball to Florida, softball to South Carolina) for Spring Break. Who knows when either team will actually get on their home field.
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February 25
It's championship week for DelVal as the women's basketball, wrestling and men's and women's indoor track and field teams will compete in championships.
We'll start with the women as DelVal will travel to undefeated and fifth-ranked FDU-Florham for the Freedom semifinals on Wednesday. Obviously, it will not be an easy task to upset the Devils on their home court, but the Aggies are the last team to defeat them in the regular-season and that win - in last year's season-finale, did take place in Madison, New Jersey. They have played twice this year with FDU-Florham winning both by double figures, but DelVal did have a lead in the meeting with 10 minutes to go in the game and that's the latest in a contest that FDU-Florham trailed this year.
For a young team (no seniors on the roster), the playoff game will be a great experience for them and they have nothing to lose as no one outside of their locker room is giving them a chance to win. But that's why they play the game and it would go down as one of the greatest wins in program history should they pull it off. A loss may not end their season as they are in the mix for an ECAC playoff spot for the following week.
Wrestling heads up the turnpike to Wilkes-Barre and King's College for the NCAA Divison III East Regional Championships on Sunday. In addition to being a team competition (the Aggies were second and lost by just half a point last season), it is the qualifying tournament for the NCAA Championships. For the wrestlers, it's plain and simple - finish in the top three in your weight class and you're going to national. Anything else and your season is over.
Delaware Valley has a strong lineup that's tailored made for a championship like this. Eight of their 10 wrestlers have winning records with two in the national rankings, another that is a returning All-American and a fourth that is a former Division I starter. Two other starters have 18 or more victories on the year.
But it all comes down to one day and how you wrestle on that day. Since they take the top three, a wrestler can afford one slip up and still wrestle back into a position to go to nationals. The longer one stays in the championship bracket, the easier the road is for nationals. And by early Sunday evening, we will know how many DelVal wrestlers will head to Iowa for the NCAA Championships.
Track and field heads to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Lehigh University for the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships on Saturday. Alexis Maylor will look to win the pentathlon for a third straight year while Brian Carter highlights the men's side as he seeks to win his first conference title in the 60-meter dash.
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February 19
Last night was a disappointing one for the DelVal basketball teams as the men had a chance to seal a conference playoff berth and both had a chance to stay alive for home playoff games. Instead, both suffered losses at Manhattanville and now it comes down to the final day of the regular-season as both will host FDU-Florham on Saturday.
We know the women are in the conference tournament. What's left is whether they are the number three or four seed and that's critical considering that FDU-Florham is undefeated and ranked fifth in the country so you would like to avoid them as long as you can.
For the men, it's pretty simple. Win Saturday and you're in the playoffs (as either the number three or four seed). Lose and dreams of a championship repeat are over because they will be out of the playoff field.
Here's a little more detail.:
WOMEN
Believe it or not, one of the seeding scenarios involves the actual score of DelVal's Saturday game against FDU. Bot before that, let's look at the others. If DelVal upsets FDU, they improve to 9-5 on the season and will be the number three seed no matter what happens in the DeSales-Eastern game. Where they go depends on that game. If DeSales wins, they would be the number two seed and would host DelVal next Wednesday. If Easterns wins, it creates a three-way tie and Eastern would be the number two seed because they would have a 3-1 record against DeSales and DelVal. So that would leave DelVal and DeSales and DelVal would have the edge because of its win over FDU-Florham (DeSales lost twice to them) and it would come to that because DelVal and DeSales split.
If DelVal loses to FDU and Eastern beats DeSales, then Eastern is the number two seed, DeSales is three and DelVal is the number four seed.
Now comes the wild one - if DelVal loses to FDU and DeSales beats Eastern, it actually depends on how much DelVal loses to FDU to determine the three and four seeds (DeSales would be the two in this scenario). The reason why is that DelVal and Eastern would be tied and they split their two meetings. The second tiebreaker is how teams did against the others in the conference starting from top to bottom until you can break the tie. The tie is not broken because DelVal and Eastern would have had the same results against everybody.
So that brings point differential into the scenario with a cap of 15 points. So if you defeat a team by 15 or 50, you get credited with 15 (this way teams are discouraged to run the score up on someone). The first point differential is head-to-head but that's a draw because Eastern beat DelVal by more than 15 at their place and DelVal did the same to Eastern at their place. So now its starts at the top of the standings. FDU beat Eastern by more than 15 each times they played and they beat DelVal by more than 15 the first time they met. If DelVal lost by 14 or less, the tiebreaker would favor them and they would be the number three seed. However, if they lost by more than 15, the tiebreaker would then go down to DeSales and Eastern beat DeSales by a larger margin that DelVal did so Eastern would be the three and DelVal would be the four.
MEN
Again, plain and simple in one respect. DelVal has to win on Saturday against FDU to make the conference tournament. A loss eliminates them either by their record not being good enough or the tiebreakers don't fall their way (either because of a potential Manhattanville swep of Misericordia or DelVal's two losses to first-place DeSales)
If DelVal wins, they are either the number three or four seed and are either travelling to DeSales or Misericordia. Here are the four possibilities.
1) DelVal wins, Manhattanville wins (over Misericordia) and King's wins (over Wilkes) - DelVal is the four seed and would travel to DeSales. They would be in a three-way tie with Manhattanville and Misericordia for second but all tiebreakers don't favor them.
2) DelVal wins, Manhattanville wins (over Misericordia) and Wilkes wins (over King's) - DelVal is the four seed and would travel to DeSales. Same thing with the three-way tie not favoring DelVal at all.
3) DelVal wins, Misericordia wins (over Manhattanville) and King's wins (over Wilkes) - DelVal is the three seed and would travel to Misericordia. Misericordia would be 9-5, DelVal 8-6 and FDU 7-7 so the two through four spots would be set just because of record.
4) DelVal wins, Misericordia wins (over Manhattanville) and Wilkes wins (over King's) - DelVal is the three seed and would travel to Misericordia. Again, it would be just because of records and no tiebreakers would be involved.
Got all that? I need an aspirin!
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February 18
This week's blog will take place on Wednesday, February 19
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February 11
Yesterday, we unveiled a new logo and the feedback has been nothing but positive. DelVal athletics was lone overdue for a change as it had been nearly 20 years since we had a new logo. The new look to the Ram is more modern and it pops off the web pages and on apparel as well. It is a major upgrade for athletics.
Four games remain in the basketball regular-seasons and both the DelVal men and women continue to be in position to make the conference tournament. Here's where we stand:
WOMEN
At 6-4 in conference play, DelVal is in sole possession of the fourth and final tournament spot. The team has a two-game lead over Manhattanville and a three-game lead over Misericordia. The Aggies are also just one game behind both DeSales and Eastern, who are tied for second place. DelVal travels to King's on Wednesday, which has never been an easy place to play and then hosts Misericordia on Saturday this week. Next week is a trip to Manhattanville and a home finale against undefeated FDU-Florham.
MEN
They too are 6-4 in conference play. That has them tied with FDU-Florham, Manhattanville and Misericordia for second place (DeSales is first with a 7-3 record). So at least one of those five teams mentioned - including DeSales - is not going to make the postseason. And King's is still alive at 4-6 so they could get make things even more interesting. DelVal goes to King's on Wednesday for what really amount to a must win for the Monarchs. The Aggies host Misericordia on Saturday before next week's schedule that has them going to Manhattanville and hosting FDU-Florham.
Wrestling has moved its Thursday match with Centenary to Saturday night and thus creating a tripleheader at home with the basketball games at 1 and 3. So instead of matches on Thursday and Friday (at the College of New Jersey), they will have back-to-backs on Friday and Saturday.
A great showing from Brian Carter on the track team as he defeated 48 other runners in the 60-meter dash at the Frank Colden Invitational. He had the top time in the preliminaries and posted an even better time in the finals.
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February 4
What an exciting weekend of action, starting with the men's basketball team as they moved back into sole possession of first place in the Freedom with their win over Wilkes combined with Misericordia's loss. Six games remain in the regular season and the Aggies are atop the standings. Four teams are tied for second, just one game behind (the top four advance to the conference tournament) so there's a lot of work to be done. Saturday's game saw DelVal struggle to hit its three-points shots in the first half and the rebounding numbers clearly favored Wilkes, but the Aggies still led at the break thanks to a relentless defensive effort. The shots starting falling in the second half and the lead quickly jumped and they cruised the rest of the way.
Women's basketball began the home doubleheader by blowing out Wilkes and the Aggies remained tied for third place with six games remaining. This is a big week for the squad as they travel to DeSales on Wednesday and host Eastern on Saturday. The Aggies are tied for third with DeSales while Eastern is in second place, a game ahead of them. Three weeks ago, DelVal jumped out to a 20-point lead over DeSales at home and then had to hold on at the end for the three-point win. Back in December, they traveled to Eastern and suffered a tough loss. But they have them at home where DelVal is 7-0 this year.
Wrestling was as wild as it can get. They made a trip to upstate New York to take on a pair of top 15 teams in No. 5 Cortland and No. 12 Ithaca. Against Cortland, heavyweight Zach Roseberry defeated the eighth-ranked wrestler in his weight class to force an 18-18 deadlock. Nowadays, ties are borken by criteria and it went to the second criteria where Cortland had more pins than DelVal and thus was awared a point for a 19-18 win.
Less than 24 hours, the same thing occurs with Ithaca, except in this case, DelVal had one pin to none by Ithaca and DelVal came away with the 19-18 win. So what looked like two ties actually became a 1-1 trip for the Aggies, who should get back in the top 30 after their strong performance. Surprised that they use criteria for matches that involve advancing in a tournament. We saw it work against the Aggies and for the Aggies this weekend.
Track's weekend was highlighted by Alexis Maylor's showing at the Bucknell Invite. She took part in the pentathlon and a field of nine that featured mostly Division I competitors. She finished second as she prepares to win a third straight pentathlon title at the MAC Championships later this winter.
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January 28
After another week of snow, school closings and postponed games (just for a day), it looks like we are just dealing with cold temperatures this week. However, action is hot for the winter teams as we are entering the stretch run.
It was great to see the MAC sponsor a wrestling championship for the first time since 2006. Back then, the thought was that disbanding was the right thing to do for the wrestlers as going to various regional qualying tournaments could allow a higher number of qualifiers for the NCAAs. Then last year, the NCAA changed the regional format and created just six regionals where the top three wrestlers in each weight class earned a trip to nationals. No more wild cards and no longer would there be more qualifiers in one region than another. Once that happened, the schools in the MAC looked to bring back he championship and it passed.
It was really a three-team race between DelVal, Messiah and Wilkes and it was there for the taking for all three. In the end, Messiah won its first-ever MAC title and the Aggies, with seven finalists, took third. David Davidson and Aaron Karns captured indvidual crowns.
Now comes a tough weekend for the wrestlers as they head to upstate New York to take on 10th-ranked Cortland on Friday and 13th-ranked Ithaca on Saturday afternoon.
Both basketball teams suffered double-digits losses at Misericordia on Saturday but they each had taken care of business at home against Manhattanville two days earlier. Both are 4-2 in conference and, after tomorrow's games at FDU-Florham, the Freedom schedule is halfway done.
The men are tied for first with three others teams. Ironically, the four that are tied right now are the same four that went to the conference tournament last year (DelVal, DeSales, FDU-Florham, Misericordia). DelVal has been without the services of leading scorer Francis Arnold for the last two games and, hopefully, he will be back on Wednesday.
For the women, they have already matched their overall win total from last year (11). Their 4-2 conference mark has them in sole possession of third place in the league standings. Defending champion FDU-Florham is undefeated and in first place while Eastern is 5-1 and in second.
Lewis Vincent had a strong showing at the Lebanon Valley Indoor Invitational for track and field as the senior took top honors in the long jump and placed fifth in the 55 meters. Anybody who watched Vincent for four years on the football field should not be surprised by those results as his spped and leaping ability made him stand out.
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January 14
After nearly a month off, the blog is back! Hard to believe it's been that long. It's also hard to believe that it's been a month since there has been a home basketball game. And it's even harder to believe that there hasn't been a home wrestling match this year.
That will all change this Saturday as both basketball teams are home and those games will be followed by a wrestling quad meet. That means there will be events going on from 1:00 p.m. to around 11:00 p.m.
Basketball kicks back into conference action this week, starting first with a doubleheader at Wilkes on Saturday. Then comes the Saturday home doubleheader with DeSales. The women's team enters Wednesday with a 7-5 overall record and a 1-1 mark in Freedom action. They had a five-game winning streak in non-conference games, including two wins on its holiday trip to Florida, before dropping back-to-back contests to Haverford and Cabrini.
The men are 7-6 overall and 2-0 in the conference. Its brutal non-conference schedule - the Aggies faced two teams that went to the NCAAs last year and played three others who were recent NCAA qualifiers - is complete and that competition should help get them ready for the conference run. And the DeSales game on Saturday will be a rematch from last year's title game that Delaware Valley go to Center Valley and cut down the nets on the Bulldogs' home court.
Incidentally, the Saturday doubleheader with DeSales will be a D3hoops.com regional broadcast and you can watch both games at the following link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/d3hoops-doubleheader
The wrestling team is 4-4 overall and ranked 24th in Division III. Two of its losses were to teams ranked in the top 10, including defending national champion and top-ranked Wartburg. Three individuals are currently ranked in the coaches' poll in Zac Haynes (sixth at 125 pounds), Aaron Karns (seventh at 197 pounds) and Vinny Fava (10th at 149 pounds). On Saturday, DelVal will wrestle Division II East Stroudsburg and Division III programs Gettysburg and Hunter.
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December 18
It will be a busy week for DelVal athletics despite the fact that Finals Week is over (finals were actually extended to yesterday because of last week's snow). Both basketball teams are in action tonight (women home against Rosemont and men at Kean) and the women host Marywood on Thursday while the men go to Lebanon Valley on the Saturday).
However, the biggest athletic events of the week will take place on the mats on Saturday and in a much warmer and different location - Las Vegas. Yes, the DelVal wrestling team fundraised for the big trip and they will head out in a few days to get ready for the Desert Duals. Wartburg from Iowa is the actual host and it will be a quite a test for the Aggies as they will put their number nine ranking on the line against three other nationally-ranked teams and one non-ranked team.
The action will begin for DelVal at 8:00 am (Pacific time) against No. 28 Heidelberg University. That will be followed with a match against No. 8 Coe College and then the biggest one of them all around noon and that's against No. 1 and defending national champion Wartburg. The Aggies will then end the tournament with a match against unranked Menlo. Individually, there should be some great head-to-head bouts between numerous nationally-ranked wrestlers.
It should be some tournament and the next national rankings (team and individual) after the event will be greatly affected by the results of the Desert Duals.
The next blog update will not be until Tuesday, January 14.
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December 11
After a week without a blog and then a one-day delay due to the snow, we are back with our next-to-last update for the first semester. Finals are going on this week but there are a few games left this week and next week before the holidays.
Men's basketball is off to a strong start in conference play as they knocked off King's and Eastern last week. In fact, there are only two teams in the Freedom that are 2-0 and those two met in last year's championship game: DelVal and DeSales. And how about Zach Sibel was inserted into the starting lineup last week and responded with 20 and 18-point performances where he hit a combined 10, 3-pointers.
Wrestling finished in third place in a strong field at the New Standard Invitational at York and did so without the services of seven regulars in their lineup. Newcomers Vinny Fava and Zach Roseberry continue to shine and Aaron Karns is showing why he ranked second in the country in his weight class. Just wait until the full lineup is intact.
Women's basketball got what you at least want out of the two conference games that take place in the first semester and that's a split. 2-0 would be great and you certainly want to avoid 0-2, so getting out of the week 1-1 is a good start for a young team.
Indoor track and field had its season opener at Ursinus and the team received strong performances from Brian Carter and Alexis Maylor.
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November 26
*Football ended its season with a disappointing 38-14 home loss to F&M in the ECAC Southeast Bowl and it also brought the end to the fall season. Now, the focus shifts solely to the winter sports and that's men's basketball, women's basketball, wrestling, men's indoor track and field and women's track and field.
Men's basketball has had two big wins since the last blog update and the squad is 3-1 heading into tonight's home game against Arcadia. The first was an exciting, 92-83 overtime victory over Ramapo last Wednesday. Ramapo is the defending NJAC champion and the win was a good one as it was the second over an NJAC team (Rowan the other) and the two combined for 40 wins last year. The team then went to New Paltz and pulled away in the second half to a 27-point win.
And how about Jay Donovan, who hit 15 three-pointers over the week and averaged 29 points per game? Donovan is one of four players on the team averaging double digits through the first four games and another is just behind at nine points per game. In fact, the team is averaging 91.2 points per contest. Can they keep up that pace? Probably not, but scoring will more than likley not be a problem for this team.
The next blog will be in two weeks (December 10) and right after the conference schedule began for both basketball teams, right after the next wrestling invitational and right after the first indoor track meet. We should have a lot to talk about then.
Have a great holiday!
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November 19
Last week featured 10 different events, including nine over the weekend (two men's basketball, two women's basketball, football, field hockey, wrestling, men's cross country, women's cross country). Here's some notes from all of it:
* Field hockey's 4-3 overtime win over Richard Stockton in the ECAC quarterfinals was the program's first-ever win in the postseason and it helped the team set a school record for wins in a year (13-8). The team was eliminated in the semifinals, but what a year, the greatest year in program history
* Jessica Summers had an assist in the win to give her the single-season record of 12 helpers
* Football's 50-28 win over Widener saw the team produce an incredible second half against the Pride for the second time in three years. Two years ago, they notched 42 unanswered points for a 56-28 victory. This time, they trailed 28-17 before running off 33 straight points for the 50-28 win
* Kyle Schuberth's big day saw him rush for 235 yards (third most in a single game), including 184 in the second half. He actually outgained the entire Widener offense (177 yards) in the second half
* Football earned a home ECAC Bowl Game against F&M. DelVal will look to win a championship for the sixth year in a row and a victory would be the 100th for the program since they turned their fortunes around in 2003.
* Vinny Fava had quite a debut for the wrestling team as he went 5-0 and captured top honors at 149 pounds at the East Stroudsburg Open. He is just the third DelVal wrestler to win a weight class at the prestigious tournament that mostly features Division I competitors.
* Men's Basketball rallied from 17 down to defeat Rowan in double overtime in the opening round of the Widener Tip-Off Tournament. The Aggies lost in the title game but they are averaging 94 points per game.
* Brenna Coll broke a women's basketball single-game record with 16 field goals in an overtime loss to Neumann. Her 36 points tied the seventh highest-single-game output in program history
Quite a week
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November 12
Lots to get to starting once again with field hockey.It was a great atmosphere and probably the largest crowd for a field hockey game at DelVal when the Aggies hosted the Freedom semifinals last Wednesday. The 3-2 loss was disappointing but it was a great game and a battle between very evenly-matched teams. The season is not over yet as the squad was selected to the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Championships and will travel to Stockton College over in New Jersey on Wednesday
Football was down 10 early in the fourth quarter, but railled for a 31-27 win and it clinched a winning record for a sixth straight year and 10 of the last 11 (they went 5-5 in 2007). The regular-season finale is against archrival Widener and DelVal hopes to get the win over the defending MAC champs and enhance their chances for an ECAC bid.
Cross Country wraps up its season this Saturday when the men's and women's teams travel to Lehigh University for the Division III Mid-East Regional Championships. Best of luck to coach Larry Hannon and his runners.
And this weekend marks the beginning of the winter season as the two DelVal basketball teams and the wrestling squad will make their official 2013-14 debuts.The men's basketball team - the defending Freedom champions! - will head to the Widener Tip-Off Tournament and will battle Rowan University in the opening round on Friday night. The women take on 2013 NCAA qualifier Baruch College at the Lebanon Valley Tip-Off that same night. And the 26th ranked wrestling team opens at the East Stroundsburg University Open on Sunday.
Congratulations to the 10 players of the non-football fall teams that were named to the all-conference team and special congraultations to Carol Di Girolamo, who was named the Freedom's Field Hockey Coach of the Year. The football all-conference team is announced next week.
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November 5
Don't forget to vote today.
Speaking of voting, the votes are in for some of the fall all-conference teams and they will be released by the conference office throughout the week. Later today, the women's soccer all-conference team will be announced. On Wednesday, it is the men's soccer team followed by field hockey on Thursday. The week will wrap up on Friday with the announcement of the volleyball all-conference team (football is not voted on or released until after the season and cross country's all-conference team was determined by the top individual finishes at last week's MAC Championships). Check the DelVal web site to see which DelVal student-athletes (or possibly coaches since Carol Di Girolamo is definitely a candidate for Freedom Conference Field Hockey Coach of the Year) will be honored.
Both DelVal soccer teams as well as the volleyball team have wrapped up their seasons and the cross country team does not race again until the regionals on November 16. Football fell out of the conference race with Saturday's overtime loss to Lebanon Valley. So the focus right now is on the field hockey team or, better stated, the top-seeded DelVal field hockey team which is getting ready for its first home playoff game in program history.
The Aggies finished the regular-season 12-6 overall and 5-2 in the Freedom. They were tops in the standings and, as a result, will host fourth-seeded Misericordia University for the conference semifinals on Wednesday at 2:30 pm. A win would put them in the Freedom Conference Championship Game for the first time ever and that contest would also take place at home - thanks to being the top seed - on Saturday against the winner of the other semifinal match between No. 2 Wilkes and No. 3 DeSales.
The match-up with Misericordia is a tough one as the Cougars came to Doylestown in October and pulled out a 3-2, overtime victory. In fact, the results throughout the conference all year were tight with many one-goal games and overtime contests. Quite honestly, any one of the four teams - ironically all four were on the bottom portion of the conference's preseason coaches' poll - can win the whole thing. DelVal has the home field advantage and also playoff experience on its side as they are the only team in the Freedom that returned to the tournament after making it last year. Plus, they have revenge on their mind for the Misericordia game as the last image they saw of the Cougars was of them celebrating on DelVal's home field and they don't want to see that again.
Will those be factors? How will it all play out? We will find out starting tomorrow at 2:30 at the staduim.
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October 29
We are now in the last week of the regular-season for most of the fall teams. Football's regular-season goes two more weeks while cross country is already past their regular-season and will compete in the MAC Championships this Saturday followed by the Mideast Regionals two weeks later.
The story of the fall has been the DelVal field hockey. They have tied a school record for wins in a season as they are 12-5 overall. More importantly, they are 5-1 in the conference and have clinched a spot in the Freedom tournament for the second year in a row and the fourth time in the last five seasons. They stand right now atop the conference standings all by themselves and a win today at five-time defending champion Eastern (which is 2-4 in conference play this season and needs a win for any shot at a postseason spot) would clinch the top seed for the upcoming playoffs for DelVal. That means they could host throughout.
Considering that the Aggies were picked to finish sixth in the conference preseason coaches' poll, this has been quite a year for head coach Carol Di Girolamo and her squad. After today, they will have eight days to rest and prepare for whoever they will meet in the semifinals. And after today, they will know for sure if that game is home and if there is a potential to have the Freedom Conference Championship Game with a berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs on the line in Doylestown.
Other DelVal news:
* Football's stunning 21-14 overtime loss to King's was devasting to its hopes to win the MAC championship. With three teams one game ahead of them, the Aggies will have to win out and get help to even just a share of the crown. They do play two of the teams ahead of them over the next three weeks.
* As mentioned earlier, the cross country teams will head to nearby DeSales University for the MAC Championships. Best of luck to head coach Larry Hannon and his squads.
* And finally, how about the men's basketball team receiving votes in the national top 25 preseason poll. For those who have been around or following DelVal athletics for some time, would you ever have thought that was possible. It just speaks volumes to the amazing job that head coach Casey Stitzel has done with turning the program around.
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October 22
Here's an updated look at the conference tournament pictures for the fall sports (remember that there are seven conference games played and the top four teams make the conference tournament in field hockey, both soccers and volleyball. Football has nine conference games and the winner of the conference gets the automatic berth to the NCAAs):
Football (5-1 overall, 4-1 in the MAC) - There is a four way atop the standings as DelVal, Lebanon Valley, Lycoming and Widener are each 4-1. As mentioned last week, none of the four teams controls its own destiny as Lycoming lost to Lebanon Valley, Lebanon Valley lost Widener, Widener lost to Lycoming and DelVal lost to Lycoming. DelVal still hosts Lebanon Valley and Widener later in the year. For the Aggies, they have to realistically win out and have Lycoming lose one more conference game in order to win the conference and get the automatic berth to the NCAAs.
Field Hockey (10-5 overall, 3-1 in the Freedom) - The five-way for first has dropped to a three-way tie and DelVal is part of it. But that by no means assures the team of even a tournament spot since two teams are at 2-2 and three still have an outside shot at 1-3. DelVal plays the 2-2 teams this week with a home game against FDU-Florham on Wednesday and a long trip to Manhattanville College on Saturday.
Men's Soccer (8-7-1 overall, 1-3 in the Freedom) - The Aggies got a big win over Wilkes last Wednesday, but followed up with a tough loss at FDU-Florham. They have a big home game on Tuesday with a team two spots ahead of them in Eastern (2-1-1) and a win there would go a long way in the team getting back in the race.
Women's Soccer (4-10-2 overall, 1-2-1 in the Freedom) - DelVal is tied with Eastern for fifth place and a game out of a tournament spot. One of the teams ahead of them is King's, which the Aggies two Saturdays ago so that a team they could finish tied with in the standings because they have the tiebreaker. The Aggies have a huge game on Wednesday when they host Eastern.
Volleyball (11-12 overall, 2-3 in the Freedom) - There is a chance that there could be a three-way for fourth place at 3-4 and it all depends on how the scores are and where the other teams fall in the standings. DelVal could be in that mix so we will have to wait and see.
Cross Country - There are no playoffs for cross country. However, the conference championships are less than two weeks away as they will take place at DeSales University on Saturday, November 2
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October 15
It's never too early to look at the postseason picture for each sport so here we go (remember that there are seven conference games played and the top four teams make the conference tournament in field hockey, both soccers and volleyball. Football has nine conference games and the winner of the conference gets the automatic berth to the NCAAs):
Football (4-1 overall, 3-1 in the MAC) - The conference race just got crazier as Lycoming lost at Lebanon Valley this past Saturday. So those two teams are each 4-1 in conference play (they have the bye this weekend) while DelVal and Widener are each 3-1. None of the four teams controls its own destiny as Lycoming lost to Lebanon Valley, Lebanon Valley lost Widener, Widener lost to Lycoming and DelVal lost to Lycoming. DelVal still hosts Lebanon Valley and Widener later in the year. For the Aggies, they have to realistically win out and have Lycoming lose one more conference game in order to win the conference and get the automatic berth to the NCAAs.
Field Hockey (8-5 overall, 2-1 in the Freedom) - To say the early race is crazy is a big understatement. Five teams (DelVal, DeSales, FDU, Manhattanville, Misericordia) are tied for first and not one of them is the five-time defending champion (Eastern at 1-2) nor last year's runner-up (King's at 0-3). DelVal's next conference game is at 1-2 Wilkes this Saturday and Wilkes is coming off an upset win over Eastern. The next three weeks will be wild.
Men's Soccer (7-6-1 overall, 0-2 in the Freedom) - The Aggies have dropped their first two conference games to defending champion Misericordia and to perennial playoff team King's. There's a lot of work that has to be done starting with this Wednesday's home contest against Wilkes.
Women's Soccer (4-9-1 overall, 1-1 in the Freedom) - When Mary Taylor's shot hit the netting in double overtime on Saturday, things got real interesting for DelVal. Their loss was to defending champ and nationally-ranked Misericordia which may be the case for everyone in the conference. But the win over King's was big because that is a team that may be in the race as well. Plus, King's beat FDU-Florham and the Aggies play them next week. First is a game with a strong Wilkes teams on Tuesday.
Volleyball (8-12 overall, 1-3 in the Freedom) - DelVal has to win each of its last three conference matches to have a shot at the conference tournament. One of those last matches is against perennial national power Eastern. A tough task indeed
Cross Country - There are no playoffs for cross country. However, the conference championships are less than three weeks away as they will take place at DeSales University on Saturday, November 2
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October 8
The blog will start with the Aggies' first-place team and that's field hockey. What a big win on Saturday with a 6-2 drubbing of King's on the Lady Monarchs' home field. DelVal beat King's at home in the regular season last year, but King's got revenge at home in the Freedom semifinals. This year, the Aggies jumped on them quickly and had a 4-0 lead in the first half. The win puts DelVal at 8-4 overall (already surpassing last year's win total of seven) and 2-0 in the conference. The Aggies are tied with FDU-Florham for the top spot in the standings. Their next game will be home against Freedom foe Misericordia on Saturday.
And how about the dynamic scoring duo of Taylor Prichett and Jessica Summmers. Prichett had three goals and one assist against King's while Summers added a tally and two assists. For the year, the two have combined for 21 of the team's 35 goals and 53 of the team's 99 points. Those are big, big numbers.
One of the worse parts about the football loss at Lycoming is the fact that the three-point setback will linger for two weeks since this is the bye week for the team. Both DelVal and Lycoming had multiple turnovers and missed opportunities. In the end, the Aggies found themselves down 10 before rallying for one score and was driving toward another. However, the fourth turnover of the game occurred in the final two minutes and Lycoming held on for the win, 19-16. It was a frustrating outcome, highlighted by the fact that the player who intercepted a late DelVal pass to seal the game was actually originally ejected from the game due to the new targeting rule involving head-to-head hits. After being sent to the sidelines, the officials huddled again and after about five minutes, determined that the play was a penalty only and not an ejection. And of course, the reversal played a big role since that player made the pick.
Nonetheless, DelVal finds itself at 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the MAC. The race is far from over and even if Lycoming does wind up with the MAC title and the automatic berth to the NCAAs, if the Aggies can win out and get to 9-1, they have a great argument toward an at-large berth. After all, their only loss would be by three on the road to the eventual conference champ and their non-conference win is a real good win over a Rowan team that went to the playoff last year and who has not suffered a loss since Opening Day in Doylestown.
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October 1
Random thoughts for another week
* I guess Kyle Schuberth is showing no signs of problems from his earlier-season injury since he had 214 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Stevenson. 181 of those yards came in the second half. Oh, and do you think Stevenson is happy that they never have to face him again as Schuberth has scored eight touchdowns in three games against the Mustangs
*Football found themselves trailing again, this time 17-7 midway through the first half. It's the third time in four games that they have trailed and they are certainly playing with fire with that
*Field hockey opened conference play with an impressive win over DeSales. Jessica Summers had all three goals and they came in a six-minute span. She almost got conference player of the week honors for a third time year
*Volleyball evened its conference record with a 3-0 win over King's. They simply took care of business that night and then looked real sharp in a non-conference win over a good Marywood team
*Men's soccer had a comeback for the ages as they scored twice in the final seven minutes on the road, including the tying goal with less than a minute left. They then scored with a minute to go in the second overtime for a nice road win over Rosemont.
Looking ahead
*Football has a huge conference game on Saturday as they travel to Lycoming. The two are the last teams that are unbeaten in MAC play and the winner will be in the driver's seat and control their own destiny as the season hits the second half of the year. DelVal won a big game in Williamsport two years ago. Let's see if they can do it again.
* Field hockey has a road conference game at King's on Saturday. DelVal beat King's at home during the regular season last year, but lost to them on the road in the Freedom semifinals
* Volleyball has a conference match at Misericordia on Wednesday. This match has eventually determined the fourth and final seed for the conference tournament over the last three years and it could come down to this one again.
* Both soccer teams kick off conference play on Saturday and both are playing the defending champions in Misericordia up in Dallas, Pa.
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September 24
Some random thoughts for the week that passed and even some on the week ahead
* How nice was it to have Kyle Schuberth back on the field? After missing the first two games with an injury, Schuberth was his elusive self again at running back and the preseason All-American finished with nearly 150 yards on 23 carries
* Quarterback Aaron Wilmer had trouble finding his passing groove all afternoon, but he made some real clutch throws on the game-winning drive
*The defense had two great stands deep in their own territory in the second half. Without them, there is no game-winning drive
* And then the extra note of kicker Brandon Snyder having grown up just a few miles from Albright and he goes home and kicks two field goals in the second-half, including the 25-yarder with no time left to win it
*Now 3-0 DelVal hosts 3-0 Stevenson for Homecoming on Saturday. Should be another barn-burner
* Taylor Prichett had quite a week in field hockey with five goals in three games. She already has 10 goals and 21 points. Throw in Jessica Summers' 13 points and they are a terrific 1-2 scoring bunch. And we still haven't seen the breakout game yet by Leah Hawthorn and Kelsey Zook. Once that happens look out
* Field hockey starts conference play this Friday with a home tilt against DeSales.
*Another week, another milestone for Janel Gluch. Last week, we wrote about her become the school's all-time leader in kills. This past Saturday, she surpassed the 1,000-kill milestone. Congratulations again to the senior
*Volleyball has a crucial conference match tonight at home against King's. They dropped the first one last week at DeSales and you don't want to fall to 0-2 this early in the Freedom schedule
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September 17
Football took care of business last Saturday as it led 35-3 at halftime and went on to a 42-17 victory at Misericordia. Misericordia is much improved in its second year and will probably win a game or two this year, but it wasn't going to happen last Saturday as the Aggies quickly jumped on them. A big road test comes this week at Albright. Albright just fell in the closing seconds at Stevenson, but they were one of the favorites in the conference preseason poll and have a ton of seniors all over their two-deep.
Congratulations to DelVal volleyball senior Janel Gluch, who became the program's all-time leader in kills. Her total through the weekend is 972 and she surpassed the mark of 962 that was set more than a decade ago. An even longer volleyball record has a chance of going down and it will be an interesting race during the rest of the year between Gluch and fellow senior Destinee Horning. They each are in range of the career blocks record of 206 set by Tracy Mann from 1994 to 1997. Through the weekend, Horning has 179 blocks while Gluch has 172.
It is not often that a team has six consecutive games at home, but that's the case starting today for the DelVal field hockey team. They will look to put the last two games behind them - losses on the road - and return to their new turf field where they are 2-0 this season.
Both soccer teams have a combined three home games this week (two for the women and one for the men) while the cross country teams will head to the Messiah College Invitational on Saturday.
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September 10
Wow! It's hard to put into words just what happened in the fourth quarter of last Saturday's football opener against Rowan. DelVal was down 20-0 at halftime and 27-7 after three quarters of play and it was to a Rowan squad that reached the NCAA Division III playoffs last year. So, there weren't probably weren't people in the stadium who though DelVal could come back and win it. Heck, many people left the game at either halftime or at the end of the thirs.
Then the magic happened. A touchdown made it 27-14 and the defense forced a three-and-out. Another score and another three-and-out and all of sudden the Aggies had the ball down six, 27-21. A trick play where quarterback Aaron Wilmer CAUGHT a pass put the ball inside the 10 and then they scored two plays later for a 28-27 lead. Pete O'Hara, who missed all of last season after an injury in the Widener game, picked off a pass which set up another DelVal touchdown for the improbable 35-27 victory.
So what does the win mean? Well, for starters they did all of it without the services of all-region tailback Kyle Schuberth, who sat out the game with an injury. It means that the team will probably believe that they are never out of a game. And it's the type of win that could really ignite a season. We saw it two years ago when a young offense pulled out a fourth-down play in overtime for a win and they soon statrted to gel and it helped lead to a 10-0 season. We saw wild comebacks all throughout a 2004 season that easily could have been a 7-3 record that instead became 12-1 and a trip to the quarterfinals.
It is way too soon to start predicting seasons like that and the team knows they have a lot of work ahead of them and many glaring errors to fix. But it was quite a start to the season
Speaking of starts, how about the DelVal field hockey and their first 3-0 record in four years. After a pair of come-from-behind 3-2 victories, the Aggies exploded for seven goals in a 7-3 win at Neumann. And Jessica Summers is off to a torrid start with four goals and four assists for 12 points. Two weeks and two times she has been named the Freedom Conference Player of the Week. And Taylor Prichett is right behind with five goals and one assist for 11 points.
After a week full of home games, this week's schedule is nearly all on the road. The only home contest is a women's soccer game against The University of Scranton on Saturday. It will be the first-ever soccer game on the new turf surface at the stadium.
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September 3
What an exciting way to start the season and the new turf field! The field hockey team had the honors on Friday and everyone from the fans to the officials had nothing but great things to say about the turf. DelVal found itself down 2-0 in the second half despite outplaying and outshooting St. Mary's (its goalie was phenomenal on Friday). The Aggies kept the pressure on and scored two times to force overtime. Then, after DelVal goalie Sandra Edwards made three fantastic saves in a 10-15 second span, the Aggies came down and scored as Jessica Summer got the game-winning tally off a great feed from Taylor Prichett.
Both soccer teams fell in their openers while volleyball split their first two matches of the year. And the cross country team hosted its annual invitaitonal which was highlighted by freshman Samantha Will's fifth-place showing.
Despite the two holidays this week, the schedule is full of home games with games today, Wednesday and Thursday, Oh, and then there's that little home football opener with Rowan on Saturday! That will be a fun day in Doylestown as a large crowd is expected. The field will officially be dedicated before the game, the game itself is sponsored by Univest, and the Hall of Fame ceremony will take place at halftime with former athletic director Frank Wolfgang as the lone inductee.
It should be a fun and busy week!
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August 27
We are now a few days from all of fall sports beginning their 2013 seasons with the exception of football which has their season opener the following week.
It will be a busy Friday and Saturday as the season can actually start in August due to where the September 1 date fell on the calendar. So on Friday, the men's soccer hosts Penn State-York on the soccer grass field at 4:00 p.m. One hour later, the field hockey team will play the first regular-season game on the new turf field at the stadium as they host St. Mary's College of Maryland. The women's soccer and volleyball teams are on the road Friday at Penn State Harrisburg (soccer) and Cairn (volleyball) respectively.
On Saturday, the annual DelVal Cross Coountry Invitational takes place on campus at 10:00 a.m. And volleyball will be home against Penn State Brandywine at 1:00 p.m.
The preseason conference coaches' polls are coming out for the fall teams each day this week (football was earlier in the month) and you can check them out on the conference website at gomacsports.com . The top four teams in the Freedom make the conference tournament in field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball. That's the first goal for the teams is to make the tournament. Then, it's win two games and you are the conference champion and headed to the NCAAs.
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August 20
All the fall teams are in and eveyone is in practice as this is being typed. In fact, today is also the first day that football is permitted to have a double so they will be on the field in the morning and the afternoon.
This is the time of the year when we get some new viewers of the blog as the school year is just a few days away (the remaining freshmen report on Thursday and the returning students come in on Sunday). If you are new, welcome. This section is updated on Tuesdays throughout the year and even in the summer (that's where we look back at the year that just finished with some fun lists). The goal of the blog is to add a little extra information and tidbits that may not have been written about in the game stories. It could be a fun fact or what the playoff race looks like.
Obviously, there are some weeks where the blog is short and others where it's difficult to stop typing. No matter what, please click here on the blog on Tuesdays to see what's happening in DelVal athletics!
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August 13
After a few weeks off from the blog, we are back and ready to kick off the 2013-14 season. Hard to believe but it's here already. Tomorrow morning, the football team reports back to campus with the first practice scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The field hockey and both soccer teams return on Friday with practice the next day while volleyball and both cross country teams report Sunday and start practice on Monday.
It should be a fun year, especially with new leadership under athletic director Steve Cantrell. The new turf field is ready to go and there are currently some improvements going on in the gymnasium lobby. Two of the five new sports that begin play in 2014-15 have coaches in place as Gary Mercadante has been named the men's lacrosse coach and Ramona Walters has been named the women's lacrosse coach.
The conference preseason poll came out for football and DelVal was picked to finish third. That was the spot that they finished last year after winning the MAC crown in each of the previous four years. Lycoming is the favorite followed by Widener and it should be a battle all the way to the last game of the year when the Aggies host Widener. The preseason polls for the other fall sports will be released the week of August 26.
Let the fun begin!
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The next blog update will be on Tuesday, August 13
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July 24
The final installment of the 2012-13 Year In Review is today with a look at the number one game of the season. If you have followed the countdown over the last few weeks and saw games 10 through two, you probably have figured out what number one is. It was a great game and quite a championship day in Center Valley in February
1. Men’s Basketball at DeSales University – February 23, 2013
The setting was Billera Hall on DeSales’ campus. The match-up was for the Freedom Conference championship and the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs. It was also a rematch from the 2011 title tilt when Delaware Valley used a big second-half to run away from the Bulldogs for their first-ever men’s basketball conference championship.
Both teams came in on highs, especially the Aggies as they had won 10 of their previous 11 games and set a school-record for victories in a season. They split their season series with the home team proving victorious each time. Playing on the road didn’t bother the Aggies, especially since DeSales is just 45 minutes from Doylestown that meant that a large of fans, including a bus of students, would be there for the game.
Delaware Valley got off to a 14-6 start as Freedom Player of the Year Jeremy Beckett had seven points, three rebounds and two blocks in the first eight-plus minutes. The Bulldogs came back to tie it up at 23-23 and then controlled the rest of the half to take a 33-28 lead at the break. It was a frustrating half after the quick start as well as DeSales went to the foul line 12 times (DelVal four times) and did not have a starter pick up even a single foul in the stanza while four of the Aggies’ five starters were whistled for two or more foul apiece.
Delaware Valley shook that off in the second half and opened with a 14-5 run, including 10 points from Francis Arnold, to regain the advantage. Arnold then got his third foul and backcourt mate Zach Sly got his fourth with 14:07 remaining and he had to come out of the game for a long stretch of time.
DeSales tied the game at 44-44 a minute later and it could have slipped away right there. However, Delaware Valley took control with a 12-4 run that included five points from Beckett, four from Jay Donovan and a big 3-pointer by Nick Sullivan, who had come in the game for Sly.
The Bulldogs tried to get back in the game and got to within three with 3:29 to go. Both teams hit two from the foul line before the Aggies scored eight of the next 11 for another eight-point lead. DeSales never got back to within one possession again and when the final buzzer sounded, the group of DelVal students who made the trip joined the team on the Bulldogs’ homecourt to celebrate a conference championship and NCAA berth.
Beckett, who later in the year would be named an All-American, finished the game with 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Two years ago, he was the “Robin” to Delaware Valley’s “Batman” in All-American guard James Jones. This time, it was his squad and he was the first to climb the ladder to snip another twine of a championship net.
After the rest of the team, managers and assistant coaches followed, the last to go up the ladder was head coach Casey Stitzel. Five years ago, he took over a program that had struggled mightily for decades and had no championship karma to speak of. Now, with the net in one hand, he raised two fingers on the other in the air for the celebratory photos.
Delaware Valley had two men’s championships in the last three years and this one may have sweeter than the first. And it was the number game of the 2012-13 season.
The blog will take a two-week from updates and then the focus will begin on the upcoming 2013-14 campaign!
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July 23
The final installment of the Year In Review and the number one game of the 2012-13 season will be posted on Wednesday, July 24
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July 16
Last week’s edition of the 2012-13 Year In Review looked at games ten through six for the Top 10 Games of the Year. This week, it’s games five with two with the unveiling of the number game of the 2012-13 campaign coming up next week. The countdown continues…
5. Wrestling vs Wesleyan University and Ursinus College (at North/South Duals) - January 5, 2013
It had been a while since Delaware Valley made the short trip to Collegeville and Ursinus College for the North/South Duals. The Aggies entered the tournament ranked 30th in the country and they knew that they would meet two teams ranked ahead of them in No. 22 Messiah College and No. 29 Wesleyan College as well as the host school as part of their four matches on the day.
The Aggies opened with a 33-9 victory over Rhode Island College and then topped Messiah, 26-15. That led to the meeting with Wesleyan. After the first eight weight classes, Delaware Valley found itself down five points. With just two more matches to go, they could not afford a loss by either 197-pounder Aaron Karns or heavyweight Mike Boardman. Karns, ranked fifth nationally, gave the Aggies a chance thanks to a major decision victory that made the team’s deficit just one. So it all came down to Boardman and the sophomore came through with a 4-3 decision and a 21-19 victory.
Delaware Valley and Ursinus ended the afternoon with a great battle that eventually saw both teams win five weight classes apiece. Like the Wesleyan match, the Aggies trailed by five heading into the final two battles. Karns came away with an 8-2 victory, leaving in the hands of Boardman once again. Boardman cruised to a 6-1 triumph for his third win of the day in as many matches (he sat out the Messiah match) and it gave Delaware Valley a 16-15 win over Ursinus and a perfect 4-0 mark at the Duals.
4. Women’s Basketball at FDU-Florham – February 16, 2013
It was the season finale for Delaware Valley as it entered the contest with a 10-14 overall record and a 4-9 mark in the Freedom Conference. Meanwhile, FDU-Florham was having its best season in school history with a 22-2 record (12-1 in conference) and the number two ranking in the latest Mid-Atlantic Region poll.
Delaware Valley jumped out all over the Devils and built a 16-point, second-half advantage. Then, FDU-Florham rallied, erased the deficit and took a five-point lead of its own with 4:07 remaining. By this point, the Aggies’ top two scorers (Brenna Coll and Emily Soper) had each fouled out and the Devils had an insane advantage in free throw opportunities.
But, instead of rolling over, Delaware Valley fought back and tied the contest when Agatha Drozd hit a layup with 1:28 to go. Both teams failed to score on the next few possessions of the game. Then, the Devils missed a layup inside and Eireann Anastasi grabbed the rebound. She came down the court and hit Bridget Sobon with a pass, who was fouled with 2.2 seconds to go. The freshman hit both shots and the Aggies had the 69-67 upset.
3. Field Hockey vs Manhattanville – October 20, 2012
Both teams had 3-2 records in the Freedom Conference and Delaware Valley’s last conference game would be against four-time defending champion Eastern University, so the Aggies needed to win this contest to clinch a conference tournament berth for the third time in the last four years. It was also an emotional afternoon as the Aggies celebrated Senior Day and honored the trio of Sara Culver, Rony Jacober and Krystle Mazza before the game.
Delaware Valley scored the lone goal of the first half as Jessica Summers drilled home her second goal of the year. The Aggies then made it 2-0 just five minutes into the second half as Taylor Pritchett set up Kelsey Zook for a tally. However, the Valiants came right back and scored two goals in a span of 4:43 to tie the contest.
The game appeared headed to overtime, but Pritchett had other plans. Maddie Raville sent a cross to the circle and Prtichett pounced on it and put in the cage with 1:21 to go for the freshman’s fourth goal of the year and her second game-winning tally. When the final horn sounded, the Aggies celebrated a return to the postseason.
2. Football vs Muhlenberg – November 17, 2012
Delaware Valley was coming off the disappointment of losing to Widener University and having their run of four consecutive conference championships come to an end. The Aggies were selected for the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl and made the one-hour trip to Muhlenberg College, a team that they opened the season against in both 2010 and 2011.
Quarterback Aaron Wilmer gave Delaware Valley a quick 7-0 lead thanks to a 38-yard touchdown run just 4:12 into the contest. However, the Mules responded just 17 seconds later as they returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.
Muhlenberg took a 14-10 lead into the intermission, but a 12-yard touchdown run by Kyle Schuberth and a five-yard scoring pass from Wilmer to Danny Fierro gave the Aggies a 24-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter. Muhlenberg made it a three-point game with 3:24 remaining, then recovered an onsides kick. The Mules then went for it all, but cornerback Terrance Osborn intercepted a pass at the four-yard line.
Schuberth got a yard on first down and the Mules called timeout, hoping to stop Delaware Valley and get another shot at the tie or the lead. That went out the window as Wilmer took a keeper and raced 72 yards to the Mule 23-yard line (he was named the game’s MVP). The Aggie then ran out the clock and raised another trophy as they were the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl champions.
Again, next week will be the number one game of the 2012-13 season.
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July 9
Just three more installments of the 2012-13 Year In Review and all three will focus on the Top 10 Games of the Year. This week, it is games ten through six followed by next week’s installment of games five through two. Then, it will be the number one game of 2012-13, which will be announced on July 23. Let the debating begin!
10. Football at Lebanon Valley - October 27, 2012
Delaware Valley dropped its first two games of the year, including the conference opener against Lycoming. That meant that, in order to win a fifth straight MAC title, the Aggies were more than likely going to have to win their final eight games in a row. The next five weeks after the Lycoming loss saw the Aggies win by margins of 24, 60, 21 (which started out as a 42-0 lead), 38 and 70. The starters did not play a full four quarter games in any of those five games. Throw the bye week in there and there was not a true competitive game for a month and half.
That all led to the trip to Annville and a match-up with a good Lebanon Valley team which was hanging on to their slight hopes to stay in the MAC championship race. Delaware Valley led by just three at halftime, but the Flying Dutchmen tied it early in the third quarter. After weeks of blowouts, how would the Aggies react? Just fine. A 56-yard touchdown run by Alquann Jones regained the advantage for the Aggies in the third. Then in the fourth, the defense forced two of its six turnovers on the day and the offense produced each one into touchdowns for the 31-10 win. It was the 10th straight win over Lebanon Valley and it kept the team's hopes alive for a conference championship.
9. Men's Soccer vs William Paterson - September 12, 2012
William Paterson came to Doylestown just a week after the Pioneers had been ranked nationally in all of Division III. They poured on the shots against the Aggies as they held a 23-5 edge. But shots don't mean anything unless they hit the twine of the net and Delaware Valley did that on two of their opportunities. The first came with 16 minutes left in the first by Tyler Yankovich and the second came 53 minutes later when Steve Mannato converted the team's lone shot of the second half.
William Paterson made things interested when it scored with 16:03 to go and they notched 16 shots and eight corners in the second half alone. But, freshman goalkeeper Chase Clement recorded seven saves in the stanza (10 for the game), including a couple of dramatic stops, and the Aggies had their biggest win in years. It also started a five-game unbeaten streak which helped the team finish the year with a .500 overall record for the first time since 1998.
8. Men's Basketball at Misericordia - February 9, 2013
The Anderson Center has always been a house of horrors for the men's basketball team. Even in 2011 when they won the conference championship, they lost by double digits and were never in the game. Delaware Valley made this season's trip to Dallas riding a seven-game winning streak. A victory on that Saturday afternoon would set a school record for conference wins (10), keep the Aggies in first place in the standings, and, more importantly, seal at least one home playoff game in the upcoming Freedom Conference tournament.
The game was a back and forth contest that featured 10 ties and 15 lead changes. Neither squad led by more than six points and that was with seven minutes left in the first half. Misericordia led by four with 5:47 but the Aggies scored six of the next eight for a 54-54 contest. Freshman Zach Sly hit a tough drive with 1:23 to go and did it again with 32 ticks left. The Cougars made it a one-possession game two times the rest of the way, but Jay Donovan hit three of his four free throws in the closing seconds, and the Aggies swiped the ball loose on the Cougars' final possession for the 61-58 win. They had finally left Misericordia with a win and, would face the Cougars again in the playoffs. But, thanks to the triumph, they would meet them in James Work Gymnasium.
7. Field Hockey vs King's - October 6, 2012
The Aggies were in a crazy run at the time where all four of their wins had come on Saturdays. The last two of those four were Freedom Conference triumphs, which had them tied for first. The "Weekend Warrior" theme would receive its biggest test as conference power King's came to Doylestown with an 8-4 record, including a 2-0 mark in the Freedom.
The Lady Monarch scored the lone goal of the first half and it remained a 1-0 game as the clock ticked under the 18 minutes mark in the second stanza. The Aggies had a penalty corner and Taylor Prichett sent a pass to Rony Jacober, who scooped the ball over the goalie and into the cage to tie it up. King's put the pressure on over the next few minutes, but came away empty. Then with 8:09 to go, Kelsey Zook dribbled down the field and put a pass right on Prichett's stick. The freshman moved the ball on the other side of a defender and, using her as a screen, blasted a shot into the cage for the lead. Defender Saea Culver then had to make an amazing stop behind goalie Sandra Edwards with 34 seconds to go to preserve the lead. The Aggies cleared the ball out of the circle with no time left and the "Weekend Warriors" were all alone in first place.
6. Men's Basketball vs Misericordia - February 20, 2013
They say it's hard to beat a good basketball team three times in a row in the same season and that's what Delaware Valley faced when it hosted the defending Freedom Conference champions in the semifinals. The Aggies beat the Cougars by three in both of the regular-season meetings (see #8 in this list) and it looked like it was going to be another tight contest as Misericordia held a 34-32 lead with 17:24 remaining.
However, the rest of the evening belonged to Delaware Valley as it outscored the Cougars, 33-15 and wound up allowing just 49 total points in the 65-49 win. Those 49 points were the lowest total by an opponent all year and it was just 10 points less than what seniors Jeremy Beckett and Daulton Derr combined for as those two tallied 39 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks in the game. Beckett provided the exclamation point as, after Misericordia got to within range with 3:20 to go, he stole a pass at his own end, dibbled down the court, and dunked the ball while being fouled.
The win was the 18th of the season, setting a new school record. And it put Delaware Valley into the Freedom Conference Championship Game for the second time in three years where the Aggies would travel to top-seeded DeSales (it's a good bet that that games will appear later on in this countdown).
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July 2
The 2012-13 Year In Review continues with the Top Five Surprises of the Year
5. John Robinson, Football
In 2011, Robinson had a solid year with 62 tackles and one interception, but he was the lone starter in the DelVal secondary that did not get a spot on the all-conference team. That one pick gave him three for his career. One year later, he doubled his career total as he intercepted six passes and led a balanced defensive unit with 63 tackles (the starters were out of many games early due to convincing wins). Not only did Robinson earn all-MAC accolades, but the team captain also went on to be named an All-American.
4. Field Hockey, a.k.a "The Weekend Warriors"
Something crazy went on with head coach Carol Di Girolamo's squad and the calendar for most of the season, especially through early October. When they played on any other day other than Saturday, they lost. But when Saturday came along, they were the "Weekend Warriors." Their first five wins came on Saturdays, including the first three conference outings and that put them in first place. That run was capped by a 2-1, come-from-behind home triumph against Freedom power King's on October 6. They finished with seven wins for the year, including a 6-1 mark on Saturdays and reached the Freedom semifinals. Unfortunately, their rematch with King's in the playoffs took place on a Friday.
3. Emmanuel Ajagbe, Wrestling
Ajagbe won 28 matches and made a trip to the NCAA Championships as a freshman, but he entered his senior year without a return journey to nationals. He was dominant from the beginning of the 2012-13 campaign and, in late December, upended the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class en route to capturing the Citrus Invitational. When the next Division III rankings came out, there was Ajagbe's name atop the 149-pound weight class and he held the spot for four weeks. He finished the year with a 33-6 ranked and made it back to the NCAAs where he placed eighth to earn his first All-America honor.
2. Krystle Mazza, Power Hitter (Softball)
Mazza had hit a combined two home runs in the first three years of her collegiate career. So when she stepped into the box with two on in the first inning of the first game of the year (against Drew in Florida), no one expected her to go deep. Not only did she hit a three-run homer in the first, but she did it again the seventh to tie the school records for home runs and RBIs in a game. Mazza matched the feat again in a game against Cabrini and she eventually another DelVal mark with nine round-trippers on the season.
1. Men's Basketball
After winning the Freedom Conference championship in 2011, graduation and injuries hit the team hard the next year and they slipped back to just seven wins. With just two starters back and a whole new backcourt, expectations were not high and DelVal was picked to finish fifth in the preseason conference coaches' poll.
At the turn of the calendar, the Aggies had already matched the win total from 2011-12. In mid-January, they got on a roll and just kept on winning to tthe tune of a school-record nine-game winning streak. All nine victories were against Freedom opponents as they clinched a conference tournament spot and it looked like they would get the number one seed. However, a season-ending loss at FDU-Florham snapped the streak and knocked DelVal down to second place.
However, the loss seems to re-focus the team and they went on to a convincing home win over Misericordia University in the semifinals. That set up a trip to DeSales for the championship game. Behind tournament MVP Jeremy Beckett, the Aggies defeated the Bulldogs and they cut the nets down on their rival's home court.
DelVal lost in the opening round of the NCAA tournament to national powerhouse Virginia Wesleyan, but the season produced a school-record 19 wins, a second Freedom championship and a second trip to the NCAAs. The Aggies swept the conference major awards for Player (Beckett), Coach (Casey Stitzel) and Rookie (guard Zach Sly) of the Year, while Beckett was named an All-American, just the second in program history.
Next week begins the look back at the Top 10 Games of the Year. We will announce games 10 through 6 next Tuesday (July 9) and then games 5 through 2 on July 16. The number one game of the year (it may be an easy one to figure out) will be announced on July 23. Think about the entire year and all the teams. Get your list ready and compare.
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June 25
The 2012-13 Year In Review continues with our picks for the male and female unsung heroes of the year:
Unsung Hero (Male) – Mike Boardman, Wrestling
There were two All-Americans and three other national qualifiers in the lineup. But two times this season, the matches all came down to heavyweight. And both times, Boardman delivered as hiis wins gave the Aggies triumphs over Wesleyan and Ursinus. For the year, the sophomore won 17 matches and placed fifth at the regionals.
Unsung Hero (Female) – Lydia Spakosky, Field Hockey
Five of her teammates received all-conference accolades, but it was Spakosky who came through with the little things at both ends. Offensively, she notched two goals and three assists for seven points, including a tally in the narrow loss to nationally-ranked Elizabethtown. At the defensive end, the sophomore truly shined as she helped the team notch three shutouts and reach the conference semifinals for the third time in the last four years.
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June 18
This week's installment of the Year In Review focuses on the top male and female athletes for the junior and senior classes. Here we go
Top Junior (Male) – Kyle Schuberth, Football
Schuberth was a first-team all-MAC selection and a multi-purpose threat out of the backfield as he carried the ball 203 times for 1,056 yards and 14 touchdowns and caught 21 passes for 125 yards and one score. He became just the third player in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in two or more seasons and ended the year with three straight 100-plus yard efforts, including 126 yards in the ECAC Bowl win at Muhlenberg.
Top Junior (Female) – Alexis Maylor, Women's Track and Field
What a year for Maylor. In the winter season, she succesfully defended her pentathlon title at the MAC Indoor Championships. During the outdoor campaign, she took second at the MACs (narrowly missing a second straight championship) and third at the ECACs. Her performance at the ECACs set a school record and qualified her for the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time in her career.
Top Senior (Male) – Jeremy Beckett, Basketball
All Beckett did was lead the men's basketball team to its greatest season in school history as they won 19 games and captured their second Freedom Conference championship and NCAA playoff berth in the last three years. Beckett was named the conference's Player of the Year during the season and the Most Valuable Player of the conference tournament. He also became just the second player in program history to earn All-America honors. Plus, he electrified the crowd with his high-flying dunks and game-changing blocks.
Top Senior (Female) – Sara Culver, Field Hockey
Culver had a combined nine defensive saves in her first three years with the Aggies. She took her play to another level in 2012 as she notched 15 stops and ranked fifth in the category in all of Division III. Her play in front of a new starting goalie helped the team hold the top spot in the conference for part of the season and qualify for the Freedom Conference tournament for the third time in the last four years. Culver was rewarded for her efforts by earning a spot on the all-conference team for the first time.
Next week, we will take a look at the Unsung Heroes (Male and Female) of the 2012-13 campaign. Start thinking of your picks and compare it to ours next Tuesday.
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June 11
The next two installments of the Year In Review focuses on the top male and female athletes per class. Today is a look at the freshmen and sophomore honorees (next week - the juniors and seniors). Let the debating begin.
Top Freshman (Male) – Zach Sly, Men's Basketball
Sly came right in, made an immediate impact at point guard and formed a great young backcourt tandem with sophomore transfer Francis Arnold. He averaged 8.7 points and 2.5 assists per game and made some key shots in the second half of the year as the Aggies went on to win the Freedom Conference championship and an NCAA berth. Sly was named the conference's Rookie of the Year for his efforts.
Top Freshman (Female) – Eireann Anastasi, Women's Basketball
Speaking of basketball point guards who earned Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year honors, Anastasi came right in and averaged double figures in scoring in 17 of the team's 25 games. She averaged 13.6 points per game (12th in the conference) and placed in the top seven in the Freedom in three other categories.
Top Sophomore (Male) – Aaron Karns, Wrestling
After a year away from the mat, Karns had a season to remember in 2012-13. He was one-point shy of wrestling for a national championship as he went all the way to the semifinals (he did not even give up a point in his first two matches at the NCAAs) before falling in overtime. He eventually placed sixth for his first All-America honor and he finished the year with a 31-6 record, an East Region title and a spot on the national podium.
Top Sophomore (Female) – Crystal Ronan, Volleyball
Consider this - DelVal had never made the ECAC South Region playoffs prior to Ronan's arrival on campus. Now, the team has qualified two years in a row thanks, in great part, to Ronan's play at setter. She was named to the all-Freedom Conference first team as she notched 898 assists and 72 service aces. The team finished with a 17-10 record.
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May 29
Here we go. The first look back at the 2012-13 athletic season - A to Z:
A - ALL-CENTURY TEAM – As part of the Middle Atlantic Conference’s centennial celebration, all-century teams were voted on in each of the sponsored sports. To date, 24 Aggies have been honored (spring teams yet to be announced).
B – BECKETT, Jeremy – The forward/center had a senior year to remember as he led the men’s basketball team to a conference championship and NCAA berth, was named the Freedom Conference Player of the Year and Tournament MVP, and was also a fourth team All-American
C – COMMUNITY SERVICE – The DelVal teams continued to support a number of programs including the Special Olympics, The V Foundation for Cancer Research and the 9-11 Heroes Run
D – DEFENSIVE SAVES – As in 15 by senior Sara Culver, which ranked fifth in all of Division III field hockey
E – ECAC – The football team captured the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl title while the volleyball team reached the quarterfinals
F – FAN BUS – The men’s basketball team’s run to the conference championship and the NCAAs ignited campus pride and nothing was more evident than the students filling up buses to support the team, including the long trip to Virginia Wesleyan
G – GUARD PLAY – The new young backcourt of sophomore transfer Francis Arnold and freshman Zach Sly played a key role in the men’s basketball team’s run to the Freedom Conference championship.
H – HOME RUNS – As in 9 by senior Krystle Mazza, who set a new school single-season record for softball. Mazza also tied the single-game mark with two home runs in two separate games.
I – INTRAMURALS – DelVal saw big numbers of participation in intramural basketball, softball and the 100-mile run.
J – JOHNS – As in John Lavelle and John Robinson, who were each named to various football All-American Teams for their play on the offensive line and in the secondary respectively.
K – KARNS, Aaron – The sophomore wrestler was dominant all year and finished sixth at the NCAA Championships for his first All-America honor.
L – LIPINSKI, Robert A. – The trustee and alumnus donated a seven-figure gift for athletic renovations and the result is the construction of a multi-sport turf field (see T).
M – MAYLOR, Alexis – The junior successfully defended her MAC championship in the pentathlon during indoor season, then qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in the heptathlon during the outdoor season
N – NUMBER ONE RANKING – That feat was achieved by senior wrestler Emmanuel Ajagbe, who held the top spot in his weight class for more than a month.
O – OFFENSE – As in the football unit that notched 30 or more points in six of the 11 games.
P – PLAYOFFS – The men’s basketball team not only made the conference playoffs, but captured the championship. And the field hockey team reached the Freedom semifinals for the third time in the last four years.
Q – QUALIFIERS - DelVal had six athletes that qualified for the NCAA Championships in individual sports – five from wrestling and one from women’s outdoor track and field
R – ROOKIES OF THE YEAR – Both basketball teams claimed the top freshmen award as Zach Sly took the men’s honor while Eireann Anastasti was selected on the women’s side.
S – STITZEL, Casey – With his team picked to miss the postseason in the coaches’ poll, Stitzel, instead, led the men’s basketball team to its second title in three years. He also picked up the Freedom Coach of the Year award for the second time.
T – TURF FIELD – Construction on the multi-sport turf field at the stadium began in April and it will be ready to go for football, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, and intramural offerings at the start of the 2013-14 season.
U – UPSETS – How about the field hockey team knocking off perennial conference power King’s? Or the women’s basketball team ending its year on a high note but downing FDU-Florham on its home court when the Devils were the number two ranked team in the region?
V – VOLLEYBALL – The squad reached the ECAC South Region quarterfinals for the second year in a row.
W – WOLFGANG, Frank – The longtime athletic director and former baseball coach announced that 2012-13 was his 45th and final year at DelVal (and 50th in the MAC).
X - XCITEMENT - Just like the last few years, we cheated a little with the spelling of this one. It was an exciting year with plenty to cheer for.
Y – YELLOW CARDS - The Aggie women’s soccer team received no warning cards nor any Red Cards from the officials all season and earned the NSCAA Ethics/Sportsmanship Gold Award for the second year in a row as a result.
Z – ZOOK, Kelsey – The sophomore midfielder transferred in and made an immediate impact on the field hockey team as they reached the Freedom Conference semifinals.
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May 28
The first installment of the 2012-13 Year In Review will appear on Wednesday, May 29
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May 14
All that’s left on the schedule for the 2012-13 campaign is two members of the women's track and field team (EmmaRose Boyle in the javelin and Alexis Maylor in the heptathlon) heading to the ECAC Championships later this week. The goal for Boyle is to record a throw and for Maylor a point total that qualifies them for the NCAA Division III Championships. The top 20 performers in each event (over the year and across the country not just the ECACs) qualify for the NCAAs.
There will not be a blog next week, but they will resume the following Tuesday, May 28 with the start of one of the favorites times of the year, the Year In Review. For those who follow the blog on a regular basis, you will be familiar with this. For those who are new, from May 28 to July 23, we will look back at the entire 2012-13 through different lists ranging from the top games of the year to unsung heroes to an A to Z list.
Here is the planned schedule:
May 28 - 2012-13 Aggie Athletics – A to Z
June 4 - NO BLOG
June 11 - Athlete of the Year (Male and Female - Freshman and Sophomore)
June 18 - Athlete of the Year (Male and Female - Junior and Senior)
June 25 - Unsung Hero of the Year (Male and Female)
July 2 - Top Five Surprises of the Year
July 2 - Top Games of the Year (Games 10 through 6)
July 9 - Top Games of the Year (Game 5 through 2)
July 16 – NO BLOG
July 23 – The Number One Game Of the Year
It will be a lot of fun, as always, to look back at the year.
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May 7
No blog update this week
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April 30
And we are down to just two teams as baseball, golf and softball ended its season either this past weekend or today. Golf took fourth at the Freedom Championships while baseball and softball had double-digit wins for the year. The only sports remaining are men's and women's outdoor track and field and they have the MAC Championships this weekend at Lebanon Valley.
This past week, it was announced the wrestling coach Steve Cantrell was promoted to athletic director. He will still coach wrestling and will taking over the duties from Frank Wolfgang, who is in his 45th and final year at Delaware Valley. Wolfgang pulled up to a field in his customary golf cart for the final games today as the softball doubleheader with Cairn was his last home event as athletic director. Congratulations to Frank as well as Steve.
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April 23
The spring season is quickly coming to an end. Soon it will be time to look back at the whole 2012-13 season and that all happens right here on the blog. Starting in late May/early June (haven't made the schedule yet), the blog will feature various ways of looking back including the top male and female athlete of the year of each class, the unsung heroes of the year, surprises of the year and the top games of the year. It is always fun putting the lists together and this year should be no different. The early guess is that the men's basketball's run to the Freedom Conference championship and NCAA berth will figure prominently on the various lists.
This week features a pair of Senior Day events as we recognize the seniors at softball (Thursday) and baseball (Saturday). The golf team competes at the Freedom Championships in Hershey this weekend and they will look to improve on last year's fourth-place finish. And the track team has the final tune-up before next week's MAC Championships.
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April 16
Congratulations goes out to John Robinson (football) and Julie Burnell (women's soccer) who were the first-ever recipients of the Frank Wolfgang Top Male and Female Senior Student-Athlete Awards. They were presented last Wednesday during the Founder's Day ceremony. Both were very deserving of the awards for their work on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
It's hard to believe that the spring season is almost over and that graduation is right around the corner. Senior plaques are starting to roll in (each athlete who completes at least their senior season receives a plaque with a picture and a list of their accomplishments) and it's amazing when you look at the list of team and individual accomplishments that this total group of more than 40 have attained. Team championships, All-Americans, school records, academic awards. This group has them all. It has been a pleasure watching them over the past four years and getting to know them as well. They truly represent what Delaware Valley College and its athletic department is about.
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April 9
This is Division III Week as the NCAA celebrates the accomplishments and hard work of Division III student-athletes. This year, two new awards have been established for Founder's Day on campus (Wednesday) and the school will recognize the top male senior student-athlete and the top female student-athletes. These awards include accomplishments on the field, in the classroom and in the community as well as leadership skills. It is also a good time to click on the "DelVal Gives Back" banner on the front page of the website to see all the great work that our SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisroy Committee), teams, coaches, student-athletes do in the community.
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April 2
The spring season is in full swing. Now, we just need some spring weather. It was certainly frigid out there yesterday for baseball and it doesn't promise to be much better today for softball. The open area where our fields are located doesn't help either as the wind just howls right through. Sometimes, it 10 degrees colder at the field than it is in the middle of campus.
Nonetheless, the games go on and we all dress warm. Baseball is 9-10 overall and 2-6 in the conference. A critical weekend is coming up as they have the three-game series with DeSales over Friday and Saturday as well as a single game with FDU-Florham on Sunday. That gets the team to the halfway point of conference play and it is vital to make up some ground.
Softball has not played in more than a week and they stand at 5-5 overall and 0-2 in the Freedom. After non-conference twinbills with Alvernia (Tuesday), and Arcadia (Thursday), they take on DeSales on Saturday and FDU-Florham on Sunday for Freedom doubleheaders.
Track began last week at the always-tough Danny Curran Invitational. There were some good individual showings, including Alexis Maylor who placed in the top seven in two different events. And the golf team starts up again this Thursday at the Elizabethtown Invitational.
Wait, looking out the window, is that the sun!!!
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March 26
The next blog entry will be on April 2
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March 19
Last week was Spring Break and what a busy week it was. Let's start by what happened in Iowa at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. DelVal had five national qualifiers and two earned All-America honors with top-eight finishes. Aaron Karns took sixth at 197 pounds while Emmanuel Ajagbe was eighth at 149.
Karns reached the championship semifinals and was so close to reaching the finals before losing in overtime. Unfortunately, he had to hit the mat less than hour after that heartbreak and dropped that match to fall into the fifth-sixth place match (I wonder what the percentages are for wrestlers who lose a real close match in the championship finals and whether they win or lose the consolation semifinals. I bet they lean a lot more towards losing than winning). For Ajagbe, he won his first match before falling in the championship quarterfinals. He bounced back with a win Friday night to get to Saturday (which means you are an All-American). Great seasons for both of them as well as fellow qualifiers Charlie Frankel (125), Dale Fava (141) and Dallas Winston (174).
Now onto Florida and the spring trips for baseball and softball. Both teams notched winning records on their trips and some milestones were reached. In baseball, head coach Bob Altieri became the program's all-time victory lead. In softball, senior Krystle Mazza tied two school marks as she hit two home runs and knocked in six runs in the season-opening win over Drew. Mazza finished the week with four home runs, she had two in her first three years combined!
Now everyone is back in Doylestown and the weather - as always in the spring - is playing a factor. Today's baseball game has already been postponed and we will have to wait and see about the status of a weekend full of home games for both baseball and softball.
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March 12
The next blog update will be on March 19
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March 5
It was quite a NCAA weekend for DelVal athletics. First, there was the wrestling team that was at Gettysburg on Saturday for the NCAA East Regional Championships. The 10 wrestlers had a great showing with all 10winning at least one match and nine of them winning at least two matches. Six placed in their weight classes, including five that were in the top three. And the top three is where you had to finish to get to the NCAA Championships.
So five wrestlers will now prepare for the national stage over the next weeks. How big is having five wrestlers advance to the NCAAs? Only eight schools across the country will have a higher number of national qualifiers while just three others will have the equal amount of wrestlers at the NCAAs. Next week, we will take a closer look at just how DelVal can fare at the NCAA Championships.
Then there was the men's basketball team and their journey to Virginia Beach to take on Virginia Wesleyan. Virginia Wesleyan was ranked first in the country in the preseason and was quoted in a newspaper down there as "being disappointed with their 21-7 record." DelVal battled all evening but dropped a 76-61 decision to the perennial national power. The loss does not in any way take away from the greatest season in program history. Nineteen wins, a second conference championship and a second trip to the NCAA playoffs in the last three years. It was a quite a year and the team only loses two players to graduation so they could be in contention again next season.
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February 26
What a run to the Freedom championship by the DelVal men's basketball team. It began with last Wednesday's 65-49 win over defending champion Misericordia as the Aggies pulled away late in the second half. That set the stage with a 2011 championship rematch with DeSales, this time on the Bulldogs' home court. And it was a great atmosphere as DeSales' small gym was jam-packed. They had a great student section and DelVal was well represented as well. The game went back and forth before DelVal took the lead for good close to halfway through the second half. They then hit their free throws down the stretch and won their second championship in the last three years with a 77-72 victory.
The question that's been asked a lot has been which championship was sweeter. You can go both ways with the answer. In 2011, it was the first time ever for the program and it was just three years removed from a winless season in conference play. Plus, it was great to see the DelVal gym packed when hardly anybody used to come to games in years past. But, this year had its own great moments, the biggest being the opportunity to cut the nets down on an opponent's home court and a rival as well as the DelVal-DeSales battles have built into something pretty big. It wasa bounce back year from last year's seven-win season and the chance to prove that 2011 wasn't a fluke or a "they caught lightning in a bottle" moment. DelVal men's basketball has arrived and does not plan on going away.
So now, it's onto the NCAAs and it will be a familiar setting from 2011 as DelVal goes back to Virginia Wesleyan. It's a shame that the team didn't have another match-up as it would be nice to go to a different venue as opposed to the same thing as two years ago. But, hey, it's the NCAA Championships so it's really hard to complain about anything.
It will certainly be a busy Saturday because the wrestling team has its huge event coming up with the NCAA East Regional Tournament. This is a qualifying event for the NCAA Division III Championships and it's realistically the last time all 10 starters will hit the mat (unless all 10 qualify for nationals and that would be a tremendous feat!).
The NCAA changed the entire format for qualifying for the national championships and that's a good thing. Gone are the sporadic handing out of national berths to various qualifiers (based on past performances). Gone are the politics of wild-card selections in coaches' meetings after a tournament. Now, it will be based strictly on performance. The top three finishers in each weight class at each of the six regional tournaments advance to the NCAA Championships. It's as simple as that.
So what does it look like for DelVal, which is one of six teams in the 18-team East Regional field that is ranked nationally? The sky is really the limit because all 10 wrestlers have had great moments throughout the year and are capable of winning anytime thet take the mat. You hope your three wrestlers that are nationally-ranked and who reached the NCAAs before - Emmanuel Ajagbe, Charlie Frankel, Aaron Karns - continue their strong seasons, use their experience from seasons past and prove that their rankings are justified. You hope that a past national qualifier who returned to the team this year - Dale Fava - continues his comeback. You hope that sophomores Mike Boardman and Connor Grabriel gained valuable experience from competing in a qualifying tournament last and they use that to their advantage. And you hope that freshmen Pat Davis, Nick Della Fera, James Dugan and Dallas Winston continue to show no fear with the collegiate stage and just let their talents shy like they have all year.
Other highlights
* Big props to Alexis Maylor, who successfully defended her pentathlon title at the MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. She had been limited for most of the winter due to an injury, but boy did she come through on the conference stage
* How about men's basketball sweeping the three major conference awards (Casey Stitzel - Coach of the Year, Jeremy Beckett - Player of the Year, Zach Sly - Rookie of the Year). The last time that happened in the Freedom was 2006 when Lycoming was in the conference, but the coach award was actually split among two. So the last time all three awards went outright to one school in the Freedom was Wilkes in 2001 (credit to Gordon Mann at D3hoops.com who had that nice little tidbit)
*It was nice to see three women's basketball players get recognized by the conference in Eireann Anastasi (rookie of the year), Brenna Coll (second team), Emily Soper (honorable mention). Two of them are underclassmen (Anastasi and Coll) and will back next year.
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February 19
The Freedom Conference playoff field is set and the DelVal men's basketball team is the second seed and will host third-seeded and defending champion Misericordia on Wednesday night, February 20 at 7:00 p.m. The winner will take on the winner of the DeSales/FDU-Florham semifinal match-up in the Freedom Championship Game on Saturday (time TBA). If DeSales wins, then they would host the DelVal/Misericordia winner. However, if FDU-Florham pulls off the road shocker, then the DelVal/Misericordia winner would host FDU for the title game. The conference champion gets an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs
DelVal swept Misericordia this year, but both wins were by just three points and Misericordia had the ball in their hands with a chance to tie it each time. It should be a great contest and having it in front of a huge home crowd will be a big plus for the Aggies. Then if they win and have to travel to DeSales for the championship game, they should still get a strong following as DeSales is just 45 minutes away from campus. It should be a fun week - the postseason in any sport is.
Other news
* What a great way for the women's basketball team to end its season - a road win over an FDU-Florham squad that entered the game ranked second in the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region. The team loses just two players to graduation and is expected to have four starters back next year so the future is bright
* The wrestling team had a great win on Senior Night over 16th-ranked The College of New Jersey to end its dual-meet season with a 9-3 record. The only losses were to teams ranked ahead of them in the top eight. Now, the team has two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Regional Qualifier
* The men's and women's track and field teams are preparing for this weekend's Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Indoor Championships. Their should be some strong showings at the event.
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February 12
The men's basketball team continues to roll as they have now won eight straight. They are 10-2 in the conference and are tied with DeSales for first. However, the Aggies now hold the tiebreaker since they swept the third-place team (Misericordia) while DeSales only split with them.
So this is what we have. DelVal hosts Manhattanville on Tuesday and travels to FDU-Florham on Saturday, Any combination of DelVal wins or DeSales losses that add up to two and the Aggies will clinch first place for the regular season and can host throughout the playoffs. They are definitely assured of at least a top two finish and will host the semifinals on Wednesday, February 20. The question that still remains is that top spot and hosting the championship game (provided the top seeds win the semis because the title game site goes to the highest remaining seed). Hosting the championship in James Work Gymnasium was so crucial two years ago and having the home crowd behind you is a big, big plus.
DelVal controls its own destiny to make that happen. That's all you can ask for.
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February 5
With two weeks to go in the regular season, things are shaping up for the DelVal men's basketball team. They are tied with DeSales for first place and need just win to clinch a conference tournament berth. The top four teams advance with the top two hosting semifinal games on the Wednesday night of playoff week (February 20). Then the highest remaining seed hosts the championship game on February 23.
DelVal controls its own destiny so if the team wins out, they would get the top spot and could host throughout the tournament. The reason why they hold their destiny is because in order to win out, they would post another win over Misericordia (Aggies travel to Misericordia this Saturday) and that would give them a sweep of the Cougars. That would prove to be the difference in a tiebreaker with DeSales, which split with Misericordia. First things first and that's a home game with King's on Wednesday to put an X next to DelVal in the standings (X is the symbol for having clinched a tournament berth). Thrown on top of that goal is that King's beat the Aggies up in Wilkes-Barre earlier in the year in what was their worst performance of the season. They would certainly like to avenge that setback.
The women are still lurking around and are just one game behind the fourth place with four games to go. It would not be an easy path as three of the games include the second-place team (King's on Wednesday) and trips to the defending champion (Misericordia on Saturday) and the nationally-ranked first-place team (FDU-Florham on February 16).
It was great to have some home wrestling matches last weekend and you couldn't have asked for better match-up as DelVal took on top 15 teams Cortland and Ithaca. DelVal fell to Cortland on Friday night, but came right back on Saturday afternoon and picked up a thrilling 26-12 victory over Ithaca. The Aggies were down going into the final three weight classes but a one-point decision and two pins resulted in the 14-point win.
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January 29
Now that the second half of conference play has begun and there are just three weeks (six games) left in the basketball regular season, it's time to truly start looking at the playoff picture for the conference tournament.
The men's basketball team has put itself in a real good position as the squad is 6-2 in league action and tied with Misericordia for second place. They are both two games ahead of fourth place FDU-Florham and three games ahead of the two teams tied for fifth (Eastern and King's). Remember, the top four teams advance to the tournament so DelVal has a strong shot at making it to the postseason for third time in the last five years (considering the history of the program and the fact that they had made it to the playoffs just one other team ever makes this run truly remarkable). What DelVal really wants now is at least one home playoff game (they are 7-1 at home this year and they won the conference championship in front of the home fans two years ago). They host undefeated DeSales on Wednesday and a win there could be a difference maker at the end in terms of tiebreakers.
Don't count the women out just yet. Yes, they are 2-6 but they have won two of their last three conference games and no one has run away with the fourth and final spot. Eastern is currently fourth with a 4-4 record and Misericordia is fifth at 3-5. If the Aggies can pull off an upset win over third place DeSales on Wednesday, that would set up a big game at Eastern on Saturday.
It's hard to believe, but the DelVal wrestling team has not yet had a home match. That changes this weekend with two big battles. The Aggies will take on third-ranked Cortland State at 6:00 p.m. on Friday night and then come right back less than 24 hours (noon on Saturday) to wrestle No. 11 Ithaca. Two very big tests as the calendar turns to February and we get closer to the regional qualifier and the NCAAs.
This past weekend, both Brian Carter and Lewis Vincent captured top honors in events at the Muhlenberg Indoor Track & Field Invitational. Not bad considering they joined the squad in December after football season.
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January 22
A little late submission for the blog as the campus internet was down for most of the day (and over the weekend as well). Speaking of the weekend, it was a strong one for the winter teams as the basketball and wrestling teams combined to go 3-1 on the day (they were 4-2 for the week).
The men's basketball team went 2-0 during the week as it picked up a key road win at Manhattanville on Wednesday and followed with a three-point win at home against defending conference champion Misericordia on Saturday. That game saw DelVal go on a 7-0 run in the final minute for a win. So the Aggies are now 4-2 in conference play and are tied with Misericordia and FDU-Florham for second play. They host FDU on Wednesday
The women had a big win on Saturday as they came back from a seven-point halftime deficit and defeated defending champion Misericordia by 15. It was great to see the young squad respond to that deficit and outscore the Cougars, 52-30, the rest of the way.
Since the last blog, two big things happened in regards to wrestling. The first was a new national poll that saw DelVal move up 13 spots to No. 9. The second was a change in last weekend's Metropolitan Conference Championships. A few teams inexplicably dropped out of the tournament and the results was a new format and set dual meets. The Aggies went 1-1 with a win over Hunter and a loss to No. 8 Wilkes.
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January 15
Conference play resumed for both basketball teams. The men split their two games last week to leave them at 2-2 in the Freedom. So they are right in the middle of things in the early going and the conference is shaping up to be just like that where everyone is log-jammed. DeSales is undefeated at 4-0 but the Aggies were within three of them on the road with 30 seconds to go this past Saturday. For the women, their two losses last week puts them at 0-4 in the league. They have a hole to dig out of over their final 10 conference games but stranger things have happened. FDU-Florham is the early favorite as the Devils are 4-0 right now and have just one loss overall.
The wrestlers won its lone match of the week with an easy triumph at King's. Next up is the Metropolitan Conference Championships. While it is a championship tournament, it certainly does not have the impact of the last couple of years and that's also why it's in mid-January and not late in the season. Remember, the NCAA has finally gone to a regionalized format for their national qualifying tournaments. The top three placewinners in each weight class at each regional will advance to the NCAAs so the wild-card selections and all the politics with that have been removed. The Metros will feature a handful of nationally-ranked teams and some tough wrestlers so it is still important for DelVal in terms of its ranking and for seeding later on at the regionals and nationals.
Indoor track and field resumes action on Friday after more than a month off. They arrived back on campus with the rest of the student body over the wekeend and classes for the second semester began yesterday.
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January 8
And the blog as back after a long holiday rest. The DelVal winters teams certainly didn't have a lot of time to rest as they were in action before and after the holiday.
The wrestling team has really come on with a third-place finish against a loaded field at the Citrus Invitational. They then followed by winning all four of its matches at the North/South Duals. As a result, they have moved up to 22nd in the Division III rankings. What is disappointing with the poll is the fact that the Aggies placed higher than Cornell College (IA) at the Citrus Invitational, but Citrus is still 18th in the poll.
Individually, Emmanuel Ajagbe continues racking up wins as he is now 20-1 on the season with the lone setback coming to a Division I All-American at the ESU Open. At the Citrus Invitational, he knocked off the top-ranked 149-pound wreslter in Division III in the semifinals and a nationally-ranked Division II wrestler in the finals. When the latest rankings were released, there was Ajagbe's name atop the 149-pound weight class. Emmanuel Ajagbe - #1 in Division III!!!
The men's basketball team is 7-5 on the season as conference play is reading to resume tomorrow night when the Aggies host Wilkes. Jay Donovan has stepped up his game and was named to the Catholic University all-tournament team for his showing there. And how about freshman Zach Sly and his game-winning layup with 2.1 seconds to go in last Friday's win over New Paltz!
On the women's side, the Aggies won four straight to get to the .500 mark before last night's loss at Rosemont dropped the team to 6-7. Sophomore Brenna Coll has taken her game to another level and she was real close to a quadruple-double last Saturday in a win over Marywood (30 points, 8 rebounds, 7 steals, 6 assists).
As mentioned, Freedom Conference play returns for both basketball teams on Wednesday night as DelVal hosts Wilkes and they both travel to DeSales on Saturday. The wrestlers head to King's on Friday. Should be another fun week of action.
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December 11
It is rare to have a stretch of five games over an eight-day span. It is even rarer to have all five of those games at home. However, that's the case for the DelVal women's basketball team as the squad is currently in the midst of a stretch like that. It began on Sunday with a tough, six-point loss to Briarcliffe College and continued last night with an 84-63 route of Penn State Brandywine. Those two games are perfect examples of the ups and downs of a young basketball team. They came out flat on Sunday and were on fire from the opening tip on Monday.
Next up is Haverford College on Wednesday followed by Eastern Mennonite University on Saturday and Cabrini College next Monday. That will be it for the team until the first week of January.
The blog will take a few weeks off for the holidays. The next blog will be on Tuesday, January 8. Happy holidays to everyone!
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December 4
The first and only two conference games of the first semester are now over for the DelVal basketball squads. The rest of their games from now until January 9 are non-conference. The men loss at King's, but then bounced back with a close home win over Eastern. The women dropped both contests by a combined nine points. It is so early in the season and there are 12 conference games from January 9 until the second week of February. There have been teams that have gone 0-2 and then won the championship and teams that have started out 2-0 and then fail to make the postseason. Anything can happen and it is a long, long season.
The story of the wrestling season continues to be senior 149-pounder Emmanuel Ajagbe. He captured another invitational title on Saturday with a pefect 4-0 record at the York Invite. So that's a 12-1 record with two, first-place showings and one. runner-up finish. Not a bad start at all.
Indoor track fared pretty well at its season opener. They don't have another meet until January 18.
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November 27
If you tried to get on the DelVal athletic site earlier today, we apologize. It was down for a few hours but, as of 2:00 p.m, it was back up and running.
Freedom Conference actions begins this week for both basketball teams. The conference slate always has two games in the first semester and for the Aggies this season, that mean's a trip to King's College on Wednesday and a home doubleheader with Eastern University on Saturday. Both the men and the women were picked in the preseason coaches' polls to be in contention for playoff berths but fall short of those goals. We'll get an early indication this week.
The wrestling teams will hit the mats again on Saturday when it travels to York College for an invitational that always features top tier teams. One DelVal wrestler is ranked nationally and that's Emmanuel Ajagbe. The senior is off to an 8-1 start this year, including a 5-1 mark against higher division wrestlers. He is third in the 149-pound rankings.
And the men's and women's indoor track and field teams kick off their seasons at Ursinus College this Saturday. Three former All-Americans graduated in May but the Aggies do have the returning MAC champion in the women's pentathlon in junior Alexis Maylor.
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November 20
The fall season is now officially over and it was a great fall with three teams making the postseason. The field hockey team qualified for the Freedom Conference playoffs for the third time in the last four years and the volleyball team was selected to the ECAC South Region playoffs for the second consecutive year. Then there's the football team which wrapped up its season on Saturday with a 24-21 victory at Muhlenberg College in the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl. That marked five straight years with a title for the team (MAC and ECAC in 2008; MAC in 2009, 2010 and 2011; ECAC in 2012).
Twenty-three different DelVal fall athletes earned spots on the all-conference team and about that many are expected to be on the conference's academic honor roll. Quite a fall indeed.
So now it is on to the winter season, which actually got started two weeks ago. The wrestling team has looked strong at its opening two tournaments and has yet to have its full lineup ready to go. The men's basketball team had a great overtime win over a two-time playoff qualifier in Skidmore in the opening round of the Widener Tip-Off. They then fell in a close contest to Wesley in the title game. The women's basketball team dropped its first two games but a freshman - Eireann Anastasi - earned a spot on the all-tournament team. And the indoor track and field team opens its season in early December.
Action never slows down in DelVal athletics!
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November 13
If one would have said that the Widener offense would have been held to 14 points early in the fourth quarter, I would have said that Delaware Valley would probably be not only winning but be ahead by more than the 16 that it needed to get the NCAA berth. However, Widener's defense also put 14 points on the board and the Aggie offense struggled once it got deep in Pride territory. So, they still found themselves trailing despite the great effort by the defense against the top scoring offense in the country.
It was a tough day for DelVal as its dreams of a fifth straight MAC title and fourth straight trip to the NCAAs were dashed.However, the team showed amazing character in battling back from a 28-10 halftime deficit to score two times and make it a 28-23 contest. They just couldn't up with that one more and Widener went on the 42-23 victory to complete its undefeated season.
DelVal's season is not over as it was selected to an ECAC bowl game and will travel to Muhlenberg College for Saturday's ECAC South Atlantic Bowl. If the name Muhlenberg sounds familiar, it's because the Aggies and the Mules met in the season opener in both 2010 and 2011. And the '11 opener was at DelVal as the Aggies completed a 30-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-15 play in overtime for a thrilling 10-9 victory. That kickstarted the team towards its perfect 10-0 regular seaason. Now, they will look to cap a season with a victory over Muhlenberg and bring home an ECAC championship
The wrestling team began its season by having five wrestlers place in the top four at the Ursinus College Fall Brawl. Senior Emmanuel Ajagbe took home the 149-pound title while Joseph Richard was the 197-pound runner-up. Three freshmen took fourth in their respective weight classes. It was a strong showing, especially since some of the team's key members did not hit the mat at the tournament.
Both basketball teams tip-off their seasons this weekend. The women head down to Maryland to take part in the McDaniel College tournament. The first opponent is Widener, who is coached by former Delaware Valley All-American Alisa DiBonaventura. Four starters are back from last year's 12-13 squad, including two-time all-conference forward Emily Soper. Head coach Laura Hogan is excited about her returners as well as her recruiting class. The team was young last year and they are actually even younger this season.But the talent is certainly there
For the men, Casey Stitzel's goal is simple: get back to the playoffs and look to make run at a second conference championship in the last three years. That begins this weekend with the season opener against Skidmore at the Widener tournament. The squad won seven games last year, but two of them were against teams that were in first place in the conference at the time. Two-time all-conference forward Jeremy Beckett and senior Daulton Derr are back up front and there a lot of talented new faces in the backcourt.
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November 6
When the football team began the year 0-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play, all they wanted was for the Widener game to still have conference and NCAA playoff implications. With seven dominating wins after the start, they accomplished that goal as this Saturday's game with the Pride has everything on the line.
It is the second year in a row that MAC and NCAA picture will be determined by the DelVal-Widener game. Last year, the Aggies rallied from a 28-14 deficit to score 42 unanswered points for a 56-28 win. They don't have to win by 28 this year, but they do have to win by at least 16 points to get the NCAA berth.
Here's the scenario. Widener is undefeated in MAC play while DelVal and Lycoming have one conference loss each. Lycoming beat DelVal this year, but lost to Widener. If Widener wins on Saturday, the Pride get the conference title and the automatic berth. If DelVal wins, there will be a three-way tie for the MAC championship and all three will be recognized as tri-champions. The NCAA berth would then come down to the point differential tiebreaker among the tied teams (with a cap of 17 points). Lycoming is done at a plus-five since the Warriors defeated DelVal by 10 and lost to Widener by 5. Widener is also a plus-five but a loss would lower that number below Lycoming. DelVal sits at a minus-10 so they need to beat Widener by 16 or more points to get above Lycoming and claim the NCAA spot. If the Aggies defeat Widener by fewer than 16, then Lycoming gets the bid.
It makes for some interesting decisions on game day. When do really start to look at th scoreboard? Do you go for it on a fourth down play and try to keep a drive alive for a touchdown as opposed to kicking a field goal? When do you go for two-point conversions? It should make a wild day and a great atmosphere in Chester.
Other athletic news
*Congratulations to the DelVal volleyball team as it found out on Monday that it was selected for the ECAC South Region Championships for the second year in a row. And for the second year in a row, the team will travel to Swarthmore on Wednesday for the quarterfinals
* The field hockey team eventually played its semifinal Freedom game on Friday and dropped a 4-1 decision to top-seeded King's. Nonetheless, it was a great season for a squad that was picked to finish seventh out of eight teams in the conference preseason coaches' poll
* It was great to see DelVal well-represented on the some of the fall all-conference teams that were announced at the end of last week. Five from field hockey, four from volleyball, two from men's soccer and one from women's soccer. The last one will be football and that will come out sometime next week after the regular-season wraps up. DelVal should have a lot of honorees on that team as well.
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October 29
Updating the blog a day early and from home (power is still on and hopefully it will stay that way).
Hurricane Sandy has certainly made itself known. The college is closed both today and tomorrow and a decision will be made about Wednedsay at some point on Tuesday. On the athletic side of things, all practices and activities have been cancelled for Monday and Tuesday, including the volleyball match at Penn State-Berks scheduled for tonight.
Earlier today, the conference office announced that the playoff matches have been moved back due to the weather. Once of those is the DelVal field hockey semifinal match-up with King's College up in Wilkes-Barre. It was originally scheduled for Wednesday, October 31 and has now been moved to Thursday, November 1 at 4:00 p.m. DelVal finished as the fourth-place team in the conference while King's is the top seed. Earlier this year, the Aggies scored two goals in the second half to post a 2-1 home victory over the Lady Monarchs. Later this week, they will see if they can do it again.
The football team came away with a big, 31-10 road win against Lebanon Valley on Saturday. It was 10-10 midway through the third quarter when DelVal scored 21 unaswered points the rest of the way. It was the first, four-quarter game the team had to play in six weeks and they responded to the challenge.
Credit the defense as they forced six turnovers, including four in the second half. And the running game was going strong, including freshman Alquann Jones who had 108 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. His 56-yard touchdown in the third gave DelVal the lead for good.
Jones and safety Shaquille Lee (who had a big game as well) are already making big impacts as rookies. And head coach Jim Clements is high on some other freshmen as well. Remember, this is a young team as only 15 seniors are on the roster. The quarterback is a sophomore, the starting tailback is a junior, the second-leading receiver is a junior and six of the starters on defense are underclassmen. That's a scary thought for the rest of the MAC.
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October 23
In the last blog update, we talked about playoff scenarios for the teams. Since then, one squad has clinched a conference postseason berth and that is the field hockey team. They earned a 3-2 win over Manhattanville College on Saturday and that put them in the playoffs for the third time in the last four years. It is also quite an accomplishment for the team since they are just a year removed from a three-win season and they were picked to finish seventh out of eight teams in this year's preseason coaches' poll.
Instead, DelVal can still finish anywhere from first to fourth. The Aggies have a home game today against four-time defending Freedom champion Eastern. Once that game and the remaining league contests and finished today (or tonight since there is one night game on the conference slate), we will know the seeds, the sites and the match-ups for the Freedom tournament, which will begin next Wednesday, October 31.
Football posted an easy win over Misericordia and then got the help it needed as Widener rallied for a last-minute win at Lycoming. So if Delaware Valley wins its next two games (no easy tasks with a trip to 5-2 Lebanon Valley and a home game with Wilkes) and both Lycoming and Widener wins its next two, it will come down to the November 10 match-up between DelVal and Widener (at Widener). That is assuming as well that Lycoming will beat first-year program Misericordia on that November 10 date.
In the scenario listed above, DelVal would have to beat Widener by 16 or more points to claim the conference's automatic berth to the NCAAs for the fourth straight year. The reason why is that the tiebreaker would come down to point differential in games between the tied teams. Lycoming and Widener both stand at a plus-five (for Lycoming, they were a plus-10 with the win over DelVal and a minus-5 with their loss to Widener) and DelVal stands at a minus-10. The Aggies need to get that at least a plus-6 for the crown.
Volleyball needs to win at King's tomorrow night and then get a lot of help to make the playoffs. Both soccer teams were eliminated from contention last week.
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October 16
As the fall season quickly winds down, here's a look at the playoff scenarios (NCAA for football, conference for the other sports:
Football (4-2 overall, 4-1 MAC): DelVal sits one game behind both Lycoming and Widener. Lycoming has win over DelVal and it hosts Widener this week while DelVal and Widener meet on November 10. DelVal will be Widener fans this week as it needs Lycoming to pick up at least one loss the rest of the way. If the three teams defeat their other opponents and Widener beats Lycoming and DelVal beats Widener, the three-way tiebreaker scenario would come down to point differential among the tied teams (with a cap of 17 points to avoid teams running up the score). Still a long way to go, but the picture will become a little clearer after this week's Lycoming-Widener game.
Field Hockey (6-8 overall, 3-1 Freedom): Saturday's overtime loss to Wilkes plus results from the other games in the conference has left a five-way tie at the top of the standings. DelVal's last three games are not easy as they are all against teams in that five-way tie. The top four teams heads to the conference tournament so somebody who sits at the top today will not even make the postseason.
Volleyball (11-8 overall, 2-3 Freedom): DelVal currently sits in a three-way tie with Misericordia and Wilkes for fourth place in the conference with two games remaining. The three teams have each gone 1-1 against each other so it could come down to set differential among the tied teams. DelVal defeated Wilkes 3-1 and lost 3-0 to Misericordia leaving them at a minus-1. Misericordia is a plus-2 and Wilkes is a minus-1 so that tiebreaker favors Misericordia. DelVal could use Misericordia to fall out of the tie and leave it to just the Aggies and Wilkes.
Women's Soccer (3-9, 1-3 Freedom): DelVal picked up its first conference win at Manhattanville this past Saturday. Later today, they host FDU-Florham who are in fourth place at 2-2. A DelVal win would make things interesting.
Men's Soccer (7-5-1, 0-4 Freedom): DelVal needs to win its final three conference games to have any shot.
It should be an interesting stretch run.
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October 9
In sports, everyone is always looking for a great note, a great fact or some kind of trend. It's why when you're watching a game, the broadcaster will tell you that a team is 5-0 when leading at halftime or has eight, walk-off wins.
One of those facts or trends is going on right now with the DelVal field hockey team and it's a crazy one. As of today, the team is 5-0 when they play on Saturdays and 0-7 when they play any other day of the week. Fortunately, the first three conference games of the year have been on Saturdays, so the "Weekend Warriors" are tied with FDU-Florham for first place in the Freedom.
Nothing spoke more volumes of the trend than this past weekend. The team was coming off an emotional 3-2 loss to 18th-ranked Elizabethtown just two days earlier as the Blue Jays rallied from a 2-0 deficit and scored the game-winner with 16.6 seconds remaining. King's, a perennial conference contender was coming to town and the Lady Monarchs upended the three-time defending Freedom champs, Eastern, the previous Saturday. So when King's scored early and the Aggies looked sloppy in the first half, the perfect Saturday mark was in serious jeopardy. But, a picture-perfect goal on a corner attempt tied it up and they then went ahead on a strong play by Kerlsey Zook and a great shot from Taylor Prichett with 8:01 remaining. They then held on, thanks to a crucial defensive save by Sara Culver in the final minute, for the big win.
It will be interesting to see where the rest of this season goes, but the squad has already surpassed its entire win total from last year and they have put themselves in the playoff hunt (they were semifinalists in both 2009 and 2010). And the final four Freedom games will not be easy. But, two of them will be on Saturdays.
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October 2
Football had a big win over a good Albright team this past Saturday. It had the makings of a tight contest since the loser of the game was going to have a hard time staying in the MAC race. Instead, DelVal raced out to a 42-0 lead and finished with a 42-21 win.
So the team heads into its bye week as winnners of three straight and a 3-2 overall record. The 3-1 MAC record leaves them one game behind both Lycoming and Widener in the standings. Of course, DelVal fell to Lycoming earlier in the year. The Aggies play at Widener in the last week of the regular season while Widener goes to Lycoming in three weeks. Still a lot of football left to be played.
However about the field hockey team, a.k.a. "The Weekend Warriors." The team is 4-6 overall with all four wins coming on Saturdays and all six losses occuring during the week. More importantly, two of those Saturdays have come in conference road games at Misericordia and DeSales. This week, the task is real tough during the week as nationally-ranked Elizabethtown comes to town on Thursday. It doesn't get much easier on Saturday as King's, which recently knocked off defending Freedom Conference champion Eastern, makes a trip to Doylestown.
Both soccer teams opened conference play with losses at Wilkes on Saturday. Their next conference games are home against Misericordia on Saturday. Volleyball resumes Freedom action tonight by hosting FDU-Florham. And the cross country teams are just 25 days away from their conference championship.
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September 25
It's hard to believe, but we are closing in on the halfway point of the fall season. It feels like it just started. Here's a look at the DelVal teams up to this point:
Football (2-2, 2-1 MAC): Losing the first two games was a dissapointment, but the team has bounced back with convincing wins in the next two. Saturday is a big one against a 3-1 Albright team. DelVal probably cannot afford a second conference loss so a win in front of the Homecoming crowd is a must. Quarterback Aaron Wilmer has been on the money with his throws the last two weeks and he needs to continue to play that way. The secondary has been as good as advertised as teams are averaging less than 100 yards per game in the air.
Cross Country (invitationals only): Both the men and the women have competed in three invitationals. Shelby Garner for the women and Andrew McMillan for the men have led the way in all three events.
Field Hockey (3-5, 1-0 Freedom): That conference opener was a big one as the team produced a 2-1 victory on the road at Misericordia this past Saturday. Newcomer Kelsey Zook (she transferred in from Penn State where she did not play) has made a huge difference in the middle of the field for the team.
Men's Soccer (4-1-1, 0-0 Freedom): The surprise of the fall. The squad has already matched its entire win total from last season as it heads into its first conference competition this weekend. Chase Clement has been outstanding in net. Tyler Yankovich and Steve Mannato have provided most of the offense and the team is gaining more and more confidence with each performance.
Women's Soccer (2-5, 0-0): Conference play begins this weekend and head coach Kevin Doherty always has his squad in contention. Julie Burnell has been her usual self in goal.
Volleyball (9-4, 0-2): The team started off with five straight wins, but has played .500 ball since then. The second conference loss was a tough one because it came against Misericordia and that match has determined the fourth playoff spot in each of the last two seasons. Manhattanville and FDU-Florham are the next two Freedom opponents and DelVal needs both of them to get right back in the hunt.
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September 18
Saturday was more like DelVal football as the Aggies went down to Maryland and posted a 34-10 victory over a vast-improved Stevenson University team. Both the defense and the offense made early statements. The defense forced turnovers on Stevenson's first two possessions and the offense took advantage of the short field and put the ball in the end zone each time. The quick start erased any thoughts of Stevenson upset. And the win was the 52nd for head coach Jim Clements, giving him the top spot in that category in DelVal football history.
How about the start the men's soccer team is off to!!! With yesterday's 3-1 win over Keystone, the Aggies have now won three straight and are 4-1 on the year. That already matches their entire victory total from last year (4-14). Kudos to second-year head coach Tom Drummond and his group of players.
Volleyball is 7-2 and hosting a big conference match this evening in the gym as Misericordia comes to town. The fourth and final playoff berth in the Freedom has really been determined by this match in each of the last two seasons - even though it takes place early in the schedule. Two years ago, the Cougars came to Doylestown and won in five sets. They finished a game ahead of the Aggies in the standings and went to the postseason. Last year, DelVal returned the favor with a five-set road triumph. The Aggies finished a game ahead in the standings and advanced to the Freedom tournament. It should be a fun night in the gym.
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September 11
Let's get to the good stuff first. Volleyball is 5-0 following last night's win at Penn State Brandywine. The team has its biggest test to date coming up on Wednesday when the squad hosts four-time defending conference champion Eastern. Eastern is the team that knocked the Aggies out of the Freedom tournament last season. That match is the first of five straight at home for the Aggies as they host Ursinus the next night (Thursday) then host a tri-match on Saturday. Next Tuesday, they have a big conference showdown with Misericordia.
The women's soccer team won two straight over the weekend to take home the Gwynedd-Mercy College Griffin Classic title. And while the men's soccer team fell to 1-1 on the year, the loss was a good showing as they took Juniata to overtime on the road.
Now the question everyone is asking - what is wrong with the football team? After being ranked in the top 10 in every preseason national poll, they have dropped their first two games and are actually on a three-game losing streak dating back to last year's loss in the second round of the NCAA playoffs. But before everybody hits the panic button or jumps off the bandwagon, let's remember a few things. Number one, the two opponents to start the year were formidable ones in Rowan and Lycoming. Rowan is a perennial contender in the NJAC who just two years ago went 9-1 but got screwed out of an NCAA berth by the playoff committee. And Lycoming went 8-2 last year and the Aggies needed a last-second score to beat them a season ago.
Number two, it is still early in the year and kinks are being worked out. If you remember back to last year, the offense didn't click under week three but the team managed to pull out one-point victories in the first two games. Then once they clicked, the big margin of victories piled up and the team was on their way. Things are still not clicking in every area this year but there is plenty of time to regroup and make a run at a fifth straight MAC championship.
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September 4
Well, the season is now underway with all seven fall teams having competed over the weekend. Volleyball swept both of its matches while men's soccer got a pair of goals from Tyler Yankovich, en route to a 2-1 win. Women's soccer and field hockey dropped close contests and the cross country teams competed on their home course for the Delaware Valley Invitational. Most of those events took place at home and went off without too many hitches on a holiday weekend!
The football team lost a season opener for the first time since 2008 with a 27-13 loss at Rowan University. Turnovers and penalties hurt them all afternoon. The good news is that it was a non-conference game. What really matters are the next games as they are all in conference. Win your conference and you go to the NCAA playoffs. It's as simple as that.
What won't be simple of course is winning the conference and defeating the first opponent - Lycoming College at home this Saturday - will be a real tough task. The two teams met in the next to last week of the regular season last year and Delaware Valley scored with 13 seconds left for a 28-21 road win. Expect a similar battle this week. Like Delaware Valley, Lycoming had a tough opening week with a 24-2 loss to Brockport. Neither team wants to start 0-2 but that will be somebody's record late Saturday afternoon.
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August 28
This is the last week of the preseason conference polls. Men's soccer was released this morning and DelVal is listed eighth among eight teams. Tom Drummond is in his second year as head coach and his 18-man roster includes 12 players who earned significant time with the Aggies last year.
The volleyball poll is released on Wednesday. The squad is coming off its greatest season in program history (21-9, Freedom and ECAC South Region playoff berths) and all of the main contributors are back, including junior all-conference honorees Janel Gluch and Destinee Horning. A third junior, Alyssa Riggins, was an all-conference pick in 2010 and sophomore setter Crystal Ronan was a Freedom Rookie of the Year candidate. They should contend for a playoff spot once again.
Cross country opens its season this Saturday by hosting their annual invitational. Larry Hannon has moved from assistant coach to head coach for not only cross country, but indoor and outdoor track and field as well. Tracey Forsythe will look to have a big senior season.
Now, to the game that is attracting a lot of attention in the local Philadelphia area: DelVal vs Rowan. The last time the two teams met on the football field was the 2005 NCAA quarterfinals when the Profs rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit to down the Aggies, 27-21. That was the last game for record-setting quarterback Adam Knoblauch and also the last game for head coach G.A. Mangus, who moved onto the Division I ranks. The defensive coordinator for DelVal in '05 was Jim Clements and he took over as head coach after Mangus. All Clements has done in the last six years is post a 51-17 record with four MAC titles and three trips to the second round of the NCAA playoffs.
DelVal of course is coming off an 11-1 season and has 15 starters back. Rowan also has 15 starters back from a 5-5 team. But don't let the record fool you. All five of the Profs' losses were by seven points or less and they compete in the very-tough New Jersey Athletic Conference. It should be a great game in Glassboro, New Jersey.
Remember if you can't make it to the game, you can listen to it live over your computer. The links are on the front page of the web (click on the football banner that says Season Opener) or on the football page.
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August 21
Ten days from now, the field hockey team hits the turf at St. Mary's College of Maryland. The following day, all the remaining DelVal fall teams have their season opener. Let the fun begin!
Last week, the conference released the preseason coaches' poll for football. Today. the field hockey poll was released and the Aggies were listed seventh among eight teams. After two straight appearances in the Freedom semifinals, the squad dropped to a three-win season in 2011. They graduated the top goalie in program history in Hollis Hancock, but there a strong mix of veteran players and newcomers. DelVal heads to a preseason tournament tomorrow and that's when the coaching staff will get a real indication of what the season holds.
On Wednesday, the women's soccer poll will be released (note - the Aggies were fifth in the poll). DelVal just missed out on a postseason berth last year and they graduated a strong class which was an even larger group as two athletic juniors graduated early. They do return one of the top goalies in the conference in Julie Burnell. She is a junior in eligibility, but, like the two last year, she is expected to get her diploma a year early.
The men's soccer poll will come out next Tuesday, August 28 with volleyball released the following day. We will preview those two plus cross country and the big football opener between DelVal and Rowan in next week's blog.
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August 14
The football team is on the practice field (well, they were before the lightning) and the buzz is back in the athletic department as their arrival on campus unofficially begins the new year. They returned on Saturday and hit the field on Sunday. Thursday will be the first practice with full pads on and Friday is the first two-a-day. On Saturday, the team will hold its annual Green and Gold scrimmage. It is slated for 2:00 p.m. on the game field.
Since the last blog, the MAC preseason coaches' poll was released and, as expected, Delaware Valley sat atop the poll. The Aggies received six of the 10 first-place votes and had a total of 77 points. Widener and Lycoming, which was right behind Delaware Valley in the standings at the end of last season, were next in the preseason poll with 71 and 70 points respectively. There was then a gap of 20 points between Lycoming at third place and the two teams tied for fourth (Albright and Lebanon Valley).
The polls are nice but they are what they are and that is simply a vote on a piece of paper. The poll means nothing once the season begins. Perfect proof of that was in 2003 when Delaware Valley had a roster mostly of freshmen and was picked to finish last. Instead, that was the year that started this amazing run and the team finished 9-2 overall, second place in the MAC and won an ECAC title.
Of course, Delaware Valley has been the favorite the last bunch of years and they have finished on top with four straight conference crowns. The run for a fifth consecutive title and "One For The Thumb" is underway.
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August 7
After an entire summer of looking back at 2011-12, it's now time to look ahead at 2012-13. The football team reports to campus for preseason camp this Saturday with the first practice slated for Sunday. The other fall teams (field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, men's cross country, women's cross country) begin practice about a week later.
Expectations are high for the football team as they return a high number of starters from an '11 squad that went 11-1 overall (10-0 regular season), won the MAC title for a fourth straight year and reached the second round of the NCAA playoffs for a third straight year. The Aggies have been ranked in the top 10 in every national preseason poll (conference coaches' poll is expected to come out shortly) with one publication placing them fifth and two others having them ninth.
The start of the season will not be easy as DelVal opens at Rowan on September 1 as part of the MAC-NJAC Challenge. Rowan was 5-5 last year in a very tough conference and all five of its losses were by seven points of less. Those who have followed DelVal for at least a decade know the Rowan name very well as the Aggies fell to the Profs in the NCAA quarterfinals in both 2004 and 2005. Then, the team opens conference play by hosting a Lycoming squad that went 8-2 last year. In the Year In Review, the DelVal-Lycoming 2011 match-up was second on the list as the Aggies needed a touchdown with 13 seconds left to pull out the 28-21 victory.
Volleyball is coming a year its greatest year in program history and has all of its key players back. Women's soccer just missed out on the conference playoffs last year while field hockey has reached the Freedom postseason in two of the last three years. Men's soccer should be better with head coach Tom Drummond in his second year at the helm while Larry Hannon, who was an assistant at DelVal, takes over the top spot of the cross country programs. We will take a closer look at all of them as the teams report back and the start of the season gets closer.
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July 31
The blog took a break at the shore last week, but now it is back for the final look back at the 2011-12 Delaware Valley College athletic season. Throughout the summer, we have looked at the players of the year per class and gender, the unsung heroes, top surprises of the year and more. The big part of the Year in Review is the selection of the Top 10 Games of the Year. We decided to spread that out over three installments this year with games ten through six one week and games five through two another week.
Now, it’s time to announce the number one game of 2011-12 and if you’ve followed the other nine selections, you probably have figured out by now which top game is missing. And it was pretty much a non-brainer this year.
1. Football vs Widener – November 12, 2011
The anticipation for the game was building all season long and went into overdrive after Delaware Valley’s Aaron Wilmer scored on a quarterback keeper with 13 seconds left to give the Aggies a 28-21 win at Lycoming College in the next to last week of the regular season.
That win gave Delaware Valley a 9-0 record overall and 7-0 in the conference. It clinched at least a share of the MAC title for the fourth year in a row but the outright crown and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Why? Because, Widener was 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the MAC. So, a Widener victory over Delaware Valley would mean that the Aggies would only share the crown and the Pride would get the automatic postseason berth due to the head-to-head win. Delaware Valley was in an excellent position to receive an at-large berth, but stranger things have happened and the team did not want to leave it to chance.
Another big factor in the game was the Keystone Cup, the trophy handed out annually to the winner of the match-up of archrivals. Last year, Widener stunned playoff-bound Delaware Valley with a touchdown on the last play of regulation and then went for the two-point conversion and the win and got it for a 28-27 triumph. Revenge was on the mind of the Aggies and their fans.
The atmosphere at James Work Memorial Stadium was electric, helped out by a caravan of three Widener fan buses that made the hour trip from Chester. The stands were filled on both sides and fans were also lined up at the fences around the stadium. An anticipatory roar from the crowd was let out as both teams lined up for the opening kickoff.
Widener, which entered the game, averaging 49.1 points and 460 yards per game, used big plays on offense and special teams to take a 28-14 lead with 5:22 remaining in the first half. The last 14 points came in a 42-second span and Delaware Valley appeared to be on the ropes.
Then, the onslaught began. It started with the ensuing drive as the Aggies scored with 1:12 to go to pull them to within seven, 28-21, at the break. It was one of the biggest drives of the year (and it included a key, fourth-and three conversion as Wilmer hit Rodney Blango for seven yards to move the chain), especially with Widener getting the ball to start the second half. It gave the team momentum as it headed to the locker room.
After stopping Widener on the first drive of the second half, a punt trapped Delaware Valley at its own six-yard line. The offense put together a 10-play, 94-yard scoring drive to tie the game. Widener went three-and-out and the Aggies took over just past midfield. Their ground attack netted all 48 yards on the drive and Wilmer capped it with an 18-yard sprint into the end zone for Delaware Valley’s first lead of the game at 35-28 with 3:15 left in the quarter (click here to hear the audio call of the touchdown).
Widener quickly moved downfield and but could not convert a fourth-and-two from the Aggie 12 on the next to last play of the third quarter. Delaware Valley had a second-and-l14 from its eight-yard line when Wilmer found Lewis Vincent on a crossing pattern and Vincent raced 61 yards before being horse-collared at the Widener 31 (click here to hear the audio call of the catch and run). The penalty on the tackle moved the ball up 15 yards and, after a one-yard run on the first down, Wilmer found Chris Ruiz all alone in the end zone for the 42-28 lead.
On the first play of the ensuing possession, Aggie linebacker Ken Fowlkes intercepted a pass and returned it 35 yards to the Pride 13 (click here to hear the audio call of the interception). On third down, Wilmer tossed his fourth scoring pass of the day as he hit Isaiah Hall in the end zone (click here to hear the audion call of the touchdown). Later in the fourth, Tyler Neal sealed the deal with a 40-yard touchdown run and a 56-28 final (click here to hear the audio call of the tochdown).
The numbers from the game were amazing with none bigger than the fact that Delaware Valley had erupted for 42 unanswered points after being down 28-14. The offense racked up 580 total yards with the rookie Wilmer leading the way. He completed 17 of 31 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for 56 yards and a score. Meanwhile, the Delaware Valley defense held the powerful Pride to 319 yards, including just 141 yards in the second half.
The celebrations were fun to watch, starting in the stands late in the game when the Aggie faithful chanted “Start The Buses” to the Widener crown – a reference to the fan buses mentioned before. Head coach Jim Clements was doused with water as were some of his assistants. Once the final seconds ticked off the clock, the team raced onto the field to receive the Keystone Cup and celebrated a perfect 10-0 regular season, the outright MAC title and the upcoming trip to the NCAA playoffs.
It was a day to remember and it was also the number one game of the 2011-12 Delaware Valley College athletic season.
Now, it’s time to start looking ahead to 2012-13. The blog will start that next week.
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July 17
The look back at 2011-12 continues with the second of three installments of the Top 10 Games of the Year. Last week was games ten through six. This week, it’s games five through two. Then, after a week off, the number one game of 2011-12 will be announced on July 31.
5. Wrestling vs East Stroudsburg – February 10, 2012
It was Senior Night and Delaware Valley was honoring a large class as nine wrestlers were recognized before the match. Six were in the lineup against the Division II opponent and four of them combined for all 22 points for a thrilling, one-point win. Three of the four wins were by pin as Charlie Frankel (47 seconds at 125 pounds), Zak Andrews (3:25 at 149 pounds) and Kyle Tufts (2:31 at 184 pounds) dropped their foes. Eric McCann picked up a major decision at 133 pounds for the final points. Perhaps, one of the biggest moments of the match came in a loss as senior Chris James, who had come for wrestling for the first time in 2011-12, was battling a nationally-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds. James did not give up any bonus points in a 10-4 loss and that was one of the difference makers in a night that belonged to the seniors.
4. Volleyball at Misericordia – September 20, 2011
Last year, Delaware Valley lost at home in five sets to Misericordia and it proved to be the difference as the Cougars advanced to the Freedom Conference playoffs. So when the Aggies made the early season trip up the Northeast Extension of the turnpike, the sting of that loss was still in their minds. Delaware Valley raced out to a quick lead as it took the first two sets, but Misericordia won the next two to, once again, force a fifth and deciding set. In the fifth, Misericordia had a chance to serve for the match at 14-13, but the Aggies erased that on a kill by Janel Gluch. Alyssia Riggins produced an ace for a 15-14 lead and the Cougars followed with an attack error to give Delaware Valley the big road win. The Aggies edged Misericordia by one game in the standings and reached the postseason for the first time since 1988.
3. Men’s Basketball vs Wilkes – January 28, 2012
Delaware Valley was struggling while Wilkes came to Doylestown with the top record in the Freedom Conference. The Colonels routed the Aggies in Wilkes-Barre earlier in the year, but they were still out for revenge after falling to Delaware Valley in three heartbreaking games last year, including the conference semifinals. Wilkes led by 10 heading into the final minute of regulation and appeared on its way to an easy win. Then, everything changed - thanks mostly to Nathan Bollinger. The sophomore had 32 points at the time and then he simply erupted. He hit clutch shots and free throws while the Colonels missed on their trips to the foul line. They hit one with 7.3 seconds to go to lead by three, but Bollinger came down the court, pulled up at the key and hit a game-tying 3-pointer (click here to hear the call of the shot). The overtime then belonged to Bollinger and the Aggies as they went from being 10 down with a minute to go in regulation to winning by 10, 95-85. Bollinger finished with a school-record 50 points (click here to hear the call of the shot that gave him 50), including 18 over the final six minutes of the contest.
2. Football at Lycoming – November 5, 2011
Delaware Valley was 8-0 and had its two toughest opponents coming up on the schedule. One was against archrival and 8-1 Widener in the last week of the season. But first, was a crucial trip to Williamsport and a meeting with the 7-1 Warriors of Lycoming. It was a match-up of the two top defenses in the MAC, but the offenses combined to put 49 points in the board, including 28 in a wild fourth quarter. Lycoming tied it up early in the fourth, but a 50-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Wilmer to Lewis Vincent gave the Aggies a 21-14 advantage with 5:56 remaining. The Warriors responded with a 68-yard scoring drive that ended with a tying touchdown with 1:01 to go. Overtime loomed, but a low boot on a kickoff was fielded out of the air by upback Chad Wisniewski and he went forward a few yards to the Delaware Valley 46-yard line. With a short field to work with, Wilmer and the Aggies went to work. The freshman quarterback connected on three passes to put the ball well into field goal range at the Lycoming eight-yard line. With the clock running, many thought Wilmer would just spike the ball, but instead…. (click here for the call). The touchdown keeper with 13 seconds to go capped a three score day by Wilmer (two passing, one rushing) and clinched at least of a share of the MAC title for Delaware Valley, its fourth straight championship.
So, that’s games five through two. By now, you probably know what the number one game of 2011-12 is. Again, it will be revealed on July 31.
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July 10
Just three more installments of the 2011-12 Year In Review and all three will focus on the Top 10 Games of the Year. This week, it is games ten through six followed by next week’s installment of games five through two. Then, after a week off, the number one game of 2011-12 will be announced on July 31.
10. Women’s Soccer vs Moravian and Scranton – September 14 & 17, 2011
It was two games just a few days apart against a pair of regionally-ranked opponents (Moravian ranked fifth, Scranton ranked eighth). Delaware Valley was outshot by wide margins in both, but strong goaltending by Julie Burnell (31 saves over the two contests) and a timely goal in each resulted in a pair of 1-1 ties. The ties moved Delaware Valley’s record to 3-1-2 on the young season and it also moved them into the regional rankings.
9. Volleyball vs King’s – October 26, 2011
The first conference playoff berth in more than 20 years was already wrapped up as was the school record for wins in a season. But, there was a major feat still on the line and that was an undefeated record at home. A large and vocal crowd – thanks to a Student Life Office-sponsored Spirit Night - was on hand to support the Aggies in this quest and they did not leave disappointed. The result was a 3-0 sweep and a perfect 10-0 in James Work Gymnasium.
8. Football vs Norwich – November 19, 2011
The first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs featured Delaware Valley, the top seed in one of the four brackets, hosting Norwich, a military college in Vermont making its first appearance in the NCAAs. The Cadets pulled to within 11, 21-10, with 42 seconds left in the first, but Delaware Valley responded with a touchdown just 32 seconds later. It began a string of what turned out to be 42 unanswered points and a 62-10 final. The Aggie outgained Norwich, 604-222, in the contest, with 397 yards coming on the ground. The 62 points was the second-highest total in program history while the seven rushing touchdowns tied a school mark.
7. Men’s Basketball vs Eastern – February 4, 2012
It was the second straight Saturday that Delaware Valley hosted a team that stood atop the Freedom Conference standings. And for the second straight week, the Aggies pulled off the win. This one saw Delaware Valley erase an 11-point, second-half deficit behind the play of Nathan Bollinger. Bollinger scored 21 of his game-high 29 points in the second half and keyed the 20-8 run that the Aggie went on over the final six minutes of the contest. (Note: the other win over a first-place team just might appear later in the countdown!!!)
6. Football vs Muhlenberg – September 3, 2011
The season opener was certain to be a defensive battle as both teams returned a high number of starters on that side of the ball. Plus, Delaware Valley was replacing 10 starters on the offense, including the quarterback position where a freshman was taking over the reign. So, it was no surprise that the game went to overtime tied at 3-3. Muhlenberg got the ball for the first possession and found the end zone on its second play. However, the Aggies’ Ryan McCullough blocked the extra-point to leave the score at 9-3. Delaware Valley knew it needed a touchdown to tie and an extra-point to win, but it faced a fourth-and-15 from the 30-yard line. The next play…well, listen to the internet audio call by clicking here. Then came this
The memorable finish showed the mettle of freshman quarterback Aaron Wilmer and kick-started what turned out to be a perfect 10-0 regular season.
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July 3
The 2011-12 Year In Review continues with the Top Five Surprises of the Year
5. Alexis Maylor, Women’s Track & Field
No one knew what to expect when the sophomore transferred in prior to the year. By the end of the season, Maylor stood atop the Middle Atlantic Conference championship podium twice and earned the Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year Award. Maylor set a school and conference record while winning the pentathlon at the indoor championships in March and followed two months later with a school and MAC record in the heptathlon. She was in the running for a NCAA championship bid in the heptathlon but her point total came up short. However, she was two more years for shots at that.
4. Charlie Frankel, Wrestling
In 2010-11, Frankel was just five wins over the .500 mark and placed third at the Metropolitan Conference Championships. In fact, his career record at the time was 41-25, 16 wins over the .500 mark. That all changed this season as he posted a dominant, 26-11 mark, including 11 pins. Frankel was seeded third in the 125-pound weight class at the Metro Championships, but he went 3-0 with two pins to capture the crown and earn his first trip to the NCAA Championships. He was unseeded at the NCAAs, but won three matches and placed eighth for All-America honors.
3. Nate Bollinger, Men’s Basketball
Bollinger started as a freshman in 2010-11 and played a role on the team’ run to its first-ever Freedom Conference championship and NCAA bid. And he had his moments, such as a 25-point effort in a regular-season overtime win at DeSales. However, he was certainly not the focal point with All-American James Jones, two other seniors and all-conference Jeremy Beckett in the starting lineup. That changed this year as Bollinger became the player to stop, but teams had a hard time doing that as he averaged 18.1 points per game and hit double digits in 23 of 35 contests. Highlighting it all was his record-breaking 50-point performance in an overtime win over first-place Wilkes. He sent the game to the extra session with a late 3-pointer and scored 18 points over the last minute of regulation and the five-minute overtime.
2. The Football Offense
Only one true starter was back on the offensive unit and that was all-conference guard John Lavelle. That meant a new quarterback, new running backs, new receivers and four new starting linemen. Not exactly the way a rebuilding teams wants to start out, let alone a team that was the three-time defending MAC champions and the preseason favorites for a fourth. The coaching staff knew what they had in their returning players, but moving from a role position to a starter is certainly different. Then in camp, a freshman transfer – Aaron Wilmer – won the starting quarterback position. The veteran defense would have to carry the team in the early going and they did. But they didn’t have to for long as the offense wound up clicking and averaged 35 points and 439 yards per game, including a 56-point showing in the conference title-clinching win over Widener. Wilmer was outstanding and earned MAC Rookie of the Year and all-conference accolades. Kyle Schuberth rushed for over a 1,000 yards and earned all-conference accolades along with receiver Rodney Blango. Lavelle was named an All-American as he helped gel the line into a strong unit.
1. Volleyball
In 2010, the volleyball team was in contention a Freedom Conference playoff berth, but wound up on the outside looking in. Two players graduated and a third player, who was an all-conference honoree, elected not to play during her senior season. So that left just three starters back, all who were entering just their sophomore seasons. In fact, when the ’11 roster was announced, just one player was a junior. No seniors, one junior, four sophomores and six freshmen. The conference preseason coaches’ poll had DelVal missing the postseason again. But the team meshed well right away and got off to a quick start, winning six of their first nine as they headed to Misericordia. That was the big match last year with Misericordia winning in five sets in Doylestown. The Aggies got their revenge with a five-set win and it was part of a school-record nine-game winning streak. The team finished with a school-record 21 wins and just nine losses. They went a perfect 10-0 at home and started attracting larger crowds at their matches. They clinched the program’s first conference playoff berth since 1988 and were then selected for the ECAC South Region Championships for the first time. Sophomores Janel Gluch and Destinee Horning earned spots on the all-conference team while setter Crystal Ronan was a Rookie of the Year candidate. It was a great year for the team and they were the Top Surprise of 2011.
Next week begins the look back at the Top 10 Games of the Year. We will announce games 10 through 6 next Tuesday (July 10) and then games 5 through 2 on July 17. After a week off, the number one game of the year will be announced on July 31. Think about the entire year and all the teams. Get your list ready and compare.
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June 26
The 2011-12 Year In Review continues with our pick for the male and female unsung heroes of the year:
Unsung Hero (Male) – Mike Otstot, Baseball
A fixture behind the plate for the last four years, that’s where Otstot’s best work was done. And it was the little things. The trips to the mound to work with a young pitcher, calling out the signals for field positioning, blocking pitches in the dirt (not many got past him), throwing out base runners on attempted steals. Otstot also had a pretty good season at the plate as he scored 18 runs and knocked in 12. It will be a little weird to see someone else behind the plate next year.
Unsung Hero (Female) – Kasey Martini, Softball
The other unsung hero comes from the other diamond. Martini missed a good portion of the 2011 season with an injury and if it wasn’t evident then how much her absence hurt the Aggies, it was this year when she was back in the lineup every day. Martini controlled the outfield as the centerfielder as she tracked down a number of balls and always seemed to have a diving catch or two in a game. At the plate, Martini had her best year as she finished with a .365 average, scored 28 runs and knocked in 12.
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June 19
Last week, it was the top freshman and sophomore of the year (male and female). This week, it’s the top junior and senior.
Top Junior (Male) – John Lavelle, Football
When the season began, Lavelle was the lone starter back on offense. That also meant he was going to have to lead four new starting linemen with calls and adjustments at the line of the scrimmage. By the end of the year, the unit was clicking on all cylinders, highlighted by the 56-point showing in the title showdown with Widener and a 62-point performance in the NCAA win over Norwich. Lavelle helped pave the way and the guard earned all-conference, all-region and All-America honors.
Top Junior (Female) – Emily Soper, Basketball
Soper ranked in the conference’s top 10 in four categories, including blocked shots where she led the way with 2.5 rejections per game. She notched eight, double-doubles and reached the 1,000-point plateau for her career. After the season, Soper was named to the all-conference first team by the Freedom coaches.
Top Senior (Male) – Travis Pitts, Track & Field
Three different male seniors earned All-America honors in 2011-12 (the second straight year for all three). With apologies to Zak Andrews (wrestling) and Tom Masterson (track and field), the year belonged to Pitts. He was named the MAC Track Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons as he took won a pair of events (60 and 200-meter in the indoor, 100 and 200-meter in the outdoor) each time. It marked the third time he won the 55/60 and the 100 and the second time he won the 200 outdoor (first for the 200 indoor). He then went to the NCAAs in May and finished fourth in the 100-meter dash, breaking his own school record along the way.
Top Senior (Female) – Hollis Hancock, Field Hockey
In the two previous seasons, Hancock played a key role in the team reaching the Freedom Conference playoffs. While the team struggled in the standings in 2011, Hancock continued to put up strong numbers and ended her standout career as the school’s second all-time leader in both saves (573) and shutouts (12). It was all capped with Hancock’s selection to play in the Division III Senior All-Star Game, the first Aggie to ever receive the honor.
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June 12
The next installment of the Year In Review focuses on the top male and female athletes per class. Today is a look at the freshmen and sophomore honorees (next week - the juniors and seniors). Let the debating begin.
Top Freshman (Male) – Aaron Wilmer, Football
Any debate about this one? Wilmer came in and won the starting quarterback battle in preseason camp. He put up incredible numbers (2,279 yards and 23 TDs in the air; 320 yards and six TDs on the ground) and led the squad to a perfect 10-0 record in the regular season, a fourth straight MAC title and a third straight trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs. In the two biggest regular-season games that determined the conference title and playoff berth, Lycoming and Widener, Wilmer threw for a combined 596 yards and six touchdowns and ran for two scores. After the season, he was named the Rookie of the Year by both the MAC and the ECAC.
Top Freshman (Female) – Crystal Ronan - Volleyball
What an addition the rookie made to the Aggie lineup. With Ronan setting the ball, Delaware Valley had its greatest season in program history with 21 wins (21-9), a berth in the Freedom playoffs for the first time since 1988 and its first-ever appearance in the ECAC playoffs. Ronan finished with 888 assists, 293 digs and 69 service aces.
Top Sophomore (Male) – Nathan Bollinger, Basketball
Bollinger took his game to another level and was rewarded with a spot on the all-conference second team. He more than doubled his scoring output from his freshman season (8.6 to 18.1 ppg) and reached double figures in scoring in 23 of the 25 contests. Bollinger’s highlight of the year was when he erupted for a school-record 50 points in a come-from-behind overtime win over Freedom front-runner Wilkes. Eighteen of his 50 points came in the final minute of regulation and the five-minute overtime.
Top Sophomore (Female) – Jackie Wear, Softball
This was a tough one as sophomore transfer Alexis Maylor dominated the track and field scene. However, Wear was even more dominant on the diamond. In fact, she was selected as the Freedom Conference Player of the Year despite her team not making it to the postseason, a feat that doesn’t happen very often. Wear led the conference and placed in the top 35 nationally in seven different categories, ranging from speed (runs per game, stolen bases per game) to power (home runs, slugging percentage) to finesse (batting average).
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June 5
Here we go. The first look back at the 2011-12 athletic season - A to Z:
A - ALL-AMERICANS – Five Aggies earned the honor, upping the number to an amazing 30 over the last four years
B – BOLLINGER, Nate – The sophomore guard had a breakout year, highlighted by a school-record, 50-point performance against Wilkes
C – COMMUNITY SERVICE – The DelVal teams supported a number of programs including the Special Olympics, The V Foundation for Cancer Research, Toys For Tots and the Wounded Warriors Project
D – DONOVAN, Meghan – The senior capped her standout track and field career by winning the MAC indoor high jump title and placing second at the outdoor championships
E – ESPN 3 – The place that aired a live broadcast of the Maxwell Club Awards Dinner and where head football coach Jim Clements received his Tri-State Coach of the Year Award
F - FOUR- The number of consecutive MAC championships won by the Aggie football team and the number of schools in the conference that have accomplished that feat on the gridiron
G - GENTILE, Dana - The senior women’s soccer forward earned her first all-conference accolade as she led the Freedom in both goals (13) and points (32)
H – HANCOCK, Hollis - The goalie became the first DelVal field hockey player selected to the Division III Senior All-Star Game
I – INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES – A 50-point basketball performance, the 100-meter dash in 10.52 seconds, 57 hits in one season. The back pages of the media guides will have a lot of new additions to them as records were broken in a number of sports
J – JAMES, Chris – One of the leaders of a strong Aggie defense, James earned all-conference honors at linebacker. He then went out for wrestling for the first time since high school and placed at the Metro Conference Championship.
K – KEYSTONE CUP – The trophy that handed out annually to the winner of the DelVal-Widener football game came back to Doylestown as the Aggies scored 42 unanswered points to turn a 28-14 deficit into a 56-28 rout
L – LAVELLE, John - The junior offensive linemen and the lone returning starter on that side of the ball picked up All-America accolades from D3football.com
M – MAYLOR, Alexis – The sophomore transferred in and made an immediate impact in track as she won the indoor conference title in the pentathlon and the outdoor crown in the heptathlon (named the MAC Outdoor Female Field Athlete of the Year)
N - NCAAs - The football team reached the second round of the playoffs while the wrestling team (tied for 16th) and men’s track and field team (tied for 32nd) had top showings as well
O – OSBORNE, Terrance – DelVal has its own TO as the junior led the Aggie secondary and picked up all-conference and all-region honors along the way
P – PITTS, Travis – Two-time All-American, MAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, MAC Outdoor Track Athlete (second straight year), back-to-back indoor crowns, back-to-back outdoor crowns, school records in numerous events. What a year and what a career for the senior from Tamaqua.
Q - QUALIFIERS – DelVal had five athletes that qualified for the NCAA Championships in individual sports – three from wrestling and two from men’s outdoor track and field
R – ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Quarterback Aaron Wilmer picked up this honor from both the MAC and the ECAC after an amazing first year with DelVal
S – SALEM, Rachelle – The senior was named the MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women’s indoor track and earned three all-conference honors over the indoor and outdoor seasons
T - TRACK AND FIELD - The men's and women's teams combined to crown seven MAC champions, three conference athletes of the year and two All-Americans over the indoor and outdoor seasons
U – UNDEFEATED - The football team went a perfect 10-0 in the regular season for just the third time in school history, all occurring over the eight years
V - VOLLEYBALL - The team produced the best season in program history with a 21-9 record, its first conference playoff berth since 1988 and its first-ever ECAC postseason berth
W – WEAR, Jackie - The sophomore shortstop was named the Freedom Conference Player of the Year as she led the conference and placed in the national top 35 in seven different categories
X - XCITEMENT – Just like last year, we cheated a little with the spelling of this one. However, the excitement and the crowd at the DelVal-Widener game that clinched the NCAA berth and a 10-0 record will be remembered.
Y – YELLOW CARDS – The Aggie women’s soccer team received no warning cards nor any Red Cards from the officials all season and earned the NSCAA Ethics/Sportsmanship Gold Award as a result
Z – ZAK ANDREWS – The perfect way to end the list as Zak earned All-America accolades for the second year in a row both on the wrestling mat (placing fifth nationally in his weight class) and in the classroom (NWCA Division III Scholar All-American Team)
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May 15
All that’s left on the schedule for the 2011-12 campaign is some members of the track and field team heading to the ECAC Championships this weekend. The goal for the competitors is to record a time, distance, etc. that will qualify them for the NCAA Division III Championships. The top 20 performers in each event (over the year and across the country not just the ECACs) qualify for the NCAAs. Right now, Tom Masterson is the lone Aggie in the top 20 and that is in the javelin. He looks to be safe, but you never know. Others like Meghan Donovan, Tracey Forsythe, Alexis Maylor and Travis Pitts need to have a real strong showing to try to crack the top 20.
There will not be a blog next week as it is the first day of conference administrator meetings. Starting on Tuesday, June 5, we will look back at the 2011-12 season. If you have not read it in year’s past, the “Year In Review” will feature different categories ranging from the top games of the year to unsung heroes to an A to Z list.
Here is the planned schedule:
June 5: 2011-12 Aggie Athletics – A to Z
June 12: Athlete of the Year (Male and Female - Freshman and Sophomore)
June 19 - Athlete of the Year (Male and Female - Junior and Senior)
June 26 - Unsung Hero of the Year (Male and Female)
July 3 - Top Five Surprises of the Year
July 10 - Top Games of the Year (Games 10 through 6)
July 17 - Top Games of the Year (Game 5 through 2)
July 24 – NO BLOG
July 31 – The Number One Game Of the Year
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May 8
It has been two weeks since the last blog so there is some catching up to do. We’ll start with this past weekend as Travis Pitts and Alexis Maylor were the DelVal stars at the MAC Track & Field Championships.
Don’t know what else to say about Pitts who may go down as the greatest track athlete in school history. In his four years, he won three 100-meter championships and two 200-meter titles, including in each of the last two years in each event. He was named the MAC Outdoor Male Track Athlete of the Year in both 2011 and 2012. He set the school’s 100-meter record last year and broke the 200-meter mark this season. Last year, he was an All-American and he may very well get a crack at that again in two weeks. And that’s just his outdoor record. His indoor track accolades are just as impressive.
For Maylor, the sophomore’s first year with the Aggies has been quite a successful won. During the indoor season, she set a school record and won the MAC championship in the pentathlon. This past weekend at the outdoor championships, she shattered both the school and MAC record in the heptathlon and was named the MAC Female Field Athlete of the Year.
It was great to see Jackie Wear take home the Freedom Conference Softball Player of the Year Award. As of last weekend’s conference championships, the sophomore led the league in seven different offensive categories. The only question was whether or not the coaches would select a player from a team that missed the postseason. They made the right decision.
Congratulations to the other spring all-conference honorees: first team – Meghan Donovan (women’s track), Tracey Forsythe (women’s track), Erin Fox (softball), Tom Masterson (men’s track); second team – Dan Hrubos (baseball), Jeremy Knepper (golf), Rachelle Salem (women’s track).
So all that’s left in terms of competition for this 2011-12 season is a handful of track and field athletes heading to this weekend’s ECAC Championships. Then, we will wait to see who moves on to the NCAA Championships.
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May 1
The blog will be updated next Tuesday, May 8
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April 24
We are truly in the stretch run of the spring season. This weekend, the golf team will compete in the Freedom Conference Championships out in Hershey and the track team will go to their conference championship the following weekend.
Baseball is still alive in the playoff with one, three-game series remaining. The Aggies are two games behind both Eastern and Manhattanville, which are tied for the fourth and final postseason spot. Delaware Valley will take on last place Wilkes this weekend while Eastern and Manhattanville each take on a team tied for first in the conference in DeSales and Misericordia.
Softball has officially been eliminated from postseason contention, but the team has won five of its last six games, including last Saturday’s doubleheader sweep at FDU-Florham.
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April 17
After last year’s wet and wild spring and wet and wild fall, it’s been an unbelievable spring season in terms of weather (probably jinxed it now). We have had just one day where a game was postponed and it was played the next day. The games haven’t had to be postponed and or/cancelled and the schedules haven’t become jumbled because of it. There aren’t many weeks left in the athletic season so let’s hope it continues.
Random notes
* Travis Pitts is now 3-for-3 in the 100-meter dash and 2-for-2 in the 200-meter dash after winning both crowns at Gwynedd-Mercy last week. What a run (no pun intended) he has been on – not only this spring but going back to the winter and the indoor season.
* Fellow All-Americans Meghan Donovan and Tom Masterson had first-place showings as well in the high jump and the javelin respectively. And Tracey Forsythe added a crown in the 3,000-meter steeplechase
*After a heartbreaking start to the week (two walk-off losses at Eastern on Monday), baseball ended the week on a good note by going to Manhattanville College and sweeping a pair of games on Saturday. Those wins kept the team in the hunt for a postseason berth.
*Softball split their games with Manhattanville. Jackie Wear was the standout as she smacked four doubles over the two contests. She now has 13 doubles on the year, one shy of the school’s single-season record.
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April 10
Travis Pitts continues to dominate the track scene. Last Saturday at the Muhlenberg Invitational, he took top honors in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes. This is coming off a 100-meter dash triumph the week before and a winter season that saw him win every 60-meter dash race in the regular season and the MAC Championships (he also took the 200-meter crown at the conference championship). The 2011 All-America is definitely a man on a mission in 2012.
Other notes:
* Not to be outdone, teammate Tom Masterson took top honors at Muhlenberg in the javelin. Masterson is a two-time national qualifier and finished third at the NCAAs for All-America honors last year.
* Baseball had a pair of crushing defeats on Monday as Eastern rallied in the last inning of each game for walk-off wins. The team will have to bounce back this Friday and Saturday when they take on Manhattanville for a three-game conference series.
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April 3
Sunday saw a pair of great pitching performances from Chad Schmuck and Cody Hudnall as Delaware Valley swept a conference doubleheader from King’s. Schmuck allowed just two runs over seven innings in game one while Hudnall hurled a four-hit shutout in game two. Those wins should be a big boost for the Aggies as they go into their two games this week (versus Arcadia on today and versus Eastern on Thursday).
Track got off to a nice start at the Danny Curran Invitational. Leading the way? Who else but returning All-Americans Meghan Donovan, Travis Pitts and Tom Masterson! Donovan tied for first in the high jump while Pitts notched the top time in the 70-runner field in the 100-meter dash. And Masterson took third in the javelin. Those three seniors will certainly be missed after this season but it will be a joy to follow their feats all spring.
Someone asked last week if the “Year In Review” will be back in the blog in the summer. It absolutely will. We will cover different categories such as the top athlete by gender and class (ex: top freshman male, top sophomore female, etc), top surprises, a list of DelVal athletics from A to Z and other categories as well. And of course the big one will be back in the Top 10 Games of the 2011-12 season. You can probably already guess some of the candidates for all of the categories and hopefully we will add some other candidates from the remaining spring.
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March 27
It was rough week and a rough start in conference play for the DelVal baseball and softball teams as they each suffered a pair of series sweeps (baseball plays three-game series in conference play while softball has doubleheaders with each conference opponent). Fortunately, it is still early enough for both teams to recover, but it will take some work.
The outdoor track and field season begins this weekend with an invitational at Widener. The spring portion of the golf season starts up next Monday at the Lebanon Valley College Invitational.
Other Notes:
* Congratulations to Rachelle Salem who was named the MAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year. It is the highest academic honor in the conference and well deserved for Rachelle
* By the way, did you know that Rachelle is the fifth DelVal student-athlete to receive this honor in their respective sport over the last four academic years? The others have been Ralph Stambaugh (2008 football), Bethany Pavlik (2009 field hockey), Katy Provenzale (2010 field hockey) and Kellen Jarrett (2011 baseball).
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March 20
What a beautiful day to sit out and watch a baseball game. And that’s exactly what can take place on campus today as DelVal hosts Ursinus for a non-conference game. Both the baseball and softball teams are back from Spring Break after each posted a winning record in Florida and the first week has each squad playing two games at home. In addition to today’s game with Ursinus, the baseball team will host DeSales for a single game on Friday. And the softball team hosts DeSales for a doubleheader on Saturday.
So what do the 6-1 (softball) and 6-5 (baseball) records from Florida tell us about the teams? Not much as you don’t always know the competition that you face on the annual trips. There have been times where a team has come back with a losing record and then went on to have a great season because they faced stiff competition on the trip. And there have been times where a team came back with a great record but they struggled the rest of the way. We start to get a true idea this week.
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March 13
The winter season is now officially over as the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships last weekend was the final event. And what an event is was for Delaware Valley as the Aggies sent three wrestlers to Wisconsin and two came back as All-Americans (top eight finish). The team placed 16th in the standings.
Individually, Zak Andrews reached the 149-pound championship semifinals with a pair of pins, including one when he trailed 8-0 on the scoreboard. Andrews was down in the semis but rallied for an 11-10 lead. However, his opponent reversed him with less than 20 seconds to go and that was the difference in a one-point loss. Another setback dropped Andrews into the fifth place match but he regrouped and pinned his foe for his second straight, fifth-place showing. And it was fitting that Andrews notched a pin in his final collegiate match as 66 of his 117 career wins ended that way.
Fellow senior Charlie Frankel battled back in the consolation bracket to pick up his first All-America honor. He knocked off two seeded wrestlers to get into that position and finished in eighth place at 125 pounds. Eric McCann also made his first trip to nationals and dropped a pair of matches to seeded wrestlers at 133.
So three qualifiers, two All-Americans and a top 20 team finish. Plus, Andrews was named a Scholar All-American for the second year in a row. Not too shabby!
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March 6
It was a star-studded evening on Friday when DelVal’s own Jim Clements received the Tri-State Coach of the Year award from the Maxwell Football Club at their annual awards dinner in Atlantic City. More than a 1,000 people were in attendance and the dinner was even shown live on ESPN 3 (it is archived now and you access it on the DelVal website). The dais included many current and former Philadelphia Eagles as well as award winners Brady Hoke (University of Michigan head coach), Andrew Luck (Stanford University quarterback and potential number one draft pick in the NFL), Mike McCarthy (Green Bay Packers head coach) and Mike Tirico (ESPN/ABC broadcaster).
Clements was introduced by former DelVal head coach and current University of South Carolina quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus. A video presentation of Clements’ accomplishments was shown and he received the award from Mangus and former Philadelphia Eagle quarterback and current Maxwell Club President Ron Jaworski. Clements thanked numerous people in his speak and called Delaware Valley College “a very special place.” There’s no doubting that and it was very special night for Clements and all of those in attendance.
This weekend is the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships and Zak Andrews (149), Charlie Frankel (125) and Eric McCann (133) are leaving for Wisconsin on Wednesday. Andrews is seeded third in his weight class while Frankel and McCann are unseeded. Frankel drew the top seed at 125. The last time that happened for an Aggie wrestler was two years ago when Justin Barowski sent a buzz throughout the arena when he pinned the number one seed in his weight class. It can happen.
The spring season starts this weekend as well as the DelVal baseball and softball teams head to Florida for Spring Break. Both teams have been picked in the coaches’ preseason polls to miss the conference playoffs, but that’s why they play the games.
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February 28
This past weekend saw plenty of strong individual performances. So strong that we made the poll about it, asking which performance was the best (don’t forget to vote)
We’ll start with track and the performance of Travis Pitts. He is now 6-for-6 in the 60-meter dash this year as he won the MAC title in the event. That gives him three straight conference indoor titles at or around that distance (it was the 55-meter dash up until this year). Pitts then added a first-place finish in the 200 and was named the MAC Male Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. He received a similar honor for last year’s outdoor season.
Pitts wasn’t alone as, on the women’s side, Meghan Donovan and Alexis Maylor tied or set new conference records in their events. Donovan tied her own mark from last year as successfully defended her high jump title. So in her four years of indoor competition, Donovan won two MAC titles and was the runner-up the other two years. Not bad at all.
Also not shabby was Maylor as her first MAC event saw her set a new mark for points in the pentathlon. The trio will now head to the ECAC Championships, along with Tom Masterson, as they look to improve their national standing in their respective events. This year, the athletes with the top 13 times, heights, etc. will head to the NCAAs.
The performances continued on Sunday as the wrestlers took center stage. They headed to the Metropolitan Conference Championships which serves as one of the qualifying tournaments for the NCAAs. The 10 champions as well as 10 wild-card picks would come out of the Metros and head to nationals in two weeks.
Seniors Charlie Frankel and Eric McCann had never captured a conference title or a ticket to the NCAAs in their previous years. That changed on Sunday as both were dominant in the weight classes. Frankel earned pins in two of his three matches, including the 125-pound finals where he had a 10-point lead before earning the pin. McCann took on a two-time national qualifier in his 133-pound title bout and looked strong in a 2-1 win. So they are both headed to the national stage.
Frankel and McCann will be joined by fellow senior Zak Andrews. The second-ranked wrestler in Division III at 149 fell in the finals to the No. 5 wrestler, but he earned a wild-card bid to the NCAAs. The loss shouldn’t affect Andrews’ seed too much for nationals as he looks to not only top last year’s fifth place finish but take the top of the podium as a national champion.
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February 21
This week is championship week as the DelVal men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams will head to Lehigh University for the MAC Championships on Saturday while the wrestlers head to the Metropolitan Conference Championships at Elizabethtown College on Sunday.
In track, there are a number of standout individuals for the Aggies, led by senior Travis Pitts. Pitts is on a run similar to that of cross country star Caitlin Dorgan last year. You may recall that Dorgan won all of her regular-season invitational, and then went on to capture the MAC title and eventually All-American honors. For Pitts, he has competed in the 60-meter dash in five meets this year and has won all five. Now comes the MACs where he has won the old 55-meter dash in each of the last two seasons.
Can Pitts make it three conference titles in a row? Can he also win the 200? How about Tom Masterson in field events? How about Meghan Donovan, Alisha Jordan and Alexis Maylor on the women’s side? We will get all the answers on Saturday.
On Sunday, it’s wrestling and the big Metro tournament. It serves as one of the qualifying tournaments for the NCAA Division III Championships. This year, 20 wrestlers from the conference will advance to nationals with the 10 individual champions getting an automatic ticket and the remaining 10 to be determined in a wild-card coaches’ meeting after the competition.
The leader of the DelVal competitors is of course senior 149-pounder Zak Andrews. Andrews is 25-2 and ranked second in the country in his weight class. He earned a wild-card bid last year and then went on to place fifth for All-American honors at the NCAAs. Andrews has higher goals this year, specifically a national title. That quest begins this week because you have to get to the NCAAs first to have that shot.
Charlie Frankel (125), Eric McCann (133) and Emmanuel Ajagbe (157) have strong shots at a trip to nationals. And don’t be shocked if there is a surprise candidate as someone almost always comes from out of nowhere to pull up some big wins. Could that be Donald Smith (165), Alec Horan (174) or one of the other four Aggies? Time will tell.
In other news, both basketball teams wrapped up their seasons on Saturday. It is the first time in five years that there isn’t a postseason game for at least one of them. All-conference teams should be announced shortly. The men and women each have two potential candidates in Jeremy Beckett and Nathan Bollinger for the men, and Brittany Battinieri and Emily Soper for the women. We’ll soon see how the coaches in the conference voted (coaches can’t vote for their own players).
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February 14
It's the final week of the regular season for the winter. Unfortunately for the basketball teams, neither will be advancing to the playoffs. In fact, it is the first time in five years that one of the squads is not in the postseason. The teams will travel later today to Manhattanville College and will then wrap up the year at home with FDU-Florham on Saturday. Saturday's women's game will have a pre-game ceremony where the four seniors will be honored (their are no seniors on the men's basketball team).
Next week, we will preview the Metropolitan Conference Championships for the wrestlers as the 10 competitors will look to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships. We will also look at the Middle Atlantic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Some quick notes:
* Jeremy Beckett reached the 1,000-point milestone this past Saturday. On the women's side, Emily Soper is eight points shy of 1,000.
* How great was it that four seniors won big matches in last Friday's one-point win over Division II East Stroudsburg! Perhaps the biggest match for a senior came in a loss at 197 as Chris James, who just joined the team this year after football, battled the seventh-ranked wrestler in Division II in his weight class. James lost by decision, but did not give up bonus points and that was critical in the narrow win.
* Tom Masterson and Travis Pitts continue to dominate indoor track. Masterson took first in the high jump at the Ursinus Open while Pitts outran all competitors in the 60-meter dash.
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February 7
Chalk up another big win for men's basketball as they upended another first place team. Last Saturday, it was Wilkes. This time it was Eastern. Even though, DelVal will not reach the postseason, they can play the role of spoiler. They already have with those wins as teams are not only trying to reach the playoffs, but jockey for position and get a home playoff game.
Women's basketball is in the same position as the men, play the role of spoiler. Therir hopes for a playoff run really came to an end last Wednesday when they lost in the last second at DeSales. Second time this year they suffered a lsst second loss to the four-time defending champs. Both of them really hurt the chances of a postseason berth.
Wrestling needs to win its final three matches to keep its amazing run of 42 consecutive non-losing seasns alive. Two of the three are home, Wednesday vs Shippensburg and Friday vs East Stroudsburg.
And track is coming off a big Saturday where they had five, first-place finishes. Two came from Travis Pitts, who was named the MAC Track Athlete of the Week.
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January 31
50. Quite a number and quite an achievement by men's basketball sophomore Nathan Bollinger this past Saturday as he scored 50 points in an overtime win over conference front-runner Wilkes. The output set a new school single-game record, but it was much more than.
Consider the following:
* It tied for the fifth-highest single-game total in MAC (Commonwealth Conference and Freedom Conference) history. Remember, this conference has been around for nearly 100 years (the conference kicks off its centennial celebration this May).
* Bollinger's previous career high was 25 points.
* Eighteen of his 50 points came in the final minure of regulation and the five-minute overtime. Part of that was the 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation that sent the game to overtime.
* Three of the top six single-game scoring performances in DelVal men's basketball history have come against Wilkes in the last 12 months. You may recall that All-American guard James Jones scored 43 points in a come-from-behind win at home last January 22, and he poured in 39 points in another come-from-behind win, this time at Wilkes just three weeks later.
Needless to say, Bollinger was named the Freedom Conference Player of the Week and his game-tying 3-pointer was nominated for the ECAC Video Play of the Week (we find out later today if it selected as a finalist).
Two more things about last Saturday. Number one - Wilkes radio sent us aduio highlights of some of the big moments from the game and we posted it that night. They have been up on the DelVal web for less tha less than 72 hours and have already had nearly 500 hits!
Number two - the crowd for Saturday's game was not among the largest in the last two years, but you would 've never known by the sound of the crowd and the excitement in the closing seconds of regulation and overtime. That's the beauty of the DelVal gym and its intimacy. There is nowhere for the sound to go and it can get awful loud in there. Pack the gym like last year's semifinal and championship games, and it can be deafening.
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January 24
Last week was a tough one overall for Aggie athletics. The women's basketball team did win two of three games, but had a long Saturday as they fell behind by 28 in the first half and lost at conference foe Misericordia. The men lost two conference games to remain winless in the league. And the wrestling team, which re-entered the national rankings at No. 20, fell to unranked Centenary.
Track had some strong performances and of course leading the way was the All-American trio of Meghan Donovan, Tom Masterson and Travis Pitts. Masterson and Pitts took first in one event apiece while Donovan was second in the high jump. Another person to look out for is freshman Alexis Maylor as she has had two strong showings at meets this season.
This week's grid include some home events as the wrestlers host McDaniel on Thursday and basketball hosts Wilkes on Saturday for a doubleheader. The last time the Wilkes men were in Doylestown was last year's conference semifinals in February. It was certainly a night to remember and one that I didn't think could be topped. That is until the championship game three days later.
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January 17
The students are moving back into the dorms as this is being typed and classes for the spring semester begin tomorrow. There are just five weeks remaining in the winter sports season. For the basketball teams, next Wednesday will signify the end of the first half of the conference schedule. They host Manhattanville tomorrow night and then hit the road for back-to-back contests at Misericordia (Saturday) and FDU-Florham (next Wednesday). That's when you start looking at the playoff picture and seeing what you have to do in the second half to make a run.
For wrestling, they will hit the home mats on Friday night against nationally-ranked Centenary. They were off this past weekend and have not wrestled competitively since January 7.
Speaking of time off, it's been a while since the indoor track and field teams were in a meet. In fact, when they travel to Ursinus on Friday, it will have been 48 days since they were there for a December meet.
Other notes:
* It was nice to see the women's basketball team bounce back from Saturday's heartbreaking loss at the buzzer to four-time defending conference champion DeSales and pick up a non-conference win against Salisbury on Monday. It was a milestone victory for head coach Laura Hogan as it was win number 200. Hard to believe that only four other coaches in the entire history of Delaware Valley athletics have ever reached that milestone.
* One of the bright spots in the tough men's basketball season has been the play of sophomore Nate Bollinger. After starting on last year's championship team, Bollinger did not get complacent and improved his game in the offseason. He is second on the team in scoring and has been the most consistent player this season.
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January 10
It was a great showing by the wrestling team as they returned to the mats last Saturday and went a perfect 4-0 at the North/South Duals. One of those wins was a three-point triumph over No. 19 Messiah College. So the team is now 7-6 in dual meets as it looks for its 42nd consecutive non-losing season.
Individually, seniors Zak Andrews and Charlie Frankel each went 4-0 at the Duals. Andrews made Aggie history with the 100th win of his career, just the 11th to reach that milestone. While wrestlers didn't compete in as many matches in the past (example: the greatest wrestler in school history, Shaun Smith, wrestled just 89 matches - winning 88 of them - in the mid to late 1980s), it is still a great accomplishment for Andrews. For Frankel, one of his four wins was a dominating performance against the sixth-ranked wrestler in his weight class.
Both basketball teams return to conference action this week and will look to turnaround their 0-2 league starts. They will travel to Wilkes on Wednesday and host DeSales on Saturday. For the men, it will be battles against the two teams they faced in the Freedom playoffs last year, en route to their championship.
For the women, they will look to avenge a loss at Wilkes from last year and then take on the four-time defending conference champs. Head coach Laura Hogan is two wins away from 200 in her career. How nice would it be to get both of them this week?
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December 13
This will be the last blog until January 10. The basketball teams are done with games until after Christmas. The women, who have had as many as three freshmen in the starting lineup, are 6-3 overall and 0-2 in the conference. The men, who have battled injuries and inexperience, are 2-6 overall and 0-2 in the Freedom. As metnoned last week, there is still a long long way to go in both of their seasons, especially with 12 conference games remaining (they start the second week of January).
Wrestling is 1-4 in dual meets as they prepare for a unique trip to New Orleans, Louisiana for the Gator Duals and their last matches before the New Year. They fundraised for the trip and will take on four teams this Sunday. The roster is still coming together in terms of health and what weight classes the individuals will wrestle in. There is a whole process with that in order to protect the wrestlers from losing too much weight in a short amount of time. Safety first.
Indoor track and field returns in January as well.
Everyone have a happy holiday and we will see in 2012.
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December 7
A day late due to conference meetings on Tuesday. Conference play is now underway in basketball and both squads dropped their first two Freedom games. The good news is that there are still 12 conference games left and plenty of time to make a run.
Wrestling has its home opener tonight against King's. The team had a strong showing last Sunday at the Bob Quade Open as 10 placed in the top four including champions Charlie Frankel (125) and Zak Andrews (149). Andrews is looking as strong as ever.
Indoor track opened last weekend Travis Pitts picked up right where he left off as he took first in the 60-meter dash. A pleasant surprise was Shelby Garner taking top honors in the women's 5,000-meter run. And newcomer Alexis Maylor placed in the top eight in three separate events. Not a bad showing, especially since they didn''t have their full lineup at the meet.
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November 29
Well, it was the worst time to play the worst game of the year. Missed tackles, penalties and turnovers cost the Aggies all day. Throw in a very strong performance by St. John Fisher and the result was a 27-14 loss in the NCAA playoffs.
It will take time to get over the loss and the fact that we are not hosting St. Thomas (MN) in the quarterfinals, but once the pain goes away, the season will be remembered for what it was - another memorable chapter in this amazing nine-year run. Consider that nearly the entire offense had to be rebuilt after the graduation of nine starters. Despite that, the offense put up big numbers while the defense placed in the top 20 nationally in a number of categories. The result was a perfect 10-0 regular season, a fourth straight MAC championship and a third straight trip to the NCAAs. They then notched a 62-10 victory in the first round against Norwich before falling to St. John Fisher.
The women's basketball team continues to roll as they are now 5-0 for the first time in 11 years. Conference action begins tomorrow night at home against a very good King's team and they then travel to a strong Eastern squad on Saturday.
The men have the same schedule. They are 1-3, which is the same exact spot they were last year. The injury bug has really hit this team so it will be an interesting rest of the week for the squad.
Zak Andrews continues to shine for the wrestlers. The number-two ranked wrestler in the country at 149 has eight wins, seven by pin.
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November 22
Preparations are underway for the second round of the NCAA playoffs as the Aggies get set to host St. John Fisher. If that name sounds familiar from playoffs past, it should. We hosted St. John Fisher in the second round of the 2004 playoffs and it was one of the greatest games in program history. DelVal scored two touchdowns in the final 62 seconds, including the game-winning score with nine seconds left, to win the game. Hopefully, we can take care of business a little earlier this time around!
Last week's game never seemed to be in doubt even when Norwich pulled to within 11 at 21-10 late in the first half. DelVal responded just 20 seconds later and the second half was all Aggies for the win. It also kept the streak alive of five straight first-round wins in NCAA play.
DelVal is 2-2 in the second round with wins over St. John Fisher and Hobart in 2004 and 2005 and losses to Albright and Mount Union in 2009 and 2010. A win would put the Aggies in the quarterfinals against the winner of St. Thomas (MN) and Monmouth (IL). Saturday at 12:00 can't get here quick enough!
Other news
* How about the women's basketball team and their 3-0 start!!! There were three freshmen in the starting lineup when they knocked off Gwynedd-Mercy on the Griffins' home court to take the tip-off tournament championship this past Saturday. They have two more non-conference games before starting Freedom action next Wednesday at home against King's.
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November 15
What a great atmosphere on campus this past Satuurday. It was the largest crowd in the 20 years I've worked here (even bigger than the 2005 quarterfinal game against Rowan) with fans packing the stands and others standing around the fences. Widener brought a ton of fans including three buses full of students. It just added to the drama of the day.
It didn't look good in the first 25 minutes as Widener held a 28-14 lead. Then, it was all DelVal on both sides of the ball. The offense scored 42 unanswered points and the defense shut down the second-highest scoring team in the country. The result was a 56-28 rout, a 10-0 regular-season, a fourth straight MAC title and a third straight NCAA bid.
So now it's playoff time and a meeting with Norwich (VT) in the first round. It's always fun when you get matched up with a team that you have never played before. We had that in 2004 and 2005 and even last year when the Aggies went to Mount Union.
DelVal has never lost in the opening round of the NCAA playoffs, a trend that hopefully continues this Saturday.
Other news:
* It was a good start for the Aggie wrestlers as six placed in the top eight at the East Stroudsburg Open, an event that features wrestlers fron all levels of competition
* Basketball tips off tonight. The women are home against St. Mary's with two freshmen expected to be in the starting lineup. The men travel to Kean for a tough non-conference game. They played a strong non-conference schedule last year and it helped prepare them for its conference championship run. It all starts tonight.
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November 8
Amazing, Thrilling, Nerve-Racking. Those are just a few words that describe Saturday's 28-21 win at Lycoming - a win that clinched at least a share of the MAC title for the Aggies. It was a great contest to watch - especially from the comfort of the road press box - as the two teams really went at each other with big plays, big hits and big excitement.
Just consider the last six minutes: DelVal goes up by seven when Aaron Wilmer hits Lewis Vincent with a 50-yard bomb. Then Lycoming drives on the Aggie defense and ties it up with 1:01 left. DelVal gets the final chance and Wilmer drives them 54 yards in just 48 seconds and scores the touchdown on an eight-yard run. Lycoming tries a bunch of laterals on a kickoff but Chris Vega - who started due to an injury - steals the final lateral for his third caused turnover of the game.
So where does the game stand among the many thrilling victories over the last nine years? I put it as number four on the list behind the St. John Fisher playoff game in 2004 and the 2003 road victories at Widener and Lycoming.
So here we go. This Saturday, it's 9-0 Delaware Valley and 8-1 Widener playing for an automatic berth to the NCAA playoffs. The place should be packed - media requests are already flying in plus we hear that Widener is bring busloads of fans. We need the whole home stands filled and don't forget to wear your Green for Green Day.
Other Notes:
*The volleyball season continues as the Aggies were selected to the ECAC Championships and will travel to Swarthmore on Wednesday night. The all-conference team comes out later in the week and the Aggies should be well represented.
*Speaking of all-conference, Dana Gentile a second-teamer (not a first) for women's soccer? Goalie Julie Burnell does not get an honor? I think the coaches got those wrong.
*Steve Cantrell makes his coaching debut this weekend as the Delaware Valley wrestlers hits the mats at the East Stroudsburg Open. The squad was picked 20th in the Division III preseason poll.
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November 1
November is here with two big events taking place on the road this week. First is the volleyball playoffs and DelVal's first journey to the postseason since 1988. The 21-7 Aggies have a very daunting task ahead of them as they will travel on Wednesday night (7:00 p.m.) to take on an Eastern University team that is 30-2 and ranked fourth in the country. The Eagles are the three-time defending Freedom champions and feature a pair of All-Americans on their roster. If the Aggies can pull off the monumental upset, they would travel to either DeSales or FDU-Florham for Saturday's championship match.
It all comes down to the final two weeks of the regular-season for the undefeated football team. DelVal is 6-0 in conference play (8-0 overall) and just ahead of 6-1 Widener and 5-1 Lycoming. The Aggies have to play both of those teams starting with a trip to Lycoming this Saturday. A win over the Warriors clinches at least a share of DelVal's fourth straight MAC title and sets up the showdown with Widener where the winner would get the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA playoffs.
How important is the automatic berth? Well, there are just six at-large berths out there so you don't want to leave your fate in the hands of the committee. Some very good teams are going to be left home from the NCAA playoffs. Remember last year, a 9-1 Rowan team and another 9-1 team did not make the postseason. The only way to avoid that chance is to win your conference's automatic berth.
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October 25
The football team took care of business last Saturday and now head into this bye week with an 8-0 record. Next week, we will get into the big battles ahead as we now approach the two big games with Lycoming and Widener.
Volleyball is headed to the postseason for the first time in 23 years. We will know the location after tomorrow's matches as Eastern and DeSales battle for first place. The winner of that game will host the Aggies on Wednesday night, November 2 at 7:00 p.m.
Women's Soccer still has an outside shot to make the postseason but it won't be easy. The Aggies need to beat the top team - Misericordia - on the road on Saturday and have FDU-Florham lose to DeSales in order to get the fourth spot.
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October 18
We are in the stretch run of the fall season so let's take a look at playoff possibilties.
Football - With an undefeated record, the Aggies control their own destiny. Simply put, win the last three games and the conference title and automatic berth to the NCAAs is theirs. Lebanon Valley, Lycoming and Widener are one-game behind and the Aggies still have to play Lycoming (on the road on November 5) and Widener (at home on November 12). An Aggie loss could create a three-way tie and bring the conference tiebreaker rules into the picture. We won't get there unless we have to.
Volleyball - At 3-2 in conference play, the Aggies can clinch their first conference playoff berth tonight with either an upset win at DeSales or a Misericordia loss at FDU-Florham. If neither happens, the Aggies can still clinch with win a home win over King's next Wednesday.
Women's Soccer - The Aggies are 2-2 in conference play with three league games remaining, including today's home contest with Manhattanville. The team currently sits in fifth place with the top four advancing to the playoffs. A win today would go a long way while a loss could be devastating.
Field Hockey (1-3) and Men's Soccer (0-4) have not been eliminated from playoff contention, but they would need to win out and get some help in other conference games.
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October 11
It wasn't pretty and we let Wilkes hang around, but the Aggies pulled out the big 14-6 road win to improve to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the conference. Kyle Schuberth went over the 100-yard rushing mark again (that's four in a row) and the defense was its typical self, especailly the secondary as three of the four starters had an interception and the fourth player had a blocked punt on special teams. The Aggies are the only football team in the conference with an undefeated record and they will look to keep that going when they hit the road to Albright this Saturday.
Some random thoughts:
* Volleyball is home tomorrow night as they look to get closer to its first conference playoff berth since 1988. Come on out and support the Aggies!
* After dropping four straight, the women's soccer team has won the last two and are in the middle of a very jumbled pack in the conference. It is still early in conference play but it's always fun to see where everyone stands.
* Can you believe that basketball practice officially begins on Sunday for both of our teams? It seems like yesterday when the men were cutting down the nets in ght egym to celebrate the conference championship.
* Yesterday, we announced the hiring of Steve Cantrell as the new Delaware Valley College head wrestling coach. We are excited about Steve joining the Aggies as he leads the most storied athletic program at the school into a new era.
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October 4
The two stories this fall continue to be the football and volleyball teams. Let's start with the volleyball team as they have won nine straight and are 14-3 overall (2-1 in Freedom) heading into tonight’s tough contest at FDU-Florham. Every member of the team is in either their first or second year with the program and the lack of experience has not been a problem. They are in the middle of the best run in program history (the previous record for consecutive wins was seven) and will look for their first conference playoff berth since 1988.
Football ended its first half of the season with a 58-13 rout of Stevenson. The team is now 5-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play. Now comes the big stretch of the final five games. The record of those five opponents is a combined 14-8 and three of those teams only have one loss apiece. Three of the five games are also on the road. The Aggies have put themselves in a good position by taking the first five games. Now, they have to finish it for a fourth straight championship.
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September 27
Some random quick thoughts as we head towards the end of first month of competition:
* We knew the defense was going to be strong for football. The question was the offense with nearly an entire new starting cast. After some struggles against two non-conference powers, the Aggies are starting to find their stride in MAC play.
* Staying with the offense, one big reason for the improvement has been sophomore tailback Kyle Schuberth is he has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the last two games
* The volleyball team has now won five in a row with its victory last night at Rutgers-Camden. I don't think anybody thought they could be 10-3 at this point.
* Women's soccer entered the regional rankings last week (although they will probably be out later today when the new poll comes out since they lost to Widener last week). Head coach Kevin Doherty is certainly getting the most out of his small roster.
*Most people thought the women's cross country team would drop in its team performance after the loss of All-American Caitlin Dorgan. Of course, losing a runner like that hurts, but the team is still performing in the upper half of all of their invitationals. Alisha Jordan has improved her times across the boards and newcomer Shelby Garner has shined as well.
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September 20
It was a busy Saturday a few days ago as four teams competed at home (one was the conference opener while the other three went against either a nationally-ranked or regionally-ranked team), the volleyball team was on the road for a tri-match and the cross country teams were two hours away for an invitational. The teams produced a 3-2-1 record for the day. Not bad at all!
The offense really clicked for football and the defense and special teams combined for five turnovers in the 34-10, conference-opening win over Lebanon Valley. That made it nine straight wins over the Flying Dutchmen, who have success against the rest of the MAC but just can't get the Aggies. There were some standout performances including wide receiver Rodney Blango (9 catches, 169 yards, 2 touchdowns), cornerback Terrance Osborne (10 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery) and running back Kyle Schuberth (18 carries, 139 yards, 1 touchdown).
So that's now three wins in three games for the Aggies. And it was a lot easier to breathe as the final seconds ticked off this one as opposed to the one-point wins in each of the first two contests.
Volleyball is now 7-3 following its two wins at the Alvernia tri-match. And one of those three losses was at the hands of defending conference champion and fifth-ranked Eastern and they are at a completely different level than all of the other teams in the conference. What makes the early success even more impressive is the fact the team is comprised of all freshmen and sophomores with the exception of one junior transfer.
The women's soccer team did not win a game this past week, but still had a very impressive seven days as they tied a pair of regionally-ranked opponents. They opened with a 1-1 tie at fifth-ranked Moravian and followed at home Saturday with a 1-1 standstill with Scranton. And how about the play of Julie Burnell in net? She recorded 31 saves and allowed just the two goals in 220 minutes of action over the two contests.
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September 13
The sun is out which is a welcomed change from last week where the constant rain wreaked havoc on the schedules, forced practices to move either inside or take place on wet, muddy fields and made for a long seven days.
Not many games actually took place. In fact, it was six of 10 and three of those were volleyball contests which take place inside. The Aggies went 3-3 during the week with the big victory coming six hours on Saturday.
The football team made the long journey across the state to take on Washington & Jefferson. W&J has made the postseason (NCAA and ECAC) eight straight years and was looking for revenge after the Aggies embarrassed them with a 27-0 dominanting performance last year. The Presidents jumped out to a 19-7 lead but Delaware Valley rallied for the 20-19 victory.
So two games and two wins by a total of two points against two very good teams. Now, the Aggies will get ready for conference play and a meeting with 2-0 Lebanon Valley at home this Saturday. The drive for a fourth straight MAC title really begins now.
Other notes around the department:
* Congratulations goes out to men's soccer coach Tom Drummond who picked up the first win of his career with yesterday's 2-1 triumph over Philadelphia Biblical
* Dana Gentile has now surpassed her team-best goal and point totals from last year. She had six goals and 15 points in 2010 and her two-goal, two-assist effort in a win on Sunday boosted her 2011 totals to eight goals and two assists for 18 points in just four games.
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September 6
There have been some memorable moments since the Aggie football program turned its fortunes around in 2003. Well, add another to the list.
Let's recap the scenario: DelVal enters overtime tied at 3-3 after shooting themselves in the foot on a few occasions in regulation ((bad snap on a field goal attempt, interception at the goal line, not being up to punch the ball into the end zone from the one-yard on a pair of runs).
Muhlenberg goes on offense first in OT and connected for its longest play of the day, a 22-yard touchdown pass. However, Ryan McCullough blocks the extra-point attempt so a touchdown and an extra-point can win it for the Aggies. The first plays of the Aggie possession result in a loss of five yards and a fourth-and-15 situation from the 30. Freshman quarterback Aaron Wilmer then finds a wide-open Isaiah Hall and hits him with a perfect pass for the improbable touchdown. Jake Sobchak boots the extra-point and the Aggies get the 10-9 win.
The defense was outstanding as they allowed just 129 total yards. The offense put up some yards thanks to some big plays, but, with10 new starters, the unit has to work on some more consistency. But, it was an exciting way to start the season.
Elsewhere in Aggie athletics, the women's soccer and volleyball teams are off to strong starts. Women's soccer won its first two games, including a 2-1 overtime triumph over Immaculata. And how about Dana Gentile? She has scored six goals in two games, matching her goal total from the entire 2010 season.
Volleyball is 3-0 as it heads to Ursinus tonight. The entire rosters consists of first or second year players with the Aggies and youth is serving them well in the early going.
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August 30
We are now just two days away from the start of the fall season as field hockey and volleyball are home on Thursday while men's soccer and women's soccer are away. Cross country and football get started on Saturday with home events.
As promised last week, today's look at the fall sports concentrates on the soccer squads.
The men's team has new leadership as Tom Drummond has taken over as head coach. Drummond is a great story as he returned to college in his 40s and joined the soccer team. He eventually became a team captain and notched some goals and points on the field as well. After he graduated, he stayed on as an assistant coach and was elevated to head coach in the offseason when the prior coach resigned.
Drummond has a good mixture of returning players and newcomers. Among the returnees are goalkeeper Tristan Preece and field standouts Tom Masterson and Garrett McKissock. The team has not won a conference game in two years so there is only way to go with the program and that's up.
On the women's side, head coach Kevin Doherty and his young squad were in playoff contention until the very end of the season in 2010. With some key returnees back, including leading scorer Dana Gentile and goalkeeper Julie Burnell, the team will look to contend once again.
