The Alternative Press

Another strong performance from Abby Martin (Maplewood, Soph.) wasn’t enough to put Monmouth over the top in yesterday’s Northeast Conference Women’s Basketball Championship game against St. Francis in Loretto, Pennsylvania. The Hawks took it on the chin, 72-57, although Martin provided the Jerseyans with 19 points, hitting nine of 16 attempts from the field and one of three from the foul line. Eight rebounds also ended up in her clutches and she blocked two shots. Martin was named to the All-NEC Tournament team. Monmouth will next play in the Women’s NIT, with the opponent, date and time yet to be determined.

MEN’S HOOPS

Middlebury is on its way to the NCAA Division 3 Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four in Salem, Virginia next weekend after defeating St. Mary’s of Maryland, 65-50, in a Saturday quarterfinal game in Rochester, N.Y. Joey Kizel (Short Hills, Fr.) scored seven points off the bench for the winning Panthers, who are now 28-1. The guard out of Millburn High canned two of four field goal attempts and three of four free throws. He also assisted on four buckets.

Middlebury will meet St. Thomas in one semifinal game. Williams College, another New England Small College Athletic Conference school, will take on Wooster in the other match to determine the pairing for the championship game. Williams defeated Amherst, yet another NESCAC member, 77-71, on Saturday. Tom Killian (Summit, Fr.) suited up for Amherst, but did not play.

Postseason play apparently isn’t going to faze Bloomfield College’s Kevin Udo (West Orange, Fr.). The 6-7 center posted a double-double on Saturday as the Deacons, seeded seventh in the NCAA Division 2 East Region Tournament, upset no. 2 American International, 100-96, in Waltham, Massachusetts. He scored 17 points, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the foul line. He also helped himself to 10 rebounds and blocked five shots, which was one more than all other players in the game combined. The Deacons then eliminated Stonehill from the jamboree, 79-66, on Sunday. Udo dropped in 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field, while taking down nine boards and rejecting three shots. Bloomfield’s next stepping stone is Bentley, who they will meet on Tuesday evening.

The brackets have been announced for the NCAA Division 1 Tournament, which begins on Thursday, and several area players are eager to have a go. St. Peter’s will fly to Chicago to take on Purdue on Friday evening, with Ryan Bacon (Maplewood, Sr.) and Yvon Raymond (Maplewood, Soph.) in tow. Penn State and Billy Oliver (Chatham, Fr.) will trek to Tucson, Arizona, where they will meet Temple on Thursday. The Nittany Lions surprised many by advancing to the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship game in Indianapolis, where they lost, 71-60, to no. 1 Ohio State. Oliver got in for four minutes, but didn’t score. Finally, defending national champion Duke takes on Hampton on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. The Blue Devils won the Atlantic Coast Championship crown by defeating North Carolina on Sunday. Don’t, however, expect to see Kyrie Irving (West Orange, Fr.) on the floor for Duke. He’s still recovering from a foot injury suffered earlier this season.

BASEBALL

David Ulrich (Summit, Jr.) pitched a 4-hit, complete game shutout as Claremont Mudd Scripps defeated Pomona-Pitzer, 6-0, in Claremont, California on Saturday. Ulrich, a southpaw out of Newark Academy, struck out four batters and lowered his earned run average to 2.53 on the season, while improving his season mark to 3-1. The Stags are 7-11.

Cornell’s Frank Hager (Berkeley Heights, Jr.) rapped his first triple of the season as the Big Red downed St. Joe’s of Philadelphia, 9-3, in Camden on Saturday. The third baseman out of Delbarton also reached base on a fielder’s choice and came around to score both times. Cornell (1-6) then lost, 6-3, to Villanova in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania on Sunday, with Hager having a 1-for-3 day at the plate, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t frequent the base paths. Hager, showing shades of former New York Mets infielder Ron Hunt, was awarded first base twice when hit by pitches. He was left stranded all three times.

Zach Carr (Chatham, Jr.) produced a run-scoring single from three at-bats as MIT opened the season with a 9-0 victory over Trinity (Conn.) on Saturday.

MEN’S LACROSSE

Henry Burchenal (Summit, Jr.) had the honor of scoring Hamilton’s first goal of the season, and it stood up in a big way as the Continentals eked past Babson, 8-7, in Clinton, N.Y. on Saturday. Burchenal, a Pingry grad, also earned credit for three ground balls.

John Donnally (Madison, Jr.) scored a goal, assisted on another, picked up five ground balls and caused two turnovers to help Colgate defeat Holy Cross, 13-3, in Hamilton, N.Y. on Saturday. The Raiders are now 4-2. 

Mac Nestler (Chatham, Fr.) got his first start in goal for Widener and responded by making eight saves in the Pride’s 12-5 win over Frostburg State in Chester, Pennsylvania on Saturday. Widener is now 2-1.

Kyle Mahoney (Summit, Soph.) accounted for half the offense generated by St. Joseph’s of Philadelphia in their 11-4 loss to Brown on Saturday in Providence, R.I. The two goals lifted the Summit High product’s season total to three. The Hawks are now 0-5.

No. 20 Villanova upset no. 9 Penn, 7-6, in overtime on the winner’s pitch on Saturday. Chris Ficke (Madison, Sr.) scooped up four ground balls for the Wildcats (5-1); he also won his lone faceoff and caused a turnover. He was joined by Chris Conroy (Chatham, Fr.), who also caused a turnover.

Jeff Keating (Chatham, Jr.) scored two goals, but that was one too few for no. 5 Roanoke, which was upended by undefeated Dickinson, 14-13, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on Saturday. Keating also brought up two ground balls for the 4-1 Maroons. The Chatham High grad has tallied 17 goals thus far this season.

Billy Eisenreich (Chatham, Jr.) scored a pair of goals (his sixth and seventh of the season) that meant something as Bucknell defeated Hobart, 11-9, in Geneva, N.Y. on Saturday. Also contributing to the victory for the Bison (4-1) were John Scally (Short Hills, Jr.) and Kyle O’Keefe (Madison, Soph.), who were credited with three and one ground balls, respectively.

Sean Scrudato (Westfield, Fr.) notched his first goal on the collegiate level as Stevens Tech whipped Roger Williams, 16-3, in Hoboken on Saturday. The Westfield High grad and the rest of the Ducks are now 5-0 and ranked 15^thin Division 3.

Union College’s Joe Cordrey (Summit, Soph.) was good for a goal and an assist as the Dutchmen knocked off Manhattanville, 16-4, in Schenectady, N.Y. on Saturday. Union is now 2-1.

Grant Foulsham (Madison, Jr.) posted a goal and an assist for Rensselaer Poly in their 16-10 dusting of Oneonta State in Troy, N.Y. on Friday. Max Blair (West Orange, Soph.) earned credit for two ground balls and causing two turnovers. The 14^th-ranked Engineers are now 2-1.

Rob Guida (Chatham, Fr.) scored the second goal of the game and there were plenty more where that came from as Johns Hopkins defeated UMBC, 16-5, in Baltimore on Saturday. Mike Maydick (Chatham, Sr.) earned an assist on another goal. The Blue Jays improved to 1-3.

The Summit Whites combined for three goals and an assist to help Harvard knock off Bellarmine, 21-10, in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Friday. Alex White (Summit, Soph.) was good for two goals, with older brother Terry White (Summit, Jr.) up for one goal, one assist and three ground balls. The Crimson are now 3-1.

Matt Langan (Madison, Sr.) scored a goal and picked up two assists as 10^th-ranked Loyola of Baltimore dropped a 14-9 decision to no. 12 Duke in Durham, N.C. on Friday. The Greyhounds fell to 3-1.

Luke Delavan (Madison, Jr.) and Tylere Fritts (Chatham, Soph.) each had two assists as Susquehanna roughed up Gwynedd-Mercy, 9-2, in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania on Saturday. Delavan also brought up two ground balls, while teammates Jimmy Warburton (Chatham, Sr.) and Henry Weismantel (Chatham, Sr.) retrieved one apiece for the Crusaders (3-0).

John Bukawyn (Short Hills, Jr.) set up the Swarthmore goal that sent yesterday’s match with Colorado College into overtime. The magic ended there for the Garnet, however, who ended up losing, 9-8, to drop to 0-4 on the season.

Williams College went to overtime in their season opener with Colby on Saturday in Waterville, Maine, but had a long bus ride back to western Massachusetts, having lost, 6-5. Michael Acierno (Short Hills, Jr.) assisted on two Williams goals, including the game-tying goal with 47 seconds left in regulation. Acierno, out of Newark Academy, also lifted two ground balls. 

Kenyon’s Dan Sproull (Westfield, Fr.) assisted on a goal in the Lords’ 15-7 road loss to Cabrini on Saturday. Kenyon is now 1-2.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Megan Leonhard (Summit, Soph.) of Trinity (Conn.) must have had a lot of pent-up energy to burn as she began the season with four goals, six ground balls and two caused turnovers in the Bantams’ 13-5 victory over Connecticut College on Saturday in Hartford.

Three goals by Sam Lillo (Short Hills, Jr.) weren’t enough for Monmouth to overcome St. Joe’s of Philadelphia, as the latter prevailed, 11-6, in West Long Branch yesterday. Lillo also earned credit for two ground balls, three draw controls and causing one turnover. The winning side benefited from the play of Alli MacDonald (Westfield, Jr.), who lifted three ground balls and caused one turnover, along with Nora McGuire (Summit, Soph.), who assisted on one goal. Monmouth is now 4-2, while St. Joe’s improved to 3-3.

Kelly Buechel (South Orange, Jr.) scored a goal and picked up an assist in Columbia’s 12-8 triumph over Iona in New Rochelle, N.Y. on Friday. The Lions are now 1-3.

Colgate’s Kate Sheridan (Westfield, Soph.) got her first assist of the season at a critical time, feeding a teammate for what proved to be the insurance goal in the Raiders’ 19-16 win over Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Lauren Murray (Chatham, Jr.) scored twice for Lehigh and controlled three draws. Both sides squared their season marks at 3-3.

Boston University needed three overtimes to dispose of George Mason, 10-9, in Boston on Saturday. Brittany Carlin (Summit, Soph.) did her part for the winning Terriers (3-2), bringing up three ground balls, controlling two draws and causing two turnovers.

Helen McCutcheon (Chatham, Sr.) scored off a free position shot to help Loyola of Baltimore trim Cornell, 14-8, in a Friday home game. The sixth-ranked Greyhounds are now 4-0.