The Brandywine Women’s Volleyball team beat PS Fayette at University Park yesterday to capture their first PSUAC Championship in program history. They have dominated the league going undefeated, and until yesterday, had never lost a game in conference play. They beat Fayette in 4 games taking game 1, 3 and 4. This win gives the team an automatic bid to the USCAA National Championship being held 11-4 through 11-7 at SUNY Canton in Canton, NY.
Category: Sports
Kicking off the women’s soccer team
This year, Penn State Brandywine has its very first women’s soccer team, and playing the position of right back is junior Jennifer Lindauer.
It may surprise some to know that Lindauer came to Brandywine with no experience as a soccer player.
“I’ve played a couple of other sports, but my main one was lacrosse,” Lindauer said. “I played for school and travel. I actually missed playing lacrosse a lot, so that’s part of the reason why I joined the soccer team.”
After hearing other students discussing the upcoming team, Lindauer was interested. Soon she spoke to Bobbi Caprice, who works in many areas of our school’s athletic department, and made the decision to join the team.
“Bobbi had a lot of great reasons why it would be a good idea to play, as well as the head coach,“ Lindauer said. “I also figured it’d be an exciting way to get back in shape.”
Since then, Lindauer has had a lot of fun on and off the field with her team. She said the girls have become one big family, and it helps them to play better.
“I’ve played on a lot of teams where everyone didn’t clique together, and you can see it on the field,” Lindauer said. “Becoming so close so fast, in my opinion, gives us a slight advantage over other teams.”
Even with all of the fun they are having, Lindauer says there is some pressure since it is the school’s first year with a team. Their effective combination of teamwork and practice seem to be paying off, though, as they currently have a record of 3-2.
As for the rest of the season, Lindauer hopes to go to University Park for the championships and also improve on her own personal skills as a player.
“My goal for the season is to learn how to hit a long ball correctly,” Lindauer said. “Everyone makes it look so easy, but I rarely can get the ball off the ground unless I toe it.”
The Lion’s Eye will continue to follow the progress of the team.
Lion’s Eye Staff Writer
Brooke Byrne, bzb5183@psu.edu
Women’s Soccer Looks for Bright Beginning
As Brandywine’s fall sports’ seasons are well underway, new faces have the tough task of putting Brandywine’s women’s soccer on the map.
Penn State Brandywine has added women’s soccer to the mix. During the fall of 2014 the team played locally, but this year they have moved to an intercollegiate schedule. To accompany the new team, there are many newcomers on Brandywine’s campus and a new coach as well –Sharif Sabar.
Sabar, a Boyertown, PA native, worked as an assistant coach at Immaculata University and coached club soccer for 12 years. Sabar expects a lot this season.
“Our expectations are to have fun and build a culture around our team,” Sabar said.
Assistant Coach Takyiyah Thomas backed up Sabar’s idea.
“Our goal is to create a culture for this team and a foundation,” Thomas said.
With the season underway, Coach Sabar seems to be enjoying Brandywine thus far.
“I don’t like it, I love it, and it seems as if we’re one big family,” Sabar said. “The other coaches have been extremely helpful and supportive since my arrival.”
“I enjoy it here, and we have great facilities,” Thomas said.
While both coaches adapt to their new homes, the players embrace similar challenges. The players are looking forward to new challenges too. Freshman midfielder Ami Iannello, from Strath Haven High is excited about the team.
“So far I really like Brandywine, the teachers and students have been very supportive and welcoming,” Iannello said. “Our coaches are doing the best they can in developing the team, and it seems like we have really developed since the first day of preseason.”
This team has a lot of work to put in for the upcoming season and are hoping to improve skills and develop leadership among those who step up this year. It will be interesting to see the impact this team makes, not only on campus but also in the league as well. Developing chemistry throughout the new squad may be key to how they perform in the upcoming season. When the scrimmages come to a close, and the first games are played, Brandywine students and staff will have a better idea of how the new Nittany Lions look and what can be expected for the upcoming season.
Lion’s Eye Staff Writer
David Brown, dvb5451@psu.edu (updated by the Lion’s Eye web staff)
Brandywine Students Attend Nittany Lions Football Season Opener
The one tagline that Penn State University uses on many occasions is “We are one university, geographically dispersed,” and one of the few things that unites all the campuses outside of academics more than anything is the Nittany Lions football team.
This fact was highlighted on September 5, when the Nittany Lions opened the 2015 football season at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to take on the Temple Owls. And because of the stadium’s close vicinity to the Brandywine campus, Penn State Brandywine’s office of Student Affairs gave students the opportunity to see the season opener in person.
Needless to say, Brandywine students were excited to attend the game, many of whom had never been to a Penn State Football game.
“I was super excited because it was my first game,” Gene Cabrera, a Brandywine sophomore, said. “I enjoyed the day since I went with my dad and it was our first game ever!”
Since 1941, the Nittany Lions had dominated the Owls, winning every match-up between the two over those 75 years. With that fact and it being the first season since 2011 that the Nittany Lions were not under scholarship sanctions from the Sandusky scandal, expectations were high for Penn State.
“I honestly went into the game expecting Penn State to win like they did so many times before,” senior Tom O’Donnell said.
Because of Penn State’s large following throughout the state, the stadium was packed with as much, if not more, visiting PSU blue & white than the Temple red. The famous “We Are” chants could be heard ringing through the stadium. This was a fact Brandywine students noticed and thoroughly enjoyed.
“It was really amazing,” sophomore Derek Osborn said. “There were points throughout the game that the Penn State fans, the away team, were louder than the Temple fans; the energy was incredible.”
Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, the streak that had covered the majority of the twentieth century and into this millennium, was ended as the Owls beat the Nittany Lions to the score of 27-10, putting the Nittany Lions at 0-1 to start the season.
After scoring 10 points in the first, the Lions went silent as the offensive line allowed 10 sacks on Christian Hackenberg and made it impossible to score. The defense held it together for most of the game, until late in the game when the Owls exploded on the scoreboard.
“The defense was mostly good for most of the time but the offense just wasn’t there when we needed it,” sophomore Coleman Hart said.
Despite the historic loss, the pride in the school was unwavering from Brandywine as they were chanting and cheering until the closing moments of the game.
“The outcome of the game was depressing, but it does not affect my pride for our school,” senior Anna Toshtzar said, adding a nice “WE ARE” cheer to the end of it.
It’s hard to take away any positives on the field after the embarrassing loss, and yet despite the lackluster performance, students from the Brandywine campus and Penn State fans all over still have immense pride in their school and are very happy to have their beloved Nittany Lions back on the field for yet another year of football.
Lion’s Eye Staff Editor
Paul Alberici, paa5102@psu.edu
Ambush at the Linc
The Nittany Lions were a part of history in their opening game against their in-state rivals the Temple Owls, but it wasn’t history that made Penn State students and alumni proud to be fans of the team.
For the first time since 1941, Penn State lost to Temple in a 27-10 rout in front of a record crowd of 69,176 at the Eagles Nest, Lincoln Financial Field (just the second sold attendance for an Owls game at the Linc).
The game had started out as expected for the favored Lions as they jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter featuring a 42 yard touchdown run by running back Akeel Lynch. As it progressed however, Penn State’s offense stalled and momentum began to shift near halftime. Temple cut the lead to 10-7 on a one-yard touchdown run by running back Jamad Thomas. Then they tied the game midway through the third quarter with a field goal, and on Penn State’s next possession, quarterback Christian Hackenberg made a mistake that opened the floodgates. He threw an interception deep in Penn State territory to linebacker Sharif Finch and returned the ball 26 yards to the two-yard line. Temple then took the lead with a quarterback sneak by PJ Walker, making it 17-10, and the momentum was on their side at the start of the fourth quarter. Hackenberg, along with the rest of Penn State’s offense, struggled to make any plays throughout the game as he was sacked a whopping ten times and was pressured for most of the snaps taken.
Their total yards for the last three quarters were an abysmal 34 as well. The junior running back Jamad Thomas had another touchdown run in the fourth quarter to extend the Owls lead to 24-10 and was, by far, the best offensive performer in the game. The best defensive performer was Temple linebacker Tyler Matakevich who recorded three of the Owls 10 sacks. And a 30-yard field goal made with 5 minutes left in the game added insurance and sealed one of the biggest victories in the history of Temple’s football program.
“First thing, we have to give Temple and Coach [Matt] Rhule credit,” Penn State Head Coach James Franklin said. “They played extremely well. They dominated the front on each side of the ball. Their offensive line played well against our defensive line. The zone-read gave us some problems. Obviously, the sacks are an issue.”
This historic loss, 74 years and 39 previous matchups in the making, goes down as the worst defeat of the James Franklin Era, and a poor start to a season that followed a thrilling Bowl Victory over Boston College at Yankee Stadium last year. This game is an indicator that either Franklin and company have to reevaluate their game plan, or that the Temple Owls are a more compatible team then everyone thought.
The Nittany Lions moved on from this disaster by literally burying the game tape with a shovel on the practice field. Penn State has rebounded well, having since won four straight.
Lion’s Eye Staff Writer
Michael McCarrick, mqm5415@psu.edu, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer (since updated by Lion’s Eye Web Staff)
Building On The Pinstripes
The Penn State Nittany Lions take the field for the first time since the epic Pinstripe Bowl victory.
By Vito Purpura, Lion’s Eye Editor, vap5077@psu.edu
Many months have passed since former walk-on Sam Ficken drilled an extra point at Yankee Stadium that gave Penn State a 31-30 overtime victory.
It was Penn State’s first bowl victory following a postseason ban. Since then some players have left for the NFL, while others have graduated and began life after football. As summer approaches, Penn State continues its preparations for next season. One of which includes the annual Blue & White game held at Beaver Stadium.
The Blue & White game, which is essentially an overhyped practice, provides a glimpse at the team and what plays they might be running this season. Making assumptions based off of the Blue & White game is almost impossible.
“If we analyzed the Blue & White game like a normal game, then Nick Scott might be a Heisman trophy candidate,” Penn State fan John Derosier said at the annual event.
Nick Scott had an impressive day running the ball, which included a 52-yard touchdown run.
Expectations are high this year for the Penn State football team. Coming off of a New Era Pinstripe Bowl championship, they look to improve and make it to a major BCS bowl game. Now with a full year under his belt, Coach James Franklin can continue to build his ideal team. People sometimes forget that he inherited a team molded by Bill O’Brien and originally constructed by the late Joe Paterno.
As time goes on, one would hope Coach Franklin continues to excel in recruiting and build the program he has in mind. Some are still skeptical about Coach Franklin.
“Sometimes he reminds me of a guy who’s full of you know what,” Season ticket holder Jordan Gillespie on Coach Franklin. “He talks a big game, but really all I care about is what he produces on the field. Talk doesn’t put points on the board.”
Just a short time ago, Joe Paterno was continuing his legendary coaching career, Penn State was flirting with top 25 rankings and they were still being revered as “Linebacker U”. While the name, traditions and for the most part the uniform remain the same, the Penn State football program has unfortunately lost some of its prestige. Winning fixes everything, but the question remains if James Franklin can.
The Second Chance
By: Liz Gramlich, Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, eag5283@psu.edu
Frenc Baro had to leave everything behind and move to America to ensure a better life with his family, which has lead to him having the ability to go to college and receive his degree this May in information science and technology (IST) with a minor in business.
Baro was born in Albania after the fall of communism and his parents felt that the country was an unsafe place; therefore they moved to Greece in search of a better life. In Greece the economy started to decline and their education became very limited as well as their job opportunities. This would lead Baro’s family to applying for a Diversity Immigrant Visa and being chosen to come to the U.S. through this process in 2004.
At the age of 11 it became very difficult for Baro to make the transition from living in Europe to then living in America. The main reason for this was that he did not know the English language or understand the culture yet and he was now being thrown into this culture where he needed to assimilate to succeed. Baro was able take on these challenges and go on to graduate from Springfield High School and be accepted into Penn State Brandywine.
Baro choose Penn State Brandywine because the school offered the major he was interested in and he felt like Brandywine had an inviting atmosphere. Brandywine also had a soccer team; this was exciting for Baro because he has had a passion for soccer his entire life. Unfortunately Baro was injured playing soccer in the beginning of his freshman year so he was not able to play. But by the next year he was out on the field again doing what he loved. Soccer became a way for Baro to relieve the stress of school and work. Brandywine’s soccer coach, Scott Spangler influenced Baro on and off the field. When Baro played soccer for Brandywine they won back-to-back championships and Baro was chosen to be a captain of the soccer team for his senior year.
While working on his academics, Baro was thankful to go through his courses with his friends, Andrew Sinigaglio and Blendi Hasa, who were there with help and support. One thing that stood out about his educational experience was that his education involved a lot of hands on experiences and group projects that applied to work in a career setting. Baro’s advice to future students would be to make friends while you are in school because they will help you during times that you are in need of support.
If he had stayed in Albania, Baro would not have had the opportunity to succeed and earn a degree.
Baro and his immediate family had to leave everything behind including their friends and family in hopes of a better life in order to have the opportunity to accomplish their dreams. Baro states,
“If you look back at what you have done and smile, you have accomplished your goals. I am able to smile because my parents have gave me that chance in life.”
2014-15 Women’s Basketball
By: Jake Gibbons, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, jmg6173@psu.edu
The women’s basketball team, it seemed, were all but unstoppable this season, suffering a mere eight losses overall out of 26 total games. However, their impressive performance this season was halted abruptly in the PSUAC semifinals this past weekend.
The season had been going extremely well for the team before this past Sunday, with the team holding both an 18-7 win/loss record and the title of regular season champions after a victory over Penn State Schuylkill. With, that, the team garnered for themselves a healthy rest period and the home court advantage, at least until the PSUAC championship.
Come this past Sunday, however, Penn State Hazleton was able to eke out a victory in the final few minutes of the PSUAC semifinals.
As the opening neared, suspense began to build in the air around the court in what was maybe the largest crowd at a home game this season began to roll in. With the anticipation finally at a boiling point, the semifinal round began. The game’s first half saw the most intense performance we’ve yet seen this season from both sides, neither of which being able to gain a lead of more than a few points or so for the first 20 minutes of play. A strong showing from the offense coupled with two free throws and multiple back to back goals gave Brandywine a 16 point lead over Hazleton by the end of the first half.
As the game wore into the second half, Brandywine was pushing hard, and at one point had nearly 20 points over their opponents. The momentum was strong, but it eventually began to dwindle as the second half wore on, Hazleton slowly beginning to rally and chip away at our lead. Hazelton was trailing by 17 points in the final fifteen minutes of the game, but by the three minute mark they’d closed the gap considerably, eventually gaining their first lead since the first fifteen minutes of the game, now with just a minute left in play. After two pairs of free throws from Hazleton and a few missed attempts by Brandywine, the final score stood at 65-59. With that, Hazleton moved on to the championship game, leaving Brandywine to close the season out with a respectable record.
This season may not have ended well, and come next year we will lose our pair of extremely talented seniors, but, if anything, this season did prove what the team is capable of. Next season is a mystery to us now, but if this one showed us anything, we may just be able to go all the way.
Brandywine Ice Hockey
By: Dan Ketler, Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, dmk5614@psu.edu
The 2014-2015 Penn State Brandywine Ice Hockey season has come to an end, after a long and hard fought journey. The club team won the regular-season championship with an impressive seventeen wins and six losses. They advanced to the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference Playoffs (DVCHC) as the top seed. The team dominated the playoffs and went on to compete in a best of three championship series against Rutgers.
The series halted at a 1-1 tie and was headed into a third and final game, but the Lion’s senior goalie, Andrew Hieber, suffered a slightly torn MCL and was unable to play in the championship. With no back up goalie to fill in, the Lion’s were unfortunately forced to forfeit the championship to Rutgers. The team was plagued with multiple roster issues throughout the season and this continued to be a challenge for the Lions as the season went on even in the earlier stages of the season.
“Basically, we headed into our season knowing it was going to be a rough road because of the amount of players we had,” junior defensemen Frank Leonardo said. “We started practicing in September with only fourteen players and one goalie.”
This proved to serve as a bad omen for the team when they reached the championship and their lone goalie was injured.
“Our goalie hurt his knee in Sunday’s game and we were waiting for a second opinion on the severity of the injury. He has a 30% tear in his MCL and he is done for the season.” Brandywine’s Head Coach Paul Gilligan stated, “our season is over.”
This was Coach Gilligan’s 12th season coaching the Lions and he has done a tremendous job leading them to victory. Gilligan had helped lead Brandywine to the American Conference Tournament every season and led the team to DVCHC title in 2012. Despite the 2014-2015 season’s unfortunate turn of events, the team worked hard and did the best they could with their roster issues.
Leonardo added, “Tough ending to a tough and hard fought season.”
One thing that is certain is that Lion’s Ice Hockey has a promising future. Nearly half the team is comprised of freshman including the team’s leading goal scorer, Jonathan Thompson. Thompson and his teammates plan to regroup in the offseason and return to the 2016 championship with a vengeance.
Many students at Brandywine are unaware of the fact that the school has an ice hockey team. They are a club team—which means they are funded through student activity fees rather than the school itself. They usually play at Ice Works in Aston or Ice Line in West Chester. Silently, the team has been working hard and going on various championship runs to make the Penn State Brandywine community proud.
Although the Lion’s Ice Hockey squad was struck with an unfortunate injury from which they were unable to recover, a heart-broken Brandywine Ice Hockey team will plan to regroup in the offseason and return stronger than ever, for the 2015-2016 season, to capture the DVCHC crown. Be sure to be on the look out for next years schedule to cheer on Brandywine’s Ice Hockey team.
Deeper look into Brandywine Club Sports: Bobbi Caprice
By: Victoria Marotta, vim5121@psu.edu
Bobbi Caprice, a recent 2013 graduate of Penn State Brandywine, gives back in thanks for her experience here by now becoming the recruiting coordinator in the Penn State Brandywine Athletic Department.
Caprice’s main role in the department is to recruit student-athletes to come to Brandywine. However, she has a few other responsibilities such as operating intramural and clubs sports as well as running the fitness center. In addition, she also serves as an assistant softball and women’s basketball coach.
From 2009-2013, Caprice was a four-year starter for the Lions’ basketball team and scored more than 1,000 points during her career. As a student-athlete at Brandywine, Caprice didn’t stop there; she was a member of student government, a Lion Ambassador and vice president of the Blue and White Society. She did all of this while also competing for the cross country and volleyball teams.
She is truly an extraordinary Brandywine alum. During her athletic career, she was named to the PSUAC All-Academic Team four-straight years and was a USCAA National All-Academic Team honoree in 2012 and 2013.
It is very important to be involved in activities here on campus, which led her to where she is today.
“When I was student I was very involved on campus with athletics and extracurricular activities.” Caprice states.
Club sports at Brandywine vary each year depending on interest level. Penn State Brandywine currently has cheerleading, track and field, trapshooting and ice hockey. Brandywine’s ice hockey however is a little different than the others.
“We treat our ice hockey team like a varsity program,” Caprice said. “They are a very well-established team and recruit players to come to Brandywine to compete. Unlike other club teams who normally recruit participates at club fairs and around campus. We have had other club sports in the past, like ultimate frisbee and paintball. We are happy to support any students who wants to start any club sports.”
Caprice thinks that it is essential for sports to be incorporated with education for students to fully excel and make the most of college.
From a recent article by the New York Times, Jay P. Greene, a professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas, and Daniel H. Bowen, a post-doctoral fellow at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, found that, “Schools that offer more sports and field more successful teams produce higher test scores and graduation rates, research shows. There is a relatively consistent body of research showing that students who participate in athletics tend to fare significantly better both in school and in later life. Participating in sports, like playing are cognitively and organizationally demanding activities that help convey self-discipline and leadership skills. In addition, our own research has found that schools that offer more sports and field more successful teams produce higher test scores and graduation rates.”
This shows the significance of how balancing the two, education and sports, can be very essential for current and prospective students here at Brandywine.
“I believe that getting involved is so important to the overall college experience, not just through athletics, but any type of organization,” Caprice said. “Being part of a club or team makes students feel connected to the school. It gives them lifelong memories and teaches them valuable lessons. Being a part of an organization teaches students how to work well with others, how to be disciplined and time management skills (just to name a few).”
These are all important tools college students need to develop prior to graduation and going into the real world. It is true that employers seek out to hire student-athletes because they know that they have the skills needed to be successful. Caprice truly believes in the student-athlete and wants everyone to know at Brandywine, there are opportunities.
“Get involved – it is very easy to make this commuter campus a drive-by experience by simply leaving right after class,” Caprice said. “Students who do that can’t wait to ‘go up to the Park’ to get that ‘real college experience.’ I genuinely get upset to hear students have this type of attitude towards our campus. Students who get involved through athletics or clubs absolutely love their experience and often end up staying their last two years to complete their degree at Brandywine. Don’t sit around and wait for your time to have fun. Do it now!”