By: Ana Elmasllari, Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, ave5065@psu.edu

During halftime of the women’s basketball game in the gym, Sunday, January 18, Amanda Congialdi was honored with the 1000-point banner. As the newest member of the 1000-point-club, Congialdi is the first athlete since 2007 to be honored with Penn State Brandywine’s banner. She is third in standing of the six Brandywine women honored—with 1,267 total points. Despite missing six games in her junior year, she still managed to score over 1000 points since 2010.

In speaking with Congialdi, she mentioned she broke her ankle and couldn’t play for the rest of the season in 2010. So she focused on her mental preparation along with the obvious physical care and conditioning. During preseason she focused on taking good care of her ankle.

“It was important to overcome the mental hardships,” said Congialdi.

During the season, while bench-sitting, she had to block out any negative thoughts and try to enjoy the game—whether they won lost.

Amanda Congialdi didn’t stop there; she also joined Brandywine’s inaugural softball team as their starting catcher for most of the year. In its first season, the team finished in the final four.

“I was proud to have been a part of such a magical season and Brandywine’s first ever,” she said.  “I enjoyed being part of the history that we are forming at Brandywine.”

When she spoke about her experiences she credited Brandywine’s Athletic Director, Jim Gastner. He was a motivator who didn’t give up on her and always pushed her through the difficult times.

“I don’t care what it takes, if I have to drag you to get you to graduate, I will,” said Congialdi

These are words that stuck with Congialdi.

“My coach, and the passion that I had for basketball, is what helped me stay on top of my work.”

She feels that if a person is not procrastinating and is able to manage time wisely, he or she is able to balance schoolwork and sports.

“There had been times where I didn’t manage my time as well as I could have, but I learned. I set priorities and stuck to them,” said Congialdi.

Amanda Congialdi will be receiving her degree in corporate communications in May, 2015. She already has plans to join the military but hasn’t set her mind on what kind of work she will do there.

“I’ve always wanted to make a difference and do something commendable, and joining the military seems like it fits my needs,” said Congialdi.

We know she will make a difference.

By: Jake Gibbons, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, jmg6174@psu.edu

By now the news of the soccer team’s recently stunning performance has probably spread throughout all of Penn State’s campuses, but on Thursday, Jan 29, the team’s impressive achievement was immortalized in Brandywine’s gym.

For any who don’t yet know, the achievement in question is Brandywine Men’s Soccer securing the coveted PSUAC title by beating out Penn State York 1-0 last October, the victory being the last of fourteen consecutive victories in total that season, making them undefeated. What makes this even more significant is that this is the team’s second consecutive title, and it granted them access to the USCAA National Championships. This is the first time since 1997 since a Brandywine team has been able to pull off such a feat.

To commemorate the occasion, a small ceremony took place during the halftime period of the basketball game against York. After the coach said a few words and expressed his pride in the team, each individual member was called up to the half court line. A banner marking their tremendous feat was then unveiled, commemorating the occasion for years to come.

In addition, player Manny Weldemicael was congratulated for his acceptance into the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All American Team, a prestigious accolade that requires one to hold both a high GPA and significant status on their athletic team, as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Manny is not only the first ever Brandywine student to receive this honor, but also the first ever college division athlete from the entire state, male or female.

After the ceremony, Brad Jule, a captain of the soccer team and recent fall graduate, was available for comment.

“The team performed really well this past season, and we were actually undefeated.  We had a lot of returning players to help out as well,” Jule stated.

Brad also feels confident about the team’s future seasons. Though they are losing a couple seniors, the team has a lot of incoming freshman who are ready and willing to perform, and the team is always looking to cull more prospective players from some of Penn State’s other campuses.

All of Brandywine’s future soccer teams and future students will be able to look at the banner and remember the 2014 team’s achievement for years to come. With freshmen rolling in every semester, and returning players from last season, Brandywine just might be able to hold this title next year as well. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Tailgating, warm weather and the Penn State marching band playing could only mean one thing: football is back at Beaver Stadium.

Students and alumni – 72,000 of them – gathered in Happy Valley on April 12 to watch the blue squad beat the white team 37-0 in the annual Blue/White game. The game, which is essentially a publicized practice, marks the end of spring practices as players and coaches move toward the long summer.

The Blue/White game is a great opportunity for the coaches to evaluate players, unknowns a stage to display their talents and also fans to catch a glimpse of how the team is going to operate under new head coach James Franklin.

Offensive Line Depth a Big Problem:

Going into the game it has become very apparent the Nittany Lions have a serious problem on the offensive line. The group allowed a total of nine sacks in a game that featured shorter quarters and an accelerated clock. As it stands, the o-line is currently seven players deep. Five players need to be out on the field, which leaves only two players to back up.

“I think this [the lack of depth] is probably unique,” Franklin said. “I’ve been places that, when we first showed up, we had some challenges in terms of depth. I’m not sure that I’ve been in a situation where we don’t have a scholarship two-deep [depth chart]. But once again, it is what it is. We’re going to find a way to make it work.”

Unexpected Star:

Cole Chiappialle, a walk-on from a season ago, displayed that he has real staying power on this year’s Nittany Lion squad. Chiappialle, who played mostly special teams last season, had a break out game, rushing for 63 yards on just nine carries and scored two touchdowns. This makes the running back situation even more interesting as the group already has Bill Belton, Zach Zwinak and Akeel Lynch.

“He’s had a great spring,” said Franklin. “I think we have four backs that have shown flashes of some really good things. He’s got great vision, toughness, and balance. I think there’s a role for him in this football program. He’s going to be a huge contributor on special teams. I’m proud of him.”

It should be interesting to see how much playing time the former standout at Blackhawk High School gets this upcoming season.

Moving Forward:

With the Blue/White game in the books, the team will turn their attention to summer workouts and practices. It is important to note that with the arrival of James Franklin, also comes the arrival of new schemes both offensively and defensively. Former head coach Bill O’Brien strongly despised the “Wildcat” offense. The “Wildcat” essentially means that the ball is not snapped directly to the quarterback, rather to a running back or receiver. The “Wildcat” has its pros and cons but on a team with a lack of offensive line depth, Penn State will need to be very creative about how they move the ball.

The 2014 Season will begin on the other side of the Atlantic in Ireland against UCF on August 30.  Some other notable games for this upcoming season: Michigan in Ann Arbor on October 11, Ohio State in Happy Valley on October 25 and Michigan State also in Happy Valley on November 29.

Coach Franklin currently has the #1 ranked recruiting class for the 2015 season so he is certainly making his mark on the program.  James Franklin said he wants to dominate the state; it appears he’s begun that process.

Vito Purpura

Lion’s Eye Writer, VAP5077@psu.edu

As spring time is upon us, spring sports are in full swing.  Baseball, softball and tennis are in season and all are on the quest for a banner year.

Penn State Brandywine men’s tennis team is no different.   After losing last year at the PSUAC championship and Penn College winning the championship, Brandywine is back for some revenge.

The team is led by sophomores Dan Monteverde and Hao Phung. These two players are key aspects to the team’s success thus far.

The men’s tennis team is 4-2.  Wins have come against Gwynedd-Mercy College, Penn State Mont Alto, Penn State Hazleton and a big match win against Penn College of Technology.

Brandywine men’s tennis coach Lloyd Vernon is pleased with what he sees so far.

“We have had a good start, but there is improving that can be done for everybody on the team,” Vernon said.  “If we want to become champions, we have to keep working hard and playing good tennis.”

Penn College has been the rival for Penn State Brandywine over the years.  Penn College always has a strong team year after year. Coming off a PSUAC championship for Penn College, Brandywine captured an important win, which only bolsters the team’s confidence.

In the match against Penn College, Brandywine had a strong doubles match from Kevin Nunn and Dan Monteverde.  Nunn and Monteverde  won the second doubles with the score 8-4, and with Penn College forfeiting 3rd doubles, it gave Brandywine a good lead in the overall team match.

Wins by Dan Monteverde 6-4, 6-1 and Romeo Agno 6-1, 6-3 at the 4th and 5th singles matches,  Brandywine got the victory over Penn College. This win was a big moment in the season.   Brandywine will play Penn College again at the last match of the season before the PSUAC championship.

The Brandywine men’s tennis team looks to finish the season strong. With 4 games left before the PSUAC championship, Brandywine would like to get on a hot streak and get more confidence heading into the championship.

The PSUAC championships will be held on April 26 at Penn State Mont Alto.

Alex Hunt

Lion’s Eye Sports Editor, Ajh5474@psu.edu

The women’s softball team is a threat in the league — In its inaugural season.

Standing middle of the back in the league at 5-5 in conference play, Brandywine softball has really shown they are a competitive group despite boasting only 11 players and one upperclassman. However, assistant head coach Bobbi Caprice admits that the lack of players has been the biggest obstacle to overcome all season.

“The biggest challenge we have faced all season was numbers,” Caprice said. “We started off the season with 11 players, and our number one pitcher got hurt during spring training.”

Caprice also says other injuries have been problematic throughout the course of the season, but is optimistic that having a “competitive nature” will keep the team in playoff contention.

The loss of freshman starting pitcher Olivia Encarnacion was a blow to the team, according to Caprice. However, freshman captain Julia Allman believes the team was able to unveil another player’s hidden talent.

“We lost a key element from our team,” Allman said of Encarnacion. “But by Cheyanne coming in, we picked up something we didn’t expect to pick up.”

Now starting pitcher Cheyanna Murphy is a former pitcher for township softball years back, but has taken on the role of an outfielder since high school. The sophomore from Chichester has indeed been one of the biggest surprises this season, as she ranks third in the conference in strikeouts.

As it stands now, the team would have to win the rest of their league games in order to make playoffs, something Allman thinks is possible.

“I’m excited because you never know what can happen because each game is different,” said Allman. “We’re trying to get hype and make playoffs. We want to come out and surprise people, and I think we will.”

And surprising they are.

On Sunday, April 14, the team traveled to PSUAC defending champions Penn State Beaver for a double-header. In the first game, Brandywine trailed 8-6 in the final inning. It wasn’t until that last gasp to come back did the Lady Lions kick into full gear and take the lead to seal the deal with a 9-8 upset victory.

But the second of the double-header was a true thriller for the ages.

For the majority of the game, Brandywine struggled to get anything going on offense and made several errors on defense, which resulted in a nine-run deficit late in the game. With the team coming face-to-face with a true pounding (10-1 in the fifth inning), the offense was able to rally and put together three runs, cutting the lead 10-8. However, with two outs and down two runs at the bottom of the seventh inning, one of Brandywine’s finest hitters rose to the occasion.

That’s when freshman second baseman Stacey MacArthur exploded.

MacArthur bombed a grand slam over the fence, which put Brandywine on top for the first time in the final inning of play. MacArthur’s clutch hit helped put the game away, as Brandywine swept the PSUAC defending champions.

With the Lady Lions showing their competitiveness in just its first season of play, Caprice expressed her excitement for next season, as the team looks to build on this year’s production.

“We are looking forward to next year so much,” Caprice said. “The handful of recruits we have will be a big asset to the team. We are looking forward to watching our current players grow in their upcoming years as well as the new additions to the team next year.”

Amanda Congialdi

Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, AMC6079@psu.edu

A season filled with hard work, blood, sweat and tears has come to a disappointing end.

On February 25, 2014, Penn State Brandywine Women’s basketball team lost in the championship game of the Penn State University Athletic Conference to Penn State Beaver.

It was a heck of a ride.  The Lady Lions headed into the PSUAC conference quarterfinals as a four seed.   The Lady Lions beat Penn State York 77- 69 in the quarterfinals to move onto the semifinals. In the semifinals, the team faced off against the number one seed Penn State Fayette.

Brandywine was down 15 points at one point in the game, but that deficit did not keep them down. The team battled back and tied the game at 80 with around one minute left in the second half. Freshman forward Stacey Macarthur lead the team with a whopping 31 points. Macarthur went 13 for 13 from the free throw line.

No matter the level of basketball, free throws will either make or break a team when it comes to winning games.  The final score: Brandywine 86, Fayette 84.

With their big win in the semifinals, Penn State Brandywine women were off to State College to play in the PSUAC championship. The opponent standing in their way: Penn State Beaver.

Penn State Beaver came into the PSUAC tournament as the number 3 seed. They beat the number two seed Penn State Greater Allegheny in their semifinal game.

The championship game did not go the way Brandywine wanted it to go. Penn State Brandywine fell to Penn State Beaver 100 to 74.

Junior guard Myeisha Matos said nerves didn’t help.

“I think that we were way too nervous for the game and we beat ourselves because we were so nervous,” Matos said.  “We focused more about the mistakes and less about the actual game and just playing.”

Senior guard Amanda Congialdi believes the team was lacking one characteristic and that’s why they fell short.

“We needed height,” Congialdi said.  “Last season, we played Greater Allegheny who had the same team. We had good sized big women to get rebounds and for defense and we beat them. If we one decent sized girl to get rebounds this year, there is no doubt that we would have beaten them and won the championship.”

Penn State Brandywine women’s basketball team finished the season with 19 wins and 8 losses. Even though the season did not end with a championship, it still was overall a great season.  The team will return  8 out of its 9 players, so a return to the PSUAC finals will certainly be the goal.

Alex Hunt

Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, ajh5474@psu.edu

Although it may not seem like it, spring is just around the corner, and that means baseball is already underway. Just let it sink in for a moment.

The Phightin’ Phils are set to start up the 2014 season after dwindling in the standings the past 2 years, and missing the playoffs. And it seems as though there’s only one huge change that has been made.

For the first time since 2004, the Phillies will be led by a name other than World Champion winning manager, Charlie Manuel. Ryne Sandberg has since taken over the duties after the Phillies fired Chuck late last season.

Sandberg offers a hard work ethic, and a different type of energy when he comes to the ballpark every day. This new approach may be what the Phils need.

The Phillies are an old team, who, if anything, have gotten even older. The signings of AJ Burnett, Marlon Byrd and Bobby Abreu have certainly added to that. All, of which, are in their late 30s.

On the positive side, the health of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Ben Revere is rather encouraging. Howard hasn’t been 100-percent since 2011 and is said to be in the best shape he has ever been in. Utley has also showed that his knees may actually be able to handle the grind of a 162-game season last year, while Revere is also fully healed after returning from a broken ankle that kept him from playing nearly five months.

Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon has seen a rise in his velocity after that had become an issue last season. This will certainly help the Phillies when it comes to finishing off close games. They need a great closer, because with this team’s age and ability, they won’t be putting up 5 runs a game like they did between 2007-2011.

When things really shake out, depth is going to be an issue with this team. After the top three in our rotation (Lee, Hamels, Burnett) there are a lot of question marks. The Phillies’ Cuban rookie right hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez has looked very average after the praise he received since his August signing. This could be because he hasn’t pitched much since 2011.  It’s only March and he has plenty of time to get back to where he was. The only problem is that he is making $12 million over the course of the next 3 years. He could end of being one expensive minor leaguer.

Looking ahead to the 2014 season, the NL East is going to be tough. The Braves and Nationals are fielding stronger teams on paper once again and are expected to be battling each other for the division crown.

Penn State Brandywine student Brian DeJohn, 20, isn’t so sure the Phillies have what it takes to compete.

“As a fan, I always have hope,” DeJohn said. “But this team doesn’t look much different than it has the past 2 years. It all depends how well our core players play.”

DeJohn might be alone since the general consensus on campus surprisingly believed in this team.

Let’s be honest — it really comes down to one element: HEALTH.

The season is set to kick off on March 31 with interleague play against the Texas Rangers.

As the Legendary Joe DiMaggio once said, “You always get a special kick on opening day, no matter how many you go through. You look forward to it like a birthday party when you’re a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen.”

Maybe, just maybe, something wonderful is going to happen this year for the boys in red pinstripes.

Ryan Tuttle

Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, rjt5281@psu.edu