Author Archives: connorshowalter

Field hockey announces captains for 2012

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SCOTT SAMUEL DAVID WEISS

The Temple News

On Tuesday April 10, coach Amanda Janney announced she will hand the captain duties to Katie Briglia, who will be the Owls’ lone senior in the lineup and current sophomore Molly Doyle.

“I cannot believe [Janney] picked me to be one of our captains for next year,” Doyle said. “We will be returning only one senior, and I will have plenty of responsibilities.”
Doyle, a midfielder/defender out of Merion Mercy Academy (Merion, Pa), has three career goals, all from her freshman campaign. The history major started 11 games as a freshman in 2010, including scoring the game-winning goal in her first game at Temple, a 4-2 victory against Bucknell on Aug. 28, 2010.
As a sophomore, Doyle started in 20 of the 22 games in 2011, which included the Atlantic Ten Conference tournament championship game, a 1-0 defeat by Richmond. Temple has posted a 18-25 record in Doyle’s first two seasons.
The Owls will begin their fall 2012 season tentatively scheduled on Saturday Aug. 18 at Geasey Field hosting Lehigh, before playing the Cherry and White scrimmage at Geasey the next day. Virginia and Duke will visit the Owls for the 2012 Temple Invitational on Friday Aug. 24 and Sunday Aug. 26.

The Owls will enter the 2012 season with0ut All-American Bridget Settles due to graduation. Settles led the team in scoring with 20 goals last season.

Scott Samuel David Weiss can be reached at scott.weiss@temple.edu.

Community voice preview: native North Philadelphian rapper

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Tylib Williams, a North Philadelphian native and a self-proclaimed rapper, will be featured in this week’s issue of The Temple News for its community voice series. Williams discussed how food options are scarce in Philadelphia and the challenge of surviving on food stamps.

Williams is also a practicing rapper who goes by the moniker, Word Processor. Check his performance below for one of his raps.

Men’s rugby prepares for USA Sevens summer tournament

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Mark McHugh

The Temple News

Member’s of the men’s rugby club said they are optimistic about their chances for the upcoming season.

As one of the most prominent and successful club teams Temple has to offer, club president Matthew Violette said his team is hoping to reestablish the Owls as a national threat.

Typically a dominant force in Division I-AA, the Owls failed to make the playoffs in Fall 2012. Violette said that he is looking for new players to step into the leadership roles needed for his team to be competitive.

Violette said that junior John Holbert will be leading the team as a returning starter in the forwards and sophomores Brad Sawhill and John Shine are two younger players with significant A-side time who he will be looking at to set an example of hard play on the field.

“The three of these guys have a strong worth ethic on and off the field, which is the type of mindset we are trying to instill on our entire team,” Violette said.

Although this season’s team is significantly younger than previous years, Violette said that the Owls’ youth shouldn’t be a detriment to their success. He added that the young guys have enough experience and talent to carry the team into the playoffs.

“Many of the newer players are carrying a rugby background from high school,” Violette said.

Forced to rely on so much youth, Violette and the Owls are looking forward to seeing what new players can bring to the table.

“We have played in two [tournaments] and are concerned with getting everyone playing time with all these games,” Violette said. “We have a full schedule ahead of us, including games against Penn, Penn Wharton, Princeton and St. Joseph’s.”

Grounded in plenty of fresh faces and promising talent, Temple’s outlook is positive and its goal is to improve and continue to move forward. The team is also planning to compete against some of the nation’s top college rugby teams at the USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship on June 2-3 at PPL Park in Chester. For tickets, there is more information here.

“We’re excited to see what the newer players have to offer to the club and we are working hard in preparation for the upcoming CRC 7’s tournament in the summer,” Violette said.

Mark McHugh can be reached at mark.mchugh@temple.edu.

Women’s rugby enters regional playoffs with high expectations

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JAMES REAGAN

The Temple News

On Mondays they run for an hour straight, taking only brief breaks for water. Every other weekday they practice fundamentals from their sport such as tackling and passing the ball. This has led them to a season where they are easily winning games and respected among the top teams in their conference.

This is not the men’s football team that I am talking about. No, I am talking about the women’s rugby team.

Led by third-year coach Owen Jones, the team has enjoyed enormous success over the past several years. Two years ago they reached the program’s third national championship game and finished as runner’s up.

This year Owens is confident that the team could go far in the MARFU (Mid Atlantic Football Rugby Union) playoffs and even make some noise in the national playoffs.

“Our team has greater depth than any other year,” Owens said. “We have lots of senior leadership from players that were with the team two years ago.”

Owens gives some credit to the team’s intense conditioning regiment. On Mondays they devote the entire practice to working on conditioning with the help of new conditioning coach Danielle Monica.

Some of the team’s best players include seniors Karina Sundar and Rachael Bandura. Both players are team captains and have grown from that championship loss while leading their team to victory.

Sundar is a senior chemistry major who plays the position of 8 man where she stays near the back of the scrum and provides extra weight at the push. Bandura is a senior tourism & hospitality major who is a fly-half. As a fly-half, Bandura plays a large role in passing and kicking the ball while also calling the team’s plays.

Since returning from winter vacation, the team has been performing at a very high level. They have won three matches during the month of March and recently won a critical MARFU match against William & Mary.

“It is exciting to see rookies and younger players step up to lead the team,” Bandura said.

The team has now clinched a spot in the MARFU playoffs and need to beat George Washington this coming Saturday to appear in the national playoffs. A win could also put them in a position where they could contend for the MARFU championship. A loss on Saturday would force them to have to win Sunday in order to secure MARFU’s no. 3 seed.

Because of their success, the rugby team has been receiving more awareness around campus. Owens is not surprised by this. “Rugby is growing around the country and is more high schools today.”

While Bandura and Sundar are two of the first team’s best players, there is also a secondary team. This team exists for developmental purposes and is a good place for players who are entirely new to the sport of rugby.  Temple rugby accepts any players, however only the best get to play on the first team.

For anyone feeling like trying out for rugby, Sundar has words of encouragement.

“Definitely just give it a try, don’t be scared cause you don’t know about the sport,” she said.

James Reagan can be reached at james.reagan@temple.edu.

Freshman pitcher nearly completes no-hitter in loss

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First year pitcher Patrick Peterson threw eight hitless innings


JOHN MURROW

The Temple News

Entering his sixth start of the season for the Owls, freshman Patrick Peterson was 2-1 with a 2.86 ERA. His sixth start against Saint Louis on Saturday, March 24 came as a surprise to many, nearly making Temple baseball history.

The Bear, Del. native had a perfect game through 6.2 innings until surrendering a walk in an eight pitch at bat. Through the first eight innings of the game, Peterson gave up no runs and no hits. It was not until the first batter of the ninth when freshman leadoff pinch hitter Mike Vigliarolo doubled to kickoff the ninth.

Peterson was removed after the double, in which he was followed by redshirt-senior closer Brian Sustersic. A wild pitch and a walk lead to a bases loaded, bottom of the ninth scenario in which coach Ryan Wheeler turned to redshirt-junior closer Steve Visnic. A game-winning base hit by junior outfielder Alex Kelly led to a heartbreaking loss for the Cherry and the White.

Peterson’s nearly historic day ended with a stat line of 8.0 innings, one hit, one run, and 10 strikeouts in the 2-1 loss at Saint Louis.

John Murrow can be reached at john.murrow@temple.edu.

Rodriguez, Whitehead patiently waiting for draft day

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Both seniors continue preparations for NFL Draft at Temple’s Pro Day

BUD WEAVER

The Temple News

For seniors Evan Rodriguez and Tahir Whitehead, one word describes what they could offer a National Football League team: versatility.

Rodriguez and Whitehead joined former junior running back Bernard Pierce at the 2012 NFL Combine on Feb. 22-28 in Indianapolis, Ind. The North New Jersey natives can give pro clubs many options on offense and defense, respectively.

At 6-foot 1-inch, Rodriguez can be used in many ways as a tight end, whether it is off the line, coming out of the backfield or setting up out wide. The two-time first-team All-Mid-Atlantic Conference selection played in all 13 games with 12 starts at tight end last season leading the Owls with 479 yards and two touchdowns on 35 receptions.

At this point, though, Rodriguez is not worried what position he’ll play, but rather preparing for when that team calls his name. The 2012 NFL Draft is April 26-28 held at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

“Just hard training,” Rodriguez said of his preparation for the NFL Draft. “I was down in Bradenton, [Fla.] training at Athletic Edge with [combine guru] Mike Gough, and they prepared me really well for the NFL Combine and I’m happy with my results.”

Rodriguez had such strong results at the NFL Combine that he opted not to run the 40-yard dash or test his vertical jump at Temple’s Pro Day on Friday, March 16 at Edberg-Olsen Athletic Complex.

With a 40-time of 4.58 and a vertical measure of 36 inches – tied for the lead amongst tight ends – Rodriguez said he thought his performance helped his draft stock.

Scouts have compared Rodriguez to New England tight end Aaron Hernandez with his multi-dimensional abilities. Hernandez played in Temple coach Steve Addazio’s system at Florida when Addazio was offensive coordinator for the Gators.

“He does compare to him,” Addazio said. “A lot of people ask him that question. I like [Rodriguez’s] development and I like his maturity. He’s come a long way in a year or two. You talk about a guy who’s come the furthest – he’s probably come the furthest. He’s put himself in a position to be a middle-round draft pick.”

Whitehead, a 6-foot 1-inch linebacker, is a possible steal late in the draft. The second-team All-MAC honoree has been putting in time getting ready for the NFL Draft.

“I’m constantly in the weight room, constantly working on my technique,” Whitehead said. “It’s not only a track meet when you’re running [the 40-yard dash], you’re a football player. Not only do I work on the 40 and other drills and stuff, I also work on stuff for my toolbox – keeping a better base for striking opponents.”

A captain on the Owls’ defense, Whitehead registered five sacks last season and was a constant disruption in opposition’s backfield, finishing the season with the third-most tackles on the team with 70 and a team-best 13.5 tackles for loss. He played in all 13 games with 12 starts as the strong side linebacker.

Whitehead was also named the Defensive MVP of the 2011 Gildan New Mexico Bowl, in which the Owls defeated the Wyoming Cowboys, 37-15.

“[Whitehead] is very mature,” Addazio said. “You watch the growth he’s had from last year to this year, that’s that year some guys are missing.”

While this was the stage for Whitehead to display his physical attributes, he also sees it as a job interview.

“You’d get a smart player,” Whitehead said. “Not only smart, but physical, versatile. I can do it all. I can be used wherever they need me to be used. I’m a team player.”

Last year, two Owls were drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft, then-senior safety Jaiquawn Jarrett and then-junior defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson. Wilkerson was drafted as the 30th overall selection in the first round by the New York Jets and Jarrett was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles as the 54th overall selection in the second round.

Bud Weaver can be reached at bud.weaver@temple.edu.

Lacrosse: offense too much for Delaware Blue Hens

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Mark McHugh

The Temple News

Following a difficult road trip, the women’s lacrosse rebounded by beating Delaware, (2-7) 11-9, in a gritty comeback victory on Saturday, March 17.

Trailing by three early in the second half, the Owls (6-2) picked up the intensity and scored four unanswered goals to go ahead. Two more Delaware goals put Temple behind 9-8, but the last 12 minutes were dominated by the Owls, who sealed the deal with the final three scores of the game.

Junior midfielder Charlotte Swavola and senior midfielder Karly Cohen lead the way for Temple with three goals each, while senior midfielder Stephanie Markunas and junior midfielder Stephany Parcell provided key experience and leadership that fueled the second half comeback.

All year long, Markunas and Parcell have been instrumental in leading a the team whose mental toughness seems to set them apart, especially in hard fought games such as the one on Saturday.

“We never have the mentality of, ‘we’re down,’” Markunas said. “It’s always, ‘we’re going to win this game.’ Even if the score isn’t going our way at certain points, we still feel like we’re up.”

Markunas and Parcell are the core of what has become a tight-knit group of players, who all dedicate themselves to the common goal of winning an Atlantic Ten Championship.

“We, as a team, work so hard in the weight room and on and off the field and it shows in the game that we can come back from behind,” Parcell said.

The team-oriented nature of the group exhibits itself on the field, as well.

“Compared to other schools, we like to assist,” Markunas said. “We don’t depend on one-on-one’s. We can use our [personal] strengths but we can also work with each other.”

Saturday’s game was a prime example of the team’s unity and resilience, as they were forced to bounce back from a tough road trip, in which the Owls recorded their first two losses of the season, the most recent being a 20-3 pounding by No. 5 Florida.

“Coming off of two losses, we were really hungry for a win,” coach Bonnie Rosen said. “I’m really proud of the fact that we gritted it out to get a win.”

Despite the slip up in Florida, Rosen said she was confident that her players would rise to the occasion and earn a win when they really needed one.

“I really wasn’t worried about how we would respond to our two losses in Florida,” Rosen said.

“This is a really special team,” she added. “They have demonstrated resiliency day in and day out. They come out to practice ready the next day, regardless of win or lose.”

Although Saturday wasn’t the most efficient win for the Owls, Rosen said that she said she was pleased with the way her players found a way to win in a game that required both patience and tenacity.

The Owls’ next test is Tuesday, March 20 at home against Towson, the final matchup before opening up the A-10 schedule against St. Bonaventure.

Mark McHugh can be reached at mark.mchugh@temple.edu.

Baseball: Owls split doubleheader to Binghamton

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Tyler Sablich

The Temple News

In game one of Sunday, March 18’s twin bill against Binghamton, redshirt-senior Steve Nikorak pitched 5.1 innings, allowing only one run on five hits while striking out three in route to an Owls’ 2-1 game 1 doubleheader victory. The Owls would lose game 2, 13-5.

Standout freshman shortstop Nick Lustrino had a big day at the plate, going 3-3 while knocking in the tying run in the fifth inning. After leading off the sixth inning with a hit, senior catcher Taylor Juran scored the go-ahead run on an RBI base hit by junior infielder Henry Knabe. Red-shirt senior closer Brian Sustersic recorded his second save of the season with a 1-2-3 seventh inning.

Game two of the doubleheader saw a much different result for the Owls. The Bearcats came out with a vengeance and tallied 17 hits while crushing Temple 13-5.

Binghamton sophomore center fielder Bill Bereszniewicz went 2-6 at the plate with three RBI’s. He drove in the first run of the game in the top of the third with an RBI single and immediately swiped second. Bereszniewicz went on to score on an RBI double by senior first baseman Dave Ciocchi. Ciocchi, along with freshman Jake Thomas, had three hits a piece.

Senior starting pitcher Dan Moller went four innings, giving up four runs on six hits while punching out five and walking two. The southpaw escaped the first two innings unscathed before the Bearcats put up a three-spot in the third inning.

“I threw a lot of strikes that happened to find their bats,” Moller said. “They hit me pretty hard in the third but I settled down. Overall, I’m content with my outing.”

Freshman righty Eric Peterson relieved Moller in the fifth. After Juran cut the deficit to 4-1 with an RBI double that scored Lustrino in the bottom of the fourth, Peterson surrendered eight runs, five of which were earned, while giving up seven hits and walking another in 1.2 innings.

Moller’s counterpart, Binghamton’s sophomore hurler Jack Rogalla, picked up his first win of the season. Rogalla went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four and walking one.

The game paused for a few minutes when Owls freshman reliever Ryan Kuehn was struck in the knee with a screaming line-drive off the bat of Ciocchi. Kuehn exited the game with a round of applause from the fans as he limped to the dugout.

The Owls went 3-1 on the weekend after playing four games in just three days. The team edged out St. Peter’s 3-1 on Friday before clobbering New York Tech on Saturday, March 17 with a final score of 17-1.

“Despite the second game against Binghamton, I think this was some of the best baseball we’ve played all year,” Wheeler said. “We got good starting pitching, timely hitting and played outstanding defense.”

After improving their record to 9-11 following the Big 5 Bash, the Owls will have one more tune-up game before they begin Atlantic Ten Conference play next weekend with a series in St. Louis.

“I just want us to continue to improve each day we’re out here,” Wheeler said. “We’ve started to find ways to win games instead of waiting around to lose them. Even with the A-10 season starting I don’t want us to approach things any differently.”

“The goal is to have teams fear coming to Ambler,” Moller added.

Before heading to St. Louis to begin A-10 play, Temple will take on La Salle Wednesday, March 21th in their second meeting of the season. The Explorers defeated the Owls 9-7 on March 13th.

Tyler Sablich can be reached at tyler.sablich@temple.edu.

HALFTIME UPDATE: Owls: 19, Bulls: 15

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The Owls lead, 19-15 at the half and the game began as expected with low-scoring and physical.

The Bulls struggled offensively at the half, shooting 11.1 percent from the field, going 3-27. Meanwhile the Owls had 14 fewer field goal attempts and went 5-for-13 (38-5 percent).

The score was 11-5 at the 10-minute mark of the first half, in favor of Temple and junior forward Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson led the squad with four points, two steals and a rebound.

Entering the game, the Owls were expecting to face a tough South Florida defense. The Bulls have been stingy all year and has been talked about lately, after coming off a win over California in the first round of the NCAA Tournament where they allowed 13 points in the first.

Junior guard Khalif Wyatt scored nine points at the half, which bested all scorers in the game. Wyatt added two rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block as well.

Redshirt-senior guard Ramone Moore senior failed to score in the half and senior guard Juan Fernandez recorded a single point. Both guards average 17.7 and 11.4 points per game, respectively, on the year and are statistically the Owls first and third-best scorers.

The Bulls are led by sophomore forward Victor Rudd Jr., who scored four points in the half. The Bulls’ defense has kept the game close with suffocating man-to-man coverage, as it recorded five steals and a block.

Redshirt-freshman forward Anthony Lee, sophomore Aaron Brown and senior guard T.J. DiLeo all saw action as reserves in the half and combined for two points.

March Madness: Temple MBB: Scouting the South Florida Bulls

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NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The Owls practiced for their allotted 40 minutes Thursday evening at the Bridgestone Arena in preparation for a second round NCAA Tournament match up with the play-in game winner South Florida Bulls.

Although the practice appeared to be nothing more than a typical pre-game shoot around, the fifth-seeded Owls made it evident during its press conference earlier on Thursday that they weren’t going to take the 12th-seeded Bulls lightly. The game will tip-off at 9:50 p.m on Friday (TNT broadcast).

Friday’s game will feature the Owls’ first meeting with the Bulls in program history, but coach Fran Dunphy told the media that he has been following South Florida’s play in the Big East Conference this season.

“I thought they were a really terrific defensive basketball team, who took care of the ball in pretty good fashion and great control of games; most teams played at their pace,” Dunphy said. “And then last night, obviously they defended very well, but they also made shots, and made a ton of them early and got a sizeable gap between they and California. I just thought they were on their game last night.”

Graduate center Micheal Eric said South Florida appears similar to an opponent that Temple faced earlier in the year at the 5 Hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

“I think they remind me of Wichita St., [South Florida] has depth with the guards and scoring abilities from the wings” Eric said. “It’s going to be an interesting game.”

The Owls defeated Wichita St. in overtime, 78-74.

South Florida is led by 6-foot 10-inch senior forward Augustus Gilchrist who averages 9.6 points per game.

The Bulls have four other players who average at least eight points. Senior guard Hugh Robertson averages 6.7 points per game and is the team’s leader in field goal percentage at 52.7 percent.

Wyatt took several shots during the practice that looked like he was anticipating shooting over the length of the Bulls.

Temple will be facing a South Florida defense that shutdown California in the first round game on Wednesday night, as they went onto win 65-54. The Bulls held the Bears to 13 first half points and to 5-of-24 shooting.

“We’re going to have to move the ball, be patient and move without the ball too,” senior guard Juan Fernandez said. “And play as a team more than ever on offense, if we’re going to break them down.”

The Owls will look to make it two consecutive years in which they make it past the second round, as last year then-No. 7 Temple defeated No. 10 Penn State, 66-64 at Tucson, Ariz. in the NCAA Tournament. Temple’s run ended in 2011 when they lost to No. 2 San Diego State in double overtime, 71-64.

“This is our [seniors’] last go-around, as far as we’re going to make it, it would be great to make it to the Elite Eight.,” redshirt-senior guard Ramone Moore said. “But, we don’t want to try to look too far ahead.”