[Kutztown Spring Roundup] 2004-05 No. 34 May 16, 2005

Josh Leiboff leiboff at kutztown.edu
Mon May 16 10:55:25 EDT 2005 

Kutztown University Spring Sports Roundup
2004-05 No. 34   May 16, 2005
KU Student Bookstore 
Tri-Athletes of the Week 

Clay Kuklick - Baseball
(sr. North Wales/North Penn), 
Laura Kline - W OD Track & Field
(jr. Reading/Reading) and 
Renee Marchand - W OD Track & Field
(so. Hawley/Wallenpaupack) 

         Clay Kuklick, of the baseball team, and Laura Kline and Renee Marchand of the women's outdoor track & field team, are this week's KU Student Bookstore Tri-Athletes of the Week.  

Kuklick was named the PSAC Championship Tournament most valuable player, hitting .533 with six RBI as KU won the 2005 conference title.  

Kline was a double PSAC Champion, winning the 400-meter hurdles in a stadium record time of 1:03.10, and anchoring the victorious, and PSAC title clinching 4x400 relay.

Marchand also won two events.  She took the PSAC heptathlon on Friday, with a score of 4,349.  She came back on Saturday to run the third leg of the PSAC Champion 4x400 relay squad to help KU win the conference team title.

Baseball (38-16, 10-8 PSAC East)

Last Week's Action

       MON 5/9-WED 5/11 - at PSAC Championships (Boalsburg, PA)

       MON 5/9 - KU 9, Clarion 2 - Kutztown defeated Clarion, 9-2, in its first game of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship Monday afternoon.  Paul Koropchak (sr. Pottsville/North Schuyklill) was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs.  Ryan Loper (so. Boiling Springs/Cumberland Valley) was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.  Gary Stricker (jr. Croydon/Conwell Egan-Catholic) was 1-for-2 with three RBI.  Matt Maradeo (jr. Nesquehoning/Panther Valley) got the win, going seven innings, scattering nine hits and allowing one run.  Stricker drew a bases-loaded walk in the second to open the scoring.  He drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Jeff Craig (so. Wilkes-Barre/Bishop Hoban) singled in another run for a 3-0 lead.  Clarion closed to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, but Koropchak belted a two-run triple and scored on a wild pitch for a 6-1 lead.  In the seventh, Stricker put in another run on a fielder's choice, then scored on a double by Clay Kuklick (sr. North Wales/North Penn).  Loper capped KU's scoring with a bases-loaded walk.  

KU 7, California 4 - KU rallied for three runs in the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie and advance in the PSAC Championships with a 7-4 win over California (PA).  Kuklick drove in the go-ahead run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.  Craig drove in two insurance runs on a double for the 7-4 final.  Kuklick was 3-for-4 in the game, driving in three runs - all three on bases-loaded at-bats.  Kyle Sadlowski (jr. Reading/Central Catholic) went 8.1 innings, striking out six.  After a one-out walk in the ninth, Matt Keller (jr. Fleetwood/Fleetwood) came in.  Keller got the final two outs to record his third save of the season, and the KU career record 14th of his career.  Kuklick bounced an infield single in the second with the bases loaded for the first run of the game.  Cal batted around in the third inning, scoring four runs.  Kuklick added another infield single in the fourth with the bases loaded.  Kyle Costello (jr. Plains/Coughlin) belted a two-run home run in the fifth to tie the score, and it remained that way until the bottom of the eighth.

TUE 5/10 - KU 11, Shippensburg 9 - Kutztown advanced to the championship game with an 11-9 win over Shippensburg.  Koropchak had three RBI on a pair of early hits to help KU to an early lead.  Craig was 2-for-5, while Josh Fink (jr. Hatfield/North Penn) and Stricker had two hits apiece.  Mike McCardell (so. West Chester/Henderson) pitched six strong innings to get the win.  He is now 5-3.  Keller picked up his fourth save of the year, getting the last two outs in the ninth.  KU opened the scoring in the first on Koropchak's RBI single to drive in Kuklick.  KU scored five times in the second, when Fink scored on a wild pitch, back-to-back RBI infield singles by Loper and Craig, and a two-run single by Koropchak.  Kutztown stretched its lead to 8-0, with a run in the third scoring on a passed ball and another in the fourth on a throwing error.  Ship closed to within 8-4 in the fifth, but KU answered with three in the sixth. Fink hit a no-out, bases-loaded single to drive in Koropchak, while Stricker and Loper hit sacrifice flies for the other two runs.  Shippensburg made it interesting, scoring a pair of runs in the seventh, then leading off the bottom of the ninth with back-to-back-to-back hits for two more runs.  Keller came in to finish the game off for another save.  

WED 5/11 - KU 10, West Chester 2 - Kutztown University claimed the 2005 PSAC with a 10-2 win over West Chester.  Kuklick was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored to earn the tournament's most valuable player award.  Kuklick was 8-for-15 in the tournament with six RBI and five runs scored.  He also did a masterful job catching KU's pitchers throughout the tournament.  Keller pitched a complete game for the Golden Bears.  He struck out three and scattered 12 West Chester hits over nine innings.  He is now 10-1 on the season, which is tied for third on KU's single-season win chart.  KU head coach Chris Blum earns his first PSAC title since taking over the reigns in 2003.  KU last won the title in 2002, under former head coach Matt Royer.  It was Blum's 100th career win.  With a 100-47 record, Blum reaches the century mark in 21 fewer games than Royer had.  The victory gives KU a 38-16 record, tying the school mark for wins in a season set in 2001.  West Chester scored both of its runs in the first two innings, but KU answered both with runs in its half of the frames.  McCardell doubled in Kuklick in the first, and Stricker scored on a double by Craig in the second.  Kutztown took the lead for good in the fourth, when Fink stole home on a double steal.  Stricker, who stole second on the play, later scored on McCardell's RBI single.  Kuklick provided some insurance with a two-run double in the fifth, and KU broke it open with four in the eighth, including a three-run home run by Costello.  Craig, McCardell and Stricker were all 2-for-4.  Stricker scored three times.

Upcoming Events

THU 5/19-SAT 5/21 - at NCAA North Atlantic Regional (at West Virginia State)

THU 5/19 - vs. West Chester    TBA

Softball (27-24, 13-11 PSAC East)

Last Week's Action

THU 5/12-FRI 5/13 - at NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional (at Shippensburg)

THU 5/12 - Indiana (PA) 4, Kutztown 3 - A walk-off homer by Indiana (PA) with one out in the seventh broke a 3-3 tie and sent KU to the loser's bracket with a 4-3 loss.  The Golden Bears had tied it in the top half of the inning after a clutch two-out single by Dani Spalik (so. Johnson City, NJ/Johnson City) that scored Sam Flowers (fr. Harleysville/Souderton) from second base.  IUP took a 1-0 lead in the second before KU scored a pair of runs in the top of the third.  Tarin Horonzy (fr. Fleetwood/Fleetwood) executed a suicide squeeze to score Adriane Willmer (so. Kitchener, ONT/Resurrection) and a Lindsay Bennett (fr. Rising Sun, MD/Rising Sun) sacrifice fly plated Jackie Messina (fr. Allentown/Parkland).  The Indians fired back with a two-run fourth inning to retake the lead.  Willmer was 2-for-4 to lead the Golden Bears.

FRI 5/13 - Lock Haven 8, KU 0 (6 inn.) - Lock Haven blanked Kutztown on four hits, en route to an 8-0, six-inning win over KU in the losers' bracket of the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional.  Lock Haven took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and a bases-loaded double broke it open in the second.  For Kutztown, Bennett went 2-for-2 with a single and a double.  Willmer and Erin Livingston (sr. Philadelphia/Archbishop Carroll) each had a hit.  Kutztown ends its season at 27-24.   Willmer was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Upcoming Events

Season Complete 

Men's Tennis (20-2, 5-0 PSAC)

Last Week's Action

FRI 5/6-SAT 5/7 - NCAA EAST REGIONAL

FRI  5/6 - KU 5, MILLERSVILLE 0 - Kutztown defeated Millersville, 5-0, in the first round of the NCAA Division II East Regional Men's Tennis Tournament at the Keystone Courts.  The Golden Bears (19-1) won all three doubles matches, then picked up two quick singles points to secure the victory.  Mukundan Nandakumar (sr. Chennai, INDIA) and Harsh Sharma (jr. Calcutta, INDIA) won 8-2 at first doubles, while Lukas Beman (so. Woodend, AUSTRALIA) and Ilja Semjonovs (jr. Liepaja, LATVIA) picked up an 8-1 win at third doubles.  At second doubles, Somdeep Appineni (so. Hyderabad, INDIA) and Radoslaw Hlubinski (jr. Warsaw, POLAND) broke a 6-6 tie with two straight wins to finish off an 8-6 hard-fought victory.  Sharma, at second singles, blanked his opponent, 6-0 and 6-0, to give KU its fourth team point.  Appineni clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-1 win at fifth singles.

SAT 5/7 - KU 5, ASSUMPTION 1 - Kutztown won the NCAA East Regional with a 5-1 decision over Assumption at Keystone Courts.  The Golden Bears swept the doubles competition to take a 3-0 lead.  Nandakumar and Sharma won 8-4 at first doubles, as did Semjonovs and Beman at third doubles.  The duo of Hlubinski and Appineni picked up an 8-6 win at second doubles.  In singles, Sharma won at second singles 6-0, 6-0.  Nandakumar clinched the regional title with a 6-2, 6-1 win at first singles.  Not only did Nandakumar's win clinch the regional title, it was the 141st combined win (singles and doubles) in his career, tying Michael Rohrbach's KU record.  Nandakumar, KU's only senior this season, is the first KU athlete in any sport to help his team win an NCAA regional in each of his four seasons at KU. 

WED 5/11 - at NCAA Championships (at Altamonte Springs, FL): BYU Hawaii 5, KU 0 - KU ran into trouble against the No. 20 team in the country, BYU-Hawaii, falling 5-0 in the Round of 16 at the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Championships.  After falling behind 3-0 after the doubles competition, Kutztown dropped matches at the fourth and fifth singles positions as the Seasiders advanced to the quarterfinals.  KU ends its most successful season with a 20-2 record.  KU won its fifth PSAC title in six years, and its fourth-straight NCAA East Regional crown.

Upcoming Events

Season Complete 

Women's Tennis (14-3, 3-1 PSAC East)

Last Week's Action

THU 5/5-FRI 5/6 - NCAA EAST REGIONAL

THU 5/5- KU 5, STONEHILL 0 - Kutztown won all five completed matches for the 5-0 victory over Stonehill in the first round of the NCAA East Regional at Kutztown on Thursday afternoon.  Kutztown won all three doubles matches and then notched victories at first and fifth singles.  Kerstin Kloeffer (so. Ludwigs Hafen, GERMANY) and Priya Pachkawde (so. Nasik, INDIA) were behind early, but rebounded for an 8-4 win at first doubles.  Amy Withers (fr. Essendon, AUSTRALIA) and Jharna Nansi (so. Mumbai, INDIA) won 8-3 at second doubles and the duo of Lauren Losoncy (jr. Shillington/Governor Mifflin) and Bianca Blatz (fr. Ludwigs Hafen, GERMANY) completed the doubles sweep for the Golden Bears with an 8-5 victory at third doubles.  Kloeffer made short work of her opponent at first singles, 6-0, 6-0, to give KU a 4-0 lead in the match.  Losoncy clinched the victory with a 6-0, 6-1 win at fifth singles. 

FRI 5/6 - KU 5, BRYANT 1 - Kutztown defeated Bryant 5-1 for its first NCAA East Regional Championship and a trip to NCAA finals.  The Golden Bears won two of the three doubles matches.  Kloeffer and Pachkawde won 8-5 at first doubles and Withers and Nansi followed suit with an 8-4 win at second doubles.  All three completed singles matches went in favor of Kutztown in straight sets.  Each KU player dropped only a single game in their victories.  Kloeffer won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles and Nansi took a 6-0, 6-1 score at fourth singles as the Golden Bears went ahead, 4-1.  Withers then sealed the match with a 6-0, 6-1 win at second singles.

WED 5/11 - at NCAA Championships (at Altamonte Springs, FL): UC-San Diego 5, KU 0 - The Golden Bears fell to UC-San Diego, 5-0, in the Round of 16 at the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships.  UC-San Diego entered the competition ranked 11th in the country, with KU checking in at No. 29.  Kutztown's Withers and Nansi nearly took a point at second doubles, but UCSD's duo eked out the 9-7 win for the doubles sweep.  The Tritons then won matches at both fifth and sixth singles to eliminate KU.  The loss ends the Golden Bears' season.  Kutztown finished 14-3 with the second highest win total in school history.  The team's three losses were its fewest since the 1994 squad went 11-3.  Pachkawde set a KU record with 17 doubles victories, besting the record of 16 by Margo Ayers in 1995-96.

Upcoming Events

Season Complete 

Outdoor Track & Field

Last Week's Action

THU 5/12-SAT 5/14 - at PSAC Championships (at Mansfield, PA)

Men: (t-2nd/14) - KU had conference champions in the pole vault, shot put and javelin as the Golden Bears earned their best finish at the PSAC Outdoor Championships since 2002.  The men tallied 88 points to tie Slippery Rock for second place.  Shippensburg's won the team title with a total of 145.  Indiana (PA) was fourth with 73.  Dan Wilson (so. Hatboro/Hatboro-Horsham) tossed the javelin an NCAA provisional distance, and stadium record, of 209-1 to win a PSAC crown.  Steve Tyson (fr. Bridgeport/Upper Merion) had the winning throw of 50-11 1/2 in the shot put, a stadium record.  Mike Provenzano (jr. Carlisle/Carlisle) cleared 15-8 to win the pole vault and set a stadium record.  Tony Hegedus (so. Coopersburg/Southern Lehigh) was second in the 400-meter hurdles with an NCAA provisional time of 52.63.  Dave Bartolomucci (sr. Exeter/Exeter) finished the 400 in second place in 48.92.  The duo also competed on the second place 4x400 relay, along with Zach Snyder (fr. Wyomissing/Wyomissing) and Steve Hixson (fr. Coopersburg/Southern Lehigh).  The foursome ran a time of 3:14.82, an NCAA provisional qualifying mark.  The 4x100 relay of Bartolomucci, Jake Wieder (fr. Macungie/Emmaus), De'Andre Pearson (sr. Norristown/Norristown) and Chris Patterson (fr. West Chester/Henderson) also finished second, in 41.92.  Wieder and Pearson placed third and fifth in the 100.  Wieder was third in 10.80, with Pearson's 10.94 claiming fifth.  Jim Dart (so. Havertown/Haverford) took third in the discus (146-4) and Justin Reichardt (fr. Birdsboro/Twin Valley) placed third in the decathlon (5,912 points).  Vonkurt Redley (fr. Elkins Park/Cheltenham) took fourth in the 110 hurdles in 14.99.  Billy Boorse (so. Collegeville/Perkiomen Valley) captured sixth place in the 800 with a 1:57.45 and Chris Feighner (so. Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) placed sixth in the shot put at 48-3 1/4.  

Women: (1st/14) - The Kutztown women won their first PSAC crown since 2000, as the Golden Bears edged out a close field that saw four teams finish within 10 points of first place.  The title came down to the meet's final race - the 4x400-meter relay.  Going into the event, Kutztown had 83.5 team points to Slippery Rock's 82.5. IUP and Shippensburg were nipping on their heels with 82 and 81 points, respectively.  Kutztown won the relay when anchor Laura Kline (jr. Reading/Reading) moved past Shippensburg's anchor on the backstretch to pull out the win.  Kline was joined on the relay by Janelle Kostishion (sr. Hilltown/Pennridge), Sara Otis (sr. Wyalusing/Wyalusing Valley) , Renee Marchand (sr. Hawley/Wallenpaupack) for a time of 3:53.01.  The Golden Bear women were also fueled by strong performances in the 400 hurdles and discus.  Kutztown had four of the top five finishers in the 400 hurdles, paced by Kline, who won the race with a stadium record and NCAA provisional time of 1:03.10.  Otis was third in 1:04.88, Jaci Pfeiffer (jr. Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) took fourth in 1:05.14 and Talia McKinney (so. Millersville/Penn Manor) was fifth in 1:06.48.  The foursome tallied 22 points for KU.  In the discus, Elizabeth Lord (sr. Shillington/Governor Mifflin) led a trio of Kutztown throwers who finished in the top five and combined for 14 points.  Lord was second with a throw of 142-9, followed by Kaleena Lockard (sr. Berwick/Berwick) in fourth at 133-7 and Alison Maurer in fifth at 124-3.  Danielle Mousley (sr. Manheim Twp./Manheim Twp.) won the 1,500 with a time of 4:47.56.  Marchand won the heptathlon, as well, with a score of 4,349 points.  Molly Lare (so. Bethlehem/Liberty) placed third in the 3,000 with a time of 10:31.50 and was fifth in the 5,000 in 18:33.81.  Desiree Bower's (so. Bethel/Tulpehocken) 11:35.41 was good for third in the steeplechase.  Stephanie Williams placed third in the 10,000 (38:16.56).  Lockard was fourth in the shot put (44-0).  Pfeiffer added a fifth place finish in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.01.  Stephanie Sukal was sixth in the pole vault (10-9) and Candice Bullard tied for sixth in the high jump (5-2).  The women scored 93.5 points, just 4.5 points ahead of second place Shippensburg.  Indiana (PA) finished with 88, one point behind the Red Raiders.  Slippery Rock placed fourth with 73.5 points.  It was the first outdoor team championship for the Golden Bears in five years, and the third in school history (1997).  Kutztown also completed a 2005 sweep of the women's titles after winning the PSAC Indoor Championships in February. 

Upcoming Events

THU 5/26-SAT 5/28 - at NCAA Championships (at Abilene, TX)

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Josh Leiboff
Kutztown University Sports Information
Phone: (610) 683-4182
Fax: (610) 683-4676
Email: leiboff at kutztown.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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