The
winter seasons of Golden Bear Athletics have been positive so
far, with all of the teams off to strong starts.The men’s
basketball team is off to a 9-5 start and has been ranked as
high as 15th in the nation. A 7-1 beginning to the season marked
KU’s best start in 43 years. The team is led by Kutztown
and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) all-time blocks
leader Bilal Salaam and Bobby Eberhart. Both of the seniors
have reached the 1,000 point plateau this season, becoming the
16th and 17th players at KU to join the exclusive club.
With eight
wins so far in 2004-05, the women’s basketball team has
just one less victory than all of last season. A deep freshman
class has led the resurgence, with three newcomers – Molly
Brown, Mercedes Van Wagner, and Rachel Weidensaul – earning
a total of four PSAC East player or rookie of the week honors.
The PSAC
Basketball playoffs begin on Tuesday, March 1 with the first
round at the top seeds in each of the conference's divisions.
The PSAC final four is March 4-5 at the top West seed for the
men and at the top East seed for the women.
KU wrestling
has a 6-2 record in dual meets. After losing their first dual
of the season, the Golden Bears won their next three by a combined
scored of 132-22. Kutztown also defended its home mats in the
KU Invitational, taking first place in the nine team event.
Brandon Clemmer (125), Billy Stenack (133), Ryan Wasser (174),
Bret Wade (184) and Steve Busch (197) all won their weights
at the tournament. The NCAA East Regionals are at Pitt-Johnstown
on February 25-26.
In the
pool, both the men’s and women’s swimming teams
have come off the blocks strong. The women have posted a 6-3
dual meet compared, while the men are 4-3. The KU women had
a four-meet win streak this season, behind freshman Ashley Singer.
The newcomer has set school records in the 200 butterfly, 200
free and 500 freestyle and has won multiple events at five of
the team’s nine meets. On the men’s side, Kutztown
had a three-meet winning streak this season. The PSAC Championships
will take place on February 16-19 at West Chester.
The indoor
track teams have run just twice in 2004-05. At the Bucknell
Opener, an unscored meet, both of KU’s event winners came
on the men’s side. Dave Barolomucci won the 400m, while
Steve Tyson was the shot put champion. The Golden Bears returned
to the track on January 14 with the Kutztown Invitational at
Keystone Field House. Six Golden Bears won individual events
as KU gears up for the PSAC Indoor Championships on February
26-27 at East Stroudsburg. Kutztown’s women are the defending
champions.
For the latest results, visit the Golden Bears on the Web at
kubears.com
