January 25, 2005 

KU’s STEVE TYSON NAMED PSAC FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK 

KUTZTOWN, PA – Kutztown University’s Steve Tyson (fr. Bridgeport/Upper Merion), of the men’s indoor track & field team, has been named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Field Athlete of the Week. 

            Tyson won the shot put and finished second in the 35-pound weight throw at the Susquehanna Invitational on Friday, January 21.  His shot traveled 51-8, over two feet better than the closest PSAC competitor this season, and his 45-5 in the weight throw is fourth among league competition. 

            The Golden Bears return to action this weekend, at the Bucknell Bison Open and Penn State National Open Friday and Saturday.

January 21, 2005 

NCAA BASKETBALL MASCOT TO APPEAR AT KUTZTOWN BASKETBALL GAMES
J.J. Jumper appearance part of KU’s Take a Kid to the Game promotion

KUTZTOWN, PA – J.J. Jumper, the official basketball mascot of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), will appear at the Kutztown University basketball doubleheader versus Mansfield on Saturday, January 29.  He will be at KU as part the school’s Take a Kid to the Game promotion.   

J.J. Jumper will perform throughout the game as part of the NCAA’s commitment to promote youth basketball participation and sportsmanship.  There will be free NCAA giveaways for the first 250 kids.

 The women’s game on January 29th is set to tip off at 1:00 PM, with the men’s contest following at 3:00 PM.  Tickets for the Mansfield games are available by calling (610) 683-4094 or can be purchased at on game day at Keystone Hall.   

Children 14 and under will receive free admission for the game, when accompanied by a paying adult.  Other ticket prices are as follows:  Adults - $5.00, Senior Citizens - $3.00, non-KU students (ages 15 and older) - $2.00.  All KU students, faculty and staff are free with a valid Kutztown ID. 

J. J. Jumper’s purpose is to increase enthusiasm and awareness of NCAA Basketball, while engaging and educating youth on healthy physical, emotional and educational values. J.J.’s mission is to represent both genders and all races. J.J. Jumper is an attention-getting 6’5” green creature with orange hair, size 26 shoes and a big heart that motivates youth to do their best on and off the court.  J.J. appears at men’s and women’s basketball games, giving away NCAA Basketball promotional items and performing skits during timeouts and/or halftime. 

The 2004-05 season is the program’s fourth full season. During the past three seasons, J.J. Jumper has made more than 275 visits at member institutions, appearing at almost 600 men’s and women’s basketball games.  J.J. performs at men's and women's basketball regular season games in all three divisions, conference tournaments and all NCAA basketball championships. 

J.J. Jumper was created in 1999, in part to help member institutions reach their younger fans. J.J. Jumper was developed through a study done by NCAA Basketball, and the concept has received a positive response from both youth and adults.   

To learn more about J.J. Jumper, please visit NCAA Kids at www.NCAAsports.com.

January 20, 2005 

KLINE NAMED TO PSAC ACADEMIC TOP TEN 

KUTZTOWN, PA – Laura Kline (jr. Reading/Reading) of the Kutztown University field hockey team has been selected to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Fall Top Ten.  The Top Ten Awards are presented to student-athletes who have distinguished themselves both in athletics and academics.   

Kline

          Kline has a 4.00 grade point average (GPA) in special education.  This fall she was selected to the second team All-PSAC in field hockey after helping Kutztown to a 14-6 record and a berth in the conference playoffs.  On the season, the midfielder tallied a pair of goals and four assists for eight points, while starting all 19 games in which she played.  In her field hockey career, she has two goals and six assist as a two-year starter.  Kline is also a member of the KU track & field team and last spring was part of Kutztown’s PSAC champion 4x400-meter relay team at the conference championships. 

            The junior was a 2003 selection to the National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association All-Academic as was also a 2003-04 PSAC Scholar-Athlete.  

            Kline was one of just two student-athletes on the Fall Top Ten with a 4.00 GPA. 

            To be a candidate for the Top Ten Awards, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials. Only student-athletes from the fall sports season are eligible for the Fall Top Ten Awards. Those sports are: men’s and women’s soccer, football, field hockey, women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country. 

            Also named to the PSAC Fall Top Ten were Matt Crispell (East Stroudsburg, football), Cory DeForrest (West Chester, football), John Kuhn (Shippensburg, football), Charity Learn (Mansfield, cross country), Julie Nemergut (Edinboro, cross country), Sharla Partlon (Bloomsburg, field hockey), Lloyd Price (California {PA}, football), Matt Rapa (East Stroudsburg, football), and Missy Swindel (Indiana {PA}, women’s soccer).

January 19, 2005 

KU’s RYAN WASSER NAMED PSAC CO-WRESTLER OF THE WEEK 

KUTZTOWN, PA – Kutztown University’s Ryan Wasser (jr. Northampton/Northampton HS) has been named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Co-Wrestler of the Week. 

            Wasser and former Northampton high teammate Phil Hard of East Stroudsburg shared the award.   Wasser produced a 4-1 record with two falls and a major decision among his victories. His top performance came in Kutztown's 25-15 win over No. 18 West Liberty St. when he pinned Tommy Clark, ranked seventh in the 174-pound class of Division II. Wasser's only loss of the week was a 3-1 setback against Mercyhurst, the No. 5-ranked team in Division II.

          Wasser is 16-9 this season, with three pins and three major decisions.  The Golden Bears are 6-2 in dual meets.

January 10, 2005 

WEIDENSAUL EARNS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONOR 

KUTZTOWN, PA – Kutztown University’s Rachel Weidensaul (fr. Ashland/Cardinal Brennan) has been named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Rookie of the Week.           

            The 5-11 guard earns the award for her performance in Kutztown’s 1-1 week.  Weidensaul averaged 8.5 points and 2.5 rebounds and was 6-of-7 (85.7%) from the free throw line.  She posted nine points vs. Alvernia and scored eight against Clarion.  It is the second time Weidensaul has been named rookie of the week. 

            For the season, Weidensaul is averaging 8.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in Kutztown’s 12 games.  The Golden Bears are 7-5 and return to action on Wednesday at Cheyney for the PSAC East opener.

January 6, 2005 

KU MEN’S BASKETBALL RANKED #4 IN EAST REGION, #20 in NATION
Both teams, men’s players appear in national statistics rankings 

KUTZTOWN, PA – The first regional and national rankings of 2005 have been released, and the Kutztown University men’s basketball team appeared in both polls. 

            The season’s initial regional rankings were released on Wednesday, with Kutztown (8-2) debuting at #4 in the East Region.  Indiana (PA) (10-2) is #1, followed by Edinboro (11-1) and Millersville (6-1).  After KU is Barton (5-2), California (PA) (7-3), Salem International (5-2), Alderson-Broaddus (6-2), Pfeiffer (5-2) and Mount Olive (6-1). 

            Kutztown has faced two of the teams in the rankings, falling to #1 IUP, 85-51, while defeating #6 California, 64-57.  KU travels to Edinboro on January 15 and will face Millersville twice in February. 

            Eight teams from each of the eight regions advance to the NCAA Championship in March. 

            Additionally, Kutztown remained in the NABC Division II National Rankings, falling from 15th to 20th in Tuesday’s poll.  KU essentially traded places with IUP, which moved up to 13th from 25 after defeating the Golden Bears on December 21.  KU’s four weeks ranked in the top 25 mark the team’s longest stay in the poll since it began in 1976. 

            The season’s first national statistics were released this week as well, and KU’s basketball teams were well represented.   

            For the men, forward Bilal Salaam (sr. Wilmington, DE/Howard) leads all players in Division II in blocks per game.  He is averaging 5.0 blocks in 10 games.  Salaam is chasing the Division II career record for blocked shots, needing 64 more rejections to reach the mark of 416.  Salaam also ranks 23rd in rebounds per game (10.0).  Bobby Eberhart (sr. Lancaster/McCaskey) ranks 31st in three-point field goal percentage (45.6%), while the men’s team ranks 28th in three-pointers per game (8.7). 

            For the women (7-4), Kutztown ranks ninth in Division II in field-goal percentage defense (32.7%).   

            Both teams return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Clarion for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover.  The women’s game starts at 1:00 PM, followed at 3:00 PM by the men.   

January 1, 2005

KUTZTOWN’S MOLLY BROWN NAMED PSAC EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

KUTZTOWN, PA – Kutztown University’s Molly Brown (fr. Kennett Square/Kennett), of the women’s basketball team, has been named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Rookie of the Week.

            Brown earns the award primarily for her effort in Kutztown’s PSAC crossover victory over Lock Haven on December 22.  The 5-11 forward came off the bench to score 17 points, hitting 5-of-11 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws.  She added 12 rebounds.  Brown scored 11 of her points in the final 11 minutes of the game, including a pair of game-winning free throws with 13 seconds left.  In KU’s other game that week, Brown scored two points against Indiana (PA) on December 21.