April 30, 2009

KU women's soccer players run in annual 5K

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University women’s soccer team took to the streets of Kutztown on Saturday, April 25, for the second annual women’s soccer 5K run.

The members of the Kutztown University women's soccer team who ran in the annual 5K on April 25.

The entire team, dressed in their grey training jerseys and black training shorts, organized two lines, stayed together and maintained a strong pace as they crossed the finish line at the corner of Baldy Street and South Campus Drive.

“The girls and I would really like to thank all the individuals, families and businesses who sponsored a runner this year,” said head coach Erik Burstein, who will enter his third year at KU in the fall. “Their overwhelming generosity was amazing and we cannot thank them enough for their support.”

The money raised goes to support the KU women’s soccer program, which is coming off its seventh straight 10-plus-win season. The Golden Bears’ 12-6-2 overall record and 6-4-2 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division record earned them a trip to the PSAC playoffs last season.

If you would like to support the 5K run, coach Burstein asks for you to make a check payable to Kutztown Women's Soccer and send it to the address below:

   Women's Soccer Office
   Kutztown University
   Keystone Hall
   Kutztown, PA 19530

If you have any questions, contact the soccer office at (610) 683-1522.

April 29, 2009

KU jumps to No. 8 in the NFCA Division II poll

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University softball team jumped up two spots to No. 8 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II poll.

The Golden Bears (43-8-1) won the first two games of the PSAC playoffs with a wins over Edinboro on Friday and Saturday.

Joining KU in the national ranking from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is Lock Haven (No. 3), Bloomsburg (No. 18) and California {Pa.} (No. 23). Lock Haven received one first-place vote, finishing ahead of them was Northern Georgia No. 2 (five first-place votes) and for the fourth straight week Alabama-Huntsville at No. 1 (nine first-place votes).

The Golden Bears advanced to Sunday's championship round at Lock Haven, where they will play No. 15 ranked Bloomsburg at 1 p.m. The winner will advance to the championship game to take on No. 3 ranked Lock Haven set to start at 3 p.m.

April 29, 2009

KU baseball moves up to No. 2 in NCAA Regional Poll

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University baseball team moved from No. 4 to No. 2 in the NCAA Atlantic Regional Poll, released on Wednesday.

The Golden Bears (32-14) trail fellow Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division opponent West Chester. West Chester moved into No. 1 after California (Pa.) dropped 3-of-4 games and fell to No. 6. Concord (No. 3), Shepherd (No. 4) and Mercyhurst (No. 5) round out the top five.

KU had a record of 3-3 on the week, with a four-game split against Millersville and a non-conference win over Albright. The Golden Bears dropped a non-conference matchup with Adelphi.

KU, which ranks No. 3 in the NCBWA Atlantic Regional Poll, will finish out the regular season with a non-conference contest against Philadelphia University on Sunday at 1p.m. The Golden Bears will then take on Slippery Rock in the first round of the PSAC Championships on Monday at 3:30 p.m. The PSAC Championships run from Monday through Thursday at the Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster, Pa.

April 29, 2009

Mehaffey and Schwar named to PSAC East second team

Rachel Mehaffey

Midfielder Mehaffey led the Golden Bears in scoring in her rookie campaign with 41 goals. She also led the team in caused turnovers with 35, and her 11 assists tied for the team lead.

Her 41 goals ranks third all-time for single season scoring at KU, behind Mary Anne Botto's 60 goals (1982) and Lisa Rawa's 45 goals (1987).

Mehaffey's best game of the season came in a win over Edinboro, when she scored six goals and added two assists. Against West Chester and Seton Hill, she scored five goals. The six goals in a game ties her for second on KU's all-time list with five other players.

Megan Schwar

Schwar was named to the second team for her work in the KU defense as a back. She led the team with 54 groundballs and her 21 caused turnovers ranked fifth on the team. Schwar started in fourteen games and played in fifteen.

In her rookie season, Schwar scored six goals, which included a hat trick against Gannon. She had 10 groundballs in an early-season victory over Seton Hill.

Mehaffey and Schwar are the first Golden Bear players to be named to any of the all-conference teams since the sport was reinstated in 2008, with 2009 being KU's first year back in the PSAC East. Last year KU competed as an independent.

Mehaffey was also a key part in the women's soccer team which made the PSAC playoffs. Also playing midfield in soccer, she scored a game-winning goal against Millersville and was part of a defense which had seven shutouts.

Schwar is also a two-sport varsity-letter athlete at KU, as she plays midfield on the field hockey team in the fall. This past season she played in nine games as the Golden Bears went 13-6 and made the PSAC playoffs.

April 27, 2009

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University baseball team remained ranked No. 3 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Atlantic Region poll released Monday.

KU, which was picked fifth in the NCBWA preseason poll, is 32-14, after going 3-3 last week, including two shutout wins against PSAC East foe Millersville.

April 21, 2009

Labitsch named PSAC Player of the Week for third straight week

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Lukas Labitsch (sr. Bruck an der Mur, AUSTRIA) was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's men's tennis Player of the Week for the third consecutive week on Monday.

Lukas Labitsch

Labitsch went 10-0 on the week to help the Golden Bears to a 4-1 record, including conference wins over Mercyhurst and Millersville. He also helped the Golden Bears to a 2-1 record at the Bloomsburg duals.

He has won seven straight singles matches and nine of his last 10. In doubles, pairing up with Arpit Sharma (jr. Kolkata, INDIA) to win eight straight doubles matches.

Overall on the season, he has a singles record of 14-6 and 14-2 on the season in doubles with Sharma.

Next up for Labitsch and the men's tennis team is the PSAC Championships, which will start on Friday at Bloomsburg.

April 20, 2009

Denlinger, Hoch sweep PSAC East weekly awards

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Steph Denlinger (sr. Harleysville/Souderton) and Mary Hoch (so. Somerton/St. Hubert) swept the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East weekly awards announced Monday.

Steph Denlinger	Mary Hoch

For the Kutztown University softball team, which claimed its third straight PSAC East title last week, this is the third time this season it has swept the weekly awards.

Denlinger won her fourth PSAC East Player of the Week award, batting an amazing .733 in six games.

Hoch won four games last week to claim her first PSAC East Pitcher of the Week award.

Hoch (15-1) started in one game and pitched in four others. In her only start, she pitched a complete-game shutout against Bloomsburg, holding the Huskies to three hits. Hoch did not allow an earned run in 22 2/3 innings of work. She struck out 19.

Steph Denlinger was 11-of-15 at the plate, with four doubles, two homers, 10 runs scored and nine RBIs. She also walked 10 times to break the NCAA Division II record for walks in a career. She now has 152, surpassing the previous mark of 145 (Taiisha Pleasant, of Humboldt St., 1997-00). Denlinger’s two homers and five of her RBIs came in a wild come-from-behind 17-10 win. She has 20 home runs on the season and 76 in her career.

The Golden Bears have finished their regular season and will play at 1 p.m. Friday in the PSAC first round tournament at North Campus Field. KU will play the winner of the first game, a matchup between No. 3-seeded Mansfield and the No. 2 seed out of the PSAC West. The latter team will be decided by Wednesday, as the Western Division still has games being played Monday and Tuesday.

April 20, 2009

KU lands three bowlers on NEC Academic Honor Roll

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Three members of the Kutztown University women’s bowling team were named to the Northeast Conference’s Academic Honor Roll.

Jacquelyn Heimbach (sr. Easton/Easton), Steph Ray (so. West Lawn/Wilson) and Chelsea Adam (fr. Reading/Exeter) were honored by the conference.

Heimbach, an education major, was the 2008-09 NEC Bowler of the Year, averaging a 183.3 for the Golden Bears.

Ray, an education major, was an NEC second team bowler and a National Tenpins Coaches Association All-America Honorable Mention. She averaged a 191.7, second-best on the Golden Bears.

Adam, a communication design major, averaged a 180.3 for KU.

April 16, 2009

April 16, 2009

KU baseball ranked fourth in NCAA regional poll

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University baseball team is ranked No. 4 in this weeks NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional poll.

The top-five schools are comprised of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schools, with California (Pa.) and West Chester at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Seton Hill ranks No. 3 to break up the PSAC lineup, followed by the Golden Bears, with Mercyhurst at No. 5.

West Virginia State (No. 6), Shepherd (No. 7) and Pitt-Johnstown (No. 8) round out the Atlantic Regional poll.

The Golden Bears rank No. 3 in the National College Baseball Writers Association Division II Atlantic Regional poll, which was released on Monday.

KU will return to action on Friday with a doubleheader against Shippensburg at North Campus Field starting at 1 p.m. The teams will then travel to Shippensburg on Saturday to complete the series with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

April 14, 2009

KU women's tennis to host first round PSAC playoff matchup

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University women’s tennis team will host the first round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs on Tuesday.

Rohini Das

The Golden Bears, second in the PSAC East, will host the No. 3 seed in the East, East Stroudsburg at a time to be determined.

Rohini Das (jr. Calcutta, INDIA) has led the Golden Bears this season, posting a 15-4 record. She’s 7-2 at No. 1 singles and 3-0 at No. 2.

Barbara Joerns (jr. Ludwigshafen, GERMANY) is 11-5, including 7-2 at No. 2 singles. Joerns and Das are 9-5 at No. 1 doubles.

Sabrina Arnaud (jr. Pintendre, CANADA) is 12-3, including an 11-1 record at No. 3 singles. She has won her last eight matches.

Nicole Devine (so. Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic) is 9-3, competing mostly at the No. 4 singles spot.

Devine and Arnaud are 9-4, competing mostly at No. 2 doubles.

KU overall is 58-30 in singles competition. The Golden Bears have a winning record in every singles slot except No. 5 singles. In doubles, KU is 23-18 on the season, including 9-3 marks at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles.

The winner of Tuesday's match will advance to the PSAC Championships on Friday and Saturday at Bloomsburg University.

April 13, 2009

Labitsch named PSAC Player of the Week for second straight week

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Lukas Labitsch (sr. Bruck an der Mur, AUSTRIA) was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's men's tennis Player of the Week for the second consecutive week on Monday.

Lukas Labitsch

Labitsch was 2-0 against Bloomsburg Saturday, helping the Golden Bears move to 3-0 in the PSAC.

In the team's 8-1 win over West Chester, Labitsch teamed with Arpit Sharma (jr. Kolkata, INDIA) to win the No. 2 doubles match 8-1, and Labitsch won 6-0, 6-3 at No. 2 singles. Sharma won in straight sets of 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.

Labitsch and the KU men's tennis team will host Millersville at 2 p.m. Wednesday and Mercyhurst at 1 p.m. Thursday.

KU will then travel to the Bloomsburg Duals for three matches on Friday and Saturday.

April 13, 2009

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — After winning three of four games against Bloomsburg University, the Kutztown University baseball team is ranked No. 3 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Atlantic Region Poll.

KU, which was picked fifth in the NCBWA preseason poll, is 26-9 .

April 9, 2009

Jones doubles up, wins D-II Rookie and Bowler of the Year Award

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Kayla Jones (fr. Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop) did what no other NCAA Division II bowler has ever done before — be named the 2008-09 NCAA Division II Rookie of the Year and Bowler of the Year by the National Tenpins Coaches Association.

Kayla Jones

Jones, who averaged a 193.7 over 77 games this season for the Kutztown University women's bowling team, also was named to the NTCA All-America second team.

She is the second KU bowler in the program’s two-year history to win the D-II Rookie of the Year, as Kayla Stamm (so. Mohnton/Governor Mifflin) won it last season.

Steph Ray (so. West Lawn/Wilson), who finished with the team’s second highest average of 191.7, was an honorable mention to the All-America teams.

Four KU bowlers finished the season in the top 50 in individual average, with Jones finishing 13th and Ray 21st. Stamm placed 36th with a 186.8 average and Jacquelyn Heimbach (sr. Easton/Easton), the Northeast Conference Bowler of the Year, was 49th with her 183.3 average.

KU finished the season 98-54 overall and 15-3 in the NEC, winning the regular season title. The Golden Bears ended the season ranked 11th in the nation and was ranked in the top 20 all season long.

"This was a valuable year of experience for us, bowling the fourth toughest schedule in the nation," said KU head coach Joe Ambrose, the NEC Coach of the Year. "The future certainly looks great for KU women's bowling. Next season, we will try to take the next step and get to nationals."

April 8, 2009

KU softball jumps up a spot to No. 9 in NFCA poll

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University softball team went 5-0-1 last week to move up a spot to ninth in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II poll.

Alabama-Huntsville is ranked No. 1, receiving 12 first-place votes at 35-2. Angelo State is second, earning four first-place votes, and North Georgia, Southeastern Oklahoma and Lock Haven round out the top five.

The Golden Bears (32-6-1, 8-0 PSAC East) have won 28 of their last 31 games.

KU has swept four straight PSAC East doubleheaders, and if the Golden Bears sweep their next two doubleheaders, which includes a pair of games against second-place Shippensburg, they'll clinch their third straight PSAC East title.

Steph Denlinger (sr. Harleysville/Souderton) has led KU at the plate, while Katlin Arbogast (jr. Ambler/Wissahickon) has been a dominant power on the mound.

Denlinger is batting .395 in 40 games with 17 home runs, 45 RBIs and 48 runs scored.

Arbogast is 16-3 with a 1.35 ERA over 140 innings. She has pitched 13 complete games, including four shutouts. She has struck out 163.

April 8, 2009

KU women's bowling finishes season ranked 11th in nation

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The National Tenpins Coaching Association released its final NCAA top 20 poll for the 2008-09 season with the Kutztown University women’s bowling team finishing 11th.

KU finished the season with 98-54 record and won the regular season title in the Northeast Conference with 15-3 record. The Golden Bears finished as the runner-ups at the NEC Championship, falling to Fairleigh Dickinson 4-0 in the title match.

For the first time, KU was nationally ranked all season, beginning at No. 16 in the preseason poll in October, climbing as high as No. 8 from November through January, and finishing 11th in the February and March polls.

Jacquelyn Heimbach (sr. Easton/Easton), the NEC Player of the Year, finished the season with a 183.3 average and a high game of 257.

“With only one player being lost to graduation in our captain Jacquelyn Heimbach,” KU head coach Joe Ambrose said, “and not losing any players the year after that, the future looks bright for KU bowling.”

Kayla Jones (fr. Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop) and Steph Ray (so. West Lawn/Wilson) will return for KU after leading the Golden Bears in average in 2008-09.

Jones, the NEC Rookie of the Year, averaged a 193.7 over 77 games during the season, while Ray averaged 191.7 over 72 games. Jones’ high game of 275 is a school record.

The top eight teams in the country are going to be in Detroit, Mich., this week for the NCAA Championships. The finals will be televised live on Saturday, April 11th, at 8 p.m. on both ESPN2 and ESPNU.

April 7, 2009

KU men's, women's track ranked in top 10 in dual meets

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released its first weekly poll for Division II dual meet ranking with both the men’s and women’s Kutztown University outdoor teams ranked in the top 10.

The KU men’s team has 272.22 points to earn a No. 6 ranking in the nation. California State University, Chico, is ranked No. 1 with 327.94 points and the University of California, San Diego, is second with 309.11 points.

The Golden Bears are one of four teams in the top 20 from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. East Stroudsburg earned the highest ranking at No. 4, and Slippery Rock and Lock Haven are back-to-back at No. 18 and 19.

The KU women’s team is ranked seventh nationally with 214.29 points. Angelo State University is ranked first with 325.57 points and the University of California, San Diego, is second.

Slippery Rock is third (259.05 points) and East Stroudsburg is fourth (231.27).

Also representing the PSAC for the women is Lock Haven at 12th.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will be back in action Friday and Saturday at Bison Invitational.

April 7, 2009

KU softball sweep PSAC East weekly honors

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Steph Denlinger (sr. Harleysville/Souderton) and Katlin Arbogast (jr. Ambler/Wissahickon) swept the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East weekly honors for the third time in five weeks.

Denlinger, named the East Player of the Week, is being honored after batting .450 (9-for-20) with a 1.250 slugging percentage on the week. She smacked five home runs, knocked in 10 RBIs and scored eight runs to help Golden Bears win five games.

In a 3-1 win over West Chester, Denlinger knocked in all three runs off of two home runs. She also hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh to break a 4-4 tie in a win over NYIT.

The PSAC East Pitcher of the Week went to Arbogast after a 2-0 week with a 0.72 ERA. Arbogast pitched in four games, compiling 19 1/3 innings. She struck out 16 batters and walked only three, while allowing only three earned runs.

Arbogast's two wins on the week came against PSAC East foes Shippensburg and West Chester. She notched complete games in both of the wins and allowed only one earned run in those 14 innings.

April 6, 2009

Labitsch named PSAC men's tennis Player of the Week

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Lukas Labitsch (sr. Bruck an der Mur, AUSTRIA) was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's men's tennis Player of the Week on Monday.

Lukas Labitsch

Labitsch was a perfect 3-0 on the week, helping the Golden Bears start out 2-0 in the PSAC play with wins over West Chester and East Stroudsburg.

April 6, 2009

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — After dropping three out of four games to West Chester University, the Kutztown University baseball team dropped to No. 2 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Atlantic Region Poll.

West Chester, which had a doubleheader sweep of KU Sunday, is in first place with nine first-place votes and 107 points. Third-ranked California (Pa.) received two first-place votes and 93 points.

KU, which was picked fifth in the NCBWA preseason poll, is 23-8 .

April 6, 2009

KU baseball, softball home doubleheaders Monday postponed

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The forecast for rain and thunderstorms have force the postponement of two home Kutztown University events Monday and a pair of tennis matches on Tuesday.

The KU softball team's doubleheader against Lincoln, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Monday at North Campus Field has been postponed. There is no makeup date at this time. Complete Softball Schedule

The KU baseball team's doubleheader against Columbia Union, scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday at North Campus Field, is postponed. There is no makeup date at this time. Complete Baseball Schedule

For a full list of Monday's KU athletic schedule, click here.

April 2, 2009

McQuade, Starr, Wisemiller top final PSAC stat charts

April 2, 2009

Ben named to Division II Bulletin All-American fourth team

April 1, 2009

KU tops many stat categories, Dennis wins PSAC scoring title

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — After the most successful men’s basketball season in school history, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference released its final statistics and Kutztown University finds itself near the top in several categories.

Stephen Dennis

The Golden Bears finished atop the PSAC in scoring offense, field-goal percentage, 3-point field-goal percentage, steals and turnover margin.

Stephen Dennis (jr. West Chester/Henderson) led the PSAC in two categories, scoring and steals. His 21.5 points edged out Joe Jones, of Edinboro, for the PSAC scoring title.

Dave Ben (sr. Coatesville/Coatesville) was third in the conference with 20.5 points per game and Andre Woodlin (sr. Philadelphia/Central) was 18th (14.3).

All three KU guards were in the top five in steals, with Dennis in first (72, 2.2 spg.), Woodlin third (68, 2.1) and Ben fifth (67, 2.0).

Dennis finished third in assists with 142 and 4.3 per game.

Ryan Washington (so. Philadelphia/Wissahickon) finished sixth in the conference in rebounding with 8.5 per game and third in blocks with 65.

Dennis recorded 40 blocks to place 10th.

Woodlin’s 42.2 shooting percentage from 3-point range was second in the conference and Ben’s 66 made 3s ranked eighth.

KU's 87.7 points per game average was more than five points better than any other team in the PSAC. KU also was second in scoring margin with a plus-15.2

The Golden Bears finished third in free-throw percentage (72.5).

KU was the top shooting team in the league, making 49.8 percent of its shots from the field. The Golden Bears also were the best from long range, hitting 39.2 percent of their 3-point attempts.

Defensively, KU ranked second guarding the 3, limiting opponents to a 30.5 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

In the paint, KU was second in blocks with 155 and 4.7 per game. The Golden Bears also pulled down 39.2 rebounds per game, fourth in the PSAC.

The Golden Bears 17.2 assists per game ranked third.

KU also was atop the league in steals (9.8) and turnover margin (plus-3.8).

April 1, 2009

KU softball team jumps to No. 10 in NFCA poll

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University team jumped from No. 12 to No. 10 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll released on Wednesday.

The top five spots remained the same, with Angelo State at first after receiving 12 first-place votes. Alabama Huntsville received two first-place votes to take second place, followed by North Georgia.

Southeastern Oklahoma (No. 4) and Humboldt State (No. 5) fill out the top five. Fellow Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference school Lock Haven ranks No. 6.

April 1, 2009

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University baseball team picked up 10 first-place votes to hold its No. 1 ranking in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Atlantic Region Poll.

KU, which was picked fifth in the NCBWA preseason poll, is 22-5 after an 8-2 win over Widener last week.