PRESEASON PSAC WOMEN'S LACROSSE POLL RELEASED

March 31, 2009

Pinter named PSAC Women's Field Athlete of the Week

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Ashley Pinter (so. Bethlehem/Liberty) was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after her performance at the Lafayette Eight-Way Meet Saturday.

Ashley Pinter

Pinter won first place in the discus with a toss of 132-1, which is second on the PSAC performance list this season.

She also had a second- and third-place finishes Saturday.

Pinter was the runner-up in the shot put (40-4 1/4) and third in the hammer toss (152-7).

The Golden Bears’ sophomore had a successful first year at KU in 2008, winning the PSAC title in the discus and finishing as an All-PSAC athlete in the shot put and hammer.

March 31, 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.

March 31, 2009

Cameron named PSAC East Player of the Week

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Krista Cameron (sr. Formosa, ONTARIO/Sacred Heart) led the Golden Bears to a 4-0 record in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East play last week en route to being named the division’s player of the week.

Krista Cameron

Cameron batted .583 (7-for-12) with four doubles and a triples. With the five extra-base hits, Cameron posted a slugging percentage of 1.083. Cameron drove in 13 runs and scored twice in two PSAC East doubleheader sweeps.

In the field, Cameron had eight assists and a putout.

Cameron is batting .389 (42-of-108) on the season, with a team-best five triples. She also has 10 doubles and five homers. She's driven in 35 runs and scored 19.

Starting in all 36 games, she has a slugging percentage of .713, second on the team.

After being named the PSAC East Player of the Week, Cameron took the field Monday against Shippensburg, going 3-for-5 with an RBI triple in their doubleheader.

KU won 4-1 in game one and 9-1 in game two to improve to 30-6 overall and 6-0 PSAC East.

The Golden Bears, who sit atop the PSAC East standings, will take on second-place West Chester (21-7, 3-1 PSAC East) at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

March 26, 2009

KU SOFTBALL RANKED No. 2 IN ATLANTIC REGION

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University softball team is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region poll.

The top-10 poll is made up of nine Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams, with Lock Haven ahead of the Golden Bears (26-6, 2-0 PSAC East). California (Pa.) is ranked third followed by West Chester (No. 4) and Bloomsburg (No. 5).

The Golden Bears finished last week with an 8-1 record. They swept Georgian Court at home on Tuesday and away at University of Sciences on Wednesday. Over the weekend at the Salem Invitational the Golden Bears finished 4-1.

KU swept its PSAC East opener on Wednesday, topping Millersville by scores of 3-2 and 3-0.

The Golden Bears will host Shippensburg on Friday for a PSAC East doubleheader, starting at 2:30 p.m. at North Campus Field.

March 26, 2009

Stamm named to NEC Championship All-Tournament team

GOLDEN BEAR BASEBALL RANKED No. 9 BY NCBWA

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University baseball team moved up in the rankings to No. 9 by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

The top two spots remained with Grand Valley State (Mich.) at No. 1 and Southern Arkansas ranked No. 2. Mesa State (No. 3), Emporia State (No. 4) and Barry (No. 5) round out the top five.

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Sabrina Arnaud (jr. Pintendre, CANADA), of the Kutztown University women's tennis team, was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division Player of the Week Monday.

Arnaud, who also won the award on March 12, helped KU pick up two wins last week, including a 4-3 win over Division 1 St. Joseph's University. KU also won 8-1 over the University of the Sciences.

She won two doubles matches during the week, teaming with KU's Nicole Devine (Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic) at the No. 2 doubles.

She also won matches at the No. 3 singles. Arnaud won 7-5, 6-0 over Laura Matz, of St. Joe's, and 6-0, 6-0 over Bridget Frymoyer, of the University of the Sciences.

March 23, 2009

Arbogast, Denlinger earn PSAC East weekly honors for second time

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Katlin Arbogast (jr. Ambler/Wissahickon) and Steph Denlinger (sr. Harleysville/Souderton) each earned their second weekly award from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Monday.

Denlinger was named the PSAC East Player of the Week for batting .448 with 13 runs scored and 12 RBIs. She hit two doubles and four homers, adding to her NCAA Division II career record. Denlinger now has 11 on the season and 67 for her career.

Arbogast was named the PSAC East Pitcher of the Week for her 3-0 week, pitching in five games. She started in four, while totaling 27 1/3 innings. She struck out 28 and had an ERA of 2.84. For the season, she is 12-3 overall with a 1.64 ERA. She’s pitched nine complete games, including two last week.

The Golden Bears (24-6) have won 21 of their last 23 games and are ranked 11th in the nation. KU will open PSAC East play this week with a doubleheader at home against Millersville at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and a doubleheader at home against East Stroudsburg at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

March 23, 2009

KU baseball keeps No. 1 ranking in Atlantic Region poll

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University baseball team picked up 11 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 21-5 after a four-game sweep of Mansfield. KU is 8-0 in the PSAC East.

West Chester moved into second place with 91 points, while California (Pa.) moved into the third spot with 84 points.

Pitt-Johnstown (80 points) and Slippery Rock (73) round out the top five.

KU has two non-conference matchups this week, hosting Widener at 3 p.m. Wednesday and traveling to Wilmington (Del.) University at 1 p.m. Sunday.

March 20, 2009

KU in sixth place of Dixon Trophy standings after fall, winter season

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Kutztown University is in sixth place after fall and winter sports seasons as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its most recent 2008-09 Dixon Trophy standings.

The Golden Bears, fueled by the great winter season, have 114 points, including a season-high 15 points garnered by the KU men’s basketball team, the PSAC East champion and PSAC runner-up.

Indiana (Pa.) is in first place with 143.5 points, ahead of California (Pa.) and a West Chester who are tied with 130.5 points. California has won four conference championships, tops in the PSAC.

Shippensburg is fourth with 128 points and Slippery Rock is fifth with 119.5.

The KU women’s basketball team and indoor track and field team both earned 11 points, while the women’s swimming team picked up another nine points.

On the men’s side, KU earned nine points from indoor track and field, four from wrestling and one from men’s swimming.

In the fall, KU earned three points from men’s soccer, five from men’s cross country, four from wrestling and 9.5 from football. Altogether, the men’s sports scored KU 21.5 points.

On the women’s side, KU picked up 14 points from cross country, 12 from golf, 11.5 from field hockey, eight from soccer and five from volleyball.

The Dixon Trophy is awarded to the most successful institution in the PSAC, based on its 12 best finishes, six men, six men. Points are given based on the school’s finish in PSAC postseason and regular-season play.

The award, in its 14th year, is named in honor of F. Eugene Dixon, Jr., the former chairman of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors.

The final standings will be announced after the spring sports season.

March 20, 2009

KU SWEEPS NEC BOWLING AWARDS

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University women's bowling team took home the top honors at the Northeast Conference's banquet held before the first NEC championships.

Coach Ambrose has improved on the program's inaugural season when the Golden Bears went 44-5 and has the team on the cusp of 100 wins. KU now stands at 92-50 heading into this weekend's tournament.

March 18, 2009

KU SOFTBALL RANKED No. 11 BY NFCA

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University softball team remained ranked No. 11 in the fourth week's poll by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

March 17, 2009

KU Fans on Their Way to Erie

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University men's basketball team will have some additional support in Tuesday's NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional championship game at Gannon University.

Approximately 30 KU students and fans boarded a bus and headed to Erie, Pa., Tuesday morning in anticipation of tonight's 7 p.m. game between KU and Gannon.

Full coverage of tonight's game can be found here.

March 16, 2009

Bucklin earns PSAC East Pitcher of the Week honors

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Mike Bucklin (jr. Shillington/Governor Mifflin) was named the PSAC East Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in the Kutztown University baseball team’s four-game sweep of East Stroudsburg last weekend.

Bucklin, appearing in three of the four games in relief, pitched four innings, while allowing no runs and no hits.

He earned a save in two games, while picking up the victory in another. He also recorded three strikeouts.

KU (16-5, 4-0 PSAC East) will return to the field at 2:30 p.m. Thursday for a non-conference contest with Wilmington, Del., at North Campus Field. KU will then have back-to-back doubleheaders with PSAC East foe Mansfield. The Golden Bears will travel to Mansfield on Friday and host the Mountaineers on Saturday. Both doubleheaders are set to start at 1 p.m.

March 14, 2009

Denlinger breaks Divison II home run record

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Steph Denlinger (sr. Harleysville/Souderton) broke the NCAA Division II career home run record on Saturday morning. The three-run home run in the fourth inning of a 10-0 win over West Virginia State gave Denlinger the 63rd of her career, eclipsing Jackie Aiken’s 62 set from 1994-97 while at Wisconsin-Parkside.

It took Denlinger only 186 games to break the record, compared to the 264 it took Aiken. She hit 16 home runs as a freshman and 24 home runs in her sophomore year.  The 40 home runs after two seasons were already the KU career-home run record and the 24 in the sophomore year set the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference record for single-season home runs.

Denlinger tacked on another 16 home runs in her junior season to give her 56 entering her senior season. She hit her sixth homer of the season and 62nd of her career last Saturday to tie Aiken for the record.

The Golden Bears, not even in PSAC Division play yet, have more than thirty games remaining for Denlinger to add to her record.

Denlinger, who plays first base, has earned several awards in her three years at KU, including the 2006 PSAC East Rookie of the Year and the 2007 PSAC East Player of the Year.

She entered the 2009 season batting .400, with 185 hits in 462 at-bats. She had 43 doubles, a triple and 170 RBIs. She also had 163 runs scored, while being issued 123 walks.

March 12, 2009

KU women's bowling ranked 11th in nation

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University women's bowling team is ranked 11th in the latest National Tenpins Coaches Association poll, released Wednesday.

The Golden Bears (84-43) have 191 points in the poll, sitting just outside the top 10.

Vanderbilt (75-17) remains ranked No. 1 with 573 points. Nebraska (67-19) moved from No. 3 to No. 2 and Fairleigh Dickinson (92-20) is No. 3. Delaware State (99-30) and Maryland-Eastern Shore (98-32) round out the top five.

The Golden Bears will return to the lanes this weekend with the Music City tournament in Smyrna, Tenn., hosted by Vanderbilt.

March 12, 2009

Arnaud selected as PSAC East Tennis Player of the Week

March 10, 2009

Driscoll named PSAC East Coach of the Year, Ben Player of the Year

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — With the NCAA tournament just around the bend for the 2008-09 Kutztown University men’s basketball team, the awards are pouring in for the best team in school history.

KU head coach Bernie Driscoll was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Coach of the Year Wednesday after leading the Golden Bears to a 13-1 division record. The 13 wins were a school record and gave KU its second straight PSAC East title, first outright since 1987-88.

Dave Ben (sr. Coatesville/Coatesville) was honored as the PSAC East Player of the Year, averaging 21.1 points per game.

Ben, along with Stephen Dennis (jr. West Chester/Henderson), were named to the All-PSAC first team, while teammates Ryan Washington (so. Philadelphia/Wissahickon) and Andre Woodlin (sr. Philadelphia/Central) were named to the second team.

Ben also was a first-team Daktronics All-Atlantic Region member, and Dennis was named to the second team.

Ben was named the PSAC East Player of the Year for his amazing senior year at KU. He set the school's all-time scoring record and continues to add on the points as he sits 24 points away from 2,000.

The 6-4 guard has averaged double-digits in all four of his seasons at KU, with 2008-09 being his best season at 21.1 points per game, third in the PSAC.

Ben was named the PSAC East Rookie of the Year in 2005-06. He is a three-time All-PSAC first team member, as well as a three-time Lehigh Valley College Media Organization Peter Nevins Player of the Year. He holds the school records for free throws (502) and field goals (642). He's second in 3-pointers with 190, fourth in rebounds with 655, and fifth in assists with 318. In 2005-06,

Dennis is the PSAC's leading scorer with 21.7 points per game. He's shooting 50.1 percent from the floor, and has been a force in the playoffs, scoring 98 points in three playoffs games entering the NCAA tournament. He set a career-high of 32 points in a win over Slippery Rock in the PSAC semifinals days after scoring a then-career-high 31 points over Mansfield in the quarterfinals.

With another year to play, Dennis is in third place on KU's all-time scoring list and on pace to score more than 2,000 in his career. Dennis has averaged 18.2 points per game over his three-year career.

Dennis was named the PSAC East Rookie of the Year in 2006-07, and also was an All-PSAC East first team member as a sophomore. He was a second team member as a freshman. Also as a freshman, he was named to the NCAA Division II Bulletin All-Freshman team.

For Woodlin, this is the second time he has been named to PSAC East second team. He has had his best season at KU, starting in 29 games and playing in all 30. He's averaged 14.6 points per game, which is 14th in the PSAC. He's shot a team-best 44.1 percent from 3, making 41 from beyond the arc. He's pulling down 4.9 rebounds per game, has 78 of his career 177 assists, 63 steals and 11 blocks.

Washington, who was last season’s PSAC East Rookie of the Year, posts double-digits, averaging 13.1 points per game. He’s the team’s leading shot blocker with 63 and averages 8.5 rebounds a game, sixth in the PSAC. He’s also the team’s leading shooter, making 61.5 percent of his field goals (163-of-265), second in the PSAC.

This season was the school record seventh straight year that ninth-year head coach Driscoll has led the Golden Bears to the PSAC playoffs. It is the longest active streak in the PSAC East and second longest in the league, as Edinboro qualified for the playoffs for its ninth straight season. This also is the seventh straight winning season for KU, as Driscoll has won 129 of his school record 140 wins in the last seven years. He set the school record for coaching wins, earning his 137th in an 82-76 win against Cheyney on Feb. 25.

This will be the first season KU is in the NCAA tournament under Driscoll. It’s just the second time in school history as the 1987-88 squad went to the NCAA East Regionals.

KU, which is ranked 20th in Division II, will travel to Erie, Pa., to play West Virginia State in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional quarterfinals. KU, the No. 3 seed in the region, will tip off against the sixth seed at noon Saturday at Hammermill Center on the campus of Gannon University.

March 10, 2009

DENLINGER, ARBOGAST EARN PSAC EAST WEEKLY HONORS

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Steph Denlinger (sr. Harleysville/Souderton) and Katlin Arbogast (jr. Ambler/Wissahickon) both earned Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference honors after their performances last week.

Denlinger, with her NCAA Division II record-tying 62nd home run, batted her way to the PSAC East Player of the Week award, while Arbogast struck out 46 batters en route to the PSAC East Pitcher of the Week award.

Denlinger hit .409 with four home runs and nine RBIs. She tied the NCAA Division II record for home runs in a career with 62 in a 3-2 win over Armstrong Atlantic on Saturday. She reached the milestone in 184 games, 80 games fewer than the Wisconsin-Parkside slugger whom she shares the record, Jackie Aiken (1994-97).

Denlinger is batting .371 on the season with 13 runs scored, 10 RBIs and an .829 slugging percentage. Her slugging percentage last week was 1.045.

She also hit the game-winning two-run homer in KU’s 10-inning battle with Kentucky-Wesleyan.

Arbogast finished the week at the Rebel Spring Games with a 5-1 record, pitching 33 2/3 innings. She threw three complete games, recording an ERA of 1.26.

She had 46 strikeouts for the Golden Bears, including two games in which she sat down 10 batters.

She allowed just six earned runs all week, appearing in six games.

KU will be back in action with five games at the Glenville Invitational this weekend. The Golden Bears will open their home slate with a doubleheader on March 17 against Georgian Court.

March 10, 2009

KU SWIMMERS EARN TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University women’s swimming team was recognized by the College Swim Coaches Association of America for their display of excellence in the classroom.

The team maintained an average GPA of 3.0 or higher to meet the requirements to receive the CSCAA Team Academic Award. The KU women were just one of 18 Division II schools to be honored by the CSCAA.

The Golden Bears finished the season with an 11-3 overall record and 7-3 in the PSAC. Individually, Steph Jeppesen (jr. Bethlehem/Liberty) will be competing this weekend at the NCAA Championships in Houston, Texas. Click here for championship coverage.

March 10, 2009

MALOUF, McQUADE, WISEMILLER RECEIVE PSAC HONORS

Janet Malouf

Melissa McQuade

Rachel Wisemiller

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference released its end of the season awards on Tuesday for women's basketball with three Golden Bears receiving honors.

March 10, 2009

KU BASEBALL RANKED No. 1 IN REGIONAL POLL, 11th NATIONALLY

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University baseball team earned four first-place votes to take the top spot in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Atlantic Region Poll.

The Golden Bears also are ranked 11th in the Division II NCBWA national poll released Tuesday.

The NCBWA poll is not the official NCAA poll. The Collegiate Baseball Division II poll is the official poll of NCAA baseball. For the official Division II top 25 poll, click here.

KU, which was picked fifth in the NCBWA preseason poll, has stormed out to a 12-5 start to earn 76 points in the NCBWA’s first poll of the season.

Slippery Rock is 10-4 and in second place with two first-place votes and Pitt-Johnstown is third at 6-2.

Shippensburg and West Chester round out the top five. Indiana (Pa.), East Stroudsburg and California (Pa.) also are in the region’s top 10.

The Golden Bears will open PSAC East play this week with a home doubleheader against East Stroudsburg.

The two schools also will play a doubleheader at East Stroudsburg on Saturday. Both sets of games will start at 1 p.m.

March 8, 2009

KU MEN'S BASKETBALL A No. 3 SEED IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University men’s basketball team is headed back to NCAA Division II tournament as a No. 3 seeded in the Atlantic Region after finishing second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs.

KU (26-4), ranked 21st in the national coaches poll, will match up against No. 6-seeded West Virginia State (24-5) at noon Saturday. It will be one of four games to tip off Saturday in the eight-team regional.

The Golden Bears, who will be making their second appearance in the NCAA tournament, also will be heading back to Erie, Pa., as No. 1-seeded Gannon will host the regional tournament at Hammermill Center.

Gannon, on the opposite side of the bracket will play No. 8 Pitt-Johnstown, and the winner will play either fourth-seeded Johnson C. Smith or fifth-seeded Alderson-Broaddus. Gannon and Pitt-Johnstown will tip off at 6 p.m. and Johnson C. Smith and Alderson-Broaddus will play at 8:30 p.m.

The other matchup features No. 2 Virginia Union vs. No. 7 Indiana (Pa.) at 2:30 p.m. The winner will play either KU or West Virginia State at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The semifinals will be played on Sunday and the final will tip off at 7 p.m. Tuesday, all at Hammermill Center.

The tournament winner will advance to the Elite 8 with the other seven regional winners. The Elite 8 will be played on March 25, 26 and 28 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.

For the full NCAA Division II bracket, click here.

KU’s only other appearance in the NCAA tournament came in 1988. That squad also is the only other KU team to have won the PSAC East crown outright. The Golden Bears this year went 13-1 in the PSAC East to win the division after sharing the title with Cheyney in 2008.

This season has featured the most wins by any team in school history with 26. KU was riding a school record 15-game winning streak when it matched up against the No. 6 team in the nation, Gannon, in the PSAC final. The Golden Knights won 80-65 to lock up the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

For KU head coach Bernie Driscoll, this will be his first trip to the NCAA tournament. Driscoll has led the Golden Bears to 140 win over his nine years at KU, more victories than any other coach in program history.

March 7, 2009

DENLINGER TIES NCAA DIVISION II HOME RUN RECORD

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Steph Denlinger (sr. Harleysville/Souderton) blasted her way into a tie for first place on the NCAA Division II home run record list Saturday.

Her two-run shot in a 3-2 win in the first game of a doubleheader at Armstrong Atlantic gave her 62 home runs for her career, tying Jackie Aiken’s mark. Aiken, of Wisconsin-Parkside, originally set the record, playing in 264 games from 1994 to 1997.

Denlinger, who has six home runs on the season, has reached the milestone mark in 184 games.

The left-handed slugger entered the season in third place on the all-time list and now will have the chance to break the record with five games at the Glenville Invitational. If she doesn’t manage to hit the historic home run then, she will have the opportunity to break it at North Campus Field when KU opens the home slate with a non-conference doubleheader against Georgian Court on March 17.

Denlinger, who plays first base, has earned several awards in her three years at KU, including the 2006 PSAC East Rookie of the Year and the 2007 PSAC East Player of the Year.

She entered the 2009 season batting .400, with 185 hits in 462 at-bats. She had 43 doubles, a triple and 170 RBIs. She also had 163 runs scored, while being issued 123 walks.

Her 24 home runs, 73 RBIs and 51 walks in 2007 set PSAC single-season records.

March 5, 2009

MEN'S, WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY NAMED ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University women’s cross country team was named a Division II All-Academic Team for the 11th consecutive season by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

The men's team also was named an All-Academic team with a 3.10 GPA. The men are one of 58 teams honored by the USTFCCCA.

The women's team finished the 2008 fall semester with a 3.38 GPA. KU was one of 99 women’s teams honored.

For schools to qualify, the student-athletes must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.

On the women's side, Seattle Pacific University had the highest overall team GPA (3.737). Nine of the top ten teams, and 15 of the top 20 teams at the national meet made the All-Academic team list.

The KU women, under head coach Ray Hoffman, placed third at the PSAC Championships and third at the NCAA Atlantic Regionals in 2008. KU finished the season ranked 17th in the nation.