Jan. 29, 2009
AVALANCHE'S 1ST
GRADE FUN DAY
KUTZTOWN, Pa. —
The Golden Bears' super-fan Avalanche will be hosting
Avalanche’s First Grade Fun Day at Keystone Hall on Tuesday,
February 3 at 11 a.m. for the National Girls and Women in
Sports Day.
Invited to the event
are roughly 155 first grade children from
Kutztown School District. Joining Avalanche will be a staff
of KU student-athletes and coaches, who will be running the
stations of their sport. These stations include: basketball,
volleyball, bowling, field hockey, swimming, tennis,
tumbling, soccer, golf, obstacle course, lacrosse and
softball.
Following the sporting festivities the
first graders are invited to the field house for lunch with
Avalanche and his helpers.
Jan.
29, 2009
STAMM EARNS NEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
KUTZTOWN, Pa.
—
Kayla Stamm (so. Mohnton/Governor Mifflin)
became the third Golden Bear bowler to be named the
Northeast Conference's Bowler of the Week.
Stamm had the
second-highest individual average with 219.8, at the Bowie
State Classic this past weekend. She knocked down a total of
1,319 pins in six traditional games with a high game of 255
to help lead the Golden Bears to a fifth-place finish.
Stamm rolled a
team-high 219 to help lead No.8 ranked KU to a 19-pin
victory over No.7 New Jersey City.
Stamm joins
Kayla
Jones (fr. Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop) and
Steph Ray (so. West Lawn/Wilson)
as NEC Bowler of the Weeks who have held the honor in
four-of-seven weeks.
The Golden Bears
will host the KU Invitational this weekend, starting Friday
at 5 p.m. at the Bowl-O-Rama in Reading.
Jan.
29, 2009
KU SOFTBALL RANKED 12TH IN DIVISION II PRESEASON POLL
KUTZTOWN, Pa. —
The Kutztown University softball team will open the 2009
season ranked 12th in Division II in the National Fastpitch
Coaches Association poll.
The Golden Bears, who
finished the 2008 season with a school record 48 wins, are
one of three PSAC teams in the top 25. Lock Haven is ranked
No. 1 overall and Bloomsburg is No. 15. Humboldt State, last
season’s national champion, is ranked second in the
preseason poll.
KU returns the reigning
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Player of the Year,
Ashley
Fitzgerald (sr. Kitchener, ONTARIO /Resurrection),
along with the school’s all-time strikeout leader,
Katlin
Arbogast (jr. Ambler/Wissahickon).
Fitzgerald’s 16 home runs tied for the team lead with
Steph
Denlinger (sr. Harleysville/Souderton),
the 2007 PSAC Player of the Year.
KU opens the season at the South Carolina-Aiken Tournament
on Feb. 7. The two-day weekend tournament will include a
contest against No. 5 Francis Marion and two games against
No. 20 Georgia College and State University.
Jan.
29, 2009
KU MEN'S BASKETBALL RANKED SIXTH IN ATLANTIC REGION
KUTZTOWN, Pa.
— The Kutztown University men’s basketball team is ranked sixth in the NCAA Division II Atlantic
Regional poll released Wednesday.
Alderson-Broaddus (14-1) is ranked No. 1, followed by Gannon
(12-2), Indiana, Pa. (12-2), Virginia Union (12-3) and
Johnson C. Smith (13-4). Elizabeth City State (12-4),
Edinboro (11-4), West Virginia State (12-4) and West Chester
(12-5) round out the top 10.
After
earning the ranking, KU defeated 10th-ranked West Chester in
convincing fashion, 97-71, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic
Conference East contest.
The
Golden Bears (15-3, 4-1 PSAC East) are tied for first in the
division with Cheyney (11-5, 4-1 PSAC East). The two
teams finished the 2007-08 season tied for first.
KU is
14-3 in its last 17 PSAC East contests.
Dave Ben (sr. Coatesville/Coatesville),
who scored a career-high 36 points and hit a school record
eight 3-pointers against West Chester, is leading the Golden
Bears with 22.1 points per game. He’s shooting 50.4 percent
from the floor.
Stephen Dennis (jr. West Chester/Henderson)
is second with 19.9 points per game,
Andre Woodlin (sr. Philadelphia/Central)
averages 13.9 and
Ryan Washington (so. Philadelphia/Wissahickon)
posts 13.3. Washington also is averaging 9.2 rebounds per
game.
KU will return home to host Bloomsburg at
8 p.m. Saturday at Keystone Hall.
Jan. 26, 2009
DAVE BEN NAMED
PSAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
KUTZTOWN, Pa.
—
Dave Ben (sr. Coatesville/Coatesville) was named
the
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East men's basketball
Player of the Week after becoming the all-time leading
scorer at KU.
Ben scored 22
points on Wednesday in a 85-69 win over Mansfield to give
him 1,684 points in his career. This total put him two
points ahead of Lock Jennings who held the KU scoring title
for 16 years. Ben scored 16 of his 22 points in the second
half to reach the top of the Golden Bear record books.
Ben tacked on 20
points to his record on Saturday in the Golden Bears 69-68
win at Shippensburg. He also had eight rebounds and four
blocks to help secure the victory.
KU will travel to West Chester
for an 8 p.m. PSAC East tip-off Wednesday.
Jan. 22, 2009
GOLDEN BEAR BOWLERS TO HOST KU INVITATIONAL
KUTZTOWN, Pa.
— The first NCAA bowling tournament in Pennsylvania will be
hosted by Kutztown University.
The KU Invitational will run from
Friday, Jan. 30 to Sunday, Feb. 1, in Reading.
The three-day event will start on
Friday at Bowl-O-Rama in Reading at 4 p.m. with four game
Baker matches.
The second and third day will be
conducted at Hiester Lanes in Reading. Day two will begin
with traditional team matches at 9:30. These games will
determine the individual tournament standings.
The final day’s events will start
around 8:45 a.m. with four-game baker matches. At
approximately noon, reseeding of the teams will take place,
followed by best of seven baker matches. The tournament will
conclude around 2 p.m. with a brief awards ceremony.
“I’m very excited to host KU’s
first-ever home bowling invitational,” head coach Joe
Ambrose said. “It will also be the first-ever invitational
in Pennsylvania, so it will be a great opportunity for us to
showcase our area and our young program to some of the best
teams in the country.”
The 25-team field includes 10 of the
top 20 teams in the nation. No.3 Farleigh Dickinson, No.4
Delaware State and No.5 University of Maryland-Eastern Shore
will be competing, as well as No.7 New Jersey City and host
No.8 KU.
Other notable ranked teams are Sacred
Heart (No. 11), University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (No. 15),
Adelphi (No.16), Morgan State (No.17) and St. Francis, N.Y.
(No.19).
Also in the field of competition will
be regional foe Cheyney and Lincoln, which are each located
around the Philadelphia area.
The Golden Bears have been led this
season by Kayla Jones, who is averaging 208.4 and a
game-high of 275. Stephanie Ray averages 197.9 pins,
while Kayla Stamm averages 192.0. Chelsea Adam
is next on the team with a 191.9 average on the season.
Jacquelyn Heimbach rounds out the top five, averaging
188.1 per game.
Jan.
22, 2009
HEALEY AND NYE RECEIVE FALL TOP 10
AWARD
KUTZTOWN, Pa.
— Kutztown field hockey forward
Kelley Healey (sr. Toms River, N.J./Toms River North)
and football punter
Ryan
Nye (sr. Bernville/Holy Name) each were named to the
Fall Top 10 list.
The
Fall Top 10 list, selected by the PSAC's Sports Information
Directors, is awarded to five male and five female
student-athletes that excel on the field and in the
classroom. A conference Top 10 list is awarded after each of
the sporting seasons: fall, winter and spring.
In order to be
recognized for the award, the student-athlete must have
achieve a minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA and must be a starter
or key contributor off the bench. The award is only handed
out to those participating in fall varsity sports. Those
sports include: men's and women's soccer, football, field
hockey, women's volleyball and men's and women's cross
country.
 |
|
Kelley Healey |
Healey has
received the honor for the second consecutive year. She had
a cumulative GPA of 3. 81 while majoring in biology. Healey
also earned honors for All-PSAC East first team, NFHCA
All-American first team and was an All-NFHCA All-Star
selection. She finished the season with nine goals and 12
assists to lead the team with 30 points.
Healey finished
her career in second all-time in scoring with 161 points and
a career record of 39 assists.
 |
|
Ryan Nye |
Nye had a
cumulative GPA of 3.69 as an elementary education major. He
finished the 2008 season with a 41.2 yards per punt average,
which ranked 14th in Division II. His longest punt of the
season was a career-best 70-yarder against Shippensburg.
The four-year
starter holds the KU record with a 39.6 career punting
average. He also finished third in career punts (199) and
punting yards (7,883).
Joining Healey
and Nye on the list were Jen Blasko (Slippery Rock,
women's volleyball), Bryan Boyce (Mercyhurst,
football), Chris Clark (California, men's cross
country), Trevor Harris (Edinboro, football),
Taylor Hilinski (Mercyhurst, women's soccer), Ashley
Jones (Edinboro, women's soccer), Jon Ochs
(Bloomsburg, football) and Jamie Vanartsdalen
(Bloomsburg, field hockey).
At the end of
the academic year, the league will announce the
Scholar-Athletes Awards, which acknowledges the
student-athlete on all PSAC teams with a 3.25 cumulative GPA
or better. The Top 10 Award winners are eligible for the
league's Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors,
given to one male and one female candidate at the end of the
academic year.
Jan. 22,
2009
KU CHEER TEAM
PLACES FOURTH AT NATIONAL COMPETITION
ORLANDO,
Fla.
— The Kutztown University Cheer Team took fourth place at the 2009 Universal
Cheerleaders Association College
National Championships January 16-18 at Disney's Wide World
of Sports.
The competition
showcased 150 colleges and universities in more than 15
categories from all over the
nation, including Pennsylvania schools Villanova, Penn
State, West Chester, and Slippery Rock.
KU finished
fourth of 14 teams in the All-Girl Division II
category. Southern Connecticut State was first, followed by
West Georgia, the College of New Jersey and KU. In
fifth place was Angelo State, followed by Avlia, Nova
Southeastern and Jones County Junior College rounded out the
top eight.
The competition will be
shown on ESPN on
February 22nd.
The KU cheer team,
under the direction of first-year head coach Tori Palmer,
can be seen all season at the home men's and women's
basketball games.
Jan. 21, 2009
KU WRESTLING MOVES UP TO NO.18 IN DIVISION II
KUTZTOWN, Pa.
— The Kutztown University wrestling team jumped into the
top-20 rankings on Wednesday, voted on by the NCAA Division
II Wrestling Coaches Association.
The Golden Bears (4-2-1), nationally
ranked for the first time all season, moved into a tie at
No.18 with Central Missouri.
This past week the Golden Bears upset
then ranked No.16 West Liberty State with a thrilling 28-16
win. The loss dropped West Liberty State below KU and tied
at No. 20.
The top spot has been held all season
long by Nebraska-Ohama and Newberry remained in the second
spot.
Individually,
Joe Kemmerer (sr.
Mountiantop/Crestwood) is the top wrestler of the
133-pound weight class.
KU will return to action this Friday
and Saturday in the East Coast Duals at St. Andrews.
Jan.
20, 2009
SHAPIRO NAMED PSAC WOMEN'S SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
 |
|
Jordan
Shapiro |
KUTZTOWN, Pa. —
Jordan
Shapiro (fr. Trenton N.J./Princeton) was
named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s Women’s
Swimmer of the Week after her performance Saturday at
Bloomsburg.
Shapiro, who earned the award for the first time in her
career, helped the Golden Bears defeat Bloomsburg 155-105
with three individual wins and a relay victory.
She won the 50 freestyle (25.66), as well as the 100 and 200
backstroke events, with times of 1:01.93 and 2:12.48,
respectively. She also helped KU with the 400 medley relay
(4:10.08).
It’s her second straight week with multiple wins in a PSAC
meet, as she was a crucial part to KU’s 133-129 win over
California (Pa.) on Jan. 10, winning the 50 backstroke
(29.10 and the 100 back (1:01.56). Shapiro also earned a
second place finish in the 50 free (25.74).
Shapiro is a PSAC qualifier in the 100 and 200 backstroke,
and the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events.
She is the second member of the women’s swimming team to be
named PSAC Swimmer of the Week, as
Steph Jeppesen (jr. Bethlehem/Liberty)
earned the honor on Nov. 18.
KU will travel
to Shippensburg for a 6 p.m. PSAC meet.
Jan.
15, 2009
RAY NAMED NEC BOWLER OF THE WEEK
 |
|
Steph Ray |
KUTZTOWN, Pa. —
Steph
Ray (so. West Lawn/Wilson) was named the
Northeast Conference’s Bowler of the Week after posting a
213.3 average at the St. Francis New Year’s Knockdown last
weekend.
Ray’s average was the highest of any
NEC competitor at the meet. She totaled 1,493 pins in seven
traditional games, helping the Golden Bears finish second in
the seven-team tournament.
Ray posted a high game of 236 in a win
over former national champion New Jersey City University.
She hit the 200-mark in six of seven games.
She is the second KU bowler to have
won the NEC weekly award, as
Kayla
Jones (fr. Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop) won
earlier in the season.
KU will return to the lanes on Jan.
24-25 at the Bowie State Invitational.
Jan.
15, 2009
JONES NAMED NEC ROOKIE BOWLER OF THE WEEK
 |
|
Kayla Jones |
KUTZTOWN, Pa. —
Kayla
Jones (fr. Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop) was
named the Northeast Conference’s Rookie of the Week for the
fourth time this season.
Jones keyed KU’s second-place finish
at the St. Francis New Year’s Knockdown last weekend,
averaging a 199.0 over seven games, sixth-best among bowlers
in the seven-team competition.
She amassed 1,393 pins and had a
high-game of 235 in KU’s 1,084-1,035 win over No. 7 New
Jersey City. Her 224 helped the Golden Bears win 1,000-927
over Hamton.
KU will return to the lanes on Jan.
24-25 at the Bowie State Invitational.
Jan. 13, 2009
PAUKOVITS NAMED PSAC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
KUTZTOWN, Pa. —
John Paukovits (so. Northampton/Northampton) was
awarded the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference wrestler
of the week after finishing 4-0 and in first-place in the
141-pound weight class at the Shorty Hitchcock Open at
Millersville over the weekend.
Paukovits set up his run with a 9-5 decision over unattached
wrestler Jon Kohler of Maryland, the 2008 ACC Champion,
followed by a 7-3 decision over Kelin Bidelspach of
Campbell.
To get
his way into the finals, Paukovits pinned his opponent,
Dallas Evans of Seton Hill, in 1:26. In the championship
bout, Paukovits used an 8-5 decision to edge out Casey Smith
of Army to claim the top spot.
Over
the weekend, Paukovits improved his season record to 13-5
and notched his second pin, which set his fastest fall time
at 1:26.
Paukovits and the rest of the Golden Bears return to the mat
on Saturday at Keystone Hall when they play host
to West Liberty State at noon.
Jan. 13, 2009
COFFEY, WISEMILLER NAMED LVSCB SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
KUTZTOWN, Pa. —
Steve Coffey (so. Reading/Wilson),
of the Kutztown University men’s basketball team, and
Rachel Wisemiller (jr. Hazleton/Hazleton),
of the women’s basketball team, were named to the Lehigh
Valley Small College Basketball Scholar-Athlete teams
Tuesday.
 |
|
Steve Coffey |
 |
|
Rachel
Wisemiller |
Wisemiller has a 3.80 GPA, majoring in mathematics. She also
is working toward a psychology minor. The 5-10 junior guard
is averaging 16 points per game with a team-high 36
3-pointers. She’s also averaging 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists
and 1.2 blocks per game.
Wisemiller is a three-time member of the Dean’s List and a
two-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete.
Coffey, a guard on the 11-2 men’s team, was a member of the
Lehigh Valley Media Organization’s scholar-athlete team last
season. He is a secondary education major with a 3.10 GPA.
He set a career-high in points with 14 against Penn
State-Abington on Dec. 30. He averaged 3.2 points, 2.2
rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
Jan. 13, 2009
WASHINGTON GARNERS HIS FIRST PSAC EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
AWARD
KUTZTOWN, Pa. —
Ryan
Washington (so. Philadelphia/Wissahickon)
was recognized for his big weekend by being named the
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Player of the
Week.
 |
|
Ryan Washington |
Washington, a 6-foot-7 forward for the Kutztown University
men’s basketball team, scored a career-high 26 points in a
91-85 comeback win over Edinboro Saturday. He scored 22 of
his 26 in the second half, where KU erased a 17-point
deficit.
He also had 15 rebounds to record one of his two
double-doubles of the weekend. On Sunday, he helped the
Golden Bears (11-2) defeat Lock Haven 98-58 with 18 points
and 15 rebounds, 12 on the defensive end.
Washington, the reigning PSAC East Rookie of the Year, is
averaging 13.4 points and averaging 8.7 rebounds per game.
This is Washington’s first PSAC East Player of the Week
award in his career and it is KU’s third this season, as
Dave Ben
(sr. Coatesville/Coatesville)
and
Stephen
Dennis (jr. West Chester/Henderson)
have each won once.
KU will travel to East Stroudsburg to open up the PSAC East
schedule with an 8 p.m. tipoff Wednesday.
Jan. 09, 2009
COLEMAN EARNS THIRD TEAM SELECTION BY FOOTBALL GAZETTE
KUTZTOWN, Pa.
—
Kendell Coleman (so. Philadelphia/Martin Luther King)
was named to the 2008 Don Hansen Football Gazette All Super
Region One third team as a return specialist Friday.
Coleman, who also was named an All-PSAC East first team
return specialist,
finished second in the PSAC in punt return average, netting
16.3 yards on 16 returns. His 78-yard touchdown return
against Shippensburg highlighted his efforts.
Coleman’s
261 punt return yards are tied for second-most in a season
at KU. He also averaged 20.8 yards on eight kickoff returns.
Coleman was one of 28
players from the PSAC named to the third team.
Jan. 08, 2009
KRUSE TO BE INDUCTED INTO EASTERN PA LACROSSE HALL OF FAME
KUTZTOWN, Pa. —
Former Kutztown University men’s lacrosse attacker and
senior captain George Kruse (West Babylon, N.Y./West
Babylon) will be inducted posthumously in the Eastern
Pennsylvania Lacrosse Hall of Fame by the Philadelphia
Lacrosse Association on Feb. 7.
Kruse is one of nine
contributors to the game of lacrosse who make up the Class
of 2009. They will be honored with a dinner at the Desmond
Hotel in the Great Valley Corporate Center in Malvern, Pa.
Kruse, who competed at KU
from 1974-79, still holds the all-time NCAA Division II
record for points per game in a single season with 8.33 in
1977 and the record for assists per game in a season, 5.6 in
1975. He totaled 276 points in his career, averaging 7.9 per
game, fifth in Division II history. His 172 career assists
in 35 games (4.91 average) is second all-time.
As a junior, he was named
an All-America first team member. He was inducted in the
Kutztown University Hall of Fame in 1991.
After his four years at
KU, Kruse coached Malvern Prep from 1987-91. He also became
a well-known referee at the high school, college and club
levels.
Kruse’s wife, Barbara
Francis-Kruse, was inducted into the KU Hall of Fame two
years after her husband was. On their way home from the
ceremony, George Kruse was tragically killed in a car
accident on Sept. 11, 1993.
Kruse is honored at KU
with the George Kruse Memorial Scholarship for Athletics,
which was established by his wife and brother, and it’s
awarded to several deserving student-athletes every year.
For tickets to the Eastern
Pennsylvania Lacrosse Hall of Fame ceremony, log onto
www.palacrosse.com.
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