Gettysburg Men's Lacrosse on WPMT 43

WPMT-TV Fox 43 in York, Pa. featured the Gettysburg men's lacrosse program on their March 30 broadcast.

Weekend Preview

The second full weekend of spring sets up the first full weekend of Centennial Conference competition. Big games are on tap on the diamond, the turf and the courts, while the golf and track teams are also involved in big events.

Ursinus at Johns Hopkins (Baseball)
The series between the Bears (1-0 CC, 9-5-1) and the Blue Jays (1-0, 8-7) is renewed for the 56th year with Hopkins holding a 65-21 all-time lead with victories in the last six contests. The doubleheader pits the two winningest coaches in Conference games in Centennial history - Ursinus' Brian Thomas (180-91 entering Friday) and Hopkins' Bob Babb (218-51-1 entering Friday). Something has to give in this one, as the Jays lead the Conference with a .399 team batting average, while the Bears top the loop in team ERA (3.44).

McDaniel Spring Invitational (Men's Golf)
It's the unofficial tuneup for the Conference championship at The Bridges GC in Abbottstown, Pa. Franklin & Marshall posted the lowest team stroke average during the fall (305.4), while Muhlenberg (311.9) and defending champion McDaniel (314.9) were second and third. Medalist honors could come down to a battle between Dickinson's Joey Goldstein (75.5 fall avg), F&M's Andrew Woods (75.7), McDaniel's Paul Kovalcheck (76.4) and Muhlenberg's Zachary Oyer (77.0).

Haverford at Washington (Men's Lacrosse)
The #14 Black Squirrels (2-0, 6-2) and the #8 Shoremen (3-0, 8-1) meet for the 20th time since 1990 with Haverford looking for its first-ever victory in the series. In the last meeting in Chestertown in 2007, Washington needed four overtimes to dispatch the scrappy Fords - the closest margin in the series history. Two of the CC's top attackmen will be on display in Haverford's Max Hjelm (22-2-24) and Washington's Jimmy Kielek (17-19-36).

Dickinson at Haverford (Women's Lacrosse)
The 20th ranked Red Devils (2-0, 6-2) travel to the Main Line to take on the surprising Fords (1-1, 7-1). Dickinson has won five straight in the series to take an 8-7 advantage since 1994. Haverford's last triumph was a 17-6 victory at home in 2003. Keep an eye on this matchup - the Fords' Josie Ferri (33-5-38) versus the Devils' Ana Sokol (3rd in CC with 13 caused turnovers).

Haverford at Gettysburg (Softball)
The Fords (2-0, 9-3) and the Bullets (1-1, 15-5) meet in a battle between two of the CC's top teams. Gettysburg holds a 20-4 lead in the series, but Haverford swept the 2008 twinbill, 7-2 and 4-2. The Fords (.305) and Bullets (.296) are 2-3 in the Conference in team batting average, while none of the likely starting pitchers - Becky Garibotto (1-1, 1.77) and Lisa Karmel (2-2, 1.79) from Haverford nor Beth McCullough (8-1, 1.75) and Kristy Rubino (6-4, 1.79) of Gettysburg - have an ERA above 1.80.

Is College Worth the Money?

Stephen G. Emerson, Haverford's president, explains why it pays to earn an undergraduate degree.

"If you have paid, or are about to pay, an astronomical amount of money to a college or university, I'm pleased to report that you're making a good investment."

But that isn't news: With a single Google search you can turn up countless articles, essays and analyses proving that nearly all degrees more than pay for themselves. (An M.A. in a few fields is the sole soft spot.) Some degrees, such as those you get for studying law or medicine, generally pay enormous dividends.

But I propose that those of us in higher education--administrators, teachers, students and parents--take another look at this question by changing the very question itself. Instead of asking, "Is college worth the money?" what if we ask, "How valuable is a college degree?"

Tennis Takes Center Court

One of the top women's tennis matches of the Centennial season takes place today in Chestertown as Washington College (1-0 CC, 9-1) plays host to two-time defending champion Johns Hopkins (0-0, 1-3). The Blue Jays are ranked 21st nationally and sixth in the Atlantic South region, while the Shorewomen are slotted at No. 12 in the region. Hopkins has two singles players ranked in the region's top 15 in Carolyn Warren (#11) and Anita Bhamidipati (#15), while the doubles team of Warren and Brittany Matava are ranked 10th regionally. Washington's top player is freshman Brittany Marshall who is 11-1 on the season.

Opening Day

It's Opening Day! Well, I guess technically, not really. But it is the first day of Centennial Conference baseball play on the first Tuesday of spring.

Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn, who played for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, summed up the essence of Opening Day when he said, "An opener is not like any other game. There's that little extra excitement, a faster beating of the heart. You have that anxiety to get off to a good start, for yourself and for the team. You know that when you win the first one, you can't lose 'em all."

Today, first pitches will be tossed out in Allentown, Baltimore, Haverford, Lancaster and Westminster. On Friday, the scenes will be reversed in Carlisle, Chestertown, Collegeville, Gettysburg and Swarthmore. It's an 18-game regular season over the next five weeks. Each team strives to be in one of the top four spots for the Conference tournament on the first weekend in May. Six teams will have their title hopes dashed over the next 30+ days. But today, everyone is in first place on these Fields of Dreams.

Important Games Welcome Spring

Spring began at 7:44 a.m. on Friday morning and I can think of no better way to welcome in the new season than with nice weather ... and important games. Conference play begins in men's lacrosse and softball, while undefeateds clash in women's lacrosse.

Washington at McDaniel (Men's Lacrosse)
The ninth-ranked Shoremen (0-0 CC, 6-1) travel to Westminster to take on the Green Terror (0-0, 5-1) in what promises to be one of the games of the day in D-III. Washington has won eight in a row in the series since a 15-14 overtime loss in Chestertown in 2002 and holds an overall 33-4 lead. McDaniel's last win at Bair Stadium came the previous year (2001) - also by a 15-14 count. The two teams are ranked 1-2 in the Conference in scoring offense, defense and faceoff percentage. The game could come down to the play of the goalkeepers - Washington's Gordon Cohen (69.2 save pct.) and McDaniel's Kenny McHugh (59.3).

Gettysburg at Swarthmore (Women's Lacrosse)
It's an early-season clash of unbeatens as the Bullets (1-0, 5-0) visit Clothier Field to take on the Garnet (0-0, 5-0). Gettysburg is ranked sixth nationally and has won 14 in a row against Swarthmore. The Garnet's last win vs. the Bullets came in 1994 (12-7) at the Battlefield. Two of the CC's top scorers will be on display in Gettysburg's Hollis Stahl and Swat's Amy Vachal who each have 20 goals on the season.

Haverford at Muhlenberg (Women's Lacrosse)
Strange to say on the first day of spring ... but this one could have playoff implications come next month. The Fords (0-0, 6-0) are off to one of their best starts in program history, while the Mules (0-1, 3-1) made their first-ever appearance in the CC playoffs a year ago. Haverford holds a 9-6 series lead since the inception of the Conference in 1994 but 'Berg has won the last three contests. The Fords' Josie Ferri has ha an impressive start to her collegiate career (19-2-21), while Muhlenberg's Amanda McGovern (14-8-22) is one of the CC's top scorers.

Sweet 16 Parties in Amherst, Lancaster

Officially, they're called Sectional semifinals. Unofficially, we know them as the "Sweet 16" games. The Muhlenberg women and the Franklin & Marshall men are still alive in the 2009 NCAA Division III basketball championship tournaments and take on a pair of Bay State opponents in Brandeis and Salem State tonight. Get halftime updates and final scores sent right to your cell with Twitter.


The Mules (26-3) continue to make school history, advancing to their first-ever sectional semifinal. 'Berg is riding a 12-game win streak and hopes to add another milestone to its list of accomplishments, including:

* A victory gives Muhlenberg a school and Centennial record 27 wins.
* Joining the 1997 and 1998 Johns Hopkins squads as Conference teams reaching the national quarterfinals.

Brandeis (19-7) is also in the Sweet 16 for the first time. The Judges climbed as high as No. 5 in the D3hoops.com rankings before splitting its 14 UAA games. Brandeis is 8-5 against the NCAA tournament field this season and is led by first-team All-UAA guard Jessica Chapin who leads the team in scoring (14.2), rebounding (6.7), assists (3.3) and steals (3.0).

The game tips-off at 5 p.m. You can watch the game live, listen to the broadcast, and follow the numbers with live stats.


The Diplomats are making their 12th appearance in the Sweet 16 and first since 2004. F&M is 7-3 in the round of 16, including wins in its last three trips over Rensselaer (1996), Catholic (2000) and Gwynedd-Mercy (2004). A victory:

* puts the Diplomats in the national quarterfinals for the eighth time and the opportunity to make their fifth trip to the "Final Four" (1979, 1991, 1996, 2000).
* gives the Diplomats 25 wins for the first time since 2003 and seventh time since the Conference was formed in 1994.

Salem State (23-6) is led by two-time Massachusetts State Conference Player of the Year Dylan Holmes who stands 6-7 and averages 18.5 ppg. Three other starters average in double figures - Nick Linear (13.1), Ricky Ogboin (10.7) and Steve Celestin (10.2).

The game is scheduled to tap at 8 p.m. You can watch the game live and follow the numbers with live stats.

Centennial Sends 18 to NCAA Track

The Centennial Conference will have 18 representatives at the 2009 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships which begin Friday in Terre Haute, Ind. Haverford senior Jessie Belden is the top seed in the pentathlon with a season-best 3,478 points. Classmate Chaz Thomas is seeded third in the long jump (23-5 1/4) and fifth in the triple jump (48-2 3/4), while Franklin & Marshall's Kwaku Anno is seeded third as well in the long jump (23-5 1/4). Dickinson's Stephen Hendrix and Johns Hopkins' Laura Paulsen are No. 4 seeds in the pole vault (16-4 3/4) and mile (4:55.92), respectively. The Hopkins women's distance medley relay is seeded third (11:51.64).

Get updates on Conference athletes via Twitter.

Schedule of Events

Women's Pentathlon - Friday
9:00 - 55 Hurdles; 9:45 - High Jump; 12:15 - Shot Put;
1:30 - Long Jump; 3:00 - 800 Meters.
Jessie Belden, Haverford

Women's Pole Vault - Friday, 12:00
Alex Faust, Muhlenberg.

Men's Long Jump - Friday, 3:30
Chaz Thomas, Haverford; Kwaku Anno, Franklin & Marshall.

Women's Mile - Friday, 4:00
Laura Paulsen, Johns Hopkins (heat 1); Cait Mullarkey, Swarthmore (heat 1); Jennifer Lynch, Muhlenberg (heat 2).

Women's Weight Throw - Friday, 5:00
Alyssa Catalano, Franklin & Marshall.

Women's Distance Medley - Friday, 6:05
Johns Hopkins (Rachel Hogen, Jordan Ireton, Paula Osborn, Laura Paulsen).

Men's Distance Medley - Friday, 6:25
Muhlenberg (David Chorney, Peter Rice, Bobby Torphy, Stuart Udis.

Men's Pole Vault - Saturday, 12:00
Stephen Hendrix, Dickinson.

Women's Mile FINAL - Saturday, 2:00

Men's Triple Jump - Saturday, 3:00
Chaz Thomas, Haverford; Travis Youngs, Ursinus.

Women's 5000 - Saturday, 3:55
Laura Paulsen, Johns Hopkins; Christa Johnson, Ursinus.

Basketball, Wrestling Begin NCAA Play

The 2009 NCAA Division III Basketball and Wrestling Championships begin today for Centennial Conference teams. The wrestling championship gets underway at noon in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with first-round bouts. The women's basketball tournament tips off at 5 p.m. in Brunswick, Maine, while the men's basketball tourney begins at 6 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio, and 8 p.m. in Lancaster.

Wrestling
The 2009 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship begins Friday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the Centennial Conference contingent received five seeds when the brackets were released. Merchant Marine grapplers garnered a pair of seeds, including 141 James Beshada (#5), and 149 Dan Twito (#7). Gettysburg 157 Andrew Goldstein received the highest seed at No. 4, while Muhlenberg 149 Rob Kein and McDaniel 285 Brock Glotfelty gained No. 6 seeds. Can the Conference better its 2005 and 2006 performance of four All-Americans? Is this the year when a CC wrestler medals, joining Gettysburg's Jake Dell (1997) and Stevens' Brandon MacWhinnie (2008)? Stop back throughout the day for updates on Centennial grapplers or sign up for Twitter and receive updates on your cell.

Women's Basketball
"It’s a very lucky thing for the Muhlenberg women’s basketball team that the NCAA Tournament takes place in March. With St. Patrick’s Day just a few weeks away and names on their roster like NCAA basketball Kaitlyn O’Malley, Kelly McKeon and Erin McSherry, the Mules hope the luck of the Irish will be with them. “I hope all our Irish descendants help us out,” said senior Bethany Enterline, who is entering her third NCAA Tournament. “[Junior] Katie Ferris went to Ireland and brought us back souvenirs, so hopefully those will bring good luck, too.” The Mules (24-3) face Westfield State (22-4) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday. The teams travel to Maine, where the host school, Bowdoin, will face Castleton State in the second first-round game tomorrow." The Conference is 18-20 all-time in NCAA games but has not won an opening-round game since the Mules defeated Wesleyan, 57-50, in 2006. Bowdoin is coached by former Swarthmore head coach Adrienne Shibles, who led the Garnet to a 138-96 record over nine seasons (1997-2005). Bowdoin Tournament Website

Men's Basketball
The Conference placed two teams - Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall - in the 60-team field for the second straight season. The Centennial is 22-22 all-time in NCAA games with three trips to the Final Four (F&M: 1996, 2000; Ursinus 2008).

"The Gettysburg College men’s basketball team will make its second-straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament this weekend when it heads to Columbus, Ohio, for the first two rounds of play on March 6-7. The Bullets will be the odd-man out in the four-team regional with a trio of Ohio schools in the mix: host Capital University (24-4), The College of Wooster (22-6), and Thomas More College (19-8). Gettysburg (18-8) earned its fifth trip overall to the tournament after winning the Centennial Conference championship last weekend, beating host and then No. 23 Franklin & Marshall College 73-65 in the finale. Wooster and Thomas More also won their respective conferences, the Fighting Scots earning their 11th championship as a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) and the Saints pulling out their first crown as a member of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC). Capital, ranked 13th in the latest D3hoops national poll, was upset in the championship of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament by John Carroll University." Capital Tournament Website

"The Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team earned its 20th NCAA Division III Tournament bid announced on Monday and will host the first and second rounds on March 6-7. The Diplomats (22-5) return to the 60-team tournament for the first time since the 2003-04 season. F&M received an at-large bid after falling to Gettysburg 73-67 in the Centennial Conference (CC) Championship game on Sunday. The Diplomats will face Wesley (18-9) in the first round on Friday at 8 p.m. The other first-round game features Brandeis (17-8) and Scranton (21-6) at 6 p.m. Friday's winners will meet in the second round on Saturday at 7 p.m. Wesley earned its first NCAA Tournament bid in program history by winning the Capital Athletic Conference title with a 64-51 victory over Marymount. The Wolverines are 18-9 on the season, setting the school record for most wins in a season since they moved to Division III. Brandeis is making its third straight NCAA appearance. The Judges earned an at-large bid into the tournament with a 17-8 overall record and a 10-4 mark in the University Athletic Conference. Scranton received a pool B bid after winning their second consecutive Landmark Conference championship this weekend, defeating Susquehanna 80-75. The Royals are making their second straight and 22nd NCAA tournament appearance." F&M Tournament Website