University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: May 15, 2008

Tennis

WOMEN’S

UCLA 4, UB 0 (NCAA Tournament)

UB fought hard during its first NCAA Tournament appearance, but the host UCLA Bruins were too tough, as the seventh-ranked team in the nation won the first-round match, 4-0, Friday afternoon at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The loss ended UB’s season at 12-9, but it was one of UB’s finest seasons as the team won its first-ever Mid-American Conference title.

In doubles play, UCLA took the matches at first and third doubles, but the Bulls did not go down quietly. At first doubles, the team of Denise Harijanto and Diana Popescu played the number-one ranked doubles team in the nation, falling 8-2. The Bulls lost at third doubles, 8-1, and were down 6-3 at second doubles when play was stopped.

In singles action, the Bulls had their hands full as all six UCLA players in the lineup were nationally ranked. At first singles, senior Andreea Novaceanu, playing the eighth-ranked player in the nation and Pac-10 singles champion Riza Zalameda, won the first set, 6-4. The Bruins had four players ranked in the top 55 and won matches at fifth, second and fourth singles. The first, third and sixth singles matches were stopped in mid-play.

Earlier in the week, Harijanto was one of eight players named to the 2008 Academic All-MAC Team in recognition of her success in the classroom and on the tennis court. She also was named to the All-MAC Second Team for a second-straight season.

Harijanto, a sophomore management major with a 3.81 grade-point average, played the majority of the season at second singles and first doubles. She finished the season with a singles record of 21-11 and teamed up with Popescu to play first doubles, compiling a 20-9 overall record.

Baseball

Bowling Green 6, UB 5
Bowling Green 6, UB 2
Bowling Green 9, UB 8

UB traveled to Bowling Green last weekend, dropping a three-game series to the Falcons.

The Bulls lost the series opener, 6-5, on Friday afternoon, despite outhitting the Falcons, 15-8. The Falcons rallied for three runs in the eighth inning to claim victory.

Mike Stangroom started on the mound for the Bulls and threw a solid seven innings, allowing just five hits and three runs while getting a no decision.

UB had at least one hit in every inning but the second, but also hit into four double plays. Brian Randazzo, Adam Skonieczki, Nick Walczak, Chris Ciesla, Charlie Karstedt and Rick Oliveri each collected two hits for the Bulls. Oliveri had a two-RBI single in the fourth inning.

With threatening weather forecast for Sunday, the Bulls and Falcons finished the series on Saturday with a doubleheader. Bowling Green took game one, 6-2, and the nightcap, 9-8.

After a scoreless first inning in game one, UB took the lead with a pair of runs in the second. Jacob Rosenbeck opened the inning with a single to right. Shivam Bhan followed with a double to the gap in right center, giving the Bulls runners on second and third. Karstedt and Oliveri each followed with RBI groundouts, giving the Bulls a 2-0 lead. However, that was all the offensive output the Bulls could muster. Bowling Green took the lead in the third inning and went on for the 6-2 win.

In game two, UB took a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning of the second game. Walczak drew a one-out walk to start the UB rally. Ciesla followed with a single to right and a walk to Rosenbeck loaded the bases. Bhan drove in the first Bulls run with a sacrifice fly and Karstedt followed with a two-RBI double to the gap in left center to give UB the lead.

The Bulls added to that lead in the seventh. Kevin McCall opened the inning with a bunt single. Randazzo drew a walk. Following a sacrifice bunt, Walczak hit a sharp single to right, scoring both McCall and Randazzo, and increasing the UB lead to 5-2.

Bowling Green came back to take the lead with four runs in the seventh for a 6-5 edge, but UB rallied for three runs in the ninth to regain the lead. Skonieczki and Walczak got back-to-back singles with one out. Ciesla reached on an error and Skonieczki scored from second to tie the game. Rosenbeck then grounded out, but Eric Flynn, running for Walczak, scored on the play to give UB a 7-6 lead. Bhan gave the Bulls a two-run lead with an RBI single to center, scoring Ciesla.

After a fly out to begin the bottom of the ninth, a walk and a hit batter set the stage for Brian Hangbers, who drove the ball over the right-center-field fence to score three runs and give Bowling Green a 9-8 win and the series sweep.

UB is now 13-35 on the season, 6-17 in the Mid-American Conference.

Softball

Russell named to All-MAC Second Team

Senior Mary Russell has been named to the All-Mid-American Conference Second Team.

Russell ended the season as UB’s top hitter, sporting a .317 batting average (40-for-126). She led the Bulls in RBIs (25), hits (40), doubles (9), stolen bases (16) and was tied for second on the team in walks (10) and home runs (4). She holds the Bulls’ career record for stolen bases (63) and is second all-time in career hits (161) and career doubles (36), third all-time in career RBIs (57), fourth in all-time career batting average (.276) and first in all-time career at-bats (576).

Russell, an outfielder, led the Bulls in 2008 MAC games with a .377 batting average (20-for-53) and produced a stellar final week of play, finishing the week of April 28 with a .563 batting average (9-for-16) with 10 RBIs, two home runs and a 1.000 slugging percentage while helping the Bulls to a 5-1 record on the week and earning her second MAC East Player of the Week award.

Track and Field

Bulls ready for MAC Championships at Akron meet

UB prepped for the upcoming MAC Championships on Saturday at the Campbell/Wright Invitational at the University of Akron. There was no team scoring. Among the competition at the meet were MAC members Kent State and host Akron.

Leading the UB women was Fatimah Hill, who won the triple jump with a season-best mark of 37-4 (11.38m) and tied for first place in the high jump with a leap of 5-6 (1.68m).

The women’s javelin combination of Vanessa Roelofsen and Katie Weston took the top two spots. Roelofsen won the event with a season-best throw of 163-8 (49.88m), which improved her NCAA East Regional qualifying distance by more than 6 feet. Weston, who also has qualified for the regional meet, finished second to Roelofsen at 139-6 (42.51m).

The UB men scored a pair of second-place finishes in field events. P.J. Godios set a season-best in the javelin with his throw of 197-11 (60.34m), just shy of the UB school record of 198-10 (60.60m). Matt Gac earned a second-place showing in the men’s hammer throw with a toss of 173-8 (52.94m).

Junior Alex Stamatakis had a stellar day in the weight throws, breaking his own school record in the discus with a throw of 168-4 (51.30m) to finish seventh among a strong field. He also placed seventh in the shot put at 53-4.50 (16.27m).

On the track, Ezekiel Porter set a season-best time in the men’s 200-meters with his third-place finish of 21.42. Brian Smith finished fourth in 21.61 and Josh Thomas was fifth in 22.19. Smith also posted a season-best in the preliminaries of the 100-meters in 10.74—third-fastest in the heat. In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, Austin Archibald finished third in 15.23 after setting a season-best mark of 15.06 in the preliminaries.

The MAC Championships start today and continue through Saturday at Bowling Green. Both UB teams finished fifth at last season’s championship meet.

Crew

Bulls earn overall points title at Dad Vails

UB won the overall point championship of the Dad Vail Regatta—North America’s largest collegiate rowing regatta—held last weekend in Philadelphia. The Bulls earned the prestigious Jack and Nancy Seitz Trophy by placing four boats in the finals—more than any other school at the event—and posted some top results at one of the most competitive regattas in the country.

“We became a team today,” head coach Rudy Wieler said. “Up until this year, we had good individual results, but this year we succeeded as a team. Warde Manuel is asking for championships and we delivered.”

The Bulls earned the overall points championship with 21 total points. Purdue finished second with 18 points and Grand Valley State was third with 16.

Recent winners of the Seitz Trophy include Ohio State, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Purdue.

The varsity eight boat, which consisted of Sher Briggs, Tara Rudkoski, Bridget Yannes, Alana Sharpe, Brittany Aiello, Melina DiCosimo, Cathleen Streicher, Lauren Sexton and Kelsey Tretter, finished in fourth place in the grand final after winning its semifinal race over San Diego. In the finals, the Bulls finished at 6:42.13, six seconds faster than Purdue and just behind Sacramento and the University of California-Davis.

In the women’s novice four, which consisted of Nicole Habermehl, Patricia Arcuri, Megan Bayley, Shenita McLean and Ewelina Kotowska, the Bulls finished in third place at 7:31.66, behind Duquesne and Tulsa.

The JV heavyweight eight boat also finished in third place in its grand final as the boat of Margaret Devendorf, Morgan Witte, Jessica Hughes, Lindsay DiCosimo, Francisca Nwoke, Sasha Bailey, Ashley Hanhurst, Maggie Fairgrieve and Samantha Masucci, finished at 6:42.93, two seconds behind UMass and six seconds behind Purdue.

The lightweight eight boat finished fourth in its grand final at 7:04.57, behind Ohio State, Virginia Tech and South Florida.

Also competing at the regatta was the heavyweight four boat, which made it to the semifinals of its respective race.