Muhlenberg College Sports Daily (Sept. 3, 2001)

Monday, September 3, 2001

Fall Scoreboard
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A weekly look at what the Mules’ opponents are doing:

Field Hockey: Two Centennial Conference teams played upcoming Muhlenberg opponents the first weekend of play. Drew (which plays the Mules this Saturday) scored a convincing 4-0 win over Franklin & Marshall in the championship game of the Drew Fall Festival, while Scranton (next Thursday) lost to 11th-ranked Johns Hopkins, 2-1. Gettysburg took on the preseason No. 1 team in the country, William Smith, and fell by a 4-2 count.

Women’s Soccer: The Mules opened the season at No. 3 Trinity, but they weren’t the only ones to take on a top-ranked opponent. Gettysburg battled No. 7 William Smith to double overtime in the championship game of the Gettysburg Classic before falling, 1-0. Two other CC teams (Haverford and Ursinus) lost in tournament championship matches, while Franklin & Marshall won its own tournament. Scranton, a Muhlenberg opponent in this weekend’s Kwik Goal Classic, blanked Washington, 5-0.

Men’s Soccer: There were some impressive starts in the CC: No. 12 Johns Hopkins won its Kickoff Classic, defeating Virginia Wesleyan in the title game; Ursinus captured the LaRoche Invitational championship with two shutouts; and Western Maryland won its first two games by a combined 11-2 score. Drew, ranked 20th in Division III and the Mules’ opponent in the finale of the Kwik Goal Classic, blasted Dickinson, 8-0.

Volleyball: Haverford and Gettysburg both got off to good starts. Haverford won its pool of the Haverford Invitational, winning six matches, including a five-game victory against Division II Lander. Gettysburg went 3-1, all against Division II competition, at the Shepherd Ram Rumble. Franklin & Marshall, ranked 21st in Division III, finished fourth at its Scramble Tournament.

Experience to Lead the Way for Cross Country

Junior Brendan Gallagher
is a two-time All-Region selection.

Experience and leadership are the key ingredients to a successful season for both the Muhlenberg cross country teams, who open their season Friday night at the first Lehigh Valley Championships.

The men’s team returns five of its seven top runners from a team that only a year ago achieved its best finish in program history when it placed fourth at the Centennial Conference Championships.

“We are very optimistic about this season,” Linda Andrews, who is beginning her 12th season as head coach of both the men’s and women’s teams, said. “We are realistically looking to improve upon last year’s fourth-place finish.”

Achieving that goal depends largely with junior Brendan Gallagher and sophomore Rob Uniszkiewicz. Gallagher, who made All-Mideast Region for the second straight year and was selected to the All-Centennial Conference second team last season, is the favorite to secure the Mules’ top position. Andrews is hoping that Uniszkiewicz, who was selected to the Freshman All-Region second team, can recover from an injury-plagued 2000 season to make a major impact as the team’s probable number two runner.

Other runners who are looking to make significant contributions and battle for scoring positions include junior Robin Holden and sophomores Brian Cash, Nate Horst and Richard Kipp.

Parity and consistency is the name of the game for the women’s cross country team. Andrews returns six of her seven top runners from a team that finished seventh in the Centennial Conference last season, including top runner Katie Garrett. The parity begins at the second spot, where there is a pack of about seven or eight runners who will compete for a spot in the top seven.

Sophomore Diana Garretto, who was a Freshman All-Region secind team selection last season, is one of the favorites to compete for one of the top spots this year. Senior Kristin Tylenda, junior Laura Garland and sophomores Stephanie Melka, Erica Norey and Melissa Tarlowski are all potential factors in the scoring and outcome of every race. The experience that this team possesses has Andrews optimistic and excited, shooting for a goal of placing in the top third in the CC.

Some extra excitement will be added to this cross country season when Muhlenberg hosts the NCAA Mideast Regional race at Lehigh on Saturday, Nov. 10. The meet is a qualifier for the NCAA Division III Championships.

Questions or comments? Send mail to falk@muhlenberg.edu
Last updated September 3, 2001