News and notes about Muhlenberg athletics
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BASKETBALL TEAMS IN CONTENTION
Both Muhlenberg basketball teams are in contention as the
Centennial Conference basketball season enters its final week. The men,
shooting for their sixth East Division title (won or shared) in the last
seven years, are a game behind Ursinus. The Mules can clinch the title
and a first-round playoff game by winning their final two regular-season
games. Current standings:
EAST CC All
Ursinus 8-3 16-6
MUHLENBERG 7-4 14-8
Washington 6-5 10-12
Swarthmore 2-9 3-19
Haverford 1-10 3-19
WEST
F & M 9-2 17-5
J. Hopkins 8-3 16-6
Dickinson 7-4 11-11
Gettysburg 6-5 13-9
Western Md. 1-10 3-18
The Muhlenberg women, the four-time defending division
champions, are in first place by one game over Swarthmore, their opponent
on Feb. 16. Even if they lose that game, the Mules, who have already
clinched a playoff berth, can grab a share of the title and a home
playoff game by defeating Ursinus in the regular-season finale.
Current standings:
EAST CC All
MUHLENBERG 9-2 14-8
Swarthmore 8-3 13-9
Haverford 4-7 8-14
Washington 2-9 7-14
Ursinus 0-12 3-18
WEST
J. Hopkins 9-2 17-5
F & M 8-3 12-10
Western Md. 7-4 11-10
Gettysburg 6-6 12-9
Dickinson 3-8 6-17
MULES RANK AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Through games of Feb. 6, the Muhlenberg men’s
basketball team showed up twice in the top 10 among the Division III
leaders. The Mules were eighth in field-goal percentage defense (.381),
and sophomore Mark Lesko was 10th in blocked shots (2.4 per game). The
women were 11th in free-throw percentage (.730) and 24th in three-point
field goal percentage (.354).
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Tuesday, February 8
MEN’S BASKETBALL Muhlenberg 71, Haverford 53.
The Mules opened up a 20-point lead in the first half and cruised to
their 13th win of the season, moving (for a day at least) into sole
possession of first place in the Centennial Conference East Division, a
half-game ahead of idle Ursinus. The win was the 195th in the 13-year
coaching career of Dave Madeira, who tied Ken Moyer (1961-81) as the
winningest coach in Muhlenberg men's basketball history. The Mules led
33-13 with five minutes left in the first half and extended their
advantage to 26 in the second half before the Fords went on a 13-0 run to
make the score respectable. Sophomore Mark Lesko recorded his seventh
double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and senior
Eric Nothstein (14 points) and sophomore Michael Barletta (10 points)
combined to make all six of their three-point attempts. Click here for box score.
Wednesday, February 9
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Muhlenberg 43, Haverford
36. Sophomore Melissa Leahy scored a career-high 12 points as Muhlenberg
prevailed in a defensive struggle. The win, combined with Swarthmore's
loss at Johns Hopkins, put the Mules into sole posession of first place
in the Centennial Conference East Division for the first time this
season. Muhlenberg, which clinched its eighth straight playoff berth, led
from start to finish, holding an opponent to fewer
than 40 points in regulation time for the fourth time this year. Leahy
scored her 12 points, six in each half, on 5-of-6 shooting from the
field. Junior Jennifer O'Neill also scored 12 points. The Mules tied a
school record with their 10th home win of the season and set a mark by
defeating one opponent for the 17th straight time. Click here for box score.
Thursday, February 10
MEN’S BASKETBALL Muhlenberg 97, Stevens Tech
82. Senior Kenyamo McFarlane scored a career-high 19 points to lead
Muhlenberg to a non-conference win against hot-shooting Stevens Tech. The
win was the 196th in the 13-year career of Mule head coach Dave
Madeira, making him the winningest basketball coach in school history.
The Ducks made 14 three-pointers to account for nearly half of their
points and took a 52-50 lead early in the second half. But the Mules
responded with a 22-9 run that featured three three-pointers of their own
and wound up shooting 60.7 percent for the second half. Sophomore Michael
Barletta (13 points) and senior Eric Nothstein (12) also contributed to
a balanced Muhlenberg attack that saw 11 different players score, nine of
them with at least seven points. The 97 points represented the highest
scoring output for the Mules in six years. Muhlenberg blocked four shots
in the game, setting a new school record with 104 swats on the season.
Click here for box score.
Friday, February 11
WRESTLING Messiah 46, Muhlenberg 7. The Mules
came away with two wins against the 23rd-ranked Falcons. Sophomore Tyler
Cathey scored a 9-0 major decision at heavyweight to improve to 21-2 on
the season. Sophomore Andy Faust recorded a takedown with 1:04 left in the
third period for a 6-4 decision. He is now 19-4. Click here for box score.
Saturday, February 12
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Muhlenberg 59, Washington
(Md.) 57. Sophomore Lindsay St. Lawrence converted a backdoor pass from
classmate Melissa Leahy with 14.1 seconds remaining for the winning
basket in Muhlenberg's seventh consecutive road game decided by five
points or fewer. This one featured 12 lead changes and five ties, the
last one coming when the Shorewomen hit a three-pointer with 32 seconds
to play. Sophomore Jenn Risley scored a game-high 15 points, while
sophomore Amanda Spengler scored a career-high 14. St. Lawrence also
finished with 14 points. Click here for
box score.
MEN’S BASKETBALL Washington (Md.) 76,
Muhlenberg 64 (OT). Playing without its leading scorer and rebounder, the
Mules rallied back from an early 17-point deficit to take a four-point
lead going into the final 20 seconds of regulation. But two missed free
throws, combined with two Washington baskets (the second with 3.8 seconds
left), sent the game into overtime, where the Shoremen prevailed. The
loss dropped Muhlenberg out of first place in the Centennial Conference
East. Senior Kenyamo McFarlane had 12 points and 8 rebounds, and
sophomore Michael Barletta narrowly missed his first career double-double
with 10 points and 9 boards. Senior Eric Nothstein scored 11 points. Click here for box score.
TRACK & FIELD competed at Bucknell Winter
Classic. Two more school records fell in a non-scoring meet that featured
athletes from Divisions I, II and III. For the second straight week,
freshman Brendan Gallagher broke the record in the 5,000 meters, this
time lopping nearly 6 seconds off his own standard with a time of
16:08.57. Sophomore Will Elson ran the 800 meters in 2:01.06, about a
half-second better than Sean Farry's previois record, set in 1991. Elson
placed fourth overall and second among Division III runners. For the women,
junior Laura Roth came in second in
the mile. Click here for
Muhlenberg highlights.
Sunday, February 13
WRESTLING Muhlenberg 26, Washington & Lee 21; New
York University 35, Muhlenberg 6. Trailing 21-8 with four bouts to go,
Muhlenberg rallied to defeat Washington & Lee and capture its second
Centennial Conference match of the season. Freshman Nathan Yeasted began
the comeback with a 7-6 decision, freshman Joseph Salerno pinned his
opponent in 39 seconds, and sophomore Andy Faust recorded a 9-4 decision
to make it 21-20. In the final bout, sophomore Bill Holsinger pinned his
opponent for his school-record 13th fall of the season. He also became
the second wrestler in school history to win 25 bouts in back-to-back
seasons. Faust and sophomore Tyler Cathey were the only winners against
NYU. Cathey finished with a dual-meet record of 20-1, tying the
school record for dual-meet wins in a season. Click here for box scores.
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