Men’s Basketball

Julian Sanders hit four three-pointers and scored a game-high 19 points, and Akida McLain tallied 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds in his IUP debut, lifting the Crimson Hawks to an 82-64 victory over Thiel in the season opener at Memorial Field House.

Before that, IUP concluded its final exhibition game with an 84-76 loss to Division I Georgia Tech in overtime. IUP tied the game with 39 seconds remaining in regulation but struggled in the overtime period, with four points. It was the Crimson Hawks’ final exhibition game. They fell to Maryland 75-54 and Wake Forest 88-57. They are currently ranked eighteenth in the NABC/Division II national poll.

Women’s Basketball

Eryn Withers scored 20 points to lead three IUP players in double figures, and Tara Powers had a key rebound and free throw in the final seconds to lead the Crimson Hawks to a 63-61 victory over host Pitt Johnstown in the season opener for both teams at the UPJ Sports Center.

This game followed an exhibition season that saw the Crimson Hawks take on Duquesne, Dayton, and Penn State. The Crimson Hawks are ranked twenty-first in the USA Today ESPN Division II preseason coaches’ poll.

Cross Country

IUP freshman Hillary Mugun qualified for the NCAA men’s cross country national meet by placing fourth at the Atlantic Regional championships recently at Mansfield. The IUP men finished in sixth place in the team standings, and the IUP women finished in tenth place after not being ranked in the top ten in the Atlantic Region all season by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Mugun finished in third place to earn All-PSAC honors and lead the IUP men’s cross country team to a sixth-place showing at the conference meet held before the Atlantic Regional at Edinboro. Mugun had a time of 26:33.6 for the 8K race and came in behind only a pair of runners from team champion Lock Haven. IUP was seeded eighth going into the meet and beat that rank by two spots.

The IUP women were eleventh, with Bridget Connolly as the top finisher for IUP in the 6K race, coming in thirty-second with a time of 24:20.6.

Field Hockey

Jenna Humphreys scored two goals to lead IUP past Bellarmine 3-0 in the season finale recently at Miller Stadium. The Crimson Hawks finished the season at 6-8 overall and 5-3 in the PSAC West. Freshmen Caroline van Tulder and Erin Shirk were placed on the All-PSAC West squad for the 2009 season.

Football

Craig Burgess kicked a 41-yard field goal with 5.2 seconds remaining to give IUP a 34-32 win over Kutztown in its final game. The Crimson Hawks wrapped up their first losing season in twenty-seven years with a record of 5-6.

Golf 

IUP cruised to a 23-shot victory over California and Millersville at the rain-delayed PSAC tournament, which concluded recently in Hershey. Four IUP golfers finished in the top seven and earned spots on the all-conference team.

Sophomore Brad Boyle and senior Gavin Smith tied for first place after the regulation 36 holes to force a playoff for the individual title. Smith had a par on the first extra hole, and Boyle carded a birdie to claim medalist honors. 

Leo Acklin, a junior, and senior Ryan Kennedy both had scores of 153 to tie for seventh and join Boyle and Smith on the all-conference team.

The PSAC tournament topped off a hugely successful fall season for IUP. The Crimson Hawks won five of six events and will enter the spring portion of their schedule seeking to repeat as region champions and earn a return trip to the NCAA national tournament, which takes place in suburban Indianapolis in May.

Soccer 

Viann Heder led IUP into the third round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, scoring the game-winning goal in the waning moments to give the Crimson Hawks a 1-0 victory over host West Chester. IUP will face California in the Atlantic Region championship game Friday, November 20, at a site to be determined. West Chester, ranked fifth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, concluded its season with a 19-2-1 record, while IUP advances with a 14-6-2 record. IUP had not defeated the Golden Rams since 2001 and ended a nine-game losing skid to West Chester, which won the PSAC championship earlier this month. The Crimson Hawks avenged a 4-1 loss to the Golden Rams in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

Five IUP women's soccer players have been named to the All-PSAC West team for the 2009 season, including first team selections Sarah Romasco, Allison Keller, Lauren Mizik, and Kelly Brennan and second team choice Heather Robbins.

Swimming 

The IUP women dropped Lock Haven 165-78 and Salem International 7-0 but fell to Kutztown 145-100 to record their first loss of the season Saturday at the John A. Pidgeon Natatorium. The IUP men defeated Salem International 159-2. Kala Misavage led the IUP women with a PSAC qualifying time of 1:01.58 in the 100-yard butterfly to take the win, followed by Kate Lehman at third with a time of 1:03.02, which also qualified for the PSAC. In the 100-yard backstroke, Jackie Hynson made the NCAA B cut and defeated the field with a time of 58.44. Ashley McAteer was a double event winner with two PSAC qualifying times. She had a time of 1:59.48 in the 200-yard freestyle and a time of 54.08 in the 100-yard freestyle.

On the men’s side, IUP remained unbeaten and improved to 3-0 on the season. Dylan Mudlo led the field by nearly six seconds in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 56.51, which qualified for the PSAC. In the 100-yard breaststroke, Matt Pangman led IUP with a PSAC qualifying time of 1:03.99. In the 1,000-yard freestyle, Dan Lumas posted a PSAC qualifying time of 10:17.42, while Anthony Termin led a field of three in the 500-yard freestyle as a PSAC qualifier with a time of 4:56.64. Both Crimson Hawks teams will see their next action in the John A. Pidgeon Memorial Meet on Thursday, November 19.

Tennis 

The IUP women’s tennis team is tied for tenth in the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association Atlantic Region poll for the 2009–2010 season. Freshmen Chloe Pike, Katie Eaton, and Emilia Osborne all received individual rankings. Pike ranks ninth after a 10-2 fall season at No. 1 singles while Eaton ranks twelfth after winning eight of ten matches at No. 2 singles. The No. 1 doubles team of Pike and Osborne is currently ranked second in the region with a 6-2 record.

This is the first time IUP has been ranked in the top ten in the region since 2005. IUP has also not had any individual players ranked since Yvonne Niederbracht during the 2004–2005 season. The Crimson Hawks won all five of their dual matches during the fall season. Pike reached the singles semifinals of the PSAC individual tournament and teamed with Osborne to advance to the semifinals of the doubles tournament. The women’s tennis team opens its spring season February 19 with a home match against regionally ranked West Virginia Wesleyan at the Greensburg Racquet Club.

Volleyball

IUP concluded its regular season Friday with a 3-1 loss to Mercyhurst. The Crimson Hawks fell to 17-16 overall and 9-10 in the division. The Crimson Hawks are still in the chase for a berth in the NCAA tournament. IUP volleyball coach Zach Shaver has announced the addition of two incoming freshmen for the 2010 season. Joining the program next fall will be outside hitters Kadie Koeneman from Upper Arlington, Ohio, and Ericka Lentz from Reading, Pa. Koeneman was a three-year letter winner at Upper Arlington High School, while Lentz played four seasons at Holy Name High School.

As always, follow your favorite IUP athletic teams on the IUP Athletics website.

The event includes a dunk contest, three-point shoot contest, and intersquad scrimmage and more. Enjoy food, music, and prize give-aways.

Takes place from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. in Memorial Field House.

After winning 22 games and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament a year ago, the IUP men’s basketball team has been ranked No. 6 in the nation in The Sporting News Division II Preview.

See how IUP sports teams are faring as they near the end of the fall season.

Men’s Basketball 

The men’s basketball team will kick off its schedule with three exhibition games on the road. During the first week of November, the Crimson Hawks will be at the University of Maryland, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech.

Women’s Basketball

Women’s basketball head coach Jeff Dow has completed an agreement to play the University of Connecticut in an exhibition game on November 10, 2010.

“It is certainly a tremendous honor for our program to have the chance to play the UConn Huskies next season,” Dow said. “Over the past fifteen years they have been as dominant as any program in the country. It will be a special opportunity for our players to compete against a program the magnitude and national stature of the University of Connecticut.”

Cross Country

Hillary Mugun turned in a fourth-place finish in the Brown Division to lead the IUP men’s cross country team’s performance at the Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh University. Mugun, a freshman from Nadi Hill, Kenya, had a time of 25:12 to best all but three of the 332 runners in the middle division of the eight-kilometer race.

The meet was divided into Gold, Brown, and White divisions based on a team’s current ranking. The Crimson Hawks men finished eighteenth out of forty-one teams in their division, which also included PSAC West schools Kutztown and Bloomsburg, which finished just ahead of IUP. Mugun’s time would have placed him 138th overall out of almost one thousand runners in the three divisions combined.

Field Hockey

The IUP field hockey team has a record of 5-8 overall and 5-3 in conference play as it prepares for its final game of the year on Sunday, October 25, against Bellermine. If Slippery Rock defeats Mercyhurst in an upcoming game, IUP will earn a spot in the PSAC playoffs.

Football

IUP put a resounding end to its longest losing streak in twenty-seven years and broke into the win column in the PSAC West with a 45-0 rout of Lock Haven at Hubert Jack Stadium. The Crimson Hawks snapped a four-game skid, all in the PSAC West, and evened their overall record at 4-4 with their twenty-eighth consecutive win over Lock Haven.

Men’s Golf

IUP rallied from one-shot down after the first round to win its fourth tournament of the fall season with a six-stroke victory over Daemen at the Mercyhurst Invitational. The tournament recently wrapped up in Erie. IUP also won the Burger King/Ohio Valley Invitational, Hal Hansen Invitational, and Vulcan Invitational earlier this season. The Crimson Hawks head to Hershey soon in quest of their third consecutive PSAC championship.

Women’s Soccer

The Crimson Hawks recently defeated Edinboro 2-1 for their fourth straight victory over the Fighting Scots. IUP has a 10-3-1 overall record and remains tied with California for first place in the PSAC West at 7-2-1 with 22 points.

Women’s Tennis

IUP concluded its fall season with its fifth win in as many dual matches, sweeping Westminster 9-0 in New Wilmington. The Crimson Hawks won all but one singles set and lost no more than three doubles games in defeating the Titans, who entered with a record of 11-1. Chloe Pike went to a first-set tiebreaker before losing her singles semifinal match, and Pike and Emilia Osborne fell in the final four of the doubles draw at the PSAC individual tournament held this weekend at Shippensburg. After winning all four of its dual matches so far this fall, with one match remaining versus Westminster on Tuesday, the PSAC individual tournament continued to demonstrate IUP’s resurgence in the conference in women’s tennis. The Crimson Hawks were one of only two schools to have athletes in the semifinals in both draws.

Volleyball

IUP battled back from a two game deficit to defeat PSAC West opponent Mercyhurst 3-2 recently at Memorial Field House. The Crimson Hawks improved to 15-11 overall and 8-5 in the conference. The volleyball team recently held a Dig Pink Day to promote breast cancer awareness. All proceeds benefit the Side-Out Foundation, which supports health-care professionals in their pursuit of practical solutions for women and men with breast cancer, thus enabling those affected to regain control of their lives and live them to the fullest.

Hawk’s Nest

The award, covering the 2008-2009 academic year, recognizes programs with a compiled grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Coached by Fred Joseph, IUP's team was one of eighty-two in the nation the GCAA recognized from NCAA Divisions I, II, and III; the NAIA; and the NJCAA.

During the 2008-2009 academic year, team member Gavin Smith was the NCAA Division II champion, while the team won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship.

Learn more about the Golf Team's 2009 fall season. 

This free event offers students in grades five through eight an opportunity to participate in contests and other fun activities with IUP athletes while learning the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Students can participate in the sport of their choice, and the IUP athletes will demonstrate how they do it.

Free T-shirts will be given to the first one hundred participants. Sponsoring the event are IUP Athletics, the American Heart Association, and the YMCA. For more information, call the YMCA at 724-463-9622.

The team will honor Head Coach Rollie Massimino of the NCAA Champion 1985 Villanova Wildcats, and pay tribute to the IUP basketball teams from 1967 to 1970, which had a combined record of 61-12.  All proceeds raised from the event go exclusively to athletic scholarships for current and future IUP men's basketball players.

The day begins with registration at 10 a.m., followed by lunch at 11:00. Tee off is at 11:30 with a shamble format. Following golf, cocktails will be served at 4:30, with dinner, auction, and raffle scheduled for 5:30.

The team has been active in its commitment to serve the community it represents, according to Coach Joe Lombardi. Recently, team members participated in the Heart Walk at Indiana Regional Medical Center. 

Those interested in the golf outing or engaging the team to participate in a community service event should contact assistant coach Kranthi Senadhi via e-mail or by calling 724-357-4449.  

Men’s Basketball 

Head coach Joe Lombardi has appointed Kranthi “Krunch” Senadhi to a full-time assistant coaching position on the Crimson Hawks men’s basketball staff. Senadhi replaces John Janovsky, who has moved on to Duquesne. Senadhi is in his third year working with the IUP men’s basketball program but his first as a member of the coaching staff. His duties include on-floor coaching, recruiting, scouting, video exchange, and assisting with administrative duties.

Women’s Basketball 

Women’s basketball head coach Jeff Dow has announced the addition of transfers Sylvie Tafen from the University of Pittsburgh and Vianca Tejada from St. Francis (New York), bringing the total number of newcomers for the 2009–2010 season to nine.

Cross Country 

The men’s cross country team took second place while the women were third at the Lock Haven Invitational. The IUP men were led by freshman Clint Keller, who finished ninth in the 10K race, with a time of 26:59. He was followed in the top five by Colt Mack (seventeenth, 27:12), Josh Joson (eighteenth, 27:13), Matt Rutt (twenty-eighth, 28:04), and Steve Wainwright (thirty-seventh, 28:48). The IUP women were led by freshman Alyssa Taddie, who finished sixth in the 6K race, with a time of 23:46. She was followed by Kelly Best (fourteenth, 24:17), Jane Looby (twenty-fifth, 24:48), Julie Johnson (twenty-sixth, 24:51), and Lauren Bauer (twenty-seventh, 24:52).

Field Hockey 

The field hockey team snapped a three-game losing streak to record its first win of the season, defeating PSAC West opponent Mansfield, 3-0 at Miller Stadium. Shannon Sullivan posted the first goal of the season for the Crimson Hawks. In the second half, Jenna Humphreys added an unassisted goal at the 45:58-minute mark, putting the Crimson Hawks up by a pair. Caroline van Tulder chipped in with a goal with five minutes remaining in the game to give IUP the 3-0 decision. IUP shut out the Mountaineers as Renee Lustenhouwer turned away fifteen shots.

Football 

IUP limited Millersville to 233 yards of total offense and without a touchdown for the third straight meeting in a 17-3 victory over the Marauders in a PSAC crossover game at Miller Stadium. IUP entered the game ranked fifteenth in the D2Football.com poll and tied for twenty-fourth in the American Football Coaches Association poll. The Crimson Hawks, who are 3-0 for the third straight year and for the eleventh time in the past nineteen seasons, have won three in a row versus Millersville by a combined score of 125-6. Tobias Robinson carried twenty times for 169 yards and scored on an eighty-three-yard run, and Andrew Krewatch completed eighteen of thirty-five passes for 217 yards.

IUP will be providing a free, live webcast of all of its regular season home games this year. To access the games, go to the Penn Atlantic website and click on Watch Live Sports. From there, scroll down the page until you find the IUP game.

Golf 

IUP won its first golf tournament of the Fall season, using a tiebreaker to edge host Ohio Valley at the Burger King/Ohio Valley Invitational, which wrapped up recently in Vienna, W.Va. The Crimson Hawks and Fighting Scots both had scores of 597 at the end of the second and final round. The tiebreaker used was the score of the number five player on both teams. IUP’s Brad Boyle shot a 160 while Ohio Valley’s Joe Viner came in at 166. Senior Gavin Smith, the reigning NCAA Division II national champion and two-time PSAC Player of the Year, was the top scorer for IUP. He had scores of 72 and 71 to finish at three-over par 143 and tie Paul Raines of Ohio Valley for second, two shots behind Clarion’s Jared Schmader.

Soccer 

The women’s soccer team improved to 4-0 on the season, with a 4-1 victory over PSAC West counterpart Edinboro. Each of IUP’s four victories have come in division play. The Crimson Hawks were led by Heather Robbins with two goals and an assist, giving her five goals on the season. Kyra Hricik and Paige Virgara both added a goal, while Sarah Romasco and Ashley Moyer both chipped in with an assist for IUP.

Softball 

IUP athletic director Frank Condino has announced the appointment of Bill Graham as the Crimson Hawks new softball head coach. Graham succeeds Ali Ferrari, who accepted a position at Coastal Carolina last month. Graham comes to IUP after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Ashland, where he had responsibilities in the areas of scouting, game management, practice development, recruiting, and fundraising. He also conducted clinics and oversaw the team’s academic progress. Graham has previous college head-coaching experience at Saginaw Valley State, where he was also an assistant baseball coach.

Tennis 

The IUP tennis team rolled to an 8-1 season-opening victory over Fairmont State, with four freshmen combining to lose only three games in their singles matches. Chloe Pike and Emilia Osborne, both first-year players from England, posted 6-0, 6-0 wins at number-one and number-three singles, respectively, while a third freshman from England, Katie Eaton, had a 6-1, 6-1 victory at number-two singles. The fourth freshman singles winner for the Crimson Hawks was Kelly McBryan from Grove City, who dropped one game in her straight sets win at number six. Senior Alyssa Shubra had a 6-2, 6-1 triumph at number four. IUP swept the three doubles matches, including victories by Pike and Osborne at number one, Eaton and Emily Shubra at number two, and Alyssa Shubra and Alex Ballard at number three.

The IUP women’s tennis team has been awarded All-Academic team status by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) for the 2008–2009 season. Emily Shubra, Alyssa Shubra, Laura Kale, Kristi Jacobson, and Kerri Kelly were also named ITA Scholar-Athletes. IUP has a team cumulative grade-point average of 3.44 entering the current school year. ITA All-Academic team status is awarded to programs that have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Volleyball 

The women’s volleyball team split recent games as they fell 3-2 to West Virginia State, then bounced back with a 3-1 victory over Shepherd. IUP went 2-1 in the Atlantic Region Crossover Tournament and improved to 6-5 on the season with the win over Shepherd. In the first match with West Virginia State, Jessica Bodkin led the Crimson Hawks with twenty-three kills, two aces, and thirteen digs. Laura McFadden posted fifteen digs and two aces, while Chelsey Kreinbrook recorded fifty-seven assists, and Emily Pany chipped in with thirty digs for IUP. In the second match with Shepherd, Bodkin posted fourteen kills and six digs to lead the Crimson Hawks. Danielle Ostendorf added thirteen kills with a .765 hitting percentage, while Kreinbrook posted thirty-nine assists for IUP. McFadden and Alyssa Prince both recorded fourteen digs for the Crimson Hawks.

For further updates and news about the upcoming season, visit IUP Athletics.

Men’s Basketball

The IUP men’s basketball program will hold its annual Alumni Golf Outing on Friday, September 18, at the Indiana Country Club with honorary guest Rollie Massimino. The day will also include a tribute to team members in the era between 1967 and 1970.

Women’s Basketball

IUP women’s basketball head coach Jeff Dow has completed his staff for the upcoming 2009–2010 season with the addition of Emily Briggs as an assistant coach. Briggs joins Jerod Alltop as the two assistant coaches on this year’s staff. Briggs was a graduate assistant coach at PSAC West rival California during the 2008–2009 campaign after finishing her playing career with the Vulcans the previous season.

Lacrosse

IUP lacrosse coach Mindy Richmond is volunteering her time this summer to help organize and develop a girl’s lacrosse program at Indiana High School. Richmond is working with Allen Affolter, the president of the Indiana Area Lacrosse Club, to run start-up practices in order to familiarize local players with the sport. Practices are being held at the East Pike Field at the White Township Recreation Complex.

Softball

IUP athletic director Frank Condino has announced the appointment of Bill Graham as the Crimson Hawks new softball head coach. Graham succeeds Ali Ferrari, who accepted a position at Coastal Carolina last month.

Graham comes to IUP after spending the two seasons as an assistant coach at Ashland, where he had responsibilities in the areas of scouting, game management, practice development, recruiting, and fundraising. He also conducted clinics and oversaw the team’s academic progress.

Graham has previous college head coaching experience at Saginaw Valley State, where he was also an assistant baseball coach. He managed all aspects of both programs, including recruiting, scheduling, conditioning, academic monitoring, fundraising, and on-field instruction. Graham was at Saginaw Valley State from 2004 to 2007.

Volleyball

The IUP volleyball team has been honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association for their work in the classroom during the 2008–2009 academic year. The team posted a cumulative grade point average of 3.73 last school year, including perfect 4.0 marks for Stacey Root and Danielle Ostenforf. Every member of the team on the roster during the Spring semester earned a spot on the Dean’s List.

IUP was one of only forty-six schools out of more than three hundred that play Division II women’s volleyball to earn the AVCA Team Academic Award. To qualify, a team must maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA for the entire academic year.

The IUP Athletic Department and its nineteen sports enjoyed another outstanding season in 2008–2009.

Whether in competition, in the classroom, or in the community, our student-athletes once again distinguished themselves as some of the finest in the nation.

Read all about the accomplishments of IUP teams and student-athletes in the 2008-2009 Year in Review Brochure on the IUP Athletics website.

The team posted a cumulative grade-point average of 3.73 last school year, including perfect 4.0 marks for Stacey Root and Danielle Ostenforf. Every member of the team on the roster during the Spring semester earned a spot on the Dean’s List.

IUP was one of only forty-six schools out of more than three hundred that play Division II women’s volleyball to earn the AVCA Team Academic Award. To qualify, a team must maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA for the entire academic year.

Courtesy of the IUP Athletics website 

The athletes may be getting a break, but summer has been busy with new hires on the coaching staffs and honors for both coaches and athletes:

Baseball

IUP baseball player Ryan Mostyn has been named a recipient of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Top Ten award for the Spring sports season, marking the second straight year he has been recognized for his athletic and academic accomplishments by PSAC sports information directors.

Women’s Basketball 

Coach Jeff Dow has filled one of two vacancies on the IUP women’s basketball coaching staff with the hiring of former Glenville State and Marshall assistant coach Jerod Alltop. Alltop replaces Dustin Odum, who left the Crimson Hawks program after one season to return to Washburn University.

Dow now turns his attention to a second assistant coach after Courtnay (Rattigan) Bryson stepped down earlier this week.

Alltop had a pair of tenures at Glenville State, including two years as a student assistant coach and the past two as a full-time assistant, in addition to a position as an instructor of business.

Football 

Former IUP player and student assistant coach Ryan Eden has returned to his alma mater as wide receivers coach, replacing Nick Sirianni, who left in March to take a job with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Eden had been the assistant director of football operations at Villanova since February 2007. He maintained the day-to-day operations of the Wildcats football program and had specific responsibilities in the areas of recruiting, academics, and game plan development.

Tye Desiderio, a four-year starter as a member of the IUP football team from 2002 to 2005, has accepted a position as a graduate assistant coach with the Crimson Hawks and will be in charge of the team’s running backs. Desiderio had been on the staff at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, Texas, the past two years and is completing his master’s degree in kinesiology. He will pursue a second master’s in Geographical Information Systems at IUP.

Golf 

Head coach Fred Joseph continued his string of PSAC Coach of the Year honors when he was selected for the award for the 2008–2009 season by his conference peers. Joseph has now received the award nine times in his seventeen seasons as IUP head coach, including five of the past six years.

Last season, Joseph led the Crimson Hawks to their second straight Division II Super Regional title and a twelfth-place finish at the NCAA championship tournament, tying the 1993 team for IUP’s best-ever showing at nationals. IUP was in the NCAA tournament for the thirteenth consecutive season.

The Crimson Hawks also claimed the PSAC championship in October with a thirteen-stroke win over Clarion. That was the last in a string of four consecutive tournament titles for IUP during the Fall season. IUP has taken the past two conference crowns and eight in the last twelve years.

IUP golfer Gavin Smith was featured earlier this month when CBS televised its recap of the NCAA spring sports championship season. Smith won the Division II title at the NCAA tournament in May at the Loomis Trail Golf Course in Blaine, Wash. He birdied the first playoff hole and gave IUP its first NCAA champion and first overall since Rick Hrip won the NAIA title in 1968. The CBS segment included an interview with Smith as well as his winning putt.

Photos and information courtesy of the IUP Athletics

On Saturday, May 30, 2009, the second annual IUP/United Way of Indiana County Hawk It for Good event was held. Through donations from IUP students leaving campus at the end of the semester and donations from local community residents, the sale was a huge success. This year’s profit of $6,260 was double last year’s of $3,185.

Special thanks to event chairwoman Pat Leach and the seventy volunteers, many from IUP, who sorted, priced, and volunteered throughout the event. More than seventeen tons of usable items were saved from landfills and were made available for sale to people in the community to help clothe their families and furnish their homes.

IUP played a major role in this event, not only with the students donating items, but also by offering their services to deliver the items collected in the residence halls to the sale location, picking up trash, supplying tables, and providing security and volunteers.

The more than eight hundred pounds of food collected was donated to ICCAP, and, after the sale, remaining shoes were donated to Saving Soles, professional clothes to Attire to Aspire, jeans and other items to Back to School projects, bedding items to ICCAP, and the remaining items to Goodwill.

Stay tuned and look for the date for the third annual IUP/United Way of Indiana County Hawk It for Good event, to take place in late spring 2010!

National championships, All-America honors, several new recruits—IUP had a successful end to the Spring sports season.

Baseball 

IUP senior centerfielder Shane Melhorn has been named to the Golden Glove Atlantic Region second team, an award presented by Rawlings and the American Baseball Coaches Association. In two seasons at IUP, Mehlorn established a reputation as one of the top fielding outfielders in the PSAC, with his combination of range and a strong throwing arm.  He recorded 204 putouts and had five outfield assists, while posting a fielding percentage of .959.

Women’s Basketball 

Seven newcomers have been added to the IUP women’s basketball team. The freshman class includes Sarah Pastorek from Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown as well as Jasmine Brown, Brianna Johnson, Katelyn Marshall, Jill Perdue, and Lauren Taylor. California transfer Amber Dubyak has also joined the program but will be redshirted in 2009–2010.

Football 

Four IUP football players have been selected to the Consensus Draft Services Division II preseason All-America team for the 2009 season. Kicker Craig Burgess and cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah were named to the first team while quarterback Andrew Krewatch and tailback Tobias Robinson were honorable mention choices.

Golf 

Gavin Smith rolled in a twenty-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to edge Kelbi Lee of Ferris State and give IUP its first-ever NCAA individual national championship in golf at the Loomis Trail Golf Club in Blaine, Wash. IUP’s golf team finished in twelfth place with a score of 1,211, matching the 1993 squad for the best team finish in sixteen years under head coach Fred Joseph. The Crimson Hawks were only ten shots from placing as high as ninth.

Softball 

IUP senior centerfielder Alex Daughenbaugh has been selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region second team for her performance during the 2009 season. Daughenbaugh had team-leading totals of 50 hits and 138 at bats, and her .362 batting average was second on the Crimson Hawks and twentieth in the PSAC. She also led IUP with eleven doubles and twenty-seven runs scored and had a triple, two home runs, and sixteen RBIs.

Track and Field 

Maddy Outman and Nafee Harris were honored as the PSAC Outdoor Field Athletes of the Year as selected by the conference head coaches. Outman was also named the Outstanding Field Athlete of the Year for the Atlantic Region by the United States Track and Field Coaches Association.

IUP sophomore Nafee Harris claimed the national title in the long jump, becoming the twelfth national champion in IUP track and field history and the first ever in a jumping event.

He moved from second to first on his final attempt of the day. His winning jump of 26 feet, 1¾ inches, was 2¼ inches farther than Alaska Anchorage runner-up David Registe’s best and broke the IUP record of 24 feet, 9¾ inches, held by Jermaine Clayton since 2003.

Kevin Raymond, Maddy Outman, and Tiffany Corle each finished in the top eight in their events, while Raymond also ran a leg on a relay team that gained All-America status on the final day of the NCAA outdoor track and field meet at San Angelo, Texas. 

Raymond was joined by Hopeton Bailey, Tristan Taylor, and Nafee Harris in finishing eighth in the 4x100 meter relay, with a time of 41.76. The quartet represents IUP’s first All-America relay team since the mile relay team earned such honors at the 1977 NAIA meet.

Volleyball 

Jessica Bodkin, a junior college transfer from Orange Coast College, has become the fifth newcomer to join the IUP volleyball program, joining freshmen Kelsey Rodgers, Sara Leighty, Laura McFadden, and Morgan Cerveny.

On Friday, junior Gavin Smith became IUP’s first-ever NCAA individual national champion in golf at the Loomis Trail Golf Club in Blaine, Wash.

The national championship earned Smith an automatic berth on the Division II Ping All-America first team.

IUP finished twelfth, with a score of 1,211, matching the 1993 squad for the best team finish in sixteen years under head coach Fred Joseph.

Smith’s win at nationals came just a day after sophomore Nafee Harris claimed the national title in the long jump at the NCAA outdoor track and field championship in San Angelo, Texas.

Harris became the twelfth national champion in IUP track and field history and the first ever in a jumping event.

On Saturday, the final day of the NCAA track and field meet, Harris and five other IUP athletes earned spots on the All-America Team, including IUP’s first All-America relay team since 1977.

Read full sports reports on the IUP Athletics website.

Harris became the twelfth national champion in IUP track and field history and the first ever in a jumping event.

His winning jump of 26 feet, 1¾ inches, was 2¼ inches better than runner-up David Registe of Alaska Anchorage and broke the IUP record of 24 feet, 9¾ inches, held by Jermaine Clayton since 2003.

Read more about Harris and the other IUP athletes’ performances on the IUP Athletics website: Track and Field News. 

Other highlights of the spring sports season are as follows:

Baseball

The baseball team finished with a record of 22-26 and just missed qualifying for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs. Colby Betz, T.J. Nichols, and Paul Bingham were named to the All-PSAC West Baseball Team.

Cross Country

Six former IUP cross country runners turned in outstanding performances at the Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday. Five women who competed at IUP finished among the top eleven in a field of 1,286 who completed the course.

The group was led by Nicole Blaesser, who placed third with a time of 2:43:57. Blaesser was immediately followed by Mindy Sawtelle, who placed fourth with 2:48.41. Other top finishers were Gina McGee, seventh (2:58.02); Sara Raschiatore, ninth (2:59.09); and Tammy Slusser, eleventh (3:02.52).

In the men's race, Mike McGee, Gina's husband, was first of 244 runners in the men's forty-five to forty-nine age group, covering the course in a time of 2:49.05. His time was good for twenty-ninth place overall among the 2,168 participants on the men's side.

Golf

IUP shot a team score of 915 to edge Fayetteville State by three shots and claim the NCAA Division II East/Atlantic Super Regional title recently at The Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels, W.Va.

The Crimson Hawks won the region championship for the second consecutive season—their third in the past five years—to earn a berth in the NCAA national tournament, May 19–22 at the Loomis Trail Golf Club in Blaine, Wash.

Leo Acklin was the top IUP individual, tying Joel Lynn of Fayetteville State for second place, with a three-round score of 225, including a one-over-par 73 in the third round.

Lacrosse

The lacrosse team finished the season with a record of six wins and ten losses, which doubles its win total of last year. Senior goalkeeper Katie Lee was named to the All-PSAC West second team by the conference's head coaches. She is on the all-conference team for the first time in her career.

Softball

Despite winning its last three division games, IUP was denied a spot in the PSAC playoffs after losing a coin toss to Mansfield.

The Crimson Hawks and Mountaineers both finished 6-10 in the PSAC Central and could not break the tie with on-field results, necessitating the coin toss. IUP finished with a 19-19 overall record.

Six IUP softball players garnered postseason honors. Sophomore outfielder Kristen Tunno has been chosen to the Daktronics All-Atlantic Region softball second team by the region's sports information directors. Shortstop Marissa Leslie has been named the PSAC Central Freshman of the Year and was joined on the all-conference team by four Crimson Hawks teammates. Senior outfielder Alex Daughenbaugh and freshman first baseman Megan McCormick were chosen for the first team. Leslie, junior catcher Sam Goettman, and sophomore pitcher Erin Holloway were on the second team.

Swimming

Senior swimmer Pawel Glowiak has been selected to receive the PSAC Top Ten award for the second consecutive year. The award, voted on by PSAC sports information directors, is given to ten athletes—five men and five women—after the fall, winter, and spring sports seasons, based on athletic and academic excellence.

Track and Field

IUP tied a school record by winning ten event titles and set a new school mark after nine different athletes posted first-place finishes, highlighting the track and field team's performance at the PSAC outdoor championships recently at Millersville.

Only the 1986 team matched this year's squad with ten wins and held the previous record for first-place finishes, with seven.

Maddy Outman had two wins and was named the Most Outstanding Field Athlete and Most Outstanding Overall Athlete of the meet. Both IUP teams finished fourth in team standings.

Tennis

Meghan Kuhns rallied past Monica Berardi, including a 6-0 third set, to give IUP a 5-4 victory over Shippensburg in its final PSAC West match of the season. Kuhns's final set was played after all other singles matches were done, and her dominating play enabled the Crimson Hawks to break through with a PSAC West win. Emily Shubra contributed a win at No. 2 singles, dropping only three games in the match, and IUP swept all three doubles matches.

Baseball

With a double-header sweep of Mt. Aloysius, the baseball team's record stands at 20-22.  IUP is currently fourth in the PSAC West standings, but could be bumped from a playoff spot with two Lock Haven wins in their last four games. IUP is finished with PSAC West play.

Golf

Lacrosse

Stephanie Bianco scored three goals against seventh ranked Gannon, but the Crimson Hawks dropped to 4-9 on the season with the loss. The lacrosse team completes the season at Seton Hill on April 25.

Softball

Erin Holloway and Jenny Shaffer combined to allow only one run and six hits to pitch IUP to a doubleheader sweep over Clarion that forced a coin toss to determine whether the softball team advanced to next week's PSAC tournament.  Unfortunately, Mansfield won the coin toss and IUP’s season is over.  IUP won by scores of 4-0 and 4-1 to finish in a third place tie with Mansfield in the PSAC Central with 6-10 division records.  The two teams split their four games and had identical records versus Lock Haven, Bloomsbug, and Clarion, the other three teams in the division.  With all on-field tiebreakers exhausted, a coin toss was the determining factor.

Tennis

The tennis team finished the season with a 5-4 win at Shippensburg as Megan Kuhns and Emily Shubra led with way with singles victories.

Men’s Track and Field

Tristan Taylor had times of 10.63 in the 100 and 21.42 in the 200 to take first in both races. He teamed with Hopeton Bailey, Nafee Harris and Kevin Raymond in winning the 4 x 100 relay in 41.66.   Other men's event winners included Harris in the long jump with a distance of 7.05 meters and Ceasar Westbrook in the triple jump with a best effort of 14.06. Westbrook was also second behind Harris in the long jump at 6.85.  The team won the team title over second place California.

Women’s Track and Field

Tamika Taylor won the 100 meters and long jump and Maddy Outman took both hurdles in the women's competition while Tristan Taylor sprinted to victories in the men's 100 and 200 meters and all three were on a winning relay team at the Ed Fry Invitational hosted by IUP at Miller Stadium. The former IUP Open was renamed in honor of Fry, who is retiring after the season following a four-decade career as track and field and cross country coach at IUP.  The team won the team title over second place Clarion.

Winter Sports

Women's Basketball

Swimming

Norm wants you to try out!

Select for more information: Tryouts will take place Sunday, April 19, 2009, in Zink Hall.

Dixon Trophy Standings

IUP took the lead in the PSAC Dixon Trophy standings following the winter sports season.  IUP has a 13-point lead over second place California based on the top six men’s and top six women’s finishes in PSAC competition.  The Crimson Hawks took the lead on the strength of a third straight PSAC women’s basketball championship and fourth place finishes in women’s swimming and indoor track and field.  In the fall, IUP won the men’s golf title and was second in women’s soccer and field hockey.

Men’s Basketball

IUP finished the 2008-09 season with a record of 22-8 and earned its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2005.  The Crimson Hawks defeated Virginia Union in the opening round of the Atlantic Regional before losing to Kutztown in the semifinals.  Julian Sanders was the third straight IUP player named PSAC West Freshman of the Year and Gerald Brooks and Darryl Webb were on the All-PSAC West first team.

Women’s Basketball

IUP had a record of 26-6 during the 2008-09 season, tied for the second most wins in school history, and won its third straight PSAC tournament title with a dramatic come-from-behind win over California in the championship game.  The Crimson Hawks defeated Johnson C. Smith in the opening round of the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament before dropping an overtime decision to Gannon in the semifinals.  IUP was ranked No. 12 in the nation entering the NCAA tournament.

Jahzinga Tracey was named the PSAC West Co-Player of the Year.  She finished her career with a school-record 2,101 points and 1,092 rebounds in addition to many other records.  Staci Heberling (1,141) and Kylie Miller (1,011) also reached the 1,000-point plateau.

Men’s Swimming

IUP finished sixth at the PSAC Meet.  Pawel Glowiak won the conference championship in the 100 backstroke for the third straight and was also third in the 200 backstroke.  He went on to finish seventh in the 100 backstroke at the NCAA meet, the third time in his career he earned All-America honors in that event.

Women’s Swimming

IUP finished fifth at the PSAC meet and qualified four swimmers for the NCAA national meet March 11-14 in Houston, Texas.  Jen Price qualified individually in the 500 freestyle just missed advancing to the finals at the NCAA meet.  Price was joined by Brittany Watkins, Melissa Kucharczuk and Bethany Johnston in finishing 12th in the 800 freestyle relay to earn honorable mention All-America honors.    

Men’s Indoor Track and Field

IUP sent two athletes to the NCAA indoor championships and both made the All-America teams, with Nafee Harris finishing fifth in the long jump and Ceasar Westbrook taking fifth in the triple jump.  Harris also won the long jump championship at the PSAC meet, edging out Westbrook for first place.  Kevin Raymond was second in the 55 meter dash at the conference meet.  IUP finished in fifth place in the team standings, its highest in the eight-year history of the PSAC meet.

Women’s Indoor Track and Field

Maddy Outman was named the Most Outstanding Overall Performer at the PSAC meet after winning the 400 meters and 55 meter hurdles, finishing third in the 200 meters and long jump and taking eighth in the 55 meter dash.  Outman qualified for nationals in five events and competed in the pentathlon and the hurdles.  She was sixth in the pentathlon and missed by .006 of a second of advancing to the finals in the hurdles.  Brianna Liebold won the long jump and Tamika Taylor won the 55 meter dash to give IUP three event champions at the conference meet.  IUP took fourth place in the team standings, an improvement from 10th in 2008.

Other Sports

Softball

IUP junior catcher Sam Goettman has been named the PSAC Central Player of the Week after hitting safely in all nine games and batting .484 during the Crimson Hawks' spring break to the Carolinas.  The softball team finished their spring trip with a record of 5-4.  They begin their home schedule on March 17 against Lake Erie.

Baseball

IUP completed a four-game sweep in their opening games by beating Apprentice School in Hampton, Virginia.  They open their home schedule on March 21st with a doubleheader against Mercyhurst.

Golf

The golf team opened its spring season with a second place finish at the St. James Plantation Invitational at The Founders Club in Southport, N.C.   Charleston won the team title but the Crimson Hawks bested all three schools from the PSAC at the two-day tournament. IUP was eight shots ahead of Clarion and 13 better than California.

Lacrosse

The lacrosse team opened its season with a loss at 4th ranked Lock Haven.  They begin their home schedule with a game on March 18 against Gannon, first-year coach Mindy Richmond’s alma mater.

Football

The Crimson-Gray Spring football game will be played on April 17 at 6:00 p.m. at Miller Stadium followed by a football alumni golf outing on Saturday, April 18.  IUP senior linebacker Terrence Jackson and junior cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah were named to the D2Football.com All-America team while sophomore kicker Craig Burgess earned the same honor from the Don Hansen Football Gazette.

The women’s team, this year’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champions, plays Johnson C. Smith University on Friday, March 13 at 3:00 p.m. in the first round. The tournament is being held at California University of Pennsylvania. Listen to the game on 92.5 FM (Indiana County) or on Red Zone Media.

The men’s team plays at Gannon University against Virginia Union University in the first round on Saturday, March 14 at 2:30 p.m. Listen to the game on 92.5 FM (Indiana County) or on Red Zone Media.

This IUP sports update was recorded on February 16, 2009:

Men’s Basketball 

With a record of 19-4 and recent wins over Clarion, Lock Haven, and Mercyhurst, the men’s basketball team is in first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West, setting up a showdown with rival California. Julian Sanders earned his fourth recognition as PSAC West Freshman of the Week, and Thomas Young was recently selected as PSAC Player of the Week.

Women’s Basketball 

The women’s basketball team enters a huge game against California on February 18, as the two teams are tied for first place in the PSAC West. The winner of that contest will be in sole possession of first place. With five wins in a row, IUP has a record of 20-3—its third consecutive twenty-win season. This is the Hawks’ best three-year record in the history of IUP women’s basketball. Courtnay Rattigan Bryson, assistant coach, and husband Scott are the proud parents of Max Bryson, born February 11.

Swimming (Men’s and Women’s)

Despite recent team losses to Clarion and Gannon, Jen Price earned a National Collegiate Athletic Association qualifying time in the 200 freestyle. She previously qualified for the NCAA meet in the 1,000 freestyle. The PSAC meet begins February 19 in Mechanicsburg.

Track and Field (Indoor)

Brianna Leopold is the fifth IUP athlete to qualify for the indoor nationals, as she recently finished fourth in the Akron Invitational. For her record-setting performance at the Penn State meet, Maddy Outman was named PSAC Track Athlete of the Week. A number of IUP athletes have qualified for the PSAC meet, which begins February 28 in East Stroudsburg.

Other Sports

Baseball 

The IUP baseball team has been picked to finish second in the PSAC West preseason poll, voted on by division coaches, and the Crimson Hawks are ranked seventh in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America Atlantic Region poll. The season begins February 28.

Football 

Coach Lou Tepper recently announced the addition of fourteen freshmen and two transfer students in the 2009 recruiting class. The Crimson-Gray Spring football game takes place April 17 at 6:00 p.m. in Miller Stadium.

Soccer 

The IUP women’s soccer team has been named a recipient of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Ethics and Sportsmanship Award for the 2008 season. The Crimson Hawks were one of twelve teams—out of almost 260 Division II women’s soccer teams in the nation—and one of only two teams from the PSAC to receive the award. The honor is based on the number of yellow penalty cards received for the season. IUP was penalized just six times in twenty-three games, earning the team a bronze medal from the NSCAA.

Catch up on the success of IUP winter sports teams as they approach midseason. The following information was reported as of January 25, 2009:

Men’s Basketball 

The men’s basketball team’s twelve-game winning streak recently came to an end with a loss to division rival Gannon. The winning streak was the sixth longest for IUP since the 1963–1964 season. The Crimson Hawks are in a four-way tie for first in the PSAC West. Darryl Webb, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Player of the Week, and Julian Sanders, PSAC Rookie of the Week, were recently honored by the conference office.

Women’s Basketball

A recent win against Gannon brought the women’s team’s record to 15-2. The Crimson Hawks have won seven games in a row and are tied with California for first place in the PSAC West. Jahzinga Tracey, a senior from Des Moines, Iowa, recently broke the IUP career-scoring record with a total of 1,744 points, breaking the previous mark set by Cathy Torchia in 1993. Tracey also holds the school record for steals, field goals made, and field goals attempted.

Swimming 

On the women’s side, Kate Rowe, Galit Regev, Jen Price, Melissa Kucharczuk, and Casey Beck each won two events, and the IUP women won a total of ten events to lead the Crimson Hawks to a 141-116 win over Shippensburg in a dual meet recently at Memorial Field House.

The IUP men lost to the Red Raiders, 149-105. Pawel Glowiak won two of the five individual events for the men, who also took first in the 200 freestyle relay.

The women are 4-4 in dual meets this season, while the men are 2-4.

Track and Field (Indoor) 

Four IUP athletes have qualified for track and field’s indoor nationals so far this year: Maddy Outman, pentathlon and 60-meter hurdles; Tamika Taylor, long jump; Ceasar Westbrook, triple jump; and Nafee Harris, long jump. Harris was recently named the PSAC Field Athlete of the Week.

Sports Roundup

A list of the honors earned among Fall sports athletes:

Baseball 

The IUP baseball team, consisting of thirty-three players, earned a Fall semester cumulative grade-point average of 3.09. Twenty players earned a GPA of 3.0 or better, and four posted a perfect 4.0.

Football 

Five IUP football players have been selected to the Daktronics All-Super Region 1 team for the 2008 season, including first-team nods for senior linebacker Terrence Jackson, who also was named to the American Football Coaches Association All-American Team and chosen to play in the Cactus Bowl, and sophomore kicker Craig Burgess. Named to the second team were sophomore running back Tobias Robinson, junior offensive lineman Jim O'Rourke, and junior cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah.

Soccer 

IUP junior Sarah Romasco and freshman Heather Robbins have been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region second team for the 2008 season. Romasco was also a Daktronics all-region honorable mention selection.

Softball 

Thirteen players on the IUP softball team earned Dean’s List honors for the Fall 2008 semester with GPAs of 3.25 or higher. The group included three players with a perfect 4.0 GPA for the semester. Megan Timpf, who represented Canada in the 2008 Olympic Games, has been named a graduate assistant coach for the IUP softball team. She will be responsible for player development, recruiting, practice planning and implementation, and travel arrangements.

The women's basketball team has a record of 6-1 with the only loss coming in overtime to the number two ranked team in the country.  Jahzinga Tracey leads IUP with a scoring average of 19 points per game and has earned PSAC Player of the Week honors. The team continues its season well into the holiday season. See the team's page for a complete schedule and more stats.

Men's basketball is off to a 4-2 start as they look to better their record of 13-15 of a year ago.  Included in this record was a loss at the University of Pittsburgh, where IUP finished the game strong by outscoring Pitt in the second half 43-41.  Darryl Webb, last year’s PSAC rookie-of-the-year, leads a balanced scoring attack. Learn more about the team's progress.

In the pool, Melissa Kuzarczuk and Jen Price earned NCAA “B cuts” at the Akron Invitational.  The IUP swimming team took the team title at the Crimson Hawk Invitational and has a record of 3-3. Record-breaking swimmer, Pawel Glowiak, began the season where he left off last year by being named the PSAC Swimmer of the Week for his performance at the Crimson Hawk Invitational.  In addition to breaking three records, he earned NCAA cuts in all three events.  IUP took the team title at the Crimson Hawk Invitational and has a record of 3-3. See more. 

The football team finished the regular season with an overall record of 8-2 (5-2 in the PSAC West), but was denied a spot in the NCAA playoffs.  The only two losses came on the road to California and Edinboro by a combined nine points, and the Crimson Hawks outscored their opponents by a whopping 385-114 on the year.  IUP finished the regular season ranked fifteenth in the American Football Coaches Association national poll. Senior linebacker Terrence Jackson was named the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year, heading a group of twelve Crimson Hawks named to the all-conference team.

The field hockey team had a record of 15-3 and won the PSAC West with a 7-1 mark.  The Crimson Hawks defeated Kutztown in the opening round of the PSAC tournament before losing in the finals to Bloomsburg in their attempt to win back-to-back conference championships.  IUP earned its fifth straight trip to the NCAA tournament and dropped a 2-1 double overtime game to Shippensburg in the quarterfinals.  A total of nine IUP players were named to the All-PSAC West team.

The soccer team posted a record of 13-9-1 and captured a spot in the playoffs with an 8-4 mark in the PSAC West.  IUP then defeated Gannon and East Stroudsburg in the PSAC tournament before losing 2-1 to Mercyhurst in the championship game.  Despite their success in the conference tournament, the Crimson Hawks did not receive a bid to the NCAA tournament.  Five IUP players were named to the All-PSAC West team.

The golf team won the PSAC golf tournament for the second consecutive season and eighth time in the past twelve years with a thirteen-stroke victory at the conference tournament held in Hershey in late October.  The win was the fourth of the fall season for IUP.  Sophomore Leo Acklin and senior Cory Stelick finished first and second, respectively, at the PSAC tournament and all five IUP golfers placed in the top ten. The golf season resumes in the spring, including the NCAA regional and national tournaments.   

The women’s cross country team was fifth at both the PSAC and NCAA East Region meets, while the men were fifth and sixth, respectively.  Three IUP runners earned spots on both the all-conference and all-region teams, including Nate Shelly and Matt Gaudet from the men’s team and Maureen Newell on the women’s team.

The volleyball team finished the season with an overall record of 15-21 and 1-11 in the PSAC West. 

The tennis team finished the fall season with a dual match record of 1-8.  The sister team of juniors Alyssa and Emily Shubra won their first-round doubles match at the PSAC individual championships.  The tennis season resumes in March, including the PSAC team tournament.

At the final regular season home basketball games, the mascot’s official name was revealed! “Norm” links directly to the university’s history. When the school was founded in 1875, the university’s name was The Normal School. IUP’s athletic teams have competed with the nickname “The Normalites” and others before being identified as Crimson Hawks. Norm is a tribute to that history and his jersey number 75 refers to the year the school opened its doors for the first time.

The new name of our Crimson Hawk was the result of the work of the mascot implementation team, which was made up of faculty, staff and students. Several members of this team conducted a series of informal focus groups among students, faculty, alumni, and fans and found that the name was very appealing, fits well with IUP’s history, and has a fun and exciting element to it.