Norm wants you to try out!

Mascot tryouts will take place on Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Zink Hall Gym B.

Registration begins at 12:45 p.m. in the Zink Hall Lobby, with tryouts beginning promptly at 1:00 p.m.

We ask each candidate to please come with the following prepared:

1. Thirty-second skit/dance to music of their choice.
2. You must show a “spirit skit” while the cheerleaders perform their traditional cheer.
3. IUP Mascot Application, Mascot Tryout Waiver, and Medical Insurance Forms

Feel free to bring any props you desire.

Please dress appropriately: tennis shoes are required! Shorts/yoga or sweat pants are also recommended.

More Info

Where

Zink Hall, Gym B

When

10:30 a.m.

If you have any questions, please e-mail Coach Jen at jenniferdowling10@yahoo.com.

Before coming to tryouts, please add the group “IUP Cheerleading” on Facebook for videos of one dance and one chant that you must perform at tryouts. Support your school or all-star team. T-shirt or tank, cheer shorts and cheer shoes, with your hair done “competition style” with a bow. Make yourself stand out. Before stunting begins, you must state if you are trying out as a flyer, back, or base. There will be no switching during tryouts. You must pick one.

Tumbling

• You must throw a solid running tuck, with no spot, and standing tuck, but may have a small one-handed spot.
• Tumbling is on a dead cheer floor, but you will get more points if thrown on the gym floor. There are no mats at football and basketball games.

Flyers

• Must show all body positions. Looking for strong bows and scorpions.
• Must show 360/full ups, express ups/tick tocks, and single/double downs from one-legged stunts.

Bases/Backs

• Looking for strong backs and bases who can stunt with all sized flyers.
• Must be able to base or back 360/full ups, express ups/tick tocks, and single/double downs from one-legged stunts.

• Women’s game: 5:30 p.m.
• Men’s game: 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at the Kovalchick Complex Box Office starting Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.

Box office hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and until halftime of the men’s game on Wednesday.

Complimentary tickets are limited to 1,000 and will be first-come, first-served.

The Hawk’s Nest 

As supporters of the United Way of Indiana County, the basketball teams have invited the agency to distribute the vouchers to the 15 United Way partner agencies and their board members as a thank-you for the work they do for the county.

Ticket vouchers are available beginning January 19 at these five locations:

• Benjamin's Restaurant, 458 Philadelphia St.
• Indiana Gazette, 899 Water St.
• Indiana Mall office, Oakland Ave.
• Renda Broadcasting, 840 Philadelphia St.
• Romeo's Pizzeria and Mediterranean Kitchen, 1112 Oakland Ave

The first 2,000 vouchers presented at the Kovalchick box office will be honored. Vouchers may be redeemed the night of the games or during regular box office hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Monday - Friday, and 10:00 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday.

The women's game tipoff is at 5:30 p.m.; men's tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. Free light refreshments will be provided from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The United Way partner agencies are the Alice Paul House, American Red Cross, accessAbilities, Boy Scouts of America/Laurel Highlands Council, Camp Orenda, Chevy Chase Community Center, Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania, Indiana County Head Start, Indiana County Catholic Charities, Indiana County Day Care, Lifesteps of Indiana County, Open Door, Salvation Army, Visiting Nurse Association, and YMCA.

Any faculty or staff member may pick up vouchers for up to four free tickets at the Kovalchick Box Office from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tip-off: 5:30 p.m. for the women's game, 7:30 p.m. for the men's game.

Both teams are ranked in the top 25 in the country. Come out and see the Hawks rule the air.

Athletic director Frank Condino, men's coach Joe Lombardi, and women's coach Jeff Dow would like to thank to all faculty and staff for their support of Hawks basketball.

GO HAWKS!

Game time at Kovalchick Complex is 7:30.

Students gain free admission with a valid I-Card.

Note: November is Men's Health Awareness Month, dubbed Movember, when men who participate in awareness activities grow a mustache to raise funds.

Early this month, IUP students kicked off Movember with a shave-off, hosted by Interfaternity Council.

Hawk’s Nest

IUP Madness takes place this Thursday, November 8, at 8:00 p.m. in Kovalchick Complex. The night includes meeting the men’s basketball team and a music video skit competition with members of the IUP Greek community, and a comedy show by Danny Browning.

The first 100 people in the door will receive a free t-shirt.

See the men’s basketball schedule.

See the women’s basketball schedule.

And, make sure you get to the games! Students are admitted free with an I-Card.

IUPAthletics.com

Adults can bring as many kids as they'd like. There's no limit on the number of children who can enjoy free admission.

Five more home games are scheduled for the season. The next is September 15 against PSAC rival Lock Haven at 4:00 p.m. at Miller Stadium. The remaining home games are vs. Slippery Rock on Homecoming, October 6; Mercyhurst on October 20; Clarion on October 27; and the regular-season finale against Shippensburg on November 10. See the complete game schedule.

The Crimson Hawks are 2–0, with a 33-6 rout over Southern Connecticut State and a 56-0 rout over Cheyney.

Adult tickets may be purchased online or at the gate.

Go Crimson Hawks!

Get tournament ticket information.

Men's Tournament Play

Arena: Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex, West Liberty University, West Liberty, W.Va.

Quarterfinal: No. 7 IUP vs. No. 2 Shaw—2:30 p.m., Saturday, March 10

Semifinals: 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 11

Championship: 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 13

• IUP-TV Sports live coverage of quarterfinals: via IUP-TV Comcast Channel 6; in the Wheeling area, WLU-TV; and webcast (or find link at IUP Athletics)
• If IUP advances, IUP-TV Sports live coverage: via IUP-TV Comcast Channel 6 and webcast (or find link at IUP Athletics)
• Live stats: HillTopperSports.com
• Live video (IUP): NMTVSports.com
• Live video (West Liberty): NMTVSports.com
• Live audio: RedZoneMedia.com
• Live tweets: twitter.com/IUPCrimsonHawk

More information on the Crimson Hawk men's tournament play 

View webcasts of all the Atlantic Region men's games: http://wlutv.nmtvsports.com (via WLU-TV Sports).

Women's Tournament Play

Arena: McComb Fieldhouse, Edinboro, Pa.

Quarterfinal: No. 5 IUP vs. No. 4 Bloomsburg—8:30 p.m., Friday, March 9

Semifinals: 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 10

Championship: 7:00 p.m., Monday, March 12

• Live stats: GoFightingScots.com
• Live audio: RedZoneMedia.com
• Live tweets: twitter.com/IUPCrimsonHawk

More information on the Crimson Hawk women's NCAA tournament play 

Smith averaged 27.5 points per game this week and led the fourteenth-ranked Crimson Hawks to a weekend sweep of PSAC East opponents East Stroudsburg and Kutztown.

On Friday, Smith was 8-of-15 from the floor for a game-high 22 points as IUP knocked off East Stroudsburg by a score of 65-64. Smith connected on 5-of-7 free throw attempts and added a team-high three assists.

Smith would follow his excellent performance on Friday with a career-day in Saturday’s 78-72 victory over Kutztown. He finished with a career-high 33 points, with 18 coming in the second half alone. Smith was 61.0 percent shooting from the floor, including a clutch jumper with just over a minute to play that sealed the win for the Crimson Hawks. He also pulled down a team-high six rebounds and dished three assists.

The Crimson Hawks (7-1, 5-1) are back in action this weekend when they host the Indiana Regional Medical Center Classic at Kovalchick Complex. IUP takes on West Virginia Wesleyan at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 16, before tipping off against Urbana at 7:30 pm. Saturday night, December 17.

Both will be webcast, thanks to the highly acclaimed crew at IUP-TV.

• Watch the women’s game against Goldey-Beacom. It begins at 2:00 p.m. eastern.
• Watch the men’s game against Seton Hill. It begins at 7:30 p.m. eastern.

IUP Athletics

The first five hundred through the door will receive t-shirts courtesy of IUP's Student Co-op Association. The team also welcomes alumnae back for the team reunion. The team is coming off a postseason appearance after advancing to the PSAC quarterfinals last season.

Tickets for the game are available at Kovalchick Complex.

IUP Women’s Basketball

The annual game, when IUP plays California University of Pennsylvania, falls this year on IUP's Family Weekend. Veterans will be honored during a halftime ceremony.

Alumni of both universities who cannot travel to IUP for the game are invited to a watch party at McFadden's on Pittsburgh's North Shore.

About the Coal Bowl:  

The winning team will receive a coal miner’s pail trophy, donated by Barry “Buck” Lippencott, a 1967 IUP Geography Education graduate, and his brother, Bob Lippencott, a 1966 California University of Pennsylvania graduate.

The Lippencotts have each made a donation to their universities to establish a named scholarship for a student-athlete in football at each university.

Bob, a linebacker, and Buck, an offensive tackle, played against each other in 1963 and 1964 California and IUP football games.

“This trophy is to honor the coal miner,” Buck Lippencott said. “Coal miners are a special breed: Every day they face danger, routine hardships and difficult work. They work underground in a dangerous environment doing a job that many do not envy.”

The brothers created the scholarships as a thank-you to their universities for helping them to achieve success in their personal and professional lives, he said.

The Pennsylvania Coal Association is the game's Presenting Sponsor. Alpha Natural Resources, CONSOL Energy, F.O.R.C.E. (Families for PA Coal), Joy Mining, P & N Coal, Rosebud Mining Company, United Mine Workers of America District 2, and Valier Coal/Original Fuels are Participating Sponsors. Electro-Mec and FMC Technologies are Silver Bucket sponsors.

The Pennsylvania Coal Association is a trade organization representing surface and underground coal operators that produce bituminous coal mined in the commonwealth.

Its membership produces more than 80 percent of the bituminous coal mined each year in Western Pennsylvania to generate affordable and reliable electricity.

“The Pennsylvania Coal Association is honored to sponsor the Coal Bowl between two of the commonwealth’s finest universities that are located in the heart of the coalfields,” Pennsylvania Coal Association President George Ellis said.

See the Coal Bowl's history.

The IUP men’s and women’s basketball teams will open up their 2011–2012 regular seasons on Saturday, November 12, at the brand-new Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex. The women will tip at 2:00 p.m. against Goldey-Beacom, while the men are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start against Seton Hill.

T-shirts will be given out at each game, courtesy of IUP’s Student Co-Op Association. The first 500 through the door at the women’s game will receive a crimson shirt, while the first 4,000 that night at the men’s contest will receive a white t-shirt as the Crimson Hawks hope to “White Out” the Kovalchick Complex in the home opener.

In either case, fans are encouraged to wear their crimson to the women’s game and white to the men’s game to show support for the Crimson Hawks as they open the 2011–2012 season.

Both teams are coming off of postseason appearances, with the women advancing to the PSAC quarterfinals and the men making it to the Atlantic Regional championship.

Tickets for both games will be available at Kovalchick Complex

Kornock follows fellow senior forward Heather Robbins (Frederica, DE/Polytech), who earned the award last Monday.

Kornock scored five goals and also recorded three assists for a total of thirteen points to help lead IUP to a 3-0 week with wins over East Stroudsburg, West Virginia Wesleyan, and Gannon. She tallied at least two points in each game, including a pair of game-winning goals.

She started the week last Tuesday by scoring twice and dishing out two assists in a 5-1 win over East Stroudsburg. With the score tied 1-1, she broke it by scoring back-to-back goals. She then netted one goal in Thursday’s 4-1 win over West Virginia Wesleyan and capped her week by going for two more goals and an assists in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Gannon. After the Golden Knights had taken an early 1-0 lead, her first goal of the contest tied the game 1-1 less than three minutes after Gannon had taken the lead.

Kornock and the Crimson Hawks (6-0-1, 4-0-1) will face a tough battle on Wednesday, as they host Edinboro at the South Campus Field. IUP and the Fighting Scots are each ranked regionally, with Edinboro ahead by just one spot.

Game time is 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 16, 2011

If you can’t make it Friday night, you can catch the game on Saturday, September 17, at 3:00 p.m. when IUP plays West Chester.

See details on the IUP volleyball team page.

Kick off against Bloomsburg is at 8:00 p.m.

See a recap of Saturday's win against East Stroudsburg.

September 15, 2011

The game will also be televised on a tape delay on IUP-TV, Comcast channel 6 (channel 20 on the IUP campus cable system), on Sunday at 9:00 a.m., Monday at 6:00 p.m., and Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

Kempa shot a seven-under 135 for the tournament, including a course-record 64 in round one. He shot a 71 on Monday to solidify the top individual spot and the team championship for the Crimson Hawks. Kempa was a birdie-machine throughout the tournament, with four of his eleven birds coming on par fives.

The Crimson Hawks head to Clarion this Sunday and Monday for the Hal Hansen Invitational and Clarion Oaks Golf Course.

The parking lots at Zink Hall, Eberly, and R & P, and the Kovalchick Complex Wayne Avenue lot, will be available for $5 on game days. The brand new Hawks’ Landing parking area—the tailgating-accessible gravel lot adjacent to George P. Miller Stadium—will be available for $30 on game days.

The 2011 football season kicks off on Saturday, September 10, as the Crimson Hawks host East Stroudsburg at 4:00 p.m.

New this year, the staff of the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex will administer ticket sales. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The season opens on Saturday, September 10, when Curt Cignetti takes the field for the first time with his team to face East Stroudsburg University. Kick off is 4:00 p.m. During halftime, ten alumni will be honored They are Steve Murray ’99 (baseball), Dick Crawford ’68, Kurt Kanaskie and Robert Misenko ’97 (basketball), George Glarner ’56 and Sam Scavo ’61 (football), Joe Klinchock ’86 and Ed Matko ’51 (golf), Michelle Goodwin ’89 (gymnastics), Amy Peterson ’95 and Frank Wolk ’83 (soccer), and Bob Vranich ’94 (track and field). In addition, Bill Otto will be given the Honorary Bell Ringer Award.

IUP will be in the national spotlight Thursday, September 15, when the game vs. Bloomsburg will be televised by CBS Sports Network. Kick off is 8:00 p.m.

See more information about football ticket information.

Canada went a combined 4-2 in Oklahoma City, including a 4-3 win over the United States, the eventual gold medal winners of the World Cup.

“Playing for and representing Canada is an honor and an invaluable experience,” said Timpf. “Although we had a young team this year with only four returners from the 2008 Olympic year, everyone worked hard, became a team and together we were able to accomplish a third place finish.”

Timpf and Canada opened the tournament with a 9-6 loss to Japan in eight innings before defeating Great Britain 6-4 and the Czech Republic 7-0 in five innings. The 4-3 win over the USA came in game four before an 8-3 loss to Australia in game five set up the rematch in the bronze medal game.

“The competition and preparation this summer will put us in a great spot heading into the Pan-American Games in October held in Guadalajara, Mexico,” continued Timpf. “I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to competing for the gold at the Pan-Am Games!”

The XVI Pan-American Games in Guadalajara run October 14-30, with softball set to begin competition on October 17.

Timpf joined the Canadian national team in 2005 and was a member of its gold medal winning squad at the 2007 World University Games. The team also claimed a silver medal at the Pan-American Games and won the bronze at the World Cup of Softball held in Oklahoma City.

She earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic Team in 2007 and helped her team win a gold medal at the 2008 International Challenge in Blacktown, Australia, and silver at the 2007 China Cup held at the Olympic site in Beijing.

The Crimson Hawks were one of twelve Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schools on the list, by far the most of any conference in Division II.

A total of seventy-four institutions earned the distinction as a result of a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or better.

Grand Valley State earned both the indoor and outdoor Scholar-Team of the Year awards, while Saint Leo reported the highest cumulative team GPA in the nation with a 3.66.

Hawk’s Nest

Those who want to purchase advance tickets may do so by calling 724-357-2057.

IUP has ushered in a new era as Curt Cignetti, son of IUP football coaching legend Frank Cignetti ’60, has taken the reins of the program. Curt Cignetti, who coached at Alabama for the past four seasons, will be looking to turn around a team that went 6-5 overall in 2010, finishing in a tie for fourth with a 3-4 conference mark.

Meet Coach Cignetti on IUP’s YouTube channel.

The nationally televised game is the second home game on the schedule. Ten men and two women will be inducted into the IUP Athletic Hall of Fame at the first game on Saturday, September 10. They are Steve Murray ’99 (baseball), Dick Crawford ’68, Kurt Kanaskie and Robert Misenko ’97 (basketball), George Glarner ’56 and Sam Scavo ’61 (football), Joe Klinchock ’86 and Ed Matko ’51 (golf), Michelle Goodwin ’89 (gymnastics), Amy Peterson ’95 and Frank Wolk ’83 (soccer), and Bob Vranich ’94 (track and field). In addition, Bill Otto will be given the Honorary Bell Ringer Award. Game time is 4:00 p.m.

See more about IUP football.

Playing in forty-four games, Zinsmeister had a .326 average, good for fourth in the league, with nine homeruns and twenty-six runs batted in. His three triples were tied for first in the league, and his ten doubles were tied for fourth, while his homerun total was second to teammate Jeremy Matos’ thirteen.

From his leadoff position, the rising junior led the league with twenty-five stolen bases in twenty-nine attempts, while also finishing second in hits (56) and runs scored (41). He also had a .576 slugging percentage and finished with a .993 OPS.

This past season for the Crimson Hawks, Zinsmeister was second on the team with a .339 average, doubling twelve times and adding four triples. He added twenty-six runs batted in and had fifteen steals and a team-leading fifty-eight hits.

One of the top pro prospects in the FCBL, Zinsmeister will be playing with the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League on a temporary contract next summer, in hopes of earning a full time contract. He will be the third IUP player to play in Cape Cod, with Colby Betz (2008, Hyannis) and Paul Bingham (2009, Cotuit) the previous two.

It’s the third straight year that IUP has earned All-Academic status as a squad, all under the guidance of third-year head coach Larry Peterson.

The Crimson Hawks were one of thirty-five NCAA Division II squads to earn the award, joining just three other Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schools.

Individually, Eaton, Louhabanjong, and McBryan each posted perfect 4.0 grade point averages, while Osborne pulled in an impressive 3.8 average this past year. McBryan was also the recipient of the Elite 88 award at the 2011 NCAA Division II Women’s Tennis Championships this past May. The award is given out at each of the NCAA’s eight-eight championship events to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average.

The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a varsity letter winner
2. Have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year
3. Have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters

Baseball

Centerfielder Frank Sirolli and third baseman Vern Powell were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Atlantic Region first team. Sirolli was also chosen a recipient of the Rawlings Gold Glove award by the ABCA.

Both players were seniors on the 2011 IUP baseball team, which won three games at the PSAC tournament to advance to the conference championship game for the first time since 1990.

Outfielder Jordan DeLuca, of Tussey Mountain High School, a member of the 2011–2012 IUP baseball recruiting class, was drafted in the forty-seventh round by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

DeLuca has until August 15 to either sign with the Pirates or enroll at IUP. If he decides to attend college, he will not be eligible again for the draft until the end of his junior season in 2014.

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball team will have ten newcomers in the 2010–2011 season: five transfer students and five incoming freshmen.

Transfers

• Katie Bubna, University of Akron
• Jen Rasko, Fairmont State University (West Virginia)
  
• Melanie Todd, Lincoln Memorial (Tennessee)
  
• Jessica Wallace, University of Northern British Columbia
• Talen Watson, University of Massachusetts

Freshmen

• Lisa Burton, Penn Hills High School
• Amy Fairman, Marion Center High School
  
• Marita Mathe, Indiana Area Senior High School
• Leslie Stapleton, Indiana Area Senior High School
  
• Ashley Stoner, Thomas Jefferson High School
  

Football

The IUP-Bloomsburg football game during the 2011 season will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.

The game, originally scheduled for September 17, has been moved to Thursday, September 15, to accommodate the broadcast. Kickoff will be at 8:00 p.m. at IUP’s Miller Stadium.

This is the sixth year of Division II and CBS Sports Network’s partnership to provide schools with live national television exposure for their football and basketball programs.

Women’s Lacrosse

Two lacrosse team members recently received postseason honors. Becca Vogt, a junior, and Taylor Norwood, first-year player, were both named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-South Region second team, and Norwood was additionally chosen for the synapse.com (formerly womenslacrosse.com) national all-freshman squad.

Vogt set school records this season with 46 assists and 89 points while scoring 43 goals, tied for the third-highest in school history. With one season remaining, she holds the school record for assists (104) and is seventh in goals (80) and second in points (184), just eight shy of Jackie Rutkowski.

Norwood emerged as one of the top defensive players in the PSAC in her freshman season. She led the team with 22 caused turnovers and 33 ground balls while ranking third with 30 draw controls.

The duo helped IUP finish with a record of 11-7, the most wins in the fourteen-year history of the program, and come within one victory of its first berth in the PSAC playoffs.

Softball

The best season in IUP softball history came to an end May 28 with a 3-0 loss to Midwestern State at the Division II World Series in Salem, Va.

The Crimson Hawks finished with a record of 38-8, tying the school record for most wins in a season. (The other was a 38-12 finish in 2010.) They won their first PSAC and NCAA Atlantic Region titles with eleven straight wins before losing to North Georgia and then Midwestern State in the World Series.

Erin Holloway finished her IUP career as the school’s all-time leader in every career pitching category. She was also third in PSAC history in strikeouts (1,004), complete games (105), and inning pitched (803 2-3); fifth in wins (78); and sixth in shutouts (32). 

Track and Field

Brianna Liebold added the PSAC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year award to the same honor she received during the past two indoor seasons in voting by the conference track and field head coaches.

Liebold, who won both the long and triple jumps at the PSAC outdoor championships, capped her career by finishing eighth in the long jump at the NCAA outdoor meet in May to earn her first career outdoor All-America showing. She also finished tenth in the triple jump at nationals.

Other top finishers in the NCAA outdoor meet were Nafee Harris, second place in the long jump, and Leander Toney, third place in the high jump. All three earned All-America honors at the tournament. Toney broke a thirty-five-year-old IUP record with his jump of 7 feet, 1 inch.

Down 2-0 in its final at bat, the IUP softball team had an improbable three-run rally to defeat Bloomsburg in game one of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Super Regional, Friday, May 20, 2011.

Dee Eppinger singled in the tying and winning runs with IUP down to its final out to lift the Crimson Hawks to a 3-2 victory in the opening game of the best-of-three series at Podbielski Field on IUP’s South Campus. (See photos from the opening game.)

The second game of the series will take place Saturday, May 21, at noon at Podbielski Field. A Crimson Hawks victory would send them to the College World Series for the first time in school history. If Bloomsburg wins game two, a deciding third game will take place thirty minutes after the end of the second.

The College World Series will be held May 26-30 in Salem, Va. The Bloomsburg Huskies are the defending Super Regional champion.

Find tournament information and complete game reports on the IUP Athletics website.

The winner will move on to the College World Series, May 26–30, in Salem, Va.

IUP and Bloomsburg will play a best-two-out-of-three series, with the first game taking place Friday, May 20, at 1:00 p.m. and the second game Saturday, May 21, at noon. If a third and deciding game is necessary, it will take place thirty minutes following the end of the second game.

The Crimson Hawks, 36-6, are seeking their first trip to the College World Series. The Bloomsburg Huskies, 33-7, are looking for their second straight appearance in the world series.

Both teams went undefeated in their brackets of the Atlantic Regional tournament.

Find more information: Softball Playoffs 2011.

Baseball

The baseball team fell one win shy of its first PSAC title since 1990 with a 12-3 loss to Mercyhurst in the championship game May 14 in Johnstown.

The team finished 22-28, which included three wins in the conference tournament—the most since winning the championship twenty-two years ago.

Frank Sirolli led the team with a .367 average on the year. The senior centerfielder also paced the Crimson Hawks with forty-five runs scored, thirty-six RBIs, thirteen doubles, five triples, and two home runs. He and Robbie Zinsmeister were tied with fifty-eight hits.

Men’s Golf

The men’s golf team finished thirteenth in its fourth straight trip (twenty-eighth overall) to the NCAA Division II championship, which wrapped up May 20 in Florence, Ala.

Leo Acklin led the Crimson Hawks, tying for sixteenth place at 4-over par 220. Following Acklin were Derek Baker, tied for thirty-second with a score of 225; Brad Boyle, tied for fifty-fourth with a 229; Sean Sweithelm, tied for sixty-ninth with a 233; and Zack Kempa, tied for one hundredth with a 246.

Track and Field

Three IUP track and field athletes earned the top spot in their events at the PSAC meet, May 13 and 14, in Slippery Rock:

Brianna Liebold won the long jump, going a distance of 18 feet, 10½ inches, and the triple jump, traveling 38 feet, 11¾ inches. Those wins brought her total to five PSAC career titles in outdoor and indoor track and field.

Brandon Ford took first place in the long jump, his first PSAC title, with a jump of 47 feet, 11¼ inches.

Leander Toney repeated as conference champion in the high jump by clearing the bar at 6 feet, 9½ inches.

In team standings, the IUP women finished fifth and the men seventh. Shippensburg was the winner among both.

Four IUP athletes will compete in the NCAA Division II meet, May 26–28, in Turlock, Calif.: Brianna Liebold in the long jump and triple jump, Laurie Ajavon in the long jump, four-time national champion Nafee Harris in the long jump (injury permitting), and Leander Toney in the high jump.

Women’s Lacrosse

The women’s lacrosse team dropped a heartbreaker to Mercyhurst, losing 12-11, in the PSAC tournament April 23.

Becca Vogt, who netted five goals in the Crimson Hawks’ final game, set records for assists (forty-six) and points (eighty-nine) and tied for third in single season goals with forty-three.

Five Crimson Hawks garnered All-PSAC honors: attacker Becca Vogt and defender Taylor Norwood on the first team, and attacker Alexa Lodovici, midfielder Colleen Berlin, and goalkeeper Kaitlin Sterling on the third team.

The team finished the season 11-7, its first double-digit winning season in program history.

Softball

The softball team (36-6) is hosting Bloomsburg (33-7) in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Super Regional, May 20 and 21.

The winner will move on to the College World Series, May 26-30, in Salem, Va.

It would be the first trip to the world series for the top-seeded Crimson Hawks and the second straight trip for the second-seeded Bloomsburg Huskies.

Watch the IUP Athletics softball website for updates. Also, check the IUP website for photo galleries from the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region I and Atlantic Super Regional.

Women’s Tennis

The most successful season in IUP women’s tennis history ended May 11 with a 5-0 loss to three-time defending national champion Armstrong Atlantic in the NCAA Division II round of sixteen in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

At the championship banquet May 10, IUP’s Kelly McBryan won the NCAA’s Elite 88 award for having the highest cumulative grade-point average among the competitors. McBryan, a Sport Administration major, has a 4.0 GPA.

Find more information about the women’s tennis season.

Find full reports on all the sports teams on the IUP Athletics website.

Hawk’s Nest

Pitcher Erin Holloway recorded her second shutout in three games, leading the softball team to a 5-0 victory over Kutztown in the championship game of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region I tournament Monday, May 16, 2011, at Podbielski Field.

The Crimson Hawks, the top seed in the Atlantic Region, improved to 36-6 and will play Bloomsburg, the second seed, in the Super Regional.

That best two-out-of-three tournament will begin Friday, May 20, at a site to be determined by the NCAA national committee on Tuesday, May 17.

See photos from the championship game as well as the Crimson Hawks’ opening-game victory over Winston-Salem State on Friday, May 13. Photos were taken by Keith Boyer, university photographer.

Find updates on softball on the IUP Athletics website.

The softball team has advanced to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional pod championship game after defeating Kutztown, 2-1, Saturday, May 14, 2011.

The Crimson Hawks, the top seed in the regional tourney, have won ten in a row, including all eight of their postseason games. Their record now stands at 35-6 on the season.

Due to rain delays Sunday, the championship game vs. Kutztown is scheduled for Monday, May 16, at 10:00 a.m.

If IUP wins Monday, it will advance to the NCAA Division II Super Regionals, May 20 and 21. If IUP were to lose, a deciding game for the pod championship would be played immediately after the 10:00 a.m. game.

In its opening game Friday, May 13, IUP defeated Winston-Salem State, 7-0. See photos from the game by Keith Boyer, university photographer.

Find updates on the IUP Athletics website for softball’s Atlantic Regional tournament.

The softball team has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional after defeating Winston-Salem State 7-0 on Friday, May 13, 2011. (See photos from the game.)

Next, the tournament-hosting Crimson Hawks (34-6) will play Saturday, May 14, at 11:00 a.m. at Podbielski Field on IUP’s South Campus against the winner of Friday's game between California and Kutztown.

Saturday’s winner will advance to the championship game Sunday, May 15, at noon, and the victor will move on to the NCAA Super Regionals, May 20 and 21 at a site to be determined.

On Friday, IUP's Megan McCormick drove in four runs to back the three-hit shutout pitching of Erin Holloway.

In postseason play, McCormick has thirteen hits in twenty-five at bats, with fifteen RBIs. She hit three home runs and drove in eleven runs in IUP’s march to the PSAC title.

Holloway struck out eight and walked three in posting her tenth shutout of the season and thirty-first of her career. The senior righthander has won all seven of IUP’s postseason games and was the MVP of the PSAC tournament.

Find more information and updates on the IUP Athletics’ softball website.

Hawk’s Nest

In its first appearance at the NCAA Division II championship in school history, the women’s tennis team lost 5-0 to Armstrong Atlantic in the round of sixteen on May 11, 2011, in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

The Crimson Hawks finished with a record of 21-7, setting a school mark for most wins in a season, and had the PSAC West and Atlantic Region Freshman of the Year in Tabtip Louhabanjong.

They also reached the championship match in the PSAC tournament and won a regional tournament for the first time in school history.

IUP did have one big win at nationals: the team’s Kelly McBryan received the Elite 88 academic-athletic award for the 2011 women’s tennis championship. She was honored at the championship banquet May 10.

The Elite 88 award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average at each of the NCAA’s 88 championship events.

This is the second year the Elite 88 has been presented, and McBryan is the second IUP athlete to earn the award. Joe Rocco of the men’s basketball team received the award in 2010, when the men’s basketball team reached the NCAA Division II championship game.

McBryan, a Sport Administration major, has a 4.0 grade-point average. She is a junior academically and a sophomore athletically.

McBryan had a singles record of 17-9 this season, playing mostly at the fifth spot in singles. She has also won fifteen doubles matches, playing primarily with Ranvita Mahto in the second spot.

Find more information on the IUP Athletics website: Women’s Tennis.

Hawk’s Nest

The IUP softball team has been selected to host one of the two regional pods in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional tournament.

With a record of 33-6, the PSAC champion Crimson Hawks are the top seed in the eight-team tournament. They will take on eighth-seeded Winston-Salem State (29-11) in the opening game Friday, May 13, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at Podbielski Field.

Winner of the pod will be determined during the championship game Sunday, May 15, at noon.

Survivors of the two regional pods will play in the NCAA Super Regionals, May 20 and 21, at a site to be determined. As the tournament’s top seed, IUP would host the Super Regional, should it make it through this weekend’s play.

Winners of the eight Super Regionals advance to the College World Series, May 26–30, in Salem, Va. IUP is seeking its first regional title and its first College World Series appearance in school history.

The Crimson Hawks, ranked eleventh in the nation by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, are in the NCAA tournament for the second straight season and the eighth time overall.

IUP enters the Atlantic Regional after capturing its first PSAC softball title in school history.

Find more information on the IUP Athletics website: Softball.

Hawk’s Nest

The women’s tennis team earned its first berth at the NCAA national tournament with a 5-4 win over Slippery Rock in the Atlantic Region championship match on May 2, 2011.

The Crimson Hawks (21-6) will play in the national round of sixteen, to be held May 11–14 in Altamonte Springs, Fla. They are ranked thirty-eighth in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Slippery Rock was the defending regional champion.

Winning their matches Monday were IUP’s Tabtip Louhabanjong, Emilia Osborne, and Ranvita Mahto on the singles side and the doubles teams of Ranvita Mahto/Kelly McBryan and Emilia Osborne/Alex Ballard.

Find more information on the IUP Athletics website: “IUP Pulls Out Dramatic Victory over Slippery Rock to Advance to Nationals for First Time.”

Hawk’s Nest

Joe Rocco of the men’s basketball team and Emily Pany of the women’s volleyball team were selected as IUP Scholar-Athletes of the Year for 2011–2012.

The award is given annually to two seniors, one in men’s sports and one in women’s, based on academic and athletic achievements and community service work.

Pany took a 3.71 grade-point average as a history education major into the final semester of her college career.

She has also emerged as one of the top defensive players in the nation in her four-year career, earning a pair of All-Atlantic Region berths from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

As a senior last Fall, she led the PSAC and ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 6.62 digs per set, and her total of 741 digs ranks second on the IUP single-season list.

The three-year starter broke the IUP and PSAC record for career digs with 2,670.

Rocco has a 3.96 cumulative grade-point average through his first seven semesters at IUP. The Biology major will attend medical school in the Fall to study infectious diseases and immunology. He has narrowed his choices to Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh.

On the court, Rocco played in thirty of thirty-two games during his senior season and was a key reserve on a team that won its second straight PSAC West and PSAC tournament title and advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament.

He scored 39 points, grabbed 38 rebounds, made 18 steals, and dished out 13 assists during the 2010-2011 campaign.

Rocco was also a recipient of the PSAC Top 10 award this past season for combined academic and athletic excellence.

Find more information on the IUP Athletics website: “Joe Rocco, Emily Pany Named IUP Scholar-Athletes of the Year at Annual Athletics Awards Banquet.”

Hawk’s Nest

Baseball

Following a doubleheader split on April 17 at Slippery Rock, the baseball team was at 15-21 overall and 7-9 in the PSAC West.

The team heads into the final two weeks of the regular season squarely in the hunt for a berth in the conference playoffs.

Next up for the Crimson Hawks is Mount Aloysius on April 20. They resume PSAC West play April 22 and 23 against Clarion.

Men’s Basketball

Joe Rocco of the men’s basketball team, along with volleyball player Emily Pany, was selected as IUP Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2011-2012.

The award is given annually to one senior man and woman based on academic and athletic achievements and community service work.

Rocco was also selected, along with IUP swimmer Jackie Hynson, as a recipient of the PSAC Top 10 award for the winter sports season. The award, combining academic and athletic excellence, is given to five men and five women at the conclusion of each of the three sports seasons.

Rocco has a 3.96 cumulative grade point average through his first seven semesters at IUP. The Biology major will attend medical school in the Fall to study infectious diseases and immunology. He has narrowed his choices to Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh.

On the court, Rocco played in thirty of thirty-two games during his senior season and was a key reserve on a team that won its second straight PSAC West and PSAC tournament title and advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament. He scored 39 points, grabbed 38 rebounds, made 18 steals, and dished out 13 assists during the 2010-2011 campaign.

Men’s Golf

The men’s golf team held off Concord to win the team title, while Brad Boyle captured medalist honors, at the IUP-Cecil Spadafora Invitational, which wrapped up April 11 at the Indiana Country Club.

The win was the third of the spring season for IUP and marked the seventh time the Crimson Hawks have finished first during the 2010-2011 campaign.

It also marked the second straight year the Crimson Hawks have had the medalist at the IUP-Cecil Spadafora Invitational, with Boyle joining two-time All-American Gavin Smith, last year’s champion.

Women’s Lacrosse

The women’s lacrosse team stepped out of conference play to earn a 16-13 win over Seton Hill on April 18 at Offutt Field.

The Crimson Hawks are 11-5 overall and 5-4 in the conference.

They return to conference action April 21 as they travel to Lock Haven.

Women’s Softball

A doubleheader sweep over Clarion on April 17 kept the women’s softball team’s hopes alive for the PSAC Central title.

The Crimson Hawks are 27-6 overall and 10-4 in the PSAC Central. Their next scheduled game is against Mercyhurst in the PSAC semifinals April 21.

Swimming

Swimmer Jackie Hynson, a junior, was selected, along with Joe Rocco of the men’s basketball team, as a recipient of the PSAC Top 10 award for the winter sports season.

The award combines academic and athletic excellence and is given to five men and five women at the conclusion of each of the three sports seasons.

Hynson was also named the PSAC Women’s Swimmer of the Year, while Chris Villa earned conference Coach of the Year honors for the 2010-2011 season.

Villa led the Crimson Hawks from tenth place at the 2010 PSAC meet to fourth this year and only one point out of third.

Hynson, a student in the Robert E. Cook Honors College, has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average as a speech-pathology major in three semesters at IUP after transferring from Oakland University in Michigan.

Hynson’s season included third-place finishes and all-time PSAC records in the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke at the NCAA Division II meet.

Women’s Tennis

The women’s tennis team defeated Slippery Rock 5-3 in the PSAC quarterfinals April 18.

The Crimson Hawks will travel to Bloomsburg on April 21 to face the Huskies in the semifinals.

West Chester will take on tournament favorite California in the other semifinal, and the winners will play for the conference title April 22, also at Bloomsburg.

The Crimson Hawks, who have won eight in a row and are 18-5 on the season, are seeking their first PSAC championship in women’s tennis.

Track and Field

Five track and field athletes have provisionally qualified for NCAA outdoor meet.

Three turned in winning performances and gained provisional qualification for nationals during the Maryland Invitational on April 11: Jared Long in the 400 meter hurdles, Nafee Harris in the long jump, and Brianna Liebold in the triple jump.

At the Ed Fry Invitational on April 18 at Miller Stadium, Brandon Ford earned a provisional qualifying mark in the triple jump, as did Laurie Ajavon in the long jump.

IUP will host a meet for the second straight weekend with the IUP Open on April 23 at Miller Stadium.

Women’s Volleyball

Emily Pany of the women’s volleyball team, along with basketball player Joe Rocco, was selected as IUP Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2011-2012.

The award is given annually to one senior man and woman based on academic and athletic achievements and community service work.

Pany took a 3.71 grade-point average as a history education major into the final semester of her college career.

She has also emerged as one of the top defensive players in the nation in her four-year career, earning a pair of All-Atlantic Region berths from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

As a senior last fall, she led the PSAC and ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 6.62 digs per set, and her total of 741 digs ranks second on the IUP single-season list.

The day includes prizes, lunch at 11:30 a.m., shotgun start at 12:30 p.m., cocktails at 5:00 p.m. and dinner at 5:30 p.m. Nongolfing options include sponsorships, donations, and dinner.

The 1987–1988 women's basketball team will be honored at the event.

For details about sponsorships and registration information, contact the business athletics office at 724-357-2057.

IUP Athletics

Hawk's Nest

Registration will begin at 12:45 p.m. in the Zink Hall lobby, with tryouts following promptly at 1:00 p.m.

Do you think you have what it takes to be the next Crimson Hawk? Norm wants you to try out! Please visit the Hawk’s Nest for more details and important forms regarding the mascot tryouts.

Select brand-name sneakers and apparel at 50 percent to 70 percent off the retail price.

Hurry for this chance to get ready for summer. The sale lasts only one day.

Hawk’s Nest

Baseball

The baseball team split a doubleheader with Shippensburg on March 15, winning the opening game 11-5, but losing the second 7-3.

The Crimson Hawks (8-8) open PSAC West play when they travel to Lock Haven on March 18 before hosting the Bald Eagles at South Campus the following day.

Men’s Basketball

The men’s basketball team’s season ended March 15 with an 89-86 loss to West Liberty in the NCAA Atlantic Region championship game. Find more details: Comeback Falls Just Short for Men’s Basketball Team in NCAA Atlantic Region Finals.

IUP, the defending Atlantic Region champion, had earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament after claiming its second straight PSAC championship March 5. Senior forward Darryl Webb was named PSAC tournament MVP.

Other honors for Webb included selection as PSAC West Player of the Year and membership on the all-conference first team for the third-straight season and the Daktronics All-Atlantic Region first team.

Webb was joined on the PSAC West first team by junior guard Ashton Smith, while junior guard Julian Sanders was named to the second team.

Women’s Basketball

The season ended for the women’s basketball team with a loss to California in the quarterfinals of the PSAC tournament March 1 at Memorial Field House.

Lacey Claar concluded her career at IUP with her first selection to the All-PSAC West first team. Senior guard/forward Eryn Withers and sophomore forward Sarah Pastorek were named to the second team.

Field Hockey

The field hockey team was recently honored by Gladiator by SGI and the National Field Hockey Coaches Association with the Division II National Academic Team Award.

The team grade-point average for the Fall semester was 3.05 and the cumulative GPA is 3.02.

Golf

The golf team picked up where it left off in the Fall, with an eighteen-stroke victory over a field of ten teams at the St. James Plantation Invitational in Southport, N.C., on March 13.

IUP’s Brad Boyle and Derek Baker were numbers one and two, respectively, in the individual standings, with Boyle claiming medalist honors by one shot. IUP’s Leo Acklin was another shot back and tied for third.

The Crimson Hawks play next at the Barton College Invitational in Wilson, N.C.

Women’s Lacrosse

Powered by four goals and four assists from Becca Vogt, the lacrosse team defeated Shippensburg 19-9 on March 15 in the PSAC opener for both teams.

The team’s overall record is 2-1. The Crimson Hawks will travel to Millersville on March 19 for another PSAC matchup.

Softball

The softball team improved to 10-2 following its spring trip to Kissimmee, Fla., March 5–12.

On the trip, pitcher Erin Holloway surpassed eight hundred career strikeouts. She now stands at 805.

The Crimson Hawks are back in action March 16 as they host California.

Swimming

Swimmer Jackie Hynson concluded her junior season March 12 with a third-place finish and a new PSAC record at the NCAA meet in San Antonio.

Hynson finished third in both the 200 butterfly and the 200 backstroke in the past two years. She also placed sixth in the 400 individual medley, earning three spots on the All-America team.

Hynson broke her own school records and set new PSAC marks in both the 200 backstroke and 200 butterfly.

As a team, the Crimson Hawks finished nineteenth in the NCAA meet.

Women’s Tennis

The women’s tennis team wrapped up a perfect 4-0 spring trip to Hilton Head, S.C., March 7-11, bringing its record to 9-2.

Katie Eaton got a strong start to her season by earning the first PSAC West tennis athlete of the week for the Spring.

Next, the team will head to West Liberty, W.Va., on March 23.

Track and Field

Nafee Harris won his fourth national championship in the long jump at the NCAA indoor track and field meet in Albuquerque, N.M., on March 11.

Leander Toney was edged out for the title in the high jump, and Brianna Liebold finished sixth in the long jump and tenth in the triple jump.

The three also repeated as All-Americans, Harris for the sixth time, Toney for the third, and Liebold for the second.

Following the meet, Liebold was selected as the NCAA Atlantic Region Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. 

Do you think you have what it takes to be the next Crimson Hawk? Norm wants you to try out! Please visit the Hawk’s Nest for more details and important forms regarding the mascot tryouts.

IUP-TV Sports Productions will broadcast on the Web and on IUP-TV all IUP men’s basketball games during the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament at West Liberty University in West Virginia.

IUP will play in the opening round at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 12, 2011, against West Virginia Wesleyan. In addition to airing that quarterfinal, IUP Sports Productions will do a webcast of the preceding Mansfield vs. Bowie State game Saturday at noon.

New this year, IUP-TV Comcast Channel 6 will air the webcasts of the IUP games. IUP-TV will take the webcast feed from PennAtlantic.com and convert it for broadcast on IUP-TV, giving fans the option of watching on the Web or on TV.

If the Crimson Hawks win their quarterfinal Saturday, they will advance to the semifinals Sunday, March 13, at 5:00 p.m. The championship game will be at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 15.

All Atlantic Region tournament games will be aired on PennAtlantic.com.

Hawk’s Nest

The men’s basketball team has earned the right to host the PSAC Final Four on Friday and Saturday, March 4 and 5, 2011, after defeating California in the quarterfinals Tuesday night.

The Crimson Hawks will face East Stroudsburg at 7:30 p.m. Friday in their semifinal game. In the other semifinal will be Cheyney, which upset Mansfield, and Slippery Rock, which knocked off Mercyhurst.

Winners of the semifinal games will face off Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in Memorial Field House for the conference title.

While the men’s team defeated California 73-86 on Tuesday, the women dropped a 61-51 decision to the Vulcans in their quarterfinal.

The loss brought the women’s record to 19-8 overall and 10-3 in the conference. The Crimson Hawks are on the bubble for a bid to the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament, and they must wait until selections are made Sunday night to see if they will earn an at-large bid.

Find more information on the IUP Athletics website.

Hawk’s Nest

The average for schools participating is near $1,200, but the Crimson Hawks have gone above and beyond that, raising $3,619.60.

The swimming and diving teams have led the effort, bringing in $615. The men’s basketball team raised $335, and the softball team brought in $312.

Find more information on the IUP Athletics website: Crimson Hawks Athletic Teams Support Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Men’s Basketball

Ashton Smith hit a pull-up jumper with sixteen seconds left, and the Crimson Hawks held off Edinboro 73-72 on February 16.

With twelve points, Julian Sanders became the twenty-sixth player in IUP history to reach a thousand points.

The win brought IUP’s record to 17-5 overall and 8-2 in the PSAC West.

Next up, the Crimson Hawks will travel to Clarion on February 19, looking to avenge a 73-68 loss from earlier in the season.

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball team’s six-game winning streak came to an end February 16 in a 61-50 loss to Edinboro. The loss brought the team to 16-6 overall and 8-2 in the PSAC West.

Besides Edinboro (20-3 overall and 10-1 in the division) and IUP, California is also in the hunt for one of the top two seeds in the PSAC West. The Vulcans are half a game behind IUP at 8-3.

Earlier in the day, Edinboro rose to No. 1 in the Atlantic Region, while IUP jumped two spots to No. 6.

Next up for the Crimson Hawks will be Clarion on February 19 and Lock Haven on February 21.

Football

New IUP head coach Curt Cignetti has announced the addition to his staff of Rod Rutherford as wide receivers coach and Luke Getsy as quarterbacks coach.

Rutherford and Getsy both played quarterback at the University of Pittsburgh, and Getsy later transferred to Akron. Both had brief stints in the NFL—Getsy with the San Francisco Forty-Niners and Rutherford with the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Swimming

The men’s and women’s swim teams earned three decisive victories and completed undefeated dual meet seasons following the close of the Crimson Hawks Dual Invite on January 29. Participating in the meet were Bloomsburg, Gannon, and Shippensburg.

The Crimson Hawks are back in action February 17-20, when qualifying swimmers will compete in the PSAC meet at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.

Track and Field

Brianna Liebold was named PSAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week after earning a pair of first-place finishes at the Bucknell Invitational on February 14.

Liebold has provisionally qualified for the NCAA meet in the long jump. Her jump of 19-2 is currently tops in the PSAC and second nationally. Her 38-7¾ triple jump also qualifies for the NCAA meet and ranks fifteenth nationally.

Liebold finished third nationally in the long jump last season.

Other IUP top-finishers at the Bucknell Invitational were

• Laurie Ajavon, second in the long jump
• Alyssa Taddie and Stephanie Beaudette, second and third, respectively, in the 5,000 meter run
• Elly Rono, first place in the men’s 5,000 meters
• Leander Toney, first place in the high jump
• The men’s 4x400 relay team, second place

The teams next will travel to Kent State on February 19.

Hawk’s Nest 

The public is invited and an audiocast can be heard at Red Zone Media. A webcast will be available sometime late Friday morning or early afternoon.

The announcement of the new coach ends a nearly month-long national search for the eleventh man to head up the IUP football program since its modern era began in 1927.

Men’s Basketball 

Senior forward Darryl Webb was named PSAC West Player of the Week on January 17. Contributing to the honor were Webb’s forty-five career double-doubles and second-place standing on the IUP all-time scoring list.

Following the men’s basketball team’s 84-67 win over Slippery Rock on January 15, Webb was at 1,644 points—72 below Robert Misenko’s record of 1,716. Webb holds school records in rebounds (1,035) and blocked shots (137).

As of January 15, IUP was 11-3, having lost to Bowie State, West Virginia Wesleyan, and Mansfield. Next up for the Crimson Hawks will be California on Wednesday, January 19.

Women’s Basketball 

The women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to eight games following its 71-40 victory over Slippery Rock on January 15. This is the team’s longest streak since winning nine straight at the outset of the 2007–2008 season.

Following its win over Slippery Rock, IUP’s record was 10-4, which included losses to District of Columbia, Fairmont State, Shippensburg, and West Liberty. Next, the Crimson Hawks will face California on Wednesday, January 19.

Field Hockey 

Sophomore midfielder Anouk Sickman and senior defender Kacie Klotz have been selected to field hockey All-America teams for the 2010 season.

Sickman was named to the womensfieldhockey.com first team and Klotz to the second team. Both players were selected for the Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association second team.

Sickman led the Crimson Hawks with 14 goals and 31 points this season. In the PSAC, she tied for second in goals per game (1.00) and ranked third in points per game (2.21). Her goal total is tied for eighth on the IUP single-season list.

Klotz was one of the top defensive players in the PSAC the past three seasons. Serving as a team captain her senior year, she played in forty-five games during her career, including forty-three starts. In that time, the Crimson Hawks allowed only 70 goals.

Football 

Three seniors during the 2010 season were named to the Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region I team: Jimmy O'Rourke on the second team and Mike Gee and Craig Burgess on the third team.

Gee was also named to the Daktronics Super Region 1 all-region team in voting by sports information directors.

IUP announced on December 17 that head football coach Lou Tepper will not return for the 2011 season. Under Tepper, who was hired in January 2006, IUP had a five-year record of 36-18. The search for Tepper’s replacement is in progress.

Softball 

IUP softball will hold a hitting and pitching clinic Sunday, February 20, at Memorial Field House and Zink Hall.

Joining head coach Bill Graham and assistant coach Megan Timpf for the hitting portion of the clinic will be former Georgia Tech standout and Canadian senior women’s national team member Jen Yee.

Participating in the pitching clinic will be Dan DeMarco, who has more than twenty years of experience in private pitching instruction and has worked with some of the top pitchers in college softball.

Volleyball 

The women’s volleyball team will hold an open try-out for next season on Saturday, February 5.

Juniors Danielle Ostendorf and Stacey Root were selected as Provost Scholars for the 2010–2011 academic year.

Ostendorf, a Physical Education and Sport major, has a 4.0 grade-point average, and Root, an Athletic Training major, has a 3.96 GPA.

Hawk’s Nest provides the following sports news for December 2010 as IUP prepares to head into the semester break. For complete reports, see the IUP Athletics website.

Men’s Basketball

Darryl Webb scored a career-high 32 points in IUP’s 80-65 victory over Seton Hill on November 27.

With the win, the men’s basketball team’s record improved to 3-1, which includes wins against Thiel and Lake Erie and a loss to Bowie State.

Next up for the Crimson Hawks was West Virginia Wesleyan on Tuesday, December 7.

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball team defeated District of Columbia 55-53 on December 3 at Memorial Field House, avenging a loss in its season opener.

The team’s record improved to 2-2, which, in addition to its split with D.C., includes a win over La Roche and a loss to Fairmont State.

Next up for the Crimson Hawks will be Shippensburg and West Liberty in the Susan G. Komen Shoot for the Cure Classic at IUP on December 11 and 12.

Cross Country

The women’s and men’s cross country teams both finished in eighth place at the NCAA Atlantic Region meet November 20 in Cary, N.C. Winners were Shippensburg on the women’s side and Lock Haven for the men.

Posting the top times for the Crimson Hawks were Alyssa Taddie on the 6K course, finishing twenty-eighth, and Clint Keller in the 10K, finishing thirty-ninth.

Field Hockey

Five IUP field hockey players have earned spots on the All-PSAC West team for the 2010 season. First team selections are Anouk Sickman and Kacie Klotz, and second team choices are Lydia Dolly, Erin Shirk, and Shannon Sullivan.

The team finished the season 8-9 overall and 3-5 in the conference.

Swimming

Jackie Hynson finished second in the 200 backstroke and recorded an NCAA A cut during the Zippy Invitational, hosted by Akron, on December 5. Hynson will be making her second appearance at nationals after finishing third in both the 200 backstroke and 200 butterfly last season.

Earning B cut times were Ally Long and Ashley McAteer on the women’s side and Doug McWhorter and Rudy da Costa on the men’s.

The teams will be back in action January 5 against Nova Southeastern in Davie, Fla., for their annual spring trip.

Volleyball

The volleyball team’s season ended November 19 with a 3-0 loss to California in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament in Edinboro.

The Crimson Hawks finished with a record of 21-11, making their first appearance in the postseason since 2006.

Senior libero Emily Pany was selected to the AVCA All-Atlantic Region team for the second consecutive year. She finished the season with 741 digs, the seventh best mark in PSAC history. Her 6.62 digs per set, a school record, currently ranks fourth in the NCAA and first in the PSAC.

Baseball 

Baseball head coach Jeff Ditch recently signed seven players to national letters of intent to join the team next fall: John Beatty, Jordan DeLuca, Paul Mills, Austin Mock, Dylan Tice, Ryan Uhl, and Kyle Zaorski

Four seniors are graduating from the current team: Mitch Perez, Kyle Heane, Vern Powell, and Frank Sirolli.

Men’s Basketball 

Five IUP players reached double figures in the men’s basketball team’s 76-59 victory over Thiel in the season opener for both teams November 15 at Memorial Field House. Next, the Crimson Hawks will face Bowie State on November 20 for their first away game.

Having reached the NCAA Division II national championship game last season, the Crimson Hawks are the favorites to win the PSAC West title in balloting by the division’s head coaches, while senior forward Darryl Webb and junior guard Julian Sanders were named to the All-PSAC West preseason team.

The team is also ranked among the national elite in several preseason polls: fourth by the Division II Bulletin and sixth by the Sporting News.

Women’s Basketball 

The women’s basketball team suffered a 69-61 loss to District of Columbia in the season opener for both teams November 14 in the nation’s capital.

Next, the team will travel to West Virginia on November 20 to take on Fairmont State. IUP will play its home opener November 29 against La Roche and has a rematch with District of Columbia on December 3 in Memorial Field House.

Head coach Jeff Dow recently announced the signing of three players, all from Indiana County, to national letters of intent for the 2011-2012 season. They are 5-11 wing Leslie Stapleton and 5-7 point guard Marita Mathe, both from Indiana Area Senior High School, and 5-10 shooting guard Amy Fairman from Marion Center High School.

Cross Country 

The IUP men and women placed eighth and ninth, respectively, at a PSAC meet November 6 at George H. Roadman University Park in Brownsville.

Both teams had four runners finish in the top fifty. Victor Costello led the men in thirty-second place, and Alyssa Taddie placed thirty-third to lead the women.

Field Hockey 

The field hockey team was eliminated from playoff contention following its 1-0 loss to Slippery Rock on November 13, combined with a Mansfield win. IUP closed out the season at 8-9 overall and 3-5 in the conference.

Football 

Six IUP football players have been named to the All-PSAC West team for the 2010 season, including first team selections Harvie Tuck, Jimmy O’Rourke, and Mike Gee, and second team choices Craig Burgess, Mychal Skinner, and Carl Thornton.

The team concluded its season with a 27-10 victory over West Chester at Miller Stadium, finishing with a record of 6-5.

Women’s Soccer 

Junior forward Melissa Kornock has been selected to the Daktronics All-Atlantic Region second team.

Four women’s soccer players were honored with PSAC all-conference selections: Paige Virgara on the second team and Melissa Kornock, Allison Keller, and Lauren Mizik on the third team.

The women’s soccer team ended its season with a 2-0 loss at Cal on November 2 in the quarterfinals of the PSAC playoffs. The Crimson Hawks finished their season 9-8-1 overall.

Swimming 

The women’s swim team is ranked twelfth in the first TYR/College Swim Coaches Association of America national poll for the 2010-2011 season. IUP is second among PSAC schools, trailing only seventh-ranked California. The team is back in action November 18-20, when it hosts the Jack Pidgeon Invitational.

IUP swimmers set seven pool records and Ally Long earned an NCAA B cut to lead the Crimson Hawks to a dual meet victory over Wheeling Jesuit on October 29. The women won 125-75 and the men 109-91.

Women’s Tennis 

The tennis team is ranked seventh in the Atlantic Region, and three players are in the top ten in the first regional rankings of the 2010-2011 season released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

This is the highest ranking in three seasons under head coach Larry Peterson. The Crimson Hawks finished the 2009-2010 season ranked eighth. Freshman Tabtip Louhabanjong is ranked eighth in singles, and the doubles team of sophomores Katie Eaton and Emilia Osborne is ranked third.

IUP resumes its season in February. The Spring campaign includes the PSAC Team Tournament and NCAA regional and national tournaments.

Volleyball 

Senior Emily Pany and junior Danielle Ostendorf were honored with All-PSAC West second team selections as they prepare to open play in the NCAA Atlantic Regional on November 19 in Edinboro. The sixth-seeded women’s volleyball team will face third-seeded California.

Find more details on the IUP Athletics website: IUP and California to Square Off in Second Annual Coal Bowl.

Hawk’s Nest 

Catch up on the standings and latest news from your favorite IUP sports teams. Full reports are available on the IUP Athletics website.

Baseball

IUP baseball assistant coach Anthony Rebyanski has been selected as the head coach of the Butler BlueSox of the Prospect League. This summer league for college players, which competes from June through August, has fifteen teams spanning from Pennsylvania to as far west as Missouri and Illinois.

Baseball team members volunteered October 16 for the annual Day of Play, an event for children, at the S&T Bank Arena.

Men’s Basketball

The men’s basketball team has added three new players for the 2010–2011 season and welcomes back junior center Ethan Robinson, who spent the last school year studying abroad. The newcomers are transfers Kahmell Broughton (University of Houston) and Kevin Jones (Lackawanna College) and freshman Marcel Souberbielle.

The Crimson Hawks were ranked sixth by the Sporting News for its Division II men’s basketball poll. Senior forward Darryl Webb was named to the preseason All-America team.

The team has been active in community service projects in the last month, including the Newman Center Used Book Sale and events benefiting the the American Heart Association, the United Way of Indiana County, and the American Cancer Society.

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball team has been busy with community service this fall, including events for the YMCA, the American Cancer Society, and the American Diabetes Association.

Cross Country

IUP’s Alyssa Taddie and Stephanie Beaudette finished in the upper half of a field of 304 runners in the women’s competition at the Penn State National Meet on October 16 in State College.

The women’s cross country team finished fifteenth and the men finished nineteenth in the Brown Division of the Paul Short Run on October 1 at Lehigh University.

Field Hockey

The Crimson Hawks fell to 5-5 overall and 1-3 in the PSAC West after losing 2-0 to Slippery Rock on October 12. Their season so far includes wins over Bentley, Millersville, Mercyhurst, Bellarmine, and Kutztown, and losses to UMass Lowell, East Stroudsburg, Mansfield, Shippensburg, and Slippery Rock.

Football

IUP suffered its second straight defeat with a 21-14 loss to Clarion on October 16. That brings the Crimson Hawks’ record to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the PSAC West. Head coach Lou Tepper is one win shy of his one hundredth career victory. IUP heads to Gannon on October 23. The season so far includes wins over Southern Connecticut State, East Stroudsburg, Slippery Rock, and Edinboro, and losses to Bloomsburg, Mercyhurst, and Clarion.

Golf

The golf team won its fourth straight PSAC championship with a twenty-shot margin over runner-up West Chester at the Hershey Links Golf Club on October 17.

This title marks the second time IUP has won four consecutive titles; the last stretch was from 1989 to 1992.

Sean Sweithelm was the fourth straight IUP sophomore to win medalist honors, joining other recent PSAC individual champions Brad Boyle (2009), Leo Acklin (2008), and Gavin Smith (2007).

The Crimson Hawks resume play in March for the start of their spring season.

Lacrosse

The lacrosse team held its inaugural alumni game at Miller Stadium on October 10. Eleven alumni returned to campus to take part in the event, which supported the Susan G. Komen Foundation and breast cancer awareness. Participating alumni were Lauren Abbott, Kate Athing, Kellie Caldwell, Sarah DeMaio, Kristen Kushler, Katie Lee, Alex Nocella, Brittany Pikur, Jackie Rutkowski, Kristin Slemmer, and Alex Slinkard.

Women’s Soccer

After a 1-0 loss to East Stroudsburg on October 16, the women’s soccer team dropped to 8-5-1 overall and 6-5-1 in the PSAC, tied for fifth place. The season so far has included wins over Shepherd, Clarion, Wheeling Jesuit, Mansfield, Kutztown, Millersville, Mercyhurst, and Gannon; losses to Shippensburg, Edinboro, West Chester, Bloomsburg, and East Stroudsburg; and a tie with California.

Swimming

The swim team held its fifth annual Salvation Army Swim on October 15, swimming three hundred lengths of the pool to raise money for the local Salvation Army. Team members also participated in a Pool-o-ween event for kids at the local YMCA.

Women’s Tennis

Katie Eaton and Emilia Osborne made it to the doubles final, and Tabtip Louhabanjong lost in the singles semifinal of the PSAC individual tournament October 10 in Shippensburg. The doubles team and Louhabanjong lost to the top seeds, from California, in each event. The tournament concluded the team’s fall season; the spring season starts in February.

Women’s Volleyball

After a 3-1 win over Mercyhurst and a 3-0 loss to Edinboro in a two-match trip October 16, the women’s volleyball team stood at 17-6 overall and 8-5 in the PSAC. Emily Pany, IUP’s all-time leader in digs, was ranked fourth in the nation in digs, averaging 6.5 per set.

Through donations and two fifty-fifty raffles, the department raised $1,057.48, which will be used to help grant a local child a wish through the foundation. The annual Make-A-Wish Day at IUP is part of a national effort by Division II athletic programs to support Make-A-Wish.

As part of the day’s activities, Homer City resident Dalton Myers was presented with an IUP helmet and an autographed football and was part of the officiating team at midfield for the opening coin toss. Myers is the son of William Myers and Theresa Fleming, who works for the campus police.

Through the support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, six-year-old Dalton, a student at Homer-Center Elementary School, will head to Disney World to celebrate his birthday with Mickey Mouse.

Also making a pregame presentation was United High School student Brandon Mountan, who organized a motorcycle run in August for his senior project in memory of his cousin Donald, a Make-A-Wish child. Mountan raised $3,450 and presented the money to Kayla Danch from the Make-A-Wish regional office in Punxsutawney.

Hawk’s Nest

From left: Emily Pany, IUP senior captain; Paula McKee, Indiana High School assistant coach; Malinda Oesterling, Indiana High School head coach; Zach Shaver, IUP head coach; and Chelsey Kreinbrook, IUP senior captain.

A unique doubleheader will take place Tuesday, September 21, 2010, when the Indiana High School and IUP volleyball teams will both play their matches at Memorial Field House. This is the first time ever that the local high school and college teams will be playing in the same venue on the same night.

The Indiana High School junior varsity and varsity teams will take on Greensburg Salem, with the JV match beginning at 4:00 p.m., followed by the varsity match. The Crimson Hawks will play Wheeling Jesuit beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Admission for the entire set of matches is free. It will also be a “Black Out Night” for the IUP volleyball team, with all fans encouraged to wear black in support of the Crimson Hawks.

The high school team is off to a 5-0 start and has won its last twenty-nine section matches. The Indians, under head coach Malinda Oesterling, have won their section and qualified for the WPIAL playoffs the past three seasons. They were just one win away from advancing to the state playoffs last season.

IUP has won its first eight matches heading into a series of PSAC crossover matches Friday, September 17, at East Stroudsburg and Saturday, September 18, at Lock Haven.

Zach Shaver is in his fifth season as head coach and is looking to lead the Crimson Hawks into the NCAA tournament for the first time since his first season in 2006.

Hawk’s Nest 

Find more information on the IUP Athletics website: IUP and Indiana High School Volleyball Teams to Play Doubleheader at Memorial Field House.

Cross Country

The women’s cross country team finished eighth overall but second among non-Division I schools, while the men finished fifteenth overall but sixth among the Division II schools at the Spiked Shoe Invitational in State College on September 11.

Field Hockey

With 4:24 left in overtime, the field hockey team defeated Bentley 2-1 in its season opener September 4, giving Gary Agard a win in his debut as IUP head coach.

Football

After being down in the first quarter, IUP scored 23 unanswered points in a 23-17 win over East Stroudsburg in a PSAC crossover game September 11.

Last week’s win followed a 16-6 victory over Southern Connecticut State in the season opener September 4 at Miller Stadium.

Golf

The golf team rallied to a five-shot victory over host Clarion at the Hal Hansen Invitational on September 13 for its first victory of the Fall season. Derek Baker led the Crimson Hawks with a second-place finish.

The team finished third in a field of thirteen at the Burger King/Ohio Valley Invitational on September 7. Brad Boyle led all Crimson Hawks, finishing in a tie for eleventh.

Men’s Basketball

Former Lycoming standout Eric Anthony has been named the second assistant on the IUP men’s basketball coaching staff. He is replacing Kranthi Senadhi, who left after the 2009–2010 season to pursue other interests.

Women’s Soccer

After defeating Shepherd 10-0 in its season opener September 4, the women’s soccer team tied California and later suffered losses to Shippensburg and Edinboro.

The Crimson Hawks look to get back on the winning track as they host Clarion in PSAC action Saturday.

Swimming

The men’s and women’s swim teams volunteered at the 9-11 Run for Kids 5-kilometer and 2-kilometer Fun Walk at Blue Spruce Park. The event benefited the local Y’s Strong Kids Campaign.

Women’s Tennis

The women’s tennis team opened its Fall season with victories over Penn State Behrend and host Allegheny to win the Nancy J. Heath Invitational on September 11. The team blanked the Lions 9-0 and posted a 7-2 win over the Gators later that day.

Women’s Volleyball

The volleyball team is off to a strong start. After opening the Fall season with a 4-0 win at the Davis and Elkins Spikefest, the Crimson Hawks added wins the following week against Davis and Elkins, West Virginia State, Shepherd, and Alderson-Broaddus.

Get all the news on the IUP Athletics website.

Men’s Basketball 

The men’s basketball team’s “Road to the Elite Eight” was captured in a 47-minute documentary by students Ben Jewart and Tyler Graham, with help from other members of the IUP-TV Sports Production crew. The film takes viewers from the early season to the NCAA Division II championship game and beyond. Watch it on YouTube: Road to the Elite Eight.

In other news, the men’s team will host its fifth annual alumni golf outing September 17, 2010, at the Indiana Country Club. Bill Raftery, longtime college and professional basketball analyst, will be the honorary guest.

Women’s Basketball 

A three-game slate of exhibition games, including a date against two-time defending national champion Connecticut, has been scheduled for the women’s basketball team for the 2010–2011 season.

Football 

The head coaches of the PSAC West recently picked IUP to finish second behind three-time defending region champion California in the 2010 division standings.

Hawk’s Nest

Baseball 

Former IUP shortstop Paul Bingham was called up July 17, 2010, to the Eugene Emeralds of the Class A Northwest League. Before the promotion, he played twenty games for the Arizona Rookie League Padres in Peoria, Ariz. Bingham was drafted by the San Diego Padres in June.

Current IUP players Robbie Zinsmeister and Stephen Cooke were selected as collegiate summer league all-stars.

Golf 

Ryan Kennedy and Leo Acklin were named Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America for their work on the course and in the classroom.

Track and Field 

Graduate student Maddy Outman and junior Nafee Harris were named PSAC Outdoor Field Athletes of the Year. Outman earned All-America honors in four events at the NCAA Spring meet, while Harris won his third national championship in the long jump.

Lacrosse 

Head coach Mindy Richmond and players Jill Jordan and Emma Luitgaarden represented IUP in the Prague Cup Lacrosse Tournament in June in four European nations.

Former IUP baseball shortstop Paul Bingham was called up July 17, 2010, to the Eugene Emeralds of the Class A Northwest League. Before the promotion, he played twenty games for the Arizona Rookie League Padres in Peoria, Ariz.

Bingham, PSAC West Player of the Year and First Team All-American, was drafted by the San Diego Padres this past June in the twentieth round of the Major League Baseball Draft.
 
Follow his new team: Eugene Emeralds.

Follow IUP baseball:

• IUP Athletics
• “Win with Class” Crimson Hawks Baseball
• IUP Baseball on Twitter
• IUP Baseball on Facebook
• Hawk’s Nest

—Jeff Ditch, head coach

Zinsmeister, of the Quakertown Blazers in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, was selected as the shortstop for the West squad. The ACBL all-star game was played July 12, 2010, on the campus of St. John’s University in New York. Zinsmester is hitting .300 and leads his team in runs, hits, triples, stolen bases, and RBIs.

Cooke pitches for the Winchester Royals of the Virginia Valley Baseball League. Selected as an all-star for the North squad, Cooke has made twelve appearances on the mound and posted a 4-1 record. The Valley League all-star game was July 11 at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. Cooke was a PSAC first-team closer for IUP this past season.

In professional baseball, IUP alumnus Paul Bingham is currently hitting .375 for the San Diego Padres’ Arizona Rookie League team. He leads his team and is sixth overall in the league in batting average. He was drafted by the Padres in the twentieth round of the Major League Baseball draft this past June after completing a record-setting four-year career at IUP, which included being named PSAC Player of the Year and First-Team All-American.

Follow details of IUP baseball:

• IUP Athletics
• “Win with Class” Crimson Hawks Baseball
• IUP Baseball on Twitter
• IUP Baseball on Facebook

—Jeff Ditch, head coach

Senior shortstop Paul Bingham became the first IUP baseball player chosen in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft in seven years when he was picked in the twentieth round by the San Diego Padres on June 8, 2010.

The 22-year-old Bingham gained the attention of baseball scouts during an honor-filled senior season that included his selection as a first team Daktronics and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-American and to the American Baseball Coaches Association second team.

Find the latest news about IUP baseball on the IUP Athletics website.

Maddy Outman finished third in the heptathlon Friday at the NCAA meet. The Sociology graduate student set a school and PSAC record with 5,392 points and set personal bests in six of the seven events.

With a top jump of 26 feet, 1½ inches, Harris finished more than ten inches ahead of the runner-up and came within a quarter inch of breaking his own school record.

A junior, Harris is the only athlete in IUP track and field history to win more than one national championship.

IUP has had twelve athletes win a total of fourteen national championships in indoor and outdoor track and field.

Find more information about track and field on the IUP Athletics website:

• Nafee Harris Wins Third National Championship in Long Jump on First Day of NCAA Outdoor Meet
• Maddy Outman Takes Third in Heptathlon to Earn Second All-America Honor in Two Days

IUP’s previous best finish was twelfth place in 1993 and 2009.

Brad Boyle had a score of 304 over the seventy-two holes, finishing in a tie for eighteenth place to lead the Crimson Hawks individually. Ryan Kennedy tied for twenty-sixth at 307, followed by Leo Acklin (315, tied for fifty-second), Gavin Smith (318, tied for fifty-eighth), and Nic Milito (330, seventy-sixth).

Find the latest golf news on the IUP Athletics website: IUP Places Tenth for Top Team Finish in School History at NCAA Golf Tournament.

Baseball

In other sports news, Paul Bingham became the first IUP baseball player in twenty years to be selected to the Daktronics All-America first team in voting by Division II sports information directors.

The last player to achieve the honor was Kevin McMullan in 1990.

Bingham, a senior shortstop, was the only player from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference named to the first team and was one of only two to make any of the three teams.

Find more information: Paul Bingham Becomes First IUP Baseball Player in Two Decades Named First Team All-American.

Softball

IUP softball players Erin Holloway, Megan McCormick, and Kelsey Ferguson have been named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region first team for the 2010 season.

In addition, Holloway and McCormick were selected to the Daktronics all-region first team, while Ferguson and Kristen Tunno were named to the second team.

Find more information: IUP Softball Players Earn All-Region Honors from Daktronics and the NFCA.

The loss ended IUP’s season with a school-record 38 wins against 12 losses. The Crimson Hawks matched the 2005 team with three NCAA tournament wins and handed sixth-ranked Bloomsburg only its second shutout loss and sixth defeat of the season.

Find the latest softball news on the IUP Athletics website.

Maddy Outman won the 100 meter hurdles and 400 meter dash to finish with three wins over the weekend to earn the Most Outstanding Track Athlete and Most Outstanding Overall Athlete of the Meet at the PSAC championships which wrapped up Saturday (May 15, 2010) at West Chester.

Outman broke the PSAC meet record in both the 100 hurdles and the 400 for the second straight day. Her time of 13.70 in the hurdles also broke the school and PSAC all-time record and was an NCAA automatic qualifying mark. She also set a new school record and earned an automatic qualifying time in the 400, crossing in 54.79.

Including a win in the heptathlon and second place finish in the long jump Friday, Outman accounted for 38 of IUP's 68 points in the meet and has seven PSAC titles over the past two years, including five outdoor and two indoor.

The IUP men also claimed a PSAC champion when Leander Toney won the high jump, clearing the bar at 6 feet, 10¾ inches. He finished four inches higher than teammate Yoann Godet, the runner-up at 6 feet, 6¾ inches.

See full story on the IUP Athletics website.

In the other opening round game in IUP's half of the subregional, host and top-seed Bloomsburg will play No. 8 seed Chowan. The other subregional in the Atlantic Regional will be held at California, with the No. 2 Vulcans playing No. 7 Fairmont State and Kutztown squaring off with Chowan in first round action.

The winners of the two subregionals will advance to the NCAA Super Regionals and play at the home of the highest remaining seed May 21-22. Each of the eight regional champions will move on to the College World Series May 27-31 at Heritage Park in St. Joseph's, Mo.

The Crimson Hawks enter the NCAA tournament with a record of 35-10, tying the 2001 team for the most wins in school history. IUP is making its first appearance in the tournament since 2005 and is in the field for the seventh time overall, having won nine postseason games in its previous six trips.

See full story on the IUP softball team website.

Tennis

The tennis team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament after defeating Shaw, 5-0, on May 6, 2010. However, the Crimson Hawks fell to top-seeded Slippery Rock in the semifinals. This was the team’s first selection to the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament since 2004. See full story.

Golf

Gavin Smith won medalist honors at the East/Atlantic Super Regional tournament May 5, 2010, leading IUP to a second place finish and third consecutive trip to the NCAA national tournament.

The Crimson Hawks had a team score of 904 to finish 11 strokes behind champion Concord. The top five teams earned berths to nationals May 18-21 in Noblesville, Ind., with four of the spots going to teams in the Atlantic Region. See full story. 

Track and Field

Maddy Outman broke the school record in the heptathlon, qualified for two events at the NCAA outdoor track and field meet and became the first IUP athlete to win a Championship of America event at the Penn Relays last month in Philadelphia. This month, Outman, Brianna Liebold, and Laurie Ajavon all had NCAA automatic qualifying distances in the long jump while sweeping the top three spots, and Outman won two other events to lead the IUP track and field team at the Elliston Invitational at Lock Haven. The conference championships take place May 13–15, 2010, at West Chester followed by the NCAA meet May 27–29 in Charlotte, N.C. See full story. 

Baseball

Senior shortstop Paul Bingham, coming off a season which saw him rewrite the IUP record book, has been named the PSAC West Player of the Year, heading a list of nine team members chosen to the all-conference team. See full story.

Softball 

Seven IUP softball players have been named to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Central Division all-star team for the 2010 season, including PSAC Central Freshman of the Year Stefanie Poates.

Selected to the first team were sophomore first baseman Megan McCormick, junior rightfielder Kristen Tunno, junior designated player Kelsey Ferguson and junior pitcher Erin Holloway. Poates, who played third base for the majority of the season, was on the second team along with sophomore shortstop Marissa Leslie and sophomore centerfielder Monica Iachini. The team also has advanced to the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament for the first time in five years. See full story.

Hawk's Nest

The Crimson Hawks are part of a five-team field that also includes Slippery Rock, Bloomsburg, and West Virginia Wesleyan. Should IUP defeat Shaw, it will take on the Rock next Friday at 3:00 p.m., preceded by the match between the Huskies and Bobcats.

See full details on the team's website. 

Maddy Outman has become the first IUP athlete to win a Championship of America event at the Penn Relays.

The track and field athlete broke the school record in the seven-event heptathlon and automatically qualified for nationals, while also earning a provisional qualifying time in the 800 meters.

The Penn Relays were held April 21–24, 2010, in Philadelphia.

Outman, of Longmont, Colo., is pursuing a master’s in sociology at IUP.

Find more information on the IUP Athletics website: Maddy Outman Easily Outdistances Field to Claim Heptathlon Title at Penn Relays.

Hawk’s Nest

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, a cornerback on the football team, was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the NFL draft on Saturday, April 24, 2010.

Owusu-Ansah, of Columbus, Ohio, becomes the seventh player in school history to be selected and the third-highest draft choice ever from IUP.

The other six drafted from IUP were as follows:

• 2005: LeRon McCoy, Arizona Cardinals
• 2000: Leander Jordan, Carolina Panthers
• 1996: Chris Villarrial, Chicago Bears
• 1979: Jim Haslett, Buffalo Bills
• 1976: Lynn Hieber, Cincinnati Bengals
• 1969: Dave Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers

Find more information on the IUP Athletics website: Akwasi Owusu-Ansah Heading to Dallas Cowboys with Fourth Round Selection in NFL Draft.

Hawk’s Nest

Celebrating Scholar-Athletes 

Soccer player Sarah Romasco and baseball pitcher Jake Rougeaux were selected IUP’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year for their work on the field and in the classroom and the community. The duo was honored at IUP’s annual All-American and Scholar-Athletes Dinner held on campus recently.

Romasco, a graduate of Ambridge High School in Freedom, Pa., will graduate with honors from IUP next month with a degree in math education. She has been on the dean’s list in all seven semesters and entered the spring with a cumulative grade point average of 3.77. During her undergraduate career, Romasco has received both the Mildred Reigh and Arthur G. Morrell memorial math scholarships.

On the field, Romasco rewrote the IUP soccer record book. She is the school’s career leader with 65 goals scored, 40 assists, and 170 points while playing in 87 games, the most of any player in program history. She had season goal totals of 21 as a freshman and 20 as a sophomore to rank second and third, respectively, among IUP season leaders and led the team in assists all four years.

Rougeaux, who graduated from Indiana High School, is a geographical information system and cartography major and boasted a cumulative grade point average of 3.97 entering the current semester, including a perfect 4.0 GPA in six of seven semesters. He has been an IUP Provost Scholar and the recipient of the Burchfield Academic Scholarship.

Rougeaux will earn his bachelor’s degree in December and plans to attend graduate school to study environmental sustainability.

On the diamond, the lefthander has appeared in 38 games, tied for the fifth most in school history, and has been credited with seven wins. A versatile pitcher who can start and come in out of the bullpen, Rougeaux has thrown three complete games among his 24 career starts.

Both have extensive volunteer service hours.

Baseball 

In Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference action, IUP and California are tied for the top spot in the west division with 15-5 records, but the Crimson Hawks hold the tiebreaker edge by winning three of four from the Vulcans this weekend. Mercyhurst moved into third place at 12-7 with a doubleheader sweep over Slippery Rock. IUP plays several games with Gannon this week. For the most up-to-date information, see the team’s website. The PSAC tournament begins April 28 at Point Stadium in Johnstown.

Golf 

Last year's national champion, Gavin Smith, playing his final official round at the Indiana Country Club as a member of the IUP golf team, shot a 4-under par 67 to edge Ryan Terdik of Concord by one stroke for medalist honors and lead the Crimson Hawks to the team title at the recent IUP-Cecil Spadafora Invitational. See more.

Lacrosse 

Stephanie Bianco led the lacrosse team past the Seton Hill Griffins 14-13 earlier this week at Miller Stadium with three goals on Senior Day. Seton Hill rallied to tie the game late in the second half but fell to 7-5 on the season, while IUP improved to 7-8 overall. See all the headlines for the lacrosse team. 

Softball 

Erin Holloway broke her own IUP single-season strikeout mark, and Megan McCormick continued her assault on the school record book to earn PSAC Central Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, for the final week of the regular season. The Crimson Hawks host open the PSAC playoffs vs. East Stroudsburg Friday at California. See more.

Tennis 

The Crimson Hawks concluded the regular season 16-8 overall. IUP is ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region and is currently awaiting an invitation to the regional tournament. See the season's highlights.

Track and Field

IUP athletes accounded for ten event titles at the recent Ed Fry Invitational April 17 at Miller Stadium. Brianna Liebold won the triple jump and took two other second place finishes, Maddy Outman set a meet record in the 100 hurdles and eight other IUP athletes won event titles. Six IUP athletes have been accepted to compete in the prestigious Penn Relays, held the week of April 19 in Philadelphia, including Outman in the heptathlon, Liebold in the long and triple jumps and Tamika Taylor and Laurie Ajavon in the women’s meet. Men’s entries include Leander Toney in the high jump and Nafee Harris, a national champion last year, in the long jump.The team also has several NCAA national qualifiers. See more. 

The players and coaching staff were joined by the directors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, who were in Harrisburg for their annual meeting, and IUP President Tony Atwater.

More information about the luncheon was printed in the Indiana Gazette: “Rendell Praises Men’s Basketball Team at Luncheon.”

Team members posed with Governor Ed Rendell on the rear steps of the governor’s mansion. Front row, from left: Joe Rocco, assistant coach Kranthi Senadhi, Scooter Renkin, and videographer Dave Watters. Middle row: Volunteer coach Maurice Polen, Dom Lombardi, Ashton Smith, and athletic trainer Rob Baron. Back row: assistant coach Chris Fite, head coach Joe Lombardi, Willi Estrella, Rendell, Akida McLain, Thomas Young, and Julian Sanders.

Governor Rendell watched as team member Julian Sanders tried his hand at the Pop-A-Shot game in a family room in the governor’s residence.

Team members and PASSHE directors got a tour of the governor’s mansion.

Photos courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services

A photo gallery from the NCAA Division II national championship game on March 27, 2010, in Springfield, Mass., is now available on the Hawk’s Nest website.

The men’s basketball team advanced to the finals for the first time in school history, losing to Cal Poly Pomona, 65-53.

Photos are courtesy of Richard Orr Sports.

Following the parade will be a congratulatory ceremony at the Indiana County Court House.

Dr. Tony Atwater, IUP president, and the men’s basketball team will be among those in attendance.

Details of the parade route will be announced when they become available.

The IUP men’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA Division II national championship game for the first time in school history. The Crimson Hawks were defeated in the March 27 final by Cal Poly Pomona, 65-53.

The Indiana High School girls’ team played in the PIAA state championship game, losing to Archbishop Wood, 49-39, also on March 27.

IUP will play Cal Poly Pomona, which defeated Bentley, 71-63, on Thursday night. The championship game will air live on CBS.

This is the first time in school history the men’s basketball team has made it to the NCAA Division II national championship.

IUP and the Student Cooperative Association have arranged for buses to transport fans to the championship game.

The buses will depart the Hadley Union Building parking lot at 9:00 p.m. on Friday, March 26, and arrive in Springfield, Mass., at 7:00 a.m. March 27.

Tickets are $80 for students and senior citizens; $85 for others. The price includes round-trip transportation and a game ticket.

Contact the HUB ticket office at 724-357-1313 for more information. There will be no Internet ticket sales.

Find details on IUP’s semifinal win on the IUP Athletics website: Crimson Hawks Head to National Championship Game After Outlasting St. Cloud State in Dramatic Semifinal.

Find more information about the tournament, media coverage, and fan bus on the IUP website: Basketball Playoffs 2010.

IUP will play its semifinal Thursday, March 25, at 6:00 p.m. against St. Cloud State, which defeated Midwestern State, 92-88, in its quarterfinal game Wednesday.

IUP’s semifinal will be aired live on IUP-TV, Fox Sports Pittsburgh, and the CBS College Sports channel. A live webcast will be available on CBS College Sports All-Access.

Find details from Wednesday’s game against Valdosta State on the IUP Athletics website: IUP Overcomes Double-Digit Halftime Deficit to Down Valdosta State and Advance to NCAA National Semifinals.

IUP and the Student Cooperative Association have arranged for buses to transport fans to Springfield if IUP advances to the championship game. Find more information: Fan Bus Planned for NCAA Final in Springfield, Mass.

Find more information about the NCAA basketball tournament at Basketball Playoffs 2010.

IUP junior Joe Rocco has been named the recipient of the NCAA Elite 88 Academic Award for Division II men’s basketball and was recognized at a banquet Monday, before the start of the Elite Eight tournament, which gets under way Wednesday, March 24, 2010, in Springfield, Mass.

The Elite 88 Award is presented to one person at each of the 88 national championships sponsored by the NCAA, based on undergraduate cumulative grade-point average. The recipient must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically.

Rocco, of Northern Cambria, has a 3.949 grade-point average through his first five semesters at IUP. He is a Biology major who plans on attending medical school following his graduation in May 2011.

Find more information on the IUP Athletics website: Joe Rocco Honored as Recipient of NCAA Elite 88 Academic Award.

In other news, junior forward Darryl Webb has added to his list of postseason honors with his selection to the sixteen-man State Farm Coaches’Division II All-America team, sponsored and voted on by the members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Webb, of Elkridge, Md., is the first IUP men’s basketball player named to an All-America team since Dennis Mims in 2002.

Find more information: Darryl Webb Becomes First IUP Men’s Basketball All-American in Eight Years with Selection to NABC Team.

Find information about the NCAA tournament games, webcasts, fan buses, and more at Basketball Playoffs 2010.

The bus would depart the HUB parking lot at 9:00 p.m. on Friday evening (March 26) and arrive in Springfield, Mass., at 7:00 a.m. The game is set for 1:00 p.m.

Tickets are $80 for students and senior citizens; $85 for others. The price includes round-trip transportation and a game ticket.

Contact the HUB ticket office at 724-357-1313 for more information. There will be no Internet ticket sales.

The win earns the team a spot in the Elite Eight tournament, to be played March 24-27 in Springfield, Mass.

Tournament MVP Daryl Webb tied his career high with 27 points and added 12 rebounds.

Julian Sanders hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points, Akida McLain added 16, and Kevin Steward finished with 11.

See the IUP Athletics website for game highlights.

Men’s Basketball

The Crimson Hawks continued their historic season by winning the NCAA Atlantic Region championship March 16, 2010, at Memorial Field House. IUP will bring a school-record thirty-one wins and a number-two national ranking into the Elite Eight beginning March 24 in Springfield, Mass.

Find more men’s basketball news.

Women’s Basketball

IUP forward Sarah Pastorek was selected PSAC West Freshman of the Year, while junior guard Lacey Claar was selected to the all-conference second team in balloting by the division’s head coaches.

The women’s season ended in a loss to California in the PSAC quarterfinals. Find more women’s basketball news.

Indoor Track and Field

Nafee Harris won the national championship in the long jump for the second time in his career at the NCAA indoor meet in Albuquerque, N.M. Also earning All-America honors were Leander Toney in the high jump and Brianna Liebold and Laurie Ajavon in the women’s long jump.

Find more track and field news.

Swimming

Jackie Hynson starred at the NCAA championships, finishing third in the 200 backstroke and 200 butterfly while also taking eleventh place in the 100 butterfly. She broke a school record in all three events.

Find more swimming news.

Baseball

With a 12-7 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne, IUP snapped a five-game losing streak to wrap up its spring trip to the Carolinas. Its record stands at 4-10 as of March 17. Earlier this month, IUP senior catcher T.J. Nichols was named the first PSAC West Player of the Week for the 2010 season.

Find more baseball news.

Field Hockey

Gary Agard has been hired as the new field hockey head coach. Agard comes to IUP after spending the previous eight seasons as an assistant coach for perennial national power Bloomsburg.

Find more field hockey news.

Men’s Golf

The IUP golf team rolled to a 39-shot victory over California at the St. James Plantation Invitational in its opening tournament of the spring season. Gavin Smith, Brad Boyle, and Nic Milito took the top three individual spots.

Find more men’s golf news.

Lacrosse

The lacrosse team opened its first home action of the season with a 22-6 victory over Tiffin, bringing the Hawks’ record to 2-2.

Find more lacrosse news.

Women’s Softball

Erin Holloway recorded her third shutout of the season as the women’s softball team swept Lake Erie at Slattery Field in Painesville, Ohio. In the first game, the Crimson Hawks rolled to the 3-0 victory and, in the nightcap, posted a 9-1 win to complete the sweep and improve to 11-1 on the year.

Find more softball news.

Women’s Tennis

The women’s tennis team did not lose a set in rolling to a 9-0 victory over Virginia State in the final match of its southern trip. The Crimson Hawks have a record of 8-4 as they head back north.

Find more women’s tennis news.

The day includes a pep rally on the steps of the Indiana County Courthouse (825 Philadelphia Street) at noon on Friday. Everyone on campus is encouraged to wear crimson and gray to mark the occasion and attend the pep rally.

The Crimson Hawks take on Fairmont State in the opening round of the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament Saturday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. If IUP wins, the team will play the winner of the game between West Virginia State and East Stroudsburg on Sunday, March 14, at 7:00 p.m.

See ticket information and full details.

See the IUP Magazine Web Exclusive video and slide show, “Run for the Championship.”

Men’s Basketball 

IUP continues its run toward the PSAC title with a record of 20-2 and 9-1 in the division as of February 15. The Crimson Hawks are ranked eleventh in the nation and feature four-time PSAC West Player of the Week Darryl Webb as well as senior standouts Akida McLain and Thomas Young.

Women’s Basketball 

The Crimson Hawks have won a season-high five in a row as of February 15 and are in position to claim a high seed in the upcoming PSAC tournament.  IUP is 15-7 overall and 8-2 in the division with a big week coming up versus PSAC West powers California on Wednesday and undefeated Gannon on Saturday.

Indoor Track and Field 

IUP is enjoying its finest indoor season in school history, having qualified several athletes for the NCAA meet. The Crimson Hawks will be competing in the PSAC championships at the end of February and the national championships in March in Albuquerque, N.M.

Saturday games will air on IUP-TV Monday, with the women’s game starting at 6:30 p.m. and the men’s game airing immediately after.

Live webcasts of the following games will be available on the Penn Atlantic website:

• February 20, 2010 vs. Gannon
• February 27, 2010 vs. Slippery Rock

How to View Webcast

To view a webcast on the Penn Atlantic Website, follow this procedure:

1. Go to the Penn Atlantic website.
2. Go to the My Account tab. You will be prompted to log in with your account information or register a new account.
3. When registering a new account, you will be prompted to follow a link to ensure you can view the games, click a button to test your bandwidth, and enter new account information.
4. Once you have signed in or registered, you can sign up to view games. Go to the Schedule tab. You are instructed to click the Add to Cart link on the right of the game you wish to view.
5. Once you have added all games you wish to see to your cart, click the Checkout button and proceed with the checkout.
6. After the game has successfully been added, a message on the My Games tab will indicate that a View link will appear on the Penn Atlantic website about fifteen minutes before the start of the game. Click on the link to view the game.

Men’s Basketball 

The men’s basketball team, ranked ninth in country in the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll, is off to one of its best starts in school history, winning thirteen of its first fourteen games.

Darryl Webb has been named the PSAC West Player of the Week three times this season and recently became the twenty-fifth player in school history to score 1,000 career points.

Women’s Basketball 

The Crimson Hawks are riding a three-game winning streak and are 2-0 in the PSAC West for the fourth straight year.

Lacey Claar set a school record with seven three-pointers in a win over Clarion, and Sarah Pastorek made game-winning shots against both Clarion and Mercyhurst and is the reigning PSAC West Freshman of the Week.

Indoor Track and Field 

Kevin Raymond has been a standout in each of the first two meets of the season and has provisionally qualified for nationals in both the 60- and 200-meter dashes. A 2009 outdoor All-American in the 400 meters, Raymond was the first PSAC Track Athlete of the Week for the indoor season.

Football 

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah was named a first team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and D2Football.com. He received an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine that will take place starting in late February in Indianapolis—an opportunity to showcase his skills for more than six hundred NFL personnel in attendance.

Baseball 

Catcher T.J. Nichols was chosen for the preseason All-America first team of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, while shortstop Paul Bingham and pitcher Colby Betz were honorable mention selections. Only three schools had more players on the team than IUP.

Find more information on the IUP Athletics website.

Wednesday games will be aired on IUP-TV Thursday, with the women’s game starting at 6:30 p.m. and the men’s game airing immediately after. Saturday games will air Monday starting at 6:30 p.m.

Live webcasts of the following games will be available on the Penn Atlantic website:

• January 27, 2010 vs. California
• February 3, 2010 vs. Edinboro
• February 10, 2010 vs. Lock Haven
• February 13, 2010 vs. Mercyhurst
• February 20, 2010 vs. Gannon
• February 27, 2010 vs. Slippery Rock

How to View Webcast

To view a webcast on the Penn Atlantic Website, follow this procedure:

1. Go to the Penn Atlantic website.
2. Go to the My Account tab. You will be prompted to log in with your account information or register a new account.
3. When registering a new account, you will be prompted to follow a link to ensure you can view the games, click a button to test your bandwidth, and enter new account information.
4. Once you have signed in or registered, you can sign up to view games. Go to the Schedule tab. You are instructed to click the Add to Cart link on the right of the game you wish to view.
5. Once you have added all games you wish to see to your cart, click the Checkout button and proceed with the checkout.
6. After the game has successfully been added, a message on the My Games tab will indicate that a View link will appear on the Penn Atlantic website about fifteen minutes before the start of the game. Click on the link to view the game.

As the Fall semester comes to a close, several sports teams and individual athletes received conference and regional honors. The men’s and women’s basketball teams are also off to a promising start.

Baseball 

Head baseball coach Jeff Ditch has announced that current assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Anthony Rebyanski has been promoted to assistant head coach. Rebyanski will continue to serve as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.

Men’s Basketball 

Hours after climbing three spots to No. 5 in the National Association of Basketball coaches’ poll, IUP came out on fire versus Wheeling Jesuit, rolling to a 21-point halftime lead and coasting to an 82-61 victory over the Cardinals at Memorial Field House. The national ranking is the highest for IUP (5-0) since the 1995-1996 team won its first eleven games and climbed to No. 1 in the country. That was also the last time IUP had as much as a five-game winning streak to open the season.

Women’s Basketball 

Forward Jill Perdue has been selected PSAC West Freshman of the Week after helping the Crimson Hawks defeat Lake Erie and District of Columbia and extend their winning streak to three games.  After five road games to start the season, IUP finally played its home opener.

The Crimson Hawks held off a District of Columbia rally for a 62-55 victory, their second win in twelve days over the Firebirds. Lacey Claar and Perdue both scored 12 points, and Sylvie Tafen added 10 points for her sixth straight double-figure game. The Hawks improve to 4-2.

Cross Country  

Hillary Mugun has been named the PSAC Freshman of the Year by the conference’s cross country head coaches. Mugun capped an outstanding debut season by finishing in thirty-third place at the NCAA national meet in Evansville, Ind., with a 10K time of 32:26.7. That was the fourth fastest time among all freshmen and the second best by a PSAC runner. He became the first IUP men’s All-American since 1990.

Football 

IUP senior Akwasi Owusu-Ansah was named to the All-PSAC West first team at cornerback and as the return specialist. He was one of eight Crimson Hawks players selected to the all-conference squad by the division head coaches. Joining Owusu-Ansah on the first team are junior tailback Tobias Robinson and senior linebacker James Carson. Voted to the second team were senior offensive linemen Joe Tonga and Nate Tucker, junior wide receiver Mychal Skinner, junior kicker Craig Burgess, and redshirt freshman nose tackle Carl Thornton.

Women’s Soccer 

The longest women’s soccer season in school history came to an end recently when the Crimson Hawks dropped a 2-0 decision to California in the championship game of the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament in Albany, N.Y.

IUP, which finished with a record of 14-7-2, had never advanced past the second round of the NCAA tournament until defeating Gannon and West Chester. But the Crimson Hawks lost for the third time this season to the Vulcans.

Four IUP women’s soccer players have been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region team, including Sarah Romasco on the first team, Kelly Brennan and Heather Robbins on the second team, and Paige Virgara on the third team. Also, IUP sophomore midfielder Heather Robbins has been named to the Daktronics All-Atlantic Region women’s soccer team for the 2009 season.

Swimming 

Sophomore Jackie Hynson was chosen as the PSAC Co-swimmer of the Week after winning one event and earning three NCAA A cuts in a predominantly Division I field at the recent Zippy Invitational at the University of Akron.

Hynson posted an A cut time of 2:03.36 in winning the 200 backstroke, besting Division I swimmers from Xavier (Ohio), Akron, Illinois State, and Ohio University. She was fifth in the 100 butterfly with a B cut time of 57.96. Hynson also earned NCAA A cuts in the 100 backstroke and 200 butterfly.

Stephen Hoch and Kala Misavage recorded NCAA B cuts on the final day of the three-day Zippy event. The Crimson Hawks men’s and women’s swim teams return to action after the holiday break, when they compete in the Tampa Relays on January 6 in Tampa, Fla.

Volleyball 

Emily Pany and Jessica Bodkin were named to the All-PSAC West second team for the 2009 season in balloting by conference head coaches. This is the first time Pany and Bodkin were named to the all-conference team.

“I am very proud of Emily and Jessica for what they accomplished on the court this season and how they contributed to our team’s success,” head coach Zack Shaver said. “We look for them to maintain their high level of execution as they become seniors in 2010.”

A junior, Pany has also been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region team for the 2009 season.

More Sports News

As always, to follow your favorite teams, please visit the IUP Athletics website.

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 (k.senadhi@iup.edu) 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.