Campus Roundup: Area athletes faring well
Friday, January 15, 2010
By Jon Christoff Sports Writer
Some college teams are getting ready to get back into the swing of things following the holidays, while others have been at it the last couple of weeks. Several former local athletes are excelling at the next level for their respective schools. Here's how they are faring: Wrestling
Derek Caldwell, Lock Haven: Caldwell, a 174-pounder, is currently 3-11 on the season for Lock Haven after dropping an 8-3 decision to Millersville's Shane Smith. The Eagles ended up winning the meet, 36-9.
Lock Haven (1-3) travels to Pittsburgh this evening.
Shawn Hall, Penn State-DuBois: Hall made his first appearance in a collegiate singlet for the first-year program last weekend, and earned three falls at the Washington & Lee Quads in Virginia.
The Clearfield graduate also pinned his opponent from West Virginia Tech in 47 seconds on Friday.
At the Quads, Hall clinched the win for Penn State-DuBois against the hosts in 6:46, and picked up six more points before falling, 12-6, in his final match.
Holden Lowe: Penn State-DuBois: Lowe, also making his debut, mirrored his high school teammate's record after going 3-1. Lowe scored a pair of decisions and was awarded a forfeit, but couldn't complete the weekend sweep at the Washington & Lee Quads. The former state qualifier lost a 4-2 decision against Washington & Lee for the only blemish on his record thus far.
Andrew Spicer, Penn State-DuBois: Spicer, wrestling at 125, earned a forfeit for Penn State-DuBois in its win over West Virginia Tech on Friday. The former Clearfield wrestler was one of four Penn Staters to pick up a forfeit in a 48-12 win.
Spicer didn't have the same success as some of his classmates, as he finished out the weekend with three straight losses at the Washington & Lee Quads.
Jeff Smallwood, Penn State-DuBois: Like Spicer, Smallwood earned a forfeit against West Virginia Tech and followed it up with another in a loss to Gettysburg. In his only match on the mat, Smallwood dropped a narrow 9-8 decision to Washington & Jefferson's Brandon Sansom, who wrestled scholastically at Brookville.
Mike Horton, Edinboro: Horton has taken to the mat for the Scots this winter and has accumulated a 20-14 mark. The former P-O heavyweight hasn't wrestled in a dual meet this season, but has a fourth-place finish at the Cleveland State Open under his belt.
Horton has picked up a pair of falls so far this season.
Edinboro (3-4) hosts Buffalo on Saturday and Clarion on Sunday.
Kyle Keane, Pitt-Johnstown: The Mountain Cats, ranked No. 6 in Division II, and Keane continued to roll with a dominating effort over Division I Davidson on Friday and a pair of wins on Saturday.
Keane, a former Clearfield grappler, improved to 14-4 with three wins last weekend, which included a fall and a major decision. Keane earned a 12-5 decision in Pitt-Johnstown's win over Davidson on Friday.
The Mountain Cats host Gannon on Saturday.
Matt Kyler, Army: Army (3-3) hosted a quad meet with Boston University, Rutgers and the United States Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday, where Kyler earned a fall and a major decision.
The former Bison standout, who is ranked No. 8 nationally at 149 pounds, pinned Boston's Andrew Swank in 4:29 after scoring four takedowns and two nearfall points in the first period. In his last match, Kyler took down the Scarlet Knights' David Greenwald six times en route to a 16-3 major decision. Kyler also recorded a technical fall against the USMMA.
Kyler is 18-2 and is closing in on becoming the Black Knights' all-time wins leader, which he could accomplish at the New York State Championships on Jan. 23-24.
Brad Pataky, Penn State: Pataky won his first 10 matches of the season for the Nittany Lions and is currently 18-5 for Penn State, which is currently ranked No. 13.
The former Clearfield state champion went 3-1 last week with a pair of wins over nationally ranked grapplers. Pataky, the nation's No. 12 ranked 125-pounder, avenged a loss from earlier in the season with a 12-6 decision over Virginia Tech's Jarrod Garnett, and downed Oklahoma's Jarrod Patterson, 8-6.
The Nittany Lions (8-3-1) are back in action Jan. 22 when they host Illinois at Rec Hall.
Men's Basketball
Todd Hryn, Pitt-Greensburg: A sophomore guard for the Bobcats, Hryn has seen action in 10 games and has started twice for Pitt-Greensburg, which is 8-7 on the season.
Hryn has tallied 48 points this season to go along with five blocks, two steals and two assists.
The Bobcats travel to Medaille College on Saturday.
Tyler Ferguson, Pitt-Bradford: Ferguson scored a three-point play to lead the Panthers to a 68-65 win over 21st ranked Medaille College on Wednesday. The former West Branch stalwart made the game-winning shot with 2.5 seconds to go and made the free throw for the final tally.
Ferguson has played in all 14 games for Pitt-Bradford with nine starts to his credit. The freshman averages 6.4 points per game and has come up with seven steals.
The Panthers (6-8) host Mount Aloysius on Saturday.
Matt Shiner, Penn State-Behrend: Shiner, a former Clearfield standout, saw limited time in PSU-Behrend's 77-57 win over Pitt-Greensburg last Wednesday. Shiner has played in five games for the Lions (9-3), who host Penn State-Altoona on Saturday.
Women's Basketball
Michelle Peoples, Mount Aloysius: Peoples has appeared in all 13 games for Mount Aloysius, which split a pair of games this week. Peoples, a Glendale alum, and the Lady Mounties defeated Lancaster Bible College on Monday, but fell to Penn State-Altoona on Wednesday.
Peoples averages 2.5 points per contest, and has nine steals, eight assists and three blocks to her credit.
The Lady Mounties (4-9) travel to Pitt-Bradford on Saturday.
Swimming & Diving
Chris Bodle, Westminster: The former Clearfield swimmer anchored the 200 medley relay team at Rollins College (Fla.) for the Westminster "C" team. Bodle, who was part of a team with his twin brother, John, finished the 50 free in 24.55.
Bodle also led off the 200 free relay team with a time of 25.64. Each team finished fifth in their respective event.
John Bodle, Westminster: Bodle swam the butterfly leg of the 200 medley relay at Rollins College (Fla.) for the Westminster "C" team last weekend. The former Bisons swimmer finished his split in 27.63 to help the Titans to a fifth-place finish.
Westminster hosts Carnegie Mellon on Jan. 23.
Mark Krchnak, Duquesne: Krchnak and the Dukes cracked the Top 25 in the College Swim Coaches Association of America Poll after a 6-2 start to their campaign.
Duquesne is back in the pool on Saturday at Cleveland State.
John Lytle, Notre Dame: Lytle, one of three Notre Dame captains, continues to excel in the pool for the Fighting Irish. The former YMCA National Champion claimed both the 50 and 200 free in Notre Dame's 158.5-139.5 setback to Northwestern on Saturday.
Lytle also got the 400 free relay started on the right foot en route to another win, and swam the fastest split in finishing second in the 200 medley relay.
Notre Dame is back in the pool this weekend as it entertains Michigan State Friday and Louisville on Saturday.
Men's Gymnastics
Scott Rosenthal, Penn State: The Clearfield graduate made a big impression in his first meet for the Nittany Lions, as he won the rings event against Army with a score of 15.050.
Rosenthal and Penn State (1-0) are back in action today at the West Point Open at the United States Military Academy.
All former area athletes who play a sanctioned college sport are eligible to be recognized by The Progress for their athletic endeavors in the College Roundup. Athletes are encouraged to have their school's sports information director fax, mail or e-mail updates on their progress to the sports department. Updates can be faxed to 814-765-5165 or mailed to College Roundup, c/o The Progress Sports Department, Post Office Box 291, Clearfield, PA 16830-0291. E-mails are accepted at sports@theprogressnews.com.