Sports
Vaughan is Mr. Clutch
By Staff Writer Ryan Dempsey
Last Wednesday, the men’s basketball team (19-9, 12-5) traveled to Wilmington, N.C. and successfully beat the UNC Wilmington Seahawks 53-52.
George Mason Univesity defeated UNC-W (7-23, 3-14) in Trask Coliseum for the first time in more than five years. The Patriots snapped their six-game road losing streak, stretching back to the middle of January.
The game started with both teams making their first shot. After that, the game dragged on offensively with poor shooting by both teams, making only one shot in 15 attempts combined.
Pitch Black: Patriots Lose to Ospreys In Baseball
By Broadside Sports Editor Brian Chan
The bats came alive early on for the George Mason University Patriots, but it was not enough as Mason (4-3) struggled to pick up a win in the tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. after falling to the host University of North Florida Ospreys 15-11 in Sunday's offensive shootout.
Mason led off the 1st inning with home runs from left fielder Scott Krieger and first baseman Justin Bour. Both Krieger and Bour hit their third home runs of the season. Right fielder Shane Davis continued to hit the ball well as he scored Mason’s fourth run off a double from designated hitter Josh Steinberg. Davis had three multi-hit games throughout the tournament after going 3-for-5 in Sunday’s loss.
Lazy Bats
By Broadside Sports Editor Brian Chan
Junior pitcher Becky Anderson only needed three hits from her offense to keep the opposing batters at bay as the George Mason University Patriots (6-4) defeated the University of Akron Zips in Friday’s 2-1 pitching duel.
Anderson (4-2) allowed just two hits and a run that went unearned. After the Zips loaded the bases in the 1st inning, Mason’s pitching phenom retired 10 consecutive batters, inducing a number of groundballs. Freshman catcher Anush Mooradian went 2-for-3 with an RBI as Mason won their first game in the Patriot Classic Tournament.
Unstoppable Red Flash
By Broadside Correspondent Fernanda Ferreira
Mason (6-4, 2-2) was downed by the Saint Francis University Red Flash (8-8, 4-3) last Friday in four sets (24-30, 30-19, 29-31, 29-31). The Patriots were not able to stop Red Flash’s offense, led by junior outside hitter Jordan Varee’s 18 kills.
St. Francis jumped out early with senior setter Shane Conley controlling the pace of the game. The Patriots were not able to stop the Red Flash’s quick offense. The team struggled to pass in the first set, making it harder for sophomore setter Brandon Joyner to play as fast as St. Francis. When Mason found consistency in serving and passing, the team was able to block better and make better choices on offense. The Patriots stepped up their game with a kill by senior opposite hitter Kyle Gramit. But St. Francis had control over the starting set, wrapping up the first game with a kill by Varee.
2009 CAA Championships
Women Finish Fourth, Men Finish Fifth
By Broadside Staff Writer Ryan Dempsey
- This past weekend, Mason’s swimming and diving teams competed in the conference championships. The Mason women finished fourth with 468 points while the men's team ended up in fifth place with 456.5 points.
On the first day of competition, freshmen Nicole Harmon and Ashley Danner, junior Caitlin Impink and senior Mary Beth Cheslock swam the 200-yard medley relay in 1:40.65. This set new team, pool, and meet records and was the top performance in the CAA, and the time made an NCAA B-cut.
Additionally, the women’s 800-yard freestyle relay set a new team record in the event while also meeting the B-cut. The final record to fall on the women's side came from sophomore Lisa Faulkner, who competed in the 3-meter diving. Faulkner’s preliminary score is the best score in team history.
Downing Towson
By Broadside Staff Writer Tim Blank
- Watch the highlights from the game here.
- See crisp, sharp photographs of the Patriots dominating the court here.
It was a night of celebration on many ends for the men’s basketball team against the Towson University Tigers on Saturday night. The night started with the recognition of the four senior players. Guards John Vaughan and Dre Smith and forwards Chris Fleming and Darryl Monroe were honored right before tipoff. Then after that, the Patriots (20-9, 13-5) went on ahead and played a strong physical game to win 71-59 against the Tigers (10-21, 5-13), clinching the team’s first ever home undefeated season with 14 wins.
“Your last home game is always special and you want to end it on a positive note,” said Head Coach Jim Larranaga.
VIDEO: Mason vs. Towson
Watch the highlights from the basketball game as the Patriots crushed the Towson Tigers 71-59. Click here to read about the game.
Out of the Pool: Swim Competition Ends
By Connect2Mason Reporter Alex Rogge
The Mason Swimming and Diving team performed strongly during the preliminary stages of competition during the fourth day of the 2009 CAA Swimming and Diving Championship. It started with the Women 200 Backstroke, during which Sophia Graesser placed second with a time of 2:08.43 and Nicole Harmon placed fifth in her heat with a time of 2:04.86. In the Men 200 Backstroke, Ryan David placed fourth in his heat and ninth overall with a time of 1:52.74. Nico Baudoin also placed fourth in the next heat and twelfth overall with a time of 1:53.17.
Day Three of the CAA Swimming Championship
By Connect2Mason Reporter Alex Rogge
During the third day of the 2009 CAA Swimming and Diving Championship, the Mason team again placed high on the scoreboard throughout the competition events. It started with the Men 400 Individual Medley prelims, during which Ross Redcay placed fourth with a time of 4:06.16. Then Preston Wolter took first place in his heat and first place overall, with his time of 3:52.99.
First Full Day of Swimming Competition
By Connect2Mason Reporter Alex Rogge
The second day of the 2009 CAA Swimming and Diving Championship was the first full day of competition. The Mason team was shown prominently on the scoreboard throughout the day. Starting in the competition pool with the 500 Freestyle, Michelle Lozach took second place with a time of 5:08.60. In another 500 Freestyle, Caitlin Impink also took second with a time of 4:53.82. She placed fifth overall for the 500 Freestyle event.
In the Men 500 Freestyle event, Steven Benecki took first place with a time of 4:32.08. He placed 5th overall for the event. Preston Wolter took a significant lead in his heat, holding first place with a time of 4:25.38.