Ever-improving Juniata women’s soccer noted in Altoona Mirror

The Juniata College women’s soccer program, off to its best start in program history, was the subject of some good press in the Altoona Mirror on Tuesday, Sept. 30. No link is available to the article, but the text is below:

Women’s soccer program emerging

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Women’s soccer is not a sport where Juniata College has the long-time track record of success that the Eagle women’s volleyball and field hockey programs have enjoyed, but 2008 is starting to look like the year where that might change.

The Eagles are off to a 6-2-0 start this season, the best start in program history. A 2-0 win over Gettysburg College two weeks ago was the program’s first win over a regionally ranked program; that victory resulted in Juniata earning its first regional ranking in program history, when the Eagles were ranked ninth in the September 16 adidas/National Soccer Coaches Association of American Middle Atlantic Region poll.

Juniata is coming off a 1-0 win over Moravian College this past Saturday, in the Eagles’ Landmark Conference opener. The Greyhounds were ranked as high as eighth in the Middle Atlantic Region poll earlier this season.

“We’re equal steps away from the trophy case and the trash can,” said Juniata head coach Scott McKenzie. “We have the potential to do some really special things, but we’re still learning how to play at this level, and at times it’s the natural instinct to go to what’s comfortable, which is to be what we have been. But I think when we can get out of that comfort zone, we can compete against anyone, as was shown by the Gettysburg win and the Moravian win.”

Juniata’s improvement in women’s soccer has been parallel to that of Penn State Altoona, who handed the Eagles their first defeat of the season, 1-0 in a double overtime thriller on September 20 in Altoona. The Lions have received votes in the adidas/NSCAA Great Lakes Region poll.

McKenzie attributes the growth of both programs in central Pennsylvania to the ever-improving quantity and quality of local players, due to the 12-month nature of the sport between high school and club competition.

“There are many more high school athletes playing at a higher level due to the expansion of the club programs in PA West,” said McKenzie. “More kids are playing at a more highly competitive level, which translates into more successful high school programs, which will also translate to more successful collegiate programs.”

Two of Juniata’s top five leaders in points this season are from points west of Huntingdon within the Commonwealth; freshman Aimee Radic, a product of Belle Vernon Area High school near Pittsburgh, and freshman Nikki Hankinson, from Berlin Brothersvalley High School in Somerset County, are tied for third on the team in scoring with two goals and one assist for five points.

Pacing the Juniata offense this season has been a sophomore from much further west of Pennsylvania.

California-native Caitlin Bigelow has been the catalyst for much of Juniata’s success, and leads the Eagles this season with seven goals and one assist for 15 points.

Halfway through her sophomore campaign, Bigelow is already fourth among Juniata leaders in both career points (40) and career goals (16).
“What we’ve seen this year from ‘Bigs’ is more leadership,” said McKenzie. “She wants the ball – every true forward wants the ball – but the leadership is shown by the fact she had the ball on her foot against Moravian on Saturday, and gave the ball up to Katie Young who won the game for us.

“She wants the team to win first. If she can be the one to do it, so much the better for her… but she now thinks more completely about the team’s success coming first,” said McKenzie.

Juniata will face McDaniel College this afternoon in Westminster, Md., before returning to the Landmark Conference loop this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. when it hosts Catholic University.

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- Pete Lefresne, Sports Information Director

Juniata included among recruiting service “power rankings”

The Juniata College athletics program has been ranked 55th in Division III, 60th overall, in the sixth annual National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Collegiate Power Rankings, released on Tuesday.

The NCSA’s rankings are an average of each school’s finish in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Directors’ Cup, its NCAA graduation rate, and its ranking in the U.S.News & World Report rankings.

Juniata had the highest Division III ranking of any of the Landmark Conference schools; Moravian College was 67th while Catholic University of America was 97th. In the overall rankings, Juniata was one of only nine Division III schools from Pennsylvania on the list. Joining the Eagles were Haverford College (13th), Carnegie Mellon (27th), Franklin & Marshall College (59th), Gettysburg College (61st), Dickinson College (68th), Swarthmore College (73rd), Ursinus College (77th), and Muhlenberg College (88th).

The National Collegiate Scouting Association is a paid service that offers assistance to prospective student-athletes during the recruiting process.

- Pete Lefresne, Sports Information Director

Dubois sees the positives in scrimmage loss at Shippensburg

The Juniata College men’s soccer team scrimmaged Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pa., on Thursday night, unofficially lifting the curtain on the 2008-09 athletic year.

The Eagles and the Raiders played three 30-minute periods, with Shippensburg recording a 1-0 win over Juniata.

The lone goal came with approximately 15 minutes remaining in the scrimmage, on a Shippensburg set piece from about 40 yards out. The Raider attempt deflected off a Juniata defender, changing direction on Eagle keeper Joe Kohler – who was already committed the other direction, and couldn’t reverse course quickly enough to knock away the shot.

Now, nobody is happy with a loss, and Juniata head coach Dan Dubois was less than pleased with the 1-0 defeat - especially since that was a source of trouble for the Eagles in 2007, when they dropped six games by one goal and three more by two goals. But preseason scrimmages are supposed to help get a team ready for the regular season, and Dubois found enough to be positive after Thursday night’s affair with Shippensburg.

“Once we settled down, we moved the ball well, controlled the possession, and managed to put together an attack – which is something we struggled to do last season,” said Dubois. “We forced the Shippensburg keeper to make quite a few great saves to keep us off the board, which is encouraging.”

“As some other coaches might say, I’m cautiously optimistic,” said Dubois.

Juniata men’s soccer will open its 2008 regular season on Saturday, Aug. 30, when they face Manhattanville College in the Drew University Classic in Madison, N.J. The Eagles will face Mount St. Vincent on Sunday afternoon.

Other Juniata squads will also be scrimmaging in coming days; women’s soccer will host the Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday afternoon on Winton Hill Field, while football will scrimmage at Gallaudet University on Saturday, Aug. 30.

- Pete Lefresne, Sports Information Director

Tennis court resurfacing project reaches halfway mark

Work was completed earlier this week on the resurfacing of the lower Raffensperger Tennis Courts (the courts adjacent to Ellis Hall), and work began today on the upper courts next to Tussey Hall. The lower courts opened for use this morning; the upper courts will be out-of-service for another week to complete the resurfacing.

All four courts were resurfaced in the same two-toned green color scheme that was previously in use, and received new net stanchions. The resurfacing work is being done by Lutz Tennis & Asphalt Company of Murrysville, Pa.

The tennis court resurfacing is one of several improvement projects taking place around Juniata athletics facilities this summer – some major, some minor.

• Juniata’s Facilities department has been busy painting the new NCAA men’s basketball three-point line on the courts. The new line is 12 inches further from the basket than the old three-point line, which will continue to be used in women’s basketball.
• The renovation of locker rooms in the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center continued this summer with work on the men’s basketball locker room. Work on that project should be completed by the start of practice this fall.
• The track widening and resurfacing project at Knox Stadium continues, with work currently being done on the jump pits and the steeplechase water hazard. Work on the track is approximately two weeks behind schedule, and should be completed by the end of the September.

– Pete Lefresne, Sports Information Director

Fall teams return to campus this week for preseason

Juniata’s fall sports teams will be returning to campus this week, signaling the the start of competing in approximately two weeks.

The football team will be the first to return, as players report on Wednesday, Aug. 13, with preseason camp starting the following day. Approximately 85 players are expected to report for Juniata football’s preseason camp, the most in three seasons.

Women’s volleyball will begin practice on Saturday, Aug. 16, while field hockey and men’s soccer will have their first official practices on Sunday, Aug. 17. Women’s soccer will begin preseason workouts on Monday, Aug. 18, while the men’s and women’s cross country squads will begin practice on Wednesday, Aug. 20.

– Pete Lefresne, Sports Information Director

Juniata contingent heads to Centennial’s Football Media Day

Head Coach Darrell Alt, senior QB Jay Leonard, senior WR Chad Steiner and I will travel to the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa., on Wednesday for the Centennial Conference’s annual Football Media Day.

All nine Centennial head coaches, as well as two players from each institution, will meet with a selection of media from print, television, radio, and the web to discuss the 2008 season. The Centennial Conference will also unveil its preseason poll, as selected by the league’s coaches and sports information directors.

Among the media who have indicated they will attend:

Newspapers
Bob Black, Harrisburg Patriot News
Brian Hunsicker, Potomac News/D3football.com
Dave Bryne, Lancaster Sunday News
Josh Land, Carroll County Times
Jeff Schuler, Allentown Morning Call
Gettysburg Times - 2 Reporters & 1 Photographer
Chuck Curley, Hanover Evening Sun

Television
Pat Principe, WGAL (plus photographer)
Jason Bristol, WHP-TV 21 (plus photographer)
Photographer & Reporter, Service Electric 2 Sports
John Brickley, Blue Ridge Cable

Radio
John Elliott & Craig Barnes, Broadcast Team for AM 1470

Be sure to check out these media outlets in the coming days for their reports from the Centennial Football Media Day, and visit www.juniatasports.net on Wednesday afternoon to see the complete Centennial Conference preseason poll.

– Pete Lefresne, Sports Information Director

Work progressing on Knox Stadium track resurfacing

Work is progressing on the track resurfacing and widening at Knox Stadium, with most of the preparation work nearing completion.

Contractors recently completed the installation of the trench drain and curbing for the new eight-lane track, losing only a couple of days on the schedule due to rain earlier in July. The next steps in the project are the installation of the water hazard for the steeplechase, and laying out the forms for the jump pits and the throwing area. All this work must be completed before the paving crew can begin work, according to Jeff Meadows, the Grounds Supervisor overseeing the project.

Installation of the trench drain and curbing, which took approximately one month, will help if Juniata College should ever decide to install artificial turf at Knox Stadium in the future.

Lead contractor for the project is C.E. Wood of Duncansville, Pa.; engineering was by Derck & Edson of Lititz, Pa.

– Pete Lefresne, Sports Information Director

Women’s volleyball players stay busy at camp

Far from spending their entire summer at the beach or on the couch, several members of the Juniata women’s volleyball team have been busy this summer honing their skills by working at summer camps.

Seniors Erin Albert, Jessica Ritchey, Beth Kozak, and Amber Thomas are among the Eagles that have been working the “Volleyball Express” camps run by Penn State head women’s volleyball coach Russ Rose, and held at the campus of Juniata College. In addition to teaching skills to younger players during the day, the Juniata players have gotten to improve their skills by playing pick-up games in the evening against other camp staffers - including several members of Rose’s 2007 NCAA Division I National Champion Nittany Lion squad.

“There’s no better way to stay in volleyball shape… than playing against Penn State, who just won a national championship,” said Ritchey, who has worked Rose’s camps for the past two summers and taken the court against and alongside some of the Nittany Lions during the night-time pick-up games. “They’re just at another level, and it pushes you to get better over the course of playing with them.”

The Juniata players have also benefited from the occasional words of advice from both the Penn State players and coaching staff.

“They’re great about that,” said Ritchey. “It’s a different kind of game (at Division I), and they’re always saying, ‘Hey, you might want to try doing this’ when they see us on the court.”

– Pete Lefresne, Sports Information Director