(Posted March 12, 2001)

WOMEN'S SWIMMING (9-5, 6-3 MAC): season complete.

Freshman Kim Allen (Susquehanna Township/Harrisburg), who was the first-ever blue and gold competitor to make a showing at the NCAA Division III swimming championship, earned all-American honors on Saturday night in the 200-yard breaststroke. She posted a school record time of 2:26.19 to place 11th in the nation and pick up second-team all-American recognition to become Juniata's first-ever swimming all-American. During the trials on Saturday morning, Allen recorded an identical clocking to her finals time (2:26.19) to place 11th in the preliminaries and clinch a spot in the consolation finals on Saturday night. Those who compete in the consolation finals (for ninth through 16th place) are guaranteed second-team all-American status. Allen failed to advance to the finals or consolation finals in the 100-yard breaststroke on Friday morning, but made sure that the same thing did not happen on Saturday morning. The rookie posted a trial time of 1:08.46 to place 18th out of the field of 30 competitors vying for a spot in the 100-yard breaststroke finals on Friday evening. Her time was 0.26 away from placing 16th and getting a trip to the consolation finals. This year's NCAA Division III championship is at the Flickinger Aquatics Center (Erie Community College) in Buffalo, N.Y. Allen was seeded 15th in the 100-yard breaststroke and 20th in the 200-yard breastroke heading into action this past weekend.

SOFTBALL (3-2): Mar. 15, Dickinson (2).

The Eagles opened the 2001 season at the Virginia Wesleyan Tournament on Friday and Saturday and tied for third place with three wins in five games. Juniata went 2-1 on Friday to advance to the championship bracket on Saturday. On Friday, the Eagles opened with an 11-0 loss to eventual tournament champion Salisbury State. Freshman second baseman Becky Herr (Hamburg/Hamburg) and sophomore center fielder Pam Michael (Baldwin/Pittsburgh) were both 1 for 2 in the game. The blue and gold unit then defeated Chowan, 7-3, behind the solid pitching of freshman Amy Gable (Kennard-Dale/Stewartstown). Gable went the distance, struck out two, walked two, allowed seven hits and three earned runs to win her first collegiate start. At the plate, Gable was 2 for 4, including a double, with two RBI and a run scored. Michael was 3 for 3, scored a run, knocked in one and stole a base. Sophomore left fielder Lauren Baker (Susquehannock/Spring Grove) went 2 for 4 and scored once, while freshman catcher Sarah Patterson (Danville/Danville) was 2 for 3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Juniata completed play on Friday with an 8-3 victory over Randolph Macon. Patterson was 3 for 3 in the game and plated four runners. She had two doubles and three stolen bases for the Eagles. Herr was 2 for 4 and scored a run and freshman left fielder Amber Helsel (Claysburg-Kimmel/Claysburg) went 2 for 4 as well with a run scored and an RBI. Junior pitcher Christie Matthews (South Williamsport/South Williamsport) threw all seven innings, gave up five hits, no earned runs, walked four and struck out two to get her first win of the year. On Saturday, the Eagles downed Ferrum in the quarterfinals of the championship bracket, 7-2. Matthews got the victory on the mound after throwing seven innings, scattering six hits throughout the Panther lineup and striking out two, while walking none. Her lone mistake was a one-out, two-run home run in the fifth. Herr continued her fine offensive showing with a 2 for 2 game. She scored twice, had a double and plated one runner. Baker stole two bases, went 1 for 3, scored once and drove in another. Host Virginia Wesleyan got past Juniata, 8-5 in extra innings, during the semifinals of the tournament. The Eagles battled for two runs in the bottom of the seventh thanks in part to a two-out, two-run single by Michael. However, the Lady Marlins touched Juniata pitching for four unearned runs in the eighth, while Juniata produced just one run in its half of the eighth. Michael was 1 for 3 with two RBI, Helsel was 1 for 2 with two runs scored, while Gable had one hit in four at-bats, scored twice and had a triple.

BASEBALL (5-4): Mar. 14 at Dickinson; Mar. 15 at Albright (2); Mar. 17, Penn State-Altoona (2).

Juniata opened its annual trip to the Eastern Mennonite University Sarasota Spring Classic in Sarasota, Fla., on Monday with a split during a doubleheader with Commonwealth Conference foe Moravian. The Eagles won the opener, 6-1, behind an 11-hit attack and the pitching of sophomore Paul Evans (Huntingdon/Huntingdon), but the Greyhounds pounded out 15 hits off of Juniata pitching in the second tilt to post a 15-5 victory in a game that was shortened to 5 2/3 innings due to the 10-run rule. Neither game counted toward Commonwealth standings. In the first game, Evans scattered 10 hits throughout the Greyhound lineup and lasted six innings to move to 2-0 on the year. He gave up an earned run in the second, walked one and struck out two. Sophomore Steve Brink (Central Columbia/Nescopeck) tossed a scoreless seventh inning for Juniata. Senior center fielder Matt Eisenberg (Big Spring/Newville) went 3 for 4 with a double, a triple, two runs batted in and one run scored. Junior designated hitter Tim Keeley (Caledonia-Mumford/Caledonia, NY) was 2 for 2 with a run scored, while junior first baseman Tim Dobson (Millville/Millville, NJ) was 1 for 3 with a home run and four RBI and senior left fielder Fred Heaton (Central/Roaring Spring) went 3 for 3 and scored twice. Moravian owned a 9-0 lead after just three innings of play in the day's second tilt. Keeley was 2 for 2 with two runs scored, two RBI and a home run, while Dobson was 2 for 3, scored twice and had an RBI and Heaton was 1 for 2 with two runs batted in. On Tuesday, Eisenberg took one step closer to being considered one of the greatest male athletes in the history of College Hill varsity play when he got his first collegiate start on the mound. The result was a complete-game, six-hit shutout victory in a 10-0 win over Bluffton. Eisenberg struck out four walked none. In addition, he was 1 for 2 at the plate, including three runs scored, a stolen base and a solo home run.

Juniata then posted a 5-2, come-from-behind triumph over host Eastern Mennonite under the lights on Tuesday evening. In Tuesday's opener, Dobson, who was the most valuable player of the EMU Sarasota Spring Classic in 2000, was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Keeley ended the game, 1 for 3 with one run scored and three RBI. In the nightcap on Tuesday, Keeley went the distance on the mound to get the win. He struck out three, walked two, gave up eight hits and both runs were earned. Ssenior right fielder Lucas Kelleher (Bishop Guilfoyle/Altoona), Evans and freshman shortstop Marc Frailey (Middletown Area/Middletown) each had two hits for Juniata in the game. Heaton scored twice, while junior second baseman Jamie Campbell (Muncy/Muncy) was 1 for 4 with a run scored and two RBI. Eastern Mennonite came back from Tuesday evening's 5-2 loss to Juniata to down the Eagles on Wednesday morning, 7-3. Dobson was 2 for 3 with his fourth home run in five games in Sarasota, two RBI and scored a run for the Eagles. Eisenberg and Kelleher (two doubles) were both 2 for 4 and scored once, while Evans, who entered the game in the second inning at third base for an injured Matt Slagel (Spring Grove/Spring Grove), went 2 for 3 in the outing. On Thursday, Juniata experienced the thrill of winning a one-run game and the bitter taste of a one-run loss as well. The Eagles opened the day with a 6-5 decision over Bluffton, but were handed a 4-3 extra inning (8) loss by Kenyon. In the opener, Campbell hit a three-run home run (the first round-tripper of his career) in the top of the sixth inning with the game tied 3-3 to put the Eagles up 6-3. Freshman pitcher Ryan O’Donnell (Lebanon/Lebanon) threw 4 1/3 innings for Juniata. He struck out three, walked one and allowed four hits and three runs (all earned). Brink pitched two-thirds of an inning and got the win, while Evans earned the save after going the final two innings. Keeley was 2 for 3 with two runs and an RBI, while Eisenberg went 2 for 3 as well. Campbell was 1 for 3 with a run scored and three RBI. Juniata closed the day falling to Kenyon. In the bottom of the eighth with Juniata down, 4-1, the Eagles registered a two-out rally. Heaton roped an RBI single and one batter later, Campbell loaded the bases with a single. Junior catcher Matt Bowers (Westminster/Westminster, MD) hit a single to left field to score Keeley, who had singled earlier, but on the play, Heaton tried to score and was thrown out at the plate to end the game. Junior hurler Clint Wevodau (Northern Lebanon/Annville) tossed 7 1/3 innings and was the hard-luck loser after Juniata botched a force-out at third base with a dropped ball in the top of the eighth that could have stopped the Kenyon rally. Wevodau allowed just two earned runs and six hits during his effort. Kelleher, Keeley and Bowers were all 2 for 4 for Juniata.

On Friday, the blue and gold diamond squad ended the week with an 11-10 loss to Kenyon. The Eagles got on top early with a lead off home run in the top of the first by Eisenberg, but the Profs, who ended up taking the team title in Sarasota with a 7-1 record, tallied six runs in the bottom of the first inning. Kenyon sent 11 batters to the plate in the first inning and eight produced hits. The Eagles were down, 10-4, after five innings and tried to rally in the top of the seventh with four runs scoring with two outs. Eisenberg was 2 for 4 with a double, home run, two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base. Campbell was 1 for 4 with three RBI for the Eagles, while Bowers was 1 for 2, scored three times, knocked in two and had the first home run of his career. Dobson, Keeley and Kelleher were named to the all-tournament team for their efforts during the week.



MEN'S VOLLEYBALL (7-8, 4-5 EIVA Tait): Mar. 13, St. Francis (Pa.); Mar. 16, Springfield.

Juniata, ranked second in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Poll fell to host George Mason on March 2, 30-23, 30-26, 30-26, in an Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Tait Division match in which the Patriots served up 10 aces against the blue and gold. Freshman outside hitter Javier Garcia (San Ignacio/Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) had 10 kills for Juniata, which hit .182 as a team, compared to .338 by the hosts. Senior setter Kevin Moore (Webster/Webster, NY) had 27 assists, six digs and four blocks, while freshman middle hitter Kenny Eiser (Central Bucks West/Doylestown) finished with eight kills and sophomore middle hitter Chris Jones (Lower Merion/Wayne) had a team-best six blocks and four kills. Juniata has not been in action since the loss to George Mason, but will return to the court on Tuesday to take on St. Francis.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.