Monthly Archives: September 2011

Weekend Preview

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Is it October already? Indeed it is, and the Mules teams begin the second half of their 2011 seasons on a weekend filled with home events.

Volleyball vs. Dickinson (Saturday, 11:00)

The Mules dig playing at home. In their last four matches at Memorial Hall, they defeated Albright and McDaniel and were very competitive with strong Moravian and Haverford teams. Now they’ll try to even their Centennial Conference record against 2-10 Dickinson.

The Mules also dig pediatric cancer research. Muhlenberg volleyball and the Centennial Conference are working together this year to raise money for Tanner’s Touch, a non-profit organization out of Westminster, Md., that raises awareness and funds to support pediatric cancer research. The Mules (who also play Mount St. Mary at 3:00) will collect pledges and donations for every dig they record in the match against Dickinson.

Live stats (Dickinson match only): http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/vblive/topview.htm

Live video (Dickinson match only): http://www.livestream.com/muhlenberg

Field Hockey vs. Dickinson (Friday, 7:00)

Muhlenberg will try to make it two wins in a row and capture its first Centennial Conference win of the season. Dickinson is also 0-3 in the CC.

Live stats: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/fhlive/xlive.htm

Live video: http://www.livestream.com/muhlenberg

Cross Country at Paul Short Run (Friday, 12:15 men and 1:00 women)

The Mules compete in one of the largest meets in the nation as they continue to prepare for the Centennial championship meet.

Results page: http://www.paulshortxcrun.com/PaulShort/PSLayer.php

Football vs. Susquehanna (Saturday, 1:00)

Susquehanna (3-1) makes its first trip to Allentown since 1992 having won its three games by a combined six points, all on the final play of the game. The loss was at Johns Hopkins, 56-7. The 2-2 Mules, looking to bounce back from a 27-17 loss at Hopkins last week, will try to take advantage of a Crusader defense that has allowed 450.0 yards and 39.8 points per game.

Live stats: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/livestats/xlive.htm

Live video: http://www.livestream.com/muhlenberg

Live audio (WMUH): http://www.muhlenberg.edu/wmuh/stream.html

Women’s Soccer vs. Dickinson (Saturday, 4:00)

Dickinson won the CC regular-season title and advanced to the “Sweet 16” of the NCAA Tournament last year but is just 1-2 in the CC to start this season. Muhlenberg (1-1-1) is looking to bounce back from an 0-2 weekend in Maryland.

Men’s Soccer vs. Haverford (Saturday, 7:00)

Muhlenberg (5-2, 1-2) is happy to be home after tough road trips to Johns Hopkins and Swarthmore, both of which resulted in one-goal losses. Haverford is 0-3 in the CC, with all three losses by a single goal, and also lost just 1-0 to top-ranked Messiah.

Poster Children for True Student-Athletes

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Last Friday, 45 Muhlenberg College students presented at the Science Summer Research Poster Session, a culmination of their summer work. Each on-campus summer science research student was awarded an 8-10 week stipend supported by either internal College grants, some external funding or generous alumni.

Among those presenting were five athletes.  We asked them about their research projects and life as a student-athlete.

Michael Baer, Track & Field (A Possible Role for nhr-239 in Sensory Response)

Describe your research project. I study feeding behavior in the nematode C. elegans. Specifically, I am working on uncovering the function of a poorly studied gene, nhr-239, because when we delete this gene the nematodes show a different feeding pattern. Right now we think that this change has to do with oxygen sensation.

Why did you choose this topic? I originally joined Dr. Wightman’s lab because genetics is a field of study that I find very interesting and may continue to study in the future. I enjoy my topic because of all the unknowns present. Our lab is the first to work on the function of nhr-239.

What did it mean to you to be named an Academic All-American last year? Being named an Academic All-American last year was a great honor, especially since athletics and academics are the largest parts of my life at Muhlenberg. I’ve always viewed myself as a student-athlete, which made this award such an honor for me.

Nicki Cronin and Nate Crossette, Cross Country/Track & Field (Calibrations for High Energy Physics)

Describe your research project. (NIcki) We were studying the properties of the quark gluon plasma, which was created from the collisions of gold nuclei. This interests us because it recreates the conditions microseconds after the big bang and we are interested studying these properties of the early universe. Specifically, we worked with a detector called the Muon Piston Calorimeter and calibrating its response to the photons it detected from the pi zero decays.

(Nate) The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), a particle collider in Long Island, is powerful enough to create a quark gluon plasma, the hottest known matter in the universe, when it smashes gold nuclei together at great enough speeds. Detectors surrounding the collision make measurements by detecting particles that were created when the plasma cools and expands. My contribution to the research collaboration at RHIC was to help calibrate the Muon Piston Calorimeter, a subsystem of a detector, using computer simulations and collision data.

Why did you choose this topic? (Nate) I chose this research because when asked what I want to do with physics, I don’t have an answer. I want to find an answer to that question. My favorite part of this experience was learning how to write computer code that models physical phenomena.

What did you enjoy most about it? (Nicki) This was an area of physics that I had never explored before and I truly learned a lot in the process about nuclear and particle physics as well as computer programming. It was an amazing and unique experience to not only be able to work with other students from Muhlenberg, but with physicists from around the world who have been doing research like this for years.

Do you take more pride in your athletic achievements or your academic achievements? (Nicki) Personally, I take more pride in my academic achievements. Athletics is a good addition in my life, I love running with my team and it helps keep me balanced, but ultimately, it is my academics that is going to take me where I want to be in life. For me, academics is the number one priority.

Is it more challenging to understand physics or run an 8K in the mud? (Nate) Understanding physics and running an 8k through the mud are both fun, yet challenging in opposite ways. Running is simple, so it’s very easy to overcomplicate. During a race, the challenge is to focus on telling your body to relax and run faster, even when you are very tired. Physics is really complicated, so the challenge is thinking of scenarios that demonstrate physics principles in a way that makes it easy to understand while not oversimplifying. I don’t think I could pick which one is harder. I enjoy both.

Melissa Ugelow, Cross Country/Track & Field (Tailoring Porous Silicon for Analyte Response)

Describe your research project. My research this summer focused on assessing and characterizing porous silicon and its sensing properties. The ultimate goal of the project is to be able to tailor the surface of porous silicon for analyte response.  

What did you enjoy most about it? What I enjoyed the most about this topic was that it was so new to me.  I was able to learn so many new analytical techniques and use new instruments.  

How do you balance being a year-round athlete with being a chemistry major? Sometimes it is hard to balance being a chemistry major with sports all year round but I have been very lucky that all of my professors have been very understanding and helpful. All the chemistry professors leave their office doors open and want you to ask them questions if you need help. Sometimes it is difficult to balance the workload with the practice and meet schedule, but I think that if I did not run, I would not be as focused and motivated as I am now.
 
Erica Wenzel, Volleyball/Softball (POGIL Patterns: Indentifying & Documenting Effective Elements & Practices)
 
Describe your research project. Over the summer, I worked with Dr. Kussmaul on researching patterns in POGIL (process oriented guided inquiry learning) activities. I analyzed the questions of the activities to determine what types of questions followed each other and then created another set of patterns, which would be used in future research.
 
What did you enjoy most about it? I am extremely grateful to get this experience. The part I liked the most was learning about POGIL and how to implement it in the classroom.
 
What are some of the qualities you learn as an athlete that help you as a student? Two important qualities I learned through athletics are time management and responsibility. As an athlete, you need to manage homework, studying, practices and games. It’s not always easy, but its important to stay on top of school as well as sports. Being on a team is a big responsibility. You have to look out for your teammates, make sure everything is ready for practice/games, and you need to take responsibility for your schoolwork if you are missing class due to a game as well.  Both of these qualities will be extremely helpful after college.

 

 

Money-Mule-Ball

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One of the most popular movies in the United States has a Muhlenberg connection.

Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, is the story of Billy Beane’s doings as general manager of the Oakland A’s in 2002. It opened last weekend to critical acclaim and finished at No. 2 at the box office, behind only The Lion King 3D.

Former Mule baseball coach Bob Macaluso has a small part in the movie hitting fungoes to Scott Hatteberg (played by Chris Pratt).

“A friend of mine was hired by Sony Pictures to gather former players and coaches to try out for parts in the movie in the summer of 2010,” Macaluso wrote in an e-mail. “Most of the movie was shot in Oakland; my scene was at Long Beach. They selected a scene of me hitting ground balls to Hatteberg and got a couple of closeup shots of me on the big screen.” 

Macaluso, billed as “Coach Bob” in the movie credits, coached Muhlenberg from 1999 to 2006 and ranks second on the program’s all-time wins list with a record of 136-146-3. He led the Mules to the Centennial Conference finals in 2002 and 2003.

When he’s not working on his movie career, Macaluso is in his fifth year as an assistant coach at Cal-Irvine. He coaches first base for the Anteaters, who have been to the NCAA Regionals each of the last four years.

So how has Macaluso’s big screen debut been received? “I have received positive reviews of my Academy Award performance!” he wrote.

Athletes of the Week

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for contests between September 19 and September 25

Female Athlete of the Week – Nicki Cronin, Cross Country

Cronin finished third in a field of 167 runners in the 4K race at the Dickinson Long-Short Invitational on Saturday. She led the Mules to a second-place finish in the short race, behind only Dickinson and directly ahead of two other Centennial Conference teams, Johns Hopkins and Haverford.

Male Athlete of the Week – Patrick McDonough, Football

McDonough was outstanding in a losing effort at Johns Hopkins on Saturday. He made a career-high 16 tackles, including 10 solo and one for a 4-yard loss, in the Mules’ 27-17 setback.

Saturday Trivia

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Here’s a question we had in the program for Wednesday’s women’s soccer game against Haverford:

Nicolette Miller recorded a hat trick against McDaniel last Saturday. In what sport was the term “hat trick” first used? A hint: think Haverford.

Weekend Preview, Part 2

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Yesterday, The MuhlBox looked at Friday’s contests at Johns Hopkins. Here’s a preview of the Saturday and Sunday events.

Football at Johns Hopkins (Saturday, 2:00)

Two of the three teams that tied for the Centennial Conference title, and two of the three teams that are off to 2-0 starts this year, square off in a key game in Baltimore.

Johns Hopkins is ranked 23rd in Division III and has outscored its three opponents 142-21. Muhlenberg, which received votes in the American Football Coaches Association poll, is coming off a dramatic comeback win against McDaniel in which it scored 27 points in the fourth quarter to win, 34-26.

Muhlenberg leads the series 23-19-1 and has won three of the last four meetings, including two at Homewood Field. Seven of the last eight meetings were decided by eight points or fewer.

Turnovers could play a big role in this game. The Mules are plus-9 in turnovers this year and picked off JHU quarterback Hewitt Tomlin four times in both 2008 and 2010.

Live audio (WMUH): http://www.muhlenberg.edu/wmuh/stream.html

Live video: http://www.hopkinssports.com/allaccess/?media=256668

Live stats: http://www.hopkinssports.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/jhop-m-footbl-sched.html and click on Gametracker

Cross Country at Dickinson Long-Short Invitational (Saturday, 11:00)

Dickinson will host the Centennial Conference Championships on a new course at Big Spring High School, and almost all the CC schools will be here to preview it. This meet will give the Mules a good indication of where they stand in the CC six weeks before the actual championship meet.

Results: http://www.motiontiming.com/node/65

Women’s Soccer at Johns Hopkins (Saturday, 7:00); at Stevenson (Sunday, 2:00)

Coming off a tie against 24th-ranked Haverford, the Mules take on another nationally ranked opponent: No. 7 Johns Hopkins, the six-time defending Centennial Conference champion. Each of the last two years, the Mules beat the Blue Jays when they were ranked in the top 10, and in 2008 Muhlenberg took No. 7 Johns Hopkins to double overtime.

Live video: http://www.hopkinssports.com/allaccess/?media=256693

Live stats: http://www.hopkinssports.com/sports/w-soccer/sched/jhop-w-soccer-sched.html and click on Gametracker

The Mules continue their weekend trip to Maryland with a game against a strong Stevenson squad on Sunday.

Live stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/stevenson/wsoc/?e=5cuvkr0g155v7ppa

Volleyball at Johns Hopkins (Saturday, 1:00)

The Mules look to go to 2-0 in the CC for the first time since 2002. They won in five sets in their last trip to Johns Hopkins (2009).

Weekend Preview, Part 1

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It’s such a big weekend, we’re going to do the preview in two parts. Today, we’ll look at the Friday games, and tomorrow we’ll preview Saturday’s contests.

Men’s Soccer at Johns Hopkins (Friday, 7:00)

Two of the powerhouse programs in the Centennial Conference meet in what is always an important match. In the first 18 years of the CC’s existence, Hopkins had the best record (128-23-11), and Muhlenberg was second (116-34-12). The two schools combined for 13 of the CC’s first 18 championships. Both teams won their CC opener, Hopkins (3-2-2 overall) at Haverford and Muhlenberg (5-0) vs. McDaniel.

In the D3soccer.com poll, Muhlenberg is ranked ninth and Johns Hopkins is receiving votes. The NSCAA has the Blue Jays ranked 10th in the Mid-Atlantic Region, while the Mules are third in the region and 19th nationally.

Johns Hopkins holds a 14-9-4 series lead, but that only tells part of the story. Muhlenberg has never beaten Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field; in fact, the Mules haven’t scored a goal in their last four trips there. Four of the last six meetings in Baltimore ended in scoreless draws.

Muhlenberg is 5-0 for the first time since 2005, and that was also the last year the Mules defeated Johns Hopkins.

Live video: http://www.hopkinssports.com/allaccess/?media=256690

Live stats: http://www.hopkinssports.com/sports/m-soccer/sched/jhop-m-soccer-sched.html and click on Gametracker

Field Hockey at Johns Hopkins (Friday, 4:00)

Johns Hopkins is ranked 20th in Division III with a 4-2 record, and Muhlenberg is 1-5. But don’t let those numbers fool you – this is usually an intense, closely fought game. The Mules defeated the Blue Jays in overtime in 2008 and 2009 – both times when Hopkins was ranked in the top 10 in Division III. Last year, Muhlenberg played one of its best games against Johns Hopkins, losing 2-1 in the fourth straight one-goal games between the two teams.

Live stats: http://www.hopkinssports.com/sports/w-fieldh/sched/jhop-w-fieldh-sched.html and click on Gametracker

9 or 19?

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Two Division III men’s soccer polls came out yesterday. In the one released by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, Muhlenberg was ranked No. 19, and in the one released by D3soccer.com, the Mules were No. 9.

How could there be such a difference? One reason is that it’s still early in the season, and it takes a little while for the teams to sort themselves out. Another is that the two polls are conducted in very different manners, both with their quirks.

The NSCAA poll sticks very closely to the regions. This makes sense because Division III competition is regional in nature, and there are few inter-regional games during the season from which to form a basis of comparison. Teams are ranked 1-10 in each of the eight regions, and in general the top teams in each region are 1-8 in the poll, the second teams are 9-16, etc.

There are some exceptions: The No. 2 in the Mid-Atlantic on the women’s side, Johns Hopkins, is ranked No. 7 nationally, ahead of two regional No. 1s. By the way, the Mule women’s soccer team plays at Johns Hopkins on Saturday night.

The down side of this system is pretty obvious – teams jump around wildly in the national poll based on their regional ranking. Four teams that were ranked below the Mules last week are ahead of them this week, not because voters suddenly think they’re better, but because they moved up to No. 2 in their regions. As long as it is No. 3 in the Mid-Atlantic, Muhlenberg won’t be able to move up much past No. 15 or so.

The D3soccer.com poll works more like a national poll. And with national polls, it’s sometimes hard to break in, but then once you’re in it can take a while to fall out.

Muhlenberg was ranked 15th in the preseason poll, which was based in large part on last year’s final poll. Since the preseason poll, teams ahead of Muhlenberg have suffered losses that caused them to drop, while the Mules have inched up from 15 to 12 to 9 with their five straight wins to start the season.

This poll is not without its oddities. When a team loses, voters are often inclined to move it down only so many spots. Here’s an example from the women’s poll: Last week, Rochester was ranked 13th and Union received votes. Union beat Rochester, 2-1, but this week Rochester (5-1, No. 16) is still ranked ahead of Union (6-0, No. 17). The NSCAA poll has it more in the way you’d expect based on that result: Union is No. 2 in the region and No. 11 nationally, while Rochester is No. 3 and No. 18.

So are the Mules really No. 9 or No. 19, or none of the above? Only time will tell. Two things are for sure, though: the polls are fun to watch, and it’s better to be in them than out of them!

Past Meets Present

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Homecoming is a time for all generations of the Muhlenberg family to come together, and that certainly was the case last Friday.

While on campus for her 50th Reunion, Louise (Niebaum) Bogan met with current members of the Mule field hockey team on Friday morning, showed them a slide show, and then attended their game on Friday night.

Louise Niebaum was a member of the 1959 and 1960 field hockey teams – the first two at Muhlenberg. The 1959 team won all four of its games without giving up a goal. The next year, Muhlenberg again went undefeated, with a record of 5-0-1. 

The program did not lose a game until its fifth season of existence and helped establish the winning tradition of Muhlenberg field hockey. In 52 seasons of play entering this season, the Mules had a winning percentage of .605.

Click the link below to view the slideshow. Of particular note in the old pictures are the hairstyles (of course), the uniforms, the sticks and the cars around the field (Muhlenberg played its first games on what is now the site of Trexler Library). Things have changed quite a bit in the last 50 years!

Field Hockey slide show

Athletes of the Week

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For contests between September 12 and September 18

Female Athlete of the Week – Nicolette Miller, Women’s Soccer

Miller scored the first three goals in Muhlenberg’s 4-0 win over McDaniel on Saturday. It was the second hat trick of the senior forward’s career; she became just the sixth player in program history to record multiple hat tricks. Miller leads the Mules with four goals and nine points this season; she currently ranks in the top 10 in school history in every offensive statistical category.

 

Male Athlete of the Week – Dan Deighan, Football

Deighan threw for a career-high 282 yards, including 226 in the fourth quarter alone, to help engineer Muhlenberg’s dramatic 34-26 come-from-behind win over McDaniel. He connected on a 26-yard pass on a fake punt that eventually led to a touchdown on the first drive of the final quarter and added a pair of 40-yard touchdown passes to help the Mules erase a 19-point deficit in the final 15 minutes. It was their largest comeback since 1980.