Monthly Archives: October 2011

Spencexandra Chiliddic

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Want to see the best in Division III basketball this winter? Come to a Muhlenberg doubleheader.

The D3hoops.com preseason All-America teams were released this week, and of the nearly 400 schools that sponsor men’s and women’s basketball at the Division III level, Muhlenberg was one of only two (Wheaton of Illinois was the other) to have a representative on both teams. Spencer Liddic of the men’s team was named to the second team, and women’s player Alexandra Chili was a third-team selection.

Here’s a quick look at how the two preseason All-Americans compare:

  • Alexandra Chili
  • Number: 12
  • Position: Guard
  • Hometown: Rockville, Md.
  • All-Centennial Conference first team: 2010 and 2011
  • CC Academic Honor Roll: 2010 and 2011
  • 2010 Scotty Wood Tournament: MVP
  • Career points scored: 1,497
  • Rank on Muhlenberg all-time list: Third
  • Career average: 17.4 ppg
  • 2010-11 average: 18.8 ppg
  • 2010-11 CC scoring rank: First
  • 2010-11 NCAA scoring rank: 27th
  • Career high: 33 vs. Moravian as a freshman
  • First career game: 6 points, 6 assists vs. St. Elizabeth
  • Not just a scorer fact I: Set school record for assists by a freshman
  • Not just a scorer fact II: Eighth on all-time blocked shots list (really)
  • Wow! record broken last year: Needed only three seasons to break CC career record for three-pointers

 

  • Spencer Liddic
  • Number: 34
  • Position: Forward
  • Hometown: Clarks Summit, Pa.
  • All-Centennial Conference first team: 2010 and 2011
  • CC Academic Honor Roll: 2010 and 2011
  • 2010 Scotty Wood Tournament: MVP
  • Career points scored: 1,221
  • Rank on Muhlenberg all-time list: 15th
  • Career average: 15.7 ppg
  • 2010-11 average: 20.4 ppg
  • 2010-11 CC scoring rank: First
  • 2010-11 NCAA scoring rank: 30th
  • Career high: 35 vs. Washington College as a junior
  • First career game: 8 points, 9 rebounds vs. Hunter
  • Not just a scorer fact I: Led CC in rebounding last year
  • Not just a scorer fact II: Seventh on all-time blocked shots list
  • Wow! record broken last year: Broke 40-year-old school record for points in a season

The two have a lot in common, from their academic and athletic successes at Muhlenberg to mutual respect for each other.

“Spencer Liddic will have always have a talent that I will never be able to possess; the dunk,” said Chili. “Often, I’ve asked Big Spence, ‘Will you teach me how to dunk? Teach me, teach me how to dunk,’ and even with his best efforts, the second-team preseason All-American has had little success. I recognize that the fault lies in my own athletic shortcomings and that maybe it’s time I try to pass something on to Spencer. I think the behind-the-back pass will fit into his repertoire perfectly.

“Boasting a D3hoops.com all-region first team and a unanimous All-Centennial Conference selection for the second year in a row, Spencer’s junior year sealed his fate as one of the most influential men’s basketball players of the Muhlenberg program. I know his senior year will only be better. This season, not only will Spencer stun the crowd with his unstoppable double-doubles, beautiful elbow jumpers and sweet post moves, he will continue to be a great senior leader. His hustle on the court never stops and he truly inspires all his teammates, and even the women’s team, to play better. I’ve been fortunate to share the spotlight the past few years with the stellar Spencer and I can’t wait to start our seasons up against Moravian on November 15! I know it will be a great year for all of us.”

“It has been such an amazing experience getting the opportunity to watch Alex Chili grow and mature over the past few years into the dominant player she is today,” said Liddic. “Her most obvious threat is her unbelievable shooting ability. She has had players attempt to faceguard her since freshman year, and nothing seems to stop her. Another one of Alex’s strengths is her ability to find her teammates. Over the past three years, she has impressed the crowd over and over again with her behind-the-back passes and alley-oops to various high-flying dunkers on her team.

“Players like Alex only come around once in a lifetime and it’s an honor to have the opportunity to watch her play since freshman year. I look forward to once again watching Alex dominate the court and can’t wait to see which Muhlenberg, Centennial and D3 record she will be breaking this year.”

Going Dancing

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In the college sports vernacular, the “Big Dance” has come to mean the NCAA Tournament. And while the Muhlenberg women’s cross country team has as good a chance as it ever has to earn an NCAA bid – the Mules are ranked fifth in the Mideast Region – one of the team members has another “Big Dance” on her mind.

Senior Ashley Greenberg is one of the co-chairs of Dance for a Cure, a charity event scheduled for Friday, November 11, from 10 p.m. to midnight in the Seegers Union Event Space.

This is the third straight year Greenberg has been one of the committee chairs, and she is hoping to make her last year the best. This year the committee partnered with Colleges Against Cancer, an on-campus organization that helps run Relay for Life, to assist with promoting the event.

“We’re trying to make it a bigger deal,” said Greenberg, who estimates that the event raised a few thousand dollars the last two years. “In the past it was mostly a fraternity-sorority thing. This year we want to get more athletes and teams involved. The softball team has been helping with the planning.”

Money will be raised through a raffle (the big prize is a Kindle), admission tickets and donations. The proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.

“I haven’t been directly affected by cancer, but some of my friends have so I’ve seen the impact on others,” said Greenberg. “I just really like to help people. It’s fun to see people show up for a good cause.”

To do so with a dance is a natural for Greenberg, a dance minor who has been dancing she was in second grade. She went to a performing arts middle school, where dance was a part of her day, and danced competitively in the Maccabi Games for two summers.

Dancing has taken its toll on Greenberg and made her unable to run for most of this season. But she still has enjoyed the incredible success of the Mules, who finished 25th at the regional race just two years ago.

“I’ve really been proud of our team and my teammates,” she said. “I can’t believe how driven each teammate has been, and how much hard work and effort have gone into the team.”

Just like the effort she is putting into Dance for a Cure. “We want to make an impact on Muhlenberg’s campus with this event,” she said. “We really want to make people want to do something good for others.”

Athletes of the Week

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for contests between October 10 and October 16

Female Athlete of the Week – Brittany DeAngelis, Field Hockey

DeAngelis recorded four defensive saves in games against King’s and Franklin & Marshall to become the program’s all-time leader with 20 in her career. Her three stops against F&M helped the Mules stay close against the second-ranked team in Division III. DeAngelis leads the Centennial Conference with 9 defensive saves (one short of the school record) this season.

Male Athlete of the Week – Jacob Joseph, Soccer

Joseph assisted on both goals in the Mules’ important 2-1 win against Franklin & Marshall. The win put Muhlenberg in a three-way tie for second place in the Centennial Conference. It was the first career multiple-assist game for Joseph, who is tied four fourth in the CC with 4 assists this season and is tied for the lead among active Mules with 7 career assists in only two seasons.

Hometown Heroes

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If things had been just a little bit different, and the same people scored the goals, last night’s 2-1 men’s soccer win by Muhlenberg against Franklin & Marshall could have gone the other way.

Both of the Mule goal-scorers grew up not far from F&M. Senior Josh Luginbuhl, who scored the first goal, hails from Denver, Pa., about 20 minutes from the F&M campus. Junior Danny Way, who netted what proved to be the winning goal, is from right in Lancaster.

Way (right) never considered attending F&M because he felt it was too close, but for Luginbuhl (below), his final choice was between Muhlenberg and F&M.

The two schools have plenty in common when it comes to men’s soccer. Both are top-notch programs from one of the most competitive Division III leagues. Both regularly appear in the regional rankings and are no strangers to the national top 25. Both are trying to break the Johns Hopkins-Swarthmore hold on the title that has existed for the last five years.

F&M lost to Hopkins in the CC final in 2006 and was the top seed for the CC playoffs in 2007. Muhlenberg was the top seed in 2009 and lost to Swarthmore in the championship game last year.

Johns Hopkins and Swarthmore entered yesterday’s action in the top two spots in the CC, but both suffered unexpected losses, tightening up the race. With three games remaining, one point separates the top four teams. Johns Hopkins is in first with a 4-1-1 record (13 points), while Swarthmore, Muhlenberg and Dickinson are all 4-2 (12 points).

This is the fifth time in the last seven years that the top seed for the CC playoffs will have at least two blemishes on its record. Anything can happen, and the difference between triumph and heartbreak can be very slim – it could even come down to what college someone chose to attend.

“For the last four years, and especially tonight, I’m very happy I chose Muhlenberg,” said Luginbuhl after the game.

photos by Lisa Youngentob

Saturday Trivia

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47-42, 46-43, 55-50, 61-50, 57-42, 56-55 … those are scores of some of the football games played by Gettysburg the last three years. If Muhlenberg gets into a similar shootout today, it will be a long time coming. When was the last time the Mules played a game in which both teams scored in the 40s?

See yesterday’s blog post for a preview of the football game and all today’s action.

Weekend Preview

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Nationally ranked teams and offenses provide some of the opposition for the Mules as the teams begin their stretch run.

Men’s Soccer vs. Franklin & Marshall (Saturday, 7:00)

This is a rematch of a 2010 Centennial Conference semifinal, won by Muhlenberg 4-0. In last year’s regular-season meeting, the teams played to a 1-1 draw.

Both teams are aiming to return to the playoffs in what is shaping up as a six-team race for five spots. Muhlenberg and F&M are in a three-way tie with Dickinson for fourth place with four CC games remaining.

The Mules (7-3-1, 3-2) are ranked third in the Mid-Atlantic Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America; the Diplomats (7-3-2, 3-2) are fourth. The two CC losses for both teams are by one goal to Swarthmore and Johns Hopkins.

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

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

Football at Gettysburg (Saturday, 1:00)

The Mules (3-2, 3-1) return from their bye to take on one of the top offenses in Division III. The Bullets (3-2, 3-1) are averaging 552.4 yards per game (first in Division III) and 47.8 points per game (second in Division III). Gettysburg also is allowing 42.2 points per game, and Muhlenberg has scored at least 30 points in all three of its wins. The Mules’ two losses are to undefeated teams ranked in the top 15 in Division III.

Live stats/video: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/gettysburg.portal

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

Field Hockey vs. Franklin & Marshall (Saturday, 1:00)

The Diplomats are ranked No. 2 in Division III, although they will fall in next week’s poll after losing to No. 4 Lynchburg, 5-0, earlier this week.

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

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

Women’s Soccer vs. Franklin & Marshall (Saturday, 4:00)

Muhlenberg completes a stretch of three games in four days against another team that is looking to earn a playoff berth. The Mules (6-6-2, 3-2-1) are currently in fifth place in the CC, and F&M (5-4-1, 3-3) is tied for sixth.

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

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

Volleyball vs. Lebanon Valley (Saturday, 10:00); vs. Stevenson (Saturday, 12:00)

The Mules take a break from CC play with a tri-match at Lebanon Valley.

Cross Country at Leopard Invitational (Saturday, 10:00)

The Muhlenberg teams run at Lafayette in their final tuneup for the Centennial Conference Championships.

A Bunch of Zeroes

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The Muhlenberg men’s soccer team has more clean sheets* than the local laundromat.

Heading into tonight’s game with Drew, the Mules (7-2-1) have seven shutouts in their first 10 games – the first time they’ve done that since the 1990 team blanked eight of its first 10 opponents.

In the latest NCAA Division III statistical rankings, Muhlenberg was sixth in shutout percentage, ninth in save percentage (.906) and 14th in team goals-against average (0.48).

The Mules, who are ranked 20th by D3soccer.com and 21st by the NSCAA, have shut down some offenses that are used to scoring, too. DeSales ranks 25th in the nation in scoring offense and scored a goal against top-ranked Messiah, but was blanked by Muhlenberg. The latest two shutout victims, New Jersey and Washington, had both been shut out only once this season prior to playing the Mules.

“We don’t get any ink in the paper, so that is really what we have to go by,” said junior center back Kyle Plifka of seeing a zero on the scoreboard at the end of the game. “We take a lot of pride in that.”

Good defense has long been a hallmark of Muhlenberg men’s soccer; the 1988 team set a national record (since broken) with 13 consecutive shutouts. Last year’s “Sweet 16” squad allowed only 14 goals in 22 games, with 12 shutouts.

But that team lost an All-America goalie and two all-region backs. The Mules’ impressive run of shutouts has come with a cast that is more than half new. Plifka and sophomore left back Ryan Barlotta are the lone returning starters from 2010. Center back Jonathan Schauer (pictured) started eight games last year as a freshman, some at back and some at midfield. Right back Bryan Attanasio is a freshman, and the two goalies, junior Ari Nutovits and sophomore Jas Chojnowski, played a total of five minutes in goal last year.

Senior Conor Choi and sophomore Bucky Aronoff have also filled in on the back line.

“They’re all so talented, it makes it easy,” said Plifka. “Most of those guys were battling for playing time last year, so we weren’t really worried about who we lost.”

So what’s the secret to the success of the Muhlenberg defense?

“Hard work on the back line, that’s about it,” said Plifka.

* Ever wonder about the origin of the phrase “clean sheet”? Here’s what Wikipedia has to say: The term first appeared in the 1930s. Sports reporters of the era used separate pieces of paper to record the different statistical details of a game. If one team did not allow a goal, then that team’s “details of goals conceded” page would appear blank, leaving a clean sheet.

 

(Community) Service Aces

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The members of the Muhlenberg volleyball team didn’t have any classes on Tuesday morning because of Fall Break, but they still spent time in the classroom – reading to a third-grade class at Sacred Heart Regional School. Senior Brooke McQueen wrote about the experience:

Today the Muhlenberg volleyball team went to Mr. Jim Millets’ third-grade classroom in the Sacred Heart Regional School and read stories. Our team arrived to a classroom bustling with excited third-graders, waiting eagerly to meet the team. We introduced ourselves and told the kids where we were from. Morgan Duggan, Lindsey Gambocurta and Coach Yoder are from the area, and several kids nodded when they recognized their towns.

Mr. Millets has a display of hats in his classroom with one hat for every letter of the alphabet. His collection currently only contained high school hats with their letters. As a gift, we gave the third-graders their first college hat, a bright red “M” with the kicking mule. 

Next, we all lined up and trooped across the street to the hall where we sat down to read. The team was lined up in front of the third-graders, and we took turns reading one page at a time to the students. We shared with them our favorite books about Halloween, which brought many laughs. Afterward, the third-graders asked us questions about ourselves as a team. My favorite question was asked by a little girl. She said “How do you guys win?” The whole team answered saying “With lots of practice and teamwork!”

The morning ended when the Muhlenberg volleyball team made a tunnel with our arms and the third-graders got to run through cheering! It was a great way for our team to get out into the greater Allentown community and give back. 

 

Athletes of the Week

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for contests between October 3 and October 9

Female Athlete of the Week – Holly Hynson, Volleyball

Hynson hit .466 and averaged 3.63 kills per set to lead the Mules to road wins against Bryn Mawr and Washington. She had 18 kills in only 29 attempts against the Shorewomen, recording kills on seven consecutive hits and scoring four straight points in the pivotal second set. Her 18 kills were the most by the Muhlenberg freshman since 2002, and the two wins gave the Mules four in the CC (twice as many as they had all last year).
 
Male Athlete of the Week – Jas Chojnowski, Soccer
 
Chojnowski made a splashy debut in goal, playing 155 scoreless minutes for the Mules, making 13 saves, in his first career varsity action. He came in at halftime after Muhlenberg’s starting goalie was injured and made seven saves in a scoreless tie against New Jersey. He then became the first Mule goalie since 2001 to record a shutout in his first career start, stopping six shots in a 1-0 win at Washington.

Saturday Trivia

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Muhlenberg teams are playing this weekend at Washington College, a school named for the father of our country. What school was named for the “grandmother of our country” (George Washington’s mother)?