Sports Features

Third times a charm for Mets

The baseball season is underway and there's no better time to take a look at the National League. First up, the NL East: Few people picked the Phillies to win the 2008 World Series, but looking at their roster, it should not have been much of a surprise. The Phillies boasted a great core of talent with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.

Eagles fall to Retrievers

Five AU women's lacrosse players had multiple goal efforts, but it was not enough to prevent the team from suffering its third-consecutive defeat, falling to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers 11-10 Wednesday afternoon. The loss drops AU's overall record to 2-11 and 1-4 in the Patriot League.

Eagles fall at home to Hokies, 19-11

Freshman Lauren Schoenberger scored a career high four goals, while senior midfielder Leslie Fischer and freshman midfielder Bernadette Maher each recorded a hat-trick but it was not enough to prevent the Eagles from falling to Virginia Tech 19-11 Saturday afternoon.

Capitals struggle down stretch

Despite clinching the Southeast Division, the Washington Capitals' struggles continue. With only three games to go until the playoffs, the team needs to get back in the habit of winning. The month of March is one the Capitals will most likely want to forget.

Women's lacrosse falls to Midshipmen

A three-goal, second-half rally could not save the AU women's lacrosse team as they fell 8-6 to the U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen Wednesday afternoon. The loss dropped the Eagles' record to 1-4 in Patriot League play and 2-9 overall on the season. The game started well for the Eagles, as junior midfielder Amanda Makoid scored less than five minutes into the match to give AU a quick 1-0 lead.

An open letter from Jeff Jones

Minor league is major help

The Washington Capitals' minor league affiliate, the Hershey Bears, have managed to stay atop the American Hockey League's Eastern Conference despite a constantly changing roster. One of the biggest problems AHL teams face is that they never know when their most important players maybe called up to the NHL.

AU lacrosse triumphs over rival Lafayette

Junior midfielder Amanda Makoid's hat-trick, along with multi-goal efforts by four other Eagles, helped the AU women's lacrosse team capture a 12-11 victory over Lafayette College Saturday afternoon. The win was the first in Patriot League play for the Eagles, who improve to 1-3 in league play and 2-8 overall on the season.

Do small schools have a chance against elite?

This year's NCAA tournament has seen more near upsets this year than ever before, which may be a sign that the difference between a No. 1 seed and a No. 16 seed has become smaller, but in reality it is just a smokescreen. On the first two days of the tournament, we saw Villanova University having to come back against a weak AU team and the University of Pittsburgh barely escape East Tennessee State University.

Escape D.C.'s spring bustle on scenic paths

As winter's harsh winds morph into spring's sweet smelling breeze, there is no better time or place to enjoy a run, walk or bike ride than spring in D.C. Unfortunately, this is also the time when tourists flock the streets to hail D.C.'s beloved cherry blossoms.

WBC: Classic or clunker?

The warming weather, the budding flowers and the chirping birds can only mean one thing: its time for baseball. Every year, millions of fans across the country, myself included, look forward to this time as the point in the year when the ground thaws, the days grow longer and the crack of a wooden bat against cowhide ball fills the air.

Diamonds in the rough

When drafting your fantasy baseball team this year, there are several players you should highlight. Every fantasy owner knows about Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, and Manny Ramirez. These players will earn plenty of points but these are the guys that will win you a championship.

When a fan cannot cheer

What is a journalist to do when the team he must cover has changed from just an average squad to his alma mater's program? The simple answer is to leave everything to the action on the court. As a sports journalist, I cover teams I have some prior investment in.

Capitals' slide continues

With only a handful of games to go it might be time to hit the panic button and start worrying about the Washington Capitals play. The season end near its end, closing the playoff race is anything but over in the Southeastern Division. The Capitals have won only five of their last 12 and have allowed the Carolina Hurricanes to sneak back into the playoff race.

Wrestling brief

Redshirt junior Mike Cannon recorded his second straight All-American status with an eighth-place finish in the 174-pound weight class while teammate junior Kyle Borshoff earned his first career All-American award by placing seventh in the 149-pound weight class at the NCAA wrestling championships this weekend.

Lacrosse brief

Despite a career-high four goals from freshman Lauren Schoenberger, the Eagles fell for the fifth consecutive game on Saturday, losing to Patriot League rival Lehigh University, 21-7. The loss drops the Eagles to 0-3 in league play and 1-7 overall on the season.

Sounding off on Eagles

"I am most proud of the championships, getting here twice when nobody gave us a chance."- Senior forward Frank Borden "My heart goes out to all the AU fans who came out to support us today."-Sophomore forward Nick Hendra "I want to support the home team and they have had a great season and I don't want it to end.