It seemed as though Bender Arena was literally alive last night as a sea of blue stomped its feet to give the AU venue a heartbeat. Cheesy? Yes. But who cares - this is the first time Eagle fans can actually boast about their team, something Big 10 schools are used to doing on a daily basis.
In front of a raucous crowd in Bender Arena, the men's basketball team came back from a double-digit deficit last night to defeat the Holy Cross Crusaders 62-60 in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament. Holy Cross came out aggressive and asserted its will early.
The women's lacrosse team fell again at Jacobs Field on Tuesday to Towson 17-8. The Eagles are now 0-3 at home this season and 1-4 overall. The match started out strong for the Eagles, with the team grabbing the early lead thanks to a goal by sophomore attacker Amanda Makloid just five minutes into the first half to give AU the 1-0 lead.
The National Basketball Association could stand to learn from the recent history of the National Hockey League. In September 2004, the ice rinks of the NHL went unused in every major city across the United States and Canada. The problem was that the NHL and its players union could not come to an agreement on the correct way to rework the league's ridiculous revenue structure.
After its loss to Navy Wednesday night, the men's basketball team needed some assistance if it were to finish the regular season on top of the conference standings. The team got exactly that, as the Eagles defeated Lafayette 84-72 and Colgate beat Navy 73-62 Saturday to give AU the Patriot League regular season title.
20993: The overall number of people who went to Bender Arena to watch men's home games this season. 4097: The overall number of people who attended women's home games this season. 3994: The highest attendance at a men's home game when the team played against Holy Cross for the annual Phil Bender game.
Senior Meghan Thiel wrapped up her illustrious AU career by taking home two East Coast Athletic Conference championship titles over the weekend at the meet held at the University of Pittsburgh. Thiel, along with fellow senior Joe Coronato, were the two Eagle swimmers who competed at the meet, which is designed to give the swimmers one final chance to qualify for the NCAA championships, as they did not already do so in the PL championship meet.
In one of the best games of the season, the women's basketball team triumphed over the Lafayette Leopards in a 60-57 overtime win to become the Patriot League's regular season champion for the first time. Like a calm before the storm, the game began in the doldrums as neither team scored until the 16th minute.
Despite its high intensity level, the women's lacrosse team was unable to capture a win against Old Dominion at its second home game of the season, falling 9-5. The Eagles fell behind early and found themselves unable to ever gain control of the scoreboard.
1. The AU men's basketball team started in 1926 under head coach G. Baillie Springston. Springston led the Eagles for a total of three years until 1929-1930 season when Walter H. Young replaced him. 2. Before Bender Arena, there was Fort Myer Ceremonial Hall, commonly known to Eagle fans back in the day as "The Fort.
With first place in the Patriot League on the line last night in Annapolis, Md., the Navy Midshipmen shot down the men's basketball team with more precision than a falling satellite as their 83-68 loss halted a six-game winning streak. The Eagles faced an uphill struggle from the start.
Recently, the campus has come alive with the possibility that the first-place men's basketball team could be heading to the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament or the National Invitational Tournament. With a victory next Wednesday, coupled with a loss by Navy, the Eagles would clinch the Patriot League regular season title and an automatic birth to the NIT.
Bender was buzzing last night as the women's basketball team clinched a share of the Patriot League title in a 69-37 win against the Navy Midshipmen. AU came out strong from the start, establishing a 9-0 lead off of a Talicia Jackson three-pointer. It would not be long before Navy answered back, bringing the score up to 9-4 with back-to-back baskets.
The women's basketball team is in sole possession of first place in the Patriot League after they defeated Holy Cross 76-71 in overtime Saturday. With 16 ties and 13 lead changes, the Eagles and Crusaders provided unprecedented excitement. The Eagles and the Crusaders ran onto the court in the first half with fire in their bellies.
It took all of regulation and two overtimes, but the women's lacrosse team secured its first victory of the 2008 season, defeating the Davidson Wildcats on the road Saturday 11-10. The Eagles jumped out to an early 3-1 lead on goals by junior Kira Sonberg and seniors Brittany Finnegan and Lauren Askionoff.
Junior Carlos Jamieson captured his first two career titles, while senior Cathleen Ford picked up an individual victory at the Patriot League Track and Field Championships this weekend at Bucknell University. Along with Jamieson and Ford, the Eagles also won a league title in the men's distance relay, totaling four championships over the course of the meet.
It was the underclassmen who were the highlight of the Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championships by picking up multiple top five finishes as the men's and women's swimming teams headed to the U.S. Naval Academy to end its season. It was the woman's team who Thursday took home the first points for the squad.
The summer of 2008 is shaping up to be the season when the Washington Nationals shake their identity crisis forever. Come April, the club will christen a first-class new stadium, replacing the depressing architectural relic that is RFK. But also, and maybe even more importantly, the Nats will not have to contend with the off-field distractions that have come to define the team during their infancy in the District.
Solutions by The State News