Brittney Lawson and the track and field teams will compete in the America East championships this weekend at the University of New Hampshire, but before heading north to UNH, the squad had one final meet in preparing for the postseason.

Lawson, a freshman from Woonsocket, R.I., shattered her previous school record of 46.18 meters in the hammer throw with a toss of 47.58 meters on Sunday at the Yale Springtime Invitational.

Lawson wasn’t the only Hawk with an impressive performance in the regular season finale. The 4×400-meter relay lineup of Melanie Wilson, Ariana Bass, Mahrukh Khawaja and Priscilla Appiagyei placed third with a time of 4:10:03. The 4×100-meter relay team also landed a top-five finish, with a time of 50.90.

For the men, Anderson Emerole and Chasani Douglas each took home fourth-place finishes in their respective events. Emerole posted a season-best time of 22.30 in the 200-meter dash and Douglas jumped a distance of 13.38 meters in the triple jump.

Earlier in the weekend, several Hawks competed in the Penn Relays. The event is the oldest and largest track and field event in the United States.

On Saturday, the men’s 4×800-meter relay team crushed a five-year-old school record by 17 seconds, finishing in 35th place. The squad of Wayne Lawrence, Christopher Rodriguez, Robert Giuliani and Mike DuPaul finished the race with a combined time of 8:01.85.

The women’s 4×400-meter relay team also posted an impressive finish in Philadelphia, cruising to a season-best time of 3:56.48, strong enough for 67th place overall.

Both teams continue their season this weekend at the America East Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of New Hampshire.

Adam Manison

Four straight fourth-quarter goals is always an accomplishment. However, when trailing by five, it just is not enough.
That is what happened to the Hartford Hawks lacrosse team when they hosted the Binghamton Bearcats last Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The late run put on by the Hawks fell just short as they lost, 13-12.

With 8:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, Binghamton freshman Tyler Perrelle scored with a man-up advantage after a Hartford penalty. The tally gave the Bearcats a 13-8 lead.

The Hawks answered with 5:22 left when senior Leif Abrahamson scored his first goal of the season. The goal sparked a furious comeback, where the Hawks scored four times in 2:08.

Unfortunately, goalie Jordan Marra and the Binghamton defense held off the Hartford attack for the final three minutes to escape with the victory. Marra finished the afternoon with 13 saves.

As hot as the Hawks closed out the game, they were just as cold at the start. The Hawks faced a 4-0 deficit just 10 minutes into the contest. They trailed, 7-1, with 9:40 to play in the second quarter.

The Hawks closed the second quarter well, scoring five straight goals before halftime to close the gap to 7-6. Each of the Hawks’ first-half goals came from the stick of a different Hartford player.

Coming out of the break, the Hawks tied the score, 7-7, when junior Tim Fallon scored the first of his three goals just six seconds into the third quarter.

Fallon’s three goals, his first goals of the season, paced the Hawks’ scoring. Each of his goals came after winning face-offs. The Hawks’ faceoff specialist, Fallon won 22 of his 28 chances and picked up a game-high 16 ground balls in the loss.

No other player for either team picked up more than four. While his ground balls and face-offs were unmatched, Binghamton did have an answer to Fallon’s scoring. Matt Springer put four goals past Hartford goalie Scott Bement. Andy Cook added three goals of his own for the Bearcats.

Bement had only six saves on 19 shots on goal for the afternoon. The Hawks actually outshot the Bearcats, 46-30, for the afternoon. The Hawks also had more shots on goal, 25-19, than Binghamton.

The Hawks also held the edge in turnovers, groundballs and face-offs. The difference in the game was Binghamton’s man-up attack. The Bearcats were 2-5 on their opportunities. Both of those goals came in the second half, including Perrelle’s eventual game-winner.

The Hawks could not score on their only advantage, which came midway through the second quarter. The Hawks (3-10, 0-4 AE) lost their fourth straight game and their last home game of the season.

Seniors Leif Abrahamson and Captain Justin Bearse were honored for Senior Day before the game. The Hawks will travel to Baltimore on Saturday to take on UMBC in their final game of the season.

Hartford Sports Information

The Hawks baseball team had a rough time this week, losing four straight, and dropping to 8-24 on the season and 2-8 in the conference.

The week started when Hartford traveled to Marist to play them in a single-day game. The game ended up an uneven one, as Marist poured in the runs en route to a 10-1 victory. The Hawks were held to just three hits by Marist pitching, which had starter Brendan Chapin pitch three innings, only allowing three walks, but he also struck out three.

With the win, Chapin improves to 3-4 on the season. The loss broke a two-game win streak for the Hawks, and set them on a road of disappointment. Hawks starter Bobby Gorski didn’t have the best of luck, as Marist jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, and wouldn’t look back.

Marist added their fifth run in the fifth inning and five more in the seventh. The Hawks were finally able to get on the board in the ninth, thanks to a Matt Walker RBI double, but at that point, the game was too far out of reach.

Just three days later, the Hawks were on the road again, this time heading to Maine for a two-day trip. The first day was a doubleheader for Hartford, who ended up falling in the first game, 7-14.

Hartford got off to a quick start, scoring two in the first and three in the second to give themselves a 5-2 lead, but it would not hold, as Maine would manage to score in every inning of the game. The Hawks would then give up 12 runs over the next four innings, and the bats had gone silent. The Hawks struck for two more in the top of the sixth, but it was too-little-too-late as Maine went on to take game one 14-7.

Game two was a much different story, but had the same result with Maine pulling out a 4-1 victory. This game was much more of a pitcher’s duel, as Hawks’ starter Mike Thatcher gave them a strong performance with a seven-inning outing, only allowing four runs. But the Hawks’ bats were silent this time around, with the only run of the game coming off the bat of a Victor Santana RBI single to right. The doubleheader sweep of the Hawks dropped them to a 2-7 record in the America East.

The following day, Hartford found themselves playing the final game of the three-game series, and even though this game was the closest, the same result followed. Hartford starter Chris Greiner pitched extremely well, going seven innings only allowing six hits, and four runs, all of which were earned. He also recorded six strikeouts on the day.

Maine took the lead early on in the third, scoring two quick runs. Hartford finally answered in the sixth with an Andy Drexel sacrifice fly, and would eventually tie the game in the seventh after an error by the Maine pitcher set up a Bobby Gorski RBI groundout to tie the game at two.

Hartford would continue their scoring streak, taking a brief 3-2 lead in the eighth on a Mike Aldrich grounder that was bobbled, allowing catcher Mike Amendola score. Finally, the Black Bears bats woke up, and Greiner was hit hard, allowing two runs in the top of ninth and letting the lead escape once again. Maine would hold on in the ninth to close out the 4-3 Maine victory, the Hawks fourth loss in a row.

The Hawks will continue their season with an upcoming series vs. Binghamton University on May 1 and May 2. Both games are scheduled to start at noon.

Adam Manison

Men’s tennis fell to Boston University on the tennis courts this past Saturday, April 24, in their final regular season match.

The only thing that stood between the men’s tennis team and a season-closing victory was a single match. Hartford dropped all three doubles matches, which meant that all four singles players would have to dominate to secure a win. Although there were some valiant matches, the Hartford men came up short.

Freshman Marco Neves endured a split-set victory over Boston University’s Bill Kring at No. 3 singles. After winning his first set with a 6-4 margin, he was swept in his second set by Kring, 0-6, but Neves came back in an exhausting third set tiebreaker to win the match.

Hawks’ freshman Eric Floum withstood a tough loss at second doubles with partner Josh Isaacson, rallying back with a win at No. 4 singles with an 11-9 tiebreaker win over BU.

These men exhibited immense mental and physical strength that persevered through losses and victories. Hartford will say goodbye to senior Aaron Kooden, who was unsuccessful in his match against BU, but an invaluable leader and player on the men’s team.

Although Saturday’s loss against BU marks the final regular season match, there is always next year, since both Neves and Floum are only freshmen, and are full of potential.

Women’s tennis had another chance to redeem themselves after a 0-6 loss against Boston University on Saturday, but were unable to pull out a victory, suffering a sweep by Fairfield University this afternoon.

AP

So much to say, so little space. As this is my final column, and I have way too many thoughts flowing through my sports-obsessed mind, this won’t be a regular one-topic article. Instead, jump inside my head for 700 words as I pour out every thought, prediction and unbiased opinion I have left to offer. Welcome.

Tiger Woods is “the man” and will continue to be for a long time. No, not because of his affairs, but because he looked America in the face and basically said, “here I am, come get me.” If you haven’t seen his Nike commercial with him staring into a camera as his dead father asks him why he “did it,” then go watch it. Now. Tiger will win a major this year, just watch, and as he’s crushing the competition, I hope he’s swearing while doing it. Tiger shouldn’t change his on-course personality just to have a better public image. He should be himself, just not the “hey, it’s, uh, Tiger” self.

Overtime playoff hockey is amazing, even if no one cares. The game is so intense, so physical and so fast-paced, I still don’t understand why more people don’t love it. In the playoffs there is no shootout, just continuous physical hell for as many 20-minute periods as it takes. A five-overtime game is nearly three full hockey games. If you think a double-overtime basketball game looks tiring, go watch hockey.

The New York Yankees’ payroll is $206 million. The Pirates’ is $34 million. Fair?

The NCAA added three teams to the NCAA tournament field, which is now up to 68 squads, but the additions won’t stop there. College sports are supposed to be about amateurs, playing for the love of the game, and getting an education. It isn’t. College football and basketball are now basically professional sports with unpaid athletes, unless of course you wear a UCS Trojans helmet. The tournament field will eventually be expanded to 96 teams for one reason: money. Whether its alumni controlling which coach gets hired, sports agents manipulating student athletes or shoe companies influencing where a high school kid goes to college, money is everywhere and the corruption is only growing.

The NFL has some serious issues. Many experts and football people are truly starting to believe that a work stoppage in 2011 is not only possible, but likely. The league has a major problem with rookie contracts exceeding those of proven veteran stars at the same position, an issue that must be resolved moving forward. A prime example: Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell will most likely be released in the next few days, but, why should he care? The former No. 1 overall draft pick has already been paid $39 million dollars to produce nearly nothing on the field. Why should rookies work hard when they have already been guaranteed a lifetime supply of cash? The system must be changed, hopefully before a strike is necessary.

LeBron James is coming to New York. Wait, no he’s not. Honestly, nobody on this planet knows what LeBron is going to decide on July 1, and anyone who says they do is simply lying. I don’t even think LeBron knows what he’s going to do yet. I understand he’s from Cleveland and they have finally surrounded him with a championship-worthy supporting cast, but if he really wants to be the best, he should consider coming to the Big Apple. Fair or not, winning in New York is different than winning in Cleveland. If I were the Knicks, I would put LeBron in a room with Mark Messier and say, “Hey Mark, tell LeBron here what it’s like to win in this city.” Are the Knicks a good team right now? No. But neither were the Celtics before they added Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in one offseason. It can be done. Come on LeBron. Make it happen.

The World Cup is always an amazing sporting event, even if the United States is more likely to lose every game than win the entire tournament. Soccer isn’t the most exciting sport in the world, but considering the rest of the world thinks the tournament is more important than global warming, its worth paying attention to. Just watch Lionel Messi tear apart defenses. You’ll be hooked.

In one year the Jets have gone from a team with no future to possible Super Bowl favorites. But, with all of the recent additions, many for players with character issues, will Rex Ryan and his gigantic gut be able to stomach potential chemistry problems?

Each of these positions, are further divided into subparts; power-hitters are “cleanup hitters,” fourth in the batting order, fast runners can be used as “pinch runners” slow-moving power hitters get on base and a starting pitcher must demonstrate reliability and longevity.

Coaches and managers organize these parts; drafting players, delegating positions, intensive training and creating effective plays to produce wins. All of these “parts” are meticulously chosen to produce a “winning machine.”

But this “winning machine” would be nothing but a pile of perfect parts without fuel to propel motion and oil to perpetuate this success. What are these dynamic parts, the fuel and oil, that sustains the winning machine?

In my efforts to identify this catalyst, I turned to someone who I knew could provide invaluable insight; my 17-year-old brother, Justin, who picked up a bat and a Yankees cap at 2-years-old, and hasn’t abandoned them since. He quickly responded with, “baseball teams rely on the shortstop and pitchers to win games.”
Yankees’ Captain, Derek Jeter, is an exceptional shortstop – he sets the team up for success. Shortstops orchestrate the efforts of the infield, responsible for deciding who is responsible for fly-balls, stolen base plays, and keeping the pitcher and fellow teammates focused.

Shortstops defend the “hole” between second and third base, where most right-handed batters hit into, equipped with the strongest arm in baseball needed to quickly turn the play around.

Shortstops keep the machine moving forward, but pitchers have the power to single-handedly make or break a game. On April 18, Colorado Rockies pitcher, Ubaldo Jimenez, pitched a no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves. If a pitcher is having an “off-night,” it can spell disaster. A pitcher establishes the tempo of the game; quick 1,2,3 strike-out innings invigorate the crowd with lots of energy and high team morale, while slow, 30 pitch innings drag on to tire out the pitcher, quiet the crowd and lower morale.

Jimenez’s was the first and only pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the history of the Colorado Rockies. However, this 4-0 no hitter would have been impossible without the defensive diving-catch made by center-fielder, Dexter Fowler; bringing the “parts” full circle to win the game. A winning baseball team prospers when all of its collective “parts” are able to run as smoothly as a well-oiled machine. Every part is necessary to guarantee a victory, but the shortstop and pitcher are the “fuel and oil,” by which the rest of the parts are nourished, sustained and compelled to succeed.

Vermont improved their record to 3-9 overall, 2-1 in the conference as Hartford fell to 3-9 and still without any wins in the conference. However, the score did not reflect the story of the entire game. Up until the final quarter, Hartford was neck in neck with visiting Vermont.

In the first quarter, Philie began his clean up on the Hartford defense by scoring two back-to-back unanswered goals. The Hawks answered with three straight goals of their own to gain their only lead of the game. From then on the two America East foes battled with each other in a high-tension physical game.

Canadian natives, Carter Bender and Kyle Goodchild both added a pair of goals to the Hawk’s score. Senior, Justin Bearse and Junior, Michael Cudmore scored the remaining two goals for Hartford.

Hartford just wasn’t able to keep it together in the fourth quarter. The score was 7-6 but six unanswered goals gave the Catamounts a solid win on the scoreboard.
If Hartford wants to gain a victory, their fourth quarter losing funk is going to have to end. The Hawks play Binghamton Saturday.

Courtesy of Hartford Sports Information

The Hawks fell as Marist swept Hartford right out of the building with a convincing win. This was the men’s team’s second-to-last home match, and their final before their home finale with Boston University coming in on Saturday, and the America East Tournament starting next Friday.

From the start of the men’s match on Monday you could tell that it was not going to be Hartford’s day, as Marist was outperforming and outplaying them. The match of the day was the third doubles match featuring Aaron Kooden and Edgardo Ureta, who took their match to 7-6 (7-3), but could not pull off the victory.

Kooden also had a strong performance at sixth singles, losing the first set 6-0, but coming back strong and stealing the second, dropping that one 6-4. Hartford’s top singles players also fought hard, with first singles Aneil Bhalla playing opponent Christian Cooley, but falling, 6-2, 6-4. Second singles Josh Isaacson fell much in the same fashion, 6-4, 6-2 to Nicolas Pisecky.

Their final match against BU on Saturday will start at 11 a.m.

Courtesy of Hartford Sports Information

The sophomore’s dominant vault of 3.04-meters was a mere .01 seconds off of tying her school record. “I was really excited since this is the second weekend in a row that I have jumped 10 feet,” said Hauswirth.

Speaking of records, Brittney Lawson topped a personal and school best, again. Lawson just passed her previous record for the hammer throw (46.17 meters) with a heave measuring 46.18 meters. Her throw was good for a second place standing, and marked the fourth time of the outdoor season that she reshaped Hartford’s record for the hammer throw.

For the women, there were several events where the final results were flooded with high performing Hawks. In the triple jump, three Hawks finished within the top five. Priscilla Appiagyei led the pack with a second place honor, followed by Kristalena Lamore with the third, and Miranda Wallace taking the fourth. Wallace also excelled in the long jump, claiming the third spot in the standings. Natalie Bonham’s leap of 4.78 meters was good for fourth in the same event. Senior, Kaycee Martinez also had a great individual performance, finishing second in the 400-meter hurdles.

On the men’s side, Anderson Emerole and Warren Lane had another great day on the track. Emerole crossed the finish line second in the 400-meter run with a time of 49.45 seconds. Lane took third in the race, finishing less than a second behind his teammate. For the 800 meter run, Mike DuPaul ran with determination but had to settle for second with Central Connecticut freshman, Mohamed Hrezi taking the top honor.

Hartford has shown week after week that the relay races are some of the strongest facets to the team, and did not fail to deliver this past weekend. The 4×100 team embraced first place domination this past Sunday.

“Considering the bad weather, I think the team did a great job and we performed very well at this competition,” said Emerole. Next, the Hawks will compete in the Penn Relays on April 21.

Courtesy of Hartford Sports Information

In the first contest, the Hawks (15-16) set the tone for a dominant afternoon in the first inning as they quickly claimed a 2-0 lead. Jessica Oliveira singled to second base early in the inning and later scored off of an RBI from Amanda Dilworth. Ann Kyzer would then send home Dilworth when she singled to right field.

Sacred Heart would tie things up heading into the fourth inning, but Hartford exploded for seven runs in the fourth and fifth innings to put things out of reach. Two of these runs came from an RBI double from Nicole Springer. Kate Wacyk also came up big with two RBIs in the fourth off of a double to left field and another in the fifth.

The Pioneers wouldn’t go down without a fight however, as they managed to score four more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to make the score 9-6, but Dilworth would single up the middle in the sixth inning to send home another insurance run and help the Hawks hang on for victory.

Freshman Nicole Springer earned the win for the Hawks, improving to 2-4 from the mound while earning three strikeouts. Sophomore Siera Sheehan took the mound for Hartford in the second game and after giving up two runs in the first inning she was stellar in her performance by not allowing another Sacred Heart run in the contest.

Hartford erased their early deficit in the third inning when Springer doubled to center field and brought home two runners to tie the score. Another double by Olivia Piacentini saw the Hawks take a lead they would never relinquish.

Hartford, who entered the week in last place in the America East conference standings with a 2-10 record, dropped three games on the road this past weekend in Binghamton.

The Hawks face two more teams, Fairfield and Central Connecticut State before hosting UMBC in a pivotal conference showdown at their home-field, on May 1 and May 2, 2010.