Sports

Burdened with struggles, fencing club dominates home meet

Sports February 24, 2013 at 10:17 pm Comments are Disabled

Fencing Club Captain Khalfan Javaid was tired as he took his lunch break after three grueling matches. He and the team were successful in their matches, so far, beating Bryn Mawr College, Drexel University and University of Maryland at Baltimore County, the junior has a lot on his plate as the captain of the team. Not only does Javaid fence for the club, but he is a stand-in coach, runs the practices four days a week and coordinates the home tournament each spring. This seems like a lot for just one person to take on and despite the help Javaid gets from his teammates, it is still exhausting to keep up with a program that has little administrative help. “Fencing is an expensive sport, and we do not have enough funds to provide for necessary things like a coach and non-conference tournament competition,” Javaid said. “We could not even have our tournament in the main gym at the RAC because painter’s tape is not permitted on the courts this time, despite having used it previous tournaments with no problems. It is frustrating because this limits our chances of giving our club some recognition. No one can simply walk by the […]
Women’s lacrosse club trying to find their rhythm after slow start

Sports February 24, 2013 at 8:20 pm Comments are Disabled

As night fell over Fairfax, the air was cold, but Mason’s Women’s Lacrosse club was starting to get warm. Mason hosted a round robin double header on Feb. 23 with central conference teams Salisbury University and Georgetown University. While the weather would not be doing them any favors, the team was able to make sound improvements in their game. Mason came out cold against Salisbury putting up only two points. For most of the players, this was their first game with the whole team and for some, their first game since high school. After a break, Mason collected themselves and turned up their offense. While their players were not meshing into a perfect fit, it was much improved from the grinding gears of the first game. Mason put up eight goals in their loss to Georgetown, a top team in the conference who will be a force to be reckoned with come this postseason. Mason showed a lot of power and potential at moments in the Georgetown game, but the young team’s lack of flow led to some struggles when they could not score quickly. “We haven’t had time to really connect and know how each other play yet. Also, […]
Freshman named top newcomer

Featured, Sports February 24, 2013 at 7:52 pm Comments are Disabled

Freshman Brandon Gum had one of the most nerve-racking moments of his baseball career when he first stepped onto the field as a member of Mason’s baseball team. Gum, a heralded shortstop in his first colle- giate baseball game, earned a spot in coach Bill Brown’s opening day starting lineup against The Citadel. “Being named a starter right away was a dream come true but also made me very nervous. Before the first game I was extremely nervous, but I felt like I was ready, as our coaches did a great job of preparing me. Once I was in the flow of the game, I was fine,” Gum said. Gum went 2 for 11 from the plate, drawing one walk, scoring a run and striking out a team-high eight times. “I felt a little pressure to contribute right away. But that is because I want to be able to perform and play well personally, but I always want to do what I can to help the team win. I do not want to try and do too much because that just adds unneeded pressure,” Gum said. As with most freshmen collegiate hitters, there is an adjustment period to college pitching […]
Coach Hewitt gives insider perspective

Featured, Sports February 13, 2013 at 3:40 pm Comments are Disabled

Men’s basketball team might be going stagnant at a crucial time late in the season. Q: One big thing Mason fans are unsure of is the identity of their point guard, who is it? A: Well right now it’s Corey Edwards. I think putting Bryon Allen into our lineup as a secondary point guard or on the wing has allowed him to play a little more freely. Q: Is that the offense you drew up from the beginning? A: We came into the year thinking our post players would be the center of our offense, and early in the year they were having trouble finishing. We had to change things: post up our perimeter players more inside, make some shots and go to the line. Sherrod, Anali, Jonathan, Bryon. Particularly Sherrod is getting fouled a lot and he brings us some easy baskets. Q: You mentioned Jonathan Arledge. You originally put him in to replace Johnny Williams in the starting lineup due to his concussion. Is he making his way back to that starting spot? A: It is taking longer than we thought to get him back, our training staff says this sort of thing is common with a […]
Everything the sixth man missed over break

Sports January 29, 2013 at 8:57 pm Comments are Disabled

Men’s basketball With the absence of their sixth man behind them, Mason seemed to struggle slightly over the winter break. They went 4-3 during the break with two of the losses being in conference games. With two wins since students have returned against Hofstra and Towson, the Patriots are now 5-2 in conference and 12-7 overall. The team seems to still be settling into a rhythm. Many losses can be attributed to the Patriots’ foul trouble. In the game against the University of South Florida, Mason closed the gap to just a two-point deficit, but gave up four free throws late in the second half. They fell to USF 57‒61. The same scenario was seen when the Patriots made it to 80‒74, then gave up another four free throws in the final seconds of the game. The Patriots seemed to be hit or miss for a while with losses, and then winning games by ten or more points. They also had their first blow out of the season against Old Dominion ending the game at 71‒46. Many believe that Mason have found their offensive footing with their win against Towson. Bryon Allen replaced Anali Okoloji in the starting lineup and […]
Healthy new talent key for women’s tennis

Sports January 29, 2013 at 8:54 pm Comments are Disabled

With a new semester comes a new season for Mason athletics. The women’s tennis team kicks off their season with matches against Appalachian State University and James Madison University. While injuries have plagued the team, they have been working hard over break focusing on ways to stay healthy. With a packed schedule from February to April and multiple matches every weekend, staying healthy and coming out strong will be key in making it far in their season and show that they are contenders in the competitive CAA conference. With the leadership of Coach Stephen Curtis and Senior Captain Kiersten Pappas, this experienced and talented team looks to beat tough competitors such as The United States Naval Academy, University of Delaware and George Washington University in the season. Mason has held well against them before but look to further improve, “We have an excellent team with an impressive freshman class,” Pappas said, “In the fall season they overcame their nervousness and stepped up. And I know that we will come out strong against tough teams and show that we are a force to be reckoned with”. Despite the girls’ talent and hard work, the road has not been easy. Pappas only […]
Iron Mason

Sports January 29, 2013 at 8:53 pm Comments are Disabled

Triathlons are a triumvirate of physical fitness, an ultimate test of endurance. While not everyone can get in the shape necessary to bike, swim and run long distances in one day, Mason Recreation has created an incentive program called the Iron Mason to challenge students to complete a triathlon over a three month period. The face and founder of the competition is Ethan “Mr. C” Carter, the Director of Fitness for Mason Recreation. Carter has created a series of YouTube videos as Mr. C, a celebrity within the fitness community who claims to be the fittest of them all. “We wanted to think of something to encourage physical fitness and get people active. This competition also has longevity and encourages competition,” Carter said. Starting Feb. 9, competitors will record their gym activity on log sheets as they race to finish before the final deadline of May 4. The program comes with several levels of difficulty and may be finished early for additional prizes and recognition. The standard Olympic Mason requires 2.5 miles of swimming, 75 miles of biking and 25 miles of running. For more intense competitors, the Ultimate Mason challenge requires 5 miles of swimming, 150 miles of biking […]
Concerns about safety hinder club rugby recruitment efforts

Sports January 29, 2013 at 8:52 pm Comments are Disabled

The Men’s Rugby team is the oldest club sport at Mason, dating all the way back to 1965. Over most of those years the Rugby team has had a very strong program. Currently the team is displaying that success again after a few rough years of redevelopment. “We’re on our way back up,” Club President Zander Shaw said. Two years ago the team did not win a single game, with some improvement last year. This fall season however, they shut out every home game and went undefeated for eight games before losing a tough away match against Salisbury University. Shaw accredits the team’s successes to the brotherhood the group has formed over the past three years. “We’ve grown from spending all these years together and working hard at practice, but that’s one reason why we need freshmen; new blood to keep us alive,” Shaw said. The team is steadily growing but suffers from commitment issues at practice and tournaments. When a few players can only make one practice a week and every other game it is difficult to improve and connect to the rest of the group. Understanding the commitment issue is key to long term improvement of club sports, […]
Fueled by the Fans: Okoloji Shines in Patriots Debut

Multimedia, Sports November 19, 2012 at 2:10 pm Comments are Disabled

Believe. That is the men’s basketball team motto for this season. Each player wears a bracelet with the word believe written on it. The Patriots believed as they opened their season Friday with a 63-59 win over Virginia at the Patriot Center. It was their first ever win over Virginia in school history. The bracelets, given by Hewitt, represent their belief in each other and as a team for this season. “He [Coach Hewitt] said I believe in you guys. I fell like we can do a lot of great things with this team. I’ve been through a lot of teams and for him to say that shows he really believes in us,” Anali Okoloji said. “We belong here. We have to prove to people that we belong here. Even though we’re a CAA team, we are actually one of the better teams in the country. That is what I think.” In front of a sold out crowd, junior guard Bryon Allen drained the go ahead three with only a minute left in regulation as the shot clock expired. Allen, who finished with 13 points, was also responsible for an early steal that electrified the crowd and got Mason off […]
Lacrosse Prepares to Repeat Strong Spring Season

Sports November 5, 2012 at 12:11 pm Comments are Disabled

Going into their fourth and final season as part of the women’s lacrosse team, seniors Ashley Argyros and Caitlin Formato believe that this is their year. “It’s the best year. We’re having fun this year,” said Argyros and Formato, stating that this year has a whole different feel to it. “The vibe from the coaches to the players is just different.” Led by coach Lauren Hay, the team finished their fall ball season with their best record since Argyros and Formato arrived at Mason. Fall ball, although it does not count towards anything, gets the team prepared for the regular season, which begins in the spring. Going 7-3-1, they have shown improvement in all aspects of their game, beating teams they would not have matched up against in years past. Most recently, the team hosted a tournament as part of their fall ball season. A big part of the tournament was to emphasize breast cancer awareness. Teams are encouraged to wear pink for former player Kiersten Jauschnegg, who graduated last year. Jauschnegg lost her mother to breast cancer. “We make sure we have pink headbands and whatever we can find we try and do. Last year we wore pink jerseys,” […]