Recent Posts

• Putting Out the Flames: Mason Holds on Late to Win Their Season Opener

  Sports November 17, 2009 at 4:17 pm Comments are Disabled

  Fox Parker, Staff Writer The George Mason University men’s basketball team’s 76-72 season-opening win over the Liberty Flames could prove to be microcosm of the season to come. The Patriots were brilliant at times and erratic at times, building up a 19-point lead only to see it dwindle to three with 2:34 to play. The game, which appeared to be in hand midway through the second half, was slipping away from the Patriots until freshman forward Luke Hancock made a fumbling jump shot and, sophomore guard Andre Cornelius made game-sealing free throws. “We are a very interesting team, aren’t we?” said Head Coach Jim Larranaga. “We can play very well for a while, [but] there are always going to be periods whe . . . there’s a little bit of a letdown.” Last season’s leader in just about every statistical category (scoring, assists, 3-point percentage, free throw percentage, and minutes), junior point guard Cam Long could only watch from the bench as his young squad allowed a commanding lead turn into a contested advantage. Long left the game with 17 minutes remaining due to cramps in both legs. “We never really got a good flow offensively,” said Larranaga of the […]

   

• Lady Patriots Make an Opening Statement: Women’s Basketball Wins Opener for the First Time in Four Years

  Sports November 17, 2009 at 4:15 pm Comments are Disabled

  Kiala Haynes, Staff Writer The George Mason University women’s basketball team took the floor on Friday night and were able to get their message to everyone in the Patriot Center – “We are here to win.” The Patriots were able to defeat Norfolk State in the season’s opener, 66-49, and proved to their fans that they are a sight to watch. The lead changed six times during the first half, but freshman guard/forward Amber Easter scored two points on the line, making the lead 21-20. From there, Mason did not lose their lead. There was a slow finish to the first half of the game, and most of the team’s points were made on the line with Easter and junior guard Brittany Eley making both of their shots. Junior guard Brittany Poindexter and sophomore Rachel Robinson, who scored double-digits in the game, were also able to contribute four points at the end of the first half. Staring off the second half, the Patriot’s junior guard Ashleigh Braxton, whose scoring total ended up in double-digits as well, made two three-pointers in the first minute of the half. This aided the Patriots in finding their rhythm as they began their 8-0 run […]

   

• The Classical Libero: Boryc Digs the Green and Gold

  Sports November 17, 2009 at 4:13 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor The Boryc File Favorite Food: Deep Dish Pizza from Lou Malnati’s Favorite Vacation Spot: Honduras Favorite Actress: Kate Hudson Favorite Movie: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Favorite Music: Rascal Flatts It is in the libero’s convention to serve as the defensive specialist on the volleyball court. Yet, there are instances when the libero is part of the offensive attack, recording an unusual kill. For sophomore libero Katrina Boryc, the spontaneity of her first collegiate kill came as a shock to her. Boryc is a key source to the women’s volleyball team’s success in the 2009 season. In 92 sets, she has 215 digs and 31 service aces. George Mason University is currently in the midst of competing in the postseason, which will be their first appearance since the 2007 season. Boryc, originally from Naperville, Ill., came to Mason after helping her high school volleyball team win a conference championship in her senior year. Whereas certain areas produce very talented athletes in certain sports, volleyball has been known for its dominance in the Chicago area. “Volleyball is big where I live,” said Boryc. “I started [playing] in fourth grade. I live a couple […]

   

• Sports at a Glance

  Sports November 17, 2009 at 4:02 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ryan Dempsey. Staff Writer NCAA Football Top 25 This past weekend featured some major games in college football. Some could determine a team’s placement in bowl games, while others could cost some teams a bowl game appearance. One of the most exciting games was when 11th-ranked Ohio State University (9-2, 6-1) upset tenth ranked University of Iowa (9-2, 5-2), 27-24. Another exciting game came as the University of Stanford (7-3, 6-2) went on the road to defeat ninth-ranked University of Southern California (7-3, 4-3) 55 to 21. Notably, the University of Southern Florida (6-4, 4-2) defeated 15th-ranked Houston University 37-32, while the University of North Carolina (7-3, 3-3) defeated 14th-ranked University of Miami (FL) (7-3, 4-3) by a score of 33-24. NFL This past weekend in the NFL, there were games that were exciting, boring and just plain expected. We all knew that the Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) game was going to be one of tough defense and sure will, but I do not think anyone expected the Steelers’ to lack a touchdown the whole game. It was apparent that the Bengals were a better team as they defeated the Steelers 18-12 and remained unbeaten in conference […]

   

• Fall Sports Recap: Teams Conclude 2009 Season

  Sports November 17, 2009 at 3:58 pm Comments are Disabled

  Cody Norman, Broadside Correspondent Men’s Cross Country The George Mason University men’s cross country team competed at the Cavalier Open in Panorama Farms in Earlysville, Va. on Nov. 6 in its final meet before the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship meet. Sophomore Daniel Callan ran his way to a seventh-place finish in the Open, posting a time of 25:24.63. Freshman Philip Blankenship (26:41.50), freshman Andrew Pitts (26:52.25) and sophomore Henry Loehr (26:56.65) all finished in the top 25 in the 8K run. On Sept. 22, sophomore Everett Hackett was named the CAA Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week after posting a 25:10.50 on his way to a third-place finish at the Lou Onesty Invitational. Women’s Cross Country The women’s cross country team finished as the runner-up to the Delaware Blue Hens in the team scoring for the women’s 5K with a total of 65 points. Freshman Rochelle Sceats and sophomore Sandy Castro finished second and third, posting times of 18:26.53 and 18:59.04, respectively. Freshman Laura Sinclair rounded out the top five with a time of 19:08.65. At the CAA Championships, the Patriots put together 126 points to finish third place in the 6K race. Both Sceats and Sinclair earned All-CAA […]

   

• The Dear Sisters Letter

  Sports November 17, 2009 at 3:49 pm Comments are Disabled

  To my seniors, First, I have no words to describe how much you mean to me. After three years of having a routine together and seeing each other every day, it’s hard to think that the season will be over soon. It is hard to think that we played our last home game together this past Saturday. I still cannot imagine going on the court without you being there. My definition of George Mason University volleyball includes having Laura Turner, Rebecca Walter and Sam Simmonds as teammates. I do not know what is to come of Mason volleyball without you. You were the ones who guided me through all my years at Mason so far, on and off the court. Whether I needed a shoulder to cry or had a smile to share, you guys were always there for me. You were my role models, the people I would look up to when I questioned myself. Now, I have to grow up. I have always been the baby, the young one. Now, I have to become the older sister, the responsible one, and play the role you always played for me, which scares me to a certain extent. It scares […]

   

• The Playoff Picture

  Sports November 14, 2009 at 6:03 pm Comments are Disabled

  The women’s volleyball team can clinch the third seed with a win tonight against the James Madison Dukes. Mason’s CAA Tournament first round opponent has yet to be determined. Currently, the Delaware Blue Hens sit in second place. The Blue Hens, whom Mason surrendered all six sets to this season, won their past three matches. The current conference leader VCU Rams extended their winning streak to eight games after last night’s win against the Georgia State Panthers. With a new playoff format, Mason reached postseason the hard way, finishing in the top four whereas six teams qualified for last year’s tournament. This season, Mason will be the underdog as the only team in the upcoming tournament to not have appeared in last year’s tournament.

   

• Crooked Musicians, Straight to Success: Supergroup Fuses Genres on Debut Album

  Lifestyle November 14, 2009 at 5:07 pm Comments are Disabled

  Pearson Jones Them Crooked Vultures is a new band with a lot of history and nothing to prove, because they already have. That’s what happens though when your basses is John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), a musical shining golden god who has announced his return finally after three decades by joining up with two of Zeppelins most devout followers, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age. Overly glorified and most undeserving of the label, super-groups have never had a high success rate; unless you were one of the few die-hard Slash fans who thought Velvet Revolver succeeded in becoming a mock-up of a new generation Guns and Roses. An album can be bombarded to death with ideas when you get so much talent in one room. Sometimes too much of a good thing is the one thing you don’t need. Them Crooked Vultures is their own deal, though. They don’t commit to just one style of the trio, though they do subtly rob ideas and formulas from their previous projects that made each one of these musicians into the legends they are. This album isn’t Zeppelin homage, even though Grohl and Homme probably would […]

   

• Dear Mr. President: Students Write Postcards to Obama Regarding the Defense of Marriage Act

  News1 November 12, 2009 at 4:56 pm Comments are Disabled

  Yasmin Tadjdeh, Asst. News Editor With Washington, D.C. right around the corner, George Mason University students are signing, sealing and delivering their postcards to the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. This Thursday, Mason students will be hosting the Postcards to the President Card-A-Thon. “Postcards to the President is a non-profit group started in L.A. after Prop 8,” said Quincey Smith, junior communication major and a member of the organizing group for Postcards to the President at Mason. “The goal for the group is to send 20,000 postcards to the president by the end of 2009. The group relies on other activists around the nation to collect postcards and have them send them to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. While one postcard might not seem important, 20,000 postcards can definitely say something.” “[Postcards to the President] is basically a get-out-the-voice campaign for Mason students to ask President Barack Obama to repeal DOMA [the Defense of Marriage Act],” said Smith. “Students can participate by filling out a postcard that we will provide . . . Our group is hoping to have as many individuals as we can to get their voices heard by simply writing a simple postcard. We have a goal of collecting 100, […]

   

• Students React to McDonnell’s Win: Virginia’s Newest Governor Won by a ‘Commanding Margin’ in Last Week’s Election

  News1 November 12, 2009 at 4:55 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ethan Vaughan, Mason Votes Writer Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell claimed the Governor’s Mansion by a commanding margin of 59 to 41 percent in Tuesday’s statewide election, and he brought a slew of other Republicans with him. Following on McDonnell’s coattails were re-elected Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, and Attorney General-Elect Ken Cuccinelli. As Democrats lost the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, students reacted to state developments and talked about the implications for the Democratic Party in the 2010 and 2012 presidential elections. “I went back and forth,” said senior administration of justice major Jason Butler. “I chose Deeds.” Butler, who made the decision of who to vote for only days before the election, said that the pressing issues facing the country motivated him to vote for the first time in a non-presidential election. “I figured I might as well exercise my right to vote,” Butler said. “Some people don’t have that right. With the way things are going in the country, every vote counts.” The most important issues for Butler going into the 2010 midterm elections and 2012 presidential election included withdrawing American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, protecting the right to bear arms, and keeping abortion legal. As […]