IUP BASKETBALL NO.5 IN BASKETBALL TIMES PRESEASON POLL

Sports

Crimson Hawks garner No. 5 ranking in preseason poll

Foster named preseason All-American

By IUP Sports Information COVID-19 pandemic ended their All-Americans across Division II 2020 NCAA tournament run be- after enjoying a breakout season

A delay in the start of the 2020- fore it started. IUP finished with as a first-year starter in 2019-20. 21 season hasn't stopped IUP a 28-2 overall record, winning its The guard earned all-region and men's basketball from getting fifth straight PSAC West Divi- all-district honors by the Nanational recognition, as the Crim- sion regular season and second tional Association of Basketball son Hawks are ranked straight confer- Coaches (NABC) and D2CCA No. 5 by the Basketball ence tournament and was an obvious first team Times in its Division II title. The Hawks All-PSAC West selection. Foster preseason poll released earned the No. led the Crimson Hawks and finThursday. 1 seed in the ished fourth in the conference in

IUP is used to high Atlantic Region scoring at 19.8 points per game, expectations, espe- and were set to putting up 15 20-point games cially during the Joe host the regional and hitting double-figures in all Lombardi era, earn- championships but two of his 30 games during ing preseason top-25 before the can- the season. rankings by the National cellation of the Foster finished the year on a Association of Basket- season. hot streak, averaging 23.3 points ball Coaches (NABC) The Hawks over the final four weeks. He for 11 straight seasons. reached as high went for a career-high 33 points The NABC has not yet as No. 3 in the in the PSAC quarterfinal win over released its preseason national rankings Cal U and followed that with 28 poll for this season. before finishing points against East Stroudsburg

IUP is one of four the year ranked in the conference semis. He was teams from the At- (iupathletics) No. 6 in the a big part of IUP’s 11th PSAC lantic Region, and the NABC poll. tournament title, averaging 26.0 only squad from the Pennsylva- The PSAC suspended all sports points and 6.7 rebounds, while nia State Athletic Conference during the 2020 fall semester, so shooting 54.8 percent from the (PSAC), in the Basketball Times' the Crimson Hawks cannot start field, 63.6 percent from three and top-20. The Hawks are joined by their abbreviated year until Jan- 25-of-28 from the foul line. West Liberty at No. 4, Charleston uary 2021. No schedule or start Foster finished the year with at No. 18 and Fairmont State at date has been determined by the 595 points, tied for 10th most in No. 20. Northwest Missouri State conference. single season program history. is the No. 1 team in the presea- Early season accolades have He was the top shooting guard son poll followed by West Texas come in for IUP junior guard in the PSAC with a 49.6 field A&M at No. 2. Armoni Foster as he was named goal percentage and was third

The Crimson Hawks are com- a Division II preseason All-Ameri- in the league with 154 made free ing off one of the finest years can by the Basketball Times. throws. He also played a huge in program history before the Foster is one of 24 preseason part in IUP’s defense as his 56 steals ranked third in the conference. IUP is used to high expectations, especially during the Joe Lombardi era, earning preseason top-25 rankings by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) for 11 straight seasons. The NABC has not yet released its preseason poll for this season. The PSAC suspended all sports during the 2020 fall semester, so the Crimson Hawks cannot start their abbreviated year until January 2021. No schedule or start date has been determined by the conference.

Sports Editor: Jeff Hart – J.R.Hart2@iup.edu

(Autumn Dorsey/The Penn) Foster looks to lead this team to a championship.

Sports

Kershaw redeeming himself in World Series

JAKE SLEBODNICK

Managing Editor J.C.Slebodnick@iup.edu @slebby24

It’s become routine that the Dodgers are seemingly the National League representative each year as they have punched their ticket to Major League Baseball’s season finale three years out of four. But while this may indicate their dominance in the season, they haven’t found that metaphoric “extra gear” to win it all.

This is due in part to poor managerial decisions in key situations and star players underperforming each time they take the field.

One of those stars is future hallof-famer Clayton Kershaw.

While he’s struggled in the past, he is putting together a formidable 2020 postseason stat line.

But where did it go wrong for him in the past few seasons?

When the Dodgers first reached the World Series in 2017, most fans thought Kershaw would walk away with World Series MVP honors.

Coming off a regular season where he eclipsed 18 wins versus four losses, a 2.31 earned run average and 202 strikeouts in 175 innings pitched, he not only earned the NL Cy Young Award, but also the adoration of Dodger fans across the nation.

However, he would turn into a shell of his former self during the postseason, as in his only game in the NLDS, he would give up four runs on five hits in only six and onethird innings pitched.

This could have arguably been a fluke performance as he struggled in three divisional series starts dating back to 2013.

Kershaw bounced back in the NLCS that year winning one of his two appearances and walking away with a 2.45 ERA. However, he would fall again in the World Series.

Despite getting the victory in one start, he fell into a slump after appearing twice more in relief scenarios, a situation that was new to him. According to CBS Sports, the majority of his flawed appearances came in elimination scenarios.

The Dodgers would fall to the Houston Astros 4-3, in the series now filled with questions after the whole Trash-stros scandal, with Kershaw taking the loss in game 6 after Yuli Gurriel tied the game at four on the first pitch of his at-bat.

“2018 will be better,” Dodgers fans thought.

Kershaw was not himself after failing to reach double-digit wins the following season, but still posted favorable numbers on his stat line.

Along with his regular season performance, his postseason line almost mirrored his last season ’ s.

He dominated the NLDS with an 8-inning, 2-hit performance but lost his bearing in the NLCS and World Series with a combined 1-3 record and a 5.73 ERA.

In 2019, he gave up five earned runs in eight innings during the NLDS, the farthest the Dodgers would make it that season after falling to the champion Washington Nationals in five games.

In game 5, Roberts allowed Kershaw to stay in the seventh inning to face impact hitters Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto after he retired Adam Eaton, a contact threat. He failed to convert and gave up backto-back home runs, and after the game, Roberts told reporters he felt comfortable with sending him out there despite reliever Kenta Maeda ready to pitch.

However, adding to an unusual year in 2020, Kershaw remarkably turned it around.

Kershaw continued his dominance in the regular season garnering a 6-2 record in 10 starts with a 2.16 ERA, his best since 2016.

The Dodgers ran away with the NL West and clinched the No. 1 seed in the NL postseason bracket. While this seemed like this could be the Dodgers’ year, analysts quickly turned their attention to how effective Kershaw would be given his postseason track record.

Starting in the NLDS, he only gave up two earned runs in his only start while recording the win and not allowing a walk during the game. Fans remained skeptical, but felt a bit of the weight lift off their shoulders.

The baseball gods were not as kind to him in the NLCS as he was hit around like a punching bag in Mike Tyson ’s weight room. He was tagged with the loss after allowing four earned runs and seven hits in only five innings on the mound.

While this sent fear into the hearts of Dodger fans, Kershaw turned it around and collected two wins and an opponent batting average of .179 during the World Series, with the most recent coming in game 4.

While his previous postseason runs weren’t the greatest, this year he is putting together a textbook finish capped off with his first ring.

October 28, 2020 19 Athletics speaker series continues for athletes

BRAD O’HARA

Sports Writer B.L.Ohara@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

The speaker series for student-athletes continued this week with a talk from IUP alumnus, Dave Reed.

In an effort to continue programming for student-athletes and help them grow outside of competition, IUP athletics ran their second week of their fivepart speaker series.

Each week of the speaker series focuses on a different aspect of growth for student-athletes. This week focused on the urge to vote

and encouraging students to be involved in politics.

Reed is a former state representative and majority house leader. With voting registration coming to a close in Pennsylvania and the election being a week away, Reed focused on encouraging students to play an active role in the democratic process.

He in no way influenced the students on who to vote for, but instead showed them the importance of voting as a whole. In order to do this, he explained what both parties stand for, how to register to vote and where and how voting takes place. Reed challenged students to not just be focused students and athletes, but to also be active citizens.

“The athletes were very engaged to the speaker, and we got a lot of great feedback from our student-athletes on the topic, ”Athletic Director Todd Garzarelli said, “It was very good knowledge, not just about the presidential election, but also local politics and how people can get

involved and make a difference. Reed indicated that most decisions in politics that effect people in their everyday life are made and the local level.”

Looking ahead to next week, author and motivational speaker John Gordon will be promoting leadership in the locker room.

“We are excited to have someone of John’s caliber talk with our student-athletes, coaches and staff about topics such as leadership, culture and winning in the locker room first,” Garzarelli said. “John has worked with many different fortune 500 companies and several professional teams/ college athletic departments over the years. This is a great addition to the speaker series and show the commitment we have as an athletic department to continue provide our student-athletes with a great experience during the pandemic.”

IUP athletics is covering all of the bases for student-athletes as they continue to help them grow both on and off the field.

Scary moves being made in NHL offseason

JAKE TAYLOR

Staff Writer J.M.Taylor8@iup.edu @JakeTaylor8726

The National Hockey League is going to look unrecognizable to the common fan next season.

Since the start of free agency Oct. 9, the league has seen superstars land in new places. Primarily, goaltenders were on the move. The combination of duel threat goalies and the sheer coincidence of a plethora of goaltenders on the market made this off-season quite interesting.

Goalies who once ruled the Eastern Conference for their respective teams are now elsewhere. King Henrick Lundqvist went from ruling New York to his rival in Washington D.C. As for the former Vezina winner in the nation’s capital, well, he is now over the border in Vancouver.

Two-time Stanley Cup Champion Matt Murray signed a juicy contract with the Ottawa Senators after being traded. The New Jersey Devils signed two-time Stanley Cup champion and longtime fan-favorite of Chicago, Corey Crawford.

Try and keep up. Breakout goalie of the year Jacob Markstrom went from Vancouver to Calgary despite some major drama involving the Edmonton Oilers push for Markstrom. Edmonton settled for Mike Smith. Former Oilers and Flames net-

JULIA ROBINS

Staff Writer spxbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

On Aug. 5, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President’s Council announced that fall championships are “not feasible,” and Division II schools like IUP can only retain their season of competition if a waiver is approved in which the team completes 50 percent or less of the sport’s events for the 2020-21 academic year.

Most sports are at a standstill, leaving a gap in many students’ lives. For many, sports are not only a source of friendship and minder, Cam Talbot ended up in Minnesota. Stanley Cup bubble hero, Anton Khudobin, re-signed to Dallas. Robin Lehner re-signed to Vegas.

Time to judge the goalie moves with no other reasoning other than hot take analysis. Vancouver’s move for Holtby is one I particularly like.

Although they are losing a stud in Markstrom, they get a cup champion and Vezina winner for less money. Not to mention, they have the best young back-up in the entire league, Thatcher Demko. He is no doubt going to learn from the veteran Holtby and set Vancouver up for success for years to come.

A move I find baffling is Edmonton’s with Mike Smith. He is a good goalie and teammate but not championship caliber. Edmonton needs to win now, they signed Kyle Turris, Tyler Ennis and Tyson Barrie, but a sub-par goalie will not get McDavid atop the hockey mountain.

Another doggie-doo-doo move is Vegas signing Lehner and keeping Fleury. Their playoff push made it clear the coach had no clue who to start and when.

Having two top tier starting goalies is a bit ridiculous. It costs too much, causes tension in the locker room, and adds a headache to the coach if one has a stretch of bad games. Both Lehner and Fleury deserve a starting job in the NHL. It would community, but it also teaches leadership and responsibility. Some students also spoke of athletics being an exciting motivation to get out of bed in the morning.

Sabrina Sepulvuda (senior, anthropology) has been a member of the Skate Club since Fall 2019. She is also involved in Cru (campus ministry), International Student Fellowship (ISF), and Native American Awareness Council (NAAC). Sepulvuda misses the community and friendships that form in sports.

“What I miss about sports is that it is basically a community,” she said. “It is fun to get your exercise in. It is more fun playing with friends. It is almost like a family. I not only miss the sport not surprise me if one were to be traded midseason.

I wish the best for Matt Murray in his new home in Ottawa. The Sens are going through a complete re-build and have made it clear Murray is their guy for years to come. A group of young guns will feel safe having a two-time cup champ who practiced with the greatest players in the world on a daily basis.

As for non-goalie free-agent signings, there have been major moves. For starters, the St. Louis Blues captain, Alex Pietrangelo, signed a monster contract for the Vegas Golden Knights. St. Louis responded by signing their Stanley Cup foe, Torey Krug, from the Boston Bruins. Boston, in turn, locked up Matt Grzelyck.

Shockingly, former MVP Taylor Hall signed in Buffalo. Hall was the top sought free agent forward and landed in the hockey capital of the U.S. Hockey fans from all over are excited to see what he can do with Jack Eichel.

There were so many moves made and more to come. So again, let’s judge all the teams moves based on my very own, all things right no things wrong hot take analysis.

A team I think made some of the best moves is the Calgary Flames. The Flames added a No. 1 goalie in Markstrom, a solid defenseman in Chris Tanev, and a shifty forward in Dominik Simon while only losing T.J Brodie. but the people.”

This absence of community and closeness during COVID-19 has made Ryan Chadwick (freshman, social studies education) even more passionate about starting a diving team at IUP.

“Diving is such a close sport,” he said. “Back in high school we were such a tight knit community with diverse even in other schools. It is just a great bonding experience.”

For freshmen, that community and friendship is especially noteworthy. Making friends is difficult, and soccer player Chloe Theoricht (freshman, exercise science) pointed out that when you come to college being on a team, there is a group that you are already a

Now a team that was arguably the best in the West and now is certainly that, Colorado Avalanche. GM Joe Sakic is a sorcerer. He signs the best players for the lowest price.

The team only got better by re-signing Andre Burakovsky, Ryan Graves, Tyler Jost and Valeri Nischukin. They traded a can of chew and a bag of pucks for the solid defenseman, Devon Toews, from NYI.

Teams that sucked at the free agency frenzy are many, but I will only name a few. The Chicago Blackhawks have signed minimal players for a max of two years. The LA Kings and New York Islanders must still be in quarantine because they have not made any moves.

Of course, the team that made the most moves is Toronto. They signed T.J Brodie, Wayne Simmonds, Zach Bogosian, Joe Thornton and Travis Dermott just to name a few.

Overall, it will take a few weeks into the new season to get used to the leagues’ new look. Many players that have been with their teams for a very long time are now gone. It is one of those off-seasons that reshapes the league.

Powerhouse teams like Washington and Pittsburgh are now falling off to young talent like Colorado and Tampa Bay. So, sit down, shut up, drink a beer, and (Teddy Jeanette/The Penn)

IUP students finding alternatives to sports on campus

enjoy the madness. part of. She also explained how sports builds responsibility and time management.

“Being more disciplined with your schoolwork, you have to go to practice and keep getting your schoolwork done, so it helps and teaches you time management”, she said.

Thoericht is not wrong. Many believe that participating in sports lowers academic performance because of how much time is needed, however, many students can benefit as it forces students to develop organizational skills and a strong schedule to balance athletic commitments with academics.

One club working to help maintain the community that sports builds is the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). Once or twice a month, volleyball games open to anyone at IUP are set up in the Sutton Lawn from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 23 was their most recent game.

“As the campus ministry, we just care about trying to create fun activities for people, especially with the coronavirus and everything being shut down,” Oliver Pierce, IUP’s volunteer campus minister, said. “We are trying to do everything we can outside. We did volleyball at the beginning of Welcome Week, and it really caught on. Everybody seemed to like it. It is just one of the many things we do outside to try to be safe and create fun because it has been a harder semester for students.”