The Spectrum Vol. 71 No. 9

been a long time coming’: Women’s soccer becomes MAC champions

UB advances to the NCAA tournament after win over Ball State

AMY MASLIN STAFF WRITER

“We are one” is the women’s soccer team’s motto.

The Bulls proved that sense of unity after winning the Mid-American Confer ence Tournament following a semifinals

win against Miami (OH) and a finals win against Ball State this past week.

UB went undefeated in conference play, with only one loss on the season, against then-No. 3-ranked Rutgers. Riding a 15game unbeaten streak, the Bulls entered the MAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed

with home-field advantage.

The team lived up to its No. 1 ranking by winning the MAC Tournament and clinching UB’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2014.

“It’s been a long time coming,” senior midfielder Leah Wengender said after the

final. “I mean, being a senior the last four years, I feel like we’ve just gotten short from being a MAC champion or winning the division.”

UB faced seed No. 5 Miami (OH) (9-

Approximately 75 students found to have used illicit enrollment script for course registration

VICTORIA HILL ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR KIANA HODGE ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

Approximately 75 students were caught using “an automated enrollment script” to automatically enroll for classes in past semesters and the spring 2023 semester, Cory Nealon, director of news content for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, said in an email to The Spectrum

The finding prompted the Office of the Registrar to email all students in the School of Engineering and Applied Sci ences (SEAS) on Nov. 1, notifying them that the office had identified SEAS gradu ate students who “developed and utilized an automated enrollment script during the Fall 2022 enrollment period.”

The email went on to state the office will now be monitoring for enrollment scripts and urged students to stop using the scripts immediately or they may face consequences.

“Students were hoping that the auto mated script would allow them to enroll in courses that are at capacity as soon as a seat becomes available if another student dropped out,” Nealon said.

Creating and utilizing this program vio lates the Student Code of Conduct as well as the UB Computing and Network Use Policy.

After the email was sent out, Nealon said the number of students who were us ing it decreased significantly.

“If students continue to utilize an en rollment script, a hold will be placed on their account and they will be referred to Student Conduct for potential disciplinary action,” Nealon said.

Officials were made aware of the auto mated script after an unrelated request was submitted by a student earlier this semes ter. The Office of the Registrar noticed an

“unusually high volume of enrollment ac tivity,” indicating the use of an automated script.

The university did not previously ac tively monitor enrollment activity for un usual volume, Nealon said. But following the finding, the university created a pro gram that monitors enrollment activity and alerts the Office of the Registrar of individual students with an unusually high volume of enrollment activity.

“This will allow us to identify individ uals who may be using a script and take appropriate action,” Nealon said. “These processes are put in place to provide fair course enrollment opportunities for all students.”

Limited course availability is an issue many SEAS students say they have experi enced. SEAS students typically have a se mester-by-semester course plan which lays

out the required coursework to graduate in four years. This means certain classes are only offered in the fall or spring semesters based on when students are supposed to take them.

“If I fail [a class] this time around, I can’t take it until next fall, because they don’t of fer it for both semesters,” Victoria Reyes, a junior civil engineering major, said. “If you mess up once you have to wait [an] entire year, so that’ll mess up your gradu ation date.”

Students have also encountered situa tions where there are not enough seats in a class they need to enroll in, which has de layed them from completing the require ments for their degree on time.

“I’ve had friends that haven’t been able to get into actual engineering classes and have to stay an extra year,” Ella Sampson, a senior biomedical engineering major,

said.

To assist with class capacity issues, stu dents are encouraged to utilize the wait listing features when enrolling for classes. This will “automatically enroll” the next student on the list when a previous stu dent drops.

Waitlists are also used by the university to identify if an additional section of a course needs to be added.

The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences aims to ensure that its system is “consistently available for student enroll ment by protecting it from crashes caused by the extremely high activity volumes generated by scripted enrollment activity,” Nealon said.

Email: victoria.hill@ubspectrum.com Email: kiana.hodge@ubspectrum.com

The Office of the Registrar will now actively monitor enrollment activity

Moaz Elazzazi / ThE SpEcTruM

Davis Hall Home of tHe Department of Computer sCienCe anD engineering anD eleCtriCal engineering

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JaSon MccarThy / ThE SpEcTruM fresHman miDfielDer saraH WooDs Dribbles tHe ball in tHe CHampionsHip game against ball state sunDay

UB employee warned administrators in 2016 about roundabout where Stampede bus hit a pedestrian

GRANT ASHLEY MANAGING EDITOR

Every day during his commute to work, Tim Tryjankowski would notice a “steady stream” of pedestrian and vehicular traf fic at the roundabout in front of Greiner Hall, making some drivers “aggravated.”

“I was concerned about that because I was worried someone was going to get hurt there,” Tryjankowski, a director in the UB Honors College, said. “There just was not enough of an opening and people were trying to gun their vehicle through.”

Tryjankowski decided to do something about it. In 2016, he wrote an email to then-Director of Campus Living Andrea Costantino and then-Dean of Students Barbara Ricotta, suggesting that UB post a crossing guard at the roundabout during times with heavy traffic.

“I don’t want a tragic accident or a nasty letter to the editor from someone stuck in traffic and late to work somewhere in Amherst to be the reason we react,” Try jankowski wrote in the email. “Was hoping UB could be proactive on this.”

This semester, almost exactly six years later, a UB Stampede bus struck a UB em ployee in that very roundabout.

The employee was transported by am bulance to Erie County Medical Center, according to a University Police report obtained by The Spectrum. Police deter mined that the employee was within the crosswalk when the bus struck them after reviewing the bus’ dashcam footage. The driver, who had worked as a bus driver for at least 14 years and had a clean record, was suspended without pay and cited with “failure to yield to a pedestrian in a cross walk.”

The Spectrum was unable to reach out to the victim, as they have not been publicly identified. Police redacted their name in the accident report.

UB’s traffic safety committee is consid ering several ways to make high-volume intersections “even safer for pedestrians and drivers,” including flashing signs that pedestrians can activate with a button be fore crossing, reducing some speed limits on campus roads and increasing “speed limit awareness equipment,” the university said in an email statement to The Spectrum A crossing guard, which Tryjankowski had originally suggested, was not on the list.

Button-activated flashing signs will be piloted at the intersection of Flint Road and Service Center Road. The university didn’t specify a timeline on that pilot proj ect.

“While roadway design and safety mea sures will not eliminate all human error that can play a factor in accidents like the one that occurred on Sept. 14, the univer sity is committed to taking proactive and layered measures to reduce that risk and keep our community safe,” the university said.

There had been no reports of a vehicle striking a pedestrian “in or near the round

Campus Photo Gallery

about” until the Sept. 14 accident, and the roundabout was “not prone to vehicle-ve hicle accidents,” according to the univer sity. The roundabout was built in 2010, replacing the stoplight that was previously at the intersection of Lee Road and Audu bon Parkway.

“Since its installation, the roundabout has served as an effective traffic-calming measure by significantly slowing vehicular traffic ahead of and within the intersec tion,” the university said. “Students trav eling between Ellicott and the spine no longer must cross four lanes of the park way — approximately 150 feet wide — to reach their destinations.”

The university did not respond to The Spectrum’s questions about whether the university took any action in response to Tryjankowski’s 2016 email. Tryjankowski doesn’t remember if Ricotta or Constan tino ever responded to his concerns, but couldn’t find a response from them in his email inbox.

Ricotta retired from her role as dean of students at the end of the spring 2022 semester. Constantino pleaded guilty to stealing more than $14,000 from the uni versity. She was sentenced to a three-year conditional probation and 250 hours of community service in 2017.

UB “exploring ways to make all campus roadways and intersections even safer”

MOAZ ELAZZAZI SR. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Moaz Elazzazi / ThE SpEcTruM

a stampeDe bus Drives tHrougH tHe rounDabout in front of greiner Hall

Joke’s on you

Being the “funny friend” and its consequences

10-year-old. When no one wanted to be my friend, laughter stuck by my side.

One day, I had an adolescent epiphany.

“Cartoons make me so happy, they make me bust a gut! Maybe if I can make people laugh, they’ll want to be my friend!”

And so, my desperation for laughter had begun.

meant the other children would accept me.

After consistent rebellion toward teach ers and purposeful bruising, I finally started getting included in various friend groups. At long last, people wanted to hang out with me.

Finally, people could see me. I officially came into existence, but only in service of others.

wait for their return. They were discussing future plans, sleep overs. They could leave me out of them.

Laughter, my only friend, started to fail me.

DYLAN GRECO SR. SPORTS EDITOR

For as long as I can remember, I’ve used comedy as a coping mechanism.

I grew up with few friends. While other kids met up after school to play basketball or walk around town, I’d plop my chubby little fifth-grade self in front of my TV and disappear into comedic cartoons like “Adventure Time” and “Regular Show.”

These cheerful cartoons brought me endless amounts of joy. I could watch characters like Finn and Jake fight sentient candy-people and make cheesy wise-cracks for hours on end.

I figured, “If I can make myself smile enough, no matter what circumstance, then maybe I’ll forget how alone I truly am.”

Loneliness can really do a number on a

I would do just about anything to make my peers crack a smile. I would tell silly stories about myself that never happened.

I would interrupt my teachers during class time, looking for any and all chances to make a joke. I would intentionally trip so others would laugh at my clumsiness. I was hurting myself so people would like me.

And the worst part is, it worked.

After a trip, fall or fumble, other children started to enjoy my displays of clumsiness and disrespect toward authority figures. This positive reinforcement toward my reckless behavior turned me into a toxic, insufferable child.

But it’s all for the people’s enjoyment, right?

No matter how many times I hurt my self or got sent to the principal’s office for calling out in class, it was all worth it if it

It was nice to be invited to and included in after-school activities with other chil dren. But I wasn’t really being invited to anything — the character I created was.

In reality, the other children couldn’t stand me. But they loved that goofball who interrupted teachers and fell on his ass. They didn’t see me as a human being. To them, I was a court jester, a fool.

Fools only exist to serve, to entertain. And so I did. I put on my circus act at ev ery peer’s house I was invited to.

Each desperate attempt at making oth ers laugh started to feel like spears being thrusted through my chest.

The children I hung out with would all go upstairs to “talk about something pri vate” and tell me to sit in the kitchen to

I started to cry in my “friend’s” kitch en. His father walked in to see a chubby 10-year-old boy sobbing at his dining table. He pulled up a chair and sat down beside me. He looked me in my bloodshot eyes and said, “If you’re going to cry, you may as well go home.”

If you base your entire personality around making others smile, you forget to make yourself smile as well. Life be comes a vicious cycle of “How often did my friends laugh at my jokes today?” and “Hopefully I’m funnier tomorrow.”

It’s nice to want to make your friends laugh, but you need to show the other as pects of that winning personality you’ve got. It keeps you from being consumed by the fool.

Don’t live life in service of others, des perate for their companionship. Be the jester, the king, the queen and the knight, in all of their glory.

Email: dylan.greco@ubspectrum.com

I wish I had more time before graduation

only senior who didn’t have their future figured out, but that didn’t stop the anxiety attacks and sleepless nights.

All I could think about was leaving col lege and entering the real world, all in less than eight months. I couldn’t think about graduation without spiraling.

I felt like I was sheltered before senior year. College is its own little bubble, where everything is familiar and available to you.

But this year is when the bubble bursts. The future smacks you in the face.

VICTORIA HILL ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

A friend recently asked me about the process of ordering caps and gowns.

At first, I was taken aback by the ques tion. It seemed premature to already start making graduation plans.

I thought, “I don’t need to worry about that yet.”

But then reality struck: I’m graduating in the spring, and I don’t feel ready.

I came into my senior year petrified, be cause I realized I really don’t know what I’m doing after graduation..

I kept telling myself that I wasn’t the

I was dreading the day I had worked so hard to make happen.

To make things even more stressful, I’m graduating a year early.

In three years, I was able to earn a bach elor’s degree in English and a certificate in journalism.

On top of juggling 19 credits, writing for The Spectrum and being an RA, figuring out what I want to do next year is a huge burden. Finding a job, getting a car and lo cating housing are just more problems I’ll have to deal with in the future.

I’ve put in so much effort to get where I am. When do I get to stop stressing and enjoy the last few months I have here?

How can I focus on doing homework and extracurriculars when I have these im portant things to figure out?

On top of being constantly stressed, the loneliness was suffocating.

All of my friends have at least one more year at college — they aren’t going through this transition with me.

I feel like they don’t understand the pressure I’m under. I’m constantly worry ing about something when they still have time to figure things out.

But in reality, I have plenty of time.

You aren’t forced to have your life fig ured out after senior year.

But the societal pressure of finishing school and finding a job right after gradu ation are real, and it’s plaguing my life.

It’s also incredibly sad that I’m leaving my friends and the only life I’ve known for the last three years. My friends have be come my family, and I feel like I’ve finally found my place at college. And of course, now I’m leaving.

I try not to think about leaving every thing behind because that sends me down a dark hole.

A friend I made this year is also graduat ing, but she has a totally different experi ence than I do. She has been at UB for four years, and she can’t wait to leave.

She knows exactly what she wants to do, and has everything mapped out.

Seeing her so confident with what she wants to do makes me even more nervous and scared for my future.

Part of me wonders if I made a mistake by graduating early and not giving myself enough time to figure life out.

Email: victoria.hill@ubspectrum.com

Mori, Sr.

Tenzin Wodhean

Jake Blumberg

Jenna Quinn, Sr.

Kara Anderson, Asst.

Soccer Mommy brings indie rock catharsis to Buffalo

Sophie Allison and Co.’s performance at the Town Ballroom was vulnerable and visceral

MERET KELSEY SR. ARTS EDITOR

Soccer Mommy, the musical personality of singer-songwriter Sophie Allison, gave a vulnerable, visceral performance at the Town Ballroom last Friday. Her first-ever gig in Buffalo, Allison captivated the audi ence with a dynamic and heavy night of music.

Allison started her musical career in high school, posting DIY home recordings on her Bandcamp page. Her earliest releases, like the aptly-titled “songs from my bed room,” are stripped back and intimate, the sort of lo-fi indie that anyone with a lap top and a guitar can make. But her perfor mance on Friday couldn’t be further from those humble beginnings.

Allison pulled much of the setlist from “Sometimes, Forever,” her most recent al bum. Produced by Oneohtrix Point Never (an experimental electronic music produc er whose recent credits include The Week nd’s “After Hours” and “Dawn FM”), the album was a vast departure from Allison’s work as a minimalist solo artist. With help from her touring band, she was able to bring the heavy, textured songs to life on stage.

The night kicked off with a set from Lightning Bug, a New York-based indie rock band. They performed folksy, dreamy songs like “The Right Thing Is Hard to Do” with a quiet confidence.

“As a child, I used to hide in the nooks of playground slides,” Audrey Kang, the band’s frontwoman, sang. To the audi ence’s delight, Kang divulged that the line was inspired by her childhood in Buffalo — the playground slides in question are at a local daycare.

After Lightning Bug left the stage, fans were left buzzing with excitement for Soc

cer Mommy’s set. The ballroom was filled with fans of all ages, from groups of teen agers to hip middle-aged dads.

Allison soon took the stage with a glittery purple guitar in tow, the words “Gemini Bitch” emblazoned across the fretboard. The band launched right into “Bones,” the opener from “Sometimes, Forever.” The song — an exploration of self-doubt in a relationship — set a vulner able tone for the rest of the night.

Before playing what is arguably her big gest hit, “Circle the Drain,” Allison shared a quick moment of banter with the audi ence — about wings, of course.

“We went on a wings tour through the town,” Allison said. “That’s a lot of chick en.”

She gave a shout out to local favorite Gabriel’s Gate and the crowd replied with deafening cheers before the words had even fully left her mouth.

One of the noisiest moments of the night was “Crawling in My Skin,” the first song that really allowed the band to show off their chops. The grunge-inspired, slow-burning track built up to a cacoph ony of cymbal crashing and guitar shred ding that left the audience stunned. The stage backdrop, with its colorful, in

flatable clouds and trippy projected graph ics, glitched and pulsated during “Unholy Affliction,” an eerie song about the hard ships of success and perfectionism. Lead guitarist Rodrigo Avendano hopped onto a synthesizer for the dark, electronic track reminiscent of a late ‘90s Radiohead out take.

“I’m tired of the money and all of the talking at me,” Allison sang. “I’m barely a person, mechanically working.”

In a night full of deeply personal music, the most intimate moment came during Allison’s performance of “Still Clean,” a cut from much earlier in her career.

The rest of the band left Allison alone on stage with her guitar, illuminated by a single blue spotlight, as she sang the love sick ballad. Silence fell over the audience, who swayed to the song with their phone flashlights in the air.

The band returned to the stage for a few more songs, closing with one the audience had been waiting for all night: the fan-fa vorite “Yellow is the Color of Her Eyes.” The memorable sound of the opening gui tar riff roused the audience immediately, as Allison grinned at their enthusiasm.

When Allison and company walked off stage, the crowd erupted into applause and cheered for an encore. The band happily obliged, and returned for “Don’t Ask Me” and “Your Dog,” another fan favorite.

“Your Dog” may have been the perfect note to end the night on. It’s possibly the quintessential Soccer Mommy song, a bit ingly cathartic track about being walked all over by a loved one.

If the fans repeatedly screaming “I love you, Sophie” at the top of their lungs is any indication, Soccer Mommy’s first gig in Buffalo was a hit with the audience. The performance truly encapsulated the unique energy of her music: confessional and angry in equal measure, with plenty of room for dancing.

Email: meret.kelsey@ubspectrum.com

UB’s ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ is sweet like honey

The Department of Theatre and Dance’s fall musical buzzes with electric performances, killer comedy and touching sincerity

ALEX NOVAK ASST. ARTS EDITOR REBECCA BUXTON STAFF WRITER

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” may be a mouthful of a title, but UB’s fall musical certainly gave audi ences a lot to chew on. Featuring five lov able but awkward spelling bee contestants competing for a coveted title, the show immediately catches the audience’s atten tion with its shocking adult humor, campy costumes and heartfelt narrative.

With assless chaps, ripped fishnets, gi gantic top hats and glittery golden tap shoes, the cast’s costumes, designed by junior theatre major E Lyons, embrace un conventionality and bring the characters to life in unique and unprecedented ways.

“All of the design team has contributed to enhancing the humor of the show visu ally through their work,” Lyons said. “And that is only compounded upon by how well the cast has taken to their roles and the sort of the details and the nuance that they’re bringing to their performances. We’re lucky enough to have a director for

this production who was interested and committed to a visually-different spelling bee than maybe people who are already fa miliar with the show expect.”

There’s hardly anything familiar or ex pected about this production. It’s remark able, and often adult humor, meets audi ence laughter at almost every punch line.

William Barfee (Derrian J. Brown), a bizarre geek afflicted with a mucus mem brane condition, forces the audience into uncomfortable, but loud amusement with his unusual and ridiculous nipple rubbing, body gyrating and magical foot — his se cret to spelling success.

Even the briefer comedic moments will make one smile and maybe even tear up — in the good way, of course. Preppy and perky Marcy Park (Kyra Orgass) orders a pizza mid-competition, offering the frus trated delivery boy only a blown kiss as a tip. One flustered speller (Julia Pitarresi) desperately needs a Xanax prescription — and a new therapist.

In “Pandemonium,” a commentary on the unfairness and random nature of both

life and spelling bees, the stage fills with colorful flashing lights and an insane as sortment of props, ranging from a turkey to a toy fire truck to a gigantic stuffed bear. It is utter chaos and dazzles in its struc tured messiness.

After Chip Tolentino (Glen Chitty) gets a poorly-timed erection before his turn to go up to the podium and is promptly eliminated, he returns to open Act II with “My Unfortunate Erection.” The fourthwall-breaking, jarringly funny number sees Tolentino chuck lollipops at the audience and lament the tragically unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of erections.

“As much as I say ‘Unfortunate Erec tion,’ it’s kind of a celebration,” junior mu sical theatre major Glen Chitty said. “Most of the time I’m really upset about myself, but then for the rest of it, I’m like, ‘Yahoo, Yipee!’”

Despite its humor and boundless come dic potential, “Spelling Bee” tackles seri ous topics and insecurities that each con testant must cope with.

Leaf Coneybear (NJ Wingo) faces selfdoubt and the unempathetic mockery of his own family for his previous spelling bee letdowns. Believing that he is unintel ligent and incapable, Coneybear battles his feelings of inadequacy with humor, opti mism and splits.

In “I’m Not That Smart (Reprise),” Co neybear accepts himself regardless of his elimination, finding contentment in his small successes. Coneybear wows the au dience with his incredible flexibility, cho reographed tricks and showmanship, all while offering ruminations on anxiety and apprehension.

Similarly, Marcy Park (Kyra Orgass) represents a burnt-out child struggling

to free herself from others’ unreasonably overly demanding expectations. Having competed in Nationals as Virginia’s top speller, Park is practically a shoe-in for the title. “I Speak Six Languages” sees Park brag about her impressive talents and then break down entirely from the suffocating pressure of being No. 1.

Although the show dives into serious topics, it never drags. Only through an im promptu cameo from a dragged-up mem ber of the Holy Trinity, Jesus (Glen Chit ty), is Park able to let go of the “golden child” title and its heavy burden.

Park may deal with burn out, but junior musical theatre major Kyra Orgass, who plays her, does not. She lives for the thrill and adrenaline of the stage.

“We haven’t been doing shows for the past three days and I missed it so much,” Orgass said.

The show delivers uncensored, relevant comedy with a tongue firmly in its cheek. But it also speaks sincerely to the challeng es and mental healing that young people inherently experience.

“It’s kind of about community which sounds so cheesy, but they highlight a lot of everyone’s flaws or quirks but then everyone has this sense of camaraderie,” Haylee Brown, a senior musical theatre major, said.

Each of this heartfelt musical’s charac ters — and its actors — are charmingly themselves, and by the show’s conclusion, the audience embraces their relatability, vulnerability and openness onstage.

Spelled out, UB’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is undoubt edly U-N-I-Q-U-E. Email:

BrucE BakEr /WikiMEdia coMMonS soCCer mommy performeD at tHe toWn ballroom in DoWntoWn buffalo last friDay

5-6, 4-2-5 MAC) on Thursday evening at UB Stadium. The game was physical; Four yellow cards were given out, and Miami and UB committed 18 and 15 fouls, re spectively. Freshman defender Ellie Sim mons said the team came out “frantic.” The teams were similarly matched in the first half, with UB having five shots and Miami having four.

It wasn’t until the second half that UB found their footing. In the 77th minute, Simmons took a free kick from 20 yards outside of the box. The ball sailed to the head of fifth-year midfielder Hannah Cal laghan, who then flicked it into the corner of the net. With 15 minutes left, the Bulls managed to hold onto the 1-0 lead to ad vance to the MAC finals.

“I think we need to just control our emotions. I know some of the girls, my self included, were nervous going in to day,” Callaghan said after the match. “Ob viously there is a lot riding on it. I think we just have to be ourselves.”

While the Bulls felt nerves to start the semifinal game, they went into the champi onship game against Ball State confident.

“I think our biggest challenge was our confidence,” Wengender said. “We were definitely very confident and we were planning on winning and what we were going to do after the win. I think some of us, including myself, got a little carried away with that.”

Taking it one moment at a time and not being over confident was something the team tried to focus on in the final.

UB faced Ball State (7-5-8, 6-1-4 MAC) on Sunday in the final in front of a home crowd. Simmons said the Bulls have been a “second-half team,” but they didn’t take long to score against the Cardinals.

In the 18th minute, Wegender netted a shot from 30 yards out to put the Bulls up 1-0. The defense stepped up by not allow ing the Cardinals to muster a shot in the

first half.

UB slowed down in the second half but still had opportunities. In the 74th minute, sophomore midfielder Kaya Schultz found herself with the ball and some space. She slotted a ball forward between Ball State defenders to sophomore forward Arianna Zumpano, who shot it across the goal to put the Bulls up 2-0. Zumpano tied Guer ber for the team lead for goals this season with eight.

The Bulls recorded their 14th shutout of the season and 15th win on the year to be crowned MAC champions.

But it’s not only a strong play on the field that keeps the Bulls together.

“There is not anything that can pull us apart,” freshman defender Ellie Simmons said.

The team tries to cultivate a culture where everyone feels welcome and com fortable. Older players take on the respon sibility of helping maintain this identity of closeness and openness that the coaches helped teach them.

“There’s a culture that we try to instill in the group, but at the end of the day, it’s player driven,” head coach Shawn Burke said. “It comes down to the leaders you have in the locker room.”

Simmons was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year, All-MAC first team and All-freshman team. She credits the continuity of the team for her accomplish ments during her first year with the Bulls.

“Coming in as a freshman, it’s not easy to get that award. It’s definitely a team award,” Simmons said. “Everyone around me has helped me. It shouldn’t just be me getting the award. It was a whole collective effort.”

Simmons isn’t the only one that credits her individual success to the team. Cal laghan won MVP of the MAC Tourna ment and thanked her teammates for al lowing her to find scoring opportunities.

“No individual accolade is just one per son’s doing,” Callaghan said. “The back line and everyone else on that field works

as hard as possible.”

The team has a larger understanding that no individual success is without the team. Guerber is tied for the most goals on the team this season at eight. She scored five goals in the first four games of the season and then struggled to find the back of the net until game 10 against Toledo. She said the slump affected her confidence but she reminded herself she needed to put the team first before herself. She emphasized that the team is always there for each other. “When someone is down, someone else is right there to pick them up,” Guerber said.

Experience and leadership are factors Burke highlighted as major contributors to the team’s success. Older players such as Callaghan, Wengender and fifth-year goalkeeper Emily Kelly are examples of experienced players who contributed in big moments this season.

Kelly — who is the winningest goal keeper in program history — also has the most shutouts in program history at 35. Wengender received All-MAC secondteam honors and has five goals on the season. Callaghan stepped up to score the game-winning goal in the semifinals against Miami (OH) this week.

While older players are making an im pact, underclassmen are stepping up as well. Simmons is one example, as she’s scored two goals and recorded seven as sists this season. She also often takes the set pieces for the team.

“It’s not an accident that our freshmen have so much success here,” Burke said. “We have some that start and play signifi cant minutes because they feel comfortable and that’s a testament to our upperclass men who want them to feel comfortable and make it feel like family right away.”

Burke said the team had been playing some of its best soccer coming into the tournament. Going into their semifinal match against Miami (OH), the biggest concern was managing emotions and pres sure.

Lucinida Synder, the team’s mindful ness coach who has played a large role in UB’s success this season, will continue to provide emotional support for the team. Burke said the team relied on her through out the MAC Tournament to handle the ups and downs of the playoffs. During the semifinals, Callaghan said she found herself doing breathing exercises Synder taught her to help regulate her emotions.

While Synder will help the team’s suc cess, Burke also wants to be able to facili tate open conversations with the team.

“It’s not just another game, so I say we talk about it,” Burke said. “I think to be open about it and honest. It’s okay to be a bit vulnerable and say there are some nerves. I think once you address it you can deal with it.”

Going into the tournament, Burke be lieved that the team would have the best chance to win if they remained themselves.

With the MAC championship under their belts, the Bulls now move onto the NCAA tournament. They will face the No. 4 seed Pittsburgh (12-4-3, 5-3-2 ACC) on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Pittsburgh is entering the tournament after a loss to Notre Dame in the final of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tourna ment on a penalty shoot out. The Panthers are making their first NCAA tournament appearance in program history, while UB is set to make their second.

The Bulls and Panthers will face off for the first time since 2010 where UB lost 1-4. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.

“Realizing that people’s records don’t re ally define the team that they are and go ing into every single game, knowing that it’s going to be a battle and not taking any minute for granted [is what we need to do]” Callaghan said, discussing Saturday’s matchup against Pittsburgh. “I think that is going to lead us to be successful in the future.”

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with events at UB

Documentaries, mixers and more will be hosted at UB throughout November in recognition of Indigenous cultures

JASMIN YEUNG ASST. NEWS/FEATURES EDITOR

November marks Native American Heritage Month, which aims to celebrate and recognize the history, traditions and achievements of Indigenous people. The Spectrum has put together a list of events hosted by UB’s offices and student groups throughout the month in celebration of Native American heritage:

Nov. 11 — Warrior Lawyers

Watch the documentary “Warrior Law yers: Defenders of Sacred Justice,” with an introduction from Mark Montour, a UB Alum and the first Native American jus tice to serve as a New York State Appellate judge. This event, hosted by the Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIX), will take place from 5-8 p.m. on the second floor of UB’s Law Library.

sion either online or in person in SU 240 from 2-3 p.m.

Nov. 16 — Native American Heri tage Month Mixer

Meet and socialize with student clubs, organizations and other members of the Native American community in the SU Lobby from 3-5 p.m. There will be mu sic, food and fun activities to celebrate the contributions of Indigenous people.

Nov. 17 — Giving Thanks for the Natural World — Onödowa’ga:’ Environmentalism

Learn from clinical assistant professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies and citizen of the Onödowa’ga:’ (Seneca) Nation Jason Corwin about Seneca en vironmental initiatives and sustainability practices in accordance with Indigenous

ideals. The event will take place on Zoom from 4-5 p.m.

Nov. 17 — Native American Heri tage Month Dessert Hour

Enjoy traditional Native desserts and learn about influential Indigenous people with the IDC in SU 240 from 4-6 p.m.

Nov. 18 — Why is Columbus Day Problematic?

Join Diversity Advocates at the IDC to discuss the harmful impact of Columbus Day. This hour- long discussion will be held from from 2-3 p.m., either online or in SU 240.

Nov. 20-26 — MMIWG2S Aware ness Week

Join FNSA and AISES for week four of

their month-long event to indigenize UB’s campus. Students are encouraged to wear red on campus to remember the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S). There will be a group photo in the Indig enous Student Center at Clemens 510 on November 21 at 11 a.m.

Nov. 27-30 — FNSA/AISES Week

Join FNSA and AISES for week five of their month-long event to IiIndigenize UB’s campus. Students are encouraged to wear FNSA and AISES shirts to campus and to take a group photo in the Indig enous Student Center at Clemens 510 on Nov.ember 30 at 3 p.m.

Email: jasmin.yeung@ubspectrum.com

Nov. 13-19

— National Rock Your Mocs Week

Join undergraduate student groups First Nations Student Associate (FNSA) and American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) for week three of their month-long event to Indigenize UB’s cam pus. Students are encouraged to wear their moccasins to campus and take a group photo in the Indigenous Student Center at Clemens 510 on Nov. 15 at 1 p.m.

Nov. 15 — Tough Topics: Return ing What We Stole: Native Ameri can Land-back

Join Diversity Advocates at the Intercul tural and Diversity Center (IDC) to dis cuss the taking of Native American land. Students can attend this hour-long discus

Men’s basketball squeaks by Colgate, 88-87, in season opener

Transfer

Zid Powell scores game-high 24 points

BRANDON COCHI STAFF WRITER

The Bulls kicked off the 2022-23 season with a win Monday night, beating the Col gate Raiders, 88-87, at Alumni Arena. De spite poor free-throw shooting and foul trouble, UB was able to emerge victorious against a quality Colgate team that made it to the NCAA tournament last season.

The victory was a team effort from UB, with four players scoring doubledigit points. Junior guard Zid Powell led the way with a game-high 24 points to go along with five assists, five rebounds and three steals. Powell was a star in the junior college ranks, playing for Harcum College in Pennsylvania for the past two seasons before transferring to UB. An explosive playmaker who averaged 13.5 points per

game in 2021-22 and 17.4 points per game in 2020-21, Powell is already helping fill the scoring void left by last year’s seniors Ronaldo Segu and Jeenathan Williams.

Sophomore guard Curtis Jones scored 15 points, along with a team-high six as sists. Junior forward Isaiah Adams had 13 points and graduate guard Armoni Foster scored 11.

Freshman guard Devin Ceaser, one of the highlights of the Bulls’ 2022 recruiting class, provided a spark off the bench with nine points in only nine minutes played.

UB struggled mightily from the free throw line, shooting only 12-for-22 (54.5%) for the game. However, the Bulls were able to overcome their charity-stripe woes thanks to 17 turnovers by Colgate, which UB was able to convert into 15

points. Also aiding the Bulls was a solid 25 points coming from players off the bench.

For Colgate, senior guard Tucker Rich ardson led the Raiders with 23 points and eight assists, but he also turned the ball over seven times. Freshman guard Braeden Smith had 20 points to go with seven re bounds, and senior forward Ryan Moffatt finished with 15 points.

With some clutch shooting late in the game by Powell and Jones, UB was able to maintain just enough of a lead over Col gate to escape with the victory. Next up, UB will be back at home Saturday at 1 p.m. as they take on James Madison. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ or listened to on The Varsity Network app.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

Women’s basketball upset by Canisius in season opener

debut in a heartbreaker

HAYDEN AZZINARO STAFF WRITER

Women’s basketball (0-1, 0-0 MAC) dropped its first game of the season to the Canisius Golden Griffins (1-0, 0-0 MAAC), 57-55, in Becky Burke’s UB headcoaching debut.

The loss marks the first time Canisius’ women’s team has beaten UB in 10 years. UB won the past nine meetings by an av erage of 24 points, including a 60-point victory last season. The Bulls entered the fourth quarter with an eight-point lead but couldn’t hang on, as the Golden Griffins outscored UB by 10 points in the final pe riod to secure the victory.

With UB down by one point late in the fourth quarter, fifth-year guard Zakiyah Winfiled missed a pair of free throws with 2.5 seconds to go. The misses spelled the end for the Bulls, who shot 14-for-24 from the free-throw line for the game.

UB led through three quarters after a strong third quarter which saw the Bulls outscore Canisius 19-9. But a fourth-quar ter collapse resulted in UB’s unprecedent ed fall to its Big 4 rival.

Winfield led the way for the Bulls with 16 points as well as 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Senior guard Re’Shawna Stone (eight points and eight rebounds) and fifth-year forward Latrice Perkins (eight points and six rebounds) rounded out the Bulls’ scoring attack in their UB debuts. Winfield was also the only Bull to score double digit points against the Grif fins.

Canisius had two players score in dou ble figures, including junior guard Dani Haskell, who scored 17 points in 37 min utes of action. Freshman forward Sisi Ele ko scored 10 points for the Grifs.

Bulls sweep Miami (OH), extendwin streak to six games

The Bulls won six consecutive sets over the weekend to earn fourth place in the MAC

JOEY MCAULIFFE STAFF WRITER

The Bulls traveled to Oxford, Ohio this past weekend for a series against the Mi ami RedHawks. UB won both matches by scores of 3-1 and 3-0. The games this weekend mark six consecutive victories for the team, increasing their overall record to 17-10 and their conference record to 9-6.

The Bulls won Friday’s contest in four sets, 19-25, 25-19, 25-20 and 25-17. TUB’s

first set was sloppy, with an overall hitting percentage of .108 compared to Miami’s .278 percentage. The Bulls also surren dered eight attack errors, double what the RedHawks gave up.

Things looked dire midway through the second set. Despite UB taking an 11-8 lead, the RedHawks scored nine of the next ten points to take a 15-12 lead. Af ter taking a timeout, the Bulls seemed to return to the court energized. That energy translated into a 13-4 run to close out the

set.

Tied at one set a piece, the Bulls used the third and fourth set to run away with the contest. They only trailed two more times throughout the remainder of the match.

In the fourth set, the Bulls’ hit at a rate of .313 compared to the RedHawks’ .114. The impressive run secured UB’s fifth consecutive win. Junior right side hitter Emma Gielas led the Bulls with 12 kills and sophomore outside hitter Maria Futey led both sides with 19 digs.

The second contest was a clean UB sweep. The Bulls won the match 3-0, 2521, 25-14, 25-18.

UB did not trail in the match until the third set. Over the course of the match, there were only six ties and two lead changes. The Bulls held the RedHawks to an overall attack percentage of .099 com pared to UB’s .257. Miami also commit ted 20 attack errors over the course of the night.

Junior outside hitter/right side Stacia Gollogy and senior middle blocker Court ney Okwara led the Bulls with 12 and nine kills, respectively. Sophomore outside hit ter Katrin Trebichavska added seven kills to her 10 kills from Friday night’s match up, as the Bulls won six consecutive sets over the weekend.

The Bulls return from Oxford with a 9-6 record in the MAC and with the sec ond longest win streak in the conference behind Ball State (13 games).

With the victories, UB is tied with Cen tral Michigan and Toledo for fourth in the MAC standings. They hold the tiebreaker over Central Michigan after defeating them last week. UB plays its final weekend se ries next weekend, at home, against Bowl ing Green. The game can be streamed on ESPN+. Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

UB will look to bounce back on the road when the Bulls travel to Merkert Gym nasium in Easton, Massachusetts to take on the Stonehill Skyhawks (0-1, 0-0 NE). Tip-off is set for Monday at 6:00 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.

Email: sports@ubspectrum.com

The Golden Griffins spoil Becky Burke’s UB head-coaching

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sopHomore guarD Curtis Jones HaD nine points in tHe bulls’ season opening 88-87 Win over Colgate monDay nigHt at alumni arena