Men’s basketball starts off strong as it continues its undefeated streak

The Keene State men’s basketball team stayed undefeated during Thanksgiving break. They now have a record of 3-0. The men traveled to Oneonta, New York, the weekend of Nov. 18. They played Hartwick College on Nov. 18, State University of New York (SUNY) at Oneonta Nov. 19 and then played at home Tuesday night Nov. 22 against Springfield College.

Ty Nichols is only a sophomore, but already has 54 points from the last three games.

Hartwick

Nichols led the Owls to a 79-63 win over Hartwick College.

Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor

Five Keene State players made it into double digits during the Hartwick game. Nichols had a total of 18 points, junior Dizel Wright had a total of 16 points, senior Matthew Ozzella had 13 points, first-year Damonte Turner had 11 points and senior Jaquel Edwards added 10.

Nichols sank a three on the Owls’ first possession, but Hartwick player Joey Lufkin was fouled on a three-point attempt. Lufkin shot three for three for a 7-5 lead at the 16:38 mark.

Ozzella’s layup gave the Owls a 10-7 lead, only to have the Hawks go on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes taking a 16-12 lead.

Nichols’ steal and toss to Wright for a layup was part of a 9-2 run that gave KSC a 27-23 advantage, and Edwards’ three with 4:51 left boosted the lead to 34-24. Brandon LaForest’s layup with 1:35 remaining trimmed the gap to 36-35.

The Hawks’ Matt Knezovic sank a three with 31 seconds left to cut the lead to 40-38, but Turner grabbed a rebound of his own, missed the shot and knocked down a three pointer at the first-half buzzer to send the Owls into the locker room up 43-38.

Hartwick scored the first five points of the second half, tying the game 43-43 in the early stages on Lufkin’s three with 1:10 played.

Jeffrey Lunn restored the lead for Keene State with a layup just a minute later. There was no turning back for the Owls after that.

Nichols swished a three that made it 50-43, and Ozzella laid in the rebound of a missed three pointer to make it 53-45. Turner then made consecutive threes for a 68-52 lead.

Ozzella sank a three of his own, giving Keene State the win by double-figures of 77-58 for the second straight game.

Oneonta

The following day, the Keene State Owls played SUNY Oneonta. It was nothing but double digits for six of the Owls: Wright (22), Nichols (21), Edwards (17), Ozzella (16), Lucas Hammel (12) and Deonte Vinson (10).

Oneonta started out the game with their first four three-point shots and opened up an 18-11 game with 15:06 on the clock.

Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor

Kevin Mackin’s layup with 11:01 to go in the half gave Oneonta a 26-17 lead, but the Owls closed within five points on Lunn’s hoop at the 9:14 mark.

Oneonta continued to make threes and took a 38-27 lead on a triple with 6:38 to go, but the Owls went on a 12-2 run over the next two minutes, capped by Wright’s layup that made it a one point (40-39) game.

After Wright’s three-pointer, the game was tied at 47, and Oneonta went on a 9-3 run before Vinson knocked down a three just ahead of the first-half buzzer to cut the lead to 56-53 at the half.

Oneonta picked up right where they left off, as Mikey McElroy knocked down a three on the Red Dragons’ first possession and Lawrence Coleman completed a three-point play at the 16:56 mark for a 65-59 lead.

From there, the Owls took it home. Keene State went on a 15-2 run over the next 4:33 and never trailed again. Ozzella tipped in a rebound to get the Owls within two points. Nichols’ layup tied the game on the next possession.

Hammel knocked down a three off a feed from Ozzella, Nichols had back-to-back baskets and Ozzella, again, scored down low for a 74-67 advantage.

Nichols picked Frankie Kelly’s pocket and sprinted the other way for a fast break dunk which made it 78-69, but the Red Dragons had one final run, getting within 83-79 on a three from Oneonta.

Ozzella’s layup with 2:14 left made it 94-87, and the Red Dragons didn’t get closer than eight the rest of the way; Wright’s dunk with 11 seconds left set the final margin. The Owls took the win 104-90.

Springfield

The Keene State Owls made it into triple digits in their game Tuesday, Nov. 19. The Owls beat Springfield College 107-84.

Ozzella scored a career-breaking high of 31 points, 22 in the first half and 9 in the second. Ozzella was just one of five players that made it to double digits.

Vinson and Nichols each sank 17 points, while Edwards made 16 and Hammel got 10.

An early three-pointer from Springfield’s Andy McNulty tied the game early on 6-6. The Owls quickly got the lead back with a three-point play from Edwards, leading KSC 16-4 with just 11:40 on the clock. Ozzella with a layup and Nicholas with another three pushed the Owls even further.

Ozzella didn’t stop there; he rebounded a Springfield player and sank a three-pointer at the 5:45 mark. Ozzella pushed the Owls up 38-22.

Jimmy Layman entered the court and added three more three-pointers in the last five minutes of the first half. Layman gave the Owls a lead of 60-33.

Vinson started the second half with a three-point play. Ozzella showed his depth with another three-pointer, bringing the Owls up 75-45. With just 13:55 left on the clock, Springfield took a timeout.

Nichols made a layup and pushed Keene State even further, giving them their biggest lead of 34 points during the game. Springfield’s Trey Witter tried to make a comeback and shot back-to-back threes, cutting the lead to just 22 points. McNulty doubled that at 6:43, bringing the game to 89-71.

Springfield kept hitting threes, but it wasn’t enough. The Hawks fell to the Owls 107-84 at the sound of the buzzer.

Keene State will played at home Wednesday, Nov. 30 against Trinity College. The results will be in the next edition of The Equinox.

Women’s Basketball takes its first loss of the season at the Skidmore Tournament

The Keene State women’s basketball team had a busy week before Thanksgiving break. The lady Owl’s traveled to Saratoga Springs, New York, to play in the Skidmore Tournament the weekend of Nov. 18 and 19.

First up on the tournament list was Tufts University, and then the following day they played Endicott College. This wouldn’t be the first time they were to see Endicott, for the lady Owls then played them again at home on Tuesday Nov. 22.

Tufts 

Junior guard Lydia Vital had a career high of 13 points in the game on Nov. 18. Despite the huge mark on Vital’s career, the Owls fell short to the No. 1 team 60-38. Tufts started off strong in the first quarter, but the Owls couldn’t get a jump on their offense. Senior Amanda Petrow knocked down a jump shot at the seven-minute mark. At the end of the first period, the Owls were down by 15.

The Owls found a bit of spark in the second period. They sank two three-pointers, made by Rachel Bonnanzio and Vital. Keene State tried to pick themselves up as the first half was coming to a close.

Within the final five minutes the Owls went on a scoring rampage; they scored more points in the last five minutes than in the first 15.

Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor

With only 18 seconds remaining, Vital made a layup and left the score 28-14 with Tufts in the lead at the half.

In the third quarter, the Jumbos continued to excel with baskets from Melissa Baptista and Michela North with just 7:41 remaining. Vital made a three-pointer with 4:26 left on the clock, but the Jumbos continued to score.

The Owls started the fourth quarter high as Sandi Purcell nailed a three, but the Jumbos were quick to respond with a 5-0 run, with baskets from Katie Martensen ad Cailin Harrington.

With just 7:30 on the clock, Petrow made two layups tightening the gap between the Owls and the Jumbos. Yet again, the Jumbos quickly reacted with a 4-0 run. The Owls fell short 60-38 to the Jumbos.

Endicott (Away)

The Keene State lady Owls Defeated Endicott College Saturday, Nov. 19 at the two-day Skidmore Tournament. Because of her efforts throughout the tournament, Vital received All-Tournament honors. She started both games and racked up a total of 32 points, four assists and six rebounds.

The Endicott Gulls snagged an early lead, but Vital came right back with two free throws, getting the Owls on the board. The two teams went back and forth until the last three minutes of the quarter.

Purcell sank two free throws and a shot from Emily McPadden sent the Owls into the lead at the end of the first quarter with a score of 35-26.

The Owls continued to bring it throughout the second quarter. They gained their largest gap of 11 points. With just 4:07 left on the clock, Purcell shot a three.

The gulls reacted to Purcell’s three with a three of their own from Ilyza Holman, but the Owls kept their lead. Going into the half, the Owls remained on top 35-26.

Endicott came in strong in the beginning of the third quarter, making a 7-2 run to start it off. The Gulls made a comeback just one point behind Keene State 51-50.

Two minutes into the fourth quarter with still no points to be made, Purcell got it started with a layup. Keene State called a timeout with 7:07 left on the clock. Catie Lipscomb made a layup keeping Endicott within one point. Purcell came back with another layup. Vital widened the lead the Owls had on the Gulls with multiple free throws. The lady Owls took the win over Endicott 72-60.

Endicott (Home)

Endicott came back to Keene State looking for a battle on the night of Tuesday, Nov. 22.

Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor

The two teams went back and forth with points in the beginning of the first quarter. Purcell with a three at the 6:27 minute mark pushed the Owls forward 7-4.

Endicott then went on an 8-0 run, followed by a three-pointer from Lipscomb. Senior Sarah Kober came in with a layup, but Endicott was able to remain on top at the end of the first quarter, 19-12.

In the second quarter Endicott came quick with two shots on the basket. Petrow fought back with a layup, followed by a shot from Purcell to cut the gap to five points.

Endicott pulled ahead by 10 points with just under five minutes remaining on the clock. McPadden had an 8-0 burst that put Keene State within two points, but Endicott was able to stay in the lead 31-28.

A three-point shot from McPadden opened up the third quarter for the Owls, which would tie up the score 31-31. The Gulls came back hard with a 12-0 run and had received their biggest lead yet.

Petrow and Bonnanzio kept the Owls close. Endicott continued to keep their lead even with two free throws from McPadden, leaving it at 51-43 at the end of the third quarter.

Endicott opened up with a three-point shot from Hannah Shaw.

The Owls and the Gulls went shot-for-shot, but the Gulls advanced over the Owls 57-47. Keene State was unable to close the gap and Endicott took the win 67-57.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

Men’s Basketball

In the eyes of many, last season’s record of 20-11 (8-6 Little East Conference) was a humbling moment for Keene State when they advanced into the Sweet 16. For this upcoming season, the Keene State men’s basketball team has been ranked No. 19 in the D3hoops.com preseason poll that was released Oct. 31. They were also ranked right behind Eastern Connecticut State University who’s sitting to finish the Little East Conference second.

First game:

The Owl’s kicked off their season at home Tuesday, Nov. 15 against Southern Vermont College. Senior guard and forward, Matthew Ozzella said that the game against Southern Vermont was going to be a test for them. “It will be a good test for a couple reasons.

Southern Vermont is coming off a NCAA tournament season last year, so they are obviously an experienced team and it’s also the first game of the season, so we will be able to put all the pieces together for the first time and see how we play,” Ozzella said.

The starting lineup for the Owls consisted of Ozzella, Dizel Wright, Ty Nichols, Lucas Hammel and Jeffrey Lunn. The Owls defeated the Southern Vermont Mountaineers 87-60.

During the first half, both Nichols and Lunn led the Owls to make it to double digits; Nichols scored 15 points while Lunn scored 13.

In the second half, Nichols racked up another 11 points, giving him a total of 26 points for the Owls. However, Lunn scored eight points, giving him a total of 21 points.

Up next, the Owls will travel to Oneonta, New York, to play Hartwick College on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.

Season Prediction:

Head coach of the men’s basketball team Ryan Cain said they have the the ability to be ‘pretty good this year.’ He paused and said, “but it’s tough to say how good.”

“We have to get a lot better as the year goes on and that dictates what we’re capable of doing. Big picture-wise, I think some of our goals that we talk about are being consistent every day, which allows us to hopefully compete for the regular season conference championship [and] hopefully host the conference tournament here. Obviously you want to play well that weekend and try to win that to give yourself the automatic bid into the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)  tournament, and at that point the tournament is just so competitive that you have to play your best and see where things fall,” Cain said.

Cain stressed how there’s a difference in the teams that advance onto the finals and teams that lose in the first round. “Last year, we were in the Sweet 16 and were up one with seven minutes left. We just didn’t outplay the team [in] the last seven minutes of the game. We lost the Sweet 16 instead of having the chance to get to the Final Four. It’s such a fine line when you get to the NCAA tournament and being a team that gets to the Final Four and wins the national championship….”

Ozzella and other KSC players said one of the team’s goals is to host the Little East Conference (LEC) tournament. “I know one of our team’s goals would be to host the LEC championship in Keene, and more long-term goals would be to push past where we ended last year and hopefully be the last team standing,” he said.

Lunn said that he has a lot of “confidence in this group.” Lunn said, “I think we’re just looking to start off where we finished last year and keep building off the progress we made last year. We have a lot of returners and some younger guys that have bought into what we are trying to accomplish this year,” Lunn said.

He continued and said, “The ultimate goal is to win the conference this year and make it back to the tournament and compete for a national championship, but we have to go game by game and play our hardest day in and day out in order to progress and play our best basketball at the end of the year.”

Shelby Iava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

Women’s Basketball

The lady Owls finished their 2015-2016 season with a record of 24-5 (10-4 LEC). The preseason poll landed the Owls to finish fourth in the LEC. There were only five points separating the number one team and the other four spots.

First Game:

The lady Owl’s kicked off their season at home Tuesday, Nov. 15 against Westfield State University.The starting lineup for the women’s basketball team was Sandi Purcell, Paige MacNeill, Lydia Vital, Amanda Petrow and Rachel Bonnanzio.

The Keene State women’s basketball team opened it’s season up with a win by beating Westfield Tuesday night in the Spaulding Gymnasium.

The Owls defeated Westfield State with a score of 78-74. Four Owls ended the game in double digits for scoring.

Senior Sarah Kober scored 14 points, junior Purcell scored 11 points, junior Vital scored 15 points and sophomore Emily McPadden led the Owls in scoring with 21 points,also hitting five three-pointers.

Westfield State also had four players end the game in double digits.

Seniors Jill Valley, and Kirsy Segarra scored 11 points, junior Rebecca Sapouckey scored 10 points and sophomore Kierra McCarthy also scored 11 points. Valley led the way with 18 points for the game.

The Owls led after the first two quarters, but going into the fourth, Westfield State took a three-point lead.

The back and forth scoring continued until there was about 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter when Sandi Purcell hit a three pointer that put the Owls up for good.

Both teams started their seasons tonight and both will be in action again on Friday, Nov. 18.

The Owls will travel to Saratoga Springs, New York, and play Tufts University as part of the Skidmore Tournament.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. Westfield State will travel and play Rhode Island College as part of the Brandeis Tip-Off Tournament. The game will start at 7 p.m.

Season Prediction:

Senior and forward Amanda Petrow said the women’s team has great chemistry. “We have great chemistry which will help us in our future games. Teamwork is everything, and if you don’t have that your team will fall apart,” Petrow said.

She continued, “We all have our bad days, but we are there to pick each other up. Overall, I think our team will be very successful this season if we keep up the hard work and play every game to our full potential. I think we have the ability to win [the] LEC.”

Shelby Iava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

Mike Cerrotti can be contacted at Mcerrotti@kscequinox.com

The Keene State College cheerleading coach Chris Fecteau unexpectedly resigned Tuesday, Oct. 25 and an interim coach has not been named. Keene State College has suspended cheerleading practice until this past week.

According to the Sentinel Source, Fecteau took the coaching position in 2014 and announced his resignation through Facebook on the night of Wednesday, Oct. 26.

“Due to personal reasons, I came to the terribly difficult decision to resign [as] coach at Keene State. I can confidently say I left this program 10 times better than I found it and wish whoever [takes] the reigns and the current team members the very best,” Fecteau wrote.

The Sentinel Source tried to get a comment from the college Director of Strategic Communications and Community Relations Kelly Ricaurte, but she declined to elaborate on Fecteau’s resignation, saying it was a confidential and personal matter.

Athletic Director Dr. Kristene Kelly said Fecteau left for personal reasons. Kelly has been working closely with the cheerleading team and has met with them on several occasions due to Fecteau’s departure.

As of last week, they are no longer suspended.

They are allowed to do sideline cheers only for the time being until they have someone who is certified to watch over their stunting and tumbling.

Barbara Hamel will be the ‘Cheer Advisor’ until the head coach position is filled.

Shelbyiava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

Junior Katie Silegy wasn’t always at the top of the scoring board for women’s soccer, but now she is currently tied in the number two spot in the Little East Conference (LEC).

Silegy was just two-years-old when she started playing soccer. “I was tiny; I have a picture of me and my sister and we’re actually on the Keene State turf field when it used to be grass and I’m literally two feet tall,” Silegy said.

Ever since then, Silegy has yet to stop playing.

Before she could get into the swing of things her first year, Silegy got injured. “I fell in preseason and I didn’t know what was wrong with me and my stomach was just hurting me all the time…I went into the hospital and I had to get my gallbladder out so I missed half the season,” Silegy said.

She continued, “Coming back after that was probably my biggest challenge in my college career. It was hard because you want to play and you want to be healthy and be fit, but it just doesn’t work like that; it takes time. It was nice that I had really good teammates that were supportive and wouldn’t drill me in practice too hard and just wanted me to get back.”

Silegy made it back just in time for playoffs. “We ended up winning [the] LEC, which was awesome to come back to that,” Silegy said.

Tim Smith/ Photo Editor

Assistant women’s soccer coach Sarah Testo said that Silegy works hard to get where she is today. “Katie is one of my favorites; everything they’ve asked her to do she’s done… She struggled with surgery [her first year], and then to come back last year, [do] everything we’ve asked her to and just to watch her be the player that I knew she always was,” Testo said.

Silegy said that her greatest accomplishment was coming back to soccer after her injury.

“Coming back after that and not really knowing where you stand on the team and not playing too much last year was hard, but just sticking with it and accomplishing a lot better season this year than any of my other seasons in college so far,” Silegy said.

Silegy said that she looks up to all the ‘classic’ female soccer players like Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, Kristine Lilly and Mia Hamm, but her biggest inspiration is her father.

“My biggest role model and inspiration is probably my dad, just because he’s the reason why I really started playing [and] why I kept playing especially in college,” Silegy said.

The team is a big motivator for Silegy. “The team motivates me the most because you want to play well for the team, you want to play well for the captains, especially because it’s their last year,” Silegy said.

She continued and said, “This year has been going a lot better than previous years. It feels nice; I finally have a little bit of confidence, which goes a long way. My coaches and teammates have really helped me with that and giving me that confidence.”

Testo agreed that she’s grown. “She’s got herself in better shape since her [first year]. She just has so much more confidence being on the field and it has just helped her. I mean we wouldn’t be where we are if it wasn’t for her.”

Teammate Marianna Porcello said that Silegy is a team player on and off the field.

Tim Smith/ Photo Editor

“Coming in [our first year] with her she was always wicked friendly. [With] her being from Keene, [she] had the upper hand already knowing some of the players, which was nice. On the field, she’s a very technical player. She can get the ball to the net, but she can also get the ball to others and they can find the net,” Porcello said.

“That’s the thing about Katie. She has ten goals [and] eight assists, so not only is she scoring, but she’s finding her teammates,” Testo said.

Testo and Porcello couldn’t stress enough on how technical Silegy is on the field. “She’s the playmaker. She puts the ball in the back of the net. She’s a very technical player on the field,” Testo said.

Silegy’s next move for the rest of the season is to win their last home game, take home the LEC title and to move on to NCAA and go all the way.

Testo’s last words about Silegy were simply, “I’m just proud of her.”

Shelby Iava can be contacted at SIava@kscequinox.com

Since the year 2000 the Keene State women’s cross country team has been dominating the Little East Conference (LEC). The women have just taken home their 17th consecutive title.

Contributed photos/ Sports information

Senior Lindsay Szuch won the individual medal honor. Her winning race time was 18:02:74, which was 32 seconds in front of the next runner. Szuch is now the latest Owls of the nine KSC runners to take home an individual medal honor.

Mary Proulx (2000, 2001), Jennifer Adams (2005, 2006, 2007), Breanne Lucey (2006), Rita Marcotte (2008), Allison Chamberlain (2009), Paige Mills (2010, 2011), Samantha Goldsmith (2013, 2014), and Kait Wheeler (2015).

With holding this tradition can bring some stress but that doesn’t stop the lady Owls. “It’s a huge amount of pressure continuing such a strong tradition of dominance in our conference but there also comes a huge sense of pride with it as well,” Szuch said.

She continued, “This year in particular meant a whole lot to my team as we really had to go out and fight for it this year, it wasn’t the given that we would take it as it seemed in the past. So for us to actually go out and earn this title meant so much, especially for our seniors.”

Contributed photos/ Sports information

Cross country is prominently endurance work. “We do a lot of long run tempos and fartlek training in the woods,” Szuch said.  The runner’s mileage varies, but for Szuch she averages about 50-57 miles each week.

Now that they have reached post season, they will begin cutting back their longer runs for shorter, faster pace work.

Next up the cross country team has their Regionals meet at Westfield State in Mass. “This was the race that year, our women’s team qualified for the National race in Wisconsin. We have lost about six of those girls that went last year, but I still have high hopes this year of returning. It was a stretch last year that we would make it, but we did. So I don’t see the harm in setting that for a goal for this year as well,” Szuch said.

Shelby Iava cna be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

The Keene State volleyball team broke their five-game losing streak and made it one for the books. Longtime Head Coach Bob Weiner earned his 500th win since he started coaching at Keene State College in 2005. Weiner is on his 12th season.

Weiner said that the long road to his 500th win started two weeks ago. “My 500th win began two Saturdays ago when we beat Mount Holyoke [College], and that was 499, and then we had Plymouth [State University] the following Wednesday. It went along, but we didn’t win and it was frustrating,” he said.

Weiner continued, “Then we had a weekend match with Framingham State University and W[orcestor] P[olytechnic] I[nstitute], which we didn’t play very well because of the Plymouth loss. We then had Western New England [University] last Thursday and we played okay, but they played better.”

Weiner recorded the 500th win against Maine Maritime Academy on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Weiner stressed that the road to 500 effected him in ways that he didn’t want it to.

Colton McCraken/ Equinox Staff

In the years that Weiner has been coaching at Keene State, they never had a five-game losing streak. Weiner said, “But then, we got to Maine Maritime, and here’s the thing. It has affected me in ways I didn’t want it to affect me.”

He continued, “I didn’t want it to affect the season, but I will admit when playing Maine Maritime the last game of the season, had we beaten Eastern Connecticut, I wanted to let some of the kids on the bench time to play. I wanted to give some kids some time, but instead, I found myself pushing for a win because we have lost five in a row and that has never happened since I’ve been here and I wanted to be past it.”

Senior Leslie Hearns has been playing under Weiner since she entered Keene State in 2013.

”It has been a great experience [being coached by Weiner]. He has showed me how to work with different types of players.”

Hearns continued, “We come from team[s] with a lot of diversity, so he’s showed me how to work well with everyone. Instead of just getting used to the same players, he changes things up so you don’t rely on that one person to get the job done. It builds trust within the court.”

Weiner keeps up with his athletes on and off the court.

Hearns said he cares about you as a person and can help with almost anything, whether it’s school-related or a more personal matter.

“I want my players to learn things. I want my players to grow as people. The hazardous trip from 18 to 21 [years old] is best done with lots of stuff, lots of activities to keep your mind focused. I want to watch people grow up and then I want to get some wins,” Weiner said.

Senior Taylor Bright is a transfer student from California.

“Since I transferred, I’ve only had him [Weiner] as a coach for two years, but it has been interesting. Going from such a large group of seniors last year who were all starters to a smaller group this year, the expectations have been a lot higher of us this year, especially with a large group of first-years. Coach is always pushing us and it may not always be in the way we want, but in the end we learn from it,” Bright said.

Weiner was the first male coach that she has ever had.

“It’s different in that there’s a difference in how we are treated. When it was a female, they were a lot more apt to be firm and hard on us, and with coach, he takes a softer approach to start and if we aren’t getting things done, he becomes more firm,” Bright said.

Weiner mentioned that it is different being a male coach to a female sport.

“I was talking to my assistant Liz Buckley and she was saying up until she came to college, she always had women coaches,” Weiner said.

He continued, “I said, ‘how is that different?’…I want my female players to be comfortable with me. There’s no weird stuff going on, but in order to ensure that I have to take a step back and I’ve done so emotionally, I have to let my athletes come to me as people and then we can communicate,” Weiner said.

After achieving the 500th win, Weiner said he was relaxed.

Tim Smith/ Photo Editor

“There was this really cool thing that happened. I had mentioned it three weeks ago to maybe one or two of our captains and no one else, [but] this isn’t about me. A bunch of women played for me and won the matches, and I just say, ‘Go here,’ [and], ‘Do this.’ That’s all I do, and after a win or loss, we huddle on the court and I walked into the huddle and I was prepared to say, ‘I don’t know if you guys know this but…’ and they gave me a ball…and a clipboard and I was totally blown away,” Weiner said.

The lady Owls said if they didn’t win the game then they were going to burn the clipboard.

“…It was time and I agreed with them. I think they might have known the decisions I was making. I didn’t want to be selfish about it, but we needed a win,” Weiner said.

According to the Keene Owls’ website, Weiner led the Owls into uncharted territory when he arrived in 2005.

Directing the Owls to a first-ever appearance in the 2005 Little East Conference (LEC) championship match, he then coached KSC in back-to-back, 25 victory seasons and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament ap­pearances, as well as a first-ever LEC regular season title in 2007.

Weiner and the Owls’ served up an unforgettable 2008 season when he was named LEC Coach of the Year and posted a program best 29-9 (6-0 LEC) in addition to capturing the program’s first LEC title and NCAA berth.

Weiner is in the midst of his 28th season of collegiate coaching. Weiner came to Keene State after being the sports information director at Pine Manor College.

He also held the position of head women’s volleyball coach at Iona College in New York, As­sumption College in Massachusetts, Montana State-Northern University, Macalester Col­lege in Minnesota and Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire.

Weiner was the first varsity coach at Franklin Pierce University and led the 1992 and 1993 Ravens to ECAC tournament berths.

Weiner received his degree in theatre from the University of California at Los Angeles and a Master’s in Fine Arts from the University of California-Irvine.

Weiner said his next goal is 600. “When I hit 600, I don’t care if it’s in the middle of the season, I’m giving my clipboard to my assistant and I’m going out and having a cold one. That’s the last one,” he said.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

Four goals in less than four minutes, safe to say Keene State College field hockey team dominated their game on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Owls Athletic Complex. The Owls used their penalty corners to their advantage and were able to score the first three of four goals following the corners.

Sophomore Erica Stauffer fired a pass to senior Sami Smith, who shot it high into the roof of the cage to get an early lead. Not even a minute later, Smith doubled the score and grabbed her 20th goal of the year.  The goals didn’t stop there, junior Kendal Brown snagged another goal within the 12th minute. Just shy of the 13th minute, Marita Brothers received a corner pass from senior Brittney Cardente and scored, giving the Owls a 4-0 lead. At the end of the first half, Stauffer received her first goal of the season, pumping the Owls up to 5-0 at halftime.

Tim Smith/ Photo Editor

Stauffer’s received a hat-trick within less than 10 minutes in the second half. First, Stauffer took a pass from Smith and scored, not even 41 seconds later she repeated the same play, but with an assist from Jensyn Dandeneau.

The Bears finally broke the shutout in the 52nd minute. In less than two minutes of the Bears’ goal, first-year Hannah Cook scored her first collegiate goal, and the final goal of the game.

The Owls will be hitting the road Thursday, Oct. 6 for a non-conference game against Castleton University and then again Saturday, Oct. 8 in a conference meet against Eastern Connecticut State University.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at siava@kscequinox.com

Women’s Soccer

The Keene State women’s soccer team have received their third shutout of the year! The Owls dominated the Panthers with a 5-0 win from their game on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Owls Athletic Complex. The Owls maintain their unbeaten Little East Conference (LEC) record.

In just the seventh minute, junior midfielder Katie Silegy was set up with the ball from a pass by Julia Pearson, getting the Owls their first goal of the game. The Owls were quick; just one minute later, senior Brittany Tolla  took possession of the ball on the left side and out-ran the Plymouth defenders, firing a shot into the net, soaring between the Plymouth goalkeeper and the post.

The Panthers attempted to get themselves on the scoreboard, but fell short when Hannah Kallis missed the net. At the end of the first half, Pearson brought the ball up the right side of the field and sent it to junior Kali Santino who one-touched it into the back of the net, giving the Owls a score of 3-0 over Plymouth State at the half.

Tim smith/ Photo editor

In the start of the second half, Plymouth came out aggressive, attempting to make a shot on goal. A shot by the Panthers’ Naomi Kramer just sailed over the crossbar.

The Owls regained possession of the ball and received a penalty kick at the 80th minute. Junior Morgan Kathan stepped up for the Owls and placed the shot in the left corner, which was outstretched by the Panthers goalkeeper.

Kathan didn’t quit there. Just moments after the ball was in play, she received a pass from Chloe Loos and sped her way down the field to collect the last and final goal on the Panthers, giving a final of 5-0 Keene State.

Up next, the women will play Worcester State University on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at home and then will be on the road Saturday, Oct 8 at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Men’s Soccer

The Keene State men’s soccer team got a very important Little East Conference (LEC) win on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Plymouth State University Panther’s home turf. The Owls had a 3-0 victory.

This was the first win over the Panthers since the 2013 season. Junior forward, Promise Kpee has now scored a total of 12 goals this season, passing out his record of ten goals in the 2015 season.

18 minutes into the first half, Kpee sailed the first goal of the game right into the net. Panthers Jerry Randolph took a shot on the net, but aimed too high. A wave of corner kicks and shots gave the Owls plenty of opportunities to score on the goal, but they couldn’t seem to find the net.

Tim smith/ Photo editor

In the beginning of the second half, sophomore midfielder Keegan LaBerge received a pass from sophomore Jacob Chiza and gave the Owls a 2-0 lead over the Panthers. The Owls offense stayed strong throughout the second half. Kpee added a third and final goal for the Owls.

Plymouth attempted shots on the Owls at the very end of the second half, but they were unsuccessful at taking away the Owls shut out.

The men will travel to Saint Joseph’s College in Maine for a non-conference matchup Tuesday, Oct. 4 and then again at home Saturday, Oct. 8 against Eastern Connecticut State University.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at siava@kscequinox.com

The Keene State men’s soccer team took their first loss Sunday, Sept. 18, against Western Connecticut State University (WCSU).

10 minutes into the game, Darion Richeme’ of WCSU sniped the ball over KSC goalie Jason Smith’s head and into the back of the net, putting the WCSU Colonials up by one early on.

Tim SMith/ Photo Editor

Keene had the opportunity to score, but Promise Kpee’s shot was saved. Twenty minutes in, Captain Conor Leahy found his way to the net, but his header was saved.

The Owls had many chances to score. After the Colonials committed a pair of foul shots, both shots from Kpee and William Salta were just shy.

WCSU shut out their 2-0 win when Richeme sailed a shot into the back of the net.

The Owls will travel to Middlebury College for a non-conference match Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at Siava@kscequinox.com

Are you an athlete and having issues with a professor? Associate Professor  Jeffrey Timmer is your guy. Timmer works hand-in-hand with athletes and faculty to make sure everything runs smoothly.

“I am the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR). Basically, the NCAA mandates that every institution have a faculty member that serves many purposes, but is ultimately part of the compliance team. Historically, a long, long time ago, NCAA schools were using athletes that were not even enrolled or attending classes at the institution,” Timmer said.

He continued, “Therefore, they decided that faculty should oversee the fairness of athletes and academics. That has involved into requiring every institution to have a FAR. In terms of what I do, I check GPA’s and credit completion to make sure each student athlete is not only getting good grades, but is advancing toward receiving their degree.”

Timmer is also the chair of the Faculty Athletic Advisory Committee, which is similar to the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. They look into policies and Title IX compliance. “I am also considered the bridge between faculty and student athletes on campus, if either group has concerns about absences, professionalism, etc. It is clearly more of a behind-the-scenes job, which makes it perfect for me,” Timmer said.

Senior Student athlete and women’s soccer goalie, Danielle Warhall has both the professor and athlete relationship with Timmer. “I have three classes this semester with Timmer, but I have also had other classes with him throughout the last few years,” Warhall said.

Tim Smith/ Photo editor

Another student athlete, and senior softball player, Jenny Galavotti has Timmer as an advisor. “He’s my advisor, so he guides me in what courses I should be taking and when. He has helped me guide my way through what graduate schools I should consider and look into and the requirements for that.The only thing he’s involved in with sports is he’s seen a few games,” Galavotti said.

Galavotti hasn’t had any situations where her professors have gotten mad for leaving due to games. “My coach is very good about us making sure our professors know ahead of time, so I’ve never really needed Timmer for that,” Galavotti said.

Timmer takes an interest in all of athletics. “Dr. Timmer is always involved with asking how our game went or what the plan was for the next game clearly being genuinely interested in the team and individual performance,” Warhall said.

There’s not one season that is ‘easy’ Timmer said. “Each season provides its own challenges and genuine issues are bound to arise simply based on the inevitable conflict of being two places at one time, but since I have been the FAR, the faculty at Keene State College have shown tremendous support for the student athletes on campus,” he said.

Timmer said he enjoys getting to know all students outside the classroom. The location of his office allows him to have the opportunity to not only relate to the majors in the Human Performance and Movement Science department, but it also allows him the opportunity to meet more student athletes who are not in his classes. “I really enjoy the people that I work with in the Human Performance and Movement Science department, as well as the Athletic and Recreation Departments. When you share the same building, you really have the opportunity to build relationships, and I have always enjoyed the relationships that I have made in the building. When you enjoy the people you work with, you will enjoy your job, and that has held true for me at KSC,” Timmer said.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at siava@kscequinox.com