WEST POINT, N.Y. – Matthew Hamilton, a United States Military Academy senior from Curwensville, will captain the veteran 2007-08 Army rifle team that is aiming to challenge for Great America Rifle Conference and NCAA championships after runner-up finishes last season.
The Curwensville Area High School graduate, one of nine athletes pictured on Army\’s fall sports schedule poster, is a three-year letterman for the Black Knights, who have finished first (2005), third (2006) and second (2007) in the last three NCAA Championships.
Hamilton, a four-time National Junior Olympic Qualifier and 2003 bronze medallist in air rifle, has competed individually or as a member of the Black Knights\’ firing rotation in both disciplines, smallbore and air rifle, throughout his career.
He is a two-time NCAA individual qualifier, firing season-highs 581 in smallbore and 578 in air rifle at the 2007 NCAA Qualifier.
His personal-best scores came in his sophomore season, 587 in smallbore at the NCAA Qualifier and 579 in air rifle competing individually in the Navy match. He was part of the smallbore four-man rotation on Feb. 26, 2006, when the Black Knights set a series record with a combine score of 5844 in defeating Navy in the annual \”Star\” match for the first time since 1990. They subsequently were honored as the Army Athletic Association\’s \”Athletes of the Week.\”
Army was 10-2 last season, losing only to NCAA champion Alaska-Fairbanks and GARC champion Kentucky. The biggest wins were over Nebraska and Navy, the first home victory over the Middies since 1985.
Joining Hamilton as returnees are six-time first-team All-America Chris Abalo, selected \”Shooter of the Match\” at the 2007 NCAA Championships after placing third in air rifle and fourth in smallbore, and fellow All-Americans David Amiot, Brian Kern and Wesley Hess. Those four and promising freshman Steve Scherer were named to the All-GARC \”Watch List\” in a preseason coaches\’ poll.
The Black Knights will begin the fall season with a home match against Akron on Oct. 20.
Their schedule shows 11 dual matches and four major tournaments.
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SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Dave Richards of Clearfield rushed for 54 yards to lead the Shippensburg University ground game Saturday, but nationally-ranked West Chester made a goal line stand in the final minutes to escape Seth Grove Stadium with a 34-29 win in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover game.
Richards, the Red Raiders\’ starting right halfback, carried 15 times, including three for 12 yards on the late drive that fizzled at the WC-1. The redshirt junior gained four yards to the WC-4 on second down and was the target of Gabe Maiocco\’s pass that was broken up.
Maiocco\’s fourth-down pass was complete, but Kyle Fogarty was tackled at the one, disappointing the crowd of 7,000 at Shippensburg\’s home opener.
So, Shippensburg is 0-4 for the first time since 1969, with two of the losses by five points and one by eight points.
Once-beaten West Chester, which led 31-7 at halftime, jumped to No. 17 in this week\’s D2Football.com NCAA Division II poll after its third win.
Richards, who has 34 for 88 yards, and the Red Raiders will begin PSAC-Western Division play Saturday with a 1 p.m. Parents and Family Day game against Edinboro.
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CLARION, Pa. – Freshman safety Nick Sipes of Curwensville registered his second eight-tackle game in a row in Memorial Stadium Saturday evening, but Bloomsburg University spoiled Family Day for the Clarion gridders by rolling to a 52-10 victory.
A crowd of approximately 4,500 saw the Huskies (2-2) run and pass for 551 yards in handing the Eagles their fourth consecutive loss in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover game.
Sipes was credited with three solo tackles and five assists, while former Curwensville Area High School teammate Shawn Sopic had one solo tackle and one fumble recovery.
Sipes is tied for third in Clarion defensive statistics with 23 tackles and has one fumble recovery.
Sopic is tied for sixth in tackles with 16, leads the team with two fumble recoveries and also has one interception.
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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Nate Sipes of Curwensville had one carry for five yards late in Slippery Rock\’s 45-9 rout of Kutztown (2-2) in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover football game that drew a crowd of 7,250 to Bob DiSpirito Field at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium Saturday.
The Rock, 4-0 for the first time since 1962, was led by PSAC Western Division Offensive Player of the Week Cory Manfull, who rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns, one a 96-yarder.
Sipes, a redshirt sophomore, has three carries for nine yards.
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HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Freshman defensive back Beau Ryan of Clearfield made two stops and returned two kickoffs for 21 yards in the Juniata College football team\’s 27-12 Centennial Conference loss to visiting Franklin & Marshall (1-2, 1-1) before approximately 2,500 fans in Knox Stadium Saturday afternoon.
One of Ryan\’s tackles was a solo stop for a two-yard loss.
Ryan has three solo tackles and one assist for the Eagles, who are 0-3 with two losses in the conference.
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ALTOONA – Clearfield Area High School graduate Brandon McQuillen continues to be a solid performer for the Penn State-Altoona men\’s soccer team that is off to a 7-2 start.
In seven games, the sophomore goalie has allowed only six goals while making 21 saves, a 77.8 save percentage. He has finished five of his seven starts with a 4-2 record.
Last week, the Lions were edged 2-1 by undefeated Carnegie-Mellon (6-0) and blanked Hilbert 7-0 in their Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opener as McQuillen (58:13) and Marc Zagac (31:47) combined for the shutout. They did not have to defend any shots on goal.
The two also combined for a 1-0 shutout at Grove City in the Lions\’ season opener, with the win going to Zagac. McQuillen was in goal for the first 23:47 and had one save.
Penn State-Altoona was the preseason pick to win the AMCC championship.
McQuillen transferred from Slippery Rock University, where he started 18 games in goal as a freshman and registered eight shutouts, finishing with an 10-7-1 record. He was credited with 107 saves for an 82.9 save percentage, and his goals-against average was 1.22.
On Oct. 6, McQuillen was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference men\’s soccer \”Athlete of the Week\” for 160 shutout minutes in two Rock wins.
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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Lucas Feathers of Clearfield got off two shots, one on goal, for the Slippery Rock University men\’s soccer team in a 1-0 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference win over Millersville Saturday on Bob DiSpirito Field in N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.
The sophomore forward has played in nine games with one goal. Six of his 12 shots have been on goal.
The Rock, unbeaten in its last eight games, is 6-2-2 and third in the PSAC with 17 points for its 5-1-2 record. Millersville fell to 3-4-1 in the PSAC and 4-5-1 overall.
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EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Freshman midfielder Mark Auman of Clearfield saw action for the Lock Haven University men\’s soccer team against East Stroudsburg in Saturday afternoon\’s showdown for first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
The Bald Eagles lost 3-1 and dropped one game off East Stroudsburg\’s 7-1 pace. Lock Haven is 6-2 in the PSAC and 7-3 for the season.
Auman has one assist in five games.
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NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Alan Baldwin, a freshman midfielder from Clearfield, has one goal and one assist, both in a 5-0 win over Point Park, in four games for the Westminster College men\’s soccer team.
He also got off five shots in a victory over Pitt-Bradford.
The Titans are 4-3-1.
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GREENSBURG, Pa. – Dani Struble of Curwensville helped the Pitt-Greensburg women\’s soccer begin its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference season with a 2-1 victory over visiting Pitt-Bradford Saturday afternoon by assisting on the first of Colleen Burick\’s two goals.
The freshman midfielder\’s first assist for the Bobcats came in the 57th minute of a tie game. She also got off one shot against the 1-5-1 Panthers.
Pitt-Greensburg, 2-6-1 overall, lost 2-0 to Mount Union (3-5) in a non-conference home game Sept. 20. Struble had one of the Bobcats\’ four shots on goal.
Struble is second on the team with five points, one behind Burick, and leads in shots (26) and shots on goal (13).
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BEAVER FALLS – Junior Amber Weaver of Clearfield is 2-4 in her third season as the goalkeeper for the Geneva College women\’s soccer team following losses to Medaille 2-1, Hiram 5-2 and Walsh 3-0 last week.
She was forced to make 31 saves in the three games, boosting her total to 58 that includes a career-tying high of 19 in a 3-1 loss to Seton Hill on Sept. 10.
Weaver has an 81.8 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-allowed average for the 2-6 Golden Tornadoes.
She was in goal for all of the wins for the 6-10-2 and 6-12 Geneva teams the last two years and received honorable mention on the 2006 American Mideast Conference All-Star Team.
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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Juliana Howell of Clearfield had two shots on goal Saturday afternoon on Bob DiSpirito Field at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium as the Slippery Rock University women\’s soccer team blanked Millersville 2-0 to reach the halfway mark of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference season with a 5-0 record in the Western Division.
The Rock, which topped defending champion Indiana (4-3, 3-2) by 3-2 on Sept. 20, is 9-1 and was ranked No. 3 in last week\’s National Soccer Coaches of America Assn. NCAA Division II poll.
Slippery Rock, No. 1 in the Northeast Region, leads Edinboro (3-1-1) in the PSAC-West.
Howell has five starts in the nine games she\’s played. The freshman forward has scored two goals. She has nine shots, six on goal.
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CALIFORNIA, Pa. – Sophomore forward Ashleigh Mohney of Bigler has started eight games in 11 appearances for the 1-9-1 California University women\’s soccer team.
The Clearfield Area High School graduate has gotten off four shots.
Last year, Mohney had 16 starts in 19 games for the 7-11-1 Vulcans, scoring one goal in seven shots. She also had two assists for four total points.