Sports

Sports

Five-game thriller leads to fifth PL championship

By Dan Jacobson | November 21

There are two lessons a person would take away from the Patriot League Volleyball Tournament: Never underestimate the heart of a champion and never count out AU in a match no matter how big the deficit. In two straight matches, AU came back from within a game of elimination to earn its fifth straight Patriot League title and trip to the NCAA Tournament.

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Sports

AU men's hoops will welcome freshmen

By Kevin Hilgers | November 21

A bad cold kept AU men's basketball coach Jeff Jones from the sideline for the AU men's basketball team's Nov. 9 exhibition game against Catholic, so he had to watch the game tape at home in bed. But at one point, he saw something that may have told him the cold medicine was messing with his mind.

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Sports

'Halo?' or headstands for hoops?

By Jordan Beane | November 17

It's almost that time. The squeak of shoes on the hardwood, the sounds of a blaring pep band, the catcalls of "AIIIIRRRBBAAALLLLL" after a missed shot, and the yells of drunken college students screaming at opposing players, all point to one thing: College basketball is back.

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Sports

Hadavi, women's hoops tired of street clothes

By Jesse Epstein | November 17

Tala Hadavi keeps the high-end clothing stores in Friendship Heights and Pentagon City in business...and much to her chagrin. Ever since she's arrived on campus almost three years ago, injury and NCAA regulations have forced her to spend more time in skirts and high heels on the bench than she has doing what she does best: draining threes and spearheading the Eagles' attack.

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Sports

A choice no mom could love

By Kevin Hilgers | November 17

There are certain questions every kid asks his or her parents. "Where do babies come from?" "Why do people die?" And, at least from me: "Who do you love more: Me or my sister?" Explaining life and death is an easy thing because each one has a satisfying answer.

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Sports

Volleyball trying for PL title 5-peat

By Dan Jacobson | November 17

Since joining the Patriot League five years ago, the AU women's volleyball team has dominated its competition. The Eagles have won four straight Patriot League regular season and conference titles, and were victorious in the first 70 PL games they played.

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Sports

Men's soccer misses the target in PL title game

November 14

The AU men's soccer team missed out on its fourth Patriot League championship in five years Sunday, losing to Lafayette (13-4-2) in the PL final, 1-0, at Reeves Field. Lafayette sophomore Luke Sullivan scored the game's only goal less than four minutes into the first half.

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Sports

Sports briefs

November 14

Volleyball falls in Foggy Bottom Miscommunications and poor hitting led the AU volleyball team to a 3-1 (14-30, 30-25, 20-30, and 29-31) loss to George Washington Saturday night at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center. AU (22-9, 13-1 Patriot League) only shot for .

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Sports

Yohannes charge secures men's return to nationals

By Ian Quillen | November 14

As AU and Princeton's last runners crossed the line in Saturday's NCAA Mideast Regional, the team race for second place - and a spot in the NCAA Championships - was too close to call. Princeton's top two runners finished fifth and sixth, both ahead of eighth-place AU sophomore Steve Hallinan on the course in Bethlehem, Pa.

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Sports

Reporting from the shadow of greatness

By Katie Munro | November 14

What a season it was. A 20-2 record. A trip to the NCAA Tournament. A national ranking. Patriot League offensive, defensive and coaching honors. Surely regional and All-America awards to come. It was one of those seasons I can proudly tell about to my grandkids and they can tell about to their grandkids.

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Sports

Field hockey unravels late vs. Terps

By Kevin Hilgers | November 14

AU field hockey coach Steve Jennings thought his team was in good position for almost all of Sunday's match at Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Never mind that the Terrapins controlled the shots and penalty corners the whole day. The teams were knotted in a scoreless tie for almost an hour of play - not a bad place to be against the top-ranked Terps.

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Sports

Hoop notes: Guards key to season start

By Kevin Hilgers and Dan Jacobson | November 10

Ingram leads in exhibition win over Catholic Andre Ingram scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and freshman Garrison Carr scored 18 off the bench Wednesday night as AU defeated Catholic University, 71-63, in a home exhibition. The Eagles started three guards, including freshman Derrick Mercer at point guard.

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Sports

Today, the sweet science has gone sour

By Jordan Beane | November 10

I have a basic premise about humans. People love to see people beat the "Bejesus" out of each other. It's biological, like our need to breathe oxygen, or our hatred of any Weezer CD after "Pinkerton." Think about it. When you were in high school, did anyone ever yell "Someone's doing homework!" causing everyone to stand on their lunch tables to peer at the guy finishing chemistry for next period? No.

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Sports

Sports brief: Crew brings home gold from Virginia competition

By Ian Quillen | November 10

AU rowing finished its season with a gold medal and a fourth-place finish at the Head of the Occoquan race Sunday. The Eagles took first in the Men's Novice 4 division, a classification for 4-man boats for first-year rowers, finishing the 5,000-meter course in 20:17.

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Sports

Jennings' and Eagles' timetable right on time

By Kevin Hilgers | November 10

When Caroline Vo was a high school senior in Massachusetts, the thought of playing college field hockey was a stretch. The current senior defender's plan was just to find a school where she'd get minutes. What was even farther from her mind was some place called American University.

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Sports

Tackle all your troubles: watch a ballgame

By Carolyn Fox | November 10

Sometimes all it takes to make a bad night good is a great tackle. I sat on the couch two Sundays ago failing miserably at snapping out of a mood I had been in since Wednesday. It had been one of those weeks, the kind when gravity won more often than balance, and food dropped on my shirt instead of in my mouth.

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Sports

Soccer prepares for PL tourney

By Ian Quillen | November 10

For the second time in as many seasons, the AU men's soccer team will host the Patriot League Tournament, Friday and Sunday at Reeves Field. But this year has been hardly anything like the last. In 2004, led by seniors Thomas Myers in goal, Sean Albright, Charlie Koniver and Nick Zaron on defense, Shawn Kuykendall at midfield and Dave Marut up front, the Eagles entered the PL playoffs with a 9-1-1 mark in their last 11 games.

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