THE VECTOR
Sports
Week of October 23, 2018
NJIT Scores Pair of Wins to Open Season By NJIT Athletics
Photo By NJIT Athletics NEWARK, NJ -- The Highlanders men's swimming and diving team opened the 2018-19 season with a 2-1 record at the NJIT Invitational on Sunday at the Wellness and Events Center (WEC). NJIT posted a 149-81 victory over Mount Saint Mary's and a 139.5100.5 win over Manhattan College, while being nipped by Saint Peter's University, 118-115.
The Peacocks finished a perfect 3-0 on the men's side while LIU Brooklyn earned a 3-0 sweep on the women's side. The meet consisted of four programs for both men's and women's competitions. "I'm really proud of the way our guys stepped up and raced today," said Head Swimming and Diving Coach Ron Farina, who
enters his first season with NJIT. "We knew Saint Peters was going to be a challenge, but we won both relays and had numerous close losses. I like the where we are this point in the season and look forward to continuing the work to achieve our goals." The Highlanders eked out their initial first-place finish of the season in the Men 200 Yard Medley Relay, as Edward Madrigal, Nicholas Lyons, Mattheau Bonner and Tyler Pollock finished with a time of 1:36.79 -- just 0:00.24 ahead of a quartet from Saint Peters. NJIT also finished the meet strong with the top finish in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay, as freshman Joshua Franco, Pollock, Lyons and freshman Kai Legband combined for a time of 1:41.65. Junior diver Cole Becker became the first Highlander to attain an individual first-place finish, when his final score of 222.45 in the Men One Meter Dive nipped teammate Avery Bechtel, who finished in second place with a 208.45. The pair also finished in the same order in the Three Me-
ter, posting scores of 192.70 and 186.20, respectively. Freshman Joshua Franco scored his first career individual firstplace finish in the Men 500 Yard Freestyle, topping the pack of 15 swimmers with a score of 4:48.66. The product of Union (NJ) High School also placed second in the 200 Yard Freestyle (1:42.96). Also competing for the first time collegiately, Legband finished second in the 50 Yard Freestyle (21.10) and 100 Yard Freestyle (46.49) Individually, Lyons finished second in the 100 Yard Breaststroke (59.45) while Bonner placed second in the 100 Yard Butterfly (52.45). Also of note, freshman Lane Griffis finished fourth in both the 500 (4:58.11) and 1000 Yard Freestyle (10:17.71) in his first NCAA competition. NJIT will next compete in a home meet against UMass on Saturday. The meet will be held in the WEC starting at 1 p.m.
By NJIT Athletics
nament for the first time since joining in 2015. NJIT held the advantage in shots, 18-11 and corner kicks 7-2. Senior Gerber was a threat all game for the Highlanders leading all players with eight shots, seven of them coming on goal, and four of them notched in the overtime periods. Fiona Wright tallied six shots in the game. In the 56th minute the Highlanders earned a penalty kick taken by Gerber that Lion keep-
RECENT RESULTS
er Shelby Thornton made a diving save to stop from going into the back of the net. At the end of the second overtime, NJIT tallied three shots in the final four minutes. With 40 seconds to go, Gerber broke out behind the Lion defense and attempted to laser a ball past Thornton whose quick hands grabbed the ball before it went in. Thornton made 11 saves for her team, while Highlander goalie Amelia Sapirman
No. 2 Seed
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Women’s Soccer Finishes Regular Season With a 0-0 Tie With North Alabama on Senior Day HILLSIDE, NJ – NJIT women's soccer finished out their regular season with a 0-0 overtime tie against ASUN Conference opponent North Alabama during Senior Day on Sunday at Kean University's East Campus. Eight women's soccer seniors were recognized in a pre-game ceremony including Arianna Gerber The Highlanders finished the regular season 11-4-2 and 5-21 in conference play, and made the ASUN post-season tour-
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notched four saves and another shutout which brings her career total to 13. The Highlanders have a chance to host the first round of the ASUN tournament which will be determined after the Kennesaw State verse Lipscomb match on Sunday night. The tournament starts on Friday October 26 and the first round and semifinals will be hosted by the top two seeded teams.
and await the winner on Sunday. Freshman Fiona Wright set the program record for most goals by a freshman in a season (11) and will be the key Highlanders star in the rematch of the season finale in the postseason premiere. #3 Kennesaw State: As stated above, the Owls fell 1-0 in a tough contest that could have elevated them to the top seed in the postseason. A back-and-forth affair that required extra time, Kennesaw State missed by inches numerous times to fall at home. Tiffany Sornpao was just minutes away from her tenth shutout of the season in the finale and looks to continue her top form to carry the Owls to a conference crown and NCAA Tournament ticket which begins with a first-round matchup vs. North Alabama at NJIT next Friday. The Owls lost to the Lions 3-2 in UNA's first-ever ASUN contest earlier this year on the road and hope to avenge that loss. In fact, it is possible that Kennesaw State will play teams in which it lost to in every round of the ASUN Championship depending on how the field breaks down. #4 FGCU: The reigning ASUN Championship title holders, FGCU falls to the four seed in the postseason for the first time as members of the league. The Eagles have rebounded nicely from a